From The Australian: ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis has phoned Coalition politicians to urge them to use the soothing language favoured by Malcolm Turnbull in their public discussion of Islam. In what is thought to be an unprecedented intervention in politics by a head of the spy agency, Mr Lewis is said to have told the
The WA deputy premier has resigned: Kim Hames has told colleagues he will resign his deputy’s position at the first Liberal Party Room meeting of the new year. The announcement will spark immediate jockeying and number counting by Liberal MPs as they seek to identify a replacement. Police Minister Liza Harvey and Treasurer Mike Nahan
From The Australian: The nation’s political leaders have been warned to put aside domestic politics and “sniping” in the vital debate about how the world should deal with Islamist terrorism. As Malcolm Turnbull insisted “every single word” he said on the issue was based on advice from ASIO and the federal police so he did
Old loon ponders don’t die they just join a militia, from The Australian: This stark reality presented most recently in Paris when terrorists killed 130 innocent civilians. Around the Western world, the response was “sensible” and “measured”. There was talk of standing “shoulder to shoulder” with the French people. How we shared their pain. Our
By Leith van Onselen Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has given former Treasury Secretary, Dr Martin Parkinson, a new lease on public life, appointing him head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, according to The AFR. This is great news. Dr Parkinson has an excellent understanding of tax reform and is well placed to
From The Australian: Labor is facing the same devastating defeat that it suffered at the last federal election, as Bill Shorten’s standing with voters as the alternative prime minister has tumbled to the lowest level for any ALP leader in more than a decade. The latest Newspoll, taken exclusively for The Australian, reveals Labor’s primary
From The Age: Malcolm Turnbull believes “pragmatism and compromise” is the key to Syria and the terrorism it fuels, as an unstated international consensus emerges which could see a temporary reprieve for the brutal dictator President Bashar al-Assad, leaving him in place while a new power-sharing arrangement is constructed. Assad’s removal had been a non-negotiable demand
From The Australian: John Howard’s suggestion that Western powers strike a “deal” with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to defeat Islamic State has been highlighted by Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese. The former Liberal prime minister last night said political negotiations were needed to resolve Syria’s civil war and dealing with Assad, who had killed thousands of
By Leith van Onselen Liberal Democratic Senator, David Leyonhjelm, has truly ‘jumped the shark’, appealing to the National Rifle Association (NRA) in America not to follow Australia’s lead and implement greater gun control. In the interview (above), Leyonhjelm says the following about Australia’s gun laws: “I dont think Australia is a model for the United
It appears we are losing the “war on terror”: Full report.
Does anyone recall the Qantas bailout from eighteen months ago? Bozo Joe loved it: Treasurer Joe Hockey could still provide government assistance to Qantas Airways, saying the government’s edict about ending corporate welfare does not apply to the airline because it does not operate in a free-market environment. With a beleaguered Qantas increasingly anxious for
Sums it up superbly.
From Roy Morgan: In mid-November L-NP support is 56% (down 0.5%) cf. ALP 44% (up 0.5%) on a two-party preferred basis. If a Federal Election were held now the L-NP would win easily. Primary support fell for both major parties with support for the L-NP 46% (down 1%) and ALP 28% (down 0.5%). Support
Who is the Australian Prime Minister right now? Tony Abbott appears to be confused about it as he writes at The Australian: Islamic State cannot be contained; it has to be destroyed — because as long as it exists, the killings will continue. The more it grows, the worse the killings will become. …Under my
Australia’s former prime minister, Tony Abbott, relaunched himself yesterday and is colouring much of the press coverage of the Paris attacks today: “We are helping to train the Iraqi army, we advising and assisting the Iraqi Special Forces,” he said. “I certainly think that this latest atrocity, on top of other recent atrocities, does indicate that we
Cross-posted from The Idiot Tax: Don’t worry, Kelvin if you’re reading this you’re not dead. I’m just offering the vales for your political passing. And full blown respect for that mo. One, among many confusing messages this dung heap of a blog telegraphs, is a distaste for politicians. There can’t be any lower form of
It’s beginning to look more like a proper honeymoon now, from The Australian: The latest Newspoll, taken exclusively for The Australian, reveals the government is still making gains eight weeks after Mr Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, extending its lead over Labor to 53 per cent to 47 per cent after preferences.
From a speech yesterday by PM Turnbull at The Melbourne Institute: Economics is often said to be the dismal science. Well, there should be nothing dismal about today’s discussions. And that’s not just because we are in Marvellous Melbourne — somewhat damply glowing with joy and pride at the way in which Michelle Payne gloriously
Iron ore has today sunk to $48.70. Joe Hockey’s last Budget forecast for this year was $48FOB. To bring it up to the CFR benchmark equivalent one must add freight of $6-8 so his actual number was more like $55. So far this year the price has averaged almost exactly $55 but that is about
From Roy Morgan: In early November L-NP support is 56.5% (up 0.5%) cf. ALP 43.5% (down 0.5%) on a two-party preferred basis. If a Federal Election were held now the L-NP would win easily. Primary support for the L-NP rose 0.5% to 47% and ALP support rose 1% to 28.5%. Support for the Greens fell
Cross-posted from Sovereign Man. It wasn’t that long ago that you could travel from one corner of the world to another with nothing but your good looks. There are people still alive today, in fact, who were born into a world where passports were not widely used for international travel. The passport itself is a
From Amnesty International: Good governments live up to the values of the public who elected them. They uphold and abide by the laws they help create. They govern transparently, so the public know that those values and laws are not being undermined. Shortly after being elected, the Australian Government created Operation Sovereign Borders; a vast
From the WSJ: Australian defense planners are looking at the possibility of a naval sail-through close to China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, in case the government decides to follow its close ally the U.S. in testing Beijing’s territorial claims. “Australia has been looking at options,” said one official in Australia’s military familiar
You can’t keep a good Abbottalypse down, from The Age: Two of Australia’s leading Catholic priests say they are “appalled, ashamed and offended” that former prime minister Tony Abbott would cite the Bible on the world stage to argue for anti-immigration measures. Mr Abbott on Wednesday morning told the Margaret Thatcher Lecture in London that
Ms Kelly O’Dwyer may tell us all that negative gearing benefits blue collar workers but Lindsay David has a better take on it: We could extrapolate that across every blue ribbon electorate in Australia. Negative gearing is a Liberal Party rort.
By Leith van Onselen First Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull jettisoned Tony Abbott’s “captain’s calls” not to reform Australia’s giant and inequitable tax concessions (e.g. superannuation, negative gearing and the CGT discount), now he has taken an axe to Abbott’s “captain’s call” to appoint and fund “sceptical environmentalist”, Bjorn Lomborg, as an adjunct professor for a new “consensus centre”,
The Loon Pond is hurt, via The Australian: Liberal senator Eric Abetz has unleashed an attack on the Canberra press gallery, arguing it is hostile to conservative, Christian politicians while giving favourable treatment to left-leaning or Muslim MPs. Senator Abetz said the media had treated him and his conservative colleagues, in particular former prime minister
From Victoria Thieberger: One of the trickiest tasks in keeping the Australian economy growing into a 25th year is preventing shaky business and consumer confidence sliding into bleak pessimism, despite clear signs of a cooling housing market. The Reserve Bank knows this, and the government knows it. There are tentative signs that PM Turnbull’s positive
Not sure what this means but am tempted yell “shame”!
It’s not much a honeymoon for PM Turnbull. His own party hates him, apparently, from The Age: This weekend’s heckling of Malcolm Turnbull by the Liberal Party’s right showed only that he is a leader for the time in the way Tony Abbott never was. The first guffaws from the crowd at the party’s state
