The flood of polling in the week after the budget is inevitably followed in the week after that. Here’s all I have:
• The tracking poll of Anthony Albanese’s personal ratings maintained by US pollster Morning Consult records no significant change, with Albanese starting November on 57% approval and 30% disapproval, down one and up two from the start of October.
• As reported by Anna Macdonald at The Mandarin, Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told the Joint Standing Committe on Electoral Matters the commission was struggling to attract staff at election time due to low pay and “bizarre behaviour” at polling places. Specifically, Rogers said the May federal election was marked by “people coming into the polling place and recording interactions with our staff, shouting at our staff, and some fairly bizarre behaviour that we haven’t seen previously”.
• Independent ACT Senator David Pocock has made a submission to the inquiry calling for the two territories to have six Senators serving six-year terms on the same staggered cycle that applies to the rest of the Senate, as distinct from the current situation where they have two Senators each whose terms are tied to the House.
Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin admits interfering in US elections
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-in-us-elections
John Oliver on Republicans and voting: ‘If I lose, it’s rigged, if I win, it’s fine’
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/07/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-republican-voting
the rusins seem to be baking the republicans there bigest suporter is tucker carlson
Jaeger, I’m not surprised Prigozhin has interfered in US elections, but I am surprised he’s come clean about it publicly on the very eve of Election Day. Arrogant, premature bragging, with a view to manoeuvring for even more influence in the Kremlin post-election, is my guess.
Aaron Newton, spot on about the Republicans being turned, over the past six years at least, into the pro-Russia party in US politics.
Germans circle navy’s corvette warship plan
Andrew Tillett
Exclusive
Germany’s biggest shipbuilder has signalled its interest in mooted plans to build a fleet of corvettes, as the Australian navy looks to rapidly boost the strike capability of its warships in response to China’s military build up.
The Australian Financial Review understands executives from shipbuilder TKMS – a subsidiary of German industrial powerhouse ThyssenKrupp – are seeking meetings with navy officials this week to discuss the potential project.
No formal corvette project exists, although it has emerged as one option being considered by the Albanese government’s defence strategic review.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/germans-circle-navy-s-corvette-warship-plan-20221107-p5bw4u
the wests suport for ucrane has been disapointing the west should have allowed them to join nato the signs were obveous since at least 2008 but especialy 2014 as casburov and others pointed out that putin would invade ucrane yet the west did nothing
if pessuto was so good whiy not put him in a winable seat and if he was the future whiy didnt victorian liberals stick with there only leader that won them an election ted bailieu but andrew bolt and the right wing campaigned to under mine him as premier from day one desbite him being the only ilectable leader instead to install mathew guy then in upper house they put in napthine as a stop gap so guy could moveto lower house in 2014 if guy fails again and no pessuto maybi david davis will have to join lower house
Cronus says: From previous thread – response to wranslide
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 6:53 am
wranslide says:
Monday, November 7, 2022 at 9:44 pm
Cronussays:
Monday, November 7, 2022 at 8:16 pm
C@T
I would agree too with your comments re India (from the Hugh White talk).
At no stage that I can recall off hand at least has India ever (other than a couple of border skirmishes with Pakistan and China) seriously undertaken military intervention far less given a sense of becoming an international hegemon.
~~~~~
Are you suggesting that China has such history? Or that it has shown a recent propensity to behave in such a fashion?
Taiwan is recognised by most, including Australia, as part of China. The China that is governed by the CCP. That the CCP, as the party political representatives of the Chinese Govt would like Taiwan to return to it’s control is unsurprising. Hardly the stuff of a hegemon.
———————————————————————————————
“Are you suggesting that China has such history? Or that it has shown a recent propensity to behave in such a fashion?”
No, it doesn’t have such a history and nor did I say it did. Xi has however made it unambiguously clear that it intends retake Taiwan in the near future (I recall possibly 2027).
“ That the CCP, as the party political representatives of the Chinese Govt would like Taiwan to return to it’s control is unsurprising. Hardly the stuff of a hegemon.”
