A lean period of polling awaits, given the interruption of Easter and the no doubt related fact that every single pollster in the business unloaded results last week. If you’re desperate, Nine Newspapers has further results from last week’s Resolve Strategic poll finding 56% support for “stronger laws to ban hate speech on the basis of religion and faith”, with 19% opposed; 74% in favour of criminal penalties for “doxxing”, with 4% opposed; and 57% saying there had been a rise in racism and religious intolerance “as a result of the Israel-Gaza conflit”, with 15% disagreeing.
Other news:
• Troy Dodds of the Western Weekender reports that Melissa McIntosh, the Liberal member for the marginal outer western Sydney seat of Lindsay, has secured preselection after the withdrawal of Penrith deputy mayor Mark Davies. The expectation that Davies would have the numbers in conservative-dominated local branches to topple McIntosh had been a source of consternation among the party leadership, with Paul Sakkal of the Sydney Morning Herald reporting earlier this month on “the prospect of a rare federal division intervention in the NSW branch” if the challenge went ahead. McIntosh was promoted from the shadow assistant ministry to outer shadow ministry status in a recent reshuffle.
• Tim Wilson won a Liberal preselection vote for Goldstein last week, setting up a rematch with teal independent Zoe Daniel, to whom he lost the seat he had held since 2016 in 2022. Wilson won the local party vote ahead of Colleen Harkin, research fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, and Stephanie Hunt, lawyer and former staffer to Julie Bishop and Marise Payne. Paul Sakkal of The Age reports Wilson won a second round vote ahead of Harkin “by about 160-130”.
• Amelia Hamer, a former staffer to then Financial Services Minister Jane Hume who has more recently worked for financial technology start-up Airwallex, has won the Liberal preselection vote for the Melbourne seat of Kooyong, which teal independent Monique Ryan won from Josh Frydenberg in 2022. The Australian reports Hamer won the party vote by 233 to 59 ahead of Rochelle Pattison, director of an asset management and corporate finance firm and chair of Transgender Victoria.
• Former state government minister Andrew Constance has again won Liberal preselection for Gilmore, where he narrowly failed in a bid to unseat Labor’s Fiona Phillips in 2022. Constance won a party vote by 80 to 69 over Paul Ell, lawyer, Shoalhaven councillor and long-standing hopeful for the seat who was persuaded to stand aside in favour of Constance in 2022.
• The Australian’s Feeding the Chooks column reports that Margaret Forrest, a commercial and criminal law barrister, has been preselected as the Liberal National Party candidate for the Brisbane seat of Ryan, which the party lost to Elizabeth Watson-Brown of the Greens in 2022.
• Rowan Ramsey, who has held the regional South Australian seat of Grey for the Liberals since 2007, has announced he will retire at the next election.
• Tammy Tyrell, who won a second Senate seat for the Jacqui Lambie Network at the 2022 election, quit the party last week. Tyrell issued a statement saying the move was made on Lambie’s suggestion, saying it had “become clear to me that I no longer have the confidence” of the party.
• I have a page up for the Cook federal by-election, to be held on April 13.
Rebecca says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 11:46 am
Griff: Stinker worded his response a bit better than I did, but if there’s no way to test the accuracy of the debts, it leaves open the real possibility – and I’d even go so far as to say real likelihood – that a proportion of the debts might not, in fact, be accurate. If the ATO took your advice and actually provided the supposed basis, there would at least be far more clarity around what proportion of claimed debts were actually lawful – but Labor appears to be in no hurry to do so.
And spare me the pretend-theatrics about Robodebt: I was the recipient of one of those letters, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so unsympathetic about excuses for people receiving these ones under Labor.
____________
It was a 2009 Ombudsman recommendation. See https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/26222/investigation_2009_04.pdf
Provision of evidence is an administrative issue. The ATO should do it. Not sure what Labor (or the Coalition for that matter) has to do with it.
Now read back what you first posted. Reflect on where we are now. Do you think the argument has moved a little from Robotax and Robodebt are the same?
Edit: it was Stinker that said it was an administrative issue.
I think it is too late to start mowing now but the other half said it is my fault and need to do it anyway 🙁
Why has Labor let big business like Harvey Norman off the hook re Jobkeeper over-payments, yet go after others using the Robotax shakedown…?
Surely Labor needs to be consistent..?
Rex Douglas says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Why has Labor let big business like Harvey Norman off the hook re Jobkeeper over-payments, yet go after others using the Robotax shakedown…?
Surely Labor needs to be consistent..?
_________
Thanks Rex for providing the comic relief 🙂
Perhaps this is something the government has tested on focus groups.
