What is the purpose of the Opposition in the Australian Parliament?
Many of the policies presented by the ALP at the 2019 election were based on a genuine attempt to achieve social justice.
Their presentation failed as a consequence of being both flawed, and disrupted by lies from the Coalition, plus intervention by Clive Palmer, who spent literally millions ensuring that the ALP campaign would fail.
I recently realised that the reason I am able to keep up with politics, both nationally and internationally, is because I am now retired, and have enough time to read, watch and absorb what is happening in the world.
And even though the COVID-19 pandemic has left many people without jobs to occupy their time, being unemployed, and struggling to cope with the consequences, leaves them in no fit state to be able to really dwell on the world’s current circumstances.
Over the last 12 months, politics in Australia has been manipulated by a very devious Prime Minister, whose marketing skills have enabled him to start dismembering our democracy – which, even at its best, was heavily flawed.
Just as Donald Trump had his ‘base’, which largely consisted of people who were forgotten by the ‘establishment’, and were understandably drawn to someone who professed to understand their needs and promised to make their lives better, so in Australia we have people who do not want to accept the inconvenient truth – that our home, Planet Earth, is warming and, at the same time, growing inequality is destroying lives and livelihoods.
Because too many people believe what they are told, without taking steps to verify the real ‘facts’ – remember, we now have facts and alternative facts! – a leader like Scott Morrison, whose primary interest is being in control of power at whatever cost, can manipulate the population into ignoring the fact that we are standing on the edge of a crumbling cliff edge.
The other major problem we have to contest is a concentration of media influence in the hands of a former Australian who aspires to influence world events. His world view and lack of a moral compass – recognised and opposed by one of his own sons, James! – reduces the possibility that arguments against government policies and actions will be given enough publicity to encourage people to question their verity.
So while we currently need an Opposition which is as strong as it could ever be, enabling its press releases to gain attention is just that much harder than if the MSM were less unbalanced.
These days I am often reminded of the old Roman ‘Give them bread and circuses’ adage – distract people from the true state of affairs and they will be discouraged from complaining.
Perhaps that is the lure of reality TV. Being able to vote contestants in and out gives a sense of power over events which is totally mythical but really effective as a distraction!
Now is one of those times when we need a really strong Opposition, and, sadly, we do not have that need fulfilled.
We need a clear policy on climate change.
Global warming is happening!
It is becoming increasingly less likely that we can reduce the rate at which it is happening.
The consequent climate disasters will become more severe.
Bush fires in 2019/2020 were disastrous and a foretaste of worse to come.
The major cause is atmospheric pollution by fossil fuel emissions.
We must stop mining, drilling and fracking for fossil fuels and then exporting them, so we must prepare for retraining workers in those areas to perform other jobs in renewable energy.
We must immediately cut subsidies to fossil fuel industries.
The Coalition has led us down the garden path – as it has done over issues like Robodebt and the Cashless debit card.
I have studied both mathematics and law.
I wrote the following letter to my local paper on 01/07/18:
It is some time now since Centrelink’s Robodebt fiasco was in all the headlines. Sadly, despite all the criticism, it continues.
People are still receiving false debt statements and being put through all the agonies of trying to prove that they owe Centrelink nothing – but a whole lot of grief!
At the time a person, out of work and desperate, seeks help from Centrelink, all their current assets and sources of income are exhaustively assessed before they receive a cent in benefits. Providing they have delivered the necessary information accurately, that should be the end of the matter.
Instead, the system being applied by Centrelink to hunt down overpayments is totally flawed.
They take the individual’s ATO return, average their income over the calendar year and compare the fortnightly average with the amounts received from Centrelink.
Clearly, when a person is out of work for the period relevant to being eligible to claim benefits, their income in those weeks is way below the average calculated from the ATO payments. It only requires a relatively basic understanding of statistical averages to see that the method Centrelink is using is totally inappropriate. But to perform an accurate assessment requires skilled operators who understand the system.
So – management chooses to continue using a process, which they know to be unfair, to damage the very people they are supposed to be helping, wasting money in that process!
