The Age/Herald published a Resolve Strategic poll on Saturday concerning AUKUS and nuclear submarines, which I held back on doing a post on because I thought voting intention results might follow. That hasn’t happened yet, so here goes.
As is perhaps unavoidable with the matter at hand, respondents were given fairly lengthly explanations of the relevant issues before having their opinions gauged on them, such that the results need to be considered carefully alongside what was actually asked. The first outlined the proposed acquisition and pointed out both the expense and the expectation that it would create 20,000 jobs, and found 50% in favour and 17% opposed. Breakdowns by party support found near identical results for Labor and Coalition results, with weaker support among an “others” category inclusive of both the Greens and minor parties of the right.
The second question asked respondents how they felt specifically about Australian submarines being nuclear-powered, finding 25% actively supportive, 39% considering the notion “acceptable”, and 17% actively opposed. The third put it to respondents that the federal government has hitherto being committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence, and that Anthony Albanese says he would like to spend more: 39% concurred, 31% said it should remain as is, and 9% felt it should be reduced. Finally, 46% felt “large single-party states, like Russia and China” were a threat to Australia, but one that could be carefully managed; 36% felt they were a threat that “needed to be confronted soon”; and 8% felt they were no threat at all.
The sample was conducted last Sunday to Thursday from a sample of 1600.
Coincidence? I think not.
The PM of Japan has turned up in Kyiv at the same time Xi is in Moscow!
The ALP government isn’t neoliberal when a real neoliberal government wouldn’t be expanding the NDIS and wouldn’t tackle climate change or housing affordability because there’s a market for that.
Alpo @ #392 Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 – 9:29 pm
If there are technical issues too complex for Australian technicians to deal with, how can Australian technicians ever be sure that the subs haven’t been equipped with a backdoor/remote kill-switch? They can’t.
So in a way, yes. We can’t be certain that the subs can be used for anything the US doesn’t approve of. Doesn’t sounds like sovereignty to me. Not for Australia, anyways.
I must admit I’m too old to understand this new gender ideology. I suppose it’s really a religion and i just lack faith.
I gather, Toronto Police are looking for this 27 year old “woman”.
ALP government – neoliberal. Same same on steroids. It really is a bit sad this what he Greens have become.
“J J Hall says:
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 10:06 pm
Don’t you think Alpo that this is kinda the point some bludgers are trying to make? Rakali is only giving an opinion, doesn’t drag any other bludger into that opinion and that’s it. But you assert (unprompted other than your own obvious objections to the comment) that Rakali drinks too much. Maybe stick to disagreeing with the comment or put your own view. The personal attack is unwarranted. Other bludgers could do the same I might add.”
Sit down, you need some lecturing on political website posting:
1) First, let’s quote that bit of Rakali’s post that I subsequently commented on: “I suppose the ALP Commonwealth Government will soon be re-introducing conscription in order to train up the many hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder Aussies they will need to sacrifice for their POTUS God over the next 40 years.”
Now, focus on these bits: ALP…will soon be re-introducing conscription…to train up…hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder Aussies they will need to sacrifice for the POTUS god over the next 40 years….
2) Second, are those comments by Rakali reasonable? Logic? Fact-based?… They are not even written in sarcasm-style, which might have protected Rakali.
3) This is an unwarranted attack on the ALP which is baseless, a fantasy exaggeration, mere propaganda.
4) Surprise surprise, I am an ALP supporter, this is a political website, and yes, given that no member of the ALP government is going to come here to defend themselves against that kind of crap, it’s the supporters who should step in. Liberals supporters do that too, as do Nationals and Greens supporters… it’s just natural for a political website.
5) Anybody is entitled to his opinion, others are entitled to publicly disagree or agree with those opinions. That’s the whole point of coming here in the first place.
6) The “drink too much” thing was sarcasm and, for your information, this was Rakali’s reply: “It’s true, i have had a few wines! I need that to post. It’s social phobia.”… I am not sure whether that’s sarcasm too or the truth, you have to ask him.
7) In any event, after Rakali replied to me, this time in a far more serious (“sober”?) manner, this was my reply: “The US only need to train Australians to run the subs and perhaps a bunch of technicians to fix them. If the problem is too complex, I am sure that we will ask them to fly some of their experts to have a look at the technical issue. I mean, are we giving up our sovereignty because of that?”
I hope this helps…..
