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

[Pericles]

If I have to guess, I still think Scott Morrison wins since he's ahead on the leadership metrics and he'll be more popular once everyone is vaccinated (just as Boris' errors faded away after the vaccine rollout). However, it looks like a close one, and Albanese is making the right moves to win. So I really hope that Morrison's standing actually is weak and Labor can finally pull out a win.

[Pericles]

I've been seeing some good news. It looks like the longest lockdown in the world (Melbourne) is coming to an end ahead of schedule on Thursday and with more freedom back than expected. It must have been an awful time for Melburnians, so that will be a huge relief.

Meanwhile, this may be a false hope, but are Australian politics finally coming together on climate change? It looks like the business community, Newscorp and ScoMo are all backing net zero, and the last holdouts are the Nationals. And the pressure seems to be for them to get a deal so it looks like regional communities will get paid off so they support the target. Of course the hard part is actually implementing the emissions reductions, but it would be great progress if it's no longer an argument about whether they need to act on climate change.

[Pericles]

I've been seeing some good news. It looks like the longest lockdown in the world (Melbourne) is coming to an end ahead of schedule on Thursday and with more freedom back than expected. It must have been an awful time for Melburnians, so that will be a huge relief.

Meanwhile, this may be a false hope, but are Australian politics finally coming together on climate change? It looks like the business community, Newscorp and ScoMo are all backing net zero, and the last holdouts are the Nationals. And the pressure seems to be for them to get a deal so it looks like regional communities will get paid off so they support the target. Of course the hard part is actually implementing the emissions reductions, but it would be great progress if it's no longer an argument about whether they need to act on climate change.

The Nationals are pretty hardcore against any form of emissions reduction unless they get tens of billions for rural Australia.

The interesting part is that Joel Fitzgibbon, Labor's resident coal guy and Labor Right powerbroker, has pretty much backed a 2050 target, meaning Labor is finally united in pursuit of net zero by 2050, at least in the parliamentary sense.

It is distinctly possible the Nats walk out on the coalition at this point.

Surely the best outcome for everyone involved is for them just to get paid off, though?

[Pericles]

Is this it, and net zero is settled?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/24/nationals-agree-to-net-zero-target-by-2050-despite-barnaby-joyces-opposition

[Pericles]

Is this it, and net zero is settled?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/24/nationals-agree-to-net-zero-target-by-2050-despite-barnaby-joyces-opposition

Honestly, no.

This nebulous 'deal' that was reached is being kept very far from the public eye. The only visible part has been the return of Keith Pitt as Resources Minister; he's one of the "SOLAR PANELS DON'T WORK AT NIGHT!!!" crowd, so that should tell you all you need to know.

Unfortunately, having seen the 'plan' that's not a plan, you're right. This was a waste of time, and maybe Australia will do ok on reducing emissions, but Scott Morrison is still not going to do anything to help. Hopefully he is gone in just a few months, but I don't feel that optimistic about it.

[Pericles]

Daniel Andrews has declared Victoria's pandemic response a 'triumph'. That's a rose-tinted glasses view of things because Melbourne was the most locked down city in the world. By international standards, which he used, he certainly has a point, Victoria's death rate is so much lower than most jurisdictions in similar countries or anywhere in the world. However, Victoria also did worst in Australia on most measures, including the deaths (and even now are doing the worst, because they opened up at the highest level of cases despite Andrews being seen as so strict). Maybe Australian posters know better, but I think the main mistake he made was not going hard enough at the start of the second wave last year, which made the long lockdown inevitable. The long Delta lockdown may have been inevitable.

A minor point, but did any ministers say something that could have been seen as 'bagging' Victoria? That sounds a bit like Scott Morrison trying to turn Macron's very clearly personal attack into an attack on Australia as a nation, just a soundbite to undermine the criticism.

[Pericles]

With the climbing ban on Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock) having set the example three years ago, other aboriginal groups in Australia are looking to replicate it in their areas:

The next Uluru? Hikers and Aboriginal elders await decision on closure of Wollumbin summit

I have to confess that I don't quite understand how one can reconcile banning people from accessing an area that somebody considers a 'sacred site' when they would likely have a hostile reaction to Christian or Muslim principles being enshrined into law.

Aren't those sites usually protected? Australia just wouldn't have them for other religions.

[Pericles]

Looking back further to the 1966 election, the ALP hopeful for PM then was a 70 year old left winger - sound familiar? - but unlike Corbyn in 2019 he had lost not one but two previous elections.

Sounds pretty inexplicable even at a time when leaders losing was more tolerated than it is now.

Was it mainly down to factionalism?

Interestingly, one of the NZ PMs now regarded as among the most charismatic (basically a JFK equivalent complete with an early death) lost two elections with minor gains before finally winning on the third try.

[Pericles]

Brutal result, Dutton won't contest a general election as party leader.

[Pericles]

Dan had an amazing career, he looks like someone who has delivered on his promises and it's impressive just how much support he maintained through Covid. Despite bad luck in the pandemic, his leadership does seem like it should be looked up to and respected.

[Pericles]

Premier of Queensland resigns.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-10/annastacia-palaszczuk-resigning-as-queensland-premier/103211112

Annastacia Palaszczuk oversaw a boom in the Queensland economy and also an explosion in juvenile crime and the like.

Let's be honest here, as it's an Australia-wide problem. The explosion in juveline crime should be put at the feet of the government who was in power for most of her time, the federal Coalition.

It's a problem in NZ too and I'm pretty sure I've seen these same headlines from across the world after Covid.

[Pericles]

Looks like Dutton is getting spanked in Dunkley. If the Liberals can't even flip seats in a by-election now, how are they supposed to be flipping marginal seats in the general election?