Saturday, October 18, 2008

Liberal Messages Saturday 18th October

Turnbull interview with David Speers (Sky News) - Financial crisis, economic stimulus package, executive salaries...
We know for example that the recent cut in interest rates, the one per cent cut in official rates, has not been passed on to most business borrowers. We checked around with the banks today and as far as we can tell only one of them has passed it on to their small business borrowers. Now that means that the stimulus from the interest rate cut, and that is a stimulus, is not finding its way yet into small business – the sector of the economy that employs most Australians.

Labor's broken promise to defence families
Labor has failed to deliver a key election promise on health services with another slap in the face for Defence families, Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Personnel and Assisting Shadow Minister for Defence Bob Baldwin said today.

Turnbull Doorstop with Hockey - Small business interest rates, economy, economic stimulus package...
Joe and I are here at Crows Nest, full of small businesses. These small businesses are the engine room of the Australian economy. And they’re anxious, they’re looking for leadership, they’re looking for greater confidence to be shown by leaders. They’re concerned that interest rate cuts from the Reserve Bank are not finding their way through to small business and indeed we looked into it today and we could only find one of the big banks has passed on to its small business customers the recent Reserve Bank interest rate cut.

Two cheers' for back-to-basics curriculum
The Federal Opposition has welcomed the focus on getting 'back-to-basics' in literacy and grammar as outlined in the National English Curriculum framing document. However, they will reserve judgement until the final curriculum is presented.

Turnbull interview with Tony Squires, Rebecca Wilson and Mikey Robins (Vega 95.3) - international financial crisis...
I think one area that we’re trying to explore and really assist him with, is making sure that the measures that he has taken to deal with the financial crisis do not, for example, result in losses from banks being transferred to the account of the taxpayer. Now we’ve asked a lot of questions about that and I think he frankly, well he hasn’t answered any of them, in the parliament anyway.

Auditor-General called to investigate third Rudd staffer
The revelation that Maxine McKew's ministerial advisor, Kathleen Forrester, was an owner of Allen Consulting Group whilst her department awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contracts to her company should be investigated by the Auditor General.

Roxon forces 500,000 people out of private health into the public system
An estimated 500,000 Australians will drop private health insurance as a result of the Senate passing the Medicare Levy Surcharge Bill today, putting massive additional pressure on an already overburdened public system.

Turnbull Doorstop - Executive salaries, economic stimulus package, Medicare levy surcharge changes...
The issue there has been that often executives, and not just chief executives, people at all levels have been rewarded for writing business, making sales you know, accumulating loans. And they have been paid for that without account being taken of the consequences of those loans going bad in the future. And this really is the core of the issue.

Hidden agenda in schools bill
Christopher Pyne, the Shadow Minister for Education today introduced key amendments to the $28 billion Schools Assistance Bill 2008, the funding instrument for non-government schools.

Ford job cuts: time for Labor to act, not talk
Today's announcement of a further 450 job cuts at Ford Australia is yet another devastating blow for Australia's car manufacturing industry, its workers and their families.

Labor running scared on FuelWatch
The Rudd Government is running scared on its FuelWatch scheme after withdrawing the legislation from debate in the Senate today (Thursday), the Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs, Luke Hartsuyker, said.

Rudd and his Defence Minister now openly at odds over Afghanistan
It is not particularly helpful for the Minister of Defence to say that a military victory in Afghanistan is 'neither feasible nor supportable.' Such inflammatory comments by the Minister show that the Prime Minister and his Defence Minister are now openly at odds with each other on whether the war in Afghanistan is winnable.

Rudd must clarify where Labor stands on executive salaries
Chris Pearce, Shadow Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law, called on Kevin Rudd to clarify Labor’s position on executive salaries after Labor voted down two motions in the last five weeks to restrict executive salaries.

The future of aged care under Labor? Crisis!
The viability of the aged care sector is under serious threat as the Rudd Labor Government continues to suppress incentives to invest in modern aged care facilities.

Leader of the Opposition Address to the Nation - Economic Security Strategy
We recognise that our economy is slowing and we have given support to the Government’s $10 billion stimulus package.

Turnbull interview with Charles Wooley (Heart 107.3) - Economic stimulus package, pension...
The fact is that Australia is in a relatively strong position compared to other countries because during the Coalition years $96 billion of Labor debt was paid off, because future obligations or liabilities to Commonwealth Government pension plans and defence force personnel were covered in the Future Fund, and because we ran for most of that time very solid surpluses and built up a war chest that enables the Government to make payments of this kind.

Veterans' bonus welcomed
Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Louise Markus MP, welcomed the one-off bonus payment to Veterans groups announced by the Government yesterday.

Culture of greed flourishes in Rudd Government
The revelation tonight that Maxine McKew's ministerial advisor, Katherine Forrester, was an owner of Allen Consulting Group whilst her department awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contracts to her company is evidence that the culture of greed is alive and well in Kevin Rudd's own government.

Conroy refuses to deny that the National Broadband Network could take 13 years
Senator Minchin had asked the Minister to reply to recent comments by Telstra CFO John Stanhope that building the Government’s proposed NBN could take 13 years to complete.

Don't ask me, I'm only the Prime Minister
The failure of the Prime Minister today to answer any questions in Parliament about the state of the Australian economy - at a time of great global upheaval - is highly concerning, said the Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss.

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