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

[CumbrianLefty]

Coalition leadership has been sorted in party room. Libs as expected, Peter Dutton elected unopposed, Sussan Ley elected as deputy unopposed after Karen Andrews, Jane Hume and Bridget Archer withdrew. Meanwhile in the Nationals David Littleproud has toppled Barnaby Joyce (they never release numbers but sounds like it was a solid margin) with Senate Whip Perin Davey unopposed as deputy (she’s completely anonymous prior to now, clearly chosen in the need of gender balance not called Bridget McKenzie.

Ah, a coronation. Just as well those never go wrong.....

[brucejoel99]

Andrew Wilkie has announced that he's prepared to "have a conversation" with Albo about being the Speaker of the House in the event that Labor doesn't surpass its 76 with Gilmore & so wants to name a presiding officer from outside their ranks.

[Blair]

I think Peter Dutton might be the most unsettling politician I’ve ever seen.

[brucejoel99]

Andrew Wilkie has announced that he's prepared to "have a conversation" with Albo about being the Speaker of the House in the event that Labor doesn't surpass its 76 with Gilmore & so wants to name a presiding officer from outside their ranks.

Sky reporting that while it's been confirmed to them that Albo would've approached an indy to be speaker had Labor only won 76 seats (likely Wilkie or Rebecca Sharkie, who'd since announced the same as Wilkie prior to Gilmore being called), the fact that they're now on 77 obviously renders it all moot, & that Milton Dick of QLD has the numbers to be named.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Jewish Victorians not happy with the auction of Nazi war memorabilia:

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-based-online-auction-of-nazi-memorabilia-draws-outrage-20220603-p5aqti.html

Victoria now has a law that bans the public display of the Swastika.

They are now looking at extending that to the ownership and/or sale of Nazi memorabilia.

That will just drive the price through the roof and make those items of the 3rd Reich more collectible.

[Ebowed]

Interest rates are rising much faster than expected.  Although the rise itself should not come as a surprise, the size of the increase, the largest in 22 years, suggests that much more pain is coming.  It's particularly bizarre in light of the fact that the allegedly independent Reserve Bank acknowledges that the inflation is due to international factors, yet their only lever for cooling the economy is to force mortgage holders to pass on more money to banks, which goes straight to their profit margins.  Apparently paying several hundred dollars a month more to have a roof over your head is going to somehow bring down the price of petrol and lettuce?  It's a bit like sacrificing a goat in the hopes of a good harvest.

Philip Lowe was adamant only recently that interest rates would remain at emergency level lows, i.e. no rises, until 2024 - but he won't be facing any accountability for misleading the public.

Along with the spectre of looming blackouts and the rising price of everything, and the hospital systems collapsing across the country, it looks to be quite the winter of discontent.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Interest rates are rising much faster than expected.  Although the rise itself should not come as a surprise, the size of the increase, the largest in 22 years, suggests that much more pain is coming.  It's particularly bizarre in light of the fact that the allegedly independent Reserve Bank acknowledges that the inflation is due to international factors, yet their only lever for cooling the economy is to force mortgage holders to pass on more money to banks, which goes straight to their profit margins.  Apparently paying several hundred dollars a month more to have a roof over your head is going to somehow bring down the price of petrol and lettuce?  It's a bit like sacrificing a goat in the hopes of a good harvest.

Inflation is about both factors, and it's frankly textbook macroeconoimics(which has gone ignored for the last 3 years) that raising interests rates reduces inflation by reducing consumption. Look at Turkey if you wanna see what happens when you ignore that.

[Ebowed]

It's particularly bizarre in light of the fact that the allegedly independent Reserve Bank acknowledges that the inflation is due to international factors, yet their only lever for cooling the economy is to force mortgage holders to pass on more money to banks, which goes straight to their profit margins.  Apparently paying several hundred dollars a month more to have a roof over your head is going to somehow bring down the price of petrol and lettuce?  It's a bit like sacrificing a goat in the hopes of a good harvest.

Inflation is about both factors, and it's frankly textbook macroeconoimics(which has gone ignored for the last 3 years) that raising interests rates reduces inflation by reducing consumption. Look at Turkey if you wanna see what happens when you ignore that.

I don't disagree at all, but there's no point ignoring the unique attributes to the inflation that we're currently experiencing, which is that it's largely externally driven.  Wages are flat and business investment is at a post-war record low.  So all that is happening here is that the RBA is cutting workers' spending power.  The only heat in the economy is coming from rising prices, not from rising wages.  Consumption metrics are also obfuscated by supply chain disruptions.

The RBA likes to point out that households have amassed considerable savings throughout the pandemic, which they believe could be used to pay these higher interest rates, but that seems a bit rich considering that the distribution of that money has been disproportionately to wealthy households.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

It's particularly bizarre in light of the fact that the allegedly independent Reserve Bank acknowledges that the inflation is due to international factors, yet their only lever for cooling the economy is to force mortgage holders to pass on more money to banks, which goes straight to their profit margins.  Apparently paying several hundred dollars a month more to have a roof over your head is going to somehow bring down the price of petrol and lettuce?  It's a bit like sacrificing a goat in the hopes of a good harvest.

