We need a strong and responsible opposition, all democracies need strong opposition, but persons like you sent the people direct to ALP!
THANK YOU!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide
Posted by ASymeonakis, Tuesday, 20 May 2008 9:04:24 PM

Well the best way for me to respond to this is 'watch this space'!

When people start to loose thier homes, jobs and relationships we will soon see just how popular they really are.

As for the topic, have you observed many seniors lately, or more so how they struggle to survive from week to week.

Now many of these folk have faught in a war, or at least supported a loved one who has, or lived through the terror of a war only to be left on the scrap heap because every swinging dick has thier hand in the cookie jar and there are not enough cookies to go around.

Remember, it is these seniors, or many of them that have provided the platform of our great nation that we all enjoy so much today.

Stop being greedy and expecting society to pay for your life choices!

As for paid maternity leave, as an employer you observe risks to you business every day.

The end reslut of this puch, if succesful, will be that fewer women will be employed in full time positions as a reslut. It's no rocket science, just risk management.

I hope you're all ready for what you're about to create!

ASymeonakis “Col Rouge we have Sex Discrimination Commissioner for many years”

That makes no difference. The position, in my opinion, has always been divisive and discriminatory.

“Col Rouge, I think it is time for you to update your ideas.”

Nothing wrong with my “ideas”, especially when they are in defense of the individual against the dead hand of bureaucratic meddlers and levelers associated most commonly with socialist swill politics.

“ I wrote in an other post, the paid maternity leave is very basic and it is supported from all parties worldwide, including the conservative one.”

So what, in the past the blanket use of DDT, lead in petrol and the work of William McBride were supported world wide. Today such things are again condemned.

Imposing off-wage packet employment overheads to employee contracts will adversely affect and muddy the waters of contract negotiations and reduce the potential employment opportunities of females versus males. That is a fact because – government cannot legislate for employer attitudes and the employers assessment of comparative cost (between genders)..

As rehctub says “Stop being greedy and expecting society to pay for your life choices!”

Exactly - “maternity leave” is just another example of “socialist safety meddling” which distance the individual from responsibility for the consequences of their decisions and as such, is morally corrupt

Welcome to the real world ASymeonakis.

>>now I try to establish my own business. You do not know how many hours 7 days per week I am working to establish my own business, real slave!<<

Yep, that's what it takes.

And if you ever get around to employing people, and taking responsibility for providing a challenging, rewarding and legally-conformant workplace, I will become more interested to hear your views on the levels of government intervention in business.

>>Personally I am ready to pay extra tax for the maternity leave although I do not expect from it any personal or family benefit.<<

That is very generous of you, but irrelevant to the discussion. I give money to the Salvos, but that is a personal decision. If the government chose to dictate which charity I should choose, I would object, even if their charity of choice were the Salvos.

>>Really I do not expect small business to pay any cent for the paid maternity leave.<<

OK, since you are new to business, it is important for you to understand how it works. A really good exercise would be to unpack the statement above, and write down on a piece of paper exactly how you think small business will not "pay any cent".

To start you off, I would just like to point out that if our tax dollars are going to be allocated in this fashion, taxes will increase.

There are three forms of taxation that are relevant here; company tax, personal income tax and GST

Company taxation rates affect my business directly. Personal taxation rates affect it indirectly, by forcing up wage inflation. GST affects both directly and indirectly, by making goods and services less affordable, and adding to wage inflation.

But please, if you can justify your statement, I'm all ears. You may have found the magic bullet, after all.

But really, it's just idealism, ASymeonakis, to think it will cost nothing.

Idealism gives you a warm feeling for a while. But after a while it becomes cold and wet, and just a little smelly.

Have a great day.

Pericles "Idealism gives you a warm feeling for a while. But after a while it becomes cold and wet, and just a little smelly."

alternatively put

Idealism, is to the sentimental, left wing of politics what a wet dream is to an adolescent -

being something which is unsuited as a topic for general discussion.

There are various ways to find the money for paid maternity leave without tax increases. Usually labor, socialist, social democratic governments reduce the military expenses, bring back soldiers from Iraq, reduce the quantity of new weapons, as they will be useless in 5-10 years while improving the relations with countries around Australia.etc. An other way is improving the productivity in public sector and limiting its costs or wasting less money where it is not necessary, for example private schools, etc.
Do not worry the PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION WILL FIND MANY WAYS FOR MATERNITY, PATERNITY AND PARENTAL LEAVE.
It is good if the busyness understand their social role and undertake their social responsibilities. A big part of busynesses understand their role and support the paid maternity leave etc. I remind you the common article from Elizabeth Broderick federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Sharan Burrow president of the ACTU and Heather Ridout chief executive of the Australian Industry Group(represents more than 10.000 employers)"{paid maternity leave is not a bonus, it is about a right to paid leave for working mothers recovering from childbirth to help establish breastfeeding and for all-important bonding to occur."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/maternity-scheme-is-overdue/2008/04/07/1207420296235.html
Ms Heather Ridout chief executive of the Australian Industry Group could not write this article if did not know that the mass majority of employers support the paid maternity leave.
I can not expect all Australians to support it BUT I AM SURE MORE THAN 75% AUSTRALIANS SUPPORT IT.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

This argument of yours is becoming increasingly bizarre, ASymeonakis.

>>There are various ways to find the money for paid maternity leave without tax increases. Usually labor, socialist, social democratic governments reduce the military expenses, bring back soldiers from Iraq, reduce the quantity of new weapons, as they will be useless in 5-10 years while improving the relations with countries around Australia.etc. An other way is improving the productivity in public sector and limiting its costs or wasting less money where it is not necessary, for example private schools, etc.<<

Except that they don't. Take a look at Tony Blair's track record in the UK over the past ten years, and see how his labor, socialist, social democrat cut back in these areas.

But in any case, I have to tell you that any Australian political party that went into an election campaign with these promises would not get elected.

Which brings me back to democracy.

And please tell me, when did any government, anywhere, successfully "improve the productivity in public sector?"

The whole point about the public sector is that it is inefficient and wasteful. If it were not, it wouldn't need to employ those tens of thousands of jobsworths who inhabit its many handsome facilities, earning their FBT-free perks and benefits and sucking on the increasingly ragged teat of those businesses that actually create value in the economy of Australia.

But that's an entirely different topic, isn't it.