Political donations in Australia

The budget has soaked up a huge amount of ink on paper and bytes in cyber space but while this has been the primary focus, with the associated political wrangling, the issue of political donations in Australia has been pretty low on the ‘news worthy’ list for editors and news directors. However, I was moved to post this after being given a pamphlet from a Gloria Jeans outlet in Caroline Springs.

The pamphlet in question encourages patrons to donate to Mercy Ministries with the encouragement of Gloria Jeans, so that these people can “take care” of young women suffering from eating disorders, self-harm, abuse and unplanned pregnancies.

What the pamphlet doesn’t say, and neither does Gloria Jeans, is that the supremo boss of Gloria Jeans has been wrapped up in the political donations problem in Australia.  He has been long associated with the pentecostal movement in Australia and a major supported of the massive mega-churches that have sprung up over the past 10 to 15 years.

More recently this association has been upped a notch.

He has begun to involve himself in politics, which isn’t a bad thing or wrong  but instead of openly donating money as an individual, he and some other cronies in the pentecostal movement set up a shelf company funnel significant sums of money to Family First.  None of this was done openly.  It actually seems like there was a deliberate effort to conceal their involvement in elections and bankrolling Family First, and the likes of Steve Fielding.

In addition, during the time of the Coalition government, people like Steve Fielding’s brother, founder of the Planet Shakers, have been getting quite rich from government contacts for childcare services as a registered childcare provider.  Amazing interconnected the Coalition and Family First are and how much they rely on pentecostal churches and congregations to not only bankroll their campaigns but to also volunteer for electioneering jobs - to be a good Christian you have to help this other good Christian.

This kind of secretive approach to donations to political parties is a major part of the problems with the system of donations.

So if you enjoy a good cup of coffee without a percentage of the profits going to Family First then go anywhere other than a Gloria Jeans.

Wielangta D-Day Approaching

Dear Friends,

Friday 23 May is D-day for Australia’s endangered species and wild forests!

The High Court will hear and decide on our application for special leave to appeal against the Full Federal Court decision to re-open Wielangta forest to logging.

The High Court takes on very few cases. We and Forestry Tasmania made our written submissions in January and February respectively; next week each side will be given 20 minutes, at most, to argue its case. The judges will announce their decision immediately.

If special leave is granted, there is still hope that the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act can protect endangered species from logging, depending on the final decision of the High Court.

If our application is turned down, the Full Federal Court decision stands. That means “protect” in a Regional Forest Agreement does not mean “really protect” and RFAs give no guarantee that endangered species and the environment will not ‘suffer’ as a result of logging. In fact, we will see the decline of these species because RFAs are not set up to protect species, but are there to protect the logging industry.

The High Court appearance comes almost three years to the day since the Wielangta Forest case was launched when Senator Brown sought an injunction to save the habitat of the endangered Swift Parrot, Wielangta Stag Beetle and Wedge Tailed Eagle from logging. Justice Heerey doubted the case would last a week. The then state and federal ministers called it a ‘stunt’.

Australia’s premier environment law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, is “on-trial” in this landmark case. The fate of Australia’s wildlife is in the balance.

The hearing will be in Melbourne.

Please come if you can –
Date: Friday 23 May, 9.30 am onwards (it may be called on at any time after 9.30)
Where: Court 8E, level 8 305 William Street, Melbourne
High Court details (links to PDF)

Best wishes
Bob Brown and Margaret Blakers

Budget Analysis

I wrote this prior to Nelson delivering the Opposition’s response to the Treasurer’s budget. And ended up posting something not too dis-similar to this post in some aspects. However, this still remains relevant now that Nelson’s response has been given.

After a day of budget analysis and commentary from supposed experts (although the Herald Sun’s Glenn Milne isn’t an expert in my opinion, but then it is the Herald Sun) it seems like most punters have given the budget a kind of thumbs up. Having spent a few hours pouring over the details of the budget papers there are still some glaring holes.

As I said in my initial post about Budget 2008, the devil in the detail of the budget papers have confirmed that the budget contains very little for tackling climate change. The federal government continues to pay lip service to taking real action on climate change when it provides funds to continue research into ‘clean coal’, and ‘cleaner’ energy technologies.

