pommie bastard

Now where have I heard this before , Poms with nothing better to do than whinge?



September 03, 2002A B O U T U S T H E W E S T O N L I N E T H E W E S T S H O P T A B F O R M R E G I O N A L S T H E G A M E


Get rid of the health gaps

THE health system in Australia is in danger of running off the rails because of the inadequate Medicare rebates for health services. The Medicare rebate for a normal visit to a GP now funds only around 70 per cent of the cost of the service, with the shortfall being too high for the practices to absorb.

Is it a case of health costs increasing with inflation and Medicare rebates being held at "base level prices"? This results in hip-pocket pain for the unsuspecting patient.

Our health system, with the Medicare levy and membership of private health funds, should provide adequate funding for most standard health services. This is clearly not the case because patients are required to pay extra for all x-rays, pathology, anaesthetics, dental, all ancillary services and now bigger amounts for GP visits.

A family with a combined taxable income of around $80,000 would be paying an annual $1200 for Medicare levy and around $2500 for full private health, plus an unknown amount for the resulting shortfall.

Would it be possible to have a combination of a higher Medicare levy and private health contributions which actually results in no additional out-of-pocket expenses for any health services? The only additional costs required should be perhaps for some non-standard services.
RON PECKITT, Duncraig.

It's in a mess

IT IS a scandalous indictment of the administration of the Health Department when the public learns that 342 beds have been lost in the three teaching hospitals compared with 10 years ago (Hospital bed numbers fall, 30/8).

Those people responsible are not doing the jobs to which they are appointed and all the rhetoric from these quarters will not convince us, the suffering taxpayers, to the contrary.

The health service is in a total mess. Just ask the doctors, nurses and staff, Mr Kucera, and the quicker you start learning to listen to the real experts (and not the pen pushers) the quicker you will be able to start rectifying matters - that is, if you have the will to do so.
PETER S. BOAM, Leederville.

Another commission

PERHAPS it's time the Anti-Corruption Commission was overseen by another body. We could call it the AIC (Anti-Incompetence Commission).
GAVAN O'CONNOR, Wembley.
















© 2002 West Australian Newspapers Limited
All Rights Reserved.
Top Home

willywh3r3

Hi PB,

What is the URL of the online version? Care to tell us? I'd like to read the other things (jobs, education, housing, etc.).

Rgrds,
Wil

shaun/lor

[QUOTE]Originally posted by willywh3r3:
Hi PB,

hi pb
cheers for that, and i do understand where your coming from.
but this is still just the sort of thing were getting over here, in uk.
were not trying to get away from these problems, were just looking for a change of scenery,
shaun

pommie bastard

Sorry have to watch what I tell you people get upset if its not all good news , look just pack your bag and come to the land of plenty .I myself am in Medibank Private just read it has a $100 million over spend and goverment will have to step in , great news I can get ill now , no worrys.




THE Federal Government might decide against selling Medibank Private if the expected sale price was too low, Treasurer Peter Costello has said.

Mr Costello was asked today if an anticipated loss of up to $150 million for the government-owned health insurer would lower its sale price.

But he said the Government was only making a scoping study and had not yet decided to sell Medibank Private.

"We haven't announced a sale," Mr Costello said.

"We're doing a scoping study and obviously the scoping study will look at that (performance).

"One of the things you would take into account would be price.

"Let's see what the scoping study says and we'll take a decision which is both in the interests of people who are looking for good medical insurance and (a good) financial (outcome).

"I think the argument's run away from itself.

"It's assumed as if this is up for sale - that's not the case."

pommie bastard

[QUOTE]Originally posted by shaun/lor:
Get in your car and drive into the best country side in the world and pull up at a country pub , if that don't cure you theres no hope .Best of luck.

etlniwd

BBC News
Thursday, 7 March, 2002, 11:16 GMT

Australian economy grows rapidly

Australia is experiencing breakneck economic growth, far outstripping its main trading partners, figures have revealed.
Between October and December, the country's economy grew by 1.3%, almost double what economists had predicts and the biggest quarterly leap in two years.

The growth was almost four times what the US had achieved in the same period.

Underpinning the spurt was the continuing willingness of Australians to splash out on consumer goods, coupled with a hyperactive housing market boosted by government grants for new house building.


Oh look ! I've learned how to cut and paste from the internet. What shall I look for now ??? Hmmm ... maybe a story about how the NHS is on the verge of breakdown, or maybe a macbre story of child murder

Devlin

Growth rate slows more than expected
September 4 2002





Australia's growth rate slowed in the three months to June, dragging annual growth below four per cent, official figures showed today.

Allowing for seasonal impacts, gross domestic product rose 0.6 per cent in the June quarter to give an annual rate of 3.8 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said.

Experts were tipping a quarterly rise of 0.9 per cent and an annual rate of 4.1 per cent.

The ABS also revised down growth in the previous quarter to 0.7 per cent, from 0.9 per cent.

This means the growth rate has fallen in each of the past three quarters.

Investment and household spending were the major drivers of growth in the June quarter, the ABS said.

But Australia's run of trade deficits and a fall in stock inventories detracted from growth, the figures showed.

The lower than expected pace of growth could sway the Reserve Bank of Australia board to leave interest rates on hold at its monthly meeting today.


http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...953454923.html

Grub

Good for you- I can cut and paste too- just didnt want to rise yet again to PB's negativity!
I will though. Let's start a new site for positive news!!

Cheers

Nicky
x

pommie bastard

Yes 6.3% unemployment (UK 4%), higher interest rates than UK these figures are built on borrowed money .The building trade is out stripping any other sector thanks to goverment giving away tax payers money to first time buyers also the con is take it back in GST bought in last year.
If you are in the building trade this is the place for you right now but after every boom comes a bust.
I am to also to believe that UK is strongest economy in Europe, in the last year here one airline , a big insurance company also telephone company have gone bust with 30,000 lost jobs its realy is good here .We also have a very small econcomy 1.3% is equal to 0.4% in UK and divid that again by at lest 4 if you compare to USA .

Economics: The surging domestic economy has been given a reality check by sobering new data on growth, retail sales and manufacturing warning that the world beating boom as peaked reports Sid Marris (Page 1). Peter Costello isn’t about to agree Australia’s business cycle has peaked, but he came close at his press conference on the national accounts yesterday writes Alan Wood (Page 2).
Retail sales for July were weaker, showing a 0.5 per cent fall – the first slip since August 2001.

But retailers blamed the result on the finish of end-of-financial-year sales the month before. "I am not surprised to see the July sales a bit softer," said David Jones chairman and RBA board member Dick Warburton.

The Westpac/Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry quarterly survey, also released yesterday, showed a sharp drop in new orders, with more firms expecting sales to fall rather than to rise, and a falling-away of general business confidence.

While most economists had been predicting the national accounts to show quarterly growth of 1 per cent, one of those who picked the result, ICAP chief economist Ric Simes said it showed the economy could not sustain 4 per cent annual growth without putting pressure on the balance of payments.

"Policy-makers should be worried about the demand side. If it is so strong, why can't we produce it locally especially when the dollar is so low," he said