In an otherwise thin week for polling, the annual survey on Australians’ attitudes to international issues by the Lowy Institute offers its usual panoply of insights, perhaps the most interesting of which is that concern about China and war over Taiwan, while high, is not actually more so than it was a year ago. Key points:
• An unchanged 64% rate “a military conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan” as a critical threat, behind “cyberattacks from other countries” on 68%, up four from last year. The critical threat rating from Russian foreign policy has eased from 68% to 57%. After a sharp deterioration between 2018 and 2022, there was a nine-point drop in those who saw China as more as a security threat and an eleven-point increase as more of an economic partner, now at 52% and 44% respectively. Sixty-one per cent expected China would have a more important and powerful role as world leader in a decade’s time, whereas 22% felt the same of the US, which 32% expected to become less powerful and important.
• Forty-nine per cent rate that AUKUS will make Australia more safe, down three on less year; 9% less safe, up two; and 23% make no difference, up one. Sixty-seven per cent favoured the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, down three, with opposition up three to 31%. However, 40% favoured a defence strategy that protected Australia close to home against 26% for one that deterred potential enemies far from Australia’s shores. Fifty-six per cent felt Australia should remain neutral in the event of military conflict between the US and China, up five on last year, while 42% felt Australia should support the US, down four.
• Fifty-seven per cent favoured allowing the United States to base military forces in Australia, down six on last year, with 42% opposed, up six. Corresponding figures for the United Kingdom were 67% and 32%. There was a nine-point drop among those rating the importance of the US alliance to Australian security as very important to 51%, but this was a reversion to the mean after a spike last year, with the fairly important rating up four to 31%. Seventy-three per cent felt the US was more respected in the world under Joe Biden against 24% for Donald Trump.
• The most trusted global powers were Japan, the United Kingdom and France, with combined results of “a great deal” and “somewhat” of 79% to 85%, which are approximately the reverse of the results for China and Russia. The United States’ rating is down four points on last year to 61%, putting it about equal with India and a little ahead of Indonesia, but still well above where it was under the Trump administration. A question on “Australia’s best friend in Asia” records India spiking from 7% last year to 16%, though Japan remains far ahead of the field on 44%.
• In response to a question on confidence in world leaders, the field was led by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskky and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins who each scored a combined 72% for a lot of confidence and some confidence, though one doubts that the latter’s name recognition is quite that high. Support for military aid to Ukraine was nonetheless down six points to 76% with opposition up eight to 24%, while support for sanctions on Russia was down two to 87% and opposition up three to 12%.
• Twenty-five per cent felt Anthony Albanese had done a very good job on foreign policy, 58% a reasonable job and 15% a poor job. The question was extended to other recent prime ministers, producing neutral ratings for Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard and net negative ratings for Malcolm Turnbull and, especially, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison.
• Forty-seven per cent felt an Indigenous Voice would improve Australia’s reputation, 44% that it would make no difference, and 8% that it would damage it.
Two other poll results to relate:
• The West Australian had a Painted Dog Research poll on the Indigenous Voice on Saturday which found 57-43 of WA respondents in favour on a forced response basis, narrowing from 60-40 when the last such poll was conducted in March. The poll had a sample of 1050, with field work dates not specified.
• This week’s federal voting intention numbers from Roy Morgan have Labor’s lead out to 57-43, from 56-44 last week, with primary votes of Labor 36.5% (up one-and-a-half), Coalition 34% (up half) and Greens 13% (steady).
Other news that does not relate to the three looming by-elections, which I am holding back for a post on Friday, when candidates will be declared for the federal by-election in Fadden and the Western Australian state by-election in Rockingham:
• Victorian Senator David Van’s exile from the Liberal Party put the numbers in the chamber at Coalition 32, Labor 26, Greens 11, One Nation two, Jacqui Lambie Network two, United Australia Party one, and independents three. Greg Brown of The Australian reports Van “plans on remaining in parliament until his Senate term is up in 2025 and will consider contesting the next election as an independent”, and that he will not consider joining One Nation or the United Australia Party.
• Rachel Eddie of The Age reports that Russell Broadbent, 72-year-old veteran Liberal member for the West Gippsland seat of Monash, faces a preselection challenge from Mary Aldred, head of government relations for Asia Pacific at Fujitsu and daughter of the late Ken Aldred, member for various federal seats from 1975 to 1996. While her father was a figure of some controversy, Mary Aldred is reportedly “viewed as a moderate”, in common with Broadbent.
• Linda Silmalis of the Daily Telegraph reports Sutherland Shire mayor Carmelo Pesce is rated the front-runner to succeed Scott Morrison in Cook, with a general view that Morrison is likely to pull the plug later in the year.