Here’s the problem, there’s no such thing as ‘clean coal’. No matter what you do it, burning a lump of coal produces greenhouse gas emissions. And making ‘cleaner’ energy technologies does nothing to ensure that we’re taking the immediate steps needed to combat climate change. This kind of action will only ensure that we remain ill-prepared for the impacts of positive feedback in the globe’s natural systems. As I mentioned, the fact that the rebate for taking up solar energy will be means-tested may ensure that people remain slow to act on doing things around the home that can mitigate a household’s greenhouse gas emissions. The funding also seems to indicate that the government remains unwilling to introduce regulations required to better manage and enforce initiatives aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Predictably the Nelson Opposition wants to vote down tax increases for luxury vehicles, which happen to be the large, suburban all-wheel drives; and some of the worst fuel efficient vehicles, guzzling gas like there is no need to worry about dwindling oil reserves and climate change. However, the Victorian ALP and Liberals conspired to reduce the tax on luxury all-wheel drives last year.

It is also very disappointing being unable to find something about funding for accessible and affordable student-oriented services, especially independent representation and advocacy. This was something that I had at least thought would have been included given the intensity of the activity that Youth Minister, Kate Ellis put into receiving submissions and conducting consultations surrounding the impacts that Howard’s voluntary student unionism had on student organisations; student services; extracurriular activity; and a general reduction in the full university student experience. However, the funding made available for universities is very welcome and much needed.

Rudd’s insistence, however that the Coalition’s promised tax cuts (which the ALP supported to the hilt in the election campaign) be delivered, they have proven they are willing to provide unnecessary pork-barreling. Although these tax cuts would have best served Australia, and all Australians, would have been to put the funds towards education and health, Indigenous health and education, and other existing government initiatives. This would have ensured an even greater level of restraint of that run-away inflation rate.

The response from the Reserve Bank of Australia will be interesting and will be the actual test of how inflationary Swan’s first budget is.

At least Budget 2008 has given Nelson something to focus on, rather than rooting out the rats in the Victorian Liberals, keeping the Seat Sniffer, (and now apparently has questionable relations with quokkas) intact as the Liberal leader in WA, how to reverse his appaling run of polling results and protecting his own back while the likes of Bishop, Turnbull and Abbott are circling.

There have been some rumours that Costello is just holding out, rather than succumb to the terrible choices for a replacement within the Victorian Liberals, and could be waiting out and biding his time.

Opposition’s non-Budget response

So Brendan Nelson, Leader of the Opposition, gave his Budget 2008 response.

It was a flop of a response.  The federal Coalition proved it was in serious trouble last night when it was forced to single out the tax on so-called ‘alcopops’, tax increases for luxury vehicles and an increase in the income threshold before the private health tax kicks in as their considered response to the budget handed down by Wayne Swan and Kevin Rudd.  Nelson sounded terrible boring everyone watching about how bad it was to increase the tax on ‘alcopops’ (a term by the way which I hate and I hope quickly disappears) because it wouldn’t do anything to address binge drinking.  He sounded even worse trying to score points on increasing the tax on luxury vehicles, which constitute your large, urban trucks that guzzle gas, because it would be environmentally unfriendly.  And then he sounded ridiculous trying to use the ’stop slugging the rich’ clause on the changes to Medicare thresholds.

Instead of trying to put an alternative kind of budget, Nelson went for an attempt to use popularist attacks on ‘tax increases’ which only apply to a particular segment of the workforce.  If he actually wanted to say something about the budget, he could have lamented that it lacked any foresight on climate change, or that the tax cuts may be counter-productive to attacking the underlying inflation rate.  But instead Nelson and the Liberal Party have jumped on the Family First populist bandwagon by talking up the rhetoric on petrol prices, grocery prices; and of course the gnashing of teeth over the ‘rich’ being slugged unfairly.

However, Nelson’s response shows the Liberals and the Coalition in general are completely in the wilderness about what to do after spending 12 years in Government.  What Nelson didn’t say was just as important as what he did say, which was not much, in that the Liberals have no real policy direction and no real ideas of overcoming Rudd’s appeal, what the Liberals are lamenting as ‘Rudd’s extraordinarily long honeymoon period with voters’, key state branches are imploding and there is little chance of the Liberals seeing government in the upcoming round of elections (2009 is a grace year for elections in Victoria at least unless there are unforeseen by-elections).

