- Gough Suppressant
- Nov 14, 2008
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You are allowed to be upset at more than one thing. Hughes was a relatively well known cricket player so it's not surprising that his death gets more attention since we see him in the public eye more than the plight of Indigenous Australia.
You'd get the same response if we saw any celebrity die during a public broadcast.
They'll bury him and then the media will move on to another story.
Things can be both unsurprising and still troubling.
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Nov 28, 2014 08:29
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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May 13, 2024 15:21
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- Gough Suppressant
- Nov 14, 2008
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Like for example, deaths in custody.
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Nov 28, 2014 08:29
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- starkebn
- May 18, 2004
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"Oooh, got a little too serious. You okay there, little buddy?"
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I don't care that it was reported for a few days, but it's now more than a few and it's still getting top billing when they're talking to people from the town he grew up in. It's just bullshit 'slow-news-week' or something.
btw, now I want to play
Billy Snedden: Fully Loaded
Super Alpha Edition 2
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Nov 28, 2014 08:38
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- Cartoon
- Jun 20, 2008
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poop
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Sport man good at sport playing sport in heaven
There have been six black deaths in custody in the past 3 months and 147 since the Royal Commission lol
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Nov 28, 2014 08:48
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- Quasimango
- Mar 10, 2011
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God damn you.
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So a whole 0.015 White cricketer? Hard to get that up on the front page.
You better let India and Pakistan, where it was front page news too, know that caring about his death is just white privilege, they must be badly misinformed.
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Nov 28, 2014 08:50
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- SadisTech
- Jun 26, 2013
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Clem.
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Most people have him on ignore so they're only reading muyb's responses which are the parts worth reading anyway.
Yeah but unfortunately those responses quote him and I just don't want that sandpaper on my frontal lobes feeling
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Nov 28, 2014 08:58
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- CATTASTIC
- Mar 31, 2010
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¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Stop feeling bad about those other things, here is the newest thing to feel bad about.
A female asylum seeker was allegedly impregnated when she was raped in detention on Nauru.
It is the latest in a string of sexual assault allegations within Australia’s offshore detention system.
Guardian Australia revealed on Friday that a gay man allegedly raped twice in the detention centre by two men continues to live in the same compound as his attackers.
Several independent sources have confirmed to Guardian Australia that a female asylum seeker reported being raped in her tent inside the OPC3 detention centre, known as Family Camp, in early July.
She told workers in the camp of the attack who reported it to Nauru police.
The police are reportedly aware of at least two witnesses to the assault.
“Police of Nauru contacted me and told me it takes at least one year to … take some action about it, they left me alone with this horrible experience,” the woman said through an interpreter.
She was understood to have become pregnant from the rape, but she is not any more.
Her alleged attacker, another asylum seeker, has since been released into the community in Nauru. But the woman said she feared she would be attacked again, by another detainee or a camp worker.
Guardian Australia has previously reported instances of sexual assault of detainees by workers.
“Our room doesn’t have any door or lock to be safe there. I am dying under so much mental pressure,” she said.
The government-ordered Moss Review into conditions on Nauru has been made aware of the allegations and the woman has been interviewed over the alleged assault.
A parliamentary inquiry into conditions on Manus Island, in particular the unrest and violence that led up to the death of Reza Berati in February, is scheduled to be tabled on Wednesday.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/nov/28/female-asylum-seeker-allegedly-fell-pregnant-raped-nauru
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Nov 28, 2014 09:09
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- T-1000
- Mar 28, 2010
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How long should it remain the main topic in the news? How many other unknown people have died in the time since the accident occurred?
The best stab at an explanation that I saw was Waleed Aly's article after the MH17 crash where he basically said that the world is complex and chaotic, we tell ourselves stories to help understand it, and the deaths we focus on are the ones that make stories that we want to tell. A couple of hundred people being blown up by a missile with no warning is a clear and compelling story. So is a guy playing sport, getting hit with the ball, and dying on live TV.
Maybe it's because people see themselves in these stories. Maybe because they're happenings so unlikely, so outside what we consider "normal", and people crave novelty. Maybe it's because all these events had so many eyewitnesses or recordings, which created an exponential explosion of stories that became self-sustaining, rather than events that happen isolated and unsung. I dunno. We're chimps wearing pants, and we aren't good enough at moral calculus to figure out the optimal shock level and duration of mourning.
