Tag Archives: Common Sense – or a lack of

The Week That Was – September 6 to September 12

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I’m looking at my notes this week and realising just how many times the word “refugee” comes up.

It was a pretty good week for Abbott, even if it ended with a gaffe and a leak that sent cabinet into a hissy fit.

As of this week, the Abbott Government has been in power for two years, and has one more to go until the next election. The government is not in a great place, with polls showing that if there was an election held this week, they would lose their majority. Abbott has been repeating his usual line of “taxes are down, I stopped the boats” when asked about his two years so far and he says that he hopes that when people vote next year they will remember his government’s victories. Problem is, there are bigger issues at the moment, and with the economy down, jobs sparse and no surplus as promised, the bad decisions and the gaffes mean that Abbott and his government are not in a good place right now, and they still may not be in 12 months time when the next election comes around. He also had a 15 minute interview on 7:30 with Leigh Sales, which had the inhabitants of my house arguing, laughing and “oooh”-ing at the TV.

However, this week has been good for Abbott, as he’s been able to announce that Australia will take in 12,000 Syrian refugees in a one-off increase in our refugee intake. Peter Dutton was sent to Geneva at the start of the week to ask what Australia could do, while the Opposition and the Greens call on the government to take in more refugees overall. Before the announcement people were pointing out that Australia has done similar things in 1989 after Tiananmen and in 1999 during the Kosovo crisis, so we should do the same.

However, there has been criticism after several senior ministers, including Eric Abetz and Julie Bishop made clear their focus was on the Christians escaping Syria. Now, it is likely that some of the refugees are from Christian minority groups, and they are likely to be the ones in the most danger from Islamic State, but you can’t just say “oh we’ll just take the Christian ones thanks guys”. The Opposition is criticising the government on its bias as are the Greens. Meanwhile, the government began talking about how taking in these extra refugees was a burden to be shouldered by all, and we were told Australia would also send aid to the countries bordering Syria that host refugee camps.

The Government also said that any Syrian refugees in offshore detention – basically those that arrived by boat – will not be included in this 12,000 strong cohort of refugees they are settling in Australia. This has angered the Greens who feel that not only should these boat arrivals be included, but the government should also put an end to offshore detention all together. Meanwhile Abetz reiterated the focus on letting in Christians – leading to some believing that this was a sort of rebirth of the White Australia Policy – if you don’t know what that is, Google it.

The week ended with Abbott meeting community leaders to plan how Australia would welcome the influx of refugees from Syria…and then the good week Abbott had ended not so well.

Peter Dutton’s joke offended Pacific Island nations’ leaders, didn’t make Bill Shorten laugh, and left Abbott trying to salvage his weekend in Canning where he is helping the Liberal candidate get elected in a by-election, calling the joke “lame” and praising Dutton for his hard work in Immigration.

Meanwhile there was a leak to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper in which it proclaims that there may be a cabinet reshuffle on the cards. It’s unclear whether the PM’s Office – who is close to the Tele – or someone who wants Abbott out of job is the one who spoke to the reporter, but either way it has sent Cabinet into panic, with rumours that at least eight ministers could be in the firing line, including Nigel Scullion, Eric Abetz and Andrew Robb.

Finally this week, the Commonwealth is celebrating the Queen, after she became the longest-serving monarch, usurping Queen Victoria, Australia will be taking part in airstrikes in Syria, and while they began flying over IS-held territory at the end of the week we don’t know if they launched any strikes or not, and there have been accusations of bias against Judge Street, who out of 254 asylum seeker cases has dismissed all but two before hearing any evidence

Tweet of the Week

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online.

I’ve had uni assessments due this week – so the material is not that erudite.

First Dog on the Moon on the PM’s “Twonyversary” – The Guardian

First Dog on refugees in Europe – The Guardian

Antony Green is made an Adjunct Professor – ABC Backstory

The Week that Was – August 30 to September 5

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The week hasn’t been that bad for the government, but it hasn’t been fantastic either.

There are rumours that Tony Abbott is being asked to get rid of Treasurer Joe Hockey, meanwhile Hockey has been dealing with some not-so-great growth data and a fall in average national income. On top of that, Abbott is also dealing with the fallout from a blistering New York Times piece about the Australian Government’s treatment of refugees, as well as a gaffe that offended the Jewish community – Abbott said that Islamic State was worse than the Nazis. Abbott, former PM John Howard and others have been in the West Australian seat of Canning as the by-election heats up.

