The following list of proposed government legislation is taken from this document. All four bills – along with the rest of the government’s legislative program for this year, will be introduced in the next session of Parliament. These bills are the ones the Government is planning to inflict on us during this session, in its determination to turn this country back into a land fit for garage proprietors and suburban solicitors:
- Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Testing) Bill
- provide for a regime for testing people seeking Australian citizenship with regard to knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, English language ability and knowledge of Australia - Communications Legislation Amendment (Content Services) Bill
- reform the regulatory structures for non-broadcasting communications content to ensure that existing policy principles for the regulation of content are consistently applied to these new audio-visual services - Human Services (Enhanced Service Delivery) Bill
- establish a new health and social services access card to access health and social services benefits delivered by the Human Services agencies and by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- provide protections in relation to the use of the health and social services access card - Schools Assistance (Learning Together – Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Amendment Bill
- add funding amounts under the Schools Assistance (Learning Together – Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2004 for the Capital Grants Programme for non-government schools for 2008 and the Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs Programme – National Projects for 2008
What spectacular conservative framing in the phrase Learning Together – Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity!
Take the neocon shibboleth of ‘choice’, splice it with the left shibboleth of oppurtunity and saddle it to a meaningless phrase like ‘learning together’ when, in reality, the bill is about making sure the ruling class don’t have to learn with the proles.
Five stars!!
Additionally:
Legislation (Culture Wars – Winning by Distractive Motherhood Statement) Amendment Bill.
Rebadges all legislation according to how the Government wants it to be used in future, regardless of its initial purposes.
_______________
Hold on folks. Howard’s government is emitting a powerful odour of cadaverine.
Too right! lynn white. NewSpeak rules OK.
“These bills are the ones the Government is planning to inflict on us during this session, in its determination to turn this country back into a land fit for garage proprietors
(like the National Front fancier and pop to PM)
and suburban solicitors.”
(like the PM, till Janette stooped to conquer, elevating a potentially good little earner from Methodist coveyance clerk in Earlwood, to the High CofE on Sydney’s leafy North Shore, positioning him beautifully for a tilt at MP for Benelong).
Personally, I go all weak at the knees when Team Rodent want to ENHANCE Human Service Delivery, whatever the fuck that means. It’s just that it sounds so fantastic. Makes a bloke wanna slap a white picket fence around the McMansion and whack in a flag pole before the next monthly is due. Hang the expense and Hicks while yer at it.
Clearly, the country needs more regulation. People are jay-walking at will. The Australian way of life is being threatened. It’s as if there’s no tomorrow.
(Geez that new Kreemy Kremma McSpresso sure packs a wallop. Two double shots’ll shapeshift a dove into a hawk).
No tax cuts though.
We still are going to have regressive tariffs and excise taxes, and incentive/work destroying poverty traps.
No break for the best and brightest who work overtime as well.
What a sham the Liberals are running.
I’m woefully bias on education – any non-government school should receive zero government funding beyond what is needed for the curriculum. Its the private enterprise system – stand on your own two feet whilst you are a private entity.
I do not understand the intent of the communications legislation.
For the time being I stand with Tim Warner on the Access Card.
So I see the australia card (remix) and the Private schools love-up bill but I’m sadly ignorant about the communications bill- this isn’t a bill to regulate interweb stuff is it?
(and Cadaverine:)) Oh yes! Please may you be right on this one)
“Communications Legislation Amendment (Content Services) Bill
- reform the regulatory structures for non-broadcasting communications content to ensure that existing policy principles for the regulation of content are consistently applied to these new audio-visual services “
I know this one probably won’t promote much discussion, but I just wanted to point out that all it is going to do is make sure you have to undergo age-verification to view pr0n on your mobile.
So, I guess I’d say don’t let this one distract you from others such as the Human Services (Enhanced Service Delivery) Bill.
Also, we’ve missed the chance to condemn recent changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act -passed in last week of sitting last year.
What a monumental act of bastardry.
Goes hand in hand with the doings transpiring on the Burrup Peninsula.
but I’m sadly ignorant about the communications bill- this isn’t a bill to regulate interweb stuff is it?
Wish I’d seen that before I posted my previous comment.
It’s a “won’t someone please think of the children?!?!?” bill – the gobbledigook regarding new audio-visual services refers to 3G phones and the like, where there is a cross-over in concepts of telecommunications and broadcasting.
This means there are questions over whether existing laws which ban X-rated content and restrict access to R-rated content cover the content on these phones (and other similar business models, like Bigpond on the intertubes).
You can become an uber-nerd on the subject by going here.