Many Pubsters are aware of John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, which
… began as a blog in January 2013 because John Menadue was concerned about several important issues. The first was how good policy discussion was being crowded out by gamesmanship, personal gossip, faction fights devoid of content and a ‘gotcha’ media style. Second was the importance of political action which is so much discredited and derided by populists and conservatives.
Politics is about how power is exercised. It is a noble calling which must be restored in public estimation. The third was the preoccupation of Australian mainstream media with newsfeeds out of US and UK, to the neglect of media coverage and interest in our own region.
Those words “Politics … [i]s a noble calling which must be restored in public estimation” resonate strongly with me. The blatant venality and corruption so evident at every level of government in Australia is the worst I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I know many share my view. So I thought that it would be useful to make this new thread a tasting-plate of recent Pearls and Irritations articles that concern integrity (or lack thereof) in Australian governance.
See if budget creates a future, and beware of dirty tricks!
By JACK WATERFORD | On 6 October 2020
Close observers of Tuesday’s federal Budget will no doubt have their eyes out for evidence of the usual political chicanery towards political donors, lobbyists and friendly interests, as well as mates, cronies and relatives of senior members of government, this time in the alleged cause of stimulating demand and picking winners in the post-Covid economy.
That eye is more necessary than ever before, if only because government has become more shameless, with less and less respect for evidence, proper process and transparency. But it is not the main game. This time about, indeed, there is a risk more serious than of government shovelling money towards its friends and cronies. It is that it will be doing too little, too conservatively, and with too little imagination and open mind, with the result that economic and social recovery will be delayed. Those who will suffer most from this timidity will be disproportionately the usual suspects: low-paid workers, casual workers and people in part-time work, pensioners and welfare beneficiaries — including the young, the aged, the disabled, indigenous Australians and many temporary workers, including overseas students. But the fabled little capitalist in “small business” — the people that the coalition pretends it is all about — will probably suffer more than most as well.
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Sports rorts and muddy waters
By IAN CUNLIFFE | On 8 October 2020
Last summer, just like much of the country, the federal political landscape was ablaze. Scott Morrison was caught out taking a secret holiday in Hawaii; and those who weren’t evacuating from bushfires were very angry about sports rorts.
One of the cunning ways by which Morrison and his Attorney-General, Christian Porter, sought to lower the temperature on sports rorts was to muddy the waters as to whether the whole exercise was illegal.
Many observers expected that the scandal would have blown over by now. Those observers seem to have underestimated the deep impact that sports rorts affair had on many of John Howard’s old “battlers”. They were angered that wealthy clubs of the rich and famous got the grants which, according to Sport Australia’s careful analysis, battling clubs in the suburbs and the regions should have got. Bridget McKenzie telling us that one tennis club is just the same as another – White City of White Cliffs? Kooyong or Quambatook? – was just petrol on the fire. (The Quambatook tractor pull is certainly better than Kooyong’s).
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“Disgraceful” Tudge puts him self above the law
By IAN CUNLIFFE | On 9 October 2020
Late last month, the Federal Court’s found that Minister, Alan Tudge engaged in criminal conduct by keeping an asylum-seeker in detention and depriving of his liberty for five days in defiance of an order by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that the man be released.
The Court described Tudge’s decision to deprive the man of his liberty as “disgraceful”, and said: “The minister cannot place himself above the law”: “The minister has acted unlawfully. His actions have unlawfully deprived a person of his liberty. His conduct exposes him to both civil and potentially criminal sanctions, not limited to a proceeding for contempt.”
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Michael Pascoe: Forget the ‘Daz and Glad Show’, this is the real political scandal (The New Daily Oct 15, 2020)
By MICHAEL PASCOE | On 16 October 2020
It’s the secret sexual relationship that sells the ‘Daz and Glad Show’ and elevates it from being merely yet another corrupt NSW politician before the ICAC, but it also distracts punters from the much bigger scandal.
Disgraced former National Party MP Daryl Maguire’s litany of rackets and wheezes are impressive for their breadth and, sometimes, shallowness.
Skimming the Wagga Wagga RSL’s spending on cutlery. Really, Daryl?