The term hegemon for refers to the extent that it describes a superpower willingly exerting dominant power and influence over another country, such that it even intends taking it by force. Remember, even if you/we ascribe to the theory that China ‘owns’ Taiwan, there are 23 million inhabitants that appear to disagree strongly enough to arm themselves to the teeth in defence. (Russia is a hegemon and it would argue it is simply retaking land in Ukraine that it is entitled to under its previous ownership as the USSR. The 44 million Ukrainian strongly disagree).
It takes me a while to get through the reading list that PB and other sources generates (again, BK you efforts continue to astound me) but in ‘The Saturday Paper’ I came across this…
“Failure to respond does not provide positive proof of a debt, and the decision-maker cannot speculate about why a person may have failed to respond and to treat that speculation as evidence of a fact,” Greggery said on Monday, summarising some of the solicitor-general’s reasons.”
If any statement demonstrates the SfM government’s total bastardry it is this one. It is a classic bully tactic, scare the shit out of some poor bastards, knowing full well that their state of mind (fight or flight) will incapacitate their ability to respond or fight back and proceed with ‘rinse and repeat’ till some commit suicide.
The ‘reckless indifference’ levelled at Robodebt’s enablers is totally apt. Absolute arseholes.
“ Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told the Joint Standing Committe on Electoral Matters the commission was struggling to attract staff at election time due to low pay and “bizarre behaviour” at polling places.”
The continuing influence of Americanisation and Trumpism on Australia.
Pocock has forgotten about One vote, one value or does he just enjoy the limelight so much that he wants to remain a Senator forever.
If he keeps pushing his weight around regarding Government legislation, he may find in what is a traditional ALP jurisdiction that his Senate career may only last one term.
Although I support much of his agenda, particularly in regard to Climate Change and the Environment, I object to both he (and Jacqui Lambie) trying to define or destroy the agenda of the elected government.
Discuss, consider and suggest amendments, as you should David, but don’t hold the Senate to ransom because it won’t accept your demands.
Who do you think you are, Brian Harradine or Mal Colston?
Seriously, whilst it may enhance the ALP chances of increasing its Senate numbers in the ACT, it could give the LNP an advantage in the NT.
Two Territory Senators is a fair representation in the Australian Parliament – when either the NT or ACT population grows sufficiently to warrant the status of Statehood, that is when the question of Senate representation should be reconsidered.
Jaeger says:
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 6:41 am
Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin admits interfering in US elections
Russian businessman and founder of Wagner Group says interference will continue as midterms loom
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-in-us-elections
——————————————————————————————-
The brazenness of this admission should shock and concern Americans. It seems Republicans have been wrongly pointing the finger of blame at Democrats, by Prigozhin‘s own admission he has played them for fools.
Imagine being so intelligent, as Prigozhin obviously is, but using it for evil not good? He lives up to his name, that’s for sure. What a prig!
But I don’t think he’s as smart as he thinks he is. The American people are wising up to the fact that the Russians are interfering in their elections and I believe enough of them are taking it into account.
dave @ #6 Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 – 6:56 am
Little Red (Labor) Corvettes? 😀
https://youtu.be/v0KpfrJE4zw
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Legal concerns over what became the robodebt scheme were “watered down” but still included in briefing documents prepared for Scott Morrison, a royal commission has heard. Luke Henriques-Gomes reports that the inquiry into the botched Centrelink debt recovery scheme had previously heard the Department of Social Services in late 2014 held damning internal legal advice warning the key method used to raise those debts may be unlawful.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/07/robodebt-briefing-for-scott-morrison-included-watered-down-legal-concerns-royal-commission-rrc-inquiry
The AFR tells us that the Albanese government will consider scaling back superannuation tax concessions for wealthy Australians as it seeks to repair the cash-strapped federal budget and crack down on loopholes. It says Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones will tell The Australian Financial Review Super & Wealth Summit in Sydney today that Labor is gearing up for a debate on tax concessions once the government outlines its definition of the purpose of superannuation and puts it into legislation.
https://www.afr.com/politics/labor-sets-sights-on-rich-lister-super-tax-breaks-20221107-p5bw2p
The Treasurer wants a national conversation about how best to repair the Budget. But that conversation will only help if it is based on a realistic analysis of the difficulties involved in achieving lower spending and therefore why tax increases must be on the agenda, opines Michael Keating.
