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Talking Politics
- Thread starter Legends of 2017
- Start date
KnightersRevenge said:
be interesting to see how Abbott responds to SPC's response to his blaming the unions.
either SPC lied with their response which should be pretty easy to prove or Abbott was wrong.
my guess is he tried to ignore and hope his (oft-deployed) tactic of throwing mud works.
So Abbott's going to raise the beer tax?
Sneaky prick didn't take that one to the election but guess he has to pay for removing the price on carbon somehow...
Sneaky prick didn't take that one to the election but guess he has to pay for removing the price on carbon somehow...
Brodders17 said:
I am amazed at the tactic the PM and Abetz are using. Have we ever seen individual clauses of an employment agreement discussed in detail on a national TV and radio? Surely Mr I-can-expense-my-triathlon and his friends we-can-expense-weddings and I-can-expense-going-to-the-footy aren't proposing we look in depth at the perks of high office? Will he be looking at the executive bathroom at News Ltd or 2GB to make sure no one has "extraordinary" conditions?
I'm surprised by Abbotts relentless extremism. Either I'm completely out of step, or its as if he's doing his best to alienate a lot of moderate people. He's quite different to Howard in words, if not deeds.
This demonising of the SPC line workers for all the companies woes is amazing. Everyone knows wider market factors are to blame. Totally unnecessary to his wider goal, he didn't have to say anything about worker entitlements, accurate or not. Are there so few workers left in this country that he feels safe doing this? I find it strange.
This demonising of the SPC line workers for all the companies woes is amazing. Everyone knows wider market factors are to blame. Totally unnecessary to his wider goal, he didn't have to say anything about worker entitlements, accurate or not. Are there so few workers left in this country that he feels safe doing this? I find it strange.
The first mistake Abboat and Hockey made in this was thinking they know something about running a business.tigersnake said:
Brodders17 said:
yeah for sure, but I think he's picked the wrong target here. Worker negotiations, which have included giving up a lot of entitlements, to keep SPC Ardmona running have been pretty well publicised over the last few years, at least I thought so.
Either he's done his research and decided there are more votes in demonising some factory workers than there are in helping them out, ie knows much more than I do, or he's prepared to put his ideological battles before votes and people. I'm confusing myself now, what I'm trying to say, we know he's ideologically driven, but I didn't know he would be so dumb, callous and inflexible about it. The Cadbury factor is the killer.
Posted this in the economics thread but it probably belongs here:
Quote from: KnightersRevenge on Yesterday at 09:32:05 PM
Very interesting listening to the local member a Vic LNP giving both barrels to the PM for attempting to paint [SPC Ardmona] as an industrial relations issue when none of parties involved have suggested this. She lay it at the feet of Coles and Woolies for dumping poor quality imported produce in the market unchecked by government. Great to hear an LNP member not singing from the hymn sheet.
Hawk, no Keating, no Hawke no.??whatever opened the economy to competition, reducing tariffs, floating the exchange rate. PK was and is the biggest ego ever to be PM
Howard deregulated the labour force before Gillard reregulated and red taped it shut.
Abbott simply can't "open Australia for business" because the (foreign) competition is too cheap and smart and we are too expensive and inflexible to compete with products made in markets where labour costs are more a determinant to demand, compared to quality or fashion.
Quote from: KnightersRevenge on Yesterday at 09:32:05 PM
Very interesting listening to the local member a Vic LNP giving both barrels to the PM for attempting to paint [SPC Ardmona] as an industrial relations issue when none of parties involved have suggested this. She lay it at the feet of Coles and Woolies for dumping poor quality imported produce in the market unchecked by government. Great to hear an LNP member not singing from the hymn sheet.
Hawk, no Keating, no Hawke no.??whatever opened the economy to competition, reducing tariffs, floating the exchange rate. PK was and is the biggest ego ever to be PM
Howard deregulated the labour force before Gillard reregulated and red taped it shut.
