Neil Mitchell questioned the need for a flood tax and the value we would receive given Labors track record. He intimated that the same corporations who delivered us $200 per square buildings for $1200 were on the payroll again. This press release from Leighton Holdings:

"Mr David Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of Leighton Holdings Limited, today applauded the Prime Minister’s initiative to involve the business community in rebuilding Queensland communities.

“It is the right thing for corporate Australia to give back to the communities in which we work, and I look forward to the first meeting of the Business Taskforce next week,” Mr Stewart said."

This gobbledygook translated succinctly reads "gold rush is on again boys, but this time its big ticket items such as roads and bridges"

In defense of the tax the masterful Julia told Mitchell that an invalid pensioner had called her office wanting the tax to be taken from their pension, what absolute tripe and the hide to trot it out as a defense speaks volumes.

This is another gem from Julia verbatim:

"I thought the best place to make budget cut backs to support this package was in a range of environmental projects, we are going to get on with the job of pricing Carbon"

She tells us we are paying this tax, that we are losing gazetted projects, and she is mad keen to get a Carbon tax into us. She does not give a tinkers cuss for anything except the ideology of the party. The strange thing is that it is not Julia who is pathetic; it is half of the Australian population.

What a lot of crappy opinion. You must have trouble sleeping with tripe like that on your mind.
1.40 a week, it's all to much for you.
There's 2 cyclones in the area now. Get hit again and people will be rethinking their donating ,with rubbish like that floating around.
Politically biased for any reason and all reason.

I had a grumble about the levy, then I got over it. In my fortnightly budget, I give myself $20.00 in discretionary spending. The rest goes towards living expenses and saving to put a deposit on a house, something that appears to be perpetually out of reach for me. Well, that's now $17.20 a fortnight. Easy fix: I won't be buying myself a can of Coke at work as my 'Friday treat' anymore. It's as simple as that.

My main gripe with the levy, though, is that it seems shortsighted. I don't believe there should be exemptions, and I don't believe it should be for one year only. As a nation, we live with the constant threat of natural disasters. I would not object to a levy or tax that existed in perpetuity and was used solely for rebuilding after disasters.

By imposing a one-off levy this time round, our government is effectively telling us that the QLD/VIC/TAS flooding is a more important disaster than any that has come before or will come after. By exempting those who have been affected, our government is telling us that these people's hardship is greater than the suffering of people in any bushfires, any tropical cyclone, any catastrophic storm or any other terrible event.

I would have hoped for more guts in our leaders here, and the establishment of a levy (unpopular though it would be) that would mean the government actually has money in the piggybank when the next disaster strikes. Popularity should be no concern - there's plenty of time to regroup before the next election.

What a lot of crappy opinion. You must have trouble sleeping with tripe like that on your mind.
a597,
May I suggest you take a look behind your academic mirror ? you'll find that there's a whole world behind it, a world that requires common not academic sense to function.

I heard some of that interview, replayed I think, on the ABC. No it couldn't be, it must have been on a real radio station.

It certainly dispelled the rumor that Julia is actually a zombie, with her blood heated to one degree kelvin, above absolute zero. This rumor of course has been developed due to her speaking at 2 words a minute, when ever in public.

We now know that, like Ruddy before her she is not "natural" but a product of some strange Labor training program. A program designed to hide what these people really are, in preference for something the hierarchy believe is more acceptable to the Oz voter.

Unlike Rudd, who is obviously a better trained actor, little Julia let her training slip in this interview, probably the first time she has not been given full support of her interviewer, & actually asked a question she had not rehearsed. Rudd managed to hold his character for almost 2 years.

Note to Julia, stick to the ABC love, they are all on your side, so no hard questions.

So now we know she can talk, what we need is a test to see if she can think. As the saying goes, "I'd like to see that".

Well I agree crap.
And some of those proposing it is not need to look out the back yard and ensure the dog is chained up, the average family IQ could go down fast if it leaves.
Of interest,to those who want the truth, major construction/reconstruction can only be done by very big firms Theiss Leighton's, John Holland you name it are owned by over seas firms,for the most part two firms.
Real waste would be employing back yarders to do work they cannot and at a price much higher.

