Election Talk

Farmers boo, jeers at wheat inquiry

Farmers have booed and jeered a federal parliamentary inquiry into the abolition of existing wheat marketing laws, warning their livelihoods are at stake.

A group of 50 NSW farmers travelled to Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday to call for the government's draft laws - which would end the AWB monopoly on bulk wheat exports - to be scrapped.

Tempers flared during the inquiry as the farmers made their feelings plain, cheering, jeering and interjecting until they were warned they risked being thrown out.

The tension spread to the parliamentary committee, where the Nationals clashed with their coalition partner over wheat export policy.

Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce clashed with Liberal senator Bill Heffernan, who also sits on the inquiry's committee, inside and outside the hearing.

Senator Heffernan accused Senator Joyce of talking "bullshit" during the inquiry.

Senator Joyce hit back.

"We have the ridiculous proposition unfortunately that our coalition colleagues are going to support the Labor party in dismantling one of the greatest advantages for regional people who have always been strong supporters, I thought, of coalition politics," he said.

Senator Heffernan later tried to attend Tuesday's lunch-time press conference with the farmers but was asked to leave by Senator Joyce.

"Look serious, Barnaby, look serious," Senator Heffernan called out as Senator Joyce walked up to a journalist.

Rudd rules out raising GST rate

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has stuck to his election promise not to raise the GST in a "root and branch" review of the tax system, but some economists said the GST was low by world standards.

While the prime minister has not committed to a time frame for the review, he said it was time for a "top-down" look at the system, suggesting there had not been a serious look at taxation for more than 20 years.

Plans for a major review have been welcomed by business groups, although the prime minister was on Tuesday forced to rule out any rises in the GST.

With many Australians already struggling with high interest rates and rising food prices, any change in policy that would add to their cost of living would likely cause outrage.

A spokesman for the prime minister on Tuesday said the GST remained off limits.

"The prime minister made it crystal clear before the election that there would be absolutely no increase in the GST under a Rudd Labor government," he said.

"The prime minister said before the election that over his dead body would there be an increase in the level of the GST. That commitment still stands and will not be changing in the future."

Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson labelled Mr Rudd a fraud over his plans for tax reform.

"What kind of fraud is Mr Rudd pretending to be, when he suddenly turns around, the day after his 2020 talkfest, and says he is now a convert of root-and-branch reform of the Australian tax system?" Dr Nelson said on Tuesday.

He also hit out at claims by Mr Rudd that the former Howard government did nothing to reform the tax system.

"John Howard almost lost government giving Australia's future the tax systems that it needs to fund our schools, our hospital, our roads and our defence forces," Dr Nelson said.

While Mr Rudd ruled out tinkering with the GST, taxation experts maintain it should be looked at, saying it is low by world standards.

Tax Board head calls for GST increase

The chairman of the Board of Taxation says it is a pity that the Government has ruled out raising the GST as part of possible changes to the tax system.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says increasing the GST will not be considered as part of the Government's comprehensive review of taxation.

But Taxation Board chairman Dick Warburton has told Lateline Business that increasing the GST must be considered in order to reduce other taxes.

"I do believe there's room to go to 12 or 15 per cent, but I'm not saying that's what we should go to, I'm just saying we should debate that issue," he said.

"If we do go to 12 or 15 per cent, we could look at some relief in other areas."

-abc.net.au

Rudd flags tax reform

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has indicated he is keen to undertake a major reform of Australia's tax system.

Mr Rudd says the system is too complex and has criticised the former Coalition government for not making changes.

"For the 11 years or 12 years that the Howard Government was in office, the opportunity for a top-down review of the entire taxation system was there," he said.

Tax reform was one of the issues raised with Mr Rudd at his 2020 summit at the weekend and he has told ABC TV's 7:30 Report that the Federal Government will respond by the end of the year.

"I actually think we are getting to that time when we need to have a top-down look," he said.

"I won't commit to the next two years ... but I think it's actually time we looked at a root and branch reform of the Australian taxation system.

"But we will come back formally on that later in the year."

Mixed emotions as 2020 wraps up

By Sabra Lane

When Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the 2020 summit, he said he wanted fresh ideas to reshape the nation's future.

Yesterday he was inundated with them, but many ideas were old ones dressed up as new.

The summit recommended a republic, a bill of rights, a revamp of the federation and changes to tax laws.

Marathon champion Rob de Castella offered a fair reflection of how most summiteers felt after the weekend-long conference was over.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be part of it. I think it's been a wonderful occasion," he said.

"I think we've given the Prime Minister and the Government a wonderful outline for a plan for the future of Australia over the next 12 years at least - and beyond."

Miriam Lyons, director of the Centre for Policy Development, says the most important idea to come out of the summit is a new national approach for the country.

"We're dealing with 19th century plant and equipment when you look at Australia's democracy. That's what this country would be if we were a company," she said.

"We really need to upgrade that and take advantage of a whole range of different ways of engaging people in decision-making, so I was very excited that was one of the things that came out of this weekend."

