Federal voting intention numbers from the latest fortnightly Essential Research poll have both parties down a point on the primary vote from a fortnight ago, with Labor at 33% and the Coalition at 30%, with the Greens enjoying a curiously timed three point surge to 17%, One Nation down two to 6% and undecided unchanged at 5%. Presumably reflecting the elevated result for the Greens, Labor is up two on the 2PP+ measure at 55% and the Coalition are down two to 40%, with undecided steady at 5%.
The poll also featured the pollster’s monthly “favourability ratings” for the two leaders, whom respondents rate on a scale of one to ten rather than provide straight approval and disapproval responses. Anthony Albanese’s results were little changed from late November, with 47% rating him seven or higher (up one), 27% from four to six (up one) and 22% from zero to three (down one), while Peter Dutton is respectively at 26% (down two), 31% (down one) and 35% (up two).
Support for an Indigenous voice increased two points to 65% with opposition down two to 35%, while 30% said they felt well informed about the proposal compared with 37% for poorly informed. Forty-three per cent rated that the country was headed in the right direction (down one), compared with 37% for the wrong direction (up one). The 300 respondents from New South Wales were again asked about approval of the state leaders, with Dominic Perrottet up four on approval to 51% and down three on disapproval to 33%, while Chris Minns at is steady at 38% and down two to 25%.
The poll was conducted Wednesday to Monday from a sample of 1000.
“Pueo says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:34 am”
We all know that members of the same species can interbreed, even though they may belong to different races. So, unless different populations within a species are geographically isolated, expect a degree of gene flow among them. This is valid for Homo sapiens or any other sexually reproducing species.
Michelle Rowland clearly needs to resign as communications minister, and if she doesn’t Albo needs to sack her. I was in the car and listened to the SSO motion moved by Andrew Wilkie, the seconding speech by Zoe Daniel, and Tony Burke’s rejection of the motion speech. Regardless of whether or not she has actually been influenced, it’s a shockingly bad look for a minister to be receiving multiple cash donations from Sportsbet, who she is responsible for regulating, and also several free trips and hospitality to horse races from Tabcorp. It absolutely creates a major perception of a conflict of interest, and is exactly the sort of crap that gives people the impression that our politicians are bought and paid for by vested interests.
The defence of ‘it was all in accordance with AEC guidelines and disclosed’ just isn’t good enough. If it was ‘within the rules’ then clearly the rules need changing, and frankly it’s the sort of defence you’d expect from the coalition
I thought it telling that the coalition didn’t want to touch it with a 40ft barge pole though, even they must be self aware enough to know that if they’d tried anything that the howls of laughter at their rank hypocrisy would be audible on mars!
zoomster: “…and, as I’ve said, homo erectus may not even be an ancestor.
Your own source says otherwise.
zoomster: “Ours has one end point – us.”
This ‘culmination’ meme is part of the problem with discussing this subject. Thinking you’re at the pinnacle of something.
zoomster: “That’s incredibly unusual, and leads to linear thinking”
Indeed.
“Frednk says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:35 am”
The only strong evidence is for interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals (and their relatives the Denisovans).
Pi
OK, you can’t do complex.
Sorry for wasting your time.
zoomster says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:31 am
frednk
I will accept that admonition.