https://johnmenadue.com/budget-repair-tax-increases-or-expenditure-cuts/
Suspected visa scams have brought up to 100,000 workers into Australia using false claims that have choked the system, fuelling fears about illicit labour as the government launches a sweeping review of the migration regime. David Crowe reports the schemes have left Australia with a growing underclass of workers who are waiting on a legal system that takes 812 days on average to decide each case, according to a new warning about labour trafficking.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/industrial-scale-visa-scams-creating-underclass-of-workers-open-to-exploitation-20221107-p5bw72.html
Energy giants who double as generators and retailers could be put under the microscope over pricing by the South Australian government, which is considering a royal commission or similar probe to identify price gouging.
https://www.afr.com/politics/south-australia-mulls-probe-of-energy-retailers-over-gouging-concerns-20221107-p5bw8l
Peter Martin writes that leading economists are backing the federal government action to curb rising gas and electricity prices.
https://theconversation.com/leading-economists-back-federal-government-action-to-curb-rising-gas-and-electricity-prices-193831
Jordan Beazley explains how Australians turning to buy now, pay later schemes for groceries are getting stuck in a revolving door of debt.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/07/australians-turning-to-buy-now-pay-later-schemes-for-groceries-stuck-in-a-revolving-door-of-debt
Dominic Perrottet has fired a warning shot at the powerful lobby group representing the state’s clubs, saying he will not sign any pre-election commitments with the industry until it agrees to move on recommendations from the NSW Crime Commission.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/perrottet-fires-warning-shot-at-clubs-lobby-group-over-gambling-reform-20221107-p5bw6y.html
The SMH editorial says that NSW Labor’s portable bond plan – to have the rental bond board directly transfer a deposit from one property to another – makes good sense to help prevent the need for renters to scramble for cash to secure a new rental property.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/more-measures-needed-to-ease-affordable-housing-crisis-20221107-p5bw2l.html
Max Maddison tells us that seat-by-seat polling suggests the NSW Coalition is in danger of losing several electorates to teal independents at the March election, with the primary vote of Environment Minister James Griffin perilously low, leaving him at significant risk of being bundled out of parliament.
https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/nsw-coalition-at-risk-in-six-seats-on-climate/news-story/759686d03ff0031f0f438bc39a7914e1
“I don’t live in Victoria and I don’t vote in Victoria but from a distance it appears to me that the two main contestants in the upcoming state election are the current Premier representing the ALP, Dan Andrews and Newscorp although, in the latter case it is not clear if it is the dirty digger himself standing or the prodigal son who may be living on his yacht in Port Phillip Bay – but is he on the Victorian electoral roll ?”, writes Terrence Mills.
https://theaimn.com/vote-for-newscorp/
Ewin Hannan writes that Employment Minister Tony Burke will need to make more concessions to get the Albanese government’s industrial relations reforms passed before Christmas after changes Labor made to its bill failed to win over the Senate crossbench and business groups.
https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/no-split-bills-anthony-albanese-wont-give-up-on-industrial-relations-reforms/news-story/7e357ab3bcdb29d473a8b076b26e9259
The Coalition had grown so used to the Senate estimates role it played in government – one that involved thwarting scrutiny – it probably stopped rehearsing its lines and committed its non-answers to muscle memory. Now it has to learn an entirely new way of doing the hearings, if it wants to wield them to full political effect, says Doug Dingwall.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7972317/coalition-has-to-sharpen-up-in-whole-new-senate-estimates-game/?cs=14329
When it comes to strident political hyperbole, few can match the Liberals’ workplace relations shadow minister Michaelia Cash. Yesterday she warned that Labor’s industrial relations reforms, especially multi-employer bargaining, could “potentially close down Australia”. “Think about that!”, exclaims Paul Bongiorno.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2022/11/08/paul-bongiorno-workplace-relations/
Snowy Hydro’s giant expansion is a year behind schedule and the official budget has jumped by $800m to $5.9bn, the latest crunch for an energy project deemed critical to replace coal in the power grid. Roger Whitby, Snowy’s acting chief executive, told a parliamentary hearing on Monday that the government-owned energy operator remained hopeful of reducing the delay but the setback could imperil the target of first power by mid-2025 and delivering the facility by early 2026.
