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Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill (Read 5733 times)
whiteknight
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Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Feb 14th, 2017 at 6:19pm
 
Nick Xenophon blocks government's $4 billion childcare and welfare omnibus bill

Sydney Morning Herald
February 14, 2017

Nick Xenophon's Senate bloc will oppose the government's childcare and welfare omnibus savings bill, jeopardising the Coalition's attempt to jam through $4 billion worth of savings and reform measures.   Smiley

Without Senator Xenophon's three votes, the package will require the unlikely backing of Labor or the Greens to pass the Senate. On Monday, the government attempted to pressure senators to support it by tying the savings to funding for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The omnibus legislation contains cuts to family tax benefits, paid parental leave and unemployment payments as well as increased and streamlined childcare subsidies. $3 billion would in savings would be directed to a fund for the NDIS.

The South Australian powerbroker branded the plan "robbing Peter to pay Paul", coming as the Greens and other crossbenchers labelled the plan as akin to blackmail.

"As a negotiating tactic, this is as subtle as a sledgehammer. Pitting battling Australians against Australians needing disability support services is dumb policy and even dumber politics," Senator Xenophon said in a statement.

"The trade off is simply too harsh," he told ABC radio, arguing that other savings should be found that wouldn't disadvantage families.

"We'll keep talking but we can't accept the package in its current form."

He also said he'd rather see a small increase in the Medicare Levy or the Medicare Levy Surcharge than cuts to welfare to pay for the NDIS.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter said he would have further discussions with Senator Xenophon on Tuesday to try and secure a way forward for the bill.

"I think the fundamental difficulty is the one that Nick has raised, which is that he does not consider it's a mechanism that he can support to find savings inside the family tax benefit system to pay for childcare," he told ABC radio.

"We've been very clear on that from the beginning. We want to keep working to make sure than people benefit from the childcare reforms, which again, as Nick noted, seem to be widely lauded."

Mr Porter said the government would continue to find funding for about $1.6 billion for childcare and defended linking the savings measures to the NDIS funding.

"I don't think it is, in any sense, wrong or a bad idea to - when you do identify savings - place them into an account and absolutely quarantine them for the NDIS," he said.

Labor MPs will finalise their position on the bill today but have been scathing about the cuts contained in it and the strategy of linking it to disability funding.

"This is a disgraceful political game of brinkmanship," said Labor's social services spokeswoman, Jenny Macklin.

The government has accused Labor of leaving a funding "black hole" for the NDIS in 2013.

"We inherited an empty promise from the previous government when it came to the NDIS. It wasn't fully funded. We have been working from day one to ensure that we fill that vacuum that was created by the previous government," Treasurer Scott Morrison said on Monday.

Greens finance spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said the omnibus bill was "pure blackmail" from the government.

"Trying to pit one family against another, trying to say the care of a young child needs to be pitted against the care of people with disabilities... it is disgusting to see a government that is meant to be looking after people pitting communities against each other like this," she said.   Sad

"The Greens won't be standing for it and I know there are other people in the Senate who are increasingly concerned."

Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm said the government was book ended by the Xenophon bloc and conservatives including Cory Bernardi.

"The omnibus savings bill basically involves the continuation of a very large amount of middle class welfare, additional money for childcare and additional money for family tax benefits.

"The bottom line is this: if it doesn't save the taxpayers money, I'm not going to vote for it anyway. So Nick can talk about it all he likes, giving away more money and raising taxes... if it doesn't save money for taxpayers, if it doesn't go into reducing the budget deficit, I'm not going to vote for it and I suspect Cory [Bernardi] will do the same."

The Australian Council of Social Service also strongly rejected the linking of social security cuts to disability funding, saying that both areas needed to be funded properly.   Wink

"It is particularly egregious to be linking cuts to income support to the funding of the NDIS when the government legislated $4 billion over four years in personal income tax cuts last year for people earning $80,000 and over and is trying to push through a further $50 billion in company tax cuts," ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said.   Sad

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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #1 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 6:58pm
 
Well done nick Smiley
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John Smith
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #2 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm
 
bravo
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Our esteemed leader:
I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus.
 
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #3 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm
 
This indicates one of the short-comings of the Senate; a handful of people can shutdown government legislation.

Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #4 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:05pm
 
Auggie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm:
This indicates one of the short-comings of the Senate; a handful of people can shutdown government legislation.

Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.


54 46 the people have spoken
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #5 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:09pm
 
Its time wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:05pm:
Auggie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm:
This indicates one of the short-comings of the Senate; a handful of people can shutdown government legislation.

Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.


