Is this the road Tony Abbott is taking to make the poor pay more for food and other essentials?

The Drum 11 January 2015:

It appears Tony Abbott will try to expand the GST by replicating the campaign blueprint used by John Howard to introduce the tax in the first place. But what worked then might not work now, writes Paula Matthewson.

More than a decade after the Howard Government introduced a goods and services tax, political pundits remain divided over whether the accompanying GST campaign was effective.

Some point to Howard's re-election after proposing the new tax as proof of the campaign's success, while others claim Howard almost lost because of it.

Despite the lack of consensus it appears the Abbott Government is using the same campaign blueprint, this time in an attempt to create public acceptance for increasing or broadening the GST.

Back then, Howard was saddled with an earlier promise to "never, ever" introduce a GST but was being pressured to introduce one. According to one account, senior members of the business community were openly questioning Howard's economic reform credentials, while the press gallery were asking why he wouldn't lead (or at least follow).

So the then PM created a situation where journalists and economists, business and welfare organisations and even voters called for him to "reverse" the never-ever promise for the good of the nation. Howard did this by focusing the numerous fragmented commentaries into one national discussion: one that centred on Australia's "broken" tax system and how it could be "fixed" by scrapping a bunch of inefficient taxes and replacing them with just one.

The mechanism Howard used to focus the conversation was a taxation taskforce (incidentally chaired by Treasury official and former Keating adviser, Ken Henry). It was established to prepare options for tax reform, and recommended that a consumption tax be part of the mix.

A year later, following much public discussion, the Howard government presented voters not only with a proposed GST but an entire package of tax reforms. The package included personal income tax cuts, increases in the tax-free threshold and pensions, and the scrapping of wholesale sales tax. Nine other taxes imposed at the state and territory level were also slated for elimination. Most importantly, all the money raised by the GST was to be provided to the states and territories, supposedly ending their dependence on the federal government's largesse.

Howard then blitzed voters with a controversial advertising campaign before immediately plunging the nation into a moderately early federal election, which he either cleverly won, or foolishly almost lost, depending on whose analysis one finds more convincing.

PM Abbott is clearly banking on the campaign having been a success for Howard, because his "increase the GST" campaign looks eerily familiar.

A bevy of Treasury boffins is currently developing a tax reform paper, while the general public's awareness is slowly being raised through discussion in the media about the need to broaden or increase the GST.

Comments such as those made last week by government backbenchers and ministers serve to kick along the public discussion while keeping the PM's hands clean of the debate until the Treasury report is released later this year…..

How Julia Gillard's experience inspires or discourages women to enter politics

How Gillard’s experience inspires or discourages women to enter politics

  

Does being reminded of the sexism that Julia Gillard faced as Australia’s first female prime minister challenge women to enter politics or discourage them?

“We found a polarising effect with women responding in different ways depending on their attitudes to gender roles,” said Dr Christopher Hunt, lead author of the research from the University of Sydney’s School of Psychology.

Hunt, together with the School’s Dr Karen Gonsalkorale and Dr Lisa Zadro published their findings in the European Journal of Social Psychology, last month.

“For women who hold traditional gender values - those who think that women should be modest, place their families before themselves and put a lot of importance in taking care of their home and their physical appearance - being reminded of Julia Gillard’s experiences made them want to avoid politics,” Dr Hunt said.

“However for women who rate themselves as non-conformists in regards to gender values, being reminded of Gillard’s difficulties motivated them to go into politics - she appears to be a role model for this group.”

These effects were not related to any changes in women’s belief in their ability to lead. 

“So the changes seem to be driven by thinking about how others will react to them – about the possibility of a backlash,” Dr Hunt said.

“International research shows that women in countries with more women politicians display greater interest in politics than women from countries with lower female representation. Our research suggests such role model influence changes according to women’s other beliefs and values.”

The study assessed 167 Australian undergraduate students on a measure of conformity to gender norms. They then either read statements about generic difficulties experienced by leaders or the gender-based difficulties experienced by Gillard before completing a questionnaire on their attitudes to leadership and certain occupations.

For male participants, those with high conformity to masculine norms showed a greater belief in their own leadership capabilities after reading about Gillard’s gender-based difficulties than when reading about generic difficulties, while low conforming men showed the opposite pattern.