https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/business/renewable-energy-economy/snowy-hydros-20-expansion-faces-pressures-on-deadline-and-costs/news-story/f420f363d2c52c7c32f7d8562f976978
A new body will oversee the culture of the construction industry in a fresh government concession to its controversial industrial relations bill as it races to woo crucial crossbenchers and pass the reforms this year, explains Angus Thompson.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/construction-watchdog-to-be-replaced-in-ir-bill-concession-20221107-p5bw6u.html
“Can juries still deliver justice in high-profile cases in the age of social media?”, asks professor of law and criminal justice, Rick Sarre.
https://theconversation.com/can-juries-still-deliver-justice-in-high-profile-cases-in-the-age-of-social-media-193843
Uncertainty and volatility are rife in markets and economies across the world and the risk of major shocks to these systems are on the rise, warns Stephen Bartholomeusz.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/toxic-cocktail-the-global-financial-system-is-on-shaky-ground-20221107-p5bw2h.html
A secret report by the former Coalition government into the sports rorts scandal slammed the decision-making process behind the grants scheme and its “lack of transparency”. The investigation by former prime minister and cabinet department secretary Phil Gaetjens also found there were significant shortcomings when Coalition senator Bridget McKenzie awarded a community sporting grant to a gun club she was a member of.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/07/complete-phil-gaetjens-report-into-sports-rorts-scandal-released-under-foi-laws
It’s a Sports Rorts whitewash. Scott Morrison’s former chief-of-staff and top bureaucrat Philip Gaetjens fortuitously found “no evidence” of pork barrelling by Senator Bridget McKenzie. Rex Patrick explains how disappearing documents and political double-speak converged for an artful cover-up.
https://michaelwest.com.au/the-perfect-slime-scott-morrisons-slippery-sports-rorts-report-just-the-fix-for-bridget-mckenzie/
Satyajit Das explains why Australia is stuck with such low productivity rates.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/07/eight-reasons-australia-is-stuck-with-these-low-productivity-rates
Information that showed the Commonwealth Bank of Australia may have committed “law-breaking on a grand scale” by breaching anti-money laundering laws should have been disclosed to the market by the bank, a court has heard.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/law-breaking-on-a-grand-scale-court-told-cba-failed-to-disclose-non-compliance-to-investors-20221107-p5bw4b.html
Wellbeing and politics have collided in the past couple of weeks. Federal Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers has started a conversation about measuring the ‘wellbeing’ of the nation as a result of the measures in the budget. The Opposition, as you would expect, has poured scorn on the idea, writes the AIMN’s 2353NM.
https://theaimn.com/the-good-economic-units/
Kevin Rudd’s staff accused an Australian government department of taking a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to News Corp after finding the media company did not need to register under the foreign influence scheme. Documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal the Attorney General’s Department dismissed two cases that the former prime minister suggested may require News Corp to disclose activities under the scheme.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/07/kevin-rudd-complaint-reveals-department-declined-to-put-news-corp-on-foreign-influence-register
Victoria’s gambling regulator has fined Crown casino after the organisation breached gambling laws and allowed customers to play its machines and tables for more than 24 hours straight.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/crown-melbourne-slapped-with-whopping-120m-fine-20221107-p5bw4x.html
Anointing yourself the guardian of free speech is one thing. Living up to it is something else altogether, as Elon Musk is quickly discovering, writes Ben Marlow about Musk’s “dud deal”.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/dud-deal-the-real-problem-for-musk-s-twitter-20221107-p5bw7b.html
Nigel Farage’s Australian tour featured speeches with no substance and failed to inspire anyone other than elderly conservatives, writes Henry O’Sullivan.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/nigel-farage-propaganda-machine-fails-to-win-australian-audiences,16944
Matthew Knott writes that one of the world’s leading war experts has said it is in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests to prolong the Ukraine conflict as long as possible to stave off a reckoning by his citizens over the invasion.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/he-needs-the-war-to-continue-why-putin-can-t-negotiate-his-way-out-of-ukraine-20221107-p5bw38.html
While Republicans have nudged ahead against the Democrats in many polls in numerous races, the issues driving the elections are unpredictable, says Chris Zappone.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/us-midterms-charts-that-explain-what-s-driving-us-voters-20221103-p5bv9r.html
Meanwhile, a political confidant known as Vladimir Putin’s “chef” appears to have made the first chilling admission of Russian “pinpoint operations” to interfere in US elections, ahead of the upcoming midterm vote.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2022/11/08/russia-election-interference-yevgeny-prigozhin/?breaking_live_scroll=1
Cartoon Corner
David Rowe
Andrew Dyson
John Shakespeare
Matt Davidson
Matt Golding
Dionne Gain
Cathy Wilcox
Glen Le Lievre (including a gif)
https://twitter.com/i/status/1589461667834122243
Peter Broelman
Fiona Katauskas
Mark Knight
Spooner
From the US
Thanks BK
“ Peter Martin writes that leading economists are backing the federal government action to curb rising gas and electricity prices.”
