Australia General Discussion 4.0: It ain’t easy under Albanese

[CumbrianLefty]

Yes, doing away with political parties *is* a bad idea.

(though I do appreciate you likely weren't being entirely serious)

The media is a bigger factor in the decline of our political discourse.

The problem with abolishing parties is that governments will still need to be formed, ministers still ned to be appointed, and people will still have ideological commonalities and divides, meaning coalitions will form that will gradually develop more structure, financial clout and rigidity. Parties are inevitable! As a perfect example, it'll be interesting to see just how long these teal independents last as theoretically separate entities - most of them already have a common donor pool.

Though I'm sure it's obvious to most here that mainstream parties across the western world are in dire straits and badly need major reform.

No party reform is going to be successful in the current media landscape.

Yes, media reform is the key to literally everything.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

The Liberal deputy leadership race in NSW looks to have settled into a straight fight between Dave Elliott (centre-right) and Matt Kean (moderate). Kean is obviously the stronger choice with Elliott still reeling from the train strikes. But who knows what the factional powerbrokers will agree to.

Matt Kean elected unopposed as Deputy after Elliott “dropped out” yesterday. The stitch-up tradition lives on.

The ride never ends... Dave Elliott is now incredibly salty and has launched a full broadside at Matt Kean. Still grumpy at shouldering blame for the strife with railway unions (he's only the transport minister after all!) he's tried to deflect it to Kean. Publicly.

“It’s very hard for me to look [the unions] in the eye and expect them to believe me after I had the rug pulled out from under my feet last time, but that’s what you get when you send a boy in to do a man’s job.”

[GoTfan]

So let me get this straight: The Governor-General is so independent of the PM that they can sack the PM at will, but also will happily swear the PM into multiple powerful ministries without doing anything to stop it?

In that case, may we say God save the Queen, because nothing will save the Governor-General.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

This is the most ScoMo thing imaginable. Only he would be so paranoid of his own ministers to give himself secret powers to override them. GG obviously shouldn't have gone along with the secrecy, Hurley may be forced out soon.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

And Karen Andrews is calling on ScoMo to resign!

[Meclazine for Israel]

It's not as if he invaded Ukraine.

Low-news day.

[GoTfan]

And Karen Andrews is calling on ScoMo to resign!

That is the least he should be doing.

What's more is how deep the rot goes? Dutton had to have known, surely.

It's not as if he invaded Ukraine.

Low-news day.

Meclazine, your takes are usually horrible but this is just garish. Morrison swore himself into multiple senior ministries in total secrecy and with the consent of the Governor-General. This was an express attempt to turn himself into an autocrat with total power over his cabinet and by extension, the nation.

I cannot understand your bizarre adoration of this man who had multiple corruption and sex scandals engulfing him and his government. If there is any justice, he should be the first one called before the Federal ICAC to answer for the endless rorts and sex scandals that happened on his watch. The buck stopped with him, and either he was too stupid to know what was happening, or didn't care what was happening. I'm not sure which is worse.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

It's not as if he invaded Ukraine.

Low-news day.

Well there was always that old joke about Jeff Kennett invading South Australia...

[Cassius]

Given that none of the ministers who were sharing posts with him at the time actually appear to have been aware that they were doing so, it’s difficult to believe that this decision had any significant impact… at all.

[GoTfan]

Given that none of the ministers who were sharing posts with him at the time actually appear to have been aware that they were doing so, it’s difficult to believe that this decision had any significant impact… at all.

That's the whole point. He did it in secret.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Given that none of the ministers who were sharing posts with him at the time actually appear to have been aware that they were doing so, it’s difficult to believe that this decision had any significant impact… at all.

If it had no impact then he's a paranoid madman who broke constitutional norms and basic expectations of transparency all to feed his irrational need for control.

But we know for a fact it had impact as he used his position as Resources Minister to overrule approval of PEP-11 gas exploration by the (Nats) Minister Keith Pitt. The PEP-11 project, by the way, was off the coast of Sydney and incredibly unpopular in coastal suburbs including ScoMo's very own seat of Cook.
The Energy company that was to get the license is now suing btw, alleging ScoMo “predetermined the application and the purported decision was infected by actual bias such that there was a denial of procedural fairness”.

[Pulaski]

Turns out the Deep State exists but it's just Scomo grinning inanely.

I love how Albo described it as "just weird." A perfect encapsulation.

Surely Morrison will have to bring forward his retirement from Parliament.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

John Howard says Scott Morrison should remain in parliament to avoid a by-election

[Pulaski]

John Howard says Scott Morrison should remain in parliament to avoid a by-election

Well bugger me with a fishfork, if Howard says so then that’s that. I’m glad he put his two cents in, he’s someone we should all be listening to in 2022.

[MaxQue]

Turns out the Deep State exists but it's just Scomo grinning inanely.

I love how Albo described it as "just weird." A perfect encapsulation.

Surely Morrison will have to bring forward his retirement from Parliament.

Will the GG bring forward his retirement?

[Pulaski]

Turns out the Deep State exists but it's just Scomo grinning inanely.

