Achievements of the Abbott Government To Date
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This guest post by Matthew Davis originally featured on his website.
The Abbott Government has been in power for 263 days. Since the election they:
- Funded PNG's defence against a legal challenge to the Manus Island detention centre.
Redirected $4 million from the Child Sex Abuse Royal Commission to the Home Insulation Inquiry.
Gave the Minister for Infrastructure the power to silence Infrastructure
Australia (an independent body) without justification. (See section
5A(2) of the link.)
Tried to scrap the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency.
Confiscated medication from asylum seeker detainees.
Deliberately hid the cost of the $4.45 million renovations on the Lodge.
Tried to introduce a $7 fee for each time you go to see a GP.
Spent $50,000 on one dinner for 60 G20 guests, including food specially flown to Washington from all over Australia.
Lied about the presence of a full time psychiatrist on Manus Island.
Cut over $900 million from local council funding.
Scrapped tax breaks for people with a dependent spouse.
Voted against the creation of a federal anti-corruption body.
Called Bill Shorten a "cunt" in parliament, on camera.
Scrapped The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership.
Cut $170 million from the Research Training Scheme, which supported research students.
Spent $12 million to investigate whether to sell a department which makes $0.538 billion per year for only $6 billion.
Cut $15 million from Charles Sturt University's dental health program and oral clinic.
Cut $2.5 billion from aged care programs, such as Meals On Wheels.
Removed financial rewards which encouraged Universities to enroll disadvantaged students.
Scrapped the National Rental Affordability Scheme from 2015 onwards.
Cut sunday penalty rates for casual restaurant workers.
Cut $16 million from ANSTO, Australia's only source of medical isotopes.
Slashed $1.1 million used to fight against animal abuse.
Made $110 million of broad-sweeping cuts to the Arts. The only
organisation to receive more funding ($1 million more) is coincidentally
chaired by the daughter of Rupert Murdoch.
Cut $28.2 million from the Australia Council, which provides grants for the arts.
Cut $38 million from Australian television and film funding.
Scrapped the National Water Commission.
Threw another $100 million at the mining industry.
Scrapped the National Preventive Health Agency’s $2.9 million National Tobacco Campaign.
Broke an election promise to have over one million roofs with solar panels.
Broke an election promise by cutting billions from school funding and committing to even less of the Gonski reforms.
Scrapped a program to encourage graduates to take up work in places of need.
Cut $1.3 billion from seniors concessions funding.
Scrapped the Community Food Safety campaign.
Cut $2.3 million from contributions to the World Health Organization.
Scrapped a program which encouraged Australian video game development.
Deregulated university fees, thereby allowing Universities to charge
what they want. Students will end up with American levels of crippling
debt. Many of the politicians behind this policy received their degrees
for free.
Scrapped the Women's leadership program.
Broke an election promise by cutting well over $15 billion per year from health funding.
Scrapped the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority, which helped increase organ donation rates.
Tightened eligibility and lowered indexation for support for injured Veterans.
Scrapped the Commonwealth Human Rights Education Programme.
Scrapped the Education Department’s Online Diagnostic Tools Program, which helped improve teachers' productivity.
Cut $4.4 million from job interview workshop programs.
Scrapped the Office of Water Science research program.
Reduced the Medicare optometry rebate.
Spent $480 million merging the Department of Immigration and Customs
into Border Force, which won't have to follow public service or ADF laws
and protocols of conduct.
Simultaneously increased the cost of petrol and cut funding for public transport.
Scrapped Youth Connections, a program which helped school leavers find work.
Removed family tax benefits for children older than 6, and drastically
reduced the income threshold for its eligibility and froze it below
interest rates.
Cut $845.6 million from programs which fund innovative start-ups.
Stopped giving under 25s Newstart.
Spent $218 million upgrading Christmas Island's asylum seeker
operations, so that we can whisk off vulnerable people out of side
quicker before we start abusing them.
Halved the $2.55 billion emissions reduction fund.
Cut $2 billion from Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Landcare and other environmental agencies.
Cut over half a billion from Indigenous spending.
Cut 16,500 public service jobs, despite promising to create one million new jobs.
Cut the Exotic Diseases program.
Ended the Get Reading! program.
Scrapped the Centre for Quality Teaching.
Cut $111 million from the CSIRO.
Cut $120 million from ethanol and biofuel programs.
