Australian Politics General...

[mullokintyre]

Definitely , and appearances.

If the Govt allowed the case to be contested they would be accused of putting more pressure on Brittany whose mental state is not good from all accounts.

So she gets a taxpayer payout to shut her up and get the matter off the books.

There is no guarantee she will shut up and have it taken off the books.
Firstly, there is the book advance that that the red bandanered one organised.
Plus I can see a mini series with Tim Winton playing Bruce Lehrman, Nicole Kidman as Ms Higgins, Cate Blanchett playing Cash, Magda Szubanski playing Reynolds, Geoffrey Rush as Albanese, and Eric Bana playing Morrison. Should be a winner.
Mick

 

[Smurf1976]

there is no way I will look look up MMT

Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl or if you prefer C9H7MnO3

Be aware that our politicians may have some difficulties with chemical formulas. Just a hunch.

 

[sptrawler]

I don't want this to be political, but maybe I don't follow politics enough, but from the outside looking in it sounds like wash, rinse, repeat. ?

Government abolishes AAT, declaring its reputation has been ruined

One of the most notoriously politicised bodies in the Commonwealth will be overhauled, as the attorney-general seeks to end political appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

www.abc.net.au

From the article:
One of the most notoriously politicised bodies, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, will be abolished after the attorney-general declared its reputation had been irreversibly damaged.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the former government made dozens of politicised appointments to the AAT in its time in office, and that he would end the "cronyism".
"By appointing 85 former Liberal MPs, failed Liberal candidates, former Liberal staffers and other close Liberal associates, without any merit-based selection process … the former government fatally compromised the AAT," Mr Dreyfus said.
"Australians rightly expect honesty, integrity and accountability in government."
For almost 50 years the AAT was tasked with reviewing the decisions of government, including on matters of taxation, immigration and social security.

Appointments to the AAT were made by the government of the day for terms of up to seven years, though members could be re-appointed.

Mr Dreyfus said the new body would have a merit-based process for appointing tribunal members, after he accused the former government of sometimes appointing members to review issues such as taxation despite having no expertise in the area.

Accusations of politicised appointments have been levelled at former governments of all stripes, though progressive think tank The Australia Institute found a significant rise in what it deemed political appointments after the Coalition won office in 2013.

The think tank found around 5 per cent of AAT appointments under the Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments had been made to people with political connections, but that jumped to more than one-third of appointments under the Morrison government.

Justice Susan Kenney has been appointed as the acting president of the AAT to guide its transition to the new system.

Mr Dreyfus said the new review body would be given 75 additional staff to help clear backlogs, at a cost of $63.4 million.

 

[sptrawler]

How many times has the Government warned us about not drinking unbranded, unsealed, undrinkable $hit in Bali?

Nationals MP Michael McCormack's kava-drinking ordeal leaves him 'cross-eyed' in hospital

The former deputy prime minister says he drank five bowls of kava in Vanuatu a day before being rushed to hospital after downing another more potent version of the traditional Pacific drink in Micronesia.

www.abc.net.au

 

[sptrawler]

Unfortunately have to put everything into one thread now, as if you put it in the wrong thread I'm sure @Joe Blow would be in all sorts of trouble.
Just want to place the article to be able to follow up later and want to trace it.

Third of councillors resign in mass exodus from embattled outback council

Four councillors elected to Barkly Regional Council in the remote Northern Territory have resigned in recent days. The mayor says he is shocked by the latest development in the beleaguered outback council.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Sean K]

Krudd is Ambassador to the US.

Didn't Labor criticise the Liberals for installing ex-Libs to diplomatic posts?

Hypocrites one and all.

 

[mullokintyre]

That great master of Transparency, Daniel Andrews, has released 265 stte government created reports three days before Christmas.
From Evil Murdoch press .

The Victorian government has dumped 265 documents on the final sitting day of 2022 and the opening day of parliament. The series of annual reports are dominated by accounts from health departments, the triple zero authority and a range of other government agencies.