Sonofgloin,you are right.We have 579,a597 who are looking like paid shills,prowling the net with their subversive opinions.We are going to get a lot more of this propaganda as people become aware of how our Govts are now controlled by Corporate interests.

SOG:

What an amazing opening post. Now tell us what solutions you are offering? It appears that it's always easier to find fault than to come up with creative and positive solutions.

Lexi what gives me the right to be a critic and not proffer suggestions are the taxes I pay. Gillard is employed by me and I find the standard of her work abysmal.

SOG:

Nobody is questioning your rights just your attitude. Negativity is not the answer, although its understandable in difficult times. However, possibly more can be achieved by offering solutions than criticisms. I realise that this is an emotive issue for you and you feel strongly about it. But perhaps if we all put our heads together for the sake of the nation, we'd be able to come up with solutions that would satisfy everyone?

Arjay:>> Sonofgloin,you are right.We have 579,a597 who are looking like paid shills,prowling the net with their subversive opinions.We are going to get a lot more of this propaganda as people become aware of how our Govts are now controlled by Corporate interests.<<

Arjay I was introduced to a guy whose nick name was "corporation" when I later asked the boys why he was called "corporation" they simply said, nothing is sacred to him except money. That sums it up.

You gota laugh. arjay has it down to corporations,now just a guess but it may be those two are husband and wife?
What has this world become? constant insults to those with views other than your own.
Arjay get used to it, about 99.99% of the world have different views than yours.
Gillard, good lord how much hate is behind this thread?
She is not my cup of tea but on the worst day, and we saw plenty of them, of Howard Costello's mess, I never felt the need to.
Well its child like poking ones tongue out ans saying some thing quite silly.

Belly, to clarify my position, I personally hate no politicians. I do harbor contempt for almost all the current crop on both sides of the fence. When there is a change in government in our state or at a federal level you will see the vitriolic diatribe flow to the the Libs, if they are as pathetic at their jobs.

Belly did you awake this morning to see the Firth drug scandal in the papers. Her husband got busted for buying “ecstasy”, I was on the loo as I read it (too much info I know) and called to the wife, “darling if the husband is buying eccies do you think his wife is taking them as well” she said “of course she is, he is scoring and she is dropping”.

Just to remind you of Labors State track record on scandal, morality and criminality at all levels of government:
Paul McLeay, John Della Bosca, Valerio Zanotto, Angela D'Amore, Frank Gigliotti, David Campbell, Milton Orkopoulos, Karyn Paluzzano, Kiril Janovski, Zeki Essen. I could go on but.

Theft corruption and buggery seem to be the overriding themes here Belly.

And on their way out this, and more to come undoubtedly.

From: The Sunday Telegraph January 30, 2011 12:00AM
>> A FORMER Labor minister and two ex-bureaucrats have been paid more than $1.4 million to sell the State's electricity assets.
A confidential document obtained by The Sunday Telegraph reveals the huge consulting fees earned by former Carr government minister Kim Yeadon, ex-Department of Premier and Cabinet director-general Col Gellatly and John Dermody who worked with State Forests.
The trio was chosen by Treasurer Eric Roozendaal to handle the sale.<<

Remember the Sher song “Gypsies Tramps and Thieves” the ALP’s theme song could be “Liars Buggerers and Thieves”.

The Party is a disgrace Belly, not just incompetent but a criminal disgrace.

It was a woeful interview SOG. The trouble with many politicians is when being questioned on a difficult topic such as the propsed flood levy and the possibility of rorts, the trend is to resort to emotive, turn-the-pointed-finger-around style responses such as the invalid pensioner example.

Australians in the main seem not to give a toss about paying an extra $2 a week for a flood levy. The small expense is clearly not the complaint.

The negativity towards the levy appears to reflect concerns about management of such projects, in particular over-pricing and potential for rorting. And refusal to consider cuts in wasteful government programs that are clearly past their due by date or to decrease the bloated management structure of the APS. Even ignoring the latter, the issue of rorting is a pertinent one. Taxpayers are fed up with lining the pockets of greedy opportunists.

