Not a Day to Celebrate 2022

Fiona Uncategorized

The wonderful PatriciaWA and I have been discussing for some weeks about what to do about “Australia Day”.

She sent me some of her poems, and with her agreement I’ve done this. Dipping our lids to Scott Morrison and his justifiable pride in his convict heritage:

Australia Day at Fremantle Arts Centre
This garden where birds are singing,
Was once a place of sadness.
Here trees whisper to me, bringing
Sighs of despair and madness.
Women for whom this now sweet sun
A century and half ago
Was so harsh they came undone.
Lost entirely in their woe.

For them it seemed so hot that hell
Was already there upon them.
What judge, condemning them to die
in pain like this for petty felonies,
If here today, could justify
this ‘settlement’ of the colonies?



311 thoughts on “Not a Day to Celebrate 2022”

  1. He means 2005 in the above tweet, not 1985

    Someone on twitter was joking about the old talking clock lines, so I retweeted one of my old tweets below. The link still works!

  3. 6.00 pm Just back from my evening walk in wonderfully wild and windy, (not yet wet but promising) weather! What an unexpected treat this time of year in usually sunburned suburban Fremantle! Trust it’s welcome to other Sandgropers too. Some may have good reason to not want rain right now. As well there may be the odd moaner not wanting our Premier to get any credit for all this rain and will complain he should have been prepared for this sort of ‘mini climate change’ incident. Perhaps he should have had ample umbrellas stored away for pedestrians at appropriate places on our streets to meet such a contingency? Mind you with this wind they would have all been blown away! Umbrellas, I mean, not the pedestrians. But even that would have added to the general atmosphere of celebration here in Western Australia; we were already ‘blown away’ by our good luck, safe in ‘lock-down’ long before the gods decided to send what seems to me a reward to Mark McGowan for doing a great job. I’m happy to be brought back down to earth if I’m off track…..about the weather, I mean, after all I am just a city girl.

  4. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    I’ve been under the weather for about 10 days with a cold or flu (Covid test OK) and have only just got up It’s too late to start the patrol now given this morning’s BK household agenda and that Monday is usually a day of slim pickings, I will give the Dawn Patrol a miss.
    Sorry folks.

  5. The government hopes we all forget they have spent the last eight years or so hacking away at ABC funding. They really do believe we have less intelligence than goldfish and are so stupid we will accept everything they say without question.

    Now they have decided to perform a new election stunt by undoing the latest freeze – the same freeze they have been denying they made.

    Federal government reverses decision to freeze ABC funding, accused of trying to neutralise political headache

    Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has consistently denied the indexation freeze amounted to a funding cut.

    “The indexation pause was a decision taken in the context of the previous three-year period reflecting a particular set of budget priorities at the time,” he said.

    “These decisions are always made in the context of the various factors that the government weighs up.”
    ………………………………………………………………………….
    Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government’s announcement was too little, too late, saying the Coalition was only acting now to avoid ABC funding becoming a key election issue.

    “The question here is whether voters are going to be fooled.

    “And I think voters understand what has motivated this on the eve of an election.”

    But Mr Fletcher defended the timing of the announcement, arguing the government has consistently supported the ABC

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-07/abc-federal-government-reverses-decision-to-freeze-funding/100809180

    No attempt to pay back the millions already cut,.
    No compensation for those already sacked.
    And- can we believe anything this government promises? No, we cannot. This is purely an election stunt.

    Labor already promised months ago to restore funding.
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-20/labor-pledges-funding-certainty-public-broadcasters-abc-sbs/100636728

    Further reading from June 2020 –
    Up to 250 ABC jobs to go, ABC Life brand scrapped, flagship radio news bulletin dumped to tackle $84 million budget cut
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-24/abc-announces-cuts-to-programming-and-jobs-funding/12384972

  6. Are we there yet?

    Seems not.

  8. A must-read.

    ‘Yelling out for help’: the atrocious conditions inside Australia’s aged care homes
    Residents confined to their rooms, buzzers ignored and staff completely overwhelmed. Desperate staff speak up about what happened as Omicron swept through
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/05/yelling-out-for-help-the-atrocious-conditions-inside-australias-aged-care-homes

    Spin and lies, which is all the federal government can offer, will not fix this. A change of government is desperately needed. We will not get that by wasting votes on Palmer’s rabble, ON or sneaky Liberals masquerading as “independents”..

  10. Old, now irrelevant man desperate to seem relevant?

    Yesterday Carr accused Dutton of sending those texts, but now we have this admission –

    • Update –

      Bob Carr says he hasn’t seen text exchange but was informed by someone he trusted
      Katharine Murphy
      Good morning all. Tory has brought you up to speed with the former NSW premier and former federal foreign affairs minister Bob Carr claiming Peter Dutton is the cabinet colleague who shared the text critical of the prime minister with Network Ten’s political editor Peter van Onselen.

      Dutton has categorically denied it was him. I had a brief conversation with Carr just a moment ago to establish the basic facts.

      Had he seen the text exchange himself? No. Who was his source for the information? Carr said it was someone he trusted “closer to the media end than the political end”.

      Dutton has obviously denied it was him? Carr said the defence minister should “feel emboldened to clear the air” about the texts. If not him, then who was it? (Yes, it is that kind of day; that kind of week)

      https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/feb/07/australia-politics-news-scott-morrison-coronavirus-omicron-nsw-victoria-queensland-western-australia-weather

  13. The below is about the Cambridge Analytica case.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/07/michaelia-cash-shelves-pledge-on-federal-icac-as-liberal-mp-urges-debate

    Scott Morrison hints federal Icac could still be legislated before next election

    PM’s comments come after the attorney general indicated the government would not have time to fulfil the election promise

    • Exactly. It will be rushed and will not include anything useful.