For all his efforts though, it’s small beer, the work of a wannabe grifting on the fringes of a vastly more professional and richer industry devoted to influence peddling, insider knowledge and structural corruption.
Actually, it’s more than that: It’s an industry steadily undermining our democracy, weakening our institutions, entrenching and reinforcing privilege.
Over time it perverts government and increases inequality. When insiders keep selling access and influence and the rich and powerful keep buying it and profiting from it, the citizens end up betrayed.
That is the core of the lobbying industry – selling access to politicians and senior bureaucrats, bending outcomes to their paymasters’ benefit. Those with the money get the inside run and the rest can go whistle, all the more so as the public service is intentionally run down.
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Morrison Government is running scared of a federal integrity body
By DAVID SOLOMON | On 16 October 2020
This week’s trials of Gladys Berejiklian only confirm the Morrison Government’s largely unspoken fears that a federal ICAC would do the government a lot more harm than good.
The Morrison Government, in theory, supports the creation of a federal version of NSW’s Independent Commission Against Commission. The proposal has been on the table for two years, following the belated (and agonised) decision of Labor nationally to include a federal ICAC among its policy objectives.
The political manoeuvrings over its creation demonstrate how resistant the Morrison Government really is to having a federal body with the powers of the NSW ICAC or Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission. Attorney-General Christian Porter is supposedly negotiating with cross-bench senators about the proposal – not with the ALP or the Greens, who have had their own legislative proposals for a strong ICAC-like body on the books for the past three Parliaments. But the cross-bench senators haven’t heard from the Attorney-General since he said he would begin talks with them.
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Why the resistance to a national anti-corruption commission?
By IAN CUNLIFFE | On 16 October 2020
Scott Morrison and Christian Porter are insisting that a new federal integrity body could not look at old corruption. What is that about? Is it because there are skeletons in too many people’s closet? Is it the extent to which Alexander Downer and other senior officials benefitted financially from their activities during the Australian Government’s shenanigans on behalf of Woodside and others over oil and helium, which should always have been Timor-Leste’s, in the Timor Sea?
Preposing the case for the commission feels like pushing against one of those beautifully crafted doors that will open to the slightest touch. Everyone supports a federal anti-corruption commission, including 85% of the population. Federal Labor came out in support in January 2018.
In December that year, Prime Minister Morrison, with Attorney-General Christian Porter at his side, announced he would move to establish one. An appropriate discount needs to be made for propensity of this Government to announce many more things than it ever gets around to doing. Indeed, the Big Announcement seemed to be a cunning ploy to buy time and do nothing. That seems a likely story with what Morrison and Porter called the Commonwealth Integrity Commission.
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The Gladys and Daryl Show. Having to squirm in open hearings acts as a disincentive to venality
By JACK WATERFORD | On 20 October 2020
If Gladys Berejiklian, and her ludicrous consort, have to take one for the team, let it not be for tiny misdemeanours but for being parties to a corrupted mindset of the spoils of public office.
One has only to look at the daily papers to see constant reminders of how the system is broke. There is a fresh scandal every other day. Beyond the Maguire (and Berejiklian) inquiry, or Hayne, we have seen in recent weeks a tribunal considering whether Crown Casino, and owners associated with it, such as James Packer, “are fit and proper people” to be allowed to operate in Sydney.
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Gladys’ arrogance paves the way for Federal ICAC
By MUNGO MACCALLUM | On 20 October 2020
The most remarkable thing about the revelation of Gladys Berejiklian’s love life was that it was remarkable at all.
It is quite incredible that every person in the Macquarie Street bubble – government, opposition, staff, journalists, lobbyists, innocent bystanders – was completely oblivious to the fact that once the day’s work was over, the premier and her paramour would regularly go off for a bit of bonking in the background.
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THE PUB 
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/dec/10/eu-tells-australia-to-move-on-actual-emissions-cuts-and-not-rely-on-kyoto-credits
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/dec/10/australian-politics-live-coalition-scott-morrison-industrial-relations-christian-porter-covid-19-politics-business-economy?page=with:block-5fd19fc58f08e8a610dd8f2a#block-5fd19fc58f08e8a610dd8f2a
PM Morrison, how much are you paid for your values?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/dec/10/labor-claim-industrial-relations-bill-could-lead-to-11000-pay-cut-desperation-christian-porter-says
Ducky,
Would it be un-Christian of me to cross my fingers/thumbs/whatever and hope a teeny bit that he contracts COVID-19?
