F#ck Off Putin! Zelensky is the Real Leader.

Puff, The Magic Dragon Uncategorized

Ukraine President Zelensky’s speech to the Russian People. English Subtitles.

https://youtu.be/p-zilnPtZ2MPresident Zelenskyy’s, speech Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has given a powerful address directed to Russia. ‘We will defend ourselves, he said. ‘Not attack, but defend ourselves. And when you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs, but our faces.’ Zelensky made the remarks in a 10-minute address posted on Telegram during which he spoke in both Ukrainian and Russian. The Ukrainian leader said Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, had not replied to his invitation to hold talks. (from The Guardian website.) 

President Zelensky is a real leader. Putin is another megalomaniac authoritarian bully, who has no role in leading a country in this, the 21st Century. The time of such dinosaurs is over.

I wish Ukraine and working-class Russians who were not asked if they supported this war (huh, we have been there, done that ourselves…looking at you LIttle Johnny Howard!) safe peace as soon as possible.

I wish Ukraine to win and keep its independence, to write its own story. The rest of the world must support the Ukrainians, in ways which is appropriate for them. We cannot send troops, but we can send arms, supplies, help impose sanctions and donate to organisations like The Red Cross to care for their population.

The bravery of President Zelensky is new to our times. Whatever the quality of his Presidency, and not all he has done I know a lot about (some bloggers are saying it was neither bad nor good so far, and he is dragging his feet on a promise to confront Oligarchs and their influence), this is where Zelensky is now. He is leading from the front. His people’s defence of their country against overwhelming odds is extraordinary.

My son follows this USA You-Tuber sometimes, an USA guy who identifies as a Socialist from what I can discern. This video expresses exactly my feelings about the Ukraine President.

If ever a country deserves victory in their defence, it is Ukraine.

I am sorry for errors. This has been posted in haste. I will correct any you find.

802 thoughts on “F#ck Off Putin! Zelensky is the Real Leader.”

    • He won’t – because he is infamous for bullying women.

      Just ask Christine Holgate, Julia Banks, Bridget Archer, Zoey McDermott (from Cobargo) and pretty much any woman he has come into contact with except, possibly, his mother. Even his own wife was forced to take the blame for the Hawaii debacle, something that did not gel with his claims when he returned from that trip and said he was keeping a promise he made to his daughters.

      He is a liar, a cultist and a bully. More Australians need to wake up to what he really is.

  6. Ash Barty, all class as always, has announced her retirement from tennis. She has dominated her sport over the past few years but she can see a life for herself away from the glamour and the adulation of fans. She has been an undisputed champion and has been a role model for First Nation people, for young women, for all young people and for all of us. What a bonzer person.

  7. “The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has responded to the news of Ash Barty’s shock retirement from tennis.”

    I would be more interested in what he has to say about Craig Foster’s visitation [sic] at the NPC.

    • <

  8. Again not much to post from the good old!

    Jimmy Kimmel –

    Chris Hayes –

    Brian Tyler Cohen –

    • Why would any sane person put down St Gladys as “trustworthy”? Too many people believe all the crap they see in the MSM, obviously.