      Labor should refuse to support it.

      I’m so disappointed in Labor for giving “conditional” support to the truly dreadful and totally unnecessary religious discrimination bill, but the party always seems to support the worst of the government’s bills. I suppose they will support this one too, if Scovid can get it organised in time.

    • I am hoping Labor is prevaricating on this Bill to avoid a wedge. If the Libs lose, this type of Bill will never see the light of day ever again. I would prefer outright rejection.

      It seems to be causing run tons in the Lib ranks, with some moderate, or maybe fearful for their seats Libs talking about crossing the Floor.

      Scovid cannot have that happen ore-election so he may kick the can down the road, and try for a weak ICAC instead.

  19. Randy’s back – (I’ll post it again down thread in case it gets missed in the rush to get to the dawn patrol)

  20. Is there anyone as petty as Scovid?

    Higgins forgotten in Parliament apology

    Brittany Higgins and other former Liberal staffers who allege they were assaulted say they haven’t been invited to Parliament’s formal apology to victims of alleged sexual harassment in the building today.

    What we know:

    Higgins says she hasn’t been invited to the apology, but “would love to be there. It would be quite a full circle moment of closure, to be honest”;
    https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/brittany-higgins-reveals-she-hasnt-been-invited-to-parliaments-apology-to-victims-of-alleged-sexual-assault/news-story/43bf9d2e0f9c0c8f8e7f34dbe0570963

    After media reported on the issue on Monday night, Parliament moved to ensure that Higgins could attend the event;

    Higgins is in Canberra this week anyway to speak at the National Press Club on Wednesday with Grace Tame;
    https://www.npc.org.au/speakers

    Other former Liberal staffers who have travelled to Canberra to hear Higgins speak have also complained they are barred from attending the parliamentary apology;

    The women were told that Covid restrictions meant former staffers could not enter Parliament;

    “I’m pretty sure they could have implemented Covid safe environment in the public gallery for survivors!!! We can go to restaurants and everywhere else!!!” tweeted Rachelle Miller, who alleges she was bullied by education minister Alan Tudge;

    A female Liberal backbencher meanwhile said it was “disgusting” some MPs had been told not to attend the speeches of Tame and Higgins this week;
    https://7news.com.au/politics/lib-told-not-to-go-to-tame-higgins-speech-c-5597921

    The unnamed backbencher said pressure was being applied for MPs not to attend the event, in order to avoid embarrassing the government;

    The Morrison government indicated backbenchers could not leave Parliament for the National Press Club without being provided with “a pair” to cover their vote, due to the tight numbers in the House of Representatives;

    Former Liberal MP Julia Banks described the timing of the formal apology ahead of the National Press Club event as “gold class Morrison and his Govt trying to ‘control the narrative’”

    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/post/max-opray/2022/02/08/higgins-forgotten-parliament-apology

  21. Looks like taxpayers are footing the bill for George Christensen to set himself up as an online extremist – you can go to his website and rummage around for his “Nation First” rubbish. I refuse to provide a link here.

    George Christensen claims $10,000 a month for ‘e-material’ as he ramps up anti-vaccine mandate Facebook ads
    Facebook data shows Nationals MP spent thousands calling for an end to vaccine discrimination and ‘medical apartheid’
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/08/george-christensen-claims-10000-a-month-for-e-material-as-he-ramps-up-anti-vaccine-mandate-facebook-ads

  22. Fiona asked if I could put up a recent picture of Jasper. He’s 12 years ols now and has developed a sever looseness in his hip joint. He battles on without complaint and still tries to catch rabbits. He’s been a little ripper and constant loving companion.

  23. With the Winter Olympics now underway I thought you might enjoy this illustration of just how idiotic some of the “sports” that happen there really are.

    Love Jimmy’s description of the luge.

  26. What on earth were these dummies thinking?

    I would never forgive anyone brainless enough to release balloons.

  27. This is all there is today, everyone else is on hiatus

    Chris Hayes –

    Jimmy Kimmel –

    Brian Tyler Cohen – (talks to Jamie Raskin about Jan 6 committee)

    In case you missed it Randy Rainbow –

  29. Tue 8 Feb 2022 20.24 AEDT

    …

    So what were the limits of a prime ministerial mea culpa?

    The prime minister, on Tuesday, was sorry, for Ms Higgins, and for her antecedents, “for all of those who came before Ms Higgins and endured the same”.

    Morrison also told the chamber that sorry was only the start of this collective reckoning. “That is our promise to those who are here today and those watching across Australia”.

    “For those of us who are here now, we know we have that opportunity, and we must, and we can, and we will do better”.

    Words are fine. Actions are better.

    This isn’t over. Australians will be watching what you have learned. What you are prepared to change.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/08/scott-morrison-says-he-is-sorry-but-what-has-he-learned

    Answer: Nothing.

  30. The ever-loyal media are carefully avoiding dragging Domicron into the latest Liberal scandal, but back when it was all happening he was deputy leader of the NSW Liberals as well as Gladys’s treasurer. He would have been up to his very prominent ears during this rorting.

    Funny how the media can produce a whole tell-all article without mentioning the man who was in charge of doling out the money, isn’t it.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-08/nsw-stronger-communities-fund-lacked-integrity-report-finds/100812966

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