Two Weeks (and a bit) That Were – March 24 to April 10

The Liberal Party ended up winning the NSW election – just. They’re going to have a margin of two seats. Michael Daley, the Labor leader said he would stay on as leader, but within days he was announcing a leadership ballot for after the federal election (so as not to distract from Federal Labor, who are looking really good in the lead up to the federal election), and then announced that he wouldn’t contest the ballot. This makes Daley the shortest serving Labor Opposition Leader in nearly 100 years in NSW.

One Nation is also in hot water after an undercover investigation by Qatari news network Al Jazeera English (AJE) revealed that One Nation had approached the National Rifle Association to see if they could provide financial and strategic support. The AJE journalist Rodger Muller spent almost three years pretending to be a pro-gun activist and befriended Pauline Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby (currently banned from Parliament House after having a punch-up with Brian Burston) and One Nation’s Queensland Leader Steve Dickson. They travelled to the USA where they met with the NRA and other pro-gun groups, explaining that donating millions to the party would help One Nation gain 8-20 seats in parliament and would allow them to negotiate what they wanted from the government of the day.

The NRA donations never came to fruition, as foreign donations to political parties are now banned. Regardless, Hanson, Ashby and Dickson are very upset that they were duped and caught out and have accused Al Jazeera being an agent of Qatari interference in Australian politics. They’re also a tad annoyed at the ABC, who broadcast the Al Jazeera investigation on Australian TV. It should be noted that the ABC had no involvement in the program – they just bought the rights to broadcast it in Australia.

Meanwhile, Labor has begun to furnish its war chest in preparation for the election. They’re reiterating their promise to change the rules around negative gearing, announcing that any investment property bought after January 1, 2020 would not be eligible for negative gearing. They’ve also announced they will legislate a minimum wage, but haven’t said what that will be – and small business are concerned as to whether they’ll be able to afford a legislated minimum wage.

The government is being asked to prove that the NDIS has been underfunded, after announcements from some NDIS providers that they were going to increase their fees. They’re increasing their fees in part because they’re only being paid to see their clients but not to fill in all the paperwork that comes with it. There has also been concerning revelations about abuse in the disability sector – with a Royal Commission announced to look into the abuse in the sector. However, Greens Senator Jordan Steele-John, who uses a wheelchair, has concerns that two of the commissioners have worked in the sector and have a conflict of interest. He’s also helped reveal that in NSW and South Australia alone there have been almost 1,500 reports of abuse to the NDIS watchdog, 62 of which have been sexual abuse claims.

There are also calls to for the government to help the children of now-deceased ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf, who are stuck in a camp in Syria after fleeing the now defunct caliphate. While the eldest daughter is now an adult, she and her four siblings (although two have died in Syria) were all underage when their parents took them to Syria with them when they went to fight for ISIS around five years ago. Their grandmother, Karen Nettleton, wants the government to provide the children (and the eldest daughter’s toddlers) safe passage to Australia. However the government hasn’t said much about it because they don’t want to be seen to be supporting terrorists but they also don’t want to be seen to be mean because they won’t help a couple of children.

We also had the Budget, where Josh Frydenberg announced that Australia is “back in black”, which isn’t exactly right. For the financial year 2018-19, there is a deficit of $5.2 billion and the surplus for 2019-20 of $4.1 billion is prospective, and based not on particular savings within the budget but the government’s savings account and the Future Fund, which is supposed to help pay public service pensions.

Meanwhile the Opposition’s Budget in Reply, announcing that their budget would invest in health and education, as well as $2 billion to reduce, if not eradicate the out-of-pocket costs of the tests, consultations and treatments for cancer. They’ve also announced that they will provide incentives for companies to make more electric vehicles by 2030, so that half of cars on sale by then are electric – which led the government to blatantly lie to the public, saying Bill Shorten was going to take their utes away.

So began what I call the Budget Grand Tour, where the government and the opposition travel around the country, selling their budget, or their alternative budget.