Unions are still concerned about the way the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will affect the labour market, not only for them but for the workers that could be flown in by China. These concerns seem to have been misinterpreted by the government, who keep reminding people that labour mobility was always part of the agreement and then bad mouth the Unions and the Labor Party, calling them racists. On the other hand, you have the Labor Party trying to get people to understand that they are just concerned about it because there doesn’t seem to be that much information about how the labour mobility thing is going to work. Labor has also said that they don’t want the FTA renegotiated, they’re just worried about Australian jobs.

The Royal Commissioner for the Trade Union Royal Commission, Dyson Heydon has ruled that he does not need to recuse himself due to apprehended bias. He’s said that the average fair-minded lay person (which is a legal concept and doesn’t actually exist) would not think he’s biased. Heydon has also pointed out that he can’t use a computer and can only read emails if they’ve been printed out by his assistant.

The plight of the Syrian Refugees is hitting home this week after the image of the drowned toddler went viral. It has leads some Liberal Party figures to speak about how Australia should take in more refugees. Both Mike Baird, the NSW Premier and Craig Laundy, a Federal MP, have called on Abbott to consider letting more refugees in to Australia, particularly from Syria, with Laundy saying that he and his family had talked over dinner about whether or not they would jump on a boat to escape Islamic State and that the family agreed that they probably would. The Prime Minister is keeping his cards close to his chest, while the Greens are demanding that Australia take in 20,000 Syrian refugees.

Finally this week, there will be a Senate Inquiry into the 7-Eleven pay scandal, which will also incorporate United service stations, the citizenship legislation is probably going to be challenged in the High Court, and it’s looking very likely Australia will join the USA in bombing Syria – Oh and Johnny Depp had a go at Barnaby Joyce, which you can see here.

Tweet of the Week

Scott Ludlam on Dyson Heydon’s decision…

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Julia Baird (Host of The Drum on ABC TV) on her cancer diagnosis – New York Times

Michelle Grattan on Abbott and his government – The Conversation

Emma Alberici on how Trump is reminding people of Ronald Reagan’s campaign – ABC The Drum

The Week That Was – August 23 to August 29

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This week Tony Abbott spent his promised week with the indigenous community in the Torres Strait Islands, visiting Thursday Island (Mer) to visit Eddie Mabo’s grave, as well as meet with elders and run the country. He attended a memorial service for those in the region who fought in the Second World War, who protected the islands in the Torres Strait from invasion, despite bombing raids from the Japanese Army. Abbott also spent some time on one of the school buses in one community, helping children get to school. Generally, it’s been a good week for Abbott, however, there have been a few hiccups – first, several establishments have claimed that the PM’s Office booked hotel rooms, which were cancelled at the last-minute when Abbott decided to stay in the army barracks instead, costing the hotels money, as they had been preparing for the PM, Ministers and other government officials. Second, Abbott may have gotten his teaching methods mixed up, crediting improvement in one school to “direct instruction” (where the concept is broken up into pieces and taught directly), when it fact it was “explicit instruction” (aka “I do, we do, you do” where the teacher does one example, the class does one together and then the students work on their own) that was helping.

The scaremongering about terrorism has continued, with politicians equating ISIS to Pol Pot or Adolf Hitler, trying to express the need for Australians to support the government’s plans to join the US in bombing ISIS targets in Syria. Despite the fact that it is believe that the government engineered the request from the US to join, there are still legal issues to consider, given there is no UNSC Resolution or formal request from Syria. However, it’s thought that Australia may get around these issues by claiming self-defence or by claiming the land they are bombing is “ungoverned space”, as Australia does not recognise either the Assad government or ISIS as legitimate governments.

Joe Hockey meanwhile has been talking about one of life’s certainties – taxes. There is universal concern that as inflation rises, more and more people are going to fall into the next highest tax bracket – a phenomenon known as ‘bracket creep”. Despite the Treasurer’s concern with bracket creep, it appears that Hockey is still only talking about it, and doesn’t yet have any policies on the table, which concerns some analysts.

