Is the Senate real? Have you touched it? Have you licked it?
Sure, there’s an edifice, a room draped in a loud, garish red decor but does the institution itself exist? Perhaps more to the point, should it?
These existential puzzles have arisen after four politicians this year – two from the Greens, one from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and one from Family First have been sent packing. They are persona non grata. If they thought they were senators they now know they were not and their representative careers have been or will soon be stricken from the record.
Section 44 of the Constitution stipulates the following of any person wishing to take a seat in the federal parliament:
Any person who:
(i) is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power; or
(ii) is attainted of treason, or has been convicted and is under sentence, or subject to be sentenced, for any offence punishable under the law of the Commonwealth or of a State by imprisonment for one year or longer; or
(iii) is an undischarged bankrupt or insolvent; or
(iv) holds any office of profit under the Crown, or any pension payable during the pleasure of the Crown out of any of the revenues of the Commonwealth; or
(v) has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any agreement with the Public Service of the Commonwealth otherwise than as a member and in common with the other members of an incorporated company consisting of more than twenty-five persons;
shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives.
Full column here.
Will ex ousted PM Tony Abbott set the groundwork to “snatch” back the PMship at the Libs Convention on now, Mr Insider. The little “Aussie Sniper” as he is fast becoming known as must soon put up or shut up. PM Turnbull on the other hand needs a winning Newspoll to break the shocking run of negative ones he has accrued so far, some 15 or 16. “Turnbull vs Abbott” looks like its taking shape! Come out fighting chaps and keep it dirty!
http://tinyurl.com/yb2kyawj
BODHISATTVA says: JULY 22, 2017 AT 6:59 AM…….RE RUDD AND STOPPING THE BOATS…YOUR COMMENT
Abbott did not stop the boats the second time round.. The game changer was the announcement by Rudd on July 19, 2013, two months before the election, that any persons arriving irregularly by boat would not be settled in Australia. Boat arrivals fell quickly and dramatically as a result of this announcement, coming on top of other measures the Labor government had already taken. In fact, Abbott kept the door open for tens of thousands of boat arrivals in the first place.
His failure to support the Malaysia Arrangement in September 2011 resulted in the surge of boat arrivals over the next two years. He has admitted this was a mistake and was ‘playing politics’. The Liberals were deathly scared the Malaysian option would work. The data just does not support the claim that, after coming to power in September 2013, Tony Abbott “stopped the boats”.
The data shows that the downward trend in boat arrivals began in August 2013 under Labor BEFORE Abbott was elected. By October and November 2013 maritime asylum seeker arrivals had dropped by 90% compared to the corresponding two months in 2012 (547 arrivals versus 5115 arrivals). These reductions occurred well before the first boat turnaround by the Coalition government on December 19, 2013. It was, in fact, Labor that stopped the boats.
Several measures put in place by the Labor government before the election caused the dramatic fall in arrivals. Operation Sovereign Borders ( a waste of billions) was applied to the “tail end” of a phenomenon that had largely been stopped by Rudd. Boat turn-backs would not have been “successful” at all without Rudd’s July 2013 decision. For example, the Royal Australian Navy and Customs were able to turn back three boats in December 2013.
That said Rudd tripped himself up with Fran when he said refugees were never to set foot in Oz. In the next breath he said the policy was to last only 12months…well where were they supposed to go then?
Yeah right Bassy.
perhaps you should go back to your endless and contradictory guff about defecits, who knows, you may actually know something about that, here, not so much.
He bull-shitted his way through the whole interview But then he’s had a few years to rehearse it. Especially when he had pipe dreams of being top dog at the UN. The whole boat thing would have been a bit awkward one would think.
I guess everyone has their own opinion. The whole thing is a shambles.
Sorry, I don’t buy your numbers, Bassy. How many children did Labor have sitting in detention when Rudd got the boot?
About 2000 overall.
http://theconversation.com/factcheck-qanda-has-the-number-of-asylum-seeker-children-in-detention-declined-49056
Stick to the facts
90% of boats stopped before the 2013 election. The Liberals have admitted this.
