James Massola of the Age/Herald reports that “expectations (are) growing that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison will quit politics”, probably between the May budget and the end of the year, entailing a by-election for his seat of Cook. Please let it be so, because a valley of death stretches before those of us in the election industry out to the second half of next year, to be followed by a flood encompassing the Northern Territory on August 24, the Australian Capital Territory on October 19, Queensland on October 26 and Western Australia on March 8 the following year (UPDATE: It’s noted that the Queensland local government elections next March, inclusive as they are of the unusually significant Brisbane City Council and lord mayoralty, should rate a mention). A normal federal election for the House of Representatives and half the Senate could happen in the second half of 2024 or the first of 2025, the alternative of a double dissolution being presumably unlikely.
Redistributions will offer some diversion in the interim, particularly after the Electoral Commissioner calculates how many House of Representatives seats each state is entitled to in the next parliament on June 27. This is likely to result in Western Australia gaining a seat and New South Wales and Victoria each losing one (respectively putting them at 16, 46 and 38), initiating redistribution processes that are likely to take around a year. There is also an outside chance that Queensland will gain a thirty-first seat. The Northern Territory will also have a redistribution on grounds of it having been seven years since one was last conducted, although this will involve either a minimal tweak to the boundary between Solomon and Lingiari or no change at all. At state level, a redistribution process was recently initiated in Western Australia and should conclude near the end of the year. The other state that conducts a redistribution every term, South Australia, gives its boundaries commission wide latitude on when it gets the ball rolling, but past experience suggests it’s likely to be near the end of the year.
However, the main electoral event of the foreseeable future is undoubtedly the Indigenous Voice referendum, which is likely to be held between October and December. Kevin Bonham has a post on polling for referendum in which he standardises the various results, which differ markedly in terms of their questions and response structures, and divines a fall in support from around 65% in the middle of last year to around 58% at present. For those of you with access to academic journals, there is also a paper by Murray Goot of Macquarie University in the Journal of Australian Studies entitled “Support in the Polls for an Indigenous Constitutional Voice: How Broad, How Strong, How Vulnerable?” In narrowing it down to credible polls with non-binary response options (i.e. those allowing for uncommitted responses of some kind, as distinct from forced response polls), Goot finds support has fallen from around 58% to 51% from the period of May to September to the period of October to January, while opposition had risen from 18% to 27%. The change was concentrated among Coalition supporters: whereas Labor and especially Greens supporters were consistently and strongly in favour, support among Coalition fell from around 45% to 36%.
Forced response questions consistently found between 60% and 65% in favour regardless of question wording, while non-binary polls (i.e. allowing for various kind of uncommitted response) have almost invariably had at over 50%. Goot notes that forced response polls have found respondents breaking between for and against in similar proportion to the rest, which “confounds the idea that, when push comes to shove, ‘undecided’ voters will necessarily vote no”. However, he also notes that questions in non-binary polls that have produced active majorities in favour have either mentioned an Indigenous Voice or the Uluru Statement from the Heart, or “rehearsed the Prime Minister’s proposal to amend the Constitution”. One that conspicuously did not do any of these things was a Dynata poll for the Institute of Public Affairs, which got a positive result of just 28% by priming respondents with a leading question and then emphasised that the proposal would involve “laws for every Australian”. JWS Research got only 43% in favour and 23% against, but its response structure was faulted by Goot for including a “need more information” option, which ruled the 20% who chose it out of contention one way or the other.
Thorpe is now a shag on a rock. In bed with Dutton.
Like the Blocker is with his ‘Gimme a million houses or or or I’ll make the homeless kids sleep under a bridge!’
