In relative terms, Bill Shorten, Labor leader since September 2013, has lived a charmed existence. Until he took the job, Labor leaders had a life expectancy in the big seat up the front that was measured in months, not years.
Reports of cracks emerging between Shorten and his frontbencher Anthony Albanese emanate from a speech Albo made to the Transport Workers Union in Western Australia in which he claimed a victory over the government’s budget. The Turnbull government, Albanese said, had shifted towards Labor policy and platform and this should be celebrated.
Meanwhile, his leader was running around telling anyone who cared to listen that the budget was not a Labor budget at all.
Given leadership spills or even the hint of them are a drug of addiction to many in the media, the clear contradictions caused a stir.
Appearing on the Nine Network’s Today program, Albo’s segment counterpart, Liberal Christopher Pyne, delighted in turning molehills into mountains. But Albo was having none of it and turned to a politician’s quick and easy answer when confronted with a difficult question.
Full column here.
B’MAN – re the pink batts thing, I’m not going to go through the welter of alleged evidence you present of . . . well, whatever it was you were trying to prove . . . but it comes through pretty strong, as it has before, that you believe that not only is it Canberra’s job to solve all the world’s problems but that they are actually capable of it.
In this you are just one amongst a giant herd of people who believe the same thing and whose views will no doubt prevail. I am in a tiny minority of people who don’t think the federal government is the natural place to find solutions to every conceivable problem and who worry that the entangling of national, State and local government responsibilities will ultimately bring the country to social and financial ruin.
You’re in the majority – a large majority – on this one. I’ll just content myself with being a voice in the wilderness, watching our country disappearing up its own bung-hole.
Well mate a lot of what you say here I DO agree with. Just don’t make sweeping statements without any evidence. U know deep in your heart this was more about politics that loss of lives. Admit it.
No. The government at the direction of the then PM implemented rushed policy that lead to the deaths of Australians. The other deaths you refer to weren’t as a result of the actions of our most senior politician.
Usual pathological dishonesty from you. Disgraceful as usual.
Where is what I said wrong?
It’s not a sweeping statement to say “People died, houses burned, a big chunk of public money disappeared but nobody carried the can”.
Those are facts – debatable to be sure – but they were somewhat beside the main point of my post. The point was what I believe will be the ruinous outcome of the hopeless entanglement of different levels of governance because nobody can ultimately be found who is responsible for anything. If you prefer that instead of saying “nobody carried the can” that I say “nobody was identified who could be awarded a Nobel Prize for their outstanding contribution to public administration” would it be more palatable for you?
And yes, the Royal Commission was entirely about politics. I didn’t like it being set up in the first place – it was a trivial use of those powers, as is Malcolm Turnbull’s RC into Don Dale Detention Centre – and I said at the time I thought it was a total nonsense to try and place blame for any malpractice at the feet of Kevin Rudd. If we were to hold Prime Minister’s to that level of personal responsibility nothing would ever get done. But again it’s beside my main point, which was that the national government should never have been in that space in the first place. I wasn’t trying to push a party political agenda.
If we’re going to have a Royal Commission into anything I’d love to see one asking some hard questions about what people in the national parliament and executive perceive to be their legal and functional boundaries. Because at the moment I think there are too many who don’t believe they have any.
Howard, Abbott have totalled $170million on Royal Commissions into Unions, Gillard, Batts…not ONE person convicted of anything. No one in jail…just money for jam for their lawyer mates.
I don’t know why you keep throwing party political stuff at me. My point about federal adventurism is not party political. They’re all at it.
All you say is true. A friend went bankrupt after the government pulled the plug on the scheme and he got caught with a warehouse full of pink batts from China that he suddenly couldn’t sell. Him and people like him are another casualty class that everyone seems to forget.
Can someone call John Howard and see if he’s busy for the next decade or so? I don’t think there’s any signs of leadership in Canberra (or Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, etc.).
