Tag: Julia Gillard

Julia loves Craig …

Jules announced the election date yesterday, an extraordinarily early release. Graham Richardson thought it a pretty dumb move because it enabled the Liberal Party to plan its timetable with precision. He was moved to say …

I just can’t follow why this Labor government and this Prime Minister does what it does. It is a mystery to me and to millions of Australians as well.

Among the reasons bandied about as to why, were a couple that made sense, it makes it harder for a challenge from Mr. Rudd and it provides an excuse for deferring any by elections until September. Hence the government can’t be brought down if one of the people it relies on should be hauled off to jail.

Today one of those people was arrested and it seems will soon be facing 149 cases of fraud. His lawyer stressed that only a small proportion of the alleged offences involved paying for prostitutes with other people’s money.

So, remarkable timing from our Julia … does she have contacts in the NSW Police or perhaps Channel 7?

Light at the end of the tunnel …

If we can believe the prime minister, the federal election will be held on September 14th.

She couldn’t stuff that up, could she?

Just when is Yom Kippur, day of atonement, holiest day of the Jewish year? Hope they’re not offended.

Christine Milne, meanwhile, suggests that it will be an opportunity for the electorate to endorse the Green influence on this nation’s direction. Bearing in mind that the main criticism the Greens have of the government is that they didn’t spend enough of the taxpayer’s hard-earned money, let’s endorse them all the way to oblivion.

Land rights for gay whales …

Poor Nova, she has outstanding sporting achievements under her belt and was in a position to reflect on the honour that she had earned by her own hard work and talent.

And then came affirmative action …

She has been picked for the senate for three reasons, her race, her gender and her celebrity.

And that from a team that yells racism and sexism at every turn.

Not surprisingly the local ALP members and volunteers, the very people who will be called upon to do the work that will get her elected, feel aggrieved at not being consulted.

I find it quite easy to believe she is more intelligent than Wayne Swan, more honest than Julia and unlikely to blow the branch funds at a brothel but any evidence of political nous is nowhere to be seen. It’s hard to imagine Ms Scrimgour bursting into tears at the honour done her by our prime minister.

It’s a sad turn of events … from home town hero to the gay whale of Australian politics.

Novice Kneebone …

PM “What we need, Sir Humphrey, is a boonga … They’re killing us up there in the Territory. A celebrity boonga, that’ll do the trick.”

Sir H “But what about the incumbent senator, Prime Minister?”

PM “What has she ever done for us? And a Rudd supporter at that, we can safely nail her arse to a tree.”

Sir H “Well, she has worked hard for the last fifteen years, she is the co-convener of Emily’s list, much liked … ”

PM “Yeah, by K Rudd, stuff’er”,

Sir H “The local branch won’t like it …”

PM “Stuff them, too. Not likely that they’ll come up with a boonga is it?”

Sir H “Well, in fact they were thinking of doing just that, Marion Scrymgour has thrown her hat in the ring”

PM “But she’s been in and out of the ALP and in again …”

Sir H “… Well you can’t hold that against Ms Kneebone, she’s yet to join”

PM “But she’s a celebrity, we’ll fix it. Just remind me to keep her away from pink batts, oh, and education.”

Sir H “And the branch?”

PM “Bunch of hicks. Just tell them, Humphrey, Captain’s Pick … what’s Crossin up to today? I’d better let her know”

Sir H “Well, the lady you just dumped for not being black enough is in Melbourne today chairing the enquiry into the new anti-discrimination laws”

 

And a happy new year …

Back in town.

I would like to say cool and refreshed, but can admit to being back in town.

I wish all of you a happy new year except Bashar Asad, if you’re reading … you’re not included.

I haven’t been in touch, so I have a bit of catching up to do. I’m pleased to see that America failed to disappear over the fiscal cliff. And they go on shooting each other, everything normal there.

Julia is charging from hot spot to hot spot saying things to improve her profile. Reminiscent of Anna Bligh, whatever happened to Anna Bligh?

In fact the prime minister’s special vehicle has been charging around a little too quick at times and has run up a few speeding fines. Her office is refusing to say who was at the wheel. Tim Blair is running a cheeky little poll as to who it might be. Pop over and join in – just click <HERE>.

The nice Mr Slipper has been summonsed to appear at the Canberra magistrate’s court, something to do with taxi vouchers. I expect Nicola or Julia will mussel up on his behalf.

Interesting year in store …

Slush puppies …

The HSU scandal moves at a glacial pace towards the courts …

While Mr Thomson may have been in technical breach of some of the union rules, it is expected he will argue he was acting within the normal ethical flexibility given to officials, and that the same practices occurred in every other union.

Spending union funds on prostitutes would require considerable ethical flexibility and surely there can’t be other unions displaying such flexibility. Well, setting aside the AWU, of course in the famous case where a female lawyer provided (free) legal assistance to her boyfriend of the time, in order to set up a slush fund. The lady in question is on the record as saying it was for re-election purposes of said boyfriend, she did not benefit from it, she didn’t know funds were being diverted to such ends as buying houses etc. She is not on the record regarding the answers to some questions put to her about these events.

The ALP is in no rush to set up an enquiry regarding the flexibility to be found in every other union. This is no great surprise when you consider that the Union movement provides almost all the funds for the government’s electioneering and virtually all the members of the parliamentary party. This sorry affair is still not over, but even as the Prime Minister ducks and weaves hissing slime and sleaze, more evidence of flexibility floats to the surface …

AWU Victorian secretary Cesar Melhem has reportedly confirmed that a non-profit company he runs, called Industry 2020, has raised some $500,000 since 2008 to help fund the political activities of the Right faction sub-group within the ALP.

