A lot of news at the moment concerning matters pertinent to this blog, with Christian Porter announcing yesterday he will not contest the election, Greg Hunt universally expected to follow suit with today’s last parliamentary sitting day of the year, and voter identification legislation scuttled after a deal between government and opposition.
• Annabel Hennessy of The West Australian reports a nominee has already come forward for Liberal preselection in Christian Porter’s loseable northern Perth seat of Pearce: Miquela Riley, a former naval officer and current PwC Australia manager who performed a thankless task as the party’s candidate for Fremantle at the March state election. Other potential nominees identified are Libby Lyons, former director of the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency, and Alyssa Hayden, who held the state seat of Darling Range from 2018 until her defeat in March and was earlier in the Legislative Council from 2009 to 2017.
• The most widely named successor to Greg Hunt as Liberal candidate for the Victorian seat of Flinders is Zoe McKenzie, an NBN Co director and former chief-of-staff to Abbott-Turnbull government Trade Minister Andrew Robb. The Age reports other potential starters are Mark Brudenell, chief-of-staff at Latitude Financial and former adviser to Malcolm Turnbull as both Communications Minister and Prime Minister, and Simon Breheny, former Institute of Public Affairs policy director.
• A deal between government and opposition has resulted in the abandonment of plans to introduce voter identification at the coming election. In exchange, Labor has agreed to support a bill that will halve the expenditure threshold at which third parties will have to file disclosure returns, over the objections of critics who argue the associated red tape will discourage charities from political campaigning. It appeared unlikely the voter identification bill would have gained the required votes in the Senate, with Jacqui Lambie having announced yesterday she would vote against it.
• Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are pursuing a High Court action against recently enacted legislation that will prevent parties other than the main ones having words like Liberal and Labor in their name. Absent a favourable outcome, this will presumably result in formal challenges against the Liberal Democrats and the New Liberals, the latter of whom have withdrawn their application to change their name simply to TNL.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-s-winning-ways-once-more-on-show-20211201-p59dpq.html
However, Niki Savva concludes by saying Berejiklian’s close confidants say she is more likely not to run this election, but wait for the following election.
South Australia’s parliament will be adjourned on Thursday morning, and all MPs and staff directed to avoid in-person meetings, after former premier Jay Weatherill tested positive for COVID-19. “Members of Parliament, and all staff who worked at Parliament House on 30 November or 1 December 2021, should avoid undertaking in-person meetings or electoral office business or other work which involves working closer to any person than 1.5 [metres],” the letter states. “Further advice in relation to the afternoon session will be provided tomorrow morning when the situation becomes clearer.”
Why would you want to associate your new party with the Liberal Party anyway?
Oh wait…
Close friends say Berejiklian is seriously considering running.
I can just see the corflutes now:
Vote 1 Berejiklian for pork on your Warringah fork.
🙂
If Pearce were a very safe Liberal electorate I wonder if the WA Liberal party would preselect a man? Sounds to me only women candidates are being suggested because it’s not a dead-cert they’ll retain the seat.
C@t:
ICAC adverse finding or not, I still think Berejiklian would do very well in Warringah. It’s why the Libs are so desperate for her to run, she represents their best chance to regain the seat.
If Labor wins the federal election
Surely Berejiklian would not be eligible to sit in federal parliament if she did contest a seat and got elected , while she is awaiting for the decision from NSW ICAC or if she is found to failed in reporting corruption also found to have ignored/ encourage corruption , breach of public trust .
Morning.. I listened to US Supreme Court live this morning… it’s over.. Origionalists in charge, they will turn the US back 200+ years… to pre dawn.
It’s not just Rowe V Wade
Trumps appointees are performing as required.
Confessions says:
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 6:39 am
If Pearce were a very safe Liberal electorate I wonder if the WA Liberal party would preselect a man? Sounds to me only women candidates are being suggested because it’s not a dead-cert they’ll retain the seat.
——————
And perhaps to help counter impressions within the electorate about the Liberal Party’s treatment of women, of which Porter, among others, has been a focal point.
Bushfire Bill
‘As far as I know there was no note left or explanation given for her suicide. WWP and others just assume it was connected to what the woman alleged happened to her 30 years ago. But at the end of the day the reason for her suicide is unknown.’
OMFG.
Please stop, BB.