Cut all funding to NICTA, a peak technology research company.
Cut welfare for young people, so they have to survive on $0 per week for
6 months, before being put on a welfare scheme which is below the
poverty line anyway.
Set aside $245 million for religious chaplains in schools. Secular
schools do not have the option of hiring a secular equivalent.
Scrapped the First Home Buyer's Account scheme, which provided sorely needed assistance for young people to buy homes.
Broke an election promise by tightening disability pension eligibility
and financially penalising anyone who spends at least 4 weeks overseas.
Broke an election promise by changing age pension indexation, and eligibility age, and the threshold.
Abolished the position of disability discrimination commissioner.
Cut all funding to the government's only dedicated disability website.
Broke an election promise by cutting $40 million from the SBS and ABC.
Cut foreign aid, again. This time by $7.6 billion.
Started charging interest on HECs.
Reduced the income threshold where graduates start to pay back HECS.
Cut $138 million from the Australian Federal Police, resulting in 335 job losses.
Scrapped a loan scheme which helped apprentices buy the tools they need to learn and work.
Deliberately ignored desperate and repeated pleas by security personnel
on Manus Island requesting stronger fencing, CCT cameras and better
lighting. These requests were made months before locals broke down the
fences, shot, stabbed and bashed detainees.
Claimed asylum seekers are safe on Nauru, even after an unexploded wartime shell was found inside the compound.
Claimed asylum seekers are safe on Nauru, even after it was leaked that
some guards physically and verbally assault children regularly.
Failed to provide adequate medical treatment to asylum seekers on Manus
Island who were shot and bashed by locals who invaded the camp and
rioted.
Went $1 million (67%) over budget on the Commision of Audit, an
investigation into how taxpayer money can be spent more prudently.
Cut $15 million from Flinders Hospital, then spent $10 million upgrading the field for the Manly Rugby Leage team.
Broke an election promise to not cut ABC funding, by cutting all funding to the Australia Network (part of the ABC).
Described wind farms as "urterly offensive" and "a blight on the landscape".
Spent $20 million on an international campaign to discourage people from fleeing war crimes, genocide and other persecution.
Broke an election promise by proposing a deficit tax.
Chose not to debrief any Manus Island detention centre staff after the
riots by PNG locals which resulted in the death of one asylum seeker and
the hospitalisation of dozens more.
Paid people $1500 per person per day to recommend spending cuts.
Failed to act on the recommendations of the commander of Operation
Sovereign Borders regarding CCTV cameras and strong fences on Manus
island. 3 months later security guards and locals pushed over the fences
and assaulted the asylum seekers, resulting in 1 death and dozens of
hospitilisations, none of which was caught on CCTV footage.
Tried to abolish the independent national charity regulation body, which
would mean the government would regulate charities, possibly resulting
in less impartial regulation. For example, environmental groups stripped
of charity status because they oppose government policies.
Removed climate change from the agenda of the 2014 international G20 summit.
Spent about $2 million for Prince William and Kate's 14 day royal visit.
Spent $3 billion on new drones to patrol our borders.
Spent $7.5 million on life boats to send back asylum seekers in.
Allegedly the motivation behind the government's asylum seeker policy is
to stop people drowning when travelling from neighbouring countries to
Australia in unsafe vessels. Despite this, much of the safety equipment
was removed from the boats before sending asylum seekers back into the
ocean.
Tried to prevent internet supplier TPG from installing fibre all the way to customers.
Broke an election promise by no longer guaranteeing NBN speeds higher than what ADSL can provide.
Classified people born in Australia who have never left Australia as
"unauthorised maritime arrivals" because their parents haven't had their
asylum claims processed yet.
Scrapped a body which provides advice on over $1 billion in tax breaks
that are designed to encourage Research and Development, despite
promising during the election to improve incentives for Research and
Development investment.
Claimed a 2.5% reduction in funding every year for the ABC is not a
funding cut. The government promised during the election to not cut ABC
funding.
Cut over 300 jobs (about 1 in 3) in the Treasury department.
Cut 400 jobs in the Department of Industry.
Removed anti-sweatshop laws and cut all funding to Ethical Clothing Australia.
Closed all Medicare offices on Saturdays.
Ceased legal assistance for people exercising their right to make a claim for asylum.
Cut 250 jobs from the Federal Environment Department.
Increased the fee for lodging Freedom of Information requests.
