Labor Blog

11 Comments

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  spacek from Redfern , NSW Sunday, 8 August 2010, 00:08

  Carolinemhms, don't delude yourself, Labor will do NOTHING for mental health, Rudd promised it, did nothing, Gillard does not care; it is not sexy. Everything on both sides is for FAMILIES ad nauseum.

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  spacek from Redfern , NSW Sunday, 8 August 2010, 00:08

  Garydean1, I echo that sentiment. The Razor Wielder must apologise and resign. Surely Rudd has no pride --- or a secret agenda?

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  moon10 from gladesville , nsw Thursday, 5 August 2010, 21:05

  I think Caedecus's from WA has a point. Not only TAFEs and trades training centres should training people, but also should have a national standards to test them and issue licences, just like NAATI did for interpreters and translators. Tradies from electritians,chef, plasterers etc, should require a licence. It can help more local licence holders to find a job much easier and also can have better quality control and safety control.

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  caedecus from embleton , wa Sunday, 1 August 2010, 21:01

  Hi Julia and others. I am a 'tradie' having completed an electrical fitter mechanics trades certificate and craftsmans certificate of competency some years ago. I worked in the NSW coal mining industry for ~23 years as an electrican - installations, maintenance, testing, faultfinding, 0-66kV. My problem with our system is simple, I had never sought an electricians license as this was un-necessary in the coal mining industry, despite carrying out coplex electrical works, and being nominated and authorised to act in the place of the electrical engineer in his absence. The trick of it now is this.. I am now in WA. I cannot get an electrical licence in WA unless I go back to NSW and apply and get a license there. I cannot get a license in NSW at the moment as I have been not doing electrical work for a couple of years and they suggested to work for 12 months doing power points etc. I was told WA do not necessarily recognise my trade papers, so I got in touch with Trades Recognition Australia who sad there was nothing to recognise, it is an australian trades certificate. When I told the gentleman there of my predicament, he laughed and said it would be easier if I was from overseas, as the trade papers and experience would be recognised. There are probably a lot of others in a similar place. there are a lot of tradesmen out there Julia who have just become disillusioned for one reason or another. In particular the woeful level of training given to todays apprentices. It seems there is so much energy put into political correctness for them, and urging them to find a bully/prankster behind every tool box, there is simply non left to use for effective training

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  Kisjem from Newton , SA Sunday, 1 August 2010, 18:01

  Hi Julia, Tony Abbott and the Liberals are everywhere on the media. If I hear the euphemism "Big bad Tax" one more time I'll scream. Your team has to use the next two weeks to go all out and sell the economy. In particular the ALP's achievements through out the GFC. ILaurie Oakes may not have been the the flavor of the month last month (July). However, I did read his column in yesterdays Adelaide Advertiser. ...An olive branch of sorts maybe.. Hopefully August will be better. Good luck.

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  chooching from bentley , WA Sunday, 1 August 2010, 16:01

  IN THE SHORT TERM YOU HAVE ACHIEVED AND COME A LONG WAY FROM WHERE YOU TOOK OVER. ITS GOING TO GET BETTER. I BELIEVE IN YOUR GOALS, OPPOSITION PARTY IS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT EASY BUT I CAN ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE HURDLES ALONG THE WAY. AND WHO DOESNT HAVE ANY?

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  werz51 from Marrickville , NSW Sunday, 1 August 2010, 16:01

  The Australian labor party is a branch of corporate America. Kevin Rudd didn't dance to their tune, so he was ousted by traitors to the Australian working people. How about you give us a 100 billion dollar tax shelter Julia, like you gave your masters in the mining industry.. How do you sleep at night, your blunders and stupidity are reaching epic proportions.