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Nov 28, 2014 09:13
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- The Before Times
- Mar 8, 2014
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Once upon a time, I would have thrown you halfway to the moon for a crack like that.
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Just failed Scott Morrison's good character test by having an abortion too
Or maybe a miscarriage. Stress is a huge factor in that kind of thing :/
The Before Times fucked around with this message at 10:07 on Nov 28, 2014
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Nov 28, 2014 09:59
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- Cartoon
- Jun 20, 2008
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poop
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You better let India and Pakistan, where it was front page news too, know that caring about his death is just white privilege, they must be badly misinformed.
Do you understand how the caste system works?
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Nov 28, 2014 10:16
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- Gough Suppressant
- Nov 14, 2008
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quote:An election-eve Liberal Party point-scoring attempt may have backfired, with claims that police were called to pre-polling stations over union "thuggery" seemingly fabricated.
Further allegations from the party's campaign headquarters that an ambulance was used as a "battering ram" by the paramedics' union to attack a Liberal candidate's car have also been denied.
Liberal campaign director Damien Mantach released a statement on Friday afternoon claiming United Firefighters Union members had bullied the party's Narre Warren North candidate at a pre-polling station.
"Amanda Stapledon was aggressively targeted, bullied and intimidated by the UFU to such an extent that police had to attend," the statement read.
The statement said police were also called in response to UFU members' "thuggish behaviour" towards former prime minister John Howard, who was campaigning for the Liberals in the marginal seat of Yan Yean on Melbourne's northern outskirts.
Liberal Party staffers then provided locations and times that police allegedly attended the incidents, and video that showed rowdy protesters at the Yan Yean pre-polling station.
But police say they did not attend either pre-polling station, with a spokeswoman saying they had no record of either incident.
Ms Stapledon told The Age that two police officers did attend the Narre Warren North pre-polling station, but only to vote and not in relation to harassment.
Ms Stapledon said she was subject to abuse from two Labor Party members, one of whom was wearing UFU-branded clothing.
"We had a lot of bullying and intimidation, and we've had people dressed up as UFU members when we know they're just Labor party members," Ms Stapledon said.
"We had two men behind me saying that I was fat and that I needed to go to WeightWatchers … it's absolutely disgusting that they're targeting female candidates."
UFU national secretary Peter Marshall said there were no firefighters at the Narre Warren North pre-polling station and called claims of harassment by union members a "complete fabrication".
"In fact there's been a deliberate and concerted effort to provoke firefighters by [the] Liberal candidate and supporters," Mr Marshall said.
"Firefighters have been extremely disciplined in response to what is clear provocation."
When questioned about the disparity between Mr Mantach's original statement and Ms Stapledon's version of events, a Liberal party spokesman said: "We stand by our statement."
Later on Friday, the Liberal Party issued a statement claiming an ambulance had been used as a "battering ram" for the paramedics' union after an accident involving a candidate for the seat of Eltham's car earlier in the day.
Mr Mantach claimed the ambulance was driven into Liberal candidate Steve Briffa's car, causing "significant damage", and alleged paramedics then fled the scene.
"Ambulances are supposed to be used to treat Victorians who need urgent medical attention. They are not to be used as the Ambulance Union's personal battering rams," he said.
But the paramedics union, backed by Ambulance Victoria, said the collision was not deliberate.
Union secretary Steve McGhie said the paramedics had stopped to pick up lunch between jobs and accidentally reversed into the car while leaving.
"This is just a desperate government trying to find some sort of way to cling to government," he said.
Mr McGhie said the accident, which was reported to police, was only minor and that paramedics did not flee the scene.
"There's no need for them to flee the scene. That's just nonsense, it's just a beat up. Reversing incidents with ambulances are common," he said.
Ambulance Victoria confirmed the crash was accidental and said the audible reversing alarm in the ambulance appeared not to be working at the time.
"The paramedics parked the ambulance straight away and spoke to the owner of the car and apologised," regional services general manager Tony Walker said. "The paramedics exchanged details with the owner of the car and alerted the duty manager to the incident."
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Nov 28, 2014 13:28
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- Ler
- Mar 23, 2005
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I believe...
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Edit: I can't read
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Nov 28, 2014 13:48
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- dr_rat
- Jun 4, 2001
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firefighters and Paramedics, bunch of lazy no good leaners the lot of them. We should just go ahead and hang them all.
