By Leith van Onselen With Australia’s permanent migration program already an insane 180,000 in 2017-18 – more than double the level at the turn of the century: And net overseas migration (NOM) running at more than triple the historical average, which is projected to continue for decades to come: Many of us have been hoping
Geez, mate, a poor look, via Domain: Experts believe Liberal MP Tim Wilson may have breached privacy laws by failing to tell hundreds of people who signed up to a petition that their names, addresses, phone numbers and emails would be transferred to a multibillion-dollar fund manager. The backbencher’s taxpayer-funded inquiry into Labor’s franking credits
Via the AFR: The weaker LNG export market has “taken the top off” domestic gas prices in the eastern states but industrial buyers are still jostling for supplies available within the new normal range of $9-$11 a gigajoule, well above historical levels, according to one of the few producers with gas to sell next financial
It didn’t really work for Do-nothing Malcolm but that’s not going to stop do-nothing Scummo from having a red not go, via Jen Hewitt: Labor is “soft” and “weak”. Scott Morrison says so…the prospect of a brawl over border protection and national security is like a beacon glimmering in the political darkness…In terms of political strategy, this
What makes bastards untenable is not being an arsehole it is adding hypocrisy to the crime. Enter Chris Pyne: Reflecting on Mr Turnbull’s fall, Mr Pyne said he “felt that it was the end of an era” in the sense it cemented a trend in which politicians responded rashly to bad polls and criticism in
Domain has the scoop: Independent candidate Zali Steggall is on track to replace former prime minister Tony Abbott as the federal member for Warringah, according to a ReachTEL poll commissioned by GetUp. The activist group, which is campaigning to oust Mr Abbott from his traditionally Liberal seat on Sydney’s northern beaches, commissioned a poll of
Via The Australian: Former foreign minister Bob Carr has slammed the reasons authorities have given businessman Huang Xiangmo for cancelling his visa, saying they were “flimsy” and “loose”. Mr Huang, who is stranded overseas, yesterday released a statement about the decision and a reporter who spoke to him said ASIO had made the call stating
Via The Australian: An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows Labor lifting its primary vote by one point and retaining a commanding lead over the Coalition, with a two-party-preferred vote of 53 to 47. The poll also shows that Labor’s plan to abolish franking credit refunds for retirees is widely opposed, with 44 per cent of
By Leith van Onselen L-plate Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, admitted that the Government’s faux concern of immigration late last year was a smokescreen, committing to a turbo-charged migrant intake and a ‘Big Australia’ at Friday’s COAG population meeting. From The Australian: “Our plan is to continue to grow the economy and to continue to have a
Via The Australian comes the Nats invisible man: Internal Nationals polling shows the party will struggle to hold the regional NSW seats of Cowper and Page at the federal election, and party leader Michael McCormack is virtually unknown to voters and poorly rated by those who are aware of him. Polling conducted for the party
Lordy, the Coalition’s moral compass has spun wildly out of control, via Domain: A lobby group masquerading as a grassroots organisation of disgruntled retirees is actually a network of professional lobbyists involved in the trucking industry and the Liberal Party, with a history of campaigning against Labor government policies. Defenders of Self-Funded Retirees says it
Because this has as much to do with the environment as a wilderbeast playing a game of chess: Together, we can build a future for all of us. https://t.co/xnRmfnpXwR pic.twitter.com/uh4mcgeM6H — Greens (@Greens) February 5, 2019 Vote Sustainable Australia!
