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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1350 - Apr 19^th, 2011 at 9:22am

buzzanddidj wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 7:24am:

State plan to cut JobWatch funds

April 19, 2011

THE state government is to axe JobWatch, the service that provides advice to 20,000 Victorians each year about

unfair dismissal, harassment and bullying at work

, its executive director says.

The Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Richard Dalla-Riva told JobWatch executive director Zana Bytheway in a letter on March 17 that it should seek alternative funding after June.

Quote:

''It is my assessment that the activities for which the previous government provided funding are no longer clearly aligned to the objectives of my department,'' he said.

Ms Bytheway described his suggestion that the service seek funds from Victoria Legal Aid as ''futile''.

Requests for a meeting with the minister had gone unanswered

, she said.

Teacher Graham Carbery, whose former employer cut his pay by 29 per cent without warning, said he would not have won a settlement without JobWatch. ''Without their expert guidance and advice I wouldn't have known what to do. Individual workers - particularly those that aren't in unions - really have the odds stacked against them.''

Ms Bytheway said JobWatch had helped recover about $3 million in entitlements in 30 years of free and confidential advice.

''If we don't get funding, the low-income, low-skilled workers really won't have anywhere to go. They will just fall into a black hole and will be denied real access to justice,'' she said.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/state-plan-to-cut-jobwatch-funds-20110418-1dlu...

I agree with this.

The federal government sought to take over industrial relations and make them federal awards as a result.

They can now take over all the associated costs of industrial relations while they are at it.

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1351 - Apr 19^th, 2011 at 10:41am

Blowout in Station Guard Plan

Reid Sexton
April 19, 2011

THE Baillieu government's plan to deploy 940 protective service officers across Melbourne's train network has hit more trouble, with fears of cost blowouts after police commissioner Simon Overland suggested the officers would require additional training.

Mr Overland says the existing eight-week training period for protective service officers would be insufficient for those deployed at train stations, who will be vested with extra powers.

Police Minister Peter Ryan later confirmed the training period would need to be lengthened, and indicated this would add to the $160 million-plus cost of the program. But he denied it would delay the officers' introduction.

Mr Ryan's statement reverses the position stated last month by fellow minister Richard Dalla-Riva, who said it was ''nonsense'' to say protective service officers with eight weeks' training were incapable of guarding train stations.

The plan to introduce two protective service officers to every Melbourne and major regional station after 6pm was a key election promise aimed at bolstering the Coalition's anti-crime credentials.

The plan was already mired in controversy before this week, with questions ranging from the extent of the officers' arrest powers to the lack of bathroom facilities at some of the stations they will be guarding.

Only last month,

Mr Dalla-Riva - Mr Ryan's representative in the upper house - said he did not see a need for additional training.

''The PSOs who operate [at Parliament] could go into a railway station and operate there today, in my view,'' he said.

Victoria currently has about 140 protective service officers who guard Parliament, courts and other important buildings. Expanding their numbers to cover railway stations was costed at $161 million, plus $20 million for capital works.

Mr Ryan would not speculate yesterday on how much the extended training might cost

.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/station-guards-plan-in-trouble-20110418-1dlq2....

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1352 - Apr 19^th, 2011 at 12:06pm

Verge wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 9:22am:

buzzanddidj wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 7:24am:

State plan to cut JobWatch funds

April 19, 2011

THE state government is to axe JobWatch, the service that provides advice to 20,000 Victorians each year about

unfair dismissal, harassment and bullying at work

, its executive director says.

The Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Richard Dalla-Riva told JobWatch executive director Zana Bytheway in a letter on March 17 that it should seek alternative funding after June.

Quote:

''It is my assessment that the activities for which the previous government provided funding are no longer clearly aligned to the objectives of my department,'' he said.

Ms Bytheway described his suggestion that the service seek funds from Victoria Legal Aid as ''futile''.

Requests for a meeting with the minister had gone unanswered

, she said.

Teacher Graham Carbery, whose former employer cut his pay by 29 per cent without warning, said he would not have won a settlement without JobWatch. ''Without their expert guidance and advice I wouldn't have known what to do. Individual workers - particularly those that aren't in unions - really have the odds stacked against them.''