• Katina Curtis of The West Australian argues school holidays and football finals mean the date for the referendum can be narrowed down to October 14, November 4 and November 25, with the former most likely as the November dates are complicated by that month’s APEC conference.
nath
It is been my experience that people that want a political career seek factional support, not that factions push forward unknown nutters.
Have you ever wonder why Labor seems to be able to get some bright people into parliament where the Liberals have been reduced to religious zealots.
My theory is there is a set of more than 1 competing for selection and factions compete against each other to support people that will get cross factional support.
Although these days it feels like there’s no daylight at all between the Victorian Liberal Party and One Nation, this is a sensible decision by Van to stay independent in my view. He’ll have more leverage than if he joins forces with another party.
On Morrison, I’ll believe he’s leaving parliament at the end of the year when he’s actually gone.
From the other thread:
Firstly:
Rob Mitchell’s bio:
‘Mitchell left school in year 10 to take up a shoemaking apprenticeship. He later worked as a contractor for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, as a tow-truck operator, and as a sales and marketing representative within the transport industry.[2] He was the state manager of a diesel parts company from 2000 to 2002 and is a member of the Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers.[1]’
(wikipedia, but I’ve known Rob since 2000, and it accords with what I know).
Sits in a safe seat for Labor.
Secondly, the argument seems to have got to saying that no one who has ever thought of being in politics and planned to be there should be in politics. I assume they’re just meant to wake up one morning, having never contemplated politics as a career, rock up to Head Office and demand to be given a seat.
(Thirdly, you’d think that people running this argument would think I was totally wonderful, because I’ve never joined a faction….)
Hard headed reality – and you’d want your politicians to be able to realise that when they see it – is that it’s common sense to join a faction if you want a career in politics (I wanted to see what happened if I didn’t, and it worked well for me for a long time…). Because so many people who want careers in politics join factions, there’s an automatic weeding out process. Almost every one who is weeded out has toed the factional line, so the ones that succeed have to, by definition, have more to offer than simple blind loyalty.
The proof is in the pudding – largely, the quality of MPs on the Labor side is better than those in other parties.
Which doesn’t seem to be disputed by those posters who are dissing the process that got them there.
“The desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever becoming one.” — Billy Connolly
Zoomster
Someone was probably having an apoplectic reaction to Labor’s current good fortunes that has resulted in some table thumping and howling into the wind.
It will get over it !
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/not-the-same-as-lying-to-him-morrison-defends-keeping-aukus-secret-from-macron-20230622-p5digz.html
Always trying to deflect. I also love the photo they’ve used for the story. Shorter caption: “Not my job!”
#weatheronPB
Thin, cream, floating clouds.
I see through cold winter’s bluff,
to her gentle hand.
My favourite from last night’s Mid Winter Ball:
Senator Jana Stewart and Marcus Stewart 🙂
Sorry, I just had to bring this across from the previous thread (I just love it when logic defeats nath’s petit demagoguery):
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
David Crowe combines with Nick KcKenzie to tells us that former cabinet minister Stuart Robert met consulting firm Accenture to discuss a federal project worth $111 million after his close friend David Milo had been trying to help the firm win lucrative government contracts. He’s a bad egg!
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/accenture-meeting-raises-fresh-concerns-over-stuart-robert-links-20230609-p5dfht.html
According to The Australian, Warren Entsch says Scott Morrison convinced him to cancel his retirement plans and run again at the 2022 election by offering two incentives: a $10bn cyclone reinsurance pool for northern Australia and a $20m electricity microgrid in his electorate. Desperate men do desperate things.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/pm-scott-morrisons-10bn-deal-for-warren-entsch-to-cancel-retirement/news-story/4ba58b217f43af3b312612f33cf99854?amp
Politicians from all major parties have accused PwC of a “calculated breach of trust” by covering up and attempting to minimise the seriousness of the tax leak scandal and urged the accounting giant to co-operate fully with all investigations. Rachel Clun writes that, in a joint report, Coalition, Labor and Greens senators said PwC engaged in unethical behaviour, first by claiming legal professional privilege over tens of thousands of documents, and then through failing to report a serious breach of confidentiality despite having a legal obligation to do so.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/voracious-greedy-lying-scoundrels-politicians-united-on-pwc-20230621-p5dian.html
And Colin Kruger says the Senate committee report on the PwC scandal has made clear Canberra’s collective fury at the treachery of the accountancy firm that betrayed its largest single customer, the federal government, with a pointed title – PwC: A calculated breach of trust.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/tax-office-federal-police-face-exposure-over-pwc-criminal-probe-failure-20230621-p5di7u.html
Alexandra Smith reports that the highly anticipated report into the conduct of former premier Gladys Berejiklian will be released on June 29, ending a wait of more than two-and-a-half years since her first bombshell evidence about her disgraced relationship with ex-Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/long-awaited-icac-report-into-gladys-berejiklian-to-be-released-next-week-20230619-p5dhky.html