‘This is a “test” for the ALP government?…. Really?…. I thought that the Voice was the real test that this government is facing right now, but no, it’s a bunch of submarines that won’t be built for years…
Oh dear…. some people look a bit too desperate.’
The Voice is an ongoing test, and one they expected. This is a big immediate political problem that is unexpected and involves both difficult internal politics and the need for persuasive public communication. The more respected Labor people like Evans, Bob Carr, Helen Clark etc speak out publicly the trickier it gets. Also, it gets to the credibility of Albanese/Wong/Marles. I don’t think the Government has been under any real pressure yet, apart from a couple of short lived episodes on the S3 tax cuts and superannuation. AUKUS is developing into something more problematic. If nothing else the adversaries are more formidable than Dutton et al.
Ukraine continues to hold Bakhmut from the relentlessly attacking invaders from Moscow:
“Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has reported that intense fighting is ongoing on the Bakhmut front. The Russian occupiers are trying to advance to the centre of Bakhmut, but Ukrainian defence forces are not allowing them to do so.
“The defence of Bakhmut continues. Intensive fighting is taking place along the entire contact line in the area of responsibility of the Eastern Group of Forces.
Enemy equipment, enemy manpower and depots are constantly being destroyed on the Bakhmut front.”
According to Syrskyi, Russian assault groups are trying to advance from the suburbs to the city centre, but Defence Forces are working and destroying them around the clock.”
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/03/21/7394377/
By my look at the day 390 and day 388 Bakhmut maps on https://militaryland.net/, Moscow’s forces have not advanced any closer to the city centre over the past two days, but have managed to close off about 750m of the roughly 5.5km-long gap in their attempted encirclement of the city centre, to the west. At this rate, they could potentially complete their encirclement in about two more weeks. This would depend on them having the capability to maintain that rate of advance along their encirclement line at its current pace. This would be in the first week of April – hopefully, about when a Ukrainian counteroffensive will be beginning.
It is touch and go whether the remaining defenders in Bakhmut can hold on until the cavalry arrive.
A hypothetical.
If my wife got sick, could I ring a Liberal party mate, who happens to be a close confidant and presumably dear friend, as well as being the NSW Health Minister, and have an ambulance arrive at my house as a priority, without medical intervention in assessing the urgency?
No?
Apparently Perrottett can ….
But I digress from the real issue.
Did she receive priority hospital admission?
“a r says:
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 10:42 pm”
It’s impossible to be unaware whether the subs are being artificially constrained, if you operate them every day under many different conditions, including simulated combat. At some point in time you will necessarily realise that what you expected the sub to do it’s not happening, perhaps because there is a hidden control…. and then questions will be asked and investigations carried out. But in principle, I don’t see why that should happen given that the subs will carry conventional weapons. With nuclear weapons (which won’t be there) the suspicion may have been better justified, perhaps.
Let’s not forget that these nuclear subs simply have greater autonomy (and I believe speed) underwater compared with the other ones, and why would the US constrain that capability? It’s not in their (and our) defensive interests.
Thanks for the lecture Alpo! Yes i dont post on sites such as this very much, although i guess it gets tiring seeing other posters pot each other all day long. But hey! Y’all seem comfortable with that. Good luck with defending Labor’s “social democratic” credentials. I did notice Rakalis reply but it was too late to edit my post.
Alpo
“ First, let’s quote that bit of Rakali’s post that I subsequently commented on: “I suppose the ALP Commonwealth Government will soon be re-introducing conscription in order to train up the many hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder Aussies they will need to sacrifice for their POTUS God over the next 40 years.”
Now, focus on these bits: ALP…will soon be re-introducing conscription…to train up…hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder Aussies they will need to sacrifice for the POTUS god over the next 40 years….
2) Second, are those comments by Rakali reasonable? Logic? Fact-based?… They are not even written in sarcasm-style, which might have protected Rakali.”
—————-
I don’t need protection.
I have been thinking about this issue for weeks. I was being serious if a bit sarcastic.
I believe if Australian is allowed to use secret US submarine technology for fuel and operating systems, the US, of course, require operational control. This means for the foreseeable future Australian military and diplomatic relations will always be subject to US approval.
This means that should the USA decide to engage in any military adventure for whatever purpose ( which it often does) it will demand Australian participation if the US decided that such a participation was to their advantage.