Vote 1 liberal party.
Seriously though who thought it would be a good idea to try and demonize paramedics the day before an election. This is just plan bizarre.
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Nov 28, 2014 13:54
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- Mad Katter
- Aug 23, 2010
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STOP THE BATS
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firefighters and Paramedics, bunch of lazy no good leaners the lot of them. We should just go ahead and hang them all.
Vote 1 liberal party.
Seriously though who thought it would be a good idea to try and demonize paramedics the day before an election. This is just plan bizarre.
This couldn't be more true. Who on earth would believe that people who dedicate their career and/or risk their life to help save others would deliberately use their emergency vehicles to ram a car.
What a bunch of stupid babies.
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Nov 28, 2014 14:03
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- Murodese
- Mar 6, 2007
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Think you've got what it takes?
We're looking for fine Men & Women to help Protect the Australian Way of Life.
Become part of the Legend. Defence Jobs.
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Lewis review leaked: http://static.guim.co.uk/ni/1417148472503/ABC.pdf
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Nov 28, 2014 14:08
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- Amethyst
- Mar 28, 2004
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I CANNOT HELP BUT MAKE THE DCSS THREAD A FETID SWAMP OF UNFUN POSTING
plz notice me trunk-senpai
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Direct ministerial control of the ABC budget allocation. Nice. NICE!
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Nov 28, 2014 14:10
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- IronClaymore
- Jun 30, 2010
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by Athanatos
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drat, tomorrow (today really) is going to suck. Liberal party fuckers telling me to vote for them, invariably offering Richmond the most progressive Liberal candidate in the entire state as temptation, who is invariably going to lose here, thereby denying the lower house one of the Liberal rebels and what is (if the Federal election is anything to go by) one of the few almost-good ones. Actually I don't know who the Liberal person is, but they always give the inner east someone genuinely progressive both as temptation and to get rid of them because they always lose. Worst case scenario for them, they get rid of someone they don't really like, as in a genuine human, in a seat they'll lose either way.
It's a win-win for them because of that.
And the Labor party desperately wasting precious cash on Dick Winn or whatever the gently caress his name is, in an attempt to hold off the Greens when they should cut their losses, accept a tenuous alliance, slam the Greens next election, and campaign more in marginal seats right now. The Lib/Lab marginal seats that is. Even if they win here, which they probably will, still a waste.
But really it sucks because I should have voted on Tuesday when there were only 3 people hassling me at Coles, one of which knew me by name so I could have let her off easy. Now it's going to be teams of obnoxious politics obsessed fuckers up at the church (and at Coles). Queues right back into the Vaucluse, people from every party handing me poo poo, even people from the We-Hate-Refugees-and-Gays-Racist-Christian-Party or whatever they are, being incredibly creepy and spouting leviticus. Well probably not, I tend to zone out. But later I imagine them being like this, just for fun. I know they're not like that here but even so I feel like a dick for shoving their how-to-vote cards in the bin. I hope it's recycled (I lie, I know it is, City of Yarra!)
Also, voting Greens. Just because. Yeah I know state Labor is way closer to my values than fed Labor, and federal Greens are where Greens policy counts while state Greens is kinda meh. But poo poo needs to be stirred up! Would be nice for a sitting Labor government to be forced to prove their policies are actually good for the state before a bunch of Greens guys let them through (*cough* desal *cough*). Ironically, Greens know how to do a return on investment analysis.
Edit: vvv
Well, more like a Young Liberal who was ushered into the group by family connections, with grave misgivings and shadowy supporters, and grew up wanting to bring it down from within. That's the romantic viewpoint and I'm sticking to it. Still won't vote for anyone like that but I think it's fun to think about.
IronClaymore fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Nov 28, 2014
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Nov 28, 2014 14:41
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- Jonah Galtberg
- Feb 11, 2009
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Ah yes, a genuinely progressive Liberal candidate
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Nov 28, 2014 15:04
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- Gough Suppressant
- Nov 14, 2008
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Ah yes, a genuinely progressive Liberal candidate
~~~change from within~~~
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Nov 28, 2014 15:16
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- Lid
- Feb 18, 2005
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And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.