Tongue in cheek of course Dwight.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/australia-still-plagued-by-destructive-policies-of-john-howard-our-worst-prime-minister-20170317-gv08hi.html
Well, I think John Howard lost the plot a bit, too on the role of the Commonwealth, especially in the second half of his term as PM. He gave into the temptation to buy votes via a number of cash giveaways and rebates and started meddling in areas he shouldn’t. The day he announced the chaplaincy program was the day I knew for sure he was dead in the water.
His actions were somewhat excusable in an economy that could bear it but he gave scant regard (as did I and lots of others at the time) to the long-term effect of building these things into federal spending. He essentially abandoned the economic high ground. How do you cane the Labor Party for throwing around skip-loads of dough when you’ve been guilty of the same thing in the past? To say, “Well, we’ll always do less of it than them” is a pretty lame position.
U mean the bloke who sold all of our assets, put us in a 15year war based on lies, was the highest taxing and spending govt of all time and who (according to this paper) bestowed on Rudd/Abbott/Turnbull a $90billion structural deficit? Yep Dwight…well sed!
B’man smashed you with FACTs TBLs. Weren’t you a public servant? Man I hope I don’t get as angry and out of touch as you in the next couple of decades.
Trollin trollin’ trollin’
Keep them dawgies trollin’
Trollin’ trollin’ trollin’
Rawhide!
Dismayed, the pink batts RC learnt that Rudd gave 2 public servants a weekend to design a program to insulate every home in Australia within 2 years and to have the plan ready for DOF costing by the Sunday.
No matter what so-called facts Bassy dished up, the project was doomed to have serious shortcoming from the start.
TBLS called it correctly, he was spot on, no matter what snide comments you flick in from the sidelines.
Don’t defame me Carl. Time to go down for another nap in wayward pines for you. I doubt you had any idea last time you were here, you certainly have no FN clue about anything this time and next time will be no different. The insulation program as B’man noted saves the nation huge amounts of energy and thus $ on power bills. Yes the system was rorted by greedy businessman. the rate of Deaths for insulation installation dropped due to the massive roll. But you are not aware of that are you because you just want to a political moan. Why are you not complaining about all the other workplace deaths that occur??? Move along you sicken me.
Dismayed, you’re quick with the personal vitriol as usual, but so slow in digesting a reasonable comment. There are sensivity issues evident also.
So, because a lot of houses ended up insulated and allegedly save on their power bills, you’re saying the end justifies the means. Lot of hard line socialism in that type of thinking.
Carl, there’s not much you write with which I agree. However, this time you’re right.
Pink Batts was conceived and executed in record time by Ben Rimmer and Subho Banerjee. The purpose of the program was to pump money into the economy ASAP, with the energy savings being a side benefit. This wasn’t a good way to start a very complex program with many potential points of failure, due to reliance on external factors beyond the control of the Commonwealth.
The real problem wasn’t the fact that the deaths occurred – the number of fatalities per installation was actually less than the general average. In my opinion, the major failing was that a very high proportion of the installations were dodgy and needed to be re-done.
While it can be reasonably argued that the government could have got more bang for its buck through other economic stimuli, the clear facts are that Australia went harder than just about any other country in tackling the GFC through an economic stimulus package and also came out of the GFC better than just about any other country. For this, Kevin Rudd deserves credit.
Don’t defame me carl. You have been throwing around insults forever on here. You generally forget your comment the moment it is sent or deliberately try to obfuscate out of it. I have no tolerance left for whiners like you that have run their race and sit around pissing and moaning about the evil left wing gay muslim barista’s that serve advocado on toast to generations of people who don’t deserve the same as your generation received. I said it before I’ll say it again you make me sick. All we have to do is look at the last 4 years to see your great ill liberal dream vacuum the life out of the national economy and try their hardest to further divide the nation. Move along I need not your pedantry.
Jeez you’re a nasty piece of work Dismal.
Dismayed, I’m worried about you. On the basis of your 9.42pm gobfull, it’s obviously time for your next check-up. In fact I reckon its overdue mate. Best you see to it ASAP.