When you look at the barnies going on between the professionals in field, this is not an admonition. My personal view, is, I have no idea.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Michell Grattan says that the by-election for Alan Tudge’s seat will test Peter Dutton’s ability to campaign in tough terrain.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-10/michelle-grattan-alan-tudge-by-election/101954822
The resignation of Alan Tudge will force the Liberal Party to confront its failures in Victoria, with an opportunity to broaden its appeal, says David Crowe. There are several scenarios for Aston, he writes, but each has a common theme: the test for Dutton.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/no-matter-the-scenario-the-aston-byelection-will-be-a-test-for-peter-dutton-20230209-p5cja5.html
Matthew Knott writes that the ghosts of Alan Tudge’s past haunted him until the very end.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-ghosts-of-tudge-s-past-haunt-him-until-the-end-20230209-p5cj9z.html
By taking a hard line against key government policies, the opposition leader is hoping to make life as hard as possible for Labor in the Senate, writes Phil Coorey who reckons Dutton is playing the ‘vuvuzela of Australian politics’.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/dutton-plays-the-vuvuzela-of-australian-politics-20230209-p5cj4a
According to Shane Wright, at a meeting with state treasurers today Jim Chalmers will give the states and territories until June to come up with ways to overhaul their planning and zoning regulations in a bid to help build 1 million homes across the country by the end of the decade.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/state-treasurers-told-to-find-ways-to-help-build-1-million-homes-20230209-p5cj4t.html
The PM promised to give housing a hoist, but it’s far from enough says David Crowe.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-pm-promised-to-give-housing-a-hoist-but-it-s-far-from-enough-20230209-p5cj6w.html
People borrowed too much because our housing market left them with no alternative – now we’ve manoeuvred ourselves into a situation where perfectly normal interest rates are enough to make us crack, points out Waleed Aly in a worthwhile explanation of where we find ourselves.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-property-market-is-a-highwire-act-without-a-crash-mat-imagine-if-rates-were-actually-high-20230208-p5cj1j.html
Jim Chalmers has written an op-ed for The Australian. He says he will be laying down a responsible Labor budget to tackle inflation.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/responsible-labor-budget-to-tackle-inflation/news-story/37d6bc41bb7ca3a4a67f65ca5b0b586c?amp
Paul Karp reveals that the former energy minister, Angus Taylor, asked his department to consider delaying telling voters about electricity price rises before the May election, then made the decision to do so. He’s been caught out with his porkies once again. Frydenberg and Morrison knew about it, too.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/10/angus-taylor-behind-decision-to-delay-energy-price-rise-report-until-after-2022-election
The competition regulator has warned energy retailers their profit margins are under scrutiny as AGL revealed a stunning leap in profits from gas sales that bolsters producers’ calls for them to be included in Labor’s price caps and market intervention. It has been revealed that AGL bought gas in the six months ended December 31 at an average of $8.30 a gigajoule and generated revenue from retail customers at $28 a gigajoule. FFS!
https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/accc-puts-retailers-on-notice-as-agl-gas-earnings-leap-24pc-20230209-p5cjb3
Elizabeth Knight reckons RBA governor Philip Lowe has become the public service equivalent of Qantas boss Alan Joyce at the height of the lost luggage/cancelled flights drama.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/hunting-for-a-culprit-open-season-on-rba-s-lowe-20230209-p5cjb0.html
The recently released Strengthening Medicare Taskforce report found more people are delaying care or attending emergency departments because they can’t get in to see a GP. These contributors to The Conversation give us six reasons why this is so – and it is a worry.
https://theconversation.com/6-reasons-why-its-so-hard-to-see-a-gp-199284
The Medicare Review contains welcome aspirations, but the instruments to achieve them are poorly delineated, argues John Dwyer.
https://johnmenadue.com/the-medicare-review-how-will-its-aspirations-be-achieved/
Luke Henriques-Gomes reports that the former head of the Department of Human Services pressured the commonwealth ombudsman to delete language questioning the legality of the robodebt scheme from a key report.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/09/email-reveals-top-bureaucrat-pressed-ombudsman-to-delete-comments-questioning-robodebts-legality
Robodebt was a massive failure of public policy that might not have proceeded if those who helped enable it had pushed back on a questionable scheme they knew had significant flaws, writes Paul Begley.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/robodebt-rc-underlings-only-following-orders-defence-disgraceful,17220
Wring about Tudge’s resignation for various reasons, the AIMN’s Rossleigh says, “Or is there some other less obvious reason like the fact that – after his testimony at the Royal Commission last week – a large number of people think that he’s a nasty piece of work. Of course, not everyone shares this view. Some people think that he was just following orders and that he can’t be held responsible because “just following orders” is a fine defence and…”
https://theaimn.com/mp-tudge-leaves-in-order-to-spend-less-time-with-his-staff/
Premier Dominic Perrottet has not ruled out privatising more government assets to bankroll major infrastructure, and warned Labor had no legitimate plan to pay for projects, write Tom Rabe and Lucy Cormack.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/premier-leaves-door-open-on-privatisation-as-battle-on-mega-projects-heats-up-20230209-p5cj9y.html
Peter Dutton and his media cabal notwithstanding, The Voice is a well-considered and “detailed” proposition put forward by Indigenous Australians — just respect it. Michelle Pini provides the “detail”.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/pipe-down-on-the-voice-your-white-privilege-is-showing,17223
Adam Carey reports that a group of principals is pushing for the university ranking system to be dumped and replaced with a model that better evaluates students’ wider skills. They claim that the Year 12 blunt instrument leaves too many students feeling like failures.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/principals-urge-education-authorities-to-scrap-atar-20230208-p5cirv.html
Crossbench MPs have called for Labor’s minister with responsibility for online betting regulation to resign her portfolio for receiving $19,000 in donations from Sportsbet on the eve of last year’s federal election. However, the government defended Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s integrity and argued she had acted appropriately, writes Paul Sakkal.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/crossbench-mps-call-for-minister-to-resign-portfolio-over-sportsbet-donations-20230209-p5cjay.html
Bank chief executives will be called to appear before a new Senate inquiry into bank branch closures in regional areas. John Kehoe writes that the inquiry responds to the announced closure of more than 80 branches since September last year, according to Queensland Liberal National Party senator Gerard Rennick.