  20. Good morning Dawn Patrollers. Late, but large!

    Scott Morrison is kidding himself if he thinks the South Australian election was decided only on state issues, that his standing had no bearing on the vote, and that what happened last weekend can’t be replicated federally, writes Niki Savva who reckons the Kitching saga is one stoush the PM should have resisted.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-kitching-saga-is-one-stoush-the-pm-should-have-resisted-20220323-p5a71a.html
    Labor deputy leader Richard Marles has rejected calls for an inquiry into the pressure placed on Kimberley Kitching in the months before she died by saying she never made a formal complaint to him about bullying and did not ask him to take action on her behalf, reports David Crowe.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/marles-says-no-complaint-made-no-call-for-action-from-kitching-20220323-p5a7bc.html
    “PM, these moderates will cost you your job”, moans Peta Credlin.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/election-2022-pm-these-moderates-will-cost-you-your-job/news-story/3f97f5a604217efe101cc1043f520126
    In the very marginal Sydney eastern suburbs seat of Wentworth, where the Liberals are being challenged by a high profile “teal” candidate, Scott Morrison is unpopular, Anthony Albanese is preferred PM, and climate change tops issues people say will influence their vote, write Michelle Grattan and Max Halupka.
    https://theconversation.com/the-wentworth-project-polling-shows-voters-prefer-albanese-for-pm-and-put-climate-issue-first-in-teal-battle-179839
    Shane Wright says Josh Frydenberg will use the federal budget to promise an increase in real wages in the coming financial year after Australians endured the largest drop in their after-inflation incomes since the introduction of the GST. Q. But how? A. With the stroke of a pen, apparently.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/budget-to-upgrade-wages-forecast-after-worst-year-since-2000-20220323-p5a74v.html
    David Crowe tells us that Labor and the Coalition will put competing industry plans to voters today in a contrast on local manufacturing ahead of the federal election campaign, with both sides claiming to offer the answer on job creation.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-promises-tech-jobs-as-coalition-announces-moderna-deal-20220323-p5a7bn.html
    Labor’s candidate for Parramatta, Andrew Charlton, lives in a $16 million house in Bellevue Hill. But Julie Owens says the anger shouldn’t be directed at the “captain’s pick”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/outgoing-parramatta-mp-says-celebrity-candidate-charlton-could-be-in-cabinet-as-long-as-he-s-prepared-to-work-20220323-p5a7az.html
    Labor’s victory in the SA State Election was won not just from a vote against the Liberals, but on a strategy based around the interests of the people, writes Dr Victoria Fielding.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/theres-more-to-the-sa-labor-election-victory-than-you-think,16180
    A Liberal Democrat staffer who claims she was underpaid by the libertarian political party has resigned in spectacular fashion with an excoriating letter to the organisation’s entire mailing list on the eve of a federal election campaign, writes Michael Koziol. It’s a beauty!
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/they-burn-you-liberal-democrat-sends-entire-party-spectacular-resignation-letter-20220323-p5a77j.html
    Fixing housing affordability is an enormous task, but it’s too important not to get right. Another review has laid bare the challenge for first-home hopefuls facing skyrocketing property prices, combined with rising rents and scant interest on their savings, writes Elizabeth Redman.
    https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/act-urgently-now-why-sky-high-house-prices-are-a-problem-for-everyone-20220323-p5a78b.html
    Ben Smee writes that the Morrison government has allocated $5.9bn to build two separate north Queensland dams without seeking any input from an advisory board it established less than two years ago to scrutinise major water projects.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/24/morrison-government-committed-59bn-for-dams-without-advice-from-water-infrastructure-board
    The NSW government is looking to introduce legislation to stop Gareth Ward from receiving his taxpayer-funded salary while suspended from parliament. This is a rather extraordinary intervention.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/perrottet-government-considering-legislation-to-cut-gareth-ward-s-salary-20220323-p5a7ag.html
    Politicians routinely dismiss allegations of bullying made by women by painting it as just the “cost of doing politics” or as something that happens to men just as much, new research has found. Tory Sheppard tells us that University of Adelaide psychologists found female Liberal MPs were undermined, silenced and discredited by the way those in their own party treated their accusations.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/24/bullying-claims-by-female-liberal-mps-routinely-dismissed-by-colleagues-new-research-finds
    Well Mr Morrison, your good friend and mentor Brian Houston has really fallen from pious grace. So, what do you have to say?
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/brian-houston-resigns-as-hillsong-pastor-20220323-p5a76y.html
    Only a truly independent investigation into Brian Houston’s behaviour will get to the truth at Hillsong, writes John Sandeman.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/only-a-truly-independent-investigation-into-brian-houston-s-behaviour-will-get-to-the-truth-at-hillsong-20220321-p5a6gp.html
    We have a solution to lift the heavy burden of mental ill-health from young Australians, explains Patrick McGorry.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-have-a-solution-to-lift-the-heavy-burden-of-mental-ill-health-from-young-australians-20220322-p5a6xx.html
    Michaela Whitbourn gives us the latest instalment of the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial saga.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/afraid-nobody-would-believe-me-roberts-smith-s-former-lover-reluctant-to-report-alleged-punch-court-told-20220323-p5a73z.html
    More on this from Ben Doherty.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/23/woman-threatened-by-stranger-with-photos-of-her-and-ben-roberts-smith-having-sex-court-told
    Patrick Hatch describes another day of Star Casino unravelling at yesterday’s inquiry hearing.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/star-casino-let-junket-suncity-run-private-salon-despite-dirty-cash-warnings-20220323-p5a716.html
    Elizabeth Knight tells us why the Star boss lost his cool over damning report from the casino’s auditor. This is quite interesting.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/blindsided-why-star-boss-lost-his-cool-over-auditor-s-report-20220323-p5a79g.html
    Up to 80 per cent of the carbon credits issued by Australia’s clean energy regulator are flawed, leaving buyers holding “sham” assets that have failed to reduce the nation’s carbon burden, says Andrew Macintosh, the Abbott government’s former chair of a key market oversight integrity committee, writes Jacob Greber. Who would have thought?
    https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/former-watchdog-goes-public-with-carbon-credit-fraud-claims-20220323-p5a77o
    Here’s Adam Morton’s take on this story.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/23/australias-carbon-credit-scheme-largely-a-sham-says-whistleblower-who-tried-to-rein-it-in
    Sales of stickers calling on voters to “bin” the prime minister have surged after the Liberal heavyweight Philip Ruddock’s Hornsby Shire Council threatened residents that garbage collection services may be suspended if they weren’t removed from wheelie bins, reports Tamsin Rose.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/23/sales-of-anti-pm-stickers-surge-after-council-threatens-rubbish-services
    Stephen Bartholomeusz outlines the toxic cocktail sparking a commodity crisis.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/toxic-mix-russian-sanctions-are-sparking-a-commodity-finance-crisis-20220323-p5a724.html
    Federal ministers often reveal their inability to deal with complexities in their portfolios, none moreso than Coalition education ministers. Acting minister Stuart Robert has just demonstrated how things can easily unravel, write Tom Greenwell and Chris Bonnor.
    https://johnmenadue.com/dud-minister-blames-dud-teachers/
    Just more than two years since taking the reins at National Australia Bank, Ross McEwan is shaping up as the bank’s best CEO since Don Argus left in 1999, proclaims the AFR.
    https://www.afr.com/chanticleer/mcewan-is-nab-s-best-in-20-years-20220323-p5a753
    Michael Pascoe says that federal and NSW Liberal Parties are delivering for developers.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2022/03/23/michael-pascoe-liberal-party-housing-affordability/
    Paul Sakkal reports that Victorian Shadow Treasurer David Davis has admitted he had too much to drink at a gala event on Saturday after witnesses told The Age he was told to leave by two Liberal Party colleagues for behaving inappropriately towards colleagues and guests. The demon drink strikes again!
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/hammered-frontbencher-david-davis-told-to-leave-event-after-hugging-guests-20220323-p5a77h.html
    Whatever happens from here, Putin has already changed the world, writes Alan Kohler.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2022/03/24/alan-kohler-putin-world-impact/
    According to The Age, the federal government has raised the alarm about violence and distraction in the classroom and is appealing to teachers for ideas to help bring order back to schools after two years of disrupted learning.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/feds-target-disruptive-classrooms-ask-teachers-to-help-find-solution-20220322-p5a6tu.html
    The Morrison government’s own report found their change to funding didn’t make services more accessible, affordable, flexible or simpler, explains Lia Bryant.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2022/mar/23/the-coalitions-big-change-to-childcare-was-a-dud-parents-and-teachers-deserve-better
    McDonald’s is facing direct legal action against 100 of its Australian franchisees over allegations of underpayment and anti-union behaviour, writes Angus Thompson.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/big-mac-attack-mcdonald-s-accused-of-underpaying-staff-and-anti-unionism-20220322-p5a6xl.html
    Santos is set to expand the pipeline of new Australian fossil fuel projects after it made the country’s second-largest oil reserve discovery in the past five years, virtually ensuring the construction of a $2.7 billion WA oil and gas project, reports the AFR’s Colin Packham.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/santos-reports-oil-find-of-43m-barrels-boosts-dorado-prospects-20220323-p5a74n
    On what grounds do we put boots on the ground? Australian politicians have been mostly unwilling to cede control of declarations of war to parliament. When it comes to committing troops, our closest security partners have moved towards parliamentary votes, but in most cases the leadership reserves the final say, writes Zacharias Szumer.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/this-means-war-how-australias-main-allies-take-the-biggest-step-a-nation-can-take/
    Tory MPs call the green transition ‘unaffordable’. Europe is proving that’s a lie, argues George Monbiot.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/23/european-countries-climate-crisis-deniers-green-schemes
    Jacinda Ardern finds it’s not easy being green when petrol prices soar, writes Henry Cooke.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/jacinda-ardern-finds-it-s-not-easy-being-green-when-petrol-prices-soar-20220322-p5a6xs.html
    The Australian Catholic Church’s Plenary Council is heading for the rocks amid sharp recriminations. What was meant to be a showcase of genuine listening and walking together is unravelling with an unedifying lack of goodwill from the bishops, laments Terry Fewtrell.
    https://johnmenadue.com/terry-fewtrell-when-bishops-play-dirty-nobody-wins/
    We are facing the failure of Western sanctions. Calibrated half-measures are not enough to change the Kremlin calculus, argues Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/worst-of-all-worlds-the-half-hearted-sanctions-against-russia-have-failed-20220323-p5a6zm.html
    Putin, responding to Western sanctions that have hit Russia’s economy hard, said Moscow planned to switch its gas sales to “unfriendly” countries to roubles – a move that alarmed international markets.
    https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/month-into-ukraine-invasion-putin-hits-back-at-sanctions-20220324-p5a7e3.html
    A prominent adviser to Vladimir Putin has resigned from the government and reportedly left Russia in the highest-ranking defection yet over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, reports Andrew Roth.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/23/putin-adviser-anatoly-chubais-quits-leaves-russia-invasion-ukraine
    Former Fortescue chief executive Nev Power and his son Nick have avoided jail time after pleading guilty to breaching Western Australia’s hard border rules when they flew into the state on their helicopter, but failed to quarantine and apply for entry.
    https://www.afr.com/wealth/people/nev-power-and-son-dodge-jail-for-wa-border-breach-20220323-p5a76h
    Victoria’s environmental regulator has slapped a business with a remedial notice after a detergent spill killed thousands of fish in a creek system in Melbourne’s west. The spill, which happened on March 6, has resulted in Melbourne Water hauling about 13 tonnes of dead fish from Cherry Lake and Cherry Creek at Altona so far. Top effort!
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/logistics-company-hit-with-remedial-notice-after-mass-fish-kill-20220323-p5a763.html

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    • Good on whoever exposed the latest lie. It must have been Ash herself, who else would be accessing her voice mail?