If businesses sent out false invoices, wrongly claiming debts owing there would be hell to pay!
We deserve a government which protects the most vulnerable members of our society.
It took weeks and months after I wrote that letter for public complaints to escalate to a stage where court action was undertaken – and rather than have their sins aired in court, the government agreed to a compromise which was less than generous to those who had gone through hell over the issue!
AND we deserve an Opposition which shouts from the hills when the government fails to offer that protection.
The Coalition is promising to enact all the recommendations in the Aged Care RC report – just as they promised the same for the Banking RC.
They are currently overturning the most important recommendation from the latter, by allowing banks to lend without reference to the capacity of the receiver of the loan to repay!
Where is the Opposition?
The Coalition is about to change the NDIS assessment process in ways which will be incredibly harmful to a high proportion of those desperately needing promised help.
Where is the Opposition?
And I don’t know about you, but I am getting sick to death of seeing the smirking face of the PM over some self-congratulatory article about how he is helping us.
I am not alone!
Today on Twitter, this was tweeted by @Michael Springer:
Just wondering- when did being PM of 🇦🇺 become a 9 to 5 job 4 days a week? Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could work a part time job, take stupid self-promotion photos of very Saturday and be paid a base salary of $530,000 a year.
— 💧🌱Michael Springer🕯🖤💛❤️ (@MichaelSpring17) December 5, 2020
To which I responded:
I guess when the PM decided the State and Territory governments could take care of all the day to day matters, while he merely has to flaunt himself in public, get every photo opp possible, take the praise for all the successes and pass on the blame for failures to everyone else. https://t.co/PS0Pb1G36k
— Rosemary (@RosemaryJ36) December 5, 2020
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Phil Pryor
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Pauline
Return to home pageWe do not need an opposition. With Merde-Schlock the Superturd, a foreigner of no known decencies, backing a coalition of c—s, crapskulls, colonic blockages, coagulated cretins, we have government benches of opposition to decency, honesty, truth, science, ethics, morals, virginity, balance, rationality, standards, law itself, Morrison’s Merde Masticators, the gold standard anal exudations, are an opposition to everything civilised we believe in. Albanese’s inertia and thespian representation of a corpse, is not required.
RosemaryJ36, The book, ”The Year of the Angry Rabbitt” by Russell Braddon (1964) asks exactly the same question and concludes that Parliament is irrelevant under our present system.
Perhaps we should look at the NZ voting system that almost guarantees a minority government (except for Jacinda Ardern who is the exceptional leader that Scummo believes he is.)
@Phil Pryor: Now are you sure that you have not left out anything?
Last year we had a Enquiry into Parliamentary Procedures, in particular Question Time.
I recall that there was an almost unanimous call for Dorothy Dixers to be banned as they are so self serving, infuriating and waste so much time. It was suggested that, if members of the government want questions answered by their own ministers that they set aside a separate time to do this and leave Question Time to the opposition and non-government members to quiz the government.
There were also calls for an independent speaker and an insistence that the speaker ensure that ministers actually address the questions being asked and provide answers.
I can’t find what happened to that Enquiry – anybody know ? – but I noted last week that the Dorothy Dixers keep coming and they remain as infuriating as ever and ministers including the PM refuse to address the questions being asked with no censure by the speaker.
Great article, Rosemary J36! Sadly, our Opposition seems to be lacking in most areas of parliament. They are mostly “nice people” & whilst I would not like them to be like the creature the Rabbott (when he was in opposition), they certainly could be seen to “oppose” most of the crap that the failed in marketing, lying, flat earth believing, happy clapping, “cashless welfare” shit, fucking robodebt bullshit, photo hungry, climate change denying, friend of Mudrake & his rags, mate to all the obscenely wealthy mining magnates, business people, pastoralists etc, anti Unionist Slo Mo the dickhead has done (or not!) since he has been in charge. Otherwise this fucking mob will just continue to lie & cheat their way into another 4 years of COALItion crap! God help us all, & I am not a religious person!
