Lid posted:

ELECTION NOW!

Also:


What a load of utter failures.

Captain Matchbox posted:

Hi thread. I never thought I'd see one of these in the wild, but... I just saw a Facebook/instagram picture with someone dressed up as the Fresh Prince of Belair, complete with blackface.

Called the person out on it, but apparently this still can be defended in tyool 2014?

Quantum Mechanic posted:

At this point are they really going to stop you if you hop the gate?

Ler posted:

no link yet but Mike Carlton has left SMH.

ewe2 posted:

Sharri Markson has been trumpeting her success about it on twitter this morning. She put together a pdf of all of Mike Carlton's responses as proof of his abuse. She forwarded 15 of his emails to the SMH editor, who then pressured Carlton to resign.

So how did she get the emails and what was Carlton responding to? I don't think the guy was smart to do what he did, because clearly Murdoch Ltd has decided if they can't win the circulation wars, they'll just whittle down the other side.

deathofmusic posted:

''It's not what you're doing on the internet, it's the sites you're visiting, it's not the content, it's the sites that you've been,''

quote:

ICAC hears that Liberal party boss Brian Loughnane knew of developer donations going through federal channels

Federal Liberal Party director Brian Loughnane has been drawn into a corruption scandal embroiling the party after an inquiry heard allegations he rubberstamped the use of federal channels to subvert the NSW ban on donations from property developers.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption resumed public hearings on Wednesday in Operation Spicer, its inquiry in to Liberal Party fundraising.

The allegations aired during a two-hour opening address, delivered by counsel assisting the commission, Geoffrey Watson, SC, resulted in Liberal MPs Tim Owen and Andrew Cornwell stepping aside from the party and joining the crossbench.

An email shown at the inquiry suggests Mr Loughnane agreed for donations from property developers - which were banned in NSW in 2009 - to be made to the federal party to subvert the laws.

“Brian Loughnane has agreed that for the time being the Fed Sec will operate on the policy…in effect, there is no benefit for a NSW donor to donate to via the Fed Sec, unless they are a property developer,” said Federal Liberal executive Colin Gracie in an email to Simon McInnes, the finance director of the NSW Liberal party.

The email was sent in July 2010.

The inquiry heard members of the Liberal Party subverted the donation laws by diverting money through the Canberra-based Free Enterprise foundation, before sending it back to the NSW branch to use in the 2011 State election.

Mr Watson said that “there is evidence that the use of the Free Enterprise Foundation in this fashion was known at high levels of the Liberal Party''.

Mr Loughnane is not only the federal head of the party, his wife Peta Credlin is Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s chief of staff.

Mr Watson told the hearing that the NSW branch of the Liberal Party used the Free Enterprise Foundation “as a means of washing and re-channelling donations made by prohibited donors”.

The inquiry has heard that Mr McInnes has been very “helpful” to the ICAC.

Earlier, Mr Watson said investigations during the adjournment had "proved fruitful" and there was evidence of "serious irregularities" in the campaign for Mr Owen's seat of Newcastle and Mr Cornwall's neighbouring seat of Charlestown.

Premier Mike Baird said in a statement on Wednesday that he had accepted the MPs' decisions to "stand aside from the parliamentary Liberal Party and relinquish any parliamentary positions they currently hold".

He said he made "no judgement" regarding the outcome of Operation Spicer, the Independent Commission Against Corruption's inquiry into Liberal Party fundraising.

"However, it will take time for the allegations to be resolved, and I am not prepared to allow this to become a distraction for the party or the government," Mr Baird said.

Property developer and Newcastle mayor Jeff McCloy and prominent developer Hilton Grugeon face allegations they made illegal donations to the Liberals during the 2011 election campaign and disguised the donations using "sham" invoices.

Property developers have been banned from making political donations in NSW since 2009.

In a sensational twist on Wednesday, Mr Owen's campaign manager Hugh Thomson has rolled over and is assisting the commission in return for an indemnity against prosecution.

The commission heard Mr Cornwell has given evidence Mr McCloy summoned him to a meeting in his Bentley before the last election and handed over a "large wad of bills".

He took the cash totalling $10,000 home and it was later given to the Liberal Party. Mr McCloy denies the claims.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Geoffrey Watson, SC, said Mr Cornwell has been "helpful" to the commission and while his actions "may have been unwise, it would seem to us that those actions may have been the product of a degree of inexperience in the face of high pressure tactics from some determined characters".

He added there was "no evidence" Mr Cornwell favoured the interests of Mr McCloy or Mr Grugeon.

Mr Watson said investigations since the inquiry last held public hearings had "proved fruitful" and there was evidence of "serious irregularities in the way those campaigns" for the Hunter Valley seats were conducted.

"There will be a lot of evidence," Mr Watson said. "Much will depend on who is believed and who is not believed."

Mr Watson said there was evidence that former police minister Mike Gallacher was aware of the funding arrangements and "suggested some of them".

He added that embattled coal mogul Nathan Tinkler's property development group Buildev would get "quite a mention in this inquiry".

The inquiry has previously heard allegations that Mr Gallacher was involved in a "corrupt scheme" with Buildev to channel illegal donations to Mr Owen's campaign.

Mr Owen announced in May that he would not recontest the next election because it appeared "highly likely" prohibited donors "did contribute in some way to my election campaign" without his knowledge.

Mr Watson said there would be evidence the campaign for Mr Owen's seat was "partly funded" by illegal sources.

The campaign for Mr Cornwell's adjoining seat was also under scrutiny over allegations of "seriousl electoral funding irregularities".

Mr Owen will be investigated over his involvement in the scheme to take illegal donations.

