Dennis Jensen calls for the repeal of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act
“Australia requires tens of billions of dollars to be spent on coal-to-liquids or gas to liquids plants to offset our rapidly declining oil self-sufficiency. The Rudd Government’s Resources Super Profit Tax is sending the wrong signal to potential investors in those plants”, says Federal Member for Tangney Dennis Jensen.
“Stymieing investment in the liquid fuels sector is putting Australia’s energy security at risk, as well as resulting in a blowout of the trade deficit”, Dr Jensen said.
“The National Greenhouse and Energy Report Act is also sending the wrong signal to investors and should be repealed.”
“The Government expects companies to pay for energy audits which have no substantive aim and yet come at a huge cost to the companies which must engage the services of auditors and accountants”, Dr Jensen said.
“According to the Government’s own website, the first objective of the NGER is to underpin the introduction of an emissions trading scheme.”
“As the Government has shelved plans for an ETS, it must also release companies from their reporting duties.”
“This is burdensome legislation that costs private enterprise millions each year”, Dr Jensen said.
The NGER’s first annual reporting period began in 2008, requiring corporations that meet an NGER threshold to report their greenhouse gas emissions, energy production, energy consumption and other information specified under NGER legislation.
“Excessive government regulation kills productivity and economic growth; as the government has no plan to introduce its Emissions Trading Scheme it should release companies from their NGER reporting requirements by repealing the act”, Dr Jensen said.
The Rudd Labor government Backflips on election advertising Promise
The Story so far...
Kevin Rudd has performed a policy back-flip, breaking his election promise in regard to government advertising. Here is his exact quote from the last election, talking about political advertising:
"Rudd:I believe this is a sick cancer within our system, a cancer on democracy. I can guarantee we will have a process in place run by the auditor general which will determine what is appropriate for use in Government-funded, tax-payer funded television advertising campaigns.
Unknown Journalist:Would you resign if you don't deliver that inside the first term?
Rudd: You have my absolute 100% guarantee that that will occur and each one of you here can hold me accountable for that.
Now less than six months out from an Election, Rudd and Labor have dumped the Auditor General from scrutiny of advertising, weakened the advertising rules and now granted a special exemption so that they can run a $38m campaign in support of their big new mining tax.
So much for being accountable.
Australians now face a big new advertising campaign to promote a big new mining tax – all paid for by taxpayers. These are some of Rudd and Labor's broken promises on election ad campaigns:
Labor will only advertise legislated programs: BROKEN!
Labor will have the Auditor General scrutinise all advertising before it goes to air: BROKEN!
Labor will stick with the Auditor General’s rules: BROKEN!
Labor’s ads will be objective, factual and free from partisan promotion of government policy: BROKEN!
Labor will only bypass independent scrutiny of advertising in times of urgent national emergency: BROKEN!
The Prime Minister has been dishonest, evasive and hypocritical. This is yet another example of Rudd's policy back-flips.
Kevin Rudd and Labor are wasting millions of dollars while heavily taxing our productive mining sector and destroying economic investment. The Coalition will take real action to fix the concerns of Australians, a stark contrast to Labor’s inconsistencies, back-flips and economic blunders.
Labor IR changes hurt WA
Western Australia will see its key industries crippled by strike action and Union corruption under Labors new work place relations laws says Dr Dennis Jensen.
"Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard needs to explain to the Australian people what she intends doing to stop the escalation of illegal strike action by some unions.
"Labor's new industrial laws are not up to the task of stopping some in the union movement from running riot across the country", said Dr Dennis Jensen.
WA has seen a number of high profile strikes and strike action recently with mine sites and production coming to a halt. It now emerges that three of the nation's most militant unions are being investigated for attempting to impose the 'no ticket – no start' bully boy tactics which featured so prominently in the 70's and 80's when Australian workers were held to ransom by the union movement.
"Mining is a lively hood for many people in Tangney, they dont need to be pressured into, or pressured by a union. They want to do an honest days work for an honest days pay. Julia Gillards reforms are allowing the unions to control the resource industry as it once did. This means less pay and less production on many mine sites", Dr Jensen said.
"Labor's Fair Work laws aren't working and now it's time Julia Gillard stepped up to the plate to take on Labor's union financers and put a stop to the irreparable damage that's being done to the Australian economy and thereby all Australian's."
Remembering the bombing of Darwin 68 years on
The 68th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin will be remembered today in the Northern capital.
Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Louise Markus MP, will join Darwin residents in commemorating the first air bombing raid on Australian soil.
"On 19 February 1942, Australia came under air-borne attack from Japanese fighter bombers. This was the first time that the Australian continent had been attacked in the war", Mrs Markus said.
