http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/truth-is-the-casualty-of-a-carefully-calibrated-illusion-20091105-i03f.html

The Rudd Government depends on our silence to prop up its lies.

Last July, Kevin Rudd said: "It's important for us all to remember here in Australia that Afghanistan has been a training ground for terrorists worldwide, a training ground also for terrorists in South-East Asia, reminding us of the reasons that we are in the field of combat and reaffirming our resolve to remain committed to that cause."

There is no truth in this statement. The Prime Minister was standing outside a church on a Sunday morning when he said this. No reporter challenged him. No one put it to Rudd that our perceived enemy in Afghanistan were introverted tribesmen who had no quarrel with Australia and didn't give a damn about South-East Asia and just wanted the foreign soldiers out of their country.

Above all, no one said: "Prime Minister, There is no war on terror. It's a hoax."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/pm-kevin-rudd-branded-an-economic-illiterate/story-e6frgczf-1225797124334

FORMER Labor finance minister Peter Walsh has savaged the Prime Minister as an "economic illiterate"

He slammed Kevin Rudd's reform credentials and style of governing. "The Prime Minister is an economic illiterate," he told The Australian, "an economic illiterate and an egomaniac".

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/vic-leading-nations-jobs-effort-brumby-20091112-ic77.html

Vic leading nation's jobs effort: Brumby
AAP

Victoria is leading the nation's employment effort, with the creation of more than 40,000 jobs this year, Premier John Brumby says.

The number of people employed nationally rose by a seasonally-adjusted 24,500 in October, when economists had expected a 10,000 decline, official data released on Thursday shows.

This was largely the result of a 21,500 increase in the number of part-time workers.

The national jobless rate returned to 5.8 per cent, as forecast by economists, having unexpectedly fallen to 5.7 per cent in September, and came as more people sought employment.

Victoria's jobless rate was unchanged at 5.7 per cent.

Mr Brumby said Victoria added another 22,700 jobs in October.

"Over the course of the year, Victoria has added more than 40,000 jobs," he told reporters.

"So, Victoria, in fact, over the first 10 months of this year, is providing the lion's share of new jobs right across Australia.

"We are well ahead of other states. Indeed, many other states have lost jobs."

Mr Brumby said job creation in Victoria was a reflection of the state's economy and his government's economic management.

On Wednesday, the state posted an $18.5 million deficit for the first three months to September but Treasurer John Lenders said he was confident Victoria was on track to achieve a modest 2009/10 budget surplus.

Jobs wrote:

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/vic-leading-nations-jobs-effort-brumby-20091112-ic77.html

Victoria is leading the nation's employment effort, with the creation of more than 40,000 jobs this year, Premier John Brumby says.


Yep. Biggest lot of bullshit I've ever heard too.

The spin doctors must be working overtime.

This is just rubbish. I suppose the state govt wants get credit for these dodgy employment figures?

Victorian surge in jobs

VICTORIA is leading a resurgence in Australian employment, being responsible for an astonishing 24,800 of the 26,500 jobs created nationwide in trend terms in the three months to October.

The Age - 13th Nov 2009 - By PETER MARTIN ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT

VICTORIA is leading a resurgence in Australian employment, being responsible for an astonishing 24,800 of the 26,500 jobs created nationwide in trend terms in the three months to October.

The figures show employers taking on workers at the fastest pace in almost two years. And in an important reversal of recent trends, they show almost all the new jobs going to men, making male breadwinners more secure.

The fgures build a solid case for a rare pre-Christmas rate hike, an event that has happened only twice in the two decades.

An extra 24,500 Australians found jobs in October, adding to the extra 39,800 who found jobs in September.

In less-volatile trend terms, employment increased 26,500 over the three months to October. Almost 24,000 of the new jobs went to men. The figures suggest the unemployment rate is near its peak. At 5.8 per cent nationwide and 5.7 per cent in Victoria, it is little changed since March.

"It may have peaked already," said AMP Capital economist Shane Oliver. "Business surveys point to solid employment growth going into next year.

