The economy of rights

I’m watching the news, the shorts haven’t even finished yet and I’m already pissed off.

Peter Costello has been praised for his new budget. Wayne Swan just said “the treasurer is rolling in money; it has been raining gold bars”.

Yet attorney general, Philip Ruddock, explained that it was budgetary restraints that prevented war-widow pension scope being widened to include same-sex partnerships. “Issues that can be readily addressed that don’t involve significant budgetary outlays which do bring different considerations to bear will be examined by the government”, he added (presumably to make the government look a little less homophobic).

Human rights only if financially viable huh?

More info at here and here.