The lack of outrage over the new low set this week in our politics is shocking. At The Australian the silence is deafening. It actually has the gall to lead with this today:
Labor is as bad as the Coalition right now, is it?
At Nine, where Peter Costello is chairman, and where centrist journalism has been doing a decent job in recent times, the story was buried yesterday. See if you can find it:
Not all Murdoch media is derelict. News does better today:
The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate have joined the long list of people privy to allegations of “an incident” in the nation’s Parliament two years ago that Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins claims was rape.
As the Morrison Government continues to face a barrage of questions over who knew what and when, the Presiding Officers of Parliament House have detailed the negotiations with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) around handing over CCTV that shows Ms Higgins and her male colleague entering the building on the night in question.
In doing so, the Presiding Officers have confirmed that Speaker Tony Smith first learned of an incident on Monday April 8, 2019 from the Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services.
The President of the Senate, Victorian MP Scott Ryan, learned at least some detail around what had happened even earlier, on the evening of Wednesday, March 27.
This was just four days after Ms Higgins was found disorientated and half-naked in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’s private suite, but before even her chief of staff became aware it was a potential sexual assault.
Even at the ABC and The Guardian the story is quite subdued. Where are their armies of gender warriors? Michelle Grattan at least had a crack:
He’s not the first recent PM to denounce bad behaviour in this most privileged of workplaces. Remember Malcolm Turnbull’s “bonk ban”. And a number of women have highlighted conduct that would not be tolerated elsewhere.
The rape allegation, however, has shaken people because it takes things to another level — if proven, a criminal one.
Alternative media and Crikey was much better, leading with Bernard Keane:
With his government now engulfed in the scandal of its mishandling of the alleged rape of staffer Brittany Higgins, Scott Morrison faces the consequences of two long-running features of his political persona.
There is now an obvious and serious discrepancy between what Higgins has said about the role of the Prime Minister’s Office in the aftermath of her alleged assault in Parliament House, and Morrison’s own claims — reflected in material circulated to journalists — that she is wrong.
In short, Higgins says Morrison’s private secretary, former Crosby Textor luminary Yaron Finkelstein, contacted her in relation to the matter. Morrison says it didn’t happen and his office only became aware of the alleged rape last week.
Given Higgins says she had previously decided not to formally report her assault to the police due to what she felt was political pressure, the discrepancy is troubling.
Here’s where the first of Morrison’s key characteristics comes into play: such is his reputation for lying that in the absence of compelling evidence, there’s no earthly reason to believe anything he or his office says.
…That leads to the second aspect of Morrison’s politicking that has come to the fore. Morrison has carefully cultivated a blokey persona as prime minister — cracking tinnies at the footy, talking about how important his mates are, offering a budget that ignored women — but that persona into which so much time and effort, including the taxpayer-funded expense of a private photographer to capture Morrison’s more personal moments of blokiness, has been poured, is wholly inapt for responding to yet another example of the way women are treated within Parliament House.
Fair enough that the press doesn’t want Ms Higgins to be put through the wringer. But she has thrown this bomb on purpose, presumably with the object of getting justice. Indeed, she’s going all-in. In a new press release she charged ScoMo directly:
“I didn’t know that security guards let me into Minister Reynolds’ suite. I didn’t know that a security guard came into the office multiple times seeing me in a state of undress. I didn’t know they were undertaking an internal review into how the matter was handled at the time. I didn’t know that they debated calling an ambulance at the time of the incident.
“A current senior staffer to the Prime Minister and my former chief-of-staff refused to provide me with access to the CCTV footage from that evening and continually made me feel as if my ongoing employment would be jeopardised if I proceeded any further with the matter.
“The government has questions to answer for their own conduct.”
A former PM, in Malcolm Turnbull, has laid out the case for a top-down conspiracy superbly:
The covering up of security breaches and alleged rape in Parliament House, whether by staffers or, more likely the PM, is so outrageous that it’s obvious that Morrison should resign. Whether he knew or not is irrelevant, he has presided over a regime completely unfit for rule in personal, governance, moral, national interest, political and common decency terms.
To finish, let me make this final point. If this was happening in the US Capitol building, then it is certain that the standing President would be impeached and, dare I say it, would quite likely be convicted.
We have no such mechanism. Our mechanism is the press. It spent millions of Australian column inches on the ruination of American democracy in recent times yet here we are with just as bad in our own capital building and the outrage is conspicuously absent.
More than half of the press gallery should resign in disgrace as well.
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific’s leading geo-politics and economics portal.
He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.
Over the last few years I have mentioned at how low the state of Australian politics and politicians has sunk. Just when you think it can’t get worse, it does.
Well, you can still navigate directly to news sources by typing – stick with me, this is fricking insane – t-h-e-a-g-e-.-c-o-m-.-a-u into your Inter-ma-net browser and – voila – find news! It’s CAAAAHRAZEE
(the banning of Health related stuff, neighbourhood watch etc shows how inept and bat#hit dumb FB is though)
YES, I did exactly as you suggested, and it was a lovely surprise, it worked !!! However the r-a-p-e in oz high office was all the why down the bottom in an opinion-piece, not head line as it would be for some irrelevant topic weeks on end, blasted in your face until its unbearable. Me-di-a is in bed with g-o-v On CerTian IsSuse, Left-Right is buLLShit.
DelraiserMEMBER
I’ll re-post from yesterday
” I love all this “there’ll be hell to pay” bullshit…………
No one gives a flying F##k anymore; politicians ceased being accountable many years ago when they made us rich with debt so we’d turn a blind eye
We have corrupt criminals in the halls of power and they keep going as there is no consequence. Scummo is an Olympian calibre c%%t but nothing sticks because we don’t care for long enough for it to matter
If he dropkicked a baby from the lawns of parliament house tomorrow morning he’d still have his job by the evening; hunker down, cop the initial flak and then spin, spin, spin and that’s all you need to do these days. Like the first hit up in a footy game; shoulder in, take the hit and as long as you don’t get totally munted, you get up and play on.
Once upon a time when politicians had integrity they fell on their sword but now they just spin their way out by paying lip service, attempting distraction or character assassination of victims
Says it all about what kind of society we have become”
I forgot to mention a totally captured and obsequient media.
The big problem though, at the end of the day is us, the voters. Whilst we do face a paucity of choice in terms of actual humans to vote for, we always seem to vote the worst in and have done so for the last 25 years.
I don’t know the answer to be honest but unless there is some pushback, and voters demand more accountability, nothing is likely to change
The politicians get away with it because the media is so blatantly biased (both sides). There is a continual erosion of moral standards, so long as you are in the right tribe thats all that matters.
Of course it has gotten worse. There is no competition due to Labor’s positions and the Liberals know it. No matter what they do they feel untouchable. This applies to both state and federal government levels. We had Gladys with the sports rorts and pork barreling admit this is common practice with no shame; corruption hearings with land deals in Badgerys Creek telling her boyfriend she doesn’t need to know about corrupt things she knew he was doing, shredded documents of corruption found in her office, all this and still nothing happened to her! On the federal level you have land deals to corrupt mates they had previous meetings with on the news 6 years ago, and more.
