Time for a new topic.
I’ve spent all day looking at comments on Facebook and Twitter and in the media from deadheads who say the whole bushfire catastrophe was entirely the fault of the Greens and/or “greenies”, depending what you read. They all seem to believe the Greens have been in government for years because they all rave about Greens policies “locking up” national parks. Some idiot on Twitter assured me Tony Burke and Adam Bandt had personally “locked the gates” of all our national parks. I pointed out the federal government controls only six national parks, none of which are in NSW and none of which are on fire. The states control all our other national parks. He then started blaming the Queensland government for the fires in both Queensland and NSW.
I was going to write a thread starter on this, but then I found something which says it all far better than I could have.
I found this letter on Facebook, I think it’s brilliant. I have corrected the spelling, fixed capital letters, but I have not changed the words. It’s exactly as Bruce Walker of Wytaliba RFS wrote it.
Hi everyone.
My name is Bruce Walker, you might remember me from ABC TV yesterday, I’m one of the survivors of the Wytaliba fires of last Friday, 8th November 2019, responding to this well informed fuckwit here – Anthony ×××××××
So mate – first up, I’ve been an RFS volunteer for close to 20 years, and am part of the highly regarded Wytaliba RFS – one of the most respected and hardened crews on the Northern Tablelands and beyond. Our crew number over 50 and include decorated vets of Ash Wednesday and many other national disaster catastrophic level fires.
Regarding hazard reduction. let me fill you in.
For my time here, we used to do managed hazard reduction whenever it was viable in winter. However – sadly, the moment Gina and Rupert went halves and purchased the LNP wholesale, we saw a MASSIVE increase in wholesale industrial logging across the nation.
Tell me, Anthony – do you garden? Do you use MULCH?
Compare a mulched garden to a non-mulched garden. You’ll see a near instant difference. If you’re not schooled on how soil works, try standing all day in the sun with no hat on. What happens?
That’s right, Anthony. Your head gets fucking hot.
That’s what’s happened to the planet. Now as anyone who’s dabbled in, you know… physics, will spell out better than I can – an increase of just one degree is quite significant.
Another neato thing physics talks about is the water cycle, Anthony.
You see, part of the water cycle is this cool thing called “transpiration”
It’s part 4 of this essential way in which trees send up moisture to meet clouds, creating low pressure troughs which draw rainfall inland In fact, it’s physically impossible to get rain on the lee side of a mountain, without trees doing this very thing. Impossible. Ask the residents of the Atacama Desert in Chile – who haven’t had rain for one THOUSAND years. Why? No fucking trees, Anthony.
So anyway, back to the Greens enacting a ban on burnoffs – that time we elected them to majority government and they had the final say.
When was that again, Anthony? I’ll wait.
Nah. lets move on, since we ALL know this was never a thing . Ever.
So anyway – here in Wytaliba, we used to have an incredibly green lush valley – right up until industrial loggers finally broke in to compartments to our north. Right about this time there was a near instant and significant drop to our vital streamflow.
This happened again after each and every highland logging operation – and with LNP slashing and burning every national park in sight, well… you know, let’s not go there. Climate change is a hoax, right?
So wholesale burn quotas came in with LNP too. This… well.. I just want to pause here and say “wow” because this did indeed make us say wow.
In recent years, we’ve seen hazard reduction burns take place completely surrounding our once green, lush valley. So much so that after the last July burn of an area once supplying most of our water – well… 27 years of no burn had left a healthy and regenerating semi-arid rainforest. Now it’s simply arid nothing.
Despite this burn and 3 more last year, we got the following result – fires flared up in this dry, mulchless wasteland and burned for 6 weeks, destroying 2 more former rainforest areas, leaving them also tinder dry and unable to transpire – hasn’t actually rained a drop since then. Weird. almost like cause and effect took place.
Clouds pass over, for sure. they get rain on the tablelands even – but – as physics reminds us, when air drops, it warms, expands, and rather than raining, sucks even more moisture from trees and soil.
Oh well.
I mean, this is normal for Australia, isn’t it? Watching 200 or more year old trees slowly wither and die right in front of you. That’s normal. Happens all the time. Rivers dry up too, even though ours is home to platypi – who aren’t known for travelling much – and hasn’t dried up in probably 100,000 years minimum.
Until last summer, and it’s been bone dry since August.
This has never happened in my entire 25 or so years here. No local elders remember such a thing. Wow!
Now, we all know about the Bees Nest and Kingsgate fires and the hundreds more around the state. My crew and many other heroic RFS volunteers have been fighting them for months on end.
Yet another backburn actually got lit up about a month ago, on our south side, just half an hour before high southerly winds were due. The responsible paid agency then ran out of paid hours, packed up and left it to spot onto our property and threaten 80 homes.
We’re like the Mujahadeen of firefighting though, so we got it after about 10 days nonstop hectic battle.
