This document is part of an archive of postings by John Ray on Australian Politics, a blog hosted by Blogspot who are in turn owned by Google. The index to the archive is available here or here. Indexes to my other blogs can be located here or here. Archives do accompany my original postings but, given the animus towards conservative writing on Google and other internet institutions, their permanence is uncertain. These alternative archives help ensure a more permanent record of what I have written
This is a backup copy of the original blog. Backups from previous months accessible here
28 February, 2023
Another Leftist discovers reality
Just when you think all hope is lost for the Victorian Liberal Party to ever regain its conservative political roots, along comes a candidate like Moira Deeming. Deeming is the type of grassroots politician the luvvies love to hate; young, articulate, passionate, and an ex-progressive.
Which is precisely the reason they’ve given her the moniker, ‘Labor Party Princess’. Quoting the great Robert Menzies in her maiden speech to parliament, Deeming captured something of your widespread appeal:
‘The real life of this nation is to be found in the home of the people who are nameless and unadvertised. And who, whatever their individual religion or dogma, see in their children their greatest contributions.’
In her own words, Deeming says, ‘She was born and bred on the political left coming from a long line of union leaders, card-carrying Labor Party members, and Labor MPs.’ Indeed, her great-grandfather was John Joseph Holland, a western suburbs Labor MP for over thirty-five years as well as a councillor for the city of Melbourne. All of which is to say, Deeming comes from ‘good Catholic Labor stock’.
What would motivate her then to change to the Liberal side of politics? According to Deeming:
‘There is a long tradition in Australian politics of those raised on the gospel of unity who come to learn firsthand the value of liberty and who then switch to the liberal side of politics. Sadly, they’re often referred to as “Labor rats” but in reality, they were just ordinary people who foresaw the problems which are plaguing all political parties that refuse to tolerate independent thinking and the tragic consequences of idolising economies which are controlled by the State.’
After quoting the famous examples of three former Labor politicians who switched sides throughout their careers – such as former Prime Ministers Joseph Cook and Joseph Lyons as well as Warren Mundine – a former president of the Labor Party to chairman of CPAC – Deeming commented:
‘I grew up idolising the Left, unions, and the Labor Party. But when taken to an extreme, these ideals have a “dark side”. As a teenager, I witnessed first-hand the corruption and the coordinated bullying of anyone who doesn’t think and act in “unity” with the Left.’
For Deeming, her political paradigm shifted though, by concerns she observed firsthand as a teacher in state schools. Deeming said:
‘Lessons on tolerance were being replaced with lessons on inclusion. It wasn’t enough to just accept each other’s differences with respect. Now students were required to affirm and celebrate beliefs which they just did not share. Perfectly reasonable religious and moral differences were being framed as discriminatory, intolerant, and a new vocabulary was introduced categorising people as “allies” or “enemies”.
‘Instead of being inspired by history’s heroes, students were being chastised and even told to stand up in class and apologise for historical crimes they had neither committed nor condoned.
‘They were told that the physical world is on the brink of doom. But rather than assigning research projects to find practical solutions, they were being assigned activism as work. Including, social media awareness campaigns, ideological fundraisers, and even attendance at protests during school hours.
‘Instead of being taught the life-changing value of grit and character, my most vulnerable and disadvantaged students were being weighed down and discouraged with spectres of insurmountable social forces all arrayed against them; capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy.’
These are serious issues. And every Australian citizen should be alarmed at what is occurring in Victorian schools because that particular state seems hell-bent on leading the way socially for the rest of the country. According to Deeming though, the proverbial ‘final straw’ in her deciding to challenge the government was as follows:
‘I discovered that school policies and curriculums had been radically altered to remove almost every child safeguarding standard that we had.
‘Primary school children were being subjected to erotic sexual content.
‘Female students no longer had the right to single-sex sports teams, toilets or change rooms.
‘And teachers – like me – were being forced to secretly lie to parents about their children who were secretly living one gender at school and another gender at home.
‘I realised then that my teaching career was over because I simply would not ever do the things I was being asked to do.
‘I would never ask the class which sexual experiences they’d had and which they were willing to do. I would never tell girls to bind their breasts. I would never accuse gay students of being transphobic. I would never tell my female students they had to tolerate a male teacher supervising their change room. And I was never ever going to lie to parents about what was going on with their own children at school.
‘But I also knew that if I spoke out that I was going to be vilified and that I would never work in a public school again. And that is exactly what happened.’
Somewhat surprisingly, even the Sun Herald joined in accusing deeming of promoting ‘extremist views’ whilst Daniel Andrews resorted to his usual tactic of dismissing Ms Deeming’s concerns as ‘shameful’. But listening to Deeming’s maiden speech, there is nothing extreme, let alone shameful, about it.
Deeming explicitly called on the Victorian government to amend the law in three ways. First, to protect sex-based rights to protect female-only sports, change rooms, and other activities while ‘maintaining the safety and dignity of transgender people’. Second, to make it illegal for children to be present in brothels. And third, to make it legal for parents and clinicians to seek treatment that alleviates gender dysmorphic feelings in children.
Deeming is a politician with the courage which we need right now. Sadly, though, the Liberal Party leadership have basically thrown her under the proverbial bus, distancing themselves from her convictions.
How tragic. When a former ‘Labor Party Princess’ cannot find a home in a party supposed to represent Liberal democratic values. No wonder the Liberty party lost the last election with little prospect of winning the next.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/moira-deeming-former-labor-party-princess/
*****************************************************Dominic Premier has called for an end of Covid-19 vaccines mandates, saying the jab has no impact on transmission
The NSW Premier has dropped a bombshell on talkback radio telling listeners there is “no evidence” Covid vaccines stop transmission.
Dominic Perrottet, a month out from what polls are indicating could be a lineball state election, was fielding talkback calls on 2GB with Ben Fordham when he made the claim.
John a paramedic, told the Premier that both he and his wife, an emergency nurse, lost their jobs due to the vaccine mandates.
Both are still unemployed.
“We are down in Sydney at the industrial relations committee trying to get her job back,” John said.
Doesn’t it seem disingenuous you are offering $10,000 sign-on bonuses to nurses to get them back into the industry, and me and my wife can’t work, my job still hasn’t been replaced as a paramedic. It’s an absolute disgrace.”
The Premier told John he has repeatedly told the public and private sector to end vaccine mandates.
“I have made it very clear, and I couldn’t be clearer to the public service here in NSW to end vaccine mandates and the majority of the public service have done so,” a frustrated Premier said “I have also made it clear to the private sector.
“I have made it clear for the simple reason that there is no evidence that the vaccines stop transmission.”
Fordham said that employers – in both the private and public sector – were not listening, lamenting it was “crazy” the mandates were persisting despite the shortage of paramedics and nurses.
Mr Perrottet then reiterated there was “no evidence” the vaccine stops transmission. “It is based on the evidence, there is no evidence that in this current environment that vaccines stop transmission,” he said.
Mr Perrottet said health facilities imposed some vaccine requirements on workers before the pandemic, usually for influenza, and that was the point he wanted to get back to.
“In the areas of the public service that I can make that direction, I have it and it has been enacted,” he said.
The NSW Premier was known as the most liberal out of the state and territory leaders on masks and vaccine mandates during the pandemic.
In December 2021, during the Omicron wave, he backflipped on his “personal responsibility” approach to mask-wearing by reintroducing a mandate requiring them to be worn indoors while also reinstating social distancing measures in hospitality venues.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended that everyone over the age of 18 who has not been infected with Covid or received a vaccine within the last six months should get a fifth shot.
The fifth jab was previously only available for people who are severely immunocompromised.
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Regulator sues firm in greenwashing crackdown
Mercer Superannuation is the first company being dragged to court by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for allegedly making misleading statements about the sustainability of some of its investment products, as the regulator looks to crack down on greenwashing.
In a media release on Tuesday, ASIC announced it was commencing civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against the super fund for greenwashing – a move which the regulator’s deputy chair Sarah Court said reflected a growing area of concern. Greenwashing is when companies overstate or lie about their environmental credentials.
“There is increased demand for sustainability-related financial products, and with that comes the growing risk of misleading marketing and greenwashing,” she said.
“The vast majority of Australians already investing in sustainable options are looking to continue to do so, and [...] funds being invested in sustainability-related options are just growing exponentially. If financial products make sustainable investment claims to investors and potential investors, they need to reflect the true position.”
ASIC alleges Mercer made misleading statements on its website about the nature and characteristics of the “Sustainable Plus” investment options offered by the Mercer Super Trust, of which Mercer is the trustee.
The Sustainable Plus options were marketed as suitable for members who “are deeply committed to sustainability” because they excluded investments in companies involved in carbon intensive fossil fuels like thermal coal.
Two-thirds of companies in misleading ‘greenwashing’ claims
But ASIC alleges that members who took up the Sustainable Plus options had investments in industries the website statements said were excluded. This included investments in 15 companies involved in the extraction or sale of carbon intensive fossil fuels, such as AGL Energy, mining giant BHP and Whitehaven Coal.
Mercer also stated that the Sustainable Plus options excluded investments in companies involved in alcohol production and gambling. However, ASIC alleged it found investments in 15 companies involved in the production of alcohol and 19 companies involved in gambling.
ASIC said these statements and investments amounted to Mercer engaging in conduct that could mislead the public, and that it sought declarations and financial penalties from the court. It is also seeking injunctions preventing Mercer from continuing to make the alleged misleading statements on its website, and orders requiring Mercer to publicise any breaches found by the court.
ASIC has issued more than $140,000 in infringement notices for alleged greenwashing, levelled against companies such as Tlou Energy, Vanguard Investments Australia, Diversa Trustees and Black Mountain Energy.
But the regulator’s first court proceeding in this area reflects a sharpened focus on action against greenwashing as outlined in ASIC’s 2023 Enforcement Priorities.
“We’re now ramping up,” deputy chair Sarah Court said. “We have made very clear to the industry what we are concerned about. The importance of these court actions is that, if the court rules in ASIC’s favour, it sends a message not just to Mercer, but to the industry more broadly that if you are going to make these kinds of representation, you need to be very sure that you can implement the exclusions you are promising investors.”
The move comes after the Financial Services Royal Commission gave rise to legislative amendments which enhanced ASIC’s powers to take action regarding a broader range of superannuation trustee conduct.
Mercer is not the only superannuation fund potentially misleading consumers.
Market Forces campaigner Brett Morgan said analysis conducted by his firm in July last year found that eight out of 11 major Australian super fund investment options labelled “sustainable” or “socially responsible” were investing in companies expanding in the fossil fuel sector.
“We looked at the investment options offered by Australia’s biggest super funds, with those labels, and compared their investments to a piece of work we did on the 180 global companies most responsible for fossil fuel expansion,” he said.
ASIC takes first compliance action over greenwashing
Morgan said the court action from ASIC was a positive step, but that he would continue to keep an eye on the super funds.
“Super funds are now required to publish their investment holdings every six months, so we continue to analyse those and will continue to publish analyses of their holdings,” Morgan said. “The court action is a big step-up from ASIC and should send shockwaves through the superannuation industry, and corporate Australia more broadly.”
Court said there was “no end of matters” getting referred to the regulator, and that she anticipated further enforcement action against greenwashing this year.
A Mercer spokeswoman said the company was considering ASIC’s concerns, but that it would be inappropriate to comment further because the matter is before the courts.
“Mercer has co-operated with ASIC throughout its investigation, and will continue to carefully consider ASIC’s concerns with respect to this matter,” she said.
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A promising employment opportunity for Aborigines?
Last week the ABC broadcast one of its routine, not news, news stories about the labour shortage in the bush (‘Northern Territory workforce shortages force government, industries to seek employees across globe’). Recently a Four Corners episode presented a similar story focusing on the Griffith region (‘A visit to the town of Griffith tells you everything you need to know about Australia’s worker shortage crisis’).
The ABC routinely produces stories lamenting the absence of workers in rural areas and in Darwin and is not alone in presenting such stories. A quick search of the internet reveals dozens of similar tales of woe across most media outlets.
Meanwhile, a close competitor in frequency of publication are the recurrent stories about the absence of jobs for Aboriginal Australians in rural areas. The federal and state governments have, for decades, been regularly churning out earnest reports investigating the reason why unemployment levels for Aborigines remain much higher than those of any other group in Australia. The reports routinely note that the absence of job opportunities in the bush for Aborigines is a major cause of anti-social behaviour in places such as Wadeye.
What I have been unable to find in any of the hundreds of articles and television documentaries published recently on these two topics, is anyone who attempts to seriously link the two issues. The recent Four Corners episode reported on problems in the orchard industry around Griffith where the general manager of a local orchards said, ‘There should have been 200 workers at the vast orchard, picking fruit from its half-a-million citrus trees.’ The Four Corners report continued, ‘Mr Ceccato found just 20. The award wage for fruit picking is $26.73 an hour, but Mr Ceccato pays his workers $29. He says he couldn’t find more workers even when he offered $45 an hour.’
The absence of backpackers and Pacific Island workers has undoubtedly created a crisis in the rural labour market and the question of why no one is trying to use this crisis as an opportunity to get unemployed Aboriginal youths into work requires examination. Why do horticulturalists prefer to recruit gangs of Pacific Islanders to pick fruit rather than gangs of unemployed Aborigines? Why is the NT government currently sending no less than 20 delegates from the hospitality industry to the UK and Ireland to recruit workers for the NT hospitality industry when there is, theoretically, a pool of unemployed workers already here and, more importantly, why is no one in the mainstream media addressing these questions?
The standard redneck racist answer to questions like these is that the Aborigines don’t want to work and would rather hang around in remote settlements living on welfare. A more sophisticated explanation for the reluctance to offer work to unemployed Aborigines is found in a recent parliamentary inquiry into poverty where we are told, ‘It is etched on the collective psyche of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today that social and economic exclusion was arbitrarily enforced upon us. The ramifications of this exclusion have set the platform for the tragic circumstances experienced by [Indigenous] people in Australia.’
The Diversity Council Australia published a major report last year in which it said that high unemployment among rural Aborigines is due to several reasons including racism and the lack of culturally safe workplaces. (‘Gari Yala Speak The Truth’). To remedy this situation the authors suggested a variety of approaches including, ‘Consult with Indigenous staff on how to minimise cultural load while maintaining organisational activity’, ‘Recognise and remunerate cultural load as part of an employee’s workload’, and ‘Recognise identity strain and educate non-Indigenous staff about how to interact with their Indigenous colleagues in ways that reduce this’.
The fact that employers have to remain mindful of ‘identity strain’ and ‘cultural load’ should they wish to employ Aboriginal staff to pick oranges might go some way to explaining why Pacific Islanders and backpackers are preferred employees.
I can find no evidence that any of the thousands of academics, government officials and Land Council officials whose job it is to solve the issue of rural Aboriginal unemployment has suggested putting together teams of Aboriginal fruit pickers to gather experience in the horticultural industry. This is despite the fact that it offers a unique opportunity to enable unemployed Aboriginal youths to gain work experience and an income.
Instead, the whole of government approach to solving the problem of labour shortages in rural and regional Australia is twofold. Firstly the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme which, now that Covid is behind us, aims to bring even more unskilled and semi-skilled workers to Australia and, secondly, a decision to increase by 30 per cent the number of working holiday visas issued to backpackers.
It is difficult to accept that no one, from all the relevant expert bodies, has considered using unemployed Aboriginal youths to fill the current labour shortage. Possibly the experts are all racist and believe it is a waste of time trying to get Aboriginals involved in low-skilled seasonal work. Possibly they recognise that the challenges involved in creating culturally safe workplaces in orchards are insuperable.
But the failure to link the two issues of rural Aboriginal unemployment and the desperate shortage of unskilled labour in rural enterprises speaks volumes about the hypocrisy and dishonesty in the debates emanating from people who make a living in the Aboriginal grievance industry. Possibly they are all too busy fighting for the establishment of the Voice to focus on concrete steps to get Aboriginal youths into the workforce. Possibly they believe that until culturally safe workplaces are established, it is too dangerous for young Aboriginals to earn a living.
The endless supply of ‘sit-down money’ has to be replaced by a get-up program which will teach the young adults in remote communities less about traditional culture and more about the psychological value of being able to support a family. The story of Nabi Baqiri, the illiterate Afghan refugee who arrived with nothing and is now a multi-millionaire part-owner of several orchards, should be better known.
He shows what can be achieved in this country and, instead of the hoo-ha of establishing a Voice to parliament, his voice is one we should all listen to.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/the-hypocrisy-of-culturally-safe-workplaces
************************************27 February, 2023
Homeseekers warned over small buying window
I have got to agree with this. The steadly increasing Queensland population due to immigration from interstate and overseas combined with the very slow rate of new builds must inevitably increase scarcity and scarcity inevitably brings price rises
It’s a buyer’s market but home seekers have been warned they may only have a small window to purchase properties at lower prices before they rise again.
Housing experts revealed many property markets were on track to rebound in the months ahead following record price falls over the past year.
The main drivers of the uplift in prices over the second half of the year were worsening housing shortages, rampant migration and runaway rental increases coaxing more first homebuyers to purchase.
Agents reported buyers had also adjusted to the initial shock of the Reserve Bank’s recent barrage of rate rises and were factoring future rises into their spending budgets.
My Housing Market economist Andrew Wilson said the market was already improving and looked likely to bottom out by June.
Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee said there was mounting evidence the worst of the year-long housing slump had passed and prices in some cities were closer to static than falling.
Prices nationally inched down by just 0.09 per cent over January and by a similar margin over December – a far cry from the more than 1 per cent drops over the months following the first rate hikes in May.
Ms Conisbee said rate rises had pushed down prices but their impact on future price movements had been overblown.
“It’s a big influence on the market, but it’s not the only factor,” she said. “Little housing stock is coming onto the market in most areas and this doesn’t look like it will change. In fact, it could get worse because we’re not building enough new homes and builders are going bust.”
Property figures showed current listings across the country are about 30 per cent below the five-year average. Three- and four-bedroom houses were in particularly short supply.
“The quality homes are rarely listed. Buyers who want them have to compete and prices for those houses will go up,” Real Estate Buyer’s Agents Association of Australia president Cate Bakos said.
“There are a lot of people who can buy, but aren’t doing so,” Ms Bakos said.
“They’re all for the bell to ring saying it’s the bottom of the market. Those buyers will be your competition when the market recovers. The exact same thing happened during pandemic. People held off until the market started booming, then it was too late.”
Buyer’s agent Rich Harvey of Property Buyer said sitting on the sidelines waiting for further falls in property prices before making a purchase wasn’t a smart strategy given how rapidly rents were rising.
A typical capital city tenant is currently spending about $30,000 a year in rent and some renters would not necessarily get this kind of saving on their purchase price if they kept waiting to buy.
“The biggest falls have already happened, any additional falls will be a lot smaller, but during all that time you’re paying a lot in rent that could have paid off your mortgage,” Mr Harvey said.
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NSW Labor’s plan to offer IB in public schools ‘risks diminishing the HSC’
The IB is something of an elite qualification requiring a fairly high IQ. It would be unlikely to suit working class students. It is thus something of an alternstive "advance placement" course. When the Left are trying to dumb everything down, it could thus be something of a life-raft for more able students in government schools
Principals and education experts warn introducing the International Baccalaureate to the public sector could deepen the education divide, with schools in wealthy areas more likely to offer the costly HSC alternative.
Opposition leader Chris Minns announced on Thursday that under a Labor government public schools would be given the option of running the IB, allowing all school sectors access to the globally recognised qualification.
However, the NSW Department of Education said the plan would incur significant costs – including teacher training and registration – that could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars per school.
“The Department remains committed to the HSC because it is an inclusive, world-renowned credential that provides [for] all students in NSW,” a spokesperson said.
The IB – which has an emphasis on university preparation – is offered in 37 of the state’s private schools. It is frequently used by schools for marketing purposes and has never been offered in the NSW public system.
An internal Department of Education paper finished in 2017, but never acted upon, recommended state schools offer the IB to give students access to an academically rigorous HSC equivalent.
It would “help attract and retain families of bright students in the public school system”, the proposal said at the time, while estimating it would cost a public school between $44,000 to $300,500 to run the program.
Labor said lifting the restriction would bring NSW into alignment with public schools in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, which all have the option of offering the program to students.
“Individual public schools would be able to lodge expressions of interest to trial the course or courses that suit their school from within their existing budgets,” Shadow Minister for Education Prue Car said.
But Tom Alegounarias, the former chair of NESA, said the HSC has been built and protected by both sides of politics.
“The vast majority of the most outstanding students now do the HSC and that’s what gives the HSC its power.”
“The HSC is a substantial and glittering asset of NSW. The vast majority of the most outstanding students now do the HSC and that’s what gives the HSC its power,” he said.
“This is crucial for the least advantaged in providing a level playing field and transparent standards and the status of achievement, and no other is as transparent in its standards.
More than 200 schools in Australia offer an IB qualification, including 71 public schools in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
Of the 44 public schools that offer the program and are members of IB Australasia, the vast majority have an above-average ICSEA score, which is a measure of a school’s socio-educational advantage.
Alegounarias said the IB provides independent schools with a point of marketing differentiation, but rolling it out across state schools could “risk diminishing the HSC qualification”.
NSW Secondary Principals’ Council president Craig Petersen said he wanted more detail about the IB proposal amid concerns about how it would be implemented.
“It has implications for resourcing and timetabling. The HSC is highly regarded and provides equitable access to all,” Petersen said.
“We would need to be convinced that any move to IB did not disadvantage students. Many colleagues have already expressed concerns that it would further widen the equity gap between students.”
“It’s been sad that the only way in NSW a student can access IB education was through private school.”
Antony Mayrhofer, Secretary of IB Schools Australasia
However, Dallas McInerney, the chief executive officer of Catholic Schools NSW, said as “a principle of choice” there was a level of demand for the IB, and that should be supported.
“It’s never shown the promise to be a large-scale offering, and the resource intensity is a factor in that,” he said.
Almost 660 NSW students sat IB diploma exams last year, up by about 10 per cent on 2021 enrolments. The number of private school IB students who received an ATAR equivalent score of 99.95 dropped by half after an overhaul of the conversion process that was previously used to give students their university entrance rank.
Secretary of IB Schools Australasia, Antony Mayrhofer, welcomed the move. “It’s been sad that the only way in NSW a student can access IB education was through private school, that was not the case in the rest of the country or the rest of the world,” he said. “It is a very inclusive program, sadly in NSW, it has been seen as being elitist, it is far from that.”
Northern Sydney District Council of P&C Associations president David Hope said more choice for students was important, while Central Coast president Sharryn Brownlee said more funding would be needed to make it successful.
Carol Taylor, a former chief executive of NESA, said while the IB had been considered over a number of years, the HSC is a universal qualification that’s accepted worldwide.
“There is cachet and status involved with the IB. But the HSC is free, equitable and caters for a broad range of students.”
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Domestic violence law reforms pass Queensland parliament
Government cannot do much in such personal matters but this may help a little
A suite of domestic violence reforms passed in the Queensland parliament will strengthen protection for victims.
The changes will expand the definition of domestic and family abuse to include a "pattern of behaviour" and will strengthen the offence of stalking.
The amendments also strengthen the court's ability to consider previous domestic violence or criminal history and to award costs to avoid further abuse to victims.
Sue and Lloyd Clarke, the parents and grandparents of Hannah Clarke and her three children who were murdered by Hannah's estranged partner in 2020, spoke outside parliament today.
"No one wants these laws more than our family," Mr Clarke said. "We need to take these small steps to get them right and to make these laws stick. "Coercive control is such a complex matter, and that's why it needs to take time, to get this right."
The Clarkes said it was their goal for similar legislation to be enacted Australia-wide in the future.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with waiting and watching and learning, to see if there are any mistakes, but I like to think Queensland will get it right, " Ms Clarke said.
Queensland's Attorney-General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman said the laws had been adapted to identify patterns of abuse that happen over time.
"The bill that passed parliament late yesterday does a number of things, including amending the definition of domestic and family violence to better protect women experiencing coercive control," she said.
"It's about identifying those red flags earlier, before more blue police tape surrounds another family home."
Ms Fentiman, who is also the Minister for Justice and Minister for Women, said the reforms would include "extensive" training for frontline services, like police and domestic and family violence support services, to better identify and respond to coercive control.
"At the moment, really, our system is set up to respond to one individual incident of physical violence. That is not how domestic and family violence is experienced by so many victims," she said.
A coronial inquest into the murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children – six-year-old Aaliyah, four-year-old Laianah and three-year-old Trey – found that while police officers acted appropriately overall, there were missed opportunities for further action.
Sue Clarke agreed that police needed more training on coercive control. "They (police) are doing the best they can, but coercive control is not easy to understand," she said.
"I think the more training there is, the more obvious these signs will be to the police.
"They have a lot on their plates and we need to have the laws there so they can do something about it when they see it happening."
The deputy state coroner made four recommendations at the conclusion of the Hannah Clarke inquest in June last year, requiring "immediate attention" to prevent similar deaths.
They included a five-day face-to-face training program for specialist DV police "as a matter of urgency", a mandatory DV module for all officers as part of their annual skills training, and funding for men's behavioural change programs.
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Is it time to defund public education?
Mark Powell
For quite some time, I have been concerned about the attack upon private schools, and in particular, those who are faith-based. With almost boring regularity, Jane Caro and her ilk rail against private schools receiving any government funding at all. Don’t parents who pay to send their children to religious schools also pay their taxes, which supports states schools as well?
But the most vexing attack comes in the form of legislation. Or more specifically, the weaponisation of laws involving discrimination. The Australian Law Reform Commission in particular is spearheading this assault. In an article published recently by The Australian Vanessa Cheng, Executive Officer of the Australian Association of Christian Schools, made the following statement:
The proposals put forward [by the Australian Law Reform Commission] are radical and strike at the heart of what Christian schools are all about. For our schools, we need to be able to hire Christian staff – that’s what makes us unique, that’s what is distinctive. If we are unable to hire Christians who share the beliefs and values of the school, it will undermine the ethos and culture of our schools.
The simple answer to all of this is if an adult cannot agree with the beliefs or ethics of religious school, then they should simply find a job somewhere else. There are plenty of other schools to choose from. Why force an atheist – or a member of a different religion – to uphold the central Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for one’s sins, and rose again from the dead for the believer’s justification? If they can’t believe this, then they should not be forced to go against their conscience in doing so.
But neither should the religious institution itself have to change to suit the differing perspective of the individual teacher. In a democratic and free society, surely there is room for everyone to practice what they believe. Or even more, to commence their own school. But all of a sudden I’ve realised why this is never going to be the case.
Much to their chagrin, the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out this week that, according to the latest census figure, parents are voting with their feet and sending their children to private schools in what the SMH calls, a ‘public system exodus’. As the article, itself reported:
Parents are sending their children to the state’s independent schools in record numbers, while the share of students enrolled in public schools has plunged to its lowest level in 15 years.
There were thousands fewer students enrolled in NSW public schools last year as families increasingly opted for a private education.
Official data released on Wednesday showed that 63.7 per cent of NSW students attended public schools in 2022 – a fall from 65.5 per cent five years ago. The proportion of students in independent schools has surged to 15.1 per cent, up from 13.3 per cent in 2017.
Catholic schools have remained relatively steady, with their share of students rising slightly to 21 per cent in 2022.
Significantly, this is a trend with is also occurring nationally with non-government schools in every state of Australia outperforming government ones. What’s more, in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, enrolments in government schools are in sharp decline
What’s more, according to the ABS:
In 2022, the annual growth rate for school enrolments was 0.3 per cent (11,795 more students), the lowest growth rate since both full-time and part-time students were included in this publication (1995):
Government school enrolments recorded a fall of 0.6 per cent (16,929 fewer students).
Non-government school enrolments recorded an increase of 2.0 per cent (28,724 more students).
Finally, this is a trend that has been occurring on a consistent year by year basis. As the ABS reports:
Over the five years to 2022, total student enrolments increased by 3.8 per cent. Independent schools recorded the largest increase (12.5 per cent), followed by Catholic schools (3.9 per cent) and government schools (1.9 per cent).
Now, there are many reasons for the present ‘exodus’ to be sure. For instance, the impact of immigration is an aspect that is noticeably unexamined by journalists. But it also explains why LGBTQ+ activists are so committed to undermining the ethos of non-government schools. Not only do they have the wherewithal to create their own primary, secondary or even tertiary institutions, but it’s simply where the people are.
Parents are clearly voting with their feet. And what their footsteps are telling us is that there is something about the education being offered in private schools which is more attractive than public ones. Whether it be the discipline, safety, learning, and behavioural support or extracurricular activities. Private schools are rapidly increasing in market share.
So much so, in fact, that there might even come a time when the question might be, should all education be privatised? Why not allow parents to even have a say where their taxes should be apportioned in the guise of ‘school vouchers’?
Significantly, this is already occurring in the United States, with Arizona, West Virginia, and more recently, Iowa and Utah all signing on to the program. What’s more, there are nearly a dozen other states also currently considering legislation involving vouchers. According to the Los Angeles Times:
The universal voucher plan…will by year three allow any K-12 student in the state to switch from public school to private school with up to $7,600 a year in taxpayer funds to help pay the bill, regardless of family income.
The tide is turning, as those behind the Australian Law Reform Commission are well aware. Private schools are a force to be reckoned with. And in a bid to ward off the inevitable demise of the public system, their strategy now is to dilute the distinctive which make private schools so valuable.
It’s time though for an even more radical change. And that is, we need to start posing more seriously the question of giving parents the right to say where their hard-earned tax dollars should be spent. And maybe it’s even time to start asking why we’re still funding public education?
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/is-it-time-to-defund-public-education/
************************************26 February, 2023
I’d have got a medal’: Zachary Rolfe has last word as he flies out
He was a victim of political correctess. Blacks are sacrosanct. If the thug he shot had been white, nothing would have been said
Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe – who fatally shot Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker at Yuendumu – has left the country after claiming that in any other jurisdiction he would have “got a medal” for protecting his partner’s life instead of being painted as a “violent thug”.
Constable Rolfe flew out of Canberra on Thursday after sharing a 2500-word open letter accusing the NT police, coroner and her counsel assisting of trying to publicly vilify him during the “biased” coronial inquest into Walker’s death, which is due to resume next week.
The 31-year-old also accused Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker of refusing to meet with him and called for his resignation.
In the letter, obtained by The Australian, Constable Rolfe says Walker was a violent abuser who tried to kill him and his police partner, Adam Eberl, when their specialist unit was deployed to Yuendumu to arrest him for attacking their colleagues with an axe.
“Walker was a young man with a violent past who abused many in his community, including young girls and boys,” he said. “When he tried to kill my partner and I … I did not think about his race, upbringing or his past trauma, I thought about defending my partner’s life, and that’s what I did.
“In a different state, I would have got a medal for it, and none of you would ever have known my name.”
Constable Rolfe apologised for sending offensive text messages that have been ventilated at the inquest but claims the communications were cherrypicked from thousands extracted from his phone and honed in on at the inquest in a deliberate attempt to paint him as “a racist, violent cop”.
“They had access to every single one of my messages and knew that I did not treat a single race differently from others. In private, I talked shit about nearly every group at times,” he said.
“Yet they released just a tiny snippet to make me out to be a racist. The parties knew that the messages had nothing to do with the death of Kumanjayi Walker.
“They knew the damage they would do once in public – they would hurt the community, the police force and the relationship between them – but they didn’t care. If the coronial’s goal was to ‘heal’, it has failed.”
Constable Rolfe, who grew up in Canberra, said the investigations into his actions at Yuendumu on November 9, 2019 had been “blatantly biased”.
“If all you know of me is through the media then you see me as a violent thug, an ex-soldier with a past,” he said.
The former infantry soldier – who deployed to Afghanistan – defended his policing record, saying he spent three years “protecting people” in Alice Springs before being charged with Walker’s murder. “I was a good cop; I loved the job,” he said. “I did it because I wanted to help people who needed help, to protect those who needed protection; I was good at it.”
He said his three years policing in Alice Springs were spent helping hungry children he found wandering the streets at 3am, stopping teens from committing suicide and protecting the community from violent offenders.
“You don’t see all the countless people I’ve done my best to help,” he said. “I was in the job to protect people, but if you were a violent offender, causing others harm, or you tried to prevent me doing my job to protect and defend, I make no apologies for doing my job.”
Constable Rolfe said police investigating his murder charge ignored advice from the DPP regarding their use of expert witnesses. The Australian has seen a police coronial report, the subject of a coronial non-publication order, that substantiates this claim.
“After arresting me for murder and attempting to put me behind bars for 25 years, the NT police finalised their investigation into the shooting and decided that the only outcome is remedial advice, which I have received via email,” he said.
“Millions of dollars, thousands of wasted hours, exacerbated trauma for families and community, only for the result to be an email to me providing me with remedial advice – which doesn’t even count as a formal disciplinary breach.
“Despite this, the coronial focus is still on me rather than on areas that could improve the circumstances of the NT.”
Constable Rolfe said two weeks ago the executive tried to “medically retire” him on mental health grounds – despite a police psychologist recently clearing him to return to work – and have since served him with a new disciplinary notice for speaking to Channel 7’s Spotlight program in March last year after he was acquitted of all charges related to Walker’s death.
“As for me, I will continue to help people who need help and protect those who need to be protected; if it’s not in the police, it’ll be somewhere else,” he said. “I’ll live my life knowing I have the loyalty of those I worked with and those who know me … I was a good cop, my integrity is intact, and I am proud of that.”
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage this month extended the inquest to include two more sitting weeks from July 31 and August 21 in an attempt to get Constable Rolfe on the stand should he lose his appeal, being heard on April 11, against a decision compelling him to answer certain categories of questions.
On Thursday night, Richard Rolfe told The Australian he knew where his son was but not when or if he was coming home. “He’s gone overseas to try to deal with the trauma he’s suffered and the continuing attacks by the coroner and commissioner,” he said.
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Queensland hoping to attract 500 foreign police officers a year to boost recruitment
Queensland is launching a global recruitment drive for hundreds of police officers over the next five years, as the state's police minister acknowledges difficulties attracting new recruits.
Under an agreement struck between the state and federal governments, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) has approval for 500 international recruits to join the service each year for five years.
The recruits will complete a fast-tracked training course of three to four months and then be stationed across Queensland. The program will give recruits a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship.
