"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. No price is too high for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Ten things to watch on and after election night in Queensland
Todd Winther, Griffith University. Photo: Liberal National Party of Queensland.
31.01.15 3:59 am
You know it’s an extraordinary election when a party holds 73 of the 89 seats in parliament thanks to a record-breaking victory> just three years earlier – yet there’s talk of that party losing government. Not only that, but there’s also a real threat to the state’s premier, with no Plan B for a successor. That’s the state of play in Queensland, making Saturday’s election a must-watch for anyone interested in politics. If you live outside Queensland, you can tune in on ABC News 24, as well as follow news and expert reaction on The Conversation. While most polls and my prediction is that the Liberal National Party (LNP) will retain power, it’s possible that there won’t be a clear result on Saturday night, especially given the popularity of pre-poll voting and that the predicted swing against the government is likely to vary greatly across the state. So what are the people, places and issues to watch on election night and beyond?
USE the TT NEWS Dropdown Menu (top Nav. Bar) or Favoured Blogs (Left column) for different perspectives/commentary/Satire (especially Kudelka) on the Poll ... and don’t forget to check in occasionally on psephologist Dr Kevin Bonham’s (when he’s online) expert analysis ...
10:20pm:Campbell Newman concedes he has lost the seat of Ashworth, LNP trails Labor in seat count 39 to 44 with 3 other in 89 seat parliament. 3 seats uncertain, pre-poll votes to be counted. Antony Green prediction LNP 40, ALP 46, Other 3.
Inside Operation Boring, the LNP’s strategy to reclaim Queensland
John Harrison, Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland. Photo: Len Matthews, Flickr.
30.01.15 10:59 am
If Queensland’s Liberal National Party reclaims government at this Saturday’s election, you can be sure the politicians will be quick to take the credit. But behind the scenes, much of the credit for the LNP’s political revival belongs to the strategists driving a remarkable rebranding strategy, dubbed “Operation Boring”. It’s been all about keeping the government and Premier Campbell Newman on message and out of unnecessary fights – though in recent days, that strategy has seemed to waver.
Urban Wronski* http://urbanwronski.com/ Pub: Jan 30. Pic*
30.01.15 10:00 am
Australia’s Prime Minister for the time being, the feckless and friendless, ‘Toxic’ Tony Abbott who almost single-handedly has achieved the rare distinction of making himself both universally loathed and totally dispensable with astonishing and record-breaking rapidity, is in for a nervous twenty-four hours.
Former corruption commissioner fears for the future of good governance
ABC TV 1. 7.30 Report. Broadcast: 28/01/2015. ABC pic of Fitzgerald. Pub: Jan 30
30.01.15 9:00 am
On the eve of tomorrow’s Queensland election ...
Reporter: The man who headed the Commission of Inquiry into corruption in Queensland politics 25 years ago, Tony Fitzgerald, says he’s concerned the foundations are being laid for a return to the bad old days. Transcript ...
• Tony Fitzgerald, ABC Drum: “Queensland must put a stop to the political rot” “I am simply unable to understand why a government elected in 2012 would disregard the lessons of the state’s dark past or why the state’s largest circulation newspaper would encourage the government’s follies.”
The serious jeopardy of the Rockliff plan ...
Dr Andrew Lohrey, TQA Board Member. ABC pic of Jeremy Rockliff. Pub: Jan 29
30.01.15 5:30 am
Tasmanian Year 11 and 12 students will be seriously jeopardised by Minister Jeremy Rockliff’s plans to abolish the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority (TQA) and then to decide how and what Tasmanian senior secondary students will study. The current education standards in Tasmania are well below where they should be. The completion rates for year 12 remain low: less than half our year 10 students go on to finish year 12 while less than half achieve the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE). Now Minister Rockliff is proposing a policy direction that will lead to lowering standards further. It includes a reduction in spending, fewer teachers, no pathway planners to guide career choices and the abolition of the TQA, which will mean less independent scrutiny of accreditation, assessment and quality assurance. Tasmania is withdrawing support of education at a time when we should be lifting standards and retention rates.
