Continued from Coalition misdemeanours: the list is long.
From Part 1, a refresher:
I have had the following list in my files for some time. They were first circulated early last year, and shared so widely that I am unable to determine neither its origin or creator, though I thank him or her for their efforts. There is enough meat in their list to make some salient observations.
The list [from Part 1] contains allegations of government corruption and misdeeds covering the early part of the Abbott/Turnbull/ Morrison era.
It is just the start. My next post [today’s post] will cover the latter part of Turnbull’s tenure and Morrison’s impact.
I continue the list (with some extra of my own):
50 George Christensen charges taxpayers for domestic flights and ComCar trips that were part of his trips to known red-light districts of the Philippines. Then, when he is caught, he pays back $2,100 with no consequences.
51 Barnaby Joyce runs up a bill of $675,000 in 9 months in his role as Special Drought Envoy. When asked what he did in the roll, Joyce explained that he sent his “report” in the form of multiple text messages to Morrison; when The Guardian submitted a Freedom Of Information request for these texts, it was rejected because Morrison was too busy to retrieve them.
52 The Coalition awarded a $423million contract to run Manus Island detention facilities to a small and almost unknown company called Paladin as part of a “limited tender” process only meant to be used under exceptional circumstances. The company’s head office was a small shack on Kangaroo Island, and family members of the PNG Parliament were directly profiting from the contract. (Expanded from Point 18 in Part 1 of this list).
53 On two separate occasions, Peter Dutton personally intervened to have European au pairs allowed into the country after being initially refused by Border Force. The first was on behalf of an old Police colleague, the second on behalf of the AFL Chief Executive and son of a Liberal Party donor.
54 Barnaby Joyce’s ‘mistress’, Vikki Campion, was forced to leave her role as his staffer when rumours of their affair started causing tension with colleagues. As a result, she was given a plum $190,000 a year job with good friend Senator Matt Canavan despite Parliamentary rules prohibiting ‘partners’ positions.
55 The Coalition granted $200,000 to Foxtel’s Sky News to fund a new show featuring future Liberal Candidate Warren Mundine. The funding was taken from money budgeted for “Indigenous Advancement”. Inquiries later found that the grant had been officially approved before Mundine had even formally applied for it.
56 Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert charged taxpayers $2,000 a month for home internet, blaming “connectivity issues”. He was later forced to repay $38,000 in inappropriately claimed expenses but was not further investigated.
57 Barnaby Joyce approved a ‘dodgy’ $80million water buyback from a property owned by a Cayman Island’s based company that Energy Minister Angus Taylor used to be the Director of and his college mate now ran. Then, when Twitter users began to discuss it, his lawyers sent letters threatening legal action for defamation if they didn’t delete the tweets.
58 A property owned by Energy Minister Angus Taylor’s brother was alleged to have illegally burned 30 hectares of native grassland classified as endangered under existing environmental laws. After Angus Taylor personally intervened and met with then Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg about the investigation into his brother, the Government suddenly announced a review into the part of Commonwealth environment laws that deals explicitly with endangered native grasses.
And that is where the list that I acquired ends and mine begins. I have not placed my list in any particular order but just how they have come to mind.
1 The Labor Party instigated a price on carbon, and out of hand, the Coalition repealed it. It was arguably the worst policy decision by any Australian Government ever.
Almost a decade on, we are no further advanced. Writing in The Guardian, Katharine Murphy spells out the consequences:
“Over the past couple of months, the International Energy Agency has said fossil fuel expansion must end now if the planet is to address the climate crisis; there has been a G7 declaration (with Morrison in attendance) that public financing of unabated coal-fired power must stop this year and a pledge that net-zero emissions must be achieved by 2050 “at the latest.”
2 The former senior spy dubbed Witness K has been given a three month suspended sentence for conspiring to reveal classified information about an alleged spying operation during oil and gas treaty negotiations between Australia and East Timor. His lawyer Bernard Collaery awaits sentencing. Both were only ever guilty of telling the truth. That being that the Australian Government was guilty of espionage on its neighbour East Timor with the intent of robbing them of what was theirs. A secret trial like no other.
