11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month, 1918. Lest We Forget.

Puff, The Magic Dragon Uncategorized

The final ceasefire of World War One, the war to end all war except it didn’t.

Let these images help us remember the animals who served. Let us also remember the farm animals, pets and wildlife who were the innocent victims of human stupidity, stubbornness and sense of superiority. We had a choice. They did not. Lest We Forget.

Only one horse was taken back to Australia at the end of WWW. Some were transferred to the British Army in India, some went to the abattiors to become meat for the troops. A lot were shot by their own riders to give them a quick and humane end. It is understandable but tragic that these horses were fated not just by the logistics of returning., but our animal diseases quarantine laws.

Of course WW1, in my opinion, was just the royal houses of Europe and Britain, all related, squabbling over territory. A family feud played out with the lives of millions. Then the end of WW1 was the beginning of World War Two, followed by the cold war, and the crazy era of nuclear Mutually Assured Destruction.

(I will load citations later).

499 thoughts on “11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month, 1918. Lest We Forget.”

  2. Scummo once again avoiding the questions –

    Greggery: Did you take any steps to ask in 2019/2020 to identify where this went so horribly wrong in 2015?

    Morrison:

    In 2020, as prime minister that was not something I was focused on. We had a global pandemic

    Greggery:

    What about 2019

    Morrison:

    It was in late 2019 and we had bushfires

    (And Hawaiian holidays)

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/dec/14/robodebt-royal-commission-live-scott-morrison-appear-evidence-social-services-centrelink-latest-updates-news#top-of-blog

    During those bushfires he scarpered off to Hawaii and then blamed that on his daughters, then his wife.

  3. are former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull going to be called by the robodebt royal commission to give evidence as to why this illegal scheme was implemented

    • Probably not. It has Scummo’s fingerprints all over it. He was Minister for Social Services when it was approved, Treasurer when it was financed and the PM who supported it. Although, to be fair, he was not Minister for Social Security when it was dreamt up. That honour goes to Kevin Andrews.

    • I hope not, billie, – it might remind people not all liberals were quite as ghastly as ‘Scomo’ – the media’s ‘Scummo’ -the lowest level of rottenness so far seen in the disintegrating Liberal Party. They, and I am sure other old school Liberals, must have watched with despair what happened to their parliamentary ‘Team’ while they served in it. Both of them are possibly relieved not to have been involved in the final fall. Though why they and others had not called him out sooner before his own hubris caught him out is a mystery. I recall sensing the general horror of Australians when he came PM and represented us before the international community. My personal reaction then was to describe him as untrustworthy and ‘oleogenous’ which somehow failed to measure how unfit he was for public office.

    • Duckie, forgive my very late night/early morning mental meanderings in response to your lovely brown owl picture above. It set off in me a need to write before I staggered into bed with the only words which fell from my fumbling fingers were about my own childhood memory of Brown Owl. For me she was a lovely plump lady with a whistle round her neck who ran our village Brownies’ group. I think it was she who gave me those very first picture books from which my Dad started to show me colors, words and letters and read to me on his knee, so that by the time I started infants’ class as a 5 y.o. I was ready to read all by myself!

      I woke this morning to unravel my thoughts through several nursery rhymes and my infant school brownie oath to be honest and to do my best. I wonder if our censured former PM was ever a boy scout, if not was he the sort of kid who was yelled at, “Liar, liar! Pants on fire!”

  6. “Staggering amounts are pumped into pokies in my electorate. Clubs NSW can’t bully me into silence”, declares independent NSW MP, Helen Dalton.

    As a Cave Dweller the pokies issue has always bemused me. Apparently over East ‘life as we know it’ would come to an end and the four horsemen of the Apocalypse appear should they be restricted. Yet somehow life goes on normally in The Cave despite not having every pub and club stuffed with pokies.

    • I loathe pokies. The only time I have played them is 1969, when I was newly married and the then husband and I joined friends for dinner at the Lismore RSL.

      Someone male suggested the “girls” toddle off and play the pokies because, obviously, the blokes wanted to talk bloke stuff. Amounts of change were handed over and off we went.

