Oz Politics.

[stevebaby]

I did, Union first as a protest against 'compulsory' Aussie rules at school, then League with Sth Perth also rans.
My step dad had played for the Springboks in the early 1930's. My dad played Aussie rules for Hawthorn.
Prefer Union, more tactical.

I just signed up to play for our local sub-district club.
I don't think I'll be on the wing again, but I'm letting Ewen McKenzie know I'm available if the Wallabies need me.

[PeterSibley]

I prefer Rules, less broken bones ! Dad played B grade for Port Adelaide.

[stevebaby]

I could never get the hang of bouncing the ball at full pelt. Anyone who can has my admiration.

Meanwhile...
"Sharman Stone, Liberal member for the seat of Murray that takes in the home of SPC Ardmona’s cannery operations, pretty much called a spade a spade yesterday.

She said her leader, Tony Abbott, and several of his colleagues had been “lying” in a number of claims they’d made about employment arrangements at SPC Ardmona.

The word 'lie' carries special power. The reality is that for most people 'inaccurate', 'gross exaggeration', 'obscuring the truth', when done knowingly, amount to the same thing as a lie – they feel deceived.

What’s funny is that everyone has acted with such shocked surprise. Abbott and his colleagues have been busy lying their way all the way into office."
More...
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/...iar-surely-not

[WX]

I could never get the hang of bouncing the ball at full pelt. Anyone who can has my admiration.

Meanwhile...
"Sharman Stone, Liberal member for the seat of Murray that takes in the home of SPC Ardmona’s cannery operations, pretty much called a spade a spade yesterday.

She said her leader, Tony Abbott, and several of his colleagues had been “lying” in a number of claims they’d made about employment arrangements at SPC Ardmona.

The word 'lie' carries special power. The reality is that for most people 'inaccurate', 'gross exaggeration', 'obscuring the truth', when done knowingly, amount to the same thing as a lie – they feel deceived.

What’s funny is that everyone has acted with such shocked surprise. Abbott and his colleagues have been busy lying their way all the way into office."
More...
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/...iar-surely-not

I was a bit surprised to discover SPC Admona is owned by Coco Cola..

[PeterSibley]

I was even more surprised to discover that they've been supporting it at a lose for quite a while hoping the Oz $ would fall and it would turn a profit again . I guess it will be Chinese tinned fruit for Australians now, only the cheapest will do.

and yes, I do buy their peaches.

[stevebaby]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...david-johnston
How would the government know if there's any substance to these allegations if they've refused to investigate in any way, or to interview the informants, or release any footage taken by the navy of these incidents?
Imagine if our legal system operated the same way...

"You are charged inflicting grievous bodily harm. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty."
"OK, off you go then."

What a crock of the proverbial faecal matter.

[PeterSibley]

We should have learned from the aborigines, it's been 200 odd years .

By the way people are rebuilding in exactly the same sites under the Libs. Nothing will change.

[PeterSibley]

I'm in a reasonably low fire danger spot compared to many and especially compared to where I lived in SA but I still get nervous when there's smoke in the air and the wind is blowing. I've planted a lot of fire retardant trees that smoulder and don't burn like eucs. ... but I'll still leave and build a new house if necessary ..... preferably underground.

My comment about rebuilding in the same place came from the ABC radio today, a Vic CFA bloke bemoaning houses being build exactly where they couldn't get to last time.

[PeterSibley]

I wonder if underground housing with safe rooms is really the go. A pile of kindling above ground isn't a good bet in any fire, I know I live in one and have been mulling underground housing for years. If mine goes the next one will be down under.

[asrainox]

I wonder if underground housing with safe rooms is really the go. A pile of kindling above ground isn't a good bet in any fire, I know I live in one and have been mulling underground housing for years. If mine goes the next one will be down under.

There are some instances that I think underground houses make a great deal of sense.

