A few barefaced political untruths in November-December 2011

"...controlled burns, despite these problems over the recent couple of weeks, [are] absolutely essential."  WA Premier Colin Barnett in ABC News, 4 December 2011

The US said it was committed to making a success of the UN climate talks currently taking place in South Africa.  BBC News, 3 December 2011

He pledged to save small business $1 billion a year by cutting red tape.  Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott in Crikey, 2 December 2011

Mr Hockey said the Coalition would press ahead with its promise of tax cuts at the next election. The Australian,  2 December 2011

"It [the Murray Darling Basin Plan] is a Greens manifesto," Mr Chesson said. The Australian, 2 December 2011

Mr Gulaptis said his primary focus as Member for Clarence would be to see that the O'Farrell Government continues to deliver for the Clarence. The Northern Star, 29 November 2011

Christopher Pyne insisted there was a sacred and immutable Westminster principle that a Speaker must come from the government party... The Canberra Times, 27 November 2011

Because the Gillard Government is in so much debt some independent retiree superannuation is worthless Northern Rivers resident, 26 November 2011

Liberal backbencher Michael Pengilly has made more comment on his embarrassing tweet in which he called the Prime Minister "a real dog". He has blamed his slur against Julia Gillard on his lack of "digital dexterity". ABC News, 25 November 2011

Mr Cansdell says......"I didn't really appreciate the gravity of my decision then, and I didn't think much about it at all.  ABC Mid North Coast,  22 November 2011

Widely-held assumptions that climate change is responsible for an upsurge in extreme drought, flood and storm events are not supported by a landmark review of the science.  The Australian, 18 November 2011

In the United States, we’ll never forget how Australia invoked the ANZUS Treaty - for the first time ever - showing that our two nations stand as one. U.S. President Barack Obama in the Herald Sun, 17 November 2011

the police gave the same holding statement that has been issued for the past six weeks about ''investigations [into disgraced former Clarence MP Steve Cansdell are] ongoing''. The Age, 13 November 2011

"The Government has been borrowing around $135 million each and every day to pay its bills.”  Luke Hartsuyker Nationals MP for Cowper in The Northern Star,  9 November 2011

Church parties accept their responsibility when victims of abuse seek damages through legal proceedings and when liability or potential liability is clear. Cardinal George Pell in The Australian, 4 November 2011