Unions are worried about the Free Trade Agreement with China, especially because Chinese companies will be able to bring in their own workers for some projects. This concerns the unions, not just because it would detrimentally affect the local workers, as there would be fewer jobs, but also because it’s possible the Chinese workers flown in will not be paid according to Australian labour laws. Labor has suggested that if the workers are going to be affected negatively by the Free Trade Agreement, then they may not support it, which led Tony Abbott to warn that if Labor and the unions had their way, then there would be a new “White Australia Policy” – which left me speechless.

The week was an improvement for the government, at least until Friday, when the Australian Border Force release a press release announcing that they were going to check the identity documents of anyone they came across in Melbourne over the weekend. It’s been equated with Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia, and others expressed concerns that it would lead to racial profiling – lawyers also told the media it was illegal. By Friday afternoon the protesters were out in force in Melbourne’s CBD, and the police and Border Force cancelled their operation. There have been questions over whether or not the Minister or the PM knew about the program.

Finally this week, Heydon delayed his judgement on his recusal due to his apprehended bias, people are bringing up the possibility of having a referendum on becoming a republic, and George Brandis is under fire for not filling a regional judge vacancy after the retirement of one of the three judges.

Tweet of the Week

Judges in Peter Greste and his colleagues’ retrial in Egypt delivered the verdict on Saturday

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Not much, given I had an assignment for uni this week…

First Dog on the Moon on the Border Force Saga – The Guardian

The Week that Was – August 2 to August 8

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Well, as the edit in last week’s post showed, Bronwyn Bishop resigned. It’s believed that despite her friendship and trust from Tony Abbott, it was causing too much damage and she had to go. Abbott has been trying to shift the blame from her to the system, even announcing an inquiry into the system to see if the rules can be made clearer (which they probably can be). Parliament is due back soon, which means that people are putting themselves forward for the role of Speaker. Constitutionally, the vote for the new speaker will happen first thing, as you can’t run the House of Representatives without a Speaker. There are a few people being suggested for the role, such as Philip Ruddock, Andrew Southcott and the current Deputy Speaker Bruce Scott. There is hope that they will be far less partisan than Ms Bishop was.

MPs have begun to shut up about the whole entitlements saga, after Tony Burke went on the attack on Bishop, which lead Christopher Pyne to go on the attack regarding Burke’s spending, before it was pointed out that Pyne is just as bad as Tony Burke. Since then, MPs have not really said anything because it’s become clear that most of them have done something inappropriate at least once.

Abbott spent his week in South Australia and Victoria, announcing contracts for ship builders in SA, which they hope will improve employment and the Liberal Party’s vote in the state. Meanwhile in Victoria, he’s been focusing on jobs and training, which has made some wonder if South Australia is getting a better deal than Victoria.

NAPLAN tests are showing that there is little to no improvement in Australia’s literacy and numeracy skills overall, although there has been major improvement in Queensland and Western Australia. Most experts and teachers are suggesting that there needs to be more information and resources for teaching staff and a more individual focus on students.

It’s believed that the terrorism legislation may be struck down in the High Court, after it was revealed by legal experts that the legislation is poorly written and extremely broad. It’s believed that people who a caught putting graffiti on Commonwealth buildings could be charged with terrorism offences and lose their Australian citizenship if they are dual citizens.

Malaysia has announced that the piece of plane that washed up on Réunion Island is from MH370. However, the French, who are looking after the plane at the BEA, want to do more tests to double-check.

Finally this week, unemployment is up to 6.3%, it’s been revealed that the Vietnamese asylum seekers who were intercepted off WA a few weeks ago have been sent back to Vietnam, and that under Peter Dutton, 20 boats have been turned back, eight more than under Scott Morrison, Foreign investors are still being cracked down upon, with around 400 sales suspicious, the Productivity Commission has suggested changing penalty rates, and the MUA is picketing at Hutchison Ports (a holding company for Hutchison Whampoa) locations after they sacked workers by email this week.

Tweet of the Week

Taylor Swift continues world domination.

https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/628452918308384768

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

First Dog on the Moon introduces Ian the Climate Denialist Potato – The Guardian

Kumi Taguchi talks about her father’s experience in Japan during WWII – ABC The Drum

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 – December 21 to December 27

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It was inordinately busy in the days leading up to Christmas this year.

