Anthony Albanese - How long? -2-

[The Punter]

Marles - outraged at Bishop's $5k helicopter flight, no issue with racking up $3.6m in VIP flights.

And the gall to hide behind "security" to hide who went where, doubling down on the disgraceful policy Morrison started.

Were any of Marles' flights for party fundraisers? Marles is the Defence Minister - he needs to fly around quite a bit to difficult locations.

 

[Kram]

Labor to ban debit card payment surcharges​

James Eyers, Lucas Baird and John Kehoe
Oct 14, 2024 – 10.30pm





Labor is preparing to outlaw debit card surcharges in a broad crackdown on consumer fees as the Albanese government attempts to ease financial pressures on families in the lead up to a federal election next year.
The government will outline its plans – and more funding for the competition watchdog to target businesses charging excessive fees – at the same time the Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday launches a comprehensive review of payment costs for retailers.

 

[HairyO]

Were any of Marles' flights for party fundraisers? Marles is the Defence Minister - he needs to fly around quite a bit to difficult locations.

It would be a serious breech of security to reveal what he did years ago....

That alone tells you the answer is yes.

Pollies have used these planes to fly their families to Grand Finals and party functions. They are a ridiculous rort.

We have struggling regional airlines who could be chartered from time to time if its really so hard to get to where ever. This is snouts in the trough pure and simple.

 

[spinynorman]

I appreciate you're not impressed, I'm just having trouble discerning what his agenda is beyond the Voice.

I’ll bite and say that Burke had some good reforms while IR Minister. Allowing unions to negotiate multi-employer pay deals, criminalising wage theft, banning engineered stone. Unfortunately I think that good period came to an end with Murray Watt and the union busting CFMEU legislation, but Burke was probably their best minister this term.

I also think Future Made in Australia could potentially deliver some benefit, but it really shouldn’t have taken two years into a government that may not get beyond three to launch it.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Morrison truly believe he answered to a higher power ( miracle election) and worked accordingly

His church has such twisted ideals I’m surprised the condemnation of him is as superficial as he is

Oh but you mustn't ridicule someone's BELIEFS!

Where would we be if we were all free to ridicule the notions that fermentate fact-free inside someone's head?

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

I’ll bite and say that Burke had some good reforms while IR Minister. Allowing unions to negotiate multi-employer pay deals, criminalising wage theft, banning engineered stone. Unfortunately I think that good period came to an end with Murray Watt and the union busting CFMEU legislation, but Burke was probably their best minister this term.

I also think Future Made in Australia could potentially deliver some benefit, but it really shouldn’t have taken two years into a government that may not get beyond three to launch it.

I'm not a huge fan of Labor but I think their subtle but relentless reorientation of priorities from employers back to employees has been something that deserves a lot more praise.

We had been well and truly gaslighted by the Coalition and industry groups over the last decade. They had completely changed the parameters of public discussion. For all his disappointments, Albanese is definitely on the side of the worker. (Yes he could do more, but the last government were shamelessly against workers.)

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

A minority Labor government starting 2025 may produce better policy, but you can ****ing guarantee that it will invite a media propaganda campaign that will in turn lead to an LNP government at the following election circa 2028. We've seen this movie before, except the antagonist is Dutton, not Abbott.

That is my fear too, but the electorate is changing. A lot of younger voters openly want a minority government. (As do I.)

 

[Gough]

We can turn on a sixpence to send our country to war but it's going to take two years to get rid of debit card surcharges.

 

[Saint]

A minority Labor government starting 2025 may produce better policy, but you can ****ing guarantee that it will invite a media propaganda campaign that will in turn lead to an LNP government at the following election circa 2028. We've seen this movie before, except the antagonist is Dutton, not Abbott.

So Albanese should avoid making the same mistake as Gillard/Rudd.

The Gillard Govt was more like how an ALP govt should be, doing progressive things. Then when the media attacked, they sucked up to them by attacking the Greens more than they attacked the LNP. That's why the LNP won. Gillard and then Rudd were reacting to the concerted LNP and media attacks. They need to forget about that. Do what Andrews did and refuse to go on shows which are always against you and listened to by people who will always vote against you.

