It's QANDA season on the ABC

I have to confess that last night I switched off the ABC's new show Q and A after the first few minutes of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's flat delivery when answering the first audience question.

I've promised myself that I will try to make it through next week's program when, hopefully, my tolerance for political whaffle is higher.

 

However, the QANDA webpage did deliver evidence of a few interesting questions for Mr. Rudd. 

 

Author	ConcernedScientist
Date/Time	22 May 2008 2:04:19pm
Subject	>Re: What would you ask Kevin Rudd?

Mr Rudd...

When it comes to Global Warming, it would appear to me that your government's first budget is 'rearranging the deck chairs whilst the Titanic is sinking'.

Ok - some passengers might deny the ship is sinking (the water used to be 4 metres below their cabin's port-hole, and now its gone up to 6 metres - so from their perspective the ship is rising!), but the scientific consensus is the HMAS Earth is sinking and we have to do something about it NOW!

So why are you making it MORE difficult for Australians to 'use our existing life-boats' like installing solar cells on their roofs ?

Why are you investing large sums of money in trying to develop a new super 'lifeboat' (so-called clean coal - which might not even float), when there are existing technologies available TODAY (like solar thermal, wind, geothermal, photovoltaic, etc )?

Why are you not putting in the same effort to fight Global Warming as you are to fighting inflation?

You said recently "Hi, my name is Kevin, and I'm here to help" - Didn't you really mean "... and I'm here to help the Coal Industry" ?

There's a moggy in there

With all the back arching, hissing, scratching and spraying that's gone on around Canberra these last few weeks, I'm beginning to think that Bill Hall's catty look at politicians may be close to the truth of the matter.

In short, a cat can look half its size when attacking and twice its size when bluffing. Hence a cat looks four times as large on defense as on offense.

The same is true of politicians. The more trouble they are in, the louder they yowl and the larger and more terrifying they try to appear.

FEVHA Visual Arts Festival, Bangalow & Byron Bay, May 28 - June 1 2008

This year's FEHVA festival will be held from Saturday until June 1 at the Bangalow A&I Hall, with special events also staged at local venues in Byron Bay and Bangalow.

The festival was developed five years ago as a two-day event with the aim of raising money for The Buttery, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Bangalow.---

Australia's top visual arts practitioners will be guest speakers at the festival weekend, including Pete O'Doherty and Reg Mombassa who will talk about their experiences as brothers, artists and musicians.

Well-known international musician and patron of The Buttery, David Helfgott, will perform at the opening of the FEHVA art exhibition next Monday.

The flag event, according to Ms Tipping, is the art auction and banquet which will be held on Thursday, May 29.

Tickets are $100 per person and include champagne on arrival, canapés, gourmet dinner platters, wine and dessert.

Ms Tipping said the reason for a visual arts festival was because the Northern Rivers was thriving with talented artists.

Go to FEVHA wesite here for information on art prizes, workshops, lectures etc.

Art work shown above "And the brightness begins" by Emma Walker
http://www.timolsengallery.com/

Rudders - will you stop being a purient old wowser and leave that young woman in peace

"Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has confirmed the Defence Department is investigating whether Australian celebrity Tania Zaetta had sex with Australian special forces soldiers while on a recent tour of Afghanistan. "

Even after the experience of the Howard years, sometimes it's hard to believe that any man who leads a national government can be so mindboggling stupid.

With the young woman in question saying that the allegations are untrue and even the nasty, barrack's rumour not charging that anything occurred under duress, it is hard to see why the Prime Minister didn't pour cold water on the Dept. of Defence investigation into the entertainment tour of Afghanistan.

The whole thing has the feel of a fair dinkum furphy.

Rudders, I'm not going to remember this week as one where you made a statement about the "obscenity" of homelessness in Australia.
I'm going to remember this week as the one in which you allowed a bunch of old soldiers to invade the privacy of a young woman.

Getting your knees dusty next Sunday won't change anything - you've done a fool, fool, thing.

And then the story changed......

"The Defence Department has issued an unreserved apology to celebrity Tania Zaetta, after she was named in a leaked Defence note detailing inappropriate conduct.
The Federal Government has announced an inquiry into the leaked briefing note about allegations Ms Zaetta had sex with soldiers during her recent entertainment tour to Afghanistan.
Defence has tonight issued a statement saying the document containing Ms Zaetta's name was a draft and it was withdrawn minutes after it was written because of privacy concerns."

How many pork pies in a day does that make?

US Mormans swallow Howard's line, hook and sinker

The Salt Lake Tribune reports on John Howard's chase of the almighty dollar last Tuesday.