Abbott simply can't "open Australia for business" because the (foreign) competition is too cheap and smart and we are too expensive and inflexible to compete with products made in markets where labour costs are more a determinant to demand, compared to quality or fashion.
[EDIT]
Letting the anti-competitive behaviour of Coles and Woolies off pretty lightly their BB. And being a little kind to Howard whose GST added the BAS which ADDED red tape for small business. The extension of your argument is that we should build a bridge to Hong Kong with a very fast train on it and stop producing anything. It is not feasible for Australian farmers to compete directly with the countries that these companies are now doing business with. The solution is..bugger 'em if they can't compete? Keating's reforms had many positive effects and increased competition is welcome but what the big supermarket chains are doing is squeezing out Australia's primary producers and installing their own branded merchandise of sometimes dubious origin and quality.
More's the point almost none of what the PM and Abetz have had to say on the issue comes close to what the real situation is at SPC. This is not an industrial relations issue but when all you have is hammer all problems look like nails. And the PM's got his hammer out...
billyb#40 said:
Letting the anti-competitive behaviour of Coles and Woolies off pretty lightly their BB. And being a little kind to Howard whose GST added the BAS which ADDED red tape for small business. The extension of your argument is that we should build a bridge to Hong Kong with a very fast train on it and stop producing anything. It is not feasible for Australian farmers to compete directly with the countries that these companies are now doing business with. The solution is..bugger 'em if they can't compete? Keating's reforms had many positive effects and increased competition is welcome but what the big supermarket chains are doing is squeezing out Australia's primary producers and installing their own branded merchandise of sometimes dubious origin and quality.
More's the point almost none of what the PM and Abetz have had to say on the issue comes close to what the real situation is at SPC. This is not an industrial relations issue but when all you have is hammer all problems look like nails. And the PM's got his hammer out...
Baloo said:
Now why did you have bring Israeli occupation of the West bank into it? Tut tut tut.
http://www.independent.ie/incoming/sodastream-boss-were-being-demonised-after-scarlett-johansson-controversy-29972566.html
From the article: "First, Scarlett Johansson, SodaStream's global ambassador and star of the controversial ad, came under fire for supporting the company, which operates in the occupied West Bank, from Oxfam International, which opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, arguing that it is illegal and denies Palestinian rights."
tigersnake said:
I just dont get it. About 20 years ago, SPC workers took a big pay cut to keep the joint open. When they hit good times, management gave them their pay back and then some. Pretty sure this was done Abbott style. Sin Unions. Worker talks to Boss and, in this case, didnt get sodomised, fiscally speaking. I thought Abbott would have a framed SPC logo on his office wall.
I dont get alot of things about Abbott. My hunch is, the trinity of him, hockey and pyne just dont have that much horsepower in their heads. Cunning, but lacking in real cognitive power. Howard was cunning and bright. These 3 reached their level of competance in the campus liberals club in first year and have been bluffing ever since. Their cabinet meetings now have all the policy complexity of a crib hut at smoko on a central queensland coal mine.
Thats my hunch anyways
Ahhh... gotta love a bit of argy bargy in our 'highest institution'! And coming from the Bass Coast, good riddance Smith!
Also love the the Libs have cracked the shites because they did their 'deal with the devil' (Shaw) who has now decided he prefers the praise he gets from Labor. This, of course, makes them (Shaw and Labor) all lying, cheating, conniving scum. A big room full of hypocrites, I can almost smell it in the air...
Victorian Parliamentary Speaker Ken Smith resigns
Balance-of-power MP Geoff Shaw has fired another shot at the government, voting against its business program and plunging the parliament back into disarray.
The vote means the government cannot guarantee the passage of any bills through the parliament this week.
Mr Shaw's vote against the program came less than two hours after the new Speaker, Liberal MP Christine Fyffe, presided over her first question time.
Ms Fyffe was elected unopposed as speaker. She had been Mr Smith’s deputy and Labor had previously said she would be a good speaker.
Ms Fyffe’s first question time was largely uneventful although she was tested once when Labor demanded the Premier withdraw comments that suggest the ALP accept corrupt money.