Commissioner Katarina Carroll said those wanting to be recruited would be required to pass testing and vetting in Queensland. "The new labour agreement goes beyond what has been offered by any other police organisation in Australia," she said.
"Allowing experienced officers from any country the chance to work for the Queensland Police Service and bring their own unique experiences, knowledge and skills to our organisation. "We're looking for police across the world."
She said police from the UK, Canada and New Zealand would likely be the most compatible due to similar legislation.
Commissioner Carroll said there would be a social media campaign directing potential recruits to apply via the QPS website.
The Queensland government said it was the largest labour migration agreement of its kind in Australia.
Western Australia is the only other state with a similar agreement aiming to recruit 150 policing staff a year from overseas.
Police minister defends recruitment efforts
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Police Minister Mark Ryan faced questions in parliament from the opposition over Labor's election commitment to recruit 1,450 additional officers by 2025.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli told parliament leaked information from the service in media reports showed only 92 officers had been added to the force from the 2020 election to the end of last year.
Ms Palaszczuk said under her government "the total police approved" had increased by 1,018.
"Let me say very clearly we absolutely support the police service in this state," she told parliament.
Mr Ryan said those figures put to the government by the LNP were only for divisional police officer numbers. "The QPS has multiple categories of police officers," he said.
"There's divisional officers, who generally wear the uniform and respond to day-to-day calls for services, then there's district officers who are specialists and tactical crime, then there's central functions who might be organised crime."
Mr Ryan said the state government had allocated funding in the budget and forward estimates for the 1,450 positions and it was up to QPS to fill the positions.
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Racist Labor?
Foreign Minister Penny Wong recently told an audience at King’s College in London that we should hear uncomfortable stories rather than stay ‘sheltered in narrower versions of our countries’ histories’. Taking Wong’s advice in the context of the Australian Labor Party’s virtue signalling over ‘the Voice’, it seems timely to recall the uncomfortable truths of Labor’s historical support for the White Australia policy.
At Federation, the first Australian government formed with the support of the Australian Labor Party, which insisted on maintaining Australia’s British identity and restricting non-white immigration. Thus was born the White Australia policy, which included the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901. The ALP consistently supported White Australia until the policy was undone by Liberal governments, starting with that of Robert Menzies.
In 1928, Ben Chifley complained that: ‘Australia was supposed to be a white man’s country’ but that the Bruce government was, ‘fast making it hybrid’. Chifley accused Bruce of giving ‘preference to Dagoes – not heroes.’ Indeed, Chifley’s version of White Australia excluded southern Europeans as well as Asians.
In the 1940s, John Curtin declared that Australia, ‘Shall remain forever the home of the descendants of those people who came here in peace in order to establish in the South Seas an outpost of the British race.’
Arthur Calwell promoted a policy of deporting Asian refugees, even those who had served with Australia’s forces and those married to Australian citizens. He even supported the deportation of Chinese refugees who lived in mortal fear of the communists. Calwell held that a safe, sane, and socially just Australia would be tied to its identity, ‘as a citadel of European civilisation’.
In 1947, Calwell made his most notorious statement. When debating Liberal Sir Thomas White about the plight of wartime refugees, he referred to a long-term resident, Mr Wong, and claimed, ‘Two Wongs do not make a White.’
Calwell also opposed the settlement of Japanese wives of Australian servicemen. He said, ‘An Australian marrying a Japanese can live with her in Japan but it would be the grossest act of public indecency to permit any Japanese of either sex to pollute Australian shores while any relatives remain of Australian soldiers dead in the Pacific battlefields.’
It is not without irony then, that when he drafted his War-time Refugee Removal Bill he not only defied the warnings of the High Court, but Calwell also claimed that Robert Menzies and ‘the whole Liberal-Country Party Opposition’ were people ‘who would like to break down our selected immigration policy’.
In 1949, the Australian Workers Union moved to uphold the White Australia Policy at the State conference of the NSW Labor Party, arguing that, ‘Labor policy was to populate Australia from the finest [white] people in the world – the stock from which Australians had come.’
Ironically, Labor and the unions’ White Australia policy excluded Aboriginal people from the nation, even though they had been living in Australia for tens of thousands of years.
Vestiges of Labor’s racism were seen in 1975 when Gough Whitlam refused to support Vietnamese refugees, even those who had worked for the Australian embassy. He is widely reported to have said, ‘I’m not having thousands of f***ing Vietnamese Balts coming into this country with their political and religious hatreds against us.’
Just as it was Liberals who undid the White Australia policy, it was Fraser’s Liberal government that allowed Vietnamese refugees into Australia, despite opposition by parts of the Labor party.
Returning to ‘the Voice’, Labor may have a reputation for social justice, but for those of us who support Aboriginal people, we may want to recall a few inconvenient truths.
The Commonwealth Electoral Act (1962) that recognised the right of Aboriginal people to vote, and the referendum and constitutional change (1967) to count Aboriginal people in the census occurred under Liberal governments.
As for voices to Parliament:
The first Aboriginal Senator, Neville Bonner, was appointed, then elected, as a Liberal.
The first Aboriginal Member of the House of Representatives, Ken Wyatt, was a Liberal.
Liberal Ken Wyatt was also the first Aboriginal Minister for Aboriginal people.
The first Aboriginal Head of Government in Australia was Adam Giles, a member of the Country Liberal Party.
The first Aboriginal State party leader in Australia, Zak Kirkup, was also a Liberal.
To use Minister Wong’s words, it would seem that Labor’s rhetoric regarding the ‘Voice’ may be an example of taking shelter in a narrow version of her party’s history. Indeed, before we again divide our nation by race, we should call to mind the uncomfortable stories about Labor’s racist history and ask ourselves which political party has done more for racial equality in this country.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/racist-labor/
******************************************************Landholders offered $8000 sweetener for power line disruption
The good old generous taxpayer again
Victorian landholders forced to accept massive electricity transmission lines across their properties will be paid $8000 per kilometre per year for 25 years, as the Andrews government ramps up efforts to soften community concerns.
The scheme, to be announced on Friday, follows warnings that hundreds of kilometres of new high-voltage, high-capacity, power lines will be needed to cope with the supply variations of wind and solar energy. These renewable technologies are coming online as we approach the looming closure of the state’s three remaining coal-fired power stations.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the first payments under the new compensation scheme would go to landholders who host transmission easements along the proposed VNI West and Western Renewables Link transmission corridors. Victorian landholders affected by the Marinus Link to Tasmania will also be eligible.
It is unclear how many kilometres of power lines will be the subject of compensation, as the exact route of the VNI West link is not yet finalised. But the plan is likely to cost less than $4 million a year, and is expected to add just 55¢ to annual household power bills.
The grid upgrade, however, is almost certain to prove controversial, as some regional communities caught in the path of big transmission projects are already preparing to fight the prospect of long stretches of large above-ground cables hanging from towers looming to 85 metres in height.
The $3.3 billion VNI West project, also known as KerangLink, will involve about 450 kilometres of high-voltage transmission lines, connecting Victoria’s Western Renewables Link (potentially at a terminal just north of Ballarat) with a new interconnector at Dinawan, in the NSW Riverina region, via new stations near Bendigo and Kerang. About 240 kilometres of the link will be in Victoria.
The project will mean power stored by the Snowy 2.0 hydropower scheme in the Snowy Mountains can be sent south to Victoria, while power generated by Victoria’s wind farms can be sent north, and improve the overall stability of the east coast grid.
The 174-kilometre Western Renewables Link, designed to carry energy from wind and solar farms in western Victoria, will start at Bulgana, near Stawell, and connect to Sydenham in Melbourne’s north-west, via a new terminal north of Ballarat.
The three projects, including a 90-kilometre easement on Victorian land for the Marinus Link to Tasmania, will involve a total of 504 kilometres of new transmission lines in Victoria.
D’Ambrosio, who is meeting with state, territory and federal energy ministers in the NSW Hunter region on Friday, said the plan would mean “an equitable approach” for projects spanning the Victorian-NSW border.
“These new payments acknowledge the hugely important role landholders play in hosting critical energy infrastructure – a key part of Victoria’s renewables revolution,” D’Ambrosio said.
“We want to get the process for planning and approving new infrastructure right, so we can make sure the renewables revolution is a shared, equitable legacy for all Victorians.”
The state government this week also announced it has given the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) the green light to start early planning work on the VNI West link, which is expected to unlock between 1900 and 5000 megawatts of renewable energy.
The move, which will bring planning work for the project forward by about a year, follows warnings from the AEMO that Victorian households and businesses will face electricity reliability gaps as early as 2024, with minimum reliability standards expected to be breached in Victoria from 2028, as shortages of gas potentially collide with the closure of coal-fired plants.
The AEMO has become increasingly vocal about the need for thousands of kilometres of new transmission infrastructure to strengthen the reliability of the grid, as the Andrews government has promised to be 65 per cent reliant on renewable energy by 2030 and 95 per cent reliant by 2035.
But the push will also be politically tricky.
AEMO chief executive Daniel Westerman warned in a recent speech that without “social licence”, crucial electricity infrastructure might never get built. “No one likes to feel railroaded,” he said.
“If we ... don’t get this right, infrastructure will cost more, take longer to build, and ultimately may never be completed.”
The issue is already a flash point in regional and outer suburban communities. During last year’s state election, a group of angry farmers and landowners in the seat of Melton, on Melbourne’s outer western fringe, campaigned for the high voltage to be used in the western renewables project to run underground, and warned the government hadn’t taken its concerns seriously.
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24 February, 2023
Negligent bureaucrat tries some blame shifting
She was largely responsible for the Robodebt debacle but tries to excuse herself as doing the will of the government at the time. She portrays Morrison and his ministers as unsympathetic to welfare clients. But the only evidence for that that she notes is that the government was always focusing on cost savings.
But a focus on cost savings is a rare virtue in a government. The alternative is runaway spending and the inflation that comes with it. There was little inflation under Morrison. If only the present Labour government had done a bit of cost-saving!
There's a long Twitter thread about the article below that blames and condemns Morrison's religion for his cost saving. All that shows is the lengths to which Leftist hate will go. The article below does not mention religion
Former prime minister Scott Morrison was looking for budget cuts ahead of policy, and showed little empathy for welfare recipients in the process, the robodebt royal commission has been told.
Serena Wilson, former a deputy secretary to the Social Services Department, told the inquiry into the illegal scheme it was her recollection that the government rarely started policy discussions about the problems but rather focused on “finding cost savings”.
Asked on Thursday about Mr Morrison’s comments of being a “welfare cop”, she said the government “appeared to be looking for a problem”.
In December, Mr Morrison told the inquiry that he was focused on tackling welfare fraud and not privy to departmental discussions over the legality of the disastrous robodebt scheme. He said being the “welfare cop” was “one of my many responsibilities”.
“That’s how I colloquially described it often. I’m the son of a police officer,” he said.
In one email, Ms Wilson wrote: “They (the former government) had a strong view of ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor. In my opinion, there was little empathy for, or understanding of, those needs [of disadvantaged people] within the Coalition government and ministerial staff.”
Ms Wilson said this was exemplified in Coalition budgets between 2014 and 2018, where the vast majority of her work involved identifying savings options to cut social security expenditure.
She said the government held a “fairly pejorative view” of many people on welfare, particularly those on Newstart – now JobSeeker – or youth allowance who were receiving the payments due to being unemployed.
The commission has been told senior bureaucrats were aware of the potential illegality of the scheme but were either overruled by the people in charge of deciding the department’s policy or too scared to come forward.
Earlier, the Human Services Department’s former acting chief counsel Tim Ffrench said “the culture and environment at that time prevented people from asking the questions that they should have asked because of the fear that those questions would be seen as potentially impertinent”.
Ms Wilson also denied deliberately looking the other way to palm off responsibility to other bureaucrats.
She said she failed to pick up income averaging was being used in a document – which she had marked by hand – that outlined more than 860,000 “likely incorrect payments” from tax file data between 2010 to 2013.
The income averaging method using tax office data was later ruled to be illegal. She said it wasn’t deliberately ignored.
“I regret that it slipped through,” she said.
Ms Wilson said she had been distracted by other tasks, as Commissioner Catherine Holmes said it looked like it was “right under your nose”.
“It wasn’t a ‘hear no evil, see no evil’ situation. We were an extremely stretched area of the organisation,” Ms Wilson said in response to the accusation she turned a blind eye.
She said the fact a lot of opportunities to raise concerns and act to stop a legally dubious program “falls very heavily on me”.
She said she had the impression former ministers Marise Payne and Mr Morrison were keen to progress the compliance program despite warnings that possible legislative change would have been needed.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2023/02/23/scott-morrison-robodebt-commission/
***************************************************Traffic pollution could be far more dangerous than previously thought, researchers say
And pigs could fly. Studies aiming to prove that traffic pollution is bad for you come out at least once a year -- and the evidential base for them is always poor. So no wonder they hav given up on facts and rely on models instead. So I have to agree with their admission, "more robust data was needed". Models prove nothing.
So why is it so hard to find bad effects of traffic pollution? Simple. It does not usually have bad effects. For maybe a million years, mankind evolved sitting around wood and dung fires, which give off a LOT of smoke pollution. So we have evolved to cope with air pollution. Basically, we just cough it up, spit it out and are none the worse for it. It might be a problem in some parts of the Third world but levels of pollution in Western cities are low relative to what could cause illness in otherwise healthy people
Traffic pollution likely causes more than 11,000 premature deaths in Australia a year, new modelling by climate researchers has revealed.
The grave estimate from the study means that death from air pollution in Australia is 10 times more likely than a fatal road accident.
"With these high levels of mortality and morbidity impacts, we look to our leaders to make the decisions required to reduce the social, economic and human costs of vehicle emissions," co-lead researcher from the University of Melbourne Clare Walter said.
The study conducted by the Melbourne Climate Futures used a peer-reviewed New Zealand study of particulate matter — or PM 2.5 — and nitrogen dioxide levels, to assess the risk for Australia.
The New Zealand study estimated that country's traffic pollution death toll at 3,300 premature deaths per year.
A 2021 study had estimated that all air pollution caused around 2,000 deaths a year in Australia – a number that has been widely used since then.
In an expert position statement released on Friday, the researchers said more robust data was needed to quantify the health and economic effects of traffic emissions.
Air pollution is caused by both man-made and natural sources including heavy industry, vehicle emissions and wood fire heaters as well as dust storms and bushfires.
Particulate matter formed by combustion processes is particularly small and can enter the bloodstream leading to systemic inflammation and detrimental effects on organs throughout the body.
Air pollution can cause a wide range of harm to the human body. It has been linked to illnesses including stroke, diabetes, asthma, lung cancer, premature birth and low birth weight.
Nitrogen dioxide is a gas formed from high temperature combustion, such as emissions from vehicles, power stations and industrial processes.
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Biased reading list for Australian High School students
Of the five Australians who have won the Booker Prize, which one is on the NSW HSC English set text list? Of course you knew it was Aravind Diga whose novel White Tiger won in 2008. The other four winners of the Booker have yet to make it on to the racist NSW HSC reading list. Why DBC Pierre (Vernon God Little), Richard Flanagan (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), Thomas Keneally (Schindler’s Ark) and Peter Carey (Oscar and Lucinda, 1988, A True History of the Kelly Gang, 2001) are not on the list is worth considering.
Diga is on the list and the other four aren’t because of racism. The faceless bureaucrats who set the curriculum are obsessed with ethnicity and give preference to books by non-whites or books by white authors about the problems of non-white people belonging in mainly white societies. It sounds absurd but look at the list. Consider who is on the list of approved texts and, more importantly, who isn’t.
While DBC Pierre’s selection was controversial, there can be no doubt that the books of Flanagan, Carey and Keneally will stand the test of time because of the quality of their writing. In particular Flanagan’s book is recognised as a masterpiece but all three are examples of writing of the highest order and must stand among the best novels ever written by an Australian.
Why then are these brilliant novels not on the NSW HSC reading list? Instead the ideologues who compiled the current farce prefer works such as Swallow the Air by ‘Wiradjuri author’ Tara Winch and Journey to the Stone Country by Alex Miller or Small Island by Jamaican writer Andrea Levy which are all concerned with the awful way that white people treat black people. The books by Miller and Winch were probably selected because the curriculum specifies that the books studied must include, ‘a range of Australian texts, including texts by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander authors and those that give insights into diverse experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples’. The book by Levy was presumably selected because it shows that the awful way that black people are treated extends across the globe and is not just limited to the racist cesspool which some people call Australia. These books, and the others like them on the reading list, are not bad novels, but neither are they great works of art and it would be interesting to hear from the people who selected them as to why they consistently prefer second-rate novels when there is an abundance of great literature available.
It is not only great Australian writers who are absent from the HSC reading list. We see the same reluctance to include great writers on the list when we consider British and American authors. Any list of the very best of contemporary or recent fiction by northern hemisphere writers must include people such as John Updike, Phillip Roth, Cormack McCarthy and Ian McEwan.
The funniest book about male adolescent sexuality ever written is incontestably Portnoy’s Complaint and perhaps it may be too risqué for a high school audience but The Human Stain and American Pastoral, also by Roth will be read generations from now for an insight into post-World War II America in the same way that we look to Balzac for insight into post-Napoleonic France. Updike’s novels cover the same territory with equally majestic and insightful prose which makes the stuff the HSC students have to digest seem amateurish. Cormack McCarthy’s The Road about the journey of a father and his son across post-apocalyptic America, was probably not written with the NSW HSC syllabus in mind but, if ever a book was written to capture the imagination of an adolescent male, this is it.
There are dozens of writers around the globe whose work offers us great insight into our contemporary world and who demonstrate the power and the beauty of ideas expressed in precise prose. Instead of putting the best of modern writing before HSC students, by focussing on works by non-white writers who are mainly concerned with issues of race, the NSW Board of studies is simply going to leave most HSC students bored with studies.
The decision to promote second-order fiction and to ignore the abundance of contemporary great literature that would capture the imagination of students must produce the same sort of disengagement we see in Chinese students who are required to immerse themselves in the riches of Xi Jinping Thought. The difference is that while Xi Jinping is steadily crushing any form of public dissent, for the moment, in Australia, we still have the ability to produce open debate about the relationship between ideology and power. The furore over the establishment of university courses focusing on Western Civilisation is a manifestation of that ideological struggle. The HSC reading list which is a product of the current academic ruling class, and which pushes an ideological barrow not supported by most Australians, is another. Step by step and book by book, the academic Left is chipping away at the legitimacy of the ideas that have shaped the modern world.
According to US academic Ambereen Dadabhoy, ‘Shakespeare is implicated in the hostility and violence, the currency of racism, experienced by those “of dark skin”.’ She is not alone. Google ‘Shakespeare and racism’ and hundreds of articles addressing this issue are available. The same applies if we ask Google if Shakespeare was a misogynist or an antisemite. There are hundreds of articles investigating these issues. From my unscientific reading, approximately half come to Shakespeare’s defence and find him not guilty but that still leaves 50 per cent of the people who examine these issues inclined to consider the greatest writer in the English speaking world for the past one thousand years, guilty of at least one of the wokerati’s trio of capital sins.
People in power all too often seem unable to distinguish between racist plays and plays about racism and the higher up the academic hierarchy one goes, the more the ‘experts’ judge the work of Shakespeare against the current race-obsessed intellectual climate rather than in relation to the Elizabethan age in which he wrote.
The idea that Shakespeare was a racist, misogynist or antisemite was rarely considered until recently. But increasingly, The Shrew, The Merchant and Othello are seen less as masterpieces and more as problematic plays unsuitable for study in secondary schools. The madness must be stopped.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/aussie-life-106/ ?
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Students suspended from Sydney University for disrupting Turnbull speech
They and other students used megaphones to prevent Turnbull from speaking
Two students who protested against a speech by Malcolm Turnbull at Sydney University last year have been suspended after a university investigation found they violated the former prime minister’s freedom of speech.
Sydney University administrators told student activists Maddie Clarke, 22, and Deaglan Godwin, 23, they would be suspended for one year and one semester respectively, for their roles in disrupting an event run by the university’s law society, in which law school alumni Turnbull was invited to speak to current students.
About a dozen student protesters converged on the room where Turnbull had just started to speak in September last year.
“Can I just ask, how many of you would like me to speak today, or how many of you would like me to leave?” Turnbull asked the room of students.
“How many of you would like to pay $100,000 for university?” retorted now-suspended Godwin. “F--- back off to Mosman, F--- back off to Wentworth.”
The university launched an internal investigation following the event, during which a private lawyer interviewed witnesses and the two protesters, before preparing a report for the university’s registrar. The students were bound by strict confidentiality agreements and were not allowed to talk about the investigation. The university ultimately found the students had violated Turnbull’s freedom of speech and made him and other students afraid.
Clarke, who had previously been given a suspended suspension (a sort of final warning that does not involve a student being suspended from classes) for protesting in front of a pro-life stall last year, was suspended for one year, and is not allowed to participate in classes.
Godwin was suspended for a semester.
“I fully accept the right for people to hear Malcolm Turnbull,” he said. “The aim of the protest was never to shut it down, but to present an alternative point of view that has now been silenced by the university.”
“The university talks about being a marketplace of ideas, but when ideas that are critical of the status quo are put forward ... they’re shut down, and the people that put them forward face intimidation and disciplinary procedures.”
While the university said it cannot comment on specific cases, a spokesperson said: “We have a rich history of activism and protest on our campuses, and all students and staff have the right to express themselves freely, as long as it’s done safely and in accordance with our policies and the law”.
“We don’t take any disciplinary action lightly, knowing it has consequences for our students. Our Discipline Rule governs how we manage misconduct matters and clearly describes our rules, procedures, the impact of penalties and appeal rights.”
At the time, Turnbull decried the protest as “fascism”, saying it was a “dreadful state of affairs” and a “very sad day” for his alma mater. He was approached for comment.
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Victorian duck hunting season to go ahead despite growing opposition
The duck hunting season in Victoria will go ahead this year with a reduced daily limit of birds shooters can kill. The Victorian government decision, confirmed on Friday, comes after increased efforts from community groups to get the yearly practice banned.
The season will run from April 26 to May 30 inclusive from 8am until 30 minutes after sunset, with a bag limit of four birds per day. There will also be changes to start times and the species that can be hunted, the Game Management Authority said.
The blue-winged shoveler and hardhead species were recently listed as threatened so are not allowed to be hunted.
The parameters for the 2023 season have been informed by concerns regarding rates of wounding ducks, poor behaviour by some hunters and that bird habitats are in environmental decline, the government body said.
Committee to examine recreational bird hunting
As the duck hunting season for 2023 was confirmed, the government simultaneously announced plans to establish a special body to examine the social and economic impact of duck hunting.
The Legislative Council select committee will hold public hearings to hear from hunting associations, animal welfare groups, and regional communities.
The government will introduce a motion in the upper house of parliament to establish the committee during the next sitting week, and if it passes, a final report will be tabled by August 31.
Hunters and the general public can report irresponsible behaviour and illegal hunting to the Game Management Authority via its website or by contacting police.
Illegal behaviour includes hunting threatened or protected wildlife, hunting in prohibited areas, hunting outside the designated season dates and times, use of toxic shot and failing to immediately retrieve a shot bird.
Hunters must have completed a Waterfowl Identification Test as well as holding a valid game and firearms licence before being permitted to hunt ducks.
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23 February, 2023
Government plans to protect marine area the size of Germany around Macquarie Island
This is pretty reasonable as environmental lockouts go. The only habitation on the island is a government research station -- so people in general will not be affected. And allowing use of the existing fish resource is unusually realistic too. Allowing some possibilty of expanding fishing would however have been desirable
An area roughly the size of Germany is set to be added to Australia's protected marine zones, safeguarding the future of millions of penguins, seals and sea birds on Macquarie Island.
The remote and rugged island, halfway between the main island of Tasmania and Antarctica, hosts up to 100,000 seals and 4 million penguins, including the royal penguin, which is found nowhere else in the world.
Its shores are the breeding ground for several species of albatross, including the endangered Grey-headed Albatross, and an abundance of sea life that visit its waters, including whales.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek today announced the plan to triple the size of the marine park, most of which will have high-level protections and total fishing bans.
The plan aligns with the government's pledge to protect 30 per cent of Australia's land and 30 per cent of Australia's oceans by 2030.
"Our proposal is that the waters around Macquarie Island — the whole exclusive economic zone — will become marine park," Ms Plibersek told the ABC.
The proposal, which will open for public consultation in March, has been celebrated by conservationists. "Minister Plibersek said last year that the Albanese government wants to re-establish Australia as a global leader in ocean conservation," Richard Leck from WWF Australia said. "This is the type of proposal that will help re-establish our leadership."
Fiona Maxwell from Pew Charitable Trusts said the proposal "opens the door to a once-in-a-decade opportunity to increase protection for one of the most unique environments on the planet".
Seafood industry unhappy with proposal
The waters are also home to a fishery which is operated by two companies that catch the expensive and boutique Patagonian toothfish and which the minister says is "operating at world's best practice on reducing bycatch".
"It shows that a sustainable fishery is compatible with conservation."
The government's proposal allows fishing to continue in areas the companies currently operate in, and also allows room for the industry to move or expand in the future.
But the surrounding waters would be off-limits to all fishing.
Veronica Papacosta, chief executive of Seafood Industry Australia, said the proposal sidelined the fishing industry, and the government had been "hijacked" by an environmental group.
Ms Papacosta did not raise any problems about the proposal itself, but said she was angered by "the process" which "sidelined" the industry's views in favour of environmental organisations.
"It puts chills down our spine to think that this is how we're going to move forward with the Albanese government," Ms Papacosta said.
She said the fishing operations in the area were best practice, and should have been rewarded for that.
"What else is on their agenda? What else is it that we're going to have to be OK with and we're going to have to accept as a decision?"
Asked about the industry's response, Ms Plibersek said: "They'll have an opportunity to make any comments they would like to, just as other members of the public will have an opportunity to make any comments during this consultation period in March."
Marine park 'a good start'
Ian Cresswell was a co-chief author of the recent State of the Environment report and led the oceans flagship at the CSIRO as well as sustainable fisheries assessments for the Commonwealth government.
He said the design of the park was well justified by science and it struck the right balance by allowing the existing fishing to continue.
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Climate minister Bowen concedes gas rather than coal will be key in the transition to renewables
Following tense negotiations with the states ahead of Christmas, Albanese and Bowen unveiled a one-year plan imposing gas and coal price caps and providing rebates to some households and small businesses. The long-term fix was a post-2025 capacity mechanism, which dictates future investment in the grid and locks in supply for customers. After a five-hour meeting with energy ministers in December, Bowen announced the mechanism would support dispatchable renewables ahead of coal and gas.
Bowen acknowledges that reducing emissions by 43 per cent before the end of the decade and having 82 per cent renewables in the grid within 84 months is “ambitious”. But with the right policy settings in place, he believes Australians “have shown they’ll take it up”.
“That’s why the capacity mechanism is so important because it only supports dispatchable renewables. Just coming along and saying ‘I’ll build a solar farm’ is not enough to get support out of the capacity mechanism. You’ve got to show we can call on it when we need it. Hence, you need storage.”
Bowen warns that not having enough renewables in place when coal exits the grid is a recipe for disaster.
“We’ve got to be getting it on before (gas exits). Gas will play a role … for the foreseeable future. Because the one thing about gas, I don’t regard it as a low-emissions fuel or a transition fuel, but what I do regard it as is a flexible fuel.”
“Whereas once you turn a coal-fired power station on, that baby’s burning for the foreseeable future; you can turn gas on and off for 15 minutes. That’s necessary for peaking and firming with renewables. For the entire grid, having gas there at least as a fallback is important for the foreseeable future.”
Despite his ambition, Bowen wants to stay put “for several terms … to bed down what we need to do. If the prime minister came to me tomorrow and said, ‘You know, there’s a chance to do another job’, I’d say, ‘Thanks, boss, but I’m happy doing what I’m doing’.”
“We’ve got a lot more to do. And I hope and intend and expect to be in this job for much more than three years. Yes, we’re accountable to the people in three years’ time for what we’ve done. But I see that as a report back to the people.”
Bowen speaks with scientists, retired bureaucrats and academics for input on “policy conundrums or just general challenges and opportunities” but seeks out Keating for his political advice.
“I still talk to Paul a lot. Obviously, he has strong views about life but you’re never worse off from a conversation with Paul. Even if you don’t agree with what he said. (On climate, he says) ‘Mate, this is the main game. This is the 2020s equivalent to what Bob (Hawke) and I did in the 1980s. You’ve got to get this right’.”
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Australians experienced their largest real wage decline on record in 2022
One of the great evils of inflation
Australians have experienced their largest real wage decline on record, with nominal wages growing by 3.3 per cent in 2022, well below inflation of 7.8 per cent.
The Wage Price Index (WPI) rose by 0.8 per cent in the December quarter, lifting annual wages growth to 3.3 per cent, according to new Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
It means the annual pace of wage growth increased slightly by the end of December, up from 3.2 per cent in the September quarter, which was smaller than expected.
And that means the 'real' value of wages declined by 4.5 per cent in 2022, the biggest deterioration on record.
Economists say it's obvious that workers aren't to blame for Australia's inflation, and the Reserve Bank should stop fixating on them.
"To blame workers for current inflation while they experience unprecedented real wage drops, and companies post surging profits, is economic gaslighting of the highest order," said Matt Grudnoff, senior economist at the Australia Institute.
"This data shows fears of a 'wage-price spiral' similar to the 1970s are a speculative fantasy.
"That story is now itself a risk to the Australian economy. Australians are not living in the 70s. We are falling behind on the cost-of-living in 2023."
Inflation continues to erode the real value of wages
With annual inflation running at 7.8 per cent, wages need to be growing by 7.8 per cent to maintain their purchasing power.
But since nominal wages only grew by 3.3 per cent in 2022, workers have been unable to purchase the same amount of goods with the wages they're being paid.
The "real" value of workers' wages declined by 4.5 per cent over the last 12 months as prices — and some profits — have run well ahead of aggregate wage increases.
David Bassanese, the chief economist at BetaShares, said the "marked acceleration in consumer prices" over the past year cannot be blamed on runaway wage growth.
"Households have faced a drastic cut in real wages," he said.
"Instead, the lift in inflation has reflected a range of non-wage cost factors and the relative ease with which business has been able to pass on these costs without overly crimping their profit margins.
"This reflects strong underlying consumer demand but also areas of the economy where competition is arguably not as strong as it should be," he said.
Callam Pickering, APAC economist at global job site Indeed, has also highlighted the predicament facing workers.
"While Australian wages are growing at their fastest pace in a decade, the reality is that the purchasing power of Australian incomes has crashed," Mr Pickering said.
"The disconnect between wage growth and inflation is devastating for households across the country, with cost-of-living pressures easily outstripping wage gains."
RBA's fortnight-old forecasts already wrong
However, economists still expect the RBA to keep hiking interest rates in coming months.
In its February Statement on Monetary Policy, the RBA said consumer spending was still robust, and it was being supported by households saving less than they had been.
It said the household saving ratio has been declining as a result, to be closer to, but still slightly above, the average levels that prevailed prior to the pandemic.
In its latest forecasts, published less than a fortnight ago, the Reserve Bank also predicted the December WPI number to show annual growth of 3.5 per cent, with annual wage growth to reach 4.1 per cent by the end of June and 4.2 per cent by the end of the year.
"We expect to see rate hikes at the next three meetings," said Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for BIS Oxford Economics.
The politics of wage increases
However, despite the RBA's concerns about a pick-up in wages feeding into higher inflation, business lobby groups and the Albanese government are claiming credit for wages increasing.
Andrew McKellar, the chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said employers had just delivered the strongest rate of wages growth in more than a decade.
"Business is leading the way with private sector wages up 3.6 per cent in 2022 compared to just 2.5 per cent in the public sector," Mr McKellar said.
"Annual private sector labour cost growth has increased to levels not seen since the 2007 mining boom.
"Employers continue to see significant pressure on wages, and can expect further wage increases in the year ahead. Enduring labour shortages mean businesses are working to recruit and retain staff through regular and ad hoc wage reviews, bonuses, promotions, and other incentives.
"With responsible nominal wages growth outcomes being achieved, further effort is now needed to reduce inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints."
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke, said people should note that wages growth had picked up even further since the change of government in May last year.
"Our economic plan is all about getting wages growing again in responsible ways. We’re pleased that it’s already starting to work, but we know that we need to see inflation moderate to secure real wages growth," they said.
"This is the fastest through-the-year growth rate since the December quarter of 2012.
"The former government spent a decade trying to deliberately suppress wages growth. Now it’s turning around."
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Support for Indigenous Voice falls, voters call for more detail: Poll
A clear majority of the electorate wants more detail about the Indigenous Voice to parliament after months of political argument about the principle at stake, with 63 per cent of voters saying they would like more information than is currently available.
Voters in marginal electorates show a stronger desire to know more about the reform – with 69 per cent wanting more information – in an exclusive survey that finds the same view has a majority whether voters back Labor, the Greens or the Coalition.
The findings heighten the debate about the amount of detail that can be offered before Australians decide on reform at a referendum later this year, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warning against “misinformation” and saying it would be up to parliament to decide crucial details after the vote.
Advocates for the change will gather in Adelaide on Thursday to launch the Yes campaign after revealing a new logo and message aimed at unifying their alliance when Opposition Leader Peter Dutton questions the proposal and some of his Liberal and Nationals supporters reject it outright.
Activist group GetUp on Wednesday called for more effort to win support for the Voice, saying in a statement: “What we are hearing is that too many First Nations people have little understanding of what the referendum is trying to deliver. There are incredible barriers to information.”
The new survey, conducted by Resolve Strategic, shows majority support for the Voice when people are asked about the wording Albanese aired last year as the possible referendum question, but it also shows support has fallen from last year.
In the first question about their support, respondents were asked about the exact wording of a possible change to the constitution issued by Albanese at the Garma festival in the Northern Territory last July.
Albanese said the amendment would say: “The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to parliament and the executive government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.”
The next sentence in the amendment would be: “The parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to the composition, functions, powers and procedures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.”
The survey shows 46 per cent of voters favour this wording, while 26 per cent are against and 21 per cent are undecided. Support is down from 53 per cent on the same question asked in August and September.