Except given the election could be called at any minute, it’s also like a pre-election campaign…..

Tweets of the Fortnight

I was locked in a room for six hours with every political journalist in the country. This is my story. #Budget2019 pic.twitter.com/8vmUY78KWK

— Mark Humphries (@markhumphries) April 3, 2019

Outside the launch of @NStottDespoja ‘s book “On Violence”, @TurnbullMalcolm has just declared that the claim that electric vehicles lack grunt “could only be made by someone who’s never driven one”.

— Annabel Crabb (@annabelcrabb) April 9, 2019

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Annabel Crabb on the Budget – ABC Online

First Dog on the Moon on the Budget “Lock-Up” – The Guardian

 

The Week That Was – November 18 to November 24

The week began with the last days of APEC for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, where he announced several plans for involvement in the Pacific, mostly with the aim of countering Chinese influence. In particular, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA are working together to invest money into Papua New Guinea’s electricity grid so that more people in PNG have reliable electricity. But while Morrison had a relatively good showing at APEC, all was not smooth sailing, with Chinese officials marching into the PNG Foreign Minister’s office to demand changes to the wording of the joint communiqué, and wouldn’t leave until security was called. The USA and China appeared to have had a lot of disagreements at this APEC, and while some officials did try to find compromise, it was unsuccessful. For the first time in a long time, APEC did not finish with the release of any joint communiqué

The Banking Royal Commission is heading into its final days, with Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and ASIC on the stand. ASIC has promised to punish and prosecute banks more, while Westpac has admitted that they don’t really know how many people were charged fees for no service, as there are insufficient records. Their explanation is that some very rich people are happy to pay for the relationship, where it’s at their discretion. On the other had, the Commonwealth Bank’s CEO Matt Comyn was attempting to make it seem that he was trying to fix things when he was in charge of the retail bank, and that the former CEO Ian Narev was trying to stop him from doing good things, which he then stopped doing to wait to see what the Royal Commission recommended.

The CommBank’s board chairperson Catherine Livingstone got into a spot of bother at one point, suggesting that she had brought up a concern at a board meeting, but there was no record of it in the board minutes. So, either Livingstone was trying to make herself look good, or she did genuinely bring up the issue, but the bank’s board broke the law by not keeping accurate minutes of the meeting.

Scott Morrison, in the wake of both the Bourke Street attack and some anti-terrorism raids this week, has announced a plan to strip the Australian citizenship from convicted terrorists if they have citizenship of another country, or if they have some sort of entitlement to it. Other than the logical question of whether a country is going to give citizenship to a convicted terrorist, no matter how entitled they are to it, there are also concerns about the legality of the policy should it actually come into law. As it could render people stateless, it may also lead to detaining those who lose their Australian citizenship in detention centres because they’ll become “illegal aliens” all of sudden.

Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton also want legislation to force technology companies hand over information on users during police investigations, as it will make it easier for the cops to find evidence when carrying out surveillance on terror suspects, but one you have the power you could theoretically use the powers for anything, so again, there are concerns about civil liberties. Labor isn’t saying much on Morrison and Dutton’s policy plans, other than their insistence that while security is important, the legislation must also be correct.

Labor has also been working on announcing their climate policy this week, which is essentially using Turnbull’s National Energy Guarantee (NEG), which got him rolled in August, but with added subsidies for implementing renewables such as solar panels and wall batteries. They will also give the Clean Energy Finance Corporation more investments and push for a 45% reduction in emissions, based on 2005 levels. The Liberals, it seems are against the policy, despite the fact it was originally their idea, mostly because it’s Labor that is now announcing it. From the perspective of the intelligent life forms in my house, Labor is somewhat pushing this as a wedge issue, because the Liberals are then damned if they reject the policy and are damned if they support the policy.

Also this week, Victoria had a State election. It was originally thought that it could be quite a tight race, given the incumbent Labor government could have gone into minority government if they lost two seats, but as of Sunday lunch it’s looking as if it could be the biggest win for Victorian Labor in a very long time, with seats that haven’t been in Labor hands for decades falling to them with massive swings.

