Australian Politics thread [merged]

[mightytiges]

It would be nice to have a government that just focuses on the fundamentals of education rather than this political cultural war crap  .

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-11/curriculum-critic-wants-more-religion-to-be-taught-in-schools/5195410

Speaking of needing education, Pyne and Donnelly need to read our constitution and learn that we live in a secular democracy.

116. The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/~/link.aspx?_id=6ED2CAE61E7742A1B2C42F95D4C05252&_z=z

education for the masses is overrated. you can stick a rich kid in the best school but if hes a moron or just dumb it wont make a difference. the only system that works is having entrance exams for all schools including the private schools and the best kids get in and where a poor kid cant afford to pay then the government should subsidise it for him or her. the days where the bludgers of high society get their dumb kids into the best schools needs to end. also needing to be ended is the fee paying idiots from overseas who pay to get into university courses and they are dumb as dogpoo. they just take places away from good Australian kids.   

Most private schools do have entrance exams to get into them .

No they don't.  Less than 5% in fact

Don't most of the APS schools have some form of extrance exam? They used to.

[1965]

Most test students but do not use the results for entrance.

 

[1965]

Even Bill is starting to talk about one-term Tony.

 

Bill Shorten says he can limit Prime Minister Tony Abbott to one term
 
January 20, 2014

Michael Gordon 

Bill Shorten has branded Tony Abbott a potential ''oncer'' prime minister, insisting Labor can win government back at the next election if it stays united.

Declaring jobs, cuts and broken promises the key political battleground for the coming year, the Labor leader says he is stunned that Mr Abbott has squandered so much political capital so quickly.

In an interview to mark 100 days since he assumed the Labor leadership, Mr Shorten claimed the government was vulnerable on jobs, health, education, climate change and the implementation of its ''stop the boats'' policy.

Advertisement 

''I'm amazed at how our relationship with Indonesia went from hero to zero so quickly,'' he said before four days campaigning in Brisbane for the February 8 Griffith byelection.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-says-he-can-limit-prime-minister-tony-abbott-to-one-term-20140119-312te.html#ixzz2quQc7jIB

[1965]

Tony is on the world stage and is commenting on domestic politics.

FFS this man is a political lightweight who unless he improves will be a one term PM.

This is the worst government that I can remember (and I marched in the streets when Kerr sacked Whitlam).



PM Tony Abbott shouldn't be playing the challenger's game
 
January 22, 2014 - 1:14PM

Mark Kenny 

For those of us doing relaxing summery things like watching tennis, the return of national politics may feel a tad premature.

Still, the overlap brings to mind the to-and-fro exchanges of the otherwise more entertaining action on Rod Laver Arena.

Bill Shorten says Tony Abbott could be a "oncer" as Prime Minister.

Abbott responds to the taunt with a crisp volley, branding Shorten "cocky".

It was probably Abbott who lost the point, to strain the tennis analogy further.

Why? Because of the two, it was he who departed furthest from his game-plan - in this case, building a reputation as a statesman and as a prime minister.

Strutting the world stage in the Swiss resort town of Davos, Abbott need not have taken the domestic Shorten bait at all.

He could have either brushed the "oncer" comment away with a simple "no comment" or perhaps even agreed in a qualified fashion, arguing as he so often used to, that winning elections is never guaranteed.

Instead, in the instant of his tit-for-tat reflex, Abbott revealed the distance he has to go to grow into the role as PM.

The episode is of no substantive import except inasmuch as in what it tells us about the Abbott journey.

Critics, including some on his own side have seen him as not so much growing in the role as shrinking.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/pm-tony-abbott-shouldnt-be-playing-the-challengers-game-20140122-3183y.html#ixzz2r768BeXq

[gerkin greg]

[dwaino]

Jobs, jobs, jobs.

[mightytiges]

Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Going, going, going.

The saddest/stupidest thing about the SPC decision is the cost to the Government/taxpayer, in additional welfare from job losses and loss in tax revenue from connected business going under in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley, will likely far exceed that $25m.

[dwaino]

SPC should have said the money was to build a new facility in a Tasmanian forest or the Great Barrier Reef or something. Surely would have been approved then.

[WilliamPowell]

No $$$ for SPC but Tony and his team can find $16mil for Cadbury

And BTW Tony said that SPC's parent company should put the $$ in. What Tony and his team forgot to mention is that parent company was going to put the $$$ to the tune of $90mil

As for the State Govt - there commitment of if the Feds put in $$$ we will match it is well a cop out

Gotta love the consistency of pollies

[Judge Roughneck]

SPC should have said the money was to build a new facility in a Tasmanian forest or the Great Barrier Reef or something. Surely would have been approved then.

Lol

[dwaino]

Work choices is dead and buried.

[mightytiges]

"Governments are very bad at picking winners. Losers are very good at picking Governments." - Joe Hockey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTnEjQ7LxMo&feature=youtu.be

 

[1965]

More on the real power behind Tony Abbott: Peta Credlin

Twitter, Facebook out of bounds for Coalition staff under strict controls
  February 10, 2014 - 12:45PM 

James Massola
Political correspondent

The Abbott government has quietly introduced a hardline code of conduct for ministerial staff, banning political commentary on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook.

The ban also extends to current Coalition staff writing books and newspaper articles and staff seeking "further guidance" on the new rules are referred directly to Tony Abbott's chief of staff, Peta Credlin.
The Statement of Standards for Ministerial Staff was updated late last year and is based on the code of conduct for staff introduced by the first Rudd government back in 2007.

The two codes of conduct are identical, except for the addition of a 22nd clause in the Coalition code, which states that staff must: "Other than in the course of their professional duties, not post personal online commentary or other material or publish books or articles expressing personal views which relate to either their minister's portfolio area or the general work of the Australian government."

"The Prime Minister's chief of staff should be consulted for further guidance."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/twitter-facebook-out-of-bounds-for-coalition-staff-under-strict-controls-20140210-32b4n.html#ixzz2sshQ59p8

[Penelope]

you're unreal '65

no mention of the govt sending in the feds to raid the offices of the lawyer representing East Timor, and their star witness and confiscation of his passport so he could not attend the international court in the Hague.

Nothing said about Tony Abbot saying that they wouldn't give SPC any money because the workers were overpaid, most of whom get paid about 50k a year, or that him and his cronies told outright lies about said employees getting well over and above award rates.

Nothing about the government setting up an ultra expensive Royal Commission into union corruption, just to satisfy his own idealist hate of unions, when the best course of action would have been to set up an inquiry by the Australian Crime Commission, who can basically prosecute as they go, and who will most probably be giving a large portion of the evidence to the Royal Commission anyway.

But this mindless drivel is noteworthy?

[1965]

you're unreal '65

no mention of the govt sending in the feds to raid the offices of the lawyer representing East Timor, and their star witness and confiscation of his passport so he could not attend the international court in the Hague.

Nothing said about Tony Abbot saying that they wouldn't give SPC any money because the workers were overpaid, most of whom get paid about 50k a year, or that him and his cronies told outright lies about said employees getting well over and above award rates.

Nothing about the government setting up an ultra expensive Royal Commission into union corruption, just to satisfy his own idealist hate of unions, when the best course of action would have been to set up an inquiry by the Australian Crime Commission, who can basically prosecute as they go, and who will most probably be giving a large portion of the evidence to the Royal Commission anyway.

But this mindless drivel is noteworthy?
 

More important than you realise.

Expect Hockey to challenge and win before the next election.

Peta Credlin will be the first to go.