This brings us up to date, Anthony. We’ve got bare, blacked-out dust for 50 km in all directions. Right up to the actual eaves of half the homes here, which is why Friday’s hellstorm caught all of us by surprise, Anthony
A mushroom cloud went up at 3 pm, 20 or so km away. Within 30 minutes, high winds turned that into a 20 km long front – strangely, this front was on ground burnt black as recently as 3 weeks ago. Crown fires too, since every tree was literally a giant matchstick with dead leaves and nothing else.
This then switched to 80km/h southerlies and rained hell on 3500 acres of already blacked out ground.
Well… you can’t say we didn’t prep or do hazard reduction redneck style, can you, Anthony? Or can you?
Curiously, within 1 hour we’d lost 20 homes, a school, a fire shed, and a concrete fucking bridge – meaning only 2 outside units even got in to help. Falling trees in the hundreds blocked the old Grafton road, so no one could even help neighbours.
By dawn, of 80 homes in our community, 52 were lost, 2 dead (one a Sex Party voter, the other apolitical – this one is for you, Barnaby fucking Joyce. 😉 We had many injured, thousands of local animals died, and it looks like a war zone here. Which it did almost before, except we had homes.
So, Anthony ××××××× and ALL you fucking armchair experts out there, tell me again. How was this the Greens fault?
Thanks. Looking forward to your well thought out response.
Bruce Walker, Wytaliba RFS member and survivor. 🙊🙉🖕”
THE PUB 
James O’Brien –
Some good news – for a change.
At least he will be welcomed there
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
While walking on the streets of Christchurch, Behrouz Boochani is often stopped.
Most just want to shake his hand and offer a simple greeting.
“Many people, when they see me in the street, they just say ‘welcome’,” he tells AAP.
“One man, he said, ‘are you the man I saw on television?’
“I said ‘maybe’ and he gave me $100. I couldn’t refuse it. He just put it in my hand.”
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/6518489/boochanis-next-move-a-love-story/
In Australia he would be abused and told “Go back to where you came from”.
He probably has left his family at home. Sad. I just have a bad feeling that Dutton will have his every move watched. Just a bit apprehensive in case he travels overseas and is stopped somewhere.
Yep, I reckon the vindictive Dutton will slap an Interpol Red Notice on him
Anus Taylor’s office has found a patsy to blame for Anus’s forgeries.
I hope they paid him well.
The guy is a former Young Liberal peasant and is/was some office holder in some Australian monarchist mob so he’ll be a big enough true believer to have actually done it or volunteer to throw himself on the grenade to save the boss.
He doesn’t photograph well enough to pre-selected as a candidate. Just waiting for appointment to the Administrative Affairs Tribunal
Young Liberal President that is but peasant works 🙂
I like “peasant”.
What are the qualifications for becoming a Young Liberal president?
A complete lack of brain would have to be one.
Obviously being male is another.
Being a sexist pig would be on the list, along with being a racist.
Speaking of Young Libs (and Young Qld LNPs) –
Barclay McGain, chair of the Gold Coast Young LNP has set himself up as a tutor for younger kids.
Would you allow him near your kids or grandkids?
I bet he doesn’t have a “working with children” blue card.
Rulz don’t apply to people like him
Reading right through this, there are a lot of very, very odd things that caught my attention – expressions, information he’s disclosed, claims of “vast history”, “find that I am very capable . . . ALL things associated with Maths and English.”
I’m not a parent, but if that landed in my letterbox or online, I’d be quite wary about a Year 12 student who made such claims about his abilities. I’d like to see some references.
My response doesn’t take into account the Young Lib stuff, but he does seem to fit the type quite well.
Canaries, coal mines etc.
Australia’s threatened birds declined by 59% over the past 30 years
https://theconversation.com/australias-threatened-birds-declined-by-59-over-the-past-30-years-128114
I’d like to remind youse all why Lambie decided to run for the Senate again –
She was broke, unemployed and no-one except reality TV producers wanted to give her a job.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/election-2019/2019/05/23/jacqui-lambie-election-2019/
Great recommendation isn’t it – too dumb for Tasmanian employers but fine to vote into the Senate. Because of the way Senate voting operates in Tasmania she won her seat with just 31,383 votes, a tiny 0.21% of the vote.
Tasmania has a lot to answer for.
That’s why Clive Palmer put her up as a candidate ofr PUP when ever
That’s why Andrew Wilkie stood in Hobart
And it’s why Hanson kept on and on running in elections until Turnbull changed the rules, called a DD and she finally got herself a seat.
Jimmy Kimmel –
And we give China some advice on Human Rights.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
David Crowe and Rob Harris say that Morrison has cleared the way for a deal to resettle hundreds of refugees in New Zealand after writing to crossbench senator Jacqui Lambie to outline his plans to remove asylum seekers from offshore detention. And there WAS a letter!