It began with a reshuffle of Tony Abbott’s Cabinet, during which he sacked David Johnston as Minister for Defence, putting Kevin Andrews in his place. That meant the role of Minister for Social Services was given to Scott Morrison, and Peter Dutton was made Minister for Immigration. Sussan Ley becomes the second woman in Cabinet, as Minister for Health and Sport, and there has also been a change of Parliamentary Secretaries and Assistant Ministers. You can see who has gone where on the ABC website.

At least two Australians are being implicated in the brutal treatment of Yazidi women by Islamic State militants. It’s believed that the ISIS militants have either sold women and girls into sex slavery, forced them to marry ISIS militants or sexually assaulted them. Activists and charities that have rescued and helped these women have reported that at least four Yazidi women were held by militants well-known to be Australian.

There are thoughts that the GST will be changed in the next budget, after the white papers on taxation are tabled. This announcement that the GST could change has led to State Treasurers clambering for more money, while also reminding the government that if their share of the GST is decreased they will not accept the changes.

Consumer confidence could rise after the Boxing Day sales given the high turnout, but it could be a one-off given that people are still concerned about the budget and the uncertainty in Canberra. It’s thought that retailers will keep the sales going for as long as possible in order to keep consumer confidence up for a bit.

Finally this week, it’s understood that someone warned the authorities about Man Haron Monis (the perpetrator of the Sydney Siege) two days before the siege, the siege victims have been farewelled at funerals and memorial services, two men were arrested in terrorism raids on Christmas Eve, and the Climate Change Authority is concerned that Australia will not meet its 2020 emissions target. Plus, it is looking like Peter Greste may be released very soon.

Oh, and before I forget: Tony Abbot announced that his greatest achievement as Minister for Women was the repeal of the Carbon Tax.

Tweet of the Week

An ABC Journalist in the Canberra Press Gallery is leaving the ABC for a new job:

…and NSW, QLD and Victoria police discuss what they’ve left out for Santa

https://twitter.com/jamus__/status/547737670248435712

Things I’ve been Looking at Online

Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin – NYT

Richard Glover on ‘staycations’ – SMH

Small NZ children re-enact the Christmas Story

The Week That Was – August 24 to August 30

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This government may be record holders. It’s been over three months since the budget was announced and they’re yet to get their big-ticket items through Parliament. Admittedly, they’ve got appropriation bills through, but they just keep everything up and running. Key ministers and figures have been threatening that they will start doing things that don’t require legislation to save money, which the Opposition is calling blackmail and it appears that the co-payment could be waived when children go for vaccinations. For some reason, this government likes equating the current economic situation with things like bushfires and melanomas, as if that is going to scare us or the opposition into accepting the changes. Meanwhile, the Opposition continues to demand the government drop the budget entirely and start again and some government backbenchers have spoken out against the co-payment and other budget measures they don’t like. Speaking of the co-payment, Clive Palmer has announced his party will not support it, and will not compromise. He’s also apologised to China for his comments last week.

The government announced last week plans to allow around 4,000 Iraqi and Syrian refugees to come to Australia “through the front door”, however concerns have been raised about who will be allowed to come. There are a large number of Iraqis and Syrians in Australia who still have family in the region, who want the government to allow their family members to come, and other concerns have been raised over the fact that the 4,000 or so spots are part of the 13,000 yearly quota set by the government and not an addition to the quota.

Australia may also help the US with strikes against the Islamic State (IS – formerly known as ISIS/ISIL), with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) mobilising and the PM and Defence Minister both saying that while we haven’t been asked yet, we’ll be happy to help. The bulk of the Opposition supports this but there are a few Labor MPs and senators as well as the Greens, who are not so sure about military action.

University Open Days began this weekend, and understandably, prospective students are concerned about the future costs of higher education. There is concern that the Group of 8 Universities might drop nursing degrees, which don’t make much money. This has been denied, as has the possible price hike, with universities saying that they aren’t trying to gouge money from people, they just want to keep a high standard of education. The Nationals are also concerned, with requests that if the money the universities make do go into scholarships, that more scholarships should be available to regional students.