‘fess,
The people of Warringah may love her but if you pull back the perspective and give her potential election a wider focus, it’s not a good look to have the person who resigned as NSW Premier under a corruption cloud parachuted into a federal government or Opposition.
Anyway, I don’t get how the people of Warringah have fallen out of love with Zali Steggal after only one term. She seems to have been a very good choice by them to sit in federal parliament and it makes no sense to me that the people of Warringah would turf her out. For someone who would wear the cloak of dodginess from the get-go.
Oh definitely that.
But the point is that if they were serious about addressing the fact the party has a woman problem, they’d be doing a whole hell of a lot more to balance the current 75%-25% male: female ratio in the partyroom. Starting with preselecting women for safe seats, and nominating women for the numbers 1 and 2 positions on the Senate ballot.
With Berejiklian , It seems the federal liberal party may be trying to find loopholes in a federal integrity commission before it begins.
Sceptic says:
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 6:45 am
Morning.. I listened to US Supreme Court live this morning… it’s over.. Origionalists in charge, they will turn the US back 200+ years… to pre dawn.
It’s not just Rowe V Wade
Trumps appointees are performing as required.
————————-
The only consolation from a big picture political viewpoint is that on Roe the USSC and the Republicans are way out of line with majority public sentiment. A decision in favour of the Mississippi laws is one of the few issues that could give Democrats an opportunity to motivate the base and hold the House and Senate next year – or at least stem the likely mid term backlash.
Of course this is no consolation to women in Mississippi who will be affected by this law or in other red States where similar laws will doubtless follow.
.
C@t:
I don’t think voters have turned against Steggall. I just don’t think Berejiklian is the vote repeller people seem to think she might be, even with the whole ICAC thing hanging over her head.
Scott @ #7 Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 – 3:42 am
ICAC is not a court of law and has no power to impose penalties. It makes findings and recommendations none of which would have the power to make her ineligible to run for and sit in the federal Parliament.
The only thing that would stop her would be a subsequent court finding of criminality where the maximum sentence was more than 1 year in gaol.
Of course the shame of having an adverse ICAC finding against themselves is usually enough for someone to leave public office and not return.
While I don’t know enough about the state of play in Warringah to comment with any authority, I feel like one element of Steggall’s success in 2019 might’ve been Liberal voters eager to rid themselves of the Abbott albatross and, now that he’s gone, they’re ready to come home again.
Wat Tyler @ #17 Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 – 4:02 am
Very plausible.
Republicans have definitely played the long game with the Supreme Court.
Kind of like Kerryn Phelps got elected by people eager to punish the Libs for their treatment of Turnbull. They came home again when the anger wore off.
Confessions @ #NaN Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 – 7:05 am
And now it seems as though they are preparing again to vote against the Liberal Party. So I don’t think it’s an iron clad argument.
Anyway, at the end of the day it’s all feeding into the perception that if you vote for the Liberal Party you are comfortable with voting for a party that has demonstrably raided the public purse for whatever it thought it needed in order to pave the path to its re-election, or to hand funds over to its favoured constituencies, no questions asked.
Which, in turn, directly puts up in neon lights how much we need a Federal ICAC and how much the Liberal Party will resist it with every breath in their political body.
So yeah, elect the poster girl for all that. At least the electorate will know what they are getting if they elect her. 😐
Having some family ties in Warringah, and knowing the area quite well – in my opinion any high profile Liberal candidate will romp in. Steggal or no Steggal.
The area, like the entitled North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and emerging Sutherland Shire and Hills regions are Liberal heartland. Stacked with business owners, executives, wealthy home owners and cashed up tradies. And happy clappers thanking God for their prosperity.
You would have to be a complete doofus like Tony Abbott to lose Warringah.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Niki Savva, who must have tremendous contacts in Canberra, gives us the full Briget Archer story. Another good read from Niki.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-s-winning-ways-once-more-on-show-20211201-p59dpq.html
Shaun Carney reckons Scott Morrison is building his re-election on old hit tunes.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/get-back-scott-morrison-building-his-re-election-on-old-hit-tunes-20211130-p59dbs.html
Looking at the retirements of Porter and Hunt, Michelle Grattan writes, “One will depart from parliament a deeply disappointed man, dragged down by scandal, with hopes for a brilliant career dashed by an allegation surfacing from his youth. The other will leave with a solid record of performance, despite some criticism and ambition for higher things unfulfilled.”
