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
Clearly, this story was never meant to be about Christine Forster and her views on marriage equality.
It was designed to neutralise Tony Abbott’s opposition to marriage equality by showing him in the best possible light – moderates will give him the nod him for accepting his sister, and religious conservatives will be happy he has loved the sinner without condoning the sin.
The theme has been picked up in letters to the editor across the nation. But in case it’s not obvious enough, Christopher Pearson has spelt it out:
“The story of Abbott’s gay sister and her partner…won’t do him any damage at all. On the contrary, I’m sure most people can empathise with him.
Deciding not to behave in a judgmental way in such circumstances doesn’t mean that you’re obliged to abandon a considered position on sexual ethics or on marriage … Nor does it prove you’re a hypocrite. It just means that the Christian imperative to love one another trumps all other considerations.”
Rarely in Australia has a coming out story been spun so shamelessly to excuse anti-gay prejudice.
—Rodney Croome
It’s just lovely to know that we can ‘empathise’ with Tony Abbott in this day and age. How unfortunate that he has a gay sister, yet he still loves her! What an amazing brother! What a generous heart he has! So filled with compassion, understanding, and tolerance! It is wonderful that Tony has chosen to stand by his sister even though she is encumbered by this ailment. Such a principled stand! What a brave and strong individual he is!
…
Oh, I’m sorry. I thought we were playing as characters from the 1920s.
What do you mean this is a real thing!?
So Tony Abbott’s sister is actually gay, and that hasn’t changed his mind on marriage equality? So he’s ‘compassionate’ for sticking by his sister? What, did we think he’d publicly disown her or something? We’re praising Tony for the fact that he didn’t kick his sister out of the family after finding out she’s in a committed relationship? Biggest load of bull I’ve ever heard in my life.
What kind of brother actively promotes discrimination against his sister, and stands in the way of her being happy? Heartless bastard.
‘Haha there are so many, James, where do you even begin?’
Yes, yes, you’ve had your fun. Back to work.
Prime Minister Gillard has one glaring problem staring her in the face as we speak: four of her ministers voted for Kevin Rudd in the leadership ballot this morning. This can mainly be seen as a result of Labor Party politics. Labor leaders do not historically choose their own cabinets; the caucus does. No points for guessing who chose to buck this trend. Hint: his name rhymes with ‘Kevin Rudd’.
If there isn’t a major cabinet reshuffle before the next election (sooner rather than later), the Liberal party need not bother to write any ads, and could instead run clips of Labor ministers speaking out in support of someone who is not their party leader:
I remember having discussions about John Howard and the consensus in the body politic being John Howard would not be defeated until he retired. Kevin Rudd proved that to be wrong in a massive election victory in 2007 and I think the man who beat John Howard is best placed to beat Tony Abbott.
— Chris Bowen: Immigration Minister
I’m a party loyalist, I’ve always sought to serve the interests of the Labor Party, I’ll be supporting him (Rudd) and I think that he will do very, very well in this coming parliament … We’ve all learned from the unhappy events of the last little while. It’s my opinion that the man has a great breadth of vision and a commitment to the future of this country that stands us in good stead.
— Kim Carr: Manufacturing Minister
Kevin Rudd is best placed to take on Tony Abbott and potentially [in the] best position for us to win the next election. It’s on the basis of that assessment that I have declared my position today as I should.
— Martin Ferguson: Resources Minister
He has overwhelming public support and I don’t think that we can ignore the fact that he has won an election from opposition.
— Robert McClelland: Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Emergency Management
So there’s that. But the optics of turfing out four ministers straight after they voted for the other guy probably wouldn’t look much better than keeping them there.
Either way, this is something Labor must get ahead of before the Liberals start using it against them. Time to go on the offensive. ‘Game on’ again, I guess.