Finally this week, Jim Molan has pulled out of a Q&A appearance on the ABC this coming Monday, saying he cannot bring himself to defend his party after being placed in an unwinnable spot on the Liberal-National Senate ticket for NSW. Molan joined the senate in February this year, taking up the seat left vacant by National Senator Fiona Nash who got caught by section 44, and has ended up as one of the unlucky ones. He ended up drawing the short straw for the senators who got the three-year terms after the double dissolution election in 2016. He’s been placed in an unwinnable place on the Senate ticket, which has left him feeling a bit ripped off – which is understandable.

Tweet of the Week

Malcolm, Lucy and Alex Turnbull are all among the first 100 followers of a new Instagram page campaigning to vote Tony Abbott out. pic.twitter.com/zLriY0WgQv

— Denham Sadler (@denhamsadler) November 20, 2018

The Week That Was – June 10 to June 16

So, we’ve avoided nuclear war for now, with Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un meeting in Singapore this week. Other than North Korea agreeing to denuclearisation (which they have promised before, only to renege), Trump keeps talking about not taking part in war games with South Korea, something the USA has done almost every year since the 1970s. People are now trying to figure out if this talk of not taking part in war games was agreed upon between the two leaders (plausible given the wording Trump used) or if it’s one of Trump’s ideas that just popped into his head.

Meanwhile, back in Australia, there are multiple investigations into the conduct of the Australian Special Forces (SAS). Now, bear with me, because it does get a little complex. After a small initial investigation by sociologist Dr Samantha Crompvoets suggested that a wider investigation was needed, the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) Justice Paul Brereton began an inquiry in 2016. It has recently been leaked to the media that there is now another inquiry, independent of the IGADF, by former ASIO chief David Irvine.

It appears that some of the breaches being investigated include the civilian deaths in an Afghan town during a mission; and the use of a Nazi swastika, among others. Given the secrecy of the SAS, while we didn’t know a lot about the investigation, those who are part of the investigation know who has been talking and the ADF is now investigating a threatening letter sent to a witness.

The Nationals have announced new medical student places in regional areas in order to boost the number of doctors in regional Australia. While good on paper, both medical students and the Australian Medical Association are concerned. Medical students are concerned that while they can get their basic training in the regional areas, their specialties training will not be able to take place in those areas, meaning they will have to leave to the big cities to specialise, especially for oncology, cardiology and orthopaedics. The AMA’s concern is in a similar vein, suggesting that this solution is too simplistic.

Australia has successfully combated some Chinese soft power in the Pacific, by convincing the Solomon Islands to buy an Australian made internet cable from the Islands to Australia, rather than a Chinese made one by Huawei. This is the third time that Huawei has been thwarted in their attempts to get into the Australian grid, suggesting that the Australian government feels that Huawei is a state actor for China – which is potentially true, because it is not a “state-owned enterprise” it does receive favourable treatment from the Chinese government.

Meanwhile, Brian Burston has finally quit One Nation after his stoush with Pauline Hanson over corporate tax cuts. He will now be an independent in the Senate, leaving Hanson with just one other One Nation Senator.

This week also saw the Liberal Party’s annual council (from what I can gather, it’s their national conference). Where the two big items were the rank and file voting to privatise the ABC and move the Australian Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem (like Trump did with the US Embassy). While those in parliament are suggesting that neither of these are government plans, it does beg the question of what else they talked about. Some in my house wonder what other things were agreed on, given the ABC and Embassy issues were the biggest news makers from the conference.

The federal government is making further progress in implementing over 100 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse. They’ve convinced Western Australia to sign onto the redress scheme; announced a national apology to victims, which is slated for October 22; and are implementing a National Office of Child Safety. Meanwhile, New South Wales is in the process of removing the legal loophole known as the ‘Ellis Defence’, which stopped people from suing the Catholic Church, because their assets are in a trust and the trust isn’t responsible for the actions of those in the organisation.

