September 2013

How does $6 billion equal $16 billion? > Check the facts

Who:  “The budget impact of the Coalition’s policies is to improve the budget bottom line by $6 billion and reduce government debt by $16 billion.” Joint media release from Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey and Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction, Andrew Robb. The claim: That Coalition policies will reduce the deficit over the

Do manufacturing jobs really depend on CSG? > Check the facts

Who: “[CSG mining] can secure the more than 15,000 industrial jobs which are dependent on gas supply as a feedstock, and the further of 2.5 million people who are employed by those companies who use natural gas for power. However, it will require putting in place solutions today and not waiting for tomorrow.” James Baulderson; Santos

Is the cost of living increasing? > Check the facts

Who: “Today we were with a typical Central Coast family… to talk about the cost of living pressures that they face … for the average family in Australia today costs are going up and up and up.” Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott. The claim: The cost of living in Australia is increasing. The facts: According to

August 2013

Does cutting company tax increase wages? > Check the facts

Who: “By cutting corporate taxes we…boost real wage growth,” The Coalition’s ‘Our Plan’. The claim: That wages will increase as businesses pass on the reduction in tax through lower prices, having the effect of increasing real wages. The facts: The claim relies on American studies cited in the Henry tax review. However, the US company

Is Australia living beyond its means? > Check the facts

Who: “It [a budget surplus] matters because Australia doesn’t fund itself as a nation. We are running a current account deficit of around $50 billion every year, so we borrow from the rest of the world to fund our lifestyle and that is clearly not sustainable.” Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey The claim: The budget deficit

Do wind turbines cause health problems? > Check the facts

Who: “[Health concerns are] justified on the scientific evidence. We know from evidence from field studies… that low frequency noise actually causes health problems, physiological damage to people.” Senator Nick Xenophon The claim: There is scientific evidence that wind turbines cause health problems. The facts: In July 2010, the National Health and Medical Research Council

Can the government abolish judicial review of refugee decisions? > Check the facts

Who: “There’s [an internal] review of the initial [departmental] decision …You can have the [administrative] process we’re talking about or you can have a judicial one, but you don’t have to have both.” Shadow minister for Immigration Scott Morrison, speaking about Coalition immigration policy. The claim: Australia could operate a non-statutory, administrative process without judicial

How many hours do children spend watching TV? > Check the facts

Who: “Children are bombarded with advertising for unhealthy food every time they turn on the TV … Aussie kids are watching 20 hours of TV a week on average and, when they are targeted by strategic advertisements for that long, it has a very big impact.” Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The claim: Australian children watch 20

No jobs growth in Labor heartland? > Check the facts

Who: ‘No jobs growth in Labor heartland [western Sydney]’ and ‘the region faces a “jobs deficit” of up to 500,000 places by 2051’ The Daily Telegraph 6 August. The claim: There has been a failure to create jobs, especially private sector jobs, in the western suburbs of Sydney and that the region faces a jobs

How far has the NBN rolled out? > Check the facts

Who: “By June 2013, NBN Co is expected to have passed 1.7 million premises.” Government media release. The forecast from NBN Co. Ltd was that by June 2013 a total of 570,000 premises would have active service. The Claim: That by the middle of 2013 the NBN would have been available to 1.7 million households

Does Australia have universal health care? > Check the facts

Who: Welcoming a report into Medicare by a coalition of health and community leaders the Greens have stated that “Our healthcare system is not universal if some people can’t afford to see a doctor or get treatment. The Greens believe that your health shouldn’t be determined by your bank balance and that’s why we remain

July 2013

Did the gas industry create 100,000 jobs last year? > Check the facts

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Who: “Australia’s natural gas industry created an estimated 100,000 jobs last year. This extraordinary effort is underpinned by

Are Treasury’s numbers wrong? > Check the facts

Who: “The government is trying to bully the public service into a set of the numbers that clearly do not properly represent the state of the budget,”  Joe Hockey. The claim: The government has pressed the public service into publishing budget figures that are wrong and misrepresent the state of the budget. The facts: Treasury

Is Australia’s debt to GDP ratio set to surge? > Check the facts

Who: “Government debt, as a proportion of GDP, is on trend to grow from 12.1 per cent now… to 77.9 per cent of annual GDP by 2049-50,” PricewaterhouseCoopers. The claim: The claim is that Australia’s debt to GDP ratio will skyrocket unless the government gets spending under control and reforms taxation. The facts: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Is there $10 billion for renewables? > Check the facts

Who: “We have got… $10 billion going into renewables” Christine Milne. The claim: The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) will use all of its $10 billion to invest in renewable energy. The facts: The CEFC will be allocated $10 billion over five years. The purpose of these funds is to “facilitate increased flows of finance

Is paid parental leave a ‘welfare wage’? > Check the facts

Who: The current paid parental leave scheme only pays “a welfare wage”. Tony Abbott. “We need to recognise that paid parental leave should be a work place right and not a welfare payment.” Christine Milne. The claim: That payments from the present paid-parental-leave scheme are inadequate as it is not a replacement for previous wages.

General Enquiries

Emily Bird Office Manager

02 6130 0530

mail@australiainstitute.org.au

Media Enquiries

Glenn Connley Senior Media Advisor

0457 974 636

glenn.connley@australiainstitute.org.au

RSS Feed

All news