https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/banks-face-senate-probe-on-branch-closures-20230209-p5cjdf
Bloomberg predicts that the robots coming for our jobs will also help fire us.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/the-robots-coming-for-our-jobs-will-also-help-fire-us-20230208-p5citc.html
BP, which pioneered the shift by some Big Oil companies towards cleaner energy, has set new, lower targets for its carbon emissions reductions, explains Stephen Bartholomeusz.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-inconvenient-truth-behind-bp-s-pivot-on-climate-change-20230209-p5cj47.html
Shocking text messages between Northern Territory police officers – revealing racist, sexist and offensive attitudes to the community, their colleagues and commissioners – have been read aloud during a day of damning evidence at the inquest into Kumanjayi Walker’s death. The private texts – extracted from Constable Zachary Rolfe’s iPhone after his arrest – reveal the “disgusting” attitudes of a handful of Alice Springs officers towards Indigenous people, bush cops and their female colleagues as well as their use of “blatantly racist” terms such as “coon” and “n…er”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/zachary-rolfes-disgusting-racist-texts-with-colleagues-read-out-at-kumanjayi-walker-inquest/news-story/c407e4ebcae36a8cbdfa1a05c65c273f?amp
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has questioned India spin king Ravindra Jadeja’s handling of the ball after the star bowler was filmed applying a mystery substance to his hand on the first day of the Test series against Australia. Oh, yes.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/what-is-he-putting-on-his-spinning-finger-jadeja-handling-of-ball-raises-eyebrows-20230210-p5cjfb.html
The New York Times says the eruptions of Republican vitriol against President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address Tuesday night underscored a new and notably coarse normal in Congress, where members of the GOP majority tossed aside rules of decorum and turned the annual speech into a showcase for partisan hostility.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/ongoing-attack-heckling-of-biden-s-state-of-the-union-speech-new-normal-for-republicans-20230209-p5cj9h.html
Cartoon Corner
Mark Knight
David Rowe
David Pope
Mark David
Andrew Dyson
Cathy Wilcox
John Shakespeare
Matt Golding
Jim Pavlidis
Simon Letch
A gif from Glen Le Lievre
https://twitter.com/i/status/1623493769567035392
Alan Moir
Spooner
From the US
frednk: “The big question, what is us? It is now becoming clear that different locations have different percentages of Neanderthal genes. They are now arguing there was gross mating between us and erectus.”
These things happened over eons. It’s not a case of “you’re not allowed to date Barry. He’s a homo sapien”. The different parts of humanity have spread and mixed for as long as we’ve been walking.
zoomster: “you can’t do complex. ”
You’re the one thinking in rigid straight lines zoomster.
Alpo says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:48 am
“Frednk says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:35 am”
The only strong evidence is for interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals (and their relatives the Denisovans).
Well at least you have accepted that, not many holdouts left.
…Having seen your additions to your post….
Being the last member of your family left is not a pinnacle but a tragedy.
No species is ‘improved’ by evolution. It simply becomes better adapted to its current environment. Inevitably, it sacrifices something for that adaptation.
Upright walking, for example, led to complicated and dangerous births (as well as problems with feet and balance).
So no, I’m not a ‘aren’t we great, we’re the top of the tree!’ thinker.
Re Pageboi @7:42. ”If it was ‘within the rules’ then clearly the rules need changing…”
And that’s the key message.
(In evolutionary terms, if we do wipe ourselves out, as we’re perfectly capable of doing, we might ultimately be an example of a short lived and unsuccessful species….)
Ha, ha, ha…. Thanks for energising the morning with a good laughter, BK!
Greatly appreciated…
🙂
The death toll from the Turkiye/Syrian earthquake has now passed 21,000.
I think I’ll take a pass on the Anthropology wars. 😀
‘…Musk gathered a group of engineers and advisors into a room at Twitter’s headquarters looking for answers. Why are his engagement numbers tanking?
“This is ridiculous,” he said, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the meeting. “I have more than 100 million followers, and I’m only getting tens of thousands of impressions.”
