UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2005
You may have
noticed we deliberately refrained from making comments re: Update January Debit
Tax (E-Tax) the reason being we wanted you to understand how Australia’s Major Political
Parties fought tooth and nail both Federal and State Governments as well as the
Opposition to prevent Pauline Hanson from presenting her Debit Tax Bill to the
Senate. The reason being that her Debit
Tax would have shown up the inequity of all previous and present “Snatch and
Grab,” tax systems.
As soon as the
major parties realized how dangerous Pauline’s Debit Tax would be to their
Political future regardless of the benefits for all Australians they became
United in that they all agreed to place Pauline last on the Ballot paper
ensuring that Pauline and her Debit Tax remained Dead and Buried.
This 1.5% Debit
Tax (E-Tax) benefits all Australians from the worker on the minimum basic wage
(approximately $100 per week 1 ( through to all Australian Businesses,
Veterans, Self Funded Retirees, the Disabled and Elderly Pensioners.
The added
bonus, all Federal, State and Local Government Taxes and Levies will be
abolished. Allowing for all these
concessions the Government will more than Double their Present Budget, because
everyone will have to pay a 1.5% Transaction Tax including the Foreign Multi
Nationals who have been subsidised by the Australian Tax Payer since 1953 under
the “Dual Reciprocation Tax Bill.”
One wouldn’t
like to believe our Major Political Parties put their “Slush Fund Donations”
from Multi-National Companies first in preference to addressing the real
concerns for Australia is future, i.e. infrastructure for Health, Roads and
Education.
At this stage
we should clarify that we are not a Pauline Hanson Lobby Group, in fact before
David Ettridge and Pauline were jailed we knew very little of what she stood
for politically or otherwise. It was
when Pauline was incarcerated in a Queensland jail that we decided to
investigate who and what was behind this undemocratic and barbaric act.
Tens of
thousands of Australians have given their lives in the hope that future
generations would live in a democratic country with the right to have “Freedom
of Speech.”
Queensland
Labor Premier Beattie denied Pauline Hanson this “right” when he held a
Queensland Government in house inquiry a Clayton’s inquiry into her wrongful
imprisonment. The Federal
Howard-Anderson Coalition were equally guilty of a cover up to protect their
Health Minister Tony Abbott’s involvement by failing to hold an Independent
Enquiry.
Questions that
need to be answered:
All honest and
true blue Australians are entitled to know the truth. We are sick and tired of Government and Bureaucratic Bungling and
Cover ups.
The following
two articles are being republished with the kind permission of Doug Ashworth
From the publication of the Grey Power Newsletter, December 2004, Edition.
AUSTRALIA POST
Australia Post
showed a profit of $371 million for the year 2003/4. This was achieved with the total revenue being $4.16
billion. The sole shareholder, the
Federal Government received $220.9 million as a dividend.
Not a bad
little earner and one wonders when the pollies see a sell off as a further way
to grab funds at the expense of a safe long term investment.
Perhaps the
inevitable expansion could be financed by the vast amounts of Super-Money now
earning little or no interest and still give Government a tidy
investment return.
A PUNTER’S DREAM. LOSE BUT
STILL WIN
A sure fire bet
…….. stand for parliament, gain over 4% of the electorate vote and then receive
$1.94 for each vote received.
Pauline Hanson,
it is reported, received $200,000 for losing and Labor was consoled to the tune
of $6.5 million by coming second. The Coalition
gained $20.5 million to help fund their next campaign.
These funds
from the Public Purse are set up and voted into Legislation by the very people
who are advantaged by the scheme. We
often hear about the high propriety of our Elected Members by surely the
allocation of these funds reeks of being in breach of the pecuniary
interest provisions?
The Public
Funds to help re-election chances clearly Advantages the Recipients and Lessens
the Probability of another Candidate to challenge effectively.
There is about
$40 million paid to political parties to conduct election campaigns and
thus gives the Incumbents an amazing financial advantage over fledgling
groups seeking to gain seats in parliament
The Family
first political party was brought to your attention in Update – November. Their grass roots rose via the assemblies of
God Church and is known as the Hillsong Church one of the most conspicuous of
the contemporary Pentecostal and evangelical churches whose collective growth
is fast outstripping that of the more traditional denominations as reported in
the Sun-Herald, November 7, 2004 by Sarah Price and Matthew Benns.