In a second question, voters were asked to choose “yes” or “no” on the same wording without an option to be undecided, showing that 58 per cent are in favour and 42 per cent is against.
The results confirm the slip in support for the Voice when debate over the reform has intensified, particularly after Dutton called for more detail during weeks of debate in January. The support fell to 58 per cent in February compared with 60 per cent in December and January and 64 per cent last August and September.
The comparison is complicated by the way the Resolve Political Monitor has sometimes combined the data over two months. Month by month, support for the Voice on the Yes or No question has fallen from 63 per cent in August and 64 per cent in September to 62 per cent in December, 58 per cent in January and 58 per cent in February.
The latest Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 1604 eligible voters from Wednesday to Sunday, producing results with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
The results show the responses over a single polling “track” in February, in contrast to earlier Resolve Political Monitor findings on the Voice that combined results for two months in order to produce a bigger sample size, reduce the margin of error and allow a breakdown of the results in each big state.
Asked about the debate over detail, 63 per cent of voters said they would like more information than was currently available. This result included 56 per cent of Labor voters, 73 per cent of Coalition voters and 58 per cent of Greens voters.
However, 25 per cent said they were happy to vote on the principle and the current information.
The question was: “There has recently been some debate about how much detail about the Voice should be released before the referendum vote. Some say that people should know what they are voting on, even if this could be changed in future years, so that they can make an accurate judgment. Others have said that there is too much detail and too many options to communicate, that this would be decided by parliament anyway, and instead we should just vote on the principle of having a Voice. As someone who may vote in the referendum, would you prefer more detail is released before you vote or are you happy to vote on the principle and let parliament decide on the detail afterwards?“
“It’s too early to tell if this marks a turning point or simply a hiatus, but it confirms the gradual drop in support we’ve tracked since last year,” said Resolve Strategic director Jim Reed.
“The onus is on the Yes and No campaigns to explain why they deserve people’s vote. That particularly applies to the Yes case because they are asking for the change.”
A key finding in the Resolve Political Monitor is that many voters expect the Voice to be about practical benefits. On this question, 42 per cent said it was about practical outcomes, 24 per cent said it was more about symbolic recognition and 34 per cent were undecided.
Albanese has sometimes answered questions about detail by referring to the report on the Voice issued by University of Canberra chancellor Tom Calma and University of Melbourne professor Marcia Langton, but the survey found 68 per cent had not heard of this document.
Only 32 per cent had heard of the report and this included 7 per cent who had read a summary and 1 per cent who said they had read the report in full.
“People are already on board for recognition, but the Yes campaign needs to convert a public prejudice to want to help fellow Australians into practical support for the Voice,” said Reed.
Given those results, Reed said Albanese had adopted an effective approach in recent weeks to build that support. “Voters are asking for more information about the Voice but reject long-form documents,” said Reed.
“The prime minister is now the prominent figure in the debate, and he is using a simple mantra of recognition and consultation to attempt to frame the choice.”
Albanese said on Wednesday the functions and structure of the Voice would be determined by parliament after the referendum, if Australians approve.
“That’s the whole point here. It’s subservient to the parliament,” he said.
“And people can choose to try to spread misinformation or pretend that they don’t know about issues which are so clear even though they all know that it won’t have a right of veto, it won’t be a funding body, it won’t run programs.
“It’s not going to sit around the cabinet table. It is just a request for consultation.”
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22 February, 2023
Decarbonising Australia’s Heavy Industries: A 30-year Project To Cost $625 Billion
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has launched a report (pdf) that outlines the roadmap to reduce the Australia’s industry emissions by 92 percent as the country seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The report is a three-year project conducted under the Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative, with the engagement of some of the nation’s largest companies.
Details of the Plan
The report stated that the federal government and local businesses had to invest $20.8 billion per year on average to decarbonise the industry sector by 2050.
Roughly two-thirds of this amount must be invested in Australia’s energy system, while the remaining need to go toward the electrification of the most heavily polluting operations.
Notably, for the plan to succeed, there must be a massive lift in Australia’s electricity generation capacity.
The report said around 600 terawatt-hours would be needed each year, which is equivalent to a two-fold increase in the country’s total current electricity generation.
And if Australia wants to establish new export markets for “green” iron and hydrogen, the demand for additional electricity would go up to 1,450 terawatt-hours per year.
In addition, the plan also requires 260 gigawatts of renewable capacity to be added to the current power grid by 2050, among which 80 gigawatts will come from wind, 90 gigawatts from large-scale solar PV and 80 gigawatts from rooftop PV.
Regarding implementation, the plan will focus on five industries–iron and steel, aluminium, other metals, chemicals, and liquefied natural gas–which account for 25 percent of Australia’s total emissions.
The report said over 1.3 million jobs could be generated between 2025 and 2050 through government and sector investments.
Response from the Government and Relevant Parties
While acknowledging the challenging nature of the plan, the energy minister said it still needed to be carried out.
“If it was easy, it would have been done by now,” Bowen said.
“We’re talking about hard-to-abate sectors, hard-to-abate technologies. But it’s absolutely vital, and it can be done, as this report indicates.”
Bowen also said the project would require an “all-in effort” while highlighting the job opportunities it could bring to the community.
“This is not a whole-of-government effort. This, the fastest transition since the industrial revolution is and must be a whole-of-society effort,” he said.
“And I believe we can do it–and reports like this are important in helping us to.”
Monash University Chancellor Simon McKeon, who is also the chair of the Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative, also emphasised the necessity of the project.
“Action is needed now to lay the foundations, capitalise on the opportunities and avoid more costly emissions reduction measures in the future,” he said in comments obtained by AAP.
Meanwhile, Lord Adair Turner, who has been an advisor to the project, talked about the changes Australia would undergo by achieving net zero emissions.
“Australia’s economic future in a net-zero world is hugely positive and prosperous,” he said.
“Blessed with abundant natural wind and solar resources, it can both decarbonise its own economy rapidly and become a major exporter of green hydrogen to countries across the world.”
Concerns about Renewable Energy Production
The report’s launch comes as energy experts have raised concerns about energy production in Australia.
In the past few years, many energy companies have announced plans to shut down coal and gas-fired power stations under political or economic pressures to transition to renewable energy.
However, Mark Collette, the managing director of EnergyAustralia–a major electricity generator and energy retailer in the country– pointed out that the development of new renewable energy sources failed to catch up with the shutdown of traditional power plants across Australia.
He warned that the national power grid could be at risk and called for some form of agreement between governments and energy companies that dictated the timing of the closure of fossil fuel generators to prevent shortfalls in generation capacity.
Meanwhile, National MP and former minister David Gillespie said the country would be in a permanent state of adding more and more renewables to the grid if it continued to pursue its emissions targets.
He noted it would cost Australia $1.27 trillion to achieve its 2050 net-zero emissions plan.
This is a significant figure, given that Australia’s total GDP for 2021 was around US$1.55 trillion ($2.25 trillion).
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Tanya Plibersek gives Santos gas expansion project green light
The Greens say Labor’s environmental credentials are “in tatters” after Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek gave the green light for a new gas expansion project in Queensland, amid deteriorating negotiations over Labor’s key climate policy.
The criticism comes after The Australian revealed Ms Plibersek approved an application from energy giant Santos to construct and operate an expansion of 116 gas wells at an existing facility in the Surat Basin out until 2077.
The project’s approval has threatened to derail Labor’s negotiations with the Greens as it seeks to win support for its key climate change policy, with Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen locked in negotiations with the minor party in a bid to get Labor’s safeguard mechanism through the upper house.
Anthony Albanese on Tuesday slapped down threats from the Greens to block the carbon credits scheme without a blanket ban on fossil fuel projects, saying they would “not be entertained” by the government.
The Prime Minister said the Greens were trying to “exert their influence” in negotiations after the Coalition formally opposed their climate policy.
But Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi said Labor’s climate credibility was “in tatters” after the new gas approval and called on Ms Plibersek to explain her decision to approve “new gas fracking until 2077”.
“Labor has just approved 116 new gas wells and its climate credibility is in tatters,” Senator Faruqi said. “Gas is as dirty as coal. We’re in the middle of a climate crisis and Tanya Plibersek needs to explain why Labor is approving new gas fracking until 2077.”
Labor’s safeguard mechanism – in which Australia’s 215 biggest-polluting facilities would slash emissions by almost 5 per cent each year out to 2030 – is essential to the government’s target to cut emissions by 43 per cent by the end of the decade.
With the Coalition opposing the safeguard mechanism, the federal government needs the votes of the Greens’ 11 senators and two crossbenchers to get its carbon credits regime through the Senate.
A spokeswoman for Ms Plibersek said the gas expansion was assessed on its merit and was subject to strict environmental approvals.
The spokeswoman said the federal government was putting Australia “on a clear path to net zero” through its $15bn National Reconstruction Fund, safeguard mechanism and support for electric cars.
The Australian understands the expansion is a small addition to an existing project which has been operational for more than eight years. “This proposal, as with all proposals, was assessed on its merits. It was subject to robust scientific assessments, and strict environmental approval conditions have been applied,” the spokeswoman said.
It comes after a new report from the Australian Energy Market Operator highlighted an “urgent” need to invest in back-up capacity – including batteries, long-life storage and more generation – to avoid the risk of blackouts later this decade.
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Queensland is to relax its drug laws, even for ice and heroin
If you are among the one-in-six Australians who have used illicit drugs in the last 12 months, yesterday's proposed law announced by Queensland's police minister may have piqued your interest.
What does the government want to change?
Queensland's Police Minister Mark Ryan wants to expand the state's Police Drug Diversion Program (PDDP).
At the moment, it stops minor drug offenders found with less than 50 grams of cannabis, or utensils for personal use, from being prosecuted by ushering them towards professional help.
But the government wants that program expanded to include all drugs — so personal quantities of anything from cocaine to heroin to meth. It also applies to unlawful prescription medication.
Mark Ryan speaks at a media conference in Brisbane
Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan says the changes will keep people out of prison.(ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Under the proposal, those found in possession would be given a warning in the first instance, then offered to participate and complete the diversionary program on their second offence.
But the clincher is that you must not be facing other criminal charges, and you can't have been to jail for drug offences before.
Why has this change been made?
Two reasons
1.To save police time
2.To prevent further harm to small-time users
Here's a couple of things Mr Ryan said in Parliament yesterday:
"Research shows that if you divert people early to health and education services, they are less likely to reoffend.
"Police will continue their tough enforcement action in taking dangerous drugs off the streets of Queensland, but this will save police time by expanding drug diversion for minor offences which would enable officers to target drug manufacturers and traffickers domestically and internationally.
"The expanded police drug diversion programme proposed by the Queensland Police Service and established by this bill will help to prevent people developing a substance abuse disorder."
What is a diversion program?
It is a personalised program delivered by Queensland Health to help minor offenders quit using.
First of all, offenders have to meet the criteria set out by Queensland Police here, and admit to the use in an interview.
You're then referred for a one-on-one assessment, where you work with someone on a plan to get off drugs.
But you can only be offered diversion once, and if you turn it down — that's it.
What do police think about this?
According to the minister, the idea came from within the force, led by Commissioner Katarina Carroll.
He said it was also supported by every post-Fitzgerald-era Queensland Police commissioner, former Corrective Services and federal police commissioners too.
How have medical groups responded? Very well.
In a joint release, the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ) and the addiction groups Alcohol and Drug Foundation and Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies, applauded the move.
"A health-based approach to drug use benefits the whole of community by helping to reduce drug-related deaths and disease, reduce stigma and problematic drug use, and see more people reaching out for help and support," said AMAQ president Dr Maria Boulton.
Is Queensland the only place to do this?
No, and the government says this proposal will bring the state in line with jurisdictions such as Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia.
How likely are they to come into effect? Pretty likely.
The draft laws have been referred to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny and community consultation.
In the coming months, the bill will come back to parliament for debate and it will become law if it receives majority support from state politicians.
Does this mean drugs are legal in Queensland now? In short, no.
While the government says it will prevent about 17,000 Queenslanders from facing prosecution for minor drug offences, it says it is important to note that this move "does not equate to the legalisation of dangerous drugs".
In fact, as part of the reform, the maximum penalty for the offence of trafficking dangerous drugs increases from 25 years to life imprisonment.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-22/queensland-illicit-drug-law-changes-three-strikes/102005684
**************************************************Work visa extension to attract international students to Australia
International students who complete a degree in a skill shortage area will be given an extra two years to stay in Australia after graduation.
The move, intended to help business beat skill shortages as well as speed the return of international students to Australia, was announced on Tuesday by federal Education Minister Jason Clare and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil.
For international students it means that the period of their post study work visa is increased from two to four years if they complete a bachelors degree, and increased from three to five years if they complete a masters degree.
But they get the benefit only if they study in a skill shortage area and the government has released a list of likely complying degrees including many in the health, teaching, engineering and agricultural fields.
All international students doing PhDs will benefit from the new policy regardless of their field of study. The period of their post study work visa will lengthen from four to six years.
The new work rights will come into effect on July 1 this year. International students are warned that they should check a more precise list of courses eligible for the extended work rights which will be released nearer to the July 1 commencement date.
Mr Clare said the changes would “make Australia more attractive as a study destination” for international students and help business fill skill shortages.
“Businesses are screaming out for skilled workers, particularly in the regions. We have got the second highest skills shortage in the developed world, according to the OECD,” he said.
The government will continue to give international students a further extension on their post study work rights period if they study at a regional or remote university. Regional universities will continue to attract an extra year and remote universities an extra two years on top of the two year extension announced on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s announcement also brings back the cap on the number of hours which international students are permitted to work in Australia while they attend their education institution.
The previous 40 hour per fortnight cap was temporarily removed by the Morrison government in early 2022 to help deal with labour shortages as the Australian economy emerged from Covid.
The new working hours cap will be 48 hours a fortnight and the higher figure will ease the impact of the change on international students who currently have no limit on their working hours. As before, the cap will not apply in holiday periods.
International Education Association of Australia CEO Phil Honeywood said he believed Mr Clare and Ms O’Neil had struck the right balance between the need to give students an incentive to choose Australia over other study destinations, the need to meet Australia’s skill needs and the obligation to find a sensible working hours solution.
But he said that international students will needed a clearer path to permanent residency. “If we are to encourage students to spend a decade of their life in studying and working in our economy, we need to have clearer migration pathways,” Mr Honeywood said.
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21 February, 2023
A real gentleman and a foolish woman
The MAFS report below reveals what a great gentleman "Josh" was: A man of exceptionally good character. And the woman had him. She was "married" to him but dumped him. She dissed him because he was not enough of a sexpot.
But how shallow can you get? Sex can be great in the early stages of a relationship but it usually becomes rather mundane after a while. A good sex life in the beginning is not enough to enable a good relationship in the long haul. Finding a partner who is kind and forgiving is the real treasure in a lasting relationship.
I have had a really good sex life with a number of women over the years but the relationships concerned did not last. And I do have good and pleasing relationships with women with whom I am not sexually active.
"Josh" is to me the "pearl without price" for almost any woman. That Melissa dumped him over a few uninspiring sexual encounters is doubly dumb. She lost a good man and probably also lost the good sex life she was seeking. Good sex does not always come immediately. It can be greatly improved by both parties working on it. Her impatience made her a loser in every respect
Men tend to have an impression of hairdressers as air-headed. Melissa cetainly reinforced that image
It all tends to call to mind a raucous old song popular in the 1950s :
"You can throw a silver dollar down upon the ground,
And it will roll, because it's round.
A woman never knows what a good man she's got,
Until she turns him down"
Married At First Sight's Josh White has broken his silence after his ex-'wife' Melissa Sheppard was slammed for her appalling behaviour towards him.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, the advertising client director, 40, pleaded with viewers to be 'kind' to Melissa - even after she made shocking and insensitive remarks about the couple's sex life at Sunday's commitment ceremony.
'Hi, everyone. The events of Married at First Sight happened a few months ago and Mel and I have had a chance to heal from our experiences,' he said in a video.
'What you saw in the experiment is no different to real life where two strangers come together from different backgrounds to try to learn more about each other, and themselves in the process.
'I think that we had some really beautiful moments, but we also had some moments of reflection, and I think that both of those will be pretty long-lasting.
'I've always maintained the pressure of the experiment affects people in different ways. But let me be very clear about one thing: what happened in the experiment happened between Mel and I.'
Josh explained that targeting Melissa doesn't make him feel any better about what happened on the show. 'Please do not attack Mel. It doesn't make me happy. It doesn't give me any satisfaction. It doesn't raise me up at all,' he said.
'We are real people. We have real feelings. And we all came into the experiment looking for something.'
Josh added in the video's caption: 'I ask you as an audience to please be respectful and kind to Melissa.
'There isn't a need to attack her at all. I understand people will want to but that doesn't make me feel any better and it just perpetuates a cycle that we should all reflect on.'
He also told fans he'd been 'doing well' since leaving the experiment.
Earlier on Monday, Melissa doubled down on her criticism of Josh during an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, accusing him of being a 'different person' in one-on-one interviews with producers and revealing unflattering details about their sex life.
Listeners were left stunned as Melissa - who is in damage control after being portrayed on the show as callous and sex-obsessed - alleged Josh was 'not the same person in front of the cameras' as he was behind closed doors.
She also told radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson the pair never actually kissed - despite having 'sloppy' sex several times in the experiment - and also claimed they didn't engage in oral sex.
'It was really sloppy and messy… I wouldn't say that was hot and heavy and intimate. It wasn't how I imagined to have an amazing sex life with someone,' she said.
'There was no kissing. It was very transactional. It was just physical - that was quite awful.'
The single mum also said her portrayal as an overly demanding lover was unfair and all she wanted was sex 'two to three times' per week.
Melissa explained that while things started off great with Josh on their honeymoon, their relationship went downhill once they moved in together.
'Josh is a very different person in front of me and he would go to [film] these vox-pops. I felt like I was sleeping with a secret assassin,' added the hairdresser.
****************************************************
7% of youths on bail committed offence leading to death or serious injury
Just last week, a community crime forum was called in Toowoomba following the death of a 75-year-old man who was allegedly attacked by a number of youths.
At the forum, a remarkably candid Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll described the current crisis as: “We have seen in the last 12 months an escalation of offending that we haven’t see before.”
Examination of police crime data shows the overall crime rate in Queensland has risen seven per cent in 2021-22, the rate of break and enters has risen 18 per cent, stolen vehicles 13 per cent, assaults went up 60 per cent.
The number of robberies is up 29 per cent.
In Queensland, police are hamstrung by a restrictive pursuit policy.
The perception is that stealing a car in Queensland is a low-risk criminal enterprise. Only a week ago, we saw youth offenders flee an alleged home invasion and brazenly drive a stolen vehicle from Brisbane until they crossed the border into NSW, where the police promptly intercepted and arrested them.
We now know that serious repeat youth offenders account for 17 per cent of youth offenders, up from 10 per cent in 2020, and commit 48 per cent of youth crime.
Despite only accounting for 16 per cent of all offenders, youth make up 54 per cent of robbery offenders, 53 per cent of stolen vehicle and 50 per cent of break-and-enter offenders.
So how did we get here? In 2016, the Labor government removed the offence of breach of bail for youth offenders.
It also outlined that for youth offenders, a detention order should be imposed only as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed on Monday she would backflip and reintroduce breach of bail as an offence in the “spirit of bipartisanship”.
In 2019, the current government further weakened youth justice laws by passing legislation that was designed to facilitate more grants of bail to youth offenders.
The new laws formed part of the government’s $550m investment in youth justice reforms, including new programs and services to keep young people out of custody and from reoffending.
It sounded admirable at the time.
It only took a year for the government to realise its mistake and enact more amendments to try to fix the problem in 2020.
Yet still the bar was set too low in terms of allowing the hard-core offender back out on to the streets to continually reoffend.
There have now been two sets of additional youth justice reforms since to try to combat the crisis; both are best described as inept and ineffective.
Despite the shrill calls of panic from the progressive elements in our society, few youth offenders get sent to jail.
The Children’s Court annual report released last month showed that in 2021-22 a detention penalty was only imposed in 6.6 per cent of convicted youth appearances.
Raising maximum sentences for stealing a vehicle, as the government has in its latest youth justice reforms, is simply smoke and mirrors if no-one gets the maximum.
Data from the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council showed that the average period of detention for youth offenders convicted of stealing a vehicle was 3.6 months, and only 6 per cent of youth offenders who stole a vehicle went to detention.
The Atkinson review of the government’s youth justice reforms released in 2022 showed that offending by young people on bail had increased.
A total of 53 per cent of young people on bail reoffended while on bail, 19 per cent committed serious offending and seven per cent committed an offence leading to death or serious injury while on bail.
These figures are simply unacceptable.
It is right that the offence of breach of bail for youth offenders needs to be introduced immediately to give an effective and efficient option for police to take action for youth committing offences on bail.
Backgrounding this are moves to decriminalise youth offenders aged 10-12.
The Queensland government has supported this proposal as part of a broader push to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years.
As the Police Union noted, it will create a generation of invisible offenders.
An example of the failures of the youth justice reforms put in place by the government is the electronic tracking devices. At the forum in Toowoomba, the Police Minister claimed that the trial of the trackers “was very successful”.
The Atkinson review showed that instead of the 100 expected to be issued, only three had been, at a cost of about $11.5m. If that is a success, I would hate to see a failure.
The short-term offending cycle of serious repeat offenders needs to be stopped.
If you commit a serious offence on bail, there should be no show cause situation, it should be the case that you remain in custody until your matter is finalised.
The government can easily pass legislation to this effect.
Therapeutic interventions to address the multifactorial causes of serious youth offending can come later to stop the long-term offending cycle.
The community is right to be angry. The government must listen to the people and take appropriate action to address this crisis.
Community safety must come first.
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The internet has changed everything
Mark Latham
One doesn’t normally associate David Bowie, the androgenous rock star of the Seventies and Eighties, with piercingly accurate political analysis. But recently I saw an old interview with the Thin White Duke (recorded at a time when the internet was becoming prominent) that seemed incredibly insightful.
Bowie argued that up until the invention of the internet, the human knowledge-set was reasonably well settled. While historians sometimes differed, this was only at the margins, giving us a definitive interpretation of past events. So too, most aspects of science had been resolved.
Social values and norms were framed around mainstream notions of decency and commonsense. The parameters of political debate, while keenly contested at election time, pivoted on the orthodoxy of a handful of major parties.
It was as if the 18th-century Enlightenment had struck an ideal balance: creating new freedoms of speech to debate concepts and ideas, thereby further advancing the knowledge-set, but within accepted boundaries as to what was factual and what was nonsense.
Very few people subscribed to conspiracy theories or wacky notions of information being ‘socially constructed’ and ‘fluid’. Observable truths were respected as the foundation-stone of intellectual enlightenment.
Bowie’s thesis was that the internet would blow this settlement apart. As a mostly unregulated, open-access regime it would give a wide range of political activists the forum and space they needed to create their own self-serving narratives, unchallenged by the disciplines of evidence and facts.
This in turn would fragment society, as people would find their own group with which to associate and support online. Public life would be transformed, becoming more divisive and censorious as political tribes tried to close down their rivals and embed their beliefs in popular culture.
The orthodoxies of history, science, education and major party politics would come under permanent siege. And as this process played out, the internet tribes would dig in deeper, fortifying their positions with fewer facts and even less evidence, talking mainly to themselves (in what we now call the political ‘bubble’).
Bowie said we had to turn and face this change. As ever in his lyrics, strange fascinations fascinated him.
One would have to say, 30 years later, his dismal prophecy has been realised. He has given us a handy framework within which to understand the new politics of ‘fake news’ and ‘cancel culture’.
In the madness of today’s politics, why shouldn’t we take the unexpected wisdom of Ziggy Stardust as a reference point?
It helps to explain why the political centre has hollowed out and the major party vote has declined. They have been cannibalised by movements to the left and right of them.
Five new tribes have emerged in politics, as confirmation of Bowie’s thesis:
The Lunar Right
Some voters are dazed and confused by the extent of change in our public institutions. Old certainties have been lost, replaced by the alien authoritarianism of political correctness, identity politics, gender fluidity, decarbonisation and cancel culture. In seeking out a single, simple explanation, the Lunar Right has latched onto the theory of international conspiracy, through the UN, WEF, Agenda 21, WHO, COP and any other globalist forum that carries an acronym.
I hear from these people often and I can assure them: most of the political madness we have in Australia is homegrown. Adam Bandt, Lidia Thorpe, Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese have been refining their leftist agenda for decades. They don’t receive, or in fact need, memos from the UN every other day to do their worst.
Policy Traditionalists
This is where I have tried to position NSW One Nation, around a belief that Australian public policy reached a high-water mark of effectiveness during the Hawke-Keating-Howard-Costello era. There was never any need for change.
For Traditionalists, our watchword is evidence: to reject the Left’s agenda based on its observable adverse impacts. Why, for instance, would Australia destroy its resource and manufacturing industries and millions of jobs when the elimination of our carbon emissions cannot have any measurable impact on global surface temperatures?
Surreal Teal
This is the new politics of wealthy indulgence: well-heeled women so comfortable in life they have deluded themselves into thinking they can repair any part of society and ultimately, save the planet. They only visit places like the Hunter Valley and Western Sydney by accident, so the loss of blue-collar jobs in these regions is inconsequential to their virtue-signalling.
Woke Identitarians
Labor used to believe in helping people on the basis of their socio-economic status. Now, bizarrely, it sees politics through the prism of things people were born with, the identity politics of race, gender and sexuality. Martin Luther King’s ethos of judging people by their character has been replaced by the primitive habit of judging them by how they look. Thus a privileged, powerful person like Penny Wong can plead disadvantage from being an Asian lesbian, even though no aspect of her life is actually disadvantaged.
The Green Extreme
Authoritarianism is back in fashion, with the Greens seeking to control the language, values, behaviour, family life and employment of other people. If you’ve ever met a Green MP you will know they can barely run their own lives, but this is not a barrier to trying to engineer everyone else’s life in their own image.
Bowie was right: Time can’t change me and I can’t change time. But the internet has changed everything.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/political-oddity/
*****************************************************The major mistake Australia made during the Covid-19 lockdowns: Top professor describes hated rule as 'absolutely atrocious'
Peter Collignon - one of Australia's most trusted voices through the Covid crisis - has said restrictions on outdoor activities during the Covid-lockdown was 'absolutely atrocious' and a major mistake.
The infectious diseases doctor tweeted on Monday that 'restrictions on outdoor activities (during Covid lockdowns) was a major mistake'.
He said his warnings from the start of the pandemic that preventing people from going out to exercise had been proven right - 'We should never in the future stop people from being outdoors.'
Professor Collignon told Daily Mail Australia that 'No matter how hard you look, you can not find (much Covid) transmission outdoors.
'There was some - there was a report in the US of someone talking to somebody for 15 minutes outside and getting Covid, and there were some building workers in Singapore who probably got it outdoors.
'But basically, outdoors, there's very little transmission of Covid. The effective R (the rate of passing Covid on to another person) was much less than one.
'In other words, you didn't transmit it much,' he said.
The doctor, who lectures at the Australian National University's medical school in Canberra, said restrictions on outdoor exercise 'was a real mistake'.
'There was a lot of hysteria about people going to beaches and to parks, and you could only be out for an hour a day and closing parks for children.'
He said while it could not have been guaranteed that no transmission would have occurred outdoors, 'it would have been minimal and should have easily been handled by contract tracing and testing'.
Prof Collignon said this is not a conclusion he has come to with the benefit of looking back, that he had been 'saying that three years ago too'.
Photos on social media showing crowded beaches during lockdowns - implying that people were breaking the law - were misleading, he said.
'They did it with telephoto lenses which made it look like people were really close together.
'But when you looked at aerial views from drones, people were more than two metres apart.'
Prof Collignon said at the time that lockdowns such as closing national parks so people couldn't go walking were 'not sensible'.
'And in retrospect, it looks an absolutely atrocious mistake to have made those rules,' he said.
The issue of travelling in a crowded space to get to a beach or park during lockdowns complicated matters, though.
'If you had to travel by train or bus or a crowded car to get there, that's a risk. But it's being indoors that's the big risk.
'If you can go in your own transport to an outdoor venue, you had no more risk of acquiring Covid from anybody not in your household.'
Prof Collignon also addressed the issue of the increased number of drownings this summer being blamed in part on children not having been able to learn to swim in pools due to lockdowns.
'I am under the impression, and it's based on hearsay, but there have been less children learning to swim over the last few years than in the years beforehand,' he said.
'It all depends on the data ... on how many children aged two to six have drowned and how different that is (from pre-pandemic numbers).
'Because that is the age group that would have been affected by not being able to learn to swim (due to lockdowns).'
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20 February, 2023
Albo to close down independent truck drivers
Federal Labor is set to bolster the businesses of trucking billionaires and corporations. Unsurprisingly, the billionaires are more than happy to have this happen.
Naturally, Labor’s billionaire business boost is not being promoted in this light by Labor. Labor says that its plan is about making trucking rates ‘safe’. But no matter how this is looked at, the intention is to eliminate independent truck drivers as competitors to the big trucking corporations and billionaire trucking empires.
We know this because Labor set up a ‘safe rates’ scheme in 2012, but it wasn’t until 2016 that the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) started dictating trucking rates. It was a disaster for the 35,000 affected self-employed, long-haul truck drivers. Large numbers of these truckies were in the process of being bankrupted. Several suicides resulted before the Turnbull government passed legislation to close down the RSRT in 2016.
This saved the livelihoods and businesses of thousands of hard-working, self-employed Australians. What we know from the 2016 experience is that the ‘trucking safe rates’ argument has a theoretical claim about safety, but is in fact about putting small business people out of business to the benefit of big business. That’s the truth.
The argument about safety is heavily promoted by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and goes something like this… The TWU says independent truck drivers work too hard. They drive long hours and the rates they charge are too low. These low rates mean that independent truck drivers have crashes. So, according to the TWU, the independent truckies need to be forced by legislation to charge more. Then the roads will be safe.
But look at the argument from a different angle – that is, from the viewpoint of competition.
Self-employed independent truck drivers are big competitors to the big trucking conglomerates (and they tend not to be union members!). By the nature of their businesses, independent truckies are able to be highly flexible. If, for example, an independent truckie is long-hauling between Perth and Brisbane and different jobs pop up along the way, they can respond in ways that the management bureaucracies of big companies cannot. This gives the independents big competitive advantages.
It’s this flexibility and fast responsiveness to customer needs that is key for the independents. But this does not suit the big transport bosses. And it does not suit the TWU which effectively enforces membership through the big transport bosses.
Now that Labor is in government and seems to have the support of the Greens in the Senate on labour issues, Albanese’s Labor is looking to target independent truck drivers again. Labor has announced that it intends to re-introduce a scheme of ‘safe’ rates for ‘employee-like’ independent truck drivers. They will do this in the second half of 2023.
Again, they are going to control the rates that independent truck drivers must charge. This will be a repeat of 2016. Independent truck drivers will be pushed into hardship, bankruptcy, and suicide. Big trucking billionaires will get richer. This is Labor’s direct attack against Australian small business people
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/trucking-billionaires/
************************************************False Australian history
There’s no end to the Woke, cultural-left pushing ‘Yes’ to the Indigenous Voice in the nation’s classrooms. The left-leaning Australian Education Union fully supports the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ and argues Truth-Telling should be taught ‘in schools through and in the curriculum and in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers’.
Schools across Australia are teaching Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu to students; a book criticised by Peter O’Brien as well as Peter Sutton and Keryn Walshe as misleading and inaccurate in its depiction of Aboriginal history and culture as sophisticated.
In Victoria, the Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins, who subsequently tried to walk back on the comment, states that ‘the Voice referendum will be a defining moment in our nation’s history’ and it should be dealt with in schools as students need to understand ‘Victoria’s journey to the Treaty’.
Not surprisingly, a poetry anthology set for Victoria’s Year 12 English titled False Claims Of Colonial Thieves by Charmaine Papertalk-Green and John Kinsella is yet another disturbing example of the school curriculum being used to indoctrinate vulnerable students regarding Aboriginal exploitation and oppression.
According to the reviewer at the Sydney Arts Guide the poetry anthology is ‘a pin prickling polemic’ where the poems are ‘flinty and unflinching’ and act like ‘depth charges of various C-bombs – Colonisation, Capitalism, Culture, and Country’. The reviewer lauds the two authors for exposing the ‘genocide, rape, and apartheid’ inflicted as a result of European settlement.
Bruce Pascoe, made famous by his assertion Aborigines were highly civilised at the time of the First Fleet, also recommends the anthology. Pascoe writes the poets ‘take no prisoners’ and that it is not for the light-hearted as it depicts the ‘darkness’ at the heart of Australia.
The historian Geoffrey Blainey uses the expression the ‘black armband’ view to describe those guilty of painting the nation’s history as violent, oppressive, racist, and Eurocentric. Often ignored is that Blainey also condemns the ‘three cheers’ view.
The Year 12 anthology provides multiple examples of the black armband view. One poem talks about ‘past injustices, cultural cruelty, cultural genocide’ while another begins with the lines ‘the State is killing our souls, the State has murdered the people’.
A third poem titled Always Thieves argues those who arrived as a result of 1788, including ‘colonial officers, convicts, settlers, free man’ are all thieves and that the injustice and theft continues to this day involving ‘mining companies, politicians, governments’ with ‘dirty hands coated with traces of blood’.
A fourth poem called Don’t mine me leaves students in no doubt as to who deserves to be condemned when the poets write: ‘Don’t mind me Australia… While you are busy… Sticking explosives everywhere… Getting a hard-on blowing up land… Pumping chemicals deep into mother… Drip feeding our waters with poison.’
Drawing on post-colonial theory and the Black Lives Matter movement where the assumption is societies like Australia are structurally racist, the anthology tells students Indigenous voices are always silenced when they write, ‘You don’t want me to talk about… The concept and construct of whiteness.’
It’s ironic, at the same time the two poets in the prologue argue mining companies are guilty of inflicting propaganda on schools about the value and importance of mining they appear unaware that students being made to study their poetry is guilty of the same sin.
One of the exercises related to the False Claims of Colonial Thieves anthology, after adopting the persona of an exploited Aboriginal community, asks students to write to mining companies like BHP telling them to stop exploiting Aboriginal land and destroying the environment.