There is real momentum here for Albo and Chalmers and I look forward to them using it for the benefit of Australians. The time has arrived for these companies to give back just a little and for Albo to show that some achican only ever happen under an ALP government that governs for all Australians and not just small groups of often wealthy shareholders.
When it comes to strident political hyperbole, few can match the Liberals’ workplace relations shadow minister Michaelia Cash. Yesterday she warned that Labor’s industrial relations reforms, especially multi-employer bargaining, could “potentially close down Australia”. “Think about that!”, exclaims Paul Bongiorno.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2022/11/08/paul-bongiorno-workplace-relations/
———————————————————————————————-
Ignoring the ridiculousness of Cash’s comments, perhaps she might consider in the light of the last 30 years, most of which was under the Coalition government, how a little rebalancing of power between employers and workers might in fact greatly benefit Australia. Rather than close the nation down, it’ll likely open it up to a far brighter future with higher living standards, skills and manufacturing capacity. Cash is however a fantastic caricature.
The Australian Navy should only consider the TKMS offer if they are Little Red Corvettes!
C@tmomma you beat me to the punchline, whilst I was having a shower.
Li’l Red (or Purple) Naval Corvettes, indeed.
And they may arrive before the never, forever submarines are selected, too!
What is good and what is evil?
To me they are the extremes of a non-binary system and are much rarer in reality than many people make out.
Thousands of Conservative members have quit the party in the fortnight since Liz Truss was forced out, it has been claimed.
The Reform UK party, which has replaced the UK Independence Party in British politics as a home for disaffected Tories, say that their figures show that Conservative members are voting with their feet in protest at the MPs replacing Ms Truss with Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister.
Reform UK said that 4,534 new members have joined since Ms Truss had to stand down as Prime Minister under pressure from her own party after the disastrous September mini-Budget on Oct 25.
Reform UK – which declined to say how many members it had – claimed that many of these new joiners are former Tory activists.
Labour lead is eighteen points in latest results from Deltapoll.
Con 29% (+3)
Lab 47% (-4)
Lib Dem 9% (-)
Other 16% (+1)
Fieldwork: 4th – 7th November 2022
Sample: 1,049 GB adults (Changes from 28 – 31 October 2022)
A secret report by the former Coalition government into the sports rorts scandal slammed the decision-making process behind the grants scheme and its “lack of transparency”.
The investigation by former secretary of the prime minister and cabinet department Phil Gaetjens also found there were significant shortcomings when Coalition senator Bridget McKenzie awarded a community sporting grant to a gun club she was a member of.
Documents released under freedom of information reveal Gaetjens found there was a lack of transparency for applicants regarding how grant money would be allocated.
Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Phil Gaetjens
Sports rorts: Coalition blocking release of Phil Gaetjens’ secret report, citing cabinet exemption
Read more
“This lack of transparency coupled with the significant divergences between projects recommended by Sport Australia and those approved by the minister has given rise to concerns about the decision making,” the report states.
“Those submitting grant funding applications had, in my view, a right to more fully understand the basis on which the funding decisions were being made.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/07/complete-phil-gaetjens-report-into-sports-rorts-scandal-released-under-foi-laws
Wow, a fascinating podcast with a deep dive into the technical aspects of the Ukraine War with an interview conducted with one of Britain’s MoD top analysts:
https://youtu.be/5tEmeidT_3Y
Thanks as always BK
On the AFR/super story, cutting super tax breaks for the wealthy is low hanging fruit for effectively clawing back Commonwealth expenditure, which is why governments on both sides of politics have tinkered with it in the past. It’s unlikely to make a huge difference in terms of the deficit, but every little bit helps. If the government can do something with the concessional investment tax it could be especially effective, since fund members literally don’t see it except in the form of a slightly lower investment return on a lump of money that they usually don’t see until retirement anyway.
