Mr Rudd said: "I fully understand that this is complex and many people in the Australian community will find it that way.
"But anyone who goes out there and argues there is a cost-free, pain-free way for Australia to act on climate change is not being honest with people."
Mr Rudd repeated his refusal to debate Mr Abbott on climate change until the Opposition had a policy of its own.
So will the kickbacks come out of the huge surplus that they've already blown through or from the people already making less than those scamming Centrelink, baby bonuses, home buyers grants, etc, etc, etc.
If this guy isn't making your skin crawl by now go out and get an appointment with a neurologist!
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
Below is a list of the 114 Australians going to Copenhagen – we (you and I) are paying for all their travel, accommodation and meals – and we thought Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong were genuine about trying to cut greenhouse gases…
Read on and marvel: No virus found in this email but lots of parasites
Australia H.E. Mr Kevin Michael Rudd Prime Minister H.E. Ms. Penelope Wong Minister, Climate Change and Water Office of the Minister for Climate Change and Water H.E. Ms. Louise Helen Hand Ambassador for Climate Change Department of Climate Change Mr. David Fredericks Deputy Chief of Staff Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Mr. Philip Green Oam Senior Policy Adviser, Foreign Affairs Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Mr. Andrew Charlton Senior Adviser Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Mr. Lachlan Harris Senior Press Secretary Prime Minister’s Office Office of Prime Minister Mr. Scott Dewar Senior Adviser Office of Prime Minister Ms. Clare Penrose Adviser Office of Prime Minister Ms. Fiona Sugden Media Adviser Office of Prime Minister Ms. Lisa French Office of the Prime Minister Office of Prime Minister Mr. Jeremy Hilman Adviser Office of Prime Minister Ms. Tarah Barzanji Adviser Office of Prime Minister Mr. Kate Shaw Executive Secretary Office of Prime Minister Ms. Gaile Barnes Executive Assistant Office of Prime Minister Ms. Gordon de Brouwer Deputy Secretary Prime Minister and Cabinet Mr. Patrick Suckling First Assistant Secretary, International Division Prime Minister and Cabinet Ms. Rebecca Christie Prime Minister’s Office Mr. Michael Jones Official Photographer Prime Minister and Cabinet Mr. Stephan Rudzki Mr. David Bell Federal Agent Australian Federal Police Ms. Kym Baillie Australian Federal Police Mr. David Champion Australian Federal Police Mr. Matt Jebb Federal Agent Australian Federal Police Mr. Craig Kendall Federal Agent Australian Federal Police Mr. Ian Lane Squadron Leader Staff, Officer VIP Operations Mr. John Olenich Media Adviser / Adviser to Minister Wong Office of the Minister for Climate Change and Water Ms. Kristina Hickey Adviser to Minister Wong Office of the Minister for Climate Change and Water Mr. Martin Parkinson Secretary Department of Climate Change Mr. Howard Bamsey Special Envoy for Climate Change Department of Climate Change Mr. Robert Owen-Jones Assistant Secretary, International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Clare Walsh Assistant Secretary, International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Jenny Elizabeth Wilkinson Policy Advisor Department of Climate Change Ms. Elizabeth Mary Peak Principal Legal Adviser, International Climate Law Department of Climate Change Ms. Kristin Tilley Director, Multilateral Negotiations International Division Department of Climate Change Mr. Andrew Ure Acting Director, Multilateral Negotiations International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Annemarie Watt Director, Land Sector Negotiations International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Kushla Munro Director, International Forest Carbon Section International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Kathleen Annette Rowley Director, Strategic and Technical Analysis Department of Climate Change Ms. Anitra Cowan Assistant Director, Multilateral Negotiations Department of Climate Change Ms. Sally Truong Assisting Director, Multilateral Negotiations International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Jane Wilkinson Assistant Director Department of Climate Change Ms. Tracey Mackay Assistant Director International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Laura Brown Assistant Director, Multilateral Negotiations International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Tracey-Anne Leahey Delegation Manager Department of Climate Change Ms. Nicola Loffler Senior Legal Adviser, International Climate Law Department of Climate Change Ms. Tamara Curll Legal Adviser, International Climate Law Department of Climate Change Ms. Jessica Allen Legal Support Officer Department of Climate Change Mr. Sanjiva de Silva Legal Adviser, International Climate Law Department of Climate Change Ms. Gaia Puleston Political Adviser Department of Climate Change Ms. Penelope Jane Morton Policy Adviser, Multilateral Negotiations (UNFCCC) International Division Department of Climate Change Ms. Claire Elizabeth Watt Policy Advisor Department of Climate Change Ms. Amanda Walker Policy Officer, Multilateral Negotiations Department of Climate Change Mr. Alan David Lee Policy Adviser, Land Sector Negotiations Department of Climate Change Ms. Erika Kate Oord Australian Stakeholder Manager Department of Climate Change Mr. Jahda Kirian Swanborough Communications Manager Ministerial Communication Department of Climate Change H.E. Mr. Sharyn Minahan Ambassador DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Julia Feeney Director, Climate Change and Environment Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr. Chester Geoffrey Cunningham Second Secretary DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Germany