No, the Morrison Coalition Government has not suddenly developed empathy for others, a genuine understanding of its obligations under international law or a measure of respect for Australian courts.
Wednesday 24 October 2018
Morrison Liberal-Nationals Coalition Government begins to position itself for forthcoming federal election
No, the Morrison Coalition Government has not suddenly developed empathy for others, a genuine understanding of its obligations under international law or a measure of respect for Australian courts.
Sensing the
growing threat to its chance of holding onto government Messrs. Scott Morrison
and Peter Dutton are finally allowing very ill children detained in offshore
detention on Nauru to enter Australia for medical treatment.
ABC
News, 22
October 2018:
Australian Border Force
officials have revealed 11 children were transferred off Nauru today for
medical attention, with another 52 minors remaining on the Pacific island.
Officials have amended
the figure to 11 after initially saying it was 16.
The update comes as the
federal Greens float a compromise agreement that could allow families to
resettle in New Zealand with their families.
The Federal Government
has indicated it may accept New Zealand's offer to take up to 150
refugees, but only if legislation passes Parliament ensuring people sent to
offshore detention can never travel to Australia.
Home Affairs secretary
Michael Pezzullo said that legislation, which has been sitting in Federal
Parliament since 2016, would close a "back door" to dissuade further
boat arrivals.
According to the latest
figures, there are 652 people on Nauru, with 541 classed as refugees and 23 as
failed asylum seekers. The status of another 88 is yet to be determined.
The United States has
accepted 276 people as part of a resettlement deal and rejected an additional
148.
There is growing
pressure from crossbench MPs for the Government to accept New Zealand's offer,
with incoming independent Kerryn Phelps describing the issue as a first
priority.
The Greens are now open
to considering a travel ban for the group, but only if all children are first
brought to Australia for medical treatment, and restrictions only applied to
the cohort sent to New Zealand.
"We need to put the
politics aside and look after these children, who are being traumatised and
brutalised right now," leader Richard Di Natale told the ABC.
"If resettlement
after that means resettlement in New Zealand with limited restrictions, just on
that group, that's something we will consider.
"What we won't
consider is putting bans or restrictions [on] those people who have been left
behind.".....
Tuesday 23 October 2018
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Cabinet at the Wentworth By-election Debriefing
CaptionsWentworth Downfall https://t.co/LqxMv2CaHL— no_filter_Yamba (@no_filter_Yamba) October 22, 2018
0:00.50-0:03.25
Every polling booth has
been wrapped in plastic
0:04.00-0:05.50
We took down their
posters everywhere
0:05.65-0:07.50
and put ours up, here
and here
0:08.00-0:12.00
The Blueshirts are out
in force on every street
0:12.10-0:15.50
It's been a show of
strength, we couldn't have done anything more.
0:17.50-0:19.00
The natural order has
been restored
0:19.00-0:21.50
Wentworth will remain a
blue ribbon Liberal seat.
0:24.75-0:26.50
Mein Morrison
0:27.50-0:28.50
There's been a swing...
0:31.00-0:33.50
...of more than 20% from
the LNP
0:34.00-0:36.00
Kerryn Phelps has won
0:53.00-0:58.50
All the leftards who
said we should run a female candidate in Wentworth, go outside with the women.
1:13.00-1:15.00
What is wrong with these
Eastern suburbs' bastards?
1:15.25-1:17.75
We are Wentworth's born
to rule party
1:18.75-1:23.25
This is a nightmare:
Independent, Jewish AND gay.
1:25.25-1:28.00
And to top it all off,
she's a woman!
1:29.25-1:31.00
It's like the
politically correct quadrella from Hell!
1:31.50 - 1:34.00
We have held this seat
since federation
1:34.751:37.75
That's 1901, long before
lesbians were even invented!
1:37.50-1:40.50
I thought she wasn't
running because she had HIV, why is she even here?!?
1:40.50-1:42.75
That was just a vicious rumour we
tried to start last week.
1:42.75-1:46.25
Well now we're as
popular as needles in strawberries... with chlamydia
1:46.50-1:48.80
We were trying to appeal
to the party's conservative base
1:48.80-1:52.00
Why not something clever
like, "Wentworth, where the bloody hell are you?"