At the same time implementation of some of these changes is often not straightforward as super funds are often run on legacy admin systems – and often multiple legacy admin systems inherited via super fund mergers. Replacing those systems is a huge and costly exercise. In my experience funds typically try to get by with workarounds, and workarounds at some point inevitably lead to errors that affect members and can cost funds squillions to rectify.
It’s often easiest when a change in the regs is across the board. When you change things by exception – eg this rule applies on a balance of $M x or when the taxable income of the member >$X – it gets very tricky very quickly.
Absolutely not a reason not to do this sort of reform: like many things, very good ideas can get more complicated when you lift the hood and start figuring out how to implement them.
Herald Sun 08/11
Mr Bowen said on Monday: “Normal police investigative procedure would require impounding of the Andrews’ Ford Territory and removal of it on the back of a truck for expert forensic examination in Melbourne. This did not happen.
“The alleged driver of the Ford Territory should have been breath-tested as required by regulation. This did not happen; and again we are entitled to speculate that this normal procedure probably did not happen because a very senior politician was involved.
_____________________
Definitely a cover up.
So many normal procedures that were just not followed.
#weatheronPB
cool slow unseen air,
grasps the slender clouds
and ruffles my hair
I think i’ve worked Pocock out.
He’ll vote labor down the line pretty much all the time. It’s just a matter of him being able to put on a show. Kind of like Lambie, his and her views are not so far from the middle that sensible policy will get held up.
It was fun listening to Alegra Spender talk about the perils of multiemployer bargaining. Again the lazy PK failed to explore the point that wage security was just an academic issue for her guest and probably everyone in her electorate, extended family and friends and peer groups. And that multi employed bargaining will allow people to have just a little bit more in their already hard lives.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2022/11/08/russia-election-interference-yevgeny-prigozhin/?
It’s personal – there’s been great friction between the Dems and Musk over (non) unionised work forces, with the famous EV jamboree Biden got together completely omitting Tesla – as much as ideological – the need for ‘balance’ and ‘independents’. The ‘balance’ business is all fine and dandy, in an idealised clean (not rigged) forum. What we are looking at here, and failing to acknowledge, is that if the Repugs get control back, there won’t ever be two sides again. Ever. And independents in the US where it’s first past the post with no preferential voting systems in place in toto? We’ve seen how that’s played out. They’re vote splitters, and never to the Dems advantage.
“Specifically, Rogers said the May federal election was marked by “people coming into the polling place and recording interactions with our staff, shouting at our staff, and some fairly bizarre behaviour that we haven’t seen previously”.”
Very sad that we are getting this kind of spillover from the lunacy that is the US politics and if the repuglicans have wins in the mid terms in the US it will get worse. 🙁 Australia has nothing to learn from the US about how to do elections.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-in-us-elections
Perfectly plausible, and that he has been is not really news…….but i dont think enough Americans care anymore. More concerned with petrol prices than actually living in a real democracy. 🙁
Limiting in-Super tax benefits to funds not exceeding a value of, say, $3m might be a simple wat around it, given the government is setting out to define the role of superannuation.
imacca,
You might be interested in listening to this 🙂
https://youtu.be/5tEmeidT_3Y
Will we get Adrian Beaumont’s take on tomorrow’s mid terms?
“Specifically, Rogers said the May federal election was marked by “people coming into the polling place and recording interactions with our staff, shouting at our staff, and some fairly bizarre behaviour that we haven’t seen previously”.”
I saw it too. Specifically the Anti Vaxxers that had been ginned up by Hanson and Palmer, the Libertarians and the IMAP QAnon nutbags. Actually, the ones I found to be the worst were the people they got to hand out their HTVs. They were cooked chooks! And very abusive if you got in their way to hand out the Labor HTV while they were ranting to a voter.