Even worse, as argued by Mark Lopez in School Sucks and who tutors Year 12 students in Victoria, the reality is the poetry anthology is just one of many chosen texts that ‘are overwhelmingly politically correct and left-wing’.
While students across Australia are presented with a jaundiced and one-sided view of Indigenous affairs and the impact of European settlement ignored are the facts, compared to the Uyghurs in China and the Kurds in the Middle East, Aborigines have achieved equality and the sins of the past long since been addressed.
Aborigines are Australian citizens, have equal rights, and at just over 3 per cent of the population receive approximately $30 billion a year in federal government support and benefits. As a result of the High Court Mabo decision, they also have extensive land rights to over 54 per cent of Australia’s land mass.
Instead of schools presenting students with an objective and impartial account of controversial issues like the Voice to Parliament the sad fact is the cultural-left has long succeeded in using the school curriculum to advance its ideology. Worse still, this has happened under both left-leaning and conservative governments, state and commonwealth.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/colonial-thieves/
**************************************************The future of Australia's electricity supply is blowing in the wind
The events of the past few weeks have brought Australia’s energy future into sharp focus – we won’t have one. Green enthusiasts who dominate the public debate have insisted that much of the east coast’s reliable power supply must cease operating by about the middle of next decade, but there may not be anything to put in its place.
Those same activists insist that a vast network of renewable energy projects can take over the role of coal plants, ignoring considerable evidence that they cannot. However, state governments are relying on private investors to create this dense network, despite investment in the area having tanked.
Unless policymakers come to their senses, consumers who want to use electrical appliances, or even turn on the hall light in perhaps twelve years or so, may have to make their own arrangements. They might still be able to turn on gas stoves but not gas heaters (these still require power for fans), although policymakers are also doing their best to reduce gas supplies.
This heroic attempt at ruining Australia’s power supply is all the more remarkable for occurring during an international energy crisis and with the policymakers apparently oblivious to the notable failure of renewable energy to make much of a contribution to the overall energy supply, despite decades of investment.
As previously noted in The Spectator Australia (‘Engineering disaster’, 29 October 2022) a combination of billionaire activist Mike Cannon-Brookes and the state governments of Queensland and Victoria have organised the closure of the bulk of the reliable coal-fired power supply of the eastern half of the continent. At the same time the Victorian and Queensland state governments in particular, have been encouraging investment in renewable energy as well as pumped-hydro storage projects.
To date the response has been disappointing. Figures on renewable energy projects compiled by the Clean Energy Council show that just seventeen were completed and commissioned in 2022, representing 1,248 Megawatts (MW) of installed capacity, as opposed to forty-eight completed in Covid-stricken 2021 adding up to 4,589 MW, and 3,205 MW worth of projects in 2020. These figures are even less impressive when it is remembered that wind projects typically have an average output of about one-third of stated capacity. The average output for photovoltaics is somewhat less, but it is better for projects using the likes of solar concentrators.
There is no indication investment is improving. Wind farms under construction listed by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning amount to just 864 MW in installed capacity – an effective average output of perhaps a paltry 300 MW or so.
One reason for investment in this area falling off a cliff, despite all the talk, is that markets did not do well generally in 2022. A count of initial public offerings on the securities exchange by professional services firm HLB Mann Judd shows that the number of new IPOs fell by 48 per cent in 2022, and total funds raised collapsed 91 per cent.
Another perspective is provided by lobby group WindEurope, which in January declared that orders for new wind turbines in Europe fell by 47 per cent, or nearly half, in 2022 compared with the previous year.
WindEurope complained about government interference in the European markets, but also noted that ‘inflation in commodity prices and other input costs has raised the price of wind turbines, by up to 40 per cent over the last two years’. Revenue had not kept pace with costs.
Despite the different conditions in Europe, the result was much the same as the investment market in general and renewable energy projects in Australia in particular, in that investment collapsed notably in the second half of 2022.
But then decades of talk about renewable energy and investment in all sorts of wild and wonderful projects has barely shifted the dial on renewable energy’s contribution. A control panel for the National Energy Market (the eastern Australian grid) compiled by the Australian Energy Market Operator shows that in the past 12 months just short of 70 per cent of electricity came from black and brown coal plants, and just short of 20 per cent from solar and wind. Another 7 per cent came from hydro (which counts as a renewable) and a few per cent from gas.
This does not seem very different from the energy mix of preceding years, but the really bad news for activists is the total energy mix figures for Australia compiled by the International Energy Agency. This analysis adds in the use of fuel in domestic and freight transport, gas for cooking and industrial use plus the power required for electrical generation. In 2021, despite all the talk about net-zero emissions, wind, solar and biomass collectively amounted to just a few per cent of the total energy task.
As for gas, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a gas inquiry interim report in January which forecasts a 12 per cent shortfall in supply for the east coast this year, although the problems may really start about 2027 or so. The commission then makes the far from surprising suggestion that governments could reduce the barriers faced by producers seeking to bring new gas supply to market.
But governments and environmentalists have reacted to the obvious problems by doubling down on discouraging the industry. The federal government reacted to price increases for gas by instituting a mixture of price controls and reserving gas for domestic consumers. As a result, producers including Senex Energy, Beach Energy, Cooper Energy and ExxonMobil have stalled or put under review proposed investment in new gas supplies.
In addition, environmental activism and the late-2022 court decision which required Santos to consult more extensively with indigenous groups over the $4.7 billion Barossa project it plans north of the Tiwi Islands (north of Darwin), have imposed delays of up to two years on a range of gas projects. To top off all of this, a project to build an LNG gas import terminal at Newcastle in NSW, which could have supplied 80 per cent of the state’s needs, was axed in early February, with the South Korean developers citing volatility in gas markets. Another proposed LNG import plant in Victoria is facing endless delays in approvals.
Investment in green energy projects may revive of course, but there is a long way to go and there are still the major problems of whether intermittent power can replace coal plants, and of dismantling all the barriers blocking gas development. Australia’s much-vaunted energy transition may simply mean switching to no power at all.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/dark-ages-coming/
****************************************************Winning life’s lottery: Australians are richer than many feel today
It’s hard to imagine many Australians today feeling richer than they did this time last year.
The share market and superannuation funds went backwards in 2022, property values are still going backwards, grocery expenses and other household bills are spiralling higher much faster than wages growth, and mortgage costs are multiplying thanks to Reserve Bank interest rate rises.
We are collectively feeling poorer right now and pulling back on our spending, or at least planning to. That’s what the Reserve Bank wants Australians as a whole to do, so inflation will drop back to normal levels without smashing the nation into a recession.
But the reality is that Australians are far from poor, when our wealth – financial and otherwise – is put into perspective.
Whenever I’m feeling a little financially inferior, which usually happens when reading newspaper articles about executive salaries or Sydney property sales, there’s a website I visit to make it all better.
Simply type “how rich am I” into your search engine and you’ll find a site that compares your income with the rest of the world.
For example, a couple both earning the average Australian wage of $92,000 a year can punch in their post-tax income ($69,800 according to tax calculators) and discover they are among the richest 1.1 per cent of households on the planet.
If they earn the median Aussie annual wage of $65,000, a more accurate income measure because it’s not skewed higher by high-earning CEOs, they still sit among the top 2.3 per cent of wealthy households globally.
We are also punching well above our weight when it comes to holding wealth. The Global Wealth Report 2022 by financial giant Credit Suisse ranked Australians as the world’s wealthiest – with median wealth per person sitting at $US273,900 ($400,000), three times as much as US median wealth despite the large number of US billionaires.
Per person, we are twice as rich as people in Britain, Japan, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Qatar. New Zealanders are the world number three, behind Belgium.
Median wealth per person in China is $US28,258 ($41,000), in India it’s $US3457 ($5200), and in Africa it’s $US1111 ($1600).
These global wealth and income comparisons are striking, but also seem unfair to the many Aussie battlers struggling on lower wages or equally-low welfare payments, and have been watching their groceries, utilities and other living costs climb just as much as higher-income earners.
We live in an expensive society that has become much more expensive. Fortunately there are welfare safety nets that rise in line with inflation, although there are always people who argue that welfare payments are way too low.
It’s not just money that makes us wealthy. There are no automatic weapons carried by citizens on our streets, and crime rates are relatively low.
Australia’s capital cities regularly rank highly in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s global liveability index, although Covid lockdowns knocked us down a few places recently.
We often complain about Australia’s struggling health system, but our skills, facilities, cleanliness, medicines and costs rank us among the 20 best healthcare systems globally. And there are plenty of financial safety nets available.
Australians are certainly winners in the lottery of life – it just doesn’t feel that way for many people at the moment.
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19 February, 2023
Doctor scrutiny on gender clinic reveals legal and safety fears
Doctors treating children at a major public hospital gender clinic have questioned the basis of the “gender-affirming” approach in medicine, highlighting sparse evidence justifying the use of puberty blockers, instances of serious side-effects from the drugs, ongoing mental distress following transition and the significant potential for later regret among patients.
Senior physicians at the NSW Children’s Hospital Westmead’s gender clinic have studied the physical and mental health of 79 patients in a rare academic study of the outcomes of children who presented with gender distress and gender dysphoria. The findings cast doubt on the scientific basis of the gender-affirming approach followed by the nation’s other children’s hospitals.
In an open access academic paper, CHW psychiatrists, endocrinologists and other physicians, and a senior medical ethics expert, called for a “much more nuanced and complex approach” as analysis revealed 88 per cent of children presenting at Westmead’s gender clinic had at least one co-morbid mental health condition, with more than 50 per cent diagnosed with behavioural disorders or autism. One in five children who consulted the clinic with gender-related distress later had these feelings resolved, and almost one in 10 with a formal diagnosis of gender dysphoria, some who had taken puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, later discontinued transitioning.
Given this, the adoption of a “neutral therapeutic stance” and provision of “a much more diverse range of treatment options and pathways as an alternative to medical gender transition was necessary”, the doctors concluded.
One of the central justifications for gender-affirming medicine – that it alleviated psychological distress – was not borne out in the experience of the young people studied, with 44 out of 50 patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria reporting ongoing mental health concerns four to nine years after presentation at the gender clinic, many after transitioning.
Parents of children with gender distress are often told their child is at high risk of suicide if the gender-affirming path is not followed. “An unanswered question in the paediatric literature is whether gender-affirming medical treatment improves or does not improve mental health outcomes and quality of life,” said CHW doctors, including paediatric psychiatrist Kasia Kozlowska, paediatric endocrinologists Geoffrey Ambler and Ann Maguire and physician Joseph Elkadi.
Former Yale Law School medical ethics expert Stephen Scher was also a co-author. “In the era of evidence-based medicine, the evidence base pertaining to the gender-affirming medical pathway is sparse and, for the young people who may regret their choice of pathway at a future point in time, the risks for potential harm are significant,” the authors said.
The study comes as the approach of doctors practising gender-affirming medicine comes under scrutiny in court, as parents seeking to block prescription of puberty blockers to their children call expert witnesses to challenge the evidence. One recent Family Court case initiated by a parent seeking to halt their child being prescribed puberty blockers was settled midway through evidence as doctors from a major children’s hospital gender clinic called as witnesses came under scrutiny.
Solicitor Bill Kordos, who acted for the parent, said: “What became apparent to me running the case is that the science and the evidence didn’t seem to support the recommendations of the gender clinic. The unravelling of the science and the medicine was so telling that I in fact became alarmed that, if this is one case, and there are hundreds of children being put on what seems to be a conveyor belt, and young children are being told they have gender dysphoria without the whole picture being addressed, at the end of this court case I felt it was a form of child abuse.
“I also formed the view that they appeared to have politicised healthcare, which directly threatens the welfare of children. An inquiry should be held as to how these clinics are operating. I think they’re exposing themselves to a massive class action.”
The Australian litigation comes as senior doctors from the UK’s Tavistock Clinic spoke out in a new book by British journalist Hannah Barnes at their growing concerns the gender-affirming approach they were following ”wasn’t actually safe” and may amount to a medical scandal. The Cass Review in the UK, which led to the shutdown of Tavistock, has said it was now examining gender-affirming medicine guidelines set by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
The gender-affirming approach has been championed in Australia by paediatrician Michelle Telfer and colleagues at the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital. Dr Telfer helped author the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for trans and gender-diverse children and adolescents, following The Netherlands model and based heavily on World Professional Association for Transgender Health guidelines.
Australian Professional Association for Trans Health standards are followed by most doctors treating patients with gender dysphoria in Australia, from major children’s hospital clinics to general practitioners. Gender-affirming care is designed to support and affirm an individual’s perceived gender identity, including the prescription of puberty blockers and hormone treatments to medically affirm the patient’s perceived gender. The guidelines stipulate decision-making, including relating to medical intervention and social transitioning, “should be driven by the child or adolescent wherever possible”.
The ABC’s failure to cover the closure of Britain’s Tavistock serves as another example of the national broadcaster… not wanting to tell Australians an “inconvenient truth,” Sky News Digital Editor Jack Houghton says. Media Watch host Paul Barry pointed out the ABC had no trace of the story and, More
CHW doctors disputed that these standards amount to national guidelines. “The title is actually misleading,” the authors write. “In Australia there are no official or authorised government-commissioned standards for assessing or treating gender dysphoria.”
The Royal Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor Telfer, director of the RCH Gender Service, declined to respond to questions surrounding the standards of care, the evidence base underpinning the gender-affirmative model, risk of regret among patients and potential harms of drug treatments.
AusPATH president Clara Tuck Meng Soo did not respond to a request for comment.
The CHW doctors have raised concerns that “many unknowns remain” regarding the long-term effects of puberty blockers, which are described by the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne as “reversible in their effects”. International evidence is in fact casting greater doubt on whether the effects of these medications are reversible. Endocrine reviews of the CHW patient cohort documented side-effects in 23 of the 49 young people prescribed puberty blockers, including low bone density, hot flushes, weight gain and anxiety. The CHW doctors raised concerns about long-term effects on patients’ sexual function in adulthood.
Within the 9 per cent cohort of patients with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria who had desisted – that is, discontinued the transgender pathway 4-9 years after consulting the gender clinic – three had undergone puberty suppression beginning at the average age of 12. Three had taken cross-sex hormones, one from as young as 15, but not prescribed by CHW. The effects of cross-sex hormones, including infertility, are irreversible.
Transgender activists claim rates of transition are in the order of less than 1 per cent. But the CHW doctors say the “emerging voices of detransitioners are identifying important issues”, and remain concerned that – even when exploratory psychotherapy is emphasised, as per the more conservative Finnish, Swedish and new British guidelines – “a serious problem remains” in identifying those young people who may regret their transition.
The hospital said it appeared many young people were accessing cross-sex hormones from unregulated sources or providers, as 51 of the cohort they studied had commenced treatment outside the institution, 20 of whom were under 16. Six young people studied had undergone gender-affirming surgery such as mastectomy.
The CHW doctors also identified concerns around the increasing prevalence of predominantly female patients with “late-onset, rapid-onset or adolescent-onset gender dysphoria” with no prior history of gender distress presenting at gender clinics. “The absence of prior history raised questions that this particular group of adolescents were being drawn to the construct of gender dysphoria because of some evolving social process,” the doctors said.
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A bleak future for Australia's energy supply
The energy crisis that became real for many Australians in 2022 is at severe risk of becoming the norm.
Last month, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released their latest gas inquiry report which gave a stark warning to Australia’s leaders about the perilous state of the east coast’s energy security.
The report stated that investment in gas production is urgently required to avoid shortages and blackouts along Australia’s east coast:
‘Without additional gas supply, transportation, and storage infrastructure, there remain significant risks to domestic energy security over the medium to longer term. It is important therefore that governments continue to support the efficient, competitive, and timely development of new sources of supply and infrastructure.’
Despite this, the federal government has continued to pursue policies that deter investment in the gas sector, causing higher prices through lower supply.
The Albanese government’s announcement of reforms to the ‘safeguard mechanism’ to, effectively, re-introduce the carbon tax first pursued by the Rudd and Gillard governments, which was subsequently and overwhelmingly rejected by Australians a decade ago, is a prime example.
The reformed ‘safeguard mechanism’ will mandate that certain businesses purchase carbon credits from other businesses that emit below their regulated levels. If they cannot trade, they must pay a levy to the federal government.
Recent analysis by the Institute of Public Affairs has identified that 88 per cent of the facilities that this policy targets are in our critical resources and manufacturing sectors, and over eight in ten facilities are located in regional Australia.
BHP has indicated that Australia’s current and proposed energy policy settings will bring forward, by four years, the closure of its Mt Arthur coal mine in the Hunter Valley, which will only further increase power prices.
The Albanese government has pointed to a 205 million tonne reduction of CO2 emissions by the end of the decade, which will be equivalent to just 0.08 per cent of global carbon emissions in that period. All this economic pain, for little to no environmental gain.
Fortunately for mainstream Australians, the Federal Opposition have come out and publicly opposed this policy, which means the federal government will now have to deal with the Greens and the crossbench.
However, the Greens have publicly and repeatedly stated that their support for the reforms hinges on the federal government banning of all future coal and gas projects in Australia.
IPA research has identified such demands would see the cancellation of 86 coal and gas projects currently in the construction pipeline, 473,000 new jobs located in regional Australia foregone and up to $268.5 billion in direct and indirect economic activity squandered.
This latest energy policy proposal from the federal government follows hot on the heels of the Prime Minister’s emergency sitting of parliament to rush through a price cap on the domestic coal and gas supply.
The Prime Minister claimed without these measures, household energy bills would rise $230 per year over and above the already record increases we all face.
Unsurprisingly, the move to cap the price of gas saw a number of energy retailers cease taking on new customers, along with increasing their prices, as they struggled to secure supply from producers.
Of course, this was entirely predictable. When you artificially limit a company’s ability to get a return on investment, through a carbon tax or restricted revenue, it naturally makes them less likely to invest in the production of gas.
The policy settings being pursued by the Albanese government are diametrically opposed to the advice of Australia’s energy market experts and participants. The bottom line is, a further limited gas supply leaves everyday Australians with higher household energy bills.
These policies will also impact Australia’s trade revenue, domestic manufacturing capabilities, domestic energy generation capabilities, employment opportunities, and the development of regional Australia. Again, all for minimal future environmental gain.
Australia’s current energy crisis is entirely of our own making. It has been caused by deliberate policy decisions by our leaders and it is mainstream Australians who are paying the price daily.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/energy-crisis-households-pay-for-safety-mechanism/
*******************************************************Controversial shark control
Dan Webber
It’s not easy being pro-human in the shark debate. Eco-warriors think we not only hate sharks, but nature in general. Apart from being wrong, such religious zealotry probably indicates that they hate humans, and society in general. So, it is not surprising that people avoid the conversation, no doubt fearing retribution. But, the government ought not be swayed by this vocal minority.
I recently attended a public lecture by shark scientist Victor Peddemors, who works for the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI). He confessed that, while the purpose of their research is to find a solution to shark attacks, it is very difficult to identify risk factors when there are so few attacks. For example, in research co-authored by Peddemors, El Niño was found to be a likely risk factor. However, two years later, a spate of attacks occurred during a mild La Niña.
It is foolish to expect that a solution will be found that does not involve reducing the population of sharks. That is why I have suggested targeting the most aggressive sharks with an electrified drumline that deters less aggressive sharks. It seems like a reasonable compromise. But, the government is afraid of the inevitable backlash from eco-warriors, who will continue to impose their values on society, disregarding the human cost, or outright celebrating it.
The problem with the debate is that it hinges on a false dichotomy pitting humans against nature. The anti-human sentiment has become so ingrained in progressive thought that the occasional shark attack is likely viewed as a necessary sacrifice. It is futile arguing with people who subscribe to this worldview. But, there is hope, if we reframe the debate, so that it focuses on protecting all mammals in the wild, not just humans.
I have argued, for instance, that the added benefit of significantly reducing the rate of shark attacks is that it would set the stage for the removal of shark nets, which regrettably catch a lot of non-target species, including dolphins and whales. But, any reduction in shark attacks would apply to all potential prey, including dolphins and whales. So, the removal of aggressive sharks could have a profound effect on their welfare, too.
The only response I have received from the government has been a stock standard reply, outlining the current suite of shark mitigation measures, designed to balance the protection of sharks with the protection of people. Their letter made no reference to my proposal. So, I requested a meeting, hoping to discuss the matter, but they didn’t reply. The reason I persist is that I don’t believe anyone in the know actually believes that lives will be saved.
For example, in research estimating the future rate of shark attacks, our most qualified shark scientists completely overlook the effect of the government’s shark mitigation programs. Of course, the numbers are buried under a mountain of obfuscation, fancifully modelled as the widespread adoption of shark shields. But, it is clear that the base rate of shark attacks, i.e. without anyone using a Shark Shield, is projected to continue rising at the present rate, despite massive investment in other shark mitigation measures.
The government needs to ask the scientists at DPI if they actually believe the current suite of shark mitigation measures is saving lives. While it is certainly true that shark attacks are rare, the resulting trauma ripples much further through society than other tragedies. Dubbed The Jaws Effect, the horrific spectacle of shark attacks haunts ocean users, despite the risk of injury or death being less than it is for cycling. Even Dr Peddemors is reluctant to swim out too far.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/the-jaws-effect/
****************************************************Why Anthony Albanese will be a oncer
Des Houghton
Today I’ll go out on a limb and say that Albo is starting to look like a oncer. Nice guy that he may be, I suspect the Prime Minister will crash and burn and lead Labor to a humiliating loss at the next election.
His election manifesto suddenly has more holes than a Swiss cheese.
A damaging recession may be looming that would sink his re-election hopes. And discontent is growing about his inability to stop the soaring cost of living or make good his pledge to deliver real wage rises. Albanese is now fighting bushfires on several fronts. His key election pledges are in tatters.
I thought he looked clumsy and unconvincing as he dodged questions in the House of Representatives this week where Opposition leader Peter Dutton clearly got the better of him.
Albo simply hasn’t got Kevin Rudd’s intellect, Bob Hawke’s charisma or Paul Keating’s rat cunning. He is starting to look like a political aberration.
He might have a heart, but he also has big trouble wrestling with his party’s hysterical commitment to untested renewables over fossil fuels. Meanwhile, Labor’s obsession with the Indigenous Voice vote has divided the nation.
And this week we saw a widening of the cultural wars with attacks on people of faith. Albanese, like Gough Whitlam, may be moving too fast in attempting to seduce Australians into embracing a socialist state they do not want and cannot pay for.
I thought so when I read with disbelief that spiritual leaders fear government meddling would undermine religious freedoms by preventing faith-based schools employing teachers who share the same faith. Labor has picked a fight with Christians, Jews and members of Islamic faiths by proposing to change anti-discrimination laws to impose state controls. Are we witnessing the sovietisation of Australia?
Church leaders were rightly shocked by Australian Law Reform Commission proposals that principals be barred from preferencing the employment of teachers with the same beliefs and spiritual outlook as their institutions.
And now Albo’s signature climate policy that underpins Labor’s election promise to achieve 43 per cent emissions reductions by 2030 is on the brink of collapse. The Greens want to kill it unless coal and gas is banned. It’s a ridiculous threat that would cost thousands of jobs and cut billions in royalty revenue and taxes.
And while the Greens snap at his heels, the Albanese government is under pressure from unions, the business community and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to unlock new gas fields or face an energy meltdown by 2027.
Albanese only has himself to blame for legislating the 43 per cent cut in carbon dioxide emissions without first having consensus on how to achieve it. If Albanese’s plans are blocked, it will punch a huge hole in his credibility as well as his agenda. Some commentators suggest it ranks with Rudd’s humiliating climate change defeat in 2009 at the hands of the Coalition and the Greens.
The fate of the government’s so-called safeguard mechanism is still unclear. It is another overcomplicated intrusion into the free market that will require big companies to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by about 5 per cent each year or buy tradeable permits to cover them. Dutton rightly dismisses it as a stealthy and unreasonable carbon tax the Coalition wont support. Before the election Albanese and Chalmers said Labor would cut power prices and put the brakes on interest rate rises that have begun to force people out of their homes.
In the public mind this will be Albo’s biggest failure.
Government spending is fuelling inflation as battlers face savage hikes in food and petrol prices while juggling home loan repayments.
Albo’s woes come as bastard banks continue to press the boot on mortgage man’s throat. Financial guru Noel Whittaker summed up the dilemma in his last Sunday Mail column: “Most banks have a policy of moving your home loan to a ‘default interest rate’ once you are in arrears.
“This means they raise the interest rate on the home loan purely because you are having trouble making the payments now. But if you can’t make the payments at the normal interest rates, how could you possibly make them when the rate has been raised?
“It’s not rocket science – this is kicking you when you are down.”
And while Australians are being forced out of their homes, many uninvited non-citizens are about to get free housing. Labor’s election pledge to end the use of Temporary Protection Visas will pave the way for about 19,000 refugees who arrived by sea to stay permanently in Australia. These uninvited non-citizens will get housing, social security rights, higher education support and access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, along with Medicare cover and mental health support.
The Australian reports our defence forces expect a possible surge in asylum-seeker boats as the visa rules are relaxed. The nation faces a new round of people smuggling.
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17 February, 2023
Brisbane 2032: Heritage-listed East Brisbane State School to be closed to make way for Gabba revamp
It is always a challenge to get rationlity out of a government but these plans are borderline insane. Woolloongabba is already heavily congested with traffic and so should be the last place for new development. And demolishing a perfectly good large stadium makes no sense. It would be a much better use of funds to build a new stadium from scratch in a more outlying area. And the gain in number of seats is marginal. The existing stadium already has 42,000 seats
A brand new 50,000-seat Gabba stadium will include an active travel corridor linking to South Bank and the city, with the state government confirming the entire stadium will be demolished and rebuilt.
As part of the $2.7bn project, a walkable connection will be created to link the CBD with the new Brisbane City Council green bridge.
East Brisbane State School will close from December 2025, with the heritage buildings refurbished and integrated into the operations of the Gabba, with a new school to be built two kilometres away.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to accelerate the infrastructure and housing we need to support a growing Queensland”.
“The Gabba has hosted sport for more than a century and is home to cricket and AFL most weeks of the year,” she said. “But it’s no secret that Queensland is losing out on major sporting events already – and the tourism, jobs and investment that come with them because The Gabba is not up to scratch.
“It must be upgraded to maintain our competitiveness for international sport and events. “When it’s done, this stadium will shine for Queensland, and so will the area surrounding it.
“Woolloongabba has the potential to be the next bustling precinct, but that can’t happen without a co-ordinated approach.
“It’s important we further capitalise on major transport projects already under way like Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro.”
Ms Palaszczuk said a new school would be built within 2km of the existing campus.
“Minister Grace Grace (Education Minister) is speaking with the East Brisbane State School principal at the moment. Years 4, 5 and 6 will complete their year levels and the school will relocate in 2026,” she said. “We are going to build them a brand new school.”
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Madeleine King, a canary in the coal mine?
‘We won’t get to net-zero emissions in this country, or indeed the world, without the resources sector, without gas, and even without coal. You cannot build a wind turbine without coal.’ Angus Taylor, perhaps? Ted O’Brien? Tony Abbott? Nope.
The words were uttered this week by Labor’s Minister for Resources Madeleine King, clearly one of the sharper tools in Labor’s climate shed. Speaking on Sky News, she went on to elaborate that gas will be needed ‘in the short-term, medium-term and long-term’ to ensure ‘energy security’.Former Labor MP Jennie George concurred, warning that ‘winter will be a testing time’ as she lambasted the poor planning of successive energy ministers, the virtue-signalling of governments and asked, where are the ‘safeguards’ for our energy future?
Er… there aren’t any. Not that such revelations or insights are news to readers of this magazine. For the best part of the last fifteen years, The Spectator Australia has been virtually alone among the mainstream media in refusing to be captivated by the climate change cult. More importantly, thanks to the great work of so many of our writers, including Ian Plimer, Mark Lawson, Alan Moran and many, many others, we have consistently pointed out the folly of the climate mantra and the extraordinary danger of jeopardising our God-given supplies of cheap and reliable energy sources.
Indeed, in this week’s issue Mark Lawson warns of the ‘dark ages’ that lie ahead as we rush towards Labor’s (and the Coalition’s) ludicrous net-zero goals. As Mark writes, ‘The events of the past few weeks have brought Australia’s energy future into sharp focus – we won’t have one.’
Sadly, the one resource Australia does seem to have an over-abundance of is stupidity, fuelled by Marxist propaganda and abetted by a political class that is either deeply cynical or unbelievably gullible. Take your pick. This stupidity has manifested itself in perfectly good coal-fired power stations literally being blown to smithereens to the applause of fools and shysters. The last decade has seen our energy infrastructure dismantled at breath-taking speed accompanied by a blizzard of false promises about new technologies and to the tune of ever-soaring household bills.
For a time, the Coalition held out against the madness, with the two most pertinent, honest and accurate words ever uttered about climate change doomsday alarmism having been uttered by former prime minister Tony Abbott: ‘It’s crap.’
Indeed, although she won’t thank us for pointing this out, Ms King’s position is now arguably closer to Mr Abbott’s than to Mr Albanese’s. Go to the bottom line – something our political class seem rarely capable of doing – and you have to answer the following question: will Australia abandoning its fossil-fuel energy sources prevent the planet from a climate apocalypse by the end of this century? Yes or no? Clearly, the fanatical climate zealots believe this to be the case, and many on the Left, including the Greens, either also believe this nonsense or more likely cynically pander to it. Hence the urgency of the alarmist position – close all coal and gas now! Swap to electric vehicles now! Stop eating meat! Eat bugs! Shut down all industry and farming!
These ideas are the logical end point of the Bowen/Wong/Albanese/Bandt/Thunberg/Ardern/Biden/UK/EU position, hence the hysterical reductions targets being touted on everything from carbon to nitrogen to methane to meat to household gas heaters; the pointless and ludicrously expensive advocacy of electric vehicles; the hyperventilating around hydrogen; and so on. But a more rational mindset recognises that there are two parts to that bottom-line question: firstly, is there actually a doomsday armageddon on the horizon? (Answer, no). And secondly, could anything Australia does in reducing carbon emissions in isolation ever have any measurable impact on the world’s climate? (Answer again, no.) Remove the urgency demanded of the doomsday scenario and/or recognise the limited role Australia can ever play and you must arrive at what we shall (cheekily) call the Abbott/King position, which can be summarised as, ‘Transition if you must, but there is no need to panic – and whatever you do, don’t dispense of the energy resources we are blessed with’.
This was of course, broadly, the Coalition’s position (approved overwhelming by the electorate in 2019) until it was disgracefully jettisoned by former prime minister Scott Morrison and his accomplice Barnaby Joyce, backed, laughably, by what was once the mainstream conservative press in Australia. The great pity is that the majority of the Australian electorate is, whether recognising it or not, of this same opinion.
Alas, because Australians are by nature fairly trusting (although this was sorely tested during Covid), it is likely that we will undergo a period of energy poverty and a dramatic downturn in our prosperity and all that that entails – both here and abroad – before the public wakes up to the disaster that the political class are deliberately inflicting upon us.
Could Resource Minister Madeleine King, ironically, be Labor’s canary in the climate change coal mine?
Or will she swiftly be brought into line and forced to start whistling to Labor’s alarmist, socialist and fanatical climate change tune?
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/king-a-canary-in-the-coal-mine/
******************************************************Outrage after six-year-olds told they must wear 'pride shirts' to play soccer
Parents of primary school age children have been told their kids are required to wear pride t-shirts if they want to play in an A-League half-time game.
The game is taking place during the A-League's inaugural Pride Celebration round held between February 24-26, with a follow-up round on March 4 in New Zealand.
The marquee game of the round is between Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory at Melbourne's AAMI Park on February 26 - when the children will take the field during the break.
'Please note that Melbourne Victory will be celebrating Pride Cup at this fixture. As such, participants playing half time small sided games will be wearing a specially designed pride T-shirt during the game,' the registration form given to one junior coach read.
'By continuing with this registration form you agree to your child wearing the MVFC pride T-shirt,' the form seen by The Herald Sun advises.
A furious parent told the newspaper it was not appropriate and kids should be 'kept out of social and cultural matters'. 'It's deeply disturbing that the Melbourne Victory is forcing 6 year old children to be moving billboards,' he said.
'While I personally agree with the concept of pride and the safety of all LGBTQI+ persons to participate in sport, primary aged schoolchildren are not the correct avenue to express these sentiments.'
One fan wrote to Twitter that they didn't believe 'inclusion was forcing kids to wear pride shirts'.
A spokesperson for Melbourne Victory said the children were not being forced to wear the jerseys and could play another day if they didn't want to.
'The Club has not forced any of its players, staff, fans or junior participants to wear or participate in anything they are not comfortable with,' a spokesman said.
'This game is a celebration of LGBTI+ participation in sport and we have put processes in place to ensure those who are not comfortable to participate in the day as a whole, will have the option to participate in another match day they feel comfortable participating in.'
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Bipartisan support pledged in New South Wales to ban gay conversion practices
Conversion treatments can be perfectly legitimate therapeutic options, with no element of coercion, so the blanket ban is oppressive
Both the New South Wales government and opposition have pledged to support legislation banning gay conversion practices in the state.
Independent MP Alex Greenwich has drafted a bill to ban conversion practices and welcomed the bipartisanship on the issue.
"Today is a good day for New South Wales," Mr Greenwich said. "We have the leaders of both major parties saying if you are LGBT there is nothing wrong with you, you are supported and you are celebrated."
Premier Dominic Perrottet today pledged "in principle" support for the legislation. "There is no room for any harmful practices in NSW, particularly if they affect our young and vulnerable," Mr Perrottet said.
Kim Kemmis studied to become a Christian minister. Now the Sydney man struggles to step into a church. In the 1990s, he tried to turn straight by attending religious "support groups".
But he said any bill that comes before the next parliament will have to be carefully assessed. "This is a complex matter and in working through it with parliamentary colleagues we will carefully consider the legal expression and effect of such laws."
The premier's pledge follows a commitment from Labor to ban gay conversion practices if it wins the state election on March 25.
"Conversion therapy is a dangerous and damaging practice and there's no room for it in New South Wales" Opposition Leader Chris Minns said on Saturday. "We should not have a situation where children are being told something is wrong with them and that they need to be fixed."