In South Australia, legislation has been announced that will force priests to break the seal of the confessional if the person doing the confession admits to child abuse – essentially making the priest taking the confession a person under mandatory reporting laws required to report to authorities.

Finally this week, former Greens Senator Larissa Waters, who was caught up in the section 44 saga, will return to the Senate, replacing Andrew Bartlett who is going to focus on his candidacy on the lower house seat of Brisbane; Indigenous Australians commemorated the 180th anniversary of the Myall Creek massacre, remembering those murdered by stockmen; and the Australian Museum in Sydney will be one of 10 venues to host a set of rare Egyptian artefacts, with the exhibition visiting in 2021.

Tweet of the Week

https://twitter.com/leighsales/status/1006132097558253568

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Julie Bishop’s ‘truth bombs’ – ABC Online

Trump might be wrong about Kim, like Chamberlain was about Hitler – ABC Online

The Week That Was – March 25 to March 31

The NSW and Federal Governments are gearing themselves up for elections next year – NSW is going to the polls in March(ish) 2019, and the country will vote in mid-2019, which seems like a really long time to hear people talk about what they’ll do when they’re elected next year, but to be fair, we’ll probably only hear little tidbits for the next few months, so I think we can all cope for a while.

The government is trying to convince the Senate cross bench to help pass their company tax cut – but it’s leading to some concern that the Liberals are willing to do anything for this tax cut policy to pass the Senate. Derryn Hinch is still on the fence, and there are rumours that the Liberals told new South Australian Senator Tim Storer (he’s replacing Nick Xenophon) to ‘name his price’.

Australia has kicked out two people from the Russian Embassy, alleging they’re undeclared intelligence officers. This is mostly in response to the poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal in the UK, as over 20 other countries including the UK and the USA have booted diplomatic staff as well. Russia, of course, responded with the booting of two Australian diplomats – it’s essentially a typical diplomatic tit-for-tat.

Finally this week, Parliament will have a review into franchising; Tasmanians are freaking out over the fact that their government wants to relax gun laws, which could be in breach of the National Firearms Agreement; the Labor party has tweaked their franking credits refund policy thing, exempting most pensions; and early childhood workers went on strike to protest their very low pay – which they want the government to help pay so parents don’t have to.

I hope you have a good Easter long weekend.

Tweet of the Week

https://twitter.com/workmanalice/status/979213430505664512

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

The ABC sussed out the April Fools headlines – ABC Online

Michael Jensen on the musical The Book of Mormon – ABC Online

16 Things That Happened in the Last Three Weeks – February 4 to February 24

 

The weeks that I work on a Sunday really throw a spanner in the works of this blog writing thing. But here is what happened while I was busy working too much…

