Australian Federal Election 2013: backlash against Murdoch's political tactics

A newsagent couple in a small New South Wales town have refused to sell The Daily Telegraph of August 5, 2013, because of its biased front page.

Bec ‏@Brocklesnitch

Brisbane cafe putting its foot down over the Courier Mail

How America sees Australia's Federal Election Campaign 2013 *WARNING: Laughter Alert*

http://youtu.be/5W6C8O729ZE

Gaffe-alanche!

A penis in a glass of red wine, awkward kisses and a political candidate who thought Islam was a country - what's not to marvel at?

America's The Daily Show poked fun at the brevity of Australia's election campaign, with its host in awe of how much political scandal could be packed into four weeks.

The political comedy show, currently hosted by British comedian John Oliver while host Jon Stewart is on leave, did a segment on "DOWN-UNDERcision 2013".

Oliver appeared gobsmacked by the rich buffet of gaffes already publicly aired during the campaign before going on to say that Australia had its own versions of American politicians Rick Perry, Anthony Weiner and Sarah Palin.

He started with footage of the cringeworthy interview with Liberal candidate Jaymes Diaz, who was not able to name his party's six-point plan to stop the boats.

He contrasted this incident with a Republican presidential debate in 2011 when Texas governor Rick Perry was unable to name one of three agencies he was planning to axe.

Oliver drew parallels with New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, who has been embroiled in sexting scandals, and disgraced [Liberal National Party] Queensland minister Peter Dowling, who sent pictures of his penis in a glass of red wine to his mistress.

"It's almost impossible to get red wine stains out of a penis," Oliver said. "He is going to have to soak that thing in club soda for hours."

He also took issue with the choice of wine.

"You do not pair a penis with red wine. Try something lighter, crisper to offset the nuttier notes of the penis."

But his favourite talent was former One Nation candidate Stephanie Bannister.

"So, in just four weeks, Australia already has a Rick Perry and an Anthony Weiner ... of course the real test is, does it have an under-informed, right-wing woman thrust into a national political spotlight she's not only unprepared for but at times seems to barely comprehend?" Oliver asks.

He then calls Ms Bannister "a turbo-Palin", referring to the controversial Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 US elections.

Ms Bannister was an anti-immigration candidate vying for the Brisbane seat of Rankin. She mistook Islam for a country and confused "haram" - a word that refers to acts forbidden by God - with the Koran during a television interview that attracted worldwide attention.

"I don't oppose Islam as a country, umm, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia," Ms Banister said in the one-on-one interview with Channel Seven in her Queensland backyard.

More laughs were had when Oliver played footage of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott misplacing a kiss on the back of a mother's head, instead of her baby.

"Yes, that's a creepy moment, but is it any creepier than a stranger pressing his lips on the head of a non-consenting baby?" Oliver asked.

Photo Essay On A Political Poseur

Has there ever been an Australian opposition leader with such a large portfolio of posed photographs, as the Liberal Party’s Tony Abbott?

Here is a small selection found on Google Images.

'Presidential' Tony

'Pensive' Tony

'I’m Watching You' Tony

'Sartorial' Tony

'Serious' Tony

'Hard Man Tony'

'Looking Down My Oxford Educated Nose' Tony

'Home Boy' Tony

'Let Me Remind You That I Belong To The Largest Religious Bloc' Tony

'Marlboro Man' Tony

'I Wear Lycra' Tony

'Family Man' Tony

 

Politifact nails Federal Nationals MP for Cowper for being loose with the truth

Snapshot from The Sydney Morning Herald 12 August 2013

According to economic journalist Peter Martin writing in The Sydney Morning Herald on 12 August 2013:

He [Hartsuyker] is talking about the levy on bank deposits, which incidentally the Coalition hasn't yet said it will oppose.

It's due to start in 2016 and it won't be anything like as big as income tax, as Hartsuyker implies when he says savers will be taxed twice.

It'll amount to just $5 per year on a bank account of $10,000, just 50 cents a year on an account of $1000.