I love how Albo described it as "just weird." A perfect encapsulation.

Surely Morrison will have to bring forward his retirement from Parliament.

Will the GG bring forward his retirement?

I can’t really see what case the GG has to answer here; for my mind he acted entirely appropriately. The GG is basically only meant to act in any manner on the advice of the PM, and it was the PM’s advice to have these ministerial powers delegated to him, so the GG acted accordingly.

(I assume this convention is similar in Canada?)

The broader question it raises is the age-old one; what is the purpose of the position of Governor-General if its actions are basically dictated by the Prime Minister? But that is the subject of a different debate.

[MaxQue]

Turns out the Deep State exists but it's just Scomo grinning inanely.

I love how Albo described it as "just weird." A perfect encapsulation.

Surely Morrison will have to bring forward his retirement from Parliament.

Will the GG bring forward his retirement?

I can’t really see what case the GG has to answer here; for my mind he acted entirely appropriately. The GG is basically only meant to act in any manner on the advice of the PM, and it was the PM’s advice to have these ministerial powers delegated to him, so the GG acted accordingly.

(I assume this convention is similar in Canada?)

The broader question it raises is the age-old one; what is the purpose of the position of Governor-General if its actions are basically dictated by the Prime Minister? But that is the subject of a different debate.

My doubts about the GG is more about him accepting to accept the secrecy, even hiding things from the Cabinet.

[Pulaski]

Publicising the arrangements is more within the purview of the Prime Minister, as Hurley himself has said this afternoon. Twomey and quite a few constitutional experts have confirmed that there were no actual constitutional rules broken, so I doubt criticism of the Governor-General will stick.

I think most people agree Morrison sh*t the bed on this one though.

Perhaps the biggest concern is the blocking of PEP-11, which at the time Morrison claimed was a decision he made "as Prime Minister," but now is saying he needed the Ministerial powers for - effectively admitting to lying to the public. Morrison tried to defend it today by saying it was clear that any decision was up to the minister and by announcing that he'd taken the decision he was effectively announcing he'd assumed ministerial powers. I'm not sure that excuse will wash.

[Meclazine for Israel]

I think most people agree Morrison sh*t the bed on this one though.

No one I have spoken to cares about this story. Not one person.

And even if they were, no one watches these news stories anymore anyway.

https://thebrag.com/australias-news-show-zero-viewers/

News media in Australia runs these stories hoping for attention, but this will be replaced with some other political melodrama in 2 weeks time, hopefully something with actual meaning and consequences.

[Pulaski]

I think most people agree Morrison sh*t the bed on this one though.

No one I have spoken to cares about this story. Not one person.

You regularly bemoan in your crime thread that no-one seems to care about the disappearance of Indigenous children. Maybe there's a bit of a disconnect between what people actually care about and what they should?

Certainly Matt Canavan (someone I don't find myself referring to that often) and other Nationals MPs seem to care that Morrison overrode his own minister to block PEP-11.

I think Albanese put it best upon hearing that Morrison said he now doesn't follow day-to-day politics - that voters in Cronulla and Caringbah (and I used to be a voter in Caringbah) would probably expect a bit more from their MP than that.

[CumbrianLefty]

John Howard says Scott Morrison should remain in parliament to avoid a by-election

Well bugger me with a fishfork, if Howard says so then that’s that. I’m glad he put his two cents in, he’s someone we should all be listening to in 2022.

And would one expect him to say anything else anyway?

[GoTfan]

What is the purpose of the Governor-General? I am beyond stumped.

[Pulaski]

What is the purpose of the Governor-General? I am beyond stumped.

No purpose at all. The reason the position has lasted this long is

1. Australia’s “small-c” conservative political culture.

2. The absence of any clearly better alternative.

It all comes back to what you do with those reserve powers if you abolish the position (along with the monarchy, presumably). Do you just hand them over to the PM, effectively making them President? Plenty would argue that’s in effect the system we have now anyway, especially in light of recent events, but I for one am not eager to see a presidential system codified here.

Or do you invest the head of state with those executive powers and make them de facto rather than just de jure? And then what, elect that position? If you do, you’ve essentially created a President again. If not, you have an unelected head of state wielding actual power - hardly an ideal situation either. Again, I’m not eager to see another Kerr-Whitlam situation.

[Meclazine for Israel]

You regularly bemoan in your crime thread that no-one seems to care about the disappearance of Indigenous children.

Not true. There is one politician that holds a light to the plight of Aboriginal children who, on a quarterly basis, are eaten live in the teethy jaws of a crocodile whilst the rest of the country lives in ignorance.

Bob Katter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ih1EuMLspY

God bless' him.

[Pulaski]

You regularly bemoan in your crime thread that no-one seems to care about the disappearance of Indigenous children.

Not true. There is one politician that holds a light to the plight of Aboriginal children who, om a quarterly basis, are eaten live in the teethy jaws of a crocodile whilst the rest of the country lives in ignorance.

Bob Katter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ih1EuMLspY

God bless' him.

Unpopular opinion but for me the funniest part of that legendary moment is the bloke behind him who is so confused he's not sure whether he should be nodding or shaking his head...