Decency prevents me from saying what I hope Porter contracts.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
David Crowe looks at how Australia came through the challenges for 2020.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/our-national-triumph-by-numbers-2020-has-been-a-battle-shared-and-won-by-many-20201210-p56mgq.html
And The Australian’s Ewin Hannan says business is demanding a two-year delay to tougher new penalties for companies ripping off workers, increasing pressure from both employers and unions on the Morrison government to make changes to its industrial relations bill.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/employers-seek-wage-fines-delay/news-story/f6365a6b5a4b272eb822293a1d6845ed
Josh Butler thinks the government may back down on its IR laws as a union war looms.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/12/10/industrial-relations-workplace/
Phil Coorey says that by picking at the scab of WorkChoices, the industrial relations bill gave Labor a stronger than anticipated end to the parliamentary year.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/fight-government-doesn-t-want-gives-albo-an-opening-20201209-p56m4o
“Who would have thought John Setka could be such a unifying force?”, asks Michelle Grattan.
https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-who-would-have-thought-john-setka-could-be-such-a-unifying-force-151852
According to Jennifer Hewett, Scott Morrison conquers the ‘China’ virus, but China is a tougher threat.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/scott-morrison-conquers-china-virus-but-china-is-a-tougher-threat-20201210-p56mg2
Ben Butler writes that the boss of Australia’s biggest super fund, AustralianSuper, has questioned whether changes to laws governing the sector proposed by the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, are genuinely directed at improving retirement savings.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/dec/11/australiansuper-boss-hits-back-at-politically-motivated-attacks-on-industry-super
The ACTU has criticised the Morrison Government’s attack on the superannuation system and is pushing for reforms, writes William Olson.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/supers-potential-should-not-be-superseded-says-actu,14606
Delivery giants Uber and Deliveroo are likely to be among well-known gig economy brands hauled before a Senate inquiry looking into the impacts of insecure or precarious employment.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/uber-deliveroo-to-face-gig-economy-senate-inquiry-20201210-p56mba
John Warhurst describes how our former prime ministers have had a big year in 2020. A good read.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7047997/former-prime-ministers-in-2020-theyre-no-feather-dusters/?cs=14258
Nick Bonyhady explains the trouble Porter is in regarding his workplace legislation and trying to save face.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/government-rubbishes-turnover-test-for-below-award-pay-deals-20201210-p56mg8.html
Isabelle Lane tells us that critics are saying the Morrison government’s proposed Surveillance Bill could be used to target everyone from Black Lives Matter campaigners to underage kids illegally downloading movies.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/tech/2020/12/10/dutton-surveillance-bill-australia/
David Crowe writes that federal election rules would be overhauled to limit early voting and require Australians to show photo ID before they cast their ballots under a plan that has been labelled an “outrage” that deprives people of their rights.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/election-proposals-trigger-furore-over-voting-rights-20201210-p56mhv.html
Matt Johnson lines up the many big companies that continue to pay zero company tax.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/work/2020/12/10/corporate-tax-big-business-zero/
Michael Fowler explains how the Andrews government is considering a plan where up to 23,000 students would return to Victoria by April and undertake 14-day quarantine in student accommodation.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/international-students-could-quarantine-in-hubs-from-january-20201210-p56mf7.html
Josh Butler reports that South Australian senator Stirling Griff was ducking outrage on Thursday, after his last-minute parliamentary backflip that allowed the government to extend the cashless debit card scheme in a marathon Senate sitting. He effectively voted for the card.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/12/10/stirling-griff-cashless-debit-card/
Ian Henschke, who is the chief advocate at National Seniors Australia, tells us that elderly Australians are dying while waiting to receive government help
https://www.smh.com.au/national/elderly-australians-are-dying-while-waiting-to-receive-government-help-20201209-p56m0l.html
Associate Professor Matt McDonald provides three reasons meeting climate targets and dumping Kyoto credits won’t salvage Australia’s international reputation.