https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-a-study-in-contrast-porter-and-hunt-to-leave-parliament-172969
Australia’s recovery out of its third worst downturn in history will rely on households and businesses spending almost $400 billion put away in savings through the pandemic as warnings grow interest rates may be pushed up faster than expected, write Shane Wright and Jennifer Duke.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/economic-recovery-hinges-on-400-billion-in-household-and-business-savings-20211201-p59dp9.html
The economic view ahead is just as difficult as the rear-view mirror, continues Shane Wright.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-economic-view-ahead-is-just-as-difficult-as-the-rearview-mirror-20211201-p59dp7.html
These are strange economic times. Some measures look horrific, but others are booming, explains Greg Jericho.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2021/dec/02/these-are-strange-economic-times-some-measures-look-horrific-but-others-are-booming
Australia’s habit of managing adversity well and success badly has come back on steroids during the pandemic recovery, writes John Kehoe.
https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/the-economic-sugar-hit-has-just-fed-our-complacency-20211130-p59dey
Labor has helped pass a bill that will force charities to reveal their donors for all advocacy, after the Coalition agreed to drop its proposal to make voters show identification at the 2022 federal election. Paul Karp reports that the deal has enraged the charity sector, which believed the Senate crossbench would have helped Labor block both the voter ID and political campaigner bills, but they will now have to declare donors with retrospective effect.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/01/labor-to-back-bill-forcing-charities-to-reveal-donors-in-deal-with-government-for-dropping-voter-id-laws
“Good riddance”, says John Quiggin, “The costs of Morrison’s voter ID plan outweighed any benefit”.
https://theconversation.com/good-riddance-the-costs-of-morrisons-voter-id-plan-outweighed-any-benefit-172874
Michaela Whitbourn writes that we shouldn’t believe all the hype from the government over its draft laws that are said to help ordinary people “unmask” anonymous commenters defaming them online, enabling them to sue those commenters for defamation. She says this has been presented as a pre-election crackdown on “big tech”, which is fast shaping up as an electoral bogeyman.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-defamation-policy-for-mum-and-dad-voters-don-t-believe-the-hype-20211201-p59du9.html
Paul Karp and Josh Taylor look at who will really benefit from the Coalition’s proposed anti-troll social media laws.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/dec/01/who-really-benefits-from-the-coalitions-proposed-anti-troll-social-media-laws
The US and Australia have made much of their united front on China’s economic coercion, but the truth is American exporters have been eating Australia’s lunch, explains Eryk Bagshaw.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/australia-caught-in-an-election-trap-as-washington-and-beijing-do-business-20211130-p59dld.html
Michael Smith lays out China’s plan to end its Australian iron ore dependency.
https://www.afr.com/world/asia/china-s-plan-to-end-its-australian-iron-ore-dependency-20211130-p59dmo
David Crowe tells us that a deal on the treatment of gay and lesbian school students could clear the way for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to get his Religious Discrimination Act through the House of Representatives this week, overcoming Labor objections to his signature bill. He says, though, that the offer may not be enough to convince some of his own party.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/deal-to-protect-lgbtqi-students-sets-up-vote-on-religious-freedom-20211201-p59dxg.html
If controversial changes to the legislation underpinning the NDIS pass the Federal Parliament this week, we are likely to see more cuts to NDIS services, warns occupational therapist, Muriel Cummins.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/safety-net-in-danger-high-price-of-changes-to-ndis-legislation-20211129-p59cy4.html
Politicians must be open about their progress – or the lack of it – on dealing with sexual harassment and bullying in Parliament otherwise nothing will change, former sex discrimination commissioner and senior Liberal figure Pru Goward has warned.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/transparency-is-vital-to-ending-sexual-harassment-in-parliament-goward-20211201-p59dol.html
The editorial in The Age declares that there is no excuse not to change Federal Parliament’s workplace culture.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/no-excuse-not-to-change-federal-parliament-s-workplace-culture-20211201-p59dpv.html
According to Katherine Murphy, former parliamentary staffers have urged the Morrison government and other political parties to quickly implement the recommendations of the landmark Jenkins review or face a fierce backlash from women at the ballot box.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/02/former-parliament-staff-warn-scott-morrison-to-act-on-jenkins-review-or-face-backlash-from-women
The AFR reports that plans by the Morrison government to break the wharfie union’s stranglehold on the docks have been labelled by Labor and the unions as an attempt to stir up conflict in a desperate grab for votes.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/labor-unions-to-fight-pm-s-push-to-take-on-wharfies-20211201-p59dow
The government was hopeful it would finally limit the amount paid to litigation funders and lawyers in class action cases. But it was stymied in the Senate this week by maverick senators and lack of crossbench support. The industry is gearing up for more class action, writes Jennifer Hewett.
