One might well ask Why Albo why?
For some scandalous unexplained reason Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, after he announced the inquiry (31-7-23), allowed Peter Dutton to have a secret meeting with AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw and the AFP now changed their evidence. It is my understanding that Opposition Leaders cannot meet with the head of any public service department unless approved by the Government which raises the question: Why did Albanese approve Dutton meeting with Kershaw?
“National security claims” too easily trump the delivery of justice. Afghan war crimes whistleblower David McBride is a case in point.
Dreyfus seems quite content with an unfair prosecution and one that is infected by improper motive. He’s quite happy for a court, deprived of context and adjudicating to the strict letter of the law (that Dreyfus himself has said were not fit for purpose).
It’s within his authority to do so. The public interest in halting the prosecution is clear. But sadly the Attorney’s been captured by the security apparatus. The AAT Deputy President’s revelation two weeks ago proves that.
Dreyfus is willing to rubber stamp a confidentiality order that improperly tilts the adjudication in favour of the security establishment. He’s unwilling to correct an injustice that would cross the path of that same establishment,
In this, Dreyfus is like many of our senior Labor and Coalition politicians. Over more than two decades they’ve poured hundreds of billions into the national security apparatus which is now bigger, more powerful and influential than it has ever been.
In Parliament, applause is regularly showered on our spies, police and security bureaucrats. They can apparently do no wrong. But privately the politicians are fearful. They fear what might happen to their secrets if they aren’t totally supportive of “national security”. No one in government or opposition wants to get offside with the secret state.
Of course, that doesn’t absolve Dreyfus. Of all our Federal Ministers he’s the one with specific responsibility as first law officer to uphold the integrity of our legal system, especially the vital principle of open justice.
He’s failing to do his duty because he’s weak in the face of Australia’s national security apparatus. He lacks the moral fortitude to sit in the Attorney-General’s seat.
As a result of his cowardice a good man will go to jail and, at the same time, democratic integrity will suffer.
“There are entire Palestinian communities being wiped off the map, a shameful legacy of unrelenting violence, intimidation and harassment perpetuated by Israeli settlers and, in some cases, encouraged by Israeli authorities,” said Ana Povrzenic, NRC’s Country Director for Palestine.
Source: Israel’s Illegal Squatter Violence is erasing entire Palestinian Communities
Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed through the first of his controversial judicial reforms. His domestic critics have spent months calling for a last stand for Israeli democracy — but refuse to take up the demands of Palestinians subject to decades of apartheid.
Source: Israel’s “Reasonable” Opposition Has a Hollow Idea of Democracy
OBSESSION WRIT LARGE BY THE GOP TO PROVE A POINT TO- FUCK AMERICA FIRST
While those in the US worried “about such things as inflation and the war in Ukraine, the top concerns of congressional Republicans can be ranked roughly as follows: 1) Hunter Biden; 2) Hunter Biden; 3) Hunter Biden; 4) Hunter Biden.”
Source: Inglorious Politics: The Hunter Biden Problem – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Georgia is even slower and it has had that crooked ” phone call to find 11,000+ votes” as evidence
Georgia prosecutors have indicated they will present their election interference case against former President Donald Trump to a grand jury early next week, according to two witnesses who say they were given notices to appear.
The grand jury would be expected to weigh criminal charges, potentially sticking Trump with his fourth criminal indictment this year.
Source: Georgia Prosecutors Signal Grand Jury Will Meet On Trump Early Next Week | HuffPost Latest News
Donald Trump Screams He’s America’s Number One Victim
A prominent billionaire is arrested on criminal charges. At his arraignment, the presiding judge releases him pending trial on condition he not to try to influence potential witnesses and orders him not to speak with the media about the pending trial. He repeatedly violates the order. Eventually, the judge has had enough. He revokes bail and orders him jailed pending trial.
Source: Donald Trump, Samuel Bankman-Fried, and the Rule of Law | The Smirking Chimp
We know for a fact that AI will, unless edited, be far more balanced than it is now with the current stable of journalists at News Corp. If this is fact Murdoch won’t be supported by the same cash flow market as he is now? Consequently seems to me his profitability will go into even further decline. Can you imagine an AI-published Herald Sun or The Australian without Bolt or Sheridan? Murdoch would need to sack AI to keep Harvey Norman and QANTAS advertising. Sky News without Dean or Credlin? This seems more a Rupert Ruse or to give Llachlan less chance to fuck things up as he always has. This is a case of reality mimicking art and the TV series Succession
This article was not written by AI, but Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation hopes in the future many will be.