Let me know how you go, there’s a good fellow.
You could use a bit of his manners though.
Here’s one for Bella!
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/hunter-crushed-to-death-by-elephant/news-story/2837b31c49a7401d529604cd6f89a653
If ever we need reminding that we “humans” are the corrupted descendants of apes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)
.
Haven’t seen that one before old bean but it’s very hard to read it and not agree with your comment.
Serious OH&S issues for Mexican elephant handlers. They’re getting a bum deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brh0z3t8DTM
Anybody know why foreign banks are excused from this new tax — ahh sorry permanent levy?
It would almost be impossible to collect. Money is fungible, and a quick adjustment to accounts, and all the liabilities (which is what they are taxing) wind up in another country.
We had some fruit that went all fungible. Had to throw the lot out.
I once had fungible in the genital area TV but some cream soon sorted it.
So the way out for the banks is to shift HO to Singapore to get on to a level playing field with the big overseas banks.
One does not have to wonder why the government is struggling with corporate tax and revenue in general.
A profitable taxpaying Australian company is taken over by an overseas mob. Money is borrowed up to the hilt for the take over and interest on this is a tax deduction.
Many of the high paying jobs are transferred overseas and so goes some of the PAYE revenues.
.Then the recharges and the transfer prices start and even less company tax is paid.
And so it goes on.
But but we need foreign investment – yep to milk us dry in many cases.
We leave purchases overseas to be GST free and put local companies at a disadvantage. Not only are they at a tax disadvantage but also at a price disadvantage.Only after years of lobbying this is being closed,
Local graduates are having trouble getting a job – but bring in skilled migrants because they will prop up the only growth area in this country – housing which is one big ponzi scheme and stuff the locals.
Let’s sell our tertiary education – yep = I know of a young lass doing her masters – only English speaker in the class and is omitted from the discussions.
Spend a fortune on refugees and migrants and turn a blind eye to the poverty in many parts of the country.
Bring in refugees and then fight tooth and nail about funding education.
Export natural gas so that the overseas purchaser gets it cheaper than the locals.
We are on a spiral to nowhere – we ceased being a colony 116 years ago but the Canberra has never gotten past it.
And if somebody comes back and says we are one of the richest places in the world, my come back is because we have some of the most expensive housing in the world.
And some bunch has a slogan “Put Australia first” – 50 years too late.
Sorry for the rant Dwight but it really pisses me off.
.
I should care??
I don’t give a Gonski.
You will accept Gonski 2.0 and after we install the new government at the next election you will accept Gonski 2.1
Jul 17 Wrigley Field
Bonnie Raitt with James Taylor
Could be a sell-out.
Saw Bonnie Rait a couple of months back in Canberra. Bloody good. Backup from Melbourne boy Jeff Lang on slide everything. Almost better.
JT was on at Sirromet winery in Brisbane a couple of months back. Packed the place out and played a really good show. I’ll be in the US on business at the end of June for a month and if I can scoop tickets to this I’ll be there. Good tip HU. Thanks.
Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, Mr Insider, what a magnificent bastard!
http://tinyurl.com/ljmy7ur
I see that AFL is becoming a bit of a balls up in the new snowflake era. It’s about time players also start wearing head gear and knee pads – you can’t be too careful.
I’ll #bounce with you @Bouncer. As a youngster one learnt how tricky it was to satisfyingly bounce the ball consistently so it made one appreciate and therefore respect the skill of the umpire. In this modern era where respect for umpires is at an all time low, we don’t need to lower the bar even further with this namby-pamby balls up.
It’s dinosaurs like you two who are slowing the evolution of our great game. Both coaches and players say they have no problem if the ball is thrown up rather than bounced. Umpires say the center bounce is a deterrent to the pathway of elite umpires because it can be a difficult skill to master. Our game is the greatest game in Australia and we are immensely proud of its inclusivism. If we can include more people, irrespective of their gender or stature, in our game it can only be a good thing.