https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-meeting-climate-targets-and-dumping-kyoto-credits-wont-salvage-australias-international-reputation-151836
Samantha Dick explains the real picture about Australians’ attitude towards vaccination.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/12/10/australia-coronavirus-vaccine-attitude/
Meanwhile, with US states frantically preparing to begin months of COVID-19 vaccinations that could end the pandemic, a poll has found only about half of Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/us-news/2020/12/10/covid-vaccine-united-states/
There is no behaviour, it seems, that warrants scrutiny or disciplinary action if you are a member of the Morrison Government. This is because the government of the day, today, is in a league all of its own, says Michelle Pini.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/morrisons-anti-accountability-vaccine-gets-l-np-off-scott-free,14604
The hysteria over the Victorian government’s MoU with China’s Belt and Road Initiative shows a disturbing lack of understanding of the project by media commentators, academics and some MPs, writes Colin Heseltine.
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/australia-pays-high-price-for-megaphone-diplomacy/
The Berejiklian government is facing a $2 billion budget blow out on its health infrastructure program, with delays to the planned completion dates of seven major developments.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/delays-budget-overruns-forces-nsw-to-spend-an-extra-2b-on-health-infrastructure-20201210-p56mhf.html
A desperate horticulture industry has urged Scott Morrison and the states to agree at Friday’s national cabinet meeting to bring in Pacific Islanders quarantine-free, warning that the country is on track to meet a labour shortage of 26,000 people by March.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coronavirus-growers-call-for-worker-bubbles/news-story/372ce524e4d1f41a442329dceaa9d730
Lisa Visentin writes that the ABC’s leading political discussion programs The Drum and Insiders lacked conservative voices in their 2019 federal election coverage, but a major review found the broadcaster met its impartiality standard. If the government wasn’t doing so many crappy things it might have looked different!
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/abc-shows-didn-t-have-enough-conservative-voices-election-review-finds-20201210-p56m8u.html
Jeff Sparrow opines that Australia must reckon with the fact the Christchurch terrorist developed much of his hatred here.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/10/australia-must-reckon-with-the-fact-the-christchurch-terrorist-developed-much-of-his-hatred-here
Zoe Samios tells us that Australia’s competition regulator will closely scrutinise a pivotal lawsuit launched by the United States government against Facebook that could force the social media giant to sell photo sharing app Instagram and messaging service WhatsApp.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/significant-implications-worldwide-accc-to-monitor-key-lawsuit-aiming-to-break-facebook-apart-20201210-p56mh2.html
Dave Donovan farewells Mungo MacCallum.
https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/vale-mungo-maccallum–a-true-progressive-voice-gone,14605
China has slapped another new tax on Australian wine that all but extinguishes local producers’ access to the world’s largest market.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/australian-wine-hit-with-new-strike-as-offset-for-subsidies-20201210-p56me6.html
New research has found that poor job quality and poor working conditions are key reasons why restaurant employers have trouble attracting and retaining workers.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/restaurateurs-better-served-improving-conditions-than-complaining-20201208-p56lm4.html
The London Daily Telegraph’s Jeremy Warner explains that the choice is now between no deal and a very hard Brexit.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/the-die-is-cast-the-choice-is-now-between-no-deal-and-a-very-hard-brexit-20201210-p56m81.html
Boris Johnson would only have himself to blame for a no-deal Brexit, explains Simon Jenkins.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/10/boris-johnson-no-deal-brexit
Cartoon Corner
David Pope
Cathy Wilcox
Simon Letch
Jim Pavlidis
Mark David
Matt Golding
Glen Le Lievre
Mark Knight
Johannes Leak
From the US
And who better to do “boring ,mindless , dirty jobs” than all those “brown people” eh Johannes ? Scum.
Fiona,
Not wishing to push my luck, I won’t agree with your comment… but…
Clarence Darrow 1932.
‘I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.’
What did the CrimeMinister expect when he has no climate policy at all, apart from “use more coal and gas”?
When reading this article substitute “Morrison” for the words “government” and “Canberra” for a far more accurate picture of exactly who is livid.