54 46 the people have spoken


That's one way of looking at it. It could also be that Nick Xenophon has blocked it for partisan reasons, which is most likely the case. Majority vote really goes out the window when we have organized political parties.
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #6 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:16pm
 
Auggie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm:
This indicates one of the short-comings of the Senate; a handful of people can shutdown government legislation.

Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.


a handful of people can shutdown government legislation


Yes it takes a tiny small insignificant 51% to vote against it ?

Bad legislation is bad legislation and the house of review is there to moderate poor legislation.

It is more of a concern that buying one or two votes can result it terrible legislation being passed.
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #7 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:16pm
 
Auggie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm:
Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.



in the meantime it affects real lives.
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #8 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 8:21pm
 
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #9 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 8:22pm
 
Just need dumb nation to support it to consolidate she is a poor mans libtard party
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #10 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 8:25pm
 
Auggie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm:
This indicates one of the short-comings of the Senate; a handful of people can shutdown government legislation.

Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.


That really distills down to an absurd position.  You want to give them four years freedom to legislate carte blanch at will, and potentially totally stuff the place....on the fall back position that after the damage is done, they can be booted.

Nah.


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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #11 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 8:49pm
 
Aussie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 8:25pm:
Auggie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 7:04pm:
This indicates one of the short-comings of the Senate; a handful of people can shutdown government legislation.

Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.


That really distills down to an absurd position.  You want to give them four years freedom to legislate carte blanch at will, and potentially totally stuff the place....on the fall back position that after the damage is done, they can be booted.

Nah.




The government in NZ, UK and other Westminster countries have absolute power to legislate on any matter. It is known as parliamentary sovereignty. The idea is based on the concept of 'responsible government.' The institution of the Westminster system is designed to protect against any 'bad legislation'. The UK House of Commons has had for 115 years the power to legislate on any matter without recourse; the House of Lords has not, since 1911, had the power to veto legislation. How do explain Britain's continual and consistent good governance, despite having no restraint on its power, nor any other branch of the Parliament that can stop legislation? Is it that British governments are simply more competent than Australian Governments? New Zealand has had one House since 1956, and has not, until recently, had any restraints on its power, but yet NZ has managed to produce good policy. How do you explain this situation?

In fact, if you look at the States in Australia, particularly Queensland, they have no restrictions to confiscate land without compensation, or to criminalize reading Charles Dickens (as an example). The High Court has no power to strike down laws based on the 'substance' of a law, which is an American practice. It is fair to say that the modern media, and our strong civil service also serve as checks on government power.

The Westminster system lends itself naturally to the concept of 'good government.' This notion that 'the Government can screw things up' doesn't take into consideration our competent civil service, and the fact that the party leadership has sway, to a certain extent, over the party in power.

The Senate was designed to appease the smaller States at Federation, otherwise we wouldn't have had a country. Obviously, the Framers were inspired by the American system in the design of the Senate. However, given the rise of organized political parties, the Senate no longer acts as a 'States House.' It has in fact transformed into a House where minority parties are more present due to the voting system, but of course you already know this. Therefore, it is also valid to state that a minority party that holds the balance of power can stifle the will of the popular 'House'; it can be agreed that the House of Reps is 'closer' to the people than the Senate, given the nature of its composition - i.e. single-member electorates.
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #12 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 8:53pm
 
What has any of that got to do with what I posted?
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #13 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 9:01pm
 
Aussie wrote on Feb 14th, 2017 at 8:53pm:
What has any of that got to do with what I posted?


My argument that 'let the Government pass the legislation' (albeit with some review from the Senate, as we've talked about before) is based on my preference toward the 'Westminster' system of government and not the 'Washminster' system, which we have adopted in Australia.

As I have stated before, I would like to see a Senate that has reduced powers that cannot override the will of the Government, as we see in UK and other Westminster systems. I believe (as many people don't) that this increases accountability, because you know 'where the buck stops'. I am not personally convinced that the Australian Government is going to run this country into ruin, even if they had no restraint on their power, simply because of the strength of our institutions and our civil service.

I was simply explaining that 'letting the government' pass the legislation 'and letting them answer to the people directly' is what is ultimately the fundamental aspect of the 'Westminster' system (but not the Washminster).

I know that not everyone agrees with me; but that is why I said 'let them pass the legislation and answer to the public' because that is how it's done in UK, NZ et al. Why murk accountability; let Turnbull answer for his 'bad legislation' and go down in Australian history as an incompetent PM. In the meantime, this country is going to be all right.
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Re: Nick Xenophon Blocks Govts Omnibus Bill
Reply #14 - Feb 14th, 2017 at 9:04pm
 
Nah, this is what you posted:

Quote:
Let the Libs pass the legislation and answer to the people for it.
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