      I have never spent a more boring half hour in my life. This was back when you had to stand in front of the machine and pull a handle to play, so some exercise was given, not just sit down and press a button.

      I have not played these machines since then, it was the first and last time for me. I haven’t been near a club that uses these revenue-producing machines since 1998, when my daughter graduated from high school and the RSL was the only place in town big enough to cope with the crowd.

  8. "It is only a matter of time before sovereign citizens come into contact with police. That’s where the problems begin…There was clearly a failure of intelligence that led to the ambush." https://t.co/MOCshKnXdh https://t.co/JkYuu25UFr— thewhiterosesocietyau@kolektiva.social (@WhiteRoseSocAU) December 15, 2022

    I agree with Greg Jericho – an excellent post and a very serious warning to police. Once again US nuttery has cost Australian lives. Police have not ruled out a deliberate trap being set by these cookers. Just as well all three of them are dead, before they can infect others with their crazed ideas.

    Hint – use the link in the first tweet to ensure you can read the article.

    • Also worth a read

      Anne Aly, who has spoken about her stepdaughter who recently graduated from the WA police college, also speaks about violent extremism.

      Before becoming a parliamentarian, this is what Dr Aly did – she was a counter terrorism expert, who worked to pull people away from violent extremism.

      I think it’s it’s worthy to also comment that this is a sad, very timely reminder about how vigilant we have to be about violent extremism and the rise of violent extremism in Australia, and how important it is that we are able to identify individuals who are down that path towards violent extremism who are becoming operative and to intervene like many Australians, I’ve been reading the reports coming out and some of the coverage on the back story is the perpetrators whose name shall not be spoken.

      And it’s very clear to me as somebody who was a professor in this field and I studied this field, that their trajectories were very people have a trajectory to violent extremism.

      Human behaviour is actually quite predictable.

      There are warning signs from the reports that I’ve read, there were warning signs, signs with these perpetrators.

      There are warning signs.

      We have to get better at recognising those warning signs. We have to get better at intervening early we have to get better at early identification.

      We all of us have to take more seriously the warnings that our security agencies have been giving us about the rise of violent extremism in this country.

      https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/dec/15/australian-politics-gas-energy-cost-of-living-jim-chalmers-anthony-albanese-peter-dutton-greens-adam-bandt-energy-transition-electricity-bills?filterKeyEvents=false#top-of-blog

  9. Seth Meyers –

    Stephen Colbert –

    Chris Hayes –

    Lawrence O’Donnell –

    Brian Tyler Cohen –

  11. Just watched the outstanding tribute to Uncle Archie Roach on the abc. It is the first time I’ve watched the abc in a long time, but the covered it beautifully.