I was disappointed in Gillard's failure to recognise those very real concerns and turn it around as an implication of selfishness.

Not a good look and all too transparent.

Sonofgloin, do me this favor read my threads power without Glory and NSW after March 2011, that one is still alive.
I AGREE, with your every word.
I worked for the NSW RTA for 22 years.
Yes I read it, no way it is the first scandal.
That gay thing was not either.
If only I could say it here, just once, see corruption is the fashion in this states government.
And the RTA is run by both the very best managers and unfortunately the worst, more of the latter.
Corruption extends to contracts even who wins labour hire contracts, a few bottles of red a brown paper bag band seat at the football buys this governments public servants.
And its idiotic parliamentarians LABOR ONES have no intention of caring about it.
By all means stay as you are,be conservative, but be honest , I was not thinking of you, far worse is said blindly by others but.
Yes but, this country never ever before needed politicians with guts to stand against the 24 hour news cycle, to question the questioners, some of whom clearly are stating their own opinions in those questions.
And do what is right for the country.
Last about 50/60 percent of us, both party's think alike.
The few who disgracefully say every one on the other side is an enemy/wrong are fools.
I await the total destruction of my team in NSW it must and will happen,such an event will Begin to restore my party to its once proud status, only that event.

I have to add this my 22 years on the RTA ended after my exposing graft was ignored and pressure put on me.
I took a VR ,life took a turn I became a union official.
Interesting the top bloke doing the crime was sacked not long after, more remain.
After some time,years, I took over government departments, including the yes RTA.
I found myself being warmly received by union members but with much work to catch up on.
Got into it and ran foul of an RTA manager, he is a man not respected by any one working for him and has two skills only two white washing and covering his own faults, oh a third, he put a good story in place about my deliberate rudeness to him.
Not true, just told him spending half a million on safety but ignoring real danger was silly.
My members wanted to say things only I could I said them for them no swearing.
My ex boss shares some things, his staff current and past do not like or trust him I informed him in full and walked off the job, maybe he will find a seat in Parliament,he is no use to the union movement.
RTA? please Barry spare the workers contract out the management team.

I couldn't find Glory and NSW after March 2011, Belly you know where it is, could you dig it out and post the link, thanks.

NSW after march 2011, put last quarter and 100 posts in your search.
Then go to elections
Power without glory will be harder go back 3 years or select it from my post history, the little man under any of my posts.

sonofgloin posted on Sunday, 30 January 2011 at 6:07:02 PM:

"I couldn't find [Power without] Glory and
NSW after March 2011, Belly you know where
it is, could you dig it out and post the link,
thanks."

Belly's memory has confused his old thread title with that of Frank Hardy's book 'Power without Glory'.

Belly's old thread was titled 'NSW power without pride', and was opened on Friday, 29 August 2008 at 7:11:55 AM. It is a long thread. This is a link to it: http://bit.ly/gF164q

Belly's more recent thread was titled 'NSW After March 2011', and was opened on Wednesday, 15 December 2010 at 3:06:02 PM. Here is a link to it: http://bit.ly/gU551Z

Thanks Forrest, my memory is not the best right now.
I am hoping it is as a result of being crook right now.
Sugar is right up there and so too is blood pressure .
Maybe its all that fruit!

Forrest you are a gem...thanks

I had a squizzy at the two threads and if you pointed me towards them to qualify that you DO see the trees for the forest, I knew that already. Your thoughts and your style are cut from the cloth of my parental household. As I told you the old man was a unionist and his old man as well so I received a sound grounding in social democracy and the history of the ALP thrown in for nothing.

Belly I expect you get to the branch meetings and are an active member of the branch. That your desires are the mirrored aspirations of those every day Aussies in the branch who wants the best for us now and for the generations to follow. Sadly those people do not sit in Caucus. The vast majority in the branch follows an altruistic path; the ones in Caucus have a career path.

My observation has been if you have a career path your comfort during the journey is your primary concern, if you have an altruistic path it is about the destination of that journey. I know “old” Labor, the in fighting the back stabbing, but to me it seems it was still always about the journey and ending up in the right place, I don’t see it in this lot.