https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/another-win-for-the-class-action-industry-20211130-p59dmb
Mike Foley tells us that experts are predicting demand for coal will peak in 2026 as the growth in renewable energy continues to outstrip forecasts, with the International Energy Agency predicting a 60 per cent growth in global clean energy generation over the next five years.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/coal-use-to-peak-in-2026-as-renewables-surge-past-forecasts-20211201-p59duh.html
Meanwhile, a member of the Morrison government has unleashed a stunning demand for a proper national carbon pricing mechanism that will force “polluters to pay” alongside compensation for low-income families to deal with transition costs. Jacob Greber tells us that, in a speech to a group of fund managers, chief executives and students in South Australia last week, Senator Andrew McLachlan surgically undermined the Prime Minister’s “technology-not taxes” approach to climate policy even as he applauded Scott Morrison’s 2050 net zero target.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/the-liberal-senator-who-replaced-cory-bernardi-is-a-climate-radical-20211201-p59dq3
When house prices soar, everyone forgets who suffers most, explains Ross Gittins.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/when-house-prices-soar-everyone-forgets-who-suffers-most-20211130-p59ddk.html
Rob Harris reports that public servants at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs have been ordered to stop using the term “thank you for your service”, a phrase that has grown in popularity as a public sign of gratitude towards men and women who have served in the armed forces. It’s another Americanism that we could do without.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/don-t-tell-veterans-thank-you-for-your-service-ministerial-memo-20211201-p59duk.html
Greg Sheridan launches another attack on the state and lack of our defence material.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/back-up-the-big-talk-with-some-actual-firepower/news-story/0e3aabafaa364cc5170dd097e309fd89
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says she is concerned a global push to settle a new pandemic treaty is progressing too slowly.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/who-member-nations-agree-to-negotiate-pandemic-convention-or-treaty-20211201-p59e0d.html
Barbara Kelly tells us that in a regional city, an army of undocumented workers toil for dishonest labour-hire firms while the government turns a blind eye.
https://johnmenadue.com/a-bitter-fruit-slavery-is-alive-and-well-in-australian-heartland/
The SMH editorial calls for tighter controls on cosmetic surgery.
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/cosmetic-surgery-boom-needs-tighter-controls-20211201-p59dxt.html
If the new COVID variant is milder and displaces Delta it will turbo-charge global growth and trigger another leg of the commodity boom, probably pushing share markets to even frothier levels, posits Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/how-omicron-could-be-the-answer-to-our-economic-prayers-20211201-p59dne.html
America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, where it had aimed to bolster international security, will create a new breeding ground for terrorism, warns Bruce Haigh.
https://johnmenadue.com/where-australian-fools-rushed-in-the-afghan-war-was-always-unwinnable/
According to The Independent Australia, library services are yet to be provided to refugees detained in a Melbourne facility, despite efforts from librarians and City of Melbourne councillors.
https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/detained-refugees-denied-access-to-library-services,15803
“We don’t live in a democracy anymore. We live in a plutocracy. The Australian political system is a wholly owned subsidiary of big corporations.” Investigation by Stephanie Tran, Ashley Sullivan and Joseph Chalita reveals donors paying top dollar at political fundraising events for exclusive access to ministers.
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/the-hidden-world-of-power-and-influence-donors-pay-top-dollar-for-a-seat-at-ministers-table/
The colossal $7 trillion of debt amassed by developers in the Asian nation means there’s only so long that Beijing can continue to kick the can down the road, outlines Karen Maley.
https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/how-long-can-beijing-prop-up-chinese-property-20211201-p59ds6
US inflation, it seems, is no longer transitory and the prospect of market-shaking interest rate rises in the US and elsewhere has suddenly drawn closer, writes Stephen Bartholomeusz.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/good-time-to-retire-that-word-fed-chief-s-abrupt-change-of-heart-shakes-markets-20211201-p59don.html
Cartoon Corner
David Pope
John Shakespeare
David Rowe
Cathy Wilcox
Peter Broelman
Matt Golding
Andrew Dyson
A gif from Glen Le Lievre
https://twitter.com/i/status/1465807057638985729
Dionne Gain
Warren Brown
Mark Knight
Leak
From the US
I get the feeling that climate change will be a big issue in seats like Warringah and Wentworth. The LNP and especially some of the ignoramuses if the Country/National party have been only capable of inertia and people in educated wealthier seats want action for both philosophical and selfish reasons. I reckon if they are touting Glad as the saviour they know they are in some strife out there.