Earlier, Mr Smith ended months of instability in the parliament by announcing his resignation for the good of the parliament.
In a scathing resignation speech, Mr Smith said independent MP Geoff Shaw was not worthy of being in a politician and accused him of colluding with Labor to bring him down from the chair.
“I will not be held to ransom to comply with his [Mr Shaw’s] demands, and I suggest to the house I have no confidence in the member for Frankston and actually I believe that he is unworthy of being a member of parliament,’’ Mr Smith said.
Geoff Shaw said he was "disgusted" that Mr Smith had made such "undignified" comments .
"I am disgusted that in the highest office in parliament you can stand up and make those statements, so undignified, attacking members of parliament."
"He went out with no dignity."
Mr Smith’s decision ends months of instability in parliament, which included several suspensions of parliament.
The cloud over Mr Smith gathered last year when balance of power independent Geoff Shaw declared a lack of confidence in Mr Smith’s ability to control the Parliament.
Labor, already accusing Mr Smith of bias, seized on Mr Shaw’s position to challenge the Speaker’s authority leading to a deadlock.
Mr Smith said Mr Shaw turned against him after he refused to yield to the independent MP’s demands.
"I believe the member changed his mind about my role as speaker after I declined a number of outrageous demands that were made from him to me," he said.
"Demands that went against policy and regulations, which I would not give into."
Mr Smith said it was common knowledge that Labor had been colluding with Mr Shaw to pressure Mr Smith to step down and bring down the government.
“The unacceptable and unparliamentary behaviour of the leader of the opposition shows poor leadership, or typical union tactics in his willingness to collaborate with the member for Frankston who, up until recently, he saw fit to call a rorter and saw he was corrupt,’’ Mr Smith said.
He said Mr Andrews' decision to refer Mr Shaw to the police showed how low some people in politics could stoop.
“The public, of course, will judge for themselves for what is right and wrong.’’
Mr Smith will remain the member of Bass.
Mr Shaw had a stern expression on his face at the start of Mr Smith’s attack on him, but this evolved into a smile as the Speaker ended his extraordinary statement.
The Frankston MP shook his head at one stage, and also looked at his phone.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victorian-parliamentary-speaker-ken-smith-resigns-20140204-31yjh.html#ixzz2sOeGWRnv
Also love the the Libs have cracked the shites because they did their 'deal with the devil' (Shaw) who has now decided he prefers the praise he gets from Labor. This, of course, makes them (Shaw and Labor) all lying, cheating, conniving scum. A big room full of hypocrites, I can almost smell it in the air...
Victorian Parliamentary Speaker Ken Smith resigns
Balance-of-power MP Geoff Shaw has fired another shot at the government, voting against its business program and plunging the parliament back into disarray.
The vote means the government cannot guarantee the passage of any bills through the parliament this week.
Mr Shaw's vote against the program came less than two hours after the new Speaker, Liberal MP Christine Fyffe, presided over her first question time.
Ms Fyffe was elected unopposed as speaker. She had been Mr Smith’s deputy and Labor had previously said she would be a good speaker.
Ms Fyffe’s first question time was largely uneventful although she was tested once when Labor demanded the Premier withdraw comments that suggest the ALP accept corrupt money.
Earlier, Mr Smith ended months of instability in the parliament by announcing his resignation for the good of the parliament.
In a scathing resignation speech, Mr Smith said independent MP Geoff Shaw was not worthy of being in a politician and accused him of colluding with Labor to bring him down from the chair.
“I will not be held to ransom to comply with his [Mr Shaw’s] demands, and I suggest to the house I have no confidence in the member for Frankston and actually I believe that he is unworthy of being a member of parliament,’’ Mr Smith said.
Geoff Shaw said he was "disgusted" that Mr Smith had made such "undignified" comments .
"I am disgusted that in the highest office in parliament you can stand up and make those statements, so undignified, attacking members of parliament."
"He went out with no dignity."
