Despite the public holiday this week, politics is revving up again in preparation for the first sitting of Parliament for 2016 in the next week. There are discussions about the GST and the economy, with Scott Morrison ignoring calls from state and territory Premiers to tell them what the GST plan was. Morrison has said that he is still figuring it out and that the less he says about it, the more ideas come in that he can consider. Meanwhile economic data shows that NSW is currently the best economy in the country, thanks to its infrastructure boom, while the resource-reliant states are falling towards the back as they struggle with falling resource prices and the difficulty of transitioning their economies.
As we head back into full on political fun, the opposition has begun to sell itself for the 2016 Election (yep, it’s an election year!) and parties are beginning to field candidates. As the infighting in the Liberal Party between the party’s right and moderate factions over candidates in some blue-ribbon seats with long-serving MPs, Tony Abbott has announced that he will stay in his seat to fight the next election. This is despite the giant carrot the Prime Minister waved in front of him in the form of the next High Commissioner to the UK – with people suggesting he wants to stay in order to have another go at the leadership. I wonder if Abbott might go if he’s offered the job of Ambassador to the Holy See, but I could be quite wrong there.
Meanwhile Labor has been selling their new education plan as the election year heats up. Labor wants to re-introduced needs-based education funding from the Gillard days, which will cost around $37 billion, which Labor claims it has found savings for. The Government says that increased spending may not mean actual improvement, and that spending billions that they may not have is stupid, but that’s about it. It is still unclear when the election will be, but general consensus is it will happen later in the year; bearing in mind that the second weekend in September heralds Council elections in NSW.
It was Australia Day this week, in which we welcomed around 16,000 new citizens and the naming of the 2016 Australian of the Year as former Army Chief David Morrison – being credited for his advocacy for gender equality. There was a little controversy, after Catherine McGregor, a transgender advocate and Morrison’s former speechwriter criticised the judges for going with a “conventional” choice and then Veterans feeling hardly done by because Morrison didn’t mention them in his acceptance speech. McGregor has since apologised, and Morrison has clarified that he will also work to support veterans in his role as Australian of the year.
The drama with Queensland Nickel (QNI) continues, as it has been revealed that while Fairfax MP and owner of QNI, Clive Palmer, is happy to be the last creditor to be paid, he is likely to be protected from any collapse of QNI. This is because the QNI refinery is technically (and totally legally) owned by two other Clive Palmer companies. It may also mean that the taxpayers will have to foot the redundancy payment bill for QNI workers. However, no matter how protected Palmer is from the collapse of QNI, he won’t be protected from the collapse in his support in Fairfax. It’s believed that Palmer may loose the seat at this year’s election, which he holds on a small margin.
Finally this week, the Republic debate is revving up again; the Royal Commission into Child Abuse has demanded that victims of abuse at the Parramatta Girls home receive compensation; the town of Hill End has been told it will not be the location of the nuclear waste side and health insurance companies are being told by the Health Minister to come back with a better deal for Australians, after requesting permission to increase premiums by 6%.
Tweet of the Week
Malcolm Turnbull’s adventures in Melbourne at the end of the week included traffic control at a tram stop.
Thing’s I’ve Been Looking at Online
First Dog on the Moon on Australia Day snacks – The Guardian
Matthew Mitcham’s retirement from diving in quotes – ABC News
First Dog on the Moon on First World Problems – The Guardian
Kara L 