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/medevac-deal-with-lambie-clears-ground-for-new-zealand-solution-20191204-p53gx8.html
Katharine Murphy says that the Medevac repeal gives Morrison a political win, but prompts intense moral discomfort.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/04/medevac-repeal-gives-morrison-a-political-win-but-prompts-intense-moral-discomfort
Katie Burgess writes that some asylum seekers have been left in medical limbo after the repeal of the Medevac legislation.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6526694/asylum-seekers-left-in-medical-limbo-after-medevac-repeal/?cs=14329
Law academic Alex Reilly explains the medevac repeal and what it means for asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru.
https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-medevac-repeal-and-what-it-means-for-asylum-seekers-on-manus-island-and-nauru-128118
And Crowe says there is an understanding of some sort about resettlement – and Scott Morrison runs a significant risk if he turns it into a misunderstanding.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/lambie-made-a-leap-of-faith-on-medevac-and-runs-an-obvious-risk-20191204-p53gxh.html
Well how would you be! Liberal staffer Josh Manuatu was identified yesterday as the person who obtained the false figures which were used in a Daily Telegraph article which criticised Clover Moore. He was a former president of the Young Liberals would you believe? He’s done so well that he’s keeping his job.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/liberal-staffer-who-obtained-false-figures-used-by-angus-taylor-will-keep-job-20191204-p53gy1.html
Meanwhile a Senate committee has recommended that Morrison should order an inquiry into the energy minister after it found Taylor “consciously used his position as an MP and minister” to try to influence an investigation into clearing of grasslands at a property he and his family part-own.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/04/senators-call-for-angus-taylor-inquiry-over-clear-breaches-in-grasslands-saga
John Hewson provides a sober commentary on the difficult role of the RBA in stabilising the economy.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-rba-is-in-a-bind-its-rates-lever-isn-t-doing-the-trick-and-it-has-no-history-to-draw-on-20191204-p53gsl.html
Shane Wright explains why Frydenberg’s tax cuts aren’t helping the economy.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-paradox-of-thrift-why-frydenberg-s-tax-cuts-aren-t-helping-the-economy-20191204-p53gsw.html
Greg Jericho says that behind the disappointing GDP figure is the incredible shrinking private sector. He points out that if we take away government spending and investment as well as net exports, the private sector domestic economy is shrinking – it has fallen for four consecutive quarters and is down 0.8% in the past year.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2019/dec/05/the-story-behind-the-gdp-data-the-incredible-shrinking-private-sector
The SMH editorial says Frydenberg needs a plan B as the economy stagnates.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/frydenberg-needs-a-plan-b-as-economy-stagnates-20191204-p53gub.html
Bevan Shields says that Australia can learn from Trump and Macron’s spectacular squabble.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/what-australia-can-learn-from-trump-and-macron-s-spectacular-squabble-20191204-p53glr.html
Georgina Robinson writes that the settlement with Folau is hardly a cause for celebration for Rugby Australia. And as the case was withdrawn employers remain none the wiser of their rights.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/little-clarity-or-comfort-from-conclusion-of-ugly-folau-dispute-20191204-p53gxb.html
And Peter FitzSimons says that from the point of view of resolving the many issues raised – and more particularly holding Folau to account for his damaging actions –the settlement is singularly dissatisfying. He concludes with, “Goodbye, Israel. You will be remembered as a greatly gifted player, who was nevertheless a disaster for rugby. The day you severed the final strands of your relationship with Rugby Australia was a good day for the game.”
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/folau-settlement-saga-over-but-bitter-taste-remains-20191204-p53gvn.html
A parliamentary estimates committee has admonished Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan for his attack on two tax office whistleblowers, telling him it was an inappropriate use of parliamentary privilege.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6526962/highly-unorthodox-tax-commissioner-admonished-at-estimates/?cs=14329
It’s better to pay service workers fair wages and conditions than widen reliance on tips writes Tony Featherstone.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/small-business/the-tipping-dilemma-do-we-need-text-begging-as-part-of-the-service-20191203-p53gh6.html
Australian households have shunned the shops and pocketed most of the Morrison government’s $25 billion in tax cuts, delivering a worse-than-expected result for the national economy and increasing expectations of another interest rate cut. But if the last interest rate cuts had no effect why should another?
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/shoppers-shun-tax-cut-fuelled-spending-leaving-a-tepid-economy-20191204-p53gu6.html
The construction company that built the cracked Opal Tower in Sydney’s west is blaming “shortcomings” by the building’s structural design engineer for the damage and wants it to cover a bill of more than $30 million it has footed to fix the problems.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/builder-of-sydney-s-cracked-opal-tower-blames-design-engineer-20191204-p53gs2.html
To restore public confidence in apartments Australia’s building codes need to be rewritten explains architecture lecturer Geoff Hammer.
