Victorian Politics

[IFocus]

This is what we are up against in Victoria.
As the comedian booked to provide light relief at Friday’s event put it: ‘‘It’s getting hot in here, must be all the cookers.’’

Cookers mean heat for Heaths​

PATRICK HATCH

The civil war inside the Victorian Liberal Party shows no signs of letting up. The latest skirmish was in the headlines at the weekend after sitting MP Renee Heath attended an event hosted by antilockdown and anti-vaccination activist Morgan Jonas, who also happens to be the founder of the Freedom Party of Victoria.
Renee has said she was only there to support her father, Brian Heath, who was speaking at the Rowville event with a rogues’ gallery of fringe politics influencers and conspiracy peddlers.
United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet and former federal MP Craig Kelly were there too, and warmly received by the audience, which, by the way, seemed to have embraced the ‘‘cooker’’ label used to deride antilockdown and conspiracy-minded folks.
Based in Gippsland, Brian is the senior pastor at the City Builders Church – an ultra-conservative Pentecostal outfit, which, as The Age has previously detailed, has attempted to infiltrate conservative politics.
It’s really the last thing Opposition Leader John Pesutto needs before the August 26 Warrandyte byelection and as he attempts to recover from the messy expulsion of MP Moira Deeming after her attendance at an anti-trans rally gatecrashed by Nazis.
Renee’s attendance at the Rowville event infuriated party colleagues. But if they don’t fancy the prospect of expelling another sitting MP, it might be more clearcut when it comes to her dad.
CBD has confirmed Brian is an office holder on the Liberal Party’s Latrobe Valley State Election Council. He wouldn’t return our calls, and Renee Heath and Liberal HQ declined to comment – even just to confirm the status of his position. Sources say he will be in trouble as soon as the Warrandyte vote is finished.
‘‘There’ll be a motion to expel him and significant pressure on Renee to be expelled too,’’ one party source suggested.
The party constitution provides grounds for expulsion if found ‘‘guilty of disloyalty to the party’’. That might include appearing at a political rival’s event where other speakers were laying into Pesutto almost as much as Daniel Andrews.
So, it is possible that both the Heaths soon could be feeling the heat. As the comedian booked to provide light relief at Friday’s event put it: ‘‘It’s getting hot in here, must be all the cookers.’’

That's undeliverable mind you WA is next level crazy

 

[JohnDe]

Sorry to my Victorian friends and family, but you are a special bunch

Daniel Andrews blows $380m on Commonwealth Games cancellation

Victoria will pay $380 million compensation to the three Commonwealth Games bodies for cancelling the 2026 event but there will be other substantially higher hidden costs facing taxpayers.​

​

And the terms of the settlement will be confidential, opening the way for significant debate about exactly what was agreed to and why.​

​

The three key Commonwealth Games bodies and Victoria announced the payout figure on Saturday morning, which is higher than initially expected but lower than the highest estimates that were floated publicly amid the outrage over the cancellation.​

East West Link: Cost of scrapping project more than $1.1 billion, auditor-general says

The cost to taxpayers of scrapping Melbourne's East West Link road project has topped $1.1 billion, Victoria's auditor-general has found.​

​

In a scathing report tabled in Parliament, Dr Peter Frost condemned both sides of politics for wasting public money and criticised the state's public servants for sometimes failing to provide frank and fearless advice.​

 

[sptrawler]

I reckon they deliberately meant their fellow members.

The average number of houses owned by politicians is 4. I don’t blame them as it's the easiest way to make money due to our tax system.

I own no investment properties. I don't want to become a landlord. Prefer shares.

The problem in Australia IMO, is sensible objective debate and news coverage, has been hijacked by tribal politics which is just driven by emotion and zero common sense.
Australia needs a bigger middle ground, to hold both sides of politics accountable, at the moment that isn't happening.

 

[sptrawler]

Does this come under pork barreling, ICAC or just plain arrogance and not giving a $hit.

Commonwealth Games ‘never stacked up’, business case shows

The business case for the 2026 Commonwealth Games reveals the Andrews government was preparing to waste up to 30¢ for every $1 invested when it signed up to host the event.

www.theage.com.au

The business case for the dumped 2026 Commonwealth Games last year predicted the event would potentially fail to generate any economic benefit even before the projected cost almost tripled within 18 months.