Ms. Rachael Virginia Cooper Executive Officer, Climate Change and Environment Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ms. Rachael Grivas Executive Officer, Environment Branch Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Moya Elyn Collett Desk officer, Climate Change and Environment Section Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr. Rob Law Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr. Robin Davies Assistant Director General, Sustainable Development Group Australian Agency for International Development Ms. Deborah Fulton Director, Policy and Global Environment Australian Agency for International Development Ms. Katherine Renee Ann Vaughn Policy Advisor, Policy and Global Environment Australian Agency for International Development Mr. Brian Dawson Policy Adviser Australian Agency for International Development Mr. Andrew Leigh Clarke Deputy Secretary Department of Resources Development, Western Australia Mr. Bruce Wilson General Manager, Environment Energy and Environment Division Department of Resources Development, Western Australia Ms. Jill McCarthy Policy Adviser Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism Mr. Simon French Policy Adviser Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Mr. Ian Michael Ruscoe Policy Adviser Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Mr. David Walland Acting Superintendent, National Climate Centre Bureau of Meteorology Mr. Damien Dunn Senior Policy Adviser The Australian Treasury Ms. Helen Hawka Fuhrman Policy Officer, Renewable Energy Policy and Partnerships Mr. Scott Vivian Davenport Chief Economics NSW Department of Industry and Investment Mr. Graham Julian Levitt Policy Manager, Climate Change NSW Department of Industry and Investment Ms. Kate Jennifer Jones Minister, Climate Change and Sustainability Queensland Government Mr. Michael William Dart Principal Policy Advisor Office of the Hon. Kate Jones MP Queensland Government Mr. Matthew Anthony Jamie Skoien Senior Director, Office of Climate Change Queensland Government Mr. Michael David Rann Premier, South Australia Department of Premier and Cabinet, Southern Australia Ms. Suzanne Kay Harter Adviser Department of Premier and Cabinet, Southern Australia Mr. Paul David Flanagan Manager, Communications Government of South Australia Mr. Timothy William O’Loughlin Deputy Chief Executive, Sustainability and Workforce Management Department of Premier and Cabinet South Australian Government Ms. Nyla Sarwar M.Sc student Linacre College University of Oxford Mr. Gavin Jennings Minister, Environment and Climate Change and Innovation, Victorian Government Ms. Sarah Broadbent Sustainability Adviser Ms. Rebecca Falkingham Senior Adviser Victoria Government/Office of Climate Change Mr. Simon Camroux Policy Adviser Energy Supply Association of Australia Limited Mr. Geoff Lake Adviser Australian Local Government Association Sridhar Ayyalaraju Post Visit Controller DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Tegan Brink Deputy Visit Controller and Security Liaison Officer Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Melissa Eu Suan Goh Transport Liaison Officer and Consul DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Lauren Henschke Support Staff DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Maree Fay Accommodation Liaison Officer DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Patricia McKinnon Communications Officer DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Eugene Olim Paasport / Baggage Liaison Officer DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Belinda Lee Adams Ms. Jacqui Ashworth Media Liaison Officer Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Patricia Smith Media Liaison Officer DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Martin Bo Jensen Research and Public Diplomatic Officer DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Mauro Kolobaric Consular Support DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Susan Flanagan Consular Support DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Stephen Kanaridis IT Support Officer DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. George Reid Support Staff DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Ashley Wright Support Staff DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Jodie Littlewood Support Staff DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Thomas Millhouse Support Staff DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Timothy Whittley Support Staff Driver DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Ms. Julia Thomson Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Donald Frater Chief of Staff to Minister Wong Office of the Minister for Climate Change and Water Ms. Jacqui Smith Media Liaison DFAT Diplomatic Mission of Australia to Denmark Mr. Greg French Senior Legal Advisor, Environment Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr. Jeremy Hillman Advisor PMO
The following was a comment left at news.com.au on a story of the unions starting to target Tony Abbott's growing popularity
Quoted Text
There are 2 types of people in the world. Those that make money and those that spend it. The spenders are allowed to stay in power as long as there is money to spend. Unfortunately, Labour emptied the cupboards in record time so they must now stand aside till the Libs fill up the coffers again
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
Garrett demoted after scheme bungle From: AAP February 26, 2010 4:22pm
ENVIRONMENT Minister Peter Garrett has been stripped of responsibilities for the household insulation scheme, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
Mr Rudd has announced the establishment of a new stand-alone department of climate change and energy efficiency, which will be headed up by Penny Wong.
