Humble servant of the Nation

SSM survey takes the cake

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There are lots of problems with the forthcoming same sex marriage postal survey but the biggest one is voters are essentially voting blind in the absence of a bill.

Why do we not have a bill? You’d have to ask the Turnbull government. If you ask me, I’d say the Turnbull government doesn’t have the backbone to put one up and give some useful form of definition to what we will soon be checking the boxes of in the coming weeks. But that’s just me.

Right now we have a fierce debate going on about something we do not know and cannot possibly divine and this, of course, has led to a lot of talk about nothing.

The rather tedious example being shuffled about and one mirrored in the United States is the one associated with wedding cake bakers (they call themselves designers now but I’m not falling for that one) and whether some of them have the right to withdraw their services to same sex couples who are preparing to tie the knot.

Full column here.

213 Comments

  • Huger Unson says:

    How’s the book going, Jack?
    If I had one in me it would be ‘Why We Love Liars’.

  • Dwight says:

    Schrödinger’s Ministers. Brilliant work by Kudelka.

    • CoHD says:

      In “climate expert” Craig’s own words “I am a fully qualified Financial Advisor with Diploma. ” C’mon Razor, this is the stuff of dementia. Shooting the straw messenger perhaps?

      • Razor says:

        Just calling it as I see it CoHD. You know that old song ‘Don’t ya ever let a chance go by O’Lord’

        Where have you been bloody hiding anyway? I never saw your report in triplicate asking for permission to be away for so long!

  • Milton says:

    Tracy – they’re taking a while to put up the euro games, Tracy or am I not signed on?

    • Tracy says:

      Check your email Milt, you are still in the comp.
      I have given them a serve and sure I’m not the only one, the draw was over three weeks ago yet kick off is 4.45am tomorrow and still nothing posted.

  • Dismayed says:

    19 Deaths in the construction industry for the first 6 months of this year. The average for the last 3 years is over 30 deaths per year. This Spike in deaths in the construction industry mirrors what happened last time the coalition introduced the ABCC. It’s re-introduction again has led to another spike in work related deaths in the construction industry. Even though for 3 years in row construction investment has dropped. (Never seen before in this country.) Why are the same people who screamed for and supported the Royal commission into 4 workplace deaths now not screaming for a Royal Commission?? This alone highlights the ongoing hypocrisy of the coalition and its supporters.
    No surprises.

    • Mack the Knife says:

      Yep, the CFMEU is really looking after it’s member’s safety isn’t it. Before you go and run my comment into the ground, I am involved in the construction industry at the moment and the safety culture is a bad joke. Can’t believe it after crossing over from oil & gas, it is really just bums on seats mentality.

      • Dismayed says:

        Mack I too have landed on a big construction project in Darwin, they like to call it an Oil and Gas site but it is still a construction site even though we are doing a lot of commissioning. Not sure why you have an issue with the CFMEU they are, apart from in Victoria, pretty harmless and easy to deal with, they have been nobbled by your coalition. I have been saying each time I move from drilling into an offshore or onshore construction/commissioning role they are at least 10 years behind Oil and Gas in the use of Safety Management System. It is not used as a risk management and efficiency tool as I/we do but it is a compliance act to meet requirements. The construction side suffers as Oil and Gas did previously because the Supervision don’t know how to lead, plan or understand or just don’t care to set the bar and expectations. But make No mistake it is the laws and regulation passed by your coalition that is making it worse on sites because companies know they can just get rid of people who raise an issue now thanks again to your coalition rather than implement needed changes.. I take it you wont be supporting a Royal commission into the massive spike in deaths like you supported the previous Royal commission into 4 workplace deaths. No surprises.

        • Trivalve says:

          Brother in law just built a house from scratch. Ex-SLB upper level manager, (seismic) steeped in the HSE model. Couldn’t believe the laxity of the workforce who came to build his house. Freaking out from dawn to dusk. Builder was another b-in-law of his. Funny really, because the oil industry actually went over the top years ago.

          • Dismayed says:

            Trivalve- When I did my home several years ago the company that got the job was the one that was prepared to put together a planning lookahead to show me how much they would achieve each day/week etc. The company that finally did come up with one was run by a guy who was an engineer for a company that builds big projects. He had never seen such a thing before. It is now part of his smaller building companies business model. The work practices of some crews were pretty ordinary. I ran through a pre start and couple of JSA type discussions with a couple of the crews and saved them a lot of time and double handling. Safely completed tasks are the result of Planning, Supervision, well delivered directions and the right tools and equipment used by trained personnel. This creates efficiencies and better outcomes. 99.5% of Safety people and people in general don’t get how to use the above to create safer workplaces. That is why Supervisor’s are the key.