Financial workings, released on Saturday after the government reached a $380 million settlement with Commonwealth Games organisers, reveal the Andrews government was told it might generate only 70¢ in economic benefits for every $1 invested when it signed up to host the event at regional hubs.

The figures, which sparked fresh concerns about the state’s bid, found the best-case scenario would have delivered an economic dividend of just 60¢ for every $1 spent.

Benefits the government used to justify the 2026 Commonwealth Games​

MISSING: summary MISSING: current-rows.

Benefit-cost Ratio
Benefits (NPV, 7 per cent real discount rate)	Worst case	Best case
Value add from increased tourism (pre and during the Games)	$298m	$325m
Value add from induced tourism (post-Games)	$184m	$265m
Value add from increased tourism from future major events	$38m	$47m
Value add from induced exports	$324m	$377m
Value add from induced business investment	$90m	$120m
Social housing benefits	$153m	$153m
Avoided health costs and reduced productivity costs from increased physical activity	$228m	$352m
Consumer surplus	$46m	$97m
Civic pride	$21m	$38m
Increased volunteerism	$9m	$9m
Total benefits	$1390m	$1782m

 

[JohnDe]

Does this come under pork barreling, ICAC or just plain arrogance and not giving a $hit.

Commonwealth Games ‘never stacked up’, business case shows

The business case for the 2026 Commonwealth Games reveals the Andrews government was preparing to waste up to 30¢ for every $1 invested when it signed up to host the event.

www.theage.com.au

The business case for the dumped 2026 Commonwealth Games last year predicted the event would potentially fail to generate any economic benefit even before the projected cost almost tripled within 18 months.

Financial workings, released on Saturday after the government reached a $380 million settlement with Commonwealth Games organisers, reveal the Andrews government was told it might generate only 70¢ in economic benefits for every $1 invested when it signed up to host the event at regional hubs.

The figures, which sparked fresh concerns about the state’s bid, found the best-case scenario would have delivered an economic dividend of just 60¢ for every $1 spent.

Benefits the government used to justify the 2026 Commonwealth Games​

MISSING: summary MISSING: current-rows.

Benefits (NPV, 7 per cent real discount rate)	Worst case	Best case
Benefit-cost Ratio
Value add from increased tourism (pre and during the Games)	$298m	$325m
Value add from induced tourism (post-Games)	$184m	$265m
Value add from increased tourism from future major events	$38m	$47m
Value add from induced exports	$324m	$377m
Value add from induced business investment	$90m	$120m
Social housing benefits	$153m	$153m
Avoided health costs and reduced productivity costs from increased physical activity	$228m	$352m
Consumer surplus	$46m	$97m
Civic pride	$21m	$38m
Increased volunteerism	$9m	$9m
Total benefits	$1390m	$1782m

Who said it was about economic benefit? It was always about winning regional votes, and it worked.

The majority of Victorian’s are either socialist or gullible ?

 

[wayneL]

either socialist or gullible ?

Same thing, really.

 

[Knobby22]

Does this come under pork barreling, ICAC or just plain arrogance and not giving a $hit.

Commonwealth Games ‘never stacked up’, business case shows

The business case for the 2026 Commonwealth Games reveals the Andrews government was preparing to waste up to 30¢ for every $1 invested when it signed up to host the event.

www.theage.com.au

The business case for the dumped 2026 Commonwealth Games last year predicted the event would potentially fail to generate any economic benefit even before the projected cost almost tripled within 18 months.

Financial workings, released on Saturday after the government reached a $380 million settlement with Commonwealth Games organisers, reveal the Andrews government was told it might generate only 70¢ in economic benefits for every $1 invested when it signed up to host the event at regional hubs.

The figures, which sparked fresh concerns about the state’s bid, found the best-case scenario would have delivered an economic dividend of just 60¢ for every $1 spent.

Benefits the government used to justify the 2026 Commonwealth Games​

MISSING: summary MISSING: current-rows.

Benefit-cost Ratio
Benefits (NPV, 7 per cent real discount rate)	Worst case	Best case
Value add from increased tourism (pre and during the Games)	$298m	$325m
Value add from induced tourism (post-Games)	$184m	$265m
Value add from increased tourism from future major events	$38m	$47m
Value add from induced exports	$324m	$377m
Value add from induced business investment	$90m	$120m
Social housing benefits	$153m	$153m
Avoided health costs and reduced productivity costs from increased physical activity	$228m	$352m
Consumer surplus	$46m	$97m
Civic pride	$21m	$38m
Increased volunteerism	$9m	$9m
Total benefits	$1390m	$1782m

They knew it wasn't a goer but it was much worse than predicted. Too many people wanted it to happen and E&Y were put in charge of estimating it and got it completely wrong. I will give points to the government for pulling out and getting pilloried as a result but this is a disaster.