Source: News Corp eyes huge AI potential, ‘fatal’ consequences
We are under constant bombardment. Hardly a day goes by without some news of a military nature. If it is not about sending more equipment to prolong the war in Ukraine, it is about Australian minerals being domesticated to serve Americas military interests.
Source: The relentless march of militarism: When will it stop? – Pearls and Irritations
It has been overlooked during Garma festival that, under current policies, global warming would render aboriginal lands in central and northern Australia unliveable and the top-end a nuclear target…
Source: Betrayal: The threat to life on Earth – Pearls and Irritations
Australia how prepared are we? Murdoch’s media screams little or nothing needs to be done global warming is a hoax. However, the winds Maui is experiencing are the direct result of the hurricane experienced on the American mainland.
Wildfires, pushed by powerful winds, raced through Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 8 and 9, 2023, leaving a charred and smoldering landscape across the tourist town of about 13,000 residents that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. At least 36 people died, Maui County officials said. Others were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after going into the ocean to escape the flames.
Hawaii is not a natural fire ecosystem and has not evolved to rebound after wildfires. Not surprisingly, preliminary reports suggest climate change is partly to blame,
Source: How Colonialism Contributed to the Maui Wildfires – Mother Jones
A Netanyahu government unconstrained by the courts could engage in favoritism in contracts, licenses, and legislation of all sorts. The fear of such things has led 28% percent of Israelis, including a surprising number of young married professionals, to admit that they are at least considering leaving the country. Many claim they fear that “the government is going to take their money.” Although 600,000 to a million Israelis are typically out of the country at any time, studying or working elsewhere, they usually do come home sooner or later. Now, however, relocation agencies report that such returns are plummeting. There has also been a 20% drop in immigration to Israel this year and that shortfall would undoubtedly be even more serious were it not for the Russian Jews fleeing their ever more unstable, war-embroiled country. Reuters reports that investors in the usually vibrant Israeli high-tech sector that accounts for about 14% of the country’s $500 billion gross domestic product are now keeping about 80% of their new start-ups abroad. Many tech companies have also moved both their bank accounts and some of their assets out of the country.
Source: How Israel occupied Itself: The Way the Crisis on the West Bank Came Home
Jews in Australia aren’t so united when it comes to the actions of either the Israeli government nor Australias current response. There are those that don’t believe the ALP government has been strong enough. Whereas the AZF and Dutton on the other hand support the current Israeli government fully and claim the ALP has betrayed Israel. They totally ignore the anti-Israeli sentiment by Jewish organizations and posture as if they didn’t exist. But what else could you expect from Dumbo Dutton?
Exclusive: Four affiliate organisations complain they were not consulted before Zionist Federation of Australia criticised the change in terminology
He is treated with kid gloves and exceptional treatment nobody else gets. Yet, Trump keeps on whinging he’s being unfairly treated. This ex-President focused who is hell-bent on revenge for those who he feels even slightly disrespect him are listed for the very opposite treatment he’s experiencing now. He wants his victims to feel the pain but nothing more than a 5-star feather whipping for him.
Source: Trump Definitely Getting Special Treatment From The Courts | Crooks and Liars
His niece Mary a Clinical Psychologist warned the nation a very long time ago about her Uncle Donald. Unfortunately, the dominant private media see profit to be made in keeping Trump in the forefront of our attention and calling it news
We face climate change, potential nuclear war, famine and global militarization, but we’re stuck talking about this one crazy SOB — apparently we can’t solve the other problems until we fix this one.
Not convinced yet that Trump is nuts? How about this one, after the U.S. women’s soccer team lost to Sweden in the World Cup, specifically attacking Megan Rapinoe, the American star who missed a penalty kick: “WOKE equals failure. Nice shot Megan, the U.S.A is going to HELL!!! MAGA.” How soon before he starts screaming for the kids to get off his lawn?
Source: Donald Trump has gone off the deep end for real: He’s a danger to humanity | Salon.com
The NO voters seem to fall into four camps:
1). The Duttonistas, who don’t give a fuck about the country but just want to inflict a defeat on Albo.
2). Racists.
3). The jealous and bitter, kicking down.
4). Fuckwits
Not one of the white folks advocating a NO vote has a copy of his/her dad or granddad’s “General Certificate of Exemption”?
What, they didn’t need one to walk to work!
Well that’s why I’m voting Yes. Yes. Yes!