Ms Bytheway said JobWatch had helped recover about $3 million in entitlements in 30 years of free and confidential advice.

''If we don't get funding, the low-income, low-skilled workers really won't have anywhere to go. They will just fall into a black hole and will be denied real access to justice,'' she said.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/state-plan-to-cut-jobwatch-funds-20110418-1dlu...

I agree with this.

The federal government sought to take over industrial relations and make them federal awards as a result.

They can now take over all the associated costs of industrial relations while they are at it.

I thought that all complaints needed to go thru the federal site.......

http://www.fairwork.gov.au/pages/default.aspx

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buzzanddidj

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1353 - Apr 19^th, 2011 at 12:18pm

Quote:

JobWatch is...
An employment rights legal centre which provides assistance to Victorian workers about their rights at work.

Some of our functions include:

•A free and confidential telephone information and referral service for Victorian workers.

•Community legal education, including training, seminars and the production of a variety of publications on employment law and workers' rights.

•Representation and assistance for disadvantaged workers through a legal casework practice

•Campaign and law reform activity with a view to promoting workplace justice and equity for all Victorian workers.
JobWatch is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the Victorian Government, and is a member of the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

http://www.jobwatch.org.au/

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1354 - Apr 21^st, 2011 at 7:57am

Ducking progress: Victoria’s duck hunting season

13 March 2011

Although dependent on water for their very existence, recent rainfall in a state long plagued by drought will see Victoria’s waterbirds caught in a dangerous quagmire.

A 2011 duck hunting season has been sanctioned by the newly installed Baillieu Liberal Government, on the rationale of the recent rains to hit the state.

In January, Victoria’s Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) announced a season to commence on 19 March. Spanning 12 weeks –

the longest season since 2006

– hunters will be permitted to bag up to 10 ducks a day.

Research indicates that waterbird numbers are far from healthy. Aerial waterbird surveys led by Professor Richard Kingsford of the University of New South Wales have revealed that waterbird numbers have long been in significant decline. The surveys, conducted across eastern Australia, show

a decrease in bird numbers of up to 82% since the early 1980s

http://www.thescavenger.net/animals/ducking-progress-victorias-duck-hunting-seas...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/29/3176287.htm

Ducks hunters accused of killing swans

April 19, 2011

DUCK shooters have been accused of killing three swans and hanging a dead cygnet from a tree at Lake Buloke, near Donald.

Anti-shooting campaigners claim they found the three adult swans floating in Lake Buloke, near Donald in the Wimmera, over the weekend.

Dave Evans from the Coalition Against Duck Shooting also alleged another three cygnets were also found dead, the Herald Sun reports.

"It's absolutely horrific, but unfortunately for me it's not really a shock because this kind of thing happens every (duck shooting) season," he said.

The allegations come as police expect to charge three Melbourne secondary school students who are accused of stoning a swan to death in Moonee Ponds this month.

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/04/19/322061_latest-news.html

WHY can't they shoot RABBITS, to satisfy their blood lust ?
They are BACK in plague proportion in parts of Victoria

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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buzzanddidj

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1355 - Apr 21^st, 2011 at 12:11pm

Baillieu pushes new crime agenda

December 20, 2010

VICTORIA'S new coalition government will move swiftly to push through its tough law and order agenda when the new parliament opens today.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/baillieu-pushes-new-crime-agenda/story-fn6ck4...

Police database 'would have cut crime'

April 21, 2011

THE proposed new Victoria Police crime database - which has been

shelved by the Baillieu government

due to soaring costs - would have

cut crime and generated up to $258 million in benefits

, according to the original business plan for the system.

Police stopped the LINK database project yesterday, admitting they had underestimated its cost by at least $100 million, after the government demanded a second business case to justify the extra funding.

The 2006 business case for the system, obtained by The Age under

freedom of information

, and which was put to the then Bracks Labor government, said the LINK system would generate a likely

economic benefit of between $172 million and $258 million by reducing crime

.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-database-would-have-cut-crime-20110420-...

