Budget 2014

[thushan]

Your thoughts?

[pi]

Well I'll be honest.

I don't think their ad this year (above) really stacks up to their previous ads (eg. below)

I mean, the characters nowadays just look weird. That's really all I have to say on the issue, I'm just really disappointed Australia is heading this way, it's a turn for the worst.

[kinslayer]

Your thoughts?

(Just linked that from somewhere else, I have no particular love for the ALP either)

[Thu Thu Train]

Personally I support deregulation of uni fees. It will give those snobby private school kids a lesson in the value of education. And I'm so glad they're adding more funding for school chaplains as I believe every child who comes to Australia should receive an education in what is morally right and acceptable.

[Hannibal]

They are being hard on everyone, there's not many people really benefiting from it (Except defence/research). So in that respect it's decent, because a certain group isn't targeted.

Still,
PalmerUnitedAllTheWay 

[Professor Polonsky]

Research isn't benefiting from it. Very limited category of medical research is, which is really just a feel-good budget item. It's totally negated by the cuts to health.

[achre]

In truth, I have a bit more respect for the LNP. They've clearly prioritised the economy over their own popularity.

The only elements of the budget I've actually looked into are the deficit levy, fee deregulation and corporate tax cuts, and it all looks pretty sensible to me. Then again, I haven't chatted with anyone about it, so I don't want to risk saying things I can't defend. So I'll just be quiet.

[brenden]

Well I'm definitely not an economic expert but I don't see how taxing petrol/healthcare and cutting education can be good for our economy. I mean, people will have less money to spend, and in twenty years we'll have a generation of spasticated carpenters. Can also see the lack of a disability scheme hurting the long-term economy, as if we could target certain disabilities early, we could prevent a compounded disadvantage such that we'd save money on those people as well as have the able to enter the workforce. Unemployment is expected to rise slightly and growth to slow. So as harsh as this budget is, is it even valuable for the economy?

[xenial]

Personally I support deregulation of uni fees. It will give those snobby private school kids a lesson in the value of education. And I'm so glad they're adding more funding for school chaplains as I believe every child who comes to Australia should receive an education in what is morally right and acceptable.

Is this sarcastic lol?

They are being hard on everyone, there's not many people really benefiting from it (Except defence/research). So in that respect it's decent, because a certain group isn't targeted.

Defence is not a benefit in my opinion - the opportunity cost is immense. As for medical research, well, it's great and all, but it's only there as a political ploy to make it harder for Labor and the Greens to reject the GP copayment. A GP copayment which is the thin end of the wedge towards a grossly injust, Americanised medical system, and which is in no way justified by the benefits to medical research. It is nice to finally see some security in Australian research, however.

[Phy124]

someone please give me an unbiased tl;dr so I can appear informed on the issue kthxbai

[achre]

Fairly succint and unbiased* account.

*if you ignore the identification of "winners" and "losers"

[MJRomeo81]

A harsh budget but necessary imo. We are living beyond our means.

People complaining about a $7 trip to the GP. Yet these people don't bat an eyelid when they purchase overpriced cigarettes and alcohol. I'd gladly give something back for my health.

I support the deregulation of uni fees. How does this prevent a child in the bush going to uni? HECS is still in place isn't it? Meaning you don't pay a cent until after you reach the income threshold. Perhaps now this will force unis to cut half of these mickey mouse degrees. 

[Thu Thu Train]

A harsh budget but necessary imo. We are living beyond our means.

How are we living beyond our means?

People complaining about a $7 trip to the GP. Yet these people don't bat an eyelid when they purchase overpriced cigarettes and alcohol. I'd gladly give something back for my health.

A lot of people upset about the $7 fee to see the GP don't drink or smoke. A lot of them have chronic illnesses and $7 a visit adds up over time. Medicare is a publicly funded scheme so you already give something back for your health if you pay tax.

I support the deregulation of uni fees. How does this prevent a child in the bush going to uni? HECS is still in place isn't it? Meaning you don't pay a cent until after you reach the income threshold. Perhaps now this will force unis to cut half of these mickey mouse degrees. 

Why do you support this? What argument do you possibly have to show that deregulation is a good thing? They're now giving students a potentially crippling debt with interest that they'll have to make back when they start earning $50k/yr. Tell me why this is a good thing for future generations.

