The Year That Was – 2018

Leadership Spills: 2

Back at the end of August there were two spills in the same week, with the right-wing of the Liberal Party attempting to roll Turnbull. They were, the second time around, successful-ish. You see, the party knew that had Peter Dutton won the leadership (which was what the right wanted), the party would have been doomed, so Scott Morrison was the safer, more reasonable option.

Cabinet Reshuffles: 1

Just after the spill in August, the new Prime Minister Scott Morrison had to reshuffle the Cabinet.

Women in Cabinet: 6 (assessed by whether or not the role is bolded in the PMO’s Ministry List here.)

Julie Bishop is no longer in the Ministry, leaving:

• Marise Payne – now Foreign Minister
• Kelly O’Dwyer – Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations and Minister for Women
• Melissa Price – Environment Minister
• Bridget McKenzie – Minister for Regional Services, Sport, Local Government and Decentralisation
• Michaelia Cash – Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education
• Karen Andrews – Minister for Industry, Science and Technology

State and Federal Elections: 9 (by-elections included)

• South Australia – where after 16 years, the Labor party lost to the Liberals.
• Tasmania – where the incumbent Liberal Premier Will Hodgman maintained a majority. It’s also the first state election where more female than male members were elected – 13 women and 12 men.
• Victoria – where the incumbent Labor party earned another term with a massive majority.
• Wentworth – after Malcolm Turnbull was rolled from the Prime Ministership, he left Parliament. The by-election saw independent Kerryn Phelps win the election, with a swing of 19% and leaving the Liberals in minority government.
• Super Saturday – the five, yes five, by-elections held on one day in July, in order to solve four section 44 issues and replace one Perth MP retiring from politics.

Politician’s Kids getting involved in public debate: 1

Alex Turnbull, Malcolm Turnbull’s son – who lives and works in Singapore – got involved in the Wentworth by-election, telling people not to vote Liberal.

Scandals: 3

• We learned the reason why Barnaby Joyce’s marriage ended back in 2017…he’d taken up with a staffer of his, and she was expecting a baby.
• Barnaby Joyce was also accused of inappropriately touching a Nationals member at an event (which would not have been made public if someone wasn’t trying to smear the victim)
• Andrew Broad, just before Christmas, was discovered to have engaged the services of a “sugar baby” while in Hong Kong on a trip. He will no longer be a Minister and will no longer contest the next election.

The ABC’s Year in Review

 

The Week That Was – February 19 to February 25

The week began with reflection as Malcolm Turnbull returned from New Zealand and travelled to Darwin to commemorate 75 years since the bombing of the city in World War II. There was a reenactment, as well as speeches – and it appears that Japan is, year by year, becoming more involved in the commemorations. There was also a service for American soldiers based in Darwin who were killed during the bombing.

While not a sitting week, there was some controversy as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coming to Australia, where he was met by the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier, amongst other government ministers. The whole Israel-Palestine conference is complicated and controversial. The Liberal government supports the two-state solution, but also sucks up to the Israelis a bit too – criticising the UN for a resolution that criticised Israel for building settlements. However, Labor is a divided house on this issue – many members believe Israel is in the wrong, mainly in their branches and grassroots groups. On the other hand, there are Jewish and Israel-sympathetic members of the party who disagree, but are increasingly shouted down within the party.

The end of the week saw Indonesian President Joko Widodo finally pay a visit to Australia, where he met with the PM, the NSW Premier and Australian business groups, as rumours of a Free Trade Agreement swirl.

Meanwhile, Tony Abbott reared his head and decided to cause some trouble, accusing the party of not being far enough to the right and saying they’ll be defeated at the next election. He was then criticised by Matthias Cormann and other members of the Liberal Party for being unhelpful and destructive. While Abbott doesn’t have the numbers to challenge, the concern is he may be setting the foundations for unrest within the party which could lead to a challenge from someone else.

It appears that the Medicare rebate freeze might be loosened at the next budget as long as the money is available to do so, while Labor continues to go on about Medicare privatisation.

The week’s biggest news was the Fair Work Commission decision on retail (including pharmacy), fast food and hospitality employee penalty rates. Rates will now be decreased on Sundays and public holidays. While the government is supportive of the Commission’s ruling, Labor is critical of the ruling and are suggesting that the Liberal party are behind the change, not the Commission. They also believe that this will allow other industries to challenge current penalty rates.