  22. More lies –

    I assume he means this photo, and others like it. taken at a Hillsong conference in July 2019 –

    Other more publicised photos of Scovid praying in church were taken at Horizon, the Temple to Mammon he attends at Sutherland, during (allegedly) an Easter Sunday service. Scovid invited a cameraman to take photos during the 2019 election campaign. These were not taken at Hillsong.

    These ones –

  24. I have been watching bits of the Judge Jackson Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing. The GOP has put her through the most racist, bullying, disrespectful, sexist questioning that you could imagine. It is a truly disgusting display. She was outright called a liar, at least twice, by whitebread males who are clearly racist, sexist, and stupid.

    Judge Jackson has been poised, collected, and on-point. She is still smiling and calm. She is wiping the floor with these maggots.

    • No-one seems to know. There have not been any photos her attending.

      The conference was in March 2020, right when Covid was beginning. Scovid gave Hillsongers a couple of days to allow their conference to finish before imposing a ban on big gatherings. Lord knows how many people were infected and took Covid overseas when they flew home.

  26. I forgot to post these earlier, I did link them but forgot to hit the post comment button, I’ll try harder tomorrow, promise!

    Chris Hayes –

    Jimmy Kimmel –

    Brian Tyler Cohen –

  27. I agree.

  29. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    David Crowe reckons we shouldn’t be shocked if Frydenberg’s budget delivers tax cuts. He says some economists are saying the government will use its forecasts for revenue tomorrow to make spending decisions today.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/happy-josh-s-fistful-of-dollars-don-t-be-shocked-if-his-budget-delivers-tax-cuts-20220324-p5a7fx.html
    What to expect in Australia’s next budget? It’s a tax cut that’s not a tax cut, says Greg Jericho.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2022/mar/24/what-to-expect-in-australias-next-budget-a-tax-cut-thats-not-a-tax-cut
    Cut emissions, not petrol tax; fund childcare, not beer. Peter Martin tells us what economists want from next week’s budget.
    https://theconversation.com/cut-emissions-not-petrol-tax-fund-childcare-not-beer-what-economists-want-from-next-weeks-budget-179837
    Australia will need to improve its fiscal position by $40 billion a year. There are good solutions, but they have to be radical, explains Richard Holden.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/we-ll-have-to-think-big-on-budget-repair-20220323-p5a7au
    Michelle Grattan wonders what will come after this grinding election campaign passes.
    https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-what-comes-after-this-grinding-election-campaign-passes-179959
    With heightened warnings that Russia could be preparing a major cyber attack on the US, the Biden administration would expect the Australia, New Zealand and United States Security Treaty (ANZUS) to be invoked in full support of America, explains Peter Hartcher. He says such a decision could draw Australia into a retaliatory American cyber assault on Vladimir Putin’s regime, drawing Australia directly into any confrontation.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/russian-cyber-threat-to-us-could-invoke-anzus-treaty-20220324-p5a7rj.html
    Voters in the key demographics that helped Scott Morrison win the last election have deserted the Coalition over the past three months, with sharp falls in support among working families, in a sign that cost-of-living pressures will define the political contest as the government puts the finishing touches to next week’s budget, writes Simon Benson who analyses Newspoll since the start of the year.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/newspoll-analysis-miracle-victory-voters-desert-scott-morrison/news-story/095698f9def7febbd6902976b9907d22
    Phil Coorey is still banging on about the Kitching issue.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/sanctimony-is-a-dangerous-card-to-play-in-politics-20220324-p5a7fg
    We need politicians of Andrew Charlton’s calibre, but rank-and-file votes won’t always deliver them, argues Chris Wallace in a worthwhile contribution.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/we-need-politicians-of-andrew-charlton-s-calibre-but-rank-and-file-votes-won-t-always-deliver-them-20220324-p5a7ow.html
    The Liberal Party is now utterly structurally stuffed in South Australia, writes David Penberthy who says the devastating thing for the South Australian Liberal Party is that they didn’t just lose the 2022 election last Saturday. They also lost the 2026 election.
    https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/david-penberthy-he-liberal-party-is-now-utterly-structurally-stuffed-in-this-state/news-story/a10a7de3ba26db058e24086951ca130c?amp
    Australians are living through the longest period of sustained democratic dissatisfaction in the nation’s history, according to the Australian Electoral Study. Matthew Bulera tells us how our democracy is weakening and how we can stop the rot
    https://johnmenadue.com/our-democracy-is-weakening-heres-how-we-can-stop-the-rot/
    Christopher Knaus tells us that a staggering 97% of aged care workers have not received the Morrison government’s promised $800 bonus. Providers were eligible to apply for the payment from 1 March for any worker active in the industry on 28 February, and the government asked the cash-strapped providers to fork out the money to give to workers before their applications were approved and finalised with government.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/25/survey-finds-97-of-australias-aged-care-workers-have-not-received-800-bonus
    Jordan Baker reveals that almost 40 NSW private schools have been overpaid by more than $1 million a year each, and four were given more than twice as much government money as they were due. FFS!
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-130-private-schools-over-funded-by-120-million-research-reveals-20220324-p5a7gd.html
    Angus Thompson reports that the Health Services Union may campaign against Labor heading into the May election if it is not convinced of the party’s preparedness to fund the aged care sector.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/union-threatens-to-withhold-funding-resources-from-labor-over-aged-care-wage-stance-20220323-p5a7aj.html
    Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said he would be open to leading a conversation about state tax reform if Labor wins the election, but drew the line on bracket creep, writes Shane Wright.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-open-to-leading-state-tax-reform-shadow-treasurer-20220324-p5a7mo.html
    The Guardian reveals that the Australian government publicly pledged to buy 70,000 tonnes of thermal coal from miner Whitehaven, a Liberal donor, to donate to Ukraine before finalising the cost to the taxpayer – and failed to approach at least one other major coalminer to gauge their interest.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/25/coalition-went-directly-to-liberal-donor-whitehaven-to-purchase-coal-for-ukraine
    The climate criminals are, of course, seeking to cover their tracks, writes Richard Hil who says the new reality of climate chaos is upon us.
    https://johnmenadue.com/richard-hil-what-the-crisis-response-is-telling-us/
    Greg Sheridan points out that the biggest mystery with respect to defence spending remains why the government has not yet announced any action on the initiative it first announced two years ago – and which has been re-announced repeatedly since – to build a missile manufacturing facility in Australia.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/budget-2022-lastchance-saloon-for-coalition-either-arm-defence-or-do-nothing-foolish/news-story/88126c76fa47a175add0772e0f53518b
    James Roberston looks at Nick Xenophon’s return to politics.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2022/03/24/nick-xenophon-politics-return/
    The AFR tells us that civil contractors are saying they are hugely stretched due to soaring prices and have called on governments to follow Queensland’s lead and bear more of the costs of core building materials.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/infrastructure/contractors-seek-relief-as-costs-spiral-20220324-p5a7ia
    The crisis engulfing regional NSW hospitals has intensified after a senior health official declared an “internal emergency” at Bourke Hospital, warning that the facility is on the brink of closure without urgent intervention, report Lucy Carrol and Carrie Fellner. Severe staff shortages have put the hospital in a “dire” situation.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/dire-staffing-crisis-an-internal-emergency-at-nsw-hospital-20220323-p5a74k.html
    Assistant Defence Minister and former elite soldier Andrew Hastie has told the Federal Court that war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith had a “widespread” reputation within the Special Air Service for bullying a fellow soldier, writes Michaela Whitbourn after another less than helpful day in court for Ben Roberts-Smith.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/roberts-smith-had-reputation-for-bullying-a-fellow-soldier-andrew-hastie-tells-court-20220324-p5a7ov.html
