The Week that Was – March 23 to March 29

Where to start?

First to Operation Sovereign Borders. If you remember a while back there was this big thing over asylum seekers getting burned on engines, allegedly at the hands of Australian Navy members. Well some of the asylum seekers on that have spoken and told their stories. They say that they got upset when they realised what the Navy was doing (i.e. turning the boat around) and they decided to stand up for themselves. The navy crew pepper sprayed them while others tried to get into the engine room, and they say that they were punished by being pushed or forced to touch the hot engine so they got burnt. Other people on the boat are backing up the story while the government maintains that the claims are untrue and unsubstantiated.

Staying with Operation Sovereign Borders, the government says that there have been no asylum seeker boat arrivals in 100 days, those 100 days being from December until now. They say that compared with the same period under the Labor government (Dec 2012 – March 2013) there were 66 boat arrivals. That may be so, but, as a lot of people have been asking, at what cost – and that is a good question. Speaking of questions, Scott Morrison was asked if he would get a promotion from the Immigration portfolio given he has done his job so well…he never got to answer, because Tony Abbott made the fastest media save I’ve ever seen and stopped the line of questioning in its tracks. Labor wants Morrison to stay in the Immigration portfolio for the entire term of government.

Moving on now to possibly one of the most divisive policy plans the government has in its six or so months in office. They want to change Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Put simply they want to take the words “insult, offend and humiliate” out and replace it with “vilify”. It is so divisive that members of the Coalition government such as Ken Wyatt are saying they will cross the floor (vote to oppose) if the reform makes it to a vote. The Liberal Premier of NSW has taken a swipe at the Attorney-General George Brandis over the proposed changes. I’m not going to say much more, because I’ll get too annoyed and start yelling.

Speaking of yelling, Question Time got quite its fair share of yelling this week, particularly when the Opposition moved a motion of no confidence in the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bronwyn Bishop, who they believe has not been impartial and is favouring the government – and in the opinion of a few people I talked to about it, they agree. As of Thursday, when this motion occurred, the Speaker has made 99 expulsions of MPs – all from the Opposition.

This week also saw “Dames” and “Sirs” being returned to Australia’s Honours lists. The first two are Dame Quentin Bryce – the now former Governor General and Sir Peter Cosgrove, the new Governor General – he also has a “General” in there somewhere from his army days. The Opposition has been making fun of this addition, with Mark Dreyfus, the Shadow Attorney-General, asking if slavery was next. Dame Quentin Bryce has now left her position as Governor-General and Sir Peter Cosgrove has been sworn in. Cosgrove says he is agenda free, so lets hope he stays that way.

Also this week, Craig Thompson was sentenced to 12 months prison for his crimes, with 9 months suspended. He spent about an hour in jail before being released on bail after appealing his sentence. Medibank Private is most likely going to be sold off and you will be able to buy shares in the company when it does. Tony Abbott called the Egyptians and talked to them about Peter Greste, with Abbott saying he was only doing his job, and the Egyptians promising a free and fair trial – one hopes that more is done and Greste and his Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera colleagues are released. Oh, and before the university students come after me for not mentioning it – they protested this week over the government’s education cuts.

Tweets of The Week

People have been making fun of the Dames and Sirs thing – thanks in part to Peter FitzSimons encouraging people

Allowing the commoners to swim in my castle moat. Keeps the buggers clean. @Peter_Fitz #noblesseoblige pic.twitter.com/4LwOEcHile

— Juanita Phillips (@Juanita_Phillip) March 30, 2014

https://twitter.com/paintsreads/status/450032774921977856

Things I’ve Been Reading/Watching/Listening

Waleed Aly on the change to the Racial Discrimination Act – SMH

Change the computer font, save money on ink – CNN

The Racial Discrimination Act, 1975. – AustLII

 

The Week That Was – January 26 to February 1

So, this week began with controversy. The guy who runs one of Australia’s pro-monarchy groups thinks that a referendum on Indigenous recognition could lead to “violence in the streets” against those who do not support it. He’s been criticised for his comments because, really, I don’t think Australians would be that stupid as to get violent just because people don’t agree on a topic. If we were, there wouldn’t be many of us left, and no-one would want to be a politician.

The ABC and Fairfax revealed that there is corruption and criminality in the CFMEU (the construction union) and at some of Australia’s major building sites. Tony Abbott says he isn’t surprised, and says that if the Labor Party is serious about tackling corruption they will “stay out of the way”. Abbott used to be the minister that oversaw this kind of stuff, and there was a Royal Commission. He wants another now, but the unions don’t. They don’t see why the government can’t leave the investigating to the Australian Federal Police.

Tony Abbott had a go at the ABC too, not for the story they broke about the CFMEU and construction industry, though. You see, the Prime Minister seems to think that the ABC is “on everyone’s side but Australia’s”. Labor thinks that the government should leave the ABC alone. And in what seems like the worst timing possible, the next day Malcolm Turnbull announced an efficiency review into the ABC and SBS (which is partially taxpayer-funded). Turnbull appeared on the ABC and explained what the review was going to be about. You can see that here.

There has also been a bit of a change in the stories about how the asylum seekers got burnt. They’re still blaming the Australian Navy, but one now says that they were sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray and as he couldn’t see, he walked into the engine, burning his hands. Another says that asylum seekers were thrown onto the engine when they confronted the sailors. Meanwhile, Scott Morrison appeared in front of a Senate Committee, and answered some questions on Operation Sovereign Borders. He didn’t answer some of them because the people smugglers would have found out. But why any other nation would broadcast Australian Senate Committee sittings confounds me, given other nations don’t really seem to care about Australian politics, unless the leader changes,.

Also this week, Peter Cosgrove was named the next Governor-General of Australia. He still has to be approved by Parliament and the Queen, but most people seem pleased and Labor appears to like him.

Tweets of the Week

The ABC News and Current Affairs staff got a bit cheeky after the PM said they weren’t patriotic.

Tonight's edition of @abc730 will lead with @leighsales' performance of Advance Australia Fair, and a reading of the Lord's Prayer. #abc730

— ABC News Intern (@ABCnewsIntern) January 29, 2014

What I’ve been Reading/Watching/Listening

Opinion on the Coalition vs. ABC – Guardian Australia

Tracey Spicer at TEDxSouthBankWomen

Jonathan Holmes on Scott Morrison and the ABC – Sydney Morning Herald

Faux Pas of the Week

Julie Bishop is usually intelligent, but someone must not have checked that she knew what electorate she was in, because she kept calling Griffith (Kevin Rudd’s old seat, currently in a by-election campaign) “Griffin”. Oops. (it starts at about 0:35)