Tax cuts for wealthier Australians; and forcing single mothers to go out and find crappy poorly-paid casual jobs. That's responsible economic management for you! Sure, the tax cuts will cost the budget a fair chunk of money - but think what they can save by dragging those lazy single mothers back into the workforce! (Well, the poorly-paid part-time workforce, but anyway.)
A new round of across-the-board tax relief will be the show stopper in a budget that will promise strong surpluses and include a big shake-up of the welfare system.
Under intense pressure from business and its own back bench to deliver tax reform, the Government has responded with what sources said would be broadly based help.
This is on top of the already announced tax cut starting on July 1 for people earning more than $58,000 a year.
To complement an extensive welfare package, unemployed people will be encouraged to shift into work by having their dole phased out more slowly as earnings rise.
Single mothers with school-age children will have a year to find jobs before they will have to undertake activity testing and mutual obligation responsibilities such as unpaid work. But this change will not begin until mid next year so the full brunt will not be felt until mid-2007.
Treasurer Peter Costello yesterday said the budget would contain a "suite of measures" encouraging people to shift from welfare to work.
"We're very conscious that if you want more people to engage in work you've got to encourage them to do so," he said.
By "encourage" he means "force by threat of starvation" and by "work" he means "crap underpaid menial part-time work I would never myself consider doing in a thousand years".
Ah well. At least it'll be fresh in the single-mothers' minds when the next election comes up in 2007; maybe they'll consider voting against the bastards next time.
