Anthony Albanese - How long? -3-

[Johnny Bananas]

Bulk-billing at centre of Labor election pitch, attack on Dutton

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is gearing up to make major boosts to bulk-billing, urgent care clinics and the GP workforce, playing up a contrast to Peter Dutton.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is gearing up to make major boosts to bulk-billing, urgent care clinics and the GP workforce as he seeks to turn Medicare into a key plank of his cost-of-living pitch at the upcoming federal election.

As Labor fights to increase its record low primary vote, the government is working on policies to make it cheaper to see the doctor and emphasise its focus on Medicare. It will play up a contrast with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, whose record as health minister in the Abbott government was contentious due to an attempt to cut rebates and introduce a mandatory fee for GP visits.

I think this is too little, too late from Albo. Many people have already experienced their GPs quit bulk billing and charging fees, increasing the cost of living. This isn't even closing the gate after the horse has already bolted, it's slightly reducing the gap the gate leaves. Albo should have done this at the start of his term and be campaigning now on more serious expansion, like putting dental and mental health into Medicare.

 

[Festerz]

the derision is deserved. we have been pathetic and weak on the genocide. at least, i thought penny would be stronger.

That is a repost from June last year, part of the Chaser's end of 2024 best of series. It's now January 2025.

And just 4 weeks ago Australia finally split with the US and voted with 156 other countries at the UN to demand the end of Israel’s “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible”.

The vote marks Australia’s return to the position for the first time in more than two decades.

James Larsen, Australia’s ambassador to the UN, said Australia would support the resolution, titled the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”, for the first time since 2001 to reflect a desire for international “momentum” towards achieving a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

No doubt many will with good cause criticise this change in position as 'too little too late' in the light of the ongoing human tragedy that has unfolded across Gaza and the West Bank for over a year. But in terms of the delicate political tightrope of international diplomacy, this shift in Australia's position is monumental, especially as it comes with a bloc vote tying Australia to the USA and Israel's strongest allies in the UK, France, Germany and Canada.

It was a change of diplomatic positioning that brought attack from sections of mainstream media, echoing Dutton's shrill claims that Wong and the Federal Government had 'sold out' the Australian Jewish community for Green votes in Western Sydney. And it was a move condemned by Israeli PM Netanyahu suggesting it no longer viewed Australia as a key ally.

Not sure what you know or understand about Australia's foreign diplomacy positioning on Israel, but the times when Australia has voted against the US and Israel on UN propositions relating to the Middle East over the past half a century are monumentally rare.

Of course it will have close to zero impact on forcing the changes needed on the ground in Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and to end the daily slaughter of innocent civilians by the IDF. But in terms of foreign diplomacy and actions within the edict of an Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong has shown a fair bit of political courage in recent weeks - and it is an important sign of a fundamental change in the western support for Israel that in the long term cannot be ignored.

 

[nut]

Bulk-billing at centre of Labor election pitch, attack on Dutton

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is gearing up to make major boosts to bulk-billing, urgent care clinics and the GP workforce, playing up a contrast to Peter Dutton.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

I think this is too little, too late from Albo. Many leople have already experienced their GPs quit bulk billing and charging fees, increasing the cost of living. This isn't even closing the gate after the gorse has already bolted, it's slightly reducing the gap the gate leaves. Albo should have done this at the start of his term and be campaigning now on more serious expansion, like putting dental and mental health into Medicare.

And get blamed for fueling inflation.

 

[nut]

this. and negative gearing. and inheritance.

Dr Richard Denniss (@richarddenniss.bsky.social)

High house prices are the goal not the problem The reason Australian governments dont ‘fix’ house prices is they don’t want people who already own houses to be sad if prices fall. Even the Productivity Commission told Howard to fix the Capital Gains Tax rort in 2004. We know what to do

bsky.app

Banks create money supply via fractional reserve lending ….
Falling house prices creates less loans and therefore less money and shrinks the economy.
The Ponzi scheme doesn’t work well with falling house prices, in a simplistic economy that relies on mining and house prices…

 

[nut]

Wholesale Electricity prices continue to fall… well done Albo

https://www.aer.gov.au/publications/reports/performance/wholesale-electricity-market-performance-report-2024#:~:text=This%202024%20report%20presents%20a,aging%20coal%20and%20gas%20plants.

 

[Saint]

That is a repost from June last year, part of the Chaser's end of 2024 best of series. It's now January 2025.

