Stimulus negotiations appear stalled

Negotiations on the federal government's $42 billion stimulus plan appear to have
stalled just a day out from a Senate vote on the package.
Key independent senator Steve Fielding launched a savage attack on both the package
and the government's treatment of him during negotiations.
The prime minister's office denied they had become involved in the negotiations,
although a source indicated to AAP the talks were no longer solely in the hands of
the Senate leader and Treasurer Wayne Swan.
The government continued to hinder the package in the Senate on Wednesday night
while struggling to reach consensus with Senator Fielding, fellow independent Nick
Xenophon and the Greens.
"These negotiations have been a lip-service," Senator Fielding told the upper house
on Wednesday.
"I'm dead set serious about this, this is just a joke.
"I know when someone's stuffing around."
The government has offered some concessions to the crossbenches but sources told AAP
the offers were paltry.
"We have got tomorrow to debate the package and that will continue," Labor
frontbencher Nick Sherry said.
Last week, the government demanded the package, which would plunge the budget
further into deficit, be passed within 48 hours.
A week later it is delaying a Senate vote on the plan despite a looming deadline of
midnight on Thursday.
Senior Liberal senator Eric Abetz savaged the government.
"The Labor Party are deliberately stretching (debate) out to see if they can cobble
together a deal," he said.
A long list of Labor senators spoke at length on the package throughout Wednesday
despite repeated complaints from the opposition about the filibustering.
"We are ready to proceed and vote on these bills," Senator Abetz said.
Nationals Senate chief Barnaby Joyce declared the debate "tedious repetition" and
close to a breach of upper house rules.
The government denied the accusations.
Earlier, the package cleared a procedural hurdle when the crossbenchers voted as a
bloc to offer initial support for the stimulus.
For Senator Fielding, the sticking point remains his plan to spend $4 billion of the
stimulus on grassroots unemployment programs.
Senator Xenophon wants some of the money spent on the Murray-Darling Basin.
The filibustering came after the government was forced to clarify comments from
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when he appeared to link passage of the stimulus to
economic help for the victims of Victoria's bushfires.
Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin on Wednesday morning declared that federal
bushfires relief funding would be uncapped and not tied to the stimulus plan.
"It's really just common sense that if this package does go through the parliament
this week that some of the money could be used by the Victorian government to
rebuild schools for example," she told ABC Radio.