Australia General Discussion

[Knives]

Labor is currently sorting out preselections for the NSW Upper House elections next year, and it's been reported that both Amanda Fazio and Helen Westwood, two of the three most militant social liberals in the Labor caucus, have been ousted and so their careers will end next year.

Can't you just focus on German politics? Like seriously,  off.

[Knives]

Labor is currently sorting out preselections for the NSW Upper House elections next year, and it's been reported that both Amanda Fazio and Helen Westwood, two of the three most militant social liberals in the Labor caucus, have been ousted and so their careers will end next year.

Can't you just focus on German politics? Like seriously,  off.

Reporting my posts isn't going to help you because literally everyone who's paying attention knows about you. The fact that you did report it speaks volumes.
This post is not a Personal Attack.*

* it looks as if I'm going to have to post this clarification in every single one of my replies to you so you get the message. Also, is saying "**** off" to me not a personal attack?

What are you even talking about?

[Knives]

Labor is currently sorting out preselections for the NSW Upper House elections next year, and it's been reported that both Amanda Fazio and Helen Westwood, two of the three most militant social liberals in the Labor caucus, have been ousted and so their careers will end next year.

Can't you just focus on German politics? Like seriously,  off.

Reporting my posts isn't going to help you because literally everyone who's paying attention knows about you. The fact that you did report it speaks volumes.
This post is not a Personal Attack.*

* it looks as if I'm going to have to post this clarification in every single one of my replies to you so you get the message. Also, is saying "**** off" to me not a personal attack?

What are you even talking about?

Do you want me to repost the post you got deleted or is the topic too sensitive for you to handle?

I didn't ing report you, by all means repost it those, I'm sure it was a little nugget of gold.

[Knives]

ing Victoria Labor ing up a winnable election.

[Knives]

The polls were tightening in Victoria and now Labor and Daniel Andrews are embroiled in a sandal. It would be hilarious if they lost an unloseable election.

Solopop in which electorate do you vote? Are you voting Labor?

I live in what used to be Doncaster and would have voted for Mary Wooldridge, but I got rezoned to Ringwood and am definitely voting for Labor.

[Knives]

Also people can't seriously be buying Tony's MH17 bullsh**t? I mean at first he appeared strong, now he looks desperate.

[Knives]

To get around the pay wall, search the article name in Google and click the link from Google and it's free.

For Fairfax Media simply go to private browsing.

[Knives]

lol Baird called it 'atonement' more like saving themselves from embarrassment.

[Knives]

It's looking good for Labor in Victoria which is surprising considering the tape scandal and Daniel Andrews just being a mess.

[Knives]

Yesterday going to school outside of Glenferrie Station I was abused by a John Roskam supporter, expect the Hawthorn pre-selection process to get ugly if more people get in. It's going to expose the massive divide in Vic Liberals.

[Knives]

Yesterday going to school outside of Glenferrie Station I was abused by a John Roskam supporter, expect the Hawthorn pre-selection process to get ugly if more people get in. It's going to expose the massive divide in Vic Liberals.

As you are well past schoolboy age I am assuming this means you work at the school?

? would you like a picture of me? you are THAT obsessed.

[Knives]

Things are all up in the air in Victoria again over Geoff Shaw.  Napthine will be moving to expel him from Parliament today (Thursday), but Labor's going to oppose it.

The turnaround from both sides is rather remarkable from this period in June.  However, to me, it rather makes sense.  Remember, in June the question was whether Shaw's expenses scandal was grounds enough to expel him - the Parliament resolved that is wasn't.  Now the question is whether he should be expelled because of a comment made in a newspaper interview and the premier's opinion on the sincerity of his apology statement.  Expulsion on those grounds would be a very slippery precedent.

What's the point, the election is only two months away, let the people of Frankston decide Mr. Shaw's fate, should he choose to run again as an independent.

That's really the issue here.  It's fairly clear that Napthine was just trying to avoid a by-election in June, but now that holding one is no longer possible he's totally in favor of removing Shaw.

He wasn't trying to avoid a by-election - he was trying to avoid a motion of no-confidence and triggering an early election.

Doesn't a motion of no-confidence require a majority to succeed? Shaw's absence means the numbers would have been 43-43, without the Speaker's vote, although 44-43 in Labor's favour if there had been a Frankston by-election, which Labor would have likely won.

Which leads me to another question - Can the Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly vote in motions of no confidence?

I think there was doubts as to where Ken Smith's allegiances lied.