Mark Kenny writes that since the enabling legislation was passed, Coalition MPs have dragged the diminutive Linda Burney repeatedly to the Dispatch Box to answer a series of attempted “gotcha” style questions. He praises Burney finally snapping at the opposition, “I’m not interested in culture wars, I’m interested in closing the gap”. Kenny says it was a statement of moral clarity of which there will need to be more if the gathering scare campaign is to be blunted.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8242867/amid-a-flurry-of-attacks-burney-blunts-scare-campaign/?cs=27845
Restoring ‘hierarchy of descent’ via an Indigenous voice to parliament is a mistake, writes Peta Credlin in her regular Thursday culture war cry.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/restoring-hierarchy-ofdescent-via-an-indigenous-voice-to-parliament-is-a-mistake-writes-peta-credlin/news-story/e9e6ea74cc569f38550e4d438ccb9c95?amp
From July 1, the single-person annual income threshold above which the person pays a 1 per cent Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) – which they pay through their tax returns if they do not have the appropriate level of private patient hospital cover – rises to $93,000. It’s the first such change in eight years.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/insurance/medicare-levy-surcharge-income-thresholds-to-rise-20230615-p5dgu7.html
Fixing our nation’s housing affordability woes requires more than policy, planning, or market remedies. A change in mindset is necessary. The way we live – the “vibe”, one might say, of our relationship with housing – needs reimagining, argues Andy Marks.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/mayors-say-they-can-t-handle-more-housing-tell-em-they-re-dreamin-20230620-p5dhzb.html
Given that this week, for the first time, the Reserve Bank acknowledged that inflation has been partly caused by the behaviour of companies, Alan Kohler declares that it’s time to revisit the Allan Fels system of price control – naming and shaming.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2023/06/22/price-control-inflation-alan-kohler/
Michael Pascoe points to a speech that shows the RBA is clueless on employment.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2023/06/21/michael-pascoe-rba-wrong-wages-growth/
The Future Fund manages more than $200 billion of public sector funds but does so with a notorious penchant for secrecy. This third instalment in a series from Rex Patrick and Philip Dorling shines a spotlight on the fund’s surprising gambling stake.
https://michaelwest.com.au/revealed-peter-costellos-future-fund-has-280m-punt-on-the-pokies-lotteries-and-online-gambling/
Australian authorities have used their world-first legal powers to demand Twitter explain what it’s doing to prevent online hate after a major spike in complaints since the platform was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk, reports Jordan Baker who tells us that academics say the Twitter case will test Australia’s new online safety powers, warning that the increasingly rogue social media company might ignore both the legal orders and the fines of almost $700,000 a day if they refuse to comply.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-takes-on-elon-musk-over-spike-in-online-hate-on-twitter-20230621-p5dibk.html
In a ham-fisted attempt at media manipulation that undermines confidence in those we look to for protection, senior NSW Police have been caught covering up the use of a Taser in the fatal stunning of a 95-year-old aged care resident suffering from dementia. The SMH editorial is less than impressed by this.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/taser-cover-up-undermines-confidence-in-police-leadership-20230621-p5di9n.html
The Age reveals that international students working in Melbourne say they are being paid as little as $10 an hour, some being taken advantage of because they are desperate for an income or unaware of their rights.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/employers-still-exploiting-international-students-say-advocates-and-lawyers-20230322-p5cuar.html
A botched system upgrade has created a vast backlog of MP expense claims that will not be cleared until at least mid-2024, leaving details of travel expenses and office and employee costs unscrutinised, documents reveal. Problems upgrading a crucial reporting system have left MP travel expenses unchecked for almost a year and this is likely to continue until mid-2024, the documents reveal.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/22/transparency-concerns-as-vast-backlog-of-australian-mp-expense-claims-unlikely-to-be-cleared-until-mid-2024
Here I the first part od an AIMN story which wonder who Christian Porter’s sugar-daddy (or mama) is/
https://theaimn.com/who-is-christian-porters-sugar-daddy-part-1/
The passing of the Voice referendum proposal could be a step towards renewing our Constitution into one that is more progressive and inclusive, writes Dr Klaas Woldring.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/voice-referendum-a-possible-step-towards-constitution-renewal,17639
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has publicly said the Albanese government’s same job, same pay laws are intended to solve a narrow problem: employers using labour hire to undercut pay and conditions signed up to in enterprise agreements. But the AFR tells us that employers worry the legislation – while yet to be finalised or made public – is being framed very differently to the public pronouncements.
https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/the-many-faces-of-labour-hire-under-labor-s-ir-laws-20230621-p5dib3
TPG is the most obvious loser after the Australian Competition Tribunal decided to reject its deal with Telstra on sharing mobile network infrastructure in regional Australia. But what does that mean for telco customers, asks Jennifer Hewett who explains why the tribunal said no to Telstra.