    In a move that threatens to destabilise the ALP, forces aligned with the late Kimberley Kitching are launching legal action challenging the legitimacy of the federal takeover of the Victorian ALP, explains Paul Sakkal.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/kitching-labor-war-escalates-with-high-court-challenge-to-albanese-takeover-20220324-p5a7qs.html
    The Victorian Liberal MP Wendy Lovell has come under fierce criticism for saying there is “no point” in having social housing in wealthy areas “where the children cannot mix with others”. Some of these Liberal ladies just can’t help themselves!
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/24/victorian-liberal-mp-wendy-lovell-chastised-for-saying-children-in-social-housing-cannot-mix-in-wealthy-areas
    Scott Morrison said he was “shocked and disappointed” that Hillsong global senior pastor Brian Houston had resigned from the church after he was found to have breached its moral code but said he had not been a member of the church for 15 years, writes Harriett Alexander. As usual, Morrison plays with his words.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pm-shocked-and-disappointed-by-houston-resignation-not-been-a-hillsong-member-for-15-years-20220324-p5a7o2.html
    Non-disclosure agreements muzzle the harassed, help the perpetrators, and ensure that bad behaviour continues. It’s time they were ditched, argues Kirsten Ferguson who examines the effort of the board of Hillsong Church,
    https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/it-s-time-to-end-non-disclosure-let-outs-for-scandal-hit-boards-20220323-p5a7as
    A manufacturing jobs resurgence promised by both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese will have to defy economic gravity, with figures revealing the smallest proportion of Australians working in the sector on record, say Shane Wright and Rachel Clun.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/manufacturing-jobs-promise-faltering-as-covid-19-hits-sector-hard-20220324-p5a7fn.html
    Jacqui Lambie has said the Prime Minister has a document in his office confirming there was a deal to send refugees to New Zealand, and that it was made clear to her that she would end up in jail if she spoke about it.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-accepts-new-zealand-s-offer-to-take-refugees-nine-years-after-it-was-made-20220324-p5a7l4.html
    Josh Gordon outlines the shocker of a time the Victorian opposition Guy has been having.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/week-of-stuff-ups-one-for-the-history-books-20220324-p5a7hx.html
    The Age’s editorial urges Melbournians to leave the car keys at home and to get back onto public transport.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/leave-the-car-keys-at-home-we-need-to-get-back-on-public-transport-20220322-p5a6qg.html
    Patrick Hatch reports that a billionaire property developer has revealed to the inquiry how The Star Sydney staff helped him use a Chinese bank card to transfer $11 million in gambling funds to the casino in a single day.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-star-showed-high-roller-how-to-make-11m-china-transfer-20220324-p5a7nd.html
    Crown Resorts has inauspiciously scored a regulatory hat trick after being declared unsuitable to hold a casino licence in three states – NSW, Victoria and now Western Australia. Today’s bigger question is whether Star Entertainment will join Crown in being found unsuitable, writes Elizabeth Knight.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/star-risks-joining-crown-s-regulatory-hat-trick-20220324-p5a7mr.html
    Australia’s two casino companies are under fire thanks to damning revelations about their lax approach, but the evidence also shows regulators have been asleep at the wheel, says the AFR.
    https://www.afr.com/chanticleer/casino-report-buries-regulator-20220324-p5a7me
    The Adelaide Advertiser tells us that Osborne’s submarine shipyard will more than triple in size as the federal government moves to secure the space needed for nuclear-powered submarines.
    https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/osborne-submarine-shipyard-to-triple-in-size-for-aukus-build/news-story/36314d261e8761cf69df0964f53f97e0?amp
    Building a single fibre connection to a business in Barnaby Joyce’s New England electorate is expected to cost more than $600,000, almost double the original estimate, documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal.
    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/25/nbn-upgrade-to-single-business-in-barnaby-joyces-electorate-to-cost-630000
    It’s nonsense for Angus Taylor to suggest Australia could face an energy crisis like Europe’s, writes Adam Morton.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/24/its-nonsense-for-angus-taylor-to-suggest-australia-could-face-an-energy-crisis-like-europes
    Is News Corp following through on its climate change backflip? Victoria Fielding’s analysis of its flood coverage suggests not.
    https://theconversation.com/is-news-corp-following-through-on-its-climate-change-backflip-my-analysis-of-its-flood-coverage-suggests-not-179468
    In the wake of some of Australia’s worst floods, many are questioning the swiftness and efficacy of the Federal Government’s efforts to mitigate the impact on beleaguered communities, reports Nicholas Bugeja.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/federal-governments–flood-response-branded-a-failure-as-recovery-begins,16178
    Widespread coral bleaching first hit the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, but it is now happening so frequently that scientists say the billions of dollars spent on conservation measures have failed to halt the growing damage caused by climate change, writes Mike Foley.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/conservation-won-t-save-the-great-barrier-reef-from-climate-scientists-20220324-p5a7ms.html
    Binoy Kampmark writes about the Coalition’s obsession with coal.
    https://theaimn.com/weaponizing-coal-australia-gives-ukraine-a-gift/
    As a whistleblower alleges major failures in Australia’s carbon credit scheme, analysts say a plunge in the price of credits, triggered by a contentious change by the emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor, could last for years.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/24/australias-carbon-credit-scheme-could-take-years-to-recover-from-price-plunge-analysts-say
    A Senator’s suggestion of removing rural GPs is a slap in the face to all those who rely on such vital services in remote areas, writes Kerryn Phelps.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/kerryn-phelps-senators-idea-to-scrap-rural-gps-causes-outrage,16182
    Republicans have turned the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearing into a political circus, says Ed Pilkington.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/24/ketanji-brown-jackson-republicans-senate-confirmation-hearing
    Ketanji Brown Jackson’s SCOTUS confirmation hearing is a disgrace to her qualifications, declares Tayo Bero who says the bad faith questions, the baseless accusations, the time wasting – the nominee’s interrogators do not see her as an equal.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/24/ketanji-brown-jacksons-confirmation-hearing-is-a-disgrace-to-her-qualifications
    Alex Hawke’s decision to deport a former US marine has been overturned because he was directed to “sign here” by stickers on his brief without sufficient personal consideration of the case. Joseph Leon McQueen successfully challenged the immigration minister’s refusal to revoke his visa cancellation in a federal court judgment handed down on Wednesday. Guardian Australia understands that Hawke will appeal the decision.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/24/australian-judge-overturns-deportation-of-former-us-marine-citing-alex-hawkes-lack-of-personal-consideration
    With investigators still sifting through the wreckage of a tragic Boeing 737 crash in China, an acclaimed Netflix documentary shows the aircraft’s manufacturer should be scrutinised as closely as its operator and flight crew. Marcus Reubenstein examines the deteriorating safety culture at the aviation behemoth.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/pilot-error-no-boeings-tailspin-is-fuelled-by-corporate-greed-and-influence-peddling/
    The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack will consider holding in criminal contempt of Congress next week two of Donald Trump’s most senior White House advisers, Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/24/peter-navarro-dan-scavino-contempt-january-6-panel
    More than 400,000 people, including 84,000 children, have been taken against their will to Russia, a Ukrainian official has said.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/ukraine-says-moscow-is-forcibly-taking-civilians-to-russia-20220325-p5a7sd.html