I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Independent Media just repeating the headlines of the Murdoch press. I would expect Independent writers would investigate what the Murdoch press is NOT writing about and then use a platform to highlight this information. How crucial is this now in light of Rudd’s petition against Murdoch press? Instead, I see articles like these in my inbox every day, just following the Murdoch line. Why?
I find it remarkable that the author insinuates that Labor has no climate change policy. Labor will refine policy as the head into the election. They are not laying all of their policies out like Shorten did and they don’t have to at this stage. The LNP Govt in the last 3 elections, had a booklet (2013) a pamphlet (2016) and in 2019 was reduced to some “how good is X” pics of the PM – no policy about anything at all. Just a massive attack campaign about why Labor will steal your ute, home, wages and hard earned retirement savings. So for those calling for this to happen again – maybe just reassess.
It is ludicrous to believe that the Labor party – the party that has delivered every single national reform in our history – has no ideas for reform.
The Author could have included an entire range of information in this article, that counters her claim that “Labor is not doing anything.”
Albo’s Jobs and the future vision speech – sets the ground work for a worker centric approach to climate action, which is about the reconfiguration and investment in our our skills and resources, including cobalt and lithium – my take on it (including the video) can be found here https://theaimn.com/labor-coal-and-climate-action/
The Labor Opposition is currently making a hell of a lot of noise about no payments being made to bushfire victims. How anyone has missed this, I do not know.
The Labor Opposition is currently on the phone and writing letters of support to PERSONALLY intervene to get Australians who are stranded overboard home for Christmas.
The Labor Opposition is the ENTIRE reason that Robodebt was cancelled, that a class action followed and that recipients were reimbursed. (in particular Bill Shorten’s work on this).
The Labor Opposition is entirely responsible (particularly Albanese) for pushing the Government to release their ICAC bill, which they where NOT going to do at all. Which has now been exposed as weak. It is expected LNP would have just gone to an election with supporting an ICAC with no details. Thanks Labor!
The Labor opposition is vehemently arguing against the abhorrent, incompetent practices in aged care – see petition here https://www.alp.org.au/petitions/its-time-to-act-now-on-aged-care/
Labor is leading the charge on blocking the rollout of the Cashless welfare card, with Linda Burnley taking Rex Patrick (a crucial cross bench vote) on a trip to speak to impacted communities.
The Labor opposition is opposed to the changes to banking. Information can be found here https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/going-easy-on-banks-labor-greens-warn-government-over-lending-laws-20200925-p55z89.html
and here: https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/axing-of-responsible-lending-laws-in-doubt-20201111-p56dkw
As for the NDIS – there would be no NDIS without Labor – it is a Labor reform. The same as Labor has delivered every single progressive reform in our history.
So before you ask, what is the point of the Labor Opposition, ask yourself what is the point of Independent media, if you can’t google basic information that takes 15 minutes.
Albanese has said that people are tired of seeing politicians arguing and opposing everything.
He has thrown the baby out with the bath water.
In his haste to appear co-operative he is failing to uphold the values of the traditional voter base.
And Fitzgibbon needs to be frozen out before he joins the LNP.
Good article Rosemary.
It’s something of an oxymoronic article, to mention how hard it for the ALP’s policies and activities to get accurate and balanced media attention and then follow the MSM line that the ALP isn’t actually doing anything.
Granted, what’s happening in Parliament iis disappointing to say the least, but there is much more going on, as Trish Corry has pointed out above.
Trish Corry has made some good, clear points, and despite an outburst of frustration (by me and others) we need vigorous opposition more than ever and are not getting its efforts publicised. Lazy typical responses by most citizens will be media based and we are betrayed by a filthy intruding domineering yankee traitor who has always put profits and overbearing power before honesty. Murdoch would run a great chain of “McDonald’s” type brothels for the needy with that philosophy of life. Extreme and utter stupidity is popular, (cf. the USA ) yet, Albanese must lead a team that opposes, opposes and more of that, while offering counters, amendments, improvement, alternatives and demanding attention by any means, though it seems more difficult than ever…surely an ALP and Greens “committee” of strategic attack could be cobbled up??
