The electorate of Fremantle covers Perth’s coastal southern suburbs from North Fremantle south to Henderson. It extends only a short distance eastwards along the southern bank of the Swan River to Bicton, Liberal-voting riverfront territory beyond being accommodated by Tangney, while going deep inland as far as Jandakot and Banjup further to the south. Liberal support is strongest along the riverfront, in the Jandakot/Banjup area, and in recently developed Port Coogee south of the city. The Greens polled between 25% and 30% in the Fremantle city booths in 2010, reflecting a strength of support that allowed Adele Carles to win the state seat for the party at a by-election in April 2009. However, their competitiveness in the federal seat is curtailed by the more traditionally working-class complexion of the suburbs further south.
The electorate of Fremantle has existed in name since federation, with the entirety of the Perth metropolitan area being divided between it and Perth until parliament was expanded in 1949. Only then did the port city and its surrounds sufficiently dominate the seat to allow Labor to secure its hold. John Curtin became the member in 1928 after unseating independent incumbent William Watson, who recovered it at the 1931 election as the candidate of the United Australia Party. Curtin was back for the long haul in 1934 and succeeded Jim Scullin as Labor leader the following year, although he survived in Fremantle by only 641 votes at the 1940 election.
After leading the country through the sharp end of the war years, Curtin became only the second prime minister to die in office in July 1945. Fremantle was retained for Labor at the ensuing by-election by Kim Beazley Senior and remained a home for high-profile Labor figures thereafter: Keating government Treasurer John Dawkins succeeded Beazley upon his retirement in 1977, and former Premier Carmen Lawrence in turn assumed the seat when Dawkins quit in 1994. Fremantle was the only WA seat left standing for Labor after the twin disasters of 1975 and 1977, but it was overtaken by Perth as Labor’s strongest seat in WA at the 2010 election, by which time the statewide tide to the Liberals had worn the margin in Fremantle down to 5.7%.
Fremantle has been held since Carmen Lawrence’s retirement in 2007 by Melissa Parke, a former United Nations human rights lawyer factionally aligned with the Left. Parke has thus far been overlooked for promotion, but made headlines over the past term after criticising the government’s “Malaysia solution” and decision to resume live cattle exports to Indonesia. As one report put it, Parke was “widely believed” to have voted for Kevin Rudd when he challenged for the leadership in February 2012.
There was a time when journalists were revered, they were the heroes of little boys and girls everywhere and their tales of the happenings in far flung outposts of the world made people dream, shake in fright and marvel at the bravery of these men and women that were bringing us the news.
There was a time when journalists died to bring us behind the scenes news, when journalists risked everything to bring out the truth, they seemed to be beyond fear and had honour to spare.
Journalists like Carl Gerlich of Germany in the 1930’s, or Edgar Mowrer from the same period, Virginia Cowles during the Spanish Civil War along with Louis Delapree, Ernest Hemingway, Alan Moorehead. What about Dith Pran and Sydney Shanberg of Cambodia, Anna Politkovskaya of Russia, and the more than 200 that are in gaol at the moment around the world for bringing us the stories, the truth of what governments are doing, telling us what big business has and continues to do to those that cannot fight for themselves.
What happened to this revered trade, where did those brave journalists disappear to, to be replaced by the lightweight, social page writers we have today, these opinionated buffoons that can’t even give us their own opinions but hoist on us ones dictated to them in monthly meetings, opinions that follow the narrative of the dollar and the highest bidder.
Now the shoe is on the other foot, now is a time when it is the journalist that shake in fright as their positions as movers and shakers who’s opinions (even though they are not theirs) have become the latest jokes on the internet.
We have incredible things happening across the world and across Australia at the moment none of them brought to us by brave, daring, insightful journalists, no not while they can busy themselves with the latest fashion news, who is bonking who, which film actor/actress, model or singer has released their latest manufactured nothing.
The lnp can be expected to act as they do, they have always been the pus expectorated from the festering boil of the privileged mentality, the so called upper classes. But to see the journalist trade brought down to the level that their reportage is just more advertising spiels for big business is so disheartening.
I wonder if we will see any Howard Beales who are “as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore”…………… looking at the pap that laughingly call themselves ‘journalist’ here in Australia I don’t think so.
Adrian, yes received wisdom is a big win for LDP…
[Surely I lay better claim to that title you have acquired than you?]
Pfft! I piss off people on both the left and right of the spectrum. Also, Labor hacks, Coalition hacks and Green hacks all get grouchy at me.
I am most popular when I bite my tongue. When I let my thoughts be known, I am a pariah!
