The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

msolga we need to bottom out before we can climb back. We're still heading downwards.

I know, I know, I know...

But I'm livid, I'm speechless ... I am SO disgusted I'm almost beside myself!

... & what will we have left? ... what autonomy, what identity, what security, what national assets, what ANYTHING after this despicable lot have finally been removed? I have seen it happen in Victoria under Kennett & now I'm seeing a re-run at the national level, only this is far worse: They've actually made us a target for attack by crazies in retribution for Iraq. I'm just furious.

I always 'loved' the idea of Telstra 1 profits being used for the environment as a selling point. Hmmmm so we just keep selling large bits of a taxpayer-owned institution when the environment needs work. There's only three thirds in a whole John. After that you're counting on the environment being not needing of any help? Hello.

Barnaby Jones - Yeah, 5 billion is going to account for all the advances in telecommunications forever.... Tosser.

I do however love the fact that the libs have been hoisted on their own 'free-market' petard. They would be absolutely economically insane to sell the remaining lump of Telstra. It would be ideology over pragmatism - and it would really show how removed they are from national well-being.

PS anyone see the National Press Club stuff today. Citizenship day. Woo-hoo. Now immigrants can fulfil their obligations to our great nation. I just wish I had a reason not to be ashamed of being a citizen.

PPS The Lithuanians, Bulgarians and Italians are pulling troops out of Iraq. But John is stuck in dragging us back to the past. All the way with LBJ (which I now know stands for Little Bush Junior...)

Back to the red wine and the moroseness.

hinge

I'd get stuck into the red wine, too, if I didn't have to work tomorrow.

Last Update: Wednesday, September 14, 2005. 7:04pm (AEST)

Senate approves full Telstra sale

The Senate has passed the legislation authorising the full sale of Telstra after the key Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce voted with the Federal Government.

The Government used its numbers to guillotine and gag debate, and the vote was 37 for and 35 against.

Opposition parties were furious, with Greens Senator Bob Brown describing today's debate as a farce.

"It's a shameful day for the Senate, it's a shameful day for democracy and it's a shameful day for communications in this country," he said.

Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett also slammed the Government.

"They couldn't give a toss about the public, they don't care what the impact is," he said.

'Sell out'

Labor Senator Stephen Conroy attacked the agreement struck with the Nationals, describing it as a dirty little deal.

"This Government is bordering on corrupt in its dealings with public monies," he said.

Senator Conroy says the Nationals have sold out the bush.

"After nine long years you would have expected more from a government which is clearly out of touch with mainstream Australia," he said.

"This is a decision that will see Telstra desert the suburbs, desert the bush, just like the banks deserted when they were privatised.

"Today is a sad day for the vast majority of Australians who have opposed the sale of Telstra."

Senator Joyce, the senator the Government was depending on, was jeered as he entered the chamber for the vote. ... <cont>


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1460420.htm

Sale at this price may leave taxpayers out of pocket
David Uren, Economics correspondent
September 15, 2005/The Australian

FOR what is being billed as the corporate sale of the century, the final privatisation of Telstra will bring remarkably little benefit to the budget and may even leave taxpayers out of pocket.

If the Government's shares in the company were to be sold at yesterday's share price of $4.36, it would raise a total $27.8billion over the course of the next four years.

This is a loss of $5.9billion compared with what would have been raised if the price of $5.25 envisaged in the May budget were achieved. The total return gets whittled back because of the costs associated with the sale and getting the Nationals onside.

The costs for the last sale of Telstra were about $220million for every tranche. Assuming the same level of costs, this takes $660million.

The Future Proofing Fund takes $2billion, with its proceeds to be invested in services to the bush. There is a further $1billion provided for regional broadband services.

This winds back the amount available for the Future Fund to $24.5billion.

At the 10-year government bond rate of 5.2 per cent, this would raise about $1.3billion a year.

