Hockey Speech: The End Of The Age Of Entitlement

Apr 17, 2012

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has used a speech in London to call for an end to “the age of entitlement”.

Joe HockeyAddressing the Institute of Economic Affairs, Hockey said “entitlement is a concept that corrodes the very heart of the process of free enterprise that drives our economies”.

He said: “The entitlements bestowed on tens of millions of people by successive governments, fuelled by short-term electoral cycles and the politics of outbidding your opponents is, in essence, undermining our ability to ensure democracy, fair representation and economic sustainability for future generations.”

Hockey said economic problems in Europe were attributable in part to an entitlement culture: “The sovereign debt problems we are seeing in Europe and the US today are the outcome of countries wanting a lifestyle they cannot afford but are quite happy to borrow from others to pay for.”

In a wide-ranging speech, Hockey gave contrasting examples from China and the United States. He said the only solution in the long term “is for countries to live within their means”.

“We must rebuild fiscal discipline. Budget surpluses must be restored, ideally until the debt is repaid.”

“THE END OF THE AGE OF ENTITLEMENT”

SPEECH NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS TO THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

Introduction

I wish to thank my friends at the Institute of Economic Affairs for the opportunity to discuss an issue that has been the source of much debate in this forum for sometime….that is, the end of an era of popular universal entitlement. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Liberal Party, Social Welfare Tagged With: ,

Alby Schultz Announces Retirement From Hume

Apr 17, 2012

Alby SchultzAlby Schultz, the Liberal member for Hume, has announced that he will not contest the next federal election.

Schultz has represented the safe Liberal seat in south-east NSW since 1998. Prior to that, he served ten years in the NSW Legislative Assembly as the member for Burrinjuck.

The Hume electorate includes Bargo, Binalong, Boorowa, Bundanoon, Cootamundra, Cowra, Crookwell, Goulburn, Grenfell, Gundaroo, Gunning, Harden/Murrumburrah, Jugiong, Marulan, Murrumbateman, Picton, Sutton, Tahmoor, Tarago, Thirlmere, Wilton, Yass and Young.

At the 2010 election, Schultz polled 53.56% of the primary vote, an increase of 12.96%. After distribution of preferences, he won with 58.72% of the two-party-preferred vote, an increase of 3.37%.

Text of statement from Alby Schultz

As 2012 is the commencement of my 25th year in State and Federal politics as the elected Liberal Member representing the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Div) I have advised the New South Wales State Director Mr Mark Neeham that I will not be contesting the next election. The time is right for me to move on and allow the Liberal brand to be maintained in Hume by a capable committed Liberal. [Read more...]

Filed Under: House of Reps, Liberal Party Tagged With: ,

Senator Judith Adams Dies

Mar 31, 2012

The Liberal Party’s Western Australian Senator Judith Adams has died, aged 68.

Senator Judith AdamsSenator Adams reportedly died as a result of breast cancer.

She was in her second term in the Senate, having been first elected in the 2004 federal election. Her term commenced on July 1, 2005.

A former nurse and farmer, Senator Adams was Deputy Opposition Whip and had been Temporary Chair of Committees since July last year.

According to her personal website, “Judith was born in Picton, New Zealand and after completing her secondary education trained as a general nurse, a midwife and gained a Diploma in Operating Theatre Nursing.

“In 1963 Judith joined the NZ Territorial Army as a Nursing Sister, obtaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant and in 1967 was appointed to the NZ Surgical Team in Vietnam as a civilian nurse auspiced under the Columbo Plan. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Liberal Party, Senate, Video Tagged With: , ,

Liberal Ad: Lemons Never Change Their Spots

Feb 24, 2012

The Liberal Party has released another update of their “Kevin O’Lemon” advertisement.

The update coincides with Kevin Rudd’s resignation as Foreign Minister and his challenge to Julia Gillard’s leadership next Monday.