Too much group think, lack of rigour and an over reliance on accounting firms when they should have been using estimating firms and engineering firms to work this out.

Heads should roll. The sports/ events minister should have resigned. Chosen heir, the deputy premier, Jacinta Allen has her hands all over this and has shown she is not fit to be a future leader.
E&Y should return their fees.

 

[Smurf1976]

Too much group think, lack of rigour and an over reliance on accounting firms when they should have been using estimating firms and engineering firms to work this out.

This is a problem with government overall.

The accounting and consulting firms are seen as gods meanwhile, depending on the subject, engineers, ecologists, doctors, geologists, logistics experts and countless other professions, trades and others who know what needs to happen are sidelined.

That's why so many things keep going wrong.

There's a place for accounting but it's not the answer to everything as government seems to think it is.

 

[mullokintyre]

Two interesting things for those of us spending our days in Victoria.
1. A Labour MP, Will Fowles is being investigated over sexual assault allegations, nd has been forced off the front bench and out of the part.

Police have confirmed they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Victorian state Labor MP Will Fowles.
Mr Fowles tendered his resignation from the parliamentary Labor Party three weeks ago, at the request of Premier Daniel Andrews’ office, following allegations he “seriously” assaulted a government employee. He remains a member of the party.

The MP, who represents Ringwood in Melbourne’s outer east, has “strenuously” denied the allegation of assault and described his resignation as “a situation I expect will be temporary”.
The Premier’s office referred the matter to police, who on Friday morning issued a statement saying detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad were investigating “following a report of an incident in the Melbourne CBD”.

“Police were initially notified of the matter by the state government and a formal investigation has now commenced,” police said. “Given the sensitive nature of this incident and now that it is subject to active investigation, we will not be providing any further commentary.”

The allegations against Mr Fowles are believed to relate to an incident alleged to have occurred at a city hotel.

There has been nothing from the #metoo movement, nothing from the sisters who said that parliament is cesspit of sexual deviants, and Louse Milligan has yet to tweet about the blokes guilt. Nothing from Grace Tame, Miss Higgins, or even lisa Wilkinson.
Now why would that be?
2. John Pesutto has been saying to "liberals across the country that they can win" after the Liberal party took a resounding win in the Warrandyte by-election with the libs candidate Nicole Werner picking up 58% of first preferences, and a whopping 70% on a two party preferred basis.
The fact that there was no Labour candidate to face off against did not seem to dampen his enthusiasm.
The second most popular person was a greens candidate.
Not exactly what i would call a ringing endorsement, and will be almost impossible not to have a swing against her at the next real election.
But I guess he has to find positives.
Mick

 

[JohnDe]

Looks like we are in for some interesting times if these recommendations get through, different rules for different people.

Department of families, fairness and housing

(The) department … must ensure that:

• all incoming child protection staff, as part of their pre-service education, complete cultural awareness and human and cultural rights training covering issues including:
• the history of colonisation and in particular the impact of ‘protection’ and assimilation policies
• the continuing systemic racism and paternalism inherent in child protection work today that must be identified, acknowledged and resisted
• the value of First Peoples family and child rearing practice
• upholding human rights including Aboriginal cultural rights, and
• the strength of First Peoples families and culture and culturally appropriate practices
• all child protection staff and Department executives undertake regular, mandatory cultural safety training, to be designed and delivered by a Victorian First Peoples business or consultants on a paid basis

Police
The Victorian government must establish and adequately resource a new independent police oversight authority … The new authority must:

• have powers to arrest, search property and compel the production of information including from Victoria Police, and
• include a dedicated division for complaints from First Peoples that is under First Peoples leadership.

Access to pre-charge cautions in the adult criminal legal system in appropriate cases should be increased by all necessary legislative, administrative and others means including by:

• legislating a positive duty upon Victoria Police to:
• take into account an Aboriginal person’s unique background and systemic factors when making decisions on cautioning or diversion

The following mandatory criteria must be introduced for the selection and appointment of the chief commissioner of police and when undertaking annual executive performance reviews of the commissioner:

• knowledge, experience, skills and commitment to changing the mindset and culture of Victoria Police, to end systemic racism and to ensure the human rights of First Peoples are respected, protected and promoted in all aspects of police operation.

