The Week That Was – April 22 to April 28

The Banking Royal Commission is still revealing more and more illegal and unconscionable conduct by banks and financial advisors. This week the ANZ Bank revealed that nearly a quarter of their financial planners had been disciplined for giving inappropriate advice that potentially benefitted them rather than their clients. Not only that, but the regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has been a toothless tiger. ASIC requires that companies report the fact that they may have broken the law within 10 days of the discovery of such information – and it theoretically has the power to prosecute if companies report later than that, but hasn’t. In fact, during this royal commission bank officials have admitted to knowing of potentially illegal actions and have not reported them to ASIC for years.

The government is also struggling with the Royal Commission issue, initially not wanting to admit they shouldn’t have resisted calls for a commission in the first place – something the backbench was getting irritated with because they can’t claim victory for starting up the commission until the senior MPs and ministers admit the mea culpa. Later in the week Malcolm Turnbull eventually admitted that there should have been less resistance and an earlier start to the commission.

Malcolm Turnbull spend the earlier part of the week finishing off his European trip, visiting Germany and France. In Germany he met with Angela Merkel and discussed the bilateral relationship and the potential for closer trade and security ties with Germany and the European Union post-Brexit. Then in France, Turnbull travelled to the town of Villers-Bretonneux where Australian soldiers fought off the Germans in the First World War. There he opened the Sir John Monash Centre (the brainchild of former PM Tony Abbott) on the centenary of the battle on ANZAC Day.

On ANZAC Day, the country commemorated the day with dawn services across the country, including at the Australian War Memorial, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney’s Martin Place, as well as at Gallipoli and Villers-Bretonneux. There were other ceremonies and commemorations, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attending the New Zealand War Memorial in London, as well as a memorial service at Westminster Abbey (where Prince William was caught trying not to fall asleep).

The Government has also announced that they no longer plan to raise the Medicare Levy in order to pay for the NDIS program, saying they have other ways to pay for it. What those ways may be are unclear at the moment. Those using the NDIS are not so sure of and are now concerned about how their programs will be funded.

Also this week, Professor Clinton Fernandes has taken ASIS (Australia’s international spy agency) to court to get them to release 40-year-old intelligence documents regarding what Australia knew in the lead up to the Indonesian invasion of Timor-Leste. Fernandes, a university professor and historical advisor to the historical movie Balibo is trying to get the documents released in order to tell the whole story.

Finally this week, the Anglican Church has announced it may sell some of their church land in order to pay for the Institutional Abuse redress scheme in states that have signed up; Trump has decided to send the guy who was supposed to be the US Ambassador to Australia to help out with the North Korean peace thing – the government doesn’t see it as a snub but as a useful person being sent to a place where they’ll be useful; and AGL has got at least some of their Liddell coal power plant replacements – with a gas plant to be built outside of Newcastle and another plant to be built between Sydney and Wollongong (pending government and community approval).

Tweet of the Week

Senate Estimates have been taking place at the moment too… (N.B. the BCA is the Business Council of Australia)

https://twitter.com/KKeneally/status/988658604088545281

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Who has what information on you on the internet? – ABC Online

Kim Jong-Un is in it for the money – ABC Online

The Week that Was – November 8 to November 14

The possibility of tax reform is still floating around, with the Opposition calling the proposed changes are an attack on the poor, while the Greens would like the parliamentary library to do research into the GST. There have also been suggestions that the government would get more revenue by re-implementing a Carbon Tax than they would a rise in the GST. Meanwhile there are concerns about the uptake of health insurance, after it was reported that the number of people taking out private health insurance has fallen. Health Minister Sussan Ley wants to know if this is an affordability issue, and if so, what factors are affecting that and whether those factors are fair.

The Christmas Island Detention Centre was the scene of rioting earlier this week after a refugee died escaping the centre. The main issues appear to be related to access to services, such as medication. It was finally brought under control after armed police were flown in from Australia, with five detainees injured and allegations that the police used tear gas and rubber bullets to subdue the riots. Peter Dutton has told the public that the riot was started by a group of hardened criminals – believed to be mostly New Zealanders awaiting deportation after spending more that twelve months in prison – seven of whom were brought to Perth following the riots. If that doesn’t already cause problems for the government, then the 110 countries, including Russia, Iran and North Korea, that registered concern about Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers at a UN Human Rights Council meeting probably did.