I have owned D Special (DS) manual, DS 2.5 fuel injected manual, CX 5 speed manual, BX 16 valve manual, Xantia Activa 5 speed, C5 petrol auto, C5 turbo diesel auto sedan and C5 turbo diesel auto wagon (all hydraulic susp)
Scout master owned a DS and I said to myself, once in my life I will splash out and buy one of these. That was the xantia, very very impressed, just a clever car. The C5 not so much, too big and too unreliable. All my cars since 1979 until the last has been diesels. Current small petrol car I will keep for several more years until the electric car industry settles down, there is just too much happening at the moment. One can wank on about UTEs and weekends but it is not going to change the basic fact, the ICE industry is finished. Get over it.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
David Speers writes that Peter Dutton is left with a difficult decision, after Julian Leeser’s stand has blown big holes in his Voice argument.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-13/julian-leeser-peter-dutton-the-voice-liberals-nationals-argument/102214492
President of the NSW Bar Association, Gabrielle Bashir, argues that it’s time to close the gap – in the Constitution.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/it-s-time-to-close-the-gap-in-the-constitution-20230412-p5czxn.html
Peta Credlin declares that Senator Jacinta Price is the warrior Peter Dutton needs in the debate over the Indigenous voice to parliament.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/jacinta-price-is-the-warrior-dutton-needs/news-story/cb4e4fbf0b34e8fd34846d813b7bb1ed?amp
Indigenous voice opposition has cost the Liberals Julian Leeser and Ken Wyatt. The own goals are mounting, writes Trent Zimmerman.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/12/indigenous-voice-opposition-has-cost-the-liberals-julian-leeser-and-ken-wyatt-the-own-goals-are-mounting
The Victorian Liberal Party lost the seat of Aston in this month’s byelection because it is still reeling from the disasters of the Morrison government almost a year after the Coalition was defeated, according to a senior member of the party’s governing body. Sumeyya Ilanbey reports on the assessment.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/senior-liberal-blames-scott-morrison-s-unpopularity-for-historic-aston-loss-20230412-p5czrr.html
It’s as if, one Liberal said this week, there are only two moods in the parliamentary Liberal Party at present – fear of the future and unease about the past, writes James Patterson.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2023/04/12/morrison-dutton-liberal-setback/
There is a huge difference between the problem Robert Menzies faced in creating the Liberal Party from the ruins of the United Australia Party during the second World War, and that facing Peter Dutton as he tries to unify the Liberal Party after its succession of defeats at federal and state levels in the past year or so, explains David Solomon.
https://johnmenadue.com/menzies-dutton-and-the-liberal-party/
High inflation and interest rates, coupled with growing levels of tax, will lead to a collapse in real household incomes, the Commonwealth Bank’s chief economist has warned amid signs the economy will struggle to grow through the second half of this year, reports Shane Wright.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/collapse-predicted-household-incomes-no-match-for-high-inflation-interest-rates-and-taxes-20230412-p5czs5.html
“Australia is not a high-tax country. So why can’t we have a conversation about the T word?”, implore Dannielle Wood and Iris Chan.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/12/australia-is-not-a-high-tax-country-so-why-cant-we-have-a-conversation-about-the-t-word
NSW Liberal Party elder Damien Tudehope has called on his party to “get on with being the opposition”, insisting the failure to elect a new leader more than two weeks after the state election had left a vacuum and allowed the new government to go unchallenged.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/meandering-in-a-vacuum-senior-liberal-laments-rudderless-party-20230410-p5cza5.html
Young Australians never stood a chance. For decades the controls have been set to favour older generations, explains Greg Jericho.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2023/apr/13/young-australians-never-stood-a-chance-for-decades-the-controls-have-been-set-to-favour-older-generations
External debt collectors will no longer be used by the Albanese government as part of a pledge to ensure robodebt never happens again, the government services minister, Bill Shorten, has said. Paul Karp reports that Shorten will announce today that all debt recovery will be done in-house through Services Australia, to spare welfare recipients the “unfettered cruelty” unleashed by the former Coalition government.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/13/albanese-government-axing-external-debt-collectors-in-bid-to-prevent-another-robodebt
Michael Koziol tells us that landlords and real estate agents are testing the limits of Sydney’s red-hot rental market with ambitious asking prices that can then be reduced to find a tenant. These usurers are sometimes asking $2000/week for a two-bedroom flat!
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/2000-a-week-for-a-two-bed-flat-agents-asking-inflated-rental-prices-20230412-p5czsr.html
Despite being shot, stabbed and punched, house prices are already rising again. In fact, they’ve been rising since early February, writes Chris Richardson.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-best-house-price-forecast-is-the-latest-john-wick-film-20230411-p5czmn.html
Alan Kohler says that if Anthony Albanese was serious about the rental crisis, he would resuscitate Kevin Rudd’s National Rental Affordability Scheme and use it to move properties from short stays to long-term leases.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2023/04/13/rental-crisis-australia-kohler/
And Michael Pascoe says that Michael Pascoe: Menzies knew housing couldn’t be left to ‘the market’.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2023/04/12/housing-market-michael-pascoe/
After 16 years governments dithering, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is moving to introduce Tranche 2 of Australia’s money-laundering laws, finally tackling the powerful lawyer, accounting and property lobbyists. Nathan Lynch reports.
