Tag Archives: Bali Nine

The Week That Was – February 15 to February 21

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This week was a little less crazy as the last, but there was still some drama.

Philip Ruddock has spoken out about his sacking, saying that he was never approached by Tony Abbott about his performance as Chief Whip. Some have suggested that Ruddock was sacked because he allowed the spill motion to go ahead last week, or that the sacking was a way to show the backbench that he was serious about change and that he wants to communicate with them differently.

The Bali Nine ringleaders are getting closer to execution, although it was closer at the start of the week, when the authorities decided to move them to the execution prison by Wednesday. However that changed, and the two men will not be transferred for some time, so they can have more time with their families. Tony Abbott and the government have been trying to save the two men from execution, saying that if it goes ahead, Australia will make their disappointment known diplomatically. Abbott also said that because of the $1 billion in aid Australia gave to Indonesia after the 2004 Tsunami, Indonesia should pay us back by saving the two men from execution, which Indonesia did not like, saying that threats were not part of diplomatic language and foreign aid was not a bargaining chip. It put strain on the relationship and Julie Bishop ended up apologising to the Indonesian Foreign Minister for the gaffe.

The Social Services Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out including the family home in the means-testing calculations for the aged pension, after rumours that it would be included. Morrison has asked for ideas on saving money so he doesn’t get in trouble from the public for doing something they don’t like.

The Productivity Commission has released their report into childcare, saying that the cost and the limited places are what keeps parents (usually mothers) at home looking after the kids and not returning to work. The Commission has recommended that there be a means-tested subsidy that is paid directly to the child care providers, meaning that wealthier parents will pay more towards childcare than lower-income parents. If the parents choose to get a nanny, the subsidy can also go towards paying them, however the professional child care providers are concerned about the quality of care children get from nannies. Meanwhile, the Health Minister Sussan Ley is trying to make the Medicare changes more palatable.

David Hicks, an Australian held in Guantánamo Bay by the Americans, has had his conviction quashed after it was ruled that the crime he was charged with did not exist at the time he committed his crime. Hicks has welcomed the development, but has been critical of the Australian and American governments, saying his conviction was politically motivated, and wants an apology from the government, which the Prime Minister has said he will not get because he was “up to no good”. Hicks also wants the government to help him pay his medical bills, as he needs quite a few procedures and long-term treatments thanks to his time in the prison at Guantánamo Bay.

The submarine building drama continues, with the announcement that Japan, Germany and France will compete for the tender to build Australian submarines, meaning that the ASC will have to partner with the company that earns the tender in order to have building jobs available. The Opposition and the unions have said this is a broken election promise. The government has also ruled out the Swedish firm Saab from building submarines, even though Saab said it would be more than happy to have all the building done in Australia, because the Swedish haven’t built a submarine since 1996.

Also, there appears to be someone leaking things to the media, after a story came out on Saturday suggesting that Tony Abbott wanted to send thousands of troops into Iraq. Abbott has denied that he ever brought it up, although it has been suggested that it may have been an informal suggestion rather than a formal idea.

Finally this week, Western Australia is worried that the measures to prevent young Australians heading to fight in the Middle East are focusing too much on the eastern coast after a West Australian man left for the Middle East; George Brandis is trying to monitor social media in real-time; the ADF has been called in to help with the Cyclone Marcia recovery; and there are concerns that Free Trade Agreements might make it easier for incidents, like this week’s Hepatitis A outbreak, to happen again.

Tweet of the Week

Things I’ve been Looking at Online

Malcolm Turnbull talks to Indonesia through Q & A about the Bali Nine ringleaders (and in the process auditions for the role of PM)

Queensland’s Cyclone Marcia sent rain and wind to Northern NSW – so this happened.

The Week That Was – February 8 to February 14

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Tony Abbott has survived the spill motion this week, after making a “captain’s pick” to move the spill vote forward from Tuesday to Monday. It upset a few pro-spill voters, who suggested that the change could work against him. Abbott had an interview on ABC News on Sunday, and seemed contrite about the whole thing, using hypothetical words and phrases.

On Monday morning, the spill motion was voted on, and it did not succeed.

He then spoke to the party room, describing the events as a “near death experience” and that the party was not going to end up like the Labor Party. He then recorded a statement for the media.

The political analysts are all suggesting that Tony Abbott is on borrowed time, and that if he doesn’t start showing improvement, the Liberal Party will sack him and pick someone else. They also said that Abbott should be concerned, because the Abbott supporters had said that they had a guaranteed 70 votes, and only received 61, so nine people lied to the Abbott camp. If one also looks at the numbers, if all those who voted for the spill were backbenchers, then two-thirds of the backbench do not support the PM. Another point made was that Abbott is still talking about “fighting” Labor, as if he is still an Opposition Leader, and not a Prime Minister – and he was formidable as an Opposition Leader.

People are also talking about how the Prime Minister should sack the Treasurer Joe Hockey and his Chief of Staff Peta Credlin. It appears that they will likely keep their jobs for the moment, as Abbott has promised to consult more with the backbench. However, in the last couple of days, Philip Ruddock has been sacked as Chief Whip, and replaced by Deputy Whip, Scott Buchholz. Many senior Liberals have been shocked by the decision and it is unclear why he was sacked.

