It’s anything but normal governance from a bunch of incompetents
It must be said that this cohort of Liberal and National Party parliamentarians is the most leaderless, unethically rancid, and corrupt group the country has ever seen, and political historians will record it so.
To think that this bunch of rotten incompetents, who are arguably the most educated group ever assembled in Canberra with degrees from some of the finest institutions in the world, could be the dumbest, rottenest bunch ever, is oddly in itself, an explanation of the state of our politics.
Australian political historians will record that the period of governance of Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison has been an insult to the democracy they sought to function under.
They use expressions like “parallel universe”, and I’m assuming they mean it’s somewhere they can exist, and others cannot, a place where facts die, and truth is murdered. They call it the “Canberra bubble” where only the born to rule can gurgle their way through life.
What follows are words that in their own way seek to describe the dark corrupt years of 2013 to 2019.
In “Trumpish” fashion not a day passes without a scandal of sorts. The past weeks have been no exception. We now find that Australia is selling a weapons system to the world’s number one abuser of human rights.
Australian defense officials don’t know where or how or who will use weapons sold to Saudi Arabia. What a disgrace.
Give that a bit of thought!
Then we have the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea wanting an explanation about the Paladin Affair:
“The Papua New Guinea prime minister, Peter O’Neill, has requested a full briefing on the Paladin affair and said he would “welcome any investigation by Australian authorities”.
And the Minister denies any knowledge of the $500 million-dollar deal.
Pub test required, please.
The AFR reports that:
“Labor has written to the Auditor-General asking for an urgent review of $423 million worth of contracts to security firm, Paladin, in a closed tender.”
Not to be left out of a place as one of the many clowns in the circus Finance Minister Mathias Cormann takes his family for a holiday to Singapore.
Well yes, nothing wrong with that except that it was paid for by Liberal Party Treasurer Andrew Burnes within weeks of that company winning a $1 billion contract from Cormann’s department.
On top of that initial enquiries would suggest that most Coalition MPs enjoy the same privilege. Well, so it is alleged.
Helloworld, a listed company of which Mr Burnes is the chief executive, booked the flights for Senator Cormann, his wife and two children on the company’s “staff and family travel” account.
Michael Pascoe on twitter:
“The core truth about Paladin that should not be overlooked in all the “colourful” stuff – our Manus operation stank so much, no decent company would touch it” The New Daily
At the very least he is guilty of eating from the smorgasbord of political delights.
But wait, it doesn’t end there. Joe Hockey has a million smackaroos invested in the company. Now he couldn’t put a bit of weight behind the tender, couldn’t he?
I’m on a roll here. Remember during the 2016 election that the government was saying that 15,000 South Australians were first told the Australian content of the submarine build, the largest in the nation’s history, would be 90 per cent. Well now we find that the contract doesn’t include a minimum work guarantee for Australians.
Ethnically questionable, pub test or maybe first case for a National ICAC.
And on we roll. This from The Guardian:
“The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has approved the dumping of more than 1m tonnes of dredge spoil near the reef, using a loophole in federal laws that were supposed to protect the marine park.”
How would you be handling all of these scandals at once? Better still perhaps a Royal Commission into all things Liberal.
The government ministers Michaela Cash and Michael Keenan twice declined to be interviewed by federal police about the leaking of the dramatic 2017 raids on the Australian Workers Union’s offices.
Australian federal police officials also told a Senate estimates committee on Monday 17 February that they formed the view while investigating the leaks that evidence “may have been destroyed”.
The statements from police came as Cash’s former chief of staff Ben Davies told a court he had learned of the raids from the union regulator’s then media adviser Mark Lee while the pair made arrangements for Lee’s new job in Cash’s office.
The Australian Federal Police believed there was enough evidence to lay charges over the leak of the AWU police raid but were hamstrung by the lack of witness statements – including from government ministers.
Not to mention the $800,000 in legal costs that like confetti gets thrown around like there’s a wedding in the department everyday.
Katharine Murphy tweeted:
Cash says she provided a voluntary statement to the AFP. She says she sent them Hansard. The AFP said yesterday they got a letter from Cash, and the letter wasn’t a witness statement #estimates
And the latest polling puts them not out of reach of a winning position. Remarkable.
