I understand that they provide a first point of call for those women and can help them liaise with other organisations or navigate the Industrial Relations Tribunal and suchlike. From looking at the office from outside, they also seem to provide things like computer access, information on various rights and resources.

I’ve never dealt with them personally, but I’m surprised to hear that no-one else has heard of them.

Well its all a bit hazy as pre-Budget Chinese whispers tend to be.

You got it gorgeous.

These days, an Budget is the biggest and most accountable statement Australian Governments can make. So a Budget’s media/vested interests/general public audiences are strategically spun and tatically managed well in advance through a cloud of leaks, rumours, hints of ambit claims honoured or ignored and unsurprisingly surprise advance announcements.

Remember, the one true test of a politically well balanced budget is if everyone is equally pissed off. The moment one pressure group starts with the unconditional praise, you know you’ve fucked up equally unconditionally elsewhere.

The reason why these centres don’t exist nationwide is that they’re community organisations not a government program.

Why would the Federal government fund a service that isn’t available to all states? surely the individual states should support them.

I would also suggest the reference to Quentin Bryce is a bit twee - did she get her start in Working Womens Centres or in something like them??

If the second, what was the something and does it still exist?

You can’t justify keeping funding for something just because another similar program (which may still exist and not be under threat) was beneficial.

Similarly, just because Howard et al did not axe something does not mean it is therefore inherently bad for the ALP to do so…I’m a fiercely lefty type and there’s lots of programs I would be happy to see the back of, despite them not being axed by Kennett or Howard.

If they’re a waste of money then I’d rather the money went to programs that aren’t.

All sounds a bit knee jerky to me.

cutting useful programs

We don’t know that the program is question is actually “useful” do we? OK, some Labor members, according to Mark, are lobbying against the cut. I’m a Labor member, I’ve seen plenty of Labor members in my time resort to knee-jerk reactions against government policy of all persuasions. I think the jury is still out on this one.

That’s either stupid spin or stupid actions. With our economy in good shape and with a large budget surplus there is no reason why there should be ‘pain’ in this budget. Yes they need to avoid wasteful spending but that shouldn’t mean cutting useful programs.

The Reserve Bank is moderating inflation with interest rates and an already guaranteeed large budget surplus will help as well. I think they are going too far with certain cuts. These will do next to nothing to help the economy, but will harm certain groups of people. Seems just plain stupid.

Of course, because their motives would have been bad.

In an ideal world, yes. But reviews take time and the budget is imminent.

“The point goes to the lack of consultation with these decisions”.

Sometimes governments have to stop farting around and just make decisions.