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Just the news Victoria needs
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...128-11w5ja.html
quote:Lewis report on ABC canvasses role for minister in directing how cuts be made
The federal government would gain new powers to set out what it expects from the ABC, raising fears of political interference in the national broadcaster, under a recommendation of the confidential Lewis review.
And some services now provided for free may attract a user charge as the government looks to rein in costs and clip the ABC's wings.
The Lewis review into the ABC and SBS has recommended the Minister for Communications issue each broadcaster with "a statement of the government's expectations" relating to "financial management and transparency".
A leaked copy, obtained by Fairfax Media, also reveals Peter Lewis identified a number of efficiency measures that have not been taken up by the ABC or SBS, which would be highly controversial with viewers and within the broadcast industry.
These include outsourcing most of the ABC's production, scrapping the retransmission of the ABC and the SBS on Foxtel's cable services (which could have implications for viewers with poor reception), scrapping digital radio and charging for the ABC's iView service.
The proposed "statement of the government's expectations" will fuel suspicions of potential political interference in editorial policy given the Coalition's well documented hostility to the broadcaster's approach.
In February this year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott used a radio interview in Sydney to complain, arguing "a lot of people feel at the moment that the ABC instinctively takes everyone's side but Australia's".
Greens senator Scott Ludlam said the suggestion "really crosses the line, especially with all the 'Team Australia' talk Mr Abbott has engaged in".
As the debate over the ABC's announced cuts continues to cause angst within the Coalition, notably for members from rural areas, Mr Turnbull is expected to release the Lewis report on Monday, when Senate committees hold more hearings.
In his speech announcing a cut of $207 million over four years from the ABC 10 days ago Mr Turnbull made an oblique reference to the controversial proposal. "An interesting insight from the efficiency study was that the ABC and SBS boards would benefit from a clearer understanding of the government's budget priorities and the outcomes that the government is seeking from its annual investment of taxpayers' money," he said
The proposal has been raised privately with the ABC board, which is understood to be strongly opposed to this level of intervention because it fears directions on where cuts should be made would amount to editorial intervention.
The Lewis report acknowledged that "a ministerial statement of expectations would be controversial and could give rise to concerns that the government is intervening in the ABC and SBS for political reasons".
But the report went on to say that such a statement "would assist boards to clearly understand the efficiency and financial outcomes the government is seeking".
The minister already has power under the ABC and SBS Acts to bring policy considerations to the attention of the board. This has mainly been used in relation to industrial relations matters.
The Lewis recommendation appears to contemplate a mechanism where the minister can direct the national broadcaster on a more granular level, including where cuts should be made.
Senator Ludlam said he was mystified by the role of the Nationals in the ABC funding controversy because it was "always obvious" that regional services would be trimmed if cuts were made.
"That's why you have a national broadcaster, so not every decision is made on profit and loss critieria but on social needs also," he said.
Other highlights of the report are:
* A strong preference towards outsourcing programming production. The reason why the ABC spends a much higher proportion of its budget on staff is that it makes a higher proportion of its programming in-house than the commercial networks. The Lewis report found that outsourcing production facilities would save $0.4 million a year and $90 million in capital costs (the cost of studios) but would cost $21.6 million.
* A recommendation that the ABC and SBS get out of digital radio and instead build up streaming on the internet and mobile. This would save $3.8 million a year for the ABC and $2.1 million for SBS, though it would cost $20 million to implement. The move would deeply upset the commercial radio industry, which has made big investments in digital radio and would require legislation.
* Charging for iView. The report suggested this service should be "monetised" by charging after a short period of free access, particularly as its popularity meant the bandwitdth cost would increase rapidly.
* Ceasing retransmission of the ABC and SBS on Foxtel. This would save $6 million a year for the broadcasters, but the ABC is committed until 2017 and SBS warned termination might affect its income earning channel, World movies.
quote:Sri Lanka arrests 37 asylum seekers sent back by Australia
Colombo: Sri Lanka's police have arrested 37 nationals turned back by Australian authorities on the high seas after attempting to seek asylum, in the first such case in four months, an officer says.
Superintendent Ajith Rohana said Australia's coastguard intercepted the trawler carrying the Sri Lankans near the Indonesian coast, before handing the asylum-seekers over to Sri Lanka's navy on Thursday.
"The boat left Sri Lanka on November 1," Rohana said, adding that six children were among the passengers.
"Investigations are being conducted by the anti-people smuggling unit of the CID (Criminal Investigation Department)," Rohana said.