They have been sitting on some of them were given to the Government months ago, some only recently.
By releasing a bundle before Christmas, there us less chance of something becoming a news item
A cynic might suggest its a perfect way to hide unpleasant things.
Mick

 

[SirRumpole]

That great master of Transparency, Daniel Andrews, has released 265 stte government created reports three days before Christmas.
From Evil Murdoch press .



They have been sitting on some of them were given to the Government months ago, some only recently.
By releasing a bundle before Christmas, there us less chance of something becoming a news item
A cynic might suggest its a perfect way to hide unpleasant things.
Mick

Yeah, but I'm sure any journalist worth their salt will have their noses buried in them over Christmas.

 

[sptrawler]

And the Brittany Higgins fallout continues.

Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyers send legal letters to Ten, News Corp

The ACT announced an independent inquiry into the handling of the Lehrmann case by both the police and the prosecutor.

www.smh.com.au

Lawyers acting for former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann have sent legal letters to media outlets over their coverage of rape allegations aired by his former colleague, Brittany Higgins, as he welcomed a public inquiry into authorities’ handling of his abandoned criminal trial.

The ACT government announced the inquiry following reports that the territory’s director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, SC, complained that police had tried to pressure him not to prosecute Lehrmann, prompting law enforcement to call for a separate probe.

 

[SirRumpole]

Mr Dreyfus said the new review body would be given 75 additional staff to help clear backlogs, at a cost of $63.4 million.

"Ah yes Minister, you actually need more public servants to reduce waste, and it's more expensive to do things cheaply."

Humphrey Appleby.

 

[Knobby22]

And the Brittany Higgins fallout continues.

Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyers send legal letters to Ten, News Corp

The ACT announced an independent inquiry into the handling of the Lehrmann case by both the police and the prosecutor.

www.smh.com.au

Lawyers acting for former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann have sent legal letters to media outlets over their coverage of rape allegations aired by his former colleague, Brittany Higgins, as he welcomed a public inquiry into authorities’ handling of his abandoned criminal trial.

The ACT government announced the inquiry following reports that the territory’s director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, SC, complained that police had tried to pressure him not to prosecute Lehrmann, prompting law enforcement to call for a separate probe.

100% for this enquiry.
If accusations and mistakes are made then they should be addressed and also if there are legislative shortcomings then they can be addressed. Good governance.

 

[Knobby22]

I don't want this to be political, but maybe I don't follow politics enough, but from the outside looking in it sounds like wash, rinse, repeat. ?

Government abolishes AAT, declaring its reputation has been ruined

One of the most notoriously politicised bodies in the Commonwealth will be overhauled, as the attorney-general seeks to end political appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

www.abc.net.au

From the article:
One of the most notoriously politicised bodies, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, will be abolished after the attorney-general declared its reputation had been irreversibly damaged.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the former government made dozens of politicised appointments to the AAT in its time in office, and that he would end the "cronyism".
"By appointing 85 former Liberal MPs, failed Liberal candidates, former Liberal staffers and other close Liberal associates, without any merit-based selection process … the former government fatally compromised the AAT," Mr Dreyfus said.
"Australians rightly expect honesty, integrity and accountability in government."
For almost 50 years the AAT was tasked with reviewing the decisions of government, including on matters of taxation, immigration and social security.

Appointments to the AAT were made by the government of the day for terms of up to seven years, though members could be re-appointed.

Mr Dreyfus said the new body would have a merit-based process for appointing tribunal members, after he accused the former government of sometimes appointing members to review issues such as taxation despite having no expertise in the area.

Accusations of politicised appointments have been levelled at former governments of all stripes, though progressive think tank The Australia Institute found a significant rise in what it deemed political appointments after the Coalition won office in 2013.

The think tank found around 5 per cent of AAT appointments under the Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments had been made to people with political connections, but that jumped to more than one-third of appointments under the Morrison government.