1. Barnaby Joyce is expecting a baby with a former staffer. Yes, this requires its own post, or most of this post would be about Barnaby and some of you may not want that. Point is, Barnaby Joyce ended up having to quit so now the National Party need a new leader.
2. Parliament went back and there are still questions over section 44 with two Labor MPs and a Liberal MP being suspected of being dual citizens. Meanwhile the Batman by-election campaign continues.
3. South Australia and Tasmania are holding their elections in March, with SA Labor attempting a fifth term in government while fighting off the Liberals and Nick Xenophon’s SA-BEST; and Tasmanian Liberals are trying to keep their power after one term, although the Labor party is definitely a threat.
4. South Australia’s Premier Jay Wetherill likes Elon Musk (of Tesla), with Tesla now helping South Australia to set up solar panels and Tesla battery storage at residences across the state.
5. The government is trying to sell middle class and business tax breaks, while people debate whether ‘trickle down economics’ actually works. Some suggest that for it to work, government needs to specify that savings from the tax breaks should be used towards wage rises (i.e. specify that the trickle effect has to happen)
6. The Close the Gap Report and National Sorry Day came around, with results in the report that suggest that is not enough funding going to programs.
7. There will be a National Apology for the victims of sexual abuse by the end of the year.
8. Jacqui Lambie has booted the Davenport Mayor Steve Martin from the JLN after he was found to be eligible to sit in Senate while still being a local government representative and didn’t create a casual vacancy for Lambie to fill.
9. HIV prevention drug PrEP has been PBS approved, making it cheaper and more accessible.
10. Kevin Rudd has evaluated Australia’s foreign policy, suggesting that the government’s strategy regarding China is “all over the place” and Turnbull is sending mixed signals to China
11. The Banking Royal Commission has begun and the Big Four Banks are in trouble because they didn’t hand in their documentation by the due date, and the Commissioner is not impressed. Despite the banks apparently having a lot of say in how the commission runs, it seems that Commissioner Hayne is taking his job seriously.
12. Malcolm Turnbull introduced new rules saying Ministers should not have sex with their staff – which is being referred to as the “Bonk Ban”.
13. Mattias Cormann became Acting PM while Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull were away on diplomatic trips (because Joyce was also on leave – see point 1)
14. There is more funding confusion between the NDIS and the states, with some parents who have kids with high-care needs have been considering putting their children into state care so they get the help they need as their subsidies dry up.
15. Tony Abbott announced that he thought Australia’s permanent migration numbers should be reduced, which the Liberal Party has rebuked, by saying most of the immigration we have right now is temporary – i.e. Students and short-term skilled workers.
16. Malcolm Turnbull went to the USA to meet Trump and other key government officials on a short trip. He also took NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on the trip, along with several business CEOs.

 

Tweets’n’Articles

Government ministers get help on the sex ban from a noted sex ed expert. pic.twitter.com/3HtBePV7v1

— Mark Humphries (@markhumphries) February 19, 2018

The young people taking on the NRA after the school shooting in Florida – A Plus

 

The Week That Was – January 21 to January 27

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

Remember this? Definitely the most controversial moment of the 1997 Hottest 100. pic.twitter.com/ObbjJONfbs

— Double J (@DoubleJRadio) January 24, 2018

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 – October 1 to October 7

This week saw state and territory leaders have a COAG meeting in which it was readily agreed to implement some form of facial recognition program in time for the Commonwealth Games next year. It’s unclear how it works, because Malcolm Turnbull and Annastacia Palaszczuk say one thing, and Justice Minister Michael Keenan says another. Either way, they’re going to use people’s drivers licence pictures for the program. They also said the system wouldn’t be as cool as the ones you see on crime shows, which is a bit disappointing if you ask me.

The COAG meeting also resulted in a commitment from state and territory leaders to make uniform legislation to allow them to hold terror suspects for 14 days without charge. However, concerns have sprung up that this might involve holding kids as young as 10 (the age of criminal responsibility in Australia) for that period. Domestic air passengers will also have to show a form of ID, which you would have thought Australia would have been doing for years already.

We’re at the halfway point of the same-sex marriage postal survey and we’ve sort of stopped hearing about the yes and no campaigns every single night on the news. I do know that there was a rally in Sydney this weekend, and I did get a robo-survey call which didn’t get very far because the first question asked if I had already voted – which my household has – and then it hung up on me. The major concern is that the no campaign may win due to grassroots level campaigning with ethnic and religious groups working within their communities. Why aren’t they hanging out with the big public no campaigners? Well, as the muslim cleric interviewed in the ABC news story pointed out – those people also tend to be a bit Islamophobic too.

The car industry in Australia is essentially no more, with the Toyota factories in Victoria closing on Tuesday. The main concern has been that the workforce, which is primarily older men, will not be able to retrain or get another job ever, which will only be alleviated if the federal and the Victorian state government work together to invest – and only the Victorians have been serious about it from what I’ve seen and heard since Toyota announced they were leaving three years ago.

This week also saw some refugees from Manus Island head to the United States to start their new lives. The ABC interviewed two of them, and it appears for the moment they’re pretty happy, although they’re only going to get help from a US charity for a little while, so they will soon need to get a job an fend for themselves.

