The Week That Was – June 23 to June 29

Wow. What a week.

It began with Julia Gillard copping flak for knitting the Royal Baby a Kangaroo, despite being a supporter of Australia being a republic. I thought that was nice and thoughtful. It ended with a new PM.

It was entertaining, at least for news and political junkies (much like yours truly), and for once, might have had the nation sitting on the edge of their seats. If you weren’t paying attention on Wednesday night you can read what happened in the links at the bottom of this post.

In short, we now have a new Prime Minister – Kevin Rudd.

Not only that, but many people have decided to resign and leave politics, including Julia Gillard, Greg Combet and Peter Garrett. You can see who is staying and going here on the ABC News website. The media did pretty well, especially the ABC and Sky News.

In his first speech as the new PM, Kevin asked for a ‘gentler’ brand of politics and that politicians be nicer to each other. No such luck. By Tony Abbott’s second sentence, he’d taken a stab at Kevin Rudd.

Before I go, I have to say that the Liberal’s rally in Melbourne on the 29th has a distinctive US feel to it. Here’s a picture.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-30/tony-abbott-at-the-launch-of-the-liberal-cmapaign/4790032

Personally, I don’t think we should go in this direction – but that’s just me. What do you think?

Oh well, let’s hope that next week is a little less frantic – I have a holiday planned!

Quotes of the Week

“I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he is speaking on the indulgence of the chair, and it is being tried” – Anna Burke, Speaker of the House, the day after the spill. Tony Abbott had started getting a bit too vocal about the previous nights shenanigans. (from Hansard)

“Before I conclude, let me say a word or two to young Australians. It’s clear that many of you, in fact far too many of you, have looked at our political system and the parliament in recent years and not liked or respected much of what you have seen. In fact as I rock around the place, talking to my own kids, they see it as a huge national turn off. Well I understand why you have switched off. It’s hardly a surprise but I want to ask you to please come back and listen afresh. It’s really important that we get you engaged, in any way we can. We need you. We need your energy. We need your ideas. We need your enthusiasm and we need you to support us in the great challenges that lie ahead for the country. With your energy, we can start cooking with gas.” Kevin Rudd in his speech after winning the spill, encouraging young Australians to come back and pay attention to politics, ended with one of his signature quips. (from Kevin’s website)

Tweets of the Week

https://twitter.com/hamishNews/status/349856913917345792

(Context: Leigh Sales was on the ABC from 7pm until about 10:45 (she is normally just on between 7:30 and 8pm). She and Annabel Crabb were talking for a good hour or so, holding the fort while the media awaited a slightly late Kevin Rudd to speak)

rudd to finish knitting the kangaroo. awkward.

— Jonathan Green (@GreenJ) June 26, 2013

Links

6:24pm

6:42pm

6:59pm

7:54pm

9:09pm

Speeches

Part 1 (Gillard and Swan)

Part 2 (Rudd and Albanese)

Part 3 (Abbott)

Leadership Spill – The Speeches Part III

Tony Abbott

• With the Coalition you know what you will get
• Kevin has not told us when the election will be, Julia, despite her faults, told us when it would be
• We need to strengthen borders and economy
• No Carbon Tax and get the budget back into black
• Swearing in KRudd is the GG’s problem
• He should keep the election date or have the election earlier

https://twitter.com/JezFernandezABC/status/349876895258644481

• Kevin Rudd needs to demonstrate he has the support
• People not the faceless men to decide on the leadership

Leadership Spill – The Speeches Part II

Kevin Rudd

• 2007 the people elected his party into govt
• He’s back and happy to do it
• Julia is intelligent, strong and formidable
• She and her ministers were amazing
• If it were not for Julia, education would be awful
• Very positive about Swan and Gillard
• He simply can’t “stand idly by” as Abbott comes to power
• Abbott steeped in Negative politics – has no positive plan for the Country
• Australia a great country compared to others
• Owe a lot to those before and after us
• We have a great future but it isn’t guaranteed
• We as a nation create our own luck
• China is a major part of the economy
• Doesn’t want to be the PM of a nation that doesn’t make stuff
• Wants to work closely with Business
• Tells young Aussies to come back, it is important and they need their support
• Challenges are great

Anthony Albanese

• Thanks Kevin for his support
• Thanks the party for voting for him
• Creating fairness and supporting the economy
• Will do his job with enthusiasm, passion and commitment
• Labor focussed on the long-term and the people
• Coalition focussed on short-term and….