"They are being held in custody, but will be taken before a magistrate shortly."
The returns were the first since July when a boat loaded with 41 nationals was intercepted by Australia.
Sri Lanka charged them with illegally leaving the country, and their cases are due to be taken up by a court next May.
Australia has gifted two vessels to Sri Lanka's navy to patrol its shores and stop boats leaving the island, as part of Canberra's hardline border protection policy.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has vowed to stop asylum-seekers arriving on rickety boats following dangerous voyages.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/sri-lanka-arrests-37-asylum-seekers-sent-back-by-australia-20141129-11wj9f.html#ixzz3KNCMfgjC
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Nov 28, 2014 15:25
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- Fruity Gordo
- Aug 5, 2013
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Neurotic, Impotent Rage!
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If only the higher rates of suicide under Tory governments were due to Tories offing themselves out of shame.
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Nov 28, 2014 15:38
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- IronClaymore
- Jun 30, 2010
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by Athanatos
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Wow, we're still making a go at being oppressive and racist. We're never gonna win the League of Evil's award for the Most Oppressive Nation of The Year, nor the Most Racist. Why do we even bother? I mean we get close but there's always someone more racist, oppressive and evil than us, even if just barely.
The chance at a lovely trophy from a non-existent organisation I just made up is just not worth the billions of dollars it takes to torture children to suicide.
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Nov 28, 2014 15:41
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- Fruity Gordo
- Aug 5, 2013
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Neurotic, Impotent Rage!
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Mate we won the Asian Champions League, we've got to keep dreaming big.
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Nov 28, 2014 15:44
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- Arcanen
- Dec 19, 2005
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I love that they think that Australians, who I believe have the highest rate of television piracy per capita in the world, are going to pay for iView.
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Nov 28, 2014 17:47
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- WhiskeyWhiskers
- Oct 14, 2013
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"هذا ليس عادلاً."
"هذا ليس عادلاً على الإطلاق."
"كان هناك وقت الآن."
(السياق الخفي: للقراءة)
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I love that they think that Australians, who I believe have the highest rate of television piracy per capita in the world, are going to pay for iView.
I'd say that's the point actually.
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Nov 28, 2014 17:56
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- Lid
- Feb 18, 2005
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And the mercy seat is awaiting,
And I think my head is burning,
And in a way I'm yearning,
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth,
And anyway I told the truth,
And I'm not afraid to die.
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Lets play conservative argument essay writing 101. All you have to do is take the introduction to a commentary and then take the conclusion and see the great consistency. For example
quote: The ABC can handle the cuts by leaving major live sport to the commercial broadcasters, reserving coverage for live women's and regional sport.
The solution to the ABC's government-imposed financial trouble should be straightforward. It should just apply the sort of principles that the conservative side of politics in Australia has been preaching for decades.
The principle is that the public sector should not do things that the private sector can do adequately. The public sector, they have argued, should only do things that the private sectors cannot, does not or will not do.
In short, the public sector corrects market failure and fills gaps.
This is the opening. Now for the conclusion to this piece:
quote:
Rather they invent and produce according to what they think they might market. If the military want it, they will just have to take it as is and pay the ticketed price – usually much, much lower than any purpose-built military product.
The salient lesson for Australia's weapons procurement which hangs so dependently on US coat-tails, is that as the US develops ever more powerful, more capable, more technological advanced weapons, its place in the world and its capacity to shape events has become more impotent.
Wait the gently caress?
http://m.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/abc-can-cope-with-cuts-by-leaving-major-live-sport-to-commercial-broadcasters-20141128-11uabq.html
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Nov 28, 2014 18:42
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- starkebn
- May 18, 2004
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"Oooh, got a little too serious. You okay there, little buddy?"
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Two articles on one page, check the break half-way through
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Nov 28, 2014 22:22
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- adamantium|wang
- Sep 14, 2003
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Missing you
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Looks like Harcher is starting up the leadershit machine again:
quote:Abbott's rudderless ship won't scrape by
November 29, 2014 - 12:15AM
Peter Hartcher
Sydney Morning Herald political and international editor
Not even halfway into its term, Team Abbott is replicating some of the failures of its fractious Labor predecessor.
Tony Abbott chose the word "barnacles" very deliberately. He told his party-room meeting this week that "there are one or two barnacles still on the ship but by Christmas they will have been dealt with".