"By the second half of that year jobs growth is likely to be well above labour force growth and the unemployment rate should come down."

Other experts agree that the Government's budget forecast for unemployment, revised only last week, is too pessimistic.

"The budget had unemployment peaking at 8.5 per cent. The mid-year review had it peaking at 6.75 per cent. It now may not even get to my forecast of 6.25 per cent," said ICAP Securities' Adam Carr.

Increased job offers, diminishing redundancies and renewed talk of labour shortages are likely to loosen purse strings in the lead-up to Christmas as breadwinners become less worried about losing jobs.

"In effect it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy," said CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian. "We will see a pick up in retail spending and economic activity. It appears almost certain the Reserve Bank will break tradition and raise interest rates for the third consecutive month."

A third successive rate hike would add a further $46 to the monthly cost of repaying a $300,000 mortgage.

In Singapore for an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting, Treasurer Wayne Swan played down the strength of the employment news, saying "substantial challenges" remained.

"We are fortunate in Australia. But nevertheless everybody's impacted upon by what's happening globally, which is one of the reasons why we have to maintain the stimulus," he said.

Underscoring Victoria's strength, the trend figures show it is the only state to have boosted full-time employment.

Victoria added 5500 full-time jobs in the three months to October when every other state lost jobs.

Can someone show me where are the full time jobs I have applied for about 500 jobs. I am a profesional Australian in the last two years and I am not able to get a part time job, even cleaning jobs are taken by the international students and they are sending all the money to their families overseas, what about us? Is this what Rudd is doing for the real australian, come on is all bull shit!!

I heard that cleaning companies are giving more than 20 hours to the students, just to mention students working for Mobil Refinery get a lot, Consolidated Cleaning in South Melbourne is the same.

(this post has been edited)

Up to their old tricks. Could Conroy and Shorten be behind this? Obviously there's a bucket load of slush cash in it for someone.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/union-vote-sinks-into-dirty-tricks-20091114-ifo3.html

THE election campaign for the Health Services Union of Australia descended further into disrepute last week as the electoral commission confirmed rorting of the process by some candidates.

The Sunday Age can confirm that one candidate, Jamie Martorana, has launched legal action to try to find out the author of an allegedly defamatory leaflet, posted to members last month, which linked him to sadomasochism and murder.

The hard-fought HSUA election is a proxy battle for power within the Australian Labor Party between two rival right-wing groups. Each side is supported at a high level by Labor players, and each wants to gain power within the ALP using the HSUA's affiliation to the party.

Populate or Perish and the Yellow Peril were the twin political mantras of my youth. And the former is now so entrenched that no debate can be had.

I've always thought Kelvin Thompson a seriously boring MP, but he earned my respect when he resigned after his infamous personal reference for a crim was exposed. Now THAT's ministerial responsibility, Branch Stackers.

When he said the Victorian Governments expansion of urban development boundaries was 'like a fat man loosening his belt rahter than dieting' I was seriously impressed.

When he stood up and said we need to have a public debate about migration policy and particularly the speed of migration on the basis of sustainability and, dare I say it, social cohesion, I became a fan! Ah, what Labor used to be.

Same players in NSW running interference in the federal preselections. The whole thing looks nicely stitched up now that the Australian version of Tony Soprano got necked on the weekend. Someone tell me how these talentless individuals such as Conroy and Shorten got all this power? Tell me how the likes of Mark Arbib & Joe Tripodi even get elected? Tell me how our system of government gets so debased and corrupted? Tell me how our unions ever allowed themselves to be used and abused as launching pads for losers. I have never been so turned off politics in my life. I have been a lifelong ALP voter, that all changed in 2007. I did not vote ALP in the Fed election and I vow never to vote for them again, they are worthless as a party.

they're all a bunch of hypocrites, especially the greens - the most self-righteous of them all.