After almost 6 years in power the LNP has no Energy policy and is unlikely to take one to the next election. It has now had 11 positions on this matter, but the coal lovers still hold sway.
And the same goes for an Environmental policy. They have regurgitated Tony Abbott’s old policies.
”In terms of the environment I wonder what price the people of tomorrow will pay for the stupidity of today.”
They have succeeded in giving us a broadband network that by world standards is draconian. Worse even, than New Zealand’s.
It is doubted if the problem can be fixed so the value of the company will have to be written down. The Lord doesn’t even know how many billions that might cost the taxpayer.
And let’s not forget the $30 million given to Rupert Murdoch. The Minister himself cannot explain why.
Rolling along still, despite numerous enquiries the future of the Murray Darling river system remains in in doubt. Then there are even alleged accusations of stealing water against the former Deputy Prime Minister in Barnaby Joyce.
Serious charges, I should think.
Let’s talk about money
Any claim to being the better money manager has been given the flick with the revelation that two companies have been given close to $500 million each without so much as a tender taking place. The afore-mentioned Paladin being the latest.
Then of course there was that half a billion to that little company who likened their gift of half a billion dollars to winning Tattslotto. Again, no Tender Process. The board of this little Barrier Reef company were all mining executives.
“Never in the history of this nation have the rich and the privileged been so openly brazen.”
Simon Banks tweeted:
From Estimates this week, it is now clear the following people have actively misrepresented if not lied about the advice from our national security agencies: @ScottMorrisonMP @PeterDutton_MP @cporterwa @M_McCormackMP @michaeliacash When are they going to resign or be sacked?
Let me explain. Of all the scandals we are being confronted with this is the most outrageous:
“The rest of it is equally outrageous: ASIO chief Duncan Lewis pointed out in estimates last week The Australian Newspaper misrepresented the agency’s leaked advice on the medical evacuations bill, saying that “when reporting wrongly attributes advice from ASIO, or where our classified advice is leaked, it undermines all that we stand for”. Lewis said the leak did not come from ASIO. On the day of the leak, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said: “The agencies have told [Labor leader Bill Shorten] that this bill would be a disaster and it would restart the boats. Not true.”
In other words, they were lying through their rotten teeth.
“Lying in the media is wrong at any time however when they do it by deliberate omission it is even more so. Murdoch’s papers seem to do it with impunity.”
Unfortunately, I have reached my word limit and I haven’t even revealed the attempt to have the Speaker withhold information from the Parliament. The banks, or the frequent attacks on the ABC by this government. Even to the point of breaking the law in appointing Ita Buttrose as Chairperson.
I haven’t even revealed that Liberal MP Tim Wilson has been cleared of contempt by Speaker Tony Smith, but has been rebuked for his conduct.
Then of course there is the “jobs for the boys” scandal with Attorney General Christian Porter appointing one of his own ex-staffers to a plum job on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal just two months after the former adviser left his office.
This Government’s performance over its time in office has been like a daily shower of offensiveness raining down on society. Surely management or indeed, lack of it must mean something.
All of this just goes to prove how out of touch the LNP Government is when it comes to the mood and expectations of the people they serve. However, it is also most unusual to have gathered together in the one place at the one time such an astonishingly well-educated group who has not a clue on how to govern. All in all it stinks with the stench of privilege.
My thought for the day
So why are we not having an election now?
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Return to home pageG’day Mr Lord!! Great article!!
Great article and I’m delighted to see someone actually listing the crimes and corruption, but can you please get someone to proof read before posting. ‘Human rites’ indeed. 😱
Onya John.
Thanks Stephen.
I despair!
“Australian political historians will record that the period of governance of Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison has been an insult to the democracy they [sought] to function under.”
This seems, to me at least, the greatest tragedy and most egregious aspect of this whole, sad, sorry saga. We have endless ‘circular arguments’, all the while merely avoiding the unavoidable. That this government is a disgrace goes without saying. The list of transgressions you have presented is not complete, as chronicling their deceits, their lies, their obfuscation, their blatant denial of reality, would be a task of Herculean proportions requiring considerable resources and unnatural tenacity, not to mention a capacity not to simply wish to incarcerate the whole lot of them – leaving them with the burden of proof to show their innocence, rather than us with the burden of proof to show their guilt. They have, after all, introduced these as fair notions. Incarceration without trial, allegation of debt in lieu of conviction, demands on behaviour commensurate with the means of the income rather than the nature of alleged misdeeds.