    Cartoon Corner

    David Rowe

    David Pope

    Andrew Dyson

    Cathy Wilcox

    Matt Golding



    Jim Pavlidis

    Peter Broelman

    John Shakespeare


    Mark Knight

    Spooner

    From the US














  30. Oh dear, Greg is a bit of a slow learner.Bullshit Man takes no action after ‘an announcement’ , when did this start happening , who could have known ?

    Greg Sheridan points out that the biggest mystery with respect to defence spending remains why the government has not yet announced any action on the initiative it first announced two years ago –

  31. Some important ‘movement on the station’ I reckon. I recently read that there is a push to try and settle the rift between China and India. Should that broken fence be mended it could be quite a blow to ‘The West’ . The Eurasian bloc of Russia, India and China and their satellites will be one hell of an ‘800lb gorilla’ .

    We currently look to be on the way to seeing why Kissinger and many other ‘sages’ were so emphatic about the need to keep China and Russia apart. The stupid part is that it is largely due to the Americans working to keep Europe and Russia apart. When there was talk of a Europe ‘at peace’ stretching from Lisbon to Vladivostok there was quite a lot of excited clucking from a number of US think tanks and influential people. Why ? Because it would likely mean the US would lose its position as the undisputed global ‘hegemon’. And we couldn’t have that can we ? China at that stage was far smaller back then.

  32. So, the HSU is going to continue its vendetta against the ALP. Good job, well done, HSU. They don’t want any benefits for their members.

    • Initially I was against Shorten because of what his scumbag union did back in the day. Bill was not in it then but my anger remained. The arseholes undercut our union on Stage II of the Burrup LNG project .They agreed to work for lower wages,longer hours,less time off in order to gain site coverage*.. What sort of union does that to workers ! The sort of union that thinks their political power is more important than the workers.
      The project was locked in and going ahead no matter what. So there was no ‘saving jobs’ reason for agreeing to work for less. I can still feel the anger felt when returning to start Stage II and discovering the drop in pay and conditions AND being made to join the arsehole Union responsible. If anyone here has worked outside with steel during a Pilbara Summer you’ll know how well earned every cent paid is.

      Anyway I mellowed towards Shorten and the prejudice faded away and thought he’d be OK as PM.. BUT on hearing some of this shit going on it looks like my initial animosity was well and truly warranted. Still prepared to sacrifice workers they are supposed to represent in the name of personal power. Scum.

      * Back in the days of ‘No ticket .No Start’ on construction sites the main contractor would make an agreement with the relavent union(s) as to pay and conditions on that site for various trades. After which all tradies/labourers coming on site had to be a member of the relevant trade’s union .

    • It seems to be coming from Diana Asmar, alleged “close friend” of Kimberley Kitching, responsible for renaming the No 1 Victorian branch of the HSU as “HWU” and all-round revenge queen.

      It was Asmar who started the story about Kitching being hounded to death by “mean girls” in a dreadful interview for the Daily Mail, shittiest of shitty rags. I won’t link rubbish, look it up if you want. Let’s just say her account of Kitching’s death is wildly different to the version told by Bill Shorten.

      Someone is lying here, but who? And why? What do they have to gain?

  33. “The Victorian Liberal MP Wendy Lovell has come under fierce criticism for saying there is “no point” in having social housing in wealthy areas “where the children cannot mix with others”. Some of these Liberal ladies just can’t help themselves!”

    Who would want to live “in the best street in Brighton” or the equivalent address in any other city?

    As a long-term tenant of public housing and as a person who once lived in the nicest part of town I know what I’m talking about.

    Social housing needs to be integrated, but no-one is saying it should exist in the poshest parts of town.

    I have seen it all, from despicable neighbours in both places to warring tenants in both. Both areas have their trials, and it has nothing to do with “the latest iPhones or sneakers”.

    It’s all about attitude, the “them versus us” feeling that has always existed in Australia since the beginning of white settlement, when free settlers used convicts as unpaid labour and servants to allow them a far better lifestyle than they would ever have had at “home”. Howard ramped up this division to a despicable level with his fostering of the “them versus us” nonsense.

    The division has grown much worse under Scovid.

  35. Kaffee

    I’ve never had any dealings with Shorten, but when he was on the radio the morning after KK died, I said to Razz he was making insinuations about Labor people. I knew there was going to be trouble.

    • I had the same reaction. I now have serious doubts about Shorten.

      Some say Kitching was a Liberal plant in the Labor Party – she certainly seemed to be exactly that. She had too many “good friends” on the right to be anything else. How any Labor senator could be good friends with the vile Andrew Bolt is something I do not understand.

      Maybe this explains it –

      In 2013/2014 News Corp journalist Andrew Bolt was using his TV show pushing for Kimberley Kitching to be preselected for another Senate spot. It was widely rumoured that Kitching and Bolt had an affair when Landeryou fled overseas from Australian authorities in 2004/05. Bolt has never denied the affair and I wrote to him asking questions in 2014 but he never responded

      https://kangaroocourtofaustralia.com/2016/10/16/senator-kimberley-kitching-the-fraudster-and-thief-who-takes-federal-parliament-to-a-new-low/

      The article tips a bucket of merde on Kitching and Shorten.

      Bruce Haigh, a man who I respect, had this to say –

      #auspol Kimberly Kitching was a crusader on the right. Beloved by the LNP she undermined Labor policy. She sought preferment, thwarted she cried foul. Loyalty not strong. The LNP defends her, led by the champion of women, Morrison. Murdoch has seen a chance to boost his LNP.— Bruce Haigh (@bruce_haigh) March 21, 2022

      Further reading –
      Bernard Keane for Crikey
      The other Kitching truth the press gallery won’t talk about: she was a product of our hollowed-out democracy
      The sordid truth is that political parties are prey to small-time powerbrokers more focused on their interests than the public interest.
      https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/03/22/kimberley-kitching-truth-press-gallery-wont-talk-about/

  36. Someone is lying about the coal for Ukraine deal, but who? Is it the Ukrainian ambassador? Is it Scovid? (Nothing unusual about HIM lying.) Both?