"At 10.10am, 188 Japanese aircraft were launched against Darwin. Two hours later a further 54 planes were despatched. At the conclusion of the raid, the township of Darwin and military installations such as the RAAF Base had been extensively damaged.
"These two raids were the first of 64 similar raids on northern Australia. Other air raids occurred on Broome, Townsville and Cairns throughout 1942.
"The memorial plaque in Darwin records that 290 people died in the raids. A Commission of Inquiry in 1945 found that between 300 and 400 people were injured in the attack.
Mrs Markus said a War Cabinet Minute from 1942, labelled "Most Secret" and now held by the National Archives, outlined that 20 Australian aircraft were lost with enemy losses of "5 certain, 5 probable". A number of ships were also sunk or damaged.
"The bombing of Darwin really did bring home to Australians the impact of war. Until that point, Australians did feel relatively safe. The air raids on northern Australia throughout 1942 were a vivid reminder of our vulnerability.
"Darwin remains today an important military city. It is home to HQ NORCOM, Robertson Barracks, RAAF Darwin and HMAS Coonawarra. Darwin is also an important centre for emergency medicine in the south-east Asian region and has rendered assistance to victims of natural and man-made disasters such as the Boxing Day Tsunami and the Bali Bombing.
"Today we will reconfirm the important role that Darwin continues to plays in Australia's national defence", Mrs Markus said.
RUDD MUST GUARANTEE SMALL BUSINESS PAYMENTS
Evidence from Austrade at last week’s Senate Additional Estimates hearings has revealed that small businesses face being denied of at least $50 million for reimbursement of their export promotion activities, Shadow Trade Minister Warren Truss said today.
The Export Market Development ( EMDG) Scheme reimburses small and medium sized Australian businesses (SMEs) for up to 50% of expenses incurred on export promotion. Eighty per cent of claims are made by small businesses with turnover of less than $5 million.
Questioning of Austrade by Senator Alan Ferguson at Estimates revealed that:
- The budgeted amount for this year’s claims, after administration expenses, is $190.2 million.
- There has been a 15% increase in claim numbers, and a 20% increase in claim value, over last year’s expenditure on the scheme of $195 million.
- Austrade has so far paid or partially paid 3100 claims out of the 5150 claims lodged, at a cost of $113.01 million.
- The total value of claims lodged is $269 million.
Mr Truss said that the outcome for EMDG claims payable in 2010-11 that is for SMEs undertaking export promotion activities right now - will be even worse, as Labor’s budget for the Scheme falls to $150 million next year.
The EMDG Scheme is a capped program, so when the value of claims increases, the level of reimbursement goes down.
Mr Truss said that this calamity facing SMEs is a direct result of administrative incompetence and procrastination by Trade Minister Crean and the Rudd Labor Government.
Mr Crean expanded eligibility for the Scheme as an election promise but only provided increased funding for the 2009/10 financial year.
Mr Crean then commissioned David Mortimer to review the Scheme and released the Mortimer Report on 22 September 2008. The Mortimer Report recommended that all the changesto the Scheme introduced by Mr Crean be reversed. Mr Crean promised to respond to the recommendations by Christmas 2008. More than 17 months later, Mr Crean remains silent.
Mr Truss said that the Prime Minister must now intervene and guarantee that EMDG grants will be paid in full in both the 2009/10 and 2010/11 years.
If Labor really wants to stimulate the economy, keeping faith with small business exporters will go a lot further than pink batts and school halls, Mr Truss concluded.
19 February 2010
HOMELESS PLEDGE AMOUNTS TO $33 PER HOMELESS PERSON PER YEAR
Today's announcement by Kevin Rudd in relation to homelessness is yet another political announcement designed for political capital rather than getting people off the streets.
"Kevin Rudd has clearly thought this one up overnight, designed for political outcomes rather than taking action to reduce homelessness," Opposition Housing spokesman Gary Humphries said today.
"On the Government's own projections, this amounts to only $33 per homeless person per year not enough to buy a homeless person a roof over their head for one night, much less one year.
"This is hardly taking the matter seriously.
This is a token commitment which makes a mockery of any serious plan to halve homelessness by 2020.
"Why should we take the promise to halve homelessness any more seriously than the promise to fix hospitals by 2009, to have a computer on every student's desk or to turn back illegal boat arrivals? Especially when we take into account, by the Prime Minister’s own admission, homelessness has actually risen since making his pledge back in 2007. We have a Prime Minister using this issue for political advantage. We need real and practical solutions to combat homelessness and only a Coalition Government can achieve this," Senator Humphries concluded.
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