Trish, your comment’s a breath of fresh air. True, why bother debating the spaghetti tangle of illogical ideas that passes for the LNP policy arena? And the msm propaganda fed 24/7 to those who make the mistake of watchin mainstream media? What a joke. It’s a strange world now where there are more facts on Sky News than the ABC. At least Sky has 10 percent alternate take on topics.
“We must stop mining, drilling and fracking for fossil fuels and then exporting them, so we must prepare for retraining workers in those areas to perform other jobs in renewable energy.
We must immediately cut subsidies to fossil fuel industries.”
Although it would be hard to stop current mining, drilling and fracking projects, I cannot understand why new fossil fuel projects are receiving support from both major parties. Examples that immediately come to mind are the new coal mining approvals in Queensland and the royalties holiday for Adani. There are others. As Trish says “Google it”
Trish – I read widely but ignore the Murdoch press so cannot repeat their headlines. I receive ALP emails. I hear Albo supporting continued use of coal and gas. I see Joel Fitzgibbon remaining a member of the Labor party. If they wait to the last minute to start explaining their policies more effectively, they will lose the next election. They have first to convince the unions that workers in mining will be looked after so they can present a united front.
Trish makes some salient points, but if your opposition is not being heard by the voters. Then it becomes a pointless exercise, all part of the LNP/Murdoch plan. Muzzle the opposition. Alot of us who read independant media are gobsmacked at the luke warm opposition to anything. Taking a wait and see approach, we will assess then. We all had alot of faith in Albo for his Mongrel, but it seems to have failed him. Becoming a mediocre politician perhaps waiting to be removed, the damage to the party will guarantee at least another term of Morrison they will milk it like their is no tomorrow. Another term of the LNP and untold damage to society.
RosemaryJ36,
You are right. Labor is looking rather divided about their climate change policy and their attitude to fossil fuels, coal in particular. Labor seems to be in favour of coal and gas, but Fitzgibbon sees labor as opposed to him and coal. The Qld Labor government supports coal. It is a matter of keeping or getting power.
Mark Kenny (thecoversation.com, 23/11/2020) says: “Albanese is running out of time to solve Labor’s climate crisis. He needs a plan that will work for two Australias.” [ie, urban and rural]
This Kenny offers a plan, a bold transition fund for phased out sections of the mining industry: funding for loss of income, retraining, compensation for loss of business, house values, full family foundation costs.
It seems to account for the loss of jobs which worries workers in fossil fuel industries.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is looking at industrial law and the possibility of unions being able to disband from amalgamations such as the CFMEU. That is: divide and conquer.
Kenny also says: “The Coalition has not named interim emissions targets for 2030 and 2035 despite a clear commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, speaks for its nervousness.”
Remember that Abbott had promised a target for Paris – plus no dumping of dredgings in the GBR – so that the UN would not put a bad rating on the GBR. [Note that now the UN has downgraded the GBR to “critical”]
Chris Kenny of The Australian (15/11/2020) wrote under the heading: “Labor’s emission impossible: Albanese sets climate target he cannot deliver.” How does Kenny know that?
Kenny goes on later to say: “Australia knows that under Paris is broadly committed to net-zero emissions some time between 2050 and 2100. But the less he says about this the better – he benefits from differentiation on the issue.”
So Albanese cannot know what will be the case in 2050, but Kenny can see as far as 2100!
Chris Mitchell (16/11/2020) wrote: Most journalists have little real understanding of climate change or the costs of mitigation: they are on a mission to save the planet. Such moral posturing leaves little time to read the science and economics.”
And Chris Mitchell, he has plenty of time to read the science and economics? Not if he reads the IPA “science” as published in “Climate Change: The Facts 2017”. Its editor tells us the tome has many contradictions, but she hopes they will be reconciled some time in the future!
Even today in The Australian, Dr Peter Ridd is telling us that the GBR is in fine shape. He says: “But that report is just a rehash of old, mostly wrong or misleading information produced by generally untrustworthy scientific institutions with an activist agenda and no commitment to quality assurance.”
