Tag Archives: TPP

The Week That Was – January 21 to January 27

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This week began with the announcement that the USA will be sending more troops to Australia’s north, as they now see the threat of Russia and China to be greater than the threat of terrorism. Australia, being the closest friend of the USA in the region, is going to help play host to an increased number of American soldiers. This also makes Australia feel safer too, as the US is helping us be protected too.

After the USA left the TPP, and then Canada made a no-show at a meeting a few months ago, the TPP – although I don’t think it is called that anymore – is back on, and Canada is still in. Australia now has some export deals with Canada, Mexico and Japan, and while Australia already imports a lot, it will be our exporters that will benefit most.

This week also saw Australia Day either celebrated or mourned, depending on who you are. While some had citizenship ceremonies and barbecues, the City of Yarra council in Melbourne decided instead to re-enact the Day of Mourning Protests from 80 years ago.

Australia Day also means both the Australian of the Year Awards, and Australia Day Honours. The 2018 Australian of the Year is Professor Michelle Simmons, Young Australian of the Year is Samantha Kerr, Senior Australian of the Year is Dr Graham Farquhar and Australian Local Hero is Eddie Woo. In this year’s Australia Day Honours, nearly a third of the recipients were women. 2018 has also seen a large number of female athletes and sports stars awarded with honours varying from Member of the Order of Australia through to Companion of the Order of Australia.

Finally this week, there will be an increase in funding for the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, mainly to combat water quality issues and the Crown of Thorns starfish, although environmental activists want more; and a woman was arrested for sending money to terrorist groups.

Tweet of the Week

Things I’ve been Looking at Online

Stan Grant on Australia Day – ABC Online

NZ’s Waitangi Day is way different to Australia Day – ABC Online

 

The Week That Was – January 22 to January 28

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The week began with further commemorations and vigils for the victims of the Bourke St Mall tragedy, after two more people died in hospital – including a three-month old baby, who had been in such bad shape that police decided to transport him to hospital themselves before ambulances arrived. Malcolm Turnbull came to lay flowers, and the Federal Government is believed to be matching the Victorian Government’s contribution to a support fund for victims.

This week saw the country celebrate Australia Day. While many celebrated, Indigenous Australians protested the celebration of what they see as an invasion. There are calls to change the date, and while some agree, Malcolm Turnbull believed that constitutional recognition and reconciliation are the priorities. This year’s Australian of the Year is Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim, who developed a treatment for paralysis from nasal stem cells. He proved the treatment to be safe, while doctors in Poland recently had success using the treatment on a paraplegic man, who is learning to walk again. Mackay-Sim called for priority funding for medical research.

Meanwhile, Australia Day Honours were given to Julia Gillard, who became a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC); Mick Fanning, who became and Officer of the Order of Australia (AO); and several Olympians and Paralympians received Order of Australia Medals (OAM), including Chloe Esposito.

Barnaby Joyce is being criticised for telling people trying to get into the housing market should buy a house in regional areas, and that houses are bound to be expensive if you want to live in Mosman or Point Piper. The comment is being perceived as one similar to Joe Hockey’s infamous ‘get a high paying job’ comment, and Labor has jumped on it. They’re accusing Joyce of being out of touch, with critics pointing out that most jobs are in the cities, rather than the country.

There are also calls to change negative gearing, with data showing that only 8% of house sales in 2016 were to first home buyers, and that there has been a 61% rise in the number of investment property purchases in the last three years. While many are calling for these changes, the Treasurer Scott Morisson saying that supply just needs to be increased.

Finally this week, federal parliamentarians congratulated Gladys Berejiklian, who is the first female Liberal State Premier; politicians are getting cyber safety lessons; and there are concerns over Trump’s actions and how they will affect Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, although the Trade Minister is suggesting there could be alternatives if the USA actually leaves the TPP.

Tweet of the Week

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Kristina Keneally on Gladys Berejiklian becoming Premier – The Guardian

Alana Schezter on the ‘glass cliff’ – ABC Online

The Week That Was – January 16 to January 21

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The week began with Bill Shorten returning from holidays with a more populist and protectionist focus for the year ahead. He spoke about Australian jobs and the likelihood of the USA not ratifying the TPP under Trump. Shorten believes that without the USA, the TPP will fail and therefore it is dead. Shorten has also made clear that Labor will not say ahead of time how they will vote on the TPP when it comes to parliament.

The ABC revealed this week that a Yahoo hack that took place three years ago resulted in several sales of private information to crime syndicates and foreign intelligence. These may have involved the private information and email accounts of several diplomats, government officials and Members of Parliament or the Senate – including Christian Porter, Chris Bowen and Victorian Premier Dan Andrews.

