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Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison: their achievements (Part two)

If my research assistant (Rod) could let me have his surname I will acknowledge his contribution. I cannot fully vouch for the veracity of every point on the list but Rod’s work in putting the list together is considerable. What follows is the complete works of the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments. Over nearly 6 years of governance look what they have achieved:

1. Climate change and its impacts on Nth Queensland, half million cattle lost, houses and business ruined.

2. Tasmanian World Heritage fires that are difficult to control.

3. The Murray Darling water fiasco and the impacts on our native wildlife as well as our farmers.

4. The housing crisis and disintegrating market.

5. The Banking Royal Commission and its future impact on regulations as well as the victims.

6. The NDIS failure in roll out.

7. The Aged Care Royal Commission.

8. The proposed Royal Commission into Disability Care.

9. The NBN failure and cost blow out.

10. Deliberate low wages growth with the World’s highest Household debt.

11. An inefficient taxation system that favours the wealthy via franking credits and superannuation contributions.

12. Allowing over 40 companies in Australia that have an annual turnover in excess of $1,500,000,000 per annum and pay zero tax.

13. The cuts to public schooling and Medicare.

14.The privatisation of essential public services, even the sewerage system, along with visas and land titles.

15. The uncontrolled expenditure to private companies of around one billion dollars covering the reef and refugee security at the gulags. The Paladin Affair… Christmas Island.

16. The PM stating that he has to spend up to $1,400,000,000 on the Christmas Island “Half Way Hotel” whilst telling graziers it will take them years to recover from floods and stock losses.

17. The need for an ICAC which the LNP wishes to avoid.

18. The failure of “Closing the Gap” for our Indigenous folk.

19. Introduction of punitive measures against the unemployed and disabled.

20. Failure to take responsibility for the increased suicide rate with our Indigenous children, our farmers and those that suffered under the Robodebt’s “guilty until proven innocent” attitude.

21. Failure to restore the positions of our public servants that dispense essential services with the dignity and respect that always accompanied their services.

22. The failure to restore the Aged Pension fully without penalty to those retired and whose partners continue to work. You allow pensions for yourselves that are not means tested and yet you can earn further Income without any penalty to your guaranteed tax-funded pension.

23. The failure to retrieve over-payments by politicians that were in breach of the constitution, yet you insist on repayment by citizens.

24. Deliberate lack of media ownership laws to suit your evil agenda.

25. The reduction of Indigenous housing budgets.

26. Entering into $50B contracts with a foreign State which involved nuclear to diesel conversion.

27. Continuation with fighter planes that after 10 years are still not functional.

28. The failure to take action with ministers and assistants for their disregard of proper protocols.

29. The failure to protect this nation from being a dumping ground of elicit funds while destroying the housing market.

30. The insistence that housing is an investment and not a basic right.

31. Failure of Mathias Corman in his role and receiving gifts from the travel company that received a $1B contract from the LNP. Such Company reportedly owned by LNP members and executive.

32. Allowing Ministers and MPs supporting business ventures where they have a direct or pecuniary interest therein.

33. Entering into defence contracts for paper submarines and flightless Kiwi planes exceeding hundreds of $billions.

34. Expanding the part-time casual gig jobs network causing disparity in inequality and essential basic incomes.

35. Entering into the Arms Race and contracting with Saudi Arabia, a known place of evil intent.

36. Following the US with its aggressive behaviour with other nations including involvement in wars that have caused the world’s greatest refugee crisis. There were never any weapons of mass destruction.