Justice system

The Victorian government must:

• amend the Sentencing Act to require courts to, in appropriate cases, consider alternatives to imprisonment for all offenders, with particular attention to the circumstances of Aboriginal offenders.
• where appropriate decriminalise offences linked with disadvantage arising from poverty, homelessness, disability, mental ill-health and other forms of social exclusion.

Yoorrook Justice Commission report presents risk to Indigenous voice to parliament

The transfer of power from governments to First Peoples and the creation of separate rules and systems for Indigenous Australians are inextricably linked to the agenda behind a voice to parliament.

Where is the proof? It’s there in black and white in the 46 recommendations made by the Yoorrook Justice Commission aimed at overhauling the criminal justice and child protection systems in Victoria.

Many of the report’s recommendations are radical and have, so far, flown under the radar. But it is doubtful most Australians would agree with them.

What the report says on ...​

Health services

The Victorian Government must immediately give a direction to health services (including perinatal, maternal and child health services) that:

• clinical and allied health staff working with pregnant women must undertake appropriate training to address bias and build expertise in working safely and effectively with First Peoples women and families to address their social and emotional needs, and
• this training must be designed and delivered by a Victorian First Peoples business or consultants on a paid basis, and completion rates of this training must be publicly reported.

Department of families, fairness and housing

(The) department … must ensure that:

• all incoming child protection staff, as part of their pre-service education, complete cultural awareness and human and cultural rights training covering issues including:
• the history of colonisation and in particular the impact of ‘protection’ and assimilation policies
• the continuing systemic racism and paternalism inherent in child protection work today that must be identified, acknowledged and resisted
• the value of First Peoples family and child rearing practice
• upholding human rights including Aboriginal cultural rights, and
• the strength of First Peoples families and culture and culturally appropriate practices
• all child protection staff and Department executives undertake regular, mandatory cultural safety training, to be designed and delivered by a Victorian First Peoples business or consultants on a paid basis

Police
The Victorian government must establish and adequately resource a new independent police oversight authority … The new authority must:

• have powers to arrest, search property and compel the production of information including from Victoria Police, and
• include a dedicated division for complaints from First Peoples that is under First Peoples leadership.

Access to pre-charge cautions in the adult criminal legal system in appropriate cases should be increased by all necessary legislative, administrative and others means including by:

• legislating a positive duty upon Victoria Police to:
• take into account an Aboriginal person’s unique background and systemic factors when making decisions on cautioning or diversion

The following mandatory criteria must be introduced for the selection and appointment of the chief commissioner of police and when undertaking annual executive performance reviews of the commissioner:

• knowledge, experience, skills and commitment to changing the mindset and culture of Victoria Police, to end systemic racism and to ensure the human rights of First Peoples are respected, protected and promoted in all aspects of police operations

Justice system

The Victorian government must:

• amend the Sentencing Act to require courts to, in appropriate cases, consider alternatives to imprisonment for all offenders, with particular attention to the circumstances of Aboriginal offenders.
• where appropriate decriminalise offences linked with disadvantage arising from poverty, homelessness, disability, mental ill-health and other forms of social exclusion.

Source: Yoorrook Commission.

The findings of the commission’s report loom as a potential risk to the voice referendum, just as the WA government’s now-scrapped cultural heritage laws were seen as an exercise in overreach that turned voters against any constitutional change.

The Andrews government said the creation of the Yoorrook Justice Commission showed it was “actually listening” to Indigenous Australians and “taking meaningful action in order to achieve real and lasting change”. But now the commission is demanding action.

Its key demand is simple: “The Victorian government must transfer decision-making power, authority, control and resources to First Peoples, giving full effect to self-determination in the Victorian child protection system.”