[charmanderp]

People complaining about a $7 trip to the GP. Yet these people don't bat an eyelid when they purchase overpriced cigarettes and alcohol. I'd gladly give something back for my health.

This makes no sense whatsoever. How does having to pay for the GP have anything to do with purchasing cigarettes and alcohol? The people that will be most affected by the co-payment is families and individuals that are living pay check to pay check and have barely any disposable income. Are you trying to suggest that 'these people' are the ones purchasing cigarettes and alcohol and then complaining about having to pay for the GP? Because I can tell you that there are plenty of poor families that don't buy either of those goods and certainly don't want to, but will struggle with having to pay to go to the doctor anyway.

It's great that you have no problem giving 'something back for your health', but that doesn't mean that everyone should be compelled to do so. I have zero knowledge of your personal background and/or financial situation but it simply isn't feasible for a lot of people to have to pay for healthcare - which should be a universal right given we live under a system that intrinsically fosters health-based inequalities - no matter how much they would like to.

I support the deregulation of uni fees. How does this prevent a child in the bush going to uni? HECS is still in place isn't it? Meaning you don't pay a cent until after you reach the income threshold. Perhaps now this will force unis to cut half of these mickey mouse degrees. 

It prevents prospective students from going to university for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the amount that we're able to loan from the government is actually capped e.g. for law students it's capped at $95,000 which is an issue for full fee paying UoM JD students who are being charged $110,000 and hence have to already pay $15,000 upfront out of their own pocket to study that degree.

Secondly, with the move now of the government to introduce interest to the HELP program it means that students who go on to work in lower paying jobs will end up paying more for their degrees than those who earn more. Why? Simply because it's going to take them longer to pay back their loan, hence their interest accrues for longer.

Also just because students can take out loans and don't have to pay it back until they reach the income threshold (which has been lowered as well), it doesn't mean that universities should have the option to charge them exorbitant amounts to study. Not everyone is financially assured enough to be able to take out a huge debt that they don't know if they'll ever be able to pay back and might have hanging over them forever, particularly when there's no guarantee of future income. These aren't the only arguments against deregulation, but they're a couple of the larger ones.

Also I'm not sure how it gives universities any incentive to cut 'mickey mouse degrees'?

A harsh budget but necessary imo. We are living beyond our means.

The argument that we live beyond our means has been done to death for years now, so I'll just let an American Nobel-prize winning economist handle this for me: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/australia-you-dont-know-how-good-youve-got-it-20130901-2sytb.html

I wouldn't suggest that this budget is necessary by any means. We've been the financial envy of the world now for about 4 or 5 years, and we've just thrown that down the drain and become a laughing stock.

This isn't a budget with any economic benefit. It's a budget that seeks to establish a new Australian way of life and a new social hierarchy in this country, and ones that are pretty concerning at that.

[kinslayer]

Fairly succint and unbiased* account.

*if you ignore the identification of "winners" and "losers"

The third row in that infograph makes me angry. Not so much for university students (although I still firmly believe that is bad policy) but for the fact that too much of the spending cuts is being siphoned away from the people who are most in need of government support.

I mean, under this budget, if you're a young person and you lose your job, you have to wait 6 months for unemployment benefits. If you are over 25 (so ineligible for Youth Allowance) then that's it. Done. Bad luck for you if you didn't come from an affluent middle class family who can afford to support you while you look for more work.

The deficit levy is temporary and it's taxed at a marginal rate, so 2 cents in every dollar earned over $180k. It's little more than a passing nuisance and most won't feel it at all. But once they're done paying that, the poors will keep paying for their share far into the future.

Don't worry though, we can use the money we saved to buy another $12 billion dollars worth of flying death machines we don't need. Hurrah for democracy!

Firstly, the amount that we're able to loan from the government is actually capped e.g. for law students it's capped at $95,000 which is an issue for full fee paying UoM JD students who are being charged $110,000 and hence have to already pay $15,000 upfront out of their own pocket to study that degree.

Correction on this count: they're removing the FEE-HELP cap from 2016:

http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/studyassist/helpfulresources/pages/studentoverview_budget2014