Policy
To say there’s a lot of crazy going on in Federal politics is the most subtle of all understatements. When Julia Gillard announced the faraway election date she claimed doing so would provide “stability and certainty” going into the year.
Less than a week later she is accusing her rioting Labor caucus of systematically working against her, two senior Cabinet Ministers have announced their resignations, a suspended Labor MP (who Gillard once said she had “complete confidence in”) has been arrested on 149 charges, and her ALP Vice-President launched a scathing attack on the culture of the party.
So how’s that stability working out for you Julia?
Continue reading "Thirty two weeks of stability? Not very likely…" »
It doesn’t matter if the election is three years or three days away, we’re constantly reminded who the most popular party is, who’s got the preferences, and who’s the preferred prime minister. It never seems to be the actual prime minister or the opposition leader, which is curious.
Every time I see one of these polls, I’m reminded of how I constantly check my phone for messages from my girlfriend. There never is any, because I don’t have one. Political polling is that pointless.
Where do these numbers come from? A surprisingly small number of people, often barely over a thousand. The polls claim a margin of error of only a few per cent, but in Australia we’re talking about complex issues and over 20 million people. I fondly remember a ‘Yes Prime Minister’ sketch that exposed political polling for the farce that it is (see above).
Continue reading "Who really cares what average Australians think?" »
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Ben says:
AdamC makes a fair point. I’ve lived in an inner city area for some years now, and I grow tired of the insufferable self-righteousness and group think that prevail. Despite being educated and espousing egalitarianism and tolerance for all, many of these people have no hesitation in sneering at so-called… Read more »
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A Concerned Citizen says:
@iansand- actually there’s a logical explanation for the sexist voting policy in Switzerland. They never went to war during the 20th century, thus didn’t have a shortage of workers and were forced to grudgingly accept women as having any rights whatsoever at a much earlier time like ourselves. Of course,… Read more »
In recent years there have been so many bad policy ideas come out of Canberra it is hard to decide which was the worst. Some will vote for the knee-jerk ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia, some the pink batts fiasco, some the dismantling of Howard’s Pacific Solution.
Personally I think the worst policies, like the best wines, take years to mature. Which is why Peter Costello’s decision to pay the dregs of society to breed always gets my Number One on the ballot paper of dumb things our politicians have done.
But this week after five years in office Labor finally got its act together with a policy to rival the baby bonus for its stupidity. Congratulations are due to Chris Bowen for his “no advantage” test which will apply to asylum seekers who are released into the community.
Continue reading "No contest: The Govt is onto a winner with this policy" »
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JoniM says:
Spot on marley ! As we all know, the ALP is only good at negotiating with union officials and each other ! Hence the problems they have with any foreign affairs ! Even Gillard said she hated foreign affairs ! They have only ever been good at local affairs with… Read more »
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Peter says:
@ sunny. You are a misogynist under the new definition as recently defined by you know whom !! Read more »
Babies have been at the forefront of politics lately. Politicians kissing babies is never a bad thing if it serves as a reminder of their current and future responsibilities.
After countless successful missions, it was my millisecond look of sheer terror at the thought of dropping a colleague’s (former Senator Andrew Bartlett’s) four-day-old daughter that made headlines 11 years ago. It’s an award winning photograph by Patrick Hamilton. Needless to say, babysitting offers dropped off after that.
In discussing last week’s changes to the Baby Bonus and the Treasurer’s notion that subsequent children cost less, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, said: “...I think if the government was a bit more experienced in this area, they wouldn’t come out with glib lines like that.”
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zoe says:
Dont know if you’ll read this Natasha but I thought the photo is hilarious probably how I looked after the midwife handed me my first baby. Read more »
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OchreBunyip says:
Politicians will fake empathy for whatever they believe attracts votes. Read more »
It is no secret that former Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner and current Prime Minister Julia Gillard are not close.
Tanner of course, announced he was quitting politics on the very day Ms Gillard became prime minister.
If that gesture rubbed some the wrong way, it was nothing compared to the abrasions caused by his new book.