1:53.00-1:54.50
We got our tax cuts
through, 5% unemployment,
1:56.00-1:57.75
we gave everyone a bagel
1:57.75-2:00.50
and every surf club a
pile of money, except for that schmuck at Tamarama.
2:00.50-2:03.50
No soup for you, Mr ALP
surf club president Tim Murray!
2:04.50-2:08.00
We risked WW3 moving the
Israeli embassy to Jerusalem
2:08.75- 2:13.50
and pissed off every
Muslim between here and the Arctic circle
2:14.00- 2:16.75
and despite ALL that,
they still didn't vote for us!
2:17.50- 2:21.75
We backed that ranga
clown Hanson that it's #oktobewhite
2:27.00-2:29.00
No-one told me Sharma
was Indian
2:30.50- 2:34.00
Tony and Potatohead
didn't think this one through
2:34.50- 2:36.50
Cash splash? It was like
a golden shower of cash!
2:41.00-2:42.50
20%? That's the biggest
swing
2:43.00-2:47.50
since they hung that wop
bastard Mussolini
2:48.50-2:53.00
I blame Halal Mal, his
traitor son and the Dickhead for Warringah
2:54.00-2:56.00
We're going to have to
lift our prayer game this Sunday
2:56.50-2:59.75
I grew up in bloody
Wentworth, my cop dad used to arrest lesbians
3:00.00-3:02.50
Why didn't they elect
us?
3:04.75-3:07.50
Don't give up Julie, you
might get Veterans' Affairs
3:14.25-3:16.25
It's all good fellas
3:19.25-3:23.25
Don't worry, keep your
chins up
3:25.55-3:26.75
We can reinstate Barnaby
as Deputy PM
3:31.50-3:33.75
We'll get the band back
together.
3:40.75-3:46.25
We exhumed John Howard
for this campaign, we could try Menzies next time
3:46.50-3:49.00
After all, I'm a
marketing genius, right?
3:53.75-3:56.00
It's not easy being a
white male.
This private member's bill signals an ongoing threat to forests on the NSW North Coast and elsewhere in the state
This is Austin William Evans, NSW Nationals MP
for Murray since 14 October 2018 when he won the seat on the back of a by-election after fellow Nationals Adrian Piccoli resigned.
On 18 October
2018 Evans introduced a private member’s bill in the NSW Legislative Assembly titled,
National
Parks and Wildlife Legislation Amendment (Riverina) Bill 2018 or An Act with respect to certain lands in the
Riverina region reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 or
dedicated under the Forestry Act 2012; and for other purposes.
As yet no
text of this bill is publicly available.
However,
there are no prizes for having guessed that this bill seeks to revert the Murray Valley
National Park to a state forest to allow timber harvesters back in.
According to
state parliamentary records the Bill
lapses in accordance with Standing Orders on 19/4/2019.
Austin Evans
has told the media he
hopes to have a second recording of the bill before the end of the year and
expects Berejiklian Government MPs to support it.
The 41,601ha Murray Valley National Park was
declared in July 2010 and is part
of the largest continuous red gum forest in the world, this region hosts a
unique ecosystem with over 60 threatened native animal species and 40
threatened plant species. It is also an important place for Aboriginal people.
Make no
mistake Evans’ bill represents the unsustainable native timber industry’s desire
to make inroads into the wider national park system.
In fact it
made sure it never really left the Murray Valley National Park, having received
milling timber via so-called ''ecological
thinning'' of sections of the park since 2012.
Given the number of national parks and reserves in the Northern Rivers region it is time to put pen to paper and remind Premier Gladys Berejiklian that growing the total area covered by the national park system, as well as reining in broad scale land clearance and/or extensive logging in rural and regional areas, is one of the easiest ways to mitigate against rising state greenhouse gas emissions.
The Berejiklian Government has already walked back from the transfer of 23,000 hectares of low productivity state forests to the national park estate and presented a whittled down version of the National Park Estate (Reservations) Bill 2018 which passed both Houses on 17 October 2018.
Although under this passed bill an est. 2,200ha of state forest will become part of the national park estate in January 2019 and and further est. 1,791 of state forest will be rededicated as state conservation areas, the total amount of protected viable koala habitat is limited.
