australian politics

Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi …

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:00 pm, July 2nd, 2016 - 51 comments

Updating post to cover the Australian election results.

Morning update: the Electoral Commission has Labor leading in 72, 67 ahead for the Libs, with 7-9 seats still in play. The Greens and others may have up to 5 seats. Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch have hoovered up the redneck vote and will both be elected to the senate. Counting has stopped for the time being.

The election campaign, the $6,000 toaster and the media beat up

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:02 am, June 5th, 2016 - 24 comments

In Australia in the midst of the election campaign an ordinary Australian, Duncan Storrar, talked publicly about how difficult it was to live and support his children on the minimum wage.  The response of the right through News Corp was to attack and humiliate him.

The difference between decent folk and complete idiots

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:17 am, February 19th, 2016 - 34 comments

For a change I’m not going to have a rip at our local idiotic politicians. The most extreme case recently being the now infamous Dildo Baggins. Lets have a look offshore where they are often even worse…

The battle over climate change continues

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:28 pm, February 11th, 2016 - 21 comments

Two recent international incidents show that the resistance to meaningful action on climate change has not given up.  In the USA Barak Obama’s climate change policies are under attack in the Supreme Court. And in Australia CSIRO has decided to get rid of all of its climate change scientists.

Why are we working so hard?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:42 am, January 10th, 2016 - 46 comments

A recent New Matilda article discusses why at a time of increasing productivity the need to work has increased and not decreased.

Andrew Little in Australia

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:13 am, November 26th, 2015 - 62 comments

Contrary to Key’s scaremongering about “making things worse” Little’s, visit to Australia seems to have been positive and constructive.

There are no kiwi rapists on Christmas Island

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:23 am, November 12th, 2015 - 169 comments

John Key’s claim that Labour and Greens support the rapists on Christmas Island has struck a snag. There are none.  And the brave action of progressive women MPs talking publicly about the sexual abuse they have suffered has shown how morally bankrupt Key’s politics are.

The Christmas Island riots

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:18 pm, November 10th, 2015 - 99 comments

The barbaric treatment of New Zealand citizens by the Australian Government ought to attract condemnation and urgent diplomatic representations. But nothing is happening. Surely this is a time that John Key should get some guts. But instead of this he has accused the opposition of supporting rapists. Updated with video from Question one in Parliament today.

Were people smugglers paid money to take refuges away from New Zealand?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, October 30th, 2015 - 34 comments

Amnesty International has published a report “By Hook or by Crook: Australia’s Abuse of Asylum-Seekers at Sea” which has rightfully been described as a damning indictment of Australia’s handling of the refugee crisis. But New Zealand benefitted from payments of money to people smugglers.  What did the Government know?

Kelvin Davis on Christmas Island

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:55 am, October 19th, 2015 - 39 comments

Today Key is trying to dress up Aussie platitudes (on detained Kiwis) as scraps of progress. But Labour MP Kelvin Davis is taking action…

Are you Newstralian?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 1:22 pm, October 16th, 2015 - 110 comments

So John Key and the new Oz PM are having a chat today and good ol’ JK will be mentioning the issue of “New Zealanders” who are being detained for deportation after a prison sentence.  People who are being detained in police stations without exercise or dark or quiet for days on end; detained on Christmas […]

Key and Abbott are prepared to sacrifice the Pacific

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:07 am, September 12th, 2015 - 98 comments

Climate change induced sea level increases poses a huge threat to most Pacific Islands.  They are seeking support for a goal of limiting temperature increases to no more than 1.5 degrees.  Australia and New Zealand are insisting on sticking to a goal of no more than 2 degrees even though this will likely mean that many Islands will disappear.

In Our Back Yard – Manus Island and Nauru

Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:04 pm, September 9th, 2015 - 12 comments

As the photo claims, refugees are human beings. We can tell this from general expressions of resignation, desperation and misery.

But what about our own expressions of humanity?

Naomi Klein correctly calls Tony Abbott a Climate Villain

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, September 6th, 2015 - 71 comments

Naomi Klein recently visited Australia and amongst other things described climate change as a crime, criticised the Abbott Government attack on renewable energy and described the importance of grassroots action and indigenous rights.

Climate change – New Zealand not even a fast follower

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:14 am, August 13th, 2015 - 48 comments

Recent analysis of different Governments’ greenhouse gas reduction pledges for the Paris Conference suggests that New Zealand’s is behind that of Windmill hating Tony Abbott’s Australia.