    Ukraine, just weeks ago, became part of the European electricity grid, something that had been planned for years..

    This explains how it happened –

    How Ukraine Unplugged from Russia and Joined Europe’s Power Grid with Unprecedented Speed
    Engineers achieved “a year’s work in two weeks” to safely do so
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-ukraine-unplugged-from-russia-and-joined-europes-power-grid-with-unprecedented-speed/

    If all goes well Ukraine will not need our coal. Even if their plans do not work why would they need it when Europe has ample coal supplies, especially in Poland, and is moving away from coal-fired generators anyway? An article from March 2021 explains-
    Europe halfway towards closing all coal power plants by 2030
    https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/europe-halfway-towards-closing-all-coal-power-plants-by-2030/

  37. Just doing this because of the wife, Scovid? Not a good look

    The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is holding a press conference to announce the Coalition’s plan to fund care and treatment for endometriosis for $58m in the budget next week.

    His wife, Jenny Morrison, was on the Today Show this morning to talk about her own experience with it, and Morrison references that:

    …

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/mar/25/australia-news-live-updates-covid-vaccine-booster-atagi-scott-morrison-coronavirus-omicron-weather-nsw-victoria-floods#comments

    • Why didn’t he announce that when he first became PM? To do it now positively reeks of desperation.

      This was talked up in the MSM as “Jenny revealing her private struggle”. Private? She has brought this up in every interview over the last three and a half years, it has featured in magazine articles.

      I’m not totally unsympathetic – endometriosis is dreadful, but I doubt it is anywhere near as devastating for her as it was for my great-niece. She is now 22, was diagnosed at age 18 after scores of doctors, male and female, had told her it was all in her head.

      A lousy $58 million, no doubt spread over years, is negligible. Albo only needs to promise more and deliver it sooner to wedge him.

  41. Dear Pubsters,

    I don’t even want to pretend to emulate the wonderful BK. However, I am closely following the American press at the moment, particularly regarding Ukraine.

    Would anyone like a summary of the US press?