Mr Smith’s decision ends months of instability in parliament, which included several suspensions of parliament.
The cloud over Mr Smith gathered last year when balance of power independent Geoff Shaw declared a lack of confidence in Mr Smith’s ability to control the Parliament.
Labor, already accusing Mr Smith of bias, seized on Mr Shaw’s position to challenge the Speaker’s authority leading to a deadlock.
Mr Smith said Mr Shaw turned against him after he refused to yield to the independent MP’s demands.
"I believe the member changed his mind about my role as speaker after I declined a number of outrageous demands that were made from him to me," he said.
"Demands that went against policy and regulations, which I would not give into."
Mr Smith said it was common knowledge that Labor had been colluding with Mr Shaw to pressure Mr Smith to step down and bring down the government.
“The unacceptable and unparliamentary behaviour of the leader of the opposition shows poor leadership, or typical union tactics in his willingness to collaborate with the member for Frankston who, up until recently, he saw fit to call a rorter and saw he was corrupt,’’ Mr Smith said.
He said Mr Andrews' decision to refer Mr Shaw to the police showed how low some people in politics could stoop.
“The public, of course, will judge for themselves for what is right and wrong.’’
Mr Smith will remain the member of Bass.
Mr Shaw had a stern expression on his face at the start of Mr Smith’s attack on him, but this evolved into a smile as the Speaker ended his extraordinary statement.
The Frankston MP shook his head at one stage, and also looked at his phone.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victorian-parliamentary-speaker-ken-smith-resigns-20140204-31yjh.html#ixzz2sOeGWRnv
Tracking Tony Abbott’s trail of wreckage
74. Fails to contradict or take any action against a member of his government, Senator Cory Bernardi, who makes divisive statements about: abortion, “non-traditional" families and their children, same sex couples, couples who use IVF and calls for parts of WorkChoices to be reintroduced — 6 January 2014.
73. Devastates Australia’s contribution to overseas aid by cutting $4.5 billion from the budget, causing vital programs supporting those in extreme poverty in our region to collapse — 1 January 2014.
72. Drastically reduces tax breaks for small business and fails to publicise the move — 1 January 2014.
71. Refuses to support jobs at SPC at the cost of hundreds of jobs — 27 December 2013.
70. Appoints Tim Wilson, a Liberal Party member and policy director of right-wing “think tank” the Institute of Public Affairs to the position of commissioner at the Human Rights Commission, even though the IPA had been arguing for the Commission to be abolished — 23 December 2013.
69. Approves private health fund premium increases of an average 6.2 per cent a year — 23 December 2013.
68. Fails to provide the promised customs vessel to monitor whaling operations in the Southern Ocean — 23 December 2013.
67. Requests the delisting of World Heritage status for Tasmanian forests — 21 December 2013.
66. Scraps the Home Energy Saver Scheme which helps struggling low income households cut their electricity bills — 17 December 2013.
65. Defunds the Public Interest Advocacy Centre whose objectives are to work for a fair, just and democratic society by taking up legal cases public interest issues — 17 December 2013.
64. Defunds the Environmental Defenders Office, which is a network of community legal centres providing free advice on environmental law — 17 December 2013.
63. Axes funding for animal welfare — 17 December 2013.
62. Abolishes the AusAID graduate program costing 38 jobs — 17 December 2013.
61. Cuts Indigenous legal services by $13.4 million. This includes $3.5 million from front line domestic violence support services, defunding the National legal service and abolishing all policy and law reform positions across the country — 17 December 2013.
60. Abolishes the position of co-ordinator-general for remote indigenous services — 17 December 2013.
59. Changes name of NDIS “launch sites” to “trial sites” and flags cuts to funding — 17 December 2013.
58. Abolishes the National Office for Live Music along with the live music ambassadors — 17 December 2013.
57. Weakened the ministerial code of conduct to let ministers keep shares in companies — 16 December 2013.
56. Disbands the independent Immigration Health Advisory Group for asylum seekers — 16 December 2013.
55. Starts dismantling Australia’s world leading marine protection system — 13 December 2013.
54. Scraps the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water — 13 December 2013.
53. Breaks its NBN election promise of giving all Australians access to 25 megabits per second download speeds by 2016 — 12 December 2013.
