government expenditure
(SMH) Australia is to provide three African nations with millions of dollars for urgent food and humanitarian assistance. [...] Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said a number of African nations continued to experience protracted and complex humanitarian difficulties due to ongoing armed conflict, political crises, people movement and drought. [..] While there was a risk that not all funding provided would be delivered to those who needed it, international standards were in place for monitoring, auditing and accounting the aid, Mr Smith said. "But our attitude is that we are a well-developed, prosperous country so we can lend a helping hand in terrible and difficult circumstances," he said. read more
When was the first or last time time you read a headline "Africa is Ok"? It's like reading about the Jews and Palestine over and over again. Mr Smith is giving away money we don't have. We are in debt to communist (you can't vote for the leader) China for $300 billion. Mr Smithy 'I have no idea about Anglo Saxon De Beers plundering African diamonds' boy, gave away $12.5 million of your tax money to set up an African "taxation administration".
January Flashback: Australia giving up to $12.5m to Africa to set up a "taxation administration"
(Courier Mail) AUSTRALIA is to spend $30 million to protect forests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, to tackle climate change. [..] Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said the project would protect trees on the mineral soils of the province of Jambi, and comes on top of an existing conservation project in the swamp forests of central Kalimantan. [..] Australia will not be able to count the greenhouse emissions saved against its own target to cut emissions. But international negotiations over a new climate deal may allow countries to pay others to cut their emissions, then count the emissions savings themselves. Australia has promised to send money to the developing world to help tackle climate change, as part of UN climate negotiations. read more
I went to work today to help fund some East Timor hating clowns in Indonesia? What's wrong with the Indonesian government funding their own Sovereign matters? They don't want our cows any more, so they'll be saving $700 million a year. I must have been dreaming, but I could have sworn that the Copenhagen meeting was a flop and no ETS is in Australia. Why don't we bail out Greece as well -- This Ms.Ying-yen Wong woman giving away money we don't have needs to be sacked ASAP!
(SMH) The federal government will spend $69 million to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks across Australia. [..] Mr Rudd said home-grown terrorism was now a "reality in Australia" and the threat was no longer just something that travelled to Australia from overseas. "The threat of home-grown terrorism is now increasing," read more
Gee, those behind the September 11, 2001 American attacks must be happy their terror has turned countries as far away as Australia into police states. We can hear Benjamin Franklin from the grave yelling out; "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Today we have Kevin Rudd in the flesh announcing that terrorism is now "permanent" in Australia. In case you don't know what the word "permanent" means, here's a link to the dictionary explaining it.
(APP) A picture paints a thousand words so a good understanding of our gross debt is seen in the graph above. It shows clearly that the Coalition is a government that pays off debt and that Labor is a government that creates debt and Mr Rudd is creating debt at a faster rate than has been seen in recent history. With gross debt currently in excess of $125 billion one would be foolish if they were not concerned by the trajectory of the growth in debt. How would you feel taking this to your local bank manager as an example of your fiscal prudence, and the ceiling insulation program as an example of your management technique? learn more
(SMH) The Joint Strike Fighter program will cost Australia more than originally planned and be delayed by about a year, the US government says. Australia will buy 14 of the jets from the US and may purchase up to 100, but the Pentagon said on Monday the price - as much as $100 million each - would rise. [..] Australia has already been forced to buy Super Hornets to fill the capability gap between the retirement of the F1-11 bombers and F/A-18 Hornet fighter bombers and the arrival of the first JSF, which was scheduled for 2014. read more
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) is the latest to join a swathe of groups opposed to the Federal Government’s plans to introduce mandatory ISP-level Internet content filtering. [...] In a statement, the association said Australia needs to take action to ensure that internet users, particularly children, have a safe experience online, but it voiced concern that the policy may give parents a false sense of security and encourage them to reduce their supervision. “As a large proportion of child sexual abuse content is not found on public websites, but in chat-rooms or peer-to-peer networks, we know the proposed filtering regime will not effectively protect children from this objectionable material,” the statement said. “We are concerned that the scope of content to be filtered is too wide. Filtering all RC material could block content with a strong social or educational value.” read more
(ZDNET) A $100 million partnership between the University of Melbourne and IBM, which will see the IT giant supply a supercomputer and manpower to the university, was announced yesterday by Victorian Premier John Brumby. The university will play host to the Blue Gene supercomputer which will be put to the task of working on life sciences problems. [..] As part of the project, IBM researchers will create a "collaboratory" with Melbourne University and share skills, assets and resources to achieve a common research goal. This will mean a handful of IBM workers moving on-site to the university. read more
related: IBM and the Holocaust
(SMH) The federal department responsible for agriculture, fisheries and forestry will have to find about $5 million in savings next financial year to meet the government's efficiency dividend. But it's too early to say what programs will be dumped to achieve the 3.25 per cent target, a Senate inquiry has heard. read more
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner is on the record saying there's a bit less than half of the $42 billion "economic stimulus" money doing nothing. Wise up Labor -- we won't miss $5 million out of $20+ billion for our farmers!
(AAP) Opposition finance spokesman Barnaby Joyce has been heavily criticised after suggesting aid to the third world should instead be spent on reducing food costs in Australia. Senator Joyce described as "galling" a decision by the Rudd government to give the World Bank $150 million, a third of which he said would be used to reduce food inflation in developing nations.[...] Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Senator Joyce said the government should be giving more attention to "food inflationary aspects in this world" rather than boosting funding to help the third world. "It just seems to defy logic ... there's something galling by the fact that the Labor Party went to the election saying they would ease the squeeze, that they were going to put downward pressure on food prices. "What happened to that? We ended up with the highest food inflation in the western world. And in the middle of this, they're sending $50 million to help other nations out. read more
related: Lord Rudd's "thousands of dollars" three course in flight meals
(SMH) Australia would be locked into a modest cut in greenhouse gas emissions of five per cent under the federal opposition's alternative climate plan. But the government wants to leave open the door to a bigger reduction of up to 25 per cent if the rest of the world takes ambitious action on climate change. The two schemes - and targets - are likely to offer a key point of difference at the federal election, expected this year. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who opposes the government's emissions trading scheme (ETS), on Tuesday revealed a scheme that would cost taxpayers $3.2 billion in the first four years, ramping up to a $1.1 billion annual cost, to pay farmers to store carbon in the soil. read more
We would be "locked" in? Too whom, E3 Rothschild banksters? What happens when we change our minds in 10 years if global cooling is the next big thing? We'd probably get listed as a terrorist nation like Iceland was over the global fanatical Goldman Sach's fraude. One day the "Opposition" in Australia might become the opposition.
