Quote of the Week

“This tells women who were raped … that they should have thought ahead and planned for it,”… “Make no mistake, this is anything but a citizens' initiative. It’s a special interest group’s perverted dream come true.” [Michigan Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer quoted in Huff Post Politics on the subject of new state insurance legislation which forces women to take out separate medical insurance for abortion]

Finger pointed at local cricket officials who should lift their game

Local newspapers usually bend over backwards to give local organisations, including sport, publicity and the Clarence valley's Daily Examiner is no exception. Consequently, it's disappointing to see publicity officers provide newspapers with grossly inadequate information.

Over recent weeks the Examiner has endeavoured to keep its readers informed about cricket matches played on the lower Clarence. However, the paper has not been assisted by clubs (it seems one club in particular is a regular offender) - scoreboard details provided to to the paper have been scant in detail.

Examples of offending scoreboards published appear below.

Credit: The Daily Examiner

No credit for offending cricket club officials

Comparing the Rudd-Gillard Governments' Fair Work Act 2009 with the Abbott Government's Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014

This is not a comprehensive comparison of the Fair Work Act 2009 and changes to this act found in the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014.

Rather it is a brief comparison of certain differences (including the fact that overtime rates, penalty rates, allowances and leave loading are now potentially part of any flexibility arrangement between employer and employee), which hopefully may encourage concerned citizens and employees to look closely at the Abbott Government’s amendments which are currently before the Australian Parliament.

* Untaken annual leave at time of employment termination

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Individual flexibility arrangements

Rudd & Gillard Governments

144 Flexibility terms

Abbott Government

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Mandatory terms of enterprise agreements

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Right of entry

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

* Unfair dismissal

Rudd & Gillard Governments

Abbott Government

Are the Institute of Public Affairs' resident wingnuts losing control of one of their puppets?

Really happening or wishful thinking?

The Sydney Morning Herald 12 March 2014:

A political fight is brewing between Attorney-General George Brandis and the Institute of Public Affairs.

Senator Brandis has angered the IPA and other powerful Liberal Party allies, who believe the Attorney-General is using tricky language to dilute his promise to repeal a controversial section of the race discrimination laws.

The Attorney-General has also been lobbied internally by marginal seat MPs representing multicultural electorates worried about losing protections against hate speech.

Free speech advocates say they have detected a change in Senator Brandis' tone recently, and they believe he has been persuaded by religious, ethnic and indigenous leaders, who have been lobbying against changing the race discrimination laws.

The dispute is likely to get worse, especially if Senator Brandis introduces, as some expect, a new criminal offence of racial vilification. IPA executive director John Roskam said he would rather there were no changes to the law than a new criminal ban on hate speech. He also said it had ''got back to me'' that Senator Brandis had been criticising the IPA in private conversations.

On ABC1's Q&A program on Monday, Senator Brandis said the Abbott government was determined to repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act ''in its current form''. It is that phrase which angers the IPA.

''That was not the tone and intention of what Senator Brandis expressed before the election,'' Mr Roskam said. He said Senator Brandis had led him to believe he would repeal section 18C entirely. Senator Brandis condemned the law - which makes it unlawful to ''offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate'' someone because of their race or ethnicity - when columnist Andrew Bolt breached it for an article he wrote about ''white'' Aborigines.

So how is Kevin Hogan making the Australian Parliament aware of concerns held by local communities in his electorate in relation to coal seam/tight gas exploration & mining?

Kevin Hogan has been the Page electorate’s ‘man in Canberra’ for some months now.

Before his election he was aware of the level of opposition to coal seam gas/tight gas exploration and mining in his electorate and, heavily implied that he would progress these concerns if he became a member of the Australian Parliament.

Two days after he was elected, The Australian reported him as saying: "I'm very aligned to values of the Nationals and so the Coalition, but I stand for the interest of regional communities like mine first, and I will be doing that as strongly and forcefully as I can".

Since then Kevin Hogan has spoken about his own alleged concerns about the negative impacts the gas industry may have on the Northern Rivers region at the 23 November 2013 Kyogle Gasfield Free Celebration and, was also listed as a speaker at a Gasfield Free Northern Rivers public meeting on 8 March 2014 who was going to speak about what he can do politically for his constituents.

