Ukraine …

Fiona Uncategorized
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It seems trite to start with anything like “We are all Ukrainians now”. However, in so many ways, we are. We are all little people, doing our best to get on with our lives, looking after those dear to us.
Then life as we’ve known it explodes, and we are shattered into devastating uncertainties – precisely what’s happening to everyone in Ukraine.

To backtrack 60 years, my parents were remarkably open with me from my earliest days about social issues, e.g., cancer and smoking, sexuality, religion, racism, politics – local and world – and everything in between. I knew about the Holocaust, I knew about Anne Frank and so many other victims, I knew about the nuclear bombing of Japan, Yet I don’t recall ANYTHING about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I do wonder – and now wish I’d asked them – if they’d decided to adopt media silence as far as I was concerned (I was only 6 years old but was already aware of the dangers of cigarettes and often cried myself to sleep thinking about mum’s smoking.

I was well-aware of the Malaysian/Indonesian war. I knew about the Korean war. I most certainly knew about the Vietnam war. And – unbeknownst to them – I had listened to a dramatisation of the Nuremberg Trials. 

The only reason I can imagine is that, for them, it was an existential crisis, and they didn’t want me to know about it until it might have affected Australia.

And I weep for all Ukrainians, all of whom have been children, and for all and every Ukrainian child.

385 thoughts on “Ukraine …”

  1. Whom to believe, whom …

    Scott Morrison says he is willing to sign a statutory declaration denying allegations he racially vilified a competitor in a preselection battle to get into Parliament, as members of the Lebanese community who have known the Prime Minister for years have rejected the accusations.

    …

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-prepared-to-sign-statutory-declaration-denying-he-used-race-in-bid-for-seat-20220403-p5aafs.html

  3. Preferred PM: Morrison 43 (+1) Albanese 42 (0)
    Morrison: Approve 42 (+1) Disapprove 54 (-1)
    Albanese: Approve 43 (-1) Disapprove 44 (+2)

  5. Morrison won’t sign a stat dec Little Black Duck, you have to tell the truth in one of those.

    • He’ll find a way to sit on it,
      Then shit on it,
      So nobody can read it.
      Maybe he’ll confess, admit
      He’s a secret illiterate,
      Needs help. Jen will do it!

  6. Ipsos returns!

    TPP: L/NP 45 ALP 55
    Primary Votes: L/NP 31 ALP 35 GRN 10 ON 4 UAP 2 Others 8 Don’t know 7

    Preferred PM: Morrison 37 Albanese 38
    Morrison: Approve 33 Disapprove 48
    Albanese: Approve 30 Disapprove 32

    Comment by Kevin Bonham on twitter “OK the annoying bit here is AFR’s reporting of headline primaries with “don’t know” included. This should be punishable by being strapped in a chair and raved at by Bob Katter for three hours. Apart from that looks OK ”

    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/liberals-to-start-from-behind-after-lukewarm-budget-response-poll-20220401-p5a9z4

    Liberals to start from behind after lukewarm budget response: poll
    Phillip Coorey Political editor
    Apr 3, 2022 – 10.00pm

    The Morrison government will enter the election campaign lagging Labor by up to 10 percentage points, according to an exclusive new poll, which also shows last week’s federal budget was given a lukewarm reception by voters and may not provide the boost required.

    In the first of a new series of Ipsos polls to be conducted for The Australian Financial Review between now and the May election, Scott Morrison has a much higher disapproval rating than Labor leader Anthony Albanese, especially among women, but there is little difference between the two in terms of preferred prime minister

  7. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    At the moment I can’t get in to The Australian, hence the lack of links from it recently.