It was a metaphor John Howard liked to use when it was fixing time for his government.
But the people who were central to Howard's success do not see the resemblance. "Howard used to talk about knocking off barnacles when 80 per cent of things were good and the 20 per cent needed fixing. This government has 80 per cent wrong," says one.
"It would be a luxury for Abbott to be able to knock off some barnacles. It supposes that he has a ship. This government has no purpose, no sense of direction. The prime minister's office is so busy managing everything they manage nothing. It's Rudd all over again."
Except that rather than the Prime Minister himself being the chokepoint through which every decision must pass, this time it's his chief of staff, Peta Credlin, according to the universal accounts emerging from inside the Abbott government. Credlin has become a proxy target for attacks which otherwise would be directed at Abbott.
Another central figure of the Howard era spontaneously offered the same comparison. "It takes you back to the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years, doesn't it?" he volunteered at the end of a confused and damaging week for the government.
The supporters of Labor and the Greens may dislike the Abbott government, but it is among the Coalition's own hinterland of support that despair runs deepest. A third stalwart of the Howard experience said that the talk of removing barnacles supposed that some troublesome policies could be scraped off and that the ship would then sail swiftly ahead:
"They can fix some policies, but then you still need your ministers to be good. They can reset their budget strategy, but you still need your treasurer to be good. They've got no idea."
This trio of Howard veterans does not want to be seen to be openly criticising a Coalition government, but other supporters are not so shy. In the last couple of weeks some of the Coalition's most dependable devotees have raised a clamour. Andrew Bolt: "The Abbott government must now change or die." An editorial in The Australian: "Abbott government is doomed without narrative." The Murdoch flagship singled out Credlin for being too dominant. Janet Albrechtsen: "Something has to change." She pointed to today's state election: "Victorians are seriously thinking of throwing out a first-term state government, something that hasn't happened for more than 50 years. It's a potent lesson for the federal Liberals."
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this outpouring of frustration and apprehension is its timing. The Abbott government has been in power for 14 months. It's not even halfway through its three-year term.
The single biggest reason for all the fretting is the polling. The government has been permanently behind since late last year, and the latest Newspoll set off a special panic. Abbott's partisans thought that the G20 summit was a triumph that should have been rewarded with a bounce in the polls. Instead, the Newspoll showed Labor's lead lengthening.
Another reason is that we know worse lies ahead. The task of deficit repair is failing, and that is about to be compounded.
Six months after Joe Hockey delivered the budget, the Senate is refusing to pass budget measures with a collective value of $30 billion over four years. On top of that, iron ore prices have been hit hard and experts estimate that this will cut corporate tax revenue to the Treasury by some $10 billion a year.
The effect of all this will be laid bare in the half-financial year budget update, elegantly known as MYEFO for Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, to be published next month.
Is the rising panic justified? The comparison with the Rudd and Gillard years is particularly striking. In a couple of ways it is apt. First, Abbott has replicated one of Labor's greatest failings, its chronic inability to get the Australian people to support its big reforms. Labor would blurt out dramatic new policies without in any way preparing the public. Without convincing the people of a problem, it would abruptly announce a solution.
The Rudd and Gillard governments routinely failed to explain in any sustained, persuasive way. Their opponents would fill the void, and their policies would fail. So, too, with the Abbott government.
Australia accepted that the new government needed to bring the deficit in check. But instead of just cutting spending and raising revenue, the government produced a highly ideological budget that sought to refashion Australian society.
The budget was an attempt to alter the behaviour of Australians receiving welfare, going to the doctor and studying at university. There is an argument for all three; this government did not even try to make the arguments to the people before announcing the policies. The result was an instant wall of public opposition.
"You have to match the solution to the problem," said one of the Howard veterans. "These guys delivered solutions to problems that the public couldn't see."
Second, the Abbott government has centralised decision-making in the prime minister's office at least as much as Kevin Rudd did. "Nothing is decided in this government without going through Peta," said a minister.
She sets strategy, makes appointments, decides policy and even, according to a minister, "chose the flowers on the tables at the G20". This isn't correct. But Credlin did make decisions about detail including the size of the rooms for the various G20 events and where people would stand.