Voters consistently vote in the Liberals, and Labor have failed to provide a good alternative – it all started with Rudd and every leader since IMO. Get an Aussie battler representing the Labor party who actually has something in common with the average middle, hell even upper middle class person and things will change quickly. Until there is an alternative we now are slowly living in a 1 party country. I’m not for the Liberals, but I’m not sure how people can bring themselves to vote Labor either.
Unfortunately those people are so busy paying off a mega mortgage they couldn’t quit their job to enter the foray of politics.
Politics is a place for the independently wealthy predominantly, or the career suckup.
They won’t.
It is up to us, the voters, to force change on our political representatives by refusing to vote for any of them until there is an Indepedant Federal ICAC with sweeping powers.Nothing less will control the base urges of our politicians
A Voters Strike will concentrate their minds on doing the job they are elected and paid to do.
Yep, Im sure the pollies currently digging up dirt on the current boyfriend of an alleged rape victim would have achange of heart if there was a strike by voters.
They are clearly not a bunch of chunts.
edit: lol,chunts is moderated.
Display NameMEMBER
I wonder why so many of our leaders both in politics and business are clearly very second and third rate. I am not expecting Noblesse oblige or any such BS. Just some ethics would be a good start. Norms are there to ensure the world turns smoothly. Lack of observance of these leaves us with…. ScoMo. faux Christian, faux everything. All tip, no iceberg as Keating would say. The lights are on but there is nothing there except self interest.
The game that is played to reach those position rewards these people instead of punishing them. The end always seems to justify the means, and the punishment when caught doing something wrong does not outweigh the risk of whatever they are doing.
Easy answer. Decent folks, like most here, are wholly disinclined toward the machinations and carry-on required to win a preselection in one of the two inept parties we are forced to choose between.
I agree that this is the answer, but how does one enter a system seemingly designed to exclude you?
All lawyers, union hacks or ex-staffer lickspittles. When we do get a real person like Jackie Lambie or that poor bugger that ran the sawmill (Ricky somebody…the name escapes) they are basically assassinated by the establishment buffoons. I’m thinking we need a Donald Trump type who walks in and gives them all a swift kick in the gusset. Someone who plays by their own rules. I know he was a wrecker, but the system is already wrecked. Who cares if we get 3 years of chaos? Id prefer that if it started a movement here of angry folk who’ve been rogered by the system and made these established goons look over their shoulder.
Until that time comes what will trigger the change?
I really can’t see one of the parties preselecting and selecting a leader of the trump variety. Our system is setup to resist that. The US system was set up with the needs of the people in mind much more and is still mostly a failure.
Because boomers. I’ve said this over and over, they shut the door behind them only promoted incompetents that couldn’t threatened them. Those incompetents are now our leaders.
How old are you Migtronix ? I’m guessing you’re in your 30’s and have been voting for at least a decade. It’s your generation as much as anyone responsible for government. Boomers are not a pivotal voting block by any means even if they were United in their vote. But cool story anyway bro. Time to give up the ageism mate. It’s unbecoming of anyone who expects respect for their thinking ability.
“ The statistic shows age distribution in Australia between 2009 and 2019. In 2019, around 19.28 percent of Australia’s population was between 0 and 14 years old, 64.8 percent was between 15 and 64 and 15.92 percent was 65 years old and over.“
On the contrary , I’m trying to prevent the victim blaming of anyone of any age. We are all held hostage to a rigged system which will only be dismantled by unified and relentless civil protest , there’s no genuine solution to this state of affairs through the vote. Unfortunately we are up against a self aware ruling class who knows that if we are kept from being outraged enough to riot outright they can get away with just about anything. The powers that be know to avoid boiling the frogs and that letting us simmer is their best pathway to success.
I think the anti-boomer sentiment is just more divide and conquer drivel for those weak minded enough to forget the old adage – No war but class war.
migtronixMEMBER
Blah blah blah blah I think your just another boomer shill! We’ve been trying to vote these scum out, see the inner cities
Haywood JablomeMEMBER
@Fishing72. Spot on. The attitude that inspired the term ‘boomer’ is evident in a percentage across all the adult age generations. The opportunity for enrichment at the expense of others seems to be a strong inducement.
Fishing72
For sure mate. No boomers in the inner cities, it’s all street artists , anarcho punks and hip baristas on $15 an hour buying those Sydney terrace houses and Melbourne Mcmansions…..lol.
BTW- I’m 48 years old. Not a boomer but old enough to spot a bit of misdirected anger and inappropriate stereotyping through ageism.
Got news for you, Einstein: you ain’t far behind either, and sure as hell you ain’t going in the opposite direction.
Fishing72
There’s a 99.9 percent chance that im fitter now than youve ever been or ever will be. Let’s face it, you’re a pasty white, gender neutral urbanite who’s feet aren’t hard enough to traverse gravel without shoes, let alone how soft the rest of your body would be. Something akin to a plasticine fashioned into a suitable spaghetti-esque form only useful for cyber activities I imagine.
The only reason you’re not over the hill yourself is cause you’d be too breathless to ascend the hill in the first place.
Tell me I’m wrong.
ram
I agree mig. In architecture it’s amazing how many thirty something’s have been elevated to director s. Some even don’t have a bag. Amazing
Surely a civil action would be allowed by the right court for damages from this attack and its aftermath ? Although the executive have assumed a de facto droit l’adminisraitiff i don’t believe any exists in law…….in any case it would not extend to ministerial advisers. She would have no trouble getting all the backing she needs from a GoFundme page.
Unless you are trying someone for murder that isn’t evidence of anything.
HixtarMEMBER
Not for a criminal prosection, but on balance of probabilities – being taken into the office by Mr Rapey, him leaving alone, security finding victim half undressed and then the whole cover-up that followed – lot’s of juicy tidbits for a civil case.
bjw678
Or it shows her walking into a deserted office in the middle of the night voluntarily. Why was she going there? On the balance of probabilities to have s3x? Or to do a little paperwork?
HixtarMEMBER
Except when you add in the bit about DPS Security stating that she was brought in by old mate alleged rapist and could barely walk or sign her own name and then her saying that she woke up to find old mate alleged rapist having sex with her then security finding her in the office in a state of confusion and half-undressed after seeing old mate alleged rapist leave on CCTV- balance of probabilities is in her favour.
bjw678
Sure, but then you don’t actually need the tape at all…
I haven’t seen it and for all I know it shows her being dragged in by the hair kicking and screaming.
If your version of events is true then someone should have a serious word with parliamentary security.
JasonMEMBER
Parliament House security breached their own rules by letting her in without a security card. If they do their job properly it doesn’t happen.
“To finish, let me make this final point. If this was happening in the US Capitol building, then it is certain that the standing President would be impeached and, dare I say it, would quite likely be convicted.
We have no such mechanism.”
We have exactly that mechanism, but even more directly. Scummo is directly chosen by the sitting members of parliament and they can easily vote for a change of leadership, no impeachment necessary. In the US the parliament has no direct say on presidency so need a special power.
I didn’t say it was going to happen. But that is the exact same mechanism as a US impeachment.
Guess what, they didn’t successfully happen either, did they?
I didn’t say you said it would: I was making a general comment on the likely outcome, based on the inference you made, that LNP could easily depose him.
As I said, it won’t happen, notwithstanding that I note you didn’t say it said it would happen.