Nice to see Albo steady. The filth coming out about Morrison and his retrobates will cast a long shadow, and a deep stain, skid one could say. I thought the Dreyfus public rebuke was a beautifully couched public humiliation reducing Morrison from his self appointed public statesman ex prime ministerial perch to that of an unreliable, untrustworthy, irresponsible loose canon, driven purely by self-interest, and ever unworthy of any position of privilege.
Nicely surmised, Itza.
“ Definitely a cover up.
So many normal procedures that were just not followed.”
Lols Taylormerde.
Reheated gruel by the MSM dropping stuff in the dying stages of an election campaign. The distinction between ‘journalism’ and ‘campaigning’ is lost.
MSM Royal Commission now! 9/Faix to be broken up. Newscorpse to be booted out as foreign agents of influence.
Retrobates? Young Peeps who shop at opshops?
Morning all. Thanks for the roundup BK. Good to see Labor is advancing the conversation on energy prices and tax reform (via super tax deduction limits). Labor needs to act on the former soon though. Energy bills will tick up again soon as summer air conditioning use starts to rise.
Coffee prices have hit a 15-month low amid potential record crop in Brazil.
Jon Ralston prediction on Nevada Senate, Governor and HOR results.
https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/crystal-ball-says-cortez-masto-hangs-on-sisolak-doesnt-and-dems-retain-two-of-three-house-seats
Holdenhillbilly @ #41 Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 – 9:11 am
Due to Bolsonaro allowing massive amounts of the Amazon to be felled to plant the crops. 😐
‘south says:
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 8:42 am
I think i’ve worked Pocock out.
He’ll vote labor down the line pretty much all the time. It’s just a matter of him being able to put on a show. Kind of like Lambie, his and her views are not so far from the middle that sensible policy will get held up.
….’
—————————–
They are holding it up as we post.
Morrison and his retrobates
The Back to the 1950s Future crew.
On the possibility of building a fleet (10+?) of missile armed corvettes for the RAN, it makes a lot of sense given the high cost and glacial rate of progress on the frigates and problems with the OPVs. There are many good options. Sweden is now designing an expanded Visby that will be state of the art, well priced, and armed with Swedish and Norwegian designed missiles that might be more easily made in Australia. Norwegian missile maker Kongsberg supplies to the USN what they call the NSM. Why not just buy it directly from the Norwegians?
The OPV project is frustrating in that it illustrates the Liberals running of defense solely for political agendas. They are no better armed than border farce patrol boats so why get scarce naval crews to man them? The project was only dreamed up when it became obvious the Hunter frigates would be too late to avoid another “valley of death”.
Yet then the project was shifted to Perth to give Austal more work, even though they have a poor record building durable ships. Their first Cape class patrol boats were retired after very short service lives. They need to learn how to build steel hulled ships properly. The fact they struggled with the third Arafura OPV after ASc had built two on time shows the problem was with them, not the design.
ItzaDream @ #36 Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 – 8:56 am
Exactly. You can get people to take the medicine you’re trying to give them, ie the truth about the man, with a spoonful of sugar, not vinegar. Otherwise it just gets characterised as a partisan attack.
Boerwar,
its a show. it’ll make it by the end of the year.
Fun Fact: We have a large boat building industry on the Central Coast. It’s largely concentrated on recreational vessels but I wonder if we could transition?
ItzaDream says:
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 8:56 am
Nice to see Albo steady. The filth coming out about Morrison and his retrobates will cast a long shadow, and a deep stain, skid one could say. I thought the Dreyfus public rebuke was a beautifully couched public humiliation reducing Morrison from his self appointed public statesman ex prime ministerial perch to that of an unreliable, untrustworthy, irresponsible loose canon, driven purely by self-interest, and ever unworthy of any position of privilege.
_______________________________________
I agree. Criminal action is a very difficult line to pursue. It is much more important to publish the failures of proper governance so that we can see what we have lost and get it back again.
The same with the Robodebt Royal Commission. Unlike the Pink Batts RC, this is about disclosing the debauching of public administration, far more than ‘getting at’ Morrison and Tudge.
You can never safeguard the public service against a determinedly malevolent government, because it is composed of people like the rest of us. With bills to pay, families to look after and career dreams to fulfil. But you can make it much harder – perhaps by entrenching in legislation – the capacity for people like Morrison and Dutton to make it just a tool of their will, without regard to ethics or the law.