52. Overturns the “critically endangered” listing of the Murray Darling Basin — 11 December 2013.
51. Dares Holden to leave Australia, leading to Holden announcing closure of Australian manufacturing operations, which will cost Australian workers 50,000 jobs — 11 December 2013.
50. Approves Clive Palmer’s mega coal mine in the Galilee Basin, which opponents say will severely damage the Great Barrier Reef — 11 December 2013.
49. Demands that the few childcare workers who got pay rises “hand them back” — 10 December 2013.
48. Approves the largest coal port in the world in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area — 10 December 2013.
47. Removes the community’s right to challenge decisions where the government has ignored expert advice on threatened species impacts — 9 December 2013.
46. Downgrades national environment laws by giving approval powers to state premiers — 9 December 2013.
45. Undermines Australia’s democracy by signing a free trade agreement with South Korea allowing corporations to sue the Australian Government — 6 December 2013.
44. Damages our diplomatic relationship with our nearest neighbour East Timor — 5 December 2013.
43. Repeals the pokie reform legislation achieved in the last parliament to combat problem gambling — 4 December 2013.
42. Suspends the Wage Connect program, despite it being proven to deliver good outcomes for unemployed people — 3 December 2013.
41. Axes funding to the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia, forcing the 46 year old organisation to close — 27 November 2013.
40. Back-flips twice on the ‘Gonski’ education reforms, reversing a commitment to a ‘unity ticket’ and failing to deliver equitable education funding — 25 November 2013.
39. Shifts Australia’s position at the UN on Israeli settlements — 25 November 2013.
38. Damages our diplomatic relationship with the Indonesian Government by refusing to apologise for tapping the phones of their President, his wife and senior Government officials — 23 November 2013.
37. Converts crucial Start-Up Scholarships into loans, increasing the debt of 80,000 higher education students by $1.2 billion — 21 November 2013.
36. Gifts two navy patrol boats to the Sri Lankan government to stop asylum seekers fleeing the Sri Lankan government — 17 November 2013.
35. Introduces a Bill to impose on workers who are elected onto unpaid union committees huge financial penalties and jail terms for breaches of new compliance obligations — 14 November 2013
34. Expressly condones torture by foreign governments by saying “sometimes in difficult circumstances, difficult things happen” — 14 November 2013.
33. Hides information from the Parliament and the people about the government’s treatment of asylum seekers — 13 November 2013.
32. Separates a refugee mother from her newborn baby — 10 November 2013.
31. Cuts 600 jobs at the CSIRO — 8 November 2013.
30. Abolishes Insurance Reform Advisory Group, which provided a forum for industry and consumer bodies to discuss insurance industry reform — 8 November 2013.
29. Abolishes the Maritime Workforce Development Forum, which was an industry body working to build a sustainable skills base for the maritime industry — 8 November 2013.
28. Abolishes the High Speed Rail Advisory Group, whose job it was to advise Governments on the next steps on implementing high speed rail for eastern Australia — 8 November 2013.
27. Abolishes the Advisory Panel on the Marketing in Australia of Infant Formula, which for 21 years monitored compliance of industry to agreements on marketing infant formula — 8 November 2013.
26. Abolishes the Antarctic Animal Ethics Committee, who ensured research on animals in the Antarctic complies with Australian standards — 8 November 2013.
25. Abolished the National Steering Committee on Corporate Wrongdoing, that for 21 years worked to make sure the law was effectively enforced on corporate criminals — 8 November 2013.
24. Abolishes the National Inter-country Adoption Advisory Council, which provided expert advice on overseas adoption — 8 November 2013.
23. Abolishes International Legal Services Advisory Council, which was responsible for working to improve the international performance of Australia’s legal services — 8 November 2013.