  14. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    Anthony Albanese has stared down fury from the gas industry over the government’s interventionist energy price relief laws, saying his bill would have no impact on their investment and warning them against talking down the sector.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/they-want-to-be-careful-pm-defies-gas-industry-fury-as-price-cap-bill-passes-20221215-p5c6hs.html
    David Crowe thinks that Dutton is taking a big gamble with his opposition to the government’s actions on energy prices.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/a-light-bulb-moment-dutton-dices-with-voters-hip-pockets-20221215-p5c6hn.html
    And Katherine Murphy says that Peter Dutton’s naked politicking over power prices is as cynical as it is calculating. She opines that the opposition leader is determined to reheat the climate wars, via whatever means and whatever the costs to Australia.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/15/peter-duttons-naked-politicking-over-power-prices-is-as-cynical-as-it-is-calculating
    On the front page of The Australian – “Anthony Albanese’s energy market intervention could increase gas bills by $175 per year and push up businesses’ energy costs by 40 per cent, according to independent modelling that warns price caps may trigger supply shortfalls and blackouts in Victoria. As relations between the private sector and the Prime Minister sank to new lows, Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher ­accused the government of doing the bidding of trade unions and imposing a “Soviet-style policy” creating investment settings in line with Venezuela and Nigeria.”
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/blast-for-pms-soviet-plan-higher-bills-more-blackouts/news-story/ccb2611859401aa1eef079ba779c5850
    Anthony Albanese may have won the day, but he is a long way from winning the war on energy prices. The battle has just begun, says Simon Benson.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/for-anthony-albanese-the-day-may-be-won-but-the-war-is-far-from-over/news-story/0f76a904df9732799e2aeb9ac7914caf
    The Coalition has taken a risk by defending free-market principles, even if it has a long history of energy market intervention, writes Phil Coorey.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/free-market-or-not-they-re-all-interventionists-now-20221215-p5c6i8
    The federal government is confident it has the public on side with its intervention in the energy market, and the gas industry’s warnings aren’t getting much traction, writes Jennifer Hewett.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/congratulations-to-whoever-came-up-with-the-term-reasonable-pricing-20221215-p5c6lo
    The government’s Energy Price Relief bill has passed in a tumultuous final day of parliament for 2022 after the Greens secured funding to help people on low incomes transition away from gas appliances and electrify their homes. But Labor torpedoed an amendment to stop fossil fuel subsidies and the question of the cartel behaviour by gas companies remains, reports Daniel Bleakley.
    https://michaelwest.com.au/coalition-sidelined-fossil-outrage-as-labor-strikes-deal-on-energy-relief-bill-with-greens/
    Yes, the government’s price cap is overly generous to gas producers. But it was necessary, writes Professor Samantha Hepburn.
    https://theconversation.com/yes-the-governments-price-cap-is-overly-generous-to-gas-producers-but-it-was-necessary-196597
    Alan Kohler lays out the three broken promises that define 2022.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2022/12/15/broken-promises-2022-kohler/
    Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil says intelligence agencies are investigating the national security implications of the Queensland shootout that led to the death of six people, including the role online radicalisation may have played in sparking the tragedy. O’Neil said conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation were being “turbocharged” by the internet, presenting a new kind of national security threat for law enforcement agencies and policymakers.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/internet-turbocharging-extremism-and-conspiracy-theories-home-affairs-minister-20221215-p5c6j4.html
    The editorial in the Age says that the increasing threat from conspiracists and far-right warrants a response.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/increasing-threat-from-conspiracists-and-far-right-warrant-response-20221215-p5c6px.html
    Anthony Albanese could spark many inquiries into the Coalition thanks to Tony Abbott, writes Jack Waterford in this lengthy and eminently readable contribution.
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7819362/abbotts-short-term-political-strikes-will-have-a-long-lasting-legacy/?cs=14329
    While no modern government could match what President Roosevelt achieved in his first 100 days in office, or the reforms rolled out by Gough Whitlam and Lance Barnard immediately after the historic 1972 election victory, the Albanese government has set a cracking pace following its election, says the editorial in The Canberra Times. It goes on say, “Unlike his predecessor, who was more than happy to kick the can down the road on the Voice, stalled wage growth, legislating an ICAC, setting a realistic 2030 climate change target, and energy policy, Anthony Albanese has been both decisive and consultative; a very rare combination in politics.”
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8021444/albanese-govt-has-set-a-cracking-pace/?cs=27763
    Covering yesterday’s robodebt royal commission hearing, Luke Henriques-Gomes writes that a senior public servant was “very angry” when she was told the robodebt scheme required a “major incident response” from the Department of Human Services.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/15/senior-dhs-official-very-angry-when-colleague-suggested-robodebt-needed-major-response-inquiry-told
    Despite Scott Morrison making a solid effort to represent himself as an innocent bystander in the Robodebt RC, his waffling and obfuscation are only convincing us all of his guilt as its engineer, writes Michelle Pini.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/scotty-the-welfare-cop-and-his-robodebt-royal-commission-copout,17073
    Michelle Grattan concludes the week writing, “Morrison endures the witness box, while Albanese enjoys being in the box seat with the Senate”.
    https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-morrison-endures-the-witness-box-while-albanese-enjoys-being-in-the-box-seat-with-the-senate-196662
    In this op-ed Grace Tame points out that under current legislation, paedophiles are able to hide assets in superannuation and declare bankruptcy to avoid compensating their victims. The responsibility thus falls on taxpayers. Wealthy recidivists can also use these loopholes to appear cash poor before going to prison, where they typically serve short terms anyway. Upon release, they can return to their previous lifestyles that afford them the protections to reoffend. She is very happy about Stephen Jones’ announcement that changes to the Bankruptcy Act and Superannuation Legislation will be implemented within the first six months of 2023.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/finally-a-win-for-survivors-at-their-predators-expense-20221213-p5c61x.html
