The secretive Future Fund’s chairman Peter Costello might not like it, but Freedom of Information requests are peeling back the lid on the Fund’s weighty overseas investments. Philip Dorling and Rex Patrick report the more controversial ones.
Tag: Peter Costello
Australia’s old media is fighting an internal civil war trying to justify their cheerleader style of reporting federal politics. In this case, it’s regarding Australia’s highly questionable $368 billion expenditure on submarines. The Canberra Press Gallery reporters have been exposed for failing dismally in doing their job to keep politicians accountable and they have spent the last few days attacking former Prime Minister Paul Keating to somehow justify their failings.
Peter Hartcher, on of the “Red Alert” journalists said regarding Keating “He made the absurd claim that the government had “no mandate” for the policy. In fact, Albanese took the AUKUS plan in principle to the 2022 election as Labor policy”.
The stupidity is that statement is both the coalition and Labor have AUKUS as part of their policy so voters had no choice and we never knew it was going to cost $368 billion. So, to say “Labor had a mandate” because they took it to the 2022 election is deceptive at best and dishonest at worst.
Not only have senior Nine journalists Peter Hartcher and Matthew Knott had their reputations trashed writing the Red Alert series but at least 2 other journalists, David Crowe, Malcolm Knox and SMH editor Bevan Shields have written pieces defending them and Nine’s papers which has achieved nothing except throwing their own reputations under a bus.
Peter Costello should resign as chairman of Nine Entertainment before more damage is done on his watch.
Nine Entertainment-owned papers have been talking up the prospects of Australia going to war with China while failing to declare that Nine chairman Peter Costello has made $millions in recent years lobbying on behalf of defence companies.
Peter Costello’s “Mainstream Media” Turns its back to reality for “Ratings”
The mainstream press is unashamedly beating the drums of war while deliberately turning away from what is actually happening, economically and politically in the region, writes Dr William Briggs.
Source: China less of a threat to democracy than the mainstream media
Why is it that The Age once a Newspaper has segued into being a model of what Murdoch Media is? A valueless corporate profit system. It too now presents fiction as fact and competes for attention and money from the wealthy only! It’s not begging for the money of ordinary Australians but only the self-interested wealthy among us. That Murdochian change has become noticeable since Peter Costello took over.
Sneaky? It’s one way to claim the ALP are being sneaky and keep Robodebt in the background. Forward Estimates have never been right and The Age is doing little more than presenting fiction as fact
Albanese and Chalmers have found a way to propose change without a breach of faith: announce it early, legislate it this term but make sure it takes effect after the next election. They are attempting reform with the permission of the Australian people.
And they have a chance to ask permission to go further.
Daniel Andrews has issued a blistering statement about the “smear and innuendo” surrounding an anti-corruption investigation.
Source: Daniel Andrews blasts ‘smear and innuendo’ – Michael West
This seems more like an advertorial. A complaint on behalf of LNP’s Vic Branch’s attempt to excuse their up-and-coming loss at the election next month. Given that Ch9 didn’t complain or make an issue of this when the LNP were in power it seems rather calculated to headline it now. The Naphine government spent money and even signed unwanted infrastructure contracts when they knew they were going to lose. Contracts that cost this state more to cancel than any “overspend” on ads that failed to stop the ALP from winning government.
I could be wrong as the ABC has jumped on the current Grattan Institute’s report as well. The Grattan Institute has simply validated what the whole of Australia has known and experienced for years. Most of which were LNP-controlled. The research however, doesn’t address Victoria, or next month’s election as the data isn’t out. Is Dan meant to not advertise “closed roads” due to infrastructure works going on?
No analysis, costings or accusations can realistically be made before this election. The timing of this research’s past, released now, isn’t the point either. But, mainstream media headlining it is. Because, it does sound like a whine, and the voice of sour grapes on behalf of the LNP before the poll as their current ads show they aren’t cutting through. Has the State LNP run out of funds again or are they about to do a Trump and claim the election is in the process of being stolen?
Ch9 gives “Matt” Matthew Guy more air-time than they gave Dan Andrews when he was in opposition and running against Napthine. No research has been done on that. But memory serves us well doesn’t it? However, there has been a significant difference witnessed since Peter Costello was made head of Ch 9 and took over Fairfax and The Age in Victoria. Stokes is in charge of ch7, and Murdoch dominates Sky News and the regions. Any case of unfair obvious has been obvious as far back as Bolte. Even in opposition LNP ads might not look directly gov subsidised but more like undeclared donations to me. Murdoch’s always been a standout and Ch9 has become the new stronger player on the block. While the ABC has been whipped into line this past decade with the Federal government slashing and bashing them into submission.
Can Guy’s regular appearance on Costello’s CH9 News be regarded as an undeclared “donation”? How much would that be worth? How much is this article’s placement worth if costed as a donation?
The opposition, as well as minor parties and independents, are unfairly disadvantaged when governments exploit their incumbency and use public money to boost their image. Victoria has stronger rules than most jurisdictions. They prohibit politicisation of taxpayer-funded advertising – but there are no consequences for flouting these laws.
Source: Political parties must stop spending taxpayer money on campaign advertising
Peter Costello’s Ch9 seemed to have selected a poll that reports differently to others why is that? Because Resolve show a softer verion of the results and less damning of the LNP and therefore a less seemingly negative image of Morrison’s actual CV.
In the first national poll of the new year, a Resolve survey for the Nine newspapers, Labor had 35% of the primary vote (up three percentage points since November), the Coalition 34% (down five), the Greens 11% (steady), One Nation 3% (steady) and independents 11% (up two). This is the first time since Resolve began doing its monthly surveys last April that Labor has been ahead of the Coalition on primary votes. In late 2021, Resolve showed better results for the Coalition than other polls conducted at about the same time.
Source: Coalition slumps in first poll of 2022 as voters lose confidence in Morrison’s handling of pandemic
In return for this disclosure to the public, in our interests, the whistle blower has today been doxxed by Chip le Grand, who has described his disclosures as a “hit job” against the government. Le Grand also does a good job of maligning the whistle blower in an attempt to discredit him. It is not a huge stretch to speculate that le Grand and the Sydney Morning Herald under the chairmanship of former Liberal treasurer, Peter Costello, are acting in the interests of a besieged LNP government, and not the public. Regardless of your personal opinion of the man, there can be no doubt that he acted in the public interest in taking his story, with videos and texts as proof, to van Onselen. Whatever his other motives are, and is there one among us without complex motives for much of what we do, he acted in the public interest, which is all that need concern us as citizens struggling to deal with the outrages visited upon us by a government entirely bereft of all morality.
Doxxing the Whistle Blower – » The Australian Independent Media Network
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