https://michaelwest.com.au/australia-to-push-ahead-with-overdue-money-laundering-laws-amid-international-pressure/
The Andrews government is reconsidering an urgent package of reforms to slash building industry red tape to boost the supply of houses and stave off a looming crisis for the sector. Josh Gordon tells us that Treasurer Tim Pallas held crisis talks with four Victorian building sector lobby organisations to discuss an overhaul of planning and building contract laws as part of a push to cut delays and lower the risk of growing cost blowouts for builders.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/scrapped-reforms-to-cut-red-tape-back-on-agenda-after-building-industry-crisis-talks-20230412-p5czur.html
David Crowe reports that a new agenda to help struggling workers improve their basic skills will be launched by the federal government out of concern that 3 million Australians lack the literacy and numeracy required to gain better jobs and increase their wages.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-secret-shame-stopping-3-million-australians-from-doing-their-jobs-properly-20230406-p5cysj.html
In its quest to build nuclear-powered submarines, the government of Australia recently hired a little-known, one-person consulting firm from Virginia: Briny Deep, write Craig Whitlock and Nate Jones in the Washington Post.
https://johnmenadue.com/whitlock-and-jones-former-top-u-s-admiral-cashes-in-on-nuclear-sub-deal-with-australia/
The judge overseeing the $1.6 billion ($2.4 billion) defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News said on Wednesday he was imposing a sanction on the network and very likely would investigate whether Fox’s legal team withheld evidence, the New York Times has reported. This is not going to end well for Fox.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/us-judge-hits-fox-news-with-sanction-for-withholding-defamation-case-evidence-20230413-p5d01b.html
Meanwhile, Zoe Samios and Michaela Whitbourn report that online news outlet Crikey has alleged Lachlan Murdoch was “morally and ethically” culpable for the deadly 2021 US Capitol riots in its amended defence to the defamation suit filed by the elder son of Rupert Murdoch, in an escalation of the dispute between the parties.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/crikey-alleges-lachlan-murdoch-morally-culpable-for-us-capitol-riot-20230411-p5czol.html
Now Donald Trump is suing his former lawyer Michael Cohen for more than $US500 million (A$747 million), according to a filing in federal court in Florida. The lawsuit comes after Cohen, once Trump’s loyal “fixer,” testified before a Manhattan grand jury that later indicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, marking the first time in US history that a former president has been charged with a crime.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/04/13/donald-trump-sues-michael-cohen/?breaking_live_scroll=1
FDA authorization for a key abortion drug could be nullified after Friday, unless an appeals court acts on a Biden administration request to block last week’s ruling suspending approval of the drug. The drug, mifepristone, is used in more than half of all the abortions in the US. The ruling, issued by a federal judge in Texas, applies across the country. America is f****d!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/12/mifepristone-abortion-drug-hangs-in-balance-friday-deadline
Cartoon Corner
David Pope
David Rowe
Matt Golding
Andrew Dyson
A Mark Knight catch-up
Bloody Spooner!
From the US
I have only really been following the details of the Voice at a surface level, it seems like a default Yes to me. But with the Libs and Dutton’s move to officially be the No campaign I did listen to this Guardian podcast with Thomas Mayo with additional attention.
Thomas quietly dismantles all of Dutton’s talking points. At the end he reads out the Statement from the Heart, this was the first time I’d heard it, quite powerful words.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2023/apr/11/thomas-mayo-on-why-peter-dutton-is-wrong-about-the-voice-full-story-podcast
Thank you, BK.
I see that the Chicommies fucked up their air closure. It would have directly impacted a flight by the US Secretary of State.
The Chicommie sabre rattlers backed down.
My guess is that Price is discovering something about her electorate. Once Indigenous folk get a chance to look at the referendum proposal they will support it.
Enough Already says:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 7:12 am
Cronus @ Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 6:57 am:
“Lady Warsi said it was time for the party to realise that “black and brown people can be racist too”, adding how “painfully disappointing” it had been to hear the home secretary single out British-Pakistani men as being of special concern in relation to child sexual cases, as part of the most diverse cabinet in history.”
This is a brave but important position for Warsi to take against Braverman whose rhetoric has been straight out of the Dutton handbook on Africans in Melbourne.”
========================
Cronus, Braverman’s sexualisation of ethnic minorities to imply they deserve especially adverse treatment by the government also looks very similar to Dutton’s language most times he talks about the way Australian governments either have, are or should treat indigenous Australians. I had just thought this was a personal peculiarity of his. Now it looks more like an intentional, coordinated messaging strategy by the Right when discussing the redressing of past and ongoing injustices towards First Nations, or non-White immigrant, communities. The Right probably sees it as having the added ‘benefit’ of dispersing popular repugnance at sexual abuse within religious institutions in another direction which is more palatable to them.
