Politics
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Christian Porter responsible for serial breaches of the law, now cries “rule of law”
Christian Porter is responsible for serial breaches of the law, as documented repeatedly by Pearls and Irritations. These revelations alone should be enough to see Porter removed from official duties but his relentless persecution of Witness K and Bernard Collaery – both denied natural justice and prosecuted in secret – are hardly the stuff of Continue reading »
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Petulant, punishment politics is becoming the norm
The $50 million spent on re-opening the Christmas Island detention facility just because it lost out on the Medevac bill was a every expensive Coalition dummy spit. Many politicians are starting to think there must be something special about them when they get re-elected, rather than it simply being a function of the system. Continue reading »
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Against the odds, South Australia is a renewable energy powerhouse. How on Earth did they do it?
Less than two decades ago, SA generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping 60% of the state’s electricity supply. The remarkable progress came as national climate policy was gripped by paralysis – so how did it happen? Continue reading »
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Brendan Nelson’s Gold Brick Road. Part 3
Former Defence Minister Brendan Nelson’s troubling hook-up with Boeing Defence. Continue reading »
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The AFP is a political tool of government.
Parliamentarians and the public already know enough about the handling of the alleged sexual assault case in the office of the Minister for Defence to make judgments about how the political system treats victims. Continue reading »
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The persistence of American authoritarianism should worry Australia
America has become less comprehensible and predictable to outside observers. The scale of the support for ex-President Trump’s election fraud claims, the assault on the Capitol, and the failure to convict Trump in the Senate, all seem to be portents of an emerging illiberal authoritarianism. The illiberal forces are barely restrained. Australian policymakers must already Continue reading »
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Fundamental failure: Aged care a public good or competitive market? RC fails to address role of private providers
The Royal Commission’s first report elegantly articulated the problems that needed to be fixed. The final report fails to set out a coherent package of practical solutions this same RC identified in ‘Neglect‘. Significant increases in funding are required. But they need to have big strings attached. Amazingly, the Royal Commission failed to address this Continue reading »
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The abuse culture comes from entitled boys from almost all the most expensive and privileged private schools – the germ of Australia’s ruling class.
Is anyone surprised that in this environment of contempt for the public, the disadvantaged, and for principles of public stewardship, that disrespect for women rages, and that abuse of women is seen more through the lens of political damage? Continue reading »
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The first law officer of the land must be beyond reproach
In the words of investigative journalist Michelle Fahy: “Federal attorney general Christian Porter is the first law officer of the land. The role is a uniquely powerful position, one that is supposed to sit, unblemished and above the reach of vested interests. Yet as federal attorney general Porter has demonstrated a disturbing acquiescence to powerful Continue reading »
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Risky business: The act governing treatment of parliamentary staff (MOPS) needs overhaul
Is it asking too much to expect parliamentary staff, who are paid by taxpayers and exercise privileged influence if not direct public power, to behave with high ethical standards? The absence of clear lines of accountability and clear behavioural expectations is no longer acceptable. Continue reading »
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Pariah state: ‘Something really ugly’ about Australia’s foreign policy
In summing up the malign influence of the Murdoch media in the UK, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger commented: “We’ve allowed something really ugly to happen in this country…” The same has to be said about the ugliness of Australian foreign policy, with the Murdoch media bearing some responsibility for uncritical support of nefarious practices. Continue reading »
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We can and must reverse the dramatic decline of trust in Parliament
Nearly half of all legislation is now delegated legislation, i.e. made by ministerial orders, and some of it cannot be disallowed by Parliament. Such an extraordinary accumulation of power in the hands of the federal government is dangerous for democracy. A recent Senate committee report proposes strengthening the parliamentary committee system to increase accountability. Continue reading »
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Morrison’s government: the most amoral in 50 years
It is extraordinary that a Liberal Party leadership manages to be outside the bubble when anything might go wrong. Concepts of right and wrong have no place in what it does, and even what it says it does. Its only concern is the exercise of power, to satisfy its current whimsies and to excuse and Continue reading »
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Julie Bishop’s travels along the Gold Brick Road. Part 2
In this second of a three-part examination of the employment of former senior Coalition ministers, we investigate former Foreign Minister Julie (“Duchess”) Bishop’s post-politics employment with the international aid group Palladium. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up, 28 February 2021
Australia’s rooftop solar is burying coal while chilly Texas provides lessons about the energy transition. Four storey buildings with a courtyard provide the most energy efficient homes. Extinction in six minutes (the facts not the event), and native snails coming back from near extinction on Lord Howe. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
What people in other forums are saying about public policy Continue reading »
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Morrison’s media code could be catastrophic for climate and energy news
Morrison’s government could hardly have wished for a better outcome. The core of their supplicant media is to receive millions to continue their cheering from the sidelines, while independent voices such as RenewEconomy risk being squeezed by these secret deals. Yet big media companies and the competition regulator claim this to be some sort of Continue reading »
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Premier of ‘Sydney’ launches farewell tour to regain dignity
Gladys Berejiklian is telling voters on the South Coast one thing: Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is regaling the CBD with quite another. They are on two different missions: she wants out; he wants in. Continue reading »
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Hunger games: is it any wonder that most of the Independents and MPs from small parties are women?