Why does Mainstream media report what Dutton and Howard think? But not Rudd or Gillard. Why are they regarded as our seeming gurus, men of wisdom, and sounding boards in the press telling us the British invasion of Australia made First Nation peoples equal and better off. When it’s blatant bullshit. In 2023 proportionately Australian Aboriginals are not only the most incarcerated people on the planet but for the least offences.
Of course we all understand that Tony Abbott’s views are the sort of news that’s worth reporting. As someone who was once Prime Minister of this fair land, his opinion is worth a lot more than mine or yours because we’re all equal and to set up something like the Voice is, well, it’s just like Apartheid in South Africa because having the Indigenous population given that sort of recognition in the Constitution would lead to people like Mr Abbott being just as oppressed as all those poor South Africans who were forced to stick to Whites Only areas.
“The National Indigenous Australians Agency has written to Coalition senator and no campaign leader Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to flatly deny her claims that it told her the Uluru statement from the heart was a 26-page document, again confirming it is a one-page document…
Source: (1) “The… – The Fiberal Party of Australia – Lies & Misdemeanours | Facebook
The Sofronoff shambles, Robodebt Royal Commission, hijacking of the Voice Referendum and permeation by PwC (among others) of the public service cannot recur, write Dave Donovan and Michelle Pini.
Source: Dodgy governments, corrupt institutions and shadow states lurking beneath our democracy
In Australia and in Victoria the Fire Fighters want a 25% rise over 4 years. The CEOs have no Union so we really have no global systemic comparisons. How is it the big three American automakers don’t have boards equally represented by Shareholders, Labor, Men, Women, and other interested parties to resolve company issues less adversarially? Germany and Italy do. They manage to offer worker’s conditions far, better, and at a greater cost, but these companies were able to negotiate it more equitably and peacefully. Without a comparison of these differing structures, nothing will change.
The new leadership of the United Auto Workers is demanding that the Big Three automakers give its members a 40 percent raise over the four years of its next contract. The demand stems from the 40 percent increase in compensation raked in by the corporations’ CEOs over the past four years.
Only fair, right?
Source: If Bosses Are Raking It In, Shouldn’t Employees, Too? | The Smirking Chimp
The US-listed media group — which owns News Corp Australia, mastheads in the US and UK, book publishers and real estate advertising assets — recorded $US187 million ($287 million) in profit for the financial year, down from the previous year’s $US760 million record.
The US-listed media group — which owns News Corp Australia, mastheads in the US and UK, book publishers and real estate advertising assets — recorded $US187 million ($287 million) in profit for the financial year, down from the previous year’s $US760 million record.
The US-listed media group — which owns News Corp Australia, mastheads in the US and UK, book publishers and real estate advertising assets — recorded $US187 million ($287 million) in profit for the financial year, down from the previous year’s $US760 million record.
Arts washing, Sports Washing, Fossil Fuel use of soft power has never been totally rejected
While Victorian netballers refused money from Gina Rinehart, and Cricket Australia dropped Alinta Energy as sponsors, fossil fuel companies are still spending millions with the arts around Australia. A report released today outlines the extent of the arts washing, Callum Foote reports.
Source: Reports reveal the symphony of coal and gas money showered on sports and the arts – Michael West
Facts don’t matter as far as Murdoch media are concerned the conclusion wanted is what supports their revenues. They are turning to AI infrastructure to lower costs once established it won’t be costed again and again. However, they don’t do the same for the storage and delivery structure for renewables. They claim those costs repeat continuously. Fact Check= Pants on Fire
The Australian double dipped, producing another article from the same commentator that claimed that Graham had provided proof that CSIRO was confirming that its costings did not take into account transmission and storage. Graham says this is nonsense.
“If you are building a new wind and solar farm now, it will take advantage of infrastructure that already exists, Graham told RenewEconomy. As it would for new coal and gas. “There’s no point building or costing it again. It’s already there.”
Source: AEMO slams Murdoch media campaign that claims renewables are not low cost – Pearls and Irritations
Who are you going to believe, Republicans or a bunch of lying climatologists? Diane Roberts Diane Roberts
A new NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows that nearly three-fourths of Republicans don’t think the climate crisis is a big deal and we don’t need to do anything about it.
I guess the good news is that 56 percent of all political persuasions say the climate crisis requires urgent action. That includes nearly nine out of 10 Democrats and over half of Independents.
Source: Climate Crisis: The GOP Death Cult is holding the Earth Hostage to White Privilege
Arabs who are watching the protests could not but notice the peaceful and gentle treatment of protesters by Israeli police. They contrast to the live ammunition that has been deployed against Arab protesters in the “occupied territories” of 1967 and also inside what is called in Western media, “Israel proper.” The very racism of the state is exposed in the Israeli state management of the protests.