Yoorrook Commission - Key quotes​

Yoorrook Justice Commission

Yoorrook Justice Commission chair Eleanor A Bourke on ...​

The commission's work
‘The Yoorrook Justice Commission represents a critical point in Victoria’s history. This report must be a catalyst for change’

The blueprint
‘Other states, territories and the commonwealth are watching as they embark on truth, treaty and
voice processes’

European settlement
‘Since the arrival of Europeans in Victoria in the 1830s, First Peoples have been removed from our
families and our country and institutionalised at alarming rates as a result of the colonial systems
forced upon us’
‘Police and the processes of the criminal law were part of that system with devastating
consequences for our people’
‘From the early “protection” legislation that allowed the government to control and regulate our
lives, we have experienced and continue to experience systemic racism, harm and injustice at the
hands of the state. Gross human and cultural rights violations occurred which set the pattern for the
future’

What the report says on ...​

Child protection and criminal justice systems
‘For First Peoples, the child protection and criminal justice systems have long been sites of systemic injustice. The removal of Aboriginal children from their families and the criminalisation of resistance to dispossession were state-sanctioned colonial practices in the lands now known as Victoria. They involved gross human and cultural rights violations’

Racism
‘Systemic racism lies at the heart of much of the systemic injustice affecting First Peoples in both systems’
‘The present-day failures of Victoria’s criminal justice and child protection systems for First Peoples are deeply rooted in the colonial foundations of the state of Victoria. European invasion, and the colonial laws and policies which followed it, were predicated on beliefs of racial superiority. The systemic racism which persists today has its origins in colonial systems and institutions’

System reform
‘In relation to the child protection and criminal justice systems, Victoria has an opportunity to achieve self-determination by transferring decision-making power, authority, control and resources to First Peoples as these systems relate to them’
Source: Yoorrook Commission.

In short, it proposes the establishment of a separate “dedicated child protection system” for Aboriginal children to be designed and controlled by First Peoples.

One of the key opponents of the Yes case, former deputy prime minister John Anderson, warned it was “naive to believe that there is not a serious push for co-governance” behind the agenda for a voice to parliament.

“Where are the assurances that Australian children will not face a two-tiered approach to their safety and well being?” Anderson asked.

The Yoorrook Justice Commission bases its recommendations on the idea the over-representation of First Peoples in the child-protection system is a result of the ongoing impacts of colonisation and intergenerational trauma.

Some of its recommendations include:

• The introduction of new mandatory criteria for the selection of the Chief Commissioner of Police including an “understanding of the history of colonisation and in particular the role of Victoria Police in the dispossession, murder and assimilation of First Peoples”.

• The requirement for all incoming child protection staff to complete training covering “the history of colonisation and ... the continuing systemic racism and paternalism inherent in child protection work today.”

• The creation of a presumption “in favour of bail for all offences with the exception of murder, terrorism and like offences.”

• The requirement for all bail decision-makers to explain “what information they have considered to understand how a person’s Aboriginality is relevant.”

• The prohibition of detention for child offenders under the age of 16 years.

• The amendment of the Sentencing Act requiring courts to “consider alternatives to imprisonment for all offenders, with particular attention to the circumstances of Aboriginal offenders.”

• The establishment of a new independent body to oversee Victorian police, including a “dedicated division for complaints from First Peoples that is under First Peoples leadership.”

The recommendations are aimed at addressing a national tragedy in which Aboriginal men are 13.6 times as likely than non-Aboriginal men to be in prison and Aboriginal children over-represented in the child-protection system by a rate of 11 to one.

While this crisis requires urgent action, the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s report risks entrenching scepticism towards Indigenous advisory bodies and their solutions ahead of the October 14 referendum.

JOE KELLY NATIONAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

 

[Knobby22]

Looks like we are in for some interesting times if these recommendations get through, different rules for different people.

Department of families, fairness and housing

(The) department … must ensure that:

• all incoming child protection staff, as part of their pre-service education, complete cultural awareness and human and cultural rights training covering issues including:
• the history of colonisation and in particular the impact of ‘protection’ and assimilation policies
• the continuing systemic racism and paternalism inherent in child protection work today that must be identified, acknowledged and resisted
• the value of First Peoples family and child rearing practice
• upholding human rights including Aboriginal cultural rights, and
• the strength of First Peoples families and culture and culturally appropriate practices
• all child protection staff and Department executives undertake regular, mandatory cultural safety training, to be designed and delivered by a Victorian First Peoples business or consultants on a paid basis

Police
The Victorian government must establish and adequately resource a new independent police oversight authority … The new authority must:

• have powers to arrest, search property and compel the production of information including from Victoria Police, and
• include a dedicated division for complaints from First Peoples that is under First Peoples leadership.

Access to pre-charge cautions in the adult criminal legal system in appropriate cases should be increased by all necessary legislative, administrative and others means including by:

• legislating a positive duty upon Victoria Police to:
• take into account an Aboriginal person’s unique background and systemic factors when making decisions on cautioning or diversion

The following mandatory criteria must be introduced for the selection and appointment of the chief commissioner of police and when undertaking annual executive performance reviews of the commissioner:

• knowledge, experience, skills and commitment to changing the mindset and culture of Victoria Police, to end systemic racism and to ensure the human rights of First Peoples are respected, protected and promoted in all aspects of police operation.

Justice system

The Victorian government must:

• amend the Sentencing Act to require courts to, in appropriate cases, consider alternatives to imprisonment for all offenders, with particular attention to the circumstances of Aboriginal offenders.
• where appropriate decriminalise offences linked with disadvantage arising from poverty, homelessness, disability, mental ill-health and other forms of social exclusion.

From the article:
The recommendations are aimed at addressing a national tragedy in which Aboriginal men are 13.6 times as likely than non-Aboriginal men to be in prison and Aboriginal children over-represented in the child-protection system by a rate of 11 to one.

Maybe it will help?

 

[JohnDe]

From the article:
The recommendations are aimed at addressing a national tragedy in which Aboriginal men are 13.6 times as likely than non-Aboriginal men to be in prison and Aboriginal children over-represented in the child-protection system by a rate of 11 to one.

Maybe it will help?

Yeah, it is the system that is 100% at fault. Nothing to do with dysfunctional families, alcohol and drugs.

Let’s design a multi-tier society, where race dictates the status of the person and their legal rights.

 

[JohnDe]

Reading George Orwell should be made compulsory for the Victorian political elite.

Truth-telling body using ‘make-believe history’: Blainey
Eminent historian Geoffrey Blainey says Victoria’s Indigenous ‘truth-telling’ commission has favoured a Bruce Pascoe version of history.

Eminent historian Geoffrey Blainey has accused Victoria’s Indigenous “truth-telling” body of drawing upon a “make-believe” version of history in its latest report, arguing claims Aborigines had democratic decision-making processes prior to 1788 are wrong.

The Yoorrook Justice Commission’s report claims Aboriginal Victorians had “collective decision making” at the heart of their societies before the British Empire colonised the land in 1788, and uses this history as a basis for its calls for “decision-making power, authority, control and resources” in both the child protection and criminal justice systems to be transferred to Indigenous Victorians.

But Professor Blainey says the commission is ignoring the authoritarian and at times violent nature of relations between Indigenous groups, suggesting their version of history is closer to the views of Anthony Albanese and Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe than those of historians. The commission said the report had been produced after “12 months of intensive research and evidence gathering”, while Professor Pascoe said he had never claimed there had been no violence in Aboriginal society.

ANU WK Hancock Distinguished Professor of History Ann McGrath accused Professor Blainey of “having an imaginary argument with Bruce Pascoe”, claiming the historian has “turned away” from the conclusions of his seminal history of Aboriginal Australia, Triumph of the Nomads.

Yoorrook’s report on Victoria’s child protection and criminal justice systems, published on Monday, states: “Before European invasion, First Peoples were independent and governed by collective decision-making processes with shared kinship, language and culture. They belonged to and were custodians of defined areas of country.”

Professor Blainey said “many scholars” disagreed with this view. “The idea that Aboriginals practised ‘collective decision making’ comes from Bruce Pascoe and our Prime Minister. Their belief that Aboriginals invented democracy 80,000 years ago is make-believe,” the University of Melbourne emeritus professor said.

“Traditional Aboriginal society tended to be authoritarian, and far from democratic. My book, The Story of Australia’s People: the Rise and Fall of Ancient Australia, discusses the kind of historical errors which are now embodied in the Yoorrook verdicts.”

The book won a Prime Minister’s Literary Award in 2016.

Professor Blainey said many experts also disagreed with Yoorrook’s claim that “the systemic racism which persists today has its origins in colonial systems and institutions”.

“There is plenty of evidence that Aboriginal tribes or ‘nations’ thought that they were innately superior to their neighbours,” Professor Blainey said.

He cited a reference in his preface to Triumph of the Nomads to an Indigenous Victorian “meeting a black tribe living only 100 miles away” in the 1840s, and commenting “They are foreign in speech, they are foreign in countenance, they are foreign altogether – they are no good”.

“Brutal warfare existed between Aboriginal peoples, but it is not even mentioned in this week’s edict. Victoria was not the Garden of Eden before 1788, nor after 1788,” Professor Blainey said.

“Of course, Aboriginal societies had some impressive achievements as well as failures.” Professor McGrath said it was a “shame” that Professor Blainey “has turned away from the conclusions of his path-breaking book, the Triumph of the Nomads, which celebrated the myriad achievements of Indigenous Australia prior to European invasion”.

Yoorrook Commission - Key quotes​

Yoorrook Justice Commission​

Yoorrook Justice Commission chair Eleanor A Bourke on ...​

The commission's work​

‘The Yoorrook Justice Commission represents a critical point in Victoria’s history. This report must be a catalyst for change’​

The blueprint​

‘Other states, territories and the commonwealth are watching as they embark on truth, treaty and
voice processes’​

European settlement​

‘Since the arrival of Europeans in Victoria in the 1830s, First Peoples have been removed from our
families and our country and institutionalised at alarming rates as a result of the colonial systems
forced upon us’​

‘Police and the processes of the criminal law were part of that system with devastating
consequences for our people’​

‘From the early “protection” legislation that allowed the government to control and regulate our
lives, we have experienced and continue to experience systemic racism, harm and injustice at the
hands of the state. Gross human and cultural rights violations occurred which set the pattern for the
future’​

​

What the report says on ...​

Child protection and criminal justice systems​

‘For First Peoples, the child protection and criminal justice systems have long been sites of systemic injustice. The removal of Aboriginal children from their families and the criminalisation of resistance to dispossession were state-sanctioned colonial practices in the lands now known as Victoria. They involved gross human and cultural rights violations’
​

Racism​

‘Systemic racism lies at the heart of much of the systemic injustice affecting First Peoples in both systems’​

‘The present-day failures of Victoria’s criminal justice and child protection systems for First Peoples are deeply rooted in the colonial foundations of the state of Victoria. European invasion, and the colonial laws and policies which followed it, were predicated on beliefs of racial superiority. The systemic racism which persists today has its origins in colonial systems and institutions’​

​

System reform​

‘In relation to the child protection and criminal justice systems, Victoria has an opportunity to achieve self-determination by transferring decision-making power, authority, control and resources to First Peoples as these systems relate to them’​

Source: Yoorrook Commission.​

“It goes without saying that Aboriginal knowledge and social organisation must have been impressive for their nations to survive through millennia, with climatic change, coastal inundation and then British colonisation. Few societies could claim such continuity and success,” she said. “In my view, Geoffrey Blainey does not appear to be arguing against the reasonable wording of the Yoorrook Report, but rather having an imaginary argument with Bruce Pascoe.

“While the Yoorrook report probably did not mention anything about the bountiful imagery of the Garden of Eden as taught by the Christian missionaries, Blainey could benefit by thinking about history in a comparative perspective.

“If we lived through a time when we had our land and authority taken away, when our people were decimated by terrible diseases and near starvation, when we feared for our own lives and saw our children taken away, certainly, all our previous experiences might indeed seem idyllic.”

Professor Pascoe said he believed Aboriginal social and economic organisation required close study.

“Recent archaeological revelations and new research papers are interested in this area. Linguists and economists are providing new insights into these questions, and when compared to evidence received directly from elders still alive it makes for interesting contemplation,” the University of Melbourne Enterprise Professor of Indigenous Agriculture said.

“I have never said there was no violence in Aboriginal society, we’re human after all. I said there was no war for land. It’s an important distinction. Current researchers, historians and botanists have very exciting views on these things. Those people deserve our attention.”

Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe. Picture: Andy Rogers

Many of the claims Professor Pascoe makes in Dark Emu have been disputed by experts including Professor Blainey, anthropologist Peter Sutton and archaeologist Kerryn Walshe, as has his claim to Indigenous heritage.

A Yoorrook spokesman said the release of the report had followed “12 months of intensive research and evidence gathering”.

“Yoorrook’s letters patent expressly recognises First Peoples’ experiences of colonisation have included ‘grave historic wrongs and ongoing injustices and intergenerational trauma’,” the spokesman said.

“The report’s 46 recommendations provide government with a road map to create transformational change for First Peoples and the opportunity to create a better Victoria for everyone.”

Royal Historical Society of Victoria president Richard Broome said Professor Blainey was “a prominent historian who is always worth reading. But he is not always correct.”

The La Trobe University Emeritus Professor in History disputed Professor Blainey’s claims that notions of Indigenous Australians having engaged in collective decision-making had emanated from Professor Pascoe and Mr Albanese.

“Many anthropologists would argue traditional decision making sought a consensus. That may not be democracy, but neither was it an authoritarian system,” Professor Broome said.

The Yoorrook Justice Commission. Picture: Brianna Young

He said that while Indigenous Australians, like all other humans, had ethnocentric attitudes, racism had developed in the mid 19th Century.

“Ethnocentrism, the belief that one’s group is superior to others is a universal human trait,” Professor Broome said.

“Aboriginal people shared this like other peoples and had a view of friends and enemies, clans that your group were connected to through kinship or trade, and others that were alien and perhaps enemies.

“But racism, the view that there was a hierarchy of races and innate superiority and inferiority, was a view that developed in the mid 19th century. This idea of innate inferiority was applied globally to the losers in the colonial struggle, and used as a reason for their alleged incompetency in the struggle for existence and for fading away. It allowed the real reasons, the pressures of colonisation, to be ignored.”

Professor Broome said he agreed with Professor Blainey that “brutal warfare existed between Aboriginal peoples”.

“War is a universal human tragedy. But what is its relevance when talking of the impact of colonisation? It is a diversion to gloss over the traumas of colonisation,” he said.

The Australian also sought comment from Indigenous academics Marcia Langton and Tony Birch, and historian Henry Reynolds, but did not receive responses prior to deadline.

Rachel Baxendale VICTORIAN POLITICAL REPORTER MELBOURNE

Rachel Baxendale writes on state and federal politics from The Australian's Melbourne and Victorian press gallery bureaux. During her time working for the paper in the Canberra press gallery she covered the 2016 federal election, the citizenship saga, Barnaby Joyce's resignation as Deputy Prime Minister and the 2018 Liberal leadership spill which saw Scott Morrison replace Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister. Rachel grew up in regional Victoria and began her career in The Australian's Melbourne bureau in 2012.

 

[wayneL]

Reading George Orwell should be made compulsory for the Victorian political elite.

No, it will give them ideas

 

[farmerge]

No, it will give them ideas

Need at least half a functioning brain first.

 

[sptrawler]

Dan the Man, sounds like he has pulled the ripcord.
Well someone's inherited a mess, interesting times, housing mess, electricity mess, State debt mess.
State politics are starting to look like FMG, a revolving door of senior executives, interesting times, it gives one a feeling the smart ones know when to get out.
Anyone guess what the common denominator is yet? The light is obviously dawning and the vision must be scary and big.

Daniel Andrews steps down as Victorian premier

One of Australia’s longest-serving premiers is calling it quits less than a year after winning a third term, telling a snap press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he made the decision in the last few days.

www.theage.com.au

Daniel Andrews will step down as Victorian premier after nine years in power, announcing he will resign from the job and as member for Mulgrave on Tuesday.
The premier made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon at a snap press conference organised with just 40 minutes’ notice.

 

[SirRumpole]

 

[PZ99]

Ya'll stuck with Dan - and he'll probably retire in two years anyway

Only one year out

 

[sptrawler]

View attachment 163002

Yes when you hear the size of their debt, then add to it the cost of the transition to renewables, the housing issue and the mass influx of immigrants adding to the social housing pressure and they all consume electricity.
Then look at the size of the tax base that has to grunt it and it all starts to look like a serious funding shortfall, that's from a back of the napkin approach.

It is starting to look like the GST might be a topic of conversation, while they have a full house of labor across the country, because every State seems to be suffering from the same issue, large looming energy and housing costs and no large looming tax take to cover it.

Stamp duty must be just about maxed out, payroll tax is likely to be dropping if unemployment falls, GST take will be dropping as shoppers tighten their belts, it is doubtful they will pass on all the energy costs to consumers, as that would be admitting it is a bit of a chaotic transition.

So AirBnB tax, well that's ashtray money, EV road tax another pittance plus the EV adoption increase adds extra pressure on the energy sector, which it looks like they are also going to have to give direct subsidies to.

Interesting times ahead. McGowan bailed, Andrews bailed, two of the leading lights, they aren't old and are at the top of their game electorate wise.

 

[Knobby22]

Interesting times ahead. McGowan bailed, Andrews bailed,at the top of their game electorate wise.

And Peter Gutwein in Tazzy also.
All 3 would easily win an election if held at the time of the resignation. Rarely have so may pollies retired on top.

9 years for Andrews, winning each election by more than the previous one. I blame Peta Credlin and brownshirts and the Usa style conspiracy crazies for making him stronger.