One of the company’s two remaining principal engineers offered a possible explanation for Musk’s declining reach: just under a year after the Tesla CEO made his surprise offer to buy Twitter for $44 billion, public interest in his antics is waning.’
‘..Last April, they told him, Musk was at “peak” popularity in search rankings, indicated by a score of “100.” Today, he’s at a score of nine. Engineers had previously investigated whether Musk’s reach had somehow been artificially restricted, but found no evidence that the algorithm was biased against him.’
So he fired the engineer who told him this.
As I said at the time, I couldn’t tweet the other day – and this was the reason –
‘On Wednesday, the company suffered one of its first major outages since Musk took over, with users being told, inexplicably, “You are over the daily limit for sending tweets.”
It turns out that an employee had inadvertently deleted data for an internal service that sets rate limits for using Twitter. The team that worked on that service left the company in November.
“As the adage goes, ‘you ship your org chart,’” said one current employee. “It’s chaos here right now, so we’re shipping chaos.”’
https://www.platformer.news/p/elon-musk-fires-a-top-twitter-engineer?utm_medium=email
The U.S. Justice Department has charged a neo-Nazi leader and his associate with plotting to attack Baltimore’s power grid, a plan the FBI thwarted with the help of a confidential informant.
Brandon Russell, of Orlando, Florida and Sarah Clendaniel from Maryland, were arrested last week, officials said in a briefing on Monday, and they have been charged with conspiring to damage an energy facility.
Russell is a convicted felon and founder of a neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division that works toward “ushering in the collapse of civilization,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that tracks U.S. hate groups.
This comment is sickening
Rachelle Miller
@rachellejmiller
·
11h
Of course I’m deeply sorry for victims. I volunteered my story to #RobodebtRC to ensure it NEVER happens again. I’m acutely aware of my role, and I heard victims speak, which moved me to act. But I needed my job. I also had a huge debt to pay off. We do what we have to…
Scott @ #872 Friday, February 10th, 2023 – 8:07 am
I agree. She should have downsized her mortgage, or moved to another job. Or gone to the Opposition at the time. Or the media.
“frednk says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:52 am”
Fred, yesterday I wrote in one post that modern humans and Neanderthals are often regarded as sub-species of the same species: Homo sapiens. Hence nobody should be shocked if evidence is available of them having interbred. The problem in this long discussion was whether H. erectus can be called “human” in the same way as we refer to Homo sapiens. Incidentally, and just to piss on the narrative of some recalcitrant people here, the generic name “Homo” doesn’t mean that all members of the genus can be regarded as humans in the way we regard Homo sapiens. In fact, the same linguistic root (Homin) is found in other taxonomic categories:
– Hominoidea (that’s a “superfamily” that contains all apes and also the gibbons)
– Hominidae (that’s a “family” that contains all great apes and also we humans)
– Homininae (that’s a subfamily that includes us plus the African apes).
“C@tmomma says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:01 am
I think I’ll take a pass on the Anthropology wars. ”
Ha, ha. ha… I don’t blame you… 🙂
Alpo @ #875 Friday, February 10th, 2023 – 8:13 am
Being a veteran of the Rudd v Gillard wars, I have battle scars and a bit of PTSD. 😉
Morning all. Thanks for the roundup BK. I’m afraid there are a few negatives for Labor in this morning’s news from yesterday.
– Labor was correctly rolled by the crossbench on reducing transparency for super funds.
– Minister Michelle Rowland plainly acted with a conflict of interest by accepting a donation from Sportsbet.
– Labor is building up for an announcement on nuclear subs that looks questionable and might make nobody happy but LNP voting far right. Why?
Pope’s cartoon is on the money.
Soc
+1
P1’s original contribution was to suggest that Polynesians and Australian FN people must have interacted because there were humans in the area 2 million years ago, citing Java Man as proof of this.
Having realised that P1 is willing to fight to the death to defend such a clearly idiotic statement, I’m happy to vacate the field and leave them to it.
“C@tmomma says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:17 am
Being a veteran of the Rudd v Gillard wars, I have battle scars and a bit of PTSD. ”
Yep, I remember those times well, although back then I was a volunteer in the Third Regiment Flamethrowers active in the ABC-TheDrumonline front. Gees, some battles were truly ferocious, especially against the Fifth Panzer Division of the IPA stormtroopers. Fortunately, no PTSD for me, as you can see here.
