The Generator is founded on the simple premise that we should leave the world in better condition than we found it. The news items in this category outline the attempts people have made to do this. They are mainly concerned with our food supply and settlement patterns. The impact that the human race has on the planet.
The advocacy group GetUp! has put forward the cases of two young Australians who will not be able to vote in the upcoming federal election because they missed enrolment deadlines.
But the Commonwealth’s Solicitor-General told the court that even if people are given longer to enrol there will always be citizens who miss out on voting.
GetUp! says the laws could have potentially excluded more than 100,000 people from voting in this month’s federal election.
The State Government says the establishment of the networks will de-centralise public hospital management, increasing local accountability to drive improvements in performance.
The Premier says the changes will deliver an extra $1.2 billion in funding to the state’s health system.
The government is asking for submissions on the new proposal.
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“We have already got a series of targeted measures out there to assist older workers, including in our last budget a very substantial work bonus for many elderly people who are on the pension and want to go to work,” he said.
“When it comes to the pension we put in that very significant increase in the base rate of the pension last year to support senior Australians.”
Last night Mr Swan told Lateline that the Government was proud of its economic record and was in a position to implement reform if re-elected because of its stewardship throughout the economic crisis.
But Opposition finance spokesmen Andrew Robb told ABC News 24 that Australia only emerged from the global financial crisis unscathed because of the economic conditions engineered by the Howard government.
Both party leaders will be campaigning in the battleground state of Queensland today.
Mr Abbott will be in Brisbane while Ms Gillard heads north to Cairns.
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“Families know what it’s like to come up against an unexpected problem,” Ms Gillard said as she announced the details of the plan during a campaign press stop in the northern Queensland city of Cairns.
“Families know what it’s like to have these costs come into the family budget.”
Ms Gillard said the initiative would cost $54 million over four years, to be offset by savings in other areas.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is also campaigning in Queensland today and will use an appearance in Brisbane to announce plans to pay companies incentives to take on older workers.
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The Nielsen poll, taken last week, was the strongest for the Coalition on the two-party vote at 52-48. On a weighted average, Labor was on a primary vote of 37.5 per cent in the four polls. In normal circumstances, it needs a higher primary vote than this to win. The Coalition vote was 43.8 per cent, while the Greens were on 12 per cent.
Since Julia Gillard announced her proposal for a citizens’ assembly on climate change on July 23, Labor’s two-party vote has dropped 5 points in Newspoll (55 per cent to 50 per cent over two polls) and 6 points in Nielsen (54 per cent to 48 per cent in one poll). Galaxy went up 2 points, and then down 2 points, to end at 50-50. Morgan dropped 2.5 points to 53 per cent two-party for Labor.
The polls tell us Labor is in trouble, as does Ms Gillard’s reaction. They don’t tell us Labor will lose. They must be read with two big qualifications. First, they give us a snapshot of people’s opinions when the pollsters ask the question. Up to 20 per cent of voters aren’t strongly committed to their current voting intention – some will shift before they actually get to vote.
Second, and very important, the swing in these polls is a national average. It conceals big differences between different parts of the country, and even between different seats within the same area. These varied swings determine where seats fall or hold. It is possible (as in 1998) for a government to survive on a minority popular vote.
Source: The Age
When questioned on the AFR report on the campaign trail in western Sydney today, Ms Gillard did not directly answer the claim.
“I am proud to say that I have been working with my Cabinet colleagues in the lead-up to the election campaign,” she said.
“We have had extensive discussions in Cabinet about climate change, about getting a deep and lasting community consensus for change.”
Ms Gillard also faced questions over whether she breached Cabinet rules by allowing an adviser to take notes in the National Security Committee of Cabinet in her absence.
She said all documents were dealt with appropriately.
Earlier, Ms Gillard vowed to take control of Labor’s faltering election campaign, declaring she would “throw out the rule book” and show Australians who she really is.
The Prime Minister’s change in campaign tactics came as today’s Newspoll in The Australian newspaper put Labor and the Coalition neck and neck at 50 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott seized on Ms Gillard’s words as evidence that the “faceless” factions are running Labor.
Speaking from Cairns, where he announced a $90m package for the tourism industry, Mr Abbott demanded the “real Julia” stand up.
“What have we been seeing for the last five weeks if it’s not the real Julia Gillard?” he said.
“It was the faceless men that put the Prime Minister into office. It was the faceless men who were running her campaign.”