Increased the eligibility age for the pension.
Claimed that the average electricity bill will be $200 per year lower
without the price on carbon, despite relevant power companies rejecting
the magnitude of this figure.
Implemented a policy which dictates that public servants should be
sacked if they criticise the government in social media, even if their
profile does not mention the their employment, and even if the profile
is completely anonymous.
Chose not to give 300 children almost any schooling during 9 months of detention.
Threatened staff against speaking out about the mismanagement of the
Manus Island detention centre and the attacks against it's inmates by
locals and staff.
Detained people in conditions so inhumane and horrid that a pregnant
woman asked for an abortion, to stop her child suffering in detention
indefinitely.
Chose not to process any claims for asylum from people detained on Manus Island.
Claimed that all social media is anonymous.
Chose to keep secret the report into the riots inside the Manus Island detention centre.
Paid a public relations company $97,000 for 3 weeks of work to help
improve the Education Department's image, then refused to release the
report that came of it.
Claimed the government will be $13.7 billion better off if the Mining
Tax is scrapped, even though the loss of the tax itself would actually
result in a net loss If $3.7 billion. The only savings would be through
other cuts hidden in the repeal bill. The biggest of which is the
Schoolkids Bonus (an initiative which was never associated with the
Mining Tax).
Interfered with the judicial process by transferring asylum seekers to a
remote detention centre the day before they started a court case
against the Australian Government. The case was about how the government
endangered them and their families by accidentally publishing personal
details about their asylum claims online.
Spent more money on detention centres than it would cost to house asylum
seekers in Sydney's most expensive 5 star hotels (per asylum seeker per
day).
Started charging people who put in bankruptcy applications, and increased the levy on money earned post-bankruptcy.
Broke international laws by arbitrarily imprisoning children.
Scrapped a program to give asylum seekers free advice on how to navigate
Australia's immigration bureaucracy when exercising their right to seek
asylum. The justification for this scrapping was based on the false
claim that asylum seekers are illegal.
Tried to reintroduce temporary protection visas.
Ignored an order from the United Nations Human Rights Committee to
release some asylum seekers who are being illegally held without proof
or judicial protection, in cruel, inhumane or degrading circumstance.
Reintroduced the British system of knights and dames, only 3 months after saying they would not do so.
Spent $211,000 on public relations staff to make the Medibank Private sale more palatable to the public.
Sold Medibank Private for $4 billion, even though that means the
government will lose up to $0.5 billion per year of income from
dividends.
Claimed that all Australians have the "right to be a bigot".
Refused to grant a human rights lawyer access to the Manus Island detention centre.
Backed PNG's decision to cancel a human rights inquiry into the Manus Island detention centre.
Issued Manus island detention centre guards with knives designed for
noose cutting, because they frequently need to cut down people who try
to hang themselves because of the horrid conditions.
Tried to exempt loggers in Tasmania's World Heritage forests from the
Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, so they
won't have to worry about killing threatened species.
Claimed that the majority of asylum seekers on Manus island won't be
given refugee status, even though more than 90% of all asylum seekers
who've come to Australia since mid 2009 were eventually found to be
genuine refugees, fleeing torture, rape, genocide and persecution.
Vowed to revive a part of WorkChoices which means construction Industry
Enterprise Bargaining Agreements don't apply to subcontractors doing
Commonwealth work.
Refused to support a UN proposal to investigate war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Sri Lanka. If such crimes been committed, the Abbott
government will be guilty of crimes against humanity for forcefully
sending refugees back to Sri Lanka, and for actively helping the Sri
Lankan military stop people from fleeing their rape, torture and
genocide. A Sri Lankan Tribunal has already proven that the Sri Lankan
government is guilty of genocide.
Failed to provide running water to some toilets in the detention centre on Manus Island.
Spent $25 million extending the contracts of the crew on one ship so they could be part of Operation Sovereign Borders.
Provided no soap in the Manus Island detention centre and regularly gave asylum seekers worm infested food.
Proposed amendments to the Racial Discrimination Act so that people who
"offend" or "insult" someone because of their "race, colour or national
or ethnic origin" will not be legally required to pay compensation.
Gave $100 million to Australia's 2 most profitable mining companies,
despite claiming "the age of entitlement is over", and despite refusing
to give corporate welfare to struggling companies who have to sack
hundreds of workers.