    Phil Coorey writes that the Morrison government will enter the election campaign lagging Labor by up to 10 percentage points, according to an exclusive new poll for the AFR, which also shows last week’s federal budget was given a lukewarm reception by voters and may not provide the boost required.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/liberals-to-start-from-behind-after-lukewarm-budget-response-poll-20220401-p5a9z4
    A pretty good contribution here from Sean Kelly as the election is about to be called.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/scott-morrison-fights-for-pen-in-battle-to-tell-his-story-20220402-p5aaab.html
    The lukewarm response to the 2022 budget suggests that targeted election bribes will be less politically effective than the bold income tax cuts announced in the 2019 budget, says the editorial in the AFR. It also says that if the debacle in NSW costs him the election, Mr Morrison will have only himself to blame for allowing his factional consigliere and Minister for Immigration, Alex Hawke, to put playing machine politics ahead of the Liberal Party’s best interests.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/less-popular-pm-can-t-rely-on-budget-for-second-coming-20220331-p5a9n4
    Moments before the end of a flailing government there comes a period when it all falls apart. The bonds that might once have held it together begin to disintegrate. We have reached that point now where its dispatch will feel like a release. It rots from the head, writes Nicholas Stuart. This is in the “ouch!” category.
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7684433/the-liberal-goverment-rots-from-the-top/?cs=14258
    The government is struggling for clear air on the cusp of an election and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, with nothing to lose, decided to square up, writes Phil Coorey.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/it-s-all-in-the-timing-factional-enemies-square-up-with-morrison-20220403-p5aaei
    We do need a stronger public service – but consultants have their place, explains economist Steven Hamilton.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-need-a-stronger-public-service-but-consultants-have-their-place-20220402-p5aab6.html
    David Crowe explains how Michael Towke’s brutal political takedown came back to bite Scott Morrison.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/how-michael-towke-s-brutal-political-takedown-came-back-to-bite-scott-morrison-20220403-p5aafu.html
    But the SMH tells us Scott Morrison says he is willing to sign a statutory declaration denying allegations he racially vilified a competitor in a preselection battle to get into Parliament, as members of the Lebanese community who have known the Prime Minister for years have rejected the accusations.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-prepared-to-sign-statutory-declaration-denying-he-used-race-in-bid-for-seat-20220403-p5aafs.html
    Ross Gittins writes about living with government debt and deficit.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/don-t-worry-about-national-debt-but-there-s-another-issue-to-be-concerned-about-20220403-p5aact.html
    “Why does Scott Morrison keep dragging his wife Jenny into things, even Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock?”, wonders Jenna Price.
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7682537/why-does-the-pm-keep-dragging-his-wife-into-things/?cs=27845
    Australia needed a reform budget with climate at its centre, but instead, what we got was short-term giveaways from a government focused on securing its future while ignoring everyone else’s, says Allegra Spender in this op-ed for the AFR.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/australia-needed-a-reform-budget-with-climate-at-its-centre-20220331-p5a9n7
    The disaster of Australian house prices over the past 40 years has not just reshaped the economy but fundamentally transformed society, says Alan Kohler.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2022/04/04/house-prices-destructive-alan-kohler/
    This assessment of Morrison’s character in the AIMN flies right off the badness scale.
    https://theaimn.com/smirko-flashes-his-nasty/
    Tucked away in the maelstrom of Budget announcements is a measure which turns private pension funds into the financial equivalent of a magic pudding; valuable, inexhaustible and sheltered from tax until ready to be passed on to the next generation. Harry Chemay unveils the quadrella of self-managed superannuation lurks which favour wealthy retirees.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/great-smsf-federal-budget-tax-measures/
    Despite record job vacancies, Australians shouldn’t expect big pay rises anytime soon. Professor David Peetz tells us why. He says the budget forecasts just don’t make sense.
    https://theconversation.com/despite-record-job-vacancies-australians-shouldnt-expect-big-pay-rises-anytime-soon-and-heres-why-180416
    Paul Karp reports that aged care industry bodies and unions have criticised the Morrison government for failing to commit to fully fund any pay increases ordered as a result of the sector’s work value case.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/04/aged-care-bodies-and-unions-demand-coalition-match-labors-pledge-to-fund-potential-wage-rises
    Nick McKenzie reports that the federal government has expelled a millionaire businessman from Australia after accusing him of carrying out tasks for a Chinese intelligence operative and working covertly in a way that advanced Beijing’s interests.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/millionaire-chinese-property-developer-quietly-expelled-for-harming-security-interests-20220324-p5a7gk.html
    Katina Curtis reports that in the absence of a proper government inquiry, three leading philanthropic groups have joined forces to fund an inquiry into Australia’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be led by former top public servant Peter Shergold.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/short-and-sharp-lessons-experts-to-examine-how-australia-handled-pandemic-20220401-p5aa6u.html
    Victorian hospitals will be cranked up to 125 per cent of their pre-pandemic levels in an effort to clear an elective surgery backlog, report Josh Gordon and melissa Cunningham.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-announces-1-5-billion-covid-catch-up-plan-20220403-p5aaeo.html
    Competition agencies around the globe are increasingly working together to take action against tech giants. And Australia started the trend, write Laurel Henning and James Panichi.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/completely-joined-up-how-australia-united-the-regulatory-world-against-big-tech-20220321-p5a6kh.html
    The NSW government is under increasing pressure to scrap its controversial wages cap on public sector workers after paramedics and other health workers warned they would walk off the job over pay and the Opposition Leader revealed Labor would axe the 2.5 per cent limit on pay increases.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/off-the-leash-paramedics-health-workers-to-walk-off-job-over-wages-20220403-p5aafl.html
    Rachel Clun tells us how a new ANU study indicates that tweaks to superannuation and personal income tax could fund a boost to income support payments and rental assistance, and lift a million Australians out of poverty as people grapple with increasing hip-pocket pain, particularly for the country’s poorest.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/how-a-million-australians-could-be-lifted-out-of-poverty-through-tweaks-to-tax-20220401-p5aa6h.html
    The Federal Circuit and Family Court and the federal government are working to fix a legal bungle that could affect hundreds of people with child custody and divorce settlement orders, but it will take until mid-year at least to enact a solution. Nice work Christian and Michaelia!
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/legal-bungle-casts-doubt-on-family-court-decisions-20220401-p5aa30.html
    The damage bill from the swamping of Sydney’s coastline on Saturday is expected to run into the millions and it could take beaches up to a year to recover from one of the worst coastal erosion events in NSW since 2016.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/like-a-bomb-hit-sydney-beaches-could-take-a-year-to-recover-from-swamping-20220403-p5aad2.html
    Nationals MP and anti-vaccination advocate George Christensen is bracing for a backlash after testing positive for COVID-19 and revealing he is taking the controversial anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin which is banned in Australia for COVID treatment. Prize idiot!
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7684587/waiting-for-haters-christensen-tests-positive-for-covid-19/?cs=14329
    With Ukraine retaking lost territory and his elite tank division routed, experts fear the Russian president will turn to weapons of mass destruction to save face, opines the London Telegraph’s Justin Huggler who says this could be the week that the Ukraine war turned against Putin.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/this-could-be-the-week-that-the-ukraine-war-turned-against-putin-20220403-p5aadw.html

