Welcome to Pigs Will Fly

At a closed door discussion in Melbourne yesterday, concern was expressed that our ‘boom’ could be over very quickly.

‘Things Can Deteriorate Quickly’

Don Argus has examined the government’s cashflows which he says is the best analysis of the budget and he finds:

• Interest rates have grown 26% pa over the last five years
• Revenue has grown at 3.6% annualised over five years
• Recurring spending costs have grown at 7%

The comment:

“Things can deteriorate quickly both because of bad luck and bad policy design”.

He says about our political will in regard to spending and taxing policies:

“There is a big difference between borrowing money for infrastructure spending that will benefit our children, and borrowing money to spend on ourselves today with no future benefits.”

Low Level

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Looking to a sustainable future, this weekend in NSW’s Hunter Valley, communities from around Australia will discuss what is happening with the coal and gas boom at a special gathering: Our Land, Our Water, Our Future — Beyond Coal and Gas.

What The Website Says: We Have A Power Imbalance

“Governments of all persuasions seem unwilling to correct the power imbalance that has put the interests of coal and gas companies ahead of the interests of the community. Mining has been put before agriculture, tourism, the long-term sustainability of local economies and public health. Our best farmland, drinking water catchments and many of our most precious natural places are under threat. And the scale of the fossil fuel boom

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Did you know that, in NSW, female backpackers are filling labour shortages in the sheep shearing industry caused by the exodus of young regional men, many off to work in the mining sector?

A Working Holiday Visa And $1000/Week

SMH reports that foreign girls – from Germany, Sweden, Denmark – are making a good living – $1,000 a week, with free room, board and five square meals a day.

They are working as rouseabouts, penning or catching the sheep and cleaning the wool for the wool classer.

24 year old German backpacker, Vanessa Heep had been travelling around Australia for two years on a working holiday visa when she ‘fell into working on sheep shearing stations’ and now does many …

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The Earthworker Co-Op, Australia’s first worker-owned, green manufacturing plant celebrated the installation of its first solar hot water system at Kildonan Uniting Care in Coburg, Melbourne last month. This ‘job-saving’ approach to green technologies manufacturing is an alliance of unions, faith communities, green activists and small manufacturers.

Social Entrepreneurship Backed By The Uniting Church

Backed by the Uniting Church Social Enterprise Catalyst, people can now see more how this alliance leads to jobs and caring for the environment.

Manufacturing businesses Everlast and Douglas Solar, partners in the alliance, are concerned about the environment and the future of manufacturing. Collectively they have hundreds of years of manufacturing experience.

“The problem now for any manufacturer, even a co-operative manufacturer, is how to compete with

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Jobs Services Australia (JSA) says it’s clear the national job-matching system isn’t working for everyone. Funded for $5.52 billion over four years, contracts for service providers will be retendered in 2015 and the Commonwealth is considering options.

Some Of The Concerns

JSA acknowledges:

“There is widespread concern about whether the current system can achieve better outcomes for young people, new Australians, older workers and people who are experiencing homelessness..

Meanwhile, compliance creep has affected front-line efficiency, with employment consultants now spending around half their time on administration”.

Some Criticisms Being Addressed By JSA

The current system is said to be:

“too bureaucratic, with a confusing multitude of rules that results in front-line staff spending too much time on administrative tasks instead of helping clients.

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