http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/jamie-briggs/ In early 2006 Jamie Briggs was appointed to a senior adviser’s role in the PM’s office, one of the youngest ever to hold that title. Following the Howard Government’s election loss in 2007, he won a by-election held in 2008 to replace the retiring Alexander Downer in the Federal seat of Mayo. He is a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committees on Health and Ageing, Economics, and the Joint Statutory Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Audit.   en Copyright 2013 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-politician-whos-running-to-lose-his-seat/ Reading about Richard Marles’ experience on a water slide this summer reminded me of an episode of The Simpsons when Homer takes Bart and Lisa to a water theme park.  Just like Richard Marles, Homer’s attempt at going down a water slide ends in serious embarrassment.  Richard’s experience wasn’t as shocking as Homer’s though – who had to be cut out of the water slide and placed back to earth by a crane.  Thankfully, unlike Homer, Richard has decided not to pursue a life in the ‘moo-moo’, but is instead seeking to, albeit slowly, trim down for a healthier life.  In fact, while there’s no shortage of reports telling us how fat we are, there are more and more of us attempting to lose that spare tyre. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-politician-whos-running-to-lose-his-seat/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-politician-whos-running-to-lose-his-seat/#item10470 Thu, 24 Jan 2013 19:55:17 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/another-swan-dive-by-a-desperage-government/ A key aspect of our system of government is an impartial public service.  In fact, this impartiality is enshrined in the Australian Public Service Act 1999, where it states:  (1) The APS Values are as follows: (a) the APS is apolitical, performing its functions in an impartial and professional manner. When this impartiality is undermined, our system of government is undermined.  But this means very little to the Gillard Labor Government.  This week, we have seen Wayne Swan direct Treasury officials to cost Coalition policies for no other reason than to try and discredit his political opponents.  If this is not undermining the impartiality of the public service, then I don’t know what is.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/another-swan-dive-by-a-desperage-government/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/another-swan-dive-by-a-desperage-government/#item9931 Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:50:46 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/its-about-the-spending-stupid/ For all its flaws, there is one thing this Labor Government can be proud of – a cohesive ability to ignore the reality of its spending addiction.  I applaud every Labor Member of Parliament who has successfully stood in front of a camera and said with a straight face that Wayne Swan is a good economic manager.  It must be tough, because a close look at the Budget’s spending column clearly proves otherwise.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/its-about-the-spending-stupid/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/its-about-the-spending-stupid/#item6135 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:35:40 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-labors-waste-to-blame-for-dud-budget/ As we enter another budget season, we are again swamped by a wall of excuses from Treasurer Wayne Swan, excuses that are supposed to explain why his budget will be a dud, again. Each year it’s the same.  As budget night approaches, out come the excuses.  It’s someone else’s fault.  It’s the financial crisis.  It’s a natural disaster.  It’s a mining boom that won’t deliver like other mining booms.  Wayne Swan acts as if he is the only Treasurer to face challenges.  In Wayne’s world, all others had it easy.  Peter Costello and the Howard Government were lucky, according to him.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-labors-waste-to-blame-for-dud-budget/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-labors-waste-to-blame-for-dud-budget/#item5769 Sun, 08 May 2011 19:55:08 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-continues-to-recognise-faceless-men/ The series of natural disasters that have caused so much damage in Queensland are creating new medium and longer term challenges for the Australian economy.  However the Gillard Labor Government is unable to take the necessary action needed to stop the inflationary and multiplier effect its re-regulation of the labour market is bound to cause. Unfortunately for all of us the Government can’t and won’t say no to its trade union masters. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-continues-to-recognise-faceless-men/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-continues-to-recognise-faceless-men/#item5160 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:40:35 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-detention-centres-coming-to-a-town-near-you/ The last thing Adelaide Hills residents would have expected to hear this week was that their community would be home to Labor’s newest detention centre. The ambush announcement by the Prime Minister on Monday to turn the defence housing site at Inverbrackie near Woodside in South Australia into a detention centre has caused enormous concern amongst local residents.  Now, I know there are people out there who consider themselves morally superior to me.  So to them I make this point very clear to begin with - my issue is not with asylum seekers; my issue is with this Labor Government and the decisions it has made. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-detention-centres-coming-to-a-town-near-you/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-detention-centres-coming-to-a-town-near-you/#item4305 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:50:43 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/give-me-my-money-back/ If the worst of the global financial crisis is behind us and Wayne Swan’s bank deposit guarantee no longer exists, why are many Australians still fighting with investment firms over frozen funds which have been locked away for almost two years?  The government’s bank deposit guarantee, introduced at the height of the financial crisis, was meant to stabilise financial markets and restore the flow of credit.  It covered all deposits of banks but excluded investment funds.  This triggered a lockdown of deposits in investment funds and left hundreds of thousands of Australians in the lurch.  When the government decided to remove the bank deposit guarantee in March this year, sighting improved conditions in the banking sector, many expected it to facilitate the release of frozen funds, particularly those smaller funds held by ordinary Australians.  This decision was a sign and an expectation that things would start to return to normal.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/give-me-my-money-back/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/give-me-my-money-back/#item4203 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:35:08 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/death-by-focus-group-under-prime-minister-gillard/ Julia Gillard will never be accused of being a conviction politician.The announcement of a ‘panel’ to decide her climate policy is the final step in the Labor Party handing over its policy development to focus groups. This makes the NSW State Labor take-over of the Federal Labor Party complete. While we thought Kevin Rudd was hollow, Julia Gillard makes him look like a man of steel. This is presumably the same Julia Gillard who in late 2009 said, ‘we can’t afford any more inquiries, reports or investigations into climate change’.  So presumably, this didn’t include talk fests. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/death-by-focus-group-under-prime-minister-gillard/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/death-by-focus-group-under-prime-minister-gillard/#item3642 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:29:22 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-mates-mining-rudds-new-found-cash-deposit/ Two weeks ago I wrote for the Punch a piece about Kevin Rudd breaching his election commitment and dumping the Auditor General from the advertising process. This was in response to the politically motivated advertising on the so-called health reforms that were launched by Rudd Labor. However it turns out Kevin Rudd wasn’t satisfied with simply breaking part of his pre election commitments on government advertising; he wanted to go all the way. The advertising campaign for the mining tax was born.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-mates-mining-rudds-new-found-cash-deposit/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labor-mates-mining-rudds-new-found-cash-deposit/#item3276 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:30:38 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-can-add-ads-to-rudds-list-of-policy-backflips/ Have you heard a radio advert lately telling you that the new health reforms are really good for you? They are hard to miss and there is avalanche to come. According to the Budget, the Rudd Government will spend $126 million on five campaigns in the next few months.  These campaigns cover topics including climate change, tax reform, health reform, broadband and paid parental leave.  $33 million will be spent in the next six weeks alone. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jamie Briggs) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-can-add-ads-to-rudds-list-of-policy-backflips/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-can-add-ads-to-rudds-list-of-policy-backflips/#item3110 Tue, 18 May 2010 19:40:18 +0000 Jamie Briggs | Author bios | The Punch