New Briefs from Melbourne Australia
- By Charlie Rani
THE DEAD TO BE TAXED $50.00
With the issue of carbon tax recently introduced in Australia by the Gillard government those that have families and relatives living in Melbourne will be expecting a fifty dollars increase in a funeral when they take their deceased ones to the grave at the Springvale Cemetery. This is in the name of the carbon tax.
The standard cost for a funeral at the Springvale Cemetery is about seven thousand three hundred dollars and this is just at the cemetery itself. There is quite a high concentration of our Cook Islands people living around the area and some of them are quite put off of the ‘dead tax’. One Cook Islands community leader have criticised that even though these people have served the country and paid taxes but they have been embarked on a dead tax as they head down six feet.
COOK ISLANDS COMMUNITY TO HOLD ANNUAL TE MAIRE MAEVA NUI 2012.
The respective individual island groups of our Cook Islands community are gearing up for the annual Te Maire Maeva Nui 2012. Ten islands community at present are running evening practices of cultural items of legends, drum dance, traditional hymns and action songs to prepare them for this annual event.
Hosting the Te Maire Maeva Nui is the Cook Islands Community of Victoria (CICV) under the leadership James Henry. According to James the motive into our people to have their own Constitution Celebrations is to retain that Cook Islands pride in our people and also to encourage our young children is to take pride in our culture and language. With his Council making an active role in bringing our people together under one accord, the Te Maire Maeva Nui have always been one turning point of who we really are. The local district Council have always been given valuable recognition of what this Council is doing and every now and then they provide grants to help them in their work such as rentals of venue to host such events. The Cook Islands Community of Victoria (CICV) also organises church Uapou, sports and welfare projects in the course of its work.
The annual Te Maire Maeva Nui 2012 within Victoria will be held at the Springvale Community Center on Saturday 4th August.
MITIARO COMMUNITY HOLDING MASSIVE FUNDRAISER THIS WEEKEND
The Mitiaro community of Victoria is holding a massive fundraise this weekend for the purpose of raising funds to help them with activities for the next year.
Through its community they have pre-sold two hundred fifty dollars ticket and the turnaround is ten thousand dollars. This is rather an awesome initiative with two hundred food boxes of cooked pork, whole chicken, whole fish, bowl of chop-suey, tray of mayonnaise, kinaki and a one-point five litre of soft-drinks. This is the first of its kind such fund raise initiative have been run amongst our people.
Small families working as a team have their own dish to buy themselves, cook and have it ready to be dished in two hundred boxes. One initiative they wish to organise following the success of this fundraise is to buy the club a brand new set of drums.
NEW START ALLOWANCE TO BE PAID IN ‘BASIC CARD.’
The News tart fortnightly allowance is now five hundred and sixty nine dollars. The Gillard government is now introducing a ‘basic card’ for recipients and the initiative, objected by some is an avenue of government to see how the new start allowance is being spent. There is tendency that new start allowance’s is being spent on alcohol, tobacco and gambling. It has been noted that recipients are misusing their new start allowances and not spending them appropriately.
The Howard government by the way tried to introduced the concept in the Northern Territory and it did not work. There was riot with people contending that Government have no right to know how their newstart allowance or ‘dole’ money is to be spent. Government’s got to realize that if you are eighteen years old that anyone can buy alcohol.
The Old Age pension is by the way seven hundred and fifty dollars paid over two weeks.
The People’s Voice- "Having your say on critical issues"
This week: An importer questions how we are going to pay for the large infrastructure build outs that we have bought into.
“The $28 million upgrading of Avatiu port was supposed to take cruise ships and now it can’t. In fact it can marginally accommodate larger vessels like container ships but the port will have serious difficulty handling a cruise liner other than the small vessels that have called in before like the Paul Gauguin.
Since we have a $28m debt nearing completion without the advantage of larger vessels in particular cruise ships to use it and therefore pay for it, the question must be asked who then will pay for it?
Repayments will be about $98,000 a month starting in 2017 and ending around 2050. We will have to either dramatically increase freight costs to importers to cover the loan or increase VAT to 15 per cent or 17.5 per cent to pay for it.
Either way, costs will be forced onto a shrinking tax base due to a shrinking population and discerning tourists.
Extra costs will only force more people to leave the country and keep tourists away.”
Headlines : Times 290 02 March 2009
- Lucky $1,000 winner
- Century old palm trees and the French connection
- Koutu Nui takes part in Raui meeting in Moorea
- WOM Award Dinner for Ake Hosea-Winterflood
- Island of Atiu to host Koutu Nui AGM in June 2009