https://www.afr.com/companies/telecommunications/why-the-competition-tribunal-said-no-to-telstra-20230621-p5di7c
Unsurprisingly, Qantas has dropped dramatically in prestigious world airline rankings, falling from fifth to number 17 globally.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8242402/qantas-nosedives-in-world-airline-rankings/?cs=9676
The European Commission’s proposed new economic security strategy is directly targeted at China, even though it studiously avoids any mention of China. Stephen Bartholomeusz report that yesterday the EC unveiled the strategy, which it says was motivated by a desire to minimise risks flowing from “certain economic flows in the context of increased geopolitical tensions and accelerated technological shifts”.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/europe-s-new-economic-security-plan-is-aimed-at-the-country-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken-20230621-p5di68.html
Treated like adults, Australia’s cricketers now play like them, writes Daniel Brettig.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/treated-like-adults-australia-s-cricketers-now-play-like-them-20230621-p5die4.html
The right believes the FBI is obsessed with jailing Trump. The opposite is true, posits Andrew Gawthorpe who says that, far from being persecuted, Trump has been handled with vastly more deference than anyone else would be.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/21/donald-trump-conservatives-fbi-jail-biden
Cartoon Corner
Cathy Wilcox
David Rowe
A gif from Glen Le Lievre
https://twitter.com/i/status/1671304825945063424
Matt Golding
Peter Broelman
Andrew Dyson
John Shakespeare
Dionne Gain
Spooner
From the US
Don’t you love how the stupid media – even the ones trying to be critical – still refer to AUKUS as being a $368 billion ‘deal’?
When ScoMo first did this ‘deal’ it had no price tag other than ‘gosh, it will be more than the $90 billion Attack class program’. All we had on the table in September 2021 was an 18 month evaluation program to ‘chose the optimal pathway’.
Secondly, even now, im not sure there has been any real public breakdown as to how that $258-368 billion price range is arrived at, and how much each ‘pillar’ will actually cost.
But thirdly, there is an obvious Con – laying in plain sight – that so far only David Shoebridge has poked: namely that $368 billion only takes us to the half way point of the AUKUS program. By 2053-55 when the money runs out, between 3 and 5 SSN-AUKUS boats will still awaiting construction AND there will be 30 years of maximum sustainment costs still to run (plus a three decades long ‘long tail’ of sustainment costs, as the AUKUS class is progressively withdrawn from service from about 2070 onwards). Add in disposal costs for the retired submarines and reactors, and do an inflation adjustment for ‘turn out costs’ and we are looking at a ONE TRILLION DOLLAR PROGRAM.
But lastly, ONE TRILLION DOLLARS is the all up incls cost (2023-2100) for AUKUS only if EVERYTHING GOES TO PLAN. With both Fort Fumble and BAE Marine ‘on the job’ is virtually guaranteed that there will be further cost blow outs and program overruns.
The messy feud between two of MAGA world’s biggest stars burst into public view on Wednesday, when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) a “little bitch” to her face on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The angry exchange came as the two lawmakers have been swiping at each other over their competing resolutions to impeach President Joe Biden. But tensions came to a head on Wednesday after Boebert leveraged a procedural tool to force a vote on her own impeachment resolution within days—undercutting Greene, who had offered her own resolution, but not with the procedural advantages of forcing a vote. Greene apparently cursed out Boebert while the House was voting Wednesday afternoon, as the two spoke in a center aisle of the House floor; part of their interaction was captured on C-SPAN’s cameras.
The ROI of AUKUS will be greater than the cost.
And that’s all I wish to say about it as I refuse to engage in any more trench warfare over it. 😐
BK, thanks!
That article on international students is very telling on two points;
Its not an export sector at all. They aren’t bringing in new money into australia when they work like that and there doesn’t appear to be much education or study going on either
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is seeking to place legal limits on the scope of the Voice to Parliament and executive government by assuring Australians its remit would be restricted to issues that “specifically or differently” affect Aboriginal people. Source: The Australian.
The Coalition accused the Government of “desperately trying to retrofit its narrative” as Mr Albanese attempted to turn the political attack on the Opposition, amid a divisive debate over whether the Voice could advise on changing Australia Day.
With falling support for the Voice in the polls and confusion around, Mr Albanese said Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus’s second reading speech on the Government’s Constitution Alteration Bill would have “legal consequences” for any High Court interpretation of what the voice can advise on.
“I urge people to look at the words that are being put forward that make it clear the primacy of the Parliament,” the Prime Minister said.
“I urge people to have a look at the second reading speech of the Attorney-General that has legal consequences, speaking about matters that affect Indigenous Australians differently.