[stevebaby]

Yes , I heard that too.
I also know that people across the state are threatening to sue the government , because their properties are deemed to be in a high risk area , and are not to be built on.
But the biggest problem was greenie councils that DEMANDED that householders hide their houses behind indigenous trees.
And these councils , ratepayers , government departments , right up to the premier were told that these houses were not defendable.
But still , the people were allowed to think , encouraged to think , that they could defend their properties , directly contradicting the experts.
And whole streets perished.
Councils just have to be a lot tougher , whatever their political views , they know the facts , they should act on them.
Otherwise you are right , history will repeat itself.
And people who have been able to build in areas that are not defendable should be denied insurance , and told they will not be seeing a fire truck , that the CFA will not be endangering crews unnecessarily.
Which I know happened after Ash Wednesday.
Rob J.

Greens councillors can't do anything unless they control the council. Can you name the councils which are controlled by the Greens Party?

[stevebaby]

Greens councillors can't do anything unless they control the council. Can you name the councils which are controlled by the Greens Party?

Why am I not surprised that you can't back it up?

[stevebaby]

"THE ABBOTT REGIME has reached a remarkable landmark — its 25th blatant broken promise. That’s one every six days since the September election.

This achievement is astonishing for several reasons. First, because Abbott won office after a three-year campaign centred on one broken promise by Julia Gillard.

Secondly, because Prime Minister Abbott has had none of the obstacles in his path which prevented the hapless Gillard from implementing Labor policy — a hung parliament, minority government, ornery Independents, an obstructionist lower house, treacherously hostile media and an opposition hell-bent on destruction."
The list of broken promises, in just FOUR MONTHS!
http://www.independentaustralia.net/...-150-days,6145

[skuthorp]

Despite which I expect he'll win another term. The ALP hasn't learn't much it seems, ignoring local sensitivities and parachuting in party and factional hacks. (see Macedon)

[stevebaby]

I just heard some goss about Abbott's relationship with Peta Credlin and the lack of a relationship with his wife. After the way Gillard was pilloried, I don't mind repeating that.
I'll be surprised if Abbott goes the full term. There are divisions in the fiberals as Sharman Stone's description of Abbott as a liar shows, and let's not forget that he only won the leadership from Turnbull by one vote.They harped on and on about Gillard's promise to introduce a price on carbon (which she delivered on), but they have already broken so many of their own promises that I can't see them getting back. Their own tactics will defeat them, regardless of the amount of cash and media coverage that Murdoch the American billionaire or Rhinehart the morbidly obese billioinaire throw at them.
They're trying to claim Griffith (or "Griffin" as Julie Bishop hilariously renamed it) as some kind of victory, but it was in fact Glasson's second failure in that seat. Based on Glasson's record as a loser, they're sure to run him again of course.

[PeterSibley]

It was amusing to see Glasson attempting to get the Green vote for the Libs just after the Abbot Point announcement. Talk about living in lala land . I know a lot of Green voters in that electorate and the likelihood of them voting Liberal or giving Liberal any but the last preference place are about 1%.

[stevebaby]

Life in our immigration prisons, where we keep people locked up without trial for years. Written and illustrated by one of Serco's prison guards.
http://serco-story.theglobalmail.org/

[skuthorp]

Barring Turnbull and maybe Joe, Abbott's got ten times the intellect of the rest of his cabinet, and that maybe a deliberate decision. Nasty, but cunning.
He'll still be there I reckon barring a total economic meltdown and a mooted affair would just give him that touch of humanity he lacks now. It's a long way from Jim Cairns and Julie Morosi.

[stevebaby]

It only took 4 months for them to completely destroy the entire Australian car manufacturing industry. They only won by 30,000 votes last time. I reckon there are a lot more than that who will lose their jobs soon.

[stevebaby]

What strange ears Malcolm Turnbull has!

[PeterSibley]

They hear well enough but he'll never be leader now. The Libs have moved too far to the right of him.

[stevebaby]

He might be their only hope by the time the next election rolls around.

