Travelling backwards… Abbott’s year of “achievement”
It’s been a punishingly busy year for the coalition. With so many pressing items on their to do list, like:
Dismantling medicare, cutting foreign aid, reducing real wages, slashing funding to the ABC and SBS, destroying the NBN, raising the retirement age, gutting the CSIRO, cutting child care staff subsidies, axing secular social workers in public schools in favor of chaplains, trashing the renewable energy sector, spending billions breaching international law with our treatment of refugees, stripping away our right to privacy, granting immunity from prosecution to ASIO officers, unwinding the same sex marriage laws in the ACT, ushering in ISDR clauses in the South Korean, Chinese and Japanese free trade agreements, blowing holes in the budget with the repeal of the carbon and mining taxes, investing in a shiny new war and handing an unsolicited multi-billion dollar gift to the reserve bank… it’s just been go go go for the Abbott government.
Given the cracking pace of their legislative achievements it’s quite amazing they have had the time to (among other things):
Axe the Climate Commission, cull the sharks, fast track the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, open up the Galilee Basin, scrap the Australian Animals Welfare Advisory Committee, scrap the Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council, scrap the International Legal Services Advisory Council, scrap the High Speed Rail Advisory Group, scrap the Maritime Workforce Development Forum, scrap the Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing, scrap the Insurance Reform Advisory Group, scrap the National Housing Supply Council, and as a special last minute present for Christmas, scrap the funding to homeless and housing groups!
Admittedly the government will need a bit more time to “sell” the obvious merits of some of their policies to the ignorant cross-benchers and whiny leaners in the broader electorate, but never fear, with a few more tax payer funded “public education” campaigns we will all no doubt be clamoring for Hobbitt (yes, that is a Hockey Abbott couple contraction) to dish out their lavish Paid Parental Leave to high earning mums to be, ensure our universities are properly reserved for those with a fiscal pedigree, and to finally pull the trigger on those pesky unemployed youth who are currently cowering in their cross-hairs.
But it hasn’t all gone Abbott’s way! And while we may lament that some of the government’s noblest ambitions, (such as their push to de-list Tasmania’s world heritage forests or secure our right to engage in hate speech), have been thwarted by forces beyond their control, at least the coalition government have had the guts to stand up to those lefty green nutters and try!
None the less I think we can feel relieved that the government hasn’t made any significant move to stem corporate tax evasion, (in fact they have pro-actively stood in the way of international co-operation on that issue). Nor has Abbot been swayed by all that hysterical feminist white noise, managing to keep the number of women in cabinet down below 10% in his Christmas reshuffle. (Golly gee, if I had known it would be this fabulous under the Coalition I would have voted for them!)
As the first full year of the Abbott government draws to a close, comedy and tragedy stroll hand in hand through our political landscape into 2015, a future as yet unknown. If all goes according to the play book Abbott and his team have two more years to weave their special magic over the nation, but who knows? Maybe we can look forward to some PLEASANT surprises in the New Year!
Happy Holidays 🙂
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June M Bullivant OAM -
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Return to home pageIf the Feds think that a re shuffle will win them the day, they have another thing coming, with the State governments selling out the Australian people and we are being attacked and down graded by the Feds, and called left wing radicals when we fight for our health and our very existence, then they have read this situation wrong, people in Newcastle is in the fight of their lives, anyone that can go and help.
Great summary Letitia.
I have been looking into childcare in preparation for Scott’s “holistic approach”. It appears he wants to take us backwards there too to the days of backyard babysitting.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-08/family-day-cares-future-unclear-after-governments-announcement/5952928
Well written, Letitia. The list of the IPA and puppet Abbott’s train wreck legislation would fill tomes. It beggars me, if they want to get onside, why be so drastic just before Christmas? It is if they know something we don’t.
Kaye, I think the correct terminology is Arse-holeistic when it comes to Scott’s approach.
the captain changing the crew of the titanic as it plunges to the icy depths of oblivion, that didn’t work either !!!
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The experiment with Abbotts dose of myxomatosis has certainly infected all of Australia.
What do you expect from a prime minister who is arch enemy no1 to Team Australia, but a hero for Team America/Murdoch/RBA
He has his orders for maximize austerity and privatization for the poor and working class and to take Australia to war on the side of the international banksters and their one world govt globalization agenda
What do you expect from a prime minister who is arch enemy no1 to Team Australia, but a hero for Team America/Murdoch/RBA
He has his orders to maximize austerity and privatization for the poor and working class and to take Australia to war on the side of the international banksters and their one world govt globalization agenda
Poor Fella My Country
Poor fella my country hey brothers and sisters?