Prevented journalists from interviewing asylum seekers injured in the Manus Island riots.
Lied thrice in one BBC interview by claiming that the Abbott government
is considering settling asylum seekers in Australia, and claiming that
children in detention go to school, and claiming that asylum seekers on
Manus Island are having their claims processed. None of these claims are
true.
Cut all welfare ($260,000) for orphans of defence force casualties.
Gave state governments an ultimatum: sell off government assets before a
certain deadline, (regardless of whether the people or the state
government want to) or miss out on billions of dollars of funding. This
includes selling NSW's 'poles and wires' for only $3-5 billion, even
though they generate over $1.5 billion per year for the government. The
states would not be allowed to use the money from the sales to pay off
debt.
Justified the logging of forests currently on the world heritage list
because Christianity supposedly tells us "the environment is meant for
man".
Ripped $140 billion out of Australians' superannuation accounts through
loosening of consumer protection rules regarding financial planning.
Deported the mother of a 4 year old Australian citizen, thereby
separating the child permanently from her only remaining guardian.
Stopped collecting data on gender equality in the workplace.
Threatened to block government funding from arts groups who refuse sponsorship from corporations the artists deem unethical.
Lied to the United Nations about the quality of the Tasmanian forests they want removed from the world heritage list.
Claimed no Sri Lankan asylum seekers have been sent back into danger,
despite being in possession of documents which prove at least one asylum
seeker was tortured after being forcefully sent back. A Sri Lankan
tribunal recently proved that the Sri Lankan government was guilty of
genocide. The United Nations Human Rights Commission is currently
investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka.
Suggested most existing major roads should introduce tolls.
Spent $24 billion on new fighter jets, which aren't going to be built in Australia, despite the supposed budget emergency.
Claimed locating detention centres on Australian soil would not be "civilised".
Failed to supply enough food to asylum seekers inside the detention centre on Manus Island.
Secretly defeated an international nuclear disarmament treaty, arguing
against a sentence in the treaty which stated that it is in the
interests of humanity that nuclear weapons never be used again "under
any circumstances". Australia argued that a disarmament treaty would be
less effective at reducing proliferation than having no disarmament
treaty.
Kept secret the taxpayer funded 900 page Audit commission report which
recommended tightening eligibility for seniors health cards.
Tried to scrap the price on carbon, even though the emissions of relevant companies have dropped by 7% due to the price.
Declined an offer from the Uniting Church to care for unaccompanied
refugee children currently in detention centres. The church offered to
feed house and clothe them free of charge.
Ridiculed the notion that the minister for women should identify as a feminist.
Started 5 audits of the NBN within the first 7 months of being in power.
Proposed the scrapping of regulation which prevents media monopolies and duopolies.
Claimed that loggers are "the ultimate conservationists" during a speech
about why the government will not create more national parks. In the
same speech Abbott lamented that we have "too much locked up forest".
There are currently over 1000 innocent children locked up in detention
centres, presumably this is not "too much".
Doubled electoral registration fees in an attempt to suppress the
Liberals' loss of votes to minor parties, thereby undermining democracy.
Blamed Qantas job losses on the carbon tax, even though a Qantas
spokesman said "Qantas' current issues are not related to carbon
pricing".
Finally admitted that "Operation Sovereign Borders" is a civilian operation not a military one.
Spent over $15,000 on a custom made bookcase to replace a $7,000 custom
bookcase which holds $13,000 worth of taxpayer funded books and
magazines in senator Brandis' office.
Spent $22,000 taxpayer dollars buying new cutlery and crockery for the ministerial wing of parliament.
Hired 66 media staff for the department of Immigration, despite the fact
that the department tells the media almost nothing. Those same staff
spent over $9,000 in 2 months monitoring the media for transcripts of
their own minister's press conferences.
Proposed a "green army" comprised of young people paid less than half of minimum wage without normal workplace protections.
Cut $3 million in funding for a program to save an endangered rhino species of which there are only 100 left.
Referred to our humanitarian immigration program as "Operation Sovereign Murders".
Defended spending $3.5 million on a tent kitchen on Manus Island.
Sent asylum seekers back to Indonesia, 3 of which later died trying to cross a river in the jungle they landed next to.
Defended the Manus Island scheme during a press conference about the man
who was shot dead in our detention centres by claiming the government
is "ending the deaths" of asylum seekers.
