Govt payment of $950...is it going through or will the opposition block it?

[CathyS]

Actually someone just told me tonight that the money might go to the bushfire victims, and I totally understand that. I'm not going to complain about money when people have lost their homes and loved ones.

[Trillian]

I don't know if it will or not, but yes, some of the money is now being redirected to the bushfire victims, I don't know if that will impact on the cash payments or not. I actually thought the Govt had a disaster relief fund to deal with this anyway, so not sure on the finer details.

[Madham]

I know the government does have a relief fund for this kind of terrible situation but not sure how much. I think they would have to delay everything else at the moment and sort out the most important first. So i wouldnt think that there will be a vote for awhile.

[briggsy's girl]

news this morning said there were heaps of changes made to the package in the senate so it will have to go back to house of reps to be passed there again, then back to the senate

looks to be at least another week before decisions are made

[CathyS]

Ok..doesn't sound like it will go through. But you never know..

I'm so glad they are helping out the bushfire victims though. They really need it the most right now.

[Phteven]

Stimulus discussions to continue

But all seven senators want the Government to make changes.

Family First Senator Steve Fielding wants $4 billion spent on job creation in local communities.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon wants cash bonuses slashed and that money pumped into the ailing Murray-Darling Basin.

The Australian Greens have concerns over access to the dole and the one-off cash payments to millions of Australians, with Greens leader Bob Brown saying the money could be better spent.

"We are not going to stand in the way of the nation getting an economic stimulus, but it doesn't mean we have to accept everything that's in the package," he told ABC radio.

The one-off cash payments was the weakest part of the package, he said.

TBH I'm quite impressed by these politicians (although I'm not comfortable with the overall platform of one of them). It would be so easy to take the populist road and give everyone $950 but instead they have chosen to follow a less popular path and say that all those $950 payments should be spent on things that they believe will be more beneficial to the community as a whole. It's so rare that politicians have the courage to be unpopular.

[Trillian]

Personally, I think the Murray Darling basin is a lost cause - what Nick Xenophon wants is just unrealistic - he wants the Govt to buy back the water licenses, but all that will do is make that farming land unsaleable because it's usually unproductive as anything else BUT irrigated farming because of the way it is set up. Plus if there is no one growing the fruit and vege that rely in irrigation in those areas, then that becomes more costly to us as a whole as we have to rely on imported foods - meaning that they are kept in cold storage for longer and we are being forced to buy sub-standard food. It was the Governments fault in the first place that it's in the state it is in by over-selling the water allocations (seriously, they have sold more water than what is even in the river to start with) so they could get their greedy little hands on more money for essentially nothing.

Even though the cash handouts are the weakest link, I still think it will go through with some modifications to it, maybe that we don't get as much etc - it's ridiculous that if it went through as it was I would get nearly $5000.