Yes but throwing the ball up looks so, so, “girly”. Bouncing the ball requires focus ,concentration and co-ordination. If you cant bounce it go and umpire netball.
Unless it’s a mud pie, do away with the rebounce, just get over it and go with what you get.
Theres no such thing as a bad bounce, players should have their wits about them.
An interesting line-up tonight on Q&A: Jean Baptiste, Buzz Aldrin, Kim Jong-un and Henry Blofield.
You devilish wag dear Milton, dear Mr Baptiste has “enough” on his plate with trying to convince us the Moon Landings never took place. I had to mark his latest effort, a failed Chinese Moon Lander clip “B” for Bollocks today! Cheers.
Theres no point in trying to convince donkeys Enery, I only respond to your regular inane and increasingly desperate attempts to reassure yourself.
I’ve trained hard for this. I feel I am at my peak, been tapering off for the last four days.
That’s “Blofeld” by the way you peasant.
Lucky we are here in Australia, Mr Insider, to have a “harmless fruitcake” like Rudd stuffing up but its so much worse in North Korea where the murderous tyrant Kim Jong-un says the intermediate-range ballistic missile that was tested yesterday is ready for “action”. He has already threated Nuclear War on a number of occasions. Reportedly he has said he wants to “die in bed as leader” and if he continues in the way he’s going he may get his wish sooner than he thinks! Scumbag!
http://tinyurl.com/lx242gz
Just got a text from Kimmie, Enery.
“Ask Blofeld, was that a nice thing to say? “
OH MY GOD! Henry, Melania and Donald are having a spat! Oh Lordy I hope it doesn’t ruin their holiday.
And this!
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/russian-journalist-mikhail-zygar-reveals-vladimir-putins-secret/news-story/2958ae06adb85b2b85ec66e45747d7a4
Trump is an “unexploded bomb.” I told you that didn’t I! And the Russky femme fatale has the remote. No wonder she wants him to keep his distance.
Is possible for Pence to appoint Melania as his VP? I wondering if Vladimir’s cunning plan might be even more outrageous than we thought? Has Vlad had access to the ending of “House of Cards?”
OH MY GOD!
Yours in trembling foreboding,
Give ’em heaps Henry, mon cher petite champignon.
Bless you dear Mr Baptiste, your “dissection” of the news quite entertaining indeed. POTUS and FLOTUS Trump deeply in love and only natural in any relationship to have very minor disagreements. I am in fact following FLOTUS Trump “quite closely” as she charms all on POTUS Trumps Middle East “Charm Offensive”. Cheers good buddy. P.S. Trump may swing by Kimmie on the way home and pop in unannounced!
Don’t come the slippery eel with me Blofeld! Answer the question, is it possible that Melania could be appointed VP after she brown breads Donald? Then becomes POTUS after Pence has a tragic and terminal accident?
As for your romantic notion, I would say it would be unwise for The Donald to enter North Korean airspace without making a formal request.
Kimmie says “Fat false hair degenerate POTUS become like pork bun in blender if he start playing silly buggering with glorious Peoples Republic air defense. Become Air Force Minus One quick time.”
Have a chew on this.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/05/15/putin-says-intimidation-north-korea-must-end
I’m getting the impression that the media might not be on Cassie Sainsbury’s side as they were with Shapelle Corby.
Much of the media – and a lot of other people besides – completely lost their marbles during Cirque de Shapelle Corby. She was guilty as hell; there was never much doubt about it. But the tsunami of conspiracy theories, blatant racism, staggering ignorance and weeping hysteria that came out of this country is something I hope never to see again. There’s probably a PhD thesis in it, if it hasn’t been done already.
You’re seeing a rerun right now BLS. Waiting for one of these media clowns to discover the difference between placid Indonesians (which most of them are) and big-cojone, gringo-despising Colombians. They’re not in Kansas any more, or Kerobokan.
Javanese aren’t too placid in my experience……..
Most of the time they are. But the word amok is Javanese…