Continue reading "Roll up, roll up, for a peek inside the Labor circus" »
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Swamp Thing says:
Must be time for that nutcase emmerson to give us another tune…. How about this for a reform: mandatory psychological testing for all aspirants for public office, +regular mental health checks for all elected officials. Never happen will it? Any ideas why they can’t be held to the same medical… Read more »
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emel says:
Ihp : young people you encounter? jesus wept. just because you can see no value in faster communication speeds does not really matter. I just hope you are not behind the wheel of any business or organisation that expects to remain viable in the future. thanks for the lecture on… Read more »
The fate of the Labor Government rests in significant part on the performance of one woman, and yesterday she held a press conference in Canberra with Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
She is Family and Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin, the left-winger who has developed a close working relationship with the right-wing Treasurer Wayne Swan.
One senior public servant has likened their unity ticket to the productive collaboration between former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe (Ms Macklin’s previous boss) and then-Treasurer Paul Keating – a meeting of left social concerns and economic conservatism.
Continue reading "The woman with her head down trying to save Labor" »
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philip01 says:
“‘Give Gillard a fair go’Well Gillard has had more than a “‘Fair Go"what Gillard needs is a good knife in the back just like she and her band of merry men and hopeless women We have had all the lies about the carbon tax, Mining tax now for the screwing… Read more »
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Farr Out says:
ZSRenn that is priceless. I laughed out loud at your comment when the real joke is Malcom’s incessant, apologist nonsense. Read more »
Wayne Swan’s 2012-13 blueprint was well crafted and immediately drew errors from the Opposition.
Tony Abbott’s one-speed approach to political combat apparently blinded him to the knuckle-headedness of standing between voters and a wedge of cash.
By invoking the arbitrary principle that cash hand-outs are bad policy, Mr Abbott again showed how bluntly oppositional he is prepared to be. But it was dumb politics.
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Yukimi says:
ignoring a whole history of seavrel thousand years in which women were treated as property, and somehow thinking that the way Tony used the word is completely divorced from that context? Especially considering the man’s religious views.Funny that it is in fact you who wishes to exclude consideration of Abbott’s… Read more »
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Divide and conquer says:
This is no different to Bob Carr’s Back to Schools Bonus; except he sent it out as a cheque with a personally signed letter sprucing his political empire. It is no different to the stories we do from a high and mighty stand point of pollies in Thailand going out… Read more »
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a regular column where we take a look at codswallop and propaganda, logical failures and brain farts. The big news today is the Government’s plan to pay families to look after asylum seekers.
Last year, to ease pressure on detention centres, the Government started releasing more people into the community on bridging visas – but there’s still not enough room.
So now they’re going to use the Australian Homestay Network - a network of households who have already signed up to look after international students. The Government will cover the costs of room and board – about $140 per asylum seeker per week.
Continue reading "ICB: House the homeless before asylum seekers?" »
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Csw says:
@Me my mo - “those homeless Aboriginals who grew up to take alcohol and drugs” did so for a reason. Instead of having a go about it, why aren’t you more interested in why it’s happened and trying to find a solution? Everyone deserves a second chance. And you don’t… Read more »
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Csw says:
“They had their shot at life and screwed it up” - do people not deserve second chances? What if it was you in that position? Wouldn’t you want a second chance? “Its their own fault they can’t afford rent, everyone has an opportunity in Australia to make something of themselves.”… Read more »
It was a common question over the break: “What’s going to happen in Canberra this coming year - will there be an election?’‘
Politics has always been a rough game but in recent times it’s become a virtual blood-sport with a constant sense that there’s another big event around every corner.
It matters less whether it’s an early election or perhaps a leadership contest on one or both sides. This “what’s-gonna-happen” fascination goes not merely to whether Tony Abbott can maintain the pressure on Julia Gillard he so relentlessly applied in 2011, but also to whether her own colleagues will hold fast or do the unthinkable.