Maybe as a three word slogan “Dutton-Bandt Alliance”.
Pied Piper.says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 9:56 am
Tough budget coming it’s being reported this morning WA treasurer says 1.5 billion taken away from the 30.8 billion GST windfall coming in the next four years.
Budget will take place a week before the federal budget announced today.
Give us our 1.5 billion back Fed labor.Libs gave you take thieves.
WA/Our new Embassy in Canberra will be expecting a Visit to explain.
==========================================================
After subsidising WA more than 100 years Victoria and NSW are due something back. So once WA pays that back, at a CPI adjusted rate, they might have some argument. Until that WA just got a free ride from Victoria and NSW taxpayers. Then when they finally were able to manage on their own two feet. They don’t want to help out anyone else. NSW and Victoria would be totally in their right to ask for 100 plus years of subsidises to be paid back in full at a CPI adjusted rate. If WA wants to continue with this faux self-righteous attitude.
I blame the Albanese- Dutton alliance for failing to establish a national gas reserve.
Taylormadesays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 11:03 am
C@tmommasays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 10:36 am
I vividly recall that Andrew Charlton is very handsome.
_____________________
I find Amelia Hamer very attractive.
====================================================
” And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!”
Lady Gladariel explaining her fate if she had of gone into venture capital.
I blame the Albanese-Dutton alliance for continuing the Jobs Provider rort.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/31/job-providers-receiving-millions-of-dollars-for-positions-found-by-jobseekers-themselves
Rex Douglassays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:10 pm
I blame the Albanese- Dutton alliance for failing to establish a national gas reserve.
====================================================
One believes renewables will be replacing gas anyway. The other is selling non-existent SMR’s to hang on to gas but for huge export profit, not domestic consumption. Unless you pay overs of course.
Stinker @ 11.46
“What does this even mean? Rebecca’s argument is that the part of the Ex Mem cited is patronising. To make that argument good, she cited the extract verbatim. So you’re saying that using evidence to make good an argument is disingenuous? That’s very 1984.”
Are you and Rebecca a “one” act ?
Griff: I hate to tell you, but Labor is the government – and “my department is doing something really problematic, but of course, I, the minister, couldn’t possibly be expected to pay attention and/or do something about it” was, quite literally, the defence of every LNP minister in Robodebt.
I didn’t say the schemes were the same (if having some very significant similarities), but the governmental response certainly has been the same so far.
Citing the Ombudsman in support of the move is deeply ironic when the Ombudsman just rebuked the ATO over it, stating, and I quote, “don’t repeat past failings”, and “not implementing previous advice and recommendations on taxpayer rights, including those made in the 2009 report”.
The handling of this and the attempts to just pass the buck back to the minister’s own department makes an absolute mockery of the regular line that seems to be coming out of the rusted-ons about how Labor is just so committed to good governance these days. Ministerial responsibility used to be considered part of that, but it seems it’s been absolutely abdicated across both major parties.
It’s fascinating that though multiple people tried to pretend they couldn’t find the verbatim quote from the NDIS bill explanatory memorandum that I’d already posted in the thread and engaged in various creative writing exercises about what it must have said instead, the most anyone has been able to come back with in defence of it is “nuh uh it’s fine” and sad attempts at personal attacks.
@ goll at 12.17pm
Are you and Rebecca a “one” act ?
————
Ah, another non sequitur, goll (and a non-sensical one at that).
Have a nice day, happy to engage with you when you decide to be an adult, but until then, enjoy your choccies today champ, don’t eat too many and give yourself a belly ache.
Stinker says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 11:53 am
@Boerwar at 11.51am
It is remarkable how…’
——————
The NACC is going to go through the Coalition. My only real concern is that the NACC will drag things out until after the next election.
Entropy
” And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!”
Lady Gladariel explaining her fate if she had of gone into venture capital.
—————————
Being a venture capitalist isn’t a weakness and many women will be impressed by it so Ryan’s campaign will be about Dutton and his nuclear policy.
It’s possible, Boerwar. Surprisingly quiet on that front to date, though.
Rex Douglas says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:14 pm
I blame the…’
———
You always do.
‘Stinker says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:35 pm
It’s possible, Boerwar. Surprisingly quiet on that front to date, though.’
————————
It is a certainty. IMO the Morrison Governments were the most corrupt governments in the history of Federation.
‘citizen says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:07 pm
Perhaps this is something the government has tested on focus groups.
Maybe as a three word slogan “Dutton-Bandt Alliance”.