——————————————————————————
And of course this type of behaviour never occurs in the often dominant caucasian population, a point so often missed by the Right.
Thanks so much BK.
Is his name Thomas Mayo or Thomas Mayor?
I’ve only known him as Thomas Mayor but with the name Mayo being used I’m wondering if it’s the same person with a typo or a totally different person with remarkably similar backgrounds!
“ He needs someone who’s all in, totally with him in opposing the voice. Not someone who’s going to get lost in fine distinctions about regional voices and national ones; between legislated voices and constitutionally entrenched ones. But someone who’s going to say loudly, clearly and constantly that this voice is wrong in principle and would be disastrous in practice.”
So Credlin gets to the heart of the matter, she and the other RWNJs despise The Voice in principle.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/jacinta-price-is-the-warrior-dutton-needs/news-story/cb4e4fbf0b34e8fd34846d813b7bb1ed?amp
Confessions @ #1009 Thursday, April 13th, 2023 – 7:51 am
Not too sure, but his website has him as Mayo.
I was talking to my wife the other day about misheard lyrics. As a kid I always thought the Beegees song was Four Letter Woman, that totally confused me, like what does that mean, is a Four Letter Woman a good thing or a bad thing? Turns out it’s of course More Than a Woman.
https://www.thomasmayo.com.au/
John Howard (with the help of the odious Mark Latham) has caused the problem called Morrison to remain the member for Cook and remain in Parliament
Morrison has always “been about money” and won’t leave parliament without the generous provision given to other ex-pms (Turnbull is also shackled in this regard and does not receive generous provision).
Morrison never achieved the absolute waterfront he desired in the “bay’.
Dutton, suffocating from lack of “political clean air” is not helped by the Morrison remaining in Parliament.
Dutton is also “hamstrung” by a number of other well known politicians remaining in Parliament.
Cash, Taylor, Ley, Robert, and Joyce.
Dutton is also “hamstrung” by his own determination to remain in Parliament.
The Liberal party has a choice between “a complete fire sale” of the “past their use by date” politicians or political oblivion.
Dutton is determined to “blow up” the referendum.
The reality is that regardless of the outcome of the referendum, Dutton will never be the PM.
Any number of LNP politicians at the side of Morrison when he annihilated federal politics and the Federal Liberal Party are all on the “gravy train’ of self-importance and the largesse of financial political benefits while remaining in Parliament.
The sinecure called Administrative Tribunals has had it’s “rugged pulled”
.
The National Anti- Corruption Bill, once implemented will see off the “left-over brigade” from the Liberal Party go into hiding.
Albanese and his Government are in no hurry to “sort” the parliamentary Liberal Party as they “self -detonate” with each day.
And the good news is that the Albanese Labor government is making steady progress in cleaning up the Morrison ( inreality post Howard) mess and setting a forward looking progressive agenda.
The Liberals and Nationals would have you believe ‘Indigenous australians” is a new concept found in “this wide brown land” since the last election.
“Ley on a listening tour” is about the best comedy act since “Norman Gunstan”.
Morrison “listening ” to “real Australians” is very “Leyland Brothers”.
Not to mention Barnaby ‘s “train set” to nowhere.
The fact that the Liberals achieve “twenty something percent” at elections is one of the wonders of the world. (and a harsh judgement on Australians generally)
He’s also Thomas Mayor in other places:
https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/thomas-mayor/13796732
Thanks, BK.
What a fabulous branch meeting we had last night! Liza Butler and Fiona both spoke well, with plenty of laughs directed at the pathetic local libs. Thomas Mayor spoke at a public meeting in the same hall two years ago regarding the Uluru statement. A passionate, knowledgeable and very well spoken man.
Confessions @ #1013 Thursday, April 13th, 2023 – 8:09 am
So I guess the question is, has anyone seen them in the same room at the same time?
But yes it looks like he goes by both names, his FB page has both. https://www.facebook.com/ThomasMayorOfficial/
goll says:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 8:08 am
Morrison has always “been about money” and won’t leave parliament without the generous provision given to other ex-pms (Turnbull is also shackled in this regard and does not receive generous provision).
______
Silly Goll. Malcolm has a net worth north of 200 million including the Harbor mansion valued at around 70 million. He does not need a paltry parliamentary pension.