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What he has to offer is a political and ideological perspective on education issues. It is not too fanciful to say that his policy of determining how and what students will study is not too far from the one taken by radical extremists who object to the education of girls, for both seek to politicise school education.
Unlocking the potential of Industrial Hemp (Not!)
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Primary Industries and Water Media Release. Pub: Jan 29
30.01.15 4:15 am
The Liberal Government has a long-term Plan to grow the value of our agricultural produce tenfold by 2050 to strengthen the economy and create jobs in Tasmania.
• TFGA welcomes government moves on hemp
• Lara Giddings: Tasmanians push for inclusion in interstate cannabis trials
• Kim Booth: Belated action on hemp welcome
• TFGA regrets hemp knock-back
Former Tasmanian premier Lara Giddings refuses to commit to full term
ABC. Pic of David O'Bryne
30.01.15 4:06 am
The former Tasmanian premier Lara Giddings is making no guarantees she will serve out a full term as the Labor member for Franklin.
RARE CHANCE TO SAIL INTO ITALY’S CALABRIA AND PUGLIA
David Ellis, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Media Release
29.01.15 9:23 am
SEADREAM Yacht Club’s boutique SeaDream I will make a rare visit this August to two of Italy’s most enticingly-picturesque and sought after ports for wining, dining, shopping and beach-going – but which see few cruise ships because they lack large-scale port facilities.
TasNetworks $1.65 billion debt Shock
Kim Booth MP | Greens Leader Media Release
29.01.15 4:30 am
… “When the Liberals said there were massive opportunities in dairies, no one realised that they were talking about turning Tas Networks into a massive milking cow to rip money out of families and small business’s power bills to prop up failing GBE’s such as Forestry Tasmania and Hydro Tasmania. Mr Gutwein’s audacious weasel words on this issue are breathtaking. It was the Liberals whom supported Labor in buying the rusting relic of the Tamar Valley gas station which the Greens said at the time would drive power prices through the roof.” …
• Bryan Green: Time for a jolt of reality for Gutwein on energy
Urban Wronski* http://urbanwronski.com/ Pub: Jan 19. Pic*
29.01.15 4:30 am
Il y a une femme dans toutes les affaires ; aussitôt qu’on me fait un rapport, je dis : « Cherchez la femme ! Dumas (There is a woman in every case; as soon as they bring me a report, I say, “Look for the woman!”)
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Rupert’s tweets have done all Australians an immense favour. They have shown where the power lies when it comes to Liberal governments. Such public tweaking of the strings of his puppet politician Abbott is really an enormous act of public service. Abbott must take the heat; do what Rupert wants or get out of the kitchen. Similarly the use of identical phrases in his tweets to the words used by Miranda Devine, the doyenne of his Australian tabloid press helps clarify the power relationship. Rupert rules the Liberal Party by force and very little if any finesse and is completely unafraid to put his instructions on Twitter for all to see.
• Phillip Coorey in the Australian Financial Review: Prime Minister Tony Abbott takes Rupert Murdoch’s advice (Paywall) “Tony Abbott dumped his senior communications adviser and overhauled his media team over Christmas after being lobbied directly over dinner by media mogul Rupert Murdoch ... Mr Abbott and Mr Murdoch dined together in Sydney in December after what had been a messy end of the year for the government. During the dinner, the pair broke away for a private conversation, during which Mr Murdoch complained to Mr Abbott that the government’s communications strategy was poor and failing to sell the right messages, and that he had “the wrong people” in the job. Similar criticisms were being made by columnists and editorials in the Murdoch press. Just before Christmas, Mr Abbott’s press office director, Jane McMillan, was let go and replaced by deputy chief of staff and former media adviser Andrew Hirst. ABC Canberra correspondent Mark Simkin was recruited as chief press secretary.”
