ELECTION TIME
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From: tossbagville
You do realise it was the conservative idiots that sold us a compromise
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From: Somewhere
Which would have him fit in nicely on the left side of politics
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From: Australia/India
It looks as if Labor will get a majority in its own right. (It is interesting to note that the AEC website still states that “0 of 151 House of Representatives seats have been declared”. So Australia has a new Prime Minister and other Ministers sworn in with zero seats declared one way or the other.)
Not good news for the ‘teal’ and other cross-benchers in the HoR. Subject to one possibility, the ‘teal’ and other cross-benchers should expect a courteous nod of the head by Labor members as they pass in the corridors of Parliament House, and not much more.
The one possibility is a repeat of Labor’s ‘Operation Slipper’ – that is, a defection from the opposition or cross-bench (in the case of ‘Operation Slipper’ it was Peter Slipper from the LNP) in return for some juicy reward (in Peter Slipper’s case, the Speakership) so that Labor has some ‘padding’ above a bare majority. After all, the Libs and the cross-benchers will be tempting Labor members to defect and there’s always the possibility of inconvenient coronaries. I suspect the faceless men in Labor will be looking, very carefully, at particularly the cross-bench, to see if someone’sripe for defection ready to step up to the Speakership in the public interest. (I’d jump for joy if Bob Katter became Speaker – talk about entertaining!)
That possibility aside, the main legislative game is now the Senate (assuming the AEC eventually declares HoR seats in the way the pundits are predicting they will go). I predict that Labor and the Coalition will vote together on many Bills in the Senate.
Not good news for the ‘teal’ and other cross-benchers in the HoR. Subject to one possibility, the ‘teal’ and other cross-benchers should expect a courteous nod of the head by Labor members as they pass in the corridors of Parliament House, and not much more.
The one possibility is a repeat of Labor’s ‘Operation Slipper’ – that is, a defection from the opposition or cross-bench (in the case of ‘Operation Slipper’ it was Peter Slipper from the LNP) in return for some juicy reward (in Peter Slipper’s case, the Speakership) so that Labor has some ‘padding’ above a bare majority. After all, the Libs and the cross-benchers will be tempting Labor members to defect and there’s always the possibility of inconvenient coronaries. I suspect the faceless men in Labor will be looking, very carefully, at particularly the cross-bench, to see if someone’s
That possibility aside, the main legislative game is now the Senate (assuming the AEC eventually declares HoR seats in the way the pundits are predicting they will go). I predict that Labor and the Coalition will vote together on many Bills in the Senate.
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From: Australia/India
When the Howard coalition government legislation defining a marriage to be something only between a man and a woman hit the Senate, do you think Penny Wong and her Labor colleagues voted against it? You’d think they’d vote against it.
She and they didn’t. Only 7 noes, none of them Labor.
She and they didn’t. Only 7 noes, none of them Labor.
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From: tossbagville
The LNP have to learn to negotiate first.
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From: tossbagville
Yes he contemplated joining the Labor Party at one point
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From: Australia/India
It's pretty obvious how few people monitor the proceedings and resolutions of the Federal Parliament. That's why they don't know how often the Coalition and Labor vote together to defeat cross-bench legislative proposals or amendments in the Senate.
As I noted earlier, the acid test will now be whether Labor introduces legislation for a federal ICAC with real teeth and jurisdiction to investigate retrospectively. Both Labor and the Coalition have plenty of skeletons in the closet (though the latter has more) and would prefer a cuddly puppy rather than watchdog ICAC. Now that Labor has a majority in its own right in the HoR, the cross-bench can't force through its own ICAC legislation nor force through amendments to Labor's proposed legislation to toughen it up. And when the legislation hits the Senate, the cross-bench there can huff and puff and fulminate at how flawed the legislation is, but if Labor and the Coalition choose to vote together....
But I live in hope that I will be proved wrong and that Labor will walk the talk on a federal ICAC. We shall see what we shall see.
As I noted earlier, the acid test will now be whether Labor introduces legislation for a federal ICAC with real teeth and jurisdiction to investigate retrospectively. Both Labor and the Coalition have plenty of skeletons in the closet (though the latter has more) and would prefer a cuddly puppy rather than watchdog ICAC. Now that Labor has a majority in its own right in the HoR, the cross-bench can't force through its own ICAC legislation nor force through amendments to Labor's proposed legislation to toughen it up. And when the legislation hits the Senate, the cross-bench there can huff and puff and fulminate at how flawed the legislation is, but if Labor and the Coalition choose to vote together....
But I live in hope that I will be proved wrong and that Labor will walk the talk on a federal ICAC. We shall see what we shall see.