“And I urge people as well, those opposite, to listen to the words of the person that this Leader of the Opposition appointed as shadow attorney-general (Julian Leeser): the voice is advisory. It won’t be Moses handing down the tablets from the mountain. The Parliament will still be the democratic centre of our national life. The Parliament will still be supreme in matters of policy and law.
Rufus Leekin @ #1749 Wednesday, June 21st, 2023 – 5:06 pm
I have a strong impression that you have not the faintest idea about anything much. None of the following eighteen meet your criteria, and this is just my two local members, and the Ministry.
Emma McBride, my local member. – Chief Pharmacist Wyong Hospital.
Gordon Reid – Member for Robertson, just down the road. Good mate.
– Emergency Doctor – Gosford Hospital
And just from the Ministry:
Anne Aly – Counter Terrorism Lecturer and consultant
Linda Burney – Teacher
Jason Clare – Executive at Transurban
Julie Collins – Did not graduate from High School. Multiple Jobs
Mark Dreyfus – Practising Lawyer – Represented Stolen Generations
– Director of Law Council of Australia
Andrew Giles – Practising Lawyer, Slater and Gordon
Matt Keogh – Practising Lawyer
Catherine King – Social Worker, then Senior Mgt in Dept of Health,
– then KPMG Consultant
Madeleine King – Practising Lawyer, then several senior positions at UWA
Kristy McBain – Family Plumbing Business with husband
Clare O’Neil – youngest female mayor in Australian history.
– Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company
Tanya Plibersek – Domestic Violence Unit NSW Government
Amanda Rishworth – Practising Clinical Psychologist
Michelle Rowland – senior lawyer, specialising in competition and regulation
in telecommunications, media and technology.
Anika Wells – Practising Compensation Lawyer Maurice Blackburn
– immigration detention
Murray Watt – Practising Lawyer – Senior Associate Maurice Blackburn
You are just plain wrong. NONE of the above spent any significant period in their pre-parliamentary lives as party apparatchiks.
Melbourne and Sydney have come third and fourth as most liveable city.
Meanwhile Sydney and Melbourne are two of the most expensive cities for housing costs. Lol
——-
1.Vienna, Austria
2.Copenhagen, Denmark
3.Melbourne, Australia
4.Sydney, Australia
5.Vancouver, Canada
6.Zurich, Switzerland
7.Calgary, Canada (tied with Geneva)
8.Geneva, Switzerland (tied with Calgary)
9.Toronto, Canada
10.Osaka, Japan (tied with Auckland)
11.Auckland, New Zealand (tied with Osaka)
Go figure. Melbourne and Sydney have come third and fourth as most liveable cities
Did they factor in that Sydney and Melbourne are two of the most expensive cities for housing costs?
——-
1.Vienna, Austria
2.Copenhagen, Denmark
3.Melbourne, Australia
4.Sydney, Australia
5.Vancouver, Canada
6.Zurich, Switzerland
7.Calgary, Canada (tied with Geneva)
8.Geneva, Switzerland (tied with Calgary)
9.Toronto, Canada
10.Osaka, Japan (tied with Auckland)
11.Auckland, New Zealand (tied with Osaka)
Britain’s debt pile has surpassed the size of the economy for the first time in more than six decades, ahead of an expected jump in interest rates that will add billions more to borrowing costs.
Soaring benefits payments and an NHS pay deal helped to drive up public borrowing to its highest level in any May outside of lockdown, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This pushed the UK’s debt above the annual size of the economy for the first time since March 1961 in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates from 4.5pc to 4.75pc on Thursday after official data showed inflation remained stubbornly high at 8.7pc in May, from 6.8pc in April.
Underlying price rises, which strip out volatile movements in food and energy, climbed to a 31-year high of 7.1pc. The shock increase prompted investors to bet that interest rates will hit 6pc by the end of this year, while two-year gilt yields spiked. Jonas Goltermann, of Capital Economics, said the “UK’s inflation mess” looked increasingly like an outlier among advanced economies.
yabba,
Gordon is at Wyong Hospital now. 🙂
Q: On Morrison, I’ll believe he’s leaving parliament at the end of the year when he’s actually gone.
Yes, and I will believe he has been given a ‘lucrative’ job outside Parliament when I see that too….who the hell would want him (and pay him big bucks)?
It’s no wonder Qantas has fallen down the airline rankings, they don’t even have WiFi on their long haul Airbus A380 planes! Australia invented WiFi!
Torchbearer @ #19 Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 – 8:52 am
Evangelical organisations interested in mind control of their flocks? Which is pretty much where he’s aiming, if the stories I’ve read are correct.
Also, I can add that Chris Bowen comes from very humble stock. His parents were ’10 Pound Poms’ who settled in Western NSW and his father delivered the mail. Sure, his father was UK Labour, red in tooth and claw, but it was Chris’ intelligence that saw him advance in NSW Labor.