https://theconversation.com/to-restore-public-confidence-in-apartments-rewrite-australias-building-codes-126678
The Berejiklian government has appealed to conservation and other national parks staff to help ease stretched fire-fighting teams in a bid to be “proactive” for “a long fire season”.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/unprecedented-bushfires-in-nsw-prompt-call-for-more-firefighters-20191204-p53guj.html
One of the Australian Taxation Office’s most senior officials has hit out at multinational corporations and other big companies for failing to properly inform the public about the tax positions of their Australian operations.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/tax-office-accuses-multinationals-of-failing-to-inform-public-about-australian-operations
Anna Patty writes that a landmark national study of 5000 international students has found more than half lived in poor conditions, including overcrowded or unsafe accommodation, and many experienced sudden rent increases and overcharging.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/exploitative-study-finds-landlords-are-ripping-off-international-students-20191203-p53gbx.html
Ben Butler reports that Rules allowing class action funders to collect their share of winnings from everyone affected by a lawsuit have been overturned by the high court. The ruling means that funders will now have to return to the previous practice of getting individual permission from each person or company participating in a class action in order to get paid.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/dec/04/high-court-overturns-ruling-allowing-class-action-funders-to-collect-share-of-compensation
A decision on the politically sensitive tender process for a $1 billion plan to outsource Australia’s visa processing will not be made until the new year, amid a tangled web of conflicts within the federal government. Privatisation is such a WONDERFUL thing!
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/1-billion-visa-tender-decision-delayed-amid-political-conflicts-of-interest-20191204-p53gwq.html
Jess Irvine looks at the future of private health insurance in Australia.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/here-s-a-prescription-to-save-health-insurance-from-its-death-spiral-20191204-p53guk.html
Christopher Knaus reveals that a whistleblower has complained about the conduct of Peter Dutton in the case of a convicted drug trafficker who was spared deportation by the home affairs department.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/04/whistleblower-lodges-complaint-about-peter-dutton-in-case-of-drug-trafficker-spared-deportation
Anna Patty reports that Maurice Blackburn Lawyers will lodge the claim today on behalf of the United Workers Union alleging 21 former pizza supplier Della Rosa workers were each underpaid amounts of up to $66,539.20.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/treated-like-animals-melbourne-pizza-maker-workers-lodge-underpayments-claim-20191113-p53ach.html
Potentially deadly allergens were found lurking in nearly one in two of the imported food products tested by researchers from James Cook University (JCU), a study published in the Food Additives & Contaminants journal revealed.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2019/12/04/imported-food-allergens-australia/
Victoria’s notorious Lawyer X will be forced to give evidence at an royal commission despite claiming she is too sick.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/12/04/lawyer-x-evidence/
Australia’s Department of Defence is keeping silent. Yet it has serious questions to answer over its dealings with an elusive Russian aviation tycoon, an American mercenary outfit and a money trail which winds from Canberra to the Seychelles via Cyprus. Thanks to the #29Leaks data leak unveiled today in a global collaboration of investigative journalists by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Michael West Media and Crikey INQ raise serious questions about how the Government is spending our taxes. Kim Prince, Suzanne Smith and Michael West report.
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/operation-slippery-russian-aviation-magnate-diverts-australian-defence-profits-to-tax-havens/
Jennifer Duke reports that TPG Telecom executive chairman David Teoh says excessive regulation is hurting the telecommunications industry, as his seven-month legal fight against the competition watchdog over a $15 billion merger with Vodafone draws to a close.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/have-to-simplify-the-rules-tpg-boss-calls-for-regulatory-reform-20191204-p53gqi.html
Ben Roberts-Smith, is seeking access to documents that could disclose confidential sources of journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters as part of defamation action against The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/ben-roberts-smith-seeks-documents-that-may-disclose-journalists-sources-20191204-p53gup.html
A furious Donald Trump cut short his attendance at the NATO summit in London after a group of leaders, including Boris Johnson, was caught on video ridiculing the US president at Buckingham Palace for staging lengthy press conferences.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/trump-describes-trudeau-as-two-faced-over-nato-hot-mic-video
Willian Davies writes that ow Boris Johnson and Brexit are “Berlusconifying” Britain.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/04/boris-johnson-brexit-britain-politics-media-business
Cartoon Corner
What a shocker from David Rowe!
Cathy Wilcox has a maths test for the government.
John Shakespeare on maths learning.
From Matt Golding. The first is a ripper!
Andrew Dyson.
Peter Broelman destroys Lambie.
Zanetti goes back in time with Porline.
Johannes Leak is really in the News Ltd groove!
https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/2e562a5bf1ad5afb05704cd7e95dc1a6?width=1024
From the US
Naomi Wolf is really going for Angus Taylor over his allegations about her alleged war on Christmas trees.
She asked for a retraction, Angus ignored that and now she is in full pursuit.
Naomi Wolf pursues Angus Taylor for ‘formal’ Hansard correction in Christmas tree row
US author says she recorded a call with Australian minister’s office in which she was told it was ‘a matter of dispute’ whether she was at Oxford in 1991
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/naomi-wolf-angus-taylor-formal-correction-christmas-tree-row
And here’s the video (ignore the annoying Skpe dial tone at the start, the actual phone call starts about 52 seconds in. (Angus’s media adviser took a while to answer the phone.)
The media adviser tells some amazing lies in attempts to cover up his boss’s lies.