    Cartoon Corner

    David Rowe

    Peter Broelman

    Jim Pavlidis

    Alan Moir

    Megan Herbert

    Mark Knight

    Leak

  8. Scovid making a stat dec is a joke and he knows it, that’s why he offered. He will lie – as usual. He is such a pathological liar he will have no qualms about presenting more lies on a witnessed document. Even a lie detector would not work on him.

    Also – he has not signed anything and won’t. It’s just another announcement. There are penalties for lying in a stat dec,

    • Even if there is a mountain of evidence Bullshit Man is not a racists but that counts for naught. THE only thing that ever matters to Bullshit Man is himself. He has shown throughout his career that no low act is out of bounds if it benefits Bullshit Man. His best mate could have been a Lebanese guy but if Bullshit Man thought chucking shit at Lebanese people then that will be what he doe and under the bus goes the maaate.. Betrayal and backstabbing has been quite a feature of Bullshit Man’s career.
      As for the election. I am really stuck as to which of my two hopes I want the most.. Wish a) He gets an electoral flogging. so there is no doubt the people of Australia rejected him. A defeat emphatic enough that there can be no ‘nearly’ or ‘if only’ with which to console himself. Wish b) The Libs give him the boot before the election. It would mean his career will score a ’10’ for getting the arse/moved on before his contract was finished.
      Win win options but which would be worse for Bullshit Man ?

  12. Kaffeeklatscher,

    I think (a) is preferable to (b). If he’s dumped AND the coaLIEtion loses, he would be very likely to trumpet that the loss of government was because he wasn’t the Leader any more.

    • True. I’d like him to repeat Howard’s act and lose both his seat and government, but Cook these days is staunchly Liberal. There is only a minute chance, if any, of seeing him lose his seat.

      I grew up in what is now Cook. When we moved there in 1952 the seat was part of Werriwa, a huge, electorate extending across most of southern and south-western Sydney. Back then Gough Whitlam was about to become the Member for Werriwa in a by-election. He would have no hope of winning that seat today.

    • Ah “because he wasn’t leader’ . Now that aspect I did not consider. Now my choice is very easy to make. Vote.1 An electoral Battle of the Teutoburg Forest for Scotty.

