Via Shane Oliver: The Federal Election Some might be forgiven for thinking the wheels have fallen off Australian politics over the past decade with the same number of PM changes as Italy, a fractured Senate and “minority government” at times making sensible visionary long-term policy making hard. With the May 18 Federal Election offering a
From Scummo today: Our plan will build our economy, without increasing taxes, securing the future for all Australians. #BuildingOurEconomy pic.twitter.com/Ao8p6WPeDb — Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) 10 April 2019 Let’s unpack what these five points really mean. Scummo Point 1: 1.25m jobs over five years The Truth: Jobs growth of 1.25 million over five years implies weak
More Coalition corruption today alas, via Domain: New emails have emerged that contradict a statement given by Liberal Party fundraising chief Andrew Burnes to the Australian Stock Exchange about a controversial meeting between his company, Helloworld, and his friend and major shareholder, the Australian ambassador to the United States, Joe Hockey. The emails show that
Via New Daily: Scott Morrison is preparing to call a May 18 election as early as Thursday morning, hours after his ministers launched a blistering attack on Bill Shorten as ‘two-faced’ on the question of his relationship with a banned Chinese donor Huang Xiangmo. The Prime Minister flew out of Melbourne after 9pm on Wednesday
Via The Guardian: A poll commissioned by the activist group GetUp, which is targeting the seat, found that 64% of Kooyong residents said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate with a plan to address climate change by replacing coal with clean energy. However, a survey by Roy Morgan, published in the Australian Financial Review,
By Leith van Onselen As expected, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has jumped on the faux rage over Chris Bowen’s understatement of the share of negatively geared investment into newly constructed dwellings: Josh Frydenberg has accused Labor of “lying” about inaccurate figures behind its negative gearing reforms, and warns there could be “a big black hole” in
Isn’t the LNP supposed to be strong on border protection and ANZUS? Via Domain: Former prime minister Tony Abbott has suggested Malcolm Turnbull is among those “trying to create something out of nothing” regarding allegations of undue foreign influence levelled at Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Mr Abbott said the assertion Mr Dutton had questions
Via the FT: The three dozen men and women sitting under huge Poinciana trees listen intently to Joyce Konofilia. A candidate in last week’s general election in the Solomon Islands, she was campaigning in a squalid settlement on a hillside above the capital city of Honiara where few residents have access to electricity and even
A week or so ago Malcolm Turnbull issues a veiled warning to his former party at the SCMP: They took issue with Turnbull for citing former Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong in December 2017, when he said: “Modern China was founded in 1949 with these words: Zhongguo renmin zhanqilai – the Chinese people have stood up.’” “It
Here’s what former Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull said today about Peter Dutton meeting Chinese national, rampant political donor, alleged CCP agent of influence and currently exiled and disqualified for citizenship on character grounds, Huang Xiangmo: “Look, Peter Dutton has got a lot to explain about this.” “He is supposed to be the minister
Lol, he’s in control, not, via Domain: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slapped down internal Coalition critics who are demanding swift approval for the Adani coalmine, insisting the government will follow “expert scientific advice” on an imminent environmental decision. Mr Morrison rebuked “senators listening to themselves” on the coal project after Queensland Liberal senator James
He has a right given it was the one thing he got right in government as pushing back the Chinese Communist Party’s “silent invasion”, via the ABC: Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has demanded answers from his replacement and slammed the Home Affairs Minister amid revelations a Chinese Communist Party-aligned billionaire paid tens of thousands
From The Guardian: Voters are broadly positive about the Morrison government’s budget according to the latest Guardian Essential poll, but 61% say it will make no difference to their vote and the government remains in the same position as it was a fortnight ago – trailing Labor, with an election in sight. The latest survey of
Maybe it’s the entire parliament, via the ABC: Chinese Communist Party-aligned billionaire Huang Xiangmo paid tens of thousands of dollars to former Liberal minister Santo Santoro while mounting a back-room campaign to secure Australian citizenship. In 2016 Mr Santoro arranged a one-on-one meeting for Mr Huang with then-immigration minister Peter Dutton. Despite meeting inside the
Via the AFR comes LNP suicide watch as it mulls a pre-election Adani approval: …Queensland Coalition MPs believe Ms Price has yet to sign off on an approval, already granted by her department, due to pressure from Liberal Deputy Leader Josh Frydenberg, who faces a challenge in his seat of Kooyong, as well as other
