Greens sound out ALP, crossbenchers about ending budget impasse

Date
    August 19, 2014


Greens leader Christine Milne has moved to re-enter the political debate over the budget, seeking meetings with Labor and the Senate crossbench to a discuss alternative revenue measures in a potential circuit-breaker before Parliament's resumption next week.      

Senator Milne says she is also ready to sit down with Treasurer Joe Hockey or any other minister to discuss budget compromise proposals, but she would not compromise on unfair proposals such as the $7 GP tax.      

On Monday, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the government would deal with the crossbench but what ''we're not prepared to do, though, is sell out the fundamentals''. He lashed the Labor and the Greens for ''saying no to everything''.


''What I say to all of the crossbench senators is if you don't like what the government is putting up, give us your alternative in terms of how we save money.

''And there were some alternatives that came up from one of the crossbench members of the federal Parliament, and frankly they didn't stack up for five minutes.''

Senator Milne wrote to Labor leader Bill Shorten, Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer and all eight crossbench senators to outline her party's alternative proposals to raise revenue, including a levy on the big four banks, abolishing tax breaks for fossil fuels and higher taxes for millionaires.         

In a softening of the Greens' at times doctrinaire approach to political strategy, Senator Milne said the Greens wanted to propose alternative measures to debunk the Prime Minister's assertions the opposition parties offered no alternatives to the Coalition's contentious budget measures.

''This is not an exclusive list, it's our list; they may have other things in mind,'' she said. ''They [the crossbench] will have had a bit of time now to think about things. They may have suggestions we can talk through.

''This will enable us, Labor, PUP and other independents to see if there is other common ground on raising revenue,''

Senator Milne said the proposed bank levy and a move to reduce tax avoidance by taxing discretionary trusts could win support. Asked if she would meet the Treasurer, with whom she hammered out a deal on the debt ceiling last year, she said ''Joe Hockey has got my number''.      

Labor sources questioned Senator Milne's move to reposition her party, saying it had opposed the Coalition's proposed restarting indexation of the fuel excise and the temporary deficit levy, despite both being Greens' party policies.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said that if the government put something to the ALP it would listen but ''our values and principles have been clearly outlined, our red lines. We are not prepared to negotiate … matters of principle like the universality of healthcare''.

Mr Palmer, who met Mr Hockey's chief of staff on Monday, said his party still thought the GP co-payment and rise in fuel excise were unfair but held out the prospect of a possible deal.

He said his party was ''available to talk to anyone about anything''.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/greens-sound-out-alp-crossbenchers-about-ending-budget-impasse-20140818-3dwpz.html#ixzz3AmP0WSlm

aquascoot wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 7:13am:



Lets hope abbott will listen. When you call or email, first off the bat, tell him you're a climate science sceptic and that will get abbott's ears to prick up.

____ wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 7:24am:



Bill Who ??? is quite beatable at the moment.
the greens and palmer only appeal to fringe voters and this is abbotts chance to grab control of the senate.
the Australian population know (in their bones) labor over promised and the public are crying out for some pain. they know they've been living beyond their means.
strike whilst the iron is hot , I say.
to negotiate with the greens would be utterly ridiculous after what happened to Gillard when she tried it.
DD.

Has he got the balls ??

aquascoot wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 7:29am:



The abbott mob has already crawled to the Greens for support ... remember the removal of the debt ceiling.

That aside, I think the majority would support a DD so a verdict on the Abbott Mobs election lies and their first 11 months of chaos can be passed via the likely scenario of one term abbott mob being booted out.

Unfortunately we all know abbott is a yellow belly coward who hides under rocks or on taxpayer holidays overseas.

aquascoot wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 7:29am:

Yes, after ten months well behind in the polls and absolutely hated this gov would win a senate majority as well as the house of reps, ROTFLMAO @ such bullsh it.

It's not hard to find $40 billion or more in savings. Some savings that the Greens and ALP should put on the table for discussion:

Superannuation concessions - current cost is $33 billion, rising to $47 billion by 2017 (about the same amount as the aged pension!) This is clearly unsustainable, and it is poorly targeted with the top 20% of income earners receiving 60% of the concessions despite needing them the least. Abolishing them completely would save $29 billion. Abolishing them for the top 20% of income earners would save about $15 to $20 billion.

Negative gearing - abolishing this would save $5 billion.

Capital gains concessions - abolishing this would save $4.5 billion.

Private health insurance rebate - This has tripled in 15 years and is unsustainable. Abolishing this would save about $5 billion.

Tax trusts like companies - I have no figures on hand, but it would also save money.

Overall, tightening the tax system by aggressively closing tax loopholes will plug the revenue holes and put the taxation system on a more sustainable footing.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 1:20pm:


The Greens have lost the balance of power they are on a downhill slide into oblivion,the Greens will end up like the democrats-extinct.

The profit banks or anyone make is already taxed, my dividends are franked which means they have already been taxed, of course i still have to pay income tax on these dividends.

Typical green lunacy here with this bank levy, the Greens are like a watermelon-green on the outside and commie red to the core.

Kat wrote on Aug 19^th, 2014 at 3:47pm:


and this is why people think you are an odd, angry jerk.  the coalition govt has not reduced ONE SINGLE WELFARE PAYMENT.  not one.  if there are any well below the bread line (and they don't exist either) then it is because of 6 years of LABOR govt.