“This suggests that Gillard’s example provoked a defensive reporting of leadership capability  -  consistent with research showing that women who succeed in traditionally male domains are often perceived to be threatening,” said Dr Hunt.

The next step in continuing this work is to see if these findings were specific to politics or whether the same findings would apply to other professions.

“It would be interesting to apply this research to the business community where research has suggested gender roles are even more strictly enforced than in politics.”

Tony Abbott's waving a daughter in front of voters - have his poll numbers dropped again?

Because no media opportunity generated by or with the co-operation of Tony Abbott's family is spontaneous and unscripted, this snippet below is an obvious attempt to get him in the media without overt mention of politics during the Queensland state election period and perhaps boost his flagging opinion poll numbers.

The Daily Mail 11 January 2015:

She relocated from Sydney to Melbourne a year ago and on Saturday, Frances Abbott got to enjoy a Melbourne rite of passage.

Appearing at the Jeep Portsea Polo at Point Nepean National Park in Victoria, she had her boyfriend of one-year Lindsay Smith in tow at the event.

‘It’s my first time [at the Polo]. It’s very nice to be here and experience such a Melbourne tradition,' Frances told Daily Mail Australia at the event…..

Frances spoke candidly about her relationship with her father, Prime Minister Tony Abbott, admitting that just like any daughter she constantly worries about him, and despite living in another city they are always in touch.

‘My standard text message is: “You’re doing an amazing job.”’ And he’ll reply: “Thanks angel,”’ she explained to Daily Mail Australia. 

Adding: ‘I’m always thinking about him, especially with everything that’s happened recently with terrorism.’

While Tony is based in Canberra and Sydney, in between travelling across the world, he still finds time to visit his daughter in Melbourne. 

‘I don’t see him as often as we would like. We try schedule it so we can all catch up,’ Frances mused.

The Whitehouse Institute Of Design graduate credited her mother Margie Abbott to spearheading the family and bringing them all together.

‘Mum holds it all together, she is the one that keeps the family ship afloat. We’re all apart all the time and she pulls us back together.’ 

So how are the opinion poll numbers playing out for the prime minister? His unpopularity continues.

Essential Report 13 January 2015.

53% of respondents disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Prime Minister – down 2% since the last time this question was asked in December – and 37% approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing (up 5%). This represents a change in net rating from -23 to -16.

83% (up 8%) of Liberal/National voters approve of Tony Abbott’s performance, with 10% (down 5%) disapproving. 81% of Labor voters and 89% of Greens voters disapprove of Tony Abbott’s performance.

By gender men were 40% approve/51% disapprove and women 34% approve/55% disapprove.

35% (up 4% since December) of respondents think Tony Abbott would make the better Prime Minister and 37% (up 1%) think Bill Shorten would make the better Prime Minister.

37% of men prefer Tony Abbott and 37% prefer Bill Shorten – and women prefer Bill Shorten 38% to 33%.

Morgan Poll 14 January 2015:

Social media users and journalists may find 2015 brings a definite atmospheric chill courtesy of a far-right Tasmanian Government

Not content with passing the Workplaces (Protection From Protesters) Bill 2014 15 of 2014 which only impacts on people who are actually in Tasmania, the Hodgman Coalition Government has turned its eye towards reforming the state’s defamation laws in such a way that bloggers, tweeters, Facebook aficionados and professional journalists all around Australia will be able to be sued by large corporations as a way of ending public scrutiny of these commercial entities.

Mercury News 11 January 2015:

NATIONAL groups representing Australia’s journalists and lawyers have vowed to take on the Tasmanian Government over its controversial new defamation laws.

The proposed laws will make Tasmania the only state in the country to allow companies to sue individuals for defamation to protect businesses from “dishonest campaigns”.

But journalists’ union federal secretary Christopher Warren says the laws will kill freedom of speech and make it impossible for journalists to do their job.

High-profile social media commentators across the country have labelled the laws “a national disgrace”.

Mr Warren said journalists who made corporations accountable for their actions would be the target of those trying to sue.

The laws could also affect anyone commenting on news stories on websites or in letters to the editor, or reporters filing in other states.

“Someone in Broome might write something about a corporation that may not operate in Tasmania but could be subject to being sued in Tasmania,” he said.

“It will have the impact of killing freedom of speech.”

Mr Warren said the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance would be raising its concerns with Tasmanian Attorney-General Vanessa Goodwin.

Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman and Mercury columnist Greg Barns said his group was looking into whether the laws would be constitutional.

“It will just get used for SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) writs on your opponents just to shut them up,” he said.

Dr Goodwin yesterday told the Sunday Tasmanian the laws were not aimed at media organisations.

“While the detail is yet to be finalised, these changes aren’t and won’t be aimed at the media,” Dr Goodwin said.

“They are aimed at groups who deliberately spread misinformation about Tasmanian businesses, costing jobs.”

But Mr Warren, whose union represents various media professionals, said the laws would make Hobart the “defamation capital of Australia” because companies will use the state as the place to launch defamation suits.

Dr Goodwin said the changes would restore laws to Tasmania that existed before 2006.

Uniform national laws were enacted in 2006, in part to stop individuals from “jurisdiction shopping” and picking the state they felt was going to give them the greatest chance of winning or the greatest reward……

The Rabbits Eat Lettuce rave saga continues

The Daily Examiner 16 January 2015:

Organisers of the Rabbits Eat Lettuce rave have accused Coffs Harbour City Council of wasting ratepayers' money to stop a pre-festival launch party that was never going to happen.

The council went to the NSW Land and Environment Court for an injunction to stop this weekend's 24-hour electronic dance music event going ahead at 500 Fridays Creek Rd in Upper Orara.

However, the festival's organisers issued a statement saying that location was never on the cards.

"The event on the weekend has never been advertised as being in Coffs Harbour Shire," it stated.

"The event on the weekend is our launch party for our festival (on the Easter long weekend).

"We notified the lawyers representing Coffs Harbour Shire that the event is not taking place at the Friday Creek venue in Coffs Harbour Shire, however they did not listen and wasted ratepayer money to file an injunction at the Land and Environment Court." 

Background

Rabbits Eat Lettuce won’t be dancing at Upper Orara this weekend

UPDATES

2:11pm 17 January

It would appear that the situation is hotting up Ebor way:

5.30 pm

Everyone trekking back home after NSW Police close the rave.

UPDATE

Echo Netdaily  21 January 2015:

A police raid that closed down a weekend dance party on private land near Coffs Harbour was an over-reaction according to organisers.

The event, at Ebor, was closed down in its early stages on Saturday afternoon when just over 150 people had arrived and were in the process of setting up camp.

It was organised by Rabbits Eat Lettuce and was intended as a launch event for a much larger Easter party in the Richmond Valley.

The Rabbits Eat Lettuce (REL) electronic dance music parties have been running for around six years and are attended by up to 1500 people. Last year’s event ran without incident near Casino.

Police said they were called to the party because, NSW Forestry, which owns land on the Styx River adjoining the event site, expressed concerns there were illegal campsites, cars and portaloos in the forest.

Coffs Harbour Shire Council had attempted to have the party stopped by the Land and Environment Court on Friday afternoon but organisers told them they had the wrong site.

Police said they attempted to speak with the event organisers at the site but were ‘denied entry and shown a handwritten note allegedly granting permission to hold the event from the land owner’.

‘As police and forestry rangers began to clear the forestry land, organisers of the party moved all persons there onto the adjacent private property, telling partygoers that police could not stop them from holding the event,’ a police media spokesperson said.

But police say they managed to persuade the landowner to revoke permission for the event and then went about disbanding it.

‘About 5.30pm, police issued demands to the organisers and patrons to shut down the party. When this did not occur, police cut open locked gates to gain entry and shut down the event without further incident,’ the spokesperson added.

‘Senior police also authorised the use of a roadblock to turn around a large number of people attempting to attend the event.’

Just one person was charged over the raid, for trespass. There were no drug arrests....

Kids & Adults Creative Workshops at Grafton Regional Gallery 22-23 January 2015

So what changes so drastically between the child and the man?

http://youtu.be/b2OcKQ_mbiQ

Last year ABC News reported that in Australia domestic violence is the leading cause of death and injury in women under 45, with more than one woman murdered by her current or former partner every week. There are young victims too, with more than one million children affected by domestic violence. Accounting for 40 per cent of police time, the cost to the economy is $13.6 billion per year.

It further reported that there were at least 1,625 domestic violence related incidents on the NSW North Coast in 2013.

So what changes so dramatically between the attitude of male children to domestic violence and the attitude of so many adult men?