Lol, my point was the initial statement we don;t have impeachment powers is flat out ridiculous and reflects how little thought is placed into the content generated here.
double jeez 🙂
The whole system needs to be thrown out. Decent people don’t make it into politics any more (rarely at any rate), and the system is designed so only those amoral scumbags willing to knife their way to the top make it there.
“and the system is designed so only those amoral scumbags willing to knife their way to the top make it there.”
That applies to a whole lot more than politics…
Yep. The reason it’s this way (everywhere, industry, state and federal governments), is no mistake. You reward the biggest grubs (everywhere) to shaft everyone else, and you’ve got what Australia’s got.
Declining work conditions and pay, a thriving elite class, growing inequality, a collapsing middle class, dying environment, corporate led government/decisions, rising house prices, and a growing population.
No other country would believe Australia has a large number of choices at the ballot box, but instead vote FW-LNP, or FW-Labor.
Apparently Labor is our fault as well, so he’s just generalized a bit more now.
So it’s labors fault, which is our fault.
Totes BeWokeMEMBER
Same thing. Decades ago, when LNP got out of hand we’d vote Labor and vice versa. Labor changed so it’s their fault, AND, it’s our fault for not reacting appropriately and replacing them with alternatives to LNP.
Pretty simple stuff. The key is, Labor changed into globalists. Ask any worker older than 45, and you’ll learn what’s happened.
bjw678
Everyone turned into globalists, not just labor…
Totes BeWokeMEMBER
Everyone’s a globalist is your defence for Labor? lol.
bjw678
I’m not defending labor. Lab/lib are the same thing essentially and always have been.
That you and many others are blind to that is the whole problem.
Totes BeWokeMEMBER
No. I understand it backwards. The only difference between you and I, is i want to fix it for the sake of Australia’s future.
bjw678
The problem is you are a useful idiot helping perpetuate the system, not actually fixing it.
Totes BeWokeMEMBER
I want to break it. Especially the Labor party.
AK
It is our fault as a collective, not as an individual Swampy. We have been hoodwinked and misled into issues that are typically in the long term irrelevant whilst 99% of policies that actually matter never get debated on the public sphere are are approved by both parties. We are so used to debating the symbolic higher issues that were have forgotten about the basics, and tbh this is deliberate by our politicians but we fell for it.
There’s the old classic trick that when you want to get something through, bring up something cultural, symbolic and emotional but you really know doesn’t matter to you or your donors (i.e. typical hot button issues). For politicians its better to not resolve them by the way so they can use them again and again every few years. Meanwhile the basics are being eroded underneath law by law under the carpet – it takes away the focus from their real agenda.
My theory is that Australian’s “she’ll be right” culture also has a lot to do with it. By our very nature we aren’t fighters, and we disrespect people who are – we just consider them whingers who should be happy with their lot. Protesters, etc are loonies, unions are thugs, etc.
It might have been scrubbed from the front page, but it has been registered by every woman in the country, especially those that vote LNP.
There’s going to be swings against the LNP in their leafy middle suburb strongholds.
I agree entirely. LNP will pay big for this, though I doubt Labor will benefit. The biggest mistake Labor can make is let the hysterical keep going. They should be pulling the strings quietly. We all know Labor will screech so much it’ll play into LNP’s hands.
Australia absolutely wants action, but not the style of drama and hysteria we continually get from Labor.
Depends on the area. Melbourne middle suburbs (Frydenburg etc) have a high proportion of the so called ‘Doctors Wives’.
They are never going to vote Labor, but they are looking for alternatives. Only 5% have to put their votes elsewhere for the likes of Frydenburg to lose their seats.
(Edit: there’s also considerable resentment at the grand Edwardian homes being knocked down and replaced by 20 sh!tboxes.)
Our recent council elections are testament to the trend. Northern Rivers is an altogether different dynamic.
Who are the RWNJs going to barrack for. The Greens? Labor by proxy.
Reason Party?
Sustainable Australia People Judeans Front of Less Development More Sustainability? Nope.
They’ll, at scale, pontificate, then mark a 1 next to old Joshie Boy and his ilk (“maybe that nice young Josh can change the party”. This reminds me of that Bill Hicks bit “I can change him!”). The rife corruption and rapist protection racket, I say, is not enough to shake their vote.
So it’s the undecided/those without the rusted on component. What are they worried about? Jobs, mortgage, job security, where the fking country is headed, the 2 hour commute. And for them, sure this whole thing is disgusting. Is it enough for them to change their vote? Who’s offering to cure what ails them…so far it’s been LNP with JobKeeper etc…
What about when you add in WaterRorts, SportsRorts, RortsRorts, AgedCareFkUps, RoboDebt….
I wish to be hopeful for change, but don’t place much hope in morality/ethics trumping people’s day to day concerns, at the margin, where the election is to be won.
And it could be so easy for Labor. Lower immigration, job security, a just Newstart level, less corruption, looking at issues that practically affect people’s lives (you can still prosecute social justice issues, they just not need to be the primary focus, because hey, we can walk and chew gum simultaneously).
I disagree that you can still deal with social issues. The electorate, that guy with the 2 hour commute as you mention, rightly or wrongly now associates that are being – you are against me and my lifestyle. You are against solving the issues I have day to day. Your fixing things that currently don’t affect me and are ok. Your completely out of touch with what I care about, etc.
This of course isn’t entirely irrational – its based on previous experience. The “tribes” in society that care about those issues (e.g. inner city socialists) typically don’t understand or even think about the issues I care about and are often actually against my default positions.
I agree we need to deal with immigration, the environment, overdevelopment, wages, working conditions, and community (i.e not business indirect subsidies) infrastructure. Mention your upgrading the local hospitals, building new ones, zoning kilometres of land for green space in Sydney with activities, tourism, etc, upgrading the trains, the things that affect people day to day, Don’t do anything that affects their day to day such as massive developments out in woop woop, incinerators, smoke stack tunnels, tunneling only 3 metres below houses, flight path changes, safe schools with their kids, etc etc. Even if you agree with some of the previous points they are election losers to the average person. Its pretty simple actually – government sets the seeds so that everyone has their fair share but otherwise if a government is doing their job right people don’t worry about politics at all.
Mining BoganMEMBER
There wasn’t one word about this at work this morning. Not one. I would’ve expected the rabid feminists to say something but yeah nah, nothing. The news on the wireless didn’t mention it, just the stalkbook stoush, Ash Barty and a car crash at Langwarren delaying traffic.
It’s going to go away and that makes me sad. Decency is dead.
But we are proud we are a compliant lot unlike those protesters in the US. Saw heaps of articles in the SMH and News saying exactly that – we should be proud to be so complaint.
Chrisbath nice try. 2000 killed themselves because of SlomMos robodebt, billions squandered through his corruption, most of his cabinet would have fallen on their swords 20 years ago. The 800 that died did so because of the lnp media wing and the 1+ billion ripped out of Aged care by the feds.
When ICU staff across the planet, the most highly trained healthcare workers no less, are catching Corona left right and centre, hotel quarantine especially one organised in 3 days is going to leak. Best practice would posit that hotel quarantine should have never happened or should have been a stop gap measure while the Feds who have the budget resources and constitutional responsibility put together a national solution that minimised exposure through geography and population density.