Under the changes announced by Mr Rudd in Sydney, Mr Garrett will be appointed minister for environment protection, heritage and the arts.
Meanwhile, Greg Combet has been appointed the minister assisting the minister for climate change and energy efficiency and will be given the direct responsibility for the troubled insulation program.
Mr Rudd admitted the department changes were a demotion for Mr Garrett.
"This move is designed to achieve stronger coordination and greater efficiency in the development and delivery of climate change policies and programs, especially in relation to energy efficiency and renewable energy," Mr Rudd said.
CONTROVERSIAL Labor MP Belinda Neal has lost a pre-selection vote to contest her seat of Robertson on the New South Wales Central Coast at the next federal election, Channel 9 has reported.
She should have been harpooned long ago. Of coarse in politics it isn't until immediate self interests i.e. election year, are at stake that things changed. On the bright side she'll live off the tax payers very nicely for the rest of her life.
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
Treasurer Wayne Swan admits no frills Budget is boring
TREASURER Wayne Swan will deliver on Tuesday a "tradesman's Budget" which by his own admission will be one of the most boring in decades.
Tobacco-tax increases, the new resource super-profits tax and hundreds of millions of dollars in across-the-board cuts will offset spending announcements for health, superannuation and the final round of tax cuts arising from the 2008 Budget.
But, for the first time in an election Budget for more than 20 years, there will be no new money to entice voters.
Speaking yesterday in front of the Treasury Building in Canberra, where he had just been briefed on the evolving Greek financial crisis, Mr Swan pointed to the only surprise in the Budget: a return to surplus sooner than expected, thanks to Australia's performance during the global financial crisis.
"The Budget will remind all Australians just how well we did," he said.
Mr Swan said he was keeping a watching brief on international developments and said Australia was well prepared in the event of a second global financial crisis.
Despite the fact that these spending programs have already been announced, the headline Budget measures will be: 1300 new hospital beds; $739 million for 2500 new aged-care beds; $643 million for 6000 new doctors and more nurse training; 1.2 million extra emergency-room visits; new elective surgery for 90,000 patients; and tax cuts that mean people earning $50,000 a year will pay $450 less in tax.
The Budget will show an increasing personal income tax take, but this will be offset by continuing poor company and capital gains tax revenues as businesses keep writing off losses accumulated during the global crisis.
The overall position, however, will be better than previously forecast.
Australia's unemployment level was predicted to reach eight per cent by now, but has remained at 5.3 per cent. This happy employment outcome is largely a result of companies cutting staff working hours rather than laying off workers, according to at least one senior source.
Budget 'built on quicksand'
But Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said the Budget would be "built on quicksand".
He predicted that Budget savings would be based on cuts to private health insurance rebates, which have been stalled in the Senate.
"It's going to be a big-taxing, big-spending deficit Budget," he said.
Mr Swan defended his no-frills Budget, which Labor will use to defend its economic credibility after a string of backdowns and failures in policy delivery over the last two years.
"You only have to look at what's going on in Europe to see why this Budget has to be all about disciplined economic management, not stuffing around with Howard-style, election-year bells and whistles," he said.
The Treasurer's office released a graph showing that the last Howard election budget had $89 billion in new spending and the previous two had a combined $85 billion, whereas this Budget would show no new money, as any new spending (such as $5.4 billion, mostly for hospitals) would be offset by savings.
The Government's "razor gang", headed by Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner, will provide the biggest Budget story as the extent of cuts across departments become clear.
A return to surplus is likely in 2014, a year earlier than expected but later than many economists have predicted. Growth is likely to be forecast above three per cent, while inflation should hold steady at three per cent.
Despite the fact that Mr Swan will proclaim the Budget has a "zero net impact" - meaning no new money - within that framework, he still has $2.6 billion in reserve from the new mining tax, as well as money that was budgeted to be spent on an emissions trading scheme, now on hold.
