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The Forum > Article Comments > This Budget bashes birds > Comments

This Budget bashes birds : Comments

By Marie Coleman, published 11/5/2011

You’d have thought that the measures to expand training and work readiness might help a woman in a relationship wanting work, but unable to do so because of poor English, or out of date skills . . . well, no, she’s not among the eligible groups.

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Quote: For the first time a female journalist was allowed lactation leave/privileges during the lock-up, and the Parliament House child care centre has stayed open until 9.00 pm to care for her baby.

How much did it cost taxpayers to enable this indulgence of a centre being opened for extended hours to care for one baby? What value did we get from that expenditure?

"Not a lot" times so many all-but useless indulgences = a lot of money which taxpayers could keep for their own indugences - like mortgage payments, food..............
Posted by L.B.Loveday, Thursday, 12 May 2011 9:17:06 AM
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Hang in there Marie, keep beavering away. The issue has at least two facets, social justice and national loss.

The latter is due to present impediments against maximizing infants/youth development into elements of future communities.
Taken to its extreme, the problem is evidenced in less-developed communites such as East Timor, the Solomons etc. where opportunities are insufficient for the young to access adequate mentoring, education and training, and later employment, by the generation before them.

In Australia, with continuing economic direction towards escalating house prices from increasing population via the skilled migration push etc., and other debilitating nostrums from Government policies, future directions look increasingly bleak. How do the lower echelon of society afford rents?

As to superannuation amendments - they are beneficial to some, but either totally useless or nearly so, when it comes to the unemployed, or those on lowest earnings. It would make economic and social-equity sense for the Government to scrap altogether its superannuation fostering, and replace that with a decent quality universal pension scheme. Why should grossly over-the-top salary recipients be given further largesse out of tax paid by those on minimum incomes?
Posted by colinsett, Thursday, 12 May 2011 9:29:11 AM
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Not having closely examined budgetary implications so far, can any other contributors enlighten me?

Will a Dependent Spouse rebate still apply to people whose partners are unable to work due to disability, illness or any other demonstrated barrier? For example, lack of opportunity in remote areas?

Also - if this measure is going to drive 'spouses' (read 'mothers')back into some kind of employment, there is going to be further pressure on childcare in many centres. Has this been factored?
Posted by divine_msn, Thursday, 12 May 2011 8:00:29 PM
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the importance of the federal parliament recognising the realities of women in paidwork who have family responsibilities - viz a need for childcare and lactation arrangements whilst undertaking their paidwork responsibilities alongside their parenting cannot be overlooked. that the federal parliament through its services ensured a woman journalist was able to sit in on the budget so as to analyse and comment immediately, just as men (whatever their family commitments/responsibilities) have been able to do for decades, is, as marie coleman says, 'making history'/herstory. the budget should not be analysed by one group with particular experiences only. the expertise of journalists who honour their parenting responsibilities should not be overlooked nor refused a place in the 'lock-up'. congrats to all who ensured that this was possible - and to the persevering journalist!
Posted by jocelynne, Thursday, 12 May 2011 9:49:15 PM
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