Penny Wong blames ‘Peter Dutton-Adam Bandt alliance’ for failure to pass Labor’s deportation laws
….’
—————————
It doesn’t take a focus group to see the perfectly obvious situation that Dutton and Bandt are co-operating to try to induce moral panic and chaos.
Rebecca,
I agree with you that the example given in the explanatory memorandum is rubbish.
It is incredibly clear that NDIS funding is for supports allowing a participant to experience something like a normal standard of living not otherwise available to them due to their disability. It is also made abundantly clear that NDIS funds are not for typical household expenditures such as groceries and rent, let alone 10 food processors. This is not where the rorts are.
But this is clumsy, nothing more. I suggest you pick your fights.
It will remain to be seen, I suppose. At least there will be an objective metric now with the NACC being in place.
Though I fully expect the NACC to be used as a shield from criticism going forward – “the NACC didn’t find me to be corrupt, ergo I’m not!” It’s the same reason that I have concerns about implementing truth in political advertising legislation – the absence of a finding that something is dishonest will be used to legitimise outrageous advertisements that don’t meet the threshold of being dishonest.
Rex,
“I blame the Albanese- Dutton alliance for failing to establish a national gas reserve.”
Well, first, I’d blame Turnbull for that one. He did not strike when the iron was hot.
But second, where does one physically store the gas that is reserved?
Mexicanbeemersays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:35 pm
=================================================
Being a investment banker or stockbroker doesn’t suggest much knowledge of what average young people face. It isn’t likely to win her votes in that demographic. Though Ryan would also be smart to test out her climate change credentials. For instance how many fossil fuel companies has company she worked for invested in?.
“has worked in financial trading and venture capital.” So besides Airwallex what other companies?.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Hamer
The really important thing is to enjoy your Fuck You tourism while you wait for the governments of the world to convert transport and fixed energy to renewables.
There is no way that you are going to allow the corporates to trick you into taking personal responsibility for anything.
As long as you vote for the Party that has lost more elections than any other party in Australian electoral history, the Greens, your environmental conscience is clear.
Win. Win. Win.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/regent-seven-sea-cruises-world-cruise-2027/index.html
BW
It doesn’t take a focus group to work out that all parties are playing political games to the detriment of good policy making in immigration.
Labor desperate to not let the LNP say they have lost control of the borders.
The Greens at least have been consistent in upholding the human rights of immigrants. Even when that’s politically damaging to them as a party. Libertarians will be applauding them.
No one is winning here. The Greens are probably taking the least damage out of a policy area that the LNP have politicised to such an extent that Malcolm Turnbull got incredulity about how draconian our system is from Donald Trump.
Dandy Murraysays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:50 pm
Rex,
“I blame the Albanese- Dutton alliance for failing to establish a national gas reserve.”
Well, first, I’d blame Turnbull for that one. He did not strike when the iron was hot.
But second, where does one physically store the gas that is reserved?
=======================================================
Why not Howard?. Australian domestic user would love to have gas at the price Howard gave it away to China.
https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/how-australia-blew-its-future-gas-supplies-20170928-gyqg0f.html
Scott 2.0
The vast majority of Australians do not want:
1. Foreign citizens to make their own rules about whether they live in Australia
2. Foreign citizens to cross borders at will.
3. Foreign citizens to make their own rules about deportation procedures.
4. Foreign citizens who are bad eggs roaming the streets at will.
I suggest that there is not a country in the world where the majority of citizens do not have exactly the same views.
Labor is responding with draft legislation to High Court rulings that infringe government decision making powers with respect to 1-4. Bandt/Dutton are creating moral panic in that space.
Dutton is playing a dangerous double game getting into bed with Bandt. Bandt is all care and no responsibility.
Bandt’s actions demonstrate clearly that he does not give a fuck about anything other than driving Labor out of Government.
Entropysays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:50 pm
Mexicanbeemersays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:35 pm
=================================================
Being a investment banker or stockbroker doesn’t suggest much knowledge of what average young people face. It isn’t likely to win her votes in that demographic. Though Ryan would also be smart to test out her climate change credentials. For instance how many fossil fuel companies has company she worked for invested in?.
“has worked in financial trading and venture capital.” So besides Airwallex what other companies?.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Hamer
——————
Kooyong was pro-Turnbull and he was an investment banker and lawyer so Hamer’s background isn’t a weakness because her background isn’t that uncommon amongst the average young person but it might be a problem if we were talking about Aston and Dunkley.
Those who abused Eddie Betts’ kids at their home in a drive by must be significantly disturbed individuals.
