THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 4 Number 9 | June 2014
NEWS
03
BUDGET BLUES
WHILE everyone is waiting to see whether legislators will pass the
budget or not, the Abbott government’s Federal Budget 2014 has
been the talk of the town.
THE Prime Minister does not
seem to have the numbers yet in
the Senate to have their budget
passed but he had indicated that
they will “not surrender” their
budget proposals.
In The Australian, treasurer Joe
Hockey said recently that the government is facing a test of character
and he was quoted as saying that
the budget team “certainly won’t
flinch.” Indeed, the government
will not pull back even as students
launched a big demonstration last
month to protest rising university fees.
The hard times will roll in when
massive cuts to education and welfare are implemented once the
See what Pinoys say about the Federal
Budget 2014 on our Vox Populi, page 10
budget pushes through. There is
an anticipated loss of over 16,000
jobs in the public sector although
the government promises to generate more jobs when it implements massive infrastructure projects. All of these are being done in
the name of saving.
The questions are basic: Will
this budget work for the families or not? Who will benefit in
the long run? Why do we have to
do this? Why do patients have to
pay $7 on visits to the GP? Why
do students need to pay more for
their studies? Is there any other
way out?
Ordinary people are talking
about the budget and the views
lean to opposing sides. Ang Kalatas spoke to several Filipino-Australians, they don’t entirely share
the same opinion about it.
“It’s a bittersweet pill for Australians in general but we need to
tighten the belt somehow,” said
Eugene Benitez of Ashfield. He
said he finds nothing wrong to pay
$7 to a visit to the doctor especially when one can spend money on
alcohol and ciggies.
“In my financial situation, it’s
going to be tough if it goes ahead.
I’m disappointed because the government was actually doing well
with education in the past,” said
Plumpton resident Clarissa Bock,
a student currently doing her HSC.
Robert of Hurstville said he was
“most happy about it” and that the
Liberal government is “doing the
right thing to bring everybody
right on track.”
So will this new budget work
for Australia or not? Let’s just wait
and see. But for now it is probably
a good time to save, spend money wisely, exercise and stay healthy
(so you can work until you turn
70), and love your job (in case you
still have one).
Thousands of university students march though Sydney’s CBD in protest
at federal budget cuts to higher education on May 21. Prime Minister
Tony Abbott has sought to sell his first budget since coming to office last
September, with his popularity falling after it axed health and education
spending while tightening welfare benefits to help bring the deficit under
control. AF @