Details of the 8 March meeting are yet to get a mention on his website, Facebook page or Twitter account.

To date his official website does not mention coal seam gas/tight gas exploration and mining under the Local Issues tab and, the subject is conspicuous by its absence in his posted media releases as well.

There is also little evidence that he is actively lobbying behind the scenes in support of community concerns relating to the gas industry.

He has spoken in the House of Representatives on at least sixteen occasions, but only once in his first speech on 20 November 2013 did he make mention of coal seam gas mining and, even that passing mention did not acknowledge the concerns held by communities in his electorate:

Madam Speaker—I like to have you here and I acknowledge you on the job you have been given and the great poise that you bring to the role—mining and farming can be a delicate balancing act in certain regions. I acknowledge the work done by my coalition colleagues in the New South Wales parliament, tightening up farmer protection in relation to coal seam gas mining in New South Wales. I acknowledge my federal colleagues and our position. Our policy is that water and prime agricultural land, as well as built-up areas, need to be protected from CSG mining. I believe, and in my opinion, so does the majority of my community, that given current extraction techniques this policy currently rules out the electorate of Page from CSG mining.

Voters in the Page electorate have a right to be suspicious of both Mr. Hogan’s election campaign statements and his resolve to strongly and forcefully stand up for his electorate now he is faced with the reality of his own Federal Coalition industry minister’s commitment to furthering the interests of the gas industry.

Don't mention the funding cuts!

ABC News: At the campaign launch in South Perth on 11 March 2014

It was a case of don't mention the funding cuts or the Commission of Audit 900-page interim report currently sitting on his Canberra desk. As pressing the carbon and mining tax buttons in a mercifully brief, but virtually policy-free speech, Prime Minister Tony Abbott launched the 5 April 2014 West Australia senate election Liberal Party campaign:

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

Perth

Prime Minister

E&OE

I’m here to officially open the Liberal campaign for the Western Australian Senate by-election which we are having because of the ineptitude of the Electoral Commission.

I can understand the frustration of Western Australians of having to go to the polls yet again, but this is a chance for the people of Western Australia to vote for a strong team – for a strong team – that will give a fair deal to the people of Western Australia.

We’ve got a strong team and they will vote in the Senate, should they be elected, for a fair deal, a better deal for the people of Western Australia.

That’s what this is all about – voting for people who will be a strong team and will give the people of Western Australia a fair deal in the Senate.

Now, it’s very important – very, very important – that we get rid of anti-Western Australian taxes and the mining tax and the carbon tax are anti-Western Australian taxes.

That’s what they are. They’re anti-Western Australian taxes and they are only there still because the Labor Party and the Greens, voting together as they always do, have voted to keep them.

The question for Labor Party representatives in this state at this time is why are you voting in the Senate to keep the carbon tax and to keep the mining tax even though these are anti-Western Australian taxes?

That question should echo right around this state. Whenever you see a Labor politician – why are you voting to keep on this great state of Western Australia the mining tax and the carbon tax that are so damaging to this state and which are so obviously anti-Western Australian taxes?

So, it really is very simple and very clear cut – if you want a strong team that will do the right thing by Western Australia you have got to vote for the Liberal Party. You have got to vote for Coalition candidates. I have got great Coalition candidates in David Johnston, in Michaelia Cash, in Linda Reynolds and in Slade Brockman. I am very proud of them and we are a strong united team, as the presence of the Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and also Steve Irons the local member for Swan demonstrates today.

So, it is good to be here and it is good to officially open this campaign to do the right thing by the people of Western Australia with this strong team.

Thank you.

While elsewhere on the West Australia campaign trail Abbott is told you are scum.

Thank the gods! I'm not a Liberal.

As Abbott and Co continue to lay waste to democratic processes, socio-economic policy, access and equity – readers might like to take this test to see if they have been contaminated with the far-right berserker virus:  http://australia.isidewith.com/political-quiz.

Thankfully, my results showed I was far away from the more virulent  policy positions of Abbott, Hockey, Cormann, Brandis, Pyne, Bernardi, Bishop, and the rest of those sitting on the government benches in Pariament House, Canberra: