Posts in ‘Australian Politics’

Albanese’s QANTAS ownership own goal

Thursday, March 6th, 2014

Anthony Albanese didn’t need to make the claim that eight out of the top ten airlines in the world are majority government-owned to make his case out. But he did, and if he was properly briefed he must have known that claim was wrong. Now he must certainly know that claim is wrong because the […]

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Posted by Graham at 12:57 pm | Comments (4) |

Redcliffe an opportunity for Newman

Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

The Redcliffe byelection provides the Newman government with an opportunity. Like most oppositions who win government, particularly with a large majority, they have been having trouble justifying themselves. At the last election electors’ preoccupation was with ridding themselves of the Bligh government. They didn’t give a lot of thought to what the LNP would do […]

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Posted by Graham at 9:39 pm | Comments (1) |
Filed under: Australian Politics

Kids in detention: New AHRC Inquiry

Tuesday, February 4th, 2014

Yesterday the Australian Human Rights Commission has announced the second inquiry into the human rights of children in immigration detention. See:  www.humanrights.gov.au/national-inquiry-children-immigration-detention-2014 Between 2002 and 2004 I as the Australian Human Rights Commissioner have conducted the first inquiry that resulted in a report ‘A Last Resort? National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention’ tabled in […]

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Posted by Sev Ozdowski at 6:29 am | Comments (1) |

The Case for Defenestration

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

A few months ago I visited Prague, home of Kafka. He was a disturbed author, and after my visit I started to understand why. On top of many centuries of conflict, Communism imposed a wicked peace. The dramatic points of Prague’s long history include the 3 (some say 4) defenestrations spread over several centuries. If […]

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Posted by Ronda Jambe at 3:30 pm | Comments (2) |
Filed under: Australian Politics

Questions for Labor on car industry

Wednesday, December 11th, 2013

The Labor Party has suddenly become opportunistically very supportive of the car industry. Why not? Perhaps the South Australian state election, and certainly some South Australian and Victorian federal seats, will turn on it. But this is the party that under Gough Whitlam slashed tariffs by 17% that set off the turn to globalisation in […]

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Posted by Graham at 11:13 pm | Comments (13) |

Feast of fools – addicted to takeaway media stunts

Sunday, November 10th, 2013

An email from Zeg Cartoonist came in (which I have reproduced in full below) along with this cartoon. G’day,  It’s been most amusing and enlightening for me to watch the usual suspects in the mainstream media and surprisingly some not so usual ones, literally crying and bleating because the new Federal Coalition Govt. has decided […]

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Posted by Graham at 4:30 pm | Comments (2) |
Filed under: Australian Politics

Abbott reality must be wrong

Friday, November 8th, 2013

There’s the gag about the economist for whom reality was just a special case of his model, and then there’s the ALP reaction to the reality of Tony Abbott. I find it bizarre, and dishonest, both to themselves and us, that because Abbott refuses to conform to the “cut to the bone” Tony that the […]

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Posted by Graham at 7:42 am | Comments (1) |
Filed under: Australian Politics

Remuneration of politicians

Wednesday, October 9th, 2013

I have quite a few friends who are politicians. A decent chunk of them earn much less than they could in the private sector. Some of them left much more lucrative jobs to go into politics. Others that I know undoubtedly obtained a pay rise by going into representative politics, and I wonder whether they […]

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Posted by Nick at 2:50 pm | Comments (6) |

Minor parties plan assault on political duopoly

Friday, October 4th, 2013

The election of Cathy McGowan in Indi has energised some minor and micro party supporters to become more professional. Whether they can have the same success remains to be seen, but they’re getting together to discuss how to use existing organisations and new technology to take on the major party duopoly. Calling themselves the Heart […]

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Posted by Graham at 5:26 pm | Comments (3) |

Another reason Labor lost

Tuesday, September 24th, 2013

Mike Kelly talking to Waleed Ali tonight on Radio National provides a complete picture of why Labor isn’t coming back any time soon. Kelly, a military officer recruited from the army by the ALP specifically to run for parliament, was a star candidate, a minister, and the member for the bell wether seat of Eden […]

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Posted by Graham at 10:12 pm | Comments (4) |
Filed under: Australian Politics