One must wonder how one person can be right and so many other people so wrong!
I can see why you do not read the Murdoch headlines, RosemaryJ36. They make my stomach churn and my blood pressure rise alarmingly.
Guest has listed many Merde-Schlock slut6s, paid to lie, pose, smokescreen, evade.., they are, collectively, an ignorant lot, a gang of garbled goats, gouging and grabbing at any coating of wordshit for Rupert the S S operator. The science is available, the enemies are clearly there, lying and cheating to cobble up and keep a coalition of profiteers, bribery bosses, manipulators, irresponsible turds.
Good to see you’ve got the phone back, Phil.
But to “Phil Pryor” at 10.33am
A warning to you: I’m a wake up to you, mate – you must have broken into his house or stolen his phone (and are therefore, a phoney ….hu! hu! hu!).
Your “voice” is not that of the Phil we regulars recognise, Right from the start: “Trish Corry has made some good, clear points …” is not something he would have said. No alliteration!! Honey, not vitriol!! Quiet reasoning not spluttering, spitting venom; Murdoch referred to without a scatological rearrangement of his name; even some sound,sensible advice to Albo!
Begone, you insipid imitation.
Re: Right from the start: “Trish Corry has made some good, clear points …” is not something he would have said.
Sorry Geoff, but I don’t know Phil and I don’t know you. I haven’t posted or commented on this site for a long time. But a nasty comment like yours does not surprise me on this site. It appears to attract nasty people like yourself who always have to make it personal about me for no freaking reason, and full of gutless people who just allow it to happen. You never care about that harm or hurt your cause. Seriously, go to hell.
Rosemary, may I suggest that you read the Per Capita report (Per capita is an anti poverty organisation) https://percapita.org.au/our_work/at-the-coalface-work-community-and-climate-change/
So you can get an understanding of the complexity of a highly concentrated industry in regions and the challenges we face with the industrial restructure required for climate action.
Could you also please either read my blog post, I linked earlier, or listen to Albo’s jobs and the future vision speech, so you develop an understanding of a job centric response to climate change.
If you still think after reading all this that you can just shut down coal, or that new industry is going to pop up in regional communities like some fairy tale, or that mine workers and associated workers are going to vote themselves out of a job, before they can see tangible opportunities, then please feel free to contact me to discuss.
Trish Corry (@12.33am today)
I can assure you that you have misinterpreted my comment. This is not surprising: you admit to not being familiar with either Mr Pyror or me or the site.
You appear to believe that I have been nasty to you (“people like yourself who always have to make it personal about me”) or on the ground that I appear to have been “nasty” to someone who has praised your earlier article? I did not refer to you except to imply praise.
Your criticisms of the site and the contributors are extensive – “nasty” & “gutless” – but you must admit it’s a reflection of the moderator’s committment to freedom of speech.
Finally, you take the high moral ground on “nastyness” then invite me to hell.
Still, it’s 12.30am & you’re tired.
You are forgiven.
Welcome back or aboard.
Trish,
you come with strong passion loaded with ammunition to back your views on coal mining. So you conclude your last post with this:
“”If you still think after reading all this that you can still just shut down coal, or that new industry is going to pop up n regional communities like some fairy tale, or that mine workers and associated workers are going to vote themselves out of a job, before they can see tangible opportunities, then please feel free to contact me to discuss.”
First, I do not think mine workers are going to give up their jobs for nothing. When I read the Per Capita report, Dec. 2019, I saw that mining workers are well paid at something like $2,600 per week. If they went to work in construction, they would be paid half that. And why is that? Because Oz does not have the diversity of jobs or manufacturing that we would need to accommodate miners leaving mining. We have transferred so much of that to China.
It is what Chris Mitchell said (16/11/2020), that Murdoch media accepts that climate is changing, “It’s just that they do not take the next step that the ABC and the Guardian do: demand immediate action at any price.”