22. Abolishes the Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council, a group of experts in gun crime and firearms which was set up after the Port Arthur massacre — 8 November 2013.
21. Abolishes Australian Animals Welfare Advisory Committee, a diverse group of experts advising the Agriculture Minister on animal welfare issues — 8 November 2013.
20. Abolishes the National Housing Supply Council, which provided data and expert advice on housing demand, supply and affordability — 8 November 2013.
(Image by David Olive via sallymcmanus.net)
19. Abolishes the Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing, established to help address the challenges the country faces as the number of older Australians grows — 8 November 2013.
18. Refuses to offer support to manufacturing in Tasmania, despite requests and warnings. Caterpillar announces the move of 200 jobs from Burnie to Thailand, costing about 1,000 local jobs — 5 November 2013.
17. Provides $2.2 million legal aid for farmers and miners to fight native title claims — 1 November 2013.
16. Abolishes the 40 year old AusAID costing hundreds of jobs — 1 November 2013.
15. Launches a successful High Court challenge, which strikes down the ACT Marriage Equality laws, invalidating the marriages of many people and ensuring discrimination against same-sex couples continues — 23 October 2013.
14. Denies there is a link between climate change and more severe bush fires and accuses a senior UN official was “talking through their hat” — 23 October 2013.
13. Appoints the head of the Business Council of Australia to a “Commission of Audit” to recommend cuts to public spending — 22 October 2013.
12. Instructs public servants and detention centre staff to call asylum seekers “illegals” — 20 October 2013.
11. Appoints Howard era Australian Building & Construction Commission (ABCC) Director to help reinstate the ABCC with all its previous oppressive powers over construction workers — 17 October 2013.
10. Axes the Major Cities Unit, a Government agency with 10 staff set-up to provide expert advice on urban issues in our 18 biggest cities — 24 September 2013.
9. Fails to “stop the boats”. Hides the boats instead — 23 September 2013.
8. Scraps the Social Inclusion Board, which had been established to guide policy on the reduction of poverty in Australia — 19 September 2013.
7. Abolishes the Climate Commission — 19 September 2013.
6. Appoints himself Minister for Women — 16 September 2013.
5. Appoints only one woman to his cabinet and blames the women for the decision, saying he appoints “on merit” — 16 September 2013.
4. Abolishes key ministerial positions of climate change and science — 16 September 2013.
3. Breaks his promise to spend his first week with an Aboriginal community — 14 September 2013.
2. Takes away pay rises for childcare workers — 13 September 2013.
1. Takes away pay rises from aged care workers — 13 September 2013.
The Broken Promise Count
Does not spend his first week as Prime Minister with an Aboriginal community — 14 September 2013. This promise was made in front of indigenous elders and participants at the Garma Festival on 10 August 2013:
Sally McManus - Independent Australia
74. Fails to contradict or take any action against a member of his government, Senator Cory Bernardi, who makes divisive statements about: abortion, “non-traditional" families and their children, same sex couples, couples who use IVF and calls for parts of WorkChoices to be reintroduced — 6 January 2014.
73. Devastates Australia’s contribution to overseas aid by cutting $4.5 billion from the budget, causing vital programs supporting those in extreme poverty in our region to collapse — 1 January 2014.
72. Drastically reduces tax breaks for small business and fails to publicise the move — 1 January 2014.
71. Refuses to support jobs at SPC at the cost of hundreds of jobs — 27 December 2013.
70. Appoints Tim Wilson, a Liberal Party member and policy director of right-wing “think tank” the Institute of Public Affairs to the position of commissioner at the Human Rights Commission, even though the IPA had been arguing for the Commission to be abolished — 23 December 2013.
69. Approves private health fund premium increases of an average 6.2 per cent a year — 23 December 2013.
68. Fails to provide the promised customs vessel to monitor whaling operations in the Southern Ocean — 23 December 2013.
67. Requests the delisting of World Heritage status for Tasmanian forests — 21 December 2013.
66. Scraps the Home Energy Saver Scheme which helps struggling low income households cut their electricity bills — 17 December 2013.