Honestly, this Rufus character is great at broad brush generalisations, and abuse, but very poor at research.
A-E
I believe that what Gouldian Shoebridge did was to double count the contingency of $122 billion. When that was pointed out he fairly prompted ducked for cover.
He is quite handy at shooting then running.
Tonight’s launch of the BYD Dolphin EV at Sea World with details of costs and trim options will be carried live on YT @ 7 pm, here –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-VM28kN-M
”
• Rachel Eddie of The Age reports that Russell Broadbent, 72-year-old veteran Liberal member for the West Gippsland seat of Monash, faces a preselection challenge from Mary Aldred, head of government relations for Asia Pacific at Fujitsu and daughter of the late Ken Aldred, member for various federal seats from 1975 to 1996. While her father was a figure of some controversy, Mary Aldred is reportedly “viewed as a moderate”, in common with Broadbent.
”
After Costello and Kroger purged Victorian federal division of”Moderates ” in late 80s, we are still talking about “Victorian Moderates”
After Jeff Kennett bulldozing of Victorian State politics we are still talking about “Victorian Moderates”
After watching people like Alan Tudge, Michael Sukkar, Bastian, Moira Deeming, Tim Smith and Werner we are still talking about “Victorian Moderates”
After MSM calls Josh Frydenburg, Tim Wilson, Peter Costello as “Moderates” we are still talking about “Victorian Moderates”.
After watching and listening to Andrew Bolt and Peta Credlin, I am convinced that there is no such creature called “Victorian Moderates”
There is no such creature called “Victorian Moderates”. I don’t know when Goulding Finch will be extinct but “Victorian Finch” is long extinct or dead, buried and cremated.
Victoria: “Did they factor in that Sydney and Melbourne are two of the most expensive cities for housing costs?”
Ever been to Vancouver? I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that complain in Auckland. While I haven’t lived in Copenhagen or Zurich, my guestimate would be that housing would be expensive there.
Funnily enough. When Clare O’Neil was elected to Parliament she wrote an article calling for the power of the factions to be reduced.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/labor-must-do-more-to-free-itself-from-faction-chiefs-20131013-2vgh8.html
Which is kind of like Bill Shorten declaring he is dead against Leadership Challenges after becoming Leader!
I remain of the opinion that Morrison will still be sitting on the backbench twenty years from now, continuing to harbour delusions of a Menzies-esque comeback.
”
Confessionssays:
Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 7:19 am
Former prime minister Scott Morrison has admitted he kept the AUKUS submarine deal a secret from Emmanuel Macron because he feared the United States and Britain could pull out before it was signed to appease an angry French president.
Morrison’s plan to hide the $368 billion deal nuclear submarine deal between the three nations were revealed in leaked extracts of an upcoming book reported by Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.
The defence technology sharing pact resulted in Australia cancelling a $90 billion contract with France to build 12 conventionally powered submarines, which Paris later described as a “stab in the back” and withdrew its ambassador from Australia in protest.
On the eve of the AUKUS announcement in September 2021, Morrison finally contacted Macron informing him they were terminating the submarine contract. This came despite the pair having dined together at the Elysee Palace months earlier, where Morrison said he was “pretty clear” about his concerns over the submarine deal.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/not-the-same-as-lying-to-him-morrison-defends-keeping-aukus-secret-from-macron-20230622-p5digz.html
Always trying to deflect. I also love the photo they’ve used for the story. Shorter caption: “Not my job!”
”
A deal born out of deceit and back stabbing will always be hard to explain, especially when you (US, UK and Australia) do that to an reliable ally and especially after ‘Coalition of Willing’ came a cropper in this century.
This is another example where Biden did what is in his country’s interest.
They are going to get away with it.
“Victoria’s attorney general addresses Lawyer X scandal
Victoria’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, is speaking to reporters outsides parliament after a special investigator yesterday threatened to quit because the director of public prosecutions refused to charge several key figures involved in the Lawyer X scandal.
She says the report “speaks for itself”, with a response from the DPP to be tabled today:
Effectively, he has presented cases to the DPP. [It’s] her job as the independent officer to determine prosecutions in these matters. But those cases have no reasonable prospect in the courts and that is the response that she’s provided to the officers especially investigated for the ones that have already been presented.
They’ve been having ongoing conversations about the ones that the office have been working on, the report makes clear that it is his view that his work has come to a conclusion based on the conversations with the DPP. The DPP will be making her response available today, it will be tabled in the parliament.
Asked if she was disappointed no one will face criminal charges over the biggest scandal in Victorian legal history, Symes responds:
No. I think that the justice system has learned a lot from this outrageous conduct. It doesn’t mean that I can create a consequence at the end of that.