C@tmommasays:
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 7:12 am
Anyway, at the end of the day it’s all feeding into the perception that if you vote for the Liberal Party you are comfortable with voting for a party that has demonstrably raided the public purse for whatever it thought it needed in order to pave the path to its re-election, or to hand funds over to its favoured constituencies, no questions asked.
_____________________
Doesn’t seem to be a big deal any more. Same thing happened in Victoria over the Red Shirts scandal. Victorians were comfortable with that and Andrews was returned easily.
The Republicans might get drowned in their own hubris – first the stacked Supreme Court looking to motivate the Democratic base with overturning abortion rights – and now this…
WASHINGTON — Hostilities between the Republican far right and its typically muted center burst into the open on Tuesday, highlighting deep divisions that could bedevil the party’s leaders if they capture a narrow majority in the House next year.
Initially prompted by the anti-Muslim comments of Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, the Republican-on-Republican war of words on Tuesday was remarkably bitter and an indication of a brewing power struggle between an ascendant faction that styles itself after President Donald J. Trump and a quieter one that is pushing back.
First, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia called her freshman colleague Nancy Mace of South Carolina “trash” for condemning Ms. Boebert’s remarks in a television interview.
Ms. Mace then used a series of emojis — a bat, a pile of excrement and a crazy clown — to describe Ms. Greene, then kept up a steady stream of social media attacks, calling her a liar, a grifter and a nut.
Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, came to Ms. Mace’s defense, calling Ms. Greene “unserious circus barker McSpacelaser” — a reference to a social media post that she once circulated suggesting that wildfires in the West had been started by lasers owned by the Rothschilds, a Jewish banking family.
Mr. Kinzinger added that Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader and would-be speaker who has done nothing to discipline rank-and-file members of his conference for bigoted and violent statements, “continues his silent streak that would make a monk blush.”
Then Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, an ally of Ms. Greene’s, took to Twitter to amplify an attack by the right-wing provocateur Jack Posobiec denouncing Ms. Mace as a “scam artist” for promoting coronavirus vaccinations on CNN.
The carnival-like behavior would amount to little more than a sideshow if it did not have real implications for midterm campaigns and, possibly, a fractured Republican majority in 2023. Party leaders again chose to remain mum as their backbenchers brawled, and Democrats took full advantage of the spectacle.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/us/politics/boebert-greene-mace.html?referringSource=articleShare
An interesting take on how to achieve progressive change in Australia from the Curtin Institute- make reform at State level your main focus, given the historical difficulty of dislodging the LNP from Canberra. To some extent this has already happened naturally with climate change/renewables, with the States leading the way. Here it’s proposed as a strategy in the industrial relations sphere.
———————-
“A report backed by major trade unions is urging the movement to shift from its singular focus of electing a federal Labor government to putting state governments at the centre of industrial relations reform.
With Coalition governments holding power in Canberra for all but two terms since 1996, a new John Curtin Research Centre paper argues popular Labor governments in Victoria, Queensland and West Australia should leverage billions of dollars in contracts to boost wages and punish dodgy employers.”
……
“Labor’s woeful electoral record since the 1990s proves the point – two outright wins since 1993, and when in office a failure to thoroughly dismantle John Howard’s anti-union WorkChoices laws,” he said.
“Where goes the union movement, a story sadly of decline, so goes Labor’s fortunes. It’s now time for state Labor governments to step up to the plate and help lead a revival of unionism.”
The centre’s executive director, Nick Dyrenfurth – an author and former staffer to ex-Labor leader Bill Shorten – said the labour movement risked being “mugged by reality all over again” if all its policy aims were tied to the election of an Albanese Labor government.’
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/mugged-by-reality-unions-urged-to-shift-focus-from-federal-labor-to-state-action-20211130-p59dmt.html
Much appreciation BK!
A letter from Catherine the Great urging mass vaccination against Smallpox has just sold at auction. Not much has changed in 250 years, leaders ‘setting an example’ getting vaxxed and antivaxxer ‘nutters’ roaming about .:)
.