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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buzzanddidj

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1356 - Apr 21^st, 2011 at 12:14pm

Quote:

DUCK shooters have been accused of killing three swans and hanging a dead cygnet from a tree at Lake Buloke, near Donald.

Anti-shooting campaigners claim they found the three adult swans floating in Lake Buloke, near Donald in the Wimmera, over the weekend.

Dave Evans from the Coalition Against Duck Shooting also alleged another three cygnets were also found dead, the Herald Sun reports.

"It's absolutely horrific, but unfortunately for me it's not really a shock because this kind of thing happens every (duck shooting) season," he said.

The allegations come as police expect to charge three Melbourne secondary school students who are accused of stoning a swan to death in Moonee Ponds this month.

Tomorrow's duck shooters

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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buzzanddidj

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1357 - Apr 26^th, 2011 at 10:54am

State faces $2.5bn GST cut: Baillieu
February 26, 2011

VICTORIA has been singled out for an unprecedented cut of $2.5 billion in GST funding under the new carve-up of the tax revenue recommended by the Commonwealth Grants Commission, according to Premier Ted Baillieu.

With Victoria already facing the financial pressure of the flood recovery, an angry Mr Baillieu attacked the proposed cut over four years as unjustified, warning that Victorians will ''feel the consequences''.

''This is a massive cut, this is an unprecedented cut,'' he said.

''I am shocked at this report … this was not foreshadowed. The states are entitled to have some expectation that there will not be these sort of dramatic, unprecedented changes.''

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/state-faces-25bn-gst-cut-baillieu-20110225-1b8...

BAILLIEU BUSTED OVER BUDGET BULLSHIT

April 25, 2011

THE Victorian Government will receive an

extra $280 million

in GST revenue next financial year.

That's the figure revealed by a Commonwealth Grants Commission report.

And yet

Premier Ted Baillieu's claims the Federal Government has cut Victoria's GST revenue by $2.5 billion

, which would make the task of delivering this year's state budget far more challenging

Victoria's total payout will rise on the back of strong growth in the national pool of GST revenue - from $46.95 billion this financial year to $50 billion in 2011-12

Victorian Treasurer Kim Wells last week released an Economic and Financial Statement, which he said showed the state faced another $2 billion in capital cost blow-outs inherited from the former Victorian Labor Government, plus the deferral of $550 million in Federal Government project funding.

"New projects where the Brumby Labor Government under-funded or chronically mismanaged projects leading directly to cost blowouts are still emerging, and this conservative estimate in the order of $2 billion may be revised upwards," he said.

But Labor finance spokesman Tim Holding said the claims were undermined by the fact

90 per cent of the so-called blowouts were marked "not for publication".

"The truth is the Baillieu Government inherited a triple A-rated budget, with a strong surplus over each of the next four years," he said.

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/04/25/322081_business-news.html

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« Last Edit: Apr 26^th, 2011 at 11:26am by buzzanddidj »

'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
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buzzanddidj

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1358 - Apr 26^th, 2011 at 11:04am

Stop the budget bull

April 20, 2011

IT'S time to stop blaming everyone else, writes PETER HUNT

Victoria has a new government, but the politics of spin remains unchanged.

It's obvious Premier Ted Baillieu and his Treasurer Kim Wells are grossly exaggerating the impact of federal cuts to Victoria's GST revenue and the black holes left by their predecessors.

Mr Wells released an economic and financial statement last week, which he says shows Victoria faces a $5 billion hole in its finances that "makes the task of preparing this year's budget particularly challenging".

So, what's the reason for the shortfall?

Mr Baillieu blames Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Federal Labor for short-changing Victoria by $2.5 billion in GST revenue and deferring another $500 million in Regional Rail Link contributions.

He also blames his Labor predecessors for a $2 billion blowout in the capital cost of a range of projects.

It's no surprise to see a new Coalition Government do its best to smear the reputation of its Labor predecessors and attack an incompetent Federal Labor Government.

But we also know politicians and their advisers are experts at distorting the truth by telling us half the story.

So, let's get rid of the spin in the budget debate and fill in the gaps.