It is for those reasons that Arabs are not following the protests with any interest because they know that the Palestinians will be occupied, repressed, and murdered regardless of the outcome of the internal struggle in Israel.
The New York Times has obtained a copy of the Dec. 6, 2020, memo written by Donald Trump-supporting lawyer Kenneth Chesebro that federal prosecutors have cited as a key piece of evidence in their case against Trump and, likely, against some of of his so-far-unindicted co-conspirators.
Source: That Chesebro Memo? It’s A Smoking Gun | Crooks and Liars
Two conservative constitutional law professors have concluded that Donald Trump cannot be president again unless two-thirds of Congress votes to give him amnesty for leading an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
In the mid 1970s, Australian ‘glam rock’ band Skyhooks released an album titled ‘Ego is not a Dirty Word’. The single of the same title reached number 2 on the Australian ‘Top 40’ in mid 1976. Little Scott Morrison, born in 1968, would probably have heard it on ‘high rotation’ across the airwaves of a…
Morrison certainly has no contrition for his leading roles in the establishment and promotion of the extortion scheme
Speaking to an almost empty lower house shortly after Question Time on Monday, Morrison said: “This campaign of political lynching has once again included the weaponisation of quasi-legal process to launder the government’s political vindictiveness. They need to move on.”
As James notes
The reference to the royal commission as a “quasi-legal” process is straight out of the Trump playbook – an attempt to reduce the most powerful form of public-interest inquiry we have in this country to that of nothing more than a political pitchfork rally.
Thousands of Australians were wrongly accused of debt, with a significant number of the real victims (those that were extorted by the Coalition Government) suffering mental health problems and the families of others that couldn’t see a way out of their dilemma took their own lives. And one of the architects of the scheme is still collecting his $200,000 per annum salary as a parliamentarian while claiming to be the victim of a political hit job. Ego may not be a dirty word, but contrition and seeking forgiveness for poor decisions in the past takes more than ego, it needs emotional intelligence, something that Morrison seems to lack completely.
Source: Ego is not a dirty word – » The Australian Independent Media Network
The work of the “better money managers”
The Australian public service cohabits with copious consultants because of three hiring freezes imposed by Coalition governments over the past 10 years.
The Abbott government froze all hirings in 2013 for 18 months, resulting in the loss of about 11,000 jobs; the Turnbull government did it again in 2016, but more targeted – it only applied to a few departments, and 5000 jobs went; the Morrison government imposed another freeze in 2020 in response to COVID-19 that went for six months and resulted in the loss of about 3000 positions.
Source: Alan Kohler: The delusions and madness of crowds of consultants
Australian entrepreneur and ex-PwC partner David A. Collard is being sued for rent on both his fancy apartment in Manhattan as well as Scale’s 88th floor World Trade Centre head quarters. That’s on top of an ATO tax raid, unpaid staff and creditors, and defaulting on the purchase of Britishvolt in the UK. Sean Johnson of Open Politics reports.
Source: Getting Scalier: David A. Collard’s creditors, lawsuits, now a thing of Scale – Michael West
Cost up quality down promises unfulfilled, You need a degree to work as a teller when once you needed 3rd form and it didn’t leave you in debt. Some people have x3 dergrees do they have x3 HECS debts and no jobs?
The recent indexation of HECS fees at 7.1% is adding to students’ debt at a time of a cost of living crisis for young people, writes Rowan Bosman.
Source: HECS indexation increasing unaffordable student debt
The ALP lift a finger and they call it Rudd
Kevin Rudd says the United States’ pursuit of Julian Assange has “gone on for too long” and he will continue to express Australia’s concerns.
Has a crime been committed? Doesn’t this alone warrant an inquiry into News Corp? Shouldn’t charges be laid? Who is being made out to look like Lady Macbeth in this saga about “poor Bruce”
At the same time Walter Sofronoff was illegally leaking the ACT Inquiry Report, to propagandist Janet Albrechtsen, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp was negotiating with Sofronoff to cash in on the dodgy ACT Inquiry findings.
In both the Yemen and Ukraine conflicts, the U.S. has spent tens of billions of dollars – more than US$75 billion in humanitarian, financial and military assistance to Ukraine and over $54 billion in military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between 2015 and 2021 alone.