3 An international fail on diplomacy. Words are a beautiful means of communicating with others. How you use them with other countries takes great skill and an understanding beyond that of Scott Morrison.
Jumping to his defence comes David Speers:
“Prime ministers all say things they live to regret. It’s how they clean up the mess that inevitably follows that can be telling.”
4 Morrison refused:
“… to apologise to: Christine Holgate, the former Australia Post boss who says she was bullied, harassed and hounded out of a job, in part because of her gender and in part by the Prime Minister.”
5 Chris Graham writing in New Matilda broke the story that:
“On the day before the 2019 federal election, the Morrison government gave $15 million to one of its largest donors – the retail giant Wesfarmers, which had recently announced a half-yearly profit of $4.5 billion.”
6 Christian Porter remained in a job [but not for long] despite calls for an independent inquiry into historic rape allegations from several quarters, including the alleged victim’s own family. He pulled out of his defamation case and has to pay costs.
7 No use pretending otherwise. The Australian rollout of COVID-19 vaccines at 3% has been and continues to be a balls up of epic proportions, and the fault is undeniably that of Scott Morrison and his Government.
8 Scott Morrison and his Government stand accused of not having any empathy at all, and it is true. For example, they jailed the Biloela family on Christmas Island without regard to the cost, and they have been incarcerated there for three years. All because Morrison wants them to be seen as an example to others who might seek asylum here. How pathetic. “The Biloela family are just the latest unwilling participants trapped in Australia’s ongoing theatre of cruelty.”
9 Liberal Party MP Dr Andrew Lamming made headlines – albeit for the wrong reasons – after he allegedly bullied two female constituents online, including the wife of a local councillor.
10 Remember Sports Rorts? The Sydney Morning Herald’s article “Remember sports rorts? Here’s why we mustn’t forget that shameful episode” gives us an insight and a warning:
“These are the lessons of the abuse of the $100 million Community Sports Infrastructure grants program. The Sports Rorts program offers a prism illuminating all that is wrong with the Government.”
11 And then we come to Paul Fletcher, who:
“… previously served as cities and urban infrastructure minister – weighed into the controversy about the purchase of the so-called Leppington Triangle from a Liberal donor, explaining the decision was made by a departmental secretary due to a ‘highly inadequate brief’ that disguised its true value.”
12 So the Prime Minister didn’t know. Then he apparently changed his mind and admits he’d heard that allegations had been levelled against one of his ministers in a letter from friends of a now-deceased woman who had accused the unnamed minister of raping her in the late 1980s.
13 The Royal Commission into Aged Care said:
“Government did not prepare the sector well enough for the pandemic. In a damning report, the commission rejected the Government’s repeated claim it had a plan for aged care, which is a federal responsibility.
The commission said that now ‘is not the time for blame’ for what happened in aged care, where most of the Australian deaths have occurred – as at September 19, 629 out of 844 total deaths. The latest number of deaths from residential aged care is 665.”
14 Continuing the Government’s love of oil:
“The Australian Government’s support for the fossil fuel industry and lack of a credible climate policy has caused UNESCO to recommend the Great Barrier Reef be listed among World Heritage sites in danger, according to a new report.”
15 Arguably, the worst public policy failure in Australian political history is the introduction of Robodebt:
“The federal government’s robodebt scheme was a ‘massive failure in public administration’, according to the Federal Court judge who has approved a $112 million settlement over the “unlawful” program.
The Federal Court approved a $112 million robodebt settlement on Friday morning, with Justice Bernard Murphy criticising the Government over the ‘unlawful program’, labelling it a ‘shameful chapter’ in Australia’s social security history.
The Judge also said it should have been obvious to the public servants and Ministers presiding over the program that it was faulty.”
And that:
“In 2018, the Senate was provided with figures showing that, from July 2016 to October 2018, 2030 had died after receiving a robodebt notice. Morrison had his name written all over this policy.”
We must never forget the damage caused by this program. Never. It deserves to be the albatross around Scott Morrison’s neck.
* * * * *
My last post included many accusations of pathetic governance. This one continued down that path adding more facts about Coalition corruption or misdemeanours. In my next post I shall summarise what I have written and pose just what dangers these facts might do to Australia in the future.
