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: , , , ,

What Happened At The ALP National Conference?

Dec 09, 2011

This is a graphic produced by the ALP, summarising the outcomes of the National Conference held on December 2-4, 2011.

ALP National Conference 2011 Outcomes

Filed Under: A.L.P., Gillard Government Tagged With:

Tony Abbott Responds To Mid-Year Budget Update

Nov 29, 2011

Tony Abbott has described the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook as a “crisis mini-budget.”

Speaking at a joint press conference with Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey and Shadow Finance Minister Andrew Robb, Abbott claimed there is now no buffer against international economic problems because of the incompetence of the government.

  • Listen or watch Abbott, Hockey and Robb speak on MYEFO.

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Transcript of joint press conference with Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey and Shadow Finance Minister Andrew Robb.

TONY ABBOTT:

Today the Government has finally admitted what the Coalition has been saying for months. Namely, there is a crisis in Europe, there is a global economic slowdown and it will impact on Australia. I want to make the fundamental point that this is a government which is imperilling our ability to respond to this global problem. It is imperilling our ability to respond to this very serious set of international economic numbers.

This is a government which is making a bad situation worse with its new taxes and with its continuing waste. There is no good time to introduce bad taxes but this is the worst possible time to be introducing a carbon tax and a mining tax which are going to damage Australia’s international competitiveness. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Budget, Liberal Party, Video Tagged With: , , ,

Swan Releases Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook: Budget Surplus Shaved

Nov 29, 2011

The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has released the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). It forecasts an increased budget deficit for 2011-12 and a small surplus in 2012-13.

Key points from MYEFO:

  • 2011-12 budget deficit has increased to $37 billion from the budget forecast of $23 billion.
  • The budget surplus for 2012-13 has been downgraded from $3.5 billion to $1.5 billion.
  • Deteriorating economic conditions have cut $20 billion from revenue over the four-year forward estimates.
  • Additional savings of $11.5 billion over four years have been announced.
  • The baby bonus has been cut from $5400 to $5000.
  • A 2.5% efficiency dividend, on top of an existing 1.5%, will produce savings across government departments of $1.5 billion.
  • The federal and High Courts, and cultural institutions such as the Australian War Memorial have been been protected from cuts.
  • There will be a crackdown on living away from home tax concessions, an increase in the eligibility age for the dependent spouse offset.
  • Gross Domestic Product is now forecast to grow by 3.25%, down from 4.25%.
  • Unemployment is expected to be 5.5% in 2011-12 and 2012-13, slightly up on budget forecasts.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Audio2011, Budget, Gillard Government, Liberal Party, Video Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Tony Abbott Speech on the Economy to The Sydney Institute

Nov 21, 2011

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has delivered a speech on the economy to The Sydney Institute.

Whilst containing no new policy initiatives, the speech attempts to broaden Abbott’s campaign against the government into the prevailing discussion about China and the economic crisis in Europe.

Abbott reiterated his proposals for budget cuts, improved economic growth, productivity reform and workforce participation.

AUDIO of the speech will be posted here once it becomes available.

Official transcript of Tony Abbott’s speech to The Sydney Institute.

Almost 50 years ago, an influential book described Australia as the “lucky country”.

Author Donald Horne meant that we’d relied on our luck rather than on our insights or on our hard work to get where we are but the irony was largely missed.

As if to prove his point, the tag passed into popular use and ever since has helped to reinforce the complacent expectation that something would always turn up to keep us safe and prosperous.

There is a complacent assumption from people who should know better that Australia is largely immune to the economic turmoil threatening Europe because China’s growth guarantees our future prosperity.

There’s no doubt that the China boom has sustained Australia’s economic success over the past decade.

There should equally be no doubt that the boom will one day end. Otherwise, it would be the first never-ending boom in human history. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economy, Liberal Party Tagged With: ,

Liberal Party Launches New Attack On Labor’s 4th Anniversary

Nov 20, 2011

Ahead of the fourth anniversary of Labor’s 2007 election victory, the Liberal Party has launched a new attack on the Rudd and Gillard governments.

The campaign includes an advertisement and a “briefing note” on “Labor’s four years of failure”.

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