Perhaps it’s because I’m running as a candidate myself, but I find the media focus on who is leaking what and why gets very tiresome very quickly. That’s not to say that voters aren’t interested at all in such things, but it does run a poor second to those issues that directly affect people’s lives [...]
READ MOREJuly, 2010
Lay off Penny — it takes all types to make change happen
Adrian Foon writes: When I first read about Penny Wong’s comments on same-sex marriage, I was extremely disappointed — and, truth be told, angry. Here was a high-ranking cabinet minister who also happened to be gay. Yet here she was, proclaiming a need to respect one particular “cultural, religious, historical” view of marriage as a [...]
READ MOREWhat will the Coalition do about equal pay?
Want to know what the Coalition will do about equal pay? According to the story in today’s Daily Telegraph, we can assume nothing will be done to raise the pay rates of the women who provide undervalued child care and community services. ‘MEN who opt to be the primary carer of their newborn babies will [...]
READ MOREAbbott/Morrison/Bernardi immigration press conference
The transcript of this morning’s Liberal announcement about its immigration target follows, featuring Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison. Abbott’s Parliamentary Secretary, dog-whistler Cory “ban the burqa” Bernardi is along for the ride. Abbott and Morrison seem to have considerable difficulty explaining exactly what the policy means and how it will be implemented, especially in relation [...]
READ MOREAbbott and Morrison’s desperate ploy on immigration
This post has been updated The Liberal Party is clearly concerned that it is facing a heavy defeat on 21 August, with a crass piece of opportunism on immigration today – a plan to limit it to 170,000 a year. The desperate appeal – from a party led by an immigrant, no less – has [...]
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Week 1 – Labor’s sleepwalking strategy working a treat
A week into the election and Labor’s strategy of sleepwalking to victory appears to be working. Even the recalcitrant Nielsen poll has swung in the ALP’s favour in today’s Fairfax papers. Tony Abbott had a poor start. Eric Abetz ruined his attempt to shut down Workchoices – you certainly can’t say Abetz doesn’t generously share [...]
READ MOREyour cancer biopsy to be assessed by Citizens’ Assembly
Everyone knows the value of a second opinion in serious medical matters, but why not have five? Why not twenty? Why do they all have to be from doctors? That’s the thinking behind Labor’s bold new health policy announced by Julia Gillard today. Should Labor go on to a second term life-or-death decisions will be [...]
READ MOREMayne throws hat in ring for Senate in Victoria
Prominent shareholder activist and Crikey founder Stephen Mayne has made good on his threat to run for a seat in the state upper house at the Victorian election in November.
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Rules for Sunday night’s debate
Press Gallery president Phillip Hudson has just distributed the rules for Sunday night’s debate as agreed between the two parties:
READ MOREAn exceedingly dull campaign. But why?
What election? It’s hard to miss the coverage in the conventional media or even the political junkies using twitter, but the general population seems not to be engaged in the task of deciding our future. Young people contacted through a Vibewire project seemed fairly unaware and uninterested and calls for involvement by some advocacy groups [...]
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