More than
18,000 people flock to the Baulkham Hills and city Hillsong churches to hear
the word each weekend. This church has
Political Muscle and Business Acumen.
The story of
Hillsong, self-described as “the church that never sleeps,” began 21 years ago
when Brian and Bobbie Houston founded the Hills Christian Life Centre.
As newly weds in
1978 they migrated from New Zealand and joined the ministry team of the Sydney
Christian Life Centre, an Assemblies of God church in the city founded by
Houston’s parents, which is now Hillsong’s city worship centre. The church is known not just for it’s style
of Christian worship, but for it’s links to the burgeoning political influence
of the “Religious Right” through politicians associated with it.
The Liberal
Party’s Louise Markus, a Hillsong church member, won the seat of Greenway,
which had been held by Labor since it was proclaimed in 1984, with a 7.02%
swing. Liberal MP for Mitchell, Alan
Cadman, who retained his north-western suburbs seat with a 1.09% swing and two
Family First Senate Candidates, Joan Woods and Ivan Herald who failed to win Senate
Seats, were featured in Hillsong’s latest glossy circular, with members being
asked to pray for them.
Prime Minister
John Howard opened Hillsong’s Baulkham Hills convention centre in October 2002
and Treasurer Peter Costello spoke to 21,600 registered delegates at the Super
Dome conference this year (2004).
Dr. Max Wallace, Author of the Purple
Economy, which investigates the business of churches, says “(Australian)
citizens are underwriting the churches.”
“But,” he adds “what we are getting is a lack of accountability, a lack
of transparency and no obligation to do any charitable work.”
The full church
accounts are not publicly available.
Hillsong, along with all churches in Australia does not pay tax and does
not have to file it’s accounts with the Australian Taxation Office.
Houston says
any regular member of the Hillsong congregation can make an appointment and be
shown the accounts.
Not only does
Houston encourage success in his congregations, he embraces it form himself and
wife Bobbie. He wears a Breitling watch
and rides a Harley Davidson Fatboy.
The couple owns
a house in Glenhaven and a 1.2 hectare block in Wilberforce. As well, Bobbie owns a unit in Bondi, which
the Sun Herald has established she bought for $650,000 in January 2002. Houston says he returns his pastor’s wages,
set by the church board, to Hillsong and earns his money mainly from books and
speaking commitments.
Houston has
told the Sun Herald previously that he earns money as a silent partner in
property development and on speaking tours.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) lists
Houston as the director of a range of companies including a café and a
deregistered travel company. But
Houston says he is the director only of companies within Hillsong; he is a
director of the Hillsong Foundation and other associated entities that are all
not-for profit. The final part of this
story will be continued in our Update – March.
THE CHALLENGE
We would like
to re-issue a challenge made in the June Edition of the Strategy (VIC).
Transaction
Tax, Debits Tax, or E-Tax – Demand a logical debate – not a ‘Wave of the hand’
Dismissal.
The Australian
People are fed up with “polly – speak” politicians ignoring requests by their
constituents to consult over issues of real concern.
This is a
direct challenge to Mr. Howard and his Coalition to come to the Debating Table
on Genuine Tax Reform – not the ‘Gobbledy –Gook’ dictated by the GST as
demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Challenge is
laid out-rollout your best experts to back you up and face the real experts,
put up by the people if you have the INTESTINAL FORTITUDE.
If you are as
you say, TRULY PATRIOTIC Australians you Will Not be able to ignore our
Challenge. To do so will show where
your allegiance lies.
RALLY AT TAREE
Three of our
colleagues have been invited to address a rally at Taree on the second week in
February. As soon as we know the venue,
date and time we will put the details on our website.
Our colleagues
will be exposing the truth about Deregulation – the Free Trade Agreements (FTA)
Border Security and Quarantine. Get the
true situation on the aforementioned subjects, not the rhetoric presented to us
by our elected members and their Spin doctors the Print and Electronic Media.
How to kill a
Country an Allen and Unwin Publication Co-Authored by Weiss, Matthews and
Thurbon relates the truth of the U.S. – Australia FTA. Compulsory reading for
the Concerned Australian.