The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

... & another one. Little Johnny (finally) discovers his neighbours.

Yeah I was pretty stunned Howard dismissed the treaty outright, then later says he didn't know much about it and had only heard of it a few weeks before.

Loved the 'History pushing' cartoon.

He really is a tw@t.

So "a few weeks" is not enough time to do a bit of homework? He really is making an astounding ass of himself in Asia, isn't he? It's so embarrassing. I seriously think he sees Asians as inferior. Or maybe just following orders ...? <sigh> I'm almost longing for Paul Keating ...

I saw Anitta in a restaurant in Sydney a couple of weeks ago!

..speaking of race: It makes me wonder how Howard will handle the Long meeting. A great photo opportunity? Will he meet him a little bit before Canberra & walk along with him in this track suit? Suggest a working party to investigate the "issue"? God, that man is so mean spirited & so ignorant!

Really? Was she with, er, company? :wink: I do hope so. Rotten time she had of it, poor woman!

She was with the kids and parents (not sure if they were hers or Pauls - it was one of the kids birthdays). I assure you I didn't stare, I always feel sorry for accidental celebrities.

JH will see it as a media opportunity. He'll let them take photos, but not record any of the conversation - which I'm sure would be rivetting.

But for ML it's the same thing, neither thinks they can change the other's opinion. For ML it gets the reconciliation issue back in the papers (remember the Sorry Day marches? What happened to us?) and for JH it's an opportunity to pretend he is doing something and try and get a positive spin on his personally appointed panel of indigenous advisors.

Hmmm. I've been thinking about that a bit lately, maybe in another post.

Yes, do that. I'll be interested in what you come up with, hinge

Of course Michael Long's walk is a PR thing, bit an urgently needed one, as you say, to get Aboriginal concerns back on the agenda. And good luck to him!

Little Johnny will, of course see this as an opportunity to show what a caring "inclusive" PM is is! Great photo ops, along the lines of his meeting with the Tassie loggers, the Footscray football ground meeting during the final stages of the campaign. A man of the people!

And speaking of lost issues & vanished causes: I'm wondering what the next phase of "reforms" to the ABC will be? Not a word from either side during the campaign. Labor was a real disappointment on that one!
(... and speaking of the ABC, I gather you would have heard of Alston's likely appointment in London? )

Howard & the ASEAN treaty #3

I wonder if Horward could be accused of being recalcitrant? :wink:

HA! Wouldn't that be funny - and then he could frame Costello on a sodomy charge to hold off a leadership challenge.

I hadn't heard about Alston - tell me (wincing in anticipation). I couldn't believe that 167 point complaint he made on the ABC's bias. Why isn't Media Watch compulsory viewing?

And that tw@t who the head of the ABA who wrote love letters to Alan Jones - damn, this also leads into my last thought.

Here we go! Let's hope Labor can stop the back-stabbing long enough to get it's act together (along with the trade union movement) to mount a respectable response to this!


Last Update: Thursday, December 2, 2004. 10:45am (AEDT)

Andrews wants to limit the right of union entry to the workplace. (ABC)

Govt reintroduces unfair dismissal Bills
The Federal Government has reintroduced its contentious unfair dismissal legislation into Parliament.

The Government has repeatedly tried to change the workplace laws to exempt small businesses with fewer than 20 employees from unfair dismissal claims.

Federal Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has also introduced new legislation to limit the right of union entry to the workplace.

Mr Andrews says the Government's re-election gives it a mandate to implement the changes and has urged Labor to support the Bills.

"The Opposition claims that it will be more business friendly than it has been," he said.

"This is an ideal opportunity for it to match its actions and words.

"If it does not support this Bill, the ALP's claims to economic credibility will be exposed as a sham."

Labor industrial relations spokesman Stephen Smith has signalled the unfair dismissals Bill is unlikely to win the backing of the Opposition.

"If it's the same Bill, it'll get the same outcome as far as we're concerned," he said.

"We don't believe that it's right to enable employees who work in small business to be unfairly sacked.

"Just because a woman turns up and says to her employer that she's pregnant, doesn't mean that she should be sacked unfairly just because she happens to be the nineteenth employee rather than the twenty-first."

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Yep, Alston looking very much like Australia's next high commissioner in London! Is that wince-ful enough for you?

If appointed, he would become the 17th Liberal politician or Howard government adviser to receive a diplomatic posting since 1996, The Age newspaper reported.

Alston tipped for plum London posting:
http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/01/1101577508792.html


Very funny, hinge!:

"HA! Wouldn't that be funny - and then he could frame Costello on a sodomy charge to hold off a leadership challenge."

`

What was his name again? I've forgotten. But I'll never forget the face, the words, the pomposity & the grovelling to Jones! I think he had a passion for the monarchy, too.

book mark.

David Flint!

Took a while, but he got a mention on the Walkley's last night, as the subject of a radio interview on the matter that led to his resignation.

Of Course! David Flint!

What a gem he was!

Speaking of the Walkley awards: Isn't amazing that the Auntie can achieve so much, with so little, while watching her back at the same time?

I only caught the radio journalism awards. Not only did the ABC win all the awards - all the nominees were from the ABC. No-one else uses the medium for investigative journalism any more. It's either the Parrot, or black thunder.

Sad, isn't it? Almost all our news appears to be re-hashed press releases, quick "grabs", spin & opinion. Thank the lord for the internet, that's all I can say!

Speaking of spin & campaigns: This get Latham saga is getting to be a bit much. I'm not a fan of his at all, but the constant barrage of negative press is starting to really get to me. Besides, I hate watching a wounded creature die slowly & painfully, to the obvious delight & complicity of the media. Apart from anything else, It does nothing to enhance the standing of the ALP in the community ....

Agreed. I still haven't heard of a possible challenger(s) - what about you? I keep thinking of our conversation about Beazles.