  14. The Towke ‘affair’ is not the only time such accusations re SfM have been tossed about.

    Calls for Morrison’s head in ‘anti-Muslim’ row
    Posted Thu 17 Feb 2011

    Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is standing by his immigration spokesman Scott Morrison amid calls for his sacking over his alleged proposal for the Coalition to pursue an anti-Muslim agenda.

    A Fairfax report says Mr Morrison urged shadow cabinet to capitalise on electorate fears of “Muslim immigration”, “Muslims in Australia” and Muslim migrants’ “inability to integrate”.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-02-17/calls-for-morrisons-head-in-anti-muslim-row/1947034

  18. Didn’t care when signs advertising Monique Ryan, independent candidate for Kooyong were defaced –

    But when it (allegedly) happens to him it’s the end of the world.

    There are some in that thread who believe Josh photoshopped the image because the pixilated skin around the swastika looks very odd. I wouldn’t put it past him.

  20. Attention NSWalsians. Regarding the biffo in court re selection of NSW candidates. Could someone give a potted summary of who the fight is between ? I know it is between two flavours of ‘appalling’ but I have not really been following

    • The combatants are NSW Libs who want to select their own candidates and Scovid, who with the help of Domicron and some other NSW chap wants different candidates including the utterly useless Sussan Ley, Hillsonger Alex Hawke and Trent Zimmerman.

      It’s before the court now.

  22. There must be an election coming up

    Former New South Wales minister Pru Goward and a former chief of staff to Scott Morrison are among six people with Liberal links appointed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal among 19 appointments.

    On Monday the attorney general, Michaelia Cash, announced that Goward and Ann Duffield had been appointed senior members, jobs that receive pay of at least $330,000 a year, if employed on a full time basis, for up to seven years.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/apr/04/australia-news-live-updates-covid-coronavirus-omicron-vaccine-weather-rain-floods-victoria-nsw-queensland-scott-morrison

  23. I hope an incoming Albanese government sacks all these last-minute Scovid appointments. We do not need the likes of Pru Goward (ugh!) and former Scovid staffers on the AAT.

  24. There have been sackings since the new ALP government was sworn in in South Australia. It is going to take a lot of brooms to sweep out the dross installed by the nine years of Coalition govt federally. I also thnk we need to change the law so that AAT appointments have limited terms and minimum requirements. The churls appointed to those plum jobs by the Libs is a disgrace.

    • I do agree with you, but in practice, it would probably be something of a unilateral disarmament. If Labor makes it an independent scheme, the Liberal toerags stay on, and the Liberals will just flick it aside and go back to appointing only their toadies when they next win power, which would likely be quickly in this media environment.

      Part of me just wants Labor (if it wins) to go full retaliation if it wins. Sack all public servants, appointees, board members and ambassadors linked to the Coalition and replace them. Not necessarily with Labor party operatives, but competent, charismatic and respectable community people.

    • One side of me, Kirsdarke, is cheering and barracking for your position!!!

      The other side is cheering and barracking for your position, but also doing a bit of caution, like “What if??

    • Yeah, that’s valid, Fiona.

      It’s just I remember that Labor in 2007-2010 played nice with the Coalition, appointing Liberal party members to important positions in good faith. And look at what they did to Labor in return for the next 12 years.

      When I remember that, I feel like I want to see what happens if Labor goes full no mercy against the Coalition with that in mind, if it wins a majority at the election.

    • I hope Labor remembers that too. Rudd was far too nice to Libs and gave them too many lucrative appointments.

      I’m hoping this time Labor will go for a scorched earth policy, sacking all Liberal and National appointees, especially from the AAT