•HALF-TRUTH: "This $5 billion impact on Victoria's finances makes the task of preparing this year's budget particularly challenging." - Ted Baillieu, April 14, 2011.

•THE OTHER HALF: The $5 billion shortfall makes up less than 2.5 per cent of Victoria's budget revenue over the next four years.

•HALF-TRUTH: "Julia Gillard and Federal Labor are short-changing Victoria by $2.5 billion in GST revenue because of a flawed system." - Ted Baillieu, March 31, 2011.

•THE OTHER HALF: The Commonwealth Grants Commission's 2011 Update states: "When combined with the growth in GST available, its (Victoria's) assessed GST will rise by $280 million or 2.6 per cent" in 2011-12.

Victoria's share of GST revenue has fallen from 23.4 per cent to 22.5 per cent of the national pool.

Instead of gaining 23.4 per cent of the $50 billion (equal to $11.7 billion) GST pool in 2011-12, Victoria will gain 22.5 per cent of the pool (equal to $11.26 billion).

But this is still $280 million more than the $10.98 billion Victoria received this financial year.

Mr Baillieu and his Treasurer are basing their calculation on what Victoria would have gained if its share of GST revenue had remained at 23.4 per cent of a national pool, which is expected to grow from $46.95 billion this financial year to $50 billion in 2011-12.

So, in theory, Victoria would have gained an extra $440 million if its share had remained at 23.4 per cent. The $2.5 billion GST shortfall Mr Wells talks about is a forward estimate on what this shortfall would add up to over four years.

Whichever way you look at it, that $440 million shortfall adds up to less than 1 per cent of the $47 billion in budget revenue the Victorian Government expects to rake in for 2011-12

Read on ...

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/04/20/321361_opinion-news.html

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1359 - Apr 26^th, 2011 at 11:25am

No hidden agenda, no spin, no secrecy, says Premier Baillieu

November 30th, 2010

"WHATS you will see is what you will get,'' says Victoria's new premier, Ted Baillieu.

"There will be no hidden agenda, no spin, no secrecy. Accountability and transparency will the principles that underpin our government,'' Mr Baillieu said in his first press conference as State leader

.

http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/11/30/229711_news.html

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1360 - Apr 27^th, 2011 at 11:21am

'Mean' flood loan: VFF

Peter Hunt
April 27, 2011

VICTORIA's farm boss has branded a loan scheme for flood-affected primary producers "mean-spirited".

The scheme would last for five-years on a concessional basis.

On January 25, Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh announced farmers would have access to low-interest loans of up to $200,000 through the Rural Finance Corporation.

But Victorian Farmers Federation president Andrew Broad said he was disappointed to discover the five-year concessional rate applied only to non-working capital, such as fencing, plant and equipment.

Mr Broad said it wasn't until the Rural Finance Corporation detailed the eligibility criteria for the loans that the VFF discovered the concessional rate applied only to the first 12 months of working capital loans.

The RFC's fact sheet states the 2.8 per cent concessional interest rate on working capital loans ends after 12 months, after which it may be extended for another four years at commercial rates.

"It appears to be a little mean-spirited, or deceitful, that we're provided with five-year low-interest loans, when it's just for a year," Mr Broad said

.

Before the floods, Victoria's 22 processing tomato growers were expected to produce a 287,000-tonne crop, worth about $32 million.

Australian Processing Tomato Research Council industry development officer Liz Mann said the crop was now expected to be less than 85,000 tonnes.

"I think we need to be on the same level as Queensland, where the industry has access to loans of up to $650,000," Ms Mann said.

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/04/27/324731_politics-news.html

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
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buzzanddidj

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1361 - Apr 27^th, 2011 at 5:05pm

buzzanddidj wrote on Apr 27^th, 2011 at 4:34pm:

longweekend58 wrote on Apr 27^th, 2011 at 4:07pm:

buzzanddidj wrote on Apr 27^th, 2011 at 1:51pm:

Quote:

So he was perfectly correct when he made the statement about the recommended cut

It wasn't a "cut"
It was a $280 MILLION increase, as opposed to a $2.5 BILLION increase
He should have waited for the size of the increase before he spent it

And he shouldn't have tried to mislead Victorians, otherwise

He's certainly becoming EVERYTHING I predicted he'd be

you mean hugely successful and popular??