Well then the ABC cut him off, so I don’t know/

Leadership Spill – The Speeches Part I

Julia Gillard

• Sent letter to Governor General telling her to allow Kevin to be the PM
• Will not contest the next election as promised
• Being the PM was a “great privilege”
• Thanks the Labor MPs for giving her the chance
• Says being PM has not been easy
• Very proud of what her government has achieved
• Happy about carbon price and other policies
• Calling Liberal campaigning “reckless”
• Happy with the Gonski reforms and that 60% of students will have a better education
• Proud of the Royal Commission and foreign policy achievements with USA and China and India
• Proud of the Armed forces and their courage
• Thanks her colleagues for their support despite the media calling for the change of leader
• Tells her colleagues to win the election – “It can be done”
• “Heavens knows no one knew I was a woman till I raised it” – good on you –  I laughed a bit
• Thanks her staff both in Canberra and Melbourne
• Thanks her family, especially Tim.
• Warns her pregnant niece that there is one meddlesome great-aunt coming her way

Wayne Swan

• Driven by social justice
• Everyone should get a fair go
• Proud of the Labor governments record
• Proud of Australia’s avoidance of a major recession and the fact that Australia’s economy is 14% larger than at the end of 2007
• 1 million jobs created in the last 5 or so years
• “It say a lot about the Labor Party”
• Julia is one of the “toughest” and has done a lot for Australia
• 3 years in a minority government is a substantial achievement
• Talking about his electorate in Queensland
• He will contest the election
• Thanks his family for being so supportive
• “good team work” in the cabinet
• Thanks the colleagues and the electorate office staff and his staff in Canberra
• Labor deserves and can win the election

Leadership Spill – 9:09pm

Well, Kevin has won the ballot 57-45.

ABC News is starting to get entertaining as they are now unscripted and sans auto cue. Once again, it has turned into journalists talking to journalists.

Chris Hayes the Labor Chair has come back.

Penny Wong is now head of the Senate and Anthony Albanese is now Deputy Head of the House of Representatives. Penny was voted in unanimously, Albanese was voted in at 60-something to 38 against Simon Crean – remember him?

The media pack is now clearing up and the cameras a leaving the small area outside the Caucus room. Now it is just Chris Uhlmann and Mark Simkin talking while people dismantle cameras.

What will Tony say? It would be advised that he talks tomorrow.

Several cabinet ministers have quit, including Greg Combet and Craig Emerson who will also not contest the next election.

Julia Gillard will talk at 9:15 and Kevin Rudd will follow.

Leadership Spill – 7:54pm

7:00 – ABC News begins with National Version with Leigh Sales – Local News.

Mark Simkin made a Harry Potter quote – “neither can live while the other survives”

In the day’s other political news – Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor are leaving politics – both for personal reasons – though Tony Windsor says he’s not well – that’s a given – this parliament was stressful to the extreme.

7:08pm – Local news bulletins – Seems a bit rushed, and my reception is a little dodgy…Oh well.

7:18pm – back to the National coverage. Turns out Julia announced the ballot and she set conditions. If you want to be leader, you put your name up. You win, you are PM and Labor leader, you lose, you retire from politics at the next election.

Mark Simkin and Chris Uhlmann think Kevin will win. Phones are ringing behind them and they are holding their phones. Interesting fact: If Julia loses and send the letter to the Governor General resigning but doesn’t say that Kevin should take her place – we have a Constitutional Crisis – maybe.

Terrible jokes about Chris Uhlmann being hung up on by a member of Caucus. No news yet, obviously.

Christopher Pyne and Tony Abbott are being pains in the neck. Julia complains about the fact that she’s being attacked internally within the party.

ABC News 24 geoblock has been lifted

7:35 – still waiting. Barrie Cassidy has Gillard supporters texting him – they say it’s against them.

7:40 – Antony Green on how the electorate would vote under Kevin, hypothetical question asked by Neilson poll last week. Some seats in NSW in danger, but we all knew that.

