Who:  “The people coming here by irregular maritime arrivals (arriving by boat) are not people fleeing persecution…They’re coming here as economic migrants… We need a tougher, more hard-edged assessment.” Bob Carr “Recent spike in Iranian immigration, which is overwhelmingly middle-class Iranians… who are coming to these shores as economic migrants” Bob Carr The claim: The

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Who: “Labor has invested more in health care than any previous government…This means more beds.” ALP website. The Claim: The number of hospital beds has increased under the Labor government. The Facts: In absolute terms hospital bed numbers have increased under Labor. However, this figure does not consider the increase in the population over time.

Who: “Do we really need 20,000 more public servants in Canberra today than we had at the end of the Howard era?” Tony Abbott. The Claim: The public service has grown by 20,000 people in the last 5 years. The Facts: Tony Abbott has overstated the growth in the Australian Public Service (APS). The APS has

Who: “A Coalition Government will deliver one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within the next decade.” From the Liberal Party’s ‘Our Plan Real Solutions for all Australians’. The Claim: The implication is that generating 1,000,000 new jobs in Australia over five years and 2,000,000 over 10 years

Who:  “The path back to surpluses, debt reduction and a strong, prosperous economy must be through cutting wasteful spending, rather than on increasing taxes or introducing new ones.” “Australia must live within its means.” Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey. The Claim: The government needs to cut back its spending and get the budget into surplus

Who: “We are still putting more into student income support, the week by week payments, than have ever been paid to students at university before.” Julia Gillard. The Claim: Under a Labor government Youth Allowance payments are higher than they have ever been. The Facts: While it is true that the Youth Allowance payment is

Who: “Under Labor crime is out of control in Western Sydney” Liberal party facebook page. The claim: Crime has increased under the Labor government and is now out of control. The facts: Crime in Western Sydney is not out of control, it has remained stable or reduced in the last five years. Furthermore, street crime

Who: “The mining sector is Tasmania’s major employer after significant growth in the past two years, Deputy Premier Bryan Green says.” The Mercury. The Claim: The mining industry is a major employer in Tasmania creating a significant numbers of jobs. The Facts: According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the mining industry is a relatively small employer in

Who: “Many mining companies say they will no longer do business in Australia once this tax and the subsequent emissions trading scheme are introduced.” Senator Alan Eggleston. The Claim: The carbon price will destroy the mining industry in Australia. This claim has been made by many people in the mining industry and on the coalition

Who: “Everybody knows we were the bedrock of getting Australia through the global financial crisis.” Mitch Hooke, Chief Executive of the Minerals Council of Australia. The Claim: The mining boom saved Australia from the global financial crisis. The Facts: While Australia did not go through a recession during the GFC, the mining industry did. Discussion

Who: “..more people illegally arrive in Australia on another boat.” Scott Morrison. The Claim: That the people who arrive on boats seeking asylum are breaking the law. The Facts: Asylum seekers who arrive by boat in Australia are not illegal. Under the UN Refugee Convention, which Australia has signed, they have the right to seek asylum

Who: “The rest of the world [is] not going anywhere near carbon taxes or emission trading schemes.” Tony Abbott. Mr. Abbott has also claimed that Australia has “the world’s biggest carbon tax”. The Claim: That no other country has a scheme to place a price on carbon and Australia has the world’s biggest tax. The