Speers gives lie to the confected Liberal arguments over The Voice, a strong article imo.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-13/julian-leeser-peter-dutton-the-voice-liberals-nationals-argument/102214492
I’m reliably informed that the Saturday Paper has an op-ed authored by Thomas this weekend.
[Thomas Mayor is a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. Following the Uluru Convention, Thomas was entrusted to carry the sacred canvas of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He then embarked on an eighteen-month journey around the country to garner support for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice] https://bwf.org.au/2021/brisbane-writers-festival/artists/thomas-mayor
[Thomas Mayo is a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man.
He was a wharf labourer for sixteen years and is an official of the Maritime Union of Australia…
Thomas was inspired to write his first book: Finding the Heart of the Nation – the Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth, after being entrusted to carry the sacred Uluru Statement from the Heart canvas…] https://bookedout.com.au/find-a-speaker/author/thomas-mayo/
They are the same person.
Thanks BK. From the dawn patrol:
“In its quest to build nuclear-powered submarines, the government of Australia recently hired a little-known, one-person consulting firm from Virginia: Briny Deep, write Craig Whitlock and Nate Jones in the Washington Post.
https://johnmenadue.com/whitlock-and-jones-former-top-u-s-admiral-cashes-in-on-nuclear-sub-deal-with-australia/”
_________
Fucking disgraceful. Has Albo and Marles just nominated themselves for ‘first cabs off the rank’ for the Fed. ICAC to investigate? Alongside ScoMo of course, who long embedded friendly consulting folk (look up EY consulting) and retired US Admirals into various submarine contract related consultancies …
Of course this ‘expert’ pumped AUKUS’s tires on the 7.30 report. Of course feckless Ferguson didnt ask him any ‘conflicts of interest’ questions about his undisclosed ‘little earner’.
Of course AUKUS will end up costing up to FOUR times the total incls cost of the cancelled Attack class program – and most critically THREE times more than the incls costs of a 10 boat Barracuda SSN program (which is actually the most modern and ‘capable for the defence of Australia’ nuclear boat design available and successfully in service).
We have been hook winked into a trillion dollar program that makes Australia less safe. The public scandal of the age.
”
Scepticsays:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 6:32 am
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/us-judge-hits-fox-news-with-sanction-for-withholding-defamation-case-evidence-20230413-p5d01b.html
This evidence included recordings made by a former Fox employee of Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, saying before pre-taped Fox appearances that he did not have any evidence to back up the false allegations of election-rigging by Dominion in the 2020 race that are at the heart of the lawsuit.
The pending hearing has every likelihood of seeing the end of Rupert’s & Lachlan’s stewardship of News & Fox, losing to Dominion would hurt, the prospect of punitive damages is the sleeper.
Lachlan should quit his case against Crikey & pay their costs… the game is up
”
As Kevin Rudd said Murdoch Press is cancer on Australian society. For what happened and happening in US and UK due to their involvement in those countries affairs the above anology can be extended to those countries. Or to put it simply they are a cancer on AUKUS societies.
Rupert Murdoch reminds me of Potter character in “It’s a Wonderful Life” movie.
Cronus @ #1018 Thursday, April 13th, 2023 – 8:21 am
I’d forgotten that Dutton keeps citing Prof Greg Craven as his constitutional expert. From personal experience the absolute best I can say about Prof Craven is that he is a man of his times and is that he is out of touch with these times. His defence of Cardinal Pell, and the arguments he used to do this, is a good case in point.
Thanks BK
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/12/australia-is-not-a-high-tax-country-so-why-cant-we-have-a-conversation-about-the-t-word
____________
Anyone – journalist or economist – who shapes the question this way with seriousness should hand back their credentials and/or qualifications.
The answer to the question, of course, is “propaganda!”
I don’t know if there’s been any recent polling on the tax take in this country, but I bet a billion gajillion dollars the average person thinks they’re being taxed quite heavily.
Kinda the reverse of polling about our overseas aid which usually proves:
1) most people have no idea about the level of our overseas aid;
2) most people believe our aid budget is much bigger than it is; and, for the kicker…
3) when asked to nominate an appropriate level of aid, most people select a level much higher than we currently contribute – presumably thinking their figure represents a draconian slashing of the aid budget, when it would actually be a massive increase!
Having intelligent national “conversations” about a wide range of subjects – tax, aid, climate change, asylum seekers, Centrelink payments, reconciliation (just off the top of my head) would require a citizens’ demoronisation campaign the scale of which this country has never, ever seen.
