Another year, another polly on the ropes over expense claims. Sussan Ley has been on the receiving end of a media pommeling and the collective wisdom is she’s been a naughty minister. She has been dispatched to Coventry and the view is she should settle down and grow accustomed to her new home.
As an observer of various entitlements farragoes over the years, I think Ms Leys’ spending puts her in exalted company, somewhere between Peter Slipper and the guv’nor, Labor’s Mal Colston. Spending $21,000 in a week or so on transport is extraordinary. I didn’t even think it was possible. With those frequent flyer miles, you can forget about the carrot sticks and chardy in the Qantas club. It’s foot-long lobster subs and Moët by the schooner. Hell, they’ll get you your own plane. Maybe even let you fly it.
The Minchin Protocol always sounded like a bad novel and now as it comes to its denouement, it is about as satisfying as an EH Holden Mechanics’ manual or anything knocked out by Clementine Ford.
Full column here.
dis berry important
maxwell off to India but can’t get a bowl here.
WTF?
Smoke, Yeah. I have been asking the same thing. I think young Mr Smithy does not particularly like Maxi after the Big show spoke the truth. He may be too honest for the youngsters in the team. I see Wade sticking to his usual terrible form dropping catches and missing stumping’s. 4 spinners picked 3 of them may be doing a lot of not much. Hodge gone from the Strikers. Good. He plays for himself. I heard him putting down his own players to the commentators during a couple of games. Did you see young Alex Carey keep the other night for the Strikers. He is a gun keeper and opens in the domestic one day stuff. He is the future keeper. I am pretty sure I said at the time of Stanlake’s selection he would get carted and carted he got. There are probably 10 other guys who have played consistently who should have been selected before him. His action is not repeatable consistently he loses balance very easily and too often. Still have an ODI tour of NZ to get through yet before India.
Good you’re back in the land of the living Jack, what’s the NBN speed? been informed it’s going to be in our area between April-July this year and I must say I am disinclined to acquiesce.
Casino Mike bites the dust, hasn’t done much to make Sydney a better place and certainly didn’t waste his time on country NSW. Berejiklian doesn’t do much for me especially after trashing the workforce at Sydney trains, hard not to be a bad treasurer when the stamp duty is rolling in.
I have the up to 25 mbps package, Tracy. Can’t see much point in anything faster for the home at this point. There are some issues with activation. As explained to me by a NBN tech, some of his colleagues are putting customers in wrong ports or wrong channels and this was what caused my delay in connection but they responded quickly when the issues were identified. Just did the Okla test and it’s 20 mbps down nearly 5 up. The modem says 28 mbps which is what the ISP uses to fulfill its obligations. Still that’s four or five times faster than my old ADSL.
You must be in 7th heaven – as to the techos – treat them like human beings, as I know you do, and they will make all efforts to solve your problems
This is right and good.
That’s what I have JTI and it’s fine! Enjoy. The 100mbs is overkill for casual users if you’re not downloading huge files, graphics etc.
Milton, have someone explain housing affordability to you. Try this one for size.
http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2017/01/housing-affordability-time-lows/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20MacroBusiness&utm_content=Daily%20MacroBusiness+CID_4eb5e5e3b827f1e580fce7a0903afea6&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Why%20housing%20affordability%20is%20at%20all-time%20lows
Only 51 swipes to get to the comment section 🙂
Tony Abbott has a problem. It’s something professionals might be able to help him with if he’s honest and does the AA thing and admits it.
“but should point out that traditional cabinet processes operated at all times between 2013 and 2015 2/3”
Yes Tony, keep trying.
i see a Mr V Putin has coined a new term, women of low social responsibility.
a very useful phrase i feel.
he also says the Russian ones are the best in the world.
Others have travelled much more than me, and are much more worldly, and i will defer to their judgement on this, but will simply observe that there doesn’t appear to be a particular shortage of them, even here in Asia.
I think Vlad means they are the best organised and healthy. As for value for money, they are good but not in the same league as the Tigaski Mushu. A Turko-Mongolian ethic community in remote Western Kazakhstan.
“Mooli Mooli’s” (book ahead) is regarded as the best but even the Friday night Yurts are very good.
Can be hard to get to in winter. Check with the Astana tourist bureau before proceeding if going by road.
Helicopters are as dear as poison in the high season!
Hope that helps. Cheers.
OK, I’m going to be a bit controversial here – but why put two girls in hijabs on the Australia Day poster in the first place? It’s Australia Day for God’s sake. Why not two Aboriginal kids ? It was provocative, no doubt deliberately so , and maybe well-meaning – I have no idea who was responsible – but unnecessary. Yes, we’re multicultural and proud of it – but in today’s PC climate it was petty. In fact if you’re going to do that and provoke all sorts of racial tension, why do it at all.
Why not put two young girls in hijabs for Australia Day? They are Australian. Don’t forget the role Muslims played in the building of Australia way back when the telegraph lines were being built through the Centre of Australia. And of course the Ghan railway. I had more of a problem with it being taken down
I have no problem with it and I dare say a lot of people didn’t either considering $100,000 was raised in 12 hours to put the ads up again…..
I personally don’t really have a huge issue with it. Penny – just that it was always going to bring out racial tensions – which we can all do without. Maybe a pic of a nice Aussie beach somewhere then. Less controversial!
And Peter Dutton, Minister for Immigration, was all over the ad Yvonne saying how good it was FGS! Was he a snake oil salesman b4 politics? P.S. I have nothing against the young ladies in the ad I might add
http://tinyurl.com/zfmzxgu
That’s what I meant when I said it was going to cause tensions! From wherever!
