Okay... it's time to discuss a political matter of great importance... the budget.

Watching the news today on the 'honourable' channel 7, it claimed that everyone would be happy with this years budget, as it serves almost all areas of society... is this necessarily true?

Can somebody provide links with details on the matter?

Solar rebates for those who can afford to have solar panels installed on their home, hundreds of millions of dollars for the coal industry to develop "clean coal technology" which if anyone was honest - is unrealistic.

Centrelink payments for child care rebates - not means tested and an additional contribution from the Government for those salary sacrificing for extra superanuation (if they can afford it).

With $15 billion dollars, the federal government could install huge solar systems in our major cities and run pipelines from major water sources to drought stricken areas and cities. 

But this government believes in bribes - spend as though there is no tomorrow - and hopefully win back some popularity in order to win the next election.

I assumed solar electric systems - which are apparently very expensive, although I have only heard this and haven't looked at the installation prices personally.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Green-groups-not-impressed-with-budget/2007/05/08/1178390306262.html

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello has switched from being a climate change denier to a climate change pretender, Greenpeace says.

Greenpeace chief Steve Shallhorn said the organisation was glad Mr Costello had used the term climate change in his budget speech, but he had not introduced any real measures to battle the threat.

"Unfortunately, he was only able to re-announce a single solar program that has been in place for seven years, and a small and questionable tax deduction for tree plantations," he said.

Mr Shallhorn said Mr Costello had pretended to move on climate change, but kept in place billions of dollars of subsidies to coal and oil.

His inaction was destroying the Great Barrier Reef, drying up the Murray-Darling system and threatening the economic wealth of future generations.

Meanwhile, Climate Institute chief executive John Connor said the budget contained a series of welcomed small steps, but fell far short of the reforms and funding necessary to cut greenhouse pollution and switch Australia to clean energy.

Australian Conservation Foundation executive director Don Henry says the budget ensures Australia continues to go backwards on tackling greenhouse gas pollution.

"If we look at the spending picture closely in the budget, every dollar we're spending to tackle climate change in this budget, we're still spending $10 on activities that promote pollution.

Greens leader Bob Brown said the financial blueprint contained only $281 million in extra funding for the environment.

"There is no recognition in this budget that the economy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the environment," Senator Brown said.

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Regions are big winners in 2007 budget

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Regions-are-big-winners-in-2007-budget/2007/05/08/1178390301567.html

Regional Australians have been handed a grab bag filled with pre-election goodies in the federal budget.

There is help for those in southern Australia who remain plagued by drought, millions for the food industry, an extra $156 million for the flying doctor and even artists in regional areas don't miss out with $16 million to build up culture in the bush.

A number of road funding announcements are also squarely targeted at regional areas.

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Govt offers $22b for road, rail program

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Govt-offers-22b-for-road-rail-program/2007/05/08/1178390300888.html

More than $22 billion will be spent on Australia's roads and railways under a mammoth funding program announced in the federal budget.

Auslink II, worth $22.3 billion, will start in 2009 and run until 2014 and is the largest ever investment in transport infrastructure by the commonwealth.

Highways and railways of national importance will receive $16.8 billion of the funding.

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$8,000 solar power subsidy for homes

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/8000-solar-power-subsidy-for-homes/2007/05/08/1178390288210.html

The federal government will set up a climate change adaptation centre and subsidise solar power in homes as part of $741 million in spending over five years to counter the threat of global warming.

Heritage sites like the Great Barrier Reef will also benefit from a $2 billion flagship program managing the environment.

And $10 billion will be spent over 10 years on its landmark plan to secure Australia's water resources.

[more details about minor projects in this article]

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$700 voucher for struggling schoolkids

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/700-voucher-for-struggling-schoolkids/2007/05/08/1178390302620.html

Parents whose children fail to meet literacy and numeracy benchmarks in school exams will be given $700 vouchers to help them pay for extra tuition.

The program, which will cost $457 million over four years, will see the federal government give parents tutorial vouchers worth $700 for out-of-school training if their children underperform in national tests in Years 3, 5 and 7.

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Govt enlists homeowners in climate fight

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Govt-enlists-homeowners-in-climate-fight/2007/05/09/1178390348209.html

It also extends by six years the allocation of up to $50,000 in grants for water tanks and water saving fittings at community facilities.