My heart bleeds for those poor men.
Turnbull is the least of our ex-PMs who needs the more generous post parliamentary pension!
Mostly Interested says:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 8:37 am
Cronus @ #1018 Thursday, April 13th, 2023 – 8:21 am
Speers gives lie to the confected Liberal arguments over The Voice, a strong article imo.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-13/julian-leeser-peter-dutton-the-voice-liberals-nationals-argument/102214492
I’d forgotten that Dutton keeps citing Prof Greg Craven as his constitutional expert. From personal experience the absolute best I can say about Prof Craven is that he is a man of his times and is that he is out of touch with these times. His defence of Cardinal Pell, and the arguments he used to do this, is a good case in point.
——————————————————————————-
It seems odd that with a highly and widely regarded legal mind such as Leeser that Dutton would ignore this intellect for an apparent outdated ideologue. I understand that even lawyers have political biases but surely quality advice is what is most required.
nathsays:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 8:20 am
goll says:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 8:08 am
Morrison has always “been about money” and won’t leave parliament without the generous provision given to other ex-pms (Turnbull is also shackled in this regard and does not receive generous provision).
______
Silly Goll. Malcolm has a net worth north of 200 million including the Harbor mansion valued at around 70 million. He does not need a paltry parliamentary pension.
Irony !!!!
Silly Nath.
(hence Turnbull didn’t hang around)
I will say one more thing about the Russian troops beheading Ukrainian POW’s. On today’s episode of the (UK) Telegraph’s podcast, ‘Ukraine: The Latest’, Dominic Nicholls expressed the thought that, although it is still important to read news reports about this shocking crime, no good is really served in trying to watch the actual videos of it (except if you professionally have to, as a war crimes investigator or whatever).
I want to wholeheartedly second that advice. First, we need to give whatever shred of dignity and respect we still can to the victims by not watching their deaths. Secondly, we don’t want to give the streamers of that horrific footage extra views or clicks. Thirdly, we don’t want to give the perpetrators of these atrocities extra notoriety. Finally, we don’t want our own minds and emotions adversely affected by exposure to such images.
I’m very glad I haven’t seen this footage and I absolutely won’t be. I’m also very glad all the media I’ve seen on it has refused to link it as well. I hope this remains the case for good.
This tweet from Van Badam. I actually haven’t listened to this podcast as yet.
——-
On today’s IMMINENT @WeekOnWednesday we also talk about how the Greens serve the capitalised class with their anti-housing policy and oh boy are we unsurprised about it, because we’re from Victoria where they do this all the time. #auspol #springst
Cronus @ #1027 Thursday, April 13th, 2023 – 8:55 am
It’s kind of like selecting a licorice all sorts, you pick the one you like.
Prof Craven is, reputedly, highly regarded in some circles within the Sydney Catholic set, he has (or had) real influence in that sphere. I’d also suggest he is also quietly addicted to being heard by important people, I have heard him speak regularly about his contacts in Canberra and Rome and how he sways the opinion of important people. He’s kind of like a well educated AM radio shock jock, likes to hear his own opinions and likes to reflect in the other people’s power as a mechanism for showing his own imagined power.
Morning all. Thanks for the roundup BK. Nice to see several MSM journalists finally call out Dutton for saying things about the Voice that are plainly wrong.
It is a pitty though that attention on the Voice distracts attention from all the wrong things Dutton did as an LNP Minister.
This article from yesterday afternoon covers the 6-1 HC decision that found the 2016 Immigration Minister instruction to delegate decisions to staff was unlawful and hundreds of visa cases wrongly concluded.
“ They said this “statutory limitation on executive power” had been “transgressed by the 2016 ministerial instructions and by the two impugned departmental decisions”.
Who was Immigration Minister in 2016? Peter Dutton!
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/12/high-court-ruling-casts-doubt-on-hundreds-of-australian-visa-refusals?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Morrison is an alumni out of the property council of NSW. he could easily get a lucrative gig for some developer industry based entity I suspect. I also suspect that he ain’t short of a coin. So: I think he wants something post politics that befits his messiah complex. That’s why he is still skulking in parliament, IMO (either that or a hope that Dutton so implodes that he can convince the party that he should once again be anointed Prophet and Leader).
Oh, that Greg Craven:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/20/greg-craven-criticised-for-comments-about-voice-referendum-working-group
Latham forced Howard in 2004 to stop the immediate realisation of their substantial pensions. We all thought it was a great idea at the time. It won bipartisan support, noting of course it did not affect those who voted on it.