7:45 – Coalition about to hold a party meeting in Canberra. Now getting a look at a Liberal anti-Labor ad

7:49 – Back to Uhlmann and Simkin – still no news. Barrie Cassidy has no news either.

7:50 – On another note, Adam Hills Tonight is meant to be having a Princess Bride themed episode! Hope they sort themselves out soon!

Can the #spill results happen at 8.15 please? Followed by 15 mins of analysis then The Princess Bride ep of @HillsyTonight. That'd be ace.

— Adam Hills (@adamhillscomedy) June 26, 2013

7:52 – Here comes the returning officer!! And the Winner is….Kevin Rudd!

Leadership Spill – 6:59pm

Bill Shorten is on Team Kev, which is a big thing – it makes it look more likely that Kevin Rudd might win the leadership.

On ABC News’ coverage, there was mention that there could be an Abbott/Turnbull showdown. Annabel Crabb has decided that that should happen in a few days, and we should wait for the moment. Good idea.

There isn’t much going on right now, just analysing what they know and having a bit of a discussion.

People out in Western Sydney seem to have varying views on the spill, some thing it’ll be good if Kevin wins, others don’t, but they don’t seem to have interviewed any women.

Now we have people heading to the Caucus room – Julia doesn’t seem to have many people behind her, and Kev has gone in there alone….

Stay tuned, results of the the Secret Ballot soon…

Leadership Spill – 6:42pm

The time in the title is the one on my computer just before I hit the publish button – just in case you were wondering.

It looks close – ABC News 24 saying Kevin may only need 17 more votes. Bill Shorten is known to support Julia Gillard and is believed to have been one of the “faceless men” that helped install Julia.

Bill Shorten has told Julia before the press that he is supporting Rudd, but first talked up Julia’s good policies – he’s flipped – saying it’s for the greater good of the country. Says he will quit as a Cabinet minister, the Labour party is most important.

He seems to feel bad for Julia Gillard.

Leadership Spill – June 26, 2013 – 6:24pm

Spill time…again. I have to admit I was annoyed when I woke up this morning – more rumours, I thought. Oh how wrong I was. It’s legitimate – legitimate enough that they’ve called a spill at 7pm – and Rudd is actually contesting. I am currently watching ABC News 24 and Twitter – so lets see what happens.

Rudd is contesting mainly, it appears, because the Australian people are asking him to, but also because he feels he is the more viable option. He says that Abbott is going to run the country to the ground, and to be honest (my bias is about to visit), I think that’s what will happen under the Liberal government.

Both Gillard and Rudd promised that if they lose, they will not contest the next election. That’s a lot on the line – Rudd especially, given that he has huge popularity among the public, as he mentioned.

Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, has said she will vote for Kevin Rudd – that is what her electorate wants, she says.

 

Stay tuned.

The Week That Was – June 16 to June 22

This week was less dramatic, yes, but it sure wasn’t boring.

All this week, we had the lovely discussion over in that crazy land that is Australian politics about the Labor leadership. I’ve gotten sick of it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the news anchors are too. You see the slightest change in their face as they move on to the leadership story from the previous one. Whether they’re grinning because of a funny or happy story or looking serious, as soon as they see start reading the political story on the auto cue it is obvious they are sick of it. They look a bit tired and annoyed. At least I know I’m not the only one that is annoyed by all this prancing about.

Seriously, it has to stop. We have an election coming up and I would like to know what is on offer. No bitching is required. I’d also like members of the Liberal Party to stop smirking and looking like smarmy, smug idiots for once. Yes, you may be ahead in the polls and you may be on the road to a convincing win, but looking smug just doesn’t work for me. I for one, would like to hear about policies from both sides, politics is about government not fighting, not guessing who the leader will be next week and it isn’t about telling us that the opposing party has something wrong with them.

On a more positive note, the pollies did some good this week, with Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull, Christopher Pyne and NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner all completing the CEO Sleepout. The CEO Sleepout is a charity event run by the St Vincent de Paul Society. The Sleepout gives the more advantaged a chance to understand just what it is like for the homeless. There is more information on their website.

Finally, just because I can, Annabel Crabb’s show Kitchen Cabinet is returning – Yay!

Quotes of the Week

I thought this week I might show you guys the Sunrise montage of odd and peculiar metaphors.