Mr Greenwich is among a group of Independent MPs whose support is likely to be crucial in the event of a minority government.
And he has made it clear that his support for either party will be contingent on them backing his Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill.
Gay conversion practices can range from ongoing or sustained pressure from a church or religious figure to suppress one's sexuality, to religious rituals like exorcisms and psychiatric or psychological "treatments" and aversion tactics.
The bill will include "extraterritorial" powers to prosecute people if they send children or adults overseas for "treatment".
And Mr Greenwich said it will still allow for freedom of religious expression. "We are not in any way trying to impede what is said in prayer or in a church," he said.
"This legislation is about stamping out a really cruel form of torture that targets the LGBT community."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-17/nsw-bipartisan-support-in-for-gay-conversion-ban/101988632
************************************16 February, 2023
Australian health agencies are inspiring misinformation on Covid vaccine injuries
The issue of Covid-19 vaccination injuries and deaths have been largely ignored by the media. It’s a dangerous business which allows misinformation to flourish.
There have been some notable exceptions.
Last month, Christine Middap’s sensitive article in The Weekend Australian included profiles of people who had suffered serious Covid-19 vaccine injury. And Chris Kenny recently drew attention to the problem in a thoughtful way on his program on Sky News.
The figures on vaccine related injury should be widely available, published by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to the point where even the incurious will have a broad understanding.
The compensation scheme, known as the Covid-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme is administered by Services Australia. The scheme was announced by then health minister Greg Hunt as the vaccines were rolled out in the first half of 2021. Therein lies an acknowledgment that Covid-19 vaccines were likely to cause injury and death in rare cases.
Less than 10 per cent of 3206 claims have been approved. Most of the remainder are still being considered.
These are Australians who have suffered injury as a result of taking the Covid vaccine and they should not be forgotten or cast into a bureaucratic abyss.
Even obtaining an official figure on vaccine related deaths is fraught. My understanding from the often tortured TGA’s reports is that 14 Australians have died from severe adverse reactions to Covid vaccines, nine from Astra-Zeneca and five from mRNA based vaccines, including Pfizer and Moderna. One of those five is an extraordinarily harrowing story of the death of a 21-year-old Melbourne woman in March 2021.
Those who suffered injury, and often extended periods of incapacity have been left to deal with the usual bureaucratic exercise that requires medical evidence, which may include but not be restricted to proof of hospital admission, sending the forms in, then sitting and waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
In the United States, a similarly convoluted compensation scheme is in place. The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program is known to be a well-intentioned office but under-resourced and not fit for the purpose of dealing with thousands of claims and determining outcomes in a timely fashion.
At the end of 2022, there were more than 7500 claimants to the scheme. Some have been waiting for compensation for more than a year. I’ll leave it to the mathematicians to figure out the percentages of claims for Covid vaccine injury against the more than 600 million doses of the Covid vaccine administered in the US.
A void of information is filled with misinformation and the people perpetrating are armed and ready, bristling with falsehoods and deceit.
Stew Peters is a Minnesotan former bounty hunter who has developed a business model to achieve fame and fortune from the pandemic. He refers to Covid vaccines as “bioweapons”. Peters contends Covid vaccines are a means of global depopulation.
Peters’s pseudo-documentary, Died Suddenly, has been described as a “tsunami of anti-vax misinformation and conspiracy theories” by Science Based Medicine magazine. It has been viewed over 250,000 times on Rumble. The documentary makers were allowed to post the entire 69 minutes on Twitter.
The ersatz doco includes the appropriation of news items reporting on people who had suddenly died, many of which were probably not vaccine-related. Some of the sudden deaths exploited in Died Suddenly occurred before the pandemic.
Retired teacher turned writer in Los Angeles, Dolores Cruz, published an article in the Huffington Post about the grieving process she had undergone and written extensively about in two books. Her youngest son, Eric, had died in a car crash in 2017 at 24-years of age. The fake doco used a screenshot of the headline in the film, portraying his death as vaccine related.
It would be difficult to imagine more ghoulish behaviour. I reached out to Cruz recently, asking how she felt seeing Peters appropriate the death of her son.
“I want people to know that the suggestion that my son died from the Covid vaccine is completely false. I was angered to see that the title of the article I wrote for HuffPost was used in the documentary Died Suddenly. My article was about my grief and healing journey after my 24-year-old son died in a car accident in May of 2017 which was years before the pandemic began and has nothing to do with the Covid vaccine. The documentary has misappropriated how my son died and it hurts to have my son’s story used in this way,” she wrote.
But she was not surprised that it happened. “Though this has made me angry and caused hurt, sadly, false information runs rampant in the world today by way of news media, social media, and film and television.”
This fake documentary watched by a relatively small audience in global terms has now taken on a life of its own as a hashtag that runs across every possible social media platform, republishing every newspaper headline, every media article, small or large, where the phrase ‘died suddenly’ is mentioned and aggregates them to infer people have died suddenly from vaccine-related injury.
Liberal MP Russell Broadbent is advocating on behalf of the thousands of Australians who have experienced an adverse reaction after getting a… COVID-19 vaccination. “They feel … they are not being heard, they don’t feel like they are being justly treated by governments,” he told Sky News host More
On Saturday February 13, a Belgian goalkeeper, Arne Espeel, died suddenly while playing in the second division league in Belgium for Winkel Sport B. According to reports, Espeel made a save and then collapsed. He was attended to by a doctor at the ground and a defibrillator was used. The attempts to save his life failed and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
And there it was again. A flurry of Died Suddenly hashtags amid anti-vax comments on social media.
Espeel’s sudden death comes after a bogus review announced that 108 footballers had died suddenly in 2021. The original report was published in Hebrew but was subject to a Reuters Fact Check that found that, of the 108, only a few died playing soccer. There were archers, American footballers, hockey players – both on ice rinks and on fields, rugby league and union footballers. Some were not playing at all, including a cricket coach, and a golf caddie.
What the misinfo shouters didn’t account for is that FIFA established a sudden death register in 2014 due to concerns that had risen over decades that men and women playing soccer were dying on the pitch at a fairly high rate.
In the five-year period 2014-2018, the sudden deaths of 617 footballers were registered with FIFA, on average 123 in any year. Elite players were less likely to suffer sudden cardiac arrest due to elevated fitness levels and were more likely to survive these events due to the increased likelihood of being attended to by skilled first aid practitioners and the presence of defibrillators. Nevertheless, the study published in the British Medical Journal and peer reviewed found that five per cent of the 617 deaths came from the elite level.
Misinformation is easy to create and requires ten times the energy to refute. ‘Died suddenly’ should not be a loaded term but that’s where we are now.
The issue of proper and prompt redress to people who have suffered Covid vaccine injury and those who spread misinformation is deeply entwined. Morally, those who have suffered injury should not be pushed into the shadows, collateral casualties of a rush to vaccinate. But more so, the vacuum created by bureaucratic babble and evasion will always be filled by misinformation. The truth gets left dazed and bruised by the roadside.
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‘We were all forced’: Mum of ‘healthy’ 21-year-old who died after Moderna blames vaccine mandates
Natalie Boyce was a “fit and healthy” student who dreamt of travelling the world and buying her own home.
The 21-year-old from Rowville in Melbourne’s southeast — a competitive netball player and hardworking student in her fourth year of law and commerce at Deakin University — would have turned 22 on Monday.
Nearly one year ago, on March 27, 2022 — her late grandmother’s birthday — Natalie died of heart failure at The Alfred Hospital, six weeks after receiving a booster dose of the Moderna vaccine.
“You’ll never be the same,” her mother Debra Hamilton, 52, told news.com.au. “No parent should bury their child — especially from medical negligence and a compulsory vaccine.”
Ms Hamilton, a single mother who raised Natalie and her older brother alone, says their tight-knit family group has been torn apart by the “horrific” ordeal, and is now demanding accountability for her daughter’s “brutal, unnecessary death”.
The tax agent is furious at Victoria’s health system for mistreating and misdiagnosing her daughter until it was too late, at the government of Premier Daniel Andrews for “forcing” the vaccines on the public without proper long-term safety data, and the federal medicines regulator for its handling of Natalie’s case.
Blood clotting link
She also alleges that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) should have flagged a risk for antiphospholipid syndrome, an uncommon blood clotting disorder estimated to affect one in 2000 people, mainly young women.
Natalie, who had no other major health issues, had been diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome as a 15-year-old by chance while having her appendix removed.
Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick, a vocal and at times controversial critic of Covid vaccines, contacted the TGA in October 2021 calling for Moderna to be pulled for young people, as it had been in a number of Nordic countries.
“He wrote to them in October 2021 to have Moderna pulled,” Ms Hamilton said. “If they’d done that she’d be alive. A lot of people don’t even know they’ve got [antiphospholipid syndrome]. Had I known what the Senator had said back in October, there was no way in a million years I’d have let her have another one.”
Natalie received two doses of Pfizer in September and October 2021, followed by the Moderna booster on February 18, in order to keep her job at fleet management firm LeasePlan — as well as attend in-person classes at Deakin University — under the state’s sweeping vaccine mandates at the time.
“I don’t blame her workplace to be honest,” Ms Hamilton said.
“My workplace had to check people’s vaccination status. We were all forced by Daniel Andrews. We were forced by government regulations. At my workplace they turned up to audit us and had we not complied it was going to be a $10,000 fine.”
In a heartbreaking account shared with the “Jab Injuries Australia” Instagram page this week, Ms Hamilton described how the morning after her booster Natalie fainted in her bedroom, falling and hitting her head on her ensuite cabinet.
Ms Hamilton rang the Covid vaccine helpline but “they were dismissive, telling me to call an ambulance if I think I need one”.
“Natalie assured me she would be OK so I just monitored her,” she wrote.
“She said she felt sick and tired so she went to bed for the day. Natalie continued to be sick for the next six days with stomach pain, vomiting and a fever.”
Natalie’s condition continued to deteriorate despite multiple trips to doctors and several different hospitals, including a nearly 16-hour stay at Monash Hospital in Clayton, where she alleges health workers failed to check Natalie’s heart despite several warning signs.
On March 5, with Natalie experiencing difficulty breathing and drifting in and out of consciousness, Ms Hamilton drove her to Mulgrave Private Hospital where the emergency doctor “immediately diagnosed” Natalie as being in heart failure and recommended she be transferred to The Alfred Hospital.
“Natalie was transferred to The Alfred in an ambulance about 2.15am Sunday morning,” Ms Hamilton wrote. “While putting her in the ambulance, the AV doctor told me to hop in and have a final talk to her. Little did I know that would be the last time Natalie and I would speak. She never woke up again.”
In September, the TGA confirmed that “a young woman in her 20s” had died as a result of myocarditis after taking the Moderna vaccine — marking the first time Australia’s medicines regulator officially linked a death to heart complications from either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines.
Natalie had not been publicly identified until now.
To date, the TGA says it has identified 14 deaths linked to Covid vaccines from 973 reports received and reviewed — 13 after AstraZeneca and one after Moderna.
“The panel agreed with the TGA’s assessment that the myocarditis the woman experienced was likely to have been related to vaccination given the available information, including the absence of other apparent causes of the myocarditis, and the time frame for the onset of symptoms,” the TGA said at the time.
“However, the panel acknowledged there were several other complicating factors that may have contributed to her death.”
But the TGA insisted that “current evidence tells us at a population level, the risk of myocarditis and other heart problems after Covid-19 infection is higher than after Covid-19 vaccination”.
“Given this, the expert group reaffirmed that overall, the benefits of vaccination continue to far outweigh the risks for the mRNA vaccines,” it said. “However, they have recommended that the existing warning about myocarditis be strengthened in the prescribing information for Comirnaty (Pfizer) and Spikevax (Moderna).”
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Parents flock to private schools amid public system exodus
Given the chaos at many State schools, any parent who could afford to opt out would want to
Parents are sending their children to the state’s independent schools in record numbers, while the share of students enrolled in public schools has plunged to its lowest level in 15 years.
There were thousands fewer students enrolled in NSW public schools last year as families increasingly opted for a private education.
Official data released on Wednesday showed that 63.7 per cent of NSW students attended public schools in 2022 – a fall from 65.5 per cent five years ago. The proportion of students in independent schools has surged to 15.1 per cent, up from 13.3 per cent in 2017.
Catholic schools have remained relatively steady, with their share of students rising slightly to 21 per cent in 2022.
Families flocking to new housing developments on the city’s fringe are partly behind the surging enrolments in new and low-fee independent schools, according to Helen Proctor, a professor of education at University of Sydney.
“The new private schools are marketing themselves well, and the price point is really attractive to parents. These schools are also heavily subsidised by public funding, unlike the older and wealthier schools,” she said.
The exodus of students from public schools is a longer-term trend that has occurred while the number of private schools with fees between $5000 to $10,000 has grown, said Glenn Fahey, an education research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies.
“It comes as little surprise to see an increasing flight of parents to private schools. This is a trend that had been going for some time,” he said.
Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said the government supported parents’ freedom to choose which school they enrol their children in. “We also support the growth of low-fee non-government schools in high-growth areas through capital funding,” she said.
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the state’s independent school enrolments grew by 6570 in a year to reach 187,913 – the highest on record.
Association of Independent Schools NSW chief executive Margery Evans said enrolment growth had occurred in low and mid-fee Anglican, Islamic and Christian schools in Sydney’s newer suburbs.
“Demand for places in many independent schools exceeds supply, and schools report having scores of names on their waiting lists and, in some cases, hundreds of students are turned away,” Evans said.
Sydney’s private schools, many of which have increased fees by 4 to 7 per cent this year, have been lobbying to increase student caps, with principals warning restrictive student caps are creating huge enrolment pressures.
The ABS figures reflect a national trend, with independent schools across Australia recording the highest growth rate at 3.3 per cent last year, followed by Catholic schools at 1 per cent. Enrolments in government schools fell for a second year running, down by 0.6 per cent across the country.
Ellouise Roberts, head of education statistics at the ABS, said the proportion of students enrolled in independent primary schools was growing, with about 12 per cent of NSW students in private primary schools.
“This increase in the primary school share for independent schools has been continuing over a few years,” she said, noting that these proportions are much higher for high school, with 18.5 per cent of secondary students in NSW independent schools.
Across all schools, private schools had a lower student-to-teacher ratio (11.7 students to one teacher) than government schools (13.4 students to one teacher) and Catholic schools (13.6 students to one teacher).
Principal Alan Dawson at Richard Johnson Anglican School in Oakhurst said demand was increasing for low-fee private schools in high-growth areas in the city’s north-west. “Our fees are about $6400 for year 12 – parents really see it as value for money,” Dawson said.
“Even just in the past year to this year, we’ve seen a 44 per cent increase in a year at our Marsden Park campus. This is mainly due to a lack of public schools in this growth corridor,” Dawson said.
Leppington Anglican College principal Michael Newton’s school in south-west Sydney opened its doors this year and already has 180 students.
“We’ve got kids who have come from other public schools in the area,” he said. “There are some big open-learning style classrooms – for some parents, their children have found that difficult.”
He said parents who enrolled their children at the $8000-a-year school valued how staff used explicit instruction to explain academic concepts to children and the attention they received from one classroom teacher.
“In our area, parents say they want a disciplined environment,” he said.
Nikki Kapsanis, who lives in Earlwood, chose Rosebank College for her children, Jonas and Alexis.
The Five Dock private school charges $11,400 for year 12. This is significantly below amounts charged at Kambala and SCEGGS Darlinghurst, the most expensive Sydney schools where fees have increased beyond $45,000 for the first time this year.
“For us, the school is up there with the elite schools but not with the cost,“ Kapsanis said. “The co-educational factor was a big plus, and it offers academics, performing and arts. We think the fees are worth it.”
“The kids went to our local public primary school but for high school we wanted a private education. As children get older and they become teenagers, they need discipline.”
ACU senior lecturer and former principal Paul Kidson said there can be a “misguided view” that there is major academic benefit to sending children to private schools. There are many reasons parents select independent schools including social status, religious affiliation and family connections.
“It will be interesting to see what happens with enrolments in low-fee schools as mortgage and cost of living pressures grow,” he said, adding that high-fee schools will be relatively insulated.
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Australian supermarket giants have announced huge changes to their plastic bag policies as pressure mounts to reduce waste
The idea that paper and cloth bags are better for the environment is ideological nonsense. Producing both cotton and paper uses huge amounts of both water and bleach
Coles will be binning mesh produce bags introduced as part of a trial in the ACT last year, while Woolworths is disposing of its 15c plastic bags in Queensland and Canberra stores.
Woolworths Queensland state general manager Danny Baldwin said customer habits pushed the supermarket giant to make the move.
“Eighty per cent of our customers currently bring in their own bag, so over the number of years, I think customers have really responded to reusing bags,” he said.
“Also, a number of our customers are electing to actually not use bags at all.”
Mr Baldwin said that by removing the 15c plastic bags across the state and territory, the company would be “removing over 1600 tonnes of plastic from the system”.
It is believed that more sustainable alternatives to plastic bags will be available for purchase in-store, such as those made from paper and fabric.
Meanwhile, Coles will be swapping its trialled mesh produce bags for a compostable alternative after customers in the ACT found the transition “challenging”.
“We acknowledge a significant change of this kind was challenging for both our customers and in-store teams,” a spokesperson said.
“However, we remain committed to working towards appropriate and accessible plastic reduction initiatives for our customers moving forward.”
Originally published as ‘Challenging’: Big changes at Coles and Woolies
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15 February, 2023
Greens’ red line sparks climate war
Labor party not green enough for Bandt. Throwing a spanner into the works is Bandt's cup of tea. He is an old Trot and as such will do anything to rip down the existing system
Anthony Albanese’s signature climate policy – underpinning his election promise to achieve 43 per cent emissions reductions by 2030 – is on the brink of collapse as the Greens prepare to kill Labor’s safeguard mechanism.
Greens leader Adam Bandt has issued a “red line” demand for the government to ban new coal and gas projects, fuelling concerns among senior government and industry figures that he will repeat Bob Brown’s scuttling of Kevin Rudd’s carbon pollution reduction scheme in 2009.
Mr Bandt, who is refusing to back a raft of key legislation including the government’s marquee climate, manufacturing and housing policies, said the Greens would blow up the safeguard mechanism unless the Prime Minister stopped fossil-fuel projects.
The Albanese government, which is under pressure from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, industry and unions to unlock new gas fields or face an energy crunch by 2027, is not expected to yield to the Greens’ demands.
Mr Bandt said the Greens would support Labor’s tougher safeguard mechanism – forcing Australia’s 215 biggest-polluting facilities to slash emissions by almost 5 per cent each year out to 2030 – if the government “stops opening new coal and gas mines”.
Splits inside the Greens party room, which met on Tuesday, are understood to have heaped pressure on Mr Bandt to adopt a hardline position on the safeguard mechanism after last year backing Labor’s 43 per cent emissions-reduction target.
The Greens’ 2030 election pledge to reduce emissions by 75 per cent was almost double Labor’s commitment.
As Labor races to win Greens and crossbench support for the safeguard mechanism, the $15bn National Reconstruction Fund and the $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund, which are slated to start from July 1, Mr Bandt said the emissions-reduction scheme would “make the climate crisis worse”.
“You can’t put the fire out while pouring petrol on it. The first step to fixing a problem is to stop making the problem worse. Coal and gas are driving the climate crisis, but Labor wants more,” Mr Bandt said.
“The Greens have huge concerns with other parts of the scheme, such as the rampant use of offsets and the low emissions-reduction targets, but we’re prepared to put those concerns aside and give Labor’s scheme a chance if Labor agrees to stop opening new coal and gas projects.
“Labor needs the Greens to get this through parliament. If Labor’s scheme falls over, it will be because Labor wants to open new coal and gas mines. Labor has to decide how much it wants new coal and gas mines.”
The Australian understands options to placate the Greens, whose 11 upper-house votes are needed by Labor if the Coalition is opposed, include a climate trigger and blocking coal and gas companies from accessing a $600m safeguard mechanism transition fund. The climate trigger, which senior government figures oppose as it would likely have unintended consequences across other critical sectors, could be included under Labor’s overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Greens Economic & Treasury Spokesman Nick McKim is calling on the federal government to “pull levers” and intervene with interest rate rises… set by the Reserve Bank. “The power is there, and in exceptional circumstances stances which where we find ourselves, the argument is there,” Mr McKim told More
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen is expected to use ministerial regulation powers in April to set rules for the new safeguard mechanism scheme. However, separate legislation creating new carbon trading credits for heavy industry must pass through the Senate before the scheme commences on July 1.
Senior Greens sources, who indicated the party would attempt to strengthen the “integrity” of Labor’s proposed carbon credits via legislation in the parliament, have left open the possibility of colluding with the Coalition to introduce a disallowance motion in the Senate. The disallowance motion, which must be lodged within 15 sitting days of Mr Bowen using his regulation powers, would overturn Labor’s safeguard mechanism.
Labor’s 2030 target, as laid-out in its Powering Australia election manifesto, relies heavily on accelerating emissions reduction across the nation’s 215 biggest-emitting facilities, which are responsible for 28 per cent of pollution.
Erwin Jackson, policy director of the Investor Group on Climate Change, whose members manage more than $30 trillion in assets under management, said failure to reach political consensus on the safeguard mechanism would stall investment in Australia and send the debate back decades. “Reforming the safeguard mechanism is the most important climate change legislation of the year,” Mr Jackson said. “Decades of delay have forced new clean energy industries offshore and we need to take this basic forward step to achieving the long term goal which is an orderly and just transition to net zero.”
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and key crossbench senator David Pocock will appear at a climate integrity summit in Canberra on Wednesday, where they will discuss the integrity of Australia’s climate targets and whether the nation is set for a “greenwash”.
After the Coalition rejected Labor’s safeguard mechanism, the government needs the support of the Greens and two crossbench senators in the upper house to pass legislation.
While negotiations between the government and the Greens on the NRF and housing future fund remain tense, the left-wing party is likely to broker deals with Industry Minister Ed Husic and Housing Minister Julie Collins ahead of votes in the Senate next month. The NRF is expected to pass through the lower house this week and return to the Senate on March 6.
Following demands by the Greens to prohibit NRF investment in manufacturing linked to fossil fuels, Mr Bandt softened his position on Tuesday. The Greens on Monday night introduced an amendment to ensure the NRF – designed to boost modern manufacturing across renewables, medical science, defence, resources and agriculture – could not invest in activities “inconsistent” with greenhouse gas emissions-reductions targets.
Mr Bandt said the Greens’ amendment was “crystal clear”, but conceded he was willing to work with the government to make it clearer. “We are having discussions with the government and are happy to have good-faith discussions with them,” he said. “We think our amendment is crystal clear. If the government thinks that there’s additional changes that are required we’d be happy to hear that from the government.”
Mr Bandt said the Greens’ position was not about targeting genuine investment from Australian manufacturers, rather to ensure the fund did not become a “slush fund for coal and gas”.
Speaking to Labor MPs on Tuesday, Mr Albanese attacked Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for rejecting the NRF and accused him of “throwing rocks”. The Coalition has formally rejected the NRF, housing future fund and safeguard mechanism.
Mr Albanese said the Coalition strategy was “straight out of the Tony Abbott playbook” and reflected an opposition that “doesn’t know what it’s for, just what it’s against”. Ms Collins disputed Greens demands for a national freeze on rental increases, saying rent capping was controlled by the states
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Cut emissions, but not at the expense of jobs and our cost of living
TONY ABBOTT
As prime minister, I regularly affirmed that climate does change, mankind does make a contribution, and we should do whatever we reasonably can to reduce our emissions.
I’d normally add, though, that there was little point reducing emissions in ways that drove up our cost of living or just sent our emissions offshore as industrial jobs relocated to places that were less environmentally scrupulous. Because there’s little point dealing with a speculative long-term problem in ways that make short-term practical ones much worse.
It is undeniable that climate changes. It’s the cause that’s uncertain. The ice ages are good examples of a world where the climate was radically different. The Roman and Medieval warm periods, when crops could grow in Greenland, and the mini-ice age of the 1600s, when there were regular ice fairs on the Thames, are more recent examples of climate change; that was, incidentally, independent of any man-made influence. And all other things being equal, the laws of physics mean that an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (such as the industrialisation-driven rise from about 300 parts per million to about 400ppm that has taken place in the past century) should tend to warm the planet.
Perhaps this has been the key factor in the average warming of up to 1C that most scientists think has happened across that time (despite some rewriting of the temperature records). Certainly, it seems to be the consensus of the UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change that man-made carbon dioxide is the principal culprit, even though dissident scientists such as Richard Lindzen and Judith Curry think the atmosphere is such a complex mechanism that it’s impossible to be certain, and that other factors such as sun spot activity may play a much larger part.
I certainly think that all countries should take reasonable, proportionate and prudent steps to reduce emissions. The big question is: how much should a country such as Australia be prepared to pay to reduce our emissions given that other countries, such as China and India, will not reduce theirs in preference to strengthening their economies and that nothing Australia does on its own, with our paltry 1.3 per cent of global emissions, will make any appreciable difference.
As prime minister, I agreed that Australia should take a 26 to 28 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 to the 2015 Paris climate conference, based on official advice that this could be achieved without extra government spending, additional costs in the economy, or changes to existing policy.
At that stage, the federal government was spending about $1bn a year through a tender process to fund emissions-reducing activity such as tree planting, soil improvement and better technology (all of which made sense on other grounds too) that was obtaining credible reductions at the cost of about $15 a tonne.
While the previous Coalition government was routinely demonised as “climate-denying”, largely because I had abolished the carbon tax, which was socialism masquerading as environmentalism, as of last year Australia under the Coalition had already cut its emissions by 20 per cent from 2005 levels – compared with just 9 per cent by Canada and just 5 per cent by climate darling New Zealand.
The Coalition’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 – but through technology, not taxes – wasn’t enough to satisfy the climate emergency doomsters who always sought affirmations of faith in the coming climate apocalypse, ignoring the fact the commitment to net zero by a country such as New Zealand relied on excluding emissions from agriculture.
For years now, any discussion of climate policy has been poisoned by fearmongering over supposedly unique catastrophic weather, such as that creating last year’s NSW floods. While last year’s flooding in and around Lismore genuinely was unprecedented, it’s not really surprising that records do sometimes get broken.
On the Hawkesbury, where flood records at Windsor go back to 1799, the four floods of 2020-22 were matched by the five floods of 1860-61; the previous 28-year flood-free period between 1992 and 2020 was more than matched by the flood-free period between 1819 and 1857; and none of the recent floods exceeded 14m (which has been previously exceeded on nine occasions, including three since the completion of Warragamba Dam in 1960). At 13.9m, last year’s flood peak was almost 50 per cent below the all-time peak of 19.7m attained in 1867, which could hardly have had anything to do with man-made climate change.
Unsurprisingly, the Albanese government cited last year’s flood to justify its policy to cut emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, and to cut fossil-fuelled power from more than 60 per cent to under 10 per cent of the electricity grid within eight years. To achieve this, as the Energy Minister has recently admitted, requires the building of 40 large wind turbines every month, the installation of 22,000 solar panels every day and the construction of 28,000km of transmission lines between now and 2030 – all of which will have to be paid for via people’s power bills or taxes. And while (if it’s achieved) this would deliver the renewable power the government seeks, it won’t guarantee the reliable power the economy requires, especially if all the coal-fired power closes in the meantime, as is likely.
By requiring Australia’s 215 biggest emitters (many of which are also big employers) to cut their emissions by 5 per cent each year, or to buy abatement at the cost of up to $75 a tonne, the government is likely further to deindustrialise Australia. And by taking the view that all new fossil-fuel projects pose unacceptable climate risks, the government will gradually kill the coal and gas exports that currently earn more than $200bn a year in national income and deliver the tens of billions in royalty revenue needed to sustain programs such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Driven by its emissions obsession, the government is gambling the country’s entire electricity-dependent way of life on the rapid development of green hydrogen, even though the International Energy Agency, under the most climate-optimistic of its three scenarios, expects this to be providing less than 2 per cent of global electricity by 2050.
Back in 2017, addressing a Global Warming Policy Foundation event (a speech that’s available at tonyabbott.com.au), I said the “only rational choice is to put jobs and standard of living first; to get emissions down but only as a far as we can without putting prices up. After two decades’ experience of the very modest reality of climate change but the increasingly dire consequences of the policy to deal with it, anything else would be a dereliction of duty as well as a political death wish.”
Although the Albanese government got lucky when the Coalition essentially “me-too-ed” its climate policy at last year’s election, very soon climate wishful thinking will start to crash against the reality of blackouts, not being able to make things here, and even more expensive electricity.
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Greenie carbon scheme is a sham
The whistleblower who forced a review of Australia’s carbon credit system has lashed the outcomes of the federal government’s investigation, saying its findings are incomplete and unsubstantiated, and its recommendations are “tortured”.
Andrew Macintosh, the former head of the government’s Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee, blew the whistle on the Australian Carbon Credit Unit system almost a year ago, arguing it was a fraud that had wasted more than $1bn of taxpayers money and had done more damage than good to the environment.
His research, published ahead of the 2022 federal election, led to a review of the system commissioned by incoming climate minister Chris Bowen and chaired by former national chief scientist Ian Chubb.
But, in a new paper to be published on Wednesday, Professor Macintosh says although governance reforms recommended by the Chubb review are welcome and should lead to “significant improvements” to new projects entering the system, they do not go far enough to stop sham projects already registered from claiming carbon credits.
The Chubb review essentially dismissed claims the ACCU system has integrity problems and does not help deliver genuine cuts to greenhouse gas emission levels in Australia. Professor Chubb told reporters on its release the scheme was “not as broken as has been suggested”.
Prof Macintosh’s response to the review, written with fellow researchers from the Australian National University and the University of NSW, ramps up his criticism of its findings.
“The review panel’s findings on the methods are unsubstantiated and incomplete, and its recommendations are tortured, whereby they do not explicitly state there are any problems but implicitly acknowledge the underlying issues and recommend they be fixed,” the report says, arguing that doing so could significantly undermine the federal government’s plan to reduce emissions by toughening the safeguard mechanism.
“The key flaw in the proposed reforms is that they could largely leave existing projects untouched.”
The 1430 offset projects registered to generate ACCUs on December 19, the paper says, use 42 methods of abatement. Of these, 560 use the scheme’s three “main method types” – landfill gas, avoided deforestation and human-induced regeneration (HIR) of native forests, with the latter accounting for about 40 per cent of ACCUs currently issued.
But, while the paper agrees with review’s recommendation that oversight of system be tightened to ensure only regeneration projects that actually comply with the intent of the scheme – that the project area will become native forest and permanently store carbon – are involved, it says the recommendation will ultimately fail if its administration by the Clean Energy Regulator is not improved.
“The full and proper implementation of the panel’s recommendations would have profound implications for existing projects and the ACCUs they are able to generate; eligible (regeneration) areas could be reduced by more than 90 per cent. Moreover, proponents could be required to surrender an equivalent number of ACCUs as have been issued in relation to these ineligible areas,” the paper says.
“However, whether the method requirements are properly applied depends on the Clean Energy Regulator. To date, the Clean Energy Regulator has refused to admit there are any problems with the scheme or its administration, including with the interpretation and application of the HIR method.”
The paper argues that if existing projects are not reviewed to ensure they are meeting their promises, up to 75 million “low integrity” ACCUs – each representing a tonne of carbon-equivalent emissions – will be generated under the three main methods in the scheme alone.
“This is a substantial threat to the effectiveness of the safeguard mechanism,” the paper says.
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Bright-eyed Warmists think its a good idea to coat seeds with fungus
What could go wrong?
Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has joined venture capital outfits including the CSIRO-backed Main Sequence, Lowercarbon Capital and Wollemi Capital in ploughing $105m into one of the nation’s fastest-growing start-ups, Loam, which is launching its carbon removal technology in the Australian market.
After years of research and product development, Loam is this week debuting its microbial technology, which chief executive Guy Hudson says will enable farmers to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it stably in soil, allowing them to both generate revenue and tackle climate change.
The start-up has received backing from Mr Cannon-Brookes’ family office Grok Ventures, in a blockbuster Series B round co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Wollemi Capital with participation from Horizons Ventures, Acre Venture partners, Main Sequence, the Clean Energy Finance and others, bringing Loam’s total funding to $150m.
The start-up’s previous backers include TIME Ventures, a venture capital firm led by billionaire Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, and Canadian billionaire Tobias Lütke, the founder of e-commerce company Shopify.
The company, which was founded in Orange NSW in 2019, did not disclose its valuation, but the raising is one of the largest for an Australian start-up in 2023 to date. It now has dozens of staff working across four laboratories in Australia and the US.
“The role of beneficial fungi in agriculture has been hugely underexplored. We’re only just starting to understand how important these organisms are in the ecosystem,” Mr Hudson said.
“By applying Loam seed treatment, farmers can accelerate a path towards healthier, more productive soils by building soil carbon more quickly, which benefits resiliency and productivity. It also provides the opportunity for farmers to diversify revenues into natural capital markets and carbon markets.
“Microbial science has an enormous role to play in addressing climate change.”
The start-up’s co-founder Tegan Nock said used at scale, Loam’s technology can help push forward carbon farming as an enterprise in the Australian market.
“With Loam’s technology we’re able to open a door for farmers in the cropping sector – that wasn’t necessarily open before – to genuinely participate in carton farming, which is really powerful,” she said.
“Loam opens up new pathways for farmers to diversify while also achieving genuine impact for climate at scale, which is really exciting.
“We are not trying to re-engineer the food system. We’re working with growers to enable participation in carbon projects, that’s been quite difficult to step into until now.”
According to Mr Hudson, it has long been thought that there was little to no chance of building soil carbon in cropping soils, making the prospect of entering a carbon project unprofitable for farmers.
Loam’s CarbonBuilder seed inoculum works at the root system of crops to enhance the plants’ natural ability to store carbon stably in the soil, he said.
“Before Loam, I spent over a decade in the climate space, and was constantly frustrated with the lack of speed and scale of the technologies in addressing climate change,” he said.
“The first time I felt any hope in our ability to address this challenge was five years ago sitting in a ute in dusty and drought-stricken New South Wales, with agronomist [and now Loam co-founder] Guy Webb, who started talking about the role of microbiology in addressing climate change.”