Should that involve a war with China the US might demand a lot of Australian troops. Hence in gratitude for US nuclear and military technology Australia will need to prepare for a potential/likely war with any power that is seen by the US to challenge their hegemony.
So obviously this is almost certainly to require conscription.
“Historyintime says:
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 10:55 pm”
Hmmm, let’s see. I guess we agree that defence has traditionally be considered a strength area for the Coalition. The Coalition is in real troubles right now and Dutton is completely hopeless. Now, the nuclear subs are an obvious defence issue and Dutton has made clear that he supports them (after all it was Scomo’s idea), thus strengthening the image of Coalition-strong-on -defence. Good, now what are some geniuses trying to do? Wedge the ALP government on the subs, thus showing that they are at least “messy” but likely “crap” on the issue of national defence, and therefore they are unreliable. Great help for Dutton, he can’t wait to be saved by some ALP characters (two of them having been past Neoliberal ideologues).
National defence is a serious issue. This is agreed on by both Libs and Labs, that’s a long-standing bipartisanship on defence. HOWEVER, there are differences. For instance, the Libs went full on with this subs idea as part of their open anti-China campaign, which motivated China to respond and boycott some Australian products. With the ALP the situation is different. Defence remains important, but there is no intention to demonise China: we differ but we can be commercial partners in mutual respect.
Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech has been transformed into a new play “Julia” by award-winning playwright Joanna Murray-Smith. It opened at the Canberra Theatre Centre tonight.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/21/julia-gillard-play-starring-justine-clarke-debuts-in-canberra-its-an-incredible-speech-to-perform
I don’t know whether there are any plans for plays about other PMs. Tony Abbott is probably the villain in Julia, but will he get his own play? I have a title to offer to anyone who writes one: “Send in the Clown”.
What about Malcolm Turnbull? Maybe “The Man who wasn’t there”. Scott Morrison would be “The Flim-flam Man*”. Kevin Rudd: “I’m from Queensland, I’m here to help”. How about a title for John Howard’s Play? What’s a title to encapsulate twelve grinding years?
Then there’s Paul Keating. He already has a play. Maybe it needs a postscript?
*actually that title’s been taken.
“Rakalisays:
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 11:06 pm
This means for the foreseeable future Australian military and diplomatic relations will always be subject to US approval.”…. No, this conclusion is unwarranted! We do have alliances and allied countries are supposed to consult each other and coordinate their actions. But you use the word “approval”. That’s incorrect, because it conveys the propagandistic image of us losing sovereignty.
“This means that should the USA decide to engage in any military adventure for whatever purpose ( which it often does) it will demand Australian participation if the US decided that such a participation was to their advantage.”…. Demand? Another propaganda word!… In case of conflict the USA may ask help from Australia and Australia will decide, just as if Australia needs help and ask for it to the USA the USA will decide.
“Should that involve a war with China the US might demand a lot of Australian troops. Hence in gratitude for US nuclear and military technology Australia will need to prepare for a potential/likely war with any power that is seen by the US to challenge their hegemony.
So obviously this is almost certainly to require conscription.”…. So your whole argument here is grounded on the fantasy “war with China”. For your information, there hasn’t been a direct war between two major powers since 1945 (78 years now)… That’s “thanks” to the nuclear arsenals. There won’t be a war with China, and even if there is, troops will be useless: Have a look at China and tell me how many troops do you need to invade that country…. The Chinese will look at Australia, the USA and Europe and calculate how many troops they will need to invade…. all that under the clouds of many nuclear mushrooms… Can you see your nonsense?
I think we should give Keating, Evans, Carr etc the respect of considering their interventions reflect a genuine concern that AUKUS (and the scale of its flawed strategic logic and cost) pose a substantial threat to the national interest.
So, whether or not it involves criticism of the current government or the ALP or current ALP identities, is very much secondary to that concern. The debate is about the national interest not the ALP interest.
“J J Hall says:
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 11:04 pm
Thanks for the lecture Alpo! Yes i dont post on sites such as this very much, although i guess it gets tiring seeing other posters pot each other all day long. But hey! Y’all seem comfortable with that. Good luck with defending Labor’s “social democratic” credentials. I did notice Rakalis reply but it was too late to edit my post.”
JJ, unfortunately political websites are not for the faint hearted (in fact I would strongly discourage anyone with cardiovascular problems from getting engaged, and instead look for non-political websites)… Sometimes the environment is relaxed and we all have fun but then, all of a sudden, the environment turns hot, and off we go….
