Australia is an international wonder, but...............

“That Australia is successful is not in doubt. It has a prospering economy, a harmonious and egalitarian society, an ability to accommodate immigrants, an excellent civil service, an independent central bank, a good balance of personal freedom and limited government, sensible pension arrangements, sporting prowess and a fine cuisine. There is no underclass, no permanently depressed area, no significant group of citizens who challenge the values of its society. Its cities do have pockets of despair, but neither slums nor ghettos. It is a flourishing democracy, one of the oldest in the world, with a long history of pioneering reform: when America got round to introducing the secret vote in 1872 it was known as the Australian ballot, because the Aussies had had it since the 1850s.”;

But……..see rest of The Economist article here.

O'Farrell Government dons its jackboots and strides forth

The O’Farrell Government seems intent on striding across the News South Wales landscape with the destructive intent of a blitzkrieg aktion and this time its blind rage against the notion of a fair go and an egalitarian society is directed at around 400,000 public sector workers.

This NSW government intends to reserve the sole right to itself of setting wages and conditions in this sector:

Industrial Relations Amendment (Public Sector Conditions of Employment) Bill 2011 [Member with Carriage: Pearce, Gregory Notice of Motion: Tue 24 May 2011 Introduced: Tue 24 May 2011 First Reading: Tue 24 May 2011 Ministers 2R Speech: Tue 24 May 2011]

146C Commission to give effect to certain aspects of government policy on public sector employment

(1) The Commission must, when making or varying any award or order, give effect to any policy on conditions of employment of public sector employees:

(a) that is declared by the regulations to be an aspect of government policy that is required to be given effect to by the Commission, and

(b) that applies to the matter to which the award or order relates.

(2) Any such regulation may declare a policy by setting out the policy in the regulation or by adopting a policy set out in a relevant document referred to in the regulation.

(3) An award or order of the Commission does not have effect to the extent that it is inconsistent with the obligation of the Commission under this section.

(4) This section extends to appeals or references to the Full Bench of the Commission.

(5) This section does not apply to the Commission in Court Session.

(6) This section extends to proceedings that are pending in the Commission on the commencement of this section. A regulation made under this section extends to proceedings that are pending in the Commission on the commencement of the regulation, unless the regulation otherwise provides.

(7) This section has effect despite section 10 or 146 or any other provision of this or any other Act.

Have passport will travel? Habib should note what the Australian Government did to another citizen it found uncomfortable

NOW

Habib cleared, gets passport back {The Sydney Morning Herald 27^th May 2011}

“Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib has been cleared of being a national security threat and has had his Australian passport returned.

The Sun-Herald can reveal the Australian government has agreed he is not a terrorism suspect and delivered his passport by courier to his western Sydney home.

After years of fighting to clear his name, the father of four said he "cried" when he received the document yesterday.”

THEN

Holt Acts To Block Passports {The Sydney Morning Herald 15^th November 1950}

The Minister for Immigration, Mr. H. E. Holt, has cancelled provisions in the passports belonging to Mrs. Jessie Street and Dr. Thomas Kaiser which would have allowed them to travel to Poland to attend the "World Peace Congress."....

"However, the Minister has discretionary power to cancel the passport, and further disciplinary action can be taken by the Government by withholding travel facilities if not already arranged,"

Secret cablegram, Immigration to High Commission, 16 November 1950
Threatening Australian citizens travelling overseas with passport cancellation
From National Archives of Australia

Anyone old enough to remember "Red Jessie" will know that an Australian passport is only as good as the government holding office allows it to be.

As good an explanation as any.........

…..for the state of political discourse in Australia this century.

Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche German philosopher (1844 - 1900)

Abbott the Unbelievable

Federal Nats MP for Cowper on the NSW North Coast and Deputy Manager of Opposition Business Luke Hartsuyker may have joined Malcolm Turnbull, Ian Macfarlane, Alby Schultz and John Forrest in a very public pollie sin bin for missing votes in the Parliament - in an email signed by Hon. Warren Entsch, Chief Opposition Whip, Patrick Secker, Nola Marino, Mark Coulton and Paul Neville and seemingly approved of by Tony Abbott.
But it's Opposition Leader Abbott the Unbelievable who comes out with egg on his face for repeatedly saying during radio interviews that the sin bin email which he approved "was not about any particular individual, it was about the principle that every one of the Coalition MPs has got to be there for every division."
At the same time studiously avoiding answering a direct question about his prior approval of this unusual email.

Parts of that email directly read into the Hansard record on 26th May 2011 by Labor's Anthony Albanese.
Last night we lost a division because the following five Coalition Members failed to support their colleagues:
Malcolm Turnbull (5 missed divisions)—margin 14.86%....
This behaviour is totally unacceptable and shows great disrespect to their colleagues and the Coalition as a whole.
As a result of the absence of these Members, the following Members missed an opportunity to raise issues important to their electorates....
It is an interesting point to note that all the Members who missed the division occupy safe seats, while, of the Members prevented from speaking in the adjournment debate three are first term Members and all occupy marginal or key seats.....
Members are elected to Parliament to represent their constituents. That includes being present when the Parliament divides on a question.

The Australian and Sheridan create a ranting LOL

This is what The Australian says in About Greg Sheridan……….

Greg Sheridan, The Australian's foreign editor, is the most influential foreign affairs analyst in Australian journalism.
After 25 years in the field, he is a veteran of international affairs who has interviewed leaders all over the Asia Pacific and America.

This is what Greg Sheridan writes in Fraser's unreliable memoirs rewrite history on 26 May 2011…….

Snapshot taken 26 May 2011

But even Henderson's splendid industry omits many of Fraser's howlers. Fraser claims the neo-conservatives wielded great influence in the Bush administration of the 90s. But George W. Bush was not even elected until November 2000.

Now 25 years in the field takes Sheridan the journalist back to around 1986. Surely that’s long enough for him to have formed a memory of the Forty-First U.S. President George H. W. Bush (term of office January 1989 - January 1993) who in 1991 sent 425,000 American troops into Kuwait as part of the multinational force taking part in Desert Storm, which resulted in the rout of Saddam Hussein’s military forces and their retreat back into Iraq.
Sheridan post-rant might even recall the that neo-conservatives existed prior to November 2000.

Karl 'The Terminator' Bitar finds another target

Not content with scuttling the future electoral chances of Federal and NSW Labor, Karl Bitar goes on to chance his hand with Crown Casino. Let the good bad ugly times roll!

ASX / MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 May 2011
CROWN APPOINTS MR KARL BITAR TO HEAD UP GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
MELBOURNE:

Crown Limited (ASX: CWN) today announced that Mr Karl Bitar has been appointed to head up Government Affairs at Crown Limited, subject to usual probity approvals.

Mr Bitar will be responsible for managing Crown’s relationship with the Federal Government across a broad range of issues including tourism, infrastructure development and responsible gaming.
The Chief Executive Officer of Crown Limited, Mr Rowen Craigie said, “All of us at Crown are looking forward to working with Mr Bitar.”

www.crownlimited.com

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