Other bank fees dwarf the levy. The cost of withdrawing from another bank's ATM is typically $2 a throw.

But is it a tax at all? More particularly, is it a tax on savers?

Read the rest of the article here.

If Tony Abbott wins government does he intend to dissolve a number of Local Aboriginal Land Councils in regional Australia?

Can Opposition  Leader Tony Abbott follow through on his desire to abolish scores of statutory indigenous governance bodies?

Are there more than twenty Australian Government statutory indigenous governance bodies? To date I can barely find twenty entities to which that description might possibly apply.

Or is Abbott including Local Aboriginal Land Councils [LALCs] on his 'to abolish' list? 

If this is the case then hopefully LALCs in regional New South Wales will be exempt (unless Premier O'Farrell agrees) as these councils were apparently formed under state law.

The Australian 10 August 2013:

Mr Abbott said the Coalition had to stop the boats, fix the budget and address infrastructure spending, which was seriously neglected. But, if elected, he wanted to add taking "reconciliation to a new level" and embedding the idea of personal responsibility as he had in government with the work-for-the- dole program and the Job Network.

In promoting indigenous affairs to one of his top priorities, Mr Abbott said there was no longer institutional racism in Australia and he believed most Australians saw Aborigines and Aboriginal culture as an "adornment" to the nation.

Mr Mundine, who quit the ALP six months ago after becoming disillusioned with Labor's failure to recruit an indigenous representative in parliament, supports Mr Abbott's vision for Aboriginal Australia and is prepared to work with any prime minister to end indigenous disadvantage.

He will today reveal a radical four-tiered plan to rewrite Aboriginal affairs by abolishing scores of statutory indigenous governance bodies, which he says hinder development, opening up communities to the outside world and excising townships from the communally owned land system to create private home ownership and business development. Mr Mundine, the executive chairman of the Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, will deliver a keynote speech at the Garma Festival, in which he calls for dramatic changes to land ownership to create more economic opportunities.

Mr Mundine's steadfast view that commercial development offered the only chance for indigenous communities to escape poverty has long stood in opposition to the rights-based agenda of the Labor Left.

Edited version of Warren Mundine’s 10 August Garma Festival Corporate Dinner Speech.

Excerpt from this speech:

When Europeans came to Australia, indigenous people were grouped in nations, each with a distinct geography, language and culture. The identity of indigenous people was tied to the culture and language of their own nation, not to the Australian land mass as a whole.

Most statutory bodies created to govern indigenous people are not aligned to indigenous nations. In NSW there are twice as many land councils as nations, and land council members do not need to be descended from a nation that the land council services. In the Northern Territory there are four land councils and dozens of nations.

Hollow promise - Abbott announces $12M funding promise for Penrith Sports Centre which has already received this money from the Rudd Government

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese, media release, 11 June 2013:

The Federal Labor Government today announced it would contribute $12 million towards the development of the Western Sydney Community and Sports Centre in Penrith.

The Western Sydney Community and Sports Centre will deliver a state-of-the-art community hub that will enhance social and sporting opportunities to the people of Western Sydney.

Minister for Regional Development and Local Government Anthony Albanese said the community and sports centre will link to the existing Penrith Panthers NRL club facilities and deliver a massive boost to all sports in the region.

“The project includes the construction of an elite sports centre with a gym, a facility for sports science and medicine study and a sports hall for indoor sports, school sports and other events,” he said…..

The project is expected to be complete by mid-2016. Funding is being provided through Round Four of the Regional Development Australia Fund.

Western Sydney Community and Sports Centre (PDF 203 KB) Regional Development Australia Fund (RDA) - Round Four:

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, Liberal Party NSW media release, 13 August 2013  :

The Coalition will provide $12 million towards the building of the Western Sydney Community and Sports Centre in Penrith.

The commitment was made by Liberal Candidate for Lindsay, Fiona Scott and the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott during a visit to Penrith by Mr Abbott.

As Mr. Abbott's election promises grow increasingly desperate, readers might like to click on this expanding map to see if Liberal-Nationals promises in their own electorates are already covered by RDA grants.