LABOR says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s decision to go back on a written promise to back electoral law reforms casts doubt on other coalition pre-election pledges

The federal government decided on Thursday not to go ahead with the laws, which would have delivered around $58 million in extra public funding for political parties now preparing for the September poll.

Obviously the Greens weren’t backing it either otherwise it would have been tabled. Personally, I think the ALP brought it up to stave of imminent bankruptcy as their membership and donations plummet as they are redirected to the adults in the game – the Libs. I don’t think his changing his mind casts doubt on other pledges as I doubt these other pledges will stir up so much angst among the voting public.  With the country’s economy in intensive care until after the election, now is not the time to tell the voters we are taking more money out of the pile of debt the ALP are about to leave us with. I was disappointed when I read he had agreed to it,  now he’s changed his opinion,  I think – good call! People will see it as a continuation of trying to curb spending rather than Abbott has reneged. John Birmingham is is beside himself with rage as he writes in the Age;

Are you complete idiots? Do you know how much it costs to run an election campaign these days? And they have to be run, you know. There’s no avoiding them unless you want to turn over the keys of the joint to Gillard or Abbott and pronounce them dictator for life. You want democracy? You pay for it.

Elections cost money.

Well, yes John we know Elections coat money and I guess that’s why the Electoral Commission already compensates the parties for their expenses during an election campaign.

The amount of election funding payable is calculated by multiplying the number of formal first preference votes received by the rate of payment applicable at the time. This rate is indexed every six months in line with increases in the Consumer Price Index.

The current election funding rate from 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2013 is 247.316 cents per eligible vote.

Which is why, after the 2010 election the ALP received $21 225 869.96 (scroll down) in electoral funding. So what’s the problem.  Well, you have to have money before the election as the Electoral Commission pay after the event on votes received. I can see why the ALP are cranky as Abbott, sniffing the wind, has deprived them of upfront money and we all know they won’t get enough votes to make $21 mil this year. If they received all that money just three years ago you’d think they’d have some put aside for the next election – wouldn’t you. Oh, that’s right, it’s the ALP we are talking about.

THREE eminent Jewish Australian academics have condemned the Coalition’s promise to cut off federal grants for individuals and institutions who support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign against Israel. The BDS campaign spends all it’s energy attacking Israel which is fine,  free speech and all that, but I fail to understand why they should do so on the public purse. The professors, Benjamin, Grossman and Goodman oppose BDS,  but they all described Ms Bishop’s proposal to cut off funding for those who support it as a fundamental attack on academic independence, free speech and democracy. What are we talking about guys,  free speech or funding? Friends of Israel in WA say its all about Jake Lynch who has spend his life in Peace activism.  Its been my experience from serving during the Cold War that as soon as the word ‘Peace’ gets a run in the title of any organization it becomes synonymous with ‘Anti-West’.   Ms Bishop told The Weekend Australian.

…The Coalition policy is most immediately directed at [University of Sydney‘s] Jake Lynch who, along with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies that he directs, is a vocal supporter of BDS.

Associate Professor Lynch drew the ire of Jewish groups when he rejected a request for help from Israeli academic Dan Avnon, who developed Israel’s only civics curriculum for both Jewish and Arab school students.

“It is inappropriate for Associate Professor Lynch to use his role as director of the taxpayer-funded CPACS . . . in support of the anti-Semitic BDS campaign.”…

If you want to subvert Australia’s foreign policy then do it on your own dollar!  

KEVIN Rudd has thrown his support behind gay marriage as an important social reform for the nation, in a dramatic reversal of his long-held public position.

Mr Rudd says the issue of same-sex marriage should properly remain a conscience vote for all members of parliament, stressing that Labor allows such a vote while the Coalition does not. If the Coalition does not change its mind, he endorses a national referendum at an appropriate time, “bringing the Australian community along with us on an important social reform for the nation”.

A referendum for God’s sake!  Methinks Kevin’s dramatic reversal owes more to Attention Deprivation Disorder than anything else. Worked as well – got him a full page in The Australian. Back to what matters Kevin – there are hundreds of matters more important to the country than some Rainbow Activists  social engineering ploy. Economy…skyrocketing debt…Defence ability stripped…your open borders policy that is costing us billions…cattle starving to death…mining development on pause…small business on pause…..and on it goes – ad infinitum Get real mate. What’s the bet he doesn’t mention it again?  

I found Abbott’s budget reply encouraging and although I don’t agree with everything, I do recognize the potential of having adults in command of the treasury benches again. I agree with sticking to the ALP’s cuts – let them carry the can after all they engineered the circumstances that created the ‘budget emergency’. Some cutting quotes from Abbott’s reply;

The Treasurer spent much of his speech complaining that he was the victim of a sudden collapse in government revenue. In fact, revenue is up 6 per cent this year and will be up 7 per cent next year. Next year, revenue will be up $80 billion on six years ago

We have a $20 billion deficit now rather than the $20 billion surplus then not because revenue is down but because spending is up: by $120 billion.

This fact needs to be drummed into the public’s minds, repeated time and time again until they get the message.  The ALP have created the problem by spending way to much over revenue. This will gain votes;

The Coalition has already announced that we will rescind the increase to the humanitarian migration intake because – until the boats are stopped, and we will stop them – it’s the people smugglers who are choosing who comes to Australia.

The fact that the ALP Left, their media outlets – the ABC and SBS, the Greens and the Human Rights industry think the boat people are deserving of legal and social security entitlements doesn’t sit well with the remaining 70% of the population.  They are sick and tried of the open borders and boat people arriving without papers demanding and getting full citizenship rights. They will also note that the costs of the boat people settlement has directly impacted on the budget deficit. Billions of dollars lost as Australia marches to the people smuggler’s drum. The dreaded Carbon Tax;

We will abolish the carbon tax – because that’s the quickest way to reduce power prices and take the pressure off cost of living and job security. Let me repeat: We will abolish the carbon tax – because it’s a kind of reverse tariff that hurts local businesses but not our overseas competitors.

This alone would win the election.  Seriously, if anyone thinks the general population are happy to pay more for utilities and goods and watch our competitive commercial edge being blown to appease the Left Wing mantra of AGW they aren’t reading enough or talking to enough people. Abbott has been quiet on IR and rightly so.  Let’s not give the ALP/ACTU any cause to ramp up their “Work Choices”  campaign but wait until after the election to start to redress the insanity that has been legislated as Gillard pays her dues to the Unions. How can anyone believe that paying a kid 400 plus dollars a day to serve coffee is viable just because it’s a Sunday. How can anyone think that small business can absorb these sort of labour coats?  They can’t and increasingly they close on Sundays when tourists and locals look for an outing. How can anyone believe, outside the MUA, that paying galley hands on ships something like $300,000 for six months work won’t impact on business decisions to go ahead and develop mining.  Why should international companies invest in Australia with our astronomical labour costs and Green tape hindrances to development. They have paused and will hold until long after the ACTU/ALP power base passes into the dustbin of history. Board rooms around the world sit on hold while they wait for adults to take back power. This has slowed down investment; this has impacted on revenue. I like;

It will be part of a foreign policy that’s focussed on Jakarta, not Geneva.

We’ve also announced that we’d scrap Labor’s green loans scheme for projects that the banks won’t touch.

As far as the Coalition is concerned, the next election won’t be an auction. Talking to people all around the country, the last thing you want is more “historic” announcements or so-called “revolutions” that never justify the hype.

and Gonski is gon-ski;

On the other hand, the key to better schools, at least as much as more money, is better teachers, better teaching, higher academic standards, more community engagement, and more principal autonomy.

A good start to the campaign. 120 days and counting.