Australia General Discussion

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Not only is it a weird thing to lie over, it doesn't feel like it's resignation material. Very good chance that this isn't the end of it. Could just be the beginning.

I do understand... when you've spent the last what? 5-7 years running around saying "they're corrupt, we are (and most importantly I am) clean..." The scent, the whiff of something off, was going to kill his brand.

To be fair, it is New South Wales. Isn't that considered the Illinois of Australian politics?

Also, wow. Does any federal or state leader last more than a term in Australian politics? They get replaced like poor quality lightbulbs.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Is their a chance Malcolm Turnbull could be leading the Liberals into the next election? Especially if Abbott can't force through the Carbon Tax repeal in the new parliament.

It seems that for a third time consecutively in Australia a Prime Minister will be traumatically damaged over a botched tax introduction.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

How would you balance Australia's budget?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2014/may/09/budget-cuts-revenue-interactive

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The thing I don't understand about Abbott's plan is that this budget is largely impossible to pass.

Most of the major reforms and cuts will be dead in the water, in this Senate or the next  - sans the fuel rax rise with Greens support; perhaps the debt levy if Labor end up supporting it and the mining and carbon tax repeals if Abbott does the dance of the seven veils for Palmer.

So surely Abbott has just pissed everyone off for no real gain...

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Well, it sets the bar low at least. Children aren't dying on the street, therefore we're doing great!

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

So pretty good news right? RET etc. has been saved from the ideologues. What's the chance of Palmer's emissions trading scheme passing? I'm guessing none.

Also LOL @ the Greens opposing fuel tax indexation. This Parliament is amusingly wacky.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Why has Katter's Party evaporated since the last Queensland election?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The NSW Labor conference has voted to abolish the Socialist objective, to support a 50:50 caucus to membership method of electing the state party leader, and to reject John Faulkner's preselection reforms, thankfully.

Yes, it's horrible that local people should have any say in who represent them. Just as long as the SDA get to keep their power...

Please, as if good social conservatives are going to vote for a party which democratically elects people! Everyone knows that random union heads are far more accountable and appealing than the membership, ugh.

Is anybody but Hifly happy that Faulkner's reform failed?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Unexpected news: senator John Madigan has left the DLP, and will now sit as an independent. He cites "enemies within the ranks".

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

To be fair (and I do agree Anglophile Abbott wouldn't broach the subject) flags are a relatively "easy" way to win moderate points, while not spending much money. At least that's why I assume Key started this whole thing.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

If nobody smoked tobacco, how will the government cope without its sweet, sweet tobacco revenue?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

RIP to a true great

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Greens reforming internally, namely in forming a centralised Executive council. As with most internal reforms with the Australian Greens, this is causing some bickering and accusations of selling-out within the unruly NSW branch. (the NSW Greens are notoriously left-wing, and a constant source of anguish for people like Bob Brown and Christine Milne)

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Dissident PUP Tasmania senator Jacqui Lambie leaves party to become indie.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I really can't fathom the Abbott governments strategy with this GP fee. Is it still a thing? Why is it being passed off as a budget-balancing matter if it is earmarked for medical research? Why does not nobody in government seem to know what the future of the fee is? Like all my bitching about Abbott aside, wtf is going on?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Both Palmer MP's in the Northern Territory quit the party and call it a disgrace. This means one of the them has now left three parties in her time in office.

Abbott has not had a great week by any account, with ministers and backbenchers contradicting each other on all sorts of issues, the Defence Minister cussing out an Australian submarine manufacturer, a brazenly weird attempt to deny that he promised no ABC cuts, ongoing attacks on his G20 stewardship and the premature sinking of the Victoria state Liberals. However, despite all that what made me laugh was in a discussion about nuclear power, Abbott announcing he was not "theologically opposed" to nuclear plants. What a weirdo  

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I don't think he needs to go, but he urgently needs a reshuffle. Demote Johnston for his comments, Hockey for becoming toxic, Dutton for contradicting him and Pyne for rubbish messaging. Bring in some women, promote new backbenchers, clear all the dead wood and reward the few somewhat successful ministers in cabinet (like the Trade Minister, Morrison, and Bishop).

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Xenephon's starting his own party apparently. Cause he saw how that went so well for Bob Katter...

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Xenephon's starting his own party apparently. Cause he saw how that went so well for Bob Katter...

I think Xenophon's niche won't be gagged by a Clive Palmer type though

Plus also, he's in the Upper House so the issues that harmed Katter won't really affect him as much.

But the key question is...

Will he be so egotistical to name it after himself?

Yes - it's the "NXT" - Nick Xenephon Team. I was hoping for it to be called the Xenomorphs, myself

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Reshuffle!

* Blessed victim of ICAC and "star recruit" Arthur Sinodinos OUT (rather than occupying a weird position in purgatory like he has for a while). Replaced by Frydenberg.

* Scott Morrison "promoted" to Social Services. So he can focus all his wrath (formerly focused on asylum seekers) on pensioners etc. That should maintain his popularity! Dutton takes over Immigration.

* Sussan Ley in charge of Health and Sports.

* David "barnacle" Johnston fired

* McFarlane takes on a "Science" brief, to counteract a common criticism when the ministries were formed.


That's the major ones. All in all, largely (gasp) sensible moves from the Abbott government. Perhaps some other moves could have been considered - moving Pyne for one, as well as appointing an actual, err, woman as "Minister for Women". I didn't really think Hockey was in much danger of being fired - for one thing, who would want it? (Perhaps if Abbott was Machiavellian enough, he would put Bishop in the job and make his only feasible rival unpopular)

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Abbott seems to be like a Puritan Berlosconi.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

LOL Palmer

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Knights and dames, solo. Knights and dames.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

are they really reviving the debate over industrial relations? Seeing as it completely sunk a pretty competent Liberal leader, I don't see why Abbott thinks he can do any better...?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Apparently this is real

Gardiner for PM