• Guardian: No filter: Rupert Murdoch’s Twitter feed provides a new take on the editorial
Hicks, Brandis, Guantanomo ... and fear
Urban Wronski* http://urbanwronski.com/ Pub: Jan 29. ABC pic of George Brandis
29.01.15 4:15 am
“Hey, my name is David Hicks,” he shouted, as Senator Brandis wrapped up his address at a Human Rights Awards function. “I was tortured for five-and-a-half years in Guantanamo Bay in the full knowledge of your party. What do you have to say?”
Hobart Baroque? No. Brisbane Baroque
Martyn Goddard. Pub: Jan 28. ABC pic of Leo Schofield
28.01.15 4:00 am
Leo Schofield’s renowned baroque music festival ‒ which began in Hobart but was refused adequate funding by the Tasmanian Premier ‒ has moved to Brisbane. The dates, 10 to 18 April, and the main program for the nine-day festival will be the same as those planned for Hobart before the government pulled the plug. The festival will be launched by the federal Arts Minister, Senator George Brandis. ‘The Queensland government, and Senator Brandis, have a much better grasp of arts policy and cultural tourism and what those can do for a state,’ Schofield said. ‘But I felt no sense of allegiance to the Tasmanian Premier as he has shown us nothing but disdain. Put bluntly, he just didn’t get it. ‘And it’s nonsense to suggest that Tasmania is too small or too poor to afford such “luxuries” as a baroque music festival. As an extreme example Salzburg, a city smaller than Hobart, has one of the most renowned festivals in the world with a budget of $65 million. And even that investment has repeatedly been shown to contribute many times that to the Austrian economy.
• Nick McKim: Queensland gets Baroque Festival that Liberals refused to support
• Tom Bailey, in Comments: No 9 Again not very gracious. Why should Mr Schofield continue to butt his head against a vision-lacking brick wall? It certainly will be Brisbane’s gain - long-term vision is recognised there. Now for your comments on lack of funding and worthiness of artists. As Tasmania has more artists per capita of population, then, of course, there will be ‘lots of artists’ unsuccessful with grant applications. Perhaps you are one of them. Regional Arts Fund successful applicants undergo the Peers and Peer Assessment panel selection - very inclusive and just brimming with social justice. I have heard from unsuccessful artist applicants that you have to be good buddies with at least one of the panel to ‘progress’ and that it is often the same ‘artists’ who, year after year, continue to get funding - another form of living off the ‘government welfare drip’. You gotta have maaaates.
Something in the Water ... An urgent need to re-evaluate
Dr Alison Bleaney. Pic* Pub: Jan 26
28.01.15 3:30 am
… In light of these findings those Government Departments responsible for ensuring the safety of drinking water to Tasmanians urgently need to re-evaluate the risk assessment and management from human-induced changes to these water catchments substantially converted to Eucalypt monocultures to ensure the safety of water supplied to water users. …
EARLIER on Tasmanian Times ... a long and tortuous history ...
• Karl Stevens, in Comments: I suspect there has been a systematic cover-up concerning clonal tree plantations. For example: How many people have seen a flowering e.nitens or e.blugum tree in a plantation? How many people have seen a young or sapling e.nitens or e.bluegum in a tree plantation? How many people have seen young trees after the harvesting of a tree plantation? Plantations have also trashed the landscape of Northern Tasmania. I traveled from Holwell to Exeter on Nettlfolds Road and Rookery Road yesterday and saw how an amazing landscape has been ruined by this mono crap.
More pie-in-the-sky in The Huon?
Bob Hawkins. Pub: Jan 27
28.01.15 3:15 am
Huon Valley Guessing Games Cargo-cultism — from time immemorial a chronic tribal condition found mostly in what are termed undeveloped or developing regions, and a misled faith still doggedly persistent in the Huon Valley — will almost certainly again bubble to the surface when council meets on Wednesday evening in Huonville.
