It's just a spoonful of medicine for Tony Abbott

Health Minister Tony Abbott says that recent criticisms of the coalition by the international medical community cannot be taken seriously.

A highly respected international medical journal, The Lancet, has condemned the Howard Government in an article, titled, ‘The Politics of Fear and Neglect’.

The Prime Minister’s recent suggestion that immigrants with HIV should be banned from entering the country, the editorial says, is evidence of Howard’s indifference to the medical research community.

In no uncertain terms the editorial calls for a change of government.

It describes Howard as profoundly intolerant and complacent, and accuses him of inciting cynical politics.

“To any visitor, Australian culture feels progressive and inclusive,” the editorial says. “This attractive exterior belies a strong undercurrent of political conservatism, which Howard is ruthlessly tapping into.”

It points to a political commentator’s observation that a conservative coalition has ruled for 42 of 58 years.

Tony Abbott was also criticised for saying those who spoke up for Indigenous health were “simply establishing politically and morally correct credentials.”

Abbott is the only minister so far to respond to the editorial’s criticism:

“I mean, if Lancet were to say that we still have a long way to go in Indigenous health, sure, I'd be the first to agree, but they have engaged in a bit of gratuitous slag and bag.”

“And this is not a medical judgment they're making, it's a political judgment,” he said.

The Lancet John Howard Tony Abbott HIV/AIDS Indigenous health immigration

John Howard's rain dance

The federal Government has warned that farmers from the Murray-Darling Basin will have their water rights taken away and that there will be significant vegetable and fruit price rises if it does not rain heavily soon.

The 60, 000 farmers from the Murray-Darling Basin contribute 40 per cent to the nation’s agriculture industry.

There is disagreement, however, between Prime Minister John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull over the $10 billion national water plan.

Howard contradicted his environment minister, declaring that a national water plan cannot work without Victoria.

According to Turnbull, the Government will go ahead with the plan if Victoria refuses to sign-up, even though it may not work as well.

In this case Victoria will not get any of the $10 billion funding.

"It will be a very bitter blow to Victorian irrigators to see so much investment on the other side of the border." he said.

Scientists and farmers are critical of the recent media attention on the Murray-Darling Basin, claiming that government authorities have known for 20 years about the serious water problems facing its farmers but have done little to prevent it.

global warming Murray-Darling Basin Malcolm Turnbull John Howard 10 billion dollar water plan

Why you've got a spring in your step

Prime Minister John Howard has claimed that IR laws contributed significantly to the latest low unemployment figures.

"It can fairly be asserted that the removal of the unfair dismissal laws has made a very positive contribution to a reduction in unemployment.”

“Pigs might fly,” was Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd’s response when asked for his thoughts on Howard's claim.

Rudd said that the reduction in the unemployment rate was due to the mining boon in the economy.

Many remain sceptical of unemployment figures, however, believing them to be grossly misleading.

Under the current (ABS) definition, those who work for one hour in any given week are counted as employed, regardless of whether or not that work is continuous.

unemployment figures WorkChoices John Howard Kevin Rudd

O Captain! My Captain!

The Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop has had great difficulty convincing state and territory counterparts that performance-based pay will improve the standard of teacher quality across the nation.

State ministers are generally in agreement with Shadow Minister for Education Stephen Smith who called her proposal for performance-based pay "narrow and simplistic."

Smith also made reference to a new study by the Australian Council for Education Research which found that performance-based systems have not worked overseas. According to the report the schemes were vulnerable to bias and cronyism.

Teacher unions have raised similar concerns about parents and students being able to set a teacher's level of pay.

Under Labor’s plan trainee teachers will sit literacy and numeracy tests and existing teachers will have ongoing professional development training.

Bishop has threatened to withhold $3 billion in commonwealth education funding if the states refuse to accept her plan.


Education policy Julie Bishop Stephen Smith

Abbott says the Menzies Report is a coincidence

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott has denied suggestions that the Menzies Report was released to lesson the severity of Oxfam’s findings on indigenous health.

Oxfam’s Executive Director Andrew Hewett said that findings from the Oxfam report are scandalous.

Australia is ranked at the bottom of wealthy nations for the health outcomes of its indigenous citizens.

The life expectancy of Aborigines is 20 years less than that of other Australians.

In New Zealand, Canada and the US the gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous citizens is about 7 years.

Abbott said that he was encouraged by the Menzies report.

He highlighted findings that Aboriginal women are now living 14 years longer than they were in the 1960s and men are living eight years longer.

“It is not quite the situation of unremitting gloom which we tend to get,” Abbott said.

Indigenous health services are the focus of a national two-day conference beginning today.

Indigenous health Aborigines Oxfam report Menzies Report life expectancy

Did he say the Messiah?

After another strong poll for Labor, Health Minister Tony Abbott has hinted that tax cuts and other big election sweeteners will be on the agenda in this year’s budget.

“The money belongs to the public and they deserve to have it back,” Abbott said, likening his and other political leaders' roles in government to that of stewards.

He shrugged off any suggestion that personal attacks on Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd backfired on the Coalition, saying they were appropriate at the time.

“We’re in a different phase now,” he said.

When asked about his own attack on Rudd, Abbott said that Rudd only had himself to blame.

The childhood story Rudd related to the media was like “a narrative of political redemption,” he said

“It was almost a messiah story.”

The public can read into it what they will, he said.

Labor has slipped 4 points from 61 to 57 per cent on a two-party preferred vote in the latest Newspoll result. The Coalition is up from 39 to 43 per cent.


Newspoll Tony Abbott Kevin Rudd tax cuts

Guantanamo Justice

Guantanamo detainee David Hicks has been sentenced to nine months after pleading guilty to the new Military Commissions Act of providing material support for terrorism.

He is not allowed to speak to the media for one year as a part of the condition of his sentence. Here are what others have had to say:

Prime Minister John Howard: “He’s not a hero in my eyes and he ought not to be a hero in the eyes of any people in the Australian community… He pleaded guilty to knowingly assisting a terrorist organisation - namely al-Qaeda.”

Colonel Morris Davis: (Prosecutor): “We told [Howard and Ruddock] we would provide a fair trial, they took us at our word and I believe this week we accomplished that. So, I appreciate their support.”

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock: “The sentence proves that Hicks received a rigorous defence.”

Terry Hicks: “I believe it's too coincidental that David is kept out of sight until after the election… It’s political and designed to help the government's chances.”

Lex Lasry QC (Defence team): “As far as the Australian Government’s concerned it’s interesting that there’s an election in Australia later this year and Mr Hicks will be in custody until after it and he won’t be able to speak about his circumstances for another year.”

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer: “I have no concerns, I don’t mind whether he’s gagged or not ... I don’t know whether it would matter one way or the other to us so much.”

Treasure Peter Costello: “(It’s) a pretty stiff sentence but I must say for those people who say ‘poor David Hicks’, I say the poor dead and their families who died in the World Trade Centre and in the Bali bombings.”

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd: “We are no defenders of Mr Hicks; we are no defenders of what he has done or what he is alleged to have done. We are a defender of his legal rights and human rights.”

Senator Bob Brown: “This is more about saving Mr Howard’s political hide than about justice for Hicks… It is clearly a political fix arranged between Mr Howard and the Bush administration to shut Hicks up until after the election in November.”

Major Michael Mori (Defence team): “I’m not going to talk about private discussions I’ve had with government officials - US or Australian.”

David Hicks Major Michael Mori Colonel Morris Davis Colonel Ralph Kohlmann Guantanamo Prime Minister John Howard Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd Terry Hicks military commissions australia America George Bush