Malcolm Turnbull has gone on his first international trip as PM this week, starting with a casual trip to Indonesia to meet President Joko Widodo and repair the relationship marred by spying scandals, executions and, well, let’s be honest, Tony Abbott. Turnbull then headed to Germany to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and is due in Turkey for the G20 this week. While in Germany, the Paris Terror attacks occurred, and despite being on the other side of the world, Turnbull was ably to speak in a measured and reassuring fashion without one mention of “Team Australia” or “death cult”, which shows that in some ways, Turnbull as PM was always going to be the most sensible move our country ever made – even if it was only made by the party. It is believe that Turnbull will still attend the G20 – although it may become a G19, as French President François Hollande is expected to stay in France and help his nation heal.

Finally this week, the government is believed to be rethinking the lease of the Darwin Harbour to a Chinese company, the man alleged to have supplied the gun in the Parramatta shooting was arrested, one of Julie Bishop’s staffers is being scrutinised after it was revealed that he was at a plotter’s meeting with Turnbull, Wyatt Roy and other Liberal figures instrumental in the spill and the unemployment rate is down, which is good news for the Turnbull government.

Tweets of the Week

13 candidates will contest the North Sydney by-election on Saturday 5 December #auspol #NorthSydneyVotes pic.twitter.com/00veTnGrZs

— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) November 13, 2015

And this one from the Mayor of Paris – it reads “Thank you to Clover Moore [Sydney Lord Mayor] and the residents of Sydney for their brotherly support”

Merci à @CloverMoore et aux habitants de Sydney pour leur soutien fraternel. #Noussommesunis pic.twitter.com/Us2Dcdc4dW

— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) November 14, 2015

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Annabel Crabb on the concept of Kitchen Cabinet and why she wont stab ScoMo with a fork – SMH

Labor looking for TV personalities to run in a federal seat at the next election – The Age

Same-sex couples and legal rights are still an issue – SMH

The Week That Was – February 15 to February 21

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

CNN – you're doing it wrong! #TCMarcia http://t.co/MlGSJmxbR4—
Brendan Casey (@BrendoCasey) February 21, 2015

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 – November 16 to November 22

The G20 continued over Sunday with leaders having a “robust” discussions with Putin, who left the G20 a little early, he says to catch up on sleep, but others say he was feeling hardly done by. Obama kept talking about climate change while Abbott kept talking about coal. However, the G20 is mainly about the economy, so they’ve promised to work harder to fight corporate tax evasion as well as try to get 100 million women into the work force. It was 42ºC in Brisbane over the weekend, making it very hot for some of the northern hemispheric heads of state, who are heading into winter.

China’s President, Xi Jinping arrived in Canberra shortly after the G20, he made a speech to Federal Parliament and signed a Declaration of Intent regarding the finalised Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

In the FTA, tariffs on dairy, beef and wine will decrease or be removed, mining tariffs will be gone in a decade and Australian service companies, like hotels, will have it much easier in China. Xi also visited Tasmania, making him the first Chinese head of state to visit every Australian state and territory. He met some school children – presumably the ones who wrote him a letter in Chinese – saw Tasmanian devils and went to Tasmania’s government house. His wife, Peng Liyuan, also visited a girls school on Sydney’s upper north shore and met some of the students and watched a Chinese lesson.

Narendra Modi, the Indian PM, also came to Canberra, but visited Sydney first, where he made a community address at Sydney Olympic Park. There were thousands there including some from Melbourne who took an overnight train to Sydney, dubbed the “Modi Express”. Modi spoke in Federal Parliament, where he suggested that making the members both houses sit through three speeches by Heads of State over the course of five days was Tony Abbott’s way of “shirtfronting” them.

Angela Merkel, Matteo Renzi and François Hollande also stayed in Australia a little longer, although they didn’t go to speak at Parliament House. Merkel visited a technology park in Sydney, Renzi visited Kellyville, a suburb in Sydney’s northwest, where an Italian company is working on part of a transport build, and Hollande hung around Sydney with the Governor General.

The Jacqui Lambie Saga continued this week with her being removed from her role as the PUP’s Deputy Senate Leader, and suspended her from attending party room meetings. The PUP has also removed references to her from their site, and she has removed references to them off hers. Lambie, along with the Motoring Enthusiasts’ Ricky Muir, voted with Labor, the Greens and Nick Xenophon against government changes to FOFA legislation. Lambie is looking at her options, because while she has every right to leave the party, should she pass away or be forced to quit, the casual vacancy will be filled by a PUP member and not by an independent or a member of Lambie’s alternative party, should she create one. This does make Senate more difficult at the moment, as it forces the government to negotiate with more people.

