WORKING families will not get further tax relief or family payment increases in this year's Budget because most are almost $4000 better off under Labor, the Rudd Government says.

Labor's risky strategy for the May 11 Budget will favour infrastructure spending over individual tax cuts and family welfare, which have been budget centrepieces for more than a decade.

As it prepares to sell the benefits of long-term investment in infrastructure, the Government has given the Sunday Herald Sun a Treasury analysis it will use to show that working families are better off. But welfare groups say the $4000 figure is theoretical. They argue there is still room for tax cuts for lower-income families.

"Food prices have been rising by 9 per cent on average year on year, and some foods by 14 per cent," said Victorian Council of Social Service chief Cath Smith.

"Rents have also been rising by about 15 per cent a year," Ms Smith said. Increased utility prices were also taking a big bite out of the average family budget.

"Water bills will rise by an average of 15 per cent on the first of July, electricity bills are going up by 15 per cent and gas by 9 per cent," she said.

While interest rates have fallen since the Rudd Government came to office, the size of the average mortgage has risen in the past two years from $264,000 to $324,000.

The Treasury analysis assesses the effect of two Swan budgets and the next round of tax cuts on July 1 on three low-income families.

The July 1 tax cuts are the third part of a series of income tax relief measures announced in 2008 that will put an extra $20 a week in the pocket of someone earning $70,000 a year.

The families in the analysis are very much Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's "working families".

The first is a couple with two children earning $100,000 a year, the next an almost identical family with a single income of $100,000 a year.

The last is a single parent with two children earning $45,000 a year.

The first two families will be more than $3900 a year better off from July 1 and will have received one-off payments of $5700 and $5050 respectively. The single-parent family will be almost $3500 a year better off and have received one-off payments worth $5700.

Speaking from Washington yesterday, where he is attending the G20 Finance Ministers meeting, Mr Swan said Labor was still committed to families, but wanted to change their focus.

"Now it's time to get on with the job of converting Australia's successes during the global recession into long-term gains, and that's what the upcoming Budget will be all about," he said.

"The Budget will mark a new focus on delivering for families by strengthening our community for the long-term, which is why delivering our health and hospital reforms is so important."

In many ways the new strategy is one of necessity.

To fund stimulus packages, the Rudd Government has accumulated debt that will take another decade to pay off, according to projections.

In addition, the health reforms signed off last week add pressure to the Budget bottom line.

Hard heads such as Mr Swan and Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner want to shed the Howard legacy of "everyone gets a prize" in the Federal Budget.

The Budget has yet to be signed off.

Critiques:

The new financial budget by Australian is aiming to change their focus from families welfare to investment in public infrastructure. Families in Australia should not worry about this because the Government are going to use the funds to carry out other activities that will benefit not only individual family but the whole society. If the public infrastructure get better, citizens's standard of living will be upgraded, country's image will be improved, businessmen's confidence towards investment will increase, leading to more spending and thus generating more employment and national income will also boost up. There are many macroeconomic benefits behind this new Treasury budget, so everyone should not be panic first to worry about the reduced tax cuts and other kinds of families benefits.

Twilight-1. FIRST SIGHT pg2

It was to Forks that I now exiled(self-imposed absence from one's country) myself--an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks.

I loved Pheonix. I loved the sun and the blistering(intensely hot) heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling(spread out in a disordered fashion) city.

" Bella,"my mom said to me--the last of a thousand times--before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."

My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a spasm( a sudden burst of emotion) of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained (foolish, flighty-unstable and irresponsible) mother to fend (to attempt to manage without assistance) for herself? Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost but still...

"I want to go'" I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

"I will."

"I'll see you soon," she insisted." You can come home whenever you want-I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

"Don't worry about me," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."

She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone.

It's a four-hour flight from Pheonix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, though, I was a little worried about.

Charlie had really been fairly (clearly, fully) nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car.

Argumentative essay draft #1

Junk food is referred to any food with low nutritional value and considered to be unhealthy. (Smith 2005) The nutritional value of food has dropped over the past 30 years because people start to consume more and more junk food nowadays. (Lin 2005) According to Medical Assiociation President, Dr Cray, junk foods prohibit students to get the adequate amount of nutrition they need in growth and this will reduce their learning potential. (The Food Show 2005) Therefore, I strongly agree to ban the sale of junk foods in school and it is necessarily significant to discuss the reasons why junk foods should be banned in schools.

Junk food is unhealthy. Most junk foods contain synthetic chemicals to improve the flavour and colour as well as to prolong the shelf life. Proven, many of these chemical additives are believed to cause behavioural problems in children, such as hyperactivity and poor concentration. (Smith 2005) This theory is further supported by Caputo, a child psychologists, in The Food Show (2005). In addition, Lin (2005) also states that junk foods have high levels of fat, sugar and salt. These junk foods include takeaway foods, pre-packaged meals, sugary snack foods, instant noodles, potato chips and chocolate bars. Some of these junk foods will increase the calories level and lead to childhood obesity. This problem is getting worse as young people now seldom exercise. If childhood obesity is not handled carefully, heart diseases, osteoarthritis and some cancers might easily happen to those children who are overweight now in future.