• John Hawkins, in Comments: … With his magnificent concept in mind I have decided to put in a planning application for a very fast train from Deloraine to Chudleigh with an underground branch sub- line to service the proposed epicentre at Chudleigh North. I will require little or no local funding, I am willing to donate the station to the village in the interests of putting Chudleigh in the forefront of development here in Tasmania. The Federal Government, who need the votes of the 12 Tasmanian Senators, can buy them by funding this short length of Mag Lev track in the interests of tourism. The cost will be minimal when compared with the political benefits of being able to pass their dud legislation through the Senate. …
• Martin Hawes, in Comments: Interesting that you were unable to find any trace of your submission on the council website. I can’t see any sign of mine either, submitted by email on Nov 14. Perhaps some submissions have been mislaid? If so this would be a corruption of due process, particularly since submissions are also to be considered by the Planning Commission. Is anyone else having trouble spotting their submission? The link is: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bz5Xzg9his-zNk9xdmhlS2dVUDg&usp=drive_web
• Bob Hawkins, in Comments: After last night’s split decision (4-4) by council not to approve its staff recommendation relating to the proposal for a barge-serviced “marine bulk loading facility” at Surges Point, Waterloo Bay, it took ABC radio until 8.30am today to end its talk of applicant Dennis Bewsher considering his appeal options. What the ABC seemed to have missed earlier was that no appeal is available (or necessary) in response to this council decision. As I understand it, council’s debate last night was no more than a step along the way towards a Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC) hearing at which it will decide whether or not to allow the “planning scheme amendment” (PSA) that would allow Bewsher’s company, Telopea Pty Ltd, to construct such a facility on leased crown land. (The TPC has set the hearing for February 17, 18 and 19, commencing at 10am, on Level 3, 144 Macquarie St, Hobart).
Drug regulator must put patient safety ahead of Big Pharma profits
Michael Vagg, Clinical Senior Lecturer at Deakin University School of Medicine & Pain Specialist at Barwon Health, Victoria.
28.01.15 3:00 am
One of the much-heralded platforms of the Abbott government is its promise to business to reduce red tape and burdensome regulatory obligations. Pharmaceuticals are a multi-billion dollar global industry, so it’s not surprising the national drug and device regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), is a key target. A committee tasked with investigating the options for red tape reform has released its first discussion paper to canvass the options. The paper raises some important implementation problems and potential reforms. But we need to be wary of commercial interests derailing drug approval and advertising regulations that protect patient safety and ensure products are evidence-based.
Mathematics rock star stirs the debate on whether maths should still be taught at school
University of Tasmania media and communications officer Lana Best
28.01.15 2:26 am
Sea Shepherd to spend $12m award on ‘dream ship’ to patrol Southern Ocean
Guardian
28.01.15 2:00 am
Money presented at Amsterdam gala is the largest donation the conservation group has received to date
Climate warning: PM Abbott leads Australia down a withering garden path
Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne Media Release
27.01.15 3:15 am
Greens leader Christine Milne says dire projections for Australia in the new CSIRO climate change report* must be a wake-up call for the Abbott government and big business, which are harming people and missing huge economic opportunities by refusing to minimise global warming. “If the natural world is in trouble, then so are we, and the Abbott government’s climate denial and policy destruction has got us in serious trouble indeed,” said Senator Milne. “Just getting on with it would unleash enormous amounts of innovation and creativity, but the Abbott government is stuck playing knights and dames, pretending global warming isn’t happening, and digging bigger and bigger holes as part of a growth agenda that undermines us even further.
• Resilience: Wood pellets; Green energy or new source of CO2 emissions?
The revealing facts on bikie laws and crime in Queensland
Terry Goldsworthy, Assistant Professor, Criminology at Bond University.
26.01.15 5:00 am
Queensland’s Liberal National government has made law and order – particularly its anti-bikie laws – a key part of its re-election pitch. The government recently claimed that “Criminal Gang laws (are) keeping Queenslanders safer” and that they have driven a general decrease in crime. Yet when you compare those claims against Queensland’s crime statistics, something soon becomes clear: the spin and the statistics tell two different stories.
• 9MSN: Bikies snatch focus in Qld election Debate over policy is being overshadowed in the final days of Queensland’s election campaign following Premier Campbell Newman’s repeated claims of a link between Labor, unions and bikie gangs. Mr Newman has defended his allegations that ALP rivals were backed by unions linked to criminal motorcycle gangs, saying it’s a hot topic with Queenslanders. The debate has taken centre stage over the final weekend of the election campaign ahead of Saturday’s poll. On Sunday, Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk again called for Mr Newman to show some evidence to support his claims and stated she had “zero tolerance” when it came to criminal organisations.
