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

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

This seems like a huge suprise

[TheTide]

Not exactly a shortage of contenders for the leadership presumably?

[Meclazine for Israel]

Mark McGowan has resigned as West Australian Premier.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-29/wa-premier-mark-mcgowan-resigns-from-politics/102406610

Very unusual for someone who came to the job with a 90% approval rating to leave office.

[CumbrianLefty]

There are worse things than leaving on a high, I suppose.

[Torrain]

As surprise “I’m just tired, and need to retire” resignations go - does it seem genuine, or is it possible there’s an underlying scandal here?

Essentially - is this a Jacinda Ardern, or a Nicola Sturgeon moment?

[S019]

As surprise “I’m just tired, and need to retire” resignations go - does it seem genuine, or is it possible there’s an underlying scandal here?

Essentially - is this a Jacinda Ardern, or a Nicola Sturgeon moment?

I’m not sure, but I think it was notable he did say he didn’t want to fight the next election so he wanted to leave adequate time for his successor to have their own record to run on that. Also I don’t think this was mentioned yet, but he is resigning from Parliament too, before the week is over.

[GoTfan]

As surprise “I’m just tired, and need to retire” resignations go - does it seem genuine, or is it possible there’s an underlying scandal here?

Essentially - is this a Jacinda Ardern, or a Nicola Sturgeon moment?

I’m not sure, but I think it was notable he did say he didn’t want to fight the next election so he wanted to leave adequate time for his successor to have their own record to run on that. Also I don’t think this was mentioned yet, but he is resigning from Parliament too, before the week is over.

Rowan Dean was saying yesterday that Labor would struggle to hold Rockingham without him.

In case you wanted more confirmation of Sky being a joke.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Looking like the byzantine factions of WA Labor have settled on Amber-Jade Sanderson, member for Morley and Minister for Health as the next leader.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Never mind. There’s been some shenanigans behind closed doors, Sanderson has pulled out and the Labor veteran Roger Cook has finally got his shot at Leader. He’s been Deputy Leader since he was first elected to Parliament in 2008 for Kwinana at the Labor defeat. He’s served as Deputy to Eric Ripper then McGowan. He formed a joint ticket with contender Rita Saffioti, a McGowan loyalist, to serve as Deputy.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Our new Premier, Roger Cook in the West Australian.

Roger has been down to the photographers and will now try and garner support for his cause. It's a cash-cow Iron Ore state, so he should not have too many problems running the place.

Roger has had a lot of time in front of the camera as he was the Health Minister reporting daily on how we closed the border to the World and would not let anyone in.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Down in Victoria backbench conservative stalwart Ryan Smith has resigned. This triggers a by-election in the blue ribbon outer suburban seat of Warrandyte, held on a margin of 4.2%. This’ll be a major challenge for Pesutto’s leadership, already weakened by the Moira Deeming mess. A loss to Labor may trigger an immediate spill.

[GoTfan]

Down in Victoria backbench conservative stalwart Ryan Smith has resigned. This triggers a by-election in the blue ribbon outer suburban seat of Warrandyte, held on a margin of 4.2%. This’ll be a major challenge for Pesutto’s leadership, already weakened by the Moira Deeming mess. A loss to Labor may trigger an immediate spill.

There has already been speculation Tim Smith may try for the seat.

Can someone tell my why the Victorian Liberals can't stop digging themselves deeper? Are they so drunk on Sky News that they think doubling down on their current weirdness works?

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Down in Victoria backbench conservative stalwart Ryan Smith has resigned. This triggers a by-election in the blue ribbon outer suburban seat of Warrandyte, held on a margin of 4.2%. This’ll be a major challenge for Pesutto’s leadership, already weakened by the Moira Deeming mess. A loss to Labor may trigger an immediate spill.

Can someone tell my why the Victorian Liberals can't stop digging themselves deeper?

Jeff Kennett casts a long shadow they’re yet to escape from. His ghosts and spectres still haunt the party.

https://twitter.com/CaseyBriggs/status/1642101733836099584

[Continential]

So Dai Le and her ally Mayor Frank Carbone of Fairfield have decided to create a party in the vein of Jacqui Lambie’s vehicle, called the Dai Le and Frank Carbone Network - with its aim being to be a party representing Western Sydney. Could it gain more seats (and retain Le's) or is it more likely or not to flop/fail?

[Meclazine for Israel]

Brittany Higgins Footage

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtFmAPuAHgi/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12157175/Bruce-Lehrmann-breaks-silence-Brittany-Higgins-rape-allegations-7News-Spotlight-TV-interview.html

[JimJamUK]

So Dai Le and her ally Mayor Frank Carbone of Fairfield have decided to create a party in the vein of Jacqui Lambie’s vehicle, called the Dai Le and Frank Carbone Network - with its aim being to be a party representing Western Sydney. Could it gain more seats (and retain Le's) or is it more likely or not to flop/fail?