‘…victim-smearing connotation’.
There is a thing in the legal system called presumption of innocence. In order to ‘victim-smear’ you need to know that the person actually is a victim.
Don’t be childish. You can’t be a victim until someone has been found guilty?
migtronixMEMBER
Is there? Then why can you be arrested? Surely you’d only arrest the guilty not all and sundry…
AlexD
You are missing so much about why this is a big issue. Aside from the allegation of rape, there was no proper investigation and crucial evidence was destroyed or withheld.
migtronixMEMBER
You mean go have a nap in the Parliamentary offices of a LNP sitting criminal….
Chrisbath nice try. 2000 killed themselves because of SlomMos robodebt, billions squandered through his corruption, most of his cabinet would have fallen on their swords 20 years ago. The 800 that died did so because of the lnp media wing and the 1+ billion ripped out of Aged care by the feds.
When ICU staff across the planet, the most highly trained healthcare workers no less, are catching Corona left right and centre, hotel quarantine especially one organised in 3 days is going to leak. Best practice would posit that hotel quarantine should have never happened or should have been a stop gap measure while the Feds who have the budget resources and constitutional responsibility put together a national solution that minimised exposure through geography and population density.
The way they behave, the way that they protect behaviour in banking and finance, the way they are quite happy for laundered money to flow into the country to leverage into property… it’s like having a criminal gang in charge of the country.
I’ll make an obnoxious opinion… I give it till 2028 for the Boomer empire to begin to fall… if China doesnt declare war on us between 2021 / 2022 first.
Boomers have just turned corrupt, dug themselves in like a tick and gone ferociously denialist. Over the next 6 years, without a clue for how to fix the catastrophes that are about to unfold, they’ll stick there heads in the sand trying to play denialist until things get so severe they’ll be forced to embrace there own reality.
The problem isnt that the Boomers are holding onto power. The problem is there will be no young left to take it when the time comes. We destroyed them and now the Boomers are suffering through there own actions which they themselves caused.
The Boomers are just hoping they can deny all there problems long enough that Australia wont collapse into nothing… which… it eventually will.
My guess is before 2028. Why? Because death is something Boomers have no control over and when Boomers start to die, that power is going to be relinquished and everythings just going to fall apart.
Australias not a Country with a plan, moving into succession and embracing for the future that is to come. Australia is a bunch of Boomers, dug in like a tick, holding onto power at the expense of everyone else and the ground beneath them is falling. Its turning violently corrupt and instead of doing the right thing by Australians, they’ve become defensive, fought back and practically made Australia the enemy, handed the keys to our enemy China into Australia and allowed many Australians to suicide to protect themselves.
Most of the young kids I know are socially oestricised. In fact, a new story came to light this morning. I think I know a kid who’s about to suicide. Not today but I’ve seen these warning signs before. Thats Australias Future suiciding away while our Boomers ditter and dotter like ignorant pensioners.
Young Australians are poorly informed, are amazingly gullible, have zero critical thinking ability, and are destined for horrendous poverty.
It is all in their hands. They hold the weight of the vote.
What do they do with it? Give it to big Australia Labor and Greens. They should instead be ripping those two parties to pieces with the strength of their vote.
Young Australians only have themselves to blame. I don’t say that lightly, they’ve been conned and it’s horribly unfair, but they choose to do nothing about it.
“Young Australians are poorly informed, are amazingly gullible, have zero critical thinking ability, and are destined for horrendous poverty.”
Much like older australians(well maybe except the poverty in some cases.)
You think that’s the biggest thing going on in Australia? It’s very important, but is a micro issue. It will not be covered up long term. Zero chance, and all MSM are doing is harming their own credibility ignoring it.
LNP are about to start bringing hundreds of thousands of people here. Not just this year. Every year, and MSM, Labor Greens and unions are all for it. We get no say. It’ll hurt millions and millions of existing Australians.
That’s the perspective young Australians are missing.
You do understand that when I crime is reported that it should be investigated appropriately – right? This isn’t the kind of thing you should ignore.
Ben Elias
‘Not a MENTION of the [email protected] coverup there.’
People who are so keen on abolishing presumption of innocence in the legal system, are owed no such presumption in the court of public opinion.
It would be nice to see the “alleged” rape investigated appropriately without critical evidence being destroyed (eg: semen DNA etc). I’m surprised it really needs to be spelled out …..
bjw678
“without critical evidence being destroyed ”
I doubt any of that would be crtical evidence. Consent would be the contested factor. It would seem a ridiculous defence to claim you weren’t there if there are cameras and witnesses.
AlexD
You are still missing the point. There was no appropriate investigation.
PS. And you are not in the position to say anything isn’t critical. It’s evidence that can be relied upon.
bjw678
Unless the alleged perp claims they didn’t have sex it isn’t evidence at all, much less critical.
I agree it’s a bad look, but most of these cases come down to he said she said if they went together voluntarily to a secluded area.
AlexD
The alleged perp hasn’t said anything and what they might say in court is still unknown. DNA and semen makes certain lines of false argument difficult to use. Frankly I don’t think you’re really interested in addressing core concerns here about how criminal behaviour should be investigated (including how an employer needs to conduct themselves) when an allegation is made. Perusal of you comments here makes that very clear.
bolstroodMEMBER
No mention of the rape because all and sundry have ducked for cover.
Te Scrotum is not doing any media today…
His missus won’t let him.
I am curious at the angle the media takes on this, especially when:
a) It allegedly happened in a female senators office and;
b) IMO it reflects on the entirety of parliament.
Everyone knows that these political hangers on are there for one thing, power, which given their standard of intellect and actual achievement is far too easy to obtain.
The standard School > Uni > Political Staffer > MP life path is the one common factor at root of many issues today. People who have not spent any time in the real world.
Ben Elias
‘But she has thrown this bomb on purpose, presumably with the object of getting justice. Indeed, she’s going all-in.’
What sort of justice? Regressive mob justice? Justice outside of the law that destroys people through bypassing the official criminal justice system? If she is ‘going all in’, why has she not yet perused that allegation with the police, if she can talk to the media, she can peruse the allegation with the police. She did originally at the time talk to the police so they would have the original allegation from the time.
I’d be doing the exact same thing if I was in her position. I doubt there would be enough evidence to reach the standard of proof necessary for a criminal conviction, but blowing up the government over the lies and cover-up would be justice by any other name.
Aside from the crime of rape itself, the other issues here Ben is that evidence was being withheld and that the matter wasn’t properly investigated originally. These are not minor matters.
I’m really at the point that I don’t care that her allegation may be false or after the fact consent that she now regrets. I never thought that I would make a statement like this but after all the rorts and disgusting things that these politicians have done over the years and got away with I hope this mud sticks and brings down the government.
If it is proven true, jail terms for the top tier for their complicit actions would be just.
The Australian has obtained a text message sent to Ms Higgins by a fellow Liberal staffer on the morning of April 3, 2019, within a fortnight of when the alleged rape occurred. In the text the Liberal staffer said he had spoken directly with a member of Mr Morrison’s staff.
Over the last few years I have mentioned at how low the state of Australian politics and politicians has sunk. Just when you think it can’t get worse, it does.
Depressingly accurate.