Finally this week, the RBA chief has said abolishing or reforming negative gearing will help with housing affordability; the government has announced that medical marijuana will be imported to give patients better access until local stocks grow; Julie Bishop travelled to the USA to visit Vice President Mike Pence; the Australia Post boss has quit shortly after his pay packet was revealed to be around $5.6 million – although it is unclear if this is what caused it; and there are calls for George Brandis to quit after Labor accused him of lying to Parliament.

Tweet of the Week

https://twitter.com/newley/status/834615245717008389

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Mem Fox (author of Possum Magic) was detained at LAX – ABC Online

The Week That Was – February 22 to February 28

It’s been less than a month since the failed spill motion in the Liberal Party room, and already there have been some leaks from within the party. A message written by the outgoing Honourary Treasurer of the Liberal Party (a senior Liberal Party executive) has leaked in which he criticises the fact that Peta Credlin, Abbott’s Chief of Staff, is in a senior job within the party that her husband Brian Loughnane is in charge of, suggesting it is a conflict of interest. Also this week saw more leadership rumblings, with reports that backbenchers approached Malcolm Turnbull about challenging Abbott, telling him he would have the numbers to do so. Even more worrying is that many backbenchers are avoiding saying that Abbott will last to the next election.

Tony Abbott made a National Security Statement, in which most people in my house rolled their eyes, as Tony Abbott told us:

When it comes to someone like the Martin Place murderer, people feel like we have been taken for mugs.

He also said this:

I’ve often heard Western leaders describe Islam as a ‘religion of peace’. I wish more Muslim leaders would say that more often, and mean it.

Yes, he actually said that. Here is a transcript of the speech, complete with death cults.

And you can also watch it below (It’s 20 mins long)

Part of the National Security speech had to do with Man Haron Monis and the Sydney Siege, in which it was revealed that despite calls to the National Security Hotline and the fact that Monis was on the authorities’ radars, he was not seen as much of a threat in the lead up to the Sydney Siege.

Gillian Triggs has shocked many by telling a Senate Estimates Committee that the Attorney-General asked her to resign from the role as President of the Human Rights Commission and in return she would be given a senior legal job in the government. The Attorney-General believes that the Australian Human Rights Commission is biased against the government, and Abbott has said that the government has lost confidence in Professor Triggs. Triggs has said that she will not go, and several opposition members have asked the Australian Federal Police to look into the offer given to Gillian Triggs to see if the Attorney-General acted corruptly.

This week has seen two reports about private organisations that have been rorting the federal government systems that they are beneficiary to. The first, a jobs company that is meant to help get people jobs, and is taxpayer-funded, has been claiming money on people who have since found a job and no longer require the serviced of the company, it has shown that the system is open to rorts, and it has also become apparent that some people within the company knew about the activity. The other issue has been a Sydney-based private vocational college that has been claiming government subsidies through FEE-HELP students, by claiming students have completed courses that they have not, with one claim that an office assistant who was helping a student with literacy issues withdraw (for which the college had no form) was told to tear up the withdrawal letter and put it in the bin once the student was gone, under the impression they had withdrawn.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has agreed to facilitate the move of asylum seekers from Nauru to Cambodia, with Australia covering the cost. The IOM has guaranteed education, job and family re-unification rights for the refugees. However, few, if any, of the refugees in detention on Nauru want to be moved to Cambodia, and the Cambodian locals are not happy with the prospect of refugees being sent there.

Finally this week, New Zealand unintentionally threw Australia for a loop after including Australia in an announcement about sending more Australian and New Zealander troops to Iraq to help train troops there; the Bali Nine ringleaders have had their appeal rejected; Knox Grammar School has been investigated by the Child Abuse Royal Commission; there is a proposal for foreign buyers to pay a $5,000 fee when buying a house under $1 million and $10,000 when they buy a house for $1 million and then for every $1 million thereafter; and the Medicare co-payment may be dumped.

Tweet of the Week

Matthew Mitcham has been touring his Cabaret Show Twists and Turns around the country.

Setting up for our big opening night at @SeymourSydney tonight!! HOW EXCITEMENT!!! 😁 pic.twitter.com/RKRpIOQHI3

— Matthew Mitcham (@matthew_mitcham) February 26, 2015

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

That dress that sent social media crazy, explained – ABC Online

Julie Bishop’s Emoji Interview – Buzzfeed

If Dying Phones Were People