.
A letter from Catherine the Great supporting mass immunisation against smallpox has sold at auction on in London.
In the letter, dated April 20, 1787,……………….“Such inoculation should be common everywhere, and it is now all the more convenient, since there are doctors or medical attendants in nearly all districts, and it does not call for huge expenditure.”………..”…… it would be shameful not to start with myself, and how could I introduce smallpox vaccination without setting a personal example?”
………..written 19 years later, is not so triumphant. Many doctors remained sceptical of variolation, and clergy railed against it, saying it was akin to “playing God”.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/300468107/1787-letter-from-russias-catherine-the-great-urging-immunisation-sells-for-185m
I think that all of those attacks on Marj Greene would be like water off a mad duck’s back. The one that would really hurt, for which there is no emoji? Bingo arms. I noticed them the other day when she did the podcast with Matt Gaetz. For a woman who came to Congress via owning a gym, that kind of attack on her self image is what really hurts. 😀
(And no, I’m not attacking her because she’s a woman, I’m attacking her because she’s a monster).
So Niki Savva tells us that Morrison lies about being “good friends” with everyone, especially any person he’s recently had a disagreement with.
Let’s take it for granted that nothing he says is ever true, and start again from there.
Bushfire Bill says:
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 2:27 am
…’
———————
Wonderful post, BB.
Taylormade says:
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 7:29 am
Doesn’t seem to be a big deal any more. Same thing happened in Victoria over the Red Shirts scandal. Victorians were comfortable with that and Andrews was returned easily.
————————–
The Victorian Liberal party had more scandals , plus the leader of the liberal party was having lobster with a mobster may had turn voters off
And that leader is still the leader of the Victorian liberal party , and they expect the result to be different next year
Morning all and thanks for the roundup BK. I see there is not the usual lineup of the former MPs staffers vying for Christian Porter’s seat pre-selection…
This has to be a uniquely terrible economic stat. The economy has been tanking while the Federal government is still chalking up a huge debt. And we haven’t even started counting the election pork yet. Normally this level of Federal spending would be associated with a boom.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-02/policy-failures-caused-the-historical-decline-in-economic-growth/100664322
I found this allusion to Scott Morrison by Shaun Carney also very apt:
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/get-back-scott-morrison-building-his-re-election-on-old-hit-tunes-20211130-p59dbs.html#comments
From the AFR Senator McLachlan wants to “reimagine capitalism” and
“Senator McLachlan, a Liberal who replaced ultra-conservative Cory Bernardi in February 2020, stunned many in the audience by approvingly quoting German philosopher and co-author with Karl Marx of The Communist Manifesto, Frederick Engels, as well as American naturalist Henry Thoreau and English economist John Maynard Keynes.”
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/the-liberal-senator-who-replaced-cory-bernardi-is-a-climate-radical-20211201-p59dq3
Having been born and bred in the Northern Beaches and living in the adjacent federal seat of Mackellar, I can tell you that Zali is very popular. The overarching factors amongst the good burgers of God’s country are climate change and a federal ICAC so I would love for the Liberal party to select Gladys. It would guarantee a Zali re-election albeit with a slightly reduced majority.
Pukka
Regardless of what Liberal Senator McLaughlin may say about capitalism outside parliament, inside the Senate he keeps voting for the robber-baron brand of capitalism that funds his party. Worthless words. He was a lawyer in finance before politics.
His term is up in 2022 and I doubt he will get the Liberal’s top spot in SA. He is practicing product differentiation.
Thinking further about Senator McLaughlin’s remarks and various other LNP bleatings on climate change, parliamentary harassment ICACs etc, it is galling they even dare raise the issues.
The current government has taken virtually zero steps to introduce any reforms on social or economic issues. Most efforts have gone into propping up fossil fuels. Inquiry findings are routinely parked and not implemented.
Next year they propose six (!) sitting days. So they have no intention of debating, let alone legislating any reforms either. They just want to dispense another budget so they can cling to power.
In this context, any talk of change or reform by Liberal MPs and Senators is farcical.
I suspect that the possibility of Gladys Berejiklian being part of the next federal government will go down as well as a barrel of pork sausages at a vegan festival as far as the voters of Victoria, Queensland and WA are concerned.