HATE TO SAY IT … CALL ME A CONSPIRACY TIN FOIL HAT THEORIST …
ISN’T THE F***BOOK TIMING OF BANNING OZ NEWS PERFECT TIMING TO BURY THIS ISSUE … WOW
Well, you can still navigate directly to news sources by typing – stick with me, this is fricking insane – t-h-e-a-g-e-.-c-o-m-.-a-u into your Inter-ma-net browser and – voila – find news! It’s CAAAAHRAZEE
(the banning of Health related stuff, neighbourhood watch etc shows how inept and bat#hit dumb FB is though)
YES, I did exactly as you suggested, and it was a lovely surprise, it worked !!! However the r-a-p-e in oz high office was all the why down the bottom in an opinion-piece, not head line as it would be for some irrelevant topic weeks on end, blasted in your face until its unbearable. Me-di-a is in bed with g-o-v On CerTian IsSuse, Left-Right is buLLShit.
I’ll re-post from yesterday
” I love all this “there’ll be hell to pay” bullshit…………
No one gives a flying F##k anymore; politicians ceased being accountable many years ago when they made us rich with debt so we’d turn a blind eye
We have corrupt criminals in the halls of power and they keep going as there is no consequence. Scummo is an Olympian calibre c%%t but nothing sticks because we don’t care for long enough for it to matter
If he dropkicked a baby from the lawns of parliament house tomorrow morning he’d still have his job by the evening; hunker down, cop the initial flak and then spin, spin, spin and that’s all you need to do these days. Like the first hit up in a footy game; shoulder in, take the hit and as long as you don’t get totally munted, you get up and play on.
Once upon a time when politicians had integrity they fell on their sword but now they just spin their way out by paying lip service, attempting distraction or character assassination of victims
Says it all about what kind of society we have become”
I forgot to mention a totally captured and obsequient media.
The big problem though, at the end of the day is us, the voters. Whilst we do face a paucity of choice in terms of actual humans to vote for, we always seem to vote the worst in and have done so for the last 25 years.
I don’t know the answer to be honest but unless there is some pushback, and voters demand more accountability, nothing is likely to change
I think there is not enough use of the term “munted” on this site.
Munted poltroons.
That and cnt#rse
Or sh#tf**kery.
George Carlin – It’s A BIG Club & You Ain’t In It!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyvxt1svxso
This is so true.
Your so spot on it makes me sad.
The politicians get away with it because the media is so blatantly biased (both sides). There is a continual erosion of moral standards, so long as you are in the right tribe thats all that matters.
There’s always more down. 😢
Of course it has gotten worse. There is no competition due to Labor’s positions and the Liberals know it. No matter what they do they feel untouchable. This applies to both state and federal government levels. We had Gladys with the sports rorts and pork barreling admit this is common practice with no shame; corruption hearings with land deals in Badgerys Creek telling her boyfriend she doesn’t need to know about corrupt things she knew he was doing, shredded documents of corruption found in her office, all this and still nothing happened to her! On the federal level you have land deals to corrupt mates they had previous meetings with on the news 6 years ago, and more.
Voters consistently vote in the Liberals, and Labor have failed to provide a good alternative – it all started with Rudd and every leader since IMO. Get an Aussie battler representing the Labor party who actually has something in common with the average middle, hell even upper middle class person and things will change quickly. Until there is an alternative we now are slowly living in a 1 party country. I’m not for the Liberals, but I’m not sure how people can bring themselves to vote Labor either.
Unfortunately those people are so busy paying off a mega mortgage they couldn’t quit their job to enter the foray of politics.
Politics is a place for the independently wealthy predominantly, or the career suckup.
” If this was happening in the US Capitol building, then it is certain that the standing President”
White House?
It already happened – 30 years ago with someone called Monica Lewinsky and Billy Clinton
Wat? That was consensual.
It’s amazing these things need to be spelled out
They enjoyed a cigar together.
Yes totally – if this happened under the Donald’s reign the fire and fury would have been next level.
95% of politicians federal and state nationwide need to fall on their swords and resign.
They won’t.
It is up to us, the voters, to force change on our political representatives by refusing to vote for any of them until there is an Indepedant Federal ICAC with sweeping powers.Nothing less will control the base urges of our politicians
A Voters Strike will concentrate their minds on doing the job they are elected and paid to do.
Lol, they literally only need their own vote if everyone else refuses to…
Yes but.. they would have no Social Licence to operate.
And that would change what?
@bjw678
The Culture
Yep, Im sure the pollies currently digging up dirt on the current boyfriend of an alleged rape victim would have achange of heart if there was a strike by voters.
They are clearly not a bunch of chunts.
edit: lol,chunts is moderated.
I wonder why so many of our leaders both in politics and business are clearly very second and third rate. I am not expecting Noblesse oblige or any such BS. Just some ethics would be a good start. Norms are there to ensure the world turns smoothly. Lack of observance of these leaves us with…. ScoMo. faux Christian, faux everything. All tip, no iceberg as Keating would say. The lights are on but there is nothing there except self interest.
The game that is played to reach those position rewards these people instead of punishing them. The end always seems to justify the means, and the punishment when caught doing something wrong does not outweigh the risk of whatever they are doing.
Easy answer. Decent folks, like most here, are wholly disinclined toward the machinations and carry-on required to win a preselection in one of the two inept parties we are forced to choose between.
Bang on. Why would anyone in their right mind put themselves through it?
I agree that this is the answer, but how does one enter a system seemingly designed to exclude you?
All lawyers, union hacks or ex-staffer lickspittles. When we do get a real person like Jackie Lambie or that poor bugger that ran the sawmill (Ricky somebody…the name escapes) they are basically assassinated by the establishment buffoons. I’m thinking we need a Donald Trump type who walks in and gives them all a swift kick in the gusset. Someone who plays by their own rules. I know he was a wrecker, but the system is already wrecked. Who cares if we get 3 years of chaos? Id prefer that if it started a movement here of angry folk who’ve been rogered by the system and made these established goons look over their shoulder.
Until that time comes what will trigger the change?
I really can’t see one of the parties preselecting and selecting a leader of the trump variety. Our system is setup to resist that. The US system was set up with the needs of the people in mind much more and is still mostly a failure.
Because boomers. I’ve said this over and over, they shut the door behind them only promoted incompetents that couldn’t threatened them. Those incompetents are now our leaders.
How old are you Migtronix ? I’m guessing you’re in your 30’s and have been voting for at least a decade. It’s your generation as much as anyone responsible for government. Boomers are not a pivotal voting block by any means even if they were United in their vote. But cool story anyway bro. Time to give up the ageism mate. It’s unbecoming of anyone who expects respect for their thinking ability.
“ The statistic shows age distribution in Australia between 2009 and 2019. In 2019, around 19.28 percent of Australia’s population was between 0 and 14 years old, 64.8 percent was between 15 and 64 and 15.92 percent was 65 years old and over.“
It’s difficult when the choice is wholly between Neoliberal Right and Neoliberal Lite.
There’s no real Left (Real Left) Right paradigm anymore.
Let’s not victim blame the millenials.