It highlights just how ‘weak’ the Liberal Party is after being summarily defeated in the federal election last year and in the Victorian and New South Wales elections held in the year prior.  With the factional fighting beginning to become public, it doesn’t seem as though the Liberals have the kinds of leaders needed to bring ‘unity’ back to their Party.  It also reveals just how reliant the federal party had become on Howard, Costello and Downer and a handful of others to win them elections, well elections federally anyway.

It seems like the Liberals will have a long way to go before convincing people they have what it takes to be in Government.

Budget not Green - Bob Brown

“Coal corporations are the winners”

The first Rudd / Swan Budget fails miserably to meet the urgent
challenge of climate change, Australians Greens Leader Bob Brown said
tonight.

“It is blinkered budgeting. It squibs on building the carbon-constrained
Australia needed to tackle global warming. This is not futuristic. It is
Howard-Costello lite,” Senator Brown said.

“Labor is spending 40 times as much on Defence ($22 billion) as it is on
tackling climate change - to around half a billion in the coming year.”

“The Department of Environment’s internal funds are down by $50 million
from last year, with only $14 million diverted to the new Department of
Climate Change.

“On transport, 75% of major infrastructure funding is still going to
climate-change worsening road transport, and of the 25% for rail and
other non-road transport, a big slab will still go to coal export
infrastructure.”

“In implementing, commercialising and demonstrating new energy forms, in
the coming year $35 million goes to ‘clean coal’, which does not exist,
and nothing at all for commercialising large-scale renewable energy
technologies, which are ready to roll out now. Over the next three
years, $250 million goes to ‘clean coal’, while renewable energy
commercialisation gets half as much, or $125 million.

“Pensions are stuck. Future indexing offers marginally improved
increases but the base rate remains at poverty levels,” Senator Brown
said.

“Foreign Aid languishes way below 0.5% of Gross National Income, let
alone the international target of 0.7% or the Dutch achievement of over
1%.”

“The Budget makes good on the rash Rudd promise of $31 billion in
inflationary tax cuts over 3 years, which the Greens, wanting national
investment in health, education and climate change, will oppose in the
Senate,” Senator Brown said.

Budget 2008 news slide-show

Click this link to get a slide-show of Budget 2008 news pieces from the ABC, and a range of other links

Budget 2008

Well after 12 years, take note please Mr O’Brien, Swan has delivered a not-too bad a budget.  There are areas, especially those relating to climate change and water, that are disappointing and off-the-mark in terms of funding needed and the areas best served by the proposed funding.

In other areas, I’m pleasantly surprised by the Government’s announcement for additional funding for Australia’s struggling higher education system.  This is especially the case for an immediately available infrastructure fund of $500m.  However, I have not yet come across the predicted funds for student organisations and student-oriented services decimated by the Coalitions’ ideological voluntary student unionism (which by the way, membership to a student organisation was always voluntary) legislation.

Unfortunately the means test for solar rebates is absolutely ridiculous and counter-productive to households and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) taking up various solar energy options.  This is something that everyone should have access to, to ensure that real action is being taken on climate change.  By ensuring that all households are able to access these rebates, it will enable those more capable of installing more expensive, feed-in solar systems will be encouraged to and over time will help off-set those less capable of installing such systems.  Likewise we want to ensure that land-lords and households are encouraged to at least install solar hot water systems, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and reliance on energy supplied by the ‘grid’.

One particular measure announced tonight that I am in absolute favour of is the increase in the income threshold to avoid being penalised for insisting on only supporting the public system (Medicare) and not propping up the private system.  As a side note, prior to the budget a number of private funds actually lamented that they would be forced to increase premiums, as if this was something new and didn’t happen with all too familiar regularity.

Disappointment still remains about the fact Rudd chose to continue with the tax cuts, to appease the masses as you could imagine Howard suggesting in a Cabinet meeting of the former Coalition Government, when these would be much better spent on education, health care and rail freight & public transport infrastructure or additional funding for renewable energy research.