  27. Good morning Dawn Patrollers. Another huge Patrol!

    Coalition disunity and revived questions about Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s character more than blunted the appeal of last week’s generous budget, according to the latest Roy Morgan poll released on Tuesday. James Robertson reports that the poll, conducted while Mr Morrison faces accusations of bullying and racism, shows Labor extending its lead in the past week on a two-party preferred basis by 1.5 percentage points to 57 per cent to 43 per cent.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2022/04/05/roy-morgan-poll-morrison-towke/
    David Crowe takes us through the entrails of the Resolve Political Monitor shows some promising indications for Labor given the reaction to the budget.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-vote-rises-despite-broad-support-for-budget-ahead-of-election-20220404-p5aaoo.html
    Crowe has two bob each way, saying victory within Albanese’s grasp but Morrison still in the race.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/victory-within-albanese-s-grasp-but-morrison-still-in-the-race-20220404-p5aaoy.html
    Only a quarter of Guardian Essential respondents think the Morrison government’s cash splash budget is good for them personally, and just over half (56%) think the budget’s primary purpose is to help the Coalition win the coming election. The new poll findings come as shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, sharpens Labor’s criticism of last week’s budget as “self-obsessed, short-term, and out-of-touch with reality”, warning that sticking to the status quo will entrench a “wasted decade” of lost economic opportunities, explain Katherine Murphy and Sarah Martin.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/05/poll-coalition-cash-splash-leaves-voters-cold-as-just-a-quarter-say-budget-will-be-good-for-them
    According to Shane Wright, Labor will go into the election campaign linking any increase in mortgage interest rates to the federal budget and blowouts in government spending, with shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers warning the Coalition is risking the financial security of heavily indebted households.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/attack-turns-to-2007-as-labor-ramps-up-interest-rate-risk-from-budget-20220404-p5aajg.html
    Paul Bongiorno says that small targets and big deficits have the government in a very hard place.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2022/04/05/paul-bongiorno-small-target-big-deficit-aged-care/
    Labor has strengthened its bid for the small business vote, promising a plan to require invoices are paid within 30 days to benefit 2.4 million firms.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/labor-to-require-small-business-invoices-be-paid-in-30-days-20220404-p5aaoa
    Jess Irvine describes rent assistance as the ticking time bomb threatening future prime ministers. She takes Morrison to task, saying investors took out another $10.75 billion of housing loans on top of the $4.84 billion for first home buyers – more than twice the rate.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/rent-assistance-the-ticking-time-bomb-threatening-future-prime-ministers-20220404-p5aaj5.html
    How badly did Jason Falinski maul and distort the housing inquiry he chaired at our expense? So badly the secretariat took their names off the final report. In Parliament House public-servant-speak, that’s about as strong a condemnation as you can get short of a career-ending burning of the document in the forecourt, exclaims Michael Pascoe.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2022/04/05/michael-pascoe-housing-catastrophe-worsens-falinski-failure/
    The politics of a cliffhanger. The independents may have the final say in deciding who takes government in the event of an inconclusive result in the 2022 election. They’ll have to make up their minds, or the Queen’s man will be the kingmaker, writes Mark Sawyer.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/where-will-independents-preferences-go-coalition-or-labor/
    Lisa Visentin tells us how Michael Towke has doubled down on Morrison and his “lying and racism”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-accused-of-lying-about-denials-he-used-race-in-bid-for-seat-20220404-p5aakc.html
    Meanwhile, to add to the narrative, another senior Liberal has taken aim at Scott Morrison, accusing him of “self-serving ruthless bullying” and claiming he has “ruined” the Liberal party. Catherine Cusack, a NSW Liberal who announced two weeks ago she would resign from the Legislative Council over her anger about flood relief, adds her voice to a growing chorus of critics of Morrison from within his own party.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/04/liberal-mp-catherine-cusack-scott-morrison-ruthless-bullying-flood-victims
    Here is Cusack’s op-ed in which she has blasted Morrison. Square in the goolies!
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/04/im-a-liberal-and-i-cannot-vote-for-the-re-election-of-a-scott-morrison-government
    Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells must resign herself to being dropped from Scott Morrison’s Christmas card list for a long time. And she must bear, with as much fortitude as she can muster, the vituperation of former colleagues who reproach her, probably wrongly, for their fate at the May election. Her farewell senate performance may be seen as raw treachery, revenge, or a belated penance for finding herself in bad company, writes Jack Waterford.
    https://johnmenadue.com/concetta-tips-bucket-over-morrison-a-leader-she-despises/