Inner city lefty advertising people pandering to inner city lefty elitists I reckon Yvonne.
Seems like your intolerance is showing. You do know there were several billboards of various other people promoting Australia day. Not just the 2 young girls. Why would you place Aborigines on billboards they are not even recognised in the constitution. Your continued use of this construct of “PC” as a derogatory statement shows you don’t know what you are talking about. The conservative created Political Correctness and now try to use it as a demeaning statement. WAKE UP.
Go back to your volleys Dismayed. You are so interminably miserable – and critical in a nasty way. Try smiling and arguing constructively – you may find the world looks like a nicer place to be.
When did I use PC as a derogatory statement Dismayed.? That’s your interpretation – which is always derogatory. The term PC can be positive or negative – depending on the context in which it is used. Cheer up. Hopefully there is some cricket going on somewhere for you to watch.
“but in today’s PC climate it was petty” You need a bigger mirror you are the one like others here that read what they want into my comments which then causes you to project your” interminably miserable – and critical in a nasty way.”
I think Dismayed’s main point there is important and has not been properly understood: the Muslim girls’ picture was part of a series of images displayed on an electronic billboard. It wasn’t the only image selected. The people who objected to it either didn’t bother to understand this before they opened their mouths, or are so bigoted they can’t bear even seeing a picture of an Australian Muslim under any circumstances.
I think Dee Madigan of Campaign Edge, who crowdfunded $150,000 overnight to put the image back up on a bigger scale than the original campaign, pretty much nailed the attitude she has so soundly defeated when she said “”The same groups who complain ‘Muslims don’t assimilate’, complained about the photo of Australian Muslims celebrating Australia Day”.
Hmmmm! It doesn’t provoke me. If it’s one in the eye for the bigots I’m good with that.
I might be the Luddite in the congregation but I don’t like the new “last post top of page”. I check in a couple of times a day and have to scroll down to find the last post I’ve read. Then, if a comment results in a dozen “reply to’s” I’ve got to scroll up, then down, then back up. It’s a pain but I’ll live with it if everyone prefers it. Not much fun for JTI having to herd the cats I know. Just to get to the comment field on my iPad took 143 swipes – don’t ask me why I counted.
Anyway, the reason for my post is Greg Sheridan’s front page (clap, clap,clap, hooray) piece in The Oz today. He describes Obama’s commutation (?) of Manning’s sentence as “truly wicked”. No Greg, if you want to know what “truly wicked” is read Unholy Trinity, or look at the many areas of the world where a human life is worth nothing.
Forget about the complications of her sexuality; she leaked government secrets. Yep, if I was a government I’d like to make her pay – but 35 years? She’s served 6, that’s plenty to assuage the embarrasment of all those world leaders who thought their communications might stay private. Idiots!
Sheridan is falling (has fallen) into the trap of many journalists before him where he thinks he has influence and is a player. No Greg, you are readable but predictable. That’s never a good thing for a “Foreign Editor”.
I think newest on top is better Mac because it’s easier to keep track of the latest conversation. Scrolling down to the Comment box is not an issue on a laptop, but I do agree it can get painful on a smartphone! Of late my iPad has gone beserk. I think Apple Ios upgrades are all too much for it in its old age. Bummer
Great comment. Sure tho, the government wants to make her pay, but f**k the government. The most dangerous thing is a mindless respect for the government (forgotten who said that). When the government sanctions and or hides reprehensible acts on our behalf those that inform us are heroes and true patriots.
Give ’em heaps.
Yep. Where are the FSWs when you need them? Oh yes, banging on about 18C. Because it’s so much more important to freedom and democracy to say “nigger” than it is to expose government atrocities.
Howard has billed taxpayers more than $1 million for office expenses and travel since 2013, leading the pack among the nation’s ex-leaders who have collectively racked up $3.4 million in recent years. Howard was always the Master Rorter. He taught them all. When PM he spent $2million just traversing between Canberra and Kirribilli digs in his private jet. And Susan Ley? Bishop J, Brandis, Cormann, Poodles Pyne, have all spent more than her but she was the one that was knee-capped.
Even Hunt who has replaced has spent more ‘visiting’ the Gold Coast. Howard’s expenses have consistently remained far higher than other former PMs in recent reporting periods. He spent $112,473 on office facilities from July to December 2015 (next highest was Bob Hawke on $85,747), $106,356 from January to June 2015 (next highest was Rudd on $63,703) and $115,218 from July to December 2014 (next highest was Malcolm Fraser on $93,622). Between January 2013 and June 2016, Howard’s six-monthly spending on office facilities has never been below $106,356, while no other former PM has spent more than $93,622 (Fraser, from July-December 2014).Howard has claimed the most amount among the ex-PMs in six of the last seven disclosure periods.
When will his rorting stop? Between January 2013 and June 2016, Howard claimed $1,085,000 in expenses and allowances. The next highest amount is Julia Gillard, on $807,000, but $408,304 of that came from one single expense, an office fit out in 2014. Next on the list is Hawke with $566,000. It is interesting that the fact that John Howard’s total office expenses eclipse any other former Prime Minister remains unreported. MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE HE is NOT LABOR.
this’ll be quality…
Jessica Strutt ABC
“PHON will have 60 candidates in WAstate election. 45 Lower House seats, rest Upper House…”
Carl on the Coast 11:55 PM
You are getting weirder every day Carl. I attributed, correctly I believe, the attitudes expressed in the opening lines to yourself.
Because things were worse hundreds of years ago is your excuse for turning your face away?
Upset about the alleged man moon landings! Moi! You’re crazy, I think that people still believe that nonsense is hilarious.