Yes I know RTDO, but sometimes I like to test it on things that don’t matter.
RTDO?
You think I don’t see what you’re doing there Adrian?
ReTarDO?
Admit it. You hate my guts.
I am despicable.
William
Instead of shutting PB down for a break, why not put someone else in charge in your absence?
I think Shows On would be a good choice. 😛
Things are sometimes a bit staid with you in charge.
ouch…
[Posted at 9:37 PM December 16, 2012
on Twitter
“RT @GarryShandling: Why doesn’t the NRA get behind allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon? Because, nuclear weapons don’t kill people. People kill people.”]
[RTDO?
You think I don’t see what you’re doing there Adrian?
ReTarDO?
Admit it. You hate my guts.
I am despicable.]
Only if you think “retard” is an insult…
I guess I’ll shut the site down for two weeks starting from Christmas Day.
Thanks William. I hope you make the best of the break.
Gee it’s windy in Sydney tonight. Could be the winds of change, but more likely just the effects of global warming or just a windy night.
RTDO, you have seen through me, which is why I admire you so much.
Oh great.
Carey
No.
Sense.
Of.
Humour.
Another.
PB
Literalist.
Sheesh.
I wasn’t talking to you.
I would explain the joke, the pun and the tone to you but I’m afraid your head might cave in.
William:
You’re a doll, and that’s why we love you!! Xmas day shutdown is imminently sensible.
[bemused
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:25 pm | PERMALINK
William
Instead of shutting PB down for a break, why not put someone else in charge in your absence?]
Pick me! Pick me!
I’d sort this place out in a day or so….ban everyone I say!
;devil:
Mod Lib:
On your surplus fetish, and out of curiosity, how many surpluses did Menzies deliver for Australians?
I’ll moderate…
Mod Lib@714
Shows On has flair and style.
You have only Liebral hackery.
Mod Lib, aren’t you a contradiction in terms?
How does that feel?
Or was that tolerate…
It’s good to see Sunday Night at PB is running true to form.
Fulvio Sammut,
Taking a shower and listening to radio at the same time can be stressful.
It’s well known and documented that blokes cannot do two things at once. I know, been there …
From your report, it appears you were attempting to do three
things: Showering, radio listening and ear rinsing. That’s too great a load. Cut back. Know the limitations.
+++
My heart cries for the families of the dead in the US. All those young lives, lost. I loath John Howard with a passion, but he did one good thing: gun control.
Mr President Obama: Control the guns. And, while you are at it, end the barbaric death penalty.
Once that’s done, America can proudly show its face to the world.
+++
Good night, Bludgers.
[Carey Moore
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:22 pm | PERMALINK
Surely I lay better claim to that title you have acquired than you?
Pfft! I piss off people on both the left and right of the spectrum. Also, Labor hacks, Coalition hacks and Green hacks all get grouchy at me.
I am most popular when I bite my tongue. When I let my thoughts be known, I am a pariah!]
I see your pfft and I raise it!
You are the golden messiah on this blog compared to me, c’mon on….not even in the league of the likes of me here!
For those that are interested over xmas
http://pbxmastragics.wordpress.com/
Oh great.
Carey
No.
Sense.
Of.
Humour.
Another.
[PB
Literalist.
Sheesh.
I wasn’t talking to you.
I would explain the joke, the pun and the tone to you but I’m afraid your head might cave in.]
Oh take your hand off it, you self-pitying loser.
I got your joke. I still reserve the right to object to “retard” being synonymous with “bad”
[adrian
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:35 pm | PERMALINK
Mod Lib, aren’t you a contradiction in terms?
How does that feel?]
Enigmatic
[You are the golden messiah on this blog compared to me, c’mon on….not even in the league of the likes of me here!]
Admittedly I am reserved here. If people saw some of my thoughts I have posted in other places, I would be run out of this blog…
[confessions
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:34 pm | PERMALINK
Mod Lib:
On your surplus fetish, and out of curiosity, how many surpluses did Menzies deliver for Australians?]
WOW…pointing out that the ALP had only ever delivered 4 surplus budgets in the last 50 years really hit the mark last night didn’t it?
Hehe 😉
How many did Menzies bring down? No idea…..the Reserve Bank dataset did not go back that far.
How many was it?
@mosharrafzaidi: The cannon used to kill six-year old children in Connecticut was NRA “Rifle of the year” in 2011 http://t.co/iEqeFzVD via @HeathaT
[I guess I’ll shut the site down for two weeks starting from Christmas Day.]