As of this morning there has been no correction to Angus’s First Speech. It still stands on the Parliament House website as the media reported it.
https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22chamber/hansardr/5c41e365-7ca7-47aa-a810-1c6e44b75e5e/0096%22
The lies about “context” and Angus only recalling seeing Ms Wolf at Oxford and not making any accusations just don’t hold up.
Ms Wolf cannot get the extremely dense media adviser to understand she was not in Oxford at the time Angus claims. She was not even in the UK. She makes mincemeat of the adviser, Angus and his lies.
Every one on Angus staff knows that you NEVER APOLOGIZE
Interesting to listen to Naomi say that all leaks to the press are always approved by the principal.
Now checking to see if Angus maternal grandmother is Jewish or whether that was a desperate red herring tossed out by press office to get Naomi to stop her insistence that Taylor’s comments were racially divisive
Remember when Turnbull told a Jewish audience that it was possible his grandmother was Jewish? She wasn’t, he just said that for attention.
I suspect Anus or his staffer suddenly created a Jewish faith for his grandmother to dodge Ms Wolf’s accusation of racist comments. There is no mention of a Jewish grandmother anywhere online, until the last few hours.
Why would he include comments in his First Speech implying that Jewish students were conducting a war on Christmas if he really had a Jewish grandmother? Wasn’t he afraid he might be insulting his own family? For me that is the clincher.
And now Anus has dragged the AFR into yet another of his scandals.
“David Crowe and Rob Harris say that Morrison has cleared the way for a deal to resettle hundreds of refugees in New Zealand after writing to crossbench senator Jacqui Lambie to outline his plans to remove asylum seekers from offshore detention. And there WAS a letter!”
Look at who that story is from. Would you believe anything they wrote?
If such a letter exists (and that’s doubtful) and if Lambie believed the bulldust promise it allegedly contained then she is even dumber than I would ever have thought, and that’s saying a lot because my opinion of her has always been “dumber than a box of extra-stupid rocks.”
If this is a true account of what happened then it would not be the first time a Senate crossbencher has been swindled into supporting a government bill with promises that turned out to be lies. Just ask Ricky Muir about his experience.
The media created the story about Lambie using resettlement in New Zealand as a bargaining tool in exchange for her vote. We still have no idea what her alleged deal was, apart from Cormann saying it was some sort of highly secret briefing on national security. The resettlement story is being pushed as a way for Lambie to save face. The government hopes we will forget all about this business over Christmas and the summer break.
Here’s the important part –
Jacinda Ardern says there has been no recent communication with Australia on refugee resettlement.
I know who I believe. When it comes to taking the word of the Prime Minister of New Zealand against a couple of Nine journalists with an agenda to push I’ll believe Jacinda every time.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/05/morrison-alabanese-angus-taylor-lambie-coalition-labor-politics-live
Ministerial accountability going further down the toilet
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/05/morrison-alabanese-angus-taylor-lambie-coalition-labor-politics-live?page=with:block-5de8421a8f08e7796de8ce4c#block-5de8421a8f08e7796de8ce4c
Not to mention public service independence, effectiveness and efficiency.
He says it’s not to save money …
ScoMo isn’t reducing the number of ministers by 4, so some departments will report, nearly said “submit”, to multiple ministers
It’s a distraction.
He wants the media to talk about this rather than the real issues- Angus Taylor and his growing number of scandals, the failing economy, the lack of government action on climate change, the Lambie alleged deal that wasn’t a deal, the bushfires, the dreadful summer ahead with more fires across the country and more record-breaking heat.
Instead if dealing with any of that he decides to reshuffle the deckchairs, hoping we will forget all about everything over the summer holidays.
He’s dreaming.
CHAOS in da House
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/05/morrison-alabanese-angus-taylor-lambie-coalition-labor-politics-live#comments
I think it’s defamatory. Morrison says: “Labor is standing for thugs.”
Bryan Tyler Cohen –
An enterprising Russian 🙂
Russia arrests conman who built fake border with Finland
The man erected mock border posts and charged four men from south Asia more than $10,000 to take them to EU member Finland, the Russian border guard service said on Wednesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/05/russia-arrests-conman-who-built-fake-border-with-finland
A follow up to the Angus Taylor and Naomi Wolf saga
Kathryn Murphy, The Guardian, reports
Angus Taylor demands Naomi Wolf apologise for ‘deeply offensive’ attack
Mark Butler turns the attack to Angus Taylor. He asks a question that mentions allegations Taylor lied about going to Oxford with US author Naomi Wolf, who Taylor spoke about in the context of students warring on Christmas and wanting to remove a Christmas tree from their common room.
Taylor comes out swinging. He reckons he did see Wolf at Oxford, despite her saying she was on the other side of the world at the time.
The last bit provokes uproar. Anthony Albanese wants him to withdraw the accusation that Labor is anti-semitic, which didn’t really make any logical sense.
Taylor withdraws.