37. Failure to report the true state of unemployment and underemployment on a monthly basis.

38. Continuation of false reports and deliberate misleading reports on security scares with terrorism and boat people.

39. Allowing Department Heads to approve contracts without appropriate tender processes and due diligence.

40. Failure of ministers to account to our AFP (Cash/Keenan).

41. Continuous” stacking” of Regulatory Boards, with known political allies.

42. Cancelling parliamentary sitting times to avoid defeat by the opposition.

43. Filibustering in the Senate and running the clock down in both houses.

44. Failure to explain why Malcolm Turnbull was dismissed.

45. Failure to control energy supplier’s “price gouging” with the “Big Stick” policy.

46. Failure to address the effects of climate change, while playing with coal as the only source of power generation.

47. Failure to acknowledge that the SA Battery Storage System also feeds into the ageing Victorian grid.

48. Glencore, the world’s largest thermal coal exporter acknowledges the effects coal has on climate change while Ministers Canavan and Taylor still blame Labor. Glencore to Cap output.

49. The loss of manufacturing in Australia has left Australia vulnerable to trade deficits as coal is withdrawn internationally as a means of power generation. Coal is Australia’s second largest export.

50. Certain MP’s past and present have gained substantial benefit from insider trading in travel agency grants. HelloWorld, anybody?

51. “Jewellery” Bishop resigns in the hope of a new appointment that will continue at a huge cost to the remaining taxpayers in this nation.

52. China reduces Australian coal imports over climate change concern. Does Huawei have influence over this as NZ banned them and now is told expect fewer tourists?

53. Price of milk to rise proves insufficient to maintain viable dairy farmers, but it becomes a political football as big corporations dictate unfair terms and government dilly dallies with excuses.

54. We are now into the absurd spending of the LNP. Captain Cook Memorial and trans-Australian tribute costing over $67M. Just how much will we have to spend when Howard and Costello finally depart?

55. $600 million on war memorials to honour our dead in France and expansion for the future in Canberra.

56. Government stacking ABC and departs from protocol.

57. Morrison visits NZ and declines NZ assistance with refugee intake. NZ PM states corrosive policy in place by LNP.

58. Nauruan Government bans medical Medivac to Australia.

59. ABC bans Sally McManus from attending a meeting at ABC premises. Battle lines now drawn.

60. Government shells out $825 Million on lawyers during 2016/17. Waiting on 2018 figures.

61. Court order government to pay men on Manus $70 Million plus costs.

62. Minister Cash’s legal costs exceed $288,000 so far and still hides and does not confess.

63. Home Affairs Office spends $500,000 in legal fees (3 months) responding to court applications for urgent medical treatments of refugees.

64. George Brandis spent over $168,000 in legal fees to keep his ministerial diary a secret.

65. Sexual allegations surfacing by prominent mouthed TAS LNP member.

Added to each day, or hour-by-hour.

I will allow the aforementioned words to speak for themselves. Please add to our list should you so desire.

Link to Part One

My thought for the day

Governments who demand the people’s trust need to govern transparently to acquire it.

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39 comments

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  1. Perry

    “Filibustering”

  2. Pilot

    The only word that comes to mind when thinking of the LNP COALition is “sewage” yes, that’s a real word, but then again, I’m old skool. Sewerage is the infrastructure, sewage is the waste.

    And the list goes on and on. How the hell 48% of Australians think this hoax government is worth another term? Gotta call that BS. Who are these pollsters polling? Wentworth? Toorak? LNP party room? The idle rich don’t make up 48% of our population.

  3. Keitha Granville

    That’s what I want to know too Pilot. At the next poll they need to follow who will you vote for, with WHY. They sure as hell aren’t living on the same planet as the rest of us.

  4. Keith

    An interesting comment about Environment Minister Price in relation to Australia’s hardships of 2019 … “Environment Minister Melissa Price blamed climate change for the weather extremes, including the bushfires.”

    There are a number of articles suggesting Minister Price has not been contactable.

    https://www.ecowatch.com/australia-wildfires-climate-change-2630704877.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=abd414b065-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-abd414b065-86074709

  5. New England Cocky

    Naughty John Lord and capable apprentice researcher Rod. What else but incompetence did you expect from a LIarbral Notional$ misgovernment that considers Barnyard Joke “the best retail politician in Australia”?

    And it is all Bill Shorten’s fault for NOT giving them ALP policies that would build Australia into an egalitarian society where everyone benefitted.