In an effort to redress this, amendments were proposed which include the creation of the Great Koala National Park.
As of 18 October 2018 both NSW Greens and NSW Labor support the Great Koala National Park proposal and, if there is a change of government at the 23 March 2019 state election, we should see a genuine start to placing protection on enough viable habitat to begin to reverse the koala's decline towards local extinctions.
The Berejiklian Government has already walked back from the transfer of 23,000 hectares of low productivity state forests to the national park estate and presented a whittled down version of the National Park Estate (Reservations) Bill 2018 which passed both Houses on 17 October 2018.
Although under this passed bill an est. 2,200ha of state forest will become part of the national park estate in January 2019 and and further est. 1,791 of state forest will be rededicated as state conservation areas, the total amount of protected viable koala habitat is limited.
In an effort to redress this, amendments were proposed which include the creation of the Great Koala National Park.
As of 18 October 2018 both NSW Greens and NSW Labor support the Great Koala National Park proposal and, if there is a change of government at the 23 March 2019 state election, we should see a genuine start to placing protection on enough viable habitat to begin to reverse the koala's decline towards local extinctions.
Monday 22 October 2018
While I was away Australian Prime Minister and Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison........
....continued his Trumpification of the Liberal Party of Australia with predictable results.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, aka Shouty McShoutface, October 2018
TIMELINE
1. Despite considerable public debate concerning the phrase "it's OK to be white", the Morrison Government supported this divisive white supremacist-inspired motion in the Senate on 15 October 2018:
Following strong community backlash Morrison and Co blamed their support of this motion on an "administrative error".
4. On the same day he announced a review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) relating to Iran's nuclear program, in order to see if it remains the best vehicle to address the international community’s concerns. Signalling a possibility that before the year is out he will follow Donald Trump and withdraw support for the Plan.
5. On a bit of a roll, Morrison ended the day by throwing out the broad definition of science as the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experimentt - telling an audience peppered with published scientists that; the great magic of science, if you like. It starts with belief*.
7. He then went on to lose an unloseable by-election in the seat of Wentworth which had been held by Australian conservative MPs since its inception over 117 years ago in January1901. After campaigning for the Liberal Party candidate in this seat held by his immediate predecessor Morrison managed to produce a swing in Wentworth against his government of more than 19 per cent - possibly one of the largest loss margins in federal by-election history.
NOTES
* BELIEF 1. An acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. 1.1 Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion. 1.2 A religious conviction. 2. Trust, faith, or confidence in (someone or something)
When you are on a low income and you rent governments have a tendency to place you in the too hard basket when it comes to clean renewable energy schemes
The Australian
Census found that in 2018 the NSW state population stood at 7.48 million
people.
An
est. 826,922 or 31.8 per cent of these individuals lived in rental
accommodation.
Over 15.2 per cent of NSW renting households are paying between est. 25.1% and 50% or more of gross weekly household income
in rent.
These people cannot afford to enter this new
Berejiklian Coalition Government renewable energy scheme, because as renters they have no
real security of tenure and would be permanently foregoing a $285 annual low income household rebate with no hope of recouping
the initial $3,500 solar panel installation cost when their landlords refuse to
renew the lease or sell the property.
Indeed, I rather suspect that like other home solar
power incentive schemes certain categories of renters would be ineligible to
even apply.
Energy
NSW, 28 September
2018:
The NSW Government has
announced $15 million in clean energy funding for a new solar program aimed at
saving low-income households hundreds of dollars each year on their power
bills.
Acting Secretary of the
Department of Planning and Environment, Dr Liz Develin said up to 3,400
households are expected to take part in the voluntary program which will see
homes receive 2.5 kilowatt solar power systems if they forgo their Low Income
Household Rebate.
The trial scheme will be
rolled out in five selected State regions that will maximise the benefit of
solar for local households. The regions are: Sydney – South, Central
Coast, North Coast, Illawarra – Shoalhaven and South Coast.
“The bill savings from
the rooftop solar trial are expected to be close to double the value of
existing rebate savings with an average bill reduction of $600 per household
per year. This means that households who choose to participate in the program
could be around $300 better off each year,” Dr Develin said.