Some of this money will be needed to pay for a blow-out in border protection costs, resulting from a wave of asylum-seekers filling immigration detention centres around the country.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison predicts that as much as $200 million extra will be needed.
In other measures, there will be $61 million to lower staff-to-child ratios in childcare and create a transparent ratings scheme.
There will be a $42 million package to retrain older workers.
GPs will receive the lion's share of $436 million to take over the management of people with diabetes.
And $200 million will be spent over the next four years on new body scanners, extra firearms, dogs and Australian Federal Police at airports.
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan defends super profits tax
TREASURER Wayne Swan has staunchly defended the Rudd Government's planned super profits resource tax as mining companies ramp up their opposition to the move.
The Government, in response to the Henry tax review, wants to slug mining companies with a 40 per cent tax.
Mr Swan said the Federal Government was replacing an inefficient royalty regime which penalised mines, miners and shareholders.
"The regime we are talking about putting in place is a profits-based tax and of course when companies are much more profitable the return to the Australian people is higher," he said today.
"But when profits are lower this is a tax which encourages many of those mines that have been punished and penalised by an archaic and unfair royalties regime."
Mining industry bosses, including Fortescue Metals Group chief Andrew Forrest have banded together to oppose the tax, saying it will not only harm mining but will harm Australian families.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. future makers
Mr Forrest said today all Australian mining projects which required substantial capital, including Fortescue, would be under review.
Queensland based mining magnate Clive Palmer has also been openly critical of the tax.
Mr Swan said the Government's plan was reasonable.
"We are putting in place a set of arrangements which are reasonable, which we believe will return to the owners of the resource, that is the Australian people a fair share which has fallen away dramatically in recent years," Mr Swan said.
"There have been one or two owners of mines out there making all sorts of extreme and hysterical statements."
Mr Swan said the Government would have been derelict in its duty had it not responded to the Henry review recommendation relating to the tax.
The nation's mineral resource was owned by the people of Australia, not the mining companies, he said.
"There is nothing new in this country about a 40 per cent profits-based tax," he said, adding there was already a similar tax on petroleum resource profits.
Mr Swan said there was no certainty for mining companies under present royalty arrangements because state governments could jack up their regimes.
The Minerals Council of Australia launched a print advertising campaign today stating the industry had paid $80 billion in taxes during the past decade and declaring "that's a fair share".
The council was quick to label the resources tax a revenue grab rather than taxation reform.
Mr Swan was not moved by the campaign.
"Never forget it was the council itself that made a submission to the independent tax inquiry suggesting the resources tax be replaced with a profits-based tax," he said.
THE federal government is defending a decision to house 79 asylum seekers in a four-star Queensland motel, saying they are vulnerable families with children.
``We don't think they should ever be put behind razor wire,'' Small Business Minister Craig Emerson told Sky News on Tuesday. The Palms Motel in suburban Brisbane reportedly has been awarded a $1.2 million government contract for at least six months to accommodate the group.
A private security guard has been employed to protect them and other guests, the Nine Network said.
``These are very vulnerable families with children and it's something that needs to be done on a short-term basis,'' Dr Emerson said.
The measure did not happen all the time, but it had occurred under the previous Howard government, he said. ``Let's just have a little bit of space.''
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison acknowledged the practice was not new, but said the latest move was due to an upsurge in boat arrivals.
``It happens when all of your detention centres are full,'' he said.
``That's why people are in motels.''
The government's asylum-seeker policy was out of control, Mr Morrison said, adding 16 boats had arrived since Labor announced it was suspending new claims by Sri Lankan and Afghan boat arrivals.
Family First senator Steve Fielding says the move will only encourage more unauthorised boat arrivals.
``First it was Hotel Christmas Island, now it's Hotel Queensland,'' he said in a statement.
``There is no way we should be detaining asylum seekers in hotels because it just gives the people smugglers an extra selling point.''
The immigration department says the group is under 24-hour ``monitoring and guarding''.
``They're not allowed to come and go,'' spokesman Sandy Logan said.
``They've all been through full security and health checks before being transferred from Christmas Island.''
Mr Morrison says the department should have consulted the local community about its plan.
Doing so would have taken the heat out of some of the reaction to the move, he said.
If you're even considering allowing these clowns to stay in power you should be in the nut house. WHICH IS PROBABLY UNDERFUNDED DUE TO THE HUGE BLOWOUT IN IMMIGRATION!!!
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
Logged