"She doesn't seem to trust Tony by himself," says a cabinet minister. "She goes to every meeting with him, she attends every function. She seems to worry about what he might do if left to his own devices." Credlin's level of control frustrates many in the government. On these aspects, the Abbott government recalls the belief of some of the native tribes of North America: That a warrior took on the attributes of enemies they killed in battle. The Abbott government seems to be assuming some of the most unimpressive features of the Labor government it defeated.
But the comparison with Rudd and Gillard breaks down on two fundamental characteristics. Labor was notoriously beset by the rivalry between Rudd and Gillard. The destabilisation unleashed by Gillard's strike at Rudd never ended. The Abbott government is a model of stability by comparison.
The other? Abbott's philosophy on his relationship with the electorate. Abbott has never been a popular figure, and he has accepted that. He does not seek to win popularity in the usual craven ways. Instead, he decided at the outset that, if he couldn't be popular, he'd be purposeful. He would seek respect by taking on reforms and pursuing them doggedly and steadily. Rudd and Gillard, by contrast, pursued popularity endlessly and would abandon unpopular policy if it got too hard.
His government has achieved all but one of its election-slogan promises. He promised to stop the boats. Tick. To get rid of the carbon tax. Tick. To get rid of the mining tax. Tick. To end the waste and pay back the debt. This, of course, is the one that is, if anything, further from delivery than ever.
And there have been other achievements. Three trade agreements with Australia's three biggest export markets, for instance. A broadly successful foreign policy that is advancing Australia's interests with all the major powers simultaneously.
As for Credlin, the criticism of her ability to make strategy overlooks an important fact. It was the same woman who drew up Abbott's strategy in opposition. The same strategy that panicked Rudd into abandoning his core promise on climate change, the same strategy that stampeded Labor into toppling Rudd, the same strategy that almost brought Labor down in 2010 and did bring Labor down in 2013. The perception in the prime minister's office is that a panicking party has forgotten who put it into power.
But none of this impresses the Howard veterans. One of the mainstays of Howard's long success says that Abbott and Credlin are making a basic error – they have a checklist of accomplishments and they mistake this for a strategy.
"The first requirement of a government is that it gives the electorate confidence. This government is undermining economic confidence. And on terrorism and national security it has made people more anxious than ever. Where's the strategy to generate confidence?"
And Abbott's underlying philosophy of steadfastly earning respect through strong and dogged leadership? "That was Paul Keating's election strategy in 1996. 'Yes Paul, you're a strong leader, but we hate you and the economy is a mess, goodbye!' Good luck with that."
It's certainly true that there is no sign of any emerging public respect. Indeed, there is evidence that the public is as depressed about the state of politics now as it was under the political behaviours that took hold from 2010 under Labor.
Abbott took the opposition leadership at the end of 2009. It was in 2010 that his hyperoppositionism panicked Labor, that Rudd broke his climate change promise, that Gillard tore him down, that the election ended in a hung parliament. "We entered a different phase in late 2010 and 2011" according to the polling evidence, says the analyst and former Fairfax pollster John Stirton.
"It's a phase of protracted unpopularity of leaders,"where the combined approval rating of both prime minister and opposition leader is negative. "It started late 2010 and we're still in it." The last time this happened was in the Keating years when he faced Alexander Downer and John Hewson.
"There is a continuity since 2010. With the exception of the briefest period in late last year when Abbott was elected promising grown-up government, the government of the day has been behind in the polls, regardless of which government it is," says Stirton. "It seems to reflect continuous disenchantment with politics and way it's played."
Australia craves a new way of politics. No amount of barnacle scraping will achieve that.
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Nov 28, 2014 23:33
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- Birb Katter
- Sep 18, 2010
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BOATS STOPPED
CARBON TAX AXED
TURNBULL AS PM
LIBERALS WILL BE RE-ELECTED IN A LANDSLIDE
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Looks like Harcher is starting up the leadershit machine again:
This ties in nicely with Grogs bit today.
TFA posted:
Whenever a government looks like it is about to sink a few things always happen.
The first is that opinion pieces start appearing suggesting that there are organisational issues with the Prime Minister’s Office – usually targeting the chief of staff.
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Nov 28, 2014 23:36
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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May 13, 2024 15:21
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- Gough Suppressant
- Nov 14, 2008
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Hey vic goons, I know you can in federal elections, but can you vote from a booth outside your own electorate in state elections?
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Nov 28, 2014 23:41
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Nov 28, 2014 08:29