Overall I have to say that I am feeling positive about Budget 2008 but cautious too.  And it was nice to not have to hear Costello banging on in his droning voice, although Swan’s isn’t that much better.

Budget 2008 = 5.5 out of 10

From little things big things really do grow

From little things big things grow

We’ve almost made the re-mix of Paul Kelly’s incredibly moving song From little things big things grow the Number 1 song in Australia; truly proving that from little things big things can grow.

But your help is still needed.

Please download or share this bulletin post with someone you know who would be inspired by the 2008 version of From little things big things grow

Please visit the GetUp! team for more information.  Get a peak of it by visiting an earlier post I made about this song

Welcome back

Yes it’s nerdy but then I am somewhat caught up in politics and what better place for its display than in our federal Parliament.  It resumes today and the major item of business, the budget.

Although there is other business on the agenda but this has been marginalized for the sake of talking endlessly about the speculation surrounding what might or might not be in The Budget.

But welcome back Parliament and Question Time, I’ve missed you.

Burma Cyclone Aid Appeal

Burma Cyclone Relief Appeal

This is a humanitarian disaster on an unimaginable scale and we are asking all Australians to donate through Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA to the disaster relief work already underway by Norwegian People’s Aid and grassroots organisations on the ground’ said Sharan Burrow of the ACTU.

Please encourage family/friends/colleagues and all unionists you talk to, to support Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA’s appeal on Burma.

Here’s a chance for all of us to support the Australian union movement’s aid agency and ensure support goes DIRECTLY to the people impacted.

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has worked for a long time with the people of Burma. The projects are not inside Burma but with the refugee and migrant worker communities on the Thai-Burma Border. The decision not to work inside Burma is a policy decision in line with the ACTU’s policy. (Please contact Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA or Alison Tate at the ACTU if you would like more information on this). However Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), the humanitarian aid agency of Norwegian trade unions do have local and international staff based in Rangoon. Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA’s appeal will deliver assistance directly and accountably to local people via NPA.

The situation current in Burma:
The situation is grim. Days after Cyclone Nargis devastated Rangoon, local residents are still fending for themselves with little or no help from local authorities. There are reports of tens of thousands of lives lost and we can only expect that number to grow as long as aid delivery is delayed by the military Junta.

People now are in desperate need for food, water, shelter and medical aid. The people responding to their needs have been the monks of Burma who are sheltering people in their monasteries and providing as much food aid and water as they can. ‘Most people are homeless, without water and without electricity. I believe that soon our people will be starving,’ said a resident from Shwepyithar Township. ‘Most people are drinking dirty water.’

Norwegian People’s Aid is currently assessing the damage and the needs of the people and it still finalising the details of its relief effort. However we are determined to get aid to the people in greatest need with your assistance.

Funds raised by Australian people through Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA:

These funds will go directly to Norwegian People’s Aid’s Rangoon office who will work with grassroots associations in Burma to get aid to people in need.

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has a close relationship with both Norwegian People’s Aid and the National Council of Unions in Burma and are resolute that aid will go to the people in who most need it. Those people who were already made vulnerable by the military regime and who have been made desperate by this cyclone.

Top priorities for aid are of course clean water, food, shelter and medical assistance.
Please give generously to the people of Burma at this desperate time
_______________________________________________________________
How to make your donation to Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA’s Burma Cyclone Appeal
Telephone: 1800 888 674 Fax: (02) 9261 1118 or email: office@unionaidabroad.org.au for enquiries.

Cheques: can be made out to Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA and posted to:
Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA, Level 3, 377-383 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000.

Or

Online: Please follow the steps below. You may wish to print off this page of instructions.

To make an online donation with your credit card (Visa or Mastercard only) simply:
1.Click here to access the secure online donation form
2.Go to Section C ONE-OFF DONATIONS and select One-off donation - Burma refugees from the drop-down menu
3.Enter your donation amount in the $ box at right
4.Click Continue
5.Enter your credit card payment details (Visa and Mastercard only accepted)
6.Enter your contact details and please type “CYCLONE APPEAL” after your name in the name field to ensure that your donation is directed to our appeal.
7.Click Finalise Order to send your donation

Please call Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA on 1800 888 674 if you have any queries.