    It’s time ….. again!!

  6. Henry Rodrigues

    The achievements of ATM trio should be the subject of many books in the future. The A and M failures were to be expected, they are after all, totally out of their depth, in all matters fiscal and moral, but the big T, the ‘smartest’ man in the room ?? He’s been a complete and utter disaster, mainly because he has no balls, no committment, no judgement and definitely no ideas. Together the trio have misused billions and left the Australian taxpayer enormously poorer. And while we’re here, what about some accountability for the meddling of that bastard Murdoch and his bloody minions, and Alan ‘parrot’ Jones and the rest of the bullshitters on the Fox channel ?

  7. John Ocallaghan

    Alas poor Australia i knew him well!

  8. Keith

    Maybe 66, might be that Dutton’s suggestion that the relatively few refugees who need medical attention from Manus and Narou would displace Australians in their ability to gain medical attention. People need to be very gullible to accept such nonsense.

  9. Florence Howarth

    Don’t forget Abbott’s massive dismantling of red tape & regulations that has led to rip offs & corruption. Can Dutton tell us why those 50 or more convicted mmurders, rapist etc are allow to roam on Manus & Nauru. Why are they still here. Surely the governments on both Islands would have refused to take them?

    Politicalisation of the public services, in particually defence, police & immigration.

    At least Treasury is fighting back. Told or words to that effect to Morrison misrepresenting what they say.

  10. Peter F

    Florence, now we are informed that Dutton was correct: Refugees will displace citizens seeking medical treatment. The reason? On Christmas Island there are only 6 beds in the hospital. What madness.

  11. Yvonne Robertson

    Just a few bits

    One of the things that really disturbed me in the early days of Abbott was the closure of Holdens, Ford and Toyota which employed tens of thousands of people and lead to the creation of associated businesses for making various parts for the industry and then further flowed on into the surrounding communities, injecting money into shops, rates, infrastructure etc. The car industry contributed far more than what the government subsidised it for. I also believe this was a direct move to decrease the wages of ordinary Australians. Our car industry was a lifeblood in some parts of the country and I know that the community which Holden supported has never actually recuperated.

    The cutting of money to legal aid affected the poorest in our country and decreased further the notion of justice for all. Money was removed from programs to teach new arrivals English. Three hundred million dollars was taken away by the Abbott government from refuge shelters and affected women in particular who were victims of domestic violence. Turnbull put one hundred million back in and then wanted to be congratulated for it.

    The collection of our meta data

    Decimation of the CSIRO which was a world renowned organisation and was doing vital work on the collection of data and evidence of the development of climate change which the entire world relied upon.

    I found this nice list of things over at the New Matilda

    Dear Wentworth Voters: Here’s 123 Things Our Leaders Did To ‘Confront’ Climate Change

    Also there’s the doubling of the deficit

    Creating racial tensions in Victoria prior to the election.

    Introduced a GST on goods bought over the Internet which I believe again impacted those with less money to spend.

    There is so much a person couldn’t keep it all in their head. Just reading your list gave me a bit of a numb brain.

  12. Harry

    They govern only for the big end of town and the very well off. They have corruptly protected and atvantaged their donors and granted many of the IPA’s neoliberal small government ideological manifesto.

    They lie and are disingenuous daily in their arguments about meeting emissions targets, the state of the economy (not nearly as positive as they suggest it is).

    Their confident declaration that a budget surplus is a worthy end goal in itself without taking the state of the economy into account is not only scarcely credible but irresponsible, particularly when budget deficits have been the norm since Federation (more than 75% of the time).

    They crow about low unemployment but either are ignorant or conveniently omit to mention that before neoliberal ideology became dominant it was less than 2% of the workforce.

  13. helvityni

    Keith,

    ‘People need to be very gullible to accept such nonsense’.

    Yes, but sadly there are too many gullible people out there who accept everything this lousy government does or says… I just had a coffee with one of them….(no more coffees in the future, just polite neighbourly greetings…..)