The ICAC will also examine whether former Labor treasurer Eric Roozendaal and his corrupt former colleague Joe Tripodi "improperly took steps" to benefit Nathan Tinkler's property development group while in government.

Also rolling over is Mr Tripodi's former friend, Vince Fedele, who has given evidence about Mr Tripodi's involvement in a campaign to undermine former Labor minister Jodi McKay, who opposed Buildev's plans for a coal loader.

Mr Watson has foreshadowed potential problems for Mr Tripodi, saying that "attempting to influence a person to give false evidence is a serious offence".

Haters Objector posted:

Why does he melt down so hard over a forum game?

Amethyst posted:

Gough Suppressant posted:

I find the Melbourne one intensely amusing. Caulfield is basically the Jewish hub of Australia, but apparently it has really heavy South African population too. I guess something about it really attracts apartheidists of various stripes?

Goodpart posted:

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/...806-101849.html

SO PRO CLICK

Antlions posted:

So, something I'm not sure about : ICAC good? ICAC bad? ICAC good but run by bad people? I hear bits and pieces about it but I don't really have any context to go on.

sidviscous posted:

If there's anything that this last year has taught me, it's how fundamentally flawed the concept of meritocracy is... Just how many of these uber wealthy captains of industry are actually dumb as poo poo.

Like - we all suspected it, but we seem to be reminded of it on a daily basis.

Captain Pissweak posted:

It's really telling that the only person in the Liberal party even vaguely capable of commenting on climate change as a result of their background is a vocal denier of it.

NTRabbit posted:

She got a $60k scholarship off the back of one 15 minute interview before she'd even received any grades to get that D average, she absolutely knew it was dodgy as gently caress and deserves the scrutiny

hyperbowl posted:

The Jewish school near my parents' house has had armed guards at the gate since at least the 90s. It wasn't because of jihadists then and it isn't because of jihadists now.

Tirade posted:

It'd be fascinating to see whether likely political leaning could be teased out from shopping habits. Door-knocking is a really good tool but it's a limited resource and any way to be smarter about where it's employed would be really valuable. So say for example there was an incredibly strong link established such that someone buying a line of organic products is 90% likely to vote Green. Those people no longer get a visit from door-knockers, because their vote is pretty much locked in already. Or alternatively, people who buy "Atlas Scrubbed" body wash who have only a 1% likelihood to vote Green, who can now also be crossed off the list.

Splode posted:

pretty sure using invasive data collection for your own ends is bad, and a better policy would be "We'll push for legislation to ban woolies and coles collecting all this data because it's bad for society to have huge corporations manipulating their customers into doing things they otherwise wouldn't!"

Tokamak posted:

Without going deep into their data collection policies, I always wondered how far supermarket data collection goes. I know that loyalty stuff gets taken, but I always wondered if there was anything stopping them from collecting every transaction. There's plenty of value in (pseudo-)anonymous transaction records. Knowing how people can be easily psychologically manipulated, its odd that the government maintains a pretty laissez-faire attitude towards data collection. If the government collected and used everything they could about a person in the way a retailer does, we'd be up in arms about it.

Murodese posted:

You can also use shopping lists to work out when people are likely to develop chronic diseases and use browsing history to build a full physical and mental health profile of people, which is ~invaluable~ for insurance agencies.

Anidav posted:

There's no loving way the LNP are winning the next NSW election after so many beheadings, right?

Vladimir Poutine posted:

I get that this is just garden variety but is there a particular reason they picked her?

Murodese posted:

Orkin Mang posted:

Are all the Coalition's policies formulated on the basis of gut-feelings and random anecdotes? Because it seems like they've done practically no research, not even preliminary research, in the areas in which they're trying to pass legislation. A moment's thought would tell you that poorer people will be hit harder than the richer on average by an increase in the fuel excise.

Quantum Mechanic posted:

Peter Phelps just took a steaming dump.

Palmersaurus posted:

Wayne Karlen @AlaMerQld · Aug 2
Of course the fact that some of the teenagers were born In India doesn't stop @smh reporting fiction. Suggest check @australian for facts

Wayne Karlen @AlaMerQld · Aug 1
What was @smh expecting - an invite to a going away party? Another leftard beatup - read @australian for real news.

Wayne Karlen @AlaMerQld · Jul 25
Cruel is @smh pining to return to ALP open border policies that resulted in 1200+ drowning. At least @australian reports balanced views

Wayne Karlen @AlaMerQld · Jul 25
Just like @smh @clementine_ford to blame it all on men. Hypocritical - at least @australian will call a spade a spade! @AndrewBoltsBlog

Doctor Spaceman posted:

(Phone-posting) Can someone post the Courier-Mail front page?

Also ICAC today has been glorious.

Scylo posted:

I wonder why nobody buys newspapers anymore

Gough Suppressant posted:

Ahahaha even Bernardi is telling Hockey to stop being such a fuckhead.

Anidav posted:

I shouldn't jump to conclusions but my advertising assignment is to build a campaign for Lindt Chocolate and my lecturer previously worked for them decades ago. Probably a coincidence.

Anidav posted:

Probably but after Bill Glasson every assignment I've done just feels like secretly working for Satan.

Mithranderp posted:

Job oppourtunity for you Anidav

https://smartjobs.qld.gov.au/jobtoo...=scoring%20desc

HookShot posted:

Man my high school was boring, we didn't have anyone like that in my grade

There was an autistic kid a year younger who would sometimes do funny things but that was it.

Murodese posted:

e; I feel as if news.com.au hasn't realised that clickhole is a satire of sites like clickhole and they've instead used it as an instruction manual.

Ragingsheep posted:

Why....?