    Dan Andrews issued a “profound apology” on behalf of the government before Australian music heavyweights, friends, relatives and fans who had gathered to celebrate Archie Roach’s life and work.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/watch-live-archie-roach-honoured-in-state-memorial-20221215-p5c6go.html
    Coles has breached the supermarket industry’s code of conduct, a scathing report by the food and grocery watchdog has found. The report raises questions about whether the supermarket giants should be policing themselves, and a call for codes to be backed up with fines. Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, who is the arbiter appointed by Coles to deal with complaints from its suppliers, is singled out by the watchdog as an example of why self-regulation does not work.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2022/12/15/coles-jeff-kennett-watchdog/
    The outlook for US interest rates outlined by the US Federal Reserve Board is clashing with market expectations. That could cause friction, writes Stephen Bartholomeusz.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/financial-markets-and-the-fed-are-set-on-a-collision-course-20221215-p5c6ic.html
    The United States does not need it. No air force does. But the lesson of the dazzle from the B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber is that what the US develops and acquires Australia must have. Such a lesson ought to be unlearned as quickly as possible, but there is little chance of it with individuals such as Richard Marles in the defence portfolio, writes Binoy Kampmark.
    https://johnmenadue.com/star-struck-lunacy-the-b-21-tempts-the-australian-security-establishment/
    The Age last year revealed that special forces veteran Ben Roberts-Smith wore the provocative symbol of a crusader cross on his breast over his uniform while on duty in Afghanistan. Apparently “quite a few” others wore it. This is particularly problematic because while Roberts-Smith may not have perceived it that way, the cross has strong associations for the far right suggesting an era of racial purity, with the Christian west waging war on the Muslim enemy, explains Lucy Hamilton.
    https://johnmenadue.com/defending-ourselves-from-infiltration/
    Despite a year of high-profile crypto blow-ups, Australia finds itself ringing in another Christmas without any serious regulation for the sector in place, warns Dominic Powell.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/entrepreneurship/australia-really-falling-behind-on-crypto-protections-after-ftx-collapse-20221215-p5c6it.html
    Senior Coalition frontbencher Simon Birmingham has said the former Morrison government was wrong to resist increasing Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target. Speaking in Palau, Birmingham said it was “critical for us to listen carefully and attentively to our Pacific partners” and “act in concert with them”. The way Australia conducted its climate debate had not been “ideal for all of our relations”, he said.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/15/morrison-government-should-have-heeded-calls-to-raise-climate-targets-simon-birmingham-says
    Around the west, authoritarian right-wing parties are fighting the changes to the world that scare them. Protecting western liberalism is a challenge proponents of the democratic project are only just beginning to address, writes Lucy Hamilton.
    https://theaimn.com/the-fight-against-paranoid-nostalgia/
    Michaela Whitbourn reports that the NSW corruption watchdog will not be forced to hand down findings within a fixed time frame but may be required to report on its performance against time standards under a proposed change being considered by the state government.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/mps-reject-plan-to-impose-fixed-time-frames-on-icac-for-reports-20221215-p5c6rw.html
    And the SMJ editorial welcomes the first steps to protect patients from cosmetic surgery cowboys.
    https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/welcome-first-steps-to-protect-patients-from-cosmetic-surgery-cowboys-20221215-p5c6r6.html
    Deliveroo was never profitable in Australia and incurred losses of more than $120 million this year alone, a report from administrators for the collapsed group shows. Jessica Yun writes that the Australian operations of the UK-based food delivery company went into administration last month, owing creditors $129.4 million. The administrators report also shows that a pool of $18.8 million has been set aside for employees, riders, restaurant partners, suppliers and other creditors. Top effort!
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/losses-laid-bare-deliveroo-burnt-120m-before-collapse-20221214-p5c66m.html
    Doctors without suitable qualifications will be banned from calling themselves cosmetic surgeons under a series of major changes struck by state and federal health ministers. And in a significant reversal, the ministers also agreed that a ban on the use of patient testimonials by cosmetic surgeons – which several state governments had wanted wound back – will be retained.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/strict-new-rules-on-who-can-call-themselves-a-cosmetic-surgeon-20221215-p5c6ol.html
    Paedophile pastor Frank Houston continued leading church sermons until weeks before his death, despite being stripped of his credentials to minister after his son learned that he sexually abused children, a New South Wales court has heard.
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/15/frank-houston-continued-to-lead-sermons-after-being-stripped-of-credentials-for-child-sexual-abuse-court-hears
    At least nine people have developed serious hallucinations and sickness after eating a contaminated batch of baby spinach.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/contaminated-spinach-causing-serious-hallucinations-sickness-in-sydney-20221215-p5c6t7.html
    Rob Harris tells us about what is building up to be what could be the most egregious bribery scandal to hit Brussels in years. It reads like a movie script.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/suitcases-of-cash-mps-arrested-and-the-giant-the-bribery-scandal-that-has-shaken-the-eu-20221215-p5c6ha.html
    Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned that if the United States confirms reports that it plans to deliver sophisticated air defence missiles to Ukraine, it would be “another provocative move by the US” that could prompt a response from Moscow.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/moscow-warns-of-consequences-if-us-patriot-missiles-go-to-ukraine-20221216-p5c6u4.html