[Knives]

I didn't think it was possible but I actually hate the Victorian Liberals more than the Federal. They are the most useless and incompetent people willing to risk billions on contracts that may be scrapped all for political point scoring. The East-West Link should be taken to the election with contracts signed if they win after the election, stop jeopardising the future of the state you unbelievable assholes. God, if I could slap Michael O'Brien I would slap him so hard right now.

[Knives]

You have that completely around the wrong way.

The person jeopardising the future of Victoria is Daniel Andrews, who has shown exceptionally poor judgement over the past couple of weeks, as demonstrated by his bad decisions. You can't simply tear up contracts following an election and think it won't affect the State's future ability to attract investment - if you could, the Myki and Desal contracts would have been torn up long ago. It's not the Liberals who are risking billions - it's Labor. If they tear up the contracts, the state will lose billions in infrastructure funding from Canberra and have to pay compensation and damages. The East West Link was originally proposed by Sir Rod Eddington in his Report to the previous Labor Government. Daniel Andrews has said throughout the year how only an irresponsible government would tear up contracts, and now he said he will do exactly that. He will say and do anything to try to win votes. He is risking the future of the state for political point scoring. That's why a wide range of groups over the past few days have rubbished his backflip. Daniel Andrews is willing to gamble billions of dollars and thousands of jobs because he thinks it will win him votes.

The thing is the contracts for Myki and Desal were signed well before the election, these contracts are being signed weeks. This is an issue that should be brought to the electorate, and if the Liberals win then and only then should they sign off on these documents. Plus, how irresponsible is it to sign off on contracts when there is a legal challenge going on?

[Knives]

The Desal contract may have been signed well before the election, but at the previous election, Labor had said that they would not build a Desal plant, and rubbished the Liberal water policy for proposing to build one. Labor didn't have the guts to take that horrendous contract to the people, they just built it and put that millstone around the necks of Victorians. By comparison, nobody ruled out East West Link prior to the last election. Furthermore, funding was announced in the 2013/14 Budget - eighteen months ago. There has been a process. It's not a last-minute thought-bubble, raced through before the election. There is already a caretaker period before an election, in which a Government cannot make decisions which bind a future Government. That already exists, it's a long-established tradition of the Westminster system. You are proposing changing that - pushing it back to two Budgets prior to an election in a four-year term.

If this was like the GST, or the Carbon Tax, where there had been an unequivocal statement of the Government explicitly ruling it out, than yes, the Government should then not change a clearly stated and committed policy - it would need to be taken to the electorate. There was no such statement prior to the 2010 election, there is no need to delay a policy that has already seen substantial planning and pre-development work.

Labor has previously supported East West Link. When the Government announced Stage 1, which will complete the Eastern half of the missing link, Labor said that the priority should be the Western half. When the Government announced Stage 2, the Western half of the missing link, Labor suddenly opposed the whole project. Here is an endorsement from the Leader of the Opposition for Stage 2 of the East West Link, which he now opposes, taken from his address to the Press Club:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You will note that he even acknowledges the productivity benefits of East West Link.

What we can see from this is that Labor's opposition to East West Link is not from a policy perspective, not a measured and considered position - it's more about fighting off the threat of the Greens in the inner-city seats. That's why Daniel Andrews will say and do anything on East West Link now, like trash Victoria's reputation in international investment markets by proposing to tear up contracts between the State and industry, which would result in less value for money in future infrastructure projects.

This is why the announcement by Daniel Andrews has little to do with East West Link as a policy and more to do with his character and his judgement and the sorts of decisions he makes.

I think the people see through it, too. There was a Morgan poll on Friday - "Regardless of who you intend to vote for at the State Election in November, should the construction of the East-West Tunnel link proceed?" - which found that almost two-thirds (63.5%) of voters support the Tunnel construction, including more than half of voters supporting Labor. Victorians, including Labor voters, don't want Daniel Andrews to trash the State's reputation for his own political gain.

Daniel Andrews is willing to risk jobs, infrastructure improvements, productivity gains and the State's reputation in his desperate gamble for votes.

You're missing the point, both parties supported the desal. Only one atm, with a slim majority and no mandate supports E/W link - it's a policy that should be taken to the election, Victoria's reputation will not be damaged if it is taken to the election, it's as simple as that.

[Knives]

The desalination plant at the time it was built made sense - did you forget how low dam levels are? The panic over the Muray-Darling? The thing he has said though is that - if the legal challenge fails Labor will go ahead, if not they will scrap the projects. And if the legal challenge is a success only then will they build it. However, this doesn't have to be like this - the government could wait 2 months, and if they win, then sign the contracts. Also, if the Liberals were so concerned about the bottom line, why are the spending millions of the states money advertising state projects?