  14. Deanna Jones

    Would have thought that the continuing scourge of family violence against women and children, along with all the other violence of perpetrators, would be high on the list of non-achievements for this (and other) governments. Male violence has created a hazardous natural environment for us. This is not a side issue.

  15. Michael Taylor

    Sorry to be off topic, but what do you think of our new logo?

  16. DrakeN

    helvityni,

    To quote a valid meme:

    “Most people do not want to know the truth.
    They want assurance that what they believe is the truth.”

    Alternatively:

    “My mind is made up – please don’t confuse me with facts.”

    A very common attribute of homo sapiens sapiens is the reluctance to ‘sapere’.

    Facts, as well as being inconvenient to politicians, priests and pushers of worthless products, are rather frightening to many people.

  17. helvityni

    Michael, the new logo is fine, colours subtle enough… for me anyhow…

    A very common attribute of homo sapiens sapiens is the reluctance to ‘sapere’…

    DrakeN, love the above…

  18. DrakeN

    Michael, re your logo: I’m one of those contrary sods who consider that the ‘sexing up’ of serious matters to weaken their apparent validity.

    K.I.S.S.

  19. Michael Taylor

    We needed it as such, Drake, for a particular reason. All will be revealed.

  20. Henry Rodrigues

    The new logo is just fine, more representative of the colourful interesting contributions that come from the commentators.

  21. John Lord

    As a former Art Director winning 3 National awards it has my approval.

  22. MöbiusEcko

    The design is nice, but why has the “N” been dropped from the acronym? AIM is a common acronym and entity name. AIMN, on the other hand, is not.

  23. Michael Taylor

    Wouldn’t fit, Mo. If we included the “N” then we would have had to enlarged “Network”, but there wasn’t the room.

  24. Alcibiades

    66(?) Parakeelia.

    The Panama Papers. And a determination to never investigate those documents, nor anything to do with Tax havens, ever.
    The abandonment of an Australian citizen without charge or conviction to continuing unlawful arbitrary detention, see UN ruling re Julian Assange.

    Anything and everything Stuart Roberts touches, breathes on or eyes.

    Freezing the Medicare rebate and the Veterans DVA Gold card for their both terms, such that they are, discretely/plausibly deniably, no longer accepted as a means of payment, particularly by specialists, especially the latter.

    The Indue Cashless Welfare Card for redirecting government revenue into the most expensive corporate business coffers as ‘service providers’ (party donors), and directly laundering funds into their own party campaign coffers via Indue administrators, whilst costing as much as the pension itself in ‘overheads’, whilst repeatedly falsifying non-independent ‘ambiguous’ reports, and damn the human victims.

    Systematically showing contempt for parliamentary conventions & procedures, purely for political & financial self-interest. Ie. The AFP/Murdoch press raids on the Crowns loyal opposition offices re the NBN, during the caretaker period at the last election, and anything to do with IPA stooge, Tim Wilson.

    Senator Arthur SeeNoDonors.

    Repeatedly announcing re-announcing the spending of a coupla million on various ‘Pilot’ Mental Health programs for Veterans, that never result in a report,nor program.

    Since Abbott was elected capping inpatient mental health services for veterans at three weeks admission, requiring the relevant chief phsychiatrist to personally sign off on a maximum of 1 week extensions. Dumping discharged on the street knowing they are destitute and/or homeless. Staffing
    Spending ~$86M on the farce of the unions Royal Commission, in a transparent public purely politically motivated, televised witch hunt of the former Prime Minister and the current Leader of the Crowns loyal opposition. A significant portion of that ~$86m returning to the ‘party’ in the form of millions in political donations by the politically aligned silks appointed, perhaps ?