Well, I don’t know about you. Still, I’m just about exhausted and I haven’t mentioned the NDIS, the backgrounding on (in this case roughly translated as bad-mouthing) of Higgins’ partner, domestic violence, a failed NBN, racism, transparent government, and the good old-fashioned ‘fair go.’ Then follows discrimination, the destruction of our democracy, and lying in all its guises.
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By Lordy, you’ve presented another good piece
You’re never going to get the rusted on libs to change their vote,this should be read by all the swinging voters as I think that’s where the election will be won.
Whilst there is no argument that the incumbent LNP federal government fully deserves severe criticism, avoidance of mentioning the other political factions implies that they are immaculate, perfect and beyond reproach. The truth is that ALL political persuasions have contributed to the present parlous situation where there is no semblance of accountaility, no functional watchdogs, no access to justice, no separation of powers and inept / corrupt mainstream media which rarely if ever exposes official malpractice. The list of ALP f-ckups is extensive, maybe not quite as lengthy as the LNP list but nevertheless completely unacceptable. Occasionally someone will suggest that an ALP-initiated federal ICAC would constitute some kind of holy grail, but one only has to glance at Queensland’s Crime Cover-up Commission with its ‘insufficient evidence to prosecute’ mantra to get a good idea of what an ALP watchdog would look like. Note also that neither Shorten nor Albo seriously opposed the Robodebt debacle, the Indue racket or the recent Social Security amendments. Change for the sake of change is futile, what is needed is a totally new vision in which accountability and fair dinkum justice cannot be avoided. FWIW, if perchance the judiciary had exercised its constitutional power as the third arm of government to hold the legislative and bureaucratic arms to account, there would be no need for a federal ICAC, or indeed state anti-corruption entities. That begs the question of creating a more expansive / more encompassing federal ICAC from which all three arms of government are excluded from administering / managing / nobbling, one that can hold politicians, bureaucrats and the judiciary to account, since all three groups have demonstrated they are anything but honorable.
Yes Minister, yep, 2 wings of the one turkey.
Yes John, a long list of corruption and misdeeds, a veritable Charter of Tomfoolery in short. But look at who, or is that what, they are serving in their role as corporate hacks. Too many are lawyers, captive yes-men/women to the BAR, their first allegiance, the Crown.
The LNP think they are masters of strategy when it comes to playing mining off against climate concerns and that hubris will be their undoing in time. They really need to pay attention to what the UN is proposing and either debunk what they disagree with using science or follow UN recommendations. The LNP, wandering off and doing their own thing in the hope that this or that mining co will turn a profit before the rug gets pulled by international penalty is a gamble.
We should begin a trend!!!!
SscoModebt!
Another lovely warming read after the pool, lord.
I asked a qld national party trustee if queenslanders were happy with joyce defeating maccormack(notice he has already pencilled in the next two elections):
“I think so. Matt Canavan moved the spill motion and I think David Littleproud was promised to remain deputy leader and maybe him or Pitt will take over from Barnaby in the not too distant future, but not until after possibly 2 elections.
The Nats will do better than under McCormack and strengthen their seats and maybe pick up a seat or two in the Hunter and the NT.
Good for Australia. I am personally not a Barnaby fan, he doesn’t appeal to me as a person but is a very good retail politician.
Qld and the Hunter are coal areas and the Nats are pro coal for the next few decades which could be a problem for Scomo with the push from his liberal backbenchers who are pushing for a carbon free economy without worrying about the consequences it will create. Maybe we need to put the nuclear option back on the table if we all agree that we need to be emission free by 2050. However most of today’s pollies won’t be there to see it and most certainly you and I will already be just bones or ashes well before these target date”
He considers me an indoctrinated lefty and you a lying purveyor of propaganda.
He could be right on both counts?
dear yes minister
A quote from the depths of a 1962 film – “…your words are harsh but you speak the truth.”
The point is we are ideologically opposed to the government and its treatment of sections of society and its reliance on lying to the same sections in order to win votes by fear.
Labor cannot allay those fears by honest means because the media is neither honest nor accessible to correct the lies.
Hence our bias is in the hope that this government will be defeated.
So we all know your truth but it is not relevant to the labor political position.
