Category: Politics

The last rites were a long time coming but can now be pronounced with confidence. On Monday night, the TJ Ryan Foundation held a post-election function advertised as ‘Who Won and Why’. Even then, over a fortnight after polling day, no-one was absolutely sure, despite Antony Green’s cautious prediction on election night. Counting was painfully slow because of the expanded engagement of minor parties and there were unpredicted preference flows. It took 13 days before the Leader of the Opposition conceded defeat. (more…)

Looming in the New Year is debate over the Government’s anti-lobbying legislation, dressed up as a move against foreign influence. Fairfax journalist Peter Martin warns that if the Coalition gets its way, when the next election comes around charities would be prevented doing anything that may be seen as attempting to influence how people vote.  (The Murdoch media, although it is foreign-owned, and the Minerals Council would still be fee to influence how people vote, because they are not charities.) ABC political reporter Anna Henderson comments on the government’s appointment of former Keating-era Labor MP Gary Johns as the new charities commissioner, “a staunch critic of charities that conduct public advocacy work”.

Peter Martin also warns us not to get too excited about promises of income tax cuts. His basic message is that the Commonwealth budget cannot afford a significant tax cut. Wage rises forecast in recent budgets, which would have allowed for cuts to compensate for bracket creep, haven’t occurred.  Perhaps another reason for fiscal tightness is that many corporations are paying no tax, in data presented by the ABC’s Emily Clark.

German pilots are refusing to deport asylum seekers – the Independent

Amazon’s track record may signal a change in Australian industrial relations – TheConversation

Turnbull’s department head says Tony Abbott damaged the public service.

Government’s social security cuts seem all toughness and no love – Ross Gittins

Lesley Russell describes how commercialisation and the greater dominance of private providers has led to lower standards in aged care.

Ross Gittins writes about voters rejecting the fruits of neoliberalism, privatisation and many other economic reforms.

In a time of deep political, social and economic uncertainty for everyone (except the ultra-rich), Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin provide some theoretical and practical guidance for the left. This Truthout interview is an effort to help reimagine a realistic social order in an age when the old order is dying but the new has yet to be born.

The NSW Government has announced it will knock down and rebuild Allianz Stadium at Moore Park at a cost of $700 million and the Olympic Stadium at Homebush, only 17 years old, at a cost of $1.6 billion. However, there is little ‘business case’ evidence that new stadiums would make a material difference to attendances at football games, although Sports Minister, Stuart Ayres argues, “With better quality facilities, more people will come and attend matches.”   (more…)

Unsurprisingly, very few Australians have any interest in their Constitution. It was designed in the closing stages of the 19^th century by mostly older white men (no women were involved) for a “horse and buggy” era. It is an awfully dull document, originally an Act of the British parliament, intended to persuade a gaggle of recalcitrant colonies to come together into a federal compact. In contemporary Australia there is no serious educating of citizens about the extent of federal powers, the complexities of federal-state relations, whether the Constitution is truly protective of human rights, and just how adaptive it is to the challenges of the contemporary world. (more…)

There is plenty to criticise in the current state of Australian politics. It is important that expert commentators continue to point out the shortcomings of the system and the poor quality of those attracted to politics. There are however, occasional reasons for optimism and the inaugural speech of the new Greens Senator for Western Australia is certainly one worth noting. (more…)

This is the first of three articles considering transport infrastructure spending levels, shortcomings in transport governance and strategy and the potential for doing better. (more…)

What do leaking spooks, a dashed Dastyari and a dubious donor say about our most important trade partner? (more…)

The National Party receives about 7 % of the vote nation-wide in general elections. This is less than the Greens. Meanwhile over-all support for the Nationals is trending downwards. As a minority rump within the Coalition they nonetheless wield power that is way out of proportion to their representation in parliament. Coalition politics it seems is in thrall to the populist right. (more…)

This is an update on Sydney’s infrastructure puff piece saga. Previous articles in Pearls and Irritations pointed out that the NSW Government led by the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP does not understand infrastructure.  The draft 40-year plans for transport and for the Sydney region are a mess, involve kindergarten errors and contradict each other.  It now looks like the wheels are falling off.  The Commonwealth must step in if only for its own sake.  (more…)

When the New South Wales Nationals leader John Barilaro called for Malcolm Turnbull’s resignation last week, it was simple for Turnbull’s federal allies to dismiss it as just another distraction – just another frustrated voice howling into the empty air.   (more…)

Australian shareholders should be told of climate risk to profits, says think tank

Triple J did the right thing: we need a new Australia Day – Henry Reynolds in The Conversation

Banks warned of ‘regulatory action’ as climate change bites global economy – the Guardian

Why South Australia must, and will, lead world on renewables – RenewEconomy

Stephen Hawkings promotes smart drugs – Jon Stewart in Forbes magazine 

Behrouz Boochani exposed Australia’s evil on Manus. The shame will outlive us all | Richard Flanagan – the Guardian.

“The cost of living is soaring: look at electricity prices for example.”  That’s a common belief, held by many people struggling to make ends meet, but Ross Gittins reminds us that the source of the struggle is low wage growth, not inflation (The real reason you’re feeling the pinch, Fairfax press 20 Nov).  Low wage growth and low inflation are both attributable, in large part, to intense competition and technological change.

Marrying across Australia’s Catholic-Protestant divide in the old days – the Conversation

South Australia’s Royal Commission into water theft may be just the tip of iceberg for the Murray Darling Basin – Jamie Pittock in the Conversation.

Privatisation and corporatisation of government services such as Australia Post have reduced the power and influence of the Parliament and made it less relevant to our daily lives. Parliamentary reform is important but needs to be seen as part of a bigger picture – much bigger. (more…)

 As Terry Moran has recently pointed out, our system of public administration is in serious trouble.  The last fundamental look at Australian federal public administration was some forty years ago – the Coombs Royal Commission.  We urgently need a successor to Coombs’ forensic and thoughtful approach, but this time addressing the necessary reforms of all levels of government. (more…)