🙂
“Historyintime says:
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 11:20 pm”
Yes, but did those ALP oldies come out against Morrison, attacking him on AUKUS before the election? Why the sudden interest? But in any event, it’s the strengthening military capability of some countries in this region that poses a threat to Australia, not AUKUS. AUKUS is a response, not an unprovoked attack. The crucial issue here is the South China Sea, a major trade route. For your information there are people in China who believe that the sea is theirs, an idea that has no grounding on any international law. The only way to keep the SCS free from blockage is to make sure that all interested parties realise that they don’t have the upper hand. We are all powerful and ready to appropriately respond to a serious provocation. It’s a tense equilibrium, but an equilibrium anyway. Hopefully, in the future, the situation may improve.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/campaign-for-vaping-without-prescription-goes-up-in-smoke-20230321-p5cu0k.html
“The Nationals have a blatant conflict of interest in this debate, they are still the only major party that excepts donations from tobacco companies. The tobacco industry has found a new way to develop a generation of nicotine addicts and we will not stand for it,” Butler said.
Good on Mark Butler.
And so much for same-same.
Incidentally, this is an area where we are more advanced than NZ.
It was also Labor that introduced the plain packaging laws for tobacco that Big Tobacco fought tooth and nail against. A couple of other dozen countries including NZ have joined in since then (most or all after seeing us win the legal cases brought by Big Tobacco).
I hate Big Tobacco with a holy zeal. I will always be pleased that Labor has led the way in the fight against them here.
The Coalition is great at jingoism and bluster, but how good would they be in an actual defence and security crisis that was existential for Australia, as distinct from an expedition to distant shores in support of great and powerful friends?
A few indications:
– The 2019-20 Bushfire crisis: not great.
– Covid – mixed. They botched the vaccine acquisition and rollout and failed in aged care. They blamed their failures on Labor States.
– East Timor 1999 – good in the initial phase
– Islamic terror incidents mid 2010s – dealt effectively with incidents but tried to exploit for political purposes (20-flag press conferences, “they’re coming to get us”, etc.)
Labor’s record? Well, there’s 1941-45 for a start.
Steve777 says Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 11:18 pm
Tony Abbott: “The Broken Promise”
Malcolm Turnbull: “The Great Disappointment” (or should we remove Great), “The Unfulfilled Promise”
Scott Morrison: “The Hollow Man”, “The Hollow Promise”, “I Don’t Hold a Hose”
Personally, I think “The Man who wasn’t there” is a better fit for Morrison than Turnbull because at the end of the day there really wasn’t anything of substance to him.
John Howard: “Little Heart”, “The Small Man”, “The Rodent”
Rakalisays:
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 11:06 pm
Why would this be the case?
We’ve been using US operating and weapons systems on Collins without this being the case.
Steve 777 says:
Then there’s Paul Keating. He already has a play. Maybe it needs a postscript?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
There have been 2 plays about our ex PM Paul Keating, one was called Paul Keating ! The Musical and the other was The Gospel According To Paul with Jonathan Biggins as Paul Keating.
Now, I have seen many, many plays and musicals but I swear these two musicals/plays were among the best I have ever seen on stage, and you must only see them on stage to get that feeling.
Its not often you can couple your love of theatre and politics at the same time.
New thread.
Re: Victorian Nazis
The response by Attorney-General Dreyfuss was measured and responsible and considering his family history, the most appropriate person to do so.
He is doing a magnificent job in a very demanding portfolio.
