I thought Tony Abbott was part of the Liberal party? (1 Viewer)

[Slidey]

Paid parental scheme Tony Abbott

THE federal government will be pressed by the Senate to enhance its paid parental leave scheme after the Greens and independents said they would use Tony Abbott's rival plan to force a better deal for mothers.

But the Opposition Leader's colleagues rounded on him for failing to consult them before announcing he would hit big business with a $2.7 billion tax increase to fund a six-month, paid parental leave scheme.

A contrite Mr Abbott told his party room he had made ''a leader's call''. ''Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission,'' he said.

He said the rise would be temporary and unwound when the nation's debt was repaid, which is not due to occur for a decade.

Sources said Mr Abbott did not seek the input of his most senior colleagues, including Julie Bishop and Nick Minchin, in the development of the policy.

About 20 MPs and senators at the meeting expressed concern, mainly about the lack of process.

Wilson Tuckey, who helped engineer Malcolm Turnbull's downfall as opposition leader because he felt Mr Turnbull did not consult enough, demanded Mr Abbott never do it again. Others said the Coalition was supposed to be the party of low taxes.

Outside the party room, MPs were more hostile, with several saying Mr Abbott had forgone his right to attack Mr Rudd for broken promises and wanting to increase taxes. Criticism ranged from ''ill disciplined'' to ''absolutely crazy''. ''The natives are unhappy,'' one said.

Business groups are livid at the proposed 1.7 per cent tax rise, most of which would come from the banks and big miners, the latter being the very companies Mr Abbott spared from Labor's emissions trading scheme, or so-called ''great big new tax''.

From their last annual reports, 1.7 per cent of the pre-tax income of BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and the big four banks would come close to $790 million.

A month after promising no new or higher taxes, Mr Abbott proposed to increase tax for the top 3200 companies. The primary carer would receive their full weekly salary, capped at an annual wage of $150,000.

Labor is about to introduce legislation for its $260 million scheme, which would pay all primary carers the minimum weekly wage of $544 for four months.

The Greens said Mr Abbott's policy was even better than theirs. They would join the Coalition in the Senate to force changes to the government's scheme to try to make it reflect that of the opposition. The independents Nick Xenophon and Steve Fielding also liked Mr Abbott's plan and intended to use it as leverage.

The Minister for Finance, Lindsay Tanner, said Mr Abbott was economically illiterate, flaky and breaking promises before he was even elected.

John Roskam, the executive director of the conservative think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs, said the policy contradicted the Coalition's core philosophy of lower taxes and the tax increase would be passed on to consumers.

''This completely confuses the debate around Tony Abbott saying we won't support an emissions trading scheme because it is a great big new tax,'' he said.

Seems he joined Labour when I wasn't looking.

 

[0bs3n3]

Its never been a secret that he supports a paid maternity leave scheme.

 

[Riet]

ya its because he wants women to stay in the kitchen, good on him I say.

 

[Slidey]

Its never been a secret that he supports a paid maternity leave scheme.

Under the Howard government he said "There will be paid maternity leave over this government's dead corpse".

Which I guess was quite an accurate prediction, however it certainly doesn't help your case any because it shows Tony Abbott has been very opposed to paid maternity leave for quite a while - and one has to wonder how sincere somebody who says something like that really is when they suggest a scheme they openly opposed until recently.

 

[thongetsu]

Cheap shot to get women's votes. AND it's working!

 

[thongetsu]

He's not much of a team player.

 

[zombie omie jay]

tony abbot is a hero

 

[thongetsu]

Leroy!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lentern]

Under the Howard government he said "There will be paid maternity leave over this government's dead corpse".

Which I guess was quite an accurate prediction, however it certainly doesn't help your case any because it shows Tony Abbott has been very opposed to paid maternity leave for quite a while - and one has to wonder how sincere somebody who says something like that really is when they suggest a scheme they openly opposed until recently.

Its politics, you're smart enough to understand that. Every leader of the opposition in, like ever, has made a few attempts to outflank the government on their favoured wing. Rudd tried to make himself out to be more christian than Howard, Turnbull liked to talk about gay rights and tackling prejudices, Abbott is just doing the same thing with less tact and timing.

 

[0bs3n3]

Under the Howard government he said "There will be paid maternity leave over this government's dead corpse".

Which I guess was quite an accurate prediction, however it certainly doesn't help your case any because it shows Tony Abbott has been very opposed to paid maternity leave for quite a while - and one has to wonder how sincere somebody who says something like that really is when they suggest a scheme they openly opposed until recently.

Oh, ok, and I'm still waiting for Labor to repeal the GST.

 

[Slidey]

Oh, ok, and I'm still waiting for Labor to repeal the GST.

We're talking about Tony Abbott's flagrant flip-flopping right now, not the fuckwits running Labour right now.

You clearly said "It's no secret that Tony Abbott supports paid maternity leave" when, in fact, rather is! So don't even bother trying redirect this topic to another "big new tax" introduced under the previous supposedly tax-averse Liberal government.

 

[0bs3n3]

We're talking about Tony Abbott's flagrant flip-flopping right now, not the fuckwits running Labour right now.

You clearly said "It's no secret that Tony Abbott supports paid maternity leave" when, in fact, rather is! So don't even bother trying redirect this topic to another "big new tax" introduced under the previous supposedly tax-averse Liberal government.

The day after he got elected leader the papers had him down as supporting maternity leave. So unless he released it that same day...

 

[Slidey]

The day after he got elected leader the papers had him down as supporting maternity leave. So unless he released it that same day...

Oh, I'm just interested in why he was so staunchly against paid maternity leave as a member of Howard's Liberal government but now as leader of the Liberals is so staunchly for it.

I wonder what kind of double think goes on in his head every day?

 

[runoutofsleep]

well his daughters grew up and he now understands the difficulties faced by young families in fulfilling their national duty

so yeah

tony abbot is a hero

 

[rollipop]

I don't trust where that little rat is coming from.

He does want to

a) keep women in the traditional housewife role.

b) win over their votes.

Right wing scum.

 

[funkshen]

I don't trust where that little rat is coming from.

He does want to

a) keep women in the traditional housewife role.

b) win over their votes.

Right wing scum.

Cool social and cultural analysis bro.

 

[*Minka*]

Well, if he is going to take away women's right to get an abortion, he better damn well pay for those babies they have to keep.

 

[aussie-boy]

Good thread...

-This guy is "threatened" by homosexuals, referring to them as a "fact of life"

-Also, Abbott on the ETS vis a vis this paid maternity leave scheme:
''there are a number of very important differences... it's a much more comprehensible benefit which is going to be delivered; a practical, direct benefit to hundreds of thousands of families.''

Implication = stopping global warming will not lead to a practical, direct benefit to hundreds of thousands of families

-Abbott on abortion v a v indigenous affairs... "Why isn't the fact that 100,000 women choose to end their pregnancies regarded as a national tragedy approaching the scale, say, of Aboriginal life expectancy being 20 years less than that of the general community?"

I don't know how on Earth he scored a Rhodes scholarship - this guy is a fool... or at least has never studied economics (EDIT: he has a B.Ec ... WTF??)

Turnbull's column in the SMH today was a much better approach to gaining liberal support - with his description of the ALP blatantly throwing money at various problems. If Turnbull decides to adopt the rhetoric of Ross Gittin's most recent article, I reckon he has a good chance of winning the election

 

[super.muppy]

hypocritical much ? :uhhuh:

 

[Riet]

so you're saying muslims are fags?