    Cartoon Corner

    David Rowe

    David Pope

    Simon Letch

    Cathy Wilcox

    Fiona Katauskas

    Glen Le Lievre


    John Shakespeare

    Mark Knight

    Leak

    From the US

















  16. Desperate to find excuses for their election loss last May members of the former government are turning to Trump-inspired conspiracy theories to explain the loss.

    ‘Foreign actors’ may have fanned rightwing extremism during Covid to sway election, Liberal MP says
    Exclusive: Andrew Wallace [former Speaker] urges colleagues to be ‘mindful’ of possibility but says he has no hard evidence.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/16/foreign-actors-may-have-fanned-rightwing-extremism-during-covid-to-sway-election-liberal-mp-says

    Trump-style accusations involving a big steal won’t work in Australia. because we all have to vote – or at least turn up and get our names crossed off.

  17. Albanese government will abolish the Administrative Appeals Tribunal

    The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus has stepped up and he gets straight to the point:

    I’m announcing the Albanese government will abolish the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The AAT and replace it with administrative review body that better serves the interest of the Australian community. The AAT’s public standing has been irreversibly damaged as a result of the actions of the former government over nine years. By appointing 85 former Liberal MPs, former Liberal staffers and other close Liberal associates without any merit-based selection process including some individuals with no relevant experience or expertise, the former government fatally compromised the AAT undermined its independence and eroded the quality and efficiency of its decision-making. This was a disgraceful exhibition of cronyism by the Liberal Party.

  18. Tim Dunlop

    For my sins—and how great they must be—I watched former-prime-minister-and-still-a-dick, Scott Morrison, testify before the Royal Commission into the robodebt affair, and it is fair to say my opinion of him was not enhanced.

    He was rude, dismissive, misleading, smug, and fifty shades of oh-my-god-just-shut-the-fuck-up, and although he did his best to avoid answering questions directly, he nonetheless provided ample evidence of the wisdom Australian voters displayed in removing him from office on 21 May 2022 (and destroying his party for good measure).