Schools have credibility to take care of the welfare and safety of students, including their health. (The Food Show 2005) According to Lin (2005), thirty years ago most students brought home-made food such as sandwiches and fruits to school rather than buying food in school canteens. On contrary, many students nowadays consume junk food as their lunch in schools. Lin (2005) also quotes from Reynolds that the sale of junk foods in school is one main contributor to obesity in youngsters nowadays. Reynolds claims that healthy foods in canteen can help the schools to establish healthy food policies more efficiently as the students can get appropriate knowledge about good nutrition. If the sale of junk foods is not banned, the students may think eating junk foods has no any spillover effects. According to Dental Association, a drop in dental health of Australia primary-school children is linked to the habit of eating junk food.

Another problem which is caused by the sale of junk foods is the increase in litter as students just throw away cans, crisps packets, cartons, and plastic containers everywhere. If the sale of junk foods is banned in schools, the litter amount will be reduced. As a result, time taken by the school groundsman will be shortened and more time will be allocated to carry out maintenance projects. (The Food Show 2005) Besides, litter is also considered as a safety and health hazard. It also causes the cleaning costs to rise and brings down the image of our communities. (Smith 2005) Last but not least, according to Jack Green, a teacher in Hillview Primary School, in The Food Show (2005),after his school has banned junk foods in the school canteen, there is an impressive improvement of students’ attitudes in class, particularly that they have become less hyperactive after lunch.

In a nutshell, junk foods must be banned in schools. Childhood obesity should not be underestimated because serious health problems will arise in future out of unbalanced diets now. Foods such as biscuits, cookies, confectionery, hamburgers and soft drinks have low nutritional value and therefore should be avoided in daily diets. (Health Foundation 2005) Furthermore, government should provide funds to support health policies in schools. It is only a small price to pay for the future of our nation. (Lin 2005)

Text Production Draft # 3

Global warming has been a controversial issue for a century now, as scientists and the skeptics debate on global warming as the main cause of climate change. However, the truth is that people in this planet start to feel the consequences of it, caused by the more erratic and serious climate change. In the film An Inconvenient Truth 2007, Al. Gore says: “The era of Procrastination, of half-measure, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In this place, we are entering a period of consequences.”However, it is better late than never. We, as civil-minded citizens of this planet, therefore, should realize the significance of knowing the perils of climate change and taking initiative to carry out efficient and prompt actions to combat this disastrous global threat.

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.” (Riebeek 2007) Global warming is no longer a scenario to be worried by our future generation but it confronts us right now. One of the most evident effects is the rising of sea-levels. Water expands when it is warmed up and takes up more volume, contributing to higher sea-level. Melting of glaciers and ice sheets is also believed to increase the sea-levels, threatening low-lying nations or places, such as Florida, California and Bangladesh. Scientists also believe that the sea-level will rise about 4 inches to 3 feet by 2100. (Woodford 2006)

In addition, the increase in global temperature and the melting of glaciers at the Poles have tremendous impacts on the finely balanced ecosystem on earth. Polar bears depend on the ice sheets to move and hunt. The global warming causes the amount of ice sheets to decrease, resulting in the polar bears to lose their home. In the tropics, the rising temperature of the sea water has destroyed many coral reefs, putting the colourful ecosystems in danger. More importantly, human beings are also well affected by the climate change. More erratic climate change brings more storms and hurricanes. Floods are likely to take place in some countries on occasions. Some predictions say climate change flooding could make about 100-200 million people permanently homeless by 2100. (Woodford 2006)

To solve this, every quarter should work hand in hand. Anyone can contribute to reduce global warming by using energy efficiently and saving energy. Energy efficiency is considered as one of the best ways to curb climate change. To do this, one can replace the incandescent lamps in his home and use energy-saving fluorescent lamps. You can also choose to walk, ride a bicycle or take public transportation instead of driving your car. You can put on a sweater instead of turning on the heating and open the windows instead of using the air-conditioners. (Woodford 2006)Even these seemingly little moves can help to reduce climate change greatly. Governments of the world should also reduce their carbon emission. Developing countries like China and India may argue that the reduction in their energy consumption will put them at an economic disadvantage to the other nations. However, Stern Report states that the global economic activity which is measured by Gross Domestic Product will drop up to 20% if inaction continues but this drop can be reduced to merely 1% if governments are willing to take actions now. (Woodford 2006)

In conclusion, though the increase of around only a few degree centigrade in the global temperature is capable of producing significant changes in our environment and way of life and it may seem trivial for us (Riebeek 2007), the fact that climate change is affecting our daily lives is undeniably true. Hence, every one of us should start to play a role in saving our Mother Earth. Knowing the consequences of climate change, we should work in a more comprehensive way and make wise use of the technology to solve the climate change. Everyone must have the perseverance and determination to carry out the actions to curb global warming. (An Inconvenient Truth 2007) As the saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.

Twilight-1. FIRST SIGHT pg1

MY MOTHER DROVE ME TO THE AIRPORT WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favourite shirt-sleeveless, white eyelet lace. I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka.

In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I 'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead.

omnipresent-present everywhere simultaneously

inconsequential-insignificant

Twilight-Stephenie Meyer

Preface

I'D NEVER GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT TO HOW I WOULD DIE-though I'd had reason enough in the last few months- but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me.

Surely it was a good way to die, in a place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.

I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death now. But, terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.

The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forwards to kill me.