Saw Eddie’s response on foxfooty. Heartbreaking.
https://twitter.com/georgieparker/status/1774249372718678391
Rex Douglassays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 1:13 pm
Those who abused Eddie Betts’ kids at their home in a drive by must be significantly disturbed individuals.
Saw Eddie’s response on foxfooty. Heartbreaking.
————
The culprits should be made to explain why the heck they thought it right to do it
BW
Nah. Bandt is doing his job of long standing policy of upholding the human rights of immigrants.
Thats it. To the detriment of gaining votes as it opens the Greens up to attacks about “Open Borders”
A policy of upholding immigrants human rights that is the same and started a guilt of Labor partisans over the Malaysia choice.
All because the right wants to paint the left as not being able to control borders. The Stop the Boats doesn’t seem to be going down so well in the UK. In the US Build that Wall has led to democracy itself being in danger.
Thats Labor’s fear that “Open Borders” will be tied to them as it was last time to destroy the government.
As your response proves. The truth is that unless you buy conspiracy theories that the Greens want Australia to be ‘flooded by terrorists” you can as a serious government work with not just the Greens but also the Teals and Jackie Lambie and Independents to come to sensible policy.
Don’t blame the Greens for being consistent in upholding the human rights of immigrants. Do blame the LNP that Donald Trump is envious of them
‘Scott says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 1:21 pm
BW
Bandt is doing his job of…’
—————–
…trying to destroy a Labor Government. True. He and Dutton are political soul mates. The grandstanding by Shoebridge was histrionics combined with misrepresentations. The Greens are all care and no responsibility and have been so for more than three decades.
It is in their bones and they don’t even realize it.
The vast majority of Australians do not want:
1. Foreign citizens to make their own rules about whether they live in Australia
2. Foreign citizens to cross borders at will.
3. Foreign citizens to make their own rules about deportation procedures.
4. Foreign citizens who are bad eggs roaming the streets at will.
The greens biggest problem isn’t being pro-refugee but they have no idea how to deal with rejected claimants and that opens them to the charge of wanting open borders.
Boerwar says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:51 pm
The really important thing is to enjoy your Fuck You tourism while you wait for the governments of the world to convert transport and fixed energy to renewables.
Boerwar says:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 2:59 pm
The Greens and their mates want to destroy hundreds of rural and regional communities for their own good.
–
Here we have two people with the same name. One is saying regional tourism communities should not be destroyed. And the other is saying it is vital that they are.
Rex Douglas says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Why has Labor let big business like Harvey Norman off the hook re Jobkeeper over-payments, yet go after others using the Robotax shakedown…?
Surely Labor needs to be consistent..?
_________
I believe this is because only one is against the law. (and you can blame the LNP for the lack of enforcement to Jobkeeper)
Why has Labor let big business like Harvey Norman off the hook re Jobkeeper over-payments, yet go after others using the Robotax shakedown…?
Surely Labor needs to be consistent..?
@Rex Douglas
Rex to try pin this on Labor is pathetic. The Liberals screwed it up on the Jobkeeper scheme without a mechanism to get back the money from businesses that were not entitled to it. This was against the advice they were given at the time, and also received opposition from Labor. The fact your attacking Labor for this, and not even mentioning the Liberals speaks volumes.
British Writer Pens Best Description of Trump I’ve Read
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/3/30/2232556/-British-Writer-Pens-Best-Description-of-Trump-I-ve-Read?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
Dandy Murray @ #121 Sunday, March 31st, 2024 – 12:42 pm
Thanks, DM for the perspicacity wrt this. Some people just like to engage in pretzel logic to ‘prove’ a perverse point and intentional (?) misreading of the facts. It has become a parlour game of late, and a dangerous one.
Rex Douglassays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Why has Labor let big business like Harvey Norman off the hook re Jobkeeper over-payments, yet go after others using the Robotax shakedown…?
Surely Labor needs to be consistent..?
———–
Labor’s priority is to help business. Why they will ignore Harbey Norman Jobkeeper over-payments. Why our immigration numbers soon since their election will be close to 1million.
Labor also wants businesses to make very good profits from our taxes. Why Jobproviders get good taxpayer payments even if their client finds employment themselves.
Why the NDIS providers rort the taxpayer as when they control a disability customer’s needs, they charge the taxpayer 3× or more, often many $1000’s for a service or product a non NDIS customer pays.
And Aged Care providers may take 50% of more for profit of the taxpayer payments for an aged care resident.
All the Howard models of business making good profits for once government provided services are copied happily by Labor.
Labor supporters like this ripping off of our taxes too. While Jobseekers and their children get very little. Undeserving people in Labor’s view.