[Knives]

Well I can't remember back to the 2006 election as I was only 10 and really my memory of 2014 is hazy. However, my problem with the whole process going on now and the fact that this wasn't an election promise and therefore it should be taken to the electorate. Tbh, I've probably got most of the facts wrong however, I still believe that this road should only be built after there is major investment in the rail network which just isn't going to happen.

[Knives]

I think the key difference is that the Liberals *are* campaigning on the East West link this time around - so campaign on it without signing contracts weeks out from the election.

Not about to defend Labor, just purely a point about the Liberals, not even about the E/W link itself. If it's a major part of your campaign, let the people vote before you sign off on it.

This is what I'm saying. It's ridiculous to commit billions of dollars for an election pledge before an election.

[Knives]

Well I can't remember back to the 2006 election as I was only 10 and really my memory of 2014 is hazy. However, my problem with the whole process going on now and the fact that this wasn't an election promise and therefore it should be taken to the electorate. Tbh, I've probably got most of the facts wrong however, I still believe that this road should only be built after there is major investment in the rail network which just isn't going to happen.

You literally have no shame. How are you continuing to to say this bullsh**t??

... Dude? What is your problem. I'm 18 years old, I'm doing VCE at the moment, I was born on the 28/08/96, why do you believe I would lie about that? What would I stand to gain? You are such a creep.

[Knives]

Well I can't remember back to the 2006 election as I was only 10 and really my memory of 2014 is hazy. However, my problem with the whole process going on now and the fact that this wasn't an election promise and therefore it should be taken to the electorate. Tbh, I've probably got most of the facts wrong however, I still believe that this road should only be built after there is major investment in the rail network which just isn't going to happen.

You literally have no shame. How are you continuing to to say this bullsh**t??

... Dude? What is your problem. I'm 18 years old, I'm doing VCE at the moment, I was born on the 28/08/96, why do you believe I would lie about that? What would I stand to gain? You are such a creep.

You unknowingly made your personal email address public on your account so that everybody could see your Facebook profile which contained your personal info as well as photographs of yourself, your wife and other friends and relatives. This is widely known and was discussed a few months ago, and only after I brought it up did you remove your email address (wisely so) from public view, and then attempted to argue a very strange and nonsensical defense of your alleged character, which nobody believed.

I have absolutely no idea what you "stand to gain" from your actions, because you are not the only middle aged man on this forum, and this forum doesn't have an upper age restriction. But it's really, really weird.

(Posting a random alleged birth date in full only reinforces the case against you).

Wow? Like, yes you saw an email address but did you see the email address contained the name 'Harry' and '96' and the Facebook account was called 'Bruce', now knowing this maybe I helped my dad set up his Facebook account and used one of my many email addresses to do so? ing moron.

[Knives]

If you think carefully, this discussion doesn't have anything to do with Australia at all.

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Everyone, put him on ignore, and unlike me idiotically just now, don't feel tempted to click 'show'.

I finally just did that, I seriously don't understand why this German is so interested in me? Like, seriously?

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Do you all reckon that with NZ pushing for a flag change, Australia might actually soon?

[Knives]

Can anyone explain Christopher Pyne's voice?

[Knives]

Tasmania could introduce extremely draconian smoking laws...

I don't smoke myself, and wouldn't personally (don't mind the smell, but don't want heart attacks or bad teeth) but this is clearly a recipe for disaster...

Restricting access to tobacco is a bad idea in my opinion, considering it will just create another black & grey market alike, could result in more people turning to illicit drugs, and opens up the scary avenue for restricting/banning alcohol and fast food. While tobacco is VERY different to say, a bucket of fried chicken or a pint of beer, in that there's second-hand smoke, it still seems absurd to deny adults the right to buy and use tobacco.

That is a dreadful idea and will never see the light of day. Like, restrictions on where people can smoke but at the end of the day if a person wants to do that to their body and are willing to pay a lot for it - why not? The anti-smoking crusade is kind of disgusting.

[Knives]

Germany fights for Australian submarine defence contract after Japan makes a bid for it

You must be logged in to read this quote.

That seems like a damn good deal.  Either way, a bidding war is good for Australia.

It will be interesting to see if Shorten sticks to the racist protectionist rhetoric he used when describing the Japanese.

[Knives]

I really cannot see how the Liberals can keep Abbott until the next election, I mean he's a disaster and drags the government down so much. However, there only viable alternative is Bishop but she's so successful because she's been able to distance herself from the Libs. I feel like the Vic results have changed the game,  I mean it has really put all governments on notice. Campbell Newman must be incredibly nervous seeing those results and his numbers in polling despite the ridiculous amount of seats he holds.