  43. Good morning Dawn Patrollers. Get your teeth into this lot!

    Laura Tingle wonders if Morrison has any political ammo left?
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-26/solomon-islands-security-lambie-medevac-deal-government-election/100940736
    To strengthen its security, a country must strengthen its economy. What is the Morrison government’s economic reform plan? So far, it’s nothing, declares Peter Hartcher in quite a critical contribution.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/security-money-must-match-our-political-posturing-20220324-p5a7rm.html
    Phil Coorey says the government is hoping for another budget bounce miracle.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/hoping-for-another-budget-bounce-miracle-20220324-p5a7kb
    David Crowe looks at the upcoming budget which seems IMHO to have some parallels with the famous Costello/Howard Hail Mary that set up an unrecoverable underlying deficit.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/20b-budget-boost-sets-up-election-pitch-on-help-to-households-20220325-p5a82l.html
    More than 1 million self-funded retirees will be given extended relief on their superannuation savings, and pensioners could be included in a one-off, $250 bonus scheme to assist with the cost of living, as the Morrison government seeks to shore up the grey vote in next week’s federal budget, say Phil Coorey and Ronald Mizen.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/pm-woos-grey-vote-with-budget-handouts-20220325-p5a7u3
    George Megalogenis begins this contribution with, “It’s not quite an iron law of economics, but close to it. International conflict is good for Australian exporters, and by extension the federal budget in an election year. But it is a mirage of the mining cycle that will destroy any government that takes the boom for granted.”
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/frydenberg-would-be-foolish-to-expect-anything-but-the-worst-20220324-p5a7ri.html
    “Can Morrison buy his way back into office?”, wonders John Hewson. He doubts the government, whatever it attempts in the budget and irrespective of whatever scare campaign it runs against the Albanese opposition, will improve their electoral prospects. The significance of the loss of trust and belief in Morrison is just too great, he says.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2022/03/26/can-morrison-buy-his-way-back-office/164821320013583
    “The nation is changing before our eyes. The public wants a government that is fiscally responsible but it also wants a government that meets its expanding needs. Those two sentiments are in profound conflict, leaving the Morrison government and Albanese Labor scrambling to delay beyond the election the ugly moment of reconciling this contradiction”, writes Paul Kelly.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/election-2022-coalition-labor-in-race-to-asimilar-budget-bottom-line/news-story/46fe9bf45d469a4d1b39a0a5308ccbd7
    Tuesday’s budget will be the most politically important of Josh Frydenberg’s parliamentary career. If he gets it wrong it almost certainly will be his last and the Coalition will lose the May election. No pressure, says Peter van Onselen.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/in-economic-battleground-tax-reform-is-a-dirty-word/news-story/73745847b134da2eb6f86ad96291041d
    The equivalent of a political nuclear bomb hit South Australia last weekend and its shockwaves are reverberating through the nation. Blown to smithereens are the notions that the Covid-19 pandemic is a guarantee for the survival of incumbents or that opinion polls are not tracking the real mood of the nation, writes Paul Bongiorno who says “The Liberals are cacking themselves”. He writes that it goes a way towards explaining why Morrison has seized on the untimely death of Labor senator Kimberley Kitching like a drowning man … It boils down to him accusing Labor of being as bad as him and the Liberals on the treatment of women colleagues.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2022/03/26/they-are-cacking-themselves/164821320013584
    Ronald Mizen reports that start-ups will be able to offer staff big incentives and bonuses under a fresh shake-up of employee share schemes set to be unveiled by Josh Frydenberg in next week’s federal budget.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/huge-incentives-to-be-allowed-under-new-changes-to-share-schemes-20220325-p5a7yj
    From Lambie’s ‘loud girl’ to Ericmentum, Tasmania’s fierce Senate race is a taste of what’s to come, writes Katherine Murphy.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2022/mar/26/from-lambies-loud-girl-to-ericmentum-tasmanias-fierce-senate-race-is-a-taste-of-whats-to-come
    According to David Crowe, bad blood in his party is a test Albanese cannot avoid. It’s a very long diatribe.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/bad-blood-in-his-party-is-a-test-albanese-cannot-avoid-20220325-p5a7tt.html
    Every three years, whoever leads the Labor Party is stripped to the waist, covered in tar and feathers, and marched through The Daily Telegraph’s newsroom, clucking and scratching like a chicken. The ritual is designed to debase the leader and show Rupert Murdoch’s dominance, says the editorial in The Saturday Paper.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2022/03/26/chicken-suit-politics/164821320013585
    Victoria says it has been robbed of over a $1 billion a year as the government sends cash to key election battlegrounds, write Josh Gordon and Shane Wright.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/victoria-furious-canberra-s-gst-carve-up-robs-the-state-of-billions-20220325-p5a81x.html
    Small and medium-sized businesses are using the federal government’s company tax cut to boost profits, increase spending on capital goods and lift wages but pressure is growing for the Coalition and Labor to maintain tax incentives to boost productivity, says Shane Wright.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/small-businesses-use-tax-cut-for-new-tools-profits-and-wages-20220325-p5a7th.html
    We want inflation but not a higher cost of living. Go figure that one, writes Michael Pascoe.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2022/03/26/inflation-cost-of-living/
    Under Barnaby Joyce the Nationals are dying a slow death, writes John Lord.
    https://theaimn.com/under-barnaby-joyce-the-nationals-are-dying-a-slow-death/
    Analysis by a former chair of the government’s carbon pricing integrity committee shows almost all the money spent on emissions reduction has gone to projects that did not contribute to reductions, explains Mike Seccombe. What a disgrace!
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/03/26/taylors-office-spent-1-billion-sham-carbon-projects/164821320013577
    The planned security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands requires a rethink of some long-held ideas, explains China specialist Anne-Marie Brady.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/shock-china-security-deal-shows-pacific-powers-need-to-face-facts-20220325-p5a7zw.html
    Michael Koziol examines the Sharma vs Spender contest in Wentworth.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/team-sharma-or-team-spender-who-s-backing-who-in-the-eastern-suburbs-20220324-p5a7o1.html
    And Josh Frydenberg is working with Citi investment banker Tony Osmond to combat the fundraising firepower of Simon Holmes à Court.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/threatened-frydenberg-splurges-on-billboards-20220324-p5a7ik
    Jacqui Maley tells us that a leading surgeon has blasted Wentworth MP Dave Sharma for misleading voters by claiming he has restored cardiac surgery to the Sydney Children’s Hospital when the statement was “far from the truth”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/top-surgeon-blasts-wentworth-mp-dave-sharma-for-misleading-and-inaccurate-children-s-hospital-boast-in-election-leaflet-20220324-p5a7kh.html
    Once upon a time Victoria was a byword for conservatism. Then it raised a Cain. Before you could say wine bars and Sunday trading, the state was skipping past the rest of the nation. And no matter how the nation votes, it is likely to remain a fortress for the anti-conservative forces this year. Mark Sawyer looks at political trends in the People’s Republic of Below Murray.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/how-victoria-became-the-progressive-jewel-in-the-national-crown/
    Aisha Dow reports that the Telstra service that directs Australians’ triple-zero calls to police, fire or ambulance is regularly limiting the number of staff dedicated to Victorian emergencies to prevent the entire nation’s triple-zero call system from being clogged by extreme delays. It’s not a pretty picture she paints!
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorian-ambulance-call-crisis-endangers-nation-s-triple-0-system-20220308-p5a2nz.html
    Assistant Defence Minister and former elite soldier Andrew Hastie has told the Federal Court that it was a persistent rumour within the Special Air Service that war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith had kicked an Afghan prisoner off a cliff, writes Michaela Whitbourn about yesterday’s court hearing.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/i-m-no-longer-proud-of-mr-roberts-smith-andrew-hastie-tells-defamation-trial-20220325-p5a7v3.html
    Accounting giant PwC has inappropriately used legal privilege to shield documents from the tax office during an audit of its multinational clients, a judge has found, in a mixed ruling that could have wider implications for Australia’s professional services industry, explains Charlotte Grieve.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/judge-finds-pwc-privilege-over-used-in-tax-audit-20220325-p5a7x4.html
    The worst has happened yet again – the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has confirmed that the reef has undergone another mass bleaching event. The fourth such event in six years, with the more severe impacts being seen in the far north and central sections, writes climate scientist Lesley Hughes. She says this latest announcement comes ahead of a World Heritage Committee meeting in June to consider listing the reef as “in danger”– a damning indictment that the Federal Government wants to avoid at all costs.
    https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/the-worst-has-happened-to-the-great-barrier-reef-again-and-my-heart-is-breaking-20220322-p5a6xo.html
    Dan Cregan is likely to be reappointed as Speaker when the SA state parliament resumes, and he has fired a broadside at his former Liberal colleagues, saying they are in “outer Siberia.”
    https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/labor-likely-to-use-numbers-to-bring-dan-cregan-back-as-speaker/news-story/028b7c0917a92243b6b5802dc5bb5849?amp
    And Liberal Party figures are high on Ashton Hurn as a potential future leader of the party in SA. I have got to know her fairly well.
    https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/liberal-party-figures-are-high-on-ashton-hurn-as-a-potential-future-leader/news-story/d5976f9e3e551edc7a6b4789ebf80112?amp
    As the pandemic recedes from discourse, and the cost of living and climate change become voter priorities, Jesse Noakes looks at what Labor’s political strength in Western Australia means for the federal election.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/03/26/mark-mcgowans-message-federal-politics/164821320013582
    At the Darwin Community Legal Centre, the staff are concerned about what’s to come for some of the most vulnerable people in the Territory. Jessica Brugmans, the senior advocate at the centre’s Seniors and Disability Rights Service, says that over the past 12 months there has been a “general trend of substantial cuts to funding” in National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plans.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/26/half-of-all-ndis-plans-reviewed-in-the-nt-had-funding-slashed-over-last-six-months
    Lucy Cormack tells us more about the money laundering going on in the Star Casino.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/private-casino-room-more-like-suncity-casino-than-the-star-inquiry-20220325-p5a7zt.html
    Governance experts have called for Star’s senior executives to immediately “go in disgrace”, after a week of bombshell evidence of possible money laundering, secret junket rooms and misled regulators.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/games-and-wagering/untenable-star-execs-jobs-in-question-governance-experts-say-20220325-p5a7ts
    The Australian government’s argument against sending refugees to New Zealand was always absurd, argues Ben Doherty.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/25/australias-offshore-detention-regime-caused-nine-years-of-unnecessary-and-irreparable-harm
    The federal government has done nothing to prevent child sexual abuse perpetrators from hiding their assets in superannuation, despite an announcement made four years ago promising legislation to assist survivors’ claims for compensation, complains Bri Lee.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/03/26/delays-are-allowing-abusers-hide-assets-their-victims/164821320013580
    The Liberal senator Andrew Bragg has shown a “disdain” for free speech that “smacks of autocracy” in threatening legal action against a website that purports to explain MPs’ voting records, the Institute of Public Affairs has said.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/25/liberal-andrew-bragg-accused-of-showing-disdain-for-free-speech-with-legal-threat-to-they-vote-for-you-site
    With judicial confirmation hearings under way in the US, it’s time to once again thank our lucky stars that we don’t endure the same spectacle in Australia, writes Janet Albrechtsen.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/thank-goodness-our-legal-system-is-not-like-americas/news-story/4c7bdd277087327cb19ec7a602f1bf2c
    As Vladimir Putin draws on lessons from Chechnya and his obsession with World War II, there are now five likely ways the brutality in Ukraine might end, outlines Mark Edele in an instructive contribution.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/03/26/how-the-war-ukraine-will-end/164821320013578
    Western officials have said they believe a Russian commander was run over and killed by mutinous forces during the fighting in Ukraine, in a sign of what they described as the “morale challenges” faced by the invading forces.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/25/russian-troops-mutiny-commander-ukraine-report-western-officials
    “Putin’s war is the model of a military debacle but can Ukraine risk switching to the offensive?”, asks military strategist, Mick Ryan.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/putin-s-war-is-the-model-of-a-military-debacle-but-can-ukraine-risk-switching-to-the-offensive-20220324-p5a7rh.html
    “Arsehole of the Week” nomination goes to this senior teacher responsible for child protection at a Melbourne Christian college and has been suspended after she sent private tip-off messages to a colleague who has now pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two students.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/subbed-legalled-ready-christian-school-s-child-safety-officer-suspended-after-tipping-off-sex-predator-20220324-p5a7gb.html