But of course, climate activists have been talking about ceasing the use of coal for decades. Renewables have become more and more a cheaper source of energy, cheaper than coal-fired power stations which are nearing their use-by date. As Joel Fitzgibbon said (20/11/2020), “Wind and solar farms are popping up all over and the projects are big in scale…”
At Wellington in NSW, not far from the Upper Hunter, there are acres of solar farms and strings of wind turbines strung along the hill tops nearby.
So there are several problems confronting miners: lack of alternative industry to provide jobs, and the reality of climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Somehow, Oz has not been preparing itself for the industrial evolution confronting us.
The Murdoch media and other adherents of fossil fuels have deliberately set out to question climate change while at the same time criticising climate activists. As Paul Kelly explained to Malcolm Turnbull on the Q&A program. And Chris Mitchell said (16/11/2020) about the Guardian claim ‘we want to play a leading role in reporting on climate catastrophe’, “WHAT CATASTROPHE IS THAT?”
The climate change Murdoch believes in is not the same as the IPCC climate change. We can see it in IPA publications. For the IPCC the climate change is threatening our economy and is therefore “alarmist”, “catastrophic” and “apocalyptic” according to Murdoch journalist. Whereas they them selves are alarmist because they claim the activists are taking away a major part of our economy.
The Per Capita report you refer to, Trish, says something similar:
“To tell people now that, due to the failure of our leaders to plan in advance for the inevitable industrial revolution that is needed to save the planet, their livelihood must be sacrificed without compensation or care for their futures and those of their communities is unconscionable.”
That is alarmist, catastrophic and apocalyptic – and it is the way the Murdoch media and the Coalition scares people to fear Labor and the Greens.
Furthermore, the Per Capita report Conclusion says this:
“”To pretend to workers in the regional coal communities that their jobs will survive this industrial revolution, or that a national government acting in isolation can hold back this tide of change, is both irresponsible and cruel.”
It goes on to recommend the same kind of “bold transition fund” mentioned by Mark Kenny in my post Dec. 11.
Or as Joel Fitzgibbon said (20/11/2020):
“We need to ditch the partisanship and the climate wars perpetuated by both the political left and right…In the end both labor and the LNP will pay a price for this madness.”
I thought there would be reply to “Pauline”@Dec 7 at 11.22 am on this thread.
The claim that “there are more facts on Sky News than the ABC” is a dead give-away. Which “Pauline” is that?
Did “Pauline” see the last Media Watch for the year which showed Alan Jones and Rowan Dean claiming that Trump was robbed of the presidency. A fact? Hardly.
@ guest – Media Watch? I don’t have that much time. I rarely watch Sky, only if an article is recommended. Sky news-parrots do present the alternative side of a situation at times. Who remembers when the ABC offered the audience balanced journalism?
US Voter fraud? I’ll keep an open mind. Seems machines can be rigged, and have been for years. Smartmatics has form.
https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.350905/gov.uscourts.mied.350905.1.19.pdf – lodged Nov 2020.
For those who value the tradition of whistleblowers – Brandy Vaughan, ex Big Pharma rep and outspoken critic of vaccines (Learntherisk.org) was found dead on 08th December 2020. Chances that fact will be aired by msm or Media Watch?
Thank you, Pauline, for your reply.
You say you do not watch the ABC or Sky News much. Of course Sky News offers alternative opinions, but never the same as those presented by the ABC.
And why should the ABC present the alternative views of Sky News? Sky news deliberately sets out to oppose the ABC as we see daily in Murdoch media. You only have to look at the IPA’s second book on climate change, “Climate Change: The Facts 2017″, which its own denier editor, Jennifer Marohasy, admits is full of contradictions, but she hopes it will all be reconciled some day!
As for the death of Brandy Vaughan,”ex big Pharma rep and outspoken critic of vaccines”, what are you implying? Why is a rep for medicines opposed to vaccines, in the first place?
What news do you follow? What kinds of conspiracy theories are you harboring which make you doubt mainstream media? There are different kinds of msm.