South Australian Premier Mike Rann believes the 2020 talks will be as important as Bob Hawke's economic summit of 1988.

"Ultimately people want to see deliverable outcomes. I know the Prime Minister's committed to that," Mr Rann said.

"I mean Bob Hawke's summit - which was brilliant - was about the economy. This covers everything from the arts to Indigenous affairs, so it's an incredibly gutsy, bold and brave move, and the participants deserve the respect of all of us [for] responding as best as we can in the shortest amount of time."

Delegates outline ideas as 2020 closes

The 2020 summit in Canberra has drawn to a close, with dozens of ideas ranging from an Australian republic to a human rights charter presented to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Most of the groups listed several broad-ranging ideas; covering constitutional changes, Australia's place in the world and new ideas for health, education, and economic policy.

The government has committed to respond to all of the proposals by the end of the year.

Kevin Rudd told the 1,000 delegates their contributions will be taken very seriously.

"I don't want to have to explain to my kids and perhaps their kids too that we failed to act, that we avoided the tough decisions, that we failed to prepare Australia for its future challenges - be they in security, the economy, across the fracturing of our society the need to rebuild it, our place in the world and the overarching challenge of climate change," Mr Rudd said.

"We'll be looking at proposals in detail, investigating and consulting further and providing a response by year's end whether it's a yes, a no or or maybe, or with changes.

"Second we understand that the ideas process doesn't start and finish in one weekend in Parliament House Canberra, we don't want to stop the flow of ideas, we want to keep this going.

"This summit is not the end, from my point of view, this summit is just the beginning."

Among the ideas suggested were a national curriculum, an opt-out system for organ donation and a rating system to help people choose healthier food options.

FuelWatch scheme just the first step: Govt

By Katherine Swan

The Federal Government says the FuelWatch scheme is the first in a suite of initiatives aimed at making fuel costs more transparent.

Assistant Treasurer and Consumer Affairs Minister Chris Bowen told ABC1's Inside Business program that FuelWatch "is just one step, we're not just concentrating on the retail sector."

Under the scheme, which is to be introduced in December, petrol station operators will tell the ACCC what the next day's prices will be, the regulator will tell consumers what to expect, and prices willl be locked in at the bowser for 24 hours.

Independent service station operator Paul Andronicou, of Fast Fuel in suburban Melbourne, says FuelWatch should be aimed at the oil companies and major supermarkets with discount fuel shopper dockets because "they're the ones that sell most of the fuel in the market and they set the price."

Another independent, Peter Anderson of APCO, which has 19 sites in Victoria, says under FuelWatch "we won't lead the market down as low. We'll be very cautious going down to the bottom end of the market."

The independent service station operators also dispute the Minister's claims that FuelWatch in Western Australia has seen "about two cents a litre cut in the price of fuel."

But there may be other measures aimed further up the pricing chain.

Swan talks up Budget tax cuts for low-paid

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says all tax payers will benefit from tax cuts in next month's Budget - but low and middle income earners will be the biggest winners.

People earning $40,000 will receive cuts worth around $20 a week but Mr Swan says the cuts will not be restricted to lower income groups.

"Certainly everybody's getting a bit, but as you'd be aware, compared to the Coalition, we've pulled back some of their proposals to deliver tax relief at the very top," he said.

"We think it's really important that we have some fairness in the tax system.

"These people [that] have missed out substantially in the last decade or so when it's come to the priorities of the previous government, they're fairly and squarely the priority of the Rudd Labor Government."

-abc.net.au

Govt to spend $15m on specialised health training

Health workers will be able to have greater access to specialised mental health training under a $15 million funding boost.

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon will announce the funding to train 24,000 workers at a meeting with her state and territory counterparts in Melbourne today.

The ministers will also discuss a national mental health report including state-by-state spending levels and program effectiveness.

Ms Roxon says the extra money for training is long overdue.

"They need to be able to work across disciplines - nurses working well with the psychologists, working well with the GPs and others," she said.

"This is to provide training to those health professionals to enhance their skills when they're dealing with patients, particularly with complex mental health problems."

-abc.net.au

Green groups pounce on bags indecision

Environmental groups have criticised Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett for failing to get agreement on a way to phase out free plastic shopping bags.

Mr Garrett had called for free bags to be banned by the end of the year, but at a meeting of environment ministers yesterday, South Australia was the only state willing to meet the target.

The organiser of the National Plastic Bag Campaign, Jon Dee, says the result is disappointing.

"People were left with the impression from Peter Garrett that he was going to move ahead with a phase out of plastic bags by the end of this year, if necessary with legislation," he said.

"Now that has not happened today. We have wasted a great opportunity."

Total Environment Centre director Jeff Angel agrees.

"I know Peter is not long in the job, but this was his first crucial test because there was a very clear election promise to ban the free supermarket plastic bag by next year and he has patently failed to deliver that," Mr Angel said.