More Budget Numbers

10:08 May 8th, 2012 | 0 notes

The ABC has posted a succinct round up of the headline spending, revenue, and savings measures in the 2012-13 Budget.

This is in contrast to the rushed botch list I created during the Treasurer’s speech.

Enjoy your proper sentences, grammar, and spelling.

Winners

  • $1.8 billion from July 2013 so 1.5 million families can receive increase to Family Tax Benefit A, with nearly half taking home an extra $600 a year
  • $1.1 billion over four years to create new Supplementary Allowance of up to $210 a year for students, jobseekers and parents with young children on income support
  • About 1 million households claiming Tax Benefit A to receive cash payment of $820 for each high school student and $410 for each primary school student under School Kids Bonus, replacing the Education Tax Refund
  • $1 billion over four years to roll out the first stage of a National Disability Insurance Scheme expected to cover 10,000 people from 2013-14 and 20,000 people from 2014-15
  • $515 million to treat 400,000 people on the public dental waiting list and to help dentists relocate to rural and remote areas
  • $700 million over four years to allow small businesses to “carry back” past profits to offset current losses by up to $1 million
  • $475 million for 76 new health infrastructure projects to upgrade regional hospitals and doctor training support
  • $3.2 billion aged care package over five years including measures to almost double home care assistance and improve pay and conditions for aged care workers
  • $1,000 payment to companies for each worker they hire aged over 50 for at least three months
  • $50 million to extend bowel cancer screening program so people aged 50 to 70 will be offered free tests every five years
  • $3.56 billion for duplication work on the Pacific Highway in New South Wales on condition of matching state funding
  • Flood levy exemption extended to victims of 2012 flooding across eastern Australia
  • $6 million over four years for suicide prevention measures in Western Australia’s Kimberley
  • $56 million to expand in-home tutoring program for children in up to 100 disadvantaged areas

Losers

  • Government revenues down about $150 billion since start of the global financial crisis
  • Around $5 billion cut from Defence, including deferral of the delivery of the first Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and scrapping of plans to equip the Army with new self-propelled artillery
  • About 100,000 parents affected by cutbacks to parenting payments and shifting of single unemployed parents onto the Newstart allowance once their children turn eight; budget saving of about $700 million over four years.
  • Tax rate on superannuation contributions doubled from 15 to 30 per cent for people earning more than $300,000 a year
  • Around 3,000 public service jobs already gone under increased efficiency drive
  • Tax cuts for small business promised under the mining tax redirected to households because measures unable to garner enough support to pass Parliament
  • $2 billion saved by not proceeding with standard tax deduction on work-related expenses that was due to begin in July 2013
  • Commitment to lift spending on foreign aid to 0.5 per cent of gross national income to be met a year later than promised
  • Around $1 billion could be saved by crackdown on living-away-from-home allowance for executives interstate or overseas
  • Tightening of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and some natural therapies to be removed from private health insurance coverage
  • $2.5 billion saved by changes to Medicare levy surcharge and means-testing of private health insurance rebate;
  • $923 million saved over forward estimates by scrapping of 50 per cent discount on interest income
  • Recipients of Family Tax Benefit A & B and disability support to have payments cut if they travel overseas for more than six weeks a year
  • Planned tax breaks for green buildings will not proceed, saving $405 million over the forward estimates
  • 80 per cent cut to inbound duty free allowance reduced to 50 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco; $600 million saving over forward estimates
  • Passenger movement charge up $8 to $55 from July 1, 2012
  • Reduction in tax breaks for golden handshakes to save $196 million over forward estimates
  • Phasing out of mature age worker tax offset to save $255 million over forward estimates
  • Increased heavy road user charge to raise $166 million in 2012-13; almost $700 million over forward estimates

(Source: abc.net.au)

8:28 May 8th, 2012 | 0 notes

Increased revenues and savings in the 2012-2013 Budget

Increased revenues and savings in the 2012-2013 Budget

(Source: budget.gov.au)

11:21 Feb 22nd, 2012 | 9 notes

Prime Minister Gillard and I and the overwhelming majority of our colleagues have been applying our Labor values to the policy challenges in front of us and we’re succeeding despite tremendous political obstacles.

For the sake of the labour movement, the Government and the Australians which it represents, we have refrained from criticism to date.

However for too long, Kevin Rudd has been putting his own self-interest ahead of the interests of the broader labour movement and the country as a whole, and that needs to stop.

The Party has given Kevin Rudd all the opportunities in the world and he wasted them with his dysfunctional decision making and his deeply demeaning attitude towards other people including our caucus colleagues. He sought to tear down the 2010 campaign, deliberately risking an Abbott Prime Ministership, and now he undermines the Government at every turn.

He was the Party’s biggest beneficiary then its biggest critic; but never a loyal or selfless example of its values and objectives.

For the interests of the labour movement and of working people, there is too much at stake in our economy and in the political debate for the interests of the labour movement and working people to be damaged by somebody who does not hold any Labor values.

Julia has the overwhelming support of our colleagues. She is tough, determined, forward-looking, and has a good Labor heart. She has a consultative, respectful relationship with caucus while Kevin Rudd demeaned them. She’s cleaned up a lot of the mess he left her and has established a good, Labor agenda. She’s delivering major reforms, and getting things done that her predecessor could not. Colleagues are sick of Kevin Rudd driving the vote down by sabotaging policy announcements and undermining our substantial economic successes.

The Labor Party is not about a person, it’s about a purpose. That’s something Prime Minister Gillard has always known in her heart but something Kevin Rudd has never understood.

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan’s release on Kevin Rudd