We are now seeing the net effect where dud politicians in Safe seats choose to stay around for ever.
The only ones who can bail out are those who already own Harbourside mansions….
The law of unintended consequences.
”I’d forgotten that Dutton keeps citing Prof Greg Craven as his constitutional expert.”
I don’t know Prof. Craven from a bar of soap. He is no doubt a worthy gentleman and a distinguished academic and legal mind. He and like-minded people have been chosen by Peter Dutton, the Coalition more generally and Newscorp as their legal expert because he could be relied upon to support their already fixed position on the Voice. On the off-chance that he didn’t, he would have been politely thanked and someone else would have been chosen.
A rather similar process applies to the selection of advice regarding climate change.
“He and like-minded people have been chosen by Peter Dutton, the Coalition more generally and Newscorp as their legal expert because he could be relied upon to support their already fixed position on the Voice.”
Ironic that the No-alition surround themselves with yes-men.
My wife has this morning said that the RBA has failed in its job to manage inflation, referring to a reference on morning television and, apparently, the RBA apologizing.
I have responded that I am not too sure about that, because the RBA acts with its hands tied behind its back – and with the Board it has, a Board appointed by the Government of the day.
I added:-
The RBA has NOT used the residential housing market as a tool to evade recession, offering incentives, those incentives driving private debt in Australia (from the GST of 2000) and that private debt driving house prices.
The RBA has NOT marketed tax cuts time in memorial, tax cuts driving spending power and inflation (before you get to other tax matters, from Family Trusts to Franking Credits and all points in between).
The RBA does NOT appear before the FWA in wage cases, wages increases being the source of Australians meeting their financial obligations in the face of the levels of private debt we see today (and now elevated inflation for the reasons we have elevated inflation GLOBALLY).
The RBA does NOT set the Cash Rate ignorant of the state of the Australian economy and needs to stimulate economic performance or, conversely, restrain economic activity (the restraint in focus for the first time since 2007, when the Cash Rate was increased and having a 7 in front of it driven by inflation)
The driver to ALL of the foregoing and more is GOVERNMENT and GOVERNMENT policy. policy dictated by ideology such as “one man’s pay rise is another man’s job” etc etc.
The RBA has to pick up the pieces it is dealt by GOVERNMENT.
And it has one very blunt tool at its disposal, the Cash Rate.
The RBA, by its very nature (and its Board no doubt) can not and will not point cause to where that cause should be put – with GOVERNMENT.
If some put that I am anti the Coalition, these are the reasons and they date from the time of Howard, Howard who, as treasurer in the early 1980’s in response to double digit inflation, double digit unemployment and double digit interest rates (ex Grandfathered Housing Loans at 17.5%, Grandfathered at 13.5%) FROZE Salary and Wages increases, putting blame and responsibility on workers.
And from there he was elected as pm, to the eternal lament of the Nation contemporaneous and future
The “Divisive Dwarf” (Stone) who remains the icon for Conservative voters.
Would the other side have done better?
Well, it does not come with the same antiquated ideological baggage, so could not have performed worse in the interests of Australia and Australians.
And in regards Craven, if I recall correctly, he featured on Faine’s ABC program some years ago (when I last listened to the ABC!!!)
”
NSW Liberal Party elder Damien Tudehope has called on his party to “get on with being the opposition”, insisting the failure to elect a new leader more than two weeks after the state election had left a vacuum and allowed the new government to go unchallenged.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/meandering-in-a-vacuum-senior-liberal-laments-rudderless-party-20230410-p5cza5.html
”
What is there to challenge, you M? It is not as if NSW Labor government has done something dramatic in the last 2 weeks.
Minns visited Minindee, said that Metro to Western Sydney will be put on hold as he released reports to show all the infrastructure projects started by previous LNP government has cost blowouts.
So what Minns has shown is that we would have faced Environmental and Infrastructure disasters if LNP government was re-elected.
Outside political parties, have any religious organisations made a statement as to their views on the Voice to Parliament?
What about the RSL and Australian Defence Force?
MelbourneMammoth @ Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 9:24 am:
“Outside political parties, have any religious organisations made a statement as to their views on the Voice to Parliament?”