Oh no! How am I going to know that Tony Abbott and the Coalition are, in fact, in really bad trouble and Rudd is actually Satan? 😉
[Admittedly I am reserved here. If people saw some of my thoughts I have posted in other places, I would be run out of this blog…]
I say spit it out….don’t worry about the bullies!
I, for one, would be very interested to hear what you think.
At least you do….”think” that is …… unlike many others here who just read out the media statements provided from HQ.
Oh yeah, Twitter!
[I say spit it out….don’t worry about the bullies!
I, for one, would be very interested to hear what you think.
At least you do….”think” that is …… unlike many others here who just read out the media statements provided from HQ.]
Hahaha! I’ve tried that. Everybody ganged up. Even though most of you are just anonymous text, it was still overwhelming.
It doesn’t help that I use my real name. I should change but I changed it to this out of principle and in support of others who would like to but are too afraid of others to do so…
ML:
It’s you with the surplus fetish, not me. How unsurprisement that you can’t answer the question you demand of Labor voters when it comes to your party’s founding father.
As I predicted last night. 🙂
Mod Lib in his “mod suit”
[Oh no! How am I going to know that Tony Abbott and the Coalition are, in fact, in really bad trouble and Rudd is actually Satan?]
Are you on twitter?
You should be.
[that you can’t answer the question you demand of Labor voters]
What question?
I was merely stating a fact: the ALP have delivered 4 surplus budgets in the last 50yrs
There was no question.
[swamprat
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:46 pm | PERMALINK
Mod Lib in his “mod suit”]
Closer that I would like to admit….
@Mod Lib/727
So it’s about the most surpluses now ? Remember, quality vs quantity argument even runs in the Politics can’t escape.
[Hahaha! I’ve tried that. Everybody ganged up. Even though most of you are just anonymous text, it was still overwhelming.]
Trust me, I understand what you mean by the “gang up”.
Remember, they are just bullies……with the usual silent audience who don’t agree with the bullies but can’t bring themselves to say anything.
[zoidlord
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:48 pm | PERMALINK
@Mod Lib/727
So it’s about the most surpluses now ? Remember, quality vs quantity argument even runs in the Politics can’t escape.]
Well there certainly were some quality deficits in there, thats for sure!
even though you called me a liar and a wanker I will visit your site joe… Merry Christmas…
[There was no question.]
Yes there was. How many surpluses did Menzies deliver?
[confessions
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:45 pm | PERMALINK
ML:
It’s you with the surplus fetish, not me. How unsurprisement that you can’t answer the question you demand of Labor voters when it comes to your party’s founding father.
As I predicted last night. ]
“you can’t answer the question you demand of Labor voters”
…I was not demanding anything from Labor voters.
Just reminding them that the ALP has only delivered 4 surplus budgets in 50 years.
Hey William. You could put me in charge and I promise to be..
[Not actually evil, but bad tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous]
😀
My site will certainly have a post on or about 1 Jan 2013 to award The Ehrlich to the person responsible for the most wrong prediction of or concerning 2012, in any area at all that interests me.
The winner was decided before the award was announced, but nominations are still open!
I will be eligible for The Ehrlich every year but I don’t think I’ve said anything quite dumb enough in 2012; I must work harder.
New2This listens to Morrissey in preparation for the gig on Friday night… Some girls are bigger than others…
[Kevin Bonham
Posted Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 10:57 pm | PERMALINK
My site will certainly have a post on or about 1 Jan 2013 to award The Ehrlich to the person responsible for the most wrong prediction of or concerning 2012, in any area at all that interests me.]
I hope the final results of the US elections will be ready so that I can enter my predictions compared with the final results!!!!
[Just reminding them that the ALP has only delivered 4 surplus budgets in 50 years.]
Wev.
Labor rebuilds after Tory economic indulgence, as Rudd/Gillard have had to do after 12 years of Howard rule.
As I said before, Costellos economic manager narrative was so strongly entrenched among business that it took a Labor ‘govt to offer him that much-needed job he’d been googling for.
I missed last nights discussions on this Mod Lib. Could you let me know how many surpluses were delivered by the Libs in the last 50 years? Also if you could do this for me (me being new to this country), can you list some of the best reforms that were introduced to Australia by the Libs in the last 50 years, Mod lib? Just something on top of your head.
THE NEW JAP PM IS NOTORIOUS FOR HIS ANTI-CHINESE LINES AND HIS SYMPATHY FOR THE OLD WAR CRIMINALS CIRCA 1941-45
INTERESTING TIMES ??