On the contrary , I’m trying to prevent the victim blaming of anyone of any age. We are all held hostage to a rigged system which will only be dismantled by unified and relentless civil protest , there’s no genuine solution to this state of affairs through the vote. Unfortunately we are up against a self aware ruling class who knows that if we are kept from being outraged enough to riot outright they can get away with just about anything. The powers that be know to avoid boiling the frogs and that letting us simmer is their best pathway to success.
I think the anti-boomer sentiment is just more divide and conquer drivel for those weak minded enough to forget the old adage – No war but class war.
Blah blah blah blah I think your just another boomer shill! We’ve been trying to vote these scum out, see the inner cities
@Fishing72. Spot on. The attitude that inspired the term ‘boomer’ is evident in a percentage across all the adult age generations. The opportunity for enrichment at the expense of others seems to be a strong inducement.
For sure mate. No boomers in the inner cities, it’s all street artists , anarcho punks and hip baristas on $15 an hour buying those Sydney terrace houses and Melbourne Mcmansions…..lol.
BTW- I’m 48 years old. Not a boomer but old enough to spot a bit of misdirected anger and inappropriate stereotyping through ageism.
👏
🖕
BTW you’re over the hill, scumbag.
Got news for you, Einstein: you ain’t far behind either, and sure as hell you ain’t going in the opposite direction.
There’s a 99.9 percent chance that im fitter now than youve ever been or ever will be. Let’s face it, you’re a pasty white, gender neutral urbanite who’s feet aren’t hard enough to traverse gravel without shoes, let alone how soft the rest of your body would be. Something akin to a plasticine fashioned into a suitable spaghetti-esque form only useful for cyber activities I imagine.
The only reason you’re not over the hill yourself is cause you’d be too breathless to ascend the hill in the first place.
Tell me I’m wrong.
I agree mig. In architecture it’s amazing how many thirty something’s have been elevated to director s. Some even don’t have a bag. Amazing
Don’t have a vag
Surely a civil action would be allowed by the right court for damages from this attack and its aftermath ? Although the executive have assumed a de facto droit l’adminisraitiff i don’t believe any exists in law…….in any case it would not extend to ministerial advisers. She would have no trouble getting all the backing she needs from a GoFundme page.
She might have trouble proving anything, as it will boil down to a “he said – she said” case.
Except for the CCTV footage…
Which has been deleted.
is there not an agreement for APS to keep it per APS request?
I’d be willing to bet there is no footage of anything other than a couple of people walking into an office.
….and only one walking out.
Unless you are trying someone for murder that isn’t evidence of anything.
Not for a criminal prosection, but on balance of probabilities – being taken into the office by Mr Rapey, him leaving alone, security finding victim half undressed and then the whole cover-up that followed – lot’s of juicy tidbits for a civil case.
Or it shows her walking into a deserted office in the middle of the night voluntarily. Why was she going there? On the balance of probabilities to have s3x? Or to do a little paperwork?
Except when you add in the bit about DPS Security stating that she was brought in by old mate alleged rapist and could barely walk or sign her own name and then her saying that she woke up to find old mate alleged rapist having sex with her then security finding her in the office in a state of confusion and half-undressed after seeing old mate alleged rapist leave on CCTV- balance of probabilities is in her favour.
Sure, but then you don’t actually need the tape at all…
I haven’t seen it and for all I know it shows her being dragged in by the hair kicking and screaming.
If your version of events is true then someone should have a serious word with parliamentary security.
Parliament House security breached their own rules by letting her in without a security card. If they do their job properly it doesn’t happen.
“Parliament House security breached their own rules by letting her in without a security card. If they do their job properly it doesn’t happen.”
It may still have happened. It would not have happened there.
Why aren’t the police involved? Surely there is enough prima facie evidence for them.
You are kidding eh ?
The AFP will run a mile from this.
“To finish, let me make this final point. If this was happening in the US Capitol building, then it is certain that the standing President would be impeached and, dare I say it, would quite likely be convicted.
We have no such mechanism.”
We have exactly that mechanism, but even more directly. Scummo is directly chosen by the sitting members of parliament and they can easily vote for a change of leadership, no impeachment necessary. In the US the parliament has no direct say on presidency so need a special power.
So the LNP are going to depose the Scrotum. Ain’t going to happen.
Though, if apparent cleanskin Joshie boy wanted to have a crack with some other cleanskins, now might be a good time….
I didn’t say it was going to happen. But that is the exact same mechanism as a US impeachment.
Guess what, they didn’t successfully happen either, did they?
I didn’t say you said it would: I was making a general comment on the likely outcome, based on the inference you made, that LNP could easily depose him.
As I said, it won’t happen, notwithstanding that I note you didn’t say it said it would happen.
Jeez.
Lol, my point was the initial statement we don;t have impeachment powers is flat out ridiculous and reflects how little thought is placed into the content generated here.
double jeez 🙂
i hate doublegees
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/declared-plants/doublegee-pest
The whole system needs to be thrown out. Decent people don’t make it into politics any more (rarely at any rate), and the system is designed so only those amoral scumbags willing to knife their way to the top make it there.
“and the system is designed so only those amoral scumbags willing to knife their way to the top make it there.”
That applies to a whole lot more than politics…
Yep. The reason it’s this way (everywhere, industry, state and federal governments), is no mistake. You reward the biggest grubs (everywhere) to shaft everyone else, and you’ve got what Australia’s got.
Declining work conditions and pay, a thriving elite class, growing inequality, a collapsing middle class, dying environment, corporate led government/decisions, rising house prices, and a growing population.
No other country would believe Australia has a large number of choices at the ballot box, but instead vote FW-LNP, or FW-Labor.
All of this is our fault. All of it.
Sorry WHAT?
Now it’s our fault?!
Nope. You’ve conditioned me to believe it’s Labor’s fault. You can’t just switch things like that.
Apparently Labor is our fault as well, so he’s just generalized a bit more now.
So it’s labors fault, which is our fault.
Same thing. Decades ago, when LNP got out of hand we’d vote Labor and vice versa. Labor changed so it’s their fault, AND, it’s our fault for not reacting appropriately and replacing them with alternatives to LNP.
Pretty simple stuff. The key is, Labor changed into globalists. Ask any worker older than 45, and you’ll learn what’s happened.
Everyone turned into globalists, not just labor…
Everyone’s a globalist is your defence for Labor? lol.
I’m not defending labor. Lab/lib are the same thing essentially and always have been.
That you and many others are blind to that is the whole problem.
No. I understand it backwards. The only difference between you and I, is i want to fix it for the sake of Australia’s future.
The problem is you are a useful idiot helping perpetuate the system, not actually fixing it.
I want to break it. Especially the Labor party.
It is our fault as a collective, not as an individual Swampy. We have been hoodwinked and misled into issues that are typically in the long term irrelevant whilst 99% of policies that actually matter never get debated on the public sphere are are approved by both parties. We are so used to debating the symbolic higher issues that were have forgotten about the basics, and tbh this is deliberate by our politicians but we fell for it.
There’s the old classic trick that when you want to get something through, bring up something cultural, symbolic and emotional but you really know doesn’t matter to you or your donors (i.e. typical hot button issues). For politicians its better to not resolve them by the way so they can use them again and again every few years. Meanwhile the basics are being eroded underneath law by law under the carpet – it takes away the focus from their real agenda.