There has been plenty of reference on the part of Josh Frydenberg this morning about his friendship with Greg Hunt. This friendship is apparently so deep that he and Greg are reciprocal godfathers to their respective children. Although I know very little about religious ritual, this seems to me to pose a theological question.
This question is how is it that the church of Hunt’s faith allows someone whose religious beliefs preclude the acceptance of Jesus Christ to take on the role of a godfather? Also, how does the opposite work in the synagogue? Or, have these two religions now become so liberal that anybody can make the required commitments to be deemed a godfather?
Stuart
Presumably “godfather” has been redefined as “friend of the family who remembers birthdays.”
We are told we live in a democracy (a “liberal democracy”, no less – so branded).
So, at the core, the opportunity to change government.
Noting the use of “can do capitalism” by the current government, “can do capitalism” on show thru the underpayment of wages, the so called Banking Royal Commission and the Aged Care Royal Commission et al.
But it is not just changing the government.
It is changing the operation of government (noting the comments on here re the Courts in the USA reflecting Republican Party appointments and the impacts)
As but one example, we see Goward quoted in the media under the guise of a NGO position she was appointed to and afforded opinion and credibility courtesy of that NGO appointment by a Liberal government.
Goward was a Liberal Party politician.
Pure and simple.
So how many of these ex Liberal Party politicians and Liberal Party operatives occupy NGO appointments and Public Service appointments?
Because, with any change of government, their tenures continue.
These are party political appointments, pure and simple.
And they remain political – they do not change their stripes.
Noting the “jobs for the boys” labeling of ALP appointments when the ALP is (rarely) in Office federally – the history including attacks on Murphy at the High Court and Kirby at the High Court (courtesy of Howard and Heffernan) as but examples.
The domination of the Liberal Party federally is also a result of its control of politics and the political narrative courtesy of these appointments.
Before you get to “rorts” to sandbag the seats they hold – for starters.
So, where is “democracy”?
And, back in the real world, we have a 1,000 Point reversal in the DJIA
And the ASX Futures indicating further falls of over 1%.
Courtesy of the virus of unknown source and sentiment (and fear)
Bandt must start showing some leadership with respect to Thorpe – and not just in relation to the Statement from the Heart.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-02/greens-lidia-thorpe-apology-sexist-comment-hollie-hughes/100668108
Yes!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/marcus-lamb-covid-19-daystar-christian-tv-network-dies
Is there a better example of the human species contempt for the earth and with a much more achievable, 2030 target?
“Worldwide, at least 8.8m tons of plastic waste enters the marine environment each year, the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck filled with plastic into the ocean every single minute. If current trends continue, scientists have estimated this total could leap to 53m tons annually by 2030, which is roughly half of the weight of all fish caught from the oceans globally each year.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/01/deluge-of-plastic-waste-us-is-worlds-biggest-plastic-polluter
Boerwar
There has been a few of this Christian leaders and radio hosts who have succumbed to covid. Karma does work sometimes.
Meanwhile Mark Meadows former cos for Trump has confirmed what many had suspected. Trump tested positive for covid a few days before the debate with Biden.
I’m gonna say it again. May take a few years, but Trump will ultimately have an asterisk next to his name as President number 45
I can’t say this is a surprise either
MeidasTouch.com
@MeidasTouch
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2h
BREAKING: Witness going under pseudonym “Jane” testifies at Ghislaine Maxwell trial that Jeffrey Epstein drove her to Mar-A-Lago to meet Donald Trump when she was just 14-years-old.
So how many of these ex Liberal Party politicians and Liberal Party operatives occupy NGO appointments and Public Service appointments?
Lots and lots and lots and lots. They started as they meant to go on, in 2013, when Kate Carnell, former Liberal Chief Minister of the ACT, was appointed Small Business Ombudsman, this enabled her to go on to the ABC and spout the Liberal line. Ditto Kerry Chikarovki, former NSW Liberal Opposition Leader. Ditto John Brogden. You can add all the appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal who were former Liberal MPs or apparatchiks. Ditto, Fair Work Australia. Recently, appointments to the boards of the ABC and SBS and the Human Rights Commission.
And that’s only the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I’m sure there are many, many more to lesser Qangos, Commissions and Advisory Boards. As well as the usual diplomatic Ambassador and High Commissioner appointments.
Today’s the 49th anniversary of Gough’s election as PM. Hopefully there will be a progressive government in Canberra this time next year for the celebration of the 5oth.