Heard today.... Woine whining

It shouldn't have happened in the first place.

WAYNE SWAN: Well it will certainly be quite expensive, there's no doubt about that. The Government is determined to put safety first. We will account for this as soon as we practically can. You will see the full outcomes in the budget and if we can do more along the way, we will.

At last!

This made me laugh like a drain:

LYNDAL CURTIS: There are reports today that Tony Abbott's paid parental leave scheme will cost big business as much as your emissions trading scheme. Doesn't that show that whoever wins at the next election, big business is going to be slugged?

WAYNE SWAN: No, I think what it shows is that Tony Abbott is a risk to family budgets and I think a risk to the economy. This is, in Tony Abbott's terms, something like an $11 billion tax on business which will be passed on in terms of prices at the supermarket, at the petrol station, at the local bank.

LYNDAL CURTIS: Isn't that exactly a description that could be applied to your emissions trading scheme?

Then this:

LYNDAL CURTIS: But costs were going to go up.

WAYNE SWAN: Yes costs were going up and compensation was being provided to industries which were trade exposed and also to households.

But Tony Abbott's policy is absolutely chaotic. What he has done is imposed an $11 billion tax on Australian business which will be passed on at the supermarket, at the local bank and, of course, that will impact upon pensioners and working families, and he's doing all of that to provide a benefit of up to $75,000 to some people earning as much as $150,000. There's no equity there.

LYNDAL CURTIS: Five ministers came out yesterday to complain that the Senate is the most obstructionist in 30 years. If it's that unworkable don't you have an obligation to go to an election to try and rectify the problem?

WAYNE SWAN: What we've got an obligation to do is to put policy before the Parliament and to put it before the Australian people.

More here.

How can anyone, honestly, take anything seriously that the current government says about carefully assessing anything, or about one of their members being frank and honest (Gargle describing Rudd's apology and admission of a cockup with the insulation debacle), just how? I wonder how many people who voted for these numbskulls because they didn't like Howard (anything/anyone but Howard), are regretting their vote?