Continue reading "2012: Julia Gillard’s year of living precariously" »
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TofaccopeHore says:
“Typically, I get about Julius Peppers Jersey a year with a guy when he comes in as a freshman quarterback,” former USC strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle told “Stack” magazine. “I help him build his body and further develop his athleticism Michael Vick Jersey in that time. Once he… Read more »
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AttesmibZem says:
food market <a >cheap nfl jerseys</a> , Answers and questions <a >cheap nfl jerseys</a> , and that is <a >cheap nfl jerseys</a> , The modern <a >cheap nfl jerseys</a> , has produced <a >cheap nfl jerseys</a> , important to <a >cheap nfl jerseys</a> , kept in <a >cheap nfl jerseys</a>… Read more »
The grace period for not politicising human tragedy is less than 24 hours. Both major parties are in full swing - misinforming the public, drumming up fear and spinning themselves out of any actual policy action.
The fact remains that Australia does not have an ‘asylum problem’ but we do have a problem with our policy response. Receiving less than 1 per cent of the world’s asylum claims in a year is not a problem. People dying at sea is most definitely a problem, unfortunately not one unique to Australia or to Indonesia.
The public debate around Labor vs. Coalition policy proposals can be likened to the saying: “When the finger points at the moon, the idiot looks at the finger.”
Continue reading "Take more asylum seekers to ensure fewer boats" »
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Tom says:
Ozpatriot, please reply to this message if you ever become part of our government. I am asking because if you do I will leave the country. Read more »
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Time to get tough says:
Real Refugees would not be fat and healthy when the boat arrives, throw their papers overboard before they arrive, even have the thousands it is suppose to cost them to come over and then Riot even though they get 3 meals a day, foxtel etc. Some Australian citizens cannot even… Read more »
On May 25, 1961 United States President John F Kennedy proposed to the Congress that the nation set a goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely by the end of the decade.
Kennedy’s comments not only fired the gun in the space race but they also began a productivity revolution. The US would invest heavily in mathematicians and scientists, research and development that would drive innovation and change the nature of business and lifestyles forever.
In the last 50 years technology has been the game changer when it comes to productivity. The introduction of the personal computer and internet to business has revolutionised communications and interaction between businesses particularly in the global context.
Continue reading "What the Space Race can teach us about productivity" »
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outlet says:
My wife and i were very thrilled when Raymond managed to round up his web research with the precious recommendations he was given while using the weblog. It is now and again perplexing to simply possibly be releasing tricks which usually the rest might have been trying to sell. We… Read more »
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Glenn says:
Our PUBLIC education system has been “dumbed” down so workers are ignorant and Rightwing, and thus vote for the short-sighted, self-centred, parasite plutocrat’s Liberal party, and support their own rape and pillage by the rich and corporatist minority. “Entrepreneurs” have always been lazy; have always gone for the low hanging… Read more »
Life as a switched-on, concerned and indignant citizen can be confusing. There are so many options.
From screaming leftie to uptighty righty, it’s hard to know exactly which knee-jerk reaction is the best one.
To that end, I’ve compiled a handy guide for you, listing possible scenarios and offering recommendations, based on experience and observation, regarding the best way to react. You’re welcome. It’s called: SO YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT REACTING TO STUFF?
Continue reading "A handy guide to complaining about stuff" »
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icon set says:
Between us speaking, I would arrive differently. Read more »
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milo of Brizvegas says:
Australia has the World’s Greatest Treasurer) The difference is; The judgement made by the money magazine Euromoney, list their reasons and comparisons for bestowing this title. You may then challenge or disagree with their methodology or assertions. The “Thats what I call bullshit” crowd merely say “Thats what I call… Read more »
The power of the Roman Empire can be traced back to one key factor: The Romans did not fear death. This was not so much a state of mind or philosophical outlook on life. It was, simply, the law.
This was a society in which making a good speech in the Senate, winning a major victory on the battlefield or even just being Emperor, were all grounds for a swift and unexpected execution.
If the leading men of Rome had permitted themselves to have even the slightest fear of dying no one would have gotten anything done, since the consequence of doing pretty much anything was to be stabbed in the neck by an old friend.