Homes, schools and other community and education buildings are eligible for the solar rebate program, which will cost the government $150 million over five years.

A good summary of the budget changes:

http://www.cch.com.au/budgetnight.asp?document_id=88446#d2e491

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Property Council backs Labor's tax plan

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Property-Council-backs-Labors-tax-plan/2007/05/10/1178390478127.html

Labor's plan to halve withholding tax has won plaudits from the Property Council of Australia, which believes it will generate revenue and create jobs.

During his budget in reply speech on Thursday night, Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said Labor would halve the withholding tax on distributions from Australian managed funds to non-residents from 30 per cent to 15 per cent - costing $30 million a year.

"... In our view halving it will provide concrete assistance to Australian funds managers competing against tax regimes applying to their competitors in Dublin, Luxembourg, New York and Singapore," Mr Rudd said.

"Our intention is to enable Australian businesses to take on the world and win."

Treasurer Peter Costello went close to labelling it unAustralian, suggesting Mr Rudd preferred to give tax cuts to foreigners over families.

But Property Council chief Peter Verwer said the current system kept Australia out of step with international competitors.

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Just give or take a few billion

http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/yoursay/index.php/
theaustralian/comments/just_give_or_take_a_few_billion/

THE Seinfeld episode that best explains this week’s budget was The Label Maker (writes George Megalogenis). It premiered on US television in January 1995, which happened to be the month when John Howard and Peter Costello began Australia’s longest political double act.

The Label Maker introduced the term “regifting” into pop culture’s lexicon. The plot twists around a junior label maker that Elaine has bought as a Christmas present for her dentist, Tim Whatley.

He doesn’t like it, rewraps it and passes it off as a present to Jerry. “I think this is the same one I gave him,” Elaine seethes. “He recycled this gift. He’s a regifter.”

Every pre-election budget contains an element of regifting, in which money that was supposed to pay for an old policy is pinched to fund a new one. Voters are not meant to notice the difference because the budget papers refer to the practice obliquely with jargon such as “parameter variations”.

The misleading of the electorate is a by-product of the real game here. The Government doesn’t want the Opposition to know how much more cash can be freed up in this way for the election campaign.

So far, we know that $3.1 billion that was earmarked for the coming financial year across all arms of government has disappeared, been deferred or is no longer necessary. It has gone into the regifting kitty.

One of the transactions, in particular, looks decidedly dodgy. The Department of Defence was on course to spend $993 million less in 2007-08, “arising from delays to some acquisition projects”, the budget papers say. Yet $621million has been given straight back to “acquire Super Hornet aircraft”. Presumably the earlier money was not as vital to national security as the fighter jets.

Voters can’t be expected to follow the detail of defence spending. But they have a better nose for regifting when the topic is child care.

At the 2004 election, Howard announced the 30 per cent childcare rebate at a cost to the budget of $1.04 billion over three years. But Costello clawed back almost half the amount ($455 million) immediately after the election when he tightened the eligibility by limiting the types of childcare services that could be claimed and by capping the handout at $4000 a year for each child. And it was never made clear to parents in 2004 that they would have to wait a year for their benefit.

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School bonuses 'will encourage poaching'

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/School-bonuses-will-encourage-poaching/2007/05/13/1178994977570.html

Public schools will try to poach each other's brightest students as they compete for government rewards for improving literacy and numeracy results, an education lobby group predicts.

Save Our Schools (SOS), a public education group, said the measures unveiled in last week's federal budget were an invitation for schools to cheat the system and discriminate against lower-performing students.

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PM cagey on pre-election 'war chest'

Prime Minister John Howard has left open the possibility of dipping into the budget surplus in a major pre-election spend-up.

Mr Howard would not comment on reports that $8.6 billion remained at the government's disposal to spend before the next election.

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Govt tackling climate change: Vaile

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Govt-tackling-climate-change-Vaile/2007/05/13/1178994975292.html

Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile has defended his government's budget allocation to climate change initiatives.

The Greens and Democrats have been critical that the government's spending is weighted towards fossil fuels instead of renewables.

But Mr Vaile said the government had spent billions of dollars over the past 10 years on initiatives that would help Australia meet its emissions targets.