Chose not to send any representatives to the Partnership for Market
Readiness assembly, a conference which Australia helped fund which is
about market mechanisms to curb emissions.
Appointed someone to head the investigation into the Manus Island riots
who claimed that rape victims in Manus Island detention centres receive
better treatment than Australians.
Planned a doubling of the defence force's annual budget, increasing it
by $24 billion, despite the supposed budget emergency and after the
withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defied legislation by not appointing the Climate Change Authority to run the investigation into the Renewable Energy Target.
Blamed electricity price rises on the renewable energy target, despite
Energy Australia stating that the target suppressed prices.
Banned the distribution of condoms in detention centres.
Forced Manus Island staffers to lie to detainees.
Placed an ex-officer of the Sri Lanka army in charge of the Manus Island
detention centre, which holds people fleeing the Sri Lanka army's war
crimes and genocide.
Spent $13.3 million on floating hotels for detention centre staff on Manus island.
Admitted the information given about the Manus detention centre riots was drastically wrong.
Convinced Cambodia (one of the poorest countries in our region) to take
in some of the refugees currently in our detention centres. Serious
human rights abuse continues to be committed regularly under the
Cambodian government and military.
Purchased 8 new Poseidon aircraft totalling $4 billion despite the "budget emergency".
Guarded the body of a dead asylum seeker using guards who were possibly
the ones that shot him. Those same guards confiscated a camera from a
journalist on site then deleted all his photos.
Blamed the Carbon Tax for job losses at Alcoa's aluminium smelter,
despite Alcoa being 94.5% exempt from the tax, and despite Alcoa
explicitly stating that "the carbon tax was not a factor in the
decision".
Accidentally published personal details about almost 10,000 asylum
seekers and their claims, thereby putting all their lives in danger.
Regardless of whether the original asylum claims were genuine, if those
asylum seekers are returned to their country of origin, they and their
family may be imprisoned, tortured or killed because governments and
militias in their country of origin will know they sought asylum. As
part of a press release about the accidental leak, the government made
public further information about where to find the still life
threatening document.
Admitted that Navy ships "inadvertently" crossed into Indonesian waters
despite using high tech GPS navigation, then they made the exact same
mistake again 5 times. The government chose to not even interview any
crew members of one such ship when writing a report on the matter.
Removed poverty reduction from the goals of the foreign affairs department, which manages foreign aid.
Paid their own indigenous employees substantially less than non-indigenous co-workers despite promising to help "close the gap".
Deleted negative comments on the Department of Immigration's Facebook
page, but left objectively false comments, such as claims that asylum
seeking is illegal.
Denied responsibility after Manus Island detention centre guards let in a
mob of locals, resulting in an asylum seeker being shot and dozens more
injured. Injuries included slit throats, machete wounds and eyes
hanging from sockets.
Chose not to mention a $882 million payout to News Corp. when outlining a
$16.8 billion budget black hole. The payout was the single biggest item
in the black hole.
Annoyed the Navy by having the immigration minister tour naval bases like a defence minister would.
Promised to continue with their NBN plan even if a cost-benifit analysis
(which is yet to be done) shows it does not give a worthwhile return on
investment.
Chose a climate change denier to lead a review of the renewable energy target.
Denied any link between droughts and climate change.
Spent $4.3 million on market research to gauge public opinion on social media and other outlets about government policies.
Proposed greater government control over the internet, including the power to order ISPs to block specific sites.
Attempted to undermine the rule of law by granting the Environment
Minister retrospective legal immunity against court challenges alleging
he failed to consider expert environmental advice before approving
damaging mining projects. i.e. They are legislating to allow the
Environment Minister to literally ignore the environment.
Exempted Western Australia from federal laws protecting endangered
species to allow a shark cull, despite evidence culls do not reduce the
frequency of attacks on humans.
Spread propaganda to potential asylum seekers which deliberately make
Australia look like a villainous, uncompassionate country. The
propaganda completely ignores the violence, torture, rape and
persecution that causes people to seek asylum.
Disbanded an asylum seeker health panel of 12 experts from a range of
fields, replacing it with one military surgeon. The government has
refused to comment on the matter.
Alleged that Edward Snowden endangered lives and claimed that Australia does not need any surveillance reform.
Denied any wrongdoing after a government aid married to the head of a
junk food lobby pulled down a government website providing simplified
nutritional information within hours of its launch.