    …

  20. Seth Meyers –

    Stephen Colbert –

    Chris Hayes –

    Lawrence O’Donnell –

    Brian Tyler Cohen –

    And for them that missed it Jonathan Pie –

  27. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    Peter Hartcher declares that the Albanese government has broken the curse. The curse that has held Australia in thrall to the resources sector ever since the Rudd government was destroyed in its efforts to impose a resource super-profits tax. He says, “Australia was always bullied by vested interests, until now”. Hartcher wants Perrottet to follow suit by staring down the pokies industry.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-was-always-bullied-by-vested-interests-until-now-20221215-p5c6qt.html
    George Megalogenis begins this contribution with, “Anthony Albanese has consciously changed the way Labor governs. But Peter Dutton doesn’t want to change the way the Liberal and National parties oppose. One man is trying to exorcise the ghosts of the past while the other wants to revive them.”
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-the-wrecker-that-s-the-label-he-risks-being-stuck-with-20221215-p5c6qs.html
    Paul Bongiorno writes that we are seeing already is a government comfortable in the exercise of power and confident enough to risk losing a fight that it judges worth having. He says that, unlike Dutton, Albanese has not missed the significant shift in community sentiment away from the status quo on energy: prioritising private vested interests, often at the cost of billions of taxpayers’ dollars, over service delivery.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2022/12/17/what-the-prime-minister-did-next
    David Crowe had a chance to interview the PM and begins his account of it with, “Anthony Albanese has a message for his critics after seven months’ running the country: dismiss me at your peril. “I feel like I’ve been underestimated my whole life. But here I am,” the prime minister says in an interview to set out his plans for the year ahead.”
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/i-feel-like-i-ve-been-underestimated-my-whole-life-albanese-puts-critics-on-notice-20221214-p5c6f8.html
    With the Albanese government having moved so quickly and decisively on a number of major policy fronts since it was elected in May, next year is shaping up as one of consolidation, to demonstrate the substance of what has been achieved, writes John Hewson who says, “The overriding challenge for our governments … is to determine effective and fair renewable energy pathways for the next couple of decades.”
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/economy/2022/12/17/albaneses-proof-concept
    The SMH editorial says that one of Anthony Albanese’s secrets is that he has avoided surprises and stunts and has also demonstrated a political gift for finding the middle ground. It also says Albanese has a safe pair of hands and is ready to build on a strong start as PM.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-a-safe-pair-of-hands-and-ready-to-build-on-strong-start-as-pm-20221216-p5c70i.html
    “What the former PM told the royal commission on Wednesday was not remarkable. But the rambling delivery style was a reminder of how out of touch he can be with his surroundings and why he flopped in the nation’s top job”, writes Michelle Grattan who described it as a vintage display as Scomo the bulldozer dug himself deeper.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/a-vintage-display-as-scomo-the-bulldozer-digs-himself-deeper-20221216-p5c6ui.html
    Dear old Gerard is all upset because he thinks Morrison is not being shown the respect a former PM deserves. It is “yet another example of the Guardian-ABC axis in action.” The poor thing is upset over the royal commissioner and her counsel assisting, Justin Greggery KC, “talking down” to Morrison. And it’s all because of Morrison’s Pentecostal faith. Hilarious!
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/as-a-former-pm-morrison-should-be-shown-respect/news-story/333e75115777dde1ac9b8d6df75c9ef5
    Luke Henriques-Gomes sums up the latest from the robodebt royal commission. It’s not pretty.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/16/horror-budget-saving-measures-made-welfare-recipients-feel-like-criminals-robodebt-inquiry-told
    Rick Morton tells us that documents tendered in the robo-debt royal commission show how, as treasurer, Scott Morrison intended to use the punitive aspects of the illegal scheme to win more support from Pauline Hanson. (Gerard Henderson will go apoplectic if he reads this!)
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/12/17/morrison-and-porter-sought-robo-debt-advice-woo-hanson
    Mark Buckley posits that Morrison has poisoned the LNP well, possibly for generations. He concludes the article with, “Sadly the coalition parties have been stripped of talent, and so we could see a Labor government for years to come. That poses a series of future problems. A good government needs a good opposition. Morrison has pretty much made that impossible.”
    https://theaimn.com/morrison-has-poisoned-the-lnp-well-possibly-for-generations/
    Michael Pascoe says that we now have 26 million reasons to work for a better Australia.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2022/12/17/michael-pascoe-26-million/
    Australia’s news media is demonstrably worse than every other developed democracy, but can it be fixed asks Dave Donovan.
    https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/the-problem-with-australias-media,17075
    Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is initiating a review of secrecy offences across every Commonwealth portfolio, after years of warnings that the increasingly complex laws could threaten open democracy. Karen Middleton writes about the renewed focus on what should – and should not – be kept secret comes as a Victorian Supreme Court judge expressed serious concern this week at revelations that the former federal government hid potentially crucial evidence from her court while arguing to keep a convicted terrorist in jail beyond the end of his 15-year sentence.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/12/17/dreyfus-probes-secrecy-offences
    Peter Dutton’s success depends on Liberal revival at grassroots, argues Paul Kelly.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/peter-duttons-success-depends-on-liberal-revival-at-grassroots/news-story/31c333fb0587b70633100c93a87e87c2
    Angus Thompson and James Massola tell us about Mark Dreyfus’s announcement of the abolition of the AAT and its replacement with a body with merit-based appointments.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/irreversibly-damaged-administrative-appeals-tribunal-to-be-scrapped-20221216-p5c6yo.html
    After taking a good look under the bonnet of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Albanese government has taken the nuclear option. There is a lot of politics involved but blowing the joint up and starting again might actually help the 40,000-odd people who ask it to review government decisions on migration, social security payments and NDIS services, writes the AFR’s Michael Pelley.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/even-liberal-members-back-nuclear-option-for-the-aat-20221216-p5c6yy
    Laura Tingle looks at what difficult time lay ahead for the government following the passing of the energy legislation on Thursday.