There is a justice system there. There is court process. There are applicable rules and laws that apply to perpetrators, to people who have done wrong things, to victims.
Not everybody gets the outcome that perhaps they want but the work has been completed. Important work. And the DPP has assessed that these cases would not make it through to successful prosecution in the courts. She’s an expert in her field.”
“I believe that what Gouldian Shoebridge did was to double count the contingency of $122 billion. When that was pointed out he fairly prompted ducked for cover.”
Yeah. Nah, Boerwar.
That was Marles’ accusation in response when he was ‘releasing chaff’ onto a gullible media.
Shoebridge was actually confining his comments to the fact that by 2055- when the money runs out – there will still be 3-5 AUKUS Class boats still to build over the next 10-15 years, and that the combined costs for that build (plus the sustainment costs in the period alone) will add in another ~$122 billion.
He explained this to the media in response to Marles’ harrumphing but only the Guardian reported the comments before the story disappeared without trace. More evidence just how the MSM is populated by a bunch of feckless nunts.
Shoebridge’s brother is a defence analyst. I suggest that besides him being a terrible trot he may actually know his stuff.
UK Cartoons:
Peter Brookes on #refugees #titanicsub #titanicsubmersible
Steve Bell on the Ukraine reconstruction conference in London
Christian Adams on #JeremyHunt #inflation
Morten Morland on #RishiSunak #BorisJohnson
Nicola Jennings on George Osborne’s day at Covid inquiry
Patrick Blower on #Ascot #HouseMarket
Christian Adams on the Partygate debate in the Commons #RishiSunak #BorisJohnson #PrivilegesCommitteeReport #PartyGateReport
Guy Venables on #PartygateVideo #Partygate
Morten Morland on #KeirStarmer #SustainableEnergy
Ella Baron on the Partygate debate in the Commons #RishiSunak #BorisJohnson #PrivilegesCommitteeReport #PartyGateReport
Patrick Blower on #BorisJohnson #PrivilegesCommitteeReport #ToryCivilWar #Ashes2023
Christian Adams on #PartygateVideo #BorisJohnson #RishiSunak #PrivilegesCommittee #Partygate #PrivilegesCommitteeReport
Brighty: According to Trevor Kavanagh: #RishiSunak is poised to emerge from his Superman phone box as ‘full spectrum modern Conservative’
Rob Murray on #RoyalAcademy Summer Exhibition #KeirStarmer #BorisJohnson #RishiSunak
Ella Baron on #Bojo’s birthday #PartygateVideo #BorisJohnson #PrivilegesCommittee #PrivilegesCommitteeReport
A ‘terrible trot’. 😆
”
C@tmommasays:
Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 7:33 am
Sorry, I just had to bring this across from the previous thread (I just love it when logic defeats nath’s petit demagoguery):
AndrewMcK
Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 – 12:12 am
Comment #1886
nath says:
Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 11:59 pm
AndrewMcKsays:
How dreadful. An engineer who was a member of their union.
You’re usually more credible than that.
____________
You are assuming that I think it’s dreadful. I think it’s great an engineer is in Parliament and I’m sure she’s terrific.
But to think that the vast majority of Labor politicians are not preselected entirely for factional reasons is naive.
The vast majority of these people are factional animals, professional politicians, not people with random occupations who decided to run for Parliament.
*******
R’s position was that Labor MPs didn’t have real world experience. Zanata was mentioned, along with many others, to demonstrate the falsity of that position.
Your, different, argument, seems to be that previous or current political involvement or experience should be held against candidates for public office.
You may have trouble finding any viable candidates using that test.
”
C@tmomma
In all these”arguments ” did you notice that nath never once criticised Liberal party selections or at minimum implied same-same as if quality of ALP and Liberal party is about same.
I wondered for an “impartial observer” why nath won’t criticise Liberal party or the Greens political party. He once clarified saying that because this a website where Labor party supporters discuss politics, he, as an impartial observer, only wanted to prove Labor party supporters wrong.
I know that doesn’t hold to “LOGIC” but there you go. Why? Because this is not official ALP website.
I see Barbara Pocock is the only one calling for PwC’s deregistration.
Seems the Libs and Labs are essentially BAU with PwC.
Rex, I had the terrible trots last year and it was no laughing matter.
https://www.pollbludger.net/2023/06/22/miscellany-lowy-research-foreign-policy-poll-and-much-else-open-thread/#comment-4125263
And on some newer planes with Wi-Fi, their international coverage seems to be limited to Nbnco Sky Muster through Viasat with an Australian footprint …
@Holden – that people can look at the likes of Taylor and Boebert, or Ted Cruz and Lindsay Graham for that matter and think “yes, these are the people who represent me, this is who I trust to run the country, not those awful Democrats” is just astounding to me. I greatly dislike the likes of John Howard and Peter Dutton but I never had any difficulty believing people would vote for them.