Poor fella my future hey sisters and brothers?
Poor fella my country picking up shattered pieces.
Poor fella my country wounded and bleeding.
Poor fella my world fried to a crisp.
Poor fella my children lost and alone.
Poor fella my country we hurt how Long?
Poor fella my country why do you suffer this wrong?
Abbott has just about an hour ago come out and warned Australians their will probably be a terror attack on Australian soil sometime soon,”’ here is a PM a couple of days before Christmas telling us to have a happy Christmas and enjoy ourselves with family and friends and Oh,by the way,you are all probably going to get shot or blown up as well”’ but anyway,have a lovely Christmas,i mean what a complete asshole and nut job this idiot really is.””
This petition: https://www.communityrun.org/petitions/stop-this-government-s-madness is finally, after many months, on its way to 300 signatures and seems at last to be gaining some traction. But we still have a long way to go and mustn’t let up. If this government goes to term it will have done almost irreparable damage to this country, its economy, its standing in the eyes of the world, its reputation as a free and fair country and one of the best places in the world to live in and its reputation as a safe place for those who, for whatever reason face persecution and worse in the land of their birth. We are travelling down a very dangerous road. History is replete with the lessons of dictatorial governments and their behaviour towards their own people. We only have to think of Stalin and Hitler as the stand-out examples, but in more recent times we have the terrorist regimes of Pol Pot, Mugabe, the Argentine Generals and the morally bankrupt string of North Korean leaders to name but a few. Whilst Australia might appear not to be in danger of descending into tyrrany and dictatorship, we are travelling that road because of an ideologically-driven minority government. It does not take long for nations to reach a tipping point where they descend uncontrollably into ungovernability not because of the failings of the people, but the failings and incompetence of government. And that creates the ideal conditions for overt dictatorship to take over from democracy. Indeed we are not being governed democratically now. Witness the increasing use of, and threat of use of, regulation instead of legislation to impose ideologically-driven economic doctrine and the imposition of draconian new State powers. This is a minority already imposing its will upon the majority and, like it or not, that is dictatorship and it’s fledging its wings here and now. If we allow this to happen, the road back will be long hard and dangerous. It must stop now. Please, if you haven’t already done so, sign this petition – https://www.communityrun.org/petitions/stop-this-government-s-madness now and pass it on to all you know and respect as intelligent, decent and humane. Let’s give this government of junk minds a Christmas to remember.
john o’callaghan:
The Prime Minister has urged Australians to go about their lives as normal, but he says the national terrorism alert level remains on high.
“As you’ll all understand, at this level, an attack is likely, we don’t know when and how an attack may come, but we do know there are people with the intent and capability to carry out further attacks, and that’s why it’s important that as well as being reassured that people are aware of the reality of these times,” he said.
Such a self-serving tool! What’s the point of making such a statement….? Other than to frighten and distract the electorate?
I’ve said it on a number of occaisions, but once more wont hurt. Deep in your guts, you know he’s nuts.
John O’Callaghan, Abbott wants to keep us frightened as that makes him appear statesmanlike and helps keep him in the job. If we are worried about a terrorist attack, we won’t watch his nasty government tearing our country to shreds. He thinks we are fooled by his decisive actions pertaining to war, asylum seekers etc. He thinks war is his strength and so do many registered voters unfortunately.
Kerri if you think about it, only a small (about 10%) of the voters are fooled by the fear mongering and jingoistic crap that the likes of Captain Pugwash dribbles out of his mouth.
It never ceases to amaze me how easily lazy, fooled, misled, misinformed call it what you will that this minority is.
All we can do is discuss and debate (what some right wingers call arguments if you have a different opinion) the rusted on conservatives and make calm and measured points/responses and ask them questions containing at least 7 words. Ask questions that you have ready counterpoints for (which really pisses them off and makes them look silly)
You will find the fence sitting /swinging voter will more likely to take your message away and think about what you have said more than what the 3 word slogan spouting red neck has said.
Box them don’t fight them
Why is the PM Abbott frightening people and depressing them before Xmas when he says “just go about your business and enjoy Xmas?? How can the majority of us who care and read the news have a lovely Xmas! I fear for our country with Abbott the way he just has no ‘feeling’ for the ‘People’. All this political rhetoric gets so boring. If PM wants to scare us then he has done a good job! Tell us something when you have a definite source that can be believed.
Yes, the ilustration catch my eye on it.. 🙂