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-17/energy-price-relief-bill-legislation-analysis/101783208
    The Albanese government’s energy package may be the first step in loosening the grip of the fossil fuel giants on Australian policy, writes Mike Seccombe.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/12/17/energy-price-caps-rare-blow-fossil-fuel-giants
    Broken promises can be toxic for governments, so axing the stage-three tax cuts could be right but risky, says Katherine Murphy.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/17/broken-promises-can-be-toxic-for-governments-so-axing-the-stage-three-tax-cuts-could-be-right-but-risky
    There’s plenty of evidence to show that competition has become less intense, and the bigger a firm’s share of the market, the greater its ability to influence the prices it charges, argues Ross Gittins who says this is adding to the country’s inflation woes.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/weakening-competition-is-adding-to-our-inflation-woes-20221215-p5c6sm.html
    Just as Labor found political allies in Andy Meddick, Fiona Patten and Samantha Ratnam to help deliver its promises in the last parliament, the Andrews government has again been gifted a progressive bloc that is likely to hold the balance of power, writes Annika Smethurst.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/progressives-will-hold-the-chips-when-bargaining-with-government-over-legislation-20221214-p5c676.html
    Peter Dutton has launched a scathing attack on social media companies, accusing them of abrogating their responsibilities in ­pursuit of profits, after the emergence of a chilling online video posted by the killers of two young constables and a neighbour in Monday’s ambush on a remote Queensland property.
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/tech-giants-told-by-peter-dutton-to-cut-off-online-evil/news-story/717804241f18fbf190029fc6bbdf0819
    In a worthwhile contribution, Greg Sheridan addresses the question, “why are conspiracy theories so prevalent now across the West, so widely believed, so often connected to violence, so pervasive, especially the crazier ones?”
    https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/police-murders-show-disturbing-rise-of-the-conspiracy-mindset/news-story/4504d47082b1998433381ce512db6461
    As more is revealed about the Wieambilla shooters, some question why Gareth Train was not on authorities’ radar. Experts are concerned the threat of far-right extremism and sovereign citizens is not being taken seriously. But that could change.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/17/as-more-is-revealed-about-the-wieambilla-shooters-some-question-why-gareth-train-was-not-on-authorities-radar
    Jimmy Thompson writes that NSW’s Building Commissioner David Chandler says “active” lenders with a focus on compliance will be major players in cleaning up the building industry. The concept of active lending involves lenders taking a direct interest in the developments they finance, including, they say, site inspections and engagement with developers to ensure the Office of the NSW Building Commissioner’s compliance requirements are met.
    https://www.afr.com/wealth/personal-finance/lenders-could-offer-safety-from-dodgy-property-developers-20221212-p5c5ot
    Moves to establish an inquiry into the aborted prosecution of former federal ministerial adviser Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of his colleague, Brittany Higgins, have exposed a gap in the ACT’s integrity regime that prevents it from scrutinising the local police, explains Karen Middleton.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2022/12/17/limits-lehrmann-case-inquiry
    Yesterday Brian Houston fronted the court and Georgina Mitchell reports on his appearance.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/one-strike-you-re-out-brian-houston-confronted-his-father-over-child-abuse-court-told-20221216-p5c702.html
    Two agencies have created a duopoly across live music, controlling ticketing, promotion and in some cases the venues themselves. The losers are audiences and the artists they are paying to see, writes Michael Sainsbury who hopes the ticketing giants will finally face the music.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/media/2022/12/17/will-ticketing-giants-finally-face-the-music
    A Commonwealth submission to the Fair Work Commission called for aged care workers’ 15 per cent pay rise to be paid over 18 months from July next year.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/government-asks-to-delay-aged-care-pay-rise-it-championed-20221216-p5c726.html
    Peter Doherty tells us what we got wrong about Covid-19. He warns that in the past, Australians benefited from prior warning of what was happening elsewhere but, when we head into our 2023 winter, that dynamic could reverse.
    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2022/12/17/what-we-got-wrong-about-covid-19
    Amanda Meade’s weekly media round-up goes to News Corp ending year on a low note as another senior figure is investigated over alleged behaviour at staff drinks.
    https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2022/dec/16/news-corp-ends-year-on-a-low-note-as-another-senior-figure-investigated-over-alleged-behaviour-at-staff-drinks
    National Australia Bank has been roasted by shareholders over failures that allowed a Sydney businesswoman to defraud the bank of millions of dollars over a number of years. NAB chair Phil Chronican told investors gathered at the bank’s annual meeting on Friday that he was gobsmacked to be informed several years ago that Helen Rosamond had embezzled millions from the bank, apologising to shareholders for the deficiencies that allowed it to happen.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/how-did-you-miss-it-nab-board-grilled-over-fraud-case-20221216-p5c6us.html
    With sexual consent laws differing among states, a current push to harmonise these laws is important and timely, write Professor Jonathan Crowe and Dr Guzyal Hill.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/reforming-sexual-consent-laws-faces-formidable-challenges,17080
    From Musk to Truss, 2022 was the year reckless populists came crashing down to Earth, opines Gaby Hinsliff.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/16/musk-truss-2022-year-populists-crashed-to-earth
    Even the normally optimistic AFR correspondent Hans van Leeuwen has succumbed to pessimism as the UK remains bogged down in post-Brexit political paralysis.
    https://www.afr.com/world/europe/why-i-finally-cracked-and-joined-the-british-in-doom-and-gloom-20221215-p5c6gl
    A pang of dissatisfaction lingers around Jacinda Ardern’s government and the outlook does little to inspire confidence as she fights for a third term, writes Ben McKay.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/how-new-zealand-fell-out-of-love-with-jacinda-ardern-s-government-20221215-p5c6ps.html
    A desperate Vladimir Putin is set to respond to the West’s oil price cap with a decree of his own. Unless he backs down, the world may be facing an oil shortfall, writes Ambrose Evans-Pritchard who says Putin is playing with fire.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/putin-is-playing-with-fire-as-he-looks-to-starve-the-west-of-oil-20221216-p5c6v7.html