Via The Australian: Billionaire property developer and political party donor Huang Xiangmo is not only stranded in Beijing, suspected by many of being a Chinese Communist Party influence agent, but he is also facing major problems across his diverse portfolio of Australian real estate assets. Mr Huang, now an adviser to his Yuhu Group, which
If gall could be converted into energy that is. Via the AFR: EnergyAustralia managing director Catherine Tanna has unleashed on the “big stick” bill that introduces measures to force the divestment of energy assets, bluntly telling a Senate committee it is a “desperate and dangerous” measure by the Morrison government to “look tough” ahead of
By Leith van Onselen The Sustainable Australia Party’s first elected member of parliament, MLC Clifford Hayes, delivered his maiden speech to the Victorian Parliament, attacking the Fake Greens for supporting mass immigration to the detriment of the environment, while also acknowledging his staffer – Rudd Government shadow attorney-general Kelvin Thomson. From The Australian: [Clifford Hayes]
Via Domain: Billionaire political donor and Beijing’s former top lobbyist in Australia, Huang Xiangmo, has been stranded overseas after Australian officials declared him unfit to hold an Australian passport, and cancelled his permanent residency. …The decision is the first enforcement action to be made by Canberra against a suspected Chinese Communist Party influence agent after
Via the AFR: The biggest split is over mortgage brokers after the government baulked at the key recommendation in which the borrower, not the lender, would pay the broker the fee for arranging a loan. Another is the recommendation to apply responsible lending laws to point-of-sale retailers, such as car dealers. Labor agrees with the
Is this why Justice Kenneth Hayne was so disgusted at the handover of his report? Via Sally McManus on Twitter: EXPOSED: ACTU uncovers secret letters between the big banks and Scott Morrison https://t.co/RSn0Uu6nLx — Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) February 5, 2019 What on earth happened to the once lovable Ken Henry?
By Leith van Onselen Less than a year ago, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian wooed a bunch of American business leaders in Washington spruiking the ‘benefits’ arising from the State’s massive asset recycling (privatisation) program: “When Gladys Berejiklian went through the data on her state you could see people saying, ‘Wow, we want to live there’,” says
Via The Guardian: The new poll of 1,652 respondents has Labor ahead of the Morrison government on the two-party preferred measure 52% to 48%, a shift within the margin of error from the last voter survey of last year, and one in mid-January that had Labor ahead 53% to 47%. John Hewson appeared at the Saturday
Via the ABC’s Laura Tingle today: Federal Cabinet was supposed to meet on Sunday to agree on a response to the banking royal commission before its release today. Instead, the Government’s considered response to a three-volume report was dealt with in a Cabinet phone hook-up this afternoon while journalists and industry representatives were locked away
A couple of contributions today sum the wider Hayne Royal Commission up. Martin North does a great job of weaving together the strategic strands: But Adele Ferguson, the journalist most responsible for delivering the RC, is critical: Customers were ripped off but the regulators had little or no appetite to use the tools at their
By Leith van Onselen Surely it’s time for a permanent ICAC and a permanent look at foreign political donations. From The ABC: A corruption watchdog is asking questions about a Chinese billionaire property developer, a state Labor politician, a former head of the NSW arm of the party and $100,000 in mainly cash donations made
By Leith van Onselen The Property Council has vowed to make stopping Labor’s negative gearing and capital gains tax (CGT) reforms its top priority for 2019: Property Council group executive for policy Mike Zorbas said… “More than two million Australians own an investment property… Through this they play a vital role in supporting the private
Via Domain: Mr Abbott, fundraiser John Caputo and state MPs John Sidoti and Mark Coure, were all VIP guests at a Chinese New Year function attended by Beijing’s highest ranking United Front affiliates in Australia. The United Front Work Department is a unique agency overseen by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee and which leads
Via Reuters: Spot prices for March delivery to Asia LNG-AS this week fell to $7.00 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down $1 from the previous week, lowest since April 6, trade sources said. They are also seasonally at the lowest for this time of the year since 2016, Reuters data showed. This translates to
From Chris Joye today: If Prime Minister Scott Morrison pulls off a miracle and wins the May election, housing conditions should stabilise as investors pile back into the market to pick up cheap assets once the threat of Labor’s deleterious tax changes is removed. I also expect the accessibility of credit to improve following the royal
Yesterday I noted that the Liberal Sheilas movement was not much more than a hollow echo of Malcolm Turnbull’s dubious values: The candidates share independence, climate change consciousness, social progressiveness, immigration sympathies and political centrism but they do split over how these are interpreted. Steggall is against Labor tax reforms, Yates is half for them, presumably
Via Domain: Former federal Greens leader Bob Brown held talks with a group of NSW Greens MPs about forming a new breakaway party as the civil war inside the state branch reached boiling point. The discussions, which were continuing among the MPs as late as last December, advanced to the point that designs for a
The lead into Hayne pain has begun in earnest with the corrupt Coalition preparing the ground to do nothing, via the AFR: Mr Frydenberg said the principal focus of the government’s response would be to protect consumers and restore their faith in the sector but ensuring a free flow of credit to households and businesses
