The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

... & today's AGE editorial:

Deaf to warnings, blind to risks, Government goes AWOL
April 15, 2006

John Howard's appearance at the Cole inquiry made a mockery of
undertakings to "get to the bottom" of the Iraq wheat scandal.

........"If the Government won't admit to problems, the problems won't be fixed. A good start would be to remove ministers who lack the integrity or competence to take responsibility for failing to notice, much less act upon, the warning bells that rang for half-a-dozen years on their watch. Australians will need to consider whether the Howard Government can be trusted to fix all the problems laid bare by this scandal. The abdication of ministerial responsibility not only contributed to a national security crisis in 2003 but has taken this country's governance into very dangerous waters."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/editorial/deaf-to-warnings-blind-to-risks-government-goes-awol/2006/04/14/1144521501923.html

Last Update: Saturday, April 15, 2006. 9:08am (AEST)

Lawyer sees agenda in asylum changes

.... "If people are dragged off to Nauru, they'll be subject to a system of fundamental unfairness where they'll completely be denied access to due legal processes in Australia," Mr Manne told ABC Radio's AM.

"They won't be able to put their case for protection under Australian law, they'll be denied any advice or assistance to apply for asylum and they'll be denied access to a proper independent review or scrutiny of their case.

"They'll also be denied any access to Australian courts."...............

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1616612.htm

I was wondering how long this would take. Go for it, Petro & co!:

Detention plans stir rebel Liberals
Samantha Maiden, Political correspondent
April 17, 2006/the Australian

THE prospect of children returning to detention under the Howard Government's tough new rules for dealing with boatpeople threatens to rekindle a rebellion among Coalition MPs.

The Government's decision to force all illegal arrivals, including children, who reach mainland Australia by boat into offshore immigration detention centres could sideline reforms introduced in June in response to a backbench revolt led by Liberal MP Petro Georgiou.

Raising the threat of a new split in Coalition ranks, Liberal MPs warned last night they would withhold their support for the changes until further details were provided, including how the children would be treated. .... <cont>

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18834163-601,00.html

Last Update: Monday, April 17, 2006. 4:21pm (AEST)

Govt tight-lipped about DFAT chief's mission to Indonesia

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is not confirming reports that Australia's top diplomat is heading to Indonesia this week to assuage anger over temporary protection visas grants to 42 Papuan separatists.

Reports from Indonesia say DFAT head Michael L'Estrange will meet with Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda on Friday.

Prime Minister John Howard last week foreshadowed a diplomatic mission to Jakarta to explain changes to Australia's refugee policy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1617572.htm

Army accused of cover-up over Kovco
Stuart Rintoul and Steve Lewis
April 28, 2006/the Australian

THE grieving mother of soldier Jake Kovco yesterday accused the Howard Government and the army of a cover-up, insisting her son was a weapons expert who was not holding his pistol when he was shot in the head. ... <cont>

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18953495-601,00.html


& from crikey:

What creates political frisson? How is it that one issue captivates the electorate while another (equally important) issue fails to resonate? Why does the Case of Private Kovco have the capacity to severely damage the government while the AWB Bribes Affair has barely laid a glove on it? After all, both involve government/bureaucratic incompetence and both are connected to Australia's role in the controversial Iraq war. And yet, the response couldn't be more different. The death of a single soldier is an issue that's biting, while the fact that Australia paid the largest bribes on record to the dictator we went to war against is still failing to resonate with the Australian public.

What creates political frisson? The death of a soldier in mysterious circumstances that the government can't explain, whose body wasn't in the casket sent home, and whose grieving family are aiming all their barbs at the government who sent their son to war.

Wheatgate might tell us much more about the nature and scale of government deception and incompetence, but unless the government finds a way to manage the death of Private Kovco, it will inflict far more damage than $300 million in bribes, a major inquiry and many acres of newsprint.

"Politics is war without bloodshed," said Mao Tse-Tung, "while war is politics with bloodshed."

... & the wrong leader, too?

.... & the wrong, thoroughly selfish voters! How many more lies, how much more corruption will it take ..... ?

The first Australian death in Iraq & the realities of war in the 21st century start to sink in with the citizens of Oz ... Yes, out-sourcing by international companies to fly the dead home! "Cost effectiveness" means Jake Kovco's body would have been flown home in the cargo hold of a commercial airline. If they hadn't bungled & sent the wrong body (Can you believe this? ) who would have known the difference? Instead of asking why we are in Iraq at all (& look like being there until the US finds a face-saving way to escape the mess its created), we're now falling over ourselves about "respect for the fallen". Honestly ....! <sigh>

... The irony of all this is that early this week John Howard announced the likely imposition of a "smart" (ID) card (non-compulsory, unless you need to use government services like Medicare & unemployment benefits, etc ... in other words if you happen to be poor. ), the sale of Medicare Private (despite something like 70% of Australians opposing the sale) & a review of our drugs subsidy arrangements (What's the name of that scheme? Health Benefits?) to appease international drug companies one assumes .... All of this timed perfectly to take the resumption of the Cole enquiry off the front pages, just as the most damning "findings" for the government are tabled at the very last minute! But what happens? The tragic Jake Kovco fiasco wiped the whole lot of the front page! Suddenly the media & talkback callers are asking for answers, truth, honesty & integrity from government ... at last! The reaction to the cover-up about how Jake Kovco actually died (the story keeps changing!) & the bungled return home of his body has caused more grief for JH & co than they could ever have imagined. Right now the Libs would be very, very worried! There is outrage out there in the community!

Ah. I think it was the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme I was referring to (but couldn't remember the proper name of) in the above post. Oz A2Kers may remember that there was quite a kafoofle some months back, when the Libs were contemplating some deregulation of the scheme in response to concerns from US drug companies (when Australia negotiated a trade agreement with the US). The Libs backed off after considerable public outrage that some expensive (& currently government subsidized) drugs could become less affordable. Now, it appears, aspects of the scheme are up for "review" again. Here we go again.

... & the Treasurer is busily preparing the next budget ....

.... meanwhile, JH prpares to sell off the rest of Telstra, also Medibank Private and .... :

.... & the (still! ) trapped (but alive! ) miners in Tasmania say they will look for other avenues for work when freed. Apparently there were fairly recent complaints about the safety of the mine they're now trapped in. .... In the meantime opposition leader, Kim Beazley (remember him?) is getting flack from the Libs for connecting the plight of the miners with the government's IR legislation. "Blatant opportunism", we're told ...:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/beazley-stands-by-beaconsfield-comment/2006/05/02/1146335711768.html

Alan Jones did his 2 minute spiel this morning on the Today Show (I normally walk out of the room) but for some reason....

I was putting the case against the privatisation of Medibank Private saying it owed the govt no money, and was owned by the members, and the govt had no legal right to sell what they didn't own. (and gave examples of legal opinions to that effect).

Does this mean JH will back down? I mean he always seems to bow under the pressure of AJ directed 'public opinion'.

On the miners (gawd am I sick of the drawn out coverage) if they come out alive JH can always say it was because of the unregulated industrial environment - workers after all were working around the clock and sleeping on the ground near the dig, something not possible under 'work to rule'.

So do you think Alan can clinch it hinge? Medibank Private I mean. We all know that Allan has clout with JH. Lets see how much! (Me, I'm not holding my breath!)

As for the miners. Whose point scoring now & making a political game of very serious safety concerns?