🙂
UK voting intention: via FindOutNow, MRP poll, 27th Jan 2023 – 5th Feb 2023
LAB: 48%
CON: 23%
LDEM: 11%
REFUK: 6%
GRN: 5%
The defenestration of the NewsCorp gropers continues apace…
The Australian’s deputy editor Sid Maher can be identified as the mysterious “senior editor” who resigned from News Corp Australia last month after complaints about his behaviour at a Christmas drinks party.
According to an internal HR report, Maher was accused of grabbing the chest of a female colleague at Bar Cleveland in Sydney’s Surry Hills on the evening of December 8 and then of intimidating a second female colleague who confronted him about his behaviour.
He is believed to have disputed the complainants’ version of events, maintained his innocence and engaged legal representation who sent a legal letter to News.
We are not suggesting that the allegations are true, only that they were made and investigated.
Maher had been a journalist at News Corp since its purchase of Queensland Newspapers in 1987. He joined The Australian in 2004. He has not responded to questions or multiple attempts by The Australian Financial Review to contact him.
The complaints prompted News Corp’s Australian chief Michael Miller to email all staff, beseeching them: “Remember that inappropriate behaviour has consequences … Do not let a bad choice you make at a party undermine all the good you have achieved.”
https://www.afr.com/rear-window/sid-maher-follows-dore-smith-out-of-news-corp-20230209-p5cja3
All this amateur anthropology is tedious..
Russia’s federal media watchdog has a secret team of people tasked with protecting Vladimir Putin’s ego—and alerting the president’s spooks should there be any online mentions of him as a “bald dwarf,” Hitler wannabe, or a “thief.”
That’s according to the independent outlet iStories, one of several news organizations to reveal the surreal findings of a leak from Roskomnadzor this week. The agency was targeted by a group of Belarusian hackers late last year that said they had breached an internal network and made off with a ton of data from a division tasked with “regulating” the media. That data was subsequently handed over to independent Russian journalists who released their investigations this week.
Among the most disturbing revelations is that staffers at the federal agency compile reports on all “negative publications” about Putin and use an internal messaging system to brief the presidential administration and Russia’s security services on all of the president’s critics.
Putin’s image is reportedly monitored almost around the clock, with staffers signing on at 8:30 every morning to look for any online chatter that could pose a threat to the Russian leader—including any memes that diminish his macho image, such as his face superimposed over the body of a crab, or the equally threatening declaration, “Putin is a crab.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-censors-are-obsessing-over-depictions-of-putin-as-a-crab-serial-killer?ref=home?ref=home
“Socrates says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:19 am”
Although it’s clear that the ALP is doing well, both in terms of policies broadly and also as shown in the opinion polls. It is true that they must be careful not to fall into the trap of trying to corner the Liberals farther and farther into the right, by themselves shifting to the centre-right (or, heavens’ forbid, even further to the right). I am confident that it won’t happen, but I suggest to those in charge to occasionally review where they are going with their policies.
On the other hand, let’s not forget that it’s in the interest of both the Neoliberals in the Coalition (who are everywhere in the media) and the Anarchic far-left (who are mainly visible on the internet) to run like headless chooks after each single decision by the ALP that could be spun as a “betrayal” of this or of that.
Stay calm… and carry on.
@Socrates:
“ Labor is building up for an announcement on nuclear subs that looks questionable and might make nobody happy but LNP voting far right. Why?”
__________
Also makes ‘some folk’ in the ALP happy. Why? Why?
BTW, that Pope cartoon is a a cracker.
Socrates, you are beginning to sound hysterical.
SMH, per BK:
“… Dominic Perrottet has not ruled out privatising more government assets to bankroll major infrastructure …”
From north of the Tweed comes a unison chorus of Anna Bligh and Campbell Newman:
“Dom, don’t do it, mate! Don’t do it!”
C@tmomma says:
“Socrates, you are beginning to sound hysterical.”
C@t, you are beginning to sound hypocritical.
C@tmomma @ Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:44 am
“Socrates, you are beginning to sound hysterical.”
Not to me. Perhaps I needs hearing aids.
If I ever find a loose tooth in the bush I am going to (a) add a branch to the hominid evolutionary tree, (b) engage in physical anthropological theoretical discourse and (c) link the find to gender equity. Like how come they only find male and female ancient bones? That is an impossible heteronormative construct peddled by addlepated cisgender freaks.
Thanks Bk
Greece’s parliament has banned a far-right political party led by a jailed former lawmaker from participating in the general election later this year. Parliament published the text of a legislative amendment Thursday that will disqualify the Greek National Party on the grounds that its leader has been convicted of a serious criminal offense. Lawmakers approved the amendment late Wednesday.
