Governor General
In the lottery that is (public) life, being appointed Governor-General is akin to winning the jackpot. Candidates for the job – none of whom are struggling for a quid in the first place – receive a generous $394,000 a year and, as today’s investigation in the Sunday newspapers shows, enjoy lavish pensions which follow them to the grave.
It’s not a bad arrangement for a position which, under our funny constitutional arrangements, requires that you don’t really do anything.
The job rarely invites too much scrutiny, save for those rare moments in our history when the appointee is accused of exceeding their constitutional role, or finds themself mired in an unrelated scandal which leaves them unable to do their job.
Continue reading "Money for (almost) nothing - are we too good to our GGs?" »
For anyone who missed the Governor General’s speech opening Parliament yesterday we might be able to source you a copy, but the North Koreans are rumoured to have snapped them all up and are attempting to weaponise the material.
The Punch counted at least five people asleep in the public galleries of the Senate during Quentin Bryce’s speech, and that’s not counting some esteemed members of the press gallery.
The Governor General’s speech is written by the Prime Minister and intends to outline the Government’s new term agenda. Besides being very dull, the speech was also an extremely rosy view of how the Gillard Government will negotiate its policy through the new paradigm Parliament. Here’s a more realistic account version of the Governor General’s speech:
Continue reading "The speech the Governor General should have given" »
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Alan says:
What the GG really should have said:- “I don’t know what my job description is and can see no need for my job to exist, therefore I resign in order to let Australians elect their Head of State” Read more »
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Bobster says:
@ TimB Given the entire discussion is about Abbott’s post-election tactics I didn’t think it was necessary to re-itterate it in every sentence. We don’t need to put a number on it at all - if Abbott’s preferred PM or Liberal polling figs drop in the near future then there’ll… Read more »
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@GreenJ how dare you even suggest such a thing. I'd love to blog from their traning session though about what a pack of toffs they are
RT @kellieconnolly: @penbo @antsharwood Not judging Hackett but to set the record straight again I had been asking 9 for a redundancy and left on good terms
Feisty piece by @antsharwood leading http://t.co/5WsLF5Pf on how ch 9 can punt spiteri connolly rowe but not the delightful grant hackett
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