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Expert exposes brutal reality of owning an electric car in Australia after struggling to find a place to charge his $100k vehicle
An expert car reviewer has exposed the difficult reality of owning an electric vehicle and finding a charging station in Australia. Car expert Jonathan Ross has vented his frustration after struggling to find a place to charge a $100,000 Kia EV6 in Perth.
Ross had been driving the vehicle around and reviewing the perks and shortcomings of the electric car for his YouTube channel Ross Reviews.
He filmed his journey as he drove to four different locations before finding an adequate charging station.
He said he had been waiting for about an hour just for the vehicle's battery to reach 80 per cent after waiting in queue for the station.
'It's f***ing. It's crazy man. This is what you call clown world,' he said in a TikTok video. 'Everyone here is waiting an hour and queuing up and waiting for others to charge.'
A look of defeat was on his face as he contemplated the final cost of the recharge. 'We're still going to have to pay, you know, the same as petrol,' he said. 'Clown world.'
Mr Ross revealed that he was forced to search for a charging station after his battery levels dropped to 17 per cent. The vehicle only had enough energy to travel another 61km sending Mr Ross into a panic.
He filmed his disappointment after wasting five kilometres to drive to an inadequate charging station.
A small shelter had been built around it with a locked gate in the doorway. The shelter was only big enough to charge an electric scooter
'There's not even anything in here. Are you kidding me?' Mr Ross said. 'Are you kidding me? I don't know how you get into this.'
Social media users slammed the lack of available charging stations claiming they would not be making the switch from petrol cars anytime soon. 'I don't think Australia is ready for electric cars,' one wrote.
The 2023 Kia EV6 will set drivers back around $100,000, making it the most expensive Kia sold in Australia.
Mr Ross's review is the latest example of growing frustration shown by owners of electric vehicles who are disappointed about the lack of available charging stations.
During the Christmas holidays, Tesla drivers were forced to wait in 90-minute queues at charging stations as thousands took to the roads. Queues for charging stations were spotted nationwide, including in Victoria and NSW.
Footage showed Tesla owners aimlessly standing around their cars as they waited for their turn at a Wodonga station on the NSW/Victoria border.
Similar scenes at a Coffs Harbour charging point in northern NSW, with Teslas stretching through the carpark as drivers waited their turn to power up.
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14 February, 2023
Military mop ups after floods, fires and Covid leave ADF unprepared
Former Brigadier General Mick Ryan has blasted the way the Federal Government has used the military in the past two years, “significantly impacting” training capacity at a time that China has accelerated its coercive behaviour.
In a wide ranging review on the state of our military during a lengthy interview with Sky News, the retired officer also said the national security budget needed to double to four per cent of GDP to deter or combat emerging threats.
He specifically called out the Chinese Communist Party’s coercion – including cyber, informational, political, economic and military activities – as “well beyond” anything the nation had seen since Federation.
“So it’s not just about military readiness, it really is about the government convincing the Australian people that they need to be ready for what might come in the next decade,” the veteran officer said in a three-part documentary called Are We Ready For War?, airing from Wednesday.
When asked if Australia was ready for war, the 35-year veteran said no and pointed to a domestic shift by troops “far outside” its core mission.
“At a time when there were lots and lots of people sitting at home on JobKeeper, the government chose to have soldiers, sailors, and aviators checking in people into Covid hotels and checking passes on state borders. That probably was not the right thing to be doing because we now have a military that is at a lower readiness than it needs to be.”
“It doesn’t take long for a military organisation to lose readiness when it’s not able to practice what it does, so our readiness now would be less than what it was before Covid, and even that was less than what it needs to be, to be able to undertake the kind of deterrent activities that the government talked about in its July 2020 defence update which talked about a shape, deter response strategy.”
He said the fault sat with government, not Defence, which just had to respond to the call-outs.
“What it does is, when we respond to large scale disasters here and overseas, it takes away defence assets. It is the first call of the government and when you have large amphibious ships and large parts of the army cleaning up after floods, fighting bushfires, or overseas, they’re not able to train for what is their principal role, which is to be a deterrent against threats against Australia or to respond to those threats in a military way.”
The General did praise the government for starting to introduce a narrative to the public on the kind of threats we face, notably calling out China. He said any war between the US and China would be catastrophic, Taiwan was a trigger point but so were other areas like the disputed but uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Both Japan and China claim the islands and have been involved in tense military stand-offs as recently as this month.
Any conflict involving the US would also include Australia under the AUKUS arrangements, Gen Ryan said.
It was Chinese Premier Xi Jinping’s “manifest destiny” to take Taiwan back in his lifetime and the People’s Liberation Army have been war gaming how to do it over the last decade, he said.
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Momentum is shifting on this divisive Voice
If you feel yourself slipping into a blank-faced coma and have to be restrained from crawling under the doona at the mention of the Voice, you are not alone.
Battered by escalating rhetoric and biffed by claim and counterclaim, you could be forgiven by clapping your hands over your ears and screaming “Enough!”
I’ve emerged from the doona for just long enough to notice that the conflict between Yes and No becomes more strident by the day as it becomes increasingly obvious that the initial attempt to present the proposal to Australians as a matter of simply “doing the right thing” is unravelling.
Your average voter, it seems, is a bit smarter than the federal government thought and has failed to roll over and accept Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s paternalistic assurances that “she’ll be right, mate,” and “don’t you worry about that”.
Sitting around the nation’s kitchen tables, mum, dad and the kids could not but help reach the inescapable conclusion over recent months that someone is being economical with the truth or to put it less politely, telling porkies.
It is difficult, for example, to accept the assertion that it really isn’t such a big deal and that we should just vote Yes and let the experts work out the detail.
Changing the Constitution is a very big deal which is why the founding fathers ensured it could only be altered if the changes were approved by a majority of voters in a majority of states.
So is it about giving Indigenous people a fair go?
There are hundreds of bodies presently dealing exclusively with Indigenous issues and the federal government spends billions of dollars a year a year on supporting Indigenous causes, spending more per capita on Indigenous Australians than on non-Indigenous Australians while Indigenous people are overrepresented in federal parliament on a per-head-of-population basis that suggests they get more than a fair go.
We’ll soon have a pamphlet outlining both sides of the argument to discuss around the table after the PM, having refused to consider publishing one, suddenly agreed to do so when it became obvious that this refusal was damaging the Yes case.
A fair go for both sides? Only when forced to do so by public opinion.
You might like to think, in a moment of supreme optimism, that the creation of the Voice will see the beginning of an end to the alcoholism, domestic violence, sexual abuse and lawlessness that plagues many Indigenous communities.
I think I can speak for all Australians in saying that we would like nothing better than to see a brighter future for young Indigenous people and greater protection for Indigenous women but change like that has to come from within.
It is difficult to see how the creation of another level of bureaucracy will achieve this, somehow discovering the silver bullet that has eluded the best efforts of the well intentioned and lavishly funded for so long.
The issue of black sovereignty has now been tossed into the mix but no one seems to know what this means. According to Oxford Languages, it is “the authority of a state to govern itself or another state”.
Any suggestion that the ultimate aim is the creation of a separate Indigenous state with separate powers should be enough to cause people on both sides of the argument to pause for thought.
It seems to me that the Voice has the potential to forever divide the country along racial lines and destroy the concept that we are all Australian citizens and are all equal. It’s a concept that is the very essence of our system of democratic government.
We elect this government, all of us, in this hugely diverse electorate composed of people from every racial background on the planet.
There have been some good governments and some ordinary ones but the system has served us well. It seems to me that creating a special class of Australians based on race with special privileges that are unavailable to the rest of us is to chart a dangerous course and one which once embarked upon, cannot be reversed.
In the context of the Voice, we should look to the common good and reassert the deeply held view that we are all in this together or risk the creation a permanent them-and-us society which would serve neither side well.
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Leftist Victoria’s Indigenous shame
Matthew Bach
If you believed the A-Grade spin emanating from the Victorian government’s massive media team, you would be forgiven for thinking that our state is a land of milk and honey for Indigenous folks.
For example, at every opportunity Daniel Andrews trumpets his virtue on issues like Treaty and the Voice to Parliament. As we all seek reconciliation there is a place for symbolism, to be sure. But let’s look for a moment at that pesky detail: actual outcomes on the ground.
Have a guess: which Australian jurisdiction has the worst outcomes for Indigenous children? The Northern Territory, I hear you say. Of course, given such awful reports of grog-fuelled violence.
Well, if that was your guess, you’d be wrong. According to new data from no lesser authority than the Productivity Commission, the worst state or territory in which to be an Indigenous child is Victoria.
In Victoria, no fewer than one in nine Aboriginal babies are removed by the state. They are then placed into a broken care system in which violence, drug abuse, and sexual exploitation are rife. Next stop, youth justice – and don’t even get me started on the hellholes that are Victoria’s youth prisons.
Now, you don’t have to believe me. These are the harrowing findings – again and again – of Victoria’s independent Commission for Children and Young People. As a result, record numbers of vulnerable Indigenous children are dying: 30 in the last three years.
When Indigenous people die in custody there is rightful anger and much community interest. Why should we care any less about the most vulnerable children in our society, who are literally in the care of the state?
Not only is this state of affairs utterly unacceptable, it’s getting worse. Since Labor came to office, eight years ago, the proportion of Indigenous children in care – if you can call it that – has increased by 63 per cent. And there is no plan to bring it down.
One of the reasons for this egregious failure of government policy is the hegemony of key unions in Victoria. The Community and Public Sector Union, a major donor to the Labor Party, want more and more (unionised) child protection workers.
These folks do amazing work, after families have reached a crisis point. But what we actually need is to radically reorient our whole approach, away from the government and towards the community.
Big Government has failed. Instead, we need to empower community organisations to support vulnerable families early. Labor will never do this; it would mean fewer union fees for the CPSU.
It may surprise you to learn that I grew up loving the Labor Party. You see, I was born into care in 1983. At the time Victoria had a fabulous (Labor) Minister for Child Protection, Pauline Toner. I went into foster care, and then into a permanent placement with a wonderful family.
After a year they adopted me, and ever since have loved and supported me just as much – maybe more – as any biological family could. It’s only because the system worked so well, under Labor, that I’ve had a life of such amazing opportunity.
Today it’s a very different story. You wouldn’t want to put your dog in Labor’s care system today, where no one gets a permanent placement; volunteer foster carers are underpaid and leaving in their droves; and kids get dumped in group homes out in the burbs, to smoke drugs, beat each other senseless, and prostitute themselves.
And unlike under previous governments – Labor and Liberal – Daniel Andrews’ Child Protection Ministers form a conga-line of party hacks and non-entities. I’ve now seen off four of them in the last year and a half alone and am on to my fifth.
You’ve got to give it to Daniel Andrews. He’s a very cunning politician. I’m sure his constant virtue signalling on Indigenous issues is clever politics. It must poll well in focus groups.
But it does nothing for vulnerable Indigenous children. They deserve a care system that works, just as much as I did.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/victorias-indigenous-shame/
**********************************************Labor risks getting on wrong side of religious leaders over school hiring rights
Anthony Albanese’s initial response to the concerns of faith-based schools being severely limited in their rights to hire teachers who share the same faith is true, but risks being seen as tricky.
After the Prime Minister was asked in his own party room about the fears of religious schools being denied the existing right to preference teachers in employment who share the same faith and ethos of the school he said Labor had supported the position “for a long time”.
This is true and it is also true that the Australian Law Reform Commission’s proposal still “allows” schools to preference teachers of the same faith when hiring.
But, the reality, particularly as all the religious schools of all faiths see it, is that the commission’s proposal is such a severe limitation of that right, with so many potential legal hazards, challenges and costs, that it is a denial of that right.
The commission has proposed that faith-based schools only be allowed to preference teachers who would support the school’s ethos in a role where “religion is a genuine requirement” while in all other subjects teachers would not have to share the schools beliefs, ethos or even have to support those beliefs.
The argument is that teachers of religion would be allowed to be hired with a preference over teachers who didn’t share the school’s faith or ethos but all others would be subject to the same employment requirements as state schools.
The religious schools argue this would defeat the creation of an ethos, put a new and uncertain test into employment law, increase litigation and deter schools from hiring a candidate of the same religion in preference to other candidates.
This mix of religious rights, the rights of parents, employment rights and gay rights has dogged governments for more than a decade, cost Scott Morrison dearly in his inability to bring forward religious protection laws and is recognised by Labor as a potent political issue.
Albanese’s reassurance to his colleagues reinforces the ALP argument that religious teachers will be allowed to be hired on the basis of religious belief and that will satisfy the faith-based schools.
But, the faith-based schools are aware of the impact of the detail of the proposal and see a threat to their ability to operate as faith-based schools in the interests of millions of students and parents.
As shadow attorney-general, Julian Leeser, argues: “If the only people that are modelling a life of faith is the religious education teacher then the school is no different to a government school where you have … a special religious education class for a session once a week.”
“This is about schools creating communities of practice. Schools creating teachers that model a life of faith,” he said.
The 30 faith leaders who have reacted strongly to the proposal argue: “The purpose of religious schools is not only to impart intellectual knowledge, but also to instil religious values. In addition to teaching the prescribed curriculum, they provide religious activities that seek to demonstrate to students what a life lived in accordance with the relevant religion looks and feels like in practice.”
Labor needs to recognise that glossing over significant detail with a general affirmation is not going to pacify the religious leaders who are clearly not going to allow the millions of fee-paying parents to be fobbed off with disingenuous claims to longstanding positions.
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13 February, 2023
How to help Aborigine communities
Anthony Dillon is an academic with some Aboriginal ancestry. He makes reasonable suggestions below but offers no pathway to achieving most of them. Specificity about what should be done is needed.
I believe token reinforcement studies point to one strategy that is highly likely to work: Pay for results. One specific application of that would start from the fact that school attendance is usually very poor among children in Aboriginal settlements. But education is essential for one to get anywhere in the modern world. So PAY childfren to turn up to class. A small amount could be paid at the end of each schoolday. If need be, the benefits paid to Aboriginal adults could be reduced to pay for it
The extreme problems facing too many Aboriginal Australians were recently highlighted in the news cycle again. This time the focus was on Alice Springs. While news stories raised public awareness of the violence and neglect of children, so much so that it attracted the attention of the PM, it is important to recognise that similar dysfunction happens in many other towns and communities. Nor are such stories new, as Chris Kenny has stated: ‘This blight of violent crimes, substance addiction, abused women and children and wasted lives is nothing new.’ Responsible media outlets, like The Spectator Australia, Quadrant, and the Australian have been reporting on these problems for many years. We hear the same stories and the same tragedies, just different locations.
Among those who care about Aboriginal people, of whom there are many, there is a growing frustration because so many Aboriginal lives do not seem to be improving. While we see successes with more and more Aboriginal Australians completing university, occupying leadership roles and starting businesses, far too many still suffer needlessly, particularly in less urbanised settings. This is despite considerable government spending, dedicated departments in both the public and private sector and a huge amount of goodwill from the Australian public.
We know the problems; however, there is less certainty about the underlying causes, and hence, less certainty about effective solutions. Clearly, a new approach is needed.
Albert Einstein has been credited with saying that, ‘No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.’ He was simply saying that the problems we face require a deeper level of thinking. A deeper level of thinking about the seemingly intractable problems facing Aboriginal Australians and the contributors to these problems is needed, if we are to develop effective solutions.
Recently, action was taken in Alice Springs to restrict the amount of alcohol available to residents. This response has some merit, but must be part of a broader solution. By itself, an alcohol restriction is like a band-aid on a broken limb. A deeper level of thinking is needed for an effective solution. Alcohol management is one part of the solution, but not the complete solution. Alcohol misuse, is not only a cause of the problems we read about, but is also a symptom of deeper, underlying problems. Allow me to briefly discuss elements of what an effective solution would look like.
First, those leaders responsible for implementing solutions, must examine their ideologies and lay their egos aside. This is perhaps the biggest challenge. Doing this allows difficult conversations to openly occur. Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson was reported as saying, ‘We are all too scared to have the difficult conversations.’ Without difficult conversations, we will continue to see band-aids applied to broken limbs.
We must be free to openly discuss the problems facing Aboriginal people without the wild accusations of racism. Highlighting problems that disproportionately affect one racial group over another is not racism; it is simply truth-telling (cue for the proponents of the Voice in their quest for truth-telling).
Second, while alcoholic restrictions are sometimes a necessary circuit breaker, they are generally ineffective at promoting intrinsic motivation and agency within a person struggling with alcohol. A more effective solution that results in long-term benefits is one that motivates a person to want to stop drinking or to at least drink responsibly, because they want to live a healthy life. Incidentally, when an individual wants to take control of their life, this is true self-determination.
Sadly, the politics of Aboriginal affairs have cast self-determination as Aboriginal people seeking help only from other Aboriginal people. This is actually separatism, and has only ever failed. And will always fail.
Third, people are more likely to want to live a healthy life when they can see purpose in their lives. One way of achieving purpose is by helping and caring for others; this promotes connection with others. A multitude of ways can facilitate this, such as by having a paid job, volunteer work, helping a neighbour or engaging in community service. Paid employment, of course, has economic benefits. This is why Warren Mundine, when talking specifically about the recent crisis in Alice Springs, stated, ‘Any policy which does not increase economic participation and independence is a waste of time and money.’
Fourth, working adults are great role models for children. Children seeing working adults will learn that regular school attendance is a requirement for one day getting their dream job; it fosters hope. On this matter, Helen Morton has stated in the Australian that, ‘Unemployment is associated with poorer physical and mental health. The bright eyes of children’s early hopes and dreams quickly fade without opportunities.’ Further, working adults are more likely to ensure their children go to school and that home life is conducive to study.
Finally, dangerous ideologies, such as the idea that racism is the big culprit holding Aboriginal people back, or the belief that addressing the problems facing Aboriginal people requires a cultural solution that can only be delivered by other Aboriginal people, are huge barriers to empowering Aborigines. Other dangerous ideologies such as claiming Australia Day or an anthem are causes of pain to Aborigines must also be thrown in the bin.
These points are only some of the elements necessary for an effective solution, but they are all too often neglected. A total solution must also include access to jobs, access to good schools with dedicated staff, provision of affordable fresh food and modern services, and abandoning aspects of traditional Aboriginal culture that are no longer applicable in modern-day Australia.
I believe if we adopt the ideas in this article, next year on 26 January, instead of seeing stories about Australia Day protests, we’ll see positive stories about transformed Aboriginal communities where the people are living their potential, and making us a better Australia.
Whether you’re on the front line or the sideline, we all have a part to play. Let’s step up and let our voices be heard.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/how-to-help-in-a-town-like-alice/
****************************************************Covid’s devastating impact on the heart as lockdowns take a triple toll on the health of the nation
New heart research confirms fears COVID-19 has taken a devastating toll on the health of Australians after confining them indoors, deprived of opportunities to exercise and exposed to poor diets and sleep routines.
Almost half of more than 6000 people who have undergone Victor Chang Heart Health Checks since the start of the pandemic have recorded results considered outside the healthy range.
A specialist team which conducts a mobile testing service across Australia has found cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels all significantly higher since COVID arrived.
The number of people having at least one test result outside the healthy range since March 2020 increased from 33 per cent to 47 per cent - a relative jump of more than 40 per cent.
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Program manager Anastasia Dounas says for many the COVID effect was real and of serious concern. 'They got out of the habit of going to the gym during lockdown and ate and drank more because they were worried and stressed, leading to weight gain,' she said.
'Working from home also led to less incidental exercise and the fear of COVID saw more people choosing to drive to work than catching public transport which resulted in people taking fewer steps each day. 'That all adds up.'
Since the launch of the heart check program in 2011 until the onset of COVID in 2020, more than 76,000 participants have been tested with just over a third having one or more results outside the normal healthy range and advised to follow up with a GP.
Within this group, eight per cent were beyond the healthy limit for blood pressure and blood sugar, and almost 30 per cent for cholesterol.
Since March 2020, 6182 participants have been tested with just over 47 per cent having one or more results outside the healthy range and advised to see their doctor.
Of these, 15 per cent were on the wrong side of healthy for blood pressure, 10.5 per cent for blood sugar and 32 per cent for cholesterol.
Heart check nurse Clare Lennon said it was more important than ever to be assessed and start re-engaging with exercise and a healthy diet.
'Heart health checks are vital in revealing if you are at risk of heart disease but can also help prevent it,' she said.
'Lifestyle changes or medications can make a huge difference to risk factors but you need to be aware of whether you have high cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar to begin with.'
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Anthony Albanese makes major immigration change with 19,000 refugees who arrived by boat to stay in Australia forever
Rewarded for breaking our laws. The should have been permanently transferred elsewhere -- maybe to PNG
Some 19,000 refugees who arrived in Australia by boat will be granted permission to stay forever as Anthony Albanese delivers on his election promise.
Refugees currently on one of several temporary visas will be able to apply for a newly created permanent residency visa from Tuesday.
The government will also commit $9.4m over two years for free visa application assistance, plus additional funding for free specialist legal service providers.
Fears have been raised among some Labor members concerned people smugglers will take the news as encouragement to ramp up their activities.
Permanent residency will be granted to asylum seekers who applied for a three-year Temporary Protection visa (TPV) or five-year Safe Haven Enterprise visa (SHEV) before February 14.
Refugees who arrived before Operation Sovereign Borders was established in 2013 will also be able to apply through the Resolution of Status visa.
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles said granting permanent residency would go a long way to help the refugees.
'TPV and SHEV holders work, pay taxes, start businesses, employ Australians and build lives in our communities - often in rural and regional areas,' he said.
'Without permanent visas however, they've been unable to get a loan to buy a house, build their businesses or pursue further education.'
The decision will end up to a decade of uncertainty for some asylum seekers. 'It makes no sense - economically or socially - to keep them in limbo,' Mr Giles said.
Mr Albanese had made it part of his election promise in 2022 to give permanent protection to refugees and asylum seekers who are one of several temporary visas.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil issued a 'crystal clear' warning and said people who attempted to enter Australia without a valid visa will be deported.
'There is zero-chance of settling in Australia under Operation Sovereign Borders,' she said. 'The Australian Defence Force and Australian Border Force are patrolling our waters to intercept and return any boats that try to enter.'
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd scrapped the Howard government's TPVs and offshore processing in 2008.
The decision encouraged people smugglers with 820 boats carrying 50,000 asylum seekers being sent over, with 1,200 dying at sea.
A senior Labor member said they feared a repeat would happen after the latest announcement, The Australian reported.
'The election commitment was very clear. But some are worried about is that it's going to go back to what it was under Rudd and (Julia) Gillard,' the source said.
An initial round of TPV/SHEV holders, including those whose visas are nearing expiry, will be invited to apply by the Department of Home Affairs, with all other visa holders able to apply from late March 2023.
The government estimates about 19,000 visa holders will be eligible for the RoS visa, which carries the same rights and benefits as other permanent visas.
This include the ability to vote and apply for bank loans, and immediate eligibility to the NDIS and extra social security schemes.
Under existing arrangements, both TPV and SHEV holders are eligible for Medicare, Centrelink payments and can work and study.
RoS visa holders can also apply to become Australian citizens and sponsor their family to live in Australia, under the family migration scheme.
TPV and SHEV holders who are not granted a RoS visa will need to depart Australia voluntarily, however those with new protection claims may request Ministerial Intervention.
Figures from the Department of Home Affairs state there are 5000 TPV and SHEV applications currently undergoing review. If successful they will be granted a RoS visa.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11741971/19k-refugees-given-permanent-residency.html
************************************************************A return to winner-takes-all custody battles
Bettina Arndt
This week a television crew from the Japanese public broadcaster came to Sydney to interview family law specialist Justin Dowd, a former President of the NSW Law Society. Japan is considering a move away from mum-custody towards ‘joint parental authority’ – which recognises that it’s in the best interests of children to have both mum and dad remain involved in their care.
The Japanese crew came to Australia because they acknowledge this country as one of the world leaders in encouraging separated parents to share decisions about raising their kids. That achievement stems from John Howard’s path-breaking 2006 reforms promoting ‘equal shared parental responsibility’ which resulted in a major increase in care from dads, more shared care, better relations between parents, and less litigation. The result was improved children’s well-being, according to UNSW research, and the reforms were a big hit with the public, ‘overwhelmingly supported by parents, legal professionals, and family relationship service professionals’, according to research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Yet Justin Dowd had to tell the Japanese crew that it’s all now at risk. The Labor government has announced draft legislation that will take Australia back to the dark ages of the winner-takes-all custody model. ‘The Albanese government went back to the future this week,’ pronounced the Australian Financial Review (AFR) spelling out the proposed laws which would end of any notion of shared parental responsibility, shifting the power in divorce battles firmly back into women’s hands.
This is huge, people. This dastardly political attack on our society will undermine the welfare of children, ramp up hostility between parents, and swell the coffers of lawyers who will benefit from the appalling fallout. Yet our media and politicians will no doubt avert their eyes to this impending catastrophe and just usher the new laws through – unless we stop them.
Back in 2007, I was approached by a retiring family court judge keen to enlighten me on how the family court had gone astray. The problem? ‘The woman has had all the power, the man almost none.’ In the judge’s view, children were missing out on vital contact with both parents due to decisions to award sole custody to the primary carer.
‘The custodial parent has been all-powerful. She – it’s usually she – has had the power to regulate access, sometimes regardless of court orders. She’s had complete authority to live anywhere, with the child, that she desires. The power to determine the child’s school, church, decisions about day-to-day living, and the power to get a greater slice of the matrimonial cake. More often than not that power is exercised unreasonably.’
The Howard reforms very effectively eroded that power and, ever since, feminists have worked feverishly to get it back – regardless of the cost to children. Now comes their reward for marshalling the women’s vote to help Labor regain government. It’s payback time … and Labor has come good by offering women the greatest prize of all – the children.
According to bright new world of Family Law being promised by the Albanese government, the following will no longer be deemed important in making decisions about children’s care:
Ensuring children benefit from meaningful involvement with both parents.
Children’s right to know and be cared for by both parents.
Children’s right to spend regular time with both parents and other significant people like grandparents.
Parents jointly sharing duties and responsibilities for the kids’ care and development.
Parents agreeing about future parenting of children.
All gone. All the language that provided the scaffolding that enabled children to have divorced dads remain part of their lives is being ripped out of the legislation. The Australian Financial Review headline said it all: ‘Time’s up for ‘equal rights’ in court custody battles.’
Family Law professor Patrick Parkinson, who advised the Howard government when the 2006 reforms were introduced, warns that dads will be ‘cut out’ by the proposed family law changes. Parkinson has produced a detailed submission exposing the flaws in the proposed changes. (This submission will eventually be publicly available as part of an inquiry into the proposed changes but please contact me if you’d like to see it now.)
‘Under the guise of simplification, it actually involves radical change and radical reversal,’ Parkinson says, pointing out that the government is misleading the public in claiming support from various public inquiries for this move. In fact, neither the 2019 Law Reform Commission review nor a recent parliamentary committee recommended removing the pivotal section promoting ‘equal shared parental responsibility’, although they did suggest some changes.
Here’s where Labor’s Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, comes in. He justifies removing this critical section, 61DA, by claiming the language of ‘equal shared’ responsibility has deluded daft dads into thinking that they might just be entitled to equal time with their own kids. The AG’s consultation paper spells this out, explaining that the proposed repeal of this section is ‘a response to substantial evidence of community misconception about the law – that is, that parenting arrangements after separation are based on a parent’s entitlement to equal time, rather than an assessment of what arrangements serve the children’s best interests’.
Dreyfus is also tossing out the other key sections which gave dads hope of fair treatment, namely 65DAA which requires courts to consider equal time or substantial/significant time, as a possible parenting option.
As Parkinson points out, the proposed new laws ‘stripped almost all references which encourage the meaningful involvement of both parents in relation to the child after separation’ – references that have been used for almost three decades to inform negotiations for parents who have ‘bargained in the shadow of the law’. And equally, to guide lawyers, mediators, and family consultants helping parents through this process. The risk is we could go back to vicious winner-takes-all battles for the children – described by family lawyer Geoff Sinclair in the Australian Financial Review as ‘full-on disputes – there was no silver medal. You either won or lost, and the prize was the children’. Sinclair is hopeful this won’t happen.
Now the new family law will be all about safety. The first consideration under the proposed legislation is what orders are best to promote safety for the child or carers. That’s hardly a surprise. Feminists have been using the violence card to undermine fathers’ contact with their children since the 2006 laws were first introduced, with constant claims about violent dads putting children at risk, and legal efforts to beef up safety considerations working very effectively to shut fathers out of children’s lives.
They’ve done a brilliant job hushing up the key statistic which puts a lie to the claim that so many dads pose a risk to their children – namely that only 1.2 per cent of women are physically assaulted by their male partner or ex-parent each year in Australia, according to the most recent 2016 Personal Safety survey. Physical violence is blessedly rare.
No wonder they place so much emphasis on the tiny numbers of cases which actually make it through to court – complex cases, often involving mental health problems, which fail to be resolved through alternative dispute resolution. Oh yes, there’s violence here – often these cases come festooned with allegations of violence or emotional abuse from both sides. Yet there’s AIFS research showing more fathers than mothers held concerns about their children’s safety, often involving harm inflicted by mum’s boyfriend.
‘Any reform of the law needs to be more sophisticated and nuanced than to be premised on an assumption that almost all perpetrators are male and almost all victims are female,’ argues Parkinson yet this is precisely the main thrust of Labor’s proposed new family law. And naturally, the media laps it up. ‘Draft bill aims to improve safety for separating families,’ applauded The Guardian. ‘Family law overhaul aimed at stopping abusive partners manipulating the system,’ ran the Sydney Morning Herald headline.
It’s another superb victory for the feminists, one more achievement for their mighty domestic violence juggernaut, which already works a treat stacking the family law system to favour women. Currently all it takes is one vague claim that violence could occur, requiring zero supportive evidence, to set in train a sequence of events starting with dad being removed from the home, denied contact with children and, if he’s lucky, ending up paying big money to see his own children in our hellish supervised contact services. And mum gains all the perks, benefits, and supports that come with victim status. It’s totally irresistible.
Labor’s latest move didn’t surprise me – they have form. I watched in horror when Labor regained power in 2007 and immediately appointed a fierce critic of shared custody to study overnight care by dads of infants and toddlers. Their devastating research results came to be used to deny dads overnight care of young children, not only in Australia but across the world before the research was eventually denounced by a team of international experts.
Phillip Ruddock, the Attorney General who implemented the Howard government reforms, pointed out at the time that Labor has always been keen to wind back efforts to promote divorced dads’ involvement with children. ‘They’ve long been captured by the female lobby determined to retain sole control over their children.’
Now’s the time to stand up and show ordinary Australians won’t stand for this attack on children’s right to be cared for by both parents. We need very quickly to get active and make enough noise to convince the politicians currently basking in feminist accolades that we are not letting them slip this one through.
I need all of you to make your voices heard. Here are some ideas you can use to make a submission to the Attorney-General’s Department inquiry. Try to talk to local MPs or send them an email and do everything possible to promote public discussion of this vital issue.
We can’t afford to just sit back and let them get away with unwinding the legal framework that did so much to improve the lives of fathers and their children
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/a-return-to-winner-takes-all-custody-battles/
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Not everything should be a culture war, but the left started it
Parnell Palme McGuinness writing below. Her name immediately told me she is the daughter of the late P.P. McGuiness, an economics writer who was for a long time the major voice of economic reality in Australian journalism. And in her writing she is a worthy successor to him. I was a little thrown by her mention of German ancestry. Did Paddy marry a German lady? I can find no mention of his marriage. She says her mother was from East Germany but married an Australian, so I guess that was Paddy
Last Sunday, Anthony Albanese told an audience at Labor-aligned think tank the Chifley Research Centre that people with questions about the Voice are “trying to start a culture war”.
Wars are bad, and culture wars are boring. Nobody wants to be constantly at war. Must we frame this latest issue of public policy in terms of war, I wondered? Is every disagreement a culture war? Must everything be a fight?
What the hell even is a culture war? The term is so loosely used that it sometimes seems it’s just an insult or a way to dodge an argument. But the term has serious history. It derives from the German kulturkampf (yes, we wacky Krauts have a word for everything) which was originally used to describe a clash in 19th century Germany between a head of government and the head of the church.
So it started as a struggle between church and state, with all the moral implications that brought with it, and has now come to be used to describe – in the words of the European Centre for Populism Studies – a “cultural conflict between social groups and the struggle for dominance of their values, beliefs, and practices”.
James Davis Hunter, the sociologist credited with making the term “culture wars” popular, gave examples of some areas in which they rage in the subtitle to his 1991 book Culture Wars: The Struggle To Control The Family, Art, Education, Law, And Politics.
The trouble with that is it describes pretty much every source of disagreement that matters.
We can agree to disagree on chocolate or strawberry-flavoured icecream, but just about everything else – so help us contestable deity! – is rooted in values and morality which do not allow compromise.
These days it’s usually the left that accuses the right of waging culture wars whenever there is any resistance to progressive policies. But as Republican Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders made explicit in her response to US Democrat President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, conservatives reject the idea that they are the aggressors in the war over culture.
“Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace,” she said. “But we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.”
This is a point increasingly being made by the right: along the lines of “we were just moseying along, minding our own cultural business, when progressives jumped out and attacked everything society holds sacred”.
The right is right, to some degree. By definition, it was not conservatives who were seeking a conflict over social values. They were busy conserving the ones we already had. It is progressivism that challenges those social norms, claiming it’s time to move on. To progress to a better place.
And voila, there’s your culture war. From the perspective of conservatives, it’s equivalent to having your house burgled, so you fight back. From the perspective of progressives, they’re peacefully Marie Kondoing a bunch of smelly old values that no longer spark joy, when suddenly the right attacks.
It’s helpful to understand this as we tackle the big-ticket culture issue of this year, the Indigenous Voice to parliament. Even the people who are deadset against it are not, as Albanese claimed, “trying to start a culture war”. Rather, they are acutely aware of the ongoing cultural wrestle in which we are all immersed.