Thank you, John, for providing a continuation of why this L/NP Political party should have its authority revoked, for now, and at all times hence.
The script for this form of abhorrent governance of Australia had been augmented back in the treacherous John Howard era.
Serious breaches of Australia’s Commonwealth Constitution by this L/NP party further disqualify this L/NP political party from its legitimate candidacy as an alternative government able to challenge for the leadership of Australia’s Sovereign nation.
The separation of Powers Act is no longer evident.
The abandonment of the below principle.
No government is permitted to abridge the river waters, creeks, and water streams in Australia that must remain accessible to all the Australian people.
“Today’s corporate overlords have accumulated voluminous water rights that now carry a unit price for our Australian river waters et al.”
(Not honored since Howard had begun selling water rights and providing water entitlements to all and sundry new investors, they were invited to engage in the investment into the MIS program began by John Howard. This trio of lurchers referred to in the above were more than happy to see this continue.)
The Australian government must govern Australia in the best interests of the Australian people. Pause for laughter.
Now, to correct a portion of the wicked history of Australia contributed by J W Howard.
Please understand that the Port Arthur Massacre had been a false-flag event involving ASIO and 2 of its personnel in that Howard-approved initiated massacre.
I provide the ISBN of the book “Official Terror” written by the renowned former Australia-based investigator/author, Dr. Keith Noble. He, now a resident in Austria.
ISBN 978-3-9503136-6-6. The title of the book is OFFICIAL TERROR in Tasmania, Australia.
Latest revision 2019.
I personally have read this latest edition with its updated content, very revealing.
My own copy was sent to me by Dr. Keith Noble himself. Before the above book revision, I had read of 2 other private investigations that had resulted in their published form.
I had found both on the internet. To add further doubt, I had spoken to an on-site witness, his wife having been employed at the Port Arthur tourist drawcard, his wife had not been shot or wounded by the hired specialist trained shooter, but some of her colleagues had.
This planned Massacre had seen Howard’s newly proposed gun laws zipping through the legislative process only 12 days after the Port Arthur Massacre.
Then began the highly successful gun buyback scheme initiated by the former treacherous ex-Prime Minister John Winston Howard.
Howard had feared being shot by an aggrieved former military serviceman, hence the planned rollout of his approved ASIO instituted massacre.
I could go on about further treacherous undertakings by that most reprehensible ex-Prime Minister, but that would be far too much a digression from the article above presented by Mr. John Lord.
A traitorous non-constitutional political party cannot qualify as an electable government political party.
Until our Media hold the LNP to account, like they would if this was Labors record. They will get away with it.
Williambtm, thanks for that info re the PA investigation.
Aust has some pretty average politicians but compared to Canada we are lucky. Canada with its recent clamp down on free speech has gone full CCP mode. Trudeau seems to model himself on his alter-ego, Hunger Games President Coriolanus Snowjob played by Donald Sutherland. Maybe Trudeau should watch the ending of that movie again. Down south in New York State, Bill A416 just got the nod. No photos from inside the Concentration Camps as yet. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a416
A great and incomplete list but until the brain dead Australian voter wakes up to themselves and actually vote for people that will work for the people and country it all amounts to a fart in a hurricane.
As hard as publications and author’s of articles such as this and others strive to make a difference, I’m afraid, they’re pushing shit up hill.
What’s the answer? A possible start would be banning Murdoch from having anything to do with media ownership in this country thus removing his vile influence. After that I’ve got no idea.
Here’s an idea Bert,make the telling of lies by officials in public office punishable by death.Parliament would resemble a Kamikaze pilots reunion…not many there.
Harry, a good place to start would be truth in advertising laws ala Canada. I approached my local rep (Labor) and all I got was a spiel about freedom of speech blah blah blah.
Bert, Harry, unfortunately, that Labor rep had deceived you, false advertising is a criminal offense in Australia.
Commercialized deception cannot be labeled as free speech.
William, that should of been truth in political advertising.
A fair comment Bert, One must realize that at the end of every day… the subject matter of political advertising bears its intent to deceive.
(Recall the J W Howard electioneering deceptions.)
Observe how most all electioneering politicians make ‘vote for me promises’ then when elected forget each and all of those promises.