It is difficult to write without becoming enraged by the nature and extent of their malfeasance and the inability to hold them to account. The extent to which MSM aids and abets their disgraceful behaviour is no more than a lot more salt for a gaping wound.
Under our current system, it is not just a case that this behaviour is condoned, but that the only avenue for dissent is to roll them at the next election, assuming Labor will demonstrate some resolve to change the rules.
The increasing calls for an ICAC or similar body will undoubtedly be met with Scummo’s ‘proposed’ scheme, likely no more than a theatre to be performed for public amusement and likely to have little more impact than that.
The ‘circular argument’ or reasoning is explained well on Wiki;
“The components of a circular argument are often logically valid because if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true. Circular reasoning is not a formal logical fallacy but a pragmatic defect in an argument whereby the premises are just as much in need of proof or evidence as the conclusion, and as a consequence the argument fails to persuade. Other ways to express this are that there is no reason to accept the premises unless one already believes the conclusion, or that the premises provide no independent ground or evidence for the conclusion.”
Whilst that can be applied to everything this government does, the most obscene abuse of the premise is that this government is our fault because we elected them. Or the extension of that argument, that about 47% of us would still vote for them no matter how great the litany of their abuses become.
These systems and assessments are bent so far out of shape that trying to apply logic or reason is likely of interest for academia, but a strong sedative for most.
We know, without fear of contradiction or challenge, that well over 80% of us don’t trust politicians, and increasing cohorts distrust MSM. Murdoch’s NewsCorpse is in fatal decline economically, yet is constantly used as a reference for news. The Edelman surveys and other trust barometers show this cancer has been increasing across all sectors of government and influence for decades. The more we distrust them, the more we are told that we must trust them to change the system. What a preposterous nonsense.
It comes as no surprise that this government, throughout its incarnations, has demonstrated the frailty of our governance. This morning brought news that we have slipped again on the illusion of transparency, let alone the reality of accountability.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-slips-out-of-global-top-10-on-adherence-to-rule-of-law
You have written previously on Direct Democracy. Under many of the models, there is a prospect called ‘recall’, where an electorate can demand their representative answer TO THEM for their behaviour. In the absence of such reforms, articles like this and incessant calls for an ICAC are merely insults to the intelligence.
For those that argue we are too apathetic, too lazy, too complacent, too disinterested, it’s getting old. Granted, memberships in existing political parties are plummeting and most voters would have little knowledge of the incumbents. But our interest, in this – the information age – is manifesting in other ways. Protests are being made. The fact they are largely ignored, belittled or demeaned does not discount the protest.
Our youth, on the 15th March, will – yet again – send a message.
https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com/
The tired old media are already doing the pre-rally propaganda, quoting irrelevant politicians in their irrelevant media to say the children are irrelevant. Ms McManus has initiated a public call to change the rules. Why it isn’t simplified to just making the rules the same for all is beyond me. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more of us just accompanied our youth on that day and listened to them.
‘Anything but normal’ is not only the complaint. It is also the solution.
NEC has repeatedly made the suggestion ‘It’s Time’. This was Mr Whitlam’s clarion call in 1972. It may be more appropriate to go to his 1975 epitaph.
“Maintain your rage and enthusiasm for the campaign for the election now to be held and until polling day.”
Had Bob Hawke marshalled the union movement then to support the movement for reform, we may indeed be in a different world today. Hopefully, Ms McManus isn’t as beholden to ideology and grubby little deals (however well intentioned) as Hawke was.
Thank you Mr Lord. Great to read your work again. Take care
You might like to add to your catalogue of crimes the multiple ongoing disgraces in foreign affairs, including but not limited to the illegal wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, for which this government (and Labor) seem to get a free pass from the media.
Why are we not having an election now ? Because they need some time to splash around some free advertising about stu8ff they will hand out, all paid for by the taxpayer as “government advertising”rather than party political. It should be OUTLAWED.