The major parties are largely managed by men who manipulate the choice of candidates to favour men like themselves. I doubt there has been a woman working in Parliament who has not experienced sexual harassment at some time in her career. It is time men in leadership roles faced up to their individual responsibility to Continue reading »
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The JobSeeker rise – back to 2007 payment levels
Lowering the overall level of unemployment benefits that job seekers are going to receive in the middle of a recession is likely to cost jobs. Continue reading »
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Rethinking Australia’s Covid vaccine rollout: beware a two-tier system. Part 1
If our rollout proceeds, using two different vaccines, we might create a society of suspicion and division: vaccinated v non-vaccinated, Pfizer v AstraZeneca. Most other countries need to mass vaccinate now but Australia doesn’t. We should forget AstraZeneca and wait for higher efficacy vaccines to avoid having lower overall immunity than those other countries. Continue reading »
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The humble necktie (or ‘colonial noose’) remains a powerful symbol
It turned into a prickly day in the Beehive in Wellington when Rawiri Waititi walked into Parliament wearing a large greenstone taonga around his neck, rather than a necktie. Continue reading »
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The Morrison method – if you don’t ask, you can’t tell
Some prime ministers are more practised liars than others. Some can confuse, distract and prevaricate in such a way as to strangle the truth. Morrison, however, is a special case. He does not seem to recognise any obligation to account. He resists any scrutiny and while using words such as “transparency” almost everything he does Continue reading »
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I have never seen, over 50 years, a more slippery customer than Morrison
How Prime Minister Scott Morrison ‘feels’ the pain of others. For him, almost everything is a public relations problem. Continue reading »
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Coalition government continues to short-change bushfire victims
No figures are publicly available for the three largest bushfire recovery funds, which account for more than 55% of the $2.73 billion the federal Coalition has promised to devastated communities. And by the end of last year, less than half of that $2.73 billion had been spent, some $500 million less than claimed by David Continue reading »
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Even a brown paper bag filled with cash may not be enough to start an investigation
The recent release of Australian Electoral Commission political donation figures has put the lack of transparency back in the spotlight. This issue is also behind the push for a federal integrity commission. But the Coalition government, which is by far the largest recipient of political donations, has no intention of reforming the system and is Continue reading »
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Trial by media, politicians or social media does not serve justice
The mindset that says that all persons who make claims of sexual abuse are to be believed and therefore they are “survivors” or “victims” is problematic to say the least. Continue reading »
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The new normal: the former ministers racing down the Gold Brick Road (Part 1)
This is a three-part look at the afterlife of former Commonwealth ministers of the Crown. Because of space limitations, the inquiry focuses on the notorious post-politics employment of two defence ministers, Christopher Pyne and Brendan Nelson, and one foreign minister, Julie Bishop. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up, 21 February 2021
Stories from Guyana, USA and south west Africa illustrate the local dangers of oil and gas developments, while oil companies globally are struggling. Stories from Nicaragua, Cambodia, India and Lizard Island about the effects of climate change on communities and nature. Continue reading »
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Remembering Darwin and …
On a warm Thursday morning 79 years ago, on 19 February 1942, two forces of Japanese bombers swept over the Arafura Sea to drop bombs on Darwin…When Australians remember the bombing of Darwin – which they should – as a shocking and potentially portentous event in Australia’s history, they might also consider the sufferings of Continue reading »