Continue reading "The ALP should seek liberation in its annihilation" »
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oldtimer says:
Abbott accountable for what ? he’s NOT the PM…he can say and do whatever in Opposition. it’s the PM and her Party that need to be accountable….they are the ones in power arent they ??? or is it the Greens? (sarcasm) i dont know, im confused as to who or… Read more »
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Gubbaboy says:
I usually like your stuff Joe. But this is a bit wet and non sensical. You forget we have certain limitations in processing the queue jumpers. Gay marriage? Why not polygamy then? Why not incest? After all we are in the age of trashing traditions that have served us well.… Read more »
As the winter fog settles over Canberra and the nation’s politicians return to their electorates, there could be no more relieved Australians than the people of Queanbeyan.
Sitting just across the border from Canberra, the city’s small businesses have become a daily stage for the Leader of the Opposition to perform his stunts.
Usually directed against the proposed price on carbon, the hyped-up vitriol is mirrored in broader attacks around the country on anyone who doesn’t support his views whether they be scientists, economists or everyday Australians who dare to believe that dealing with climate change is necessary and urgent.
Continue reading "This Opposition can’t even oppose properly" »
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Not Lazy says:
Dash, You and the rest of you whiners disgust me. Your quote It’s about penalising successful people driving Australia’s wealth and rewarding the wealth destroyers and lazy arsed ALP demographic. Is just total crap. I vote Labor, I work 4 jobs am a fireman by trade and do the best… Read more »
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Bilbo says:
“...As to tax. Tax is tax. However, private companies. That is socialism…” To nationalise a private company is to take ownership and control by the state. Recent evidence of Labor Party actions (e.g. privatisation of Telstra, Qantas ,Lotto) points to the opposite. So could someone advise exactly which companies “this… Read more »
This is the fourth in a series of essays adapted from the Centre for Policy Development book, More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now. Australian culture is rich, deep and diverse and our new federal cultural policy should recognise this, writes Ben Eltham.
Australia has been promised a new cultural policy by the Gillard Government, due sometime in 2011. What is a cultural policy and why do we need one?
Cultural policy is not often treated as an important public affairs issue. But culture touches on many of the things that Australians do, see, hear and engage with everyday. Watching television, reading a newspaper, playing a computer game, updating your Facebook status, sending a tweet, going to a bar to see comedy, even things like gardening and cooking: all of these activities are explicitly cultural.
Continue reading "Putting Australian culture under the microscope" »
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John says:
Persephone One extra bit . Not that long ago the then Minister Mr garret invited public submissions on ‘cultural policy’. About 120 submissions were received, most were requests for funding for a particular activity/organisation, and/or for ‘recognition’ of that activity as ‘significant’. Only two or three of all of the… Read more »
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John says:
persephone Government cultural policy: Australia council/ peer review attempts to direct Australian audience attention towards “advanced art” started 1968-75 and has gone around in circles ever since. Cultural policy has a logical conundrum- If an art form has popular support it doesn’t need (or deserve) much in the way of… Read more »
This is the second in a series of essays adapted from the Centre for Policy Development book, More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now.
A Medicare credit card could make healthcare co-payments simpler and more affordable, writes Jennifer Doggett.
If you’ve ever been sick – really sick - in this country, you know that paying your medical bills isn’t cheap.
It’s also complex. Health insurance seldom covers the full cost of a procedure, so patients often leave hospital with a big bill waiting for them. Some of it can be claimed back on Medicare; some of it can’t. As well as being expensive, medical expenses are difficult to understand and a huge waste of time and effort. And all when you’re supposed to be resting and recuperating!
Our current system of health funding is failing. We spend more on health services every year and still many Australians miss out on the care they need.