Julie Bishop was in New York this week in the blistering cold to chair the last meetings of the UN Security Council that Australia has the Presidency. The UNSC took a veiled sweep at nations like Australia that are restricting or stopping visa applications from the Ebola hot zone. Bishop called Ebola more than just a “health emergency” and that more needed to be done to help. The opposition was not impressed, suggesting that Australia says one thing internationally and does another thing domestically.

The ABC will lose almost 5% of its budget over the next five years, which is about $300 million dollars. The Opposition is telling people that Abbott lied during his election campaign, which he did, and money will also be taken from SBS, which will be allowed to play more advertising during prime time to help make up for the loss. Malcolm Turnbull has said that people shouldn’t be blaming the government, but some seem to think the government will be blamed. The ABC has suggested that they may have to close down foreign bureaux, cancel some programs and close a production unit based in South Australia, the latter making Christopher Pyne start a petition to stop the ABC from shutting the unit down. This week also saw rallies across the country with people coming to support the ABC – many fearing they will lose news coverage and entertainment.

The Overcoming Disadvantage report was released this week, suggesting that things are slowly improving for Indigenous Australians. Mortality is down, life expectancy is up, albeit not by much, and high school completion is also on the rise. However, there is an increase in the number of indigenous people incarcerated, which is being blamed on poor policy decisions, and experts want more investment in mental health services for indigenous people. Indigenous people have said that they should be involved in the decision-making in order to help the community.

The Australian government is receiving criticism this week for deciding that they would not take anymore refugees that registered in Indonesia, in the belief that they will stop people smugglers from sending people to Indonesia in the first place. Indonesia has said that they were not consulted and that this puts all the burden on them to help refugees, which they cannot do. Furthermore, an asylum seeker boat showed up on the island of Yap in Micronesia with refugees who wanted to settle in Australia. Micronesia has never had to deal with this and are now trying to figure out what to do with the 30-odd refugees.

Finally this week, Baby Gammy will likely get Australian citizenship, Westpac is closing accounts of money transfer businesses, making things difficult for workers who send money back to Australia, the Dutch have begun to remove the wreckage from MH17 and Peter Greste could be pardoned if it is in Egypt’s national interest, although DFAT is unaware of anything going on.

Tweet of the Week

Budget problems solved! Ray Hadley found more than $4 billion in our budget I didn't know was there. pic.twitter.com/BzwSGHIsAQ

— Mark Scott (@mscott) November 20, 2014

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

According to Mark Latham, left-feminist women hate kids – Australian Financial Review

Meet Lammily, the normal body alternative to Barbie – The Guardian

FDA Changes regarding blood donations from men who have sex with men – TIME Online

It’s lose-lose for Malcolm Turnbull with ABC cuts – ABC The Drum

The Two Weeks that Were – October 27 to November 9

So, in the last two weeks things have been interesting. Senate ballot papers went missing and we were accused of spying on Indonesia.

Yes, you read correctly. The AEC lost about 1,300 senate ballot papers in WA. They still counted – the Greens and the Sports Party won – but everyone is pretty sure that there will be a High Court challenge from someone, even the AEC itself.

Tasmanian Palmer United Party Senator-Elect Jacqui Lambie wants the Green looked into. She says they are destroying Tasmania’s brand. Ms Lambie wants a Senate inquiry into the Greens.She also thinks that Queensland Premier Campbell Newman’s crackdown on bikies in the Sunshine State will mean that bikies will come south to Tasmania.

Continuing on, Australia has been accused of spying on Indonesia from the Embassy in Jakarta. I’m not sure if it’s true but the Indonesian Government is definitely not amused. Neither were the Germans when they found out that the US has been spying on Angela Merkel. It hasn’t done much good for the relationship between Australia and Indonesia.

Things got a little more strained when asylum seeker boat got into trouble. The boat was in international waters, but in Indonesia’s search and rescue zone. An Australian ship rescued the asylum seekers and then there were two days of discussions over who would take them, after which Australia backed down and took the asylum seekers to Christmas Island.

Quote of the Fortnight

“Now it’s tourists I want coming across that Bass Strait, not outlaw criminal motorcycle gangs.” – Palmer United Party Senator-Elect Jacqui Lambie on bikies coming to Tasmania thanks to Campbell Newman.

Tweet of the Fortnight

Scott Morrison and the Army guy were refusing to answer questions on the boat that we ended up taking:

I suspect Journo v Scott Morrison is going to be a meme soon. With medals for the most tenacious of the fourth estate….

— Latika M Bourke (@latikambourke) November 8, 2013

What I’ve Been Reading

An interesting article about who owns the lolly companies – from TIME Ideas

The Ten Times ABC News Breakfast got Weird – ABC Online