    Cartoon Corner

    David Pope

    David Rowe

    Jim Pavlidis
    https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.362%2C$multiply_2.1164%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_96%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_62%2Cf_auto/aeb97192177f34e2ce54b22b558c627a59db464e
    Jon Kudelka

    John Shakespeare


    Matt Golding



    Alan Moir

    Andrew Dyson

    Mark Knight

    Michael Leunig

    Leak

    From the US











  46. A response to this nonsense from Fraudenberg –

    Here is the confirmation –
    “PPVs [private plated vehicles] must not to be used for commercial purposes and are serviced, maintained, insured and fuelled at the expense of the Australian Government. Further information is available on the vehicle administration page.”
    https://maps.finance.gov.au/offices-resources-and-budgets/other-work-expenses-and-resources/private-plated-vehicles-parliamentarians

  48. Good morning Dawn Patrollers on Slow Sunday.

    The federal Coalition is likely to appoint a woman to share the job of election campaign spokesperson for the first time, with senior ministers Karen Andrews, Anne Ruston and Jane Hume under consideration for the key role, writes James Massola. IMHO Andrews is the only one of these who is presentable.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/coalition-likely-to-appoint-senior-woman-to-share-election-campaign-spokesperson-job-20220324-p5a7kc.html
    Kim Carr, the longest serving Victorian senator in history and a pillar of federal politics, will bow out of public life after three decades of campaigning for local manufacturing, science funding and trade unions, reports Paul Sakkal.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/after-three-decades-as-political-warrior-kim-carr-bows-out-20220326-p5a87g.html
    Meanwhile, The Liberal Party has dumped veteran senator and conservative warrior Concetta Fierravanti-Wells from a winnable spot on its Senate ticket, as both major parties scramble to finalise their candidate lists before the looming federal election. It put Jim Molan into the eminently winnable third position.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-unveils-jerome-laxale-as-candidate-for-bennelong-20220325-p5a81m.html
    Male politicians are trading on their looks – lucky for them, they can afford to, says Jacqui Maley.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/male-politicians-are-trading-on-their-looks-lucky-for-them-they-can-afford-to-20220325-p5a80c.html
    Waiting lists of thousands, cars selling out in seconds – welcome to the frustrating world of the Australian EV buyer, writes Jordan Beazley.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/27/sold-out-why-australia-doesnt-have-enough-electric-vehicles-to-go-around
    A Greens councillor in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs is pushing to raise the amount paid in rates by its wealthiest homeowners, with claims cheaper properties have been subsidising mansions.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/greens-councillor-wants-wealthiest-eastern-suburbs-home-owners-to-pay-higher-rates-20220324-p5a7ks.html
    John Barilaro’s case against tech giant exposes flaws in ‘anti-trolling’ laws, argues lawyer Patrick George.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/john-barilaro-s-case-against-tech-giant-exposes-flaws-in-anti-trolling-laws-20220325-p5a82q.html
    The marathon Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case was book-ended this week by the evidence of military men, not least a dramatic showing by Assistant Defence Minister and former SAS captain Andrew Hastie on Friday. But much of the spotlight also fell on the woman who’d had a brief, passionate and ultimately destructive affair with Roberts-Smith in late 2017 and early 2018, writes Deborah Snow summing up last week in court.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/ben-roberts-smith-case-the-war-hero-and-his-lover-s-tale-exposed-20220325-p5a7vi.html
    Pollution and toxic substances kill more than 9 million people every year, nowhere is safe. But the highest burden is suffered by communities located near the most polluting and most dangerous facilities; facilities such as open-cut mines, smelters, oil and gas fields, petroleum refineries, chemical and steel plants, garbage dumps, hazardous waste incinerators and coal-fired power stations, writes Peter Sainsbury who tells us about the term “sacrifice zone”.
    https://johnmenadue.com/environment-pollution-destroys-lives-the-ozone-layer-and-bushland/
    Jurors who sat in the Zachary Rolfe murder trial might now feel cheated – that’s understandable, says Richard Ackland.
    https://www.theguardian.com/law/commentisfree/2022/mar/26/jurors-who-sat-in-the-zachary-rolfe-trial-might-now-feel-cheated-thats-understandable
    COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate and in order to end the pandemic, we can’t be complacent or lose community spirit, writes Sylvia Aramchek.
    https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/covid-complacency-wont-end-the-pandemic,16190
    Amnesty International declares that Israel is committing apartheid.
    https://johnmenadue.com/amnesty-internationalisrael-is-committing-apartheid/
    Rob Harris writes about the British monarchy in transition.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/the-crown-in-transition-an-ailing-queen-exiled-prince-and-shrinking-realm-20220326-p5a85a.html
    And Nick Btyant tells us about royal roadkill: the downfall of Britain’s Prince Andrew.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/royal-roadkill-the-downfall-of-britain-s-prince-andrew-20220120-p59pyd.html
    A key reason Putin’s bloody invasion is faltering? He’s no match for Zelenskiy’s iPhone, opines Jonathan Freedland.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/25/churchill-iphone-volodymyr-zelenskiy-ukraine-west
    US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is facing calls to recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 presidential election after revelations that his wife repeatedly pushed former president Donald Trump’s chief of staff to overturn his loss to Joe Biden.
    https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/you-can-t-claim-ignorance-us-judge-in-firing-line-after-wife-s-texts-urging-election-be-overturned-20220326-p5a85r.html

    Cartoon Corner

    Fiona Katauskas

    Matt Golding

    Joe Benke

    Mark Knight

    From the US








  49. “The federal Coalition is likely to appoint a woman to share the job of election campaign spokesperson for the first time, with senior ministers Karen Andrews, Anne Ruston and Jane Hume under consideration for the key role, writes James Massola. IMHO Andrews is the only one of these who is presentable”

    And the media accuse three outstanding Labor women of being “mean girls”!!!! These three are the meanest of a government renowned for its meanness.

    All three Liberal women, like the entire government, are proven liars, Ruston especially with her “we never intended to put pensioners on the CDC” lies. Why then is the age pension specifically mentioned in the legislation, along with other Centrelink payments?

    Karen Andrews is renowned not only for her lies but for her cruelty as well. A few deluded souls thought that a woman as Home Affairs minister would bring a softer approach, instead Andrews has tried to be even nastier than Dutton. She is in no way “presentable” – sorry, BK.

    Hume is said to be the person Scovid is having an affair with. What a sickening thought. Making her a joint campaign spokesperson gives him the perfect excuse to drag her around the country with him.

    None of these over-entitled women are in any way relatable to the majority of Australian women. Parading them at pressers and other public appearances, probably as noddies while a man speaks, will not make women vote Liberal. It will have the opposite effect.

  50. ” Labor senator Katy Gallagher was asked on Sunday about the ‘mean girls’ label she and other Labor senators have been tagged with after the death of Kimberley Kitching, and said it wasn’t a term she had heard Kitching use.”

    Give. It. A. Rest!

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