[stevebaby]

"Any government which makes it harder to manufacture cars is making it harder for us to continue to be a first world economy."
Tony Abbott, 2011.

[skuthorp]

"Any government which makes it harder to manufacture cars is making it harder for us to continue to be a first world economy."
Tony Abbott, 2011.

Get's rid of a lot of unions/unionists though……………...

[seanz]

A clear victory in the fight against corruption then?

[skuthorp]

The last Royal Commission (the Cole commission @$66 mill) produced a report showing as much corruption amongst the employers as the unions…………….. and no prosecutions ensued as a result. Too close to home for both sides of politics.

[stevebaby]

Here comes the banana republic...
"In December 2012 Toyota announced the opening of its new engine plant at Toyota Australia’s centralised manufacturing operations in Altona, a western suburb of Melbourne. This was a little more than a year ago. Although times were tough then with a historically high Australian dollar, a fragmented market, almost no trade protection and only moderate government co-investment (to partially compensate for relatively high Australian wages), Toyota must still have seen a future for the Australian automotive manufacturing industry.

These external negative factors have not really changed from one year ago. If anything, the Australian dollar has fallen so conditions should in reality be better.

What is different is the attitude of the current Federal Government, with their hardened attitude of the government’s primary economic advisory body, the Productivity Commission. The Productivity Commission recently recommended that all government support for the Australian automotive industry cease by 2020. This is effectively a decision that declared an Australian automotive manufacturing industry is not welcome past 2020 and that the government’s key advisers want the industry to, simply, close down.

The Abbott Government has politically moved to the right much more than any previous national government. Philosophically they could be described as neo-liberals who promote small government, minimal government intervention in the economy, free trade, globalisation and free flow of capital to the most profitable sectors of the economy. This philosophy currently has wide support in the community, especially from people who work hard, face a high cost of living and resent governments taxing them excessively and wasting that money on unnecessary social services or corporate welfare.

As the inevitable consequences of this ‘dry’ economic philosophy become better known, public support will fall and in fact it is already unlikely the LNP Coalition will win the next federal election in late 2016, even with most of the Australian commercial media being heavily biased towards them.

The neo-liberal philosophy is, however, an overly simplistic and failed economic philosophy. No one, not even China or India follow this philosophy, nor does the United States even though its business leaders often claim to be free traders but the world is well aware of the local, state and national government support US industry receives.

In a country like Australia with a relatively high living standard, the concept of total free trade will inevitable mean a race to the bottom. Firstly, most of the manufacturing industry will disappear, but it will not stop there and eventually much of the service sector will also be transferred to lower cost foreign providers. The internet provides easy trade for information based industries such as accountancy, education, engineering, architecture, IT support and so on. Even work that must be performed in Australia such as construction, food harvesting, plant operators and maintenance services are now often performed by non-resident workers allowed into the country with temporary visas such as the 457 visa.

The only sectors of the Australian economy likely to prosper in such an environment are the bulk minerals/resources industry and the bulk agricultural commodity export industry. Neither of these sectors employ many Australians. The inevitable end result of neo-liberalism is unemployment for most, and fabulous wealth for a few. The classic third world banana republic.

When Toyota closes down its Australian manufacturing operations, this means about 90 per cent of the components and other supporting businesses will go as well. Probably about 40,000 direct jobs, mostly in Victoria and South Australia, as well as some in New South Wales and Queensland. An estimated three times that number will go in the wider economy as the economic demand for goods and services of those auto manufacturing businesses and their employees will subside substantially. Probably as many as 160,000 jobs will go.

As the manufacturing industry will continue to contract under neo-liberalism the service sector of the economy will also shrink and unemployment is going to be much more than it otherwise would have been. If, however, the Abbott Government is frustrated at every step of the way, the level of economic destruction may be lessened.

With China switching to renewable and nuclear power and also transforming its economy across the board to an advanced sustainable economy, it is inevitable that the demand and price for mineral resources will fall substantially. Australia will suffer badly in such a downturn with such a narrowly focused economy.