Bob Katter tried this in 2013 and it almost resulted in him losing his ‘safe’ seat with no gains elsewhere. It depends whether it is simply a convenient ballot paper description for Le and their council candidates or an actual attempt to elect candidates outside Fairfield/Fowler. Their press comments make it sound like the latter, but I’m not sure a party named after 2 very localist politicians would have much appeal elsewhere. Lambie did get a 2nd senator elected by convincing the same 10% of Tasmanian’s who voted for her to vote for her now colleague, but her party flopped at the 2018 state election under a similarly proportional electoral system and obviously have not proved remotely competitive in any single member districts.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The cycle of life for Australian independent politicians

Get elected on a free people pleasing policies, often because the main parties decided to choose a plank of wood
=>

Confuse your local celebrity/rentagob status as "beloved cult leader"

=>

"Hey people love me, I can take my brand national!!!"

=>

Create vanity party named after yourself

=>

Shock poll, as your shell party with no policies randomly is competitive with the majors in your state!

=>

First press scrutiny in your life outside of friendly client local media

=>

RIP

[NewYorkExpress]

The Government plans to introduce legislation to ban the swastika and other Nazi symbols.

Australia’s government plans legislation to ban swastikas and other Nazi symbols nationwide due to an increase in far-right activity, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Thursday.

While most Australian states already ban such Nazi symbols, the federal law would go further by also banning the trade in such material, Dreyfus said.

“There’s been a rise in this kind of violent far right activity. We think it’s time for there to be a federal law which I’ll be bringing to the Parliament next week,” Dreyfus told Nine Network television.

We’ve got responsibility for import and export. We want to see an end to trading in this kind of memorabilia or any items which bear those Nazi symbols,” Dreyfus said. “There’s no place in Australia for spreading of hatred and violence.”

The Labor Party government controls the House of Representatives but not the Senate, and it’s unclear when a ban might pass or take effect. The law would include a penalty for people displaying Nazi symbols of up to a year in prison.

Displaying symbols for religious, educational or artistic purposes would be among a range of exclusions from the ban. It will not affect the use of the swastika for people observing Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

NT Labor member for Blain Mark Turner has been formally expelled and disendorsed over the continuing fallout from his “cocaine sex scandal” that was far blander than it sounded. (TL;DR a married man had an affair with a married woman who did cocaine. he’s in the sh**t cuz he lied about it)

[AustralianSwingVoter]

The cycle of life for Australian independent politicians

Get elected on a free people pleasing policies, often because the main parties decided to choose a plank of wood
=>

Confuse your local celebrity/rentagob status as "beloved cult leader"

=>

"Hey people love me, I can take my brand national!!!"

=>

Create vanity party named after yourself

=>

Shock poll, as your shell party with no policies randomly is competitive with the majors in your state!

=>

First press scrutiny in your life outside of friendly client local media

=>

RIP

Let’s be fair here, Lambie and Katter both succeeded through press scrutiny and now have strong voter bases that have transferred over to other candidates. Xenophon also got very close to a major electoral breakthrough before some sheer bad luck in SA 2018.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Senator Price responds following a recording of Lisa Wilkinson comparing Jacinta Price's pre-selection to "hiring a black cleaner".

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12175777/Jacinta-Nampijinpa-Price-slams-Lisa-Wilkinson.html

A bit below the belt. Lisa is also under pressure for comments made about the Brittany Higgins case.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Senator Lidia Thorpe accuses Liberal Senator David Van of sexual assault during a Senate discussion.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-14/lidia-thorpe-senate-accuses-david-van-sexual-assault/102480086

"In the chamber today, Senator Thorpe made unfounded and completely untrue allegations against me that I immediately and unequivocally denied and continue to deny," he said.

[Meclazine for Israel]

24 Hours later.

Senator Lidia Thorpe says Parliament House is not a safe place.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-15/thorpe-men-in-parliament-made-her-feel-unsafe/102481814

"When I started I was a new senator. As all women who have walked the corridors of this building know, it is not a safe place," Senator Thorpe told the senate in an emotional statement.

"You are often alone in long corridors with no windows, and in stairwells hidden from view, where there are no cameras."

[Meclazine for Israel]

Senator Lidia Thorpe and Amanda Stoker both raise concerns about David Van.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-16/dutton-another-allegation-against-senator-david-van/102486926


Peter Dutton moved to expel David Van from the Liberal party room yesterday.(ABC News: Nick Haggarty)

Voldemort has expelled David Van from the Liberal Party room and is now suggesting he resign.

"Liberal leader Peter Dutton says senator David Van should quit parliament, after airing that allegations made against the senator by a third person were brought to him, contributing to his rapid expulsion from the party room."

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Dutton's attempts to nail Katy Gallagher over Brittany Higgins have backfired so spectacularly they've uncovered an anonymous backbench senator groped Amanda Stoker. How is it even possible to fck something up this badly.