Australian Politics

Interesting intervieq with former High Commissioner George Brandis this week. They disagree agreeably, and sometimes agree :o , on arange of current topics, Voice, NATO, Ukraine war, where the Libs are at now. They even have a look at the cricket kerfuffle.

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I've been curious about him for a while since he was supposedly a good sort but unpopular, and I have a lot of sympathy for politicians like that.

Looking at the obituaries and tributes, you'd be forgiven for thinking the only thing Simon Crean ever accomplished in his life was opposing the Iraq invasion, also he was a union figure and did some non-specific trade diplomacy. What were his values and policy positions? Why would he have been better than Latham? Dunno lol, Iraq

I read on Wikipedia that he was the ACTU president during the Accord, which would have been a tough job and quite a legacy, whether you think it was ultimately a bad idea or not.

Regarding his supposed unpopularity, I just saw someone point out that he actually would've beaten Howard with an 8-seat majority off Greens preferences, but the Australian didn't calculate the 2PP properly and so created the narrative.

https://twitter.com/mumbletwits/status/1673198594512527360

Given a Crean Labor government may well have happened in a less stupid world, what might that have looked like? How would his government have changed the country and faced challenges like climate change, asylum seekers and the GFC? Would something like the Intervention still have happened under his leadership? Etc

Got this in the mail. Not sure why the LNP is telling me all the great policies the Greens stand for. You'd think they'd want to portray the Greens in a bad light.

Transcription:

A dark green letter, with "What do the Greens really stand for?" in large letters. Under that, three separate article headlines and sources:

• Stop the Stage 3 Tax Cuts—www.greens.org.au, 16/01/23
• Greens Back Defunding Police—The Daily Telegraph, June 2020
• Abolish the Private Health Insurance Rebate—www.greens.org.au, 16/01/23

Key points:

• If the Senate rejects a bill twice, the government gains the ability to call an early election
• The Greens want National Cabinet to impose rent freezes in return for their support of the housing bill
• Tasmanian crossbencher Tammy Tyrrell slammed the Greens for deferring the vote

Amanda Stoker, a former Liberal senator, has accused her colleague, David Van, of inappropriately touching her at a social event in 2020. Stoker alleges that Van squeezed her bottom twice, an action she described as inappropriate, unprofessional, and uninvited. She reported the incident to Van the following day, stating that his behaviour was unacceptable. Van allegedly apologised and promised not to repeat the behaviour, and according to Stoker, he kept his word. Stoker also reported the incident to a senior female colleague to ensure that any future reports could be properly addressed.

This accusation follows allegations by Lidia Thorpe, who also accused Van of inappropriate touching in a parliamentary stairwell. In response to these allegations, Van was removed from the Liberal party room by the opposition leader, Peter Dutton. Van confirmed that allegations were made against him three years ago, but he did not remember the incidents and claimed to be friends with those who made the allegations. Following these accusations, Van may face an investigation by the parliamentary workplace support service.

Idk which community to post this too, so putting it here.

The classic tradition of pulling up the ladder behind them continues.

What good are interest rate rises to fight inflation when these mugs slap 20% on to your home & small business power bill?