What makes people confused is the variety of opinions being tossed about, including social media, so that people cannot even recognise the truth. They pick on what they want to believe because they saw it printed somewhere or heard it on the radio or tv. They think they have found some opinion no one else knows about, that they are the only people to know about it – everyone else is lying.
You cannot believe everything you see or hear. You have to work at it far and wide. Don’t let yourself be conned.
Tell me about anything in my posts on this thread which you think are wrong. Have proof for your opinion.
Guest, “Why is a rep for medicines opposed to vaccines, in the first place?” You can answer your own question by reviewing her body of work. If given this for an assignment, most Grade 10 year students will understand why she spoke out on the topic.
A better question might be why are media fronts such parrots?
Is the US media being held hostage? 2018 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnIQalprvR8
Thanks, Pauline’
I see where Brandy Vaughan compared US medicines with European. Probably good reason. We have anti-vaccers here in Oz. I know people who caught Polio in the mid-fifties before the Salk vaccine appeared. It has affected their whole lives.
There is a whole world out there looking forward to a vaccine for COVID-19. There is a warning about taking care, especially people with allergic reaction experiences.
And yes, I remember thalidomide.
I trust my doctor.
With regard to the media video from Aljazeera, syndicating of news is not new and is the reason for the call for an inquiry into the domination of the Murdoch media here in Oz.
But my interest is not in those matters, but rather in denial of the reality of climate change and the belief we can continue burning large quantities of fossil fuels and cooking the planet. The rest is distraction.
Pauline,
You’ve probably not picked up “The Drum”, “Q&A” or “Insiders” to name but four ABC TV programs, all of which feature panelists with opposing views in accordance with the ABC charter. On “Q&A” the political affiliations of the audience are broadcast before the show.
Nor have you probably tuned into National Radio where one can listen to Phillip Adams, a gentleman of the left or Amanda Vanstone, a gentle giant of the right or some bloke (Fitzer or Phitzer, I think) who invariably has guests either extolling Trump’s fantasies or vainly trying to explain away some current LNP sex scandal.
Radio National’s breakfast program with that biased Fran Kelly regularly allows Government Ministers to attempt to put to bed the daily embarrassment.
“Media Watch”? Guest & I would love to read in future from you, of an example of exaggerated or unfair criticism. The program regularly puts in the knife to an ABC program that has offended media ethics or common sense.
Geoff, yes Drum and Q&A do prove your point, at times. RN hasn’t been on my radar to date but thanks to your post I downloaded a podcast today with some more later if time permits.
In recent years the ABC has fallen into that glutinous hive-mind of anti-scientific ideation that used to be only the hallmark of only the commercial stations. This has become most evident whenever a ABC presenter lets rip with the ABC-mandated banshee wail that anyone who questions the health hazards associated with non-ionizing radiation (mobile phones and modems in general and 5G in particular) are unhinged of mind, or words to that effect. Last year Media Watch covered a NBN local news segment that featured of all ‘experts’ an amateur ‘building biologist’ having her say against the roll-out of 5G. The only credible comment on the whole MW program came from ARPANSA who did a great job of covering their butt. That program killed off my trust in ABC media independence of science inquiry. I still watch them on occasion but only to see where they are trying to lead the lemmings.
Guest, there really is work to be done around “climate change and the belief we can continue burning large quantities of fossil fuels”. Great theory but I watch how much of the current debate now is about ‘getting back to normal’ which is code for let’s crank up all the old industries, such as fracking aka let’s trash the water table or the seemingly benign tourist industry which is heavily reliant on air and luxury ship travel as if that will help abate CO2. We need some adults to frame change.
Pauline,
Your comment that “the ABC has fallen into that glutinous hive-mind of anti-scientific ideation…” is the kind of thing which climate change deniers and the Coalition might say – do say – about the ABC with regard to climate change.
And in the matter of 5G causing health problems the ABC is supported on the side which says there is no proof 5G causes health problems.
One of those people appears at BBC News, 14/7/2019, “Does 5G pose health risks?”