Tony Abbott has done his fair share of annoying people this week, with his comment that the defining moment in Australia’s history is white settlement, saying British settlement made Australia what is today and equated the first Governor, Gov. Arthur Phillip, to George Washington. Abbott is also in trouble for using cancer patients to make it ok for him to go to a private function on taxpayers’ money. He was at a private function in Melbourne on Monday night and visited the cancer research centre on Tuesday morning, meaning he was late to a Cabinet meeting.  The Attorney-General George Brandis has also been annoying people. He went to a meeting with Muslim community leaders, was an hour late, and the community leaders felt their concerns about the terrorism law changes (mainly about the targeting of those in the Muslim community) weren’t really being heard.

Julie Bishop was in Indonesia this week signing the “Joint Understanding Code of Conduct” on the sidelines of something to do with the UN. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono watched on, and now it appears that both Australia and Indonesia are happy.

This week, the World Congress of Families held their event at Catch the Fire Ministries after being cancelled on by every other venue they’d booked. Kevin Andrews pulled out of his appearance, as did a Victorian State Liberal MP. There were protesters outside, and one even got into the hall where the meeting was being held. NSW State MP Fred Nile of the Christian Democrats was there, and was interviewed by an ABC journalist. He implied that the people inside the room were on God’s side and that the protesters outside were on the Devil’s side, then told the ABC and SBS that they had to make a choice about where they stand – despite the fact the ABC is meant to be impartial and have no views.

Finally this week, a memorial might be set up in the grounds of Parliament House for Australians killed in MH17, the Trade Union Royal Commission got interesting when it was revealed that Kathy Jackson from the HSU and the HSU’s barrister at the commission had an affair, Julia Gillard had been summoned to the Royal Commission and Tony Abbott was also at the National Party Council this weekend and said that the Coalition has “saved Australia”.

Tweet of the Week

The World Congress of Families event was on Saturday – and they mentioned NSW State MP for Sydney

Things I’ve been Reading/Watching/Listening etc

With Gammy making world headlines, the partner of a surrogate in the US shared her story – The Advocate

Zach Stafford tries to make sense of the white cop shooting black men scenarios – The Guardian

 

The Week That Was – August 17 to August 23

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The big story this week was Clive Palmer’s attack on the Chinese. When asked about the court case involving him and a Chinese State Owned Enterprise on Q & A, he got overly defensive.

The Chinese Embassy responded by saying that Palmer is ignorant and prejudiced and the Australian government has gone into damage control, telling China that they don’t agree with Palmer – FYI, there is a Free Trade Agreement under negotiation at the moment. Jacqui Lambie isn’t making it easy though, as she believes that the Chinese are going to invade us at some point – which is absolutely ridiculous.

Ricky Muir from the Motoring Enthusiasts’ Party appeared from the shadows at the end of the week. He appeared and had a press conference at a car show, in which he said that while he does vote in the Palmer United Party bloc, he is his own man and does not agree with PUP’s views on China. He also said that he had talked with treasury people – apparently getting calls at all hours – and told the press that he still isn’t sold on the $7 GP co-payment or the Higher Education changes.

Speaking of the co-payment, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has suggested an alternative plan for the co-payment. The AMA suggests that consultations for children, concession card holders and pensioners should not be subject to the co-payment. Both sides of politics, as well as other lobby groups are calling this plan a money grab, not a nice alternative, given something like $2-$3 goes to them out of the co-payment. However, the government is also being criticised for trying to sell the co-payment as a Medicare-strengthening measure because the government’s slice of the co-payment goes into a Medical research fund, and not into the budget or Medicare.

The Prime Minister has been busy this week. The start of the week saw the Pollie Pedal end in Penrith and Tony Abbott join in for the last few (wet) days and at a First World War memorial on Cockatoo Island. He was also on 2GB this week talking about the previous week’s NSW ICAC scalps – saying it was “a bad look” for the Liberal Party – but criticised the previous NSW Labor Government for changing the rules, making it illegal for property developers to make donations. According to the PM, it is unclear in the legislation what constitutes a property developer and arguing that private donations are better that publicly funded elections. He was also asked by 2GB presenter Ray Hadley about the ASADA investigation, saying that the ASADA claims were meant to be the previous Federal Labor government’s distraction from Julia Gillard, although Ray Hadley didn’t actually call Gillard by her name, he called her something along the lines of “that woman“. In the same interview, he was asked about a flag that had been seen in Sydney’s west that looked like it could be an ISIS flag (it wasn’t), and Abbott said that the only flag that should fly is the Australian flag – forgetting that most of the time the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are often required to be flown as well.