Aaron Newton, we don’t need our first law officer to be a show pony, in parliament, we require someone with an excellent mind and a capacity to understand and respond to the myriad of complex issues which any government is confronted with daily.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Peter Martin tells us the unnerving truth about how the AUKUS submarines will be paid for.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-22/australia-aukus-submarines-368-billion-some-money-thin-air/102124540
Labor’s old guard is following Keating into the trenches over the $368b submarine deal, writes David Crowe.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-s-old-guard-follow-keating-into-the-trenches-over-368b-submarine-deal-20230321-p5cu1h.html
That Labor MP Josh Wilson shattered the remarkable unity the Albanese government has had up until now by publicly opposing the AUKUS agreement demonstrates the job ahead of the government to socialise its younger members, the ALP activist base and the whole millennial generation on national security. Wilson’s strange public rebellion, before he can possibly be across the detail of everything AUKUS involves, was the government’s first outbreak of disunity. If it’s a one-off, it’s unimportant. If it’s a trend, it’s the worst news Labor could have, says Greg Sheridan.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/rogue-labor-mp-josh-wilson-puts-first-dent-in-partys-aukus-unity/news-story/9f63ac60fadea1a3c42b53984c9e3948?amp
Gareth Evans lays out three big questions Australia’s leaders must answer about the AUKUS deal. He says that for all the hype, the submarines we are buying are really fit for purpose; whether an Australian flag on them really means we retain full sovereign agency in their use; and if it does not, whether that loss of agency is a price worth paying for the US security insurance we think we might be buying.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/21/gareth-evans-the-three-big-questions-australias-leaders-must-answer-about-the-aukus-deal
Paul Keating’s Press Club criticism of the AUKUS agreement revealed the true nature of our mainstream media, writes Bilal Cleland.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/paul-keating-fires-shots-at-aukus-corporate-press-takes-casualities,17346
As the Government seeks to respond to an increasing number of questions about what it extolls as the game-changing decision to purchase nuclear powered submarines (SSN’s) it has been tweaking the spin about the reasons it has taken for this budget shaking decision, says Mack Williams.
https://johnmenadue.com/marles-at-least-get-the-spin-on-the-subs-right/
Defining what makes housing affordable will be key to legislating the government’s $10 billion housing fund, after Greens and crossbench senators made their support for the bill contingent on a list of demands, writes Rachel Clun. Fair enough.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/what-s-affordable-housing-depends-who-you-ask-crossbench-mps-want-a-legal-definition-20230321-p5ctv6.html
Using affordable housing as an example, Michael Pascoe reckons not being Scott Morrison isn’t enough in a crisis.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2023/03/22/michael-pascoe-scott-morrison-anthony-albanese-crisis/
The nation’s prudential regulator has begun asking banks to declare their exposures – in some cases daily – to start-ups and crypto-focused ventures following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and volatility at global lenders. The AFR refers to three sources who requested anonymity to speak freely said the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority had told banks to improve their reporting around crypto assets and provide daily updates to the agency as it sought to gain more insight into exposures and vulnerabilities in the system.
https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/banks-told-to-report-on-crypto-start-up-risks-20230321-p5cu04
Natassia Chrysanthos reports that Health Minister Mark Butler has he will not give in to demands for vapes to be sold freely like cigarettes, despite a push from the Nationals and industry lobby groups who say regulated retail sales are the only way to curtail Australia’s pervasive black market. Butler has told Labor caucus “the tobacco industry has found a new way to develop a generation of nicotine addicts and we will not stand for it”.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/campaign-for-vaping-without-prescription-goes-up-in-smoke-20230321-p5cu0k.html
The latest IPCC report makes it clear no new fossil fuel projects can be opened. That includes us, Australia, declares Adam Morton.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/21/the-latest-ipcc-report-makes-it-clear-no-new-fossil-fuel-projects-can-be-opened-that-includes-us-australia
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has substantially narrowed Premier Dominic Perrottet’s lead as preferred premier, giving Labor an election winning boost ahead of this Saturday’s state poll. Four days from the election, Labor leads the NSW Coalition on a two-party preferred basis of 53 to 47 in the AFR Freshwater Strategy NSW Poll, and the two major parties sit neck-and-neck in primary stakes with 33 per cent of the vote.
https://www.afr.com/politics/undecided-voters-are-warming-to-labor-poll-20230321-p5ctxp
Lucy Carroll reports that the NSW Coalition is pledging $50 million to private schools for new classrooms and upgrades.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/coalition-pledges-50-million-to-private-schools-for-new-classrooms-upgrades-20230320-p5ctsm.html
Education is key to the NSW election this Saturday. Student outcomes have been declining in NSW for years while the gap between rich and poor students grows. Callum Foote investigates the Liberal and Labor party policy platforms.