Putting the Voice into the context of replacing the prayer at the beginning of official functions with the Acknowledgment of Country, reinterpreting Australia Day from being a day of national unity to a day of shame, and replacing King Charles with a to-be-determined First Nations person on the $5 note, Sky presenter and Daily Telegraph national affairs editor James Morrow argued this week that “progressives have been conducting a quiet guerrilla war against the symbols and traditions of ‘old’ Australia”. This view sees the Voice as a Trojan horse aimed at trashing, tearing down and ultimately replacing everything British settlers brought to Australia – including, eventually, liberal democracy.
If you think that’s a stretch, just consider the words and actions of Senator Lidia Thorpe, who this week left the Greens because she believes the Voice – as proposed by the prime minister – won’t guarantee to do all of these things. And she’s not alone in wanting a maximalist Voice.
In response to Peta Credlin’s warning that “should this Voice pass … Australia Day will change; there will be more demands to rewrite history; and there will be a multitude of treaties at all levels of government between our country and small groups of citizens”, online publication Crikey dryly observed that it “turns out a lot of positive things could happen if the Voice to parliament passes”.
That’s a million miles away from what most Australians like best about the Voice proposal. Namely, that it will give Indigenous Australians constitutional recognition and a say in their own affairs.
They don’t want a culture war any more than Anthony Albanese does. But you can’t wish away a culture war by accusing the other side of starting it. Only by admitting that we are, whether mildly or wildly, all engaged in the cultural negotiation can we ensure we keep sensible talks alive. The people who desperately want the best of what we have, as well as the best of what we have yet to build, are the ones best placed to stand up for a compromise that they consider acceptable.
I get it. Nobody wants to be part of a war, let alone a culture war. But we must engage or risk ceding the ground to extremists. As the prime minister asked last Sunday: if not now, then when? And if not us, then who?
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Climate groups fear a key government policy to drive down emissions will instead push them up
Climate advocates are insisting changes be made to one of the federal government's key emissions-reduction tools, warning it currently risks perversely allowing emissions to increase.
The Australian Conservation Foundation and other climate advocacy groups have raised concerns about the role carbon credits will play in the reshaped "safeguard mechanism", which will be used to force heavy emitters to cut their pollution.
The safeguard mechanism will cap the emissions of the 215 heaviest-polluting companies — like coal producers, steelmakers and airlines — and force those who breach their cap to either trade emissions with other companies or buy carbon credits.
The use of carbon credits is not limited by the scheme, so companies can theoretically operate as normal and buy credits to cover their emissions over the cap.
The ACF is pointing to new analysis it commissioned from global research firm Climate Analytics, which found allowing those companies unlimited use of carbon credits would "very likely fail to reduce emissions".
The analysis raises fresh concerns about the usefulness of carbon credits in reducing emissions, arguing forcing companies to actually reduce emissions is highly preferable.
"The proposal … would only serve to enable the continued extraction and burning of fossil fuels," the report finds.
"Instead of reducing emissions, as is urgently needed, this proposal would provide an avenue for fossil fuel companies to continue polluting at the expense of Australians – and indeed the world — facing worsening climate change impacts."
Controversial credits
The use and usefulness of carbon credits is highly contested within climate policy discussion.
Carbon credits effectively aim to counterbalance emissions.
Credits are created by either avoiding emissions (for example, through burning landfill gas), or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (through tree-planting and regenerating forest on cleared land).
Those credits can then be sold to companies to counteract the pollution they create.
Significant criticisms of Australia's carbon crediting scheme prompted a major review, led by former chief scientist Ian Chubb, which found the scheme is fundamentally sound.
It did make a number of recommendations for change, going to better oversight of the scheme and its integrity, changing rules for those burning landfill gas, and abandoning the "avoided deforestation" method of creating credits.
While the changes have been broadly welcomed, the Chubb review has done little to satisfy many of the carbon credit scheme's strongest critics.
Bill Hare, one of the authors of the Climate Analytics study, said he did not think the review dealt fully with questions around "additionality" — that is, whether or not the action creating the carbon credit would have simply happened anyway.
He said there was enough available evidence to hold significant doubts.
"A significant fraction of the human-induced regeneration credits would probably have happened in the absence of a carbon-unit generating scheme," he said.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has previously defended the integrity of carbon credits, and their role in the safeguard mechanism.
He argues the credits provide necessary flexibility for companies that will struggle to cut emissions dramatically until new technology is developed.
"Carbon credits are important, they are a complement to emissions reduction at the facility level, at the coal face, if you will," he said.
"They will not ever replace that, but they are an important part of the journey, and I'm absolutely determined that there will be rigour."
Emissions offset, but for how long?
The analysis also raises questions about how long emissions have to be offset for.
Under the current Australian carbon credit unit (ACCU) scheme, credits either last 25 years or 100 years depending on their design.
After that period, stored carbon (carbon captured in trees or soil, for example) no longer has to be maintained — it can simply be released back into the atmosphere.
But Climate Analytics argues that those time frames are far too short.
It points to research suggesting that for every tonne of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, 40 per cent will remain a century on, and more than 20 per cent will remain after 1,000 years.
The report argues that means carbon credits cannot permanently offset emissions over the long term.
"After [either 25 or 100 years], when carbon is ultimately lost from ACCU projects, as is likely over longer time frames, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration would be higher than if the offset scheme had not been used in the first place, and instead an emission reduction was made at its source."
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‘Undeniable trend’: Boys’ schools feel the pressure to go co-ed
Next year Knox Grammar – one of the state’s largest schools – will have educated boys at its upper north shore campus for a century.
In that time, the private school has expanded from a single Federation-era house to vast and manicured grounds spanning almost 10 hectares. But the school’s motto “virile agitur” – a Latin phrase that translates to “do the manly thing” – has stayed the same.
Founded as a Presbyterian boys’ school with about two dozen students, it now has more than 3120 enrolments. Knox’s major expansion gathered pace in the early 2000s when it overhauled its boarding centre, “great hall”, 500-seat aquatic centre and the senior school.
But even under the weight of its all-boys history, principal Scott James acknowledges Knox “cannot be a standalone institution”, and “must provide opportunities for boys and girls to socialise and integrate”.
“Single-sex schools compared with co-educational schooling is an important educational conversation we have at Knox,” James said. “There is an abundance of research showing both pros and cons for each type of educational model.”
Establishing relationships with nearby girls’ private schools – Ravenswood, Pymble Ladies College and Abbotsleigh – has been key in allowing the school “to provide supervised activities that offer co-educational learning experiences”.
“We are now looking at shared study sessions with Abbotsleigh,” he said.
Eight years ago, The Armidale School famously became the first of the elite Athletic Association of Great Public Schools (GPS) to open their doors to girls. A former principal described the move as part of “an almost unstoppable wave”, after seeing a shift from single-sex to co-ed in all but the oldest schools in Britain.
Britain’s Winchester College, the 640-year-old alma mater of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has now joined the pack. Girls can enrol at the $78,000-a-year Hampshire school in sixth form, and Queenwood’s principal Elizabeth Stone will become head of the school this year, the first woman to lead the college.
Across Sydney, the pressure for boys’ private schools to look to admit girls is rising, and parents and alumni are making their voices heard.
A push by tech billionaire Scott Farquhar for Cranbrook to go co-ed was heavily backed by a group of former students who said private boys’ schools foster attitudes and behaviours that are no longer acceptable in broader society.
While that school’s final decision to admit girls by 2026 was not achieved without pain, one school council member believes will be the first of many eastern suburbs schools that will eventually make the co-ed leap.
Scandal hasn’t helped the case for private boys’ schools. Prominent Sydney schools such as Knox, Trinity and The King’s School all featured in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Knox – which charges fees up to $37,600 – most recently hit headlines after 20 students were expelled or suspended after sharing racist and homophobic videos, messages and rantings on violent misogyny via an online chat group.
In the past year alone, Waverley College expelled six students over bullying that involved “assault and humiliation-type behaviours”, the incident sparking an external investigation and calls for a cultural audit at the school; while Cranbrook was forced to undertake a detailed internal review after reports of anti-Semitic bullying.
At Newington College, a possible shift to co-ed is also on the table, with the school putting the idea to its community last February. In a message to parents in November, the school’s chairman Tony McDonald said no decisions had been made.
“Council has delved into research and looked further at other schools both here and overseas,” McDonald said. “We have commissioned independent experts to distil strategic opportunities ... and we are also deep in the process of interrogating foundational operational questions.”
The debate is unfolding against a backdrop of decline in single-sex schools: the number of private single-sex schools fell in the past decade even as the number of independent schools rose. There are now 68 private single-sex schools, down from 79 in 2012.
Data from the Association of Independent Schools NSW shows all-boys schools made up 7 per cent of the 511 private schools across the state last year.
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United Nations power grab thwarted
Malcolm Roberts of the "One Nation" party:
https://www.malcolmrobertsqld.com.au/shocking-who-pandemic-treaty-update
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10 February, 2023
University of Sydney scientists make ‘crazy’ Covid-19 discovery
The COVID public health emergency is coming to an end, and even thought you might not have been following protocols recently, this will still affect you and your wallet.
Australian scientists have made an incredible discovery that could change the way we view Covid — and could explain why some people suffer serious illness with the virus, or even death, while others never get sick or appear symptomless.
University of Sydney researchers discovered a protein in the lung that blocks Covid infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body.
The naturally occurring protein, LRRC15, works by attaching itself to the virus, stopping Covid particles from binding with more vulnerable cells - as well as reducing the chance of infection.
The research offers a promising pathway to develop new drugs to prevent Covid or deal with fibrosis in the lungs.
The study led by Professor Greg Neely found that this new receptor acts by binding to the virus and sequestering it which reduces infection.
“For me, as an immunologist, the fact that there’s this natural immune receptor that we didn’t know about, that’s lining our lungs and blocks and controls viruses, that’s crazy interesting,” Professor Neely said.
“We can now use this new receptor design broad acting drugs that can block viral infection or even suppress lung fibrosis.”
How it works
The Covid-19 virus infects humans by using a spike protein to attach to a specific receptor in our cells. It primarily uses a protein called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to ender human cells.
Lung cells have high levels of ACE2 receptors, which is why the Covid-19 virus often causes severe problems in this organ.
Like AEC2, LRRC15 is a receptor for Covid meaning the virus can bind to it. But unlike ACE2, LRRC15 does not support infection.
It can however stick to the virus and immobilise it.
Researchers believe patients who died from Covid did not produce enough of the protein, or produced it too late to make a difference.
“We think it acts a bit like Velcro, molecular Velcro, in that it sticks to the spike of the virus and then pulls it away from the target cell types,” another researcher Dr Lipin Loo said.
The breakthrough comes as millions of Australians are now eligible for a fifth Covid vaccine within a fortnight.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended that all people aged 18 and over receive a top-up jab, no matter how many doses they’ve already received, as long as they have not been infected with the virus in the last six months.
Up to four million Australians are estimated to have been struck down with Covid-19 just in the past four months.
More than 2600 Australians have died with the virus since October. Around 800 of those deaths were aged care residents.
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Reserve Bank signals more rates pain in months ahead
Investors are bracing for a potential recession amid weak economic indicators and a series of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Here's what to do to protect your money.
Australians can expect more interest rate hikes in the coming months as the Reserve Bank says it will do “what is necessary” to drive down inflation.
In its quarterly statement on monetary policy, released on Friday, the central bank said it remained “resolute” in its determination to return inflation to its target range of between 2 and 3 per cent.
Inflation in Australia is sitting at 7.8 per cent, its highest level since 1990.
The RBA raised the cash rate by a further 25 basis points to 3.35 per cent on Tuesday in its ninth consecutive rate hike since May last year.
And the bank has now indicated it expects to raise interest rates at least twice more as it tries to dampen inflation by cooling consumer spending.
The bank said on Friday its board was mindful a considerable adjustment to interest rates had already been made and acknowledged some households were struggling.
“Some households have substantial savings buffers or are benefiting from the tight labour market and faster wages growth,” it said.
“Others, though, are experiencing a painful squeeze on their budgets due to higher interest rates and the rising cost of living.”
Nevertheless, the bank said it was of the view it was better to deal with high inflation now to try to ensure the economic pain felt by Australians was only temporary.
“If high inflation were to become entrenched in people’s expectations, it would be very costly to reduce later,” it said.
“The board expects that further increases in interest rates will be needed to ensure that the current period of high inflation is only temporary.”
The bank offered a glimmer of hope, saying inflation was likely to have peaked around the end of 2022 — in line with the federal government’s forecasts.
The RBA said it expected inflation return to the target range “over the coming years”, with the consumer price index forecast to drop to 4.75 per cent over 2023 and to around 3 per cent by mid-2025.
The bank said it would be paying close attention to developments in the global economy, trends in household spending and the outlook for inflation and the labour market.
But it said there were still “considerable uncertainties” surrounding the outlook and therefore around the level of interest rates needed to achieve the board’s objectives, suggesting it hasn’t settled on a peak for its cash rate target.
The cash rate set by the RBA guides the amount of interest banks have to pay on the money they borrow from one another, which lenders then pass on to customers by raising or decreasing their own interest rates on mortgages and other loans.
In its statement on Friday, the central bank also gave some insight into its decision to raise the cash rate to 3.35 per cent earlier in the week, saying it was expecting near-term underlying inflation to be higher than previously thought.
The bank has revised its expected annual trimmed mean inflation in June 2023 upwards from 5.5 per cent to 6.25 per cent.
The RBA now expects trimmed mean inflation to end the year at 4.25 per cent, up from 3.75 per cent it was forecasting just three months ago.
Trimmed mean inflation — or underlying inflation — differs from the more widely-publicised consumer price index (CPI) in that it excludes some of the more volatile price movements.
The CPI reached an annual rate of 7.8 per cent in the December quarter, its highest in 32 years
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Millions of satellite images reveal how beaches on the Pacific vanish or replenish in El Niño and La Niña years
If you've been visiting the same beach for a few summers, you'll have seen it change.
While beaches look static, they're actually one of the most dynamic regions on Earth. Winds, waves and tides stir and push sand around constantly. Storms can claw out huge volumes of sand and move it elsewhere.
On top of these changes is a hidden force — the El Niño Southern-Oscillation (ENSO) climate cycle. Our new research explores how this cycle affects beaches around the Pacific Rim. Using cutting-edge satellite technology, we tracked changes over 40 years.
Wild weather could leave beaches in ruin
Australians along the east cost are bracing for yet another round of heavy rainfall this weekend, after a band of stormy weather soaked most of the continent this week.
What did we find? The cycle matters a great deal. While the natural ENSO Pacific climate phenomenon affects weather patterns around the world, we haven't fully understood how it affects beaches.
The main impact? Coastal storms intensified by the ENSO cycle. Storms can rapidly strip sand from beaches to create sandbars, dump it out at sea, or replenish another beach. These changes threaten to undermine beachfront properties and roads as well as beach habitats.
For Australia, if a La Niña is predicted to arrive in the next six months, coastal communities prone to erosion should prepare for storms stripping away sand. Our recent repeat La Niñas brought large waves and heavy erosion along the New South Wales and southern Queensland coast. During this period, houses almost fell into the sea on the NSW Central Coast, while wild waves made a new passage through Bribie Island.
During El Niño cycles, Australia's beaches recover, while beaches from California to Chile erode.
But as climate change ramps up, the effects of these ENSO cycles may become more intense.
We analysed millions of satellite images, looking for changes in beach width during El Niño and La Niña periods in south-east Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Mexico, California and Japan.
Lying in the satellite data was clear evidence of cyclical change. Along south-east Australia's coastline, beaches tended to erode during prolonged La Niña periods, while regaining sand and recovering during El Niño years.
The fight to stop coastal erosion in this Australian town
For decades, residents along a section of suburban Australian coastline have witnessed their beach dissolve before their eyes, sometimes literally dropping into the sea. It's a problem that is also confronting coastal towns throughout the country.
The reverse was true on the other side of the Pacific, around 13,000 kilometres away. From California down through Mexico to Chile and Peru, we saw beaches narrow during El Niño periods and widen out again during La Niña periods.
Why? Storms and sea levels. During El Niño events, large storms develop in the northern Pacific, sending energetic waves crashing onto the coastlines of California and Mexico — creating the perfect conditions for big wave surfing. During this period, the sea level is well above average too. Combined, bigger waves, storms and a higher baseline pillage sandy beaches. This is particularly pronounced in the eastern Pacific.
Knowing this, we can be better prepared. If you're in Australia and the ENSO outlook suggests a La Niña is coming, it might be time for councils to replenish erosion prone beaches.
Monitoring the many moods of a beach
Monitoring coastal change has long been carried out with on-ground techniques, such as GPS equipment, quad bikes and drones. These methods require human operators, which makes them expensive and limits the area and duration of observations. That's why we have very limited on-ground observations of beach change along much of the world's coastline.
That's where satellites can help. Earth observation satellites have been capturing regular images of the world's coastlines for four decades. Now we have the tools to interrogate the satellite images and track the evolution of sandy beaches.
We developed the open-source tool CoastSat to automatically map the position of the shoreline on freely available satellite images, using cutting-edge image processing and machine learning techniques.
With tools like these, we can monitor coastal changes across thousands of beaches over the last 40 years. You can see how your local beach has changed on the interactive CoastSat website.
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9 February, 2023
Census facts unsettle the Voice fantasy
Most "Aborigines" are in fact white. Will it be their voice that is heard? If so, why?
Whose Voice? And who stands to benefit? Quite apart from the moral, legal and constitutional questions raised by the Albanese government’s proposed referendum on an Aboriginal Voice to parliament, which of the varied (and often conflicting) indigenous agendas will it promote? Will it be that of the activists from what the latest Census describes as the ‘urbanised’ four out of every five of the 3.7 percent of the Australian population claiming Aboriginal heritage? Much of this urbanised majority also has a non-indigenous background; about half of them live in Australia’s capital cities.
Or will it represent the real concerns of the only one in every six First Nations people who actually live in remote communities suffering the huge disadvantages and demoralising consequences of maintaining as much of their traditional lifestyle as is possible for marginalised people living in the old style in a new world? Their problems extend far beyond the alcohol that features in the media headlines; they result from a conflict of cultures.
Governmental bureaucracies lumping together the significantly different problems facing these two very different indigenous groups is one of the many reasons that Aboriginal policies have consistently failed. And now comes the Voice, the outcome of 2017’s Uluru Statement that emerged from a series of twelve indigenous ‘dialogues’ (the majority held in capital cities!) and one regional meeting whose purpose was ‘to consult and educate First Nations people’. There was no plebiscite, like that now suggested for remote settlements on the alcohol issue; that the organisers had to ‘educate’ them on the need for the Uluru Statement raises questions about the extent to which remote indigenous people really shared the activist views of the overwhelming urbanised majority. And ‘consulting’ carries no implications of formal support, as recent judgments on resource projects have shown.
Any rational discussion on Aboriginal issues depends on some knowledge (not evidenced in many of the public exchanges) of the statistical reality of the wide differences (in composition, location and circumstances) within the close to one million (out of Australia’s total population of 25.7 million) who described themselves in the latest (2021) census as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Significantly, the census reveals an extraordinary jump in the recorded indigenous population of 23 per cent over the previous five years, four times the rate of rise in the non-indigenous population. The Australian Bureau of Statistics Demography Director Emily Walker saying this rise is ‘partly explained by changing identification’. This impact of part-Caucasians choosing to identify as Aboriginal is most evident in Victoria, playing a part in the remarkable 36 per cent rise since the 2016 census in those doing so. This is in striking contrast to the modest three per cent increase in the Northern Territory’s indigenous numbers (comprising almost one-third of the Territory’s total population and many of whom are in remote communities), indicating a minimal contribution, if any, from the sort of ‘status change’ that is clearly altering the nature of the indigenous populations in urban Australia..
Whatever the motive, overall it is evident that increasing numbers of Australians are deciding to prefer their indigenous background, however tenuous, ahead of that of their non-indigenous forebears. Although no statistics are publicly available on the extent to which Caucasian-Aboriginals, particularly those urbanised, outnumber the fully indigenous, it is evident that the more people with mixed backgrounds who choose to identify as Aboriginal, the smaller will be the proportion of First Nations people made up of traditional tribal Aboriginals. So whose Voice would predominate?
Inevitably, the Voice of traditional indigenous remote communities will become relatively fainter. The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects Aboriginal population growth in remote communities as low as 0.5 per cent a year to 2031, only a fraction of the five-times higher 2.6 per cent rate for city-based Aboriginals, lifting them to 40 per cent of the total. With regional areas remaining steady at 44 per cent, the result is that remote areas will slide further to only 15 per cent of the indigenous population, leaving them by 2031 at only 161,000 out of Australia’s total population by then of 30 million, or less than half of one per cent.
The ABS says the reason for the falling share of remote communities is not only that their age structure is relatively stable so that the population of child-bearing age increases relatively consistently, but also that they are ‘largely unaffected by an increasing paternity assumption as the Northern Territory has the lowest proportion of children born to indigenous fathers and non-indigenous mothers’. Make of that what you will! But it seems to indicate that tribal Aborigines are less likely to mate with non-indigenous women than do those males with a Caucasian background who claim Aboriginal status and thereby enhance the indigenous birth-rate statistics in the cities and regions.
But this is only the tip of an iceberg of significant differences the census reveals between the growing proportion of urban and relatively diminishing share of remote community indigenous people. In education, the differences between urban and remote results are immense. The census revealed that Year 12 completion rate for 20-to-24-year-old indigenous residents of urban areas was 50 per cent, double the Northern Territory rate. It also reported a considerable gap between labour force outcomes. And even on such mundane items as indigenous access to the internet, the range is from the ACT’s 85 per cent to Victoria and Tasmania’s three quarters to only 55 percent in the Northern Territory.
The evidence is clear that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to the range of significantly different problems facing indigenous Australians, however defined. What suits vocal and activist urban Aboriginal people, many of whom have access to the benefits of other cultures, is not necessarily of benefit to remote communities (and in some instances, like alcohol, may be to their detriment). As the Menzies Research Centre’s Nick Cater wrote recently, ‘The Voice would certainly empower an elite group of indigenous men and women. It is less certain what difference it would make for the disempowered individuals in remote communities, town camps and the streets of Alice Springs’; a concern given substance by the census revelations.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/business-robbery-etc-108/
****************************************************The Queensland town where roaming dogs attack locals every TWO days as the latest victim, 22, is flown to hospital after being pounced on by a pack of three aggressive animals
Yarrabah is an Aboriginal settlement
An outraged local mayor has demanded pet owners in his town be more responsible as residents fear walking outside due to roaming packs of aggressive dogs.
There have already been 19 dog bites in Yarrabah, a community of 2,500 people in far north Queensland, this year - an average of about one attack every two days.
The attacks are so severe that emergency services have been forced to airlift a number of people to hospital.
The latest attack earlier this week saw a 22-year-old woman flown to Cairns Hospital for treatment after she was mauled by three dogs and left with serious injuries.
The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital Health Service said 53 people presented with dog bite injuries to the Yarrabah Emergency Department in 2022, which was 10 fewer than the 63 locals attacked in 2021.
Based on the figures for the first five weeks of 2023, the number of reported dog bites could top 200 this year.
Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Mayor Ross Andrews said the area's animal management team and Queensland Police officers seized the dogs for impoundment.
Mr Andrews condemned people who allowed aggressive dogs to wander around the town, saying locals should not have to fear going out for a walk.
The shire has an agreement with Cairns Regional Council (CRC) to impound dangerous dogs if they need to be taken out of the community.
'Dogs have been seized for a period of 14 days by the Yarrabah Dog Pound, but they will in fact be held at the Cairns Council pound,' he told the Cairns Post.
He said Yarrabah locals would at times break into the local pound to try to get their aggressive dogs back. Mr Andrews said he was 'very seriously concerned' that many dog owners were not taking full responsibility for their animals.
He said a large number of dogs - some of which are very aggressive - continue to roam free in the area and town clinics regularly treat patients for animal bites.
The mayor said being able to go for a walk in peace, without fear of being bitten by dogs, was important the health of the population.
'In a community where diabetes is an issue, the ability to regularly and safely exercise is essential in the treatment of diabetes.
'The free roaming of dogs has a direct impact, not only upon the social and emotional health but also physical health of our community,' he said.
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Parents push to punt God from Qld state schools
Renewed calls have been made for the state government to review how its controversial century-old religious instruction practices are taught in Queensland public schools.
Lobby group Queensland Parents for Secular State Schools has been calling for changes to religious instruction for nearly a decade without success.
In Queensland schools, one hour of religious instruction is provided to students, with the exception of preppies, if they are given consent from parents on enrolment.
Under Queensland legislation, it allows volunteers from religious groups to enter state schools to deliver approved religious instruction, a statement on the department of education’s website.
The parents’ association spokeswoman Alison Courtice said the practice in public schools had changed little since 1910 and said parents felt it did not align with a modern Queensland.
Ms Courtice suggested religious instruction be moved to break times or have a change in policy which allowed non-participants to continue regular class work, taught by teachers.
“We are not saying they can’t or shouldn’t practice faith, but there’s a time and place. It should not be during curriculum time,” Ms Courtice said.
“Religion in public schools still has the same law from 1910 that religious organisation can come in, essentially Sunday school, at the expense of learning.”
Education Minister Grace Grace said she was aware that there were differing views on the “issue” but confirmed there were no proposed changes.
“Religious instruction is not compulsory and if schools do choose to do it, it’s limited to one hour a week and it’s up to parents whether their child participates or not,” Ms Grace said.
Ms Grace said nonparticipating students received supervised instruction in a separate location, such as reading time or personal research.
P&Cs Qld chief executive Scott Wiseman said the association did not have an official stance on whether or not religious instruction had a place in schools.
“It needs to be a local school community decision, local P&Cs should talk it through with the community,” Mr Wiseman said.
“If it’s something the local community want that’s fine, if not, that’s fine.”
In 2021 however, the association quietly removed religious instruction as a priority from its annual advocacy position statement’s wellbeing section.
It had previously stated that “access to Religious Instruction within the school where the school parents, school community and principal consider it to be a best fit” was a priority.
Mr Wiseman did acknowledge that the debate had been a divisive “issue” in schools for a long time.
Ms Courtice said religious instruction could have a place in an approved curriculum if it was used for education purposes to teach students about different cultures. “If religion is going to be included, it should be in a comparative way, taught by teachers and part of an approved curriculum,” she said.
“Students can then understand why their classmates might wear a turban, or have a dot on their forehead or wear a hijab. That would be wonderful.”
Ms Courtice said an online religious instruction that children could study with the guidance of parents or guardians would also be appropriate.
According to a Right To Information document obtained by the parental group, just 26 per cent of parents or guardians out of 568,752 enrolments statewide, gave permission for their children to be taught religious education in 2019.
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Cairns crime: Shocking new police data shows huge spike in theft, assault
Cairns has a large Aboriginal settlement -- Yarrabah -- nearby. Cairns relies heavily on tourism so this will likely be very damaging
The Far North has experienced the worst growth in crime compared to any other area of Queensland.
Recent police statistics have shown the offence rate – the number of offences per 100,000 residents – in the Far North QPS district escalated 16.6 per cent in 2022 to a rate higher than QPS districts with larger population centres such as Townsville, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.
At 18,239 offences per 100,000 people it’s also the highest Far North offence rate in more than 20 years – confirming many residents’ fears the youth crime crisis is the worst it’s ever been.
Victims of crime in Cairns are now looking to the 2024 state election with the issue firmly fixed in their minds, as some businesses consider closing their doors.
A bagful of offences have escalated to new heights in the Far North.
Rates of assault (34.9 per cent), robbery (23 per cent), unlawful entry (60.7 per cent), arson (50.2 per cent), unlawful use of a motor vehicle (55.4 per cent) and breach of a domestic violence order (29.3 per cent) all climbed to their highest in more than 20 years.
The Far North also had the worst rates of sexual offences, property damage, unlawful entry and motor vehicle theft when compared to more populous regions such as Townsville, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Acting chief superintendent Rhys Newton, district officer for the Far North QPS district, confirmed there had been an increase of about 17 per cent across all crime categories in the Far North from 2021 to 2022.
“That mainly comes from increase in assaults … assaults have jumped 40 per cent to almost 7000 reported in 2022,” Supt Newton said.
“Our property offending has also increased. Last year, there was 6500 unlawful entries and almost 2900 unlawful uses of motor vehicles across the district.”
Supt Newton said there’s “no doubt” a large swath of crime was being committed by a “small minority” of recidivist juvenile offenders. “It’s that 10 per cent who, for a whole lot of reasons, are recidivist property offenders. They create up to 50 per cent of our crime,” he said.
“These kids can come from some of the worst home environments. That is a main contributor. There is a lack of engagement with these kids in their education and their health … consequently, they have a very risky lifestyle, and without any of the normal governors that 99 per cent of kids get – love and care from their family, engagement with their education – without that, there really is very little hope for these kids.
“These are reasons, but not excuses. We do an awful lot of work responding to and investigating these kids. I guarantee every opportunity is taken to bring them to justice.”
Supt Newton said there was some good news among the gloom. “The latest trends from October last year, there has been a downward trend in … property offences. Unlawful entries in October reached a height of 634, now we’re back down in January … to 420,” he said. “Unlawful use of motor vehicles … is falling back down as well. In October we had nearly 200 … in January we had 95.”
Of 316 Far North suburbs surveyed, offence numbers increased in 157 of them, and remained unchanged in 31. Cairns City almost matched its postcode with its number of offences, as higher rates of assault and theft pushed the total up 19 per cent to 4781 in a 12-month period, culminating in an alleged attempted murder by stabbing on the Esplanade.
The town also outdid other central business district suburbs such as Townsville City and Maroochydore.
Manunda, however, suffered a higher percentage jump – 31 per cent to 1731 offences, due to higher rates of unlawful entry, assault and theft in 2022.
Cairns North passed 2000 offences with a 14 per cent increase and Parramatta Park suffered a 25 per cent jump to more than 1000 offences, largely driven by spikes in unlawful entries.
The southern corridor
Offence rates in Cairns’ southern corridor were perhaps the most concerning as police were allegedly attacked and shoppers were allegedly bashed at supermarket check-outs.
As the suburbs have grown, offence numbers climbed in Earlville (19 per cent), Bayview Heights (21 per cent), Woree (29 per cent), Mount Sheridan (19 per cent), White Rock (48 per cent), Bentley Park (66 per cent), Edmonton (19 per cent), Mount Peter (142 per cent) and Gordonvale (40 per cent).
Theft and unlawful entry were the two biggest drivers.
Northwestern suburbs
Redlynch experienced a new wave of break-ins and stolen vehicles in 2022, while Caravonica residents were rocked by an alleged homicide on Melinga Cl.
Both suburbs experienced rises in offence numbers of 39 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.
Kamerunga (59 per cent), Brinsmead (30 per cent) and Freshwater (68 per cent) were also struck by higher offences due to escalated rates of unlawful entry and vehicle theft.
The northern beaches
Cairns’ northern areas were relieved by a drop in offence numbers from 2021 to 2022.
Ellis Beach (minus 53 per cent), Palm Cove (minus 8 per cent), Kewarra Beach (minus 24 per cent), Trinity Park (minus 27 per cent) and Smithfield (minus 3 per cent) all achieved downturns, while Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob and Machans Beach were pricked with offence number rises of 10 per cent or less.
A significant drop in drug offences and unlawful entry explained the lower numbers at Trinity Park, but most of it seemed to move one suburb over to Trinity Beach, which experienced raises in both, as well as theft, pushing its numbers up 20 per cent.
Cassowary Coast
The Cassowary Coast was a mixed bag, as many suburbs successfully reduced their offence rates while others, such as Tully (38 per cent) and Mission Beach (6 per cent), experienced increases.
Offences appeared to centralise in Innisfail.
Numbers in the centre of town jumped by 16 per cent, due to rises in many offence types, while numbers in the outer suburbs – South Innisfail, East Innisfail and Innisfail Estate – reduced by up to 34 per cent.
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8 February, 2023
Deficient medical care facilities in remote areas
Decisions about where to live will inevitably have consequences. I live in an inner city area and can get medical appointments very easily and promptly. But to expect that service availability out in the bush is simply unrealistic.
The government tries to provide good medical services to all but doing so has got to be difficult. And the further away from the metropolis you are the more difficult it will be.
If there were infinite funding available no-one would need to be disadvantaged but that is not the case. So priorities have to be looked at. The government is going to be able to deliver care at lower costs in urban areas. So servicing the bush to a high level would reduce care available in the State overall. To do so is obviously not an easy decision
A national crisis has been laid bare in black and white in a report from the Royal Flying Doctor Service, detailing the gross inequity of healthcare for Aussies living in the bush.
A shocking 44,000 people in this country have no access to a doctor within an hour’s drive; almost 120,000 are that far away from a dentist and 134,000 are equally distant from any mental health support.
It’s not just a matter of convenience, or simply how life is out in remote parts of the country.
This is taking years off everyday Australians’ lives. Women are dying 19 years earlier than average in very remote parts of the country, men almost 14 years. First Nations Australians are dying 14 years sooner on average and the gap is even wider in remote areas.
These are the very real consequences of a health system that is sick, and nowhere is it worse off than in our nation’s regions.
In Queensland, there are recent examples of failures in regional health, such as the Gladstone Hospital maternity unit being on bypass since July and sending expecting mothers 100km away to Rockhampton.
Unfortunately, it is just the most recent in a long line of regional maternity services shut down, or put on bypass.
Australia’s healthcare system was once the envy of the world, but now it seems close to being put on life support.
The Strengthen Medicare Taskforce report, touted as providing much-needed reform to make Medicare more sustainable, was released in February 2023, but it was largely found wanting.
At just 12 pages, some of its recommendations were motherhood statements about needing to improve access to after-hours care, or fast-tracking work to increase the supply of doctors and nurses.
Other recommendations were to have blended-model medical practices, with GPs, nurses, physios and more working together in an integrated model, or to develop funding models that are relevant for rural practices.
But these have all been proposed before, and there was little to be said for the specifics on how to do these worthy tasks.
Whatever happens, it will need federal, state and even local governments working together to achieve better outcomes for rural health. This has not always been the case, as has been seen in Queensland recently.
Meanwhile, the commonwealth is seeking ways
to encourage more doctors to bulk-bill, which would increase people’s access to healthcare.
But the Queensland government, as well as those in other states, sought to implement a new interpretation of payroll tax laws, which would have seen doctors slugged.