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From: YMML
Given Labor has been out of power for a decade I'd expect the LNP has far more to fear from a federal ICAC, if nothing else because they've been in power and have doled out the money. Of course bribery and corruption come in many forms so they'll be far from the only targets.
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From: tossbagville
It's pretty obvious how few people monitor the proceedings and resolutions of the Federal Parliament. That's why they don't know how often the Coalition and Labor vote together to defeat cross-bench legislative proposals or amendments in the Senate.
But they won't vote together on budget matters for instance..
Le Pingouin, bit naive isn't it? One party is more corrupt than the other? Serious? They are all as bad as each other. And if the new commission has retrospective investigation power, we'll see that.
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From: YMML
tossbag, please reread what I've written. One party has been in power for the last decade, that is what I'm saying. That means they've been the ones with the power and influence over funding thus more subject to bribery and corruption. Very hard to ignore departmental advice and favour your mates if you aren't in government.
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From: tossbagville
tossbag, please reread what I've written. One party has been in power for the last decade, that is what I'm saying. That means they've been the ones with the power and influence over funding thus more subject to bribery and corruption. Very hard to ignore departmental advice and favour your mates if you aren't in government.
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From: Australia/India
But don’t forget: Corruption is not just a party political issue.
When an agency head engineers a restructure or review which magically results in the creation of a senior position for a mate, that’s corruption. When a senior official intervenes in a selection process to make sure his or her favoured candidate gets the promotion, that’s corruption. When purportedly open recruitment and procurement processes are run simply to legitimise a foregone conclusion, that’s corruption.
I anticipate that if a federal ICAC with real teeth is established and given jurisdiction to investigate circumstances which arose before its creation, many of the complaints will come from inside government agencies. Plenty of people with long memories know what goes on inside government agencies, but don’t trust the public interest disclosure legislation which has been described by a Federal Court judge as "technical, obtuse and intractable".
The judgment in which that statement was made arose from documents mailed by a security guard to a federal MP containing a range of allegations against high-ranking staff at the Department of Parliamentary Services, including its handling of investigations and review processes. The guard told the court there were also allegations relating to answers given in Senate estimates proceedings about a security incident. He also alleged a senior DPS officer had sought to cover up and avoid formal processes over a threat of physical violence made by a supervisor against a subordinate. He alleged multiple breaches of the parliamentary services code of conduct "including deception by providing and attempting to provide false, misleading and deliberately incomplete evidence to Senate estimates hearings and answers to questions on notice".
Plenty of very senior federal officials and retired federal officials will be sweating if a real federal ICAC is set up.
(You are correct, le P: a federal ICAC would not have jurisdiction to investigate ‘purely state’ matters.)
When an agency head engineers a restructure or review which magically results in the creation of a senior position for a mate, that’s corruption. When a senior official intervenes in a selection process to make sure his or her favoured candidate gets the promotion, that’s corruption. When purportedly open recruitment and procurement processes are run simply to legitimise a foregone conclusion, that’s corruption.
I anticipate that if a federal ICAC with real teeth is established and given jurisdiction to investigate circumstances which arose before its creation, many of the complaints will come from inside government agencies. Plenty of people with long memories know what goes on inside government agencies, but don’t trust the public interest disclosure legislation which has been described by a Federal Court judge as "technical, obtuse and intractable".
The judgment in which that statement was made arose from documents mailed by a security guard to a federal MP containing a range of allegations against high-ranking staff at the Department of Parliamentary Services, including its handling of investigations and review processes. The guard told the court there were also allegations relating to answers given in Senate estimates proceedings about a security incident. He also alleged a senior DPS officer had sought to cover up and avoid formal processes over a threat of physical violence made by a supervisor against a subordinate. He alleged multiple breaches of the parliamentary services code of conduct "including deception by providing and attempting to provide false, misleading and deliberately incomplete evidence to Senate estimates hearings and answers to questions on notice".
Plenty of very senior federal officials and retired federal officials will be sweating if a real federal ICAC is set up.
(You are correct, le P: a federal ICAC would not have jurisdiction to investigate ‘purely state’ matters.)
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From: tossbagville
Australia is the world leader in 'soft' corruption, it is endemic. And the penalties for corruption in this country are a bit of a joke. Embezzle a million, spend a year in a come and go as you please prison farm, sounds like a value proposition to me.
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From: Australia/India
And it's a favourite destination for money launderers. It's one of the reasons for real estate prices being so high.
Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, knowing that Australian first home buyers are competing against foreign criminals whose money is welcomed with open arms, no questions asked.
Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, knowing that Australian first home buyers are competing against foreign criminals whose money is welcomed with open arms, no questions asked.