Continue reading "A Medicare credit card could solve our health headache" »
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Colin Fraser says:
This is another one of those “Gee what a good idea” articles that are actually meaningless. I agree that we do things very wrong but the fact is that we have never really defined what “health care” is. What do we mean by health care? Minimizing bubonic plague and malaria… Read more »
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persephone says:
Jennifer and, as you know, many of these people are never going to get better. They’re never going to stop needing the support, and they’re never going to be able to earn an income. So you’re proposing that we put further costs on the health system by letting chronically ill… Read more »
This is the first in a series of essays adapted from The Centre for Policy Development‘s book More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now. Stayed tuned to The Punch this week for more Big Ideas.
What use is politics? It’s a question many Australians began to ask in the lead-up to the 2010 election as the Rudd and then the Gillard government ditched what seemed like a policy a day in a bid to lighten their electoral baggage. It was as if the government stood for nought except getting re-elected. What do we expect our governments to deliver, beyond our narrow self-interest?
Some say we get the governments we deserve. To some extent, this is true. When we stop paying attention to politics, we make it easier for politicians to stop paying attention to us.
Yet it is also true that governments get the citizens they deserve. If politicians treat elections as a marketing campaign instead of a genuine contest of ideas, then they should expect people to shop around for the best deal they can get for themselves.
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Bryan Vadas says:
The comment “business as usual doesn’t cut it anymore” is oh so true. Disruptive technologies and grasping inititive back from the governments and handing it back to the people is where the present and future are at. The power of “the crowd” through initiatives like crowd funding are proving to… Read more »
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Colin Fraser says:
There is no doubt about it, the Right is having a field day with an inept government they can brand as Left. What a lot of nonsense. Menzies was further to the Left than this government. The authors ask about the “Politics of the Day” but they completely ignore the… Read more »
Summer’s not over yet but those of us lucky enough to have secured a decent break over Christmas/New Year are mostly filing back into work this week or next.
Joy!
So too our politicians where at the national level, a snap poll theoretically can be called at any time.
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Louise says:
persephone, you certainly reinforce what a “fake, false & forged” show pony Rudd is. Funny, I thought you were a Rudd supporter. It’s good to see genuine Labor voters are waking up to this neo-liberal tool in Peter Garrett stage gear. Read more »
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D'oh says:
@ persephone Funny how you casually dismiss the lists I produced and then go after E’s somewhat less comprehensive list. It was a long list (achieved in a record time of 2 years mind you) and I would expect a long response. Bring on the 5 pages I say, Rudd’s… Read more »
Most people have no sympathy for hunger strikers - they think they’re crazy.
Peter Spencer is into his seventh week of a hunger strike but he isn’t crazy, he’s just had enough.
He’s so fed up with his lot in life, he’s ready to die.
Continue reading "Crazy or not this bloke needs to get out of his tree" »
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RobJ says:
” He cannot use it though so isn’t that “taken from him”?? “ He can use it! He can’t clear it, this is a good thing, continuous land clearance is UNSUSTAINABLE!!! (see Mulga Bill’s post above) Please just state facts, don’t make things up to defend this (according to his… Read more »
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Steve says:
I’ve just heard on the radio (2GB) that he’s coming down today. Read more »
Christmas is an odd time of year at Parliament. It’s a ghost town populated by a few grumpy staffers who inexplicably have to work and a few merrier journos who spend a rather long time at lunch.
But with such merriment one also has to keep an eye out for the Government dumping the trash when nobody is looking.
On Tuesday night at 6:30 the Government put out a press release quietly announcing that the controversial Men’s Health Ambassadors program, of which Julia Gillard’s partner was the marquee signing, had met for the final time and was being scrapped.
Continue reading "Tis the season to bury bad Government decisions" »
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Leonid says:
The comments above by IT’S JUST ME about the NSW musical chairs premiers are most unfair. Every member of the Sussex Street government thinks they are entitled to their turn as premier, so they can all score a flash pension and a chauffeur driven limo for life. Lucky taxpayers. And… Read more »
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IT'S JUST ME. says:
Ideas and manner of thinking between the NSW Ministerial individuals with a bourgeois ideology of modern politicians are all about power but choose to conduct them like power hunger Actors. Rather then getting on with the job of true representative government, a fixation of who should or should be the… Read more »
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