Also this week, Nick Xenophon shocked many when he announced he was goung to leave federal parliament to start a new group in South Australia called SA Best and run for the South Australian Lower House next year. This is all depending on how the whole section 44 thing goes for Xenophon though. For those of you trying to place the guy – he’s the one that does stunts and makes terrible puns about the issues he draws attention to. He’s actually a really smart politician, and pretty good at negotiating for what he wants. His SA Best group has hand a setback though, with a candidate being caught on social media groping two wax statues (think Madame Tussauds) of Australian celebrities, and also making tasteless jokes about Rihanna’s domestic violence issues with rapper Chris Brown, by pretending to punch Rihanna’s wax statue.

Finally this week, there were protests against the proposed Adani coal mine; Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has praised President Trump for getting China to reconsider imposing stricter sanctions on North Korea; there are calls to have a wool processing industry after an incident where bags of merino wool were switched with less expensive wool and people were ripped off; and Australia is taking a fresher look at gun control laws (that may have become more lax) after the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Tweet of the Week

Actor Josh Thomas posted his survey this week

https://twitter.com/JoshThomas87/status/915839756302348288

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Eddie Aryes on how teaching in Kabul changed his life – ABC Online

Australian universities, self censorship and China – ABC Online

The Week That Was – June 25 to July 1

Unless you were living under a rock, or really couldn’t care less about politics to even pay attention, then you are probably aware of the pretty terrible week the Liberal Party has had. In the first week of the winter break for parliamentarians, Malcolm Turnbull travelled the country talking up some policies that are being funded by this year’s budget. But instead of being asked questions about policies and the budget, he was questioned over the unity of his party.

It started with a recording being leaked to the Daily Telegraph, in which Minister of Defence Industry Christopher Pyne bragging to some more moderate Liberal party members – while drinking at a nightclub at the Star Casino – that he had a lot of power and that they would eventually get same-sex marriage through the parliament. He also claimed that he had always voted for Malcolm Turnbull in any spill or ballot Turnbull had run in. Turnbull was left to calm his more conservative party members, promising they would still go through with a plebiscite, while Bill Shorten reminded the public Turnbull wants same-sex marriage and urged him to just get on with it. Pyne later apologised to marginal seat MPs, apologising for causing trouble.

Meanwhile, Tony Abbott seems to be going back on his promise not to snipe and cause trouble. This week he spoke at two events where he spoke of his plans for the country and for policies, to “make Australia work again”. At the first event, Abbott was suggesting slowing migration, a freeze on renewables, a state-run coal plant and reform of the senate to allow joint sittings without a double dissolution. In the second appearance, he talked about Australia considering nuclear submarines instead of the usual diesel ones Australia currently has, despite the fact Australia doesn’t have the infrastructure it needs for that to possible. It appears Abbott is trying to fashion himself as a thought leader, and Turnbull has been speaking about how most Australians don’t want to be dealing with politics and personalities and just want the government to do its job.

Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon has been stood down by her federal parliamentary colleagues, pending negotiations with the NSW branch of the Greens. She was accused of working to undermine the Greens’ almost-deal with the coalition on Gonski. It’s understood that she was working with the education union while Richard Di Natale and Sarah Hanson-Young were attempting to make a deal on Gonski. Rhiannon thinks that her party acted unfairly and she is asking for a review.

Despite its epic fail back in August last year, the Census appears to have been completed by most of the country with results suggesting the country is more ethnically diverse and less religious than it was 25 years ago during the 1991 Census. The results show that most people live in the capital cities with either a mortgage or rent to pay, many immigrants come from India and China, and more same-sex couples are declaring their partnerships.

This week also saw an international cyber attack that hit the Australian branches of Cadbury and courier company TNT. It was also announced this week that as of July 1, Australia will have its own cyber warfare unit, 11 years after the Americans created one. The unit will start with 100 members and by 2027 there will likely be 900 members of the unit.

