Stimulus Package voted down by Mr X

[Jovial Monk]

Will be reintroduced to HoR tonight & back to Senate tomorrow when Mr X will pass it, I hope! Lieberals tried to pass some motion in HoR, acting all smug. Inside they must be shitscared! Bet when the Bill is put to the Senate again a 'rogue' Liberal Senator or two will cross the floor to ensure it passes on the second go!

Lot has been happening (fools whinging politics now is boring must be brain dead)

Job figures show huge growth in fulltime employment in January--that first stimulus package is still delivering! Bonuses do give good results! Our economy is holding up well though overall employment is weakening! Thank God it is Rudd & Swan now not the Rodent & Tip!

[TomB]

Xenophobe for PM.
He's got bigger balls than Barnaby.

[Jovial Monk]

And about the same tiny brain. . .

[Ethnic]

JM try to get some balance. Nick X is just trying to get a better deal for the Murray. I would have thought you would support that.

[Rainbow Moonlight]

Interesting development- hope they can negotiate a compromise tonight. I doubt any Libs will cross the floor. Good on Fielding I say. He was willing to discuss and work out with Labor something he could support.

[Aussie]

The X Man is in serious political trouble, down stream.

[Jovial Monk]

Celetina, Nick is just trying to grandstand. He will not get anything real on the MD.

[Rainbow Moonlight]

i think he will get some of what he wants. the rudd government is ken to pass this legislation and people in the community support it. Evidently the treasurer and Xenophon have been negotiating all night.

[TomB]

Nick is just trying to grandstand. He will not get anything real on the MD.

Of course he's grandstanding, that's part of politics in case you hadn't noticed.

Xenophon is perfectly right to use this desperate situation to force some action for the lower Murray river in his home state and in fact it would be remiss of him not to do so. The govt is intent on throwing money around like used tissue paper and it's a prime opportunity to get some for the environment.

[mantra.]

They say it probably will pass in the Senate today - but the package is just ridiculous. Who's going to be paying this back - our children? There are loopholes for double dipping and many of those who received bonuses at Xmas will again be able to claim just for the very reason of putting in a tax return last year - even if they only paid a dollar, and those who are earning less than $100,000 on their investments will also be entitled to it.

At Xmas there were overpayments - people have laughed about it and this time it will be even worse.

There is no money for alternative energy initiatives, no cap on insulation, no major infrastructure ie water storage and only a small amount for improved roads. All those people that want this package to go through are those who just want another handout - there is no thought at all for the future of our children and this country in Rudd's stimulus package - but our kids will have to pay it back and work as indentured labourers in the future.

Fielding is a useless joke and Rudd is only getting popularity votes at the moment because he is following in Howard's footsteps by porkbarrelling. If we're going to get into this much debt now - how much will we be in next year, or the year after? Many people are saying they don't need this money.

As far as the creation of more public housing goes - it won't be for those who have been waiting on the list for 6 or 7 years - it will be for the 350,000 refugees this government is bringing out this year. They are always given priority public housing.

We're talking tens of billions of dollars here - not just a few dollars we can make up in corporate tax in a few months. We are spending 5% of GDP on this package and even the US who are in worse straits than us are only spending 2.5%.

The Government secured five crucial votes from the Greens after offering them a deal to strip $50 off the $950 handouts to fund a range of environment and employment initiatives.

A small change for the better - but not enough.