UN defends excluding Morrison from climate summit, Canberra livid with Johnson over snub
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/un-defends-excluding-morrison-from-climate-summit-canberra-livid-with-johnson-over-snub-20201211-p56mk7.html
Something that really pisses me off is the way journalists, even the best of them, seldom refer to legislation or parliamentary reports by their proper names, instead they make vague references to, for example, “the new surveillance bill” or “a committee report”.
They never provide links either, we have to rummage around online to find whatever they are talking about
I had to do all sorts of machinations to find the report from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. It turned out to be the “Report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election and matters related thereto”, tabled yesterday.
If you want to read it (it’s very long) here it is –
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/2019Federalelection/Report
David Crowe managed to write a whole article telling us how outraged some were by the proposals in this report without once mentioning either the name of the committee or the title of the report. Not good enough. I don’t want to read what some journalist thinks I need to know, I want to read the actual material (bill, report, whatever) for myself.
This electronic age where all published Parliamentary information is accessible and well educated population is turning journalism upside down
When I have the bandwidth I quite enjoy watching Senate Estimates
More about the crop harvesting problem –
Australians get knocked back from farm work as government tries to entice Kiwis
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/12/11/farm-work-backpackers-australia/
I’ve read a lot of articles about the difficulty Australians face in getting this work. It’s all controlled by labour hire companies now, and many of them will only hire backpackers. The rest import workers from Pacific islands who are conned into contracts by being told they will make a lot of money. They don’t – most of what they earn goes to the companies that employ them. They end up virtually slaves to these companies.
The labour hire companies often provide accommodation that is overcrowded and squalid and charge exorbitant rent for it, or want workers to stay in certain hostels as part of the deal. The few Australians who are taken on report inadequate pay and rip-offs.
The whole industry needs a good clean-out to get rid of the profiteers. I can’t see many New Zealanders being interested in being slaves on Australian farms.
Not good news.
Australian COVID vaccine terminated due to HIV ‘false positives’
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australian-covid-vaccine-terminated-due-to-hiv-false-positives-20201210-p56mju.html
from BK
“According to Jennifer Hewett, Scott Morrison conquers the ‘China’ virus, but China is a tougher threat.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/scott-morrison-conquers-china-virus-but-china-is-a-tougher-threat-20201210-p56mg2”
BULL!
Scummo did not conquer the “China virus”, the Premiers did, especially Dan Andrews
If he had had his way we’d be like the US by now – dying by the thousands. Never forget – he wanted herd immunity through infection and told us the only way forward was to live with the virus.
Remember this? 16 July 2020.
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-23
Apparently Davd Speers said this morning the CrimeMinister has had a good year. Good in what way?
Jordan takes on the Stack family.
It’s all true and even worse that he says.
Some reading –
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/02/nsw-labor-asks-for-probe-into-alleged-developer-donations-to-nationals
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nationals-mp-at-centre-of-fresh-koala-policy-controversy-20200924-p55yw4.html
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/gladys-berejiklian-says-she-can-t-recall-if-she-was-at-dinner-where-labor-claims-illegal-donations-were-made/ar-BB1aU5Q7
Chris Hayes –
Rachel Maddow –
A beautiful and moving tribute:
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I think I have something in my eye ……
Leone,
I definitely did. And had to find my hanky.
While we still have people like John Birmingham in the world, there’s still hope for humanity.
Seth Meyers –
Stephen Colbert –
Jimmy Kimmel
Brian Tyler Cohen –
Anderson Cooper –
Ari Melbur –
F.M –
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/11/the-vaccine-is-here-were-saved-or-are-we
Dear Pubsters and Loiterers,
There will be a “thank goodness 2020 is nearly over/fingers crossed for 2021” thread up and running, but not until tomorrow afternoon.
It won’t be all baubles and lights and champers.
Instead, somewhat reflective.
However, given what the world has been through in the last 12 months plus, I hope you won’t call me a Mummy Killjoy, because there will be something positive in what I’m trying to present.
It would have happened this evening, but my computer (or, more accurately, the interwebz) did an extraordinary hissy fit and stopped me logging on to various places I needed to access.
That seems, after 3 hours’ rejigging, to be resolved. However, my neurones have been somewhat tried, so please have patience with me until tomorrow afternoon.
New thread