Kate SlackThe Coalition: Their Election promises
August 1st 2010 08:00
The following is intended to be a brief but comprehensive overview of the Liberal Parties election promises as they currently stand and the criticism that they have received as a result.
The environment
The plan
• Develop a Green Army consisting of 15,000 people to plant 20 million trees by 2020.
• The Liberals want to think more about capturing carbon in the soil
• Plan to reward those who cut emissions but would not impose any penalties on those that don’t
• They would axe a $300 million institute as part of a $1.2 billion savings plan
Criticism
• The Greens believe there have to be penalties for big polluters otherwise no one will change their practices
Background
• Tony Abbott once told an audience that climate change science was ‘absolute crap’. Later he said he didn’t really mean it.
Health
The plan
• Haven’t release a complete plan to date
• Promised $1.5 billion for mental health services
• Large proportion of the money will be spent on programs for young people who Tony Abbott says ‘bear the brunt’ of the problem
• Money will be used to fund more care places, establishing new clinics, 20 early intervention programs, and 800 more mental health beds. Also promised 60 new ‘headspace’ centres
• They have also promised that within 6 months of the election, they would ensure that every major pubic hospital in NSW and QLD would get a local control board which would be in charge of its budget
• John Mendoza, former chairman of the Mental Health Advisory Council has supported these policies and has said that they will save lives
Criticism
• In order to afford their plan they are going to abandon the government’s plans to boost after-hours doctor’s services, discard the plan to establish 23 GP super clinics, and ditch the planned authorities to monitor costs and performance, as well as the $466 million plan to develop electronic health services
• If Abbott had really wanted to make changes in Health he would have made them during his years as John Howard’s health minister
Education
The plan
• Adopt the recommendations of the independent auditor
• Continue with Labor’s school halls project but would hand control over to school principles and let them decide on how to spend the cash.
Asylum-seekers
The plan
• Bring back Howard’s policies, including temporary protection visas and offshore processing.
Criticism
• The Greens believe that asylum seekers should stop being treated like a threat to Australia’s security and should not be used as a political football.
Immigration
The plan
• Tony Abbott’s plan is to encourage the Australian population to have more babies.
• Apart from the above, the Liberals don’t have an independent policy on this subject as it was highlighted quickly after the debate that Abbott’s announcement regarding projected immigration figures was simply promising what the current government was already delivering
Industrial Relations
The plan
• The Liberals have guaranteed not to amend Labor’s IR laws at least for the first term
Criticism
• One of the Liberals major Budget savings plans is to cut funding for union ballots and industrial elections. To do this, they would be required to make amendments to the workplace relations laws. The Liberal Party have denied needing to amend the Fair Work Act instead assuring they will achieve their plan “in other ways”…which are??
• Abbott believes in Workchoices – if he really is a politician led by his convictions how can he justify abandoning such an integral component of such convictions?
The economy
The plan
• Restore the budget to surplus within 3 years
Criticism
• The Liberal Party have been anything but clear on exactly how they are going to achieve this especially when they:
o want to cut company tax rate to 28.5% (0.5% below Labor’s); and
o provide more income tax cuts
o propose to ditch the mining tax.
Paid Parental Leave
The plan
• Parents will receive the mother’s wage for 26 weeks, up to a cap of $75,000
• The baby bonus can still be paid and super would still be payable by the employer
• The Liberal Party will afford this by placing a 1.7 per cent levy on businesses earning more than 5 million a year
Criticism
• Mr Abbott once said that government funded paid parental leave will only occur ‘over my dead body’, but says he changed his mind after hearing from friends how hard they were finding it to make ends meet without one.
• Businesses earning more than $ 5 million a year include Coles and Woolworths – this will surely blow a hole in family budgets across the country
• Because the Liberals scheme is based on the salary of the mother, it will inevitably discourage paternity leave due to pay inequities that exist between males and females.
Water
The Plan
• The Liberals have promised $16.5 million of federal money for stormwater re-use in a demonstration project in South Australia
• They have also promised $100 million worth of Community Water Grants Program which are intended to encourage community organisations and schools to develop water conservation projects designed to reclaim stormwater and purify it to drinking standards
Criticism
• The stormwater project is exactly the same program Julia Gillard announced two days before, just with an extra $6.5 million attached
Childcare
The plan
• Prior to the election campaign, the Coalition suggested paying the rebate weekly and directly to the centres, eliminating out-of-pocket expenses. However, this has not official been announced during the campaign as yet.
• The Coalition has promised to restore indexation of the rebate, costing $89 m overall, or giving about $300 a year more per child to families
Broadband
The plan
• Tony Abbott has vowed to rip up the plans for the national broadband network
• Instead the Coalition has proposed to create incentives for the private sector rollout of broadband and upgrades to the hybrid fibre coaxial operated by Optus and Telstra
Criticism
• Anthony Albanese, mocked the opposition’s plan saying it was synonymous with ‘trading in your iPhone for a walkie-talkie’.”
Crime
The plan
• Like the ALP the Coalition have had a dig at a State issue promising to resurrect the National Community Crime Prevention Program at a cost of $50 million
• The Coalition would also establish a national database of violent gangs to track the activities of such groups around the country and create a squad under the Australian Crime Commission to lead the fight against violent gangs
• Only hours after Gillard made Labor’s announcement, Abbott promised to extended the list of banned weapons and to place tougher uniform penalties for people who are found with them and would provide more funding for metal detectors
The environment
The plan
• Develop a Green Army consisting of 15,000 people to plant 20 million trees by 2020.