65. Defunds the Public Interest Advocacy Centre whose objectives are to work for a fair, just and democratic society by taking up legal cases public interest issues — 17 December 2013.
64. Defunds the Environmental Defenders Office, which is a network of community legal centres providing free advice on environmental law — 17 December 2013.
63. Axes funding for animal welfare — 17 December 2013.
62. Abolishes the AusAID graduate program costing 38 jobs — 17 December 2013.
61. Cuts Indigenous legal services by $13.4 million. This includes $3.5 million from front line domestic violence support services, defunding the National legal service and abolishing all policy and law reform positions across the country — 17 December 2013.
60. Abolishes the position of co-ordinator-general for remote indigenous services — 17 December 2013.
59. Changes name of NDIS “launch sites” to “trial sites” and flags cuts to funding — 17 December 2013.
58. Abolishes the National Office for Live Music along with the live music ambassadors — 17 December 2013.
57. Weakened the ministerial code of conduct to let ministers keep shares in companies — 16 December 2013.
56. Disbands the independent Immigration Health Advisory Group for asylum seekers — 16 December 2013.
55. Starts dismantling Australia’s world leading marine protection system — 13 December 2013.
54. Scraps the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water — 13 December 2013.
53. Breaks its NBN election promise of giving all Australians access to 25 megabits per second download speeds by 2016 — 12 December 2013.
52. Overturns the “critically endangered” listing of the Murray Darling Basin — 11 December 2013.
51. Dares Holden to leave Australia, leading to Holden announcing closure of Australian manufacturing operations, which will cost Australian workers 50,000 jobs — 11 December 2013.
50. Approves Clive Palmer’s mega coal mine in the Galilee Basin, which opponents say will severely damage the Great Barrier Reef — 11 December 2013.
49. Demands that the few childcare workers who got pay rises “hand them back” — 10 December 2013.
48. Approves the largest coal port in the world in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area — 10 December 2013.
47. Removes the community’s right to challenge decisions where the government has ignored expert advice on threatened species impacts — 9 December 2013.
46. Downgrades national environment laws by giving approval powers to state premiers — 9 December 2013.
45. Undermines Australia’s democracy by signing a free trade agreement with South Korea allowing corporations to sue the Australian Government — 6 December 2013.
44. Damages our diplomatic relationship with our nearest neighbour East Timor — 5 December 2013.
43. Repeals the pokie reform legislation achieved in the last parliament to combat problem gambling — 4 December 2013.
42. Suspends the Wage Connect program, despite it being proven to deliver good outcomes for unemployed people — 3 December 2013.
41. Axes funding to the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia, forcing the 46 year old organisation to close — 27 November 2013.
40. Back-flips twice on the ‘Gonski’ education reforms, reversing a commitment to a ‘unity ticket’ and failing to deliver equitable education funding — 25 November 2013.
39. Shifts Australia’s position at the UN on Israeli settlements — 25 November 2013.
38. Damages our diplomatic relationship with the Indonesian Government by refusing to apologise for tapping the phones of their President, his wife and senior Government officials — 23 November 2013.
37. Converts crucial Start-Up Scholarships into loans, increasing the debt of 80,000 higher education students by $1.2 billion — 21 November 2013.
36. Gifts two navy patrol boats to the Sri Lankan government to stop asylum seekers fleeing the Sri Lankan government — 17 November 2013.
35. Introduces a Bill to impose on workers who are elected onto unpaid union committees huge financial penalties and jail terms for breaches of new compliance obligations — 14 November 2013
34. Expressly condones torture by foreign governments by saying “sometimes in difficult circumstances, difficult things happen” — 14 November 2013.
33. Hides information from the Parliament and the people about the government’s treatment of asylum seekers — 13 November 2013.
32. Separates a refugee mother from her newborn baby — 10 November 2013.
31. Cuts 600 jobs at the CSIRO — 8 November 2013.
30. Abolishes Insurance Reform Advisory Group, which provided a forum for industry and consumer bodies to discuss insurance industry reform — 8 November 2013.