“The program is entirely
voluntary and eligible recipients will be able to reap the benefits of the
program by transferring off the rebate program in return for a rooftop solar
system.
“We know energy bills
are placing pressure on low-income consumers, so we must ensure that we are doing
everything we can to offer support for struggling households.”
The latest round of
clean energy funding has now seen a direct injection of over $170 million into
providing energy bill relief for households and businesses, including in
regional NSW.
For more information
about the solar program go to: www.energy.nsw.gov.au
Labels:
climate change,
electricity,
NSW government,
renewable energy
Tuesday 16 October 2018
North Coast Voices Update
Due to illness North Coast Voices will not be posting this week.
Hoping to be back by 22 October 2018.
Apologies to our regular readers.
Monday 15 October 2018
Australian Politics 2018: Liberal and Nationals hard right agenda revealed
It appears the rigid hard-right core of the Liberal and National parties, whose face for public consumption is Prime Minister Scott Morrison, thought that Australian voters would find it acceptable that the only people that religious institutions of any denomination would not be able to discriminate against will be heterosexual individuals and those born with absent or ambiguous secondary sexual characteristics.
Everyone else would apparently be fair game for every rabid bigot across the land.
Gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender citizens and their children are not to be afforded the full protection of human rights and anti-discrimination law in this New World Order.
It doesn't get any clearer than the main thrust of the twenty recommendations set out below.
However, now the cat is out of the bag Morrison is backtracking slightly. Just hours after arguing schools should be run consistent with their religious principles and that no existing exemption should be repealed, Scott Morrison told Sky News that he was "not comfortable" with private schools expelling gay students on the basis of their sexuality.
Rejecting new enrolment applications by gay students was something he was careful not to directly address.
It should be noted that "not comfortable' leaves a lot of wiggle room to look the other way as state and federal legislation is either amended or new Commonwealth legislation created which would allow this blatant discrimination to lawfully occur.
Recommendations
found in the Religious
Freedom Review: Report of the Expert Panel:
Recommendation 1
Those jurisdictions that
retain exceptions or exemptions in their anti-discrimination laws for religious
bodies with respect to race, disability, pregnancy or intersex status should
review them, having regard to community expectations.
Recommendation 2
Commonwealth, state and
territory governments should have regard to the Siracusa
Principles on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights when drafting laws that would limit
the right to freedom of religion.
Recommendation 3
Commonwealth, state and
territory governments should consider the use of objects, purposes or other
interpretive clauses in anti-discrimination legislation to reflect the equal
status in international law of all human rights, including freedom of religion.
Recommendation 4
The Commonwealth should
amend section 11 of the Charities Act 2013 to clarify that advocacy of a
‘traditional’ view of marriage would not, of itself, amount to a ‘disqualifying
purpose’.
Recommendation 5
The Commonwealth should
amend the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to provide that religious schools can
discriminate in relation to the employment of staff, and the engagement of
contractors, on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship
status provided that:
The
discrimination is founded in the precepts of the religion.
The
school has a publicly available policy outlining its position in relation to
the matter and explaining how the policy will be enforced.
The
school provides a copy of the policy in writing to employees and contractors
and prospective employees and contractors.
Recommendation 6
Jurisdictions should
abolish any exceptions to anti-discrimination laws that provide for
discrimination by religious schools in employment on the basis of race,
disability, pregnancy or intersex status. Further, jurisdictions should ensure
that any exceptions for religious schools do not permit discrimination against
an existing employee solely on the basis that the employee has entered into a
marriage.
Recommendation 7
The Commonwealth should
amend the Sex Discrimination Act to provide that religious schools may
discriminate in relation to students on the basis of sexual orientation, gender
identity or relationship status provided that:
The
discrimination is founded in the precepts of the religion.
The
school has a publicly available policy outlining its position in relation to
the matter.
The
school provides a copy of the policy in writing to prospective students and
their parents at the time of enrolment and to existing students and their
parents at any time the policy is updated.
The
school has regard to the best interests of the child as the primary
consideration in its conduct.
Recommendation 8
Jurisdictions should
abolish any exceptions to anti-discrimination laws that provide for
discrimination by religious schools with respect to students on the basis of
race, disability, pregnancy or intersex status.