Wait for the follow up of this from Anus ‘The Victim’ Taylor 🙂
24m ago 15:13
Angus Taylor demands Naomi Wolf apologise for ‘deeply offensive’ attack.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/05/morrison-alabanese-angus-taylor-lambie-coalition-labor-politics-live
Angus Taylor is our representative at the climate talks in Madrid, which he will arrive at late
Bet ScoMo bought the union busting bill back to spite Labor for not granting An[g]us a pair
Albo with a bit of fire in the belly
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/dec/05/morrison-alabanese-angus-taylor-lambie-coalition-labor-politics-live#comments
Angus keeps insisting he met Naomi Wolf at Oxford in 1991. Honestly, I don’t believe Anus’s tiny brain has the capacity to remember what he had for breakfast this morning, let alone someone he claims to have met 22 years before he made that First Speech.
He has told so many lies about his financial interests that it is now impossible to believe anything he says. It’s reached a point where if you asked him the time you’d check his answer to make sure he wasn’t lying.
Angus was trying to big-note himself by alleging he was at Oxford with someone famous. It was a stupid lie at the time. He also pulled the same stunt earlier in that speech by claiming to have read “Smith, Bentham, Burke, Mill, Marshall, Schumpeter, Galbraith, Keynes and Friedman” at university. Most likely he meant Joe Smith, Lex Bentham, Fred Burke, Elvis Mill, Grog Marshall, Diego Schumpeter, Schnoz Galbraith, Fatty Keynes and Josh Friedman, all members of his university rugby team.
I think he would struggle to read “Noddy Goes to Toyland”.without using his finger and demanding help with the big words.
The Hansard record of his speech still remains as it originally was, there has been no alteration despite his staffer assuring Naomi Wolf it had been “fixed” He has had all day to sort it out. He has not bothered.
Maybe Hansard can’t be altered, but the transcript on his own personal website could be changed, yet too is also unaltered.
https://www.angustaylor.com.au/content/governor-generals-speech-address-reply-maiden-speech
Re Mr Taylor, if he saw the recording of the conversation with Ms Wolf, he seems to be deliberately lying about ‘antisemitism’, presumably to deflect attention from the fact that he said, in Parliament, “It was 1991, and a young Naomi Wolf lived a couple of doors down the corridor.”
She is claiming she wasn’t at Oxford in 1991, she was in New York City and other places around the world. She wanted to ask him to correct the record and apologise. She restated this a number of times during the call.
I don’t know if Taylor mentioned her previously in that speech to explain why he claimed she was somewhere in 1991 when she apparently was not. I don’t know if he had said why he concluded she had something to do with some other students who were talking about Christmas trees.
She said, amongst other things, that she loves Christmas, loves a whole lot of family-centred celebrations, including Hanukkah, mentioning then that she is Jewish. About that time in the conversation the staffer chose to mention Taylor’s family for unknown reasons.
The first of several times the staffer referred to the time, midnight to 1am, she pointed out that she had phoned Taylor’s office and the staffer had answered the phone. Pre1sumably she would have left a message had there been no staffer there to answer the call.
I think my recollection of the conversation is right, but I do have the ability sometimes to see small details rather than the overall picture, until I go over it again. So apologies if I’ve missed something relevant.
I do think it would not be much fun working as a political staffer, however the call could have been much shorter if the staffer had just taken the relevant details and agreed to pass them to the appropriate person to draw Mr Taylor’s attention to it.
Then again his response does fit with Lib/Nat behaviour in general. Sadly.
When Dr Naomi Wolf said Taylor’s speech was racist, divisive and anti-Semitic the staffer said Taylor couldn’t be anti Semitic because his maternal grandmother was Jewish. Sounded like a brain fart of dubious veracity
Dr Wolf complained a number of times that she was being talked over, and the staffer absolutely would not allow any hint that Angus had done anything wrong
The revelation was Wolf saying from her experience in political offices no press statement was released without the politician’s approval and journalists always submitted their final copy of puff pieces to the journalists for approval
Meanwhile over the Tasman Sea……
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Smoke and dust from Australia’s bushfires turns New Zealand’s glaciers pink
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12291431
,
That pink dust will speed up glacier melt
Stephen Colbert –
leonetwo
You recently mentioned Norco. Yaaay Co-ops. Anyway, they had a win against the bastards at Coles.
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Coles’ attempt to milk Norco backfires
After being caught short-changing drought-stricken dairy farmers, Coles has agreed more than make up with a $5.25 million payment, which works out at around $10,000 per Norco farm.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/coles-attempt-to-milk-norco-backfires/news-story/b59e4996a17955b7bb66c29a0b6b9dc8
Good!
Those farmers deserve the money.
Coles says its own Coles brand milk is supplied by Norco in northern NSW, but I can’t be sure if that extends down as far as me or if the Coles milk here is trucked in from who-knows-where further south, so I refuse to buy it.
I’d rather pay a bit extra and buy Norco’s own brand. I don’t use much milk, but every cent helps, I suppose.
I suppose FauxMo believes the arts are pagan and sinful.
Whitlam first funded the Arts, so Vengeance R Us
Albo being a wuss on 7.5.