Finally this week, Cardinal George Pell, the former Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, has been charged with historical sexual abuse by the Victorian police; Defence is making a push to wipe out domestic violence; and Australia and the USA are completing their biennial war games operation “Talisman Sabre”.

Tweets of the Week

Trickle down economics – expectations vs reality:

I drew this little comic in case any of you end up needing to explain trickle-down economics to friends or family, please enjoy: pic.twitter.com/0hz0rQ6KrZ

— jordan 🇵🇸 (@Jordan_Mallory) June 30, 2017

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

First Dog on the Moon on the Census results – The Guardian

 

The Two Weeks That Were – April 2 to April 15

Hopefully now that uni and work have petered out a bit, I should get back to my regular posting schedule… Hope you are all having a lovely Easter Weekend.

The past fortnight began, with flood and cyclone damage being cleaned up across the bulk of the north-east coast. The NSW town of Lismore, and Queensland town of Rockhampton as well as the Whitsunday Islands were the three areas with the bulk of the damage. Researchers have also been able to survey the Great Barrier Reef – and it has had a tough run, with some major damage and stress bleaching.

Interest rates may go up in the next few months, due to the high rate of investment buying and interest-only loans. However the RBA is anxious about raising these rates because it will cause stress on the mortgages of low-income households, as well as lead to defaults on mortgages in some cases, as many households do not appear to have enough of a buffer if the earners were to lose their jobs.

The other issue is that somehow, an internal Liberal Party debate on whether to allow people to dip into their super to buy a house has been played out in the public, making the party look a bit uncoordinated. The suggestion has been panned by many people, including the people in my household, because it is a stupid idea. The only place that does allow superannuation to be used to buy a home is Singapore – but Singapore’s super contribution level is 33%.

Pauline Hanson had a tough time with an ABC Four Corners exposé on the One Nation Party. There have been accusations of mind-control and manipulation. One former member has claimed the party is run like a dictatorship, and the journalist behind the stories was asked multiple times by James Ashby (remember him?) to leave one of Pauline Hanson’s press conferences.

A documentary has been made about life on Manus Island, which shows the centre as quaint and quiet, but also reveals the uncertainty of the detainees. Filmed on a phone, the clips had to be sent bit by bit to the co-director in the Netherlands, the Manus-based co-director wanted a record of what happens on Manus before the centre closes in October. Manus was also rocked by a shooting incident this week, in which Papua New Guinean military staff attempted to break in to the centre armed with guns.

There are concerns that staff working on the NDIS are not familiar enough with some of the disabilities they are meant to be catering plans to. Several plans are missing or omitting vital equipment needed by recipients, and many consults are being done over the phone, leading to suggestions that maybe staff need more training or to meet with recipients face-to-face.

Finally this fortnight, Malcolm Turnbull went to India for bilateral talks; private schools are concerned that they will lose funding from the federal government; Australia has supported the launching of nearly 60 tomahawk missiles by the USA, targeting Assad Government sites in Syria; The Emissions Reduction Fund is running out; and Scott Morrison has been dumped by Ray Hadley for ‘cheating’ on him with ABC Radio in Melbourne.

Tweets of the Fortnight

Just on air on @BBCWorld I said President Xi Jinping would be mortified if he copped an awkward Trump handshake…screen goes black in China

— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) April 6, 2017

That feeling when you're caught daydreaming at work 🙂 (via @UmmRKSZ ) #mediawatch pic.twitter.com/lRkTbpygfo

— Media Watch (@ABCmediawatch) April 9, 2017

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Euthanasia debate on Q&A  – ABC Online

Ben Pobjie on John Clarke’s passing – ABC Online

The Week That Was – January 22 to January 28

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

Well that was awkward! XD pic.twitter.com/zyAhzAYq8m

— SydComMedia (@SydComMedia) January 23, 2017

Things I’ve Been Looking at Online

Kristina Keneally on Gladys Berejiklian becoming Premier – The Guardian

Alana Schezter on the ‘glass cliff’ – ABC Online