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  Garydean1 from Brisbane , Qld Sunday, 1 August 2010, 12:01

  Gillette Gillard must apologise to Kevin Rudd, ask for his forgiveness, hand over the reigns and resign

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  werz51 from Marrickville , NSW Sunday, 1 August 2010, 12:01

  Let's use education to develop tomorrows leaders. Kevin Rudd was an educated man, he had a vision for Australia's future, but it didn't correspond with the corporate mining executives vision. They believe Australia is a huge pit for them to dig up and sell, and not share the mega profits they make with the Australian people. Kevin tried to balance that inequality, but the corporations have too much power, and influence behind closed doors in Canberra and with labor power brokers, how that influence is bought is anyone's guess, but it doesn't make you look very honest Julia. Why did you back the miners against the Australian people Julia? And let's talk of Kevin Rudds commitment to the US wars in Afghanistan, only the day before the coup we were promised Aussie troops would be leaving Afghanistan within two years. Obama mustn't have liked that, Rudd get's stabbed in the back and you get on TV promising to back the US for as long as it takes. Is that your vision for Australia's future Julia, to send Australians to fight in pointless wars to show support for America, when 75% of the Australian public are against this war and occupation in Afghanistan. Who's side are you really on Julia, the Australian people's or corporate America's. Who's running Australia Julia, who's future are you really working for Julia.

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  sangerer from Albert Park , Victoria Sunday, 1 August 2010, 03:01

  You are not the only one concerned about the campaign Carolinemhms. This entire election is a "Reboot" of the 2007 promises that where never fixed, glossed over, lost in the policy vaccum or the strategy mismanagements. Whether or not the issue is education, health or aged care, the lack of an integrated long term policy plan that identifies a uniform national vision with a strategic plan with clear mile stones that define how these are to be achieved, is completely lacking. It doesn't matter whether it is the liberals, the greens or labour. The electorate deserves a clear vision and a strategic management plan articulatinghow that vision is to be acheived. The average voter does not want a bunch of empty electoral promises that are forgotten 5 minutes after the election. The voters want to know how labour will fix what can be fixed within the budget guidelines and within the next three years. Aged care is a long term problem. So we want a long term plan. Mental health is a long term problem. So we want to see a long term plan. Education is long term. So we want to see strategies that deal with the long term. It is simply not good enough to throw a fist full of dollars at one issue when the real problems are structural, often endemic and entrenched and always require indebth agreements with the states. It is clear that the federal government's jurisdiction into the state health, education and aged care sector could benefit from a streamlining of process and the ellimination of the red tape and waste that arises from three tiers of govenrment. One of the key aspects therefore is the amount of funding and the effectiveness of the funding. I am therefore a proponent for the ellimination of state management of federal funds so that the funds are spent appropriately. I would also like to see a single superannuation system and a single medical health care system that includes the mandated publication of all fees and charges. The lack of accountability and transparency of medical fees and charges is unacceptable. Everyone knows what the fees and charges are in europe or even asia. However, in Australia the charges for dental or any medical proceedure as well as aged care services, are private. Much has been made of the benefits of the dual system that has evolved in Australia. The issue is that the dual system has allowed discrepencies to evolve between the public and private health services sector that is creating not only unacceptable inefficiencies, but it allows doctors and medical entrepreneurs to exploit these discrepencies for profit. NO doubt the medical profession and the age care sector will disagree. They disagree because their profits and their lack of accountability may just be under scrutiny by a government with the guts to take them on. The reality is that no government will be able to fix health, education or aged care with a simplistic fist full of dollars election promise. This sort of electioneering as a cynical shame and belittling the intelligence of the voter. However, the promise of a fist of dollars seems to be what voters want to hear because they expect it even though they know that it is probably a promise that will never eventuate. As for me, I would prefer to see Labour compact that aims to achieve agreements between all political parties for a long term plan to fix health, education and aged care that unde rthis compact all political parties agree not to meddle with the basic agreements on the basis of ideology or expediency. I would like to seea compact between all political parties to address the fees and charges, the rorts in the work cover and accident compensation area and I would like to see an all party agreement to force doctors, hospitals and aged care providers to make all fees and charges public as part of a basic consumer right. I mean, who ever heard of a $900 10 minute ambulance ride for a person who pays taxes and has private medical insurance as well....... How crazy are the people in this country to accept such rip offs!