https://michaelwest.com.au/pass-or-fail-liberal-labor-education-pitches-ahead-of-nsw-election/
NSW Labor’s wages policy is admirable in intention but addled in execution, declares the SMH editorial.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/labor-s-wages-policy-is-admirable-in-intention-but-addled-in-execution-20230321-p5ctwu.html
Ross Gittins has more on the Productivity Commission’s report and writes about the damage many years of neoliberalism has done.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/most-of-us-don-t-really-want-to-be-rich-for-better-or-worse-20230321-p5ctvz.html
While recommendations have been made by the Productivity Commission on skilled migration reform, there are still improvements that could be made, writes Abul Rizvi.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/productivity-commissions-migration-reform-ideas-a-curates-egg,17345
Paul Kelly says that the pressure on Australian living standards that the Albanese government has pledged to rectify now looms as a perilous political journey given the Productivity Commission five-yearly inquiry into how Australia’s prosperity can be improved.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/labor-at-mercy-of-productivity-politics/news-story/8a1472ae464e424935c9db3ec1bd39f0?amp
The banking crisis that hit Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) last week has spread. We recall with a shudder two recent financial contagions: the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, which led to a deep Asian recession, and the 2008 Great Recession, which led to a global downturn. The new banking crisis hits a world economy already disrupted by pandemic, war, sanctions, geopolitical tensions, and climate shocks, explains Jeffrey Sachs.
https://johnmenadue.com/the-global-banking-crisis-and-world-economy/
We like the idea of recycled single-use plastics because it takes away the guilt around how cheap and easy it is. But most cannot be converted into a useful product at a reasonable cost, writes Nick O’Malley who says we are deluding ourselves if we think it can be recycled.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/let-s-just-stop-pretending-we-are-going-to-recycle-all-this-plastic-20230321-p5ctvq.html
Sumeyya Ilanbey explains how a new report lays bare the failures of Victoria’s criminal justice system, calling for efforts to reduce recidivism, early intervention, an increase in home detention and for judges to get more discretion over sentencing.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/jailing-is-failing-how-to-fix-a-justice-system-that-punishes-disadvantage-20230320-p5ctsr.html
John Pesutto has scored a victory in his bid to expel Moira Deeming from the parliamentary party room over her involvement in an anti-trans rights rally, with two-thirds of Liberal MPs rejecting an attempt to delay the vote to oust her.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/bid-to-delay-expulsion-of-deeming-fails-as-details-of-pesutto-s-motion-revealed-20230321-p5ctvl.html
A successful trial of zero-emissions electric trucks in south-east Queensland using exchangeable batteries has raised hopes they could be rolled out for large fleets to help Australia reduce transport emissions on the pathway to net zero by 2050. Unlike rechargeable electric cars, which have to be plugged in at home or use public charging stations, the Australian-first trial for the construction sector used removable batteries, which were just swapped out at the depot at the end of a 10- to 12-hour shift.
https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/swap-and-go-truck-batteries-help-tackle-transport-emissions-20230321-p5ctzq
Nicola Gobbo is attempting to negotiate an immunity deal that could result in the barrister-turned-informer avoiding criminal prosecution for her involvement in the Lawyer X scandal in exchange for providing evidence against more than a dozen current and former police officers.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/gobbo-working-on-immunity-deal-in-return-for-rolling-on-police-20230321-p5cu14.html
Key stakeholders were locked in discussions on the Indigenous voice to parliament on Tuesday evening, with the Coalition considering a backflip towards supporting Labor’s referendum machinery changes in a potential rare show of bipartisanship on the issue.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/21/coalition-considers-backflip-to-support-labor-referendum-changes-after-last-minute-negotiations
Denying our First Nations people a voice will achieve nothing, argues John Lord.
https://theaimn.com/denying-our-first-nations-people-a-voice-will-achieve-nothing/
Emma Koehn writes that retail giant Woolworths is muscling into virtual healthcare by making telehealth appointments with doctors, naturopaths and dietitians available through its wellness platform, HealthyLife. Patients will be able to log on to HealthyLife and make a same-day booking with a general practitioner via a partnership with ASX-listed digital health company Global Health. What could possibly go wrong?