None of the above will be investigated, those living in the bubble will make sure of that. It deeply offends me that all of them have this sense of privilege. If Labor had the balls to come out and say they would make sweeping changes to stop the rorts and perks and to find out about the wickedness of what is happening, they would win in a massive landslide. Throw in cutting out all the overblown allowances, free flights, free food, and every over freebie they all enjoy, it’s a rock solid guarantee. Senate as well.
But they won’t – they want their days in the sun too.
I am in favour of a benevolent dictator.
Good to see you back, John Lord.
John
March 1, 2019 at 6:20 am, let’s not get petty….
That’d be my fault. I missed it.
Now fixed.
Parakeelia
The Panama Papers
Arthur SeeNoDonors
Indue cashless Welfare(?) card for laundering funds into political party donations
The F35 Boondoggle
The $86M TURC
-= Stuart Robert =-
and on and on and on …
You forgot…Broad, Littleproud, Christensen, Julie Bishop’s brother…..
Welcome back to the fray John.
This isn’t incompetence this is madness. Scummo is becoming increasing paranoid and bloody dangerous ably helped by Lunatic Junior, The Spud.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/mar/01/morrison-backs-dutton-claim-refugees-medical-care-will-displace-australians
If 1000 refugees from Manus and Nauru can destroy our hospital and public housing capabilities, what the hell are they doing with the 65,000 asylum seekers that have arrived by plane under this government’s watch?
And don’t you just love the notion from ProMo that people coming by plane have already had a character check. Apparently an online tourist visa is more rigorous than the security checks that our intelligence agencies have conducted during the 5 years they have had these people incarcerated.
“Apparently an online tourist visa is more rigorous than the security checks that our intelligence agencies have conducted during the 5 years they have had these people incarcerated.”
Hm … yeah/nah ?
Faith in the agencies at a Federal level, given the venality of the Howard years, thence 2013 till now, without a Federal ICAC anywhere to be seen ?
Hm, how was it that Andrew Wilkie, a then LtCol and Senior Intelligence Analyst at the ONA(?), along with many other unnamed Intelligence officers & SNCO’s, came to resign their commissions or discharge, or outside the services, simply resign/retire, under Howards gubernment, in the leadup to the Iraq War of 2003 ?
And what perhaps was the character and allegiance of those who assumed said vacancies, and in the last 15 years have progressed & ascended to the leadership and senior leadership positions of said services & agencies ?
Just sayin’ …
PS Wan’t there an AFP raid under Murdoch media spotlights, of the offices and premises of a Member of Parliament, of the Crowns Loyal opposition, during the Caretaker period re the last Fed election.
Of which the justification of the Double Dissolution was the creation of the ROC, the ABCC and the TURC, which shortly led to the raid redux by AFP/Murdoch of the AWU premises ? Michaelia ?
Our fed agencies are no longer what they were in 1996, 2003, let alone 2015 … alas.
And this election, will they trump their conduct in the last, with the assistance of said agencies.
Back then Brandis, “It’s OK to be bigot!” , was AG. Now it’s Porter !
And Obergruppenfuehrer Potato Head runs Mega Ministry Home Affairs … consisting of ?
Welcome back, dont know how you have managed to not comment on this sad state of politics up until now, certainly made up for it. Top piece.
Christopher Pyne and Steve Ciobo have quit
Look for Dutton to be on the move. And not for the first time. So much work ‘wasted’ on Dixon.
But maybe the local branch have their own favourite successor. Ciobo looks like he’s done a Robb. Job lined up elsewhere – no doubt in the trade area. Something about rats and sinking ships. A great pity. Should be humiliated on the floor of Parliament – slings and arrows and all that.
Thanks Kaye hoping to play at least a small part in the destruction of a government to frightened to sit in the HORs.
Now The Spud is going for all out stupidity and trying to raise fear levels about those nasty refugees stealing hospital beds from ‘strayans.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/peter-dutton-claims-australians-will-be-kicked-off-hospital-waiting-lists-in-favour-of-refugees-20190228-p510w6.html
Dunceolini’s nightly bedside prayer while kneeling on a refugee to be comfortable, “Please, please, please, just one “terrorist” incident so me and Scummo can declare martial law.”
I have to admit that this is a damn fine article. One of your best, John.