 

This time his paid speaking trail led him to the Zions Bank International Trade and Business Conference at the Downtown Marriott in Salt Lake City, where he continued to tell America just what it wanted to hear.

 

A former Australian prime minister and a senior Bush administration trade official on Tuesday pressed their cases for open-trade policies at a time of sudden global food shortages and criticism that free trade has led to job losses in the United States.
    "I think the world cries aloud in 2008 for a reaffirmation of the view that protection is something of the past," said John Howard, who led Australia for over a decade until he was turned out of office by voters in November.
    "Because if the world goes back into protection we will aggravate some of the difficulties that are now being faced and I think that will present very significant challenges and very significant difficulties for all of us," Howard said.....

Howard spoke repeatedly about his faith in global trade as a vehicle for lifting undeveloped countries from poverty. He said the rapid rise of food prices during the last year is causing enormous social and political consequences in poor countries worldwide that call into question the basis for subsidies and tariffs.
    "This is really a time for scaling down rather than scaling up or maintaining agricultural subsidies," Howard said.
    "If you have a relatively heavy demand for a commodity, it doesn't make sense to maintain subsidies that were designed to protect producers at a time when people didn't want to buy their product," he said.
    Howard called for developed countries to engage China and not fear its rising economic clout. With a population of 1.3 billion, it is helping to lead a profound adjustment of buying power from North America and Europe that by 2030 will have produced a middle class in Asia that numbers in the hundreds of millions.
    "The center of gravity of the world's middle class is shifting from the Atlantic to Asia. This is, in a way, one of the most significant developments since the industrial revolution," Howard said.

 

It is beginning to look as though Howard will be able to mine gullible Americans for pin money for some time to come if this Utah Pulse blurb is any indication.

 

John Winston Howard, who served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, will be the keynote speaker at the half-day conference, which will run from 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m...

In his first visit to the United States since his term in office ended last November, John Howard will discuss his uniquely global approach to leading the most prominent Western stronghold in the Asian-Pacific Rim. He will candidly share his vision for the international economic future, with special focus on the roles that China, India and the Pacific Rim will play.

As Australia's second-longest serving prime minister, Howard pursued broad pro-market economic policies. During his period in office Australia experienced economic growth averaging 3.6 percent per year. What's more, in the face of criticism from many, Howard initiated unprecedented efforts to broker a free-trade agreement with China, paving the way for China's willingness to participate in a free market. Because of his work in developing ties with China, the country is now Australia's largest export market.

 

Although it must be added that he was only considered to be a crowd drawer if the keynote address ticket cost was kept under $40 per person.

We know about Australia's GDP and GNP, but what about its GPI?

The Institute for Economics and Peace has released its Global Peace Index [GPI] 2008.
The other ANZAC, New Zealand, ranks 4th (1.350) on the international index of 140 countries.
Australia ranks 27th (1.652).
America ranks 97th on this list.
Something for the Rudd Government to aspire to here, after a decade of our nation playing deputy-sheriff to the US - catching up to New Zealand.

Full index list here.
Breakdown of how Australia's GPI was calculated here.

The Institute for Economics and Peace is dedicated to developing the inter-relationships between business, peace and economics. Through its global reach, it aims to empower the private sector, academic community, civil society, international institutions and governments with the knowledge to proactively use peace to achieve their desired goals.
It appears to be the brainchild of Australian businessman Steve Killelea and the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies [UNSW].

Malcolm thinks a cigar is always just a cigar

Shadow Treasurer and all-round pukka Malcolm Turnbull's reply during question time at the National Press Club on Wednesday, 21 May 2008.

"I'm not going to engage in self-analysis."

Sort of says it all about Malcolm doesn't it?

Transcript of Address to the National Press Club here.

And wants his tax review to look at the Goods and Services Tax

"The Review will involve all aspects of the tax system that are amenable to reform in the national interest.
This will involve an examination of taxation:
At the Commonwealth level, including but not limited to: income tax, company tax, dividend imputation, the goods and services tax, international tax, excises and customs duties, fringe benefits tax, revenue from any emissions trading scheme, capital gains tax, superannuation taxes, and resource rent tax; and
At the State and Local level, including but not limited to: transactions taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes, and gambling taxes.
In conducting the Review, Professor Ergas will consult widely, including through the release of public discussion papers and a tax reform conference. The Review will be completed by the end of 2008."

I take some comfort from the fact that Turnbull and Ergas (both believing the 'great unwashed' adhere to the politics of envy) are reviewing the tax system while the Coalition is in opposition. Otherwise the Prof might just lumber us all with a higher rate of GST in his almost one-size-fits-all view of our society.