Successful ?
He's yet to DO anything
Aside from starting 100 plus (literally) "reviews"

Popular ?
He's lost the adoration of the Herald-Sun, rural media - and now he's pissed of the Victorian Farmers Federation, the police and teachers unions'

I look FORWARD to his first Newspoll

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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1362 - Apr 27^th, 2011 at 5:10pm

An independent report on Victoria's finances has described the position as "vulnerable" and "unsustainable", with a growing debt that will need to be repaid.

The report, commissioned by the Coalition government after it ousted Labor from of office in the November 2010 election, makes key findings that include Victoria having a growing debt and insufficient investment in infrastructure.

It also says trend growth in expenses has outstripped trend growth in revenues but has been "obscured" by federal economic stimulus funds.

"Victoria's stock of debt has risen markedly over the past three years ... This will need to be repaid by the current generation," the report says.

"Victoria's financial position is unsustainable into the medium term ... Finances are, at present, particularly vulnerable to changes in economic circumstances and are not well-placed to absorb another material financial shock."

The report is an interim report of the Independent Review of State Finances, with the final review due in February next year.

Treasurer Kim Wells said that on top of the interim report's findings, Victoria also faced a further $4.1 billion fall in GST revenue and the deferral of $550 million in federal infrastructure payments.

This meant it faced a $4.65 billion revenue shortfall over the next four years, compared with what had been predicted in last December's 2010/11 Budget Update.

"The report confirms that the Brumby Labor government's spending over the past decade outpaced revenue," Mr Wells said in a statement.

"If the Brumby government continued to take Victoria down this path, the state would be forced to borrow just to pay ongoing expenses by 2015/16."

He also said it was clear the former government had failed to adequately invest in vital infrastructure.

"In the forward estimates for the budget, Labor failed to allocate enough funding just to maintain the existing level of capital stock and no funding to meet the needs arising from population growth, service enhancements, or price adjustments."

An opposition spokeswoman said Premier Ted Baillieu had inherited a AAA rating budget given by independent agencies.

"Mr Baillieu might be able to afford to undermine Victoria's economy but businesses and families can't afford to have a government that is intent, for a political purpose, on destroying the state's hard won reputation for financial management," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

Mr Wells said the government would consider the interim report findings and recommendations over coming months and would implement a strategy to reduce debt over time, increase infrastructure investment and put Victoria's finances on a sustainable footing.

The interim report recommends developing a transition plan that includes getting rid of government net debt in 10 years.

The review of the state's finances is being conducted by chairperson Dr Michael Vertigan, Don Challen and Professor Ian Harper.

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Verge Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6329 Gender:	Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n Reply #1363 - Apr 27^th, 2011 at 5:11pm Seems like the reviews are warranted.
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Re: Baillieu: "We Can Do Better" (or maybe n
Reply #1364 - Apr 27^th, 2011 at 6:28pm

buzzanddidj wrote on Apr 17^th, 2011 at 3:15pm:

No tax increase, no cuts in service spending and no job losses.

November 15, 2010

Mr Baillieu has promised no tax increase, no cuts in service spending and no job losses.

But the Coalition is steadfastly refusing to release its costings for independent analysis by Treasury officials for fear the information will be leaked to the Government.

Mr Baillieu says they are all "costed and fully budgeted".

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/ted-baillieu-launches-election-campaign-promisi...

Public sector jobs could go

April 27, 2011 - 4:45PM

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu has refused to guarantee he won't trim the public sector by attrition, less than a week out from the state budget.

Announcing an extra $100 million over four years for school maintenance,

Mr Baillieu would not clarify his position

on whether the number of public service jobs - such as

child protection workers

and

teachers

- would drop over time as a result of staff not being replaced when they left.

"I'm simply saying what I have said before is we're not looking to reduce any frontline services," he said.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/public-sector-jobs-could-go-20110427-1dwfu.htm...

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