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/nsw-greens-tackeld-over-gifts/story-e6frg6nf-1225797536680

THE NSW Greens have been forced to fend off accusations of hypocrisy and double standards after admitting to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from advertising companies.

Official data show the NSW Greens have received more than $275,000 over the past nine years from Avant Card, a Sydney and Melbourne-based advertising company that specialises in free postcards and that says it prides itself on "working with clients that share our values for a fairer, greener and more peaceful world".

In addition, in 2006-07, the Australian Greens received $28,000 in free services from Cyclone Advertising.

Cyclone lists among its clients the multinational sportswear company Nike, which has been persistently lambasted by the Greens for allegedly exploiting cheap labour in developing countries.

It may be kicking and screaming, but NSW Labor understands it has no choice.

Not like the dumb arsed nincompoops running hte show here in Vic.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/rees-once-a-pariah-now-a-pin-up-boy/story-e6frg6nf-1225799934359

That evening, in Canberra, Mr Rees addressed about 25 federal NSW Labor MPs over drinks in the government caucus room. He briefed them on the two big announcements in his conference speech -- removing the veto power of faction bosses over cabinet appointments, and banning developer donations -- spruiking the decisions as a transformation of the political landscape in NSW.

It is perhaps no coincidence that in 2007 Mr Arbib had a massive falling out with his former close ally, NSW Labor MP and right-wing powerbroker Joe Tripodi, and that Mr Tripodi has been the first minister axed under Mr Rees's new powers.

Yes, the factions are still factioning but none of it wins public support. Although, listening to Rees the other day I wonder if he will deflect discontent in NSW by appealing to the climate conscious. He was spruiking his government's decision to introduce gross feedin tariffs for electricity generated by households using small scale wind and solar arrangements to become small generators, this follows the German model where farmers have set up solar panels in fields as an 'energy' cash crop. (Compare this to the bob-each-way Brumby feed-in tariff capped to protect brown coal fired power stations in perpetuity).

If this is a strategy it's interesting. Federal LibNats are a liability to State Libs aspirations, and the Rudd government is a huge disappointment in its sellout compromises to secure Lib votes to get any legislation through.

Given the weather at the moment, courting the climate change action vote could be a winner. But, perhaps, too little too late for Lazarus Labor NSW.

the Rudd government is a huge disappointment in its sellout compromises to secure Lib votes to get any legislation through.

Of course it has to compromise with the Libs because it doesn't have the numbers in the Senate. It's called democracy.

I suppose you, as a Green Party member, would prefer NO ETS, which is what would happen if the Rudd Govt didn't compromise. The Libs/Nats/Fielding/Xenophon would just vote it down.

Because the greens supposedly don't compromise they never have to take responsibility for any decisions, and they'll always be destined to be a fringe player in Australian politics.

If we abolished the Senate, no Government would ever need to compromise (at least to the same extent) - now that's an idea!

sellout? wrote:

I suppose you, as a Green Party member, would prefer NO ETS, which is what would happen if the Rudd Govt didn't compromise.

Now here's a sore Labor voter for you.

Admit it, you can hear the ship groaning under the weight of corruption, it's already listing, the ballast pump is not working and the lifeboats are already scuttled.

sellout? wrote:
I suppose you, as a Green Party member, Sorry to disillusion your prejudgment, I am not a Green Party member. And my reason for calling federal Labor bankrupt on Climate action started when they compromised, almost lay down dead, to get LibNat favour in the senate and they were snubbed, had their noses rubbed in it and now we have the farce of deniers exercising their faith in negotiations to extract even more thatn the overly generous orginal CPRS.

There are a host of actions that could have been taken apart from the CPRS. A national gross, guaranteed feed-in tariff would been a start. Better building regulations around energy. Raising energy efficiency standards on transport sold in Aus. Compulsory recycled water pipes to all new housing estates. Compulsory installation of an additional grew water system as old water infrastructure fails, eg, when one pipe needs replacement put in the new one as well. We're still waiting to start on climate action and all we have is a government that keeps holding up Howard's reign as some sort of hallmark standard.