Speaking of ISIS, they gruesomely murdered a journalist this week. The PM described the murder as “evil”, and then decided to also warn Australia that if we let our vigilance down, similar things could happen here.

Moving on though, the budget is still being talked about over three months after it was laid out. The government isn’t overly concerned, because they’ve got the appropriation and supply bills through, but some of their big-ticket items are still on the table and being negotiated. After his “poor don’t drive” gaffe last week, Joe Hockey has been out of sight for a while, leading journalists to question Mattias Cormann about why he was selling the budget over the weekend and not Hockey. Cormann said it was because they’re working together to sell the budget and therefore either of them can appear in front of the media to do so. However, it’s believed that the government may be compromising and giving ground on some of their major policy items in order to get them through.

It was also announced this week that Australia has agreed to take 2200 Iraqi and 2200 Syrian refugees in. However, they will be coming through what Scott Morrison called the “front door”, so therefore they are still stopping the boats, ergo no broken promises. Also, children and their families (where applicable) are being released from detention centres on bridging visas, and the Papua New Guinean authorities have arrested and charges two G4S employees over the murder of Reza Berati, the asylum seeker killed during the Manus Island riots.

Bill Shorten made a statement this week about rape claims made against him last year.

He’s been applauded by both sides of politics for being open and transparent about it now, rather than hiding it and having it come out later on.

So this week, Australia-Indonesia relations have gotten much better, to the point where thy are signing an agreement not to spy on each other…

Finally this week, the NSW Liberal Party has announced they will not put anyone forward for the by-elections in Newcastle or Charlestown, there has been criticism of the NAPLAN writing question, Australia and India have done a trade deal on uranium, there’s another ADFA sex scandal, and the man who was convicted of the Winchester Assassination has been released from prison after his conviction was quashed.

Tweet of the Week

Fairfax staff went on strike this week…

Things I’ve been Reading/Watching/Listening etc

Eliza Harvey on the only Liberal MP in the Hunter not to quit, and how she’s changed for the better – ABC The Drum

Sean Dorney’s leaving Australia Network and the ABC – ABC Backstory and Australia Network Online

What Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond thinks of Tony Abbott – Huffington Post UK

The Week That Was – August 10 to August 16

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So this week, Tony Abbott went to the Netherlands with the Chiefs of the ADF and the AFP. They went to say thank you to the Dutch and Australian officials working on identifying victims of the crash. Abbott met with the Dutch Prime Minister and other politicians to discuss the investigation as well as sanctions against Russia – it is still unclear as to whether or not Putin still has an invite to the G20 meetings in Australia later this year. Abbott also visited the UK, where he talked with the British PM and was briefed on the UK’s aid mission to Iraq, and announced that he was exploring all his options when it came to Iraq, but for the moment all Australia is doing is assisting the US and UK with aid drops. He also made a visit to wherever in the Middle East the air force crews are stationed to thank them for helping – when he got back to Canberra on Friday morning, the PM’s car nearly left without Peta Credlin.

Speaking of international trips, Julie Bishop’s phone was compromised while she was on her trip in Europe after MH17. It is unclear as to whether it was hacked, tapped or compromised in some other way, but intelligence officials took her phone from her when she got back and replaced it. This week though, she played host to US Secretary of State John Kerry during the AUSMIN talks. It’s thought that Australia could help the US with more than aid missions in the future, primarily due to the release of an image of a 7-year-old boy, who is the son of an Australian fighting in Syria, holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier. It appears that, at least for now, Australia will only be helping with aid missions.

It also turns out that the aforementioned Australian man fighting in Syria was a welfare recipient, leading the government to announce that people’s welfare payments are to be cancelled if they are a national security risk, because Australians shouldn’t have to deal “terrorism tourism on the taxpayer” (say that five times fast).

Finally this week, Joe Hockey got in trouble for saying that the fuel excise (a tax on petrol, which is yet to get through the Senate) would not affect low-income households because “the poorest people don’t drive cars, or actually don’t drive very far”, which lead to backlash from the opposition and his own party.