Cut 500 jobs from the Australian Tax Office.
Violated Youtube's policies regarding deceptive content, resulting in the suspension of Abbott's whole channel.
Lied about NSW signing on with their independent schools deal.
Proposed the conversion of one quarter of public schools to independent schools.
Said "the age of entitlement is over" yet continues to give mining
companies billions of dollars of subsidies and tax concessions.
Lied about the working conditions at SPC factories to justify declining financial assistance.
Arbitrarily denied many asylum seekers the right to a lawyer during the interviews where they make their asylum claim.
Withheld asylum seeker arrival numbers to avoid being a "shipping news
service for people smugglers", despite literally advertising those same
numbers on a billboard while in opposition.
Dismissed out of hand serious allegations that Navy personnel assaulted
asylum seekers, based on the supposed moral perfection those personnel. A
recent investigation proved that some of those personnel had sexually
assaulted other crew by inserting objects up their arses. The Defence
Force and the Immigration Department didn't even bother interviewing the
asylum seekers who made the claims.
Embarrassed Australia on the world stage by oversimplifying the Syrian conflict as "goodies vs baddies".
Appointed yet another straight, white cisgendered male as Governor General.
Appointed Kevin Donnelly to lead the new curriculum review. Donnelly
once questioned whether migrants and women are disadvantaged, and
suggested homosexuality is "unnatural".
Called Edward Snowden a traitor.
Criticised the ABC because they aren't biased towards the Government.
Accepted a claim for asylum not because of the merit of the claim but because Cricket Australia wanted the man in their team.
Violated international convention by criticising Labor on the Global stage.
Stole crucial evidence from an Australian lawyer representing East Timor
in an international tribunal against Australia relating to our illegal
spying on East Timor's oil deal.
Shut down the 113 year old Australian Valuation Office, thereby making 200 jobs disappear.
Provoked Indonesia so much that they put their air force on standby at the border.
Crossed into Indonesian waters without authorisation again, then
abandoned a boat without enough fuel to get to shore, forcing asylum
seekers to swim for an hour to get to shore.
Opposed moves to cease the recital of the (Christian) Lord's prayer at
the start of each sitting day of (secular) federal parliament.
Cut all funding from all international environmental programs.
Closed mainland detention centres and moves detainees offshore, citing
budget savings as the motivation, even though offshore processing
costing almost twice as much as onshore processing.
Authorised the Navy to fire over the bows of asylum seeker boats.
Refused to comment on 4 attempted suicides, hunger strikes and many self
harm attempts happening simultaneously in detention centres.
Exempted Navy personnel of workplace safety obligations to treat asylum
seekers safely, and gave them legal immunity for criminal acts which are
committed by order of the government.
Halted the roll out of the national school curriculum (which was
developed over 3 years with heavy and wide consultation). The
justification was that it needs to be rewritten by 2 individuals so that
they can make it more right wing.
Refused to respond to questions from the United Nations about boat tow-backs.
Likened our humanitarian immigration program to war.
Directed that asylum seeker families shall be given the lowest priority
for processing, even those who've lived in Australia for years.
Spent over $120,000 on Kirribilli House, including $13,000 on an imported luxury rug, paid for by the taxpayer.
Endangered lives, committed maritime piracy and broke other
international laws by turning around a boat whose passengers have the
right to seek asylum in Australia. The government refused to comment on
the matter. Lives were endangered as a result of this move, because the
boat ran out of fuel and became stranded.
Tried to deport a gay refugee to Pakistan, where he would be imprisoned
for life for his sexuality. In doing so the government would have
committed human rights abuse by violating the principle of
non-refoulement. The man has never lived in Pakistan.
Threatened to withhold food from families if children don't stand still
for 6 hours per day queueing for food. The food is sometimes served with
hands not utensils.
Forced women to queue for a whole day just to get a tampon or pad, only
to queue again when they need a fresh one. The government refused to
comment.
Scrapped the Building Multicultural Communities Program. 400 community
organizations will now miss out on the promised funding they have
already budgeted for.
Cut all funding to Jewish Holocaust Centre ($7,700).
Tried to silence the media to stop them criticising the upcoming private jet deal for politicians.
Quietly reduced instant asset write-off tax breaks for small businesses despite championing themselves as pro-small-business.
