Has Rudd’s package left punters sufficiently stimulated to go forth and spend, spend, spend? Does this mean pensioners’ Christmas stockings will this year be stuffed with more than just sausages for dinner? Will wannabe first time home buyers go forth and boost house prices even higher? And will the plasma television industry be saved this December? Media Monitors has provided a snapshot of the topic du jour on talkback this morning:

Victoria

3AW (Melbourne), Derryn Hinch Drive — 14/10/2008 — 04:20 PM: Caller Richard says that the word “me-tooism” has returned because PM Kevin Rudd has copied Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull’s push for a pension increase. Hinch says that he does not care where the PM gets his ideas from as long as they’re good ideas.

3AW (Melbourne), Derryn Hinch Drive — 14/10/2008 — 04:28 PM: Caller Lance says every time there is a pension increase, pensioners in nursing homes lose out because the governments take the increased money back. Hinch says that costs increase in nursing homes so of course this would be the case and is to only be expected.

ABC 774 (Melbourne), Derek Guille Evenings — 14/10/2008 — 07:21 PM: Caller Franz says Australia should implement “a triple bottom line taxation system” which would allow for environmental spending. Guille says an overhaul of the taxation system has to be a central part of protecting Australia against the international economic crisis.

ABC 774 (Melbourne), Derek Guille Evenings — 14/10/2008 — 07:23 PM: Caller Andrew has a mental illness and is on a disability pension. He’s happy because he can now afford to make a Fairmont he recently bought roadworthy. Andrew says people on disability pensions should receive the same increase as aged pensioners because they have similar expenses including hospital bills and prescriptions.

ACT

2CC (Canberra), Will Edwards The Drive Show — 14/10/2008 — 03:12 PM: Caller Ken is a carer and says the Rudd Government’s stimulus package is “a good start”. Ken says that pensioners will be helped by the package.

2CC (Canberra), Will Edwards The Drive Show — 14/10/2008 — 03:20 PM: Caller Alan is a self-funded retiree, and there should be a tax concession for people like him. Alan says some pensioners are “senior dole-bludgers” being rewarded by the Rudd Government’s stimulus package.

ABC 666 (Canberra), Louise Maher Drive — 14/10/2008 — 05:15 PM: Caller Jacqui is on a disability pension and says she can’t imagine spending the large sum of money she is to receive. She wonders how our society can be improved by making people more consumer orientated.

New South Wales

2UE (Sydney), John Stanley Drive — 14/10/2008 — 04:51 PM: Caller Vicky is a self funded retiree. She wonders if she’ll get the allowance pensioners are getting. She uses the Commonwealth Seniors health card and is very disappointed in this country, because self-funded retirees don’t get rewarded here.

2UE (Sydney), John Stanley Drive — 14/10/2008 — 04:56 PM: Caller Ronda is a disability pensioner and she’s very pleased she’ll receive the $1400 bonus because it will help her become debt-free.

2GB (Sydney), Philip Clark Sydney Drivetime — 14/10/2008 — 05:53 PM: Caller Heidi says she just heard about “the hand-outs from the Ministers” and wants to know why we are “still peasants”. Heidi says politicians are getting a lot of money from their pensions and calls for this to stop.

South Australia

5AA (Adelaide), Leon Byner Mornings — 14/10/2008 — 12:51 PM: Caller Rich ard reckons a generational change came in the 1970s where women were “enslaved to the workforce” to pay the mortgage. He says many kids come home from school to an empty house these days. Byner notes banks these days want to know a couple’s income before giving a loan and when loans are processed on a couple of incomes the price of property went up with Governments making a lot of money from taxes.

5AA (Adelaide), Amanda Blair Afternoons — 14/10/2008 — 01:18 PM: Caller Jan says PM Kevin Rudd’s injection into the economy is making her grumpy. She says although she approves of what he is doing for pensioners she recalls when ex-PM John Howard gave $7,000 to new home owners that builders inflated the cost of homes to absorb this. Blair says it coincided with the boom and people were finding it difficult to save for a deposit so it was a real leg up from the Government. Jan wants assurance that house prices won’t be artificially inflated.

ABC 891 (Adelaide), Peter Goers Evenings — 14/10/2008 — 08:57 PM: Caller Helen talks about the pension. She was a bit angry this morning when she read about a couple from Golden Grove complaining about how they can’t go out for coffee anymore.

Western Australia

ABC 720 (Perth), Russell Woolf Drive — 14/10/2008 — 03:15 PM: Caller Dorothy is a self funded retiree and is therefore not eligible for the assistance since she is over the aged pension qualification bracket. She says the cost of living does not double for two people and single people still have significant costs.

ABC 720 (Perth), Russell Woolf Drive — 14/10/2008 — 03:18 PM: Caller Craig is a first home buyer who will now be eligible for $14,000 if he buys his first home and $21,000 if he builds. He is 30-years-old and married. The announcement means he’ll now be able to seriously consider a move into his own home, rather than renting.

6PR (Perth), Howard Sattler Drive — 14/10/2008 — 03:24 PM: Caller Anne is crying because she is so happy. She thanks 6PR and all the people at the station for helping with a rally about increasing pensioners’ assistance.

Queensland

4BC (Brisbane), Greg Cary Morning Show — 14/10/2008 — 11:53 AM: Caller Josh says he and his wife bought a home three years ago but they were ineligible for the first home buyers’ grant as his wife had previously owned a house. He’s concerned young people get a big boost toward getting a home but those who have just bought a home “and are struggling” and get nothing. Cary notes there has to be a cut-off point somewhere and guesses the Government is trying to boost the economy at Christmas time and want to ensure the housing market doesn’t crash as it has in other parts of the world.

4BC (Brisbane), Rod Tiley Afternoons — 14/10/2008 — 01:14 PM: Caller Ray wonders whether housing commission and private rental costs will increase due to the pension bonus proposed by the Government as usually this happens when pensions increase.

4BC (Brisbane), Rod Tiley Afternoons — 14/10/2008 — 01:18 PM: Caller Phil would like the Government to stop “Pommies and Kiwis” selling up overseas and obtaining the first home owner grant. Rod Tiley says he does not think they can obtain it unless they are a citizen. Phil says his wife is a mortgage broker and claims they are able to.

ABC 612 (Brisbane), Richard Fidler Afternoons — 14/10/2008 — 01:27 PM: Caller Yvonne says she is on the pension, and she is really grateful for the extra money. She was surprised to hear “a woman from the Pensioner’s League not even being grateful about it”. Yvonne says she gets her clothes from Lifeline.

ABC 612 (Brisbane), Steve Austin Evenings — 14/10/2008 — 07:15 PM: Caller Eric reckons giving first home owners $21,000 free isn’t a good idea because developers will pounce on it being a deposit and will sign people up who can’t afford it. This is exactly the kind of practice that caused the US sub prime crisis.

TASMANIA

ABC 936 Hobart (Hobart), Louise Saunders Statewide Mornings — 15/10/2008 — 09:13 AM: Saunders reads a listener’s email. The listener reckons the Government is willing to sacrifice the long term investment of the country by spending billions on the economy and not the things that are more important: health, education and the environment.

ABC 936 Hobart (Hobart), Louise Saunders Statewide Mornings — 15/10/2008 — 09:52 AM: SMS: Toby believes the Government’s funding package is an opportunity to clear debt and pre-pay bills, rather than buy Christmas hampers.