Ilias Kasidiaris, who founded the breakaway party two years ago, is serving 13-year prison sentence for membership in and being a former leading member of Golden Dawn, a political party of neo-Nazi origins. A court in 2020 designated Golden Dawn as a criminal organization for waging a campaign of violence against migrants and ideological opponents. Kasidiaris and other members of the Golden Dawn leadership were jailed as a result of the ruling. Public Order Minister Takis Theodorikakos told state-run television Thursday that banning the Greek National Party was appropriate.
Torchbearer @ Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:32 am
“All this amateur anthropology is tedious..”
Who doesn’t enjoy a semantic bunfight over the word human and how it has been used to refer to a genus and a species at times? 🙂
However, the government defended Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s integrity and argued she had acted appropriately, writes Paul Sakkal.
_____________________
Acted appropriately.
I think C@t and Alpo are about the only ones who believe that.
The earthquake in Turkey and Syria looks like armageddon. So sad.
A good place to donate is Emergency Action Alliance
The transparency regs being disallowed is, IMO, good for our democracy.
It is also a useful reminder to Labor of the need to coddle Babet, Thorpe, Lambie and Tyrrell.
There is no rule that says a powerful Xbench is going to serve the national interest. In fact they can be quite bad for our democracy.
Rowland is the first up example of how governments bit by bit slide into corruption as the norm.
As for the subs, I am most reminded of our defence spend on cruisers between the Wars.
Cat
I’d say I’m more depressed than hysterical. The decision is a done deal. I get that. But its a bad deal. It is going to hurt Labor, unions, workers in Adelaide, including friends of mine, and Australia’s defense. It will actually help the far right LNP faction and to some degree vindicate a Morrison stunt.
AUKUS has been criticised by defense experts (e.g. Hugh White) and former Labor figures like Keating, Rudd and Gareth Evans. None of those people are out to get Labor or Marles. They are concerned. You should not assume the people advising Marles know more than them.
Former Admiral James Goldrick wrote a piece yesterday with some good warnings about the folly of embarking on AUKUS without understanding the full cost and sufficient commitment to the cost and the regulatory bodies that need to be put in place (but have not been put in place so far.) I recommend reading it.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/understanding-australias-submarine-commitment/
To be human is to be prey to ad hominem arguments.
The Polynesians were great navigators. They managed to find Hawaii, Easter Island and NZ. They had probably voyaged to South America. I expect that finding Australia would have been a relative doddle for them. If they did arrive here, they would have found the place occupied. They were likely politely (or not so politely) asked too leave.
Taylormade says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:55 am
However, the government defended Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s integrity and argued she had acted appropriately, writes Paul Sakkal.
_____________________
Acted appropriately.
I think C@t and Alpo are about the only ones who believe that.”
Do you ground your opinions on “belief” (I don’t!)?… You must be a very religious person.
I dont get the Rowland controversy although I have only skimmed the story. She accepted a legal donation from a betting company? Is that it? But the perception is that there is a conflict in accepting a legal donation? So it is a perception rather than legal issue and perception is in the eye of the accuser? And Tim Costello is now that person? And we should all believe him because he is Tim Costello?
Torchbearer @ #1279 Friday, February 10th, 2023 – 8:02 am
We could argue about calling it “anthropology”.
More correctly it is Palaeoanthropology, but I dont know why it is included as a subfield of anthropology at all. It has very little to do with the study of culture other than inferring some very basic activity. Even then they seem little more than guesses. Have a look at the lack of consensus for the obsidian hand axe – the widespread and common ancient artefact. Amulet? Knickknack? Hunting weapon? Food prep? Pocket knife? Sexual plumage? A habitual hobby?
So isnt the discussion really about evolutionary biology?
‘Steve777 says:
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8:59 am
The Polynesians were great navigators. They managed to find Hawaii, Easter Island and NZ. They had probably voyaged to South America. I expect that finding Australia would have been a relative doddle for then. If they did arrive here, they would have found the place occupied. They were likely politely (or not so politely) asked too leave.’
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1. We don’t know if Polynesians found Australia. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. But…
2. The welcome to country for the crews of the Duyfken and the Endeavour, as well as the occasional fighting between the Makassans and first nations are some evidence for the second part of your view.
I have not seen material on it but my view is that there would highly likely have been contact between New Guineans, Torres Strait Islanders and Cape York First Nations people. If so, I would be astonished if this did not involve warfare.