In the days leading up to the spill vote, Abbott told several South Australian MPs and Senators that the submarine contract would be the subject of an open tender or a competitive evaluation process. It is unclear which, and no one is sure what the latter means. There are also rumours that a secret deal has been done with Japan and that this “competitive evaluation process” stuff was a way for Abbott to guarantee SA MPs and Senators.

The Human Rights Commission released a report on children in immigration detention, condemning both the current Liberal and the previous Labor governments for imprisoning children. The children in detention are mentally ill, and think they will die in detention. The report recommends that the government release all children immediately and that a Royal Commission be started. Tony Abbott is not impressed with the report at all, saying it is partisan, politicised and that the Commissioner, Professor Gillian Triggs should resign or be sacked. Professor Triggs has denied that the report is politicised.

It is becoming more apparent that the Bali Nine ringleaders are likely to be executed in the next few weeks, with Australian religious leaders pleading with the Indonesian government to spare the lives of the the men. The Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, and the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, have made contact with the Indonesian government in the hope that the deeply religious country might respond better to religious leaders than politicians. However, there are rumours that the two men will be moved from Kerobokan Prison in Bali, to the prison where they will be executed in the next few weeks. Furthermore, Australian diplomats, along with diplomats from other countries have been called to the government offices in Jakarta, suggesting that their execution is nearing.

Channel 9 and Channel 7 had duelling Sunday night current affairs programs on the Sydney Siege, with Channel 9’s 60 Minutes and Channel 7’s Sunday Night both broadcast interviews with survivors, some of whom are believed to have been paid $300,000 for their stories. It has also come to light that the NSW Police negotiation van was not available on the day and the police had to be based in the NSW Leagues Club.

There were terrorism raids in NSW this week, with two men charged with planning a terrorist attack. Police say a machete, a flag affiliated with the Islamic State group, and a video were found in the raid, with the video apparently outlining the attacks and the reasons for it. Tony Abbott was briefed on the incident and shown the video, which he later quoted in parliament. This has concerned the legal community who suggest that the Prime Minister may have compromised the trial by publicly talking about the video.

Also this week, student protesters were pepper sprayed by police in Sydney, the two remaining Al Jazeera journalists were released on bail, there are changes to teaching qualifications for primary and secondary school teachers, and unemployment is on the rise.

Tweet of the Week

Lee Lin Chin.

https://twitter.com/corbinbluwaffle/status/564795020839235585

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

The Buzzfeed Australia editor (who is not Australian) makes his first trip to Canberra – Buzzfeed

Pets watching Q&A – Buzzfeed

Confusion over the whole submarine tender issue – Sky News

Tanya Plibersek on her husband’s drug conviction and the changes he made afterwards

The Week That Was – February 1 to February 7

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This week has been one of the crazy ones, and it’s not going to calm down anytime soon.

The Queensland election appears to have resulted in a hung parliament, with most people believing that Labor will have government with the support of the three other MPs. Most people in the Liberal Party are blaming Tony Abbott, and the fact that he gave Prince Phillip a knighthood for the election loss. There is concern in NSW, that given the results of the Victorian and Queensland elections, that the Liberals could lose the NSW Election in late March if Abbott stays as PM.

Not only is there some concern in NSW, but also federally, with Abbott’s approval rating quite low. The PM made a speech at the National Press Club on Monday, in which he relinquished his involvement in Australia Day Honours, promised he’d listen more and has told Australians that they voted him and the government in, and only the electorate can vote him out – which is incorrect in terms of the leadership, as he can be toppled by the party if they so wish. In the days that followed, ministers and other senior Liberal figures have come out in support of the PM as rumblings of discontent within the party grow, and several backbenchers have publicly spoken about how they no longer support Abbott as the Prime Minister.

It came to a head on Friday with West Australian MP Luke Simpkins asking the Chief Whip, Philip Ruddock, for a spill motion during the party room meeting on Tuesday. Ministers, including the top contenders for the leadership – Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull – have publicly said that they will not support the motion, although it is a secret ballot, so no one will know.

The crazy week in federal politics has led to some amusing slip-ups and some great pop culture references though. Defence Minister Kevin Andrews at one point said he supported the Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard leadership team, and Abbott made reference to Game of Thrones. Although his was more a reference to the title than to a specific part of the franchise (unlike the Harry Potter comments made in 2013).

Meanwhile, the Northern Territory had a more dramatic week, with Willem Westra van Holthe challenging Adam Giles for the NT Country Liberal Party leadership (and also the role of Chief Minister). Westra van Holthe called a press conference at one in the morning to say he was in charge, and was due to be sworn in before noon, only for no-one to show up. It turned out Giles was refusing to sign his resignation letter, so he and Westra van Holthe were sent to a room to come to a solution. The solution? Adam Giles is to remain Chief Minister, and Willem Westra van Holthe will be his deputy – much to the amusement of the rest of the country.

Finally this week, Peter Greste has been released from prison and is now back in Australia, the Bali Nine ringleaders are due to be executed this month, and the UK Defence Minister is in town for talks with his Australian counterpart.

Tweet of the Week

Things I’ve been Looking at Online

ABC News Librarians – ABC Backstory

Tony Abbott hashtag backfires – SMH

Reporters looking back on the Sydney Siege – ABC Backstory