Like, super long, via Mark the Ballot: I spent a little time this weekend looking at the seat betting markets from sportsbet, which I will be following until the Federal election. Because bookmakers set the odds at prices that ensure they cover their liabilities regardless of who wins (with thanks to the bookmakers‘ over-round or “vigorish”), the
By Leith van Onselen NewsCorp’s Terry McCrann has spent years penning ludicrous attacks on Labor’s negative gearing reforms. Over the weekend, he branched out even further claiming that a vote for Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen would be a vote for the “end of the world”. From The Australian: Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen have
Via The Australian: O’Sullivan’s commission could do irreparable damage to the financial system. Everybody’s job, everybody’s mortgage, every loan to every business in the country was dependent on the strength and credibility of the financial system, they said, and O’Sullivan was about to lift the lid on a Pandora’s box. With the help of a
Via the ABC: A local Sydney council bowed to pressure from the Chinese Government and banned an Australian-owned media company from sponsoring an event because it was critical of the Communist Party. A joint investigation by Four Corners, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald obtained documents showing how Chinese consular officials issued at least
Via The Australian: An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows the Coalition’s primary vote has jumped ahead of Labor’s for the first time since Mr Morrison became Prime Minister. On a two-party-preferred basis, Bill Shorten’s opposition still holds an election-winning lead, 52 to 48 points, but the Coalition has engineered a four-point turnaround since
Via the ABC: Tony Abbott’s re-election campaign held a fundraising event at a private golf club run by a fugitive Chinese casino tycoon with deep ties to the Communist Party. A joint investigation by Four Corners, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald can reveal that Mr Abbott attended the fundraiser at the Twin Creeks
Via Herald Sun: Baby Boomers, Millennials, mums and dads and every state and territory are united on one thing this election — cost of living is their number one issue. …After five years in power, the Coalition is likely to take a hit over cost of living issues given wage growth remains sluggish and households
I have to be careful with this. The cognitive dissonance that clings like a magical cloak to the Atlassian duo makes me deeply suspicious of their various public campaigns. Today’s outburst partly fits this description but not all: Sad to report the poor, rushed legislation covering “Streamed Terrorism” passed both houses just now – despite
Via Justin Field, former NSW Greens senator: I have made the decision to leave the NSW Greens and sit as an independent member of Parliament in the NSW upper house. It has not been an easy decision and I leave the Greens with a mix of sadness and optimism. I’m not trying to start a
Via the AFR: Lachlan Murdoch held two rounds of drinks with Sky TV and News Corp staff at his Bellevue Hill mansion where he initiated the media storm that led to Malcolm Turnbull’s downfall, according to a new account of events last August. In a three-part New York Times magazine feature published on its website
As expected, via Domain: Behind Labor’s new tax stance is an estimate that almost half the cuts announced in the last two budgets, worth a combined $302 billion over 10 years, go to those on higher incomes. Mr Shorten will intensify the fight over the fairness of the tax relief by outlining more help for
Via Domain come a survey of CEO attitudes towards China. Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman summed up the sensible view: “The two go hand in hand, and you can’t have unbalanced relations,” Mr Coleman said. “You can’t deny the fact that China is a very important market for us but you can’t compromise on fundamental security
The AFR just can’t get enough China kowtowing: Scott Morrison’s efforts to repair Australia’s relationship with Beijing have been welcomed in China but not with a huge amount of enthusiasm. The consensus is that the appointment of Graham Fletcher, a career diplomat with deep China experience as Australia’s new ambassador in Beijing – along with
By Leith van Onselen Many of us have been hoping in vain that a Shorten-led Labor Government would follow the will of the electorate and lower Australia’s immigration intake back to sensible historical levels: Sadly, the opposite is true. In February, Labor’s shadow immigration minister, Shayne Neumann, committed to a turbo charged migrant intake: Mr Neumann
Via The Guardian: Bringing forward the Coalition’s income tax cuts would give high-income earners an extra $104 a week while low- to middle-income earners would gain just 50 cents to $4 a week, according to new modelling. The Australian Council of Social Service released the modelling on Monday to warn the Morrison government off any attempt to