29. Abolishes the Maritime Workforce Development Forum, which was an industry body working to build a sustainable skills base for the maritime industry — 8 November 2013.
28. Abolishes the High Speed Rail Advisory Group, whose job it was to advise Governments on the next steps on implementing high speed rail for eastern Australia — 8 November 2013.
27. Abolishes the Advisory Panel on the Marketing in Australia of Infant Formula, which for 21 years monitored compliance of industry to agreements on marketing infant formula — 8 November 2013.
26. Abolishes the Antarctic Animal Ethics Committee, who ensured research on animals in the Antarctic complies with Australian standards — 8 November 2013.
25. Abolished the National Steering Committee on Corporate Wrongdoing, that for 21 years worked to make sure the law was effectively enforced on corporate criminals — 8 November 2013.
24. Abolishes the National Inter-country Adoption Advisory Council, which provided expert advice on overseas adoption — 8 November 2013.
23. Abolishes International Legal Services Advisory Council, which was responsible for working to improve the international performance of Australia’s legal services — 8 November 2013.
22. Abolishes the Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council, a group of experts in gun crime and firearms which was set up after the Port Arthur massacre — 8 November 2013.
21. Abolishes Australian Animals Welfare Advisory Committee, a diverse group of experts advising the Agriculture Minister on animal welfare issues — 8 November 2013.
20. Abolishes the National Housing Supply Council, which provided data and expert advice on housing demand, supply and affordability — 8 November 2013.
(Image by David Olive via sallymcmanus.net)
19. Abolishes the Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing, established to help address the challenges the country faces as the number of older Australians grows — 8 November 2013.
18. Refuses to offer support to manufacturing in Tasmania, despite requests and warnings. Caterpillar announces the move of 200 jobs from Burnie to Thailand, costing about 1,000 local jobs — 5 November 2013.
17. Provides $2.2 million legal aid for farmers and miners to fight native title claims — 1 November 2013.
16. Abolishes the 40 year old AusAID costing hundreds of jobs — 1 November 2013.
15. Launches a successful High Court challenge, which strikes down the ACT Marriage Equality laws, invalidating the marriages of many people and ensuring discrimination against same-sex couples continues — 23 October 2013.
14. Denies there is a link between climate change and more severe bush fires and accuses a senior UN official was “talking through their hat” — 23 October 2013.
13. Appoints the head of the Business Council of Australia to a “Commission of Audit” to recommend cuts to public spending — 22 October 2013.
12. Instructs public servants and detention centre staff to call asylum seekers “illegals” — 20 October 2013.
11. Appoints Howard era Australian Building & Construction Commission (ABCC) Director to help reinstate the ABCC with all its previous oppressive powers over construction workers — 17 October 2013.
10. Axes the Major Cities Unit, a Government agency with 10 staff set-up to provide expert advice on urban issues in our 18 biggest cities — 24 September 2013.
9. Fails to “stop the boats”. Hides the boats instead — 23 September 2013.
8. Scraps the Social Inclusion Board, which had been established to guide policy on the reduction of poverty in Australia — 19 September 2013.
7. Abolishes the Climate Commission — 19 September 2013.
6. Appoints himself Minister for Women — 16 September 2013.
5. Appoints only one woman to his cabinet and blames the women for the decision, saying he appoints “on merit” — 16 September 2013.
4. Abolishes key ministerial positions of climate change and science — 16 September 2013.
3. Breaks his promise to spend his first week with an Aboriginal community — 14 September 2013.
2. Takes away pay rises for childcare workers — 13 September 2013.
1. Takes away pay rises from aged care workers — 13 September 2013.
The Broken Promise Count
Does not spend his first week as Prime Minister with an Aboriginal community — 14 September 2013. This promise was made in front of indigenous elders and participants at the Garma Festival on 10 August 2013:
Sally McManus - Independent Australia