”
”
Perfect!
The Murky Regulations Governing Submersibles
https://www.curbed.com/2023/06/oceangate-titan-submarine-unregulated-tourism.html
Rex: “I see Barbara Pocock is the only one calling for PwC’s deregistration.
Seems the Libs and Labs are essentially BAU with PwC.”
I imagine there are a few Labor people hoping for a job offer from one of the ‘Big 4’ later on, so they don’t want to upset anyone too much.
Morrison is a great example of extremely low (perhaps zero) productivity in Australia. Productive output for his parliamentary salary is too tiny to register. He’s a complete bludger on the taxpayer.
The two classic moves of the Greens are promise “free beer” that they don’t have to pay for, and demand immediate action on things they know actually take time (and often require that the Minister doesn’t comment to avoid prejudicing an ongoing case)
The government has the power to decide not to contract with PWC, but criminal punishments require actual legal process, not just a Greens Senator demanding “deregistration”.
But the Greens making this sort of demand clearly wins the admiration of some superficial thinkers.
Morning all. BK a delayed thanks for the morning roundup.
THanks William for the lead in article. I find some irony in these results:
“The most trusted global powers were Japan, the United Kingdom and France, with combined results of “a great deal” and “somewhat” of 79% to 85%, which are approximately the reverse of the results for China and Russia. The United States’ rating is down four points on last year to 61%, putting it about equal with India and a little ahead of Indonesia, but still well above where it was under the Trump administration. ”
So in creating AUKUS, the Australian government betrayed France to keep close to our good buddy USA, even though more Australians trust France than USA.
”
Holdenhillbillysays:
Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 8:48 am
Britain’s debt pile has surpassed the size of the economy for the first time in more than six decades, ahead of an expected jump in interest rates that will add billions more to borrowing costs.
Soaring benefits payments and an NHS pay deal helped to drive up public borrowing to its highest level in any May outside of lockdown, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This pushed the UK’s debt above the annual size of the economy for the first time since March 1961 in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates from 4.5pc to 4.75pc on Thursday after official data showed inflation remained stubbornly high at 8.7pc in May, from 6.8pc in April.
Underlying price rises, which strip out volatile movements in food and energy, climbed to a 31-year high of 7.1pc. The shock increase prompted investors to bet that interest rates will hit 6pc by the end of this year, while two-year gilt yields spiked. Jonas Goltermann, of Capital Economics, said the “UK’s inflation mess” looked increasingly like an outlier among advanced economies.
”
Britain a Real “Banana Monarchy “?
Keating once said Australia is danger of becoming “Banana republic “. I really never understood that because Australia is a “Constitutional Monarchy” like Britain.
Conservatives fumed when Keating said that not because he called Australia “Republic” but because they thought he was insulting Australia by trashing Australia ‘s good name.
”
Holdenhillbillysays:
Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 8:48 am
Britain’s debt pile has surpassed the size of the economy for the first time in more than six decades, ahead of an expected jump in interest rates that will add billions more to borrowing costs.
Soaring benefits payments and an NHS pay deal helped to drive up public borrowing to its highest level in any May outside of lockdown, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This pushed the UK’s debt above the annual size of the economy for the first time since March 1961 in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates from 4.5pc to 4.75pc on Thursday after official data showed inflation remained stubbornly high at 8.7pc in May, from 6.8pc in April.
Underlying price rises, which strip out volatile movements in food and energy, climbed to a 31-year high of 7.1pc. The shock increase prompted investors to bet that interest rates will hit 6pc by the end of this year, while two-year gilt yields spiked. Jonas Goltermann, of Capital Economics, said the “UK’s inflation mess” looked increasingly like an outlier among advanced economies.
”
HH: “Jonas Goltermann, of Capital Economics, said the “UK’s inflation mess” looked increasingly like an outlier among advanced economies.”
What a stupid statement.
In advanced economies, inflation is now at its highest level since 1991. Global financing conditions are tightening, as major advanced economy central banks are expected to raise policy interest rates at a faster pace than previously anticipated to contain inflationary pressures.
https://www-brookings-edu.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2022/05/05/coping-with-high-inflation-and-borrowing-costs-in-emerging-market-and-developing-economies/amp/?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_ct=1687392731692&_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16873925724896&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brookings.edu%2Fblog%2Ffuture-development%2F2022%2F05%2F05%2Fcoping-with-high-inflation-and-borrowing-costs-in-emerging-market-and-developing-economies%2F
I don’t think Australians trust France more and the US less, BECAUSE of AUKUS. 😐
Arky @ #43 Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 – 9:54 am
Student Politics 101. Which The Greens never seem to have grown out of, even as they have transitioned to federal parliament.