My theory is that Australian’s “she’ll be right” culture also has a lot to do with it. By our very nature we aren’t fighters, and we disrespect people who are – we just consider them whingers who should be happy with their lot. Protesters, etc are loonies, unions are thugs, etc.
So true.
It might have been scrubbed from the front page, but it has been registered by every woman in the country, especially those that vote LNP.
There’s going to be swings against the LNP in their leafy middle suburb strongholds.
I agree entirely. LNP will pay big for this, though I doubt Labor will benefit. The biggest mistake Labor can make is let the hysterical keep going. They should be pulling the strings quietly. We all know Labor will screech so much it’ll play into LNP’s hands.
Australia absolutely wants action, but not the style of drama and hysteria we continually get from Labor.
Most likely changing Votes in the leafy middle will go to ‘conservative’ Greens, at least in Melbourne. They certainly did in the council elections.
100% disagree.
You think the LNP female elite care about this? Maybe, because they can. But it won’t make a jot of difference. They’re a small %.
And the middle of the pyramid? Maybe.
It should, but I afear it won’t.
Depends on the area. Melbourne middle suburbs (Frydenburg etc) have a high proportion of the so called ‘Doctors Wives’.
They are never going to vote Labor, but they are looking for alternatives. Only 5% have to put their votes elsewhere for the likes of Frydenburg to lose their seats.
(Edit: there’s also considerable resentment at the grand Edwardian homes being knocked down and replaced by 20 sh!tboxes.)
Our recent council elections are testament to the trend. Northern Rivers is an altogether different dynamic.
Yes, I agree
Who are the RWNJs going to barrack for. The Greens? Labor by proxy.
Reason Party?
Sustainable Australia People Judeans Front of Less Development More Sustainability? Nope.
They’ll, at scale, pontificate, then mark a 1 next to old Joshie Boy and his ilk (“maybe that nice young Josh can change the party”. This reminds me of that Bill Hicks bit “I can change him!”). The rife corruption and rapist protection racket, I say, is not enough to shake their vote.
So it’s the undecided/those without the rusted on component. What are they worried about? Jobs, mortgage, job security, where the fking country is headed, the 2 hour commute. And for them, sure this whole thing is disgusting. Is it enough for them to change their vote? Who’s offering to cure what ails them…so far it’s been LNP with JobKeeper etc…
What about when you add in WaterRorts, SportsRorts, RortsRorts, AgedCareFkUps, RoboDebt….
I wish to be hopeful for change, but don’t place much hope in morality/ethics trumping people’s day to day concerns, at the margin, where the election is to be won.
And it could be so easy for Labor. Lower immigration, job security, a just Newstart level, less corruption, looking at issues that practically affect people’s lives (you can still prosecute social justice issues, they just not need to be the primary focus, because hey, we can walk and chew gum simultaneously).
I disagree that you can still deal with social issues. The electorate, that guy with the 2 hour commute as you mention, rightly or wrongly now associates that are being – you are against me and my lifestyle. You are against solving the issues I have day to day. Your fixing things that currently don’t affect me and are ok. Your completely out of touch with what I care about, etc.
This of course isn’t entirely irrational – its based on previous experience. The “tribes” in society that care about those issues (e.g. inner city socialists) typically don’t understand or even think about the issues I care about and are often actually against my default positions.
I agree we need to deal with immigration, the environment, overdevelopment, wages, working conditions, and community (i.e not business indirect subsidies) infrastructure. Mention your upgrading the local hospitals, building new ones, zoning kilometres of land for green space in Sydney with activities, tourism, etc, upgrading the trains, the things that affect people day to day, Don’t do anything that affects their day to day such as massive developments out in woop woop, incinerators, smoke stack tunnels, tunneling only 3 metres below houses, flight path changes, safe schools with their kids, etc etc. Even if you agree with some of the previous points they are election losers to the average person. Its pretty simple actually – government sets the seeds so that everyone has their fair share but otherwise if a government is doing their job right people don’t worry about politics at all.
There wasn’t one word about this at work this morning. Not one. I would’ve expected the rabid feminists to say something but yeah nah, nothing. The news on the wireless didn’t mention it, just the stalkbook stoush, Ash Barty and a car crash at Langwarren delaying traffic.
It’s going to go away and that makes me sad. Decency is dead.
Maybe it’s impolite to talk about at work
Or too risque – I would not bring it up at work – govt setting
Maybe people don’t know
My wife doesn’t watch the news, read the news – had no clue (that sounds a bit Under His Eye!)
No doubt this wouldn’t stand in the US. Not even the state legislatures much less DC.
But we are proud we are a compliant lot unlike those protesters in the US. Saw heaps of articles in the SMH and News saying exactly that – we should be proud to be so complaint.
PvO says that the Liberal party is putting together a dirt file on Miss Higgins current boyfriend.
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/politics-with-peter-van-onselen/13166422
They just keep digging the hole deeper.
I’m shocked that he’s shocked. Scummo and Co were always going to go after her and anyone else who gets in the way.
These aren’t normal people.
More info
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/18/its-gross-brittany-higgins-says-if-scott-morrisons-office-is-briefing-against-her-it-must-stop
But getting buried by the Facebook news.
If ScoMo outlives this he’ll think he is bulletproof like his mate Trump
800 people DIE in Victoria amid continuous lockdowns, but Morrison should resign. Clearly being caged up has fogged your reasoning.
Chrisbath nice try. 2000 killed themselves because of SlomMos robodebt, billions squandered through his corruption, most of his cabinet would have fallen on their swords 20 years ago. The 800 that died did so because of the lnp media wing and the 1+ billion ripped out of Aged care by the feds.
When ICU staff across the planet, the most highly trained healthcare workers no less, are catching Corona left right and centre, hotel quarantine especially one organised in 3 days is going to leak. Best practice would posit that hotel quarantine should have never happened or should have been a stop gap measure while the Feds who have the budget resources and constitutional responsibility put together a national solution that minimised exposure through geography and population density.
+1
“claims” was rape? Seriously go fck yourself Samantha Maiden
Claims is in the same category as “allegedly” for anyone publishing.
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2021/01/apology-to-kevin-rudd/
Rubbish, this has a very different connotation to the usual “allegedly raped” form of words. A dog-whistling, victim-smearing connotation.
And the article that caused my link above was clearly ludicrous and not to be taken literally and yet…
“an incident” in the nation’s Parliament two years ago that Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins “alleges” was rape
It seems to read exactly the same to me?
‘…victim-smearing connotation’.
There is a thing in the legal system called presumption of innocence. In order to ‘victim-smear’ you need to know that the person actually is a victim.
Don’t be childish. You can’t be a victim until someone has been found guilty?
Is there? Then why can you be arrested? Surely you’d only arrest the guilty not all and sundry…
You are missing so much about why this is a big issue. Aside from the allegation of rape, there was no proper investigation and crucial evidence was destroyed or withheld.
You mean go have a nap in the Parliamentary offices of a LNP sitting criminal….
Chrisbath nice try. 2000 killed themselves because of SlomMos robodebt, billions squandered through his corruption, most of his cabinet would have fallen on their swords 20 years ago. The 800 that died did so because of the lnp media wing and the 1+ billion ripped out of Aged care by the feds.