• The Liberals want to think more about capturing carbon in the soil
• Plan to reward those who cut emissions but would not impose any penalties on those that don’t
• They would axe a $300 million institute as part of a $1.2 billion savings plan
Criticism
• The Greens believe there have to be penalties for big polluters otherwise no one will change their practices
Background
• Tony Abbott once told an audience that climate change science was ‘absolute crap’. Later he said he didn’t really mean it.
Health
The plan
• Haven’t release a complete plan to date
• Promised $1.5 billion for mental health services
• Large proportion of the money will be spent on programs for young people who Tony Abbott says ‘bear the brunt’ of the problem
• Money will be used to fund more care places, establishing new clinics, 20 early intervention programs, and 800 more mental health beds. Also promised 60 new ‘headspace’ centres
• They have also promised that within 6 months of the election, they would ensure that every major pubic hospital in NSW and QLD would get a local control board which would be in charge of its budget
• John Mendoza, former chairman of the Mental Health Advisory Council has supported these policies and has said that they will save lives
Criticism
• In order to afford their plan they are going to abandon the government’s plans to boost after-hours doctor’s services, discard the plan to establish 23 GP super clinics, and ditch the planned authorities to monitor costs and performance, as well as the $466 million plan to develop electronic health services
• If Abbott had really wanted to make changes in Health he would have made them during his years as John Howard’s health minister
Education
The plan
• Adopt the recommendations of the independent auditor
• Continue with Labor’s school halls project but would hand control over to school principles and let them decide on how to spend the cash.
Asylum-seekers
The plan
• Bring back Howard’s policies, including temporary protection visas and offshore processing.
Criticism
• The Greens believe that asylum seekers should stop being treated like a threat to Australia’s security and should not be used as a political football.
Immigration
The plan
• Tony Abbott’s plan is to encourage the Australian population to have more babies.
• Apart from the above, the Liberals don’t have an independent policy on this subject as it was highlighted quickly after the debate that Abbott’s announcement regarding projected immigration figures was simply promising what the current government was already delivering
Industrial Relations
The plan
• The Liberals have guaranteed not to amend Labor’s IR laws at least for the first term
Criticism
• One of the Liberals major Budget savings plans is to cut funding for union ballots and industrial elections. To do this, they would be required to make amendments to the workplace relations laws. The Liberal Party have denied needing to amend the Fair Work Act instead assuring they will achieve their plan “in other ways”…which are??
• Abbott believes in Workchoices – if he really is a politician led by his convictions how can he justify abandoning such an integral component of such convictions?
The economy
The plan
• Restore the budget to surplus within 3 years
Criticism
• The Liberal Party have been anything but clear on exactly how they are going to achieve this especially when they:
o want to cut company tax rate to 28.5% (0.5% below Labor’s); and
o provide more income tax cuts
o propose to ditch the mining tax.
Paid Parental Leave
The plan
• Parents will receive the mother’s wage for 26 weeks, up to a cap of $75,000
• The baby bonus can still be paid and super would still be payable by the employer
• The Liberal Party will afford this by placing a 1.7 per cent levy on businesses earning more than 5 million a year
Criticism
• Mr Abbott once said that government funded paid parental leave will only occur ‘over my dead body’, but says he changed his mind after hearing from friends how hard they were finding it to make ends meet without one.
• Businesses earning more than $ 5 million a year include Coles and Woolworths – this will surely blow a hole in family budgets across the country
• Because the Liberals scheme is based on the salary of the mother, it will inevitably discourage paternity leave due to pay inequities that exist between males and females.
Water
The Plan
• The Liberals have promised $16.5 million of federal money for stormwater re-use in a demonstration project in South Australia
• They have also promised $100 million worth of Community Water Grants Program which are intended to encourage community organisations and schools to develop water conservation projects designed to reclaim stormwater and purify it to drinking standards
Criticism
• The stormwater project is exactly the same program Julia Gillard announced two days before, just with an extra $6.5 million attached
Childcare
The plan
• Prior to the election campaign, the Coalition suggested paying the rebate weekly and directly to the centres, eliminating out-of-pocket expenses. However, this has not official been announced during the campaign as yet.
• The Coalition has promised to restore indexation of the rebate, costing $89 m overall, or giving about $300 a year more per child to families
Broadband
The plan
• Tony Abbott has vowed to rip up the plans for the national broadband network
• Instead the Coalition has proposed to create incentives for the private sector rollout of broadband and upgrades to the hybrid fibre coaxial operated by Optus and Telstra
Criticism
• Anthony Albanese, mocked the opposition’s plan saying it was synonymous with ‘trading in your iPhone for a walkie-talkie’.”
Crime
The plan
• Like the ALP the Coalition have had a dig at a State issue promising to resurrect the National Community Crime Prevention Program at a cost of $50 million
• The Coalition would also establish a national database of violent gangs to track the activities of such groups around the country and create a squad under the Australian Crime Commission to lead the fight against violent gangs
• Only hours after Gillard made Labor’s announcement, Abbott promised to extended the list of banned weapons and to place tougher uniform penalties for people who are found with them and would provide more funding for metal detectors
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