Justice Susan Kenney has been appointed as the acting president of the AAT to guide its transition to the new system.

Mr Dreyfus said the new review body would be given 75 additional staff to help clear backlogs, at a cost of $63.4 million.

I think many of those Liberal hacks they used to stack the board were too busy on other boards etc. to do the work.
How did they get that far behind?
It is really very wrong on a number of levels.

 

[mullokintyre]

I think many of those Liberal hacks they used to stack the board were too busy on other boards etc. to do the work.
How did they get that far behind?
It is really very wrong on a number of levels.

Have a close relative sitting on the Vic AAT.
The problems are exactly the same, massive backlog of cases, some people will be waiting for three years for a hearing.
His reasons, massive increase in caseload, not having staff available due to COVID, plus the general level of angst in the community to anything and everything. This may well be true, but I think his biggest problem is that he is a poorly trained typist, so with two fingered typing it takes him a long time to write up judgements. In the old days, he had an extremely skilled typist who typed as he spoke. Better than a dictaphone.
Mick

 

[SirRumpole]

This may well be true, but I think his biggest problem is that he is a poorly trained typist, so with two fingered typing it takes him a long time to write up judgements. In the old days, he had an extremely skilled typist who typed as he spoke. Better than a dictaphone.

There is such a thing as voice recognition to text these days.

 

[sptrawler]

Situation normal, as I've said on numerous occasions, it was much easier to put the squeeze on the Libs for a pay rise.
Everyone and their dog would give the Libs heaps, so they capitulated pretty easily, it ain't so easy when Labor are in. ?
A month saved here, a month saved there, it all adds to the bottom line.
It's nice to watch, now I'm not working.

Pay rise fast-tracked for WA police resoundingly rejected, sparking warning of fresh industrial action

The WA government will be forced to continue pay negotiations with frontline workers in the new year as two-thirds of police officers knock back its latest offer, with the vote revealed a day after the offer was delivered in a show of "goodwill".

www.abc.net.au

From the article:
Premier Mark McGowan said the pay offer was "final" in the government's mind and that he would not budge on increasing base pay rates, but was happy to discuss other elements of pay and conditions.
Mr Gale said members would now be surveyed about why they rejected the offer and in what further industrial action they were willing to take part – ranging from leaving phones at work or issuing cautions instead of fines, through to marching on Parliament House.
"In January I will provide those reasons to the Commissioner of Police and I will invite him to provide us with a third pay offer," he said.

"If we receive a third offer, we will consider it. If we don't, we will consider a new round of action based on the response that we receive from members."

Immediate pay rise for WA nurses and police won't arrive before Christmas - WAMN News Online

The McGowan Government announced that nurses, midwives, and police will get an immediate pay rise but the payments won’t arrive before Christmas. Nurses to get wage increase between 3 – […]

wamnnews.com.au

 

[sptrawler]

Interesting article and when it is broken down to basics, it shows how at sea the electorate is IMO.
They are just looking for a direction IMO, they were the same in the 2019 election IMO, but had to go with the less loony option.
Then we had Covid, in the last term, so the outcome is pretty interesting and I did vote Albo as I said at the time, the libs were worn out and bereft of ideas.
The other point that has to be remembered is, Labor were voted in with the lowest primary vote in history, so it definitely isn't black and white IMO, just a very confused and scared public.
Cutting away the fluff, I think these points nailed it.

‘A significant negative’: Liberal Party election review finds Morrison ‘out of touch’

The federal election review also revealed late and poor candidate selection and lack of diversity contributed to the worst Liberal poll result since 1946.

www.smh.com.au

From the article:
Scott Morrison and the Liberal Party were considered “out of touch” by voters at the May election, an internal review of the party has found that sheeted home the loss to a lack of policy agenda and crumbling support among professional women.

Compiled by Liberal senator Jane Hume and former party director Brian Loughnane, the review of this year’s election also revealed problems within the party’s state divisions, late or poor candidate selection, scandals and lack of diversity all contributed to the worst Liberal poll result since 1946.