    Re-launching the purely politically motivated ABCC & ROC,in fact the justification of the last DD election, and then its overseer Michaelia Cash individually appointing every senior officer and position. Allowing the ABCC Commisioner to continue knowing he was wilfully acting in breach of the Law, spending the ABCCs operating funds to legally defend the subsequently convicted Commissioner, and the removal of the commissions senior counsel re said conduct. See follow-on events re ROC, Michaelia, AFP/Murdoch, AWU raids targeting Opposition leader.

    Permitting the Dept of Vterans Affairs to continue to pro-active avoid collecting or even receipting any data of any kind on the numbers of veteran suicides, now for over a century, and continuing.

    Upon taking office turning the Defence Abuse Response Tribunal (DART) into a facsimile of Cardinal Pells ‘Melbourne Response’, in order to ‘shut up’ victims of abuse by the Defence Force & DVA, some as young as 14 years old, whilst failing to publicly communicate its fixed deadlines or even its existence effectively, so that 5,500+ known victims were never considered, let alone ever granted a pittance ex gratia payment. Shut out.

    Consistently refusing to call a Royal Commission into the Dept of Veterans Affairs compliance with the relevant acts of Parliament, its own written policies, and ignoring the Productivity Commission report into DVA, as “… an endemic systemic failure to fulfill its functions under the relevant acts.”

    Stacking various mismanaged RSL State executives with crony politically aligned appointees, in some cases ‘party’ members of Parliament, so that the executive can effectively secretly donate millions in political donations to the ‘Party’, without the knowledge of members. Funds that were collected SOLELY for Veterans charity works, by registered charities.

    Five months ago endless glad-handing, spending millions on announcements, TV & radio airtime and ads on the introduction of a mythical Veterans Discount Card. To date, not a single business in Australia has signed on, there are no pins and no cards. DVA ‘runs’ the program and can provide no answers.

    Successfully failing to even acknowledge the existence of, or the critical role of ‘Trusts’ in Tax evasion & Tax avoidance, by 1/7 of Australian ‘taxpayers’, since almost every member of the ‘Party’ has at least, one, even though the other 6/7s of Oz are barely aware they exist …

    Successfully saving ~$1.8m last financial year as a result of the final passing of Veterans from WWII, Korea, Confrontation, Vietnam, and younger veterans from more recent, conflicts.

    Desperately needs funds NOT re-invested into DVA …returned to consolidated revenue as a ‘savings measure’, which will continue as long as they continue to, ‘achieve’.

    Successfully passing a unanimous vote in the Senate by the members of the Coalition, organised and approved by the Attorney General, that “It is Okay to be White”, in direct recognition & support of modern Neo Nazis &extremist Alt-Right fringe groups.

    Successfully defunding Commonwealth Grants to community based charity Homesless, Mental Health, Food Banks & Financial Counselling, to such an extent, such services ceased or were reduced wholesale across the country, and many such services with decades of community service were forced to disband or merge with other charities and regardless reduce services and support in order to survive to offer ANY services at all.

    Re-configuring Commonwealth ‘instruments’ so that the above (86) would have to operate on non-gauranteed diminishing annual grants, allowing no possibility of medium or long term financial planning, tenure of staff or continuous development of core expertise/services nor service staff, as they must be placed on rolling short term contracts with no security nor progression path, in case of Grant withdrawal. Necessitating the inevitable achievement of a further systemic reduction in quality or continuity of service and support to the … ‘UnterMenchen’.

    Successfully creating such despair and depression in writing this ‘off the cuff, that my memory alone know fails to recall uncounted numerous further … ‘achievements’, nor the will to endure doing so.

    Bastards. Announce and declare themselves as, & demand to be called … ‘Honourable’ ?! Bloody Bastards.

  25. Alcibiades

    Apologies, the comment as drafted, was NOT a non spaced single block of bloody text, without numbered paragraphs. Argh!

    edit :- Ie. The AFP/Murdoch press raids on the Crowns loyal opposition offices re the NBN, during the caretaker period at the last election.

  26. Lambert Simpleton

    Achievements?