    Nothing foreshadows a federal election like a stampede of friendly appointments by a government getting its house in order in the dying days of its parliamentary term – just in case it doesn’t crawl back into power come polling day, write Angus Thompson and Stephen Brook. They say, simply put, the cavalcade of names – more than 120 in the past fortnight – looked nothing less that a Liberal Party Christmas card list, and even includes a recently departed NSW government minister. Here we go again!!!!
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/goward-heads-list-of-libs-picked-for-tribunal-gigs-20220404-p5aarj.html
    John Kehoe writes that business leaders have expressed frustration about the “zero mandate” election, urging political parties to lift their ambitions to deliver long-term prosperity for Australians.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/why-a-zero-mandate-election-won-t-lock-in-prosperity-20220404-p5aao5
    According to Tom Burton, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers will use his response to the federal budget at the NPC today to play down expectations about how quickly the economic challenges identified by Labor can be reversed. In doing so, he will indicate that Labor, like the government, will end the petrol excise cut in September as scheduled, rather than extend it, meaning petrol is likely to rise by 22¢ a litre then.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/labor-will-not-extend-fuel-excise-cut-past-september-20220405-p5aau5
    And business leaders are calling on whoever wins government to urgently resurrect the dying collective bargaining system to allow for the productivity that underpins higher wages, and are willing to negotiate safeguards with unions if necessary.
    https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/a-disaster-ceos-want-urgent-bargaining-fix-to-restart-wage-growth-20220404-p5aanr
    Grace Tame speaks up about the demise of media integrity and why the exploitation of Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching is not in the public interest.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/grace-tame-exploitative-media,16227
    Jacqui reveals that the federal government, led by Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, demanded to keep secret the amount paid out to the sexual harassment victims of former High Court judge Dyson Heydon.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-government-behind-secrecy-clause-in-payout-to-dyson-heydon-s-alleged-victims-20220404-p5aamr.html
    There is less to Australia’s jobless situation than the Coalition and the craven mainstream media want us to believe, as Alan Austin reports.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/morrison-and-frydenbergs-only-economic-success-isnt-even-true,16224
    Health advocates have welcomed the elevation of aged care as a headline issue early in the federal election campaign, backing Labor’s policy pledges but warning that changes could have “unintended consequences” without further consultation. One leading aged care voice has challenged both major parties to outline exactly how they plan to fund the sector against the backdrop of an ageing Australian population, claiming current rules would see the pay of nursing home staff go backwards this year.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/05/aged-care-sector-calls-for-funding-detail-on-election-commitments
    On Saturday 2 February 2022, the Federal Member for Whitlam, Mr Stephen Jones MP, posed this question to the Prime Minister Mr Morrison on social media: “Does Scott Morrison really want to go to this election arguing that we can’t afford to feed and care for our grandparents?” Michael Springer writes that it is a pertinent question for Mr Jones to put to the Prime Minister, because the only response we have heard from the Federal Government regarding the Labor Party’s Aged Care policy initiative has been the feeble, indeed risible, response of “we can’t afford it”,
    https://theaimn.com/are-you-really-arguing-we-cant-feed-and-care-for-our-grandparents/
    Dana Daniel writes that, in parliament last week, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar and Senator Hume referred to a $10 reduction in the price of PBS medicines for all Australians, but this was not in the budget and these references mysteriously disappeared from Hansard. Now Financial Services Minister Jane Hume’s office has admitted it asked Hansard staff to delete the references from the record.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/mystery-shrouds-hansard-change-to-hide-budget-s-missing-10-drug-price-cut-20220404-p5aaqd.html
    The goal of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees is no longer likely to be achieved, the latest report of the United Nations chief climate body says, though scientists still believe warming may be stabilised and returned under the Paris Agreement’s more ambitious warming target after a period of “overshoot”. Mike Foley reports that the IPCC head says governments and companies had lied to people about their commitments to reducing emissions, and that though the world needed to see a 45 per cent reduction in emissions by the end of the decade the world was on track for a 14 per cent increase.
    https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/goal-of-holding-global-warming-to-1-5-degrees-no-longer-plausible-20220404-p5aaso.html
    Researcher in urban sustainability science and policy, Xuemei Bai, tells us what Australian cities can do to pull their weight on global warming.
    https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/what-australian-cities-can-do-to-pull-their-weight-on-global-warming-20220404-p5aajl.html
    Elizabeth Redman writes that thousands of city dwellers have made a move to the country or coast since the pandemic hit, and in the most popular destinations, house prices have jumped.
    https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/how-much-it-costs-to-live-in-fastest-growing-tree-change-hotspots-20220402-p5aabh.html