    Cartoon Corner

    David Pope

    Andrew Dyson

    Alan Moir

    Jon Kudelka

    David Rowe

    Mark David

    John Shakespeare


    Fiona Katauskas

    Glen Le Lievre


    Simon Letch

    Jim Pavlidis

    Michael Leunig

    Mark Knight

    Leak doing his employer’s bidding – again

    From the US












    • Luke reports a daily summary.

      I believe a debt collectors call that Ms Bevan received was played in the commission yesterday, Dec 16. That will make cruel listening if its anything like the call I overheard

      I can’t help reflecting on the ambition of the Robodebt scheme which wanted to recover $1.2 billion from around 865,000 recipients of working age income support payments. The sheer scope of the numbers should have been a warning.
      What was the total population receiving of working age income support payments between 2011 and 2017?
      Assume
      2 million then 43% of recipients overpaid
      4 million then 22% of recipients overpaid

      ==> these figures suggest systems error, not individual fraud. DSS had a reputation for destroying the marriages of the original programmers it took so long and workers were away from home for long periods, indicates a poorly designed system

      Prior to introduction of Robodebt actual fraud detected was between 1 and 2%, despite Channel 9 evidence

      The commission identified that debts of $20 were raised, it’s sheer vindictiveness to chase a debt that is smaller than the recovery cost

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