Kaye Lee @1.00pm, if only that E$16 BILLION spent on Manus and Nauru had been spent on hospitals. Is our health system now so fragile due to being run down over the years that we can’t even manage a few hundred extra people? Heaven help us if there was an outbreak of measles or influenza, the whole system would clearly fold. It is of course rubbish and as advised by St. Vincent’s Health via Twitter, just they themselves could easily manage that number of people.
Yes, if only we know the sum total of Manus/ Nauru spending plus clandestine operations and defence expenses policing the mess and surveillancing at home. How much of it was syphoned off for corrupt reasons also?
So the throat slitter and the talkative cockatoo have joined the ever lengthening conga line of f##ken rats leaving down a crowded guy line. I hope they all rot in hell, incompetent bloody self seekers and crooks led by a stupid, ignorant, brazen fool from the shire.
So when is the chimp planning to leave, I hear you ask ???? Not in the near future, he’s planning to lead her Majesty’s next loyal opposition.
Bring it on fools, cause we will delight in rubbing your snouts in the shit once again.
I have never had so much contempt and scorn for a political party as I have for these bastards.
Thanks Michael. Really feels good to be back.
matters not – my thought precisely – tho i would hope that no seat is a safe seat if you propose to put dutton in it
and how will supersalesman spin this – ?get rid of the old model and update to last years model? – only done 1000 kms – driven by a little old lady around the block to church on sundays??
so glad to see the back of the attack poodle and what did ciobo do exactly??
Bravo John. Now let’s turn it into action. There should be a National Strike.
Up until last night, both Steve Ciobo and Christopher Pyne were saying that rumours of their imminent departure from politics were nothing more than Labor muck-raking.
Then John Lord returns to AIMN and they hastily submit their resignations .
Coincidence ? I think not !
John a great read as usual, I would normally respond on Facebook but, I was banned by someone who took offence to being called a gibbering idiot, this I might add by being initially being insulted by the complainant. As long as the right has control of the media in all its forms including FACEBOOK, we on the left are always going to be up against it. Added to this, I have sent many polite well researched emails to many Labor politicians with out the courtesy of even a reply to tell me to go away. But to the topic, yes corruption has been made an art form by the current government, they have the media, the judiciary, law enforcement in their back pockets and have done so, for quite sometime. I am that cynical now, that I believe the government is self imploding out of choice. They know a financial crash is coming and they want the Labor party to take the can for it. Their agenda has been stalled for now but, if by some joke of the electoral Gods they return Morrison they will go through the working class like a dose of salts. Interesting months ahead.
Thanks for all the great comments guys.
Really gritting my teeth against all the accolades for Pyne – in my view he’s one of the slimiest politicians in a whole bucket of snakes! Remember him and Abbott literally running from the house to avoid a vote? Was it the Marriage Equality one or something else? Remember him repeatedly trying to increase the cost of a university degree when he himself had benefitted from a free one? Remember him sucking up to Bronwyn Bishop? Remember him calling someone a c*** then blatantly lying about it even though it was caught on video for all to see and hear? More recently remember him signing a contract and lying about how many Australian jobs he’d secured? I detest the man – no shame, no principles, no morals.
Welcome back Mr Lord. You manage to put into words what I can’t as I’ve run out of ideas to describe this so called government.
And the corruption and nepotism of Scummo’s LNP rolls on and on and…
https://www.smh.com.au/national/despite-diy-rhetoric-federal-aboriginal-health-grant-goes-to-non-indigenous-wa-service-20190228-p510zz.html?ref=rss
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/foreign-minister-marise-payne-appoints-friend-and-ally-to-plum-diplomatic-post-20190301-p5116f.html
You can just picture the screams of outrage and chest beating from Rupert and the LNP if it was Labor doing the same things.
Pyne, Ciobo, and possibly Laundy, no matter how they sugar coat it, are a few of the rats jumping a sinking ship.
Anyone else get the feeling that Scummo is going to delay the lower house election for as long as he can?
Enjoyed it, apart from the side-swipe at NZ. As far back as the 80’s when I worked in London, bankers were saying the NZ system was a decade ahead of Australia. NZ has led the way on women’s rights, conservation, race relations, eco-tourism, and gay rights. That your NBN is worse than their Internet is just par for the course.
Judi, and they have a better PM.
Michael Taylor……..and far far better morals, exceptionally principled and way out better political acumen, Jacinta wipes the floor with this fool from the shire.