    Melbourne writer and barista, Jamileh Hargreaves, begins this contribution with, “ I’ve been a barista in Melbourne since 2011, long enough to know that in hospitality our wages are constantly being suppressed. Wage theft has shaped this industry. And every year, no matter whether it’s a boom or recession, the employers’ association demands a wage freeze. Without fail.”
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/7-coffee-wake-up-and-smell-the-scare-campaign-20220331-p5a9ko.html
    Australian fighter jets and naval vessels will be armed sooner with new long-range strike missiles to hold enemies at bay at ranges of up to 900km, under a $3.5bn commitment, reports Ben Packham. Can we hear the cry, “How are we going t pay for them?”
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/defence-minister-peter-dutton-puts-new-strike-force-on-fast-track/news-story/bbad2aea8981c344033f9f0881188f97
    Catherine Bennett says that the new independent inquiry must look at whether our COVID choices were cost-effective or not.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/new-inquiry-must-look-at-whether-our-covid-choices-were-cost-effective-20220404-p5aamz.html
    And te SMH editorial says that it’s high time we looked at what went wrong, and right, with our COVID response.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/it-s-high-time-we-looked-at-what-went-wrong-and-right-with-our-covid-response-20220403-p5aago.html
    The Parramatta Catholic diocese is under investigation by the NSW government over allegations it used school funds to buy parish properties, a parliamentary hearing has been told. St Madeleine’s Primary School in Kenthurst is at risk of losing government funding after an independent committee recommended the education minister declare that it is operating for profit due to the purchases. Top effort!
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/parramatta-diocese-accused-of-using-school-funds-to-buy-church-properties-20220404-p5aapy.html
    A Melbourne financial planner who sneaked into Western Australia to watch the AFL grand final has been banned by ASIC from working in his profession for 10 years.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/lacks-integrity-asic-bans-afl-grand-final-border-breacher-from-working-20220404-p5aar5.html
    “Weak leadership” of Australia’s SAS “let down” Ben Roberts-Smith and members of his patrol by failing to investigate allegations of war crimes and allowing the rumours to circulate publicly, the federal court has heard. Ben Doherty reports that a former SAS corporal, anonymised before the court as Person 31, told the court in evidence on Monday he was concerned enough by allegations he heard from Robert-Smith’s own patrol members that he confronted the Victoria Cross winner about them.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/04/ben-roberts-smith-and-patrol-let-down-by-weak-leadership-in-sas-court-hears
    Premier Daniel Andrews’ key conduit to Melbourne’s Indian community, bottle shop owner Luckee Kohli, secured a $1 million state government grant for a Sikh temple with which he had previously been closely involved.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/trouble-at-the-temple-premier-s-ally-caught-up-in-land-sale-dispute-20220401-p5aa3e.html
    While Russia is like a hurricane, striking hard and fast, China is staking its territorial gains carefully, gradually, and systematically, explains Peter Hartcher.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/while-putin-s-hurricane-rages-xi-calculates-20220404-p5aajk.html
    The London Telegraph’s Ben Marlow says that the West must wage total economic war against Putin. He urges the West needs to leap into action, pressing home its advantage with a new round of sanctions that completely devastate the Russian economy, starting with a full energy embargo. Without that sanctions will ultimately fail.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/the-west-must-wage-total-economic-war-against-putin-20220404-p5aai8.html
    We think it can’t get worse, then it does. Scott Morrison mocks the idea of talking to the new Chinese Ambassador, at least not until China agrees to have dialogue with Australian government ministers, laments Colin Mackerras.
    https://johnmenadue.com/the-chinese-seem-to-have-given-up-on-morrison/
    Joe Biden has called for Vladimir Putin to face a war crimes trial after alleged atrocities emerged near Kyiv.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/global-condemnation-of-russia-after-mass-grave-discovery-genocide-20220405-p5aat9.html
    The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack is moving to capitalize on new momentum as it embarks on its final push to complete the roughly one hundred remaining depositions and conclude the evidence-gathering phase of the inquiry. The panel has scored two major wins in recent days: more than six hours of testimony from Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, and a conclusion by a federal judge that the former president likely committed felonies to overturn the 2020 election.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/04/capitol-attack-panel-inches-closer-to-trump-inner-circle
    Greensill Capital’s biggest insurer, Tokio Marine, has alleged the collapsed firm acted “fraudulently” by failing to disclose material information required for insurance and that it will not pay out on policies it inked for the supply chain finance group.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/greensill-capital-hit-with-fraud-allegations-by-tokio-marine-20220404-p5aaq5
    A child abuse survivor awarded the nation’s highest civil damages payout has been denied one cent after his wealthy perpetrator ­divested assets worth millions of dollars to family and friends. On the strength of this, John Wayne Millwood, has been nominated for “Arsehole of the Week”.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/pedophile-disperses-fortune-to-thwart-victim/news-story/af0081402f1a8b8402ad34d69f8afe55