==================
MM, there is this report from last year. Short answer: pretty much all religions came out last May in support of a Voice to Parliament and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/news/aussie-religious-leaders-call-for-an-indigenous-voice-to-parliament/news-story/0f440d4098b87120ef33593ed121ae65
”
There is a huge difference between the problem Robert Menzies faced in creating the Liberal Party from the ruins of the United Australia Party during the second World War, and that facing Peter Dutton as he tries to unify the Liberal Party after its succession of defeats at federal and state levels in the past year or so, explains David Solomon.
https://johnmenadue.com/menzies-dutton-and-the-liberal-party/
”
“There is a huge difference between the problem Robert Menzies faced in creating the Liberal Party from the ruins of the United Australia Party during the second World War, and that facing Peter Dutton as he tries to unify the Liberal Party after its succession of defeats at federal and state levels in the past year or so,”
And that is
1. White Australia policy is no longer inforce(As Paul Keating once said Australia was lucky not to be ostracized and sanctioned like South Africa when White Australia policy was inforce. I digress)
2. Australia has formal and close diplomatic and trade ties with many Asian countries.
3. A good percentage of people are not of British heritage.
4. Monarchy doesn’t hold fond memories for many Australians.
Credlin is a genius , she’s going for the Tory quinella:
1. If something is turning to shit, put a woman in charge of in front to take the flack.
2. Carrying on the flak theme, let’s get our black fella to go out and sprout our racist stuff. Suella Braverman comes to mind but maybe Peta hasn’t heard of her.
The position of religious groups on the voice has been patently clear since last year. They support the voice.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-27/religious-leaders-back-referendum-on-indigenous-voice/101104568
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-23/politicians-urged-to-work-together-for-yes-vote/102015288
Ven @ #1042 Thursday, April 13th, 2023 – 9:32 am
I followed a few links after reading Spear’s article on the ABC site and found myself reading Gareth Hutchens’ piece on why he thinks voters are abandoning the Liberal party. In short they have not evolved as a political entity as Australian society has evolved, and in fact have gone backwards to a “golden time” that is simply out of step with who we are as a nation today.
Gareth Hutchens actually ariges that PD’s Liberal party has not gone back to Menzies’s vision of the Liberal Party. He suggests today’s Libs are diametrically opposite what Menzies was trying to do, that is not build a reactionary party that says no to everything.,
You may see yourself as liberal, but if some voters think you’re an unreconstructed reactionary they’ll treat you as such at the ballot box.
He goes on to wargame what a new conservative party might look like.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-09/liberal-party-election-loss-menzies-liberalism-keynes-hayek/102201242
Snappy Tom says:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 8:37 am
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/12/australia-is-not-a-high-tax-country-so-why-cant-we-have-a-conversation-about-the-t-word
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+1 re your thesis. I’ve no idea how the issue of taxation can be addressed by any government in Australia not wishing to commit hara kiri. The amount of largesse handed out even in good times has rendered us a selfish nation wanting all the benefits without paying for them.
Even the concept of a discussion is anathema to most Australians. Anybody wanting to know how this ends (albeit some way down the track) only needs to look at the Greek pension system up until the GFC as an example of unsustainable largesse.
Enough Already says:
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 9:29 am
MelbourneMammoth @ Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 9:24 am:
“Outside political parties, have any religious organisations made a statement as to their views on the Voice to Parliament?”
==================
MM, there is this report from last year. Short answer: pretty much all religions came out last May in support of a Voice to Parliament and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/news/aussie-religious-leaders-call-for-an-indigenous-voice-to-parliament/news-story/0f440d4098b87120ef33593ed121ae65
____________
The Uniting Church’s national leadership released this pro-Voice statement Feb this year…
https://uniting.church/supporting-the-voice/
I have to say what a tight ship the Albanese government is running. I was just musing to myself how I haven’t seen one leak or bit of speculation about the upcoming May Budget, just a couple of cartoons. Compared to the Coalition who were scheduling drops by now in the Budget cycle, to the extent that there was very little to announce by Budget night.
I don’t know if this will change as we get closer to the day but I must say I prefer to be surprised than to have things announced beforehand.
Greg Craven in debate v Robert French and Kenneth Hayne.
I’d like to see that.
Perhaps Craven could have Dyson Heydon as his No. 2.
Snappy Tom @ Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 9:44 am:
“The Uniting Church’s national leadership released this pro-Voice statement Feb this year…
https://uniting.church/supporting-the-voice/”
====================
ST, it is to Peter Dutton’s deep shame he simply cannot accept Rev Hollis’s simple proposition that the VTP is “a moral and theological issue, not a political one.”
Dutton is trying to frame this as a party political bun fight. Shame on him for using the rights and dignity of First Nations Australians for such cynical political ends.