@BenCarrollMP You just secured your retirement with more than 300k a year without us voting for you. You may or may not even win the November election.
The 55 members making up European soccer governing body UEFA unanimously voted Thursday in support of a boycott of future men’s and women’s World Cups in reaction to global soccer governing body FIFA’s plan to inject private money into its competitions. cnn.it/4vXarq8
Anthony Albanese is facing a fierce rebellion from state governments over his plan to abolish higher private health insurance rebates for over 65s, as new polling shows nearly 40 per cent of seniors in outer-suburban and regional electorates are more likely to drop their cover under federal Labor's policy.
#The health ministers of NSW, Queensland and Tasmania told The Australian the "deeply concerning" decision to scrap the higher rebate for over-65s would put further pressure on their strained public hospital systems, in an escalation of national cabinet tensions.
#The warning shot from the states came as major research commissioned by Private Healthcare Australia poured doubt on the government’s projection that only 44,000 people would dump their cover, revealed nearly 60% of Labor voters believed pensioners should be exempt and showed that the “intergenerational equity” justification had fallen flat among younger voters.
And a document obtained by The Australian shows the federal Health Department predicted cutting the rebate for over-65s would have a detrimental impact on low-income pensioners and revealed there had been no consultation before the announcement.
The “private health cameos” document, obtained through a freedom of information request from the Coalition, forecast the policy’s impact on fictional characters before Health Minister Mark Butler adopted it.
In one case, a Geelong-based retiree in her late 70s with an income of about $30,000 would drop private health insurance.
The retiree – dubbed Heather – needed a hip replacement and decided to rely on the public health system.
“Heather realises that, in addition to struggling with the additional cost of her premium, she cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs of having her hip replacement in the private system,” says the document by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
In another fictional case study produced by the department, a Launceston couple on a $47,000 pension chose to re-evaluate gold health cover that they had held for most of their lives.
The couple, called Barbara and Joe, were slugged an extra $298 under the policy and had to make sacrifices in their budget to keep their insurance.
“In order to pay for the increased private health insurance, on top of increasing cost of living, they have to cut back with other expenses,” the document says.
The document also says the “department has not consulted on the specific proposed changes to the rebate due to the sensitivities involved”.
theaustralian.com.au/nation/politic…
Victorian families are facing real cost of living pressure right now.
That's why my government is extending 20% off car rego - giving everyone an extra month to claim it.
This means up to $186 per car straight back into your household budget.
The Australian Federal Police have charged a 39 year old Darwin woman for allegedly abusing her role as a public servant to facilitate corruption involving millions of dollars in NDIS funding. Investigators from the Fraud Fusion Taskforce allege she used her position to refer vulnerable members of the community to an NDIS business she co-owned.
Sonja Terpstra has officially lost the plot.
There are entire social media groups dedicated to sharing pothole photos across Victoria.
Nothing Victorians love more than the thrill of swerving into a tree to dodge a crater… or a fun little trip to the mechanic for a wheel alignment and new tyres.
Absolute favourite pastime! 🤡🤡🤡