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单收入家庭和年薪80K以下的每人从$950减为$900。
Stimulus package passes Senate
By Online parliamentary correspondent Emma Rodgers
Posted 50 minutes ago
Updated 25 minutes ago
Independent senator Nick Xenophon speaks in The Senate Chamber at Parliament House, Canberra, on February 13, 2009. (SKY News)
Related Story: Downstream welcome for Xenophon's water deal The Senate has passed the Government's $42 billion economic stimulus package, with Independent Senator Nick Xenophon changing his vote after securing $900 million for the Murray-Darling Basin.
Yesterday the South Australian Senator joined with the Opposition to reject the package because the Government refused to include fast-tracking billions of dollars of funds to save the basin.
Following protracted negotiations yesterday and this morning Senator Xenophon eventually joined with the Government and the Greens to allow the passage of the bills after winning a deal to have $500 million of funds for the basin fast-tracked, $200 million for local community grants and $200 million for stormwater harvesting.
"I think it's fair to say that yesterday the Government was reluctant to spend this amount of money but I believe the 1.9 million people in the Basin from Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria and South Australia deserve us to fight for them and to go down to the wire to do whatever we can so I persisted," he said.
As well as striking the deal with Senator Xenophon, the Government also had to make several amendments to the plan including reducing payments to single-income families and the tax bonus to workers by $50 to $900.
It also agreed to $300 million worth of changes requested by the Greens.
The Government relied on all crossbench senators to pass the package after the Opposition refused to support it.
Approval of the legislation now means cash payments to millions of low and middle-income earners are likely to be delivered by the March deadline set by the Government.
A further $14.7 billion will be spent on schools infrastructure and $6.6 billion will be used to build and upgrade public and Defence Housing.
Victoria will be allowed to use its share of those funds to fast track rebuilding of schools and homes in the wake of the bushfires.
The Opposition refused to change its position on the package, arguing that the stimulus should be smaller and include tax cuts.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Nick Minchin accused the Government of over-reacting to the economic crisis.
"[The package] is not directed to productive investment in this economy," he said.
"Our children are going to be lumbered with some of the greatest debt this country has ever seen."
Nationals Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce was scathing of the crossbench senators' decision to approve the package.
"This is the day Australia gets saddled up with a debt we don't have a clue of how we're going to repay," he said.
"It has no efficacy, it has no outcome, and its cost is immense."
But Government Senate Leader Chris Evans has condemned the Opposition's actions.
"They have failed the nation in putting their politics before the national interest," he said.
[ 本帖最后由 villa 于 2009-2-16 10:44 编辑 ] |
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好吃简单的太阳肉 (2005-11-24) binbingogo 
发表于 2009-2-13 13:21
发表于 2009-2-13 14:45
