Runner moans about Islam and feminists on a thread about Turnbull. Go figure.
Where do you stand on the actual topic Runner, or is that too difficult for you?

Aiden, at present I can buy a piece of automated machinery for $20K and write it off instantly. In fact, I can buy ten of them and write them all off instantly, yet, if I employ staff instead, I risk having further disruptions placed against me like domestic violence leave.

Employers should be rewarded for employing, not punished with the likes of additional super, ridiculous leave schemes and pay roll tax.

Of cause the ever present threat of a labor government always exists as well.

rehctub, it is good for the economy to encourage businesses to invest in equipment that lowers the cost of production instead of hiring more people who could be more productive if they were doing something else.

We have two choices: we can opt for the third world solution, where low productivity businesses are kept afloat by cheap labour. Or we can opt for the high productivity solution where businesses employ fewer people to get more done, and the people are paid more. I'd much prefer the latter scenario; wouldn't you?

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runner, most Muslims regard their religion as prohibiting sex outside marriage. I don't think Germany having a law enforcement problem justifies discrimination in Australia.

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Hasbeen, the alleged adverse link between funding and results certainly isn't a cause and effect situation – there's no credible mechanism for that. A more likely explanation for the situation you've described is that people who are good at mathematics are nowadays more likely to go to uni than learn a trade.

Regarding university remedial maths, I think the courses you're referring to are designed for those who did single maths in year 12 but are studying something that requires greater mathematical knowledge.

No Aidan these are people who had report cards declaring they were very high achievers in math A & B, & high achievers in math C, but could not handle the math involved in a simple architectural course. From what I've seen, most of them could still not make change for a bus ticket without an electronic calculator.

Today it has got so bad that we have people, particularly girls, coming out of uni clutching a Bachelor of Science degree, in environmental science, who could still not achieve 50% in a high school year 10 business math exam. These people are now infesting local councils & state environmental departments.

but Aiden, there is nothing else to do. So many either cant find a job, or cant get enough hours, yet you want to encourage businesses to incur more debt, and employ fewer workers, then pay them more.

But hang on, won't that just broaden the gap between the haves and have nots?

Are we not trying the reduce this gap?

Has been, the level of math in particular is atrocious especially in the filed of percentages. Whats more, the government has now changed arrangements so that the employer has to not only try to train these people (as well as do some of the schools' work) but we now have to pay the fees for training as well. Go figure!

The end result, fewer apprentices not more.

Of cause the other problem is that especially in my field once these apprentices do their time, usually three years (remembering, they only need to prove they can perform a task, not perfect it) they struggle to find work once qualified, simply because they are not up to scratch.

Then of cause we have the likes of Gonski throwing money at something that is broken.

rehctub, the problem of there being nothing else to do is one that the government can solve very easily.

When Malcolm Turnbull was opposition leader, he rightly criticised the government for having one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake: fiscal policy was speeding up the economy, but monetary policy was slowing it down.

The Abbott-Turnbull government is doing pretty much the same thing, but with crossed legs.

We need a government that's willing to put both feet on the accelerator until everyone can get work.