“The radio health band – used for mobile phones networks – is non-ionising, “which means it lacks sufficient energy to break apart DNA and cause cellular damage,’ says David Robert Grimes, physicist and cancer researcher.
“Higher up the electromagnetic spectrum, well beyond the frequencies used by mobile phones, there are clear health risks from extended exposure. The sun’s ultra-violet rays fall within this harmful category, and can lead to skin cancers.
“There are strict advisory limits to even higher energy radiation levels such as medical x-rays and gamma rays, which both can lead to damaging effects within the human body.
“‘People are understandably concerned over whether they might elevate their risk of cancer, but it’s crucial to note that radio waves are far less energetic than even the visible light we experience every day,’ says Dr Grimes.
“‘There is no reputable evidence,’ he says ‘that mobile phones or wireless networks have caused us health problems.'”
There are other sites which say the same thing – and of course there are those who claim 5G has or will cause health problems, some even saying 5G has caused the COVID-19 pandemic!
So what else are you afraid of, Pauline? TV, radio, keyless car entry, GPS, telephone wires, electric heaters…? Note how few people now talk about sickness brought on by wind turbines.
As for climate change and burning fossil fuels, they are the reason Scott Morrison has not been invited to speak at a climate forum in Europe. Morrison claims he has been active in reducing emissions, but real progress is being done by other people you call “adults”.
Morrison now talk about renewables as if he had invented them. But he links them with “natural gas” which is methane, a powerful greenhouse gas!
Why is it we believe in what scientists say about the pandemic, but so many of us have been conned into not believing what climate scientists say?
guest, re RF safety, the BBC & ABC snooze on. RF gyrotrons (10-kW @ 30-300 GHz) can melts holes in rock slabs. Mobile phone towers are way below that but do transmit at power levels and frequencies that are causing accumulative harm, Report below.
What am I “afraid of”? ‘At odds with’ is a better descriptor than ‘afraid’.
On your behalf and that of others, high on the list are ill-informed people who advise policy makers or informed advisors who actively withhold safety info. MW presenter Paul Barry needs more help – ‘The BioInitiative Report 2012’ http://www.bioinitiative.org/
When it really takes hold, there’s no counter-argument that matters. People believe what they want to believe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioinitiative_Report.
As for the supposed cumulative harm referred to – how long does it take to become apparent? One would think it would be patently obvious by now. But thankfully not.
Who is this neo nazi front for stupidity and lies called “Pauline”, perhaps a catholic fascist fraud from the old days of denouncing everyone unpalatable as witches, heathens unbelievers, savages.., but what a shower of unmitigated stinking shit is offered on assertions, opinions, balance, personnel, all egotistical unsubstantiated ignorant rubbish. One admires her flexiblilty in being able to achieve self satisfying fellatio/cunnilingus, autoerotic pleasure. The Paulines would f–k up any nation’s mentality. Facts, documents, honesty, proof, reality, you arsehole.
Pauline December 10, 2020 at 1:01 pm
https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2020/12/fact-check-sydney-powell-witness-navid-keshavarz-nia-references-several-debunked-election-hoaxes.html
Matters Not, you’re one up on me, I haven’t finished reading the latest version of the Report. Accumulative harm appears in as little as 2 months from memory, you must have speed-read past those studies. Hello Phil the English teacher, how goes old chap? Watchdog, so if the LNP used the US voting machines here next election how much faith would you have in the results?
Pauline – I didn’t read your links. And won’t! There’s so much you admit that you categorize yourself as poorly informed (at best). What with ‘RN hasn’t been on my radar to date’ . So where have you been all these years? It’s not that RN is new. As for An open mind on US voter fraud plus ..
Then there’s accumulation harm appearing in as little as 2 months (ironically from memory lol) but no links so one could test the credibility of you source – given your original lacks exactly that.
Pauline – you’re playin’ in a different ball park. You must do better (if that’s possible.) But have a nice day – comfortable in your ignorance.
Matters Not, ironic. I link to a Report of some 1800 studies, then you claim you will not read any link I post, then you complain I didn’t put a link so you can test it. Great work, I love it.