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  Carolinemhms from Toowoomba , QLD Saturday, 31 July 2010, 22:31

  Hello Julia I know this is not relevant to this but there are some extremely concerned people inc ALP members trying to conveying the following to you: name: From Caroline Mann-Smith Grad Cert SW, BSW, BA (Uni Qld) Accredited Mental Health Social Worker ALP QLD Ticket number – 27062 8 Gladstone Street Toowoomba QLD 4350 carolinemhms@yahoo.com.au Dear Julia, Re: Removal of Accredited Mental Health Social Workers and Occupational Therapists from Better Access to Mental Health Services I am writing to you as a current very active 7 year member of ALP QLD. (My ALP Background details: o Member Toowoomba North ALP 2005-2010 o ALP QLD member and Young Labor member, previously 1970’s o Secretary Toowoomba North ALP 2005-2009 o Booth and volunteers Organiser for Toowoomba North - State Election 2009 o Current delegate to Groom FEC o Current Editorial Coordinator Toowoomba North ALP o Current Associate Member ALP QLD Health Policy committee) I am writing to tell you that I think there is going to be an electoral backlash of some significant size from thousands of Social Workers and Occupational Therapists, specifically due to above, IF there is not a revocation of this policy. Furthermore, I think there is going to be a further electoral backlash from people concerned about funding to Mental Health Services in Australia if there is not a significant announcement about Mental health service funding before the election. This is a private letter; but I have raised this matter previously, via motions within ALP QLD, and subsequent letters have been sent by several ALP bodies of which I am a member, to Health Minister Ms Roxon and PM Ms Gillard. However there does not appear to have been any significant change to date. I am specifically writing to ask you to oppose the removal of social workers and Occupational therapists, from the Better Access to Mental Health Services Initiative (Better Access). As you may know, the current Government removed social workers’ and occupational therapists’ eligibility to provide Medicare services under the Better Access program in the May 2010 Federal Budget. This was to be from 1 July 2010, but has been deferred until 1 April 2011, after a large outcry from many members of the community. This decision has caused a great deal of distress among social workers and OT’s and their clients and was made without any consultation with the AASW or the social workers involved or OTA or OTs involved. Over 1,100 social workers and 400 OT’s are accredited to work under the Better Access program. In 2008-09, the Social Workers provided over 120,000 clinical mental health interventions to Australians diagnosed with a mental health condition by their GPs. Problems with the removal of Social Workers from Better Access o The removal of social workers took place before the outcome of the Review of the program. o Social workers make up less than 4% of the total cost of allied health expenditure in Better Access, so it is hard to justify the decision as a measure which reduces costs. o Over 60% of social workers in the program bulk bill some or all of their clients. o 37% are located in regional and rural parts of Australia. For clients living on a low income or living in regional and rural Australia, choices of other accredited mental health professionals are limited. o This decision lacks any evidence to support it o It will increase costs to consumers and taxpayers and reduces consumer choice and referring Doctor choice to use the most appropriate allied health professional . o It is a decision that leaves low income and disadvantaged clients, and those in rural and regional Australia, with a reduced mental health service. It is essentially a reduction in a new and significant component of mental health services at a time when there is huge public pressure to increase funding to the Mental Health Sector. Although the Federal Government has recently engaged in consultation with the AASW and OTA and its members about future mental health services, after the AASW and OTA protested this decision, the Government has been unwilling to revisit the Budget decision as yet. If you are re elected on August 21, I call on you to: o Oppose the removal of social workers from the Better Access program by opposing the relevant Budget measure; o Ask the Minister for Health and Ageing to postpone all decisions about the program until the Review is completed; o Ask the Minister for Health and Ageing to work with the social workers’ professional association, the Australian Association of Social Workers, on a compensation package for those social workers adversely affected if the measure does pass into legislation. I would be happy to discuss details of these issues with you and look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely Caroline Mann-Smith