Meanwhile, the Department of Immigration has been criticised for the contracts made with companies when setting up detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island in 2012. According to the audit, they made vague contracts and staff approved the spending of millions of  dollars – some of whom were not authorised to do so. The department also did not keep their asset register up to date, meaning that several assets burned down in a riot were not covered by their insurance, costing the taxpayer.

Malcolm Turnbull has reshuffled his cabinet after the Sussan Ley drama, with Greg Hunt the new Minister for Health and Sport, Arthur Sinodinos is now Industry Minister, Ken Wyatt has now been promoted from an Assistant Minister to a fully fledged Minister – becoming Minister for Ageing and Indigenous Health, while rising young conservative Michael Sukkar has become Assistant Minister to the Treasurer. This is the fourth reshuffle in 16 months.

Malcolm Turnbull’s week has been a bit on the sombre side, with him in Sydney’s West to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Granville train accident, before heading to Melbourne to lay flowers in Bourke Street after the tragedy there. He’s also had to respond to the shock resignation of NSW Premier Mike Baird – who is ideologically similar – and prepare for his likely successor, Gladys Berejiklian.

Also this week, it has been announced that the three-year long search for the missing MH370 plane has been ended, having finished searching in the area in the Indian Ocean. It is still unclear how the plane went down, and it may remain a mystery for years to come – although the Australian, Chinese and Malaysian searchers hope that in the future more information will come to light and they will be able to search again.

Finally this week, the Centrelink debt collection saga continues; Australia Day plans are underway; Australian police commissioners will apologise to victims of child sexual abuse for not believing them when they reported it – although it will not take place until the Royal Commission report is released; Australia is behind the rest of the world in keeping university courses relevant to the modern labor market requirements; and protests took place in Australia and around the world after Trump’s inauguration to show solidarity with minorities in America who have uncertainty ahead for the next few years.

Tweet of the Week

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Stan Grant on taking until 2017 for an Indigenous minister to be appointed – ABC Online

 

The Week That Was – October 4 to October 10

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Investigations continued into the Parramatta police shooting this week, with police looking into people the 15-year-old shooter was involved with. A classmate of the shooter was arrested earlier in the week and raids in neighbouring suburbs later in the week lead to more arrests, although most have now been released with no charge. Meanwhile, NSW Police, the NSW Premier Mike Baird and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have been calling for calm, while the Muslim community continues to remind people that the bulk of their community are law-abiding, non-violent citizens. Turnbull has heralded a marked change in the government’s reaction to events, in that he does not use Abbott’s favourite word “death cult” nor does he engage in the kind of scaremongering that was a key part of Abbott’s national security spin.

The Nauruan government has announced that they will start processing remaining asylum claims with aims to finish within the week. It appears there may be a bit of a delay, as I don’t think they are done, but it’s a start. There is some suspicion that this move may have to do with a High Court case that started this week, but the government obviously isn’t saying anything. However, it is still at a cost to the Australian taxpayer and there are still allegations of untoward behaviour at centres.

The government has announced that they’re going to spend $1.3 billion on new armoured vehicles for the ADF. They’ve ordered 1100 vehicles, along with an unclear number of trailers. PM Turnbull and Defence Minister Marise Payne have said this is good for the country, if not for the fact that we need some newer better ones, but because they will be built in Australia, keeping at least 200 jobs. However, there has been some amusing side acts to this with both Kevin Andrews and Labor claiming they started the process for ordering the vehicles.

Peter Garrett is in a spot of bother this week after it was revealed that he had said that someone from Clubs NSW had given him a bag of cash at an event just after he was elected to parliament in 2004. He said he didn’t accept the cash. However, he has now backtracked on his allegations, saying now that it was an event before he was elected and the envelope contained a cheque (which is considered a legitimate donation as it can be traced). His excuse is that he had a brain fart and he has asked both his publisher (he’s writing a book) and the editors of a documentary on gambling to correct what he had said.

Also this week, Liberal Party Director Brian Loughnane has announced he will leave his role at the end of the year. Loughnane, is married to Abbott’s Chief of Staff, Peta Credlin. Loughnane is not seen as a victim of the spill, however he believes, much like Abbott, that Abbott could have won the Liberals the next election.

Finally this week, the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been agreed on and signed in Atlanta this week, with all nations involved relatively pleased with the result; Australia still has concerns about Russia’s involvement in Syria, the crazy people came out to protest outside Parramatta Mosque, as well as against a proposed mosque in Bendigo in Victoria; a Somali asylum seeker is trying to get to Australia for medical treatment after she was sexually assaulted, and NSW will be taking the bulk of the Syrian refugees Australia has agreed to take in.

Tweet of the Week

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Terry Barnes on how Turnbull needs to learn from the Credlin-Loughnane era – ABC The Drum

Criticisms of Channel 9’s attempt at a Q&A (“The Verdict”) – ABC The Drum

The ABC reflects on its coverage of the Turnbull spill – ABC Backstory