The Coalition suffered a 5.7 per cent fall in its primary vote at the May 21 poll. The Liberal Party lost a string of metropolitan seats to Labor, the Greens and teal independents. It now holds just four of 44 inner-city electorates.
“The prime minister’s standing with voters deteriorated significantly through 2021 to become a significant negative. The prime minister and the party were seen as ‘out of touch’,” they found.

“The leadership choice between Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese became the most influential driver of voting intention during the campaign period.”
The review noted that there was a loss of “political capital” in the 12 months leading up to the election and an “accumulation of negative issues”.

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These included a loss of political focus due to the demands of dealing with the Covid pandemic, allegations of poor treatment of women, the length of time the party had been in office and problems with its state divisions.

The lack of an agenda for a prospective fourth term in office was a key issue.
“The Coalition’s agenda for a fourth term appeared to be limited and unclear to the electorate. The most significant policy announcement, on home ownership, was announced in the last week of the campaign,” it found.

“The sense the government had ‘run its race’ was allowed to develop as a result. Voters, including those acknowledging the government’s effective performance in managing the pandemic, did not have a clear view of the Coalition’s priorities for another term.”

 

[IFocus]

The Teals took seats that should have been Liberal blue ribbon, Teat candidates were quality verse very ordinary Liberal moderates that always got rolled by minority hard right in the party room resulting in ideological BS about everything.

Then there are the Nats rabid anti Climate action while shaking down Morrison for billions didn't help.

Morrison was just icing on the cake IMHO.

 

[sptrawler]

The Teals took seats that should have been Liberal blue ribbon, Teat candidates were quality verse very ordinary Liberal moderates that always got rolled by minority hard right in the party room resulting in ideological BS about everything.

Then there are the Nats rabid anti Climate action while shaking down Morrison for billions didn't help.

Morrison was just icing on the cake IMHO.

Absolutely nailed it, the Libs were well past their use by date, if Shorten hadn't gone weird they would have won the 2019 election.
But having said that, the policies they were carrying into the 2019 election, would have been a disaster for them when covid hit.
Franking credits to self funded retirees stopped, when they didn't get a dividend anyway, would not have worked well.
But some were cheering it on.
IMO it was a bit like the Howard era, they had run their race and Australia was in good shape, but people get bored and want change.
It was better for Australia IMO, that Labor lost the 2019 election and didn't face the covid debacle, Albo is a much better fit and doesn't seem to carry the baggage Shorten did.
IMO it is all about picking the right team for the times and I think Labor have a better chance of pulling off a better outcome, they will make mistakes, but more of the same wasn't the answer in my opinion.
Most of the teals will be gone next election IMO, pointless bored people who want to big note themselves, but like many others once the reality of having to perform for very little personal accolades sinks in, they will jump ship IMO.
Time will tell.
A bit like Maxine McKew IMO. A political statement, of little benefit and no one will know at what cost.
We ae lucky in W.A, we seem to be more centred IMO.
Maxine Margaret McKew (born 22 July 1953[1]) is a former Australian Labor politician and journalist; she was the Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in the First Rudd Ministry and the First Gillard Ministry.

Between 2007 and 2010, she was the member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Bennelong, New South Wales. Until 2007, the seat was held by the then Prime Minister John Howard, who had been the member for 33 years. She was only the second person to unseat a sitting Australian prime minister since Jack Holloway defeated Stanley Bruce in 1929;[2] and the third person to unseat the leader of a major party, after Neville Newell defeated Charles Blunt, leader of the National Party, in 1990. At the 2010 Federal election she lost her seat to the Liberal Party candidate, John Alexander.

 

[moXJO]

I think Labor will pick up more votes next election. There is stuff sneaking through that will be on the nose when it filters through to real world. But overall it seems to be a steady hand.

 

[Knobby22]

The Libs know what they have to do, but as the Libs in Victoria have found out its hard to change entrenched power.