Give me a break, yes, Labor are screwed in the senate which effectively means they have NO MANDATE to do anything. But bankrupting the nation to pay to sandbag polluting industries is insanity.

Had Rudd stood the moral highground and adopted the Garnaut recommendations for his CPRS, the people might not have been so unforgiving of the failure to deliver a CPRS. But he gains no points whatsoever for the this flim flam plan that is a tarted up corporate welfare scheme.

The point of my cyncial post is that if Rees does court the climate aware, he doesn't have to privatise the power stations because co-generators will fill some of the growth needs; he can harness a lot of dedicated, hardworking 'true believers' (both Labor and not of the Labor) and deflect attention from the past, the party's sordid inner workings. Nothing like a war to focus attention on an issue, and climate action needs to be treated as a war (without the damned spin, though). Very, very cynically, he could just stir up expectations, scrape lazarus up from dead to comatose and do what Labor always do.

Not quite lazarus wrote:


Give me a break, yes, Labor are screwed in the senate which effectively means they have NO MANDATE to do anything.

you lost me here. Governments rarely have the votes in both houses - to say they have no mandate is ridiculous.

Any mandate given by the people at the election has been trounced by the LibNats. Hence, the assertion that Labor have no mandate - in practical if not electoral terms.

The LibNats outrage that they, the annointed leaders of Australia, became the opposition has resulted in extraordinarily poor performance in parliament. They have defined themselves as the No No LibNats. Whatever the government with the supposed mandate proposed they voted against and carefully took at least one of the xbenchers with them in the senate. If they had confined their No No's to just a few key principles, things would have been fine but, after voting to change border protection, most Government bills to give effect to election promises have been rejected or watered down.

We can see how watered down the CPRS and energy bills became to meet LibNat priorities. If you listen to any interview with a LibNat you will hear them take the moral high ground on what they consider 'bad law'. That is, no law is made without their permission.

That goes beyond opposition and holding government to account. And, I'm sure when Labor loses they will be equally nasty. Much nastier than I have observed in many, many decades.

Thus, Rudd's mandate is the mandate you have that you can't use, effectively all he can pass is the LibNuts agenda.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/former-parliament-house-barmaid-tells-of-affair-with-premier-rann/story-e6frgczf-1225801045765

A FORMER Parliament House barmaid has gone public with claims of a sexual relationship with South Australian Premier Mike Rann.

Mr Rann's links with Ms Chantelois have been the subject of intense speculation since her estranged husband Richard Wayne Phillips was charged with assaulting the Premier with a rolled-up magazine at a Labor Party fundraiser in September.

Ms Chantelois detailed how a near-decade-long friendship with Mr Rann became an intimate relationship.

Mr Rann married Sasha Carruozzo in July 2006.

The day after the alleged assault by Mr Phillips, Mr Rann said he he did not know the reason for the attack.

Mr Phillips is due to appear in court next month on a charge of aggravated assault.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/probe-clears-vic-alp-of-branch-stacking-20091121-is00.html

The Victorian ALP has been accused by its own members of failing to properly investigate allegations of branch stacking.

The finger pointing came after the party's state conference on Saturday was told an internal investigation had found no allegations of branch stacking.

Finally, the rancid, corrupt, blight on the NSW ALP, the creature known as the NSW Right starts to get smashed to pieces. The illusion that it was, the brittle veneer starts to collapse in on itself. This is all a really good thing. What's not good is that many of its beneficiaries are still there, Arbib is one of them. He is a typical product of the kind of culture that has existed in the NSW Right, he is totally self centred and self absorbed. He is socially useless and a complete parasite on the political system. These people have thwarted democracy at every turn, they have utilised unions and members money for their own ends, none of this usually good for the people. They have supported the faction through some very dubious means. When will Rudd start on them? When will they finally answer for their actions? When will they be gotten rid of for the good of NSW? When will the riches they have sought for themselves be stripped from them? When will they be tossed out of the lifeboat they would not allow others to get into?