Enviromental activist Mithra Cox (L) and her husband Martin Cubby play music near Sydney. The pair are two of the more than seven million Australian taxpayers who have received a one-off cheque from the government for up to A$900.

Cash registers are ringing across Australia as more than seven million economically-stimulated consumers raise their wallets in thanks for “manna from Kevin.”

Rudd and his treasury have given up to A$900 to all students and everyone earning less than A$100,000 a year – and told them it is their patriotic duty to go out and spend it.

Local media dubbed the gifts “manna from Kevin,” but the conservative opposition says the bid to bolster economic activity is little more than a “one-off sugar hit.”

For most, however, the payment is an unprecedented gift from the recession gods as countries around the world struggle with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Social networking site Facebook was flush with “thanks Kev” messages as the cheques rolled in, with many promising to do their duty and hit the shops.

Overseas travel topped the list for a large number, while laptops, bicycle parts, hiking shoes, webcams, shares and dental work were also high priorities.

Sydney student Maeve Marsden rattled off a list of spending dreams: travel, cookware, gardening equipment, “a shiny, fancy camera” or an apartment.

“But for the moment there shall be no spending, no sir, the stimulating buck stops with me,” she said.

“I have a love affair with my savings account and I am stimulating her. Sorry Kevin.”

Many said they would put the money straight onto their overloaded credit cards, while others planned to donate it to charity.

But in an ironic twist, some at least intend to use it against Rudd.

Mithra Cox, an environmental activist, said she would use her bonus on a trip to Copenhagen, where she plans to travel with husband Martin Cubby in December to protest at a summit of world leaders on climate change.

“We figure it’s really important for Australian politicians to see that Aussies care enough to follow them halfway around the world,” said Cox, 29, who believes Rudd’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gases does not go far enough.

“Basically, it’s now or never, and if the world doesn’t get it sorted in Copenhagen then we’re all screwed.

“It’s a long way to go to a protest I know, but someone’s got to do something,” she told AFP.

The pet industry has reported a surge in business, as people splurged their cash on grooming, care and accessories for their furry friends.

“I’ve had a number of reports of people sharing the stimulus package with their pets: a new kennel perhaps, or a clip and groom for the dog,” said Joanne Sillince, from the Pet Industry Association of Australia.

Retailers were quick to capitalize on the flood of funds, launching a series of targeted ads flagging stimulus deals.

One enterprising television maker, Kogan, urged shoppers to blow their cash on a specially branded and priced A$900 “Kevin37” plasma TV with a 37-inch screen.

Every set came with a free promotional Kevin37 T-shirt, emblazoned with the phrase “high definition stimulus,” said company founder Ruslan Kogan.

One Sydney man allegedly caught with a cache of weapons and drugs in a police raid told officers he had used the stimulus cash to buy a .44 caliber pistol on the black market “for self defense.”

A St. George Bank survey this week showed fewer than half intended to spend all or part of the cash, with 35 percent saying they planned to pay down their credit cards and 9 percent putting it toward mortgage repayments.

The first A$10 billion round of cash bonuses to low and middle income earners, announced by Rudd last November, boosted retail sales by an estimated A$1.3 billion, according to the National Retailers’ Association.

Their survey about how consumers planned to spend the second and much broader round of bonuses found there was an even split between saving and spending.

Shane Oliver, chief economist with AMP Capital Investors, said the scope and immediacy of the rollout was unprecedented in Australia’s history.

“These sorts of payments directed at households have not, that I can recall, been undertaken in such a significant fashion if at all in the past,” Oliver said.

Relatively high debt levels and expensive housing meant Australians were quite vulnerable to an economic downturn, Oliver said, adding that if households hadn’t received the stimulus payments they would have cut back their spending.

Source: AFP