Not sure the government will get away with rolling Environment into Agriculture especially with 6,800,000 people spending a summer choking in bushfire smoke
NSW failure to address RFS resource needs is having an effect
Vic’s Dan Andrews said that Victoria has sourced sufficient fire fighting aircraft for the bushfire season
Listening to Leigh Sales uggh
Qu what about the tradies who drive Uber on the weekend? All Uber drivers I have used are Pakistani Accounting graduates who can’t get work
Leigh Sales summarizing questions 7:30 want to ask Angus Taylor. He has to be cooked
Albo finishes with “As Naomi Wolf would say …”
Katharine reprises
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/angus-taylor-demands-naomi-wolf-apologise-for-accusing-him-of-antisemitism
You wanted to know. Well, some did
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/the-block-star-scott-cam-to-be-paid-345000-as-national-careers-ambassador
BK
A nominee for tomorrows Arsehole of the Day. 60-70 dead already in tiny Samoa and yet……….
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Anti-vax WAG Taylor Winterstein continues attack on Samoan government
Winsterstein, who had previously compared Samoa to Nazi Germany,
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12291428
The longer the Naomi Wolf saga drags on the more incriminated Angus becomes.
Ronni Salt has more details in this thread –
And here’s the 2014 article –
Angus Taylor: lured into politics then left to languish
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/angus-taylor-lured-into-politics-then-left-to-languish-20141205-120jys
It contains this gem –
That is a direct accusation, one that echoes the thoughts Angus expressed in his First Speech a year earlier.
Angus Taylor is just the level of ignorance, greed, and stupidy that typifies the modern liberal party.
F.M –
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/04/living-through-endless-weeks-of-dirty-air-it-does-your-head-in-and-your-lungs
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
Waleed Aly describes recent goings on as “democracy in the dark”.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/deal-or-no-deal-medevac-is-democracy-in-the-dark-20191205-p53h1t.html
And Jenna Price tells us how Jacqui Lambie broke her heart.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-jacqui-lambie-broke-my-heart-20191205-p53h4o.html
Eryk Bagshaw reveals that Ken Wyatt signed off on a $1.7 million contract for Indigenous health services to be run by a company with Liberal Party connections after being lobbied by former minister Michael Keenan.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/ken-wyatt-signed-off-on-controversial-1-7m-contract-after-lobbying-from-fellow-mp-20191203-p53gji.html
Michelle Grattan tells us how angus Taylor’s troubles have now gone international.
https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-angus-taylors-troubles-go-international-in-brawl-with-naomi-wolf-128402
David Crowe looks at the destructive effects of climate change policy have had on Australian politics over the last decade or so.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-great-dividing-rage-of-australian-politics-20191205-p53hbt.html
Three interest rate cuts and $5.5 billion in tax relief has not been enough to get conservative Australian shoppers to prise open their wallets amid warnings the nation’s retailers face a “stinker” Christmas says Shane Wright.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/stinker-christmas-for-retailers-as-rate-cuts-tax-relief-not-enough-for-shoppers-20191205-p53h7e.html
Grant Turner alleges that it is moneyed interests that control the Coalition Government.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/moneyed-interests-control-the-coalition-government,13379
I can’t help wondering what or who was guiding Morrison with the stealthy major change to the structure (and size?) of the APS. And I shudder with thinking about the mega-sized and mega-conflicted department that McKenzie now has.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/agriculture-and-environment-to-be-merged-in-radical-shake-up-of-public-service-20191205-p53h49.html
Sally Whyte outlines the APS overhaul.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6527392/aps-overhaul-18-departments-down-to-14-five-secretaries-sacked/?cs=14350
As does Sarah Martin.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/05/scott-morrison-cuts-government-departments-in-major-public-service-changes
A special Guardian investigation reveals a covert plot to control some of Facebook’s largest far-right pages and harvest Islamophobic hate for profit
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/06/inside-the-hate-factory-how-facebook-fuels-far-right-profit
“How can companies associated with a cabinet minister receive millions in government subsidies, while this self-same minister seeks to remove assistance for industries other than fossil fuel industry donors?”. Asks Michelle Pini.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-kangaroo-kleptocracy,13385
The Vice-Chancellor of Sydney University tells the Ramsay Centre where to get off.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/sorry-ramsay-centre-but-our-academic-freedom-was-never-on-the-table-sydney-uni-chief-responds-20191205-p53ham.html
Andrew Webster says that Raelene Castle stood up to Israel Folau on a matter of principle – then rolled over and settled, rather than see the fight through to the end.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/ruined-castle-ceo-s-stock-rock-bottom-after-crumbling-on-folau-20191205-p53ha6.html
Labor has to find a voice that speaks to people in the inner cities as well as the outer suburbs and regions. But its links to the latter are often broken writes James Button who worked for Kevin Rudd. He says this is part of a global trend.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/alp-s-reverses-are-part-of-a-global-trend-that-s-bad-news-for-the-left-20191127-p53eqh.html
Criminologist Terry Goldsworthy explains why homicide rates in Australia are declining.
https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-homicide-rates-in-australia-are-declining-128124
Parliament’s intelligence and security committee has joined calls for laws that automatically strip Australian citizenship from terrorists to be urgently repealed.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6526721/revoke-automatic-citizenship-loss-laws-intelligence-committee-urges/?cs=14350
On the fringes of our financial world secret money is coming up against hackers and journalists who are literally dying to get the information out. Data journalist, Kim Prince, describes the evolution in offshore data leaks which has led to #29Leaks and the deep sense of injustice which has motivated the key players.