ABC’s FactCheck even checked out whether or not what Joe Hockey said was true, regardless of how classist the comment was.

Some of his more high-profile colleagues have said they support Joe Hockey in his job, but have not said specifically that they support his comment. He apologised on 2GB later in the week, multiple times. However, many people feel he is out of touch with the people of Australia.

Also this week, the “Pollie Pedal” began with five government MPs, including a Cabinet Minister, Peter Costello suggested rubbishing the $7 co-payment, and Christopher Pyne has decided that politics is about the end result, not the day-to-day running of the government.

Tweet of the Week

Radio Australia’s  Asia Pacific program is now off air, thanks to government cuts, along with RA Mornings and Asia Review.

https://twitter.com/RAAsiaPacific/status/500208353939685376

Things I’ve Been Reading/Watching/Listening etc

The MythBusters talked with Julia Baird on The Drum – ABC The Drum

Interest in politics is waning – ABC Online

A look at what happens after high-profile suicides at crisis hotline centres – News.com.au

The Week that Was – July 13 to July 19

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This week was less insane than previous weeks, or at least it was until about Friday.

This week saw the Coalition negotiating with the Palmer United Party to get the Carbon and Mining taxes through the Senate, with the hope that both would get through by the end of the week. Senate ran later on Tuesday and Thursday, and while the Carbon Tax passed the Senate on Thursday, the Mining Tax was not, as the PUP wanted to see the $10 million of welfare that came with it to remain. Regardless, the Government is pleased with itself for removing the Carbon Tax, while the opposition is saying that the government will be judged harshly in the future. Bill Shorten has said that he will take an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to the next election and Tony Abbott, when asked if he would consider an ETS, said there wouldn’t be a Carbon Tax. It appears that if you are Tony Abbott, there is no difference between an ETS and a Carbon Tax.

The financial regulation laws are floating around too, with the PUP asking for some consumer safeguards to be added before they let it through. There was also the release of an interim report from a financial inquiry, stating that while the market is quite concentrated, it is still competitive. There are also concerns with superannuation though, with funds borrowing money to make investments and high fees, as well as the recommendation that financial advice from banks be called “sales” leaving the term “advice” to independent advisors who aren’t attached to any bank or financial group.

This week also saw this:

Yep, David Leyonhjelm, a Liberal Democratic Senator (different from the Liberal Party), says that basically, the politicians should let people do what they want to do behind closed doors and allow marriage equality. He’s pretty sure that the Greens and Labour will be supportive of his Marriage Deregulation Amendment, and says that he will table it only if he gets a guarantee from the Coalition that there will be a conscience vote on their side. He says that it’s a liberty issue, and that if same-sex marriage were legal, then maybe people wouldn’t make it so hard for the government to get their budget through. He also pulled the “Tony Abbott, what about your sister?” and the “Bill Shorten, think about Penny Wong” cards. In return for the conscience vote, Leyonhjelm has said he will support Temporary Protection Visas in the Senate.

It was going pretty smoothly this week until Friday morning, when the news came through that a Malaysian Airlines flight had been shot down over a rebel-held region in Ukraine. The flight, MH17, from Amsterdam’s Schiphol to Kuala Lumpur, had 298 people aboard, including 3 infants, 15 crew, and 36 (UPDATE: now 37) Australian citizens and permanent residents. Australia has the third highest death toll, behind The Netherlands and Malaysia. The Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop has called for an international investigation, I’m assuming by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) given they have investigated similar incidents (like Korean Air 007). Russia is also under scrutiny, as it is believed that the pro-Russia separatists in the region are being supported by Russia in many ways, and possibly gave the rebels the missile used to shoot down the plane.

Finally this week, the guy in charge of looking at the Australian education system, Kevin Donnelly, thinks corporal punishment is ok. Thankfully, no-one else appears to agree with him. The refugees that are somewhere on a boat off Christmas Island are still there and haven’t been handed over yet.

Tweets of the Week

Not sure if this is true, but if it is….

Things I’ve been Reading/Watching/Listening etc

Oz:  A very supportive nation when it comes to marriage equality, but we still haven’t changed the law – The Advocate

ABC’s Hayden Cooper reflects on the Greste case – ABC Backstory