• Guardian: Bikies donate money to LNP to rubbish Newman claims
• Guardian: LNP losing out in regional areas
• Psephologist Dr Kevin Bonham’s latest analysis (Jan 15) here
MEANWHILE in elections elsewhere ...
• Paul Mason, Guardian: Greece shows what can happen when the young revolt against corrupt elites
NATION: Manus; We must act ...
Urban Wronski* http://urbanwronski.com/ Pub: Jan 19. Pic*
26.01.15 4:45 am
No words could ever describe life in Manus Island Detention Centre, but imagine you are trapped in a makeshift, overcrowded, run-down camp of peeling weatherboard cabins, tents and shipping containers sweltering and festering in the jungle on a hot, humid, far-flung island amidst some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the world.Your only company is that of other wretched unfortunates like yourself. Should you be ‘processed’ and found to be a genuine refugee, you may be freed but only to be settled locally. The local people, however, resent your presence. Your sense of entrapment is suffocating. Blend in the isolation, disease, and heat and you have Manus Island’s mission to deter.
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Force is integral to Manus’ brutal regime. Whilst Immigration Minister Peter Dutton may deplore the demonstrations, he appears as oblivious as his predecessor, Morrison, to the institutionalised violence of the prison camp itself, to say nothing of the coercion involved in the parent policy of offshore detention itself. When pressed on the issue, Dutton also follows Morrison’s lead in taking refuge in denial and hair-splitting semantics. …
• The Age: Australia accused of ‘surreal hypocrisy’ over Bali 9 executions
NATION: Australian of the Year; Rosie Batty. Abbott mocked over Prince Philip ... Tom Uren ...
ABC. Pic: ABC, Peter Williams
26.01.15 4:28 am
Rosie Batty has been named Australian of the Year for her campaign against family violence in an award ceremony that saw four women take the nation’s top Australia Day honours for the first time in history.
• STATE: Australia Day honours; Ultra-marathoner and scientist among 15 Tasmanians recognised
• Don’t celebrate January 26 petition launched
• Kim Booth: Unfinished business; Time to Treaty … “Unfinished business with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community is holding back our reconciliation journey,” Mr Booth said. “Its time to Treaty.” “We need to negotiate a formal Treaty which acknowledges the sorry history that has occurred on this island, and which seeks to address the current pattern of exclusion and discrimination inherent in our current state legal and policy-setting framework.” …
EARLIER on Tasmanian Times ...
• KIm Booth: Call for alternative Australia Day date
• SBS: Tony Abbott mocked over Prince Philip knighthood Tony Abbott’s decision to honour the Duke of Edinburgh has sparked mockery on social media and condemnation from some fellow politicians. Prince Philip was announced as one of two men honoured as Australia’s next knights today, almost a year after Mr Abbott reintroduced the honours. The news sent “Philip” trending on social media, ahead of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s comments that the decision was outdated. Mr Shorten told Fairfax Radio that he originally thought the news was a hoax. He said he didn’t understand the government’s priorities in nominating Prince Philip, when they could have “picked someone who is Australian in character and activity”. “It’s a time warp where we’re giving knighthoods to English royalty,” Mr Shorten said.
• Guardian: Flags to fly at half-mast to mark passing of Labor Elder Tom Uren
• Hobart Baroque? No. Brisbane Baroque
• HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHDOG SHAMES AUS’T OVER MARRIAGE DISCRIMINATION
• Tributes to Colleen McCullough
Tasting Tasmania: Pointing to food, wine reviews, with latest news, MRs below ...
Travel Videos: Nimbin, Australia Travel HD
• Amnesty’s Candlelight vigil against the death penalty
Well, Goodbye Campbell. At least Tony Abbott can breathe easy. The electorate aren’t as harsh on stupidity as…