Criticised the ABC for not "advancing Australia's broad and enduring
interests in the Asian region", without actually accusing the ABC of any
specific wrongdoing or poor judgement.
Scrapped the National Intercountry Adoption Advisory Group then 2 months
later created the interdepartmental working group on overseas adoption,
a body which serves an identical purpose.
Stopped weekly press conferences on asylum seekers. Declined further comment on the matter.
Approved 6.2% increase in health insurance premiums.
Deliberately omitted 23 questions asked of the immigration minister in a
press conference. They have refused to comment further on why those
questions were omitted.
Refused to give proper medical treatment to a pregnant women in
detention who subsequently had a miscarriage. She probably would have
had a normal birth had she received the treatment she asked for. The
government declined to comment further.
Broke an election promise to send a boat to monitor whaling by instead
promising to only send an aircraft. The government subsequently broke
that second promise too, allowing whalers to kill endangered whales
without any Australian monitoring.
Broke and election promise by renaming the NDIS, making it
"DisablityCare" and renaming the "launch" a "trial", thereby casting
doubt on whether they will even commit to the scheme fully.
Scrapped the AusAid graduate program, requiring the sacking of the newest batch of graduates.
Axed the position of coordinator-general for remote indigenous services.
Approved the construction of gargantuan coal mines in the Galilee Basin,
including one in the habitat of an endangered species. If all projects
go ahead the emissions released from that coal annually will amount to
130% of what our entire nation currently emits annually.
Appointed Tim Wilson as human rights commissioner - someone who has
personally advocated for the abolition of the human rights commission,
and who's new 6 figure salary is so large that the commission will have
to cut education and anti-bullying programs to fund it.
Scrapped the Biodiversity fund.
Cut funding for the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, a body of elected representatives of the indigenous people.
Handed $16 million to Cadbury, but refused to give subsidies to Holden,
Qantas and SPC Ardmona. Cadbury is owned by a multinational firm whose
profits rose by 64% to $74.9 million last year. Coincidentally the
Cadbury factory is located in a marginal electorate.
Axed the home energy saver scheme, which successfully helped struggling households cut down high electricity bills.
Dismantled the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Low Carbon Communities Program and the Caring for our Country Program.
Cut $43.1 Million in legal aid funding, including Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander legal services, community legal services, the UNSW
Indigenous Legal Centre and the Family Violence Prevention Legal
Services.
Cut funding for the Energy Efficiency Program (which was compulsory for large electricity consumers).
Slashed all funding (over $10 million) from the Environmental Defender's Offices.
Broke an election promise by cutting $150 million from NSW hospitals.
Axed a scheme to improve the wages of aged care workers.
Scrapped the Wage Connect Program (a scheme which encouraged employers to hire long-term unemployed people).
Broke an election promise for a 25Mbi/s National Broadband Network, and announced that it will cost more than they promised.
Broke an election promise to return to surplus by 2016-2017.
Undermined the rule of law by proposing a "code of conduct" for refugees
living in Australia, despite the fact refugees commit fewer crimes per
person than the national average.
Failed to take any action in response to Snowden's leaks showing that
the Australian Government is helping the USA spy on all Australians.
Repealed poker machine laws designed to address gambling addiction.
Planned the unwinding of the World Heritage protection of Tasmanian
forests despite opposition from the Forest Industries Association of
Tasmania.
Changed the ministerial code of conduct so ministers no longer have to sell shares which create a conflict of interest.
Threatened queer detainees in PNG by saying they will be reported to
local police if they engage in homosexual acts. Homosexuality is illegal
in PNG. Such threats mean refugees fleeing persecution because of their
sexual orientation are not able to make their asylum claim without fear
of arrest. This counts as human rights abuse because it violates the
principle of non-refoulement and strips people of their right to safely
make a claim for asylum. The government has refused to comment further.
Terminated their deal with the Salvation Army to provide humanitarian
assistance with those on Manus Island and Nauru. Consequently 300 people
lost their job. The government has refused to comment further.
Disbanded IHAG, a group that provides advice about the health of asylum
seeker detainees, which helps combat the rising rates of mental illness
and self harm. the government has refused to comment further.
Approved the expansions for Abbott Point coal port, which requires
dumping 3 million tonnes of dredge spoil onto the Great Barrier Reef,
thereby threatening the Queensland's entire tourism industry and
hospitality industry, and the reef's heritage status.