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/our-quest-for-transparency-sees-hackers-and-journalists-dying-for-your-right-to-know/
What’s it like to stand stark naked on the world stage? Ask Donald Trump writes Richard Wolffe.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/05/whats-it-like-to-stand-stark-naked-on-the-world-stage-ask-donald-trump
The Ohio abortion bill is a terrifying sign of things to come writes Jill Filipovic. She says this law is fully divorced from reality. It’s dangerous. It’s misogynist. And it’s where the United States is heading.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/04/ohio-abortion-bill-ectopic-pregnancy-jill-filipovic
Cartoon Corner
What a brilliant effort from David Pope! Look at Abbott as a Bull Terrier.
David Rowe gives us the Great Canberra Muster.
Cathy Wilcox continues her fine form.
From Matt Golding.
Alan Moir with the Medevac vote.
Andrew Dyson with Canberra’s reluctance to talk about climate change and its effect on bushfires.
Jim Pavlidis sees a few pollies off on their holiday break.
Zanetti at his very worst!
Johannes Leak falls in behind Trump.
https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/a1dadc92cccd6eace901892a0bcf5439?width=1024
From the US
Scott Cam and his $345,000 salary (over two years) –
The confirmation of Cam’s pay must be a big consolation to the 200 NSW TAFE teachers facing the sack before Christmas.
Yesterday in QT we had yet more lies from FauxMo who denied the commonwealth funds TAFE –
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/6133541f-9c3b-4d52-a689-67b034ad1f12/&sid=0000
The commonwealth does fund TAFE.
TAFE funding is a joint states/commonwealth arrangement.
The commonwealth funds students through VET student loans (increasingly hard to get as the ATM government has kept on slashing the number of courses eligible for funding) and though Austudy, ABSTUDY, Youth Allowance and the Pensioner Education Supplement. The ATM government has hacked away at these payments too.
There are apprenticeship schemes which get commonwealth funding.
There’s more, the system is complicated. Maybe that’s why FauxMo has never bothered to come to grips with it – he can’t get his beer and drug-addled brain around it all. Or maybe he just prefers not to know. Either way he told a huge lie yesterday and as usual the media did not call him out on it, those who even noticed this lie (most didn’t) just reported his words and let it pass without comment.
Over the six years we have suffered under the ATM government commonwealth TAFE funding has been cut by millions in every budget while money has flowed to private providers who do not give the qualifications employers need. Tanya was right. FauxMo is a liar and an ignoramus. Fancy a PM not knowing how TAFE is funded!
Correction there Leone
Fancy a former Treasurer not knowing how TAFE funding works
ScoMo lies to a left wing lady because that’s what this mob do
Don’t mess with Nancy
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/05/dont-mess-with-me-nancy-pelosi-rejects-question-hates-trump
Perhaps he should ask Trump whether he hates Ms Pelosi.
Honestly, just when you think Koalakiller Gladys can’t get any more loony she comes up with this –
Western Sydney is covered in smoke from fires burning out of control just beyond the western fringes of the city. Whatever wildlife lived in those areas has been burned to death. Has she not noticed?
Does this zoo have an Australian section? Where is she planning on finding native animals to stock it?
This is as banal and as inappropriate as FauxMo telling us we can take comfort in watching cricket over summer while two states were in flames.
Friendlyjordies today has lots of fun with the Gold Coast Young LNP video that got the leader suspended.
Bryan Tyler Cohen –
Jimmy Kimmel –
Just on David Pope’s cartoon today –
Surely that attack dog is Dutton.
it is, zoom in to the bald head and it is indeed ‘Dutton’ . A good breed selection in my opinion as they are an ugly breed..
In case you missed it
‘Massive backwards step’: Australia to no longer have a federal arts department
Scott Morrison has announced the arts department will be rolled into a department that will also oversee roads and rail.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/massive-backwards-step-australia-to-no-longer-have-a-federal-arts-department
More funding cuts for domestic violence – this time it’s an indigenous boy losing all its funding.
Morrison Government defunds Indigenous domestic violence body
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/morrison-government-defunds-indigenous-domestic-violence-body/11772656
All the numbnuts using incorrect terms and screaming ‘we need more backburning” (including you, Barnaby) should take a look at what is going on. No amount of hazard reduction or using indigenous burning techniques is going to stop a monster like this.
Jimmy Kimmel –
Stephen Colbert –