This is $1billion short of the $2.3billion a year the Government now gets from Telstra dividends which, at present share prices, represent a superlative return of 8.3 per cent. ... <cont>

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16608580%5E2702,00.html

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear ... What terrific timing! Just what Kim & the gang needed! Call me irresponsible but it's almost a relief to get JH & Telstra knocked off the headlines. It's all getting very, very silly, isn't it? :wink:

Last Update: Thursday, September 15, 2005. 9:07am (AEST)

Mark Latham ... few within Labor escape criticism in his diaries. (File photo) (ABC TV)

Labor braces for Latham diary storm

The Labor Party is preparing to weather a storm of criticism and ridicule from the Federal Government as former leader Mark Latham goes public with his diaries.

Excerpts published today show Mr Latham has attacked the Labor Party, leader Kim Beazley, frontbencher Kevin Rudd and former prime ministers Paul Keating and Gough Whitlam.

According to the Australian newspaper, which has the exclusive rights to publish excerpts from the diaries, Mr Latham dismissed the ALP as "irreparably broken" and accused Mr Beazley of "waging a six-year campaign of smear and innuendo" against him.

He calls Mr Rudd "a terrible piece of work" with a media addiction worse than heroin. .. <cont>

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1460584.htm

Ah, Mark, Mark, you poor bugger, give it a rest, hey?

There's so much conflicting information about Mark Latham and the ALP that I don't know who to believe. Best it happens now though and not in the immediate run-up to a national election.

I choose to see this as a "cleansing" episode. :wink: Ah, poor Mark, they shouldn't have used him so badly! Yes, better he gets this out of his system now than during <sigh> the next Oz election.

Last Update: Thursday, September 15, 2005. 9:04pm (AEST)

Legal action halts Latham interviews

A planned ABC Television broadcast of an interview with the former Labor leader Mark Latham has been withdrawn tonight because of legal action in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

News Limited has successfully sought a temporary injunction restraining the ABC from broadcasting interviews with Mr Latham which were to feature on the Enough Rope and Lateline programs tonight.

News Limited applied for an injunction on the grounds of a breach of confidentiality and a breach of contract with Mr Latham's book publisher, Melbourne University Press.

The court is now hearing an ABC application to dissolve the injunction.


Anyone have any idea of what might have caused News Limited to do this?

Ah. Publishing rights:

http://finance.news.com.au/story/0,10166,16617322-31037,00.html

I would have thought having an author do the talk show rounds was actually desirable to a publisher.

But not to News Limited, hinge, who were trumped by the ABC last night.

I was listening to ABC talkback this morning. Reactions to what Mark Latham has said so far. Nearly all the callers were women, who were more concerned about his mental & emotional condition than any damning thing he's said about so many of his former colleagues. Interesting. They were far more concerned by any harm that he could be doing to himself than the ALP.

Then later, on The World Today, I heard Julia Guillard (sp?) speaking with some sympathy for Mark Latham, though she said she wished he hadn't published his diaries in that form and had let some time pass before publishing his thoughts & reactions to his time in the ALP. I was very impressed with her. Intelligent. Loyal to Crean, Latham & now Beazley. And somehow managing to retain her integrity throughout! Now is she's not future leadership material I'll be very surprised.

Interesting. I tend to agree with her. (And it's Gillard, not Guillard.):

Last Update: Friday, September 16, 2005. 4:22pm (AEST)

Latham's claims deserve examination, says Gillard

Senior Labor frontbencher Julia Gillard says Mark Latham's diaries highlight issues the party needs to address.

Former Labor leader Mark Latham has come under intense criticism from his former colleagues after claiming Labor has a sick political culture and is disloyal.

Ms Gillard, Labor's health spokeswoman, says Mr Latham's diaries describe major issues the party should not ignore.

"You need to also be able to ignore the hurt long enough to see if there are truth in some of the reflections," she said. ... <cont>

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1462102.htm

Did anyones ee the ABC?

What a pity not to see Denton interview him. I hope that restraining thingy can be reversed.

I have a soft spot for Latham.

I am worried about him too.

Denton's interview will be replayed on Enough Rope on Monday night, Deb. I haven't seen it yet.