Removed the Murray Darling from the list of threatened ecological communities.
Signed a trade agreement with South Korea that allows foreign companies
to sue the Australian government if it implements policies which
adversely affect their business (e.g. for environmental or
anti-sweatshop reasons).
Removed the requirement for the government to consider advice about the
protection of endangered species when approving projects.
Detained innocent asylum seekers in conditions so horrible they amount
to torture according to Amnesty International. 500ml of water per person
per day, in a shadeless tropical island, with mental illness rates of
over 30% and no soap despite rampant gastro.
Made Orwellian threats about cutting ABC funding because the government
didn't like one of their stories, and because their quality of
journalism is too high, thereby creating competition which threatens the
corporate newspaper duopoly (who are now floundering because they
didn't see the internet coming).
Incorrectly defined meta-data as billing data only, when it actually
includes email subject headings, location data, financial transaction
details and more.
Called for privatisation of electricity networks, despite evidence showing it does not lower power bills.
Cut $3 billion in welfare for students, the elderly and families.
Scrapped the Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing, despite the fact our population is aging.
Secretly changed voting position at the UN regarding Israel and Palestine issue without telling anyone.
Abandoned Gonski agreements with states and committed to 3 fewer years of Gonski than their pre-election promise.
Scrapped the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia. The
government spent $1 million on administrative costs to do so, even
though the council only received $1.6 million in funding per year. The
Coalition made an election promise not to cut them.
Cut $4.5 billion in foreign aid.
Tried to scrap the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corp, even though it
provides $110 million per year in revenue to the government.
Disbanded AusAid (the foreign aid body), merging the remainder into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Ceased reporting births and clinical depression in detention centers. Downgraded self harm.
Forcefully and unapologetically separated a mother and her newborn child.
Cut $300 million from child care staff subsidies.
Introduced a bill which allows for unpaid union officials in elected
roles to be jailed for up to 5 years and fined up to $340,000.
Cut $2.3 billion from higher education, and removed start-up
scholarships (thereby significantly increasing the debt of the poorest
students) and removed the 10% HECS discount for paying up-front.
Increased superannuation tax for the poor, and decreased it for the rich.
Tried to scrap the school kids tax concession (thereby increasing the
cost of living for families by $16,000 per school child over their
education).
Proposed axing funding for Commonwealth supported places at University.
Scrapped the Australian Animals Welfare Advisory Committee, Commonwealth
Firearms Advisory Council, International Legal Services Advisory
Council, National Steering Committee on Corporate Wrongdoing, Antarctic
Animal Ethics Committee, Advisory Panel on the Marketing in Australia of
Infant Formula, High Speed Rail Advisory Group, Maritime Workforce
Development Forum, Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing, Insurance Reform
Advisory Group and National Housing Supply Council (all in one day).
Provided $2.2 million for miners and farmers to fight against native title claims.
Cut $435 million from the Renewable Energy Agency.
Unwound same sex marriage laws in ACT.
Scrapped the Social Inclusion Board (an anti-poverty advisory group).
Used Wikipedia as a source, incorrectly.
Declared bushfires unrelated to climate change.
Mandated that all public servants should incorrectly refer to boat arrivals as "illegal".
Sent no one important to the international climate summit. The people
who did go went in tee-shirts, giggled and were so insensitive and
disrespectful that there was a walkout by other countries.
Proposed privatising HECS.
Tried to raise the debt ceiling by $200 billion.
Moved to protect companies from boycotts against them (e.g. for using
slave labour or destroying the environment) thereby undermining the
foundation of capitalism by reducing consumer power.
Kept Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations secret, even though it
threatens the very foundations of our democracy. The leaked agreement
would allow international companies to sue governments if their profits
are diminished by environmental laws. The TPP would give corporations
many of the same rights that individuals have.
Scrapped the 2020 emissions target.
Scrapped the Climate coalition.
Cut 600 CSIRO staff.
Donated $2 million worth of patrol boats to help Sri Lanka stop people
fleeing proven genocide, human rights abuse, war crimes and extra
judicial killings.
Excused torture in Sri Lanka.
Chose not to appoint a minister for science, for the first time in half a century.
Appointed a man as minister for women who said "I don't support womens' causes".
Chose a cabinet with 1 woman and 18 men.
Broke an election promise that Abbott would spend his first week in an Aboriginal community.
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