When ICU staff across the planet, the most highly trained healthcare workers no less, are catching Corona left right and centre, hotel quarantine especially one organised in 3 days is going to leak. Best practice would posit that hotel quarantine should have never happened or should have been a stop gap measure while the Feds who have the budget resources and constitutional responsibility put together a national solution that minimised exposure through geography and population density.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7132122/former-france-sec-of-state-jailed-for-rape/?cs=14232
Too many drunks at Canberra.
Hey yeah where is Arrow2?!
Yeah I thought that the other day, haven’t heard from him in months
See below.
I had a few beers with him on Monday. He’s been working and house shopping. He’s doing well.
Ta, good to hear
The way they behave, the way that they protect behaviour in banking and finance, the way they are quite happy for laundered money to flow into the country to leverage into property… it’s like having a criminal gang in charge of the country.
Ding ! Ding !
Hamer Nail Head
You Sir win a Cigar
Except the mafia had more honour and integrity.
I’ve thought of the LNP government as a not very competent disorganised crime gang for many years.
I’ll make an obnoxious opinion… I give it till 2028 for the Boomer empire to begin to fall… if China doesnt declare war on us between 2021 / 2022 first.
Boomers have just turned corrupt, dug themselves in like a tick and gone ferociously denialist. Over the next 6 years, without a clue for how to fix the catastrophes that are about to unfold, they’ll stick there heads in the sand trying to play denialist until things get so severe they’ll be forced to embrace there own reality.
The problem isnt that the Boomers are holding onto power. The problem is there will be no young left to take it when the time comes. We destroyed them and now the Boomers are suffering through there own actions which they themselves caused.
The Boomers are just hoping they can deny all there problems long enough that Australia wont collapse into nothing… which… it eventually will.
My guess is before 2028. Why? Because death is something Boomers have no control over and when Boomers start to die, that power is going to be relinquished and everythings just going to fall apart.
Australias not a Country with a plan, moving into succession and embracing for the future that is to come. Australia is a bunch of Boomers, dug in like a tick, holding onto power at the expense of everyone else and the ground beneath them is falling. Its turning violently corrupt and instead of doing the right thing by Australians, they’ve become defensive, fought back and practically made Australia the enemy, handed the keys to our enemy China into Australia and allowed many Australians to suicide to protect themselves.
Most of the young kids I know are socially oestricised. In fact, a new story came to light this morning. I think I know a kid who’s about to suicide. Not today but I’ve seen these warning signs before. Thats Australias Future suiciding away while our Boomers ditter and dotter like ignorant pensioners.
Young Australians are poorly informed, are amazingly gullible, have zero critical thinking ability, and are destined for horrendous poverty.
It is all in their hands. They hold the weight of the vote.
What do they do with it? Give it to big Australia Labor and Greens. They should instead be ripping those two parties to pieces with the strength of their vote.
Young Australians only have themselves to blame. I don’t say that lightly, they’ve been conned and it’s horribly unfair, but they choose to do nothing about it.
“Young Australians are poorly informed, are amazingly gullible, have zero critical thinking ability, and are destined for horrendous poverty.”
Much like older australians(well maybe except the poverty in some cases.)
Clearly it doesn’t matter to older Australians does it!!!!
Wonder why we’re terribly informed.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/
Not a MENTION of the [email protected] coverup there.
You think that’s the biggest thing going on in Australia? It’s very important, but is a micro issue. It will not be covered up long term. Zero chance, and all MSM are doing is harming their own credibility ignoring it.
LNP are about to start bringing hundreds of thousands of people here. Not just this year. Every year, and MSM, Labor Greens and unions are all for it. We get no say. It’ll hurt millions and millions of existing Australians.
That’s the perspective young Australians are missing.
You do understand that when I crime is reported that it should be investigated appropriately – right? This isn’t the kind of thing you should ignore.
‘Not a MENTION of the [email protected] coverup there.’
People who are so keen on abolishing presumption of innocence in the legal system, are owed no such presumption in the court of public opinion.
“Alleged” [email protected] coverup then. As you like.
It would be nice to see the “alleged” rape investigated appropriately without critical evidence being destroyed (eg: semen DNA etc). I’m surprised it really needs to be spelled out …..
“without critical evidence being destroyed ”
I doubt any of that would be crtical evidence. Consent would be the contested factor. It would seem a ridiculous defence to claim you weren’t there if there are cameras and witnesses.
You are still missing the point. There was no appropriate investigation.
PS. And you are not in the position to say anything isn’t critical. It’s evidence that can be relied upon.
Unless the alleged perp claims they didn’t have sex it isn’t evidence at all, much less critical.
I agree it’s a bad look, but most of these cases come down to he said she said if they went together voluntarily to a secluded area.
The alleged perp hasn’t said anything and what they might say in court is still unknown. DNA and semen makes certain lines of false argument difficult to use. Frankly I don’t think you’re really interested in addressing core concerns here about how criminal behaviour should be investigated (including how an employer needs to conduct themselves) when an allegation is made. Perusal of you comments here makes that very clear.
No mention of the rape because all and sundry have ducked for cover.
Te Scrotum is not doing any media today…
His missus won’t let him.
I am curious at the angle the media takes on this, especially when:
a) It allegedly happened in a female senators office and;
b) IMO it reflects on the entirety of parliament.
Everyone knows that these political hangers on are there for one thing, power, which given their standard of intellect and actual achievement is far too easy to obtain.
The standard School > Uni > Political Staffer > MP life path is the one common factor at root of many issues today. People who have not spent any time in the real world.
‘But she has thrown this bomb on purpose, presumably with the object of getting justice. Indeed, she’s going all-in.’
What sort of justice? Regressive mob justice? Justice outside of the law that destroys people through bypassing the official criminal justice system? If she is ‘going all in’, why has she not yet perused that allegation with the police, if she can talk to the media, she can peruse the allegation with the police. She did originally at the time talk to the police so they would have the original allegation from the time.
I’d be doing the exact same thing if I was in her position. I doubt there would be enough evidence to reach the standard of proof necessary for a criminal conviction, but blowing up the government over the lies and cover-up would be justice by any other name.
Aside from the crime of rape itself, the other issues here Ben is that evidence was being withheld and that the matter wasn’t properly investigated originally. These are not minor matters.
I’m really at the point that I don’t care that her allegation may be false or after the fact consent that she now regrets. I never thought that I would make a statement like this but after all the rorts and disgusting things that these politicians have done over the years and got away with I hope this mud sticks and brings down the government.
If it is proven true, jail terms for the top tier for their complicit actions would be just.
They have earned it !
> Scott Morrison is unfit to govern
LOL. It’s taken you this long to write that headline. The camel’s back is not only broken it’s pulverised into nothing.
Hoo boy! Morrison knew.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/parliament-house-rape-allegations-pm-sorry-brittany-higgins-feels-hes-victim-blaming-reynolds-again-fails-to-clarify-timeline/news-story/a89553c652f6723a51995d5ddec07da0
The Australian has obtained a text message sent to Ms Higgins by a fellow Liberal staffer on the morning of April 3, 2019, within a fortnight of when the alleged rape occurred. In the text the Liberal staffer said he had spoken directly with a member of Mr Morrison’s staff.
Wonder who leaked this – Frydenberg? Dutton?