Awu
Tony Abbott yesterday failed to make a case that Julia Gillard had acted in a manner unbecoming of a prime minister by allegedly lying over her involvement in the AWU slush fund scandal. And given the Opposition Leader has actually made the more serious allegation that the PM may have in fact committed a crime, the onus is on him to prove that she did.
But this was never the object for Abbott. To use the parlance of the pugilist, Abbott is an infighter, not a slugger. He doesn’t go for the knock-out punch. And in this fashion, while Gillard remains on her feet, the internal damage may have already been done.
Where Abbott succeeded yesterday was in delivering on his strategy of leaving Gillard’s leadership battered and bruised as parliament rose for its three-month summer recess. Her plans of going to Christmas with her caucus solidly in her corner, and a new-year election agenda in front of her, have been left a bloodied mess on the political canvas.
Continue reading "Gillard’s leadership battered and bruised after this bout" »
Julia Gillard had two big goals for the second half of 2012 and was on track to achieve both of them. The first one was simple enough: to survive. If a doctor’s guiding dictum is “do no harm,’’ the political equivalent is “being there’”.
For any leader, and particularly an unpopular one, merely making it through the closing days of parliament – the so-called “the killing season’’ - is something of an achievement.
The second goal was to finish off the year well allowing Labor to hit the ground running in 2013. That too seemed to be working. Progress through the second half of 2012 had been steady and encouraging just as she promised.
Continue reading "A little mud sticks, even if the PM is squeaky clean" »
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Achmed says:
On the news this morning they were saying the Parties will be concentrating on the election, going very much into election mode. Labor - NDIS, NBN, Pokies, the economy. Liberals - more sleaze, smear to distract from their tax increase to pay for maternity leave, their recent vote against a… Read more »
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Reacherhatesliears says:
PJ even ATO does not expect records to be kept for longer than 7 years or 31/2 years depending. Read the Records Administration Act in WA. Depending on the “record” 3/5/7/10 years. Nothing is required to be kept for over 15 years. But you keep telling your lies, you are… Read more »
The debate over what Julia Gillard did or should have done 17 years ago is bogged down in the arcane territory of solicitors’ paperwork and a handful of disputed assertions. None of the assertions would lead to accusations of criminality, and the Prime Minister used a press conference yesterday to invite anyone with evidence of law breaking to come forward. As if it hadn’t crossed their mind already.
The paperwork debate, spurred by legally-trained Deputy Liberal Leader Julie Bishop, might establish that 17 years ago Ms Gillard was not a supremely competent solicitor and missed a few tees which needed crossing.
But it is unlikely to produce a police charge. The so-called AWU “scandal” appears to be not only a victim-less crime but a criminal-less one. That is if one makes the difficult decision there has been a crime at all. The Opposition is taking a risk that if it is seen to be chasing a phantom broken law it could look more like Inspector Clouseau than Hercule Poirot. So why is the Opposition chasing this episode so vigorously while the general public is finding it so tedious?
Continue reading "Another defiant performance and no smoking gun" »
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Mouse says:
Christian Real, You have written that Ms Bishop did chat with Mr Blewitt and after talking to him did not find him credible. The meeting wasn’t secret, it’s in the paper and she is talking about it. She doesn’t find him credible, so I can’t imagine her quoting bits from… Read more »
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iansand says:
Esteban - I hate to tell you this, but lawyers act for friends and relatives all the time. How do you know what the fee structure between the AWU and S&G? ow do you know that what she did was not part of that fee deal. There might have been… Read more »
Tony Abbott likes to spread the idea he is a passive and dispassionate observer of Julia Gillard’s tussle with matters of two decades and another career ago.
“Now, as I’ve said repeatedly this week, I am prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt,” the Opposition Leader told reporters on Saturday.
This is, of course, total buncombe. At issue is what Prime Minister Gillard might have done for and with her then union leader boyfriend and one other official of the Australian Workers’ Union when she was a Melbourne lawyer in the early 90s.
Continue reading "The Opposition will keep this witch hunt trouble bubbling" »
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cheap nfl authentic jerseys'blog says:
Thanks for discussing your ideas on this blog. In addition, a myth regarding the banking institutions intentions any time talking about property foreclosure is that the loan company will not have my repayments. There is a certain quantity of time which the bank will need payments every now and then.… Read more »
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Davidharris-David says:
Craig2 Good, we will be back to denying climate change, and getting rid of the new broadband and Tony can tell us how wonderful it all is. Read more »
Paul Howes chooses to damn John Howard with faint praise.