Inflation is about both factors, and it's frankly textbook macroeconoimics(which has gone ignored for the last 3 years) that raising interests rates reduces inflation by reducing consumption. Look at Turkey if you wanna see what happens when you ignore that.

I don't disagree at all, but there's no point ignoring the unique attributes to the inflation that we're currently experiencing, which is that it's largely externally driven.  Wages are flat and business investment is at a post-war record low.  So all that is happening here is that the RBA is cutting workers' spending power.  The only heat in the economy is coming from rising prices, not from rising wages.  Consumption metrics are also obfuscated by supply chain disruptions.

The RBA likes to point out that households have amassed considerable savings throughout the pandemic, which they believe could be used to pay these higher interest rates, but that seems a bit rich considering that the distribution of that money has been disproportionately to wealthy households.

Yes a raise hike willl be painful short-term, but at this point it's clear something has to be done. Current inflation rates are unpopular and broadly harmful, and given that the Alabense government is likely to engage in redistributive and stimulative spending, well interests rates is one of the only other levers that can be pulled to control it.



And the extent to which the inflation is externaly driven is becoming more limited as oil prices begin to fall back to normal. Australia high housing prices are not sustaniable and something has to be done to control them, a rate-hike might be one of the only politicaly acceptable ways of reducing demand for housing.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Sri Lankan Boat with economic migrants onboard intercepted, and the people immediately taken from their boat to Christmas Island then to the airport and sent back to Sri Lanka.



Christmas Island to Colombo express service.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10898865/Sri-Lankan-asylum-seekers-sent-home-Colombo-Christmas-Island-Australian-Border-Force.html

Albanese with his first test of immigration policy. Australian's are overwhelmingly against illegal boat arrivals, and Labor have not adjusted the policy from the Liberal Party.

Sri Lanka is currently in economic meltdown, so travelling people are paying boat smugglers to take them to Australia. Just like England, US and Australia with stronger currencies compared to third world countries, the monetary difference means small amounts of Australian dollars make a big difference when converted to Sri Lankan dollars and sent back home.

I would personally prefer genuine refugees from Ukraine. Some 15 and 17 yo's orphaned from Mariupol with a genuine need for assistance should be brought here. Australian's don't like economic migrants from Iran and Sri Lanka jumping the queue pretending to be refugees.

This stops genuine refugees from getting help.

Why can't we get more people from Norway? (...and Japan)

[GoTfan]

Sri Lankan Boat with economic migrants onboard intercepted, and the people immediately taken from their boat to Christmas Island then to the airport and sent back to Sri Lanka.



Christmas Island to Colombo express service.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10898865/Sri-Lankan-asylum-seekers-sent-home-Colombo-Christmas-Island-Australian-Border-Force.html

Albanese with his first test of immigration policy. Australian's are overwhelmingly against illegal boat arrivals, and Labor have not adjusted the policy from the Liberal Party.

Sri Lanka is currently in economic meltdown, so travelling people are paying boat smugglers to take them Australia. Just like England, US and Australia with stronger currencies compared to third world countries, the monetary difference means small amounts of Australian dollars make a big difference when converted to Sri Lankan dollars and sent back home.

I would personally prefer genuine refugees from Ukraine. Some 15 and 17 yo's orphaned from Mariupol with a genuine need for assistance should be brought here. Australian's don't like economic migrants from Iran and Sri Lanka jumping the queue pretending to be refugees.

This stops genuine refugees from getting help.

Why can't we get more people from Norway? (...and Japan)

Ignoring the thinly-veiled racism in this post, these perople are genuine refugees.

[Meclazine for Israel]

[(no subject)]

Sri Lankan Boat with economic migrants onboard intercepted, and the people immediately taken from their boat to Christmas Island then to the airport and sent back to Sri Lanka.



Christmas Island to Colombo express service.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10898865/Sri-Lankan-asylum-seekers-sent-home-Colombo-Christmas-Island-Australian-Border-Force.html

Albanese with his first test of immigration policy. Australian's are overwhelmingly against illegal boat arrivals, and Labor have not adjusted the policy from the Liberal Party.

Sri Lanka is currently in economic meltdown, so travelling people are paying boat smugglers to take them Australia. Just like England, US and Australia with stronger currencies compared to third world countries, the monetary difference means small amounts of Australian dollars make a big difference when converted to Sri Lankan dollars and sent back home.

I would personally prefer genuine refugees from Ukraine. Some 15 and 17 yo's orphaned from Mariupol with a genuine need for assistance should be brought here. Australian's don't like economic migrants from Iran and Sri Lanka jumping the queue pretending to be refugees.

This stops genuine refugees from getting help.

Why can't we get more people from Norway? (...and Japan)

Ignoring the thinly-veiled racism in this post, these perople are genuine refugees.

Such belligerent self righteousness on the part of boatists has failed to sway the minds of the majority of Australians despite twenty years plus of campaigning.