    Cartoon Corner

    David Pope

    John Shakespeare


    Matt Golding



    Cathy Wilcox

    David Rowe

    Alan Moir

    Mark David

    Mark Knight

    Andrew Dyson

    Spooner

    From the US













  28. Are all these Liberal MPs and senators coming out with damning criticism of Scovid doing it because they are genuinely fed up with his bullying and lies, or because they fear the loss of their jobs and lavish salaries (plus perks) at the election?

    Greed is a powerful motivator, and they are greedy for both continuing power and money.

  30. The alteration of Hansard has not miraculously gone away.

    And guess who was behind it? None other than Scovid’s alleged playmate – Jane Hume.

    Mystery solved over Hansard change to hide budget’s missing $10 drug price cut
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/mystery-shrouds-hansard-change-to-hide-budget-s-missing-10-drug-price-cut-20220404-p5aaqd.html

    Was Senator Hume acting on Scovid’s instructions? Were those instructions given during pillow talk?

  31. Irony is not Colbeck’s strong point

    …

    Colbeck said the government supported having a nurse in aged care facilities at all times, but rolling out the royal commission’s recommendations sooner than slated “risks the closure of aged care facilities with a serious risk to residents”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/apr/05/australia-news-live-updates-scott-morrison-anthony-albanese-nsw-victoria-qld-covid-coronavirus-omicron-weather

  32. I spent hours on google looking for ‘after’ photos of Bondi, but all I can find are ones on the water lapping over the paths at the top. I would like see what is like now, or hasn’t the water subsided. Are they trying to hide the damage? Afraid people will link it to climate change?

    • I tried too, but nothing, except for a live cam which I had to sign up and pay for. I didn’t bother.

      Judging only by the lack of media interest and the fact that the surf here is quiet again after being very noisy over the weekend (I’m about 3 km from the closest beach) I’d say the worst is over and the tides are busy restoring the damage.

      It might take up to a year to restore the beach if left to Mother Nature, but I’m sure the local council will just truck in sand to fix it ASAP.

      The media are only interested in sensational clickbait now, so it’s a good sign they have given up. Of course there is a plot to avoid any mention of climate change, the media are controlled by right-wing interests so what else would we expect.

  34. With all the brawling in NSW over pres elections etc I am very surprised this Bob Hawke quote has not been rolled out “If you can’t govern yourselves, you can’t govern the country”.

  38. SFA wage growth ? It’s all your own fault say the orcs from Mordor Media.We’re not resigning from our jobs enough……………….apparently. I’d like to leave a comment there but it would nae get through moderation.
    .
    .

    : Why Aussies are to blame for low wages

    Aussies have fallen into the trap of the “Great Rusted On” rather than the Great Resignation – sticking with companies for an extraordinary amount of time and cheating themself out of proper pay rises, according to one expert.
    https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/the-great-rusted-on-why-aussies-are-to-blame-for-low-wages/news-story/2f99faf13f61fac29a43d6ab8d92cd8f

  40. Randy Rainbow –

    Seth Meyers –

    Stephen Colbert –

    Jimmy Kimmel –

    Brian Tyler Cohen –

  41. Let us hope the local voters take note

  42. Jaysus wept! No wonder Scovid was so keen on herd immunity – he had Sweden’s example in mind.

    Read the thread and dicover how many other countries tried this appraoch – or are still following it.It makes you wonder why Australia was in such a hurry to re-open schools.

  44. More Liberal discord –

    Local Liberals withdraw from sitting MP’s campaign in Reid
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/local-liberals-withdraw-from-sitting-mp-s-campaign-in-reid-20220404-p5aard.html

    Ms Baini will include preferences on her how-to-vote cards but said she had not yet decided who she will direct them to, leaving open the possibility that votes for her are directed to Labor

    A true independent leaves preferences blank on HTV handouts, they allow the voters to decide for themselves and try not to give the impression they support a particular party.

  46. Zali Steggall says she prefers Liberals to Labor if she holds the balance of power

    ==> if she was honest she would print HTV card preferencing Liberals

  49. I have long advocated for the abolishment if rental subsidies. All they do is put govt money in landlords pockets, and push rents up. That money should be used to fund public housing.

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