Among the organisation’s spending was a “significant’ outlay of funds during the bitter Health Services Union (HSU) election in 2009, according to Fairfax.

As workplace relations minister at the time, Ms Gillard reportedly served as a guest speaker at Industry 2020’s inaugural fund-raising lunch, which raised about $250,000, nearly half of which was profit.

Goodness, AWU Mark ll. Senator Abetz suggests that …

“What this shows is that the Labor party are fully immersed in this culture of slush funds. That is why they are so paralysed in dealing with the HSU (Health Services Union) scandal and the (1990s) AWU scandal – because they basically know that everybody’s into it and they’re all into it together.”

Senator Abetz said it was “unbelievable” that some of the current AWU slush fund was used to finance an HSU election campaign in 2009.

While such behaviour might be technically legal it was morally wrong, he said.

“For the deputy prime minister of the time to be so associated with such an inappropriate fund is completely unacceptable”.

 

The sweet smell …

Michelle Grattan in today’s Age …

LABOR Senator John Faulkner can always get public attention when he talks about party reform. But as he’d be the first to admit, it’s quite another matter to get something meaningful done.

In his devastating critique this week, Faulkner homed in particularly on New South Wales, where appalling tales of misdeeds in the Labor years have been aired at the Independent Commission Against Corruption. His messages about loosening the factional system and the like, however, are also relevant to Labor nationally and follow the post-2010 election review of which he was co-author, with Bob Carr and Steve Bracks.

Faulkner’s argument that factions should not be allowed to bind MPs in caucus votes is a no-brainer.

The NSW problem should be separated from the wider reform debate. It’s urgent that Labor there must not just change but be seen to have changed.

This week the Left in NSW, at Faulkner’s instigation, took the extraordinary step of issuing a public apology for preselecting former Labor state resources minister Ian Macdonald, accused of colluding in the granting of coal exploration licences to benefit the family of Eddie Obeid, former upper house member, by up to a staggering $100 million.

Getting a lot of reform done quickly in NSW matters for federal Labor, facing an election next year. Big anti-Labor swings in 2010 have left a swag of seats on very thin margins. The corruption stench gives swinging voters one more reason not to vote Labor.

Reform nationally is a more complicated issue. Corruption is not the problem.

Corruption is not the problem? The ALP and the Union movement is riddled with corruption … one of Julia’s former boyfriends stands accused of ripping off the AWU via a slush fund that Julia helped through its birth process. One of the rising stars that helped Julia succeed Kevin Rudd, senator Mark Arbib, resigned unexpectedly back in February 2012. He is linked with the Obeid scandal currently before ICAC. By an odd coincidence when in Canberra Mr Arbib shared a residence with Alexandra Williamson, a staffer in the office of the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard,and the daughter of  Michael Williamson of HSU fame and recent National President of the ALP. Who in the ALP would like to see the rest of the iceberg exposed?

Which fearless reporter will turn over a few rocks? Clearly not Michelle Grattan.

Petards ready …

There will be no principles in a government I lead …

PROSTITUTES in Asia! PM on Monday:

LET me remind you who Mr Blewitt is … Mr Blewitt admits to using the services of prostitutes in Asia.


Prostitutes in Australia. ABC News, August 23, 2011:

JULIA Gillard has been again forced to defend Labor backbencher Craig Thomson, amid new allegations which appear to cast doubt on his denial that he used his union credit card to pay for prostitutes.


Stand by your man. Neil Mitchell, October 20, 2011:

HOST: Do you stand by Craig Thomson as a member of your team?

PM: I certainly do…


Company they keep! PM yesterday:

THE Deputy Leader of the Opposition has confessed during those interviews to being in the company of Ralph Blewitt on Friday – I’m now dealing with the lack of standards of the opposition and the company they keep.


Company they keep. Channel 10’s Meet the Press, Sunday:

NICOLA Roxon: I think the most substantive allegation is maybe she didn’t choose that wildly – wisely, her boyfriend. Now, all of us, I reckon, have chosen boyfriends and girlfriends in the past.

Hugh Riminton: Oh, I’ve had some terrible boyfriends. I’ve had some terrible boyfriends over the years.

Roxon: We may not always be, you know, on reflection, think we’re wise choices. But that is, I think, the only real issue here.


Lewd comments! PM on Monday:

MR Blewitt has published lewd and degrading comments and accompanying photographs of young women on his Facebook page.


Lewd comments. PM on October 9:

ON the conduct of Mr Slipper and on the text messages which are in the public domain – I have seen the press reports of those text messages and I am offended by their content … but I also believe that, in making a decision about the speakership, this parliament should recognise that there is a court case in progress and that the judge has reserved his decision. Having waited for a number of months for the legal matters surrounding Mr Slipper to come to a conclusion, this parliament should see that conclusion.

Double standards! PM on October 9:

WHAT I will not stand for – what I will never stand for – is the Leader of the Opposition … peddling a double standard.


Double standards? Leigh Sales on ABC 7.30 on Monday:

MR Blewitt, you just heard what the Prime Minister had to say about you in the parliament today. Why should anybody believe what you say?

Blewitt: Well, in response, I would say this: Julia Gillard has been labelling this a smear campaign. I think it’s a bit hypocritical of her to now come out and try and smear me to detract people from the main event here.


Gerald Moses writes to the Sydney Morning Herald, November 26:

WHEN I began my professional life in 1958, the senior partner of the firm I worked for used to say: “You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”

Rescued (filched) from behind the Australian’s paywall.