When progressive ALP Govts do progressive things, they're always attacked by the press. But that press has lost a lot of their sway. Mostly because the only people who read or listen to it any more are rusted-on Liberal voters.

Albanese should start now doing progressive things, just the basic ALP platform, and re-discover his morals and policies. He shouldn't wait until being in a hung Parliament with the Greens makes him take action on climate change or wealth inequality or genocide.

 

[Saint]

That is my fear too, but the electorate is changing. A lot of younger voters openly want a minority government. (As do I.)

Majority Governments seem to be an open invitation to corruption, pork barelling and narrow-minded Govt.

Minority Govts seem to have agreements at the start about what they're going to do on both of their agendas, then they have to stick to it.

Majority Govts toss their agenda in the bin and only focus on whatever they think will enrich them enough and make their re-election more likely.

 

[Gough]

My concern with the prospect of minority government is that it might not be ALP/Green and that an expanded crossbench could side with the Coalition.

 

[Saint]

Could anyone imagine an LNP Govt abandoning their policies and adopting progressive policies because that's what people are saying on Twitter or the socialist alternative website forum?

That's what's happening now with the ALP doing things to appease what people on Sky or Murdoch/Costello media say.

 

[The Punter]

My concern with the prospect of minority government is that it might not be ALP/Green and that an expanded crossbench could side with the Coalition.

Among the current crossbench, I think Sharkie, Katter and Spender would be the only ones likely to side with the Coalition. Dai Le and Chaney would be a possibility. In the current parliament that's 5 out of 16.

 

[Cap]

Just noting the fall out from buying a mansion during a housing crisis (don't get me wrong, I understand it's just bad optics, that house had little to do with housing affordability)

But have we ever had a PM like this that just doesn't fire a shot?

Don't get me wrong, he's not as incompetent as Morrison, hes not a POS like Dutton, but hes also not much else.

Is he planning on doing anything? Or is he going to hand over the reigns to someone else who might ?

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Just noting the fall out from buying a mansion during a housing crisis (don't get me wrong, I understand it's just bad optics, that house had little to do with housing affordability)

But have we ever had a PM like this that just doesn't fire a shot?

Don't get me wrong, he's not as incompetent as Morrison, hes not a POS like Dutton, but hes also not much else.

Is he planning on doing anything? Or is he going to hand over the reigns to someone else who might ?

Some people just don't get it when it comes to optics.
Had a Boss who got a BMW company car shortly before he retrenched a heap of people.
It was a pre-arranged package, and one of the cheaper bimmers, but if he'd got a similarly priced Kia Stinger or something no-one would have blinked. But that badge "BMW" just rubbed it in their faces.

 

[peetoo]

This is entirely correct. As much as Australia and the rest of the West want to pretend they're enlightened and not racist, their attitudes are clear: the white Israelis are deserving of sympathy, no matter what abuses their government have perpetrated, whereas the brown Arabs, even if they're Christian, are evil and deserve their fate. White supremacy is alive and well, even though it's mostly only in attitudes rather than actions these days.

Yes, in terms of actual complexion many Jewish Israelis don't look very different to many Arabs. I'm saying Jews have earned honorary white status in the West now, outside of a small handful of neo-Nazis.

I'm somewhat reminded of a continental European in Britain ringing into the James O'Brien Show after the Brexit vote happened, to relate their experiences. When they talked to their Brexit-supporting friends about how they now felt unwelcome in Britain with its rhetoric against immigrants, the friends said "but we didn't mean you". I think it's clear who they meant, and that attitude exists in many people here too. The problems with immigration are almost never described using immigrants from the UK, Aotearoa or Ireland.Israelis aren’t ‘white in my book. They share axial roots with the people they

My concern with the prospect of minority government is that it might not be ALP/Green and that an expanded crossbench could side with the Coalition.

Any block sucking up to the coalition might go the way of the democrats after gst.