Ben Fordham from 2GBiased (July, 2017) interviewed Richard Marles re boats…. Now this right arm branch of the Liberal Party that would never give Labor a free kick on boats, amazingly did so last week. Ben Fordham (a bloke who has stood for Liberal Party preselection and failed like so many in the 2GBiased stable) CONGRATULATED Marles and ADMITTED yes on this occasion, Rudd HAD stopped the boats and said Labor should be given credit for this…….Abbott just carried on with Rudd’s decision but with added cruelty and a four year extension of Rudd’s 12 month agreement.
I know we are splitting hairs here because before Malaysia Rudd had failed on boats
SOUTHS:- Groan!
The numbers from July 2013 are correct. 90% of boat arrivals stopped after Rudds decision.If you dnt want to believe it that makes sense.I have a Looter mate who says the Oz Bureau of Statistics Nd Treasury doctor their figures.I asked him if he believe his blood test results. Your problem, like climate you dnt want to believe it….that is OK There are heaps of U out there.
Hardly ever read Farrelly but she has nailed it here:-
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/peter-dutton-could-be-a-saint-but-the-superministry-would-still-be-a-danger-20170720-gxey53.html
“It’s fantastic for Brad to play out the last quarter,” Pyke said.
So, they (Adelaide) let Crouch play on with a known fracture of cheekbone. That’s reckless, negligent and a very poor example of concern for player safety.
If Crouch had copped another whack, sustaining further injury that permanently damaged his eye, Mr Pyke would not have been so cock-a-hoop, he’d be looking for a couple of million to pay out in compo.
mmmm foolish ..also wrong…player welfare wassat?
Chris Kenny’s article today on the status of the Greens probably spot on – and not an easy read for a Green I should imagine
Total disorganisation. He too reckons they are lost without Bob Brown.
There is no consistency. Random stuff. SHY taking self-esteem this week over in Canada with Justin. What’s she doing there?
Down here, Cassie o’ Connor, leader of the Tas Greens and partner of Nick, waxing lyrical about the confronting hotel of Walsh’s which will hang over the beautiful Derwent river like a huge orange shopping trolley (that’s what it looks like to some – why is this place so mesmerised anything MONA?) – and yet in the next breath she will condemn the proposed cable car to the summit of Mt Wellington! Probably less confronting.
Phone over-riding me – again.
‘Self esteem ‘ should read ‘selfie’
Chris Kenny … spot on….
A very well reasoned article Bella. He’s got their number dialled in. They cannot represent anyone other than latte sippers…….
I meant Boa not Bella……
it’s only taken a week but someone has finally given a reasonably coherent reason for the decision to sack the two AFL execs.
Not the AFL of course, but Chip Le Grand in the Aus does make some kind of a case as to why Simkiss had to go and it looks like Lethlean had to go as well because, well, no reason really.
The ongoing protection and refusal to investigate the behaviour of the clergy in Victoria brings one big question to my mind Jack: Why?
Back in Denis Ryan’s day and as far as I can tell into the 1980s, there were a group of police officers who had a distorted sense of loyalty to the Catholic Church.
as you have said before this, there were two distinct factions in the force, divided on sectarian lines and loyalty was to the faction first and foremost.
Just read your article on Vic Pol’s ex-commissioner Jack, very disturbing. How can we, as a society have faith in institutions such as the police when such things are attempted to be swept under the carpet. Very disturbing indeed. Surely in this modern age we live in, truth should be paramount. Seems like politics might have a hand in this, with Nixon as the tool.
Big Ballsy Seaney Spicer has resigned as White House Press Secretary, Mr Insider. I feel when he was spotted hiding in the bushes at the White House a month or two back was his “gotcha” moment. The very capable Sarah Huckabee Sanders is now the new White House Press Secretary and has been doing a top job for quite some time as Sean “ducked and weaved”.
http://tinyurl.com/y73rlouf
The White House is turning into just another branch of Wall St as Trumper fills it with his rich mates!
Yeah, he should employ the homeless to help him run the country as opposed to those who are actually successful in life.
I was thinking ‘Days of our Lives’ or ‘As the World Turns’
A revolving door……. big staff turnover
Poor David Rofe QC has died. 26 wills since he was diagnosed with dementia in 2010, each one over-writing the previous one as ‘friends” eyed the jackpot and came in and out of favour..
The spat over the proceeds of his vast estate should become interesting. Feathers will be flying in all directions as the vultures move in – lawyers will be rubbing their hands with glee. No doubt Kathy Jackson and Peter Lawler will feature on the front pages again.