[GoTfan]

Sri Lankan Boat with economic migrants onboard intercepted, and the people immediately taken from their boat to Christmas Island then to the airport and sent back to Sri Lanka.



Christmas Island to Colombo express service.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10898865/Sri-Lankan-asylum-seekers-sent-home-Colombo-Christmas-Island-Australian-Border-Force.html

Albanese with his first test of immigration policy. Australian's are overwhelmingly against illegal boat arrivals, and Labor have not adjusted the policy from the Liberal Party.

Sri Lanka is currently in economic meltdown, so travelling people are paying boat smugglers to take them Australia. Just like England, US and Australia with stronger currencies compared to third world countries, the monetary difference means small amounts of Australian dollars make a big difference when converted to Sri Lankan dollars and sent back home.

I would personally prefer genuine refugees from Ukraine. Some 15 and 17 yo's orphaned from Mariupol with a genuine need for assistance should be brought here. Australian's don't like economic migrants from Iran and Sri Lanka jumping the queue pretending to be refugees.

This stops genuine refugees from getting help.

Why can't we get more people from Norway? (...and Japan)

Ignoring the thinly-veiled racism in this post, these perople are genuine refugees.

Such belligerent self righteousness on the part of boatists has failed to sway the minds of the majority of Australians despite twenty years plus of campaigning.

Lol. 'Boatist'.

And I'm not sure how else to read Meclazine's comment. Describing people from Iran and Sri Lanka as not real refugees then complaining that more people from Ukraine and Norway aren't coming here is pretty racist, considering it is basically saying that he doesn't want anyone from the Middle East or Asia here but would prefer more white people.

On the bright side, the Nadesalingam family is back home, so . . . Yeah, pretty happy with that.

[(no subject)]

Doesn't change the fact that over twenty years of campaigning has failed to shift the view of most Australians that unauthorised immigration by boat should be unlawful.

[GoTfan]

Doesn't change the fact that over twenty years of campaigning has failed to shift the view of most Australians that unauthorised immigration by boat should be unlawful.

Because they're bombarded by right-wing rhetoric from NewsCorp 24/7.

[(no subject)]

Doesn't change the fact that over twenty years of campaigning has failed to shift the view of most Australians that unauthorised immigration by boat should be unlawful.

Because they're bombarded by right-wing rhetoric from NewsCorp 24/7.

that's complete cr-p but it serves the emotional needs of the boatist minority ("Yes, we are a minority, and we *know* we are a minority, but that is OK because other Australians are racists and xenophobes")

[GoTfan]

Doesn't change the fact that over twenty years of campaigning has failed to shift the view of most Australians that unauthorised immigration by boat should be unlawful.

Because they're bombarded by right-wing rhetoric from NewsCorp 24/7.

that's complete cr-p but it serves the emotional needs of the boatist minority ("Yes, we are a minority, and we *know* we are a minority, but that is OK because other Australians are racists and xenophobes")

Lol.

[(no subject)]

boatist = someone who supports unauthorised boat arrivals. Or, less charitably, the illegal immigration racket under the guise of asylum seeking.

[GoTfan]

boatist = someone who supports unauthorised boat arrivals. Or, less charitably, the illegal immigration racket under the guise of asylum seeking.

So the fact that the Nadeslingam family is home must enrage you.

[Ebowed]

I don't understand how somebody could think that people fleeing from Sri Lanka are not genuine refugees.  Like, you do realise that people starve to death in these kinds of economic situations...?

And the extent to which the inflation is externaly driven is becoming more limited as oil prices begin to fall back to normal.

The petrol price is still climbing here and will increase by another 22 cents/litre in September when the halving of the fuel excise expires.

Australia high housing prices are not sustaniable and something has to be done to control them, a rate-hike might be one of the only politicaly acceptable ways of reducing demand for housing.

The effect on house prices is (unfortunately) probably going to be minimal because there is a severe lack of supply.  If they decline by 15-20% then they will be back at their still unaffordable levels of 2019 and 2020.  It's a big problem with no real solutions.  The rate rises will hurt recent buyers and particularly those with small deposits the most, and often these are also the first to lose their jobs when the recession induced by rising rates hits.  Not to mention landlords will use interest rate rises to increase rents.

[(no subject)]

I support increased humanitarian intake of those in need - which are mostly those in camps iin Africa, not those who can pay people to get on a boat.

[Meclazine for Israel]

I support increased humanitarian intake of those in need - which are mostly those in camps iin Africa, not those who can pay people to get on a boat.

Exactly, the intake from Ukraine and South Sudan takes place on the ground in Poland and Uganda respectively.

Those fleeing war tend not to have USD$30,000 for Indonesian and Sri Lankan boat smugglers.

[CumbrianLefty]

boatist = someone who supports unauthorised boat arrivals. Or, less charitably, the illegal immigration racket under the guise of asylum seeking.

So the fact that the Nadeslingam family is home must enrage you.

Genuinely, why do you feed them?

[(no subject)]

Exactly. The refugees in the camps in Africa can't pull together 20 dollars, let alone the money you need to fly to Jakarta and then get on a boat