          • Razor says:

            Geez you’re brilliant Eddie! Keep out of the wind old son those tickets just might blow off.

    • Dwight says:

      Care to explain the mechanism by which curtailing union racketeering increases accidents?

      • Dismayed says:

        Union Racketeering. How many successful cases so far from the Royal Commission? Seriously when you find something you know anything about stick it because this aint it. I suppose those deals that Unions did with big business were all one sided? Mate stick to worrying about your failed nation state. This country has enough to worry about without more US style backwards ideology. Note Wages continue to drop in real terms as Profits continue to rise. Jobs continue to become less secure as Unions are attacked at every turn for simply trying to help people maintain wages and conditions. Workplace deaths have spiked since the reintroduction of the ABCC which makes it harder for Unions to have input. The regulation has been enacted twice now. Twice a spike in deaths have occurred. Your freidmanesque view of the world was wrong in 1974 and continues to be proven wrong today.

      • Dismayed says:

        Care to deal with the facts laid out in my original and subsequent post regarding the spike in workplace deaths each time the ABCC is enacted? No of course not no political mileage for the cons.

    • BASSMAN says:

      Abbott spent $120million on Royal Commissions…not ONE conviction! Ditto Howard…$60million (Builders)

    • Boadicea says:

      Do you ever smile?

      • Dismayed says:

        You cons suck the life out of this country. I smile all the time except when highlight the hypocrisy of you cons. It takes literally minutes a day to highlight.

  • Boadicea says:

    How lovely it is to be here in Provence. The French have a good life. Fresh produce cheaper and of a much higher quality than Oz – and 4 euros will buy you a great bottle of wine – we would pay $25 for something similiar. Housing cheaper and simpler for the average Joe.
    Garbage is not collected from the front gate every week. They pack up their household waste themselves and take it to the communal collection bins. Imagine how much councils in Oz would save – imagine how everyone would whinge if asked to do that!
    And best of all, the people are not wracked by political infighting crap that is bringing Australia to it’s knees.
    Had a great afternoon doing salsa in the village square on a sunny afternoon!
    A real eye opener living like a local here for a month. Going to be hard to leave.

    • Henry Blofeld says:

      Have a fabulous time Boadicea sounds like you are having a super time. Cheers

    • Dwight says:

      No cheap wine here. Paid $35 last night for a bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc that can’t be worth $12 in Oz. Oh well.

      • Penny says:

        Alas, we have no Dan Murphy’s here in Port Douglas Dwight. Oh well we will have to get used to paying SE Asian wine prices again in a few weeks time.

        Boa….Living like a local in any country is an excellent experience. We’ve been lucky enough to work and live in a number of countries and it’s been fantastic. We call it immersion tourism…..but every so often you turn around and look at your surroundings and think how great is this.

        • Dwight says:

          Salsa Restaurant. Highly recommend Penny.

        • Razor says:

          Beautiful time of year up there Penny. Sitting in my office in Brisbane just ain’t the same 😒

        • Boadicea says:

          Agree, it’s really the only way to really see a country, Penny. Dashing around stopping at villages for 5 minutes as the tour companies do is certainly not my scene!
          I was in a shoe shop in my village (St Remy de Provence) and some Americans were making a production of buying shoes. The shop was in turmoil! (sorry Dwight, nothing personal) Anyway when they left the shop assistants mopped their brows, sighed and said “the women are so loud”! We laughed.
          I’m starting to think in French which is great!

        • jack says:

          Penny, I think Tony Sassi still has a place up there, an excellent Italian chef, great seafood man.

          I loved his food in his Carlton days.

    • JackSprat says:

      Do you still get money when you return the bottles?

      • Boadicea says:

        Don’t think do JS. Gosh I could pay for my holiday that way perhaps!!
        Very hot and as dry as a tinder here. They are very jumpy about potential bushfires and there are firetrucks on standby all over the countryside.
        It’s curtailing my walking somewhat as they rush around first thing and bang up notices closing the track.
        Interesting – no “lollipop ladies” doing school duty here. The police are on duty and in some instances block that section of road off while parents mill about waiting for their kids. Impressive.

  • Little Johnny says:

    Aunty Elspeth over from Scotland Mr Jack and as we see sharing the love.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv_YxKmNs1g

  • Tracy says:

    Have got FOX on with the sound down, already flooding in Miami from Irma but at least it’s down to a category 3 at present.

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