    I thought the usual answer was a blank page

  27. Matters Not

    Alcibiades re your oft repeated claim:

    The Indue Cashless Welfare Card for redirecting government revenue into the most expensive corporate business coffers as ‘service providers’ (party donors), and directly laundering funds into their own party campaign coffers via Indue administrators

    Would you have any links? Ideally, I would like to know the dollar amounts Indue ‘donated’ or otherwise directed to any political party. Would also like a link to any source that shows any political party acknowledging receipt of these Indue dollars.

    Thanking you in anticipation. (It’s a claim often made but I am yet to see a shred of evidence. Over to you.)

  28. Michael Taylor

    All fixed, Alcibiades. It’s part of the service. 😀

  29. Alcibiades

    Matters Not

    You post on AIMN, make certain veiled (partisan?) assertions, yet apparently, don’t actually read AIMN articles … how very, odd.

    Have you ever, perchance, heard of something called, Google, perhaps ?

    Just as an entree, for starters, you could try a search on ‘Indue Cashless Welfare Card’, Hm ?

    On the first page results you will find:

    The LNP Welfare Card: the true facts exposed. Corruption disguised as philanthropy Feb 27 2017.

    If you could be bothered, you will find further detailed reports from AIMN, ACOSS, and many others on subsequent link pages.

    Of course, there is also Hansard re Senate Estimates.

    One is too old, too exhausted & too bitter, is not, and will never be, your gopher.

    Yet am pleased to assist you as above, on the first step of a journey of a thousand Li …

    Best of luck, cheers.

  30. Alcibiades

    Michael, thank you kindly.

    Sir, without doubt, you are a Scholar & a Gentleman, & truly, not a bad bloke neither. 🙂

    Peace

  31. Michael Taylor

    A scholar, yes. A gentleman, definitely. A good bloke, without doubt. In cricketing terms I’m an all rounder.

    I have only one flaw: I’m not Scottish.

  32. New England Cocky

    @Alcibaides: Uhm … methinks MN writes a lot like a Liarbral voter masquerading as a thinking person.

  33. Patagonian

    Slashing domestic violence prevention funding and then pretending that restoration of that funding is additional spending. In fact, IGNORING domestic violence, which costs Australia approximately 21 billion per annum, while using the threat of terrorism to spend like drunken sailors on dubious preventative measures.

    I’ve been around for a while but I cannot recall a Coalition that is so blatant in its rorting, lying and determination to drag us back to the 18th century, both socially and economically.

  34. Matters Not

    Alcibiades, indeed I do read lots of AIMN articles (and subsequent comments) but I don’t necessarily accept same as ‘gospel’. What about you? As for:

    will never be, your gopher

    No worries – you will never be asked. Standards and all that.

  35. Kronomex

    Patagonian,

    Just in case you missed my reply to your –

    “From way back in the depths of my memory I also recall that the presenter was parodied in a weekly segment on a TV comedy show in which he and his mate Cec would discuss the affairs of the week after which he would say “I’d rather thit on my thecatures and thwivel, Thes”.”

    Here you go. Great Australian radio comedy –

    I think you will recognise the name from the album cover. 🙂

  36. helvityni

    Patagonian, you said it all for me too; let’s protect Oz borders no matter what it costs, never mind the people who live here; the jobless, the homeless, the mentally ill, the disabled, the women and their children living with violent partners/fathers…

    Trump wants to build a wall, Scomo IS the brick wall…

  37. Josephus

    Sneering at the Makkarata. Not dealing with and punishing daily insults and racism in Northern Territory hotels and pubs.
    Not dealing with issue of aluminium cladding in public housing .
    Chaplains in schools instead of counsellors.
    Cruelty to the imprisoned refugees.
    Logging in national parks.
    Letting a rich horse stud owner overrule humanely controlling brumbies numbers.
    Not imprisoning B Joyce, not even sacking him.
    Forcing ABC to dumb down due to funding cuts.
    Ok this is a State Nat measure: landclearing encouraged, not controlled
    Shooting roos, wombats etc totally allowed other than on ‘private land’

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