The global atmospheric CO2 limit that has been set to avoid catastrophic climate change will inevitably lead to a collapse of the coal industry and possibly much of the gas industry in the short to medium term. This is another factor our current government fails to acknowledge. Much of the associated unserviceable loans will fall onto the major Australian banks, the government, and the Australian taxpayer.

The alternative economic approach to neo-liberalism of balanced trade protection which allows a larger and more equitable mixed economy with a healthy manufacturing, service and resource export economy is essential for Australia’s future prosperity. This approach provides a ‘level playing field’ for Australian businesses but does not remove national or international competition.

So with a Labor Government likely to be returned in late 2016 that is most likely to support a balanced trade protection philosophy, why did Toyota announce the closure of its Australian manufacturing operations for late 2017? Will Toyota change its mind about closure of its Australian manufacturing operations after the expected Labor victory in late 2016? I and a few million other Australians certainly hope so."
http://theaimn.com/2014/02/12/the-ma...eo-liberalism/

The current collection of clowns don't seem to realize that poorer consumers don't buy any more than bare essentials. Henry Ford understood that.

[stevebaby]

On the psychology of conservatives i.e. "Liberals".
http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature...lectorate/691/

In a nutshell, they are chicken.

[skuthorp]

Stevebaby, I think they are following the Reith principle myself. Don't bother about anyone whose not going to vote for you anyway.

[stevebaby]

Stevebaby, I think they are following the Reith principle myself. Don't bother about anyone whose not going to vote for you anyway.

That's true, but the ALP do the same. Labor don't waste their campaign funds on the North Shore or Toorak.

[stevebaby]

So true, not many production workers vote Liberal on the other hand Glasson was pleading for Green preferences just the other day. It didn't seem to work.

The negotiations between Glasson and the Greens were no doubt brief but I bet it was "interesting".

[skuthorp]

Posthumous VC awarded to Afghanistan casualty;
"A Special Forces commando who died as he led an assault on an enemy-held building during fighting in an Afghan village last year has been posthumously awarded Australia's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross (VC).Tasmanian-born Corporal Cameron Stewart Bairdwill become the 100th Australian recipient of the VC.
Governor-General Quentin Bryce will present the posthumous honour to the late corporal's parents next Tuesday at Government House in Canberra.
Corporal Baird's family were in the House of Representatives to hear Prime Minster Tony Abbott announce the award this morning.
His father Doug Baird said his son, a veteran of five Special Forces tours, was a humble man who would have wanted praise to go to his unit as a whole."

[skuthorp]

NIMBYism is alive and well everywhere Rob, and people do forget, or have never learnt in the first place. New estates full of new arrivals or couples from the inner suburbs who have been raised on a terminal. They have no concept of a bushfire
With an election in the offing the Libs had to try to save SPC. But of course I think that SPC should have been saved. Not for the sake of Amatil I hasten to say, rather for the growers and for our own market options. Whether the public supports them is another matter entirely.
Maybe Tony will top up Vic. in another way, direct 'under the counter' is way too dangerous these days and would be plain silly.

[skuthorp]

It will be looked for intensely by the media and Labour Peter. It won't be for a while if at all.
Rob, what was considered 'adequate' before Black Saturday is now of course not so and every season the process is refined. But money is finite, there will always be a need for more but the public is fickle too, and February's top priority is September's footnote except on the fire ground.
I wonder if we'll know if they catch a fire bug after this? If it's kids they are very low key.

[Phil Y]

So the chief of staff of the assistant health minister was formerly employed by a lobby group for the sugar food industry, his wife is still employed by that company (sounds like maybe a cosy husband and wife company) he still owns shares in the company, a website is published which allows people to see how much sugar is in processed food. The website is almost immediately pulled on instruction from the said chief of staff with a dishonest reason given for its demise. There has been no declaration of the chief of staffs interests. And apparently that's all OK. WTF??