What’s different is that the U.S. is essentially on opposite sides in these conflicts when it comes to its relationship to those inflicting the most civilian casualties. Washington officials have made open and direct declarations about the inhumanity of atrocities in Ukraine while avoiding inquiry and condemnation of those in Yemen. Our research suggests that such messaging may be supported by the news media.The Conversation
The cone of silence
Pakistan has imposed a media blackout over the deposed prime minister and thousands of new political prisoners incarcerated in appalling conditions. Condemnation in the U.K. and U.S. has been non-existent.
Who’s pulling the strings?
“All will be forgiven,” said a U.S. diplomat, if the no-confidence vote against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan succeeds.
Source: Pakistan Cypher Exposes U.S. Pressure to Remove Imran Khan
Netanyahu wants a National Guard to defend itself against Iraeli citizens.
As protests continue against the judicial overhaul proposed by the Israeli government, the leadership of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) fears an increase of discontent within its ranks as well as an increase in its lack of competence. The signs get worse every day, prompting army commanders to warn of weakness that will affect its readiness for war.
Source: Israeli Reservists’ Revolt against Netanyahu’s assault on Courts imperils Cohesion of Military
The imposition of sanctions on Israel by the Australian government is a logical step now that Foreign Minister Penny Wong has finally bowed to the inevitable in calling Israel’s West Bank settlements ‘illegal’. As Wong told the federal party caucus yesterday, it was time to “strengthen the government’s objection to settlements by affirming that they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace”.
Given all this there cannot be a clearer case for the Albanese government to back up its commitment to finally recognising the illegality of the West Bank settlements by using its sanctions legislation against Israel. It cannot stand tall in remembering that this nation’s history in sanctioning one apartheid regime, South Africa, while sitting on its hands in relation to the latest manifestation of that odious practice in Israel.
If Senator Wong and her colleagues really do want to “strengthen the government’s objection to settlements”, to use her phrase, then sanctions are a must.
Source: Israel and Australian law on sanctions. Will we act? – Pearls and Irritations
The LNP strategy has been to edge toward a Unitary Executive as much as it can and couple it with the increased use of their preferred rather than independent consultancies. It became increasingly self-evident over a decade ago when the LNP refused to have their opposition and government budgets audited by Treasury but rather by “consultants” of their own choice. From thereon the rot simply set in and accelerated.
It seems that the APS leadership, advising the Government on amending the PS Act, is yet to recognise just how important ‘merit’ is to a Westminster-based public service. It was at the core of the 1854 Northcote Trevelyan Report that began the development of a professional civil service. It is critical to not only fairness, non-partisanship and constraining corruption, but also to efficiency, effectiveness and overall civil service capability. Yet over the last decade the APS has lost sight of its central importance.
Source: ‘Merit’ is the forgotten fundamental APS value – Pearls and Irritations
When a complainant in a rape trial makes public her opinion describing the way she was treated by police The Age reports it as “an attack”. When the description refers to the way the police investigators behaved it appears as if “they were doing their job”. Despite the fact that even the chief investigator disagreed with his team. Does anybody else see the inherent bias against Brittany in this report called “news”?
Brittany Higgins has launched an attack against the attitudes of the police who investigated her rape claim, saying they were disgraced by their own conduct, rather than the accusations of the ex-ACT chief prosecutor.
Source: Shane Drumgold: Brittany Higgins attacks conduct of ACT police who investigated Bruce Lehrmann
Peter Dutton’s opposition to the Voice to Parliament is based on flimsy arguments, yet the compliant mainstream media continues its unwavering support, writes Belinda Jones.
Source: Peter Dutton makes the Voice about ‘retail politics’ in his lust for power
His poor daughters need to be….
Dismissing Catherine Holmes’ report as “unsubstantiated, speculative and wrong”. Morrison denies all responsibility and blames public servants for keeping him in the dark. As for his not giving truthful evidence, the notorious liar simply says Holmes is wrong. We can take his word for it.
These policies have certainly been successful at creating greater prosperity for the 10 wealthiest people in the United States. Their wealth, after a large decline in 2022, is now almost 24% greater than it was at the beginning of 2021, right before the start of Biden’s presidency. (see second table below)
Source: The Obscenely Wealthy Have Recently Experienced Obscene Increases in Their Wealth – CounterPunch.org
Trump Morrison and Robert and Assange are all claiming “Victimhood”. In three cases only is there an Equivalence and it’s not Julian.
“Lawyers representing the former Liberal MP Stuart Robert have described the release of allegations he received financial kickbacks from a lobbying firm as “egregious” and an “abuse of privilege”.
Source: “Lawyers… – The Fiberal Party of Australia – Lies & Misdemeanours | Facebook
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