Murdoch's minions at play with their coloured pencils

What’s wrong with this graph?

Total business investment. Source: TheAustralian

In an effort to convince voters that the economy is going downhill fast, The Australian online on 28 February 2014 has decided that it knows the future beyond a shadow of a doubt all the way through to the end of the 2014-15 financial year.

Marrying past nominal expenditure percentage change with projected estimates without explanation in the graph legend.

Using a red pencil to mark in future bars is no substitute.

As this graph will live on in Google searches, the newspaper gets zero marks for its efforts to add colour to Australian Bureau of Statistics new capital expenditure data.

'Superman' Abbott and his international affairs 'skills'

On 2 March 2012 leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission release a statement:

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

March 02, 2014

G-7 Leaders Statement

We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission, join together today to condemn the Russian Federation’s clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in contravention of Russia’s obligations under the UN Charter and its 1997 basing agreement with Ukraine.  We call on Russia to address any ongoing security or human rights concerns that it has with Ukraine through direct negotiations, and/or via international observation or mediation under the auspices of the UN or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.  We stand ready to assist with these efforts.

We also call on all parties concerned to behave with the greatest extent of self-restraint and responsibility, and to decrease the tensions.

We note that Russia’s actions in Ukraine also contravene the principles and values on which the G-7 and the G-8 operate.  As such, we have decided for the time being to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G-8 Summit in Sochi in June, until the environment comes back where the G-8 is able to have meaningful discussion.

We are united in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its right to choose its own future.  We commit ourselves to support Ukraine in its efforts to restore unity, stability, and political and economic health to the country.  To that end, we will support Ukraine’s work with the International Monetary Fund to negotiate a new program and to implement needed reforms.  IMF support will be critical in unlocking additional assistance from the World Bank, other international financial institutions, the EU, and bilateral sources.

Australian Prime Minister Abbott has still not issued a formal statement. Instead on 3 March 2014 the Russian Ambassador was summoned to a meeting with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary.  

Background

Andrew Bolt having a friendly chat with 'Superman' about the Ukraine situation on 2 March 2014

Australian Politics 101: a plague on both their houses

The Liberal Party- National Party coalition is apparently very busy these days dismantling government transparency, equity and access.

Here is yet another example of how this is apparently being done.....

The Sydney Morning Herald 27 February 2014:

A senior NSW judge has warned there are ''worrying signs'' the Abbott government is winding back measures to promote greater gender diversity on the bench and called for vigilance to ensure hard-won advancements for female lawyers are not lost.

Ruth McColl, who has served on the Court of Appeal for more than a decade, said changes introduced by the former Labor government to improve the transparency of the appointment process for federal judges appeared to have been scrapped by the Coalition.

''The aim of the process was to ensure the evolution of the federal judiciary into one that better reflected the diversity of the Australian community,'' Justice McColl said in a speech in Sydney on Thursday night.

''That position has now changed. According to the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department website as at 22 February, 2014: 'There are no current judicial appointment processes' for any of the federal courts. Read what you like into that rather Delphic statement.'...

Local government déjà vu

In December 2013 Clarence Valley Council was before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission in a matter of an unfair dismissal application. General Manager Scott Greensill attended the court on the day.

This matter bore a passing resemblance to another matter reported three years earlier and still in newspaper archives:

Council caught in deep end Author: By JOANNE McCARTHY Date: 19/11/2010 Words: 233 Source: NCH         Publication: Newcastle Herald Section: News Page: 13

SINGLETON Council is in hot water over its handling of complaints and staff suspensions at the Singleton Swim and Gym. A woman has lodged a complaint with the NSW Ombudsman's office after Singleton Council general manager Scott Greensill warned she would be suspended from the council-owned facility if she continued to question the council's investigation of harassment and intimidation allegations by some staff. The woman complained to the Ombudsman alleging she was adversely named in the investigation, but not interviewed, and her original complaint to the council about alleged intimidation of her daughter was not investigated. "For any government body to adequately investigate a matter, surely at some stage in the process the victim or alleged victim would be contacted," the woman wrote. The woman expressed concern at the outcome of the investigation, with one suspended staff member reinstated, and another dismissed. In her letter to the Ombudsman the woman supported the dismissed employee who had initiated unfair dismissal action against the council. The woman was distressed on receiving a letter from Mr Greensill on November 5 saying she risked suspension from the facility if she continued to complain to the council. "The operational matters you refer to are solely matters for the general manager of this council and no further comment will be made," Mr Greensill said in his letter to the woman. The council did not respond to a request for comment.