Recommendation 9
State and territory
education departments should maintain clear policies as to when and how a
parent or guardian may request that a child be removed from a class that
contains instruction on religious or moral matters and ensure that these
policies are applied consistently. These policies should:
Include
a requirement to provide sufficient, relevant information about such classes to
enable parents or guardians to consider whether their content may be
inconsistent with the parents’ or guardians’ religious beliefs
Give
due consideration to the rights of the child, including to receive information
about sexual health, and their progressive capacity to make decisions for
themselves.
Recommendation 10
The Commonwealth
Attorney-General should consider the guidance material on the Attorney-General’s
Department’s website relating to authorised celebrants to ensure that it uses
plain English to explain clearly and precisely the operation of the Marriage
Act 1961. The updated guidance should include:
A
clear description of the religious protections available to different classes
of authorised celebrants, and
Advice
that the term ‘minister of religion’ is used to cover authorised celebrants
from religious bodies which would not ordinarily use the term ‘minister’,
including non-Christian religions.
Recommendation 11
The Commonwealth
Attorney-General should consider whether the Code of Practice set out in
Schedule 2 of the Marriage Regulations 2017 is appropriately adapted to the
needs of smaller and emerging religious bodies.
Recommendation 12
The Commonwealth should
progress legislative amendments to make it clear that religious schools are not
required to make available their facilities, or to provide goods or services,
for any marriage, provided that the refusal:
Conforms
to the doctrines, tenets or beliefs of the religion of the body
Is
necessary to avoid injury to the religious susceptibilities of adherents of
that religion.
Recommendation 13
Those jurisdictions that
have not abolished statutory or common law offences of blasphemy should do so.
Recommendation 14
References to blasphemy
in the Shipping Registration Regulations 1981, and in state and territory
primary and secondary legislation, should be repealed or replaced with terms
applicable not only to religion.
Recommendation 15
The Commonwealth should
amend the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, or enact a Religious Discrimination
Act, to render it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of a person’s
‘religious belief or activity’, including on the basis that a person does not
hold any religious belief. In doing so, consideration should be given to
providing for appropriate exceptions and exemptions, including for religious
bodies, religious schools and charities.
Recommendation 16
New South Wales and
South Australia should amend their anti-discrimination laws to render it
unlawful to discriminate on the basis of a person’s ‘religious belief or
activity’ including on the basis that a person does not hold any religious
belief. In doing so, consideration should be given to providing for the appropriate
exceptions and exemptions, including for religious bodies, religious schools
and charities.
Recommendation 17
The Commonwealth should
commission the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative
information on the experience of freedom of religion in Australia at the
community level, including:
Incidents
of physical violence, including threats of violence, linked to a person’s faith
Harassment,
intimidation or verbal abuse directed at those of faith
Forms
of discrimination based on religion and suffered by those of faith
Unreasonable
restrictions on the ability of people to express, manifest or change their
faith
Restrictions
on the ability of people to educate their children in a manner consistent with
their faith
The
experience of freedom of religion impacting on other human rights
The
extent to which religious diversity (as distinct from cultural diversity)
is accepted and promoted in Australian society
is accepted and promoted in Australian society
Recommendation 18
The Commonwealth should
support the development of a religious engagement and public education program
about human rights and religion in Australia, the importance of the right to
freedom of religion and belief, and the current protections for religious
freedom in Australian and international law. As a first step, the panel recommends
that the Attorney-General should ask the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human
Rights to inquire into and report on how best to enhance engagement, education
and awareness about these issues.
Recommendation 19
The Australian Human
Rights Commission should take a leading role in the protection of freedom of
religion, including through enhancing engagement, understanding and dialogue.
This should occur within the existing commissioner model and not necessarily through
the creation of a new position.
Recommendation 20
The Prime Minister and
the Commonwealth Attorney-General should take leadership of the issues
identified in this report with respect to the Commonwealth, and work with the
states and territories to ensure its implementation. While the panel hopes it
would not be necessary, consideration should be given to further Commonwealth
legislative solutions if required.
Because Scott Morrison made no secret of his dislike of same-sex marriage and his intention to make new laws protecting so-called religious 'freedoms'. he is now going to have a fight on his hands every single day until the next federal election - these recommendations have made that a certainty.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)