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/no-brainer-woolies-muscles-into-telehealth-20230320-p5ctno.html
George Hyde examines why neo-Nazis are infiltrating public rallies in Australia.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/03/20/far-right-nazi-australia-extremism/
Christopher Knaus explains the twisted tactic the Catholic church uses to block claims by abuse survivors.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/mar/22/it-crucifies-you-every-time-the-twisted-tactic-the-church-uses-to-block-claims-by-abuse-survivors
As the dust settles on the Robodebt Royal Commission, an examination of how the scheme was orchestrated clearly shows its architects should face prison time, writes Paul Begley in quite a detailed assessment.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/robodebt-crooks-are-getting-away-with-murder,17347
A non-profit national disability insurance provider pursued a “single-minded” financial growth strategy at the expense of the safety of its clients, dished out “inappropriate” bonuses to staff and spent “large sums” on alcohol, the disability royal commission has found. Luke Henriques-Gomes tells us that in a new report released yesterday, the commission also criticised the federal disability watchdog – which regulates national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) providers – for its handling of complaints centred on the NDIS provider Afford.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/21/ndis-provider-pursued-financial-growth-over-client-safety-disability-inquiry-finds` `
Rob Harris reports that Boris Johnson has acknowledged he misled the House of Commons – albeit unintentionally – over coronavirus rule breaches, while also lashing out at the parliamentary committee established to probe his conduct. He faces being suspended or even expelled from parliament, if MPs decide he deliberately misled them despite his assurances that lockdown rules had been followed were made in “good faith”. Conservative MPs will be given a free vote on any recommendations, meaning they will not be told how to vote by party leadership.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/boris-johnson-admits-misleading-parliament-over-lockdown-parties-20230322-p5cu5r.html
Boris Johnson’s best defence is he’s a known liar incapable of lying, writes John Crace in acidic style.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/mar/21/boris-johnsons-best-defence-is-hes-a-known-liar-incapable-of-lying
AMP, one of the oldest financial institutions in Australia, has been trying to engineer a turnaround after a major fall from grace. Clancy Yeates looks at its chances of success.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/after-years-of-struggle-can-a-beleaguered-amp-reinvent-itself-20230319-p5cter.html
Sydney lawyer Sevag Chalabian has been sentenced to 12 years in jail over washing $24 million in blackmail money linked to the Plutus Payroll scam. Enjoy your porridge, Sevag!
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/king-of-the-camouflage-money-laundering-lawyer-joins-clients-behind-bars-20230227-p5co0b.html
A woman marrying for the fifth time at 92? Just imagine what Murdoch’s newspapers would say, writes Zoe Williams.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/21/rupert-murdoch-newspapers-woman-marrying-fifth-time
Scotland Yard is institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic and the London public are being let down by a force that no longer has a functioning neighbourhood policing service, a damning report concluded yesterday. It wouldn’t be the only police department so described.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/scotland-yard-institutionally-racist-sexist-and-broken-says-review-20230321-p5ctzb.html
Cartoon Corner
David Rowe
David Pope
Matt Golding
Cathy Wilcox
John Shakespeare
Simon Letch
Mark Knight
Leak
From the US
Not unexpected, but unusual to see it stated so bluntly …
https://www.themonthly.com.au/the-politics/rachel-withers/2023/03/21/labor-vs-science
Now that they are in government, Labor has simply abandoned any pretense of taking meaningful action on global warming.
Some of us expected this, but to others it will be surprising, disheartening and even humiliating.
Rather than being informed by a White Paper the Morrison/Albanese AUKUS project was driven by the dullard Marles. Among his team of mediocre but self-interested advisers was none other than Ms Robodebt, Kathryn Campbell.
Little wonder we are where we are.
Tangled web and all that
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Fox News retreats, withdraws lawsuit to silence their own producer Abby Grossberg, only a day after filing the action in the first place.
Likely a result of better lawyers convincing Fox News that suing Grossberg was only going to make their legal situation worse.
Of course
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Putin: China has peace plan for Ukraine when West is ready
Andrew if you had asked me last week I would have said China is stuffed, they don’t have the local resources (they depend on trade) or the demographics to run a war.
China depends on the order created by the USA. They can make a lot of noise, but they can’t afford for the guarantee of free trade to fall.
Consider however if China starts to control Russia. As things are going Russia will not have an army in twelve months. Chine can take back what was lost and continue, will the west provide the tools for Russia to defend itself?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Soviet_border_conflict
China then has the resources, but still has demographic issues, will they follow Putin into further screwing their demographics with a war, who knows.
I think anyone who thinks they can predict the future is full of shit.
I thought a the time, the big flew in Keating’s address. On the one hand he said we need an alliance with Indonesia, on the other hand, we should not get the resources needed to help defend Indonesia.
Someone pointing out that the subs are helpful for Indonesia defense seems to have upset you.