Gnads wrote on Jan 3^rd, 2014 at 11:30am:


It's funny but it's true.

The top 25 per cent of income earners pay 67.9 per cent of net income tax.  (Source ATO 2010-2011 Tax stats)

Arguably, the top 25% are "Abbott and his ilk"

Swagman wrote on Jan 3^rd, 2014 at 1:21pm:


Bob Hawke has gone to china so many times he has lost count. Every time he goes to china he sells off an additional bit of Australia to them.

Well I suppose he has nothing else to sell to them except a one off fire sale of our land and resources

Swagman wrote on Jan 3^rd, 2014 at 1:21pm:


what excuse? 'that they would now be 24yrs old' ... you were wrong when accredited Hawke with saying no one will live in poverty, and no attempts at muddying the waters by you will change that

Grappler Racist Filth wrote on Jan 1^st, 2014 at 5:09pm:

Right, that does it. I've been thinking about this for some time now.

We simply must organise a political party. A political party that is committed to making a real difference to the lives of the unemployed in this country.

What the unemployed in this country need more than anything is a job. Not false promises of work. Not lies. Not exploitation. Not handouts. Not being victims of discrimination or hate crimes. Not being passed over for employment because they are out of work. A job. And not just a few thousand jobs when there's over a million people in this country right now who need work and cannot find it. Enough jobs so that every unemployed person in this country who wants a job can get one at the same time. These jobs need not be full time; even a part time job can be of immense benefit to someone who has none.

We must remove the numerous barriers that prevent the unemployed from finding work. Make it illegal to discriminate against the unemployed when hiring. Remove tax deductions for placing job ads unless the employer meets a quota of interviewing at least one unemployed person in four for each advertised position. Remove the restriction on education that prevents a skilled person from making a career change if they are unable to find work in their industry after six months out of work.

It is ineffective to pay subsidies to job seekers who find work because it is not the job seeker not looking that is the problem, it's employers who won't hire them. Therefore, do not pay subsidies to job seekers just because they find work. (However, subsidies which cover necessary startup costs like new work clothing must be retained.) Job seekers will be better off just from finding work. Instead, pay subsidies to employers who hire unemployed people - similar to the subsidies that Keating introduced in his Working Nation plan.

To create enough jobs to go around, we need to rethink employment in this country. A 35-hour working week. Overtime penalty rates for all employees. End the $70 billion a year of free labour that employees give their employers, often unwillingly. Forced unpaid work for other people is slavery by definition. But there needs to be give and take. Penalty rates for working weekends need to be reimplemented so staff costs on weekends can be reduced yet people are still paid more for working weekends if they also worked during the week. If overtime penalty rates were mandatory, weekend penalty rates can safely be abolished because they can be covered by the mandatory overtime penalty rates when this is applicable.

Abolishing weekend penalty rates will adversely affect young people, particularly full-time students who need these to survive. Therefore, to address this shortfall, youth allowance for full-time students living away from home should be increased by $50 a week so they aren't forced to work long hours each week in employment and studies just so they can put food on the table.

Newstart should also be increased by $50 a week because it is manifestly inadequate as it is. It is unjustifiable in a country that is supposedly as rich as Australia that our unemployed are paid a rate that in real terms is less than comparable income support in other comparable countries. It's not as if we can't afford to begrudge the unemployed a little more. It's only selfishness and greed that prevents this. Also note that if the unemployed are in work, less income support would be paid out so it is affordable.

We should also look at the taxation system at the low end of the tax scales and its interaction with the welfare system. Income support gets withdrawn at 60 cents in the dollar at the same time that tax takes away more money at 19 cents in the dollar. 67.6 cents in the dollar is the result. This is much higher than the top marginal tax rate. The highest government impost on income falls on those who can least afford it.

These and other inequities occur because the unemployed are under-represented in the parliaments of this country. That has to change.

So let's do this, and be silent no more.

AND all those 'high paying tax payers.. who BTW do NOT pay the majority of the Tax Take - but ONLY a proportionately higher percentage as is right... could get on just as well on a flat tax system of say 20% for all - PROVIDED THEY TOOK A COMMENSURATE DROP IN GROSS INCOME.

They will NOT do that  because it is a STATUS SYMBOL to have the big salary and then whine about paying the big tax.

You know what I have to say to that?  bugger 'EM!  Let 'em get a real job for a change and learn how business works from the bottom up - that way they might make a success of it instead of the current disaster it is.

ALSO - average weekly earning of wage and salary earners is $1490 or so.... hads up those who get that?

The figures are fudged - and besides - those fat cats have ensured that many of the lower paid workers are out of a job so they can bloody well pay their way with higher taxation.

Productivity for all or take it on the chin... I say nationalise the lot.....

Sir lastnail wrote on Jan 3^rd, 2014 at 1:57pm:


He's not in the hunt compared to Twiggy, Gina & Clive..... & our northern cattlemen aren't averse to taking big money selling out to Indonesian & other foreign interests.

Mind you that is also helped by the inconsistency of the ACCC & FIRB.

Bam wrote on Jan 4^th, 2014 at 12:24pm:


So what's your point?

It's ok to steal from the guy next door just because he works harder and earns more?

If you work hard and earn more you will accumulate wealth.  If you don't you won't.  That's why the 'gap' between rich and poor widens.

The more the so-called rich earn the better off the mob is because it can steal more.

It's not in the Mob's interest to kill the golden goose but it certainly tries with its petty politics of envy.