Filed Under: Gillard Government, Liberal Party, Video Tagged With: ,

Tony Abbott’s Speech to the Coalition Party Room

Feb 07, 2012

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott made this address to the Coalition partyroom meeting in Parliament House this morning, ahead of the resumption of Parliament this afternoon.

Filed Under: Liberal Party Tagged With:

Abbott: My Plan For A Stronger Economy, A Stronger Australia

Jan 31, 2012

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has addressed the National Press Club in Canberra on his “plan for a stronger economy and a stronger Australia”.

The keynote speech was Abbott’s first major speech for the new year. He maintained his political attack on the Gillard government and made only broad commitments.

  • Listen to Abbott’s speech

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  • Listen to Abbott’s responses to questions

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MY PLAN FOR A STRONGER ECONOMY AND A STRONGER AUSTRALIA

Four decades after Donald Horne ironically tagged Australia as “the Lucky Country”, the Gillard government is relying on good luck rather than on good management to secure our nation’s future.

The government often cites the fragile international economic situation but fails to propose any new policies to respond to it. It claims ownership of the fundamental strength of the Australian economy even though its own actions have weakened it. And it boasts of a future return to surplus while actually delivering the four biggest budget deficits in Australian history.

Labor’s economic strategy is to hope that China’s strength will keep our economy growing. It’s lazy, complacent economic management from a government which is much better at deception and dirty tricks than at the hard work of actually running the country.

The Eurozone crisis is a terrible verdict on governments that spend too much, borrow too much and tax too much yet our prime minister is lecturing the Europeans while copying their failures.

In just four years, Labor has turned a $20 billion surplus into $167 billion in accumulated deficits and $70 billion in net Commonwealth assets into $133 billion of net debt. That’s $6000 for every Australian man, woman and child.

At the heart of Labor’s failure is the assumption that bigger government and higher taxes are the answer to every problem. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Audio2012, Economy, Liberal Party, Video Tagged With: ,

Christopher Pyne: Gillard As Ruthless As Richard III

Jan 23, 2012

The coalition’s shadow minister for Education, Christopher Pyne, is an early frontrunner in the contest to find the most absurd example of hyperbole in political year 2012.

In a clip from an interview shown on ABC television news tonight, Pyne described Julia Gillard’s poker machine policy and her treatment of Andrew Wilkie as “what many regard as the most ruthless political act since Richard III disposed of his nephews in the Tower of London”.

The 2012 Australian Political HyperBowl

  • (1) Listen to Christopher Pyne

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Poodle

Filed Under: Audio, Audio2012, Gillard Government, Liberal Party Tagged With: , ,

Tony Abbott’s 2012 New Year Message

Dec 31, 2011

Filed Under: Liberal Party, Video Tagged With: ,

Tony Abbott’s 2011 Christmas Message

Dec 24, 2011

Filed Under: Liberal Party, Video Tagged With: ,

Government Offers Nauru To Abbott In Return For Malaysia

Dec 22, 2011

The federal government has capitulated to Tony Abbott’s demand for a specific proposal on breaking the deadlock over asylum-seeker processing.

For the past week, the Opposition Leader has refused to authorise Scott Morrison to meet with Chris Bowen unless a proposal was put on the table.

Tonight the government has written to Abbott offering to implement the Malaysia arrangement and offshore processing on Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

The government’s decision was announced by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen.

Text of letter from Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott:

ACTING PRIME MINISTER
22 DEC 2011

The Hon Tony Abbott MP
Leader of the Opposition
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Mr Abbott

Thank you for your response to the Government’s further correspondence of 19 December 2011.

As you know, the Government has attempted three times to secure your agreement for discussions between Mr Bowen and Mr Morrison to examine opportunities to identify a mutually agreeable outcome on offshore processing. Those offers were made in good faith and clearly demonstrated the Government’s willingness to engage constructively with the Opposition on this matter. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Gillard Government, Liberal Party, Refugees Tagged With: , , , ,