Reading from William, the past Labor MP for Lindsay, Emma Husar, received no help from Labor, didn’t contest on 2019. Melissa McIntosh, Liberal won. Likely to win again. Labor didn’t care if seat was lost.
Catprogsays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 1:29 pm
Rex Douglas says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Why has Labor let big business like Harvey Norman off the hook re Jobkeeper over-payments, yet go after others using the Robotax shakedown…?
Surely Labor needs to be consistent..?
_________
I believe this is because only one is against the law. (and you can blame the LNP for the lack of enforcement to Jobkeeper)
======================================================
Once Frydenberg stuffed up the Jobkeeper legislation by failing to put in a conditional payback clause. There was nothing anyone could do. The High Court of Australia has always had a very dim view of retrospective legislation. There was no way any retrospective legislation was going to claw back that failure. Doing so would be just throwing good money after bad. As it would have been challenged in the High Court and Government would have lost and had to pay costs too.
Political Nightwatchman @ #137 Sunday, March 31st, 2024 – 1:34 pm
Grubby volumes.
I honestly don’t get why people don’t pin this guy to the wall about where he is truly coming from and act appropriately in response.
Entropy @ #141 Sunday, March 31st, 2024 – 1:37 pm
Thank you. This is the point, the whole point, and nothing but the point.
Ven
“If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.”
Like this quote as well. That writers description of Trump epitomises all thats wrong within the USA.
“Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness”
i cant vouch for the truth or otherwise of the specific NDIS examples in the ExMemo – but the point is that some who got onto the scheme with the Liberal ministers asleep at the wheel have zero accountability requirements.
So the legislation introduces straight forward measures such as participants must respond to queries from NDIS. As things stand now, they can ignore requests for clarification when the items or services being paid for are questionable.
Like many cohorts receiving transfer payments, the vast bulk in the middle of the bell curve are perfectly legitamate in their claims – those at one end, if anything, are underclaiming or partially excluded. So for equitable reasons, as well as sound governance of taxpayers funds, some at the other end of the curve would ‘benefit from better targetted interventions’.
Or whatever the right euphemism is.
Irene says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 1:36 pm
‘Rex Douglassays:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:04 pm
Why has Labor let big business like Harvey Norman off the hook re Jobkeeper over-payments, yet go after others using the Robotax shakedown…?
Surely Labor needs to be…
———–
Labor’s priority is to…’
————-
Run the country in a responsible manner.
The Coalition’s priority and the Greens Party priority is to sow moral panic with the help of Murdoch, Stokes, Costello, Buttrose, the Guardian.
To that end Irene and Rexy and Rebecca and Stinker doing a lot of tag teaming today. With one aim: to destroy the Labor Government.
Go to bed with dogs, get up with fleas.
Labor supporters like this ripping off of our taxes too.
@Irene
Thanks for that Irene. I would respond, but the big long unfocused paragraphs which goes a big tangent on everything from immigration, to NDIS, to Aged Care, to Emma Husar. That I couldn’t be bothered unpicking the big omelette you threw against the wall. Particularly when the original subject matter was about Job Keeper.
And having seen the impact on extended family members of profound disability in a child, pre NDIS days, and what the scheme was intended to provide for. And does it very well in large measure.
Also knowing some NDIS workers, both working for an agency and as independents, it is fair to say that some tightening up is essential. Especially in the psychosocial categories.
‘Catprog says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 1:28 pm
Boerwar says:
Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 12:51 pm
The really important thing is to enjoy your Fuck You tourism while you wait for the governments of the world to convert transport and fixed energy to renewables.
Boerwar says:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 2:59 pm
The Greens and their mates want to destroy hundreds of rural and regional communities for their own good.
–
Here we have two people with the same name. One is saying regional tourism communities should not be destroyed. And the other is saying it is vital that they are.’
——————-
Here we have catprog with another go at deflecting from the hypocrisy of the Greens Party at the tourism/environment policy intersection.
What catprog might want to think about is why the Greens Party wants to promote and grow an industry that generates something like 9% of the world’s CO2 emissions right now.
What catprog might want to think about is the disjunct between the Greens Party campaign on housing and the massive housing opportunity cost of tourism.
What catprog might want to think about is the disjunct about the Greens astroturfing local developments while promoting the industry that is pushing those developments.
What catprog might want to think about is the way in which the Greens Party is promoting an industry that is massively involved in destroying biodiversity.
But, yeah, nah. Catprog does not do policy. Catprog snipes on behalf of a Party that is fundamentally hypocritical and sleazily political in the tourism industry policy space.