And just 4 weeks ago Australia finally split with the US and voted with 156 other countries at the UN to demand the end of Israel’s “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible”.

The vote marks Australia’s return to the position for the first time in more than two decades.

James Larsen, Australia’s ambassador to the UN, said Australia would support the resolution, titled the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”, for the first time since 2001 to reflect a desire for international “momentum” towards achieving a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

No doubt many will with good cause criticise this change in position as 'too little too late' in the light of the ongoing human tragedy that has unfolded across Gaza and the West Bank for over a year. But in terms of the delicate political tightrope of international diplomacy, this shift in Australia's position is monumental, especially as it comes with a bloc vote tying Australia to the USA and Israel's strongest allies in the UK, France, Germany and Canada.

It was a change of diplomatic positioning that brought attack from sections of mainstream media, echoing Dutton's shrill claims that Wong and the Federal Government had 'sold out' the Australian Jewish community for Green votes in Western Sydney. And it was a move condemned by Israeli PM Netanyahu suggesting it no longer viewed Australia as a key ally.

Not sure what you know or understand about Australia's foreign diplomacy positioning on Israel, but the times when Australia has voted against the US and Israel on UN propositions relating to the Middle East over the past half a century are monumentally rare.

Of course it will have close to zero impact on forcing the changes needed on the ground in Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and to end the daily slaughter of innocent civilians by the IDF. But in terms of foreign diplomacy and actions within the edict of an Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong has shown a fair bit of political courage in recent weeks - and it is an important sign of a fundamental change in the western support for Israel that in the long term cannot be ignored.

This was the right position before the Gaza War. The position after the genocide should be much stronger.

I can understand why it isn't, and the LNP have abandoned foreign policy bi-partisanship on the issue to pursue that division.

Every time the LNP forces division, the ALP tries to close the gap. They should tell the LNP to GAGF and if the LNP wants to divide, the ALP should embrace it and take the moral position of ending all military, scientific and sporting/artistic ties with the state of Israel.

 

[Cmarsh]

this. and negative gearing. and inheritance.

Dr Richard Denniss (@richarddenniss.bsky.social)

High house prices are the goal not the problem The reason Australian governments dont ‘fix’ house prices is they don’t want people who already own houses to be sad if prices fall. Even the Productivity Commission told Howard to fix the Capital Gains Tax rort in 2004. We know what to do

bsky.app

https://www.news.com.au/finance/the-income-sweet-spot-to-get-a-mortgage-200000-to-500000/news-story/3cf4f27b735e4c23b0a02173bad84e3e

"Household income of $100,000? That will probably make mortgage brokers sigh. The sweet spot, if you want a loan these days, is to be between $200,000 and $500,000.

That’s the implication of new data from Australia’s second-biggest mortgage lender, Westpac.

As the next chart shows, the proportion of loans given to households making under $200,000 has collapsed. Most lending now goes to families making much, much more. In just the last four years, loans going to households making over $200,000 have gone from being a minority to a majority of lending."

 

[SaintsSeptember]

https://www.news.com.au/finance/the-income-sweet-spot-to-get-a-mortgage-200000-to-500000/news-story/3cf4f27b735e4c23b0a02173bad84e3e

"Household income of $100,000? That will probably make mortgage brokers sigh. The sweet spot, if you want a loan these days, is to be between $200,000 and $500,000.

That’s the implication of new data from Australia’s second-biggest mortgage lender, Westpac.

As the next chart shows, the proportion of loans given to households making under $200,000 has collapsed. Most lending now goes to families making much, much more. In just the last four years, loans going to households making over $200,000 have gone from being a minority to a majority of lending."

So it suits the dual professionals down to a Tee, or the Tradie, who's wife works in an office.
But the Coffee shop and Uber driver couple ( and there are more and more in that situation ) are screwed.

 

[adogsfan5]

https://www.news.com.au/finance/the-income-sweet-spot-to-get-a-mortgage-200000-to-500000/news-story/3cf4f27b735e4c23b0a02173bad84e3e

"Household income of $100,000? That will probably make mortgage brokers sigh. The sweet spot, if you want a loan these days, is to be between $200,000 and $500,000.

That’s the implication of new data from Australia’s second-biggest mortgage lender, Westpac.

As the next chart shows, the proportion of loans given to households making under $200,000 has collapsed. Most lending now goes to families making much, much more. In just the last four years, loans going to households making over $200,000 have gone from being a minority to a majority of lending."

Shit time to be a mortgage broker?