In his most recent Sunday Telegraph article Mr Howes credits John Howard as having put in place the conservative wish-list of policy changes. He would no doubt like to do the same for the left wish-list.
He writes “If you want to enact real change, you have to do it slowly. There is no point in making sweeping changes if you only get three years in which to do them”.
Continue reading "Gillard will always be a captive of the Hard Left" »
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Gerard PeopleBrowsr says:
The Australian Elections definitely is causing a major buzz, not only here in Australia but worldwide. It sure is a battle of platform for social reform, strategies, action plans, good governance and even charisma. Australians have mixed feelings about Julia Gilard and Tony Abbott. While some thinks Julia is endearing… Read more »
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Peter says:
Yep, who would the Libs rather have now? Gillard vs. Abbott, or Gillard vs. Turnball? Short sighted decison by the Libs to get rid of Turnball. Read more »
“Out, damned spot! out” moaned the sleepwalking Lady Macbeth after the murders committed to ensure that Kingship came to Macbeth. “What will these hands never be clean”.
“Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”.
And yet the “spot” seemed to be worn as a badge of honour on Sunday morning TV with the newly anointed Prime Minister choosing Joan Kirner giant polka dot jacket to begin her reign.
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Seano says:
Megan Gale is the face of DJ’s and yet I don’t get upset when she’s not on the counter. Jokes aside. The pretence that voters feel cheated that Rudd got rolled is mostly coming from the right and is a beat up. Obviously people know they did not vote for… Read more »
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Blueberry Bagel says:
Where can I get the recipe for Bronwyn’s hair… Baker’s Delight? Read more »
It was so simple for the Opposition. Keep hammering Peter Garrett on the details of when exactly he saw Minter Ellison warnings about the risks associated with the Government’s home insulation scheme.
If they didn’t get his scalp, they would at least have a strong message about Ministerial incompetence in the Rudd Government for the Federal Election campaign.
Then this morning Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham jumped the shark.
Continue reading "Coalition’s own goal in the insulation shoot-out" »
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sahi says:
Shame on Kevin Rudd debarcle conclusion of the isolation in which people died and political business people will lose top scorer in this election, to send all its MPs in their constituencies to help people who have had insulation installed.ldl cholesterol levels And none of the Labour voters? will have… Read more »
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JeniferHowe says:
If you’re in uncomfortable position and have got no money to go out from that, you will have to receive the mortgage loans. Just because that should aid you definitely. I get secured loan every year and feel myself great because of it. Read more »
I have a confession to make. I have a soft spot for the Australian Workers Union.
Before anyone gets too excited, let me explain. My great, great aunt was Dame Mary Gilmore, the first female member of the AWU. Dame Mary was one of Australia’s greatest ever poets who now graces our ten dollar note.
Dame Mary edited the women’s page of the Australian Worker before heading off to South America in 1900 to be part of William Lane’s ‘New Australia’ commune in Paraguay.
Continue reading "The unions were complicit in Garrett’s insulation failure" »
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alan cotterell says:
What has the Liberal Party done to alienate the Australian Industry Group? Heather Ridout has clearly stated that workplace OHS is the province of the employer, NOT peter Garrett! Read more »
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Dingo says:
John, how our debt compares to other nations should be irrelevant. However if you really want to keep making that comparison, consider our comparative unemployment rate and net govt surplus when the GFC first arose. Then look at some of the very serious issues now facing several of the highly… Read more »
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner said yesterday on Meet the Press that the government choosing to buy Australian made products was like him doing his 15 year old daughter’s homework.
I’m not sure what he means by that, but it’s clear he hasn’t been doing his own homework when it comes to using the government’s stimulus packages to create the most jobs possible.
In fact, the government choosing to source products overseas is like getting the neighbour’s kids to come over and mow the lawn, and then wondering why your own kids are hitting you up for pocket money when you go to the shops.
Continue reading "Labor risks throwing away Australian jobs" »
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miantiao says:
We have been acting in good faith since the 70s. China, the US, the EU, Russia, they are all industrialized economies. Who loses out when one industrialized economy closes the door to anothers imports whilst at the same time retaining access to the others’s market? We are on the same… Read more »
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Andrew says:
Free Trade does need to be a two way street, but just like in any relationship someone has to take the first step as an act of goodwill. As an industrialised economy Australia has less to lose and much to gain from Free Trade. Furthermore, my advice to you son… Read more »
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