Medical peak bodies warned that this would hit the regions most, with many GP offices operating on slim profit margins potentially facing closure.
After much pressure, the government backed down and offered an amnesty on the tax until 2025, but only to kick the can down the road past the next election.
Action needs to be taken now; the divide between the regions and the capital cities cannot be allowed to keep widening.
It is no exaggeration to say that lives depend on it.
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Interest rate rises may not be enough
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe is sticking with his softly-softly approach – he calls it a “narrow path to a soft landing” – to hopefully wind inflation down without sending unemployment shooting up.
If he succeeds he will be a hero: getting inflation sustainably down to the 2-3 per cent target range, without the crippling double-digit jobless rates of the early 1990s or even near double-digit jobless rates.
If he doesn’t, he will go down as the governor who blew near 30 years of RBA low-inflation success, earned and delivered on the back of that early 1990s pain.
He would also then fully deserve to be - in the words of our trainee treasurer with delusions of profundity – ‘renovated’. Let’s bury one – to use a grand old Aussie word – furphy upfront. That’s he delivered really punishing rate hikes.
Lowe’s taken the RBA’s policy rate up 3.25 percentage points in nine months.
The mother – some would unkindly add another word – of central banks, the Fed, has gone up 4.5 percentage points; true over a slightly longer 11 months.
Our neighbour, the RBNZ, has gone up 4 percentage points - again true, over a longer time frame because it, sensibly, got started moving away from the lunacy of near-zero sooner – and with yet another hike all-but certain in two weeks.
So even in nominal terms and despite the inane mantra of ‘nine rate rises in a row’, it’s been softly-softly and slowly-slowly.
In real terms, Lowe has barely increased at all.
Last May when he made his first increase, to just 0.35 per cent, annual inflation was 5.1 per cent. The real interest rate was still a highly stimulatory minus 4.75 per cent.
Now inflation is 7.8 per cent; the 3.35 per cent nominal rate gives a real interest rate of minus 4.45 per cent. It’s barely changed.
Sure, it’s having a big and painful impact on home loan repayments.
But heck, all that means is that borrowers who had two years or so of essentially ‘free money’, now have to pay for it.
And hold your tears for the vast majority of borrowers.
Almost all of them – apart only from first home buyers over the last two years – were either sitting on massive unrealised and tax-free capital gains, or had previously cashed in massive and tax-free capital gains.
On the other side – seemingly invisible to our trainee treasurer, the media and the so-called economists – are the savers who are finally getting some sort of return on their bank deposits.
Even so, still only a negative return in real after-inflation terms.
Yes, 3 per cent is better than zero, but it’s not that great when inflation is eating away at the capital at a near-8 per cent rate a year.
All this goes to Lowe’s attempt – his ‘narrow path -- to engineer a soft landing; taking now another two years to get inflation down only near the top of the mandatory 2-3 per cent RBA’s inflation target.
Bluntly, to me, it is just not acceptable for the RBA to predict inflation only down to “around 3 percent” in mid-2025, fully two years away.
Further, Lowe is playing an extraordinarily dangerous game; ‘hoping’ that unions won’t chase, and win, higher wages into this sustained higher inflation, over-full employment, reality.
Right now, average wages growth is running around 4 per cent. If it breaks higher, inflation will blow up in everyone’s faces and most especially Lowe’s.
That is a future that would force him – or his successor – to deliver exactly the punishing further rate hikes; risking, all-but certainly delivering, exactly the surge in unemployment that he’s desperately trying to avoid.
It would also start to deliver some real pain to home loan borrowers; and, needless to say, property prices.
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Pedo precinct breach: Woman visited sex offenders in latest fail
Given my druthers, I would burn pedophiles at the stake. But that's not going to happen. So if we let them survive we need above all to ensure that they do not reoffend. And rehabilitiion should obviously have a role in that. And the first step should surely be to encourage them to develop relationships with adult women -- where consenting women are available. So why was contact with a woman penalized below? The rules would seem in need of changing
One of Queensland’s most notorious pedophiles has been caught with a visitor at the state’s sex offender precinct, despite assurances by the minister and the boss of Corrective Services that security at the facility had been increased.
Violent pedophile Douglas Jackway and another sex offender have been returned to jail after a woman was caught visiting them.
Jackway and the other man had been living in houses under strict Dangerous Prisoner (Sexual Offenders) Act (DPSOA) supervision orders in the sex offender precinct in Wacol.
This latest incident comes just two months after Police Minister Mark Ryan said two reviews had been ordered by Queensland Corrective Services following a Courier-Mail story which revealed another dangerous sex offender living in the facility had allegedly committed offences against a girl, understood to be aged 15.
Last night Mr Ryan said recommendations from the review have been incorporated, while further measures are underway.
“An external body has undertaken a review of the precinct security, resulting in more stringent and more thorough protocols in respect to the DPSOA precinct,” Mr Ryan said.
“I am advised recommendations have already been incorporated into the precinct upgrades, while further protective and preventative measures are still under way to make it more difficult for unauthorised visitors to access the precinct.
“Following the review, I am advised QCS has increased the physical presence of officers on the precinct, with more frequent patrols, while changes to infrastructure has also seen enhancements to fencing, lighting and CCTV.”
The Courier-Mail understands the woman visited the men on the weekend of January 28-29 before the incident came to attention of officers.
Jackway is one of the state’s most notorious sex offenders who was once a suspect in the murder of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe.
It is the second alleged breach at the precinct in months after another sex offender living there allegedly sexually abused a teenage girl there last year. The incidents have prompted a backlash from corrective service officers who want more patrols of the area, including regular use of the dog squad.
Jackway has been charged with contravention of a relevant order.
Jackway, whose matter went before the Supreme Court this week, has been remanded in custody until March 10 when he will face a contravention hearing relating to his order.
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Organ transplant patients plead for end to Covid stalemate
When are these mandates going to end? There is plenty of reason for people in poor health to avoid the risks of vaccination
Queensland transplant patients who cannot receive a lifesaving organ until they are fully vaccinated against Covid are calling for the government to compromise and allow them to sign a “no blame waiver” to progress on the transplant list.
The patients say they are not anti-vax but remain unvaccinated as they fear any Covid vaccine side-effects could hamper vital but harsh treatments like dialysis.
The Courier-Mail highlighted the dilemma for the Queenslanders in 2021 when two jabs were mandated for transplant patients and Queensland Health confirmed they would reassess the policy in February 2022.
Ipswich mum Tamara McCarthy told The Courier-Mail families needed to be given a choice.
“We are still waiting (for policy change). My son is 20 years old and needs to have dialysis every day and desperately needs a transplant,” she said.
“He has had his childhood vaccines but was scared to get the Covid jab due to risks of myocarditis, which research shows tends to hit boys of his age. If he had a heart problem it would put an end to his chances of having the lifesaving transplant surgery.
“The years are passing and now the requirement is three Covid vaccines. It’s not an anti-vax matter it is about very ill people needing to be extra careful what medications they take. We would be very happy to sign a waiver taking away any responsibility regarding issues resulting from Covid. We need to be given a choice,” she said.
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7 February, 2023
Face of Australia's rental crisis as SINGLE mum-of-three resorts to sleeping in her car with kids after being rejected from 75 properties in six months
Any competent property manager would reject her. With 3 kids and only her own basic income, how is she going to be able to pay the current asking price for rentals on top of her other costs?
With 3 young kids she has clearly been in a long-term relationship. Where is the man in this? The government is not a husband substitute
A single mother has resorted to sleeping in her car with her three children as Australia's rental crisis leaves thousands without a home.
Kristin Vandenbosch and her three boys, the youngest who is only four months old, were forced out of their Perth home when their landlord decided to sell up.
Ms Vandenbosch has applied for, and been rejected from, 75 rental properties over the past six months.
Her family have been sleeping in their car beside a park as they face a three-year wait for public housing.
'I feel like I'm a mother who's failed her kids because she cannot put a roof over their head,' she told 9News. 'This is not something the government should be allowing, a three-year wait for three children on the streets.'
Ms Vandenbosch added that she 'felt for everyone' stuck in a similar predicament.
The state government has blamed the rental crisis on a huge influx of Australians moving to the state after Western Australia's pandemic hard border was scrapped.
Western Australia housing minister John Carey says the government has pledged to build 3,300 new properties, 943 of which have already been 'delivered'. There are a further 1,000 that have been scheduled for construction.
But shadow minister for housing Steve Martin says the state of the housing crisis in Western Australia looks bleak. 'It's almost impossible for someone like Kristin and many Western Australians to find somewhere to live,' he said.
The average wait time for public housing in Western Australia is two years. The wait is even longer for those looking in Perth's north and south, and slightly shorter in Perth's east.
Across Australia, the wait times for public housing are relatively similar.
The problem has been compounded by consecutive interest rate rises, forcing property owners to hike rent costs and price out many low-income Aussies from the limited supply of rental stock.
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Trying to brand Alice Springs problems on "racism"
Most of the offenders ARE young black males but everybody has been careful not to mention that. And the claim that Brooke Boney is Aboriginal is hokey. She is as white as I am. See below
Visiting the central Australian community for a Today show segment, Ms Boney spoke to Darren Clark, who is behind the Action for Alice Facebook page.
The page and Mr Clark have played a large role in spotlighting the crime crises plaguing the community - with Anthony Albanese's Labor government forced to reinstate alcohol bans after removing them last year.
But extreme racial views are also often aired on the page from some members of the community targeting Indigenous youths.
'I'm an Aboriginal woman. So then sometimes when I see people saying things like that, some of those comments, it stings,' Ms Boney said.
Mr Clark argued if the situation isn't properly addressed, 'someone's going to die here soon.' 'I'm the only one that's shown the truth in this town, and if I want to show even more truth, no one would live here,' he told Ms Boney.
The Action for Alice page highlights the crime the town is dealing with every day. 'Commercial break-ins have risen by 55 per cent, alcohol-related assault also up 55 per cent and domestic violence assault is up by 53 per cent,' Ms Boney said.
'The shocking figures that paint a dire picture of a once thriving town.'
Mr Clark said many of the highly charged comments on the Action for Alice page complaining of the crime were from Aboriginal community members.
'Do you know all the people on there?' he asked Ms Boney.
'Because some of them comments are actually coming from indigenous people that live in this town. 'We are a community here. We are black and white, and the black fellas of this town, they are p***ed as well.'
The ABC issued a grovelling apology admitting it provided 'incomplete' coverage of the Save Alice Springs meeting held on Monday which alleged some of those attending were 'white extremists'.
Some 3,000 terrified residents had turned up to discuss their concerns over the out-of-control youth crime wave spreading throughout their community.
Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson, who is a former ABC reporter and once presented 7.30 in Victoria, slammed her ex-employer for issuing an apology only after copping backlash for its coverage.
The ABC was accused of bias after interviewing people who slammed the meeting as 'racist'.
ABC Indigenous Affairs correspondent Carly Williams' live cross on TV of the meeting said many people had left the meeting early and that 'a non-indigenous person' had described the meeting as 'a disgusting display of white supremacy'.
The public broadcaster was threatened with an official investigation over its coverage that was aired on its flagship current affairs show AM and in another TV report.
Senator Henderson added that her complaint against the ABC to the Australian Communications and Media Authority would be 'proceeding'. 'The ABC needs to be held to account. They have been reckless in trying to invent a narrative,' as one person on Twitter put it.
The ABC released a statement on Saturday apologising to its audience. 'We acknowledge that one report on AM was incomplete, and did not adequately cover the full context of the meeting or the range of perspectives expressed at it,' it read. 'ABC News apologises to audiences for providing an incomplete picture of the event in this instance.'
The public broadcaster went on to say it had 'reportedly accurately' on the views of 'some people who attended the community meeting'.
'However, this report should have included a broader range of perspectives expressed at the meeting and further information about what was discussed, to provide additional context,' the statement read. 'Following this report, ABC News published additional coverage of the issue which included a broader range of perspectives and context.'
From next week, the Northern Territory government will introduce legislation to return some areas to 'temporary dry zones', Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said on Monday.
'We've heard loudly and clearly that the matter and decision of alcohol on community needs to be one that is made by the entire community,' Ms Fyles told reporters.
'This is why we're creating a circuit breaker... until communities can develop and vote on the alcohol management plans they want to see.'
The Federal Government also announced it would invest $250 million in community safety and services, with funding going towards job creation, youth engagement and support for domestic violence services.
The decision comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Alice Springs last month amid growing frustration over alcohol-fuelled violence and theft in the town.
Ms Fyles said the new restrictions were based on the recommendations of the newly appointed central Australian regional controller Dorrelle Anderson.
Ms Anderson, who was appointed after the prime minister's visit, reviewed the territory's opt-in alcohol restrictions, that replaced expired Intervention-inspired liquor bans last year.
Under the new legislation, communities can apply to opt out of the ban, as long as 60 per cent of residents support the decision and they have an alcohol management plan.
'Alcohol-related harm is still the NT's biggest social challenge,' Ms Fyles said. 'But it is a legal product, and we need to manage the complexities of that product.'
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said the measures were not enough. 'There was no promise today of additional police or sending Australian Federal Police into Alice Springs, which would make an immediate impact on the ground today.'
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Sunshine Coast coral reefs thriving as COVID dive project uncovers 'enormous amount of coral'
This gives the lie to Warmist claims that Northern GBR coral is threatened by runoff from the land on Cape York Peninsula. There is very little development on most of the peninsula. Yet we read below that a very heavily developed part of the Southern Queensland coast supports thriving corals. So which is it? Does development along the coastline damage coral or not? It's actually arguable that development BENEFITS coral growth
Researchers have uncovered an abundance of healthy, thriving coral along a heavily developed coastline — far beyond what the team expected when they first pitched the project.
University of Queensland researchers and dive club volunteers wanted a project to focus on as COVID restrictions took hold and limited their ability to work and travel.
A pitch was made to re-examine 11 reefs off Queensland's Sunshine Coast, particularly around Mudjimba Island and the popular tourist destination of Mooloolaba.
Associate Professor Chris Roelfsema brought together researchers and 50 volunteers from the UQ dive club to help.
Dr Roelfsema said what they found was incredible.
"We looked at so many different sites — every time we put our heads underwater, the volunteers went down and they did surveys," he said. "And they saw coral, and every time it was a significant amount of coral, and we didn't expect it.
"We noticed that there was an enormous amount of coral there that we didn't realise was there — and not in a couple of spots but in the 11 spots we visited.
"And that's a big deal that there's so much coral so close to a major urban area."
The project involved 8,000 hours of training, collecting, and analysing data obtained from the underwater landscapes.
Beyond simply the amount of coral revealed by the two-year survey, the team also found little sign of crown-of-thorns starfish — which prey on coral — and almost no hint of coral bleaching.
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Must not praise Cardinal Pell
An associate professor of criminal justice says he was subjected to “abuse and vitriol” and cast aside from a victim support service after a personal social media post was viewed as being supportive of Cardinal George Pell.
Terry Goldsworthy, a Bond University academic whose fields of expertise include miscarriages of justice, has hit out at the stifling of freedom of speech and the “shutting down of public debate on contentious issues”.
He says it’s just the latest instance in which he has been targeted for voicing an opinion, and warns future generations are at risk of being denied fearless, independent views that run counter to those of “the baying mob”.
Dr Goldsworthy’s post on LinkedIn stated that anyone who studied miscarriages of justice should examine Pell’s case “to see how we can improve the criminal justice system”.
The former Queensland Police Service detective inspector included in the post a link to the High Court’s unanimous judgment quashing Pell’s child sexual abuse convictions.
“Vale Cardinal George Pell,” Dr Goldsworthy wrote in his post.
“His pursuit by the Victorian police on historical child abuse charges highlighted how poorly our justice system performs in certain cases where emotions run high. To quote the High Court of Australia, who overturned his convictions 7-0, there was, consistently … ‘a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof’.”
The post ended with a series of hashtags including #crime #justice #miscarriageofjustice and #wrongfulconviction. Dr Goldsworthy said a high-profile person, whom he declined to name, attacked him online in response.
He was also told his post did not align with the values of the victim support service he has helped for the past decade. The issue was due to be raised by the support service at a meeting in his absence, so he resigned as a committee member out of principle.
Pell, who died in Rome in January at the age of 81 after complications from hip surgery, spent 404 days in custody on charges of assaulting two teenage choirboys in the late 1990s when he was archbishop of Melbourne. He constantly maintained his innocence and was acquitted by the nation’s highest court in 2020.
At his funeral last week, he was described by former prime minister Tony Abbott as “the greatest man I’ve ever known” and a scapegoat for the Catholic Church, while protesters clashed with worshippers outside.
Dr Goldsworthy said he commented on Pell “as an aside” as someone who taught in the area of criminal justice. “I thought it was pertinent. It just struck me that there was a real intolerance around dealing with factual debates.
“The High Court ruled 7-0 in this case, and identified that it had been problematic. Yet there seem to be topics now where you can’t point to those facts, or if you do, you’re shouted down. In my field of criminal justice, there’s a number of contentious issues now where if you try to argue one point of the argument there’s almost this demand that you cease.
“People engage in personal attacks, rather than engaging in critical inquiry looking at the scholarly or scientific evidence you’re putting forward, and allowing some kind of public discourse to take place without fear or favour.”
Writing in The Australian, Dr Goldsworthy says that as a Catholic he is reminded in the Pell debate of the denial of Jesus by his disciple Peter.
“The message here is that you must stand by your convictions and beliefs, to fail to do so is a betrayal of the contest of ideas and a surrender to the absolutism of populist narratives where only one viewpoint is acceptable.”
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6 February, 2023
Interracial dating: The Aussies marrying ‘outside their lanes’
This article seems to be largely anecdotal so it is a pity that statistics are not given. If the rate of interracial marriage is low, that would in part be explained by many migrant groups marrying within their ethnicity.
There are some statistics showing a lot of intermarriage between people of different national origin but most of those would be between Australian-born people and people from Britain and other Anglospheric countries.
The most striking type of interracial relationship I see about the place is between Chinese girls and tall Caucasian men, I do see a lot of Chinese young women as a part of couples and the partners concerned are rarely all Chinese. Chinese ladies overwhelmingly favour Caucasian men --- probably because they --like most women -- like their man to be tall
And the prevalence of those relationships is clear testimony to the low level of racism in Australia.
Australia’s leaders often say it is the most multicultural society on Earth, but when it comes to mixing those cultures in marriage, it seems Aussies stay in their lanes.
Sociologist Dr Zuleyka Zevallos says it’s “still the norm that most marry within their race”, despite more than 200 years of migration since colonisation.
“When you look at the out-marriage rates, very few second-generation migrants will marry outside their race.” If they do, she adds, people are more likely to marry a person from a similar ethnic or racial group.
“It’s not about exposure or education, but because of social forces and this sense of difference,” she says.
Of course, interracial relationships in Australia are not new, dating back to colonisation when racial intermixing was a way of ensuring whiteness prevailed. Migration, too, means that Australia’s demographic make-up is becoming increasingly diverse.
So, what about those who do couple up with someone outside their race?
‘We didn’t see interracial couples like us growing up’
Sue Kang, 28, and her boyfriend Midy Tiaga, 29, met in high school and have been best friends for 10 years. They became a couple three years ago. “We were both ready to settle down,” Kang says. Kang, who is Korean-Australian, and Tiaga, a Sri Lankan-Australian, say they didn’t see interracial couples like themselves growing up.
When Kang began modelling full-time during COVID, her agent asked her to bring along her partner to be in the shoot. From there, they continued to model together and Tiaga was eventually signed to her agency. The pair have modelled together for campaigns that include Tourism Australia and Commonwealth Bank.
Kang says it’s been great to see “authentic real couples” like themselves “rather than it being left up to the casting director”.
Both being from culturally diverse backgrounds, they say they share a common understanding. “There’s a cultural shorthand in the relationship where things don’t need to be explained,” says Tiaga. “We’re able to understand each other as we share similar intersections.”
Nigerian-American Valerie Weyland moved to Australia from the United States in her 20s. She settled in Perth, where she met her now husband Robert on Tinder. The couple has been together for more than eight years, and have a nine-month-old baby. She describes their relationship as “open and loving”.
She says that her experience of dating as a black woman in California was different to her experience in Perth, where it’s rare to see couples that look like them. “When I was dating [in California], of course there were racial tensions, but it was not the same as in Australia,” she says. ”I dated whoever I connected with in conversations and through passion, there was a whole rainbow of people.“
She notes that while Perth is becoming more diverse with pockets of migrants, she doesn’t always feel accepted in the community. The couple often encounters people who stare or openly voice their disapproval. “People don’t really have a healthy filter when they see a couple like us,” she says.
“Australians love to banter and crack jokes, but they don’t always have an understanding of what is appropriate or inappropriate.”
For Robert, being with Valerie has made him more aware of the discrimination many non-white people experience. “If you’ve never gone through it, it’s hard to understand,” Valerie sympathises, who says that it’s about “being patient with people’s process of understanding things”.
And she says Robert is always the first to defend her. “When I’ve been in situations where I’m being attacked for my race, he steps up. He will be the first to say something.”
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Private schools are poaching teachers from the public sector with better salaries, principals say
The unmentioned fact below is that education already takes up around two thirds of State government budgets. Giving many thousands of State school teachers a rise would simply be beyond the budgets concerned
Making better use of resources is the answer to the problems: Using phonics to teach literacy; abandoning useless B.Ed. degrees as a teacher qualification and allowing larger class sizes
Public school principals say they are losing teachers to private schools who can offer tens of thousands more in pay.
They say government budgets are not big enough to compete amidst a national teacher shortage.
Many private schools are able to pay salaries that outstrip those in the public system.
In the past 12 months, jobs advertised in inner-city private schools have offered base salaries up to $160,000, and rural principals have reported high offers in the regions too.
Those salaries are tens of thousands of dollars higher than what the state system can offer most teachers.
In New South Wales, a state school classroom teacher's base salary tops out at $113,000, and in Victorian schools it is $112,000.
Some teachers will be able to top up their salaries through bonus and retention mechanisms but, with Australia facing an "unprecedented" teacher shortage, public school principals have told the ABC they still cannot compete on pay and conditions.
Regional schools losing teachers
John Freyne, the principal at Traralgon Secondary College in Victoria's Gippsland region, said several teachers had come to him asking for more money, having been offered higher salaries to work at local private schools.
He said he could not match the offers. "We're certainly not as free as private sector schools would be … [to] offer higher salaries," he said.
Mr Freyne said his school was between four and six teaching positions short at the end of 2022.
While shortages at Traralgon have been filled by relief teachers lured via state government-funded bonus payments, other principals are turning to teaching students to fill the gaps.
Fellow regional principal, Wodonga Middle Years College's Maree Cribbes, said she had recently lost a staff member to a private school, making her 13 positions short ahead of the school new year.
"Actually finding qualified teachers is not possible at the moment," she said.
Ms Cribbes said at the end of last year the Victorian school employed eight teaching students in the final year of their qualification, to fill the gaps.
"More senior staff are becoming burnt out because they're having to mentor and support the youngest staff in the school, who often have had very little or no experience in schools," she said.
"We've had to combine classes to make bigger classes, with students having different teachers, students having inexperienced teachers."
Principals have 'never seen anything like this'
Mr Freyne said the fact private schools get significant government funding, on top of their student fees, enabled them to pay higher wages to attract teachers.
"What they receive from the government would be 60-70 per cent of my total budget, so the federal funding provides them with a greater capacity to pay staff," he said.
And while the Victorian public schools' enterprise agreement does allow teachers to earn an extra $10,000 as a "retention incentive", Mr Freyne said it was not a realistic solution because paying the bonus to every teacher would make school budgets unworkable.
Mr Freyne said he had "never seen anything like this" in his 34 years in the profession.
Federal government acknowledges 'real issue'
A Victorian Education Department spokesperson said it was already doing all it could to retain teachers and to entice retired teachers back to the profession.
The department has offered thousands of dollars in bonuses for 150 roles in hard-to-staff and regional schools around the state, like Traralgon Secondary College.
It has also offered cash for 100 teachers to relocate from overseas into hard-to-staff schools, while the Commonwealth has prioritised qualified teachers as part of its expanded skilled migration program.
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Conservatives on campus hit the wall of censor sensibility
Virtually every academic working in an Australian university is today being force-fed a steady diet of views that are widely accepted by those on the political left and yet widely rejected by those on the political right.
For instance, their university administrations will tell them how wonderful “diversity, equity and inclusion” goals are.
Indeed, most will have to sit through some sort of online indoctrination modules, answering trite little multiple-choice answers at the end where the “correct” answer is the left-wing progressive’s preferred answer (and where any schoolchild of average IQ could guess the expected choice).
Now conservatives like me would say the whole diversity bureaucracy – and you would be stunned to learn how much is spent on this in our universities – should be dismantled immediately. I believe in merit. Hire the best person regardless. But under the guise of “diversity, equity and inclusion”, university administrations bring to bear factors other than merit.
Most often what happens is that they take some favoured academic position or student course opening and they begin by looking at the percentage of some favoured group in the wider population. Then they aim to recreate that same level or percentage for the favoured group in these job positions or student places.
This, of course, is the essence of identity politics. You define individuals in group terms by characteristics they share with others in the wider population. And notice that the key characteristics are such things as one’s type of reproductive organs or of skin pigmentation, never political viewpoints.
Notice as well that if simply hiring on merit achieved these identitarian outcomes (as is sometimes implicitly suggested), there would be no need for the huge diversity, equity and inclusion bureaucracy in the first place.
While we’re at it, readers can notice as well that these sort of implicit identitarian quotas are not just restricted to favoured groups, they are also used only for desirable jobs and places.
For instance, on some reckonings men hold about 95 per cent of the jobs that lead to deaths on the job. Highly dangerous jobs, in other words.
You won’t hear identitarian quota-pushers say “hey, not enough women are dying at work so we need to equalise things and get more women into these jobs”. Not just because that’s a stupid attitude but because these quota-pushers only focus on corporate board positions, top-end professorships, MP preselections and the like.
Of course I could make the same sort of point about how left-leaning our universities are across a host of topics and values.
Who thinks any Australian university administration is not wholly behind the voice? Or wasn’t against former prime minister Tony Abbott’s turning back the boats? Or didn’t go all-in supporting lockdowns? The list goes on and on and lines up just about perfectly with the views of left-wing political parties, not right-wing ones.
Which might explain for readers a couple of depressing bits of recent information. Start with last year’s Harvard University poll undertaken by student newspaper The Crimson. It polled Harvard professors in arts and engineering about their political orientation. The results were astounding.
The poll found just 1.4 per cent of Harvard academics, total, said they were politically conservative or very conservative. And remember, in the recent midterm election over half of voters for the House of Representatives voted Republican.
And note, too, that this was an anonymous survey and that it polled engineering professors who are more likely to be conservative than most any other part of the university. That tells you just how incredibly monolithically orthodox anglosphere universities have become, remembering that left-wing progressive views are today’s campus orthodoxy.
Consider the abovementioned voice proposal here in Australia. I’m a law professor who has published widely on Australian and anglosphere constitutional law matters. I’m against the voice. My best guess is that across the whole of Australia’s dozens and dozens of law schools there might be at most four other law professors teaching public law who share my view. So is the idea so self-evidently terrific or is there just almost zero viewpoint diversity on our campuses?
Here’s more bad news. A survey out this month in Britain, by the Legatum Institute, found 35 per cent of British academics self-censor but for conservative academics that figure jumps up to 75 per cent who self-censor.
As for students at university, the Legatum survey found 25 per cent said they self-censor but that jumped up to 59 per cent for conservative students. And it found only one in 10 academics anonymously identifies as right-of-centre.
When former High Court of Australia judge Robert French did his report for the former Coalition government and concluded there was no free speech problem at Australia’s universities, he was right. But only in a technical sense.
When there is so little viewpoint diversity and so few conservatives on campus, and many of those few feel the need to self-censor, of course anyone looking at university policies and free speech legal cases won’t find a problem.
What would a left-leaning academic ever want to say that would incline a probably just as left-leaning university vice-chancellor to want to bring the university’s code of conduct down on him or her?
It’s hard to think of anything at all that could cause those with left-of-centre views any problems. But if you were a junior academic who thought the daily genuflections about acknowledgements of Country were patronising and condescending, would you feel you could say so or refuse to perform them?
Or if you thought lockdowns were thuggish and despotic and counter-productive? Or if you thought vaccine mandates were wholly illiberal? Or if you thought being asked to trumpet support for climate change was against the latest scientific data? Or if you favoured stopping the boats or questioned the new trans orthodoxy? Or if you agreed with former James Cook University professor Peter Ridd (who questioned the scientific research by institutions including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence)? Or maybe if you believe the voice is a terrible idea that will divide Australians by race and trigger a high chance of judicial activism?
Could you say that without hurting your promotion prospects? Or would you just self-censor? Or maybe leave academic life and contribute to the collapsing viewpoint diversity at our universities? I think we all know the answers to those questions.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/conservatives-on-campus-hit-the-wall-of-censor-sensibility/news-story/47a9e0e8b388dcc38090de3ed3a266d5 ?
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Australian universities split on decision to adopt controversial definition of antisemitism
There is no doubt that speech about Jews and Israel is heavily constrained -- too constrained in my view
Australian universities are split on whether to adopt a controversial definition of antisemitism following a push from parliamentary MPs that has been criticised as an “outright attack on academic freedom”.
On 25 January the University of Melbourne became the first institution to publicly announce it would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism as part of its broader “anti-racism commitment”, leading to backlash from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network who said it had been denied repeated requests for consultation.
The University of Melbourne’s move came after the Parliamentary Friends of IHRA sent an open letter to vice-chancellors in November, urging them to formally adopt the IHRA definition and requesting a response by the end of January.
The IHRA has faced global backlash among Palestinian and Arab scholars who argue its definition of antisemitism, which includes “targeting the state of Israel”, could be used to shut down legitimate criticism of Israel and stifle freedom of expression, citing the banning of events supporting Palestinian rights on campuses after the definition was adopted by universities in the UK.
The Parliamentary Friends of IHRA is headed by the MPs Josh Burns, Allegra Spender and Julian Leeser, and members include the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, and former ministers Alan Tudge and Paul Fletcher.
The group’s letter said universities weren’t being asked “to restrict academic freedom of speech” but rather “make it clear, in word and deed, that antisemitism and Holocaust denial are false and pernicious ideologies and are not acceptable to your university”.
But the president of the National Tertiary Education Union Sydney branch, Nick Riemer, said the Parliamentary Friends of the IHRA had launched an “outright attack on academic freedom”.
“[The IHRA] will prevent universities doing what they’re meant to do … critically analyse the contemporary world without concern for lobbies,” he said. “A powerful political lobby is trying to stifle the course of free debate in universities.
Guardian Australia can reveal Macquarie University and the University of Wollongong had already changed their policies to include the IHRA statement before the letter.
A source who wished to remain anonymous told Guardian Australia there had been no consultation with academics at Macquarie University before the definition was included into its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy over the summer of 2021. Macquarie University was approached for comment.
The University of Wollongong said it adopted the definition in April and said it would have no impact on “academic freedom and freedom of speech”. “Instead, it is a reference for our community members to help understand what may constitute antisemitism,” the university said.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said it was “disturbed” by the lack of transparency.
“Universities that have adopted the definition have not consulted with community groups or stakeholders,” said its president, Nasser Mashni. “Some universities have engaged with us on this issue, but others have either refused to acknowledge our correspondence, or misled us.”
Other universities were split on their response, with some considering the definition and others appearing to rule out a change.
The University of Sydney said it was “carefully considering” the definition and had not made any decisions.
A spokesperson for the Australian National University said it was “aware” of the IHRA definition and was “giving it due consideration”, while the University of Adelaide said “discussion on this matter will continue”.
A University of New South Wales spokesperson said it recognised the definition raised “complex legal and other issues”.
A spokesperson for Griffith University said it recognised antisemitism as a serious form of discrimination but wouldn’t be adopting the definition.
A spokesperson for James Cook University said it already had policies in place and that suitably addressed “the balance between free speech and vilification”, while the University of Queensland said its overarching policy “clearly states” the expectations of the community to prevent discrimination.
Parliamentary Friends of IHRA has also been critiqued by Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Australia for potentially violating rules which specify Parliamentary friends groups must be “apolitical”.
In a letter of complaint on 22 November, BDSA said of 11 examples in the IHRA working definition illustrating antisemitism in practice, seven related to Israel and political debate around it.
The Zionist Federation of Australia said the group was a “reflection of the importance both sides of politics places on the fight against rising antisemitism”.
“We look forward to working hand-in-hand … as we continue to advocate the adoption of the IHRA by businesses and institutions across Australia,” it said.
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5 February, 2023
Push to have disgraced former governor-general Peter Hollingworth defrocked to be heard by Anglican Church panel
I have followed this matter from its inception. And the treatment of Peter Hollingworth has been monstrous. A genuinely holy man has been given great anguish only because he was not politically correct. I did not know him well but I have spoken with him, shaken his hand and observed his joyous leadership of a eucharistic procession. And I have no doubt that he is a genuine Christian, a rarity in the Anglican episcopate.
His offence was to adopt a proper judicial attitude towards a serious accusation against one of of his priests. That was a great secular sin. Accusations of sexual abuse are expected by the Leftist press to be believed without question. In such matters the presumption of innocence is thrown out the window
He was a proper servant of his God in acting as he did. As it says in Deuteronomy 1:17: "Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s"
It would have been easy for Hollingworth to hunt with the hounds and condemn a potentially innocent man but he did not. He refused to act on an unsubstantiated accusation. That was his sin. His integrity became his undoing. His only fault was insisting on proper evidence rather than immediately believing a sex abuse complaint
It sealed his downfall when John Howard made him governor general. That was intolerable to the Left and all sorts of exaggerated stories about him have been dredged up in additional to the original complaint
Five years ago, an Anglican church investigator said there was enough evidence on the public record to defrock the disgraced former Archbishop for his failure to act on evidence of sexual abuse in the church.
Yet, Dr Hollingworth remains a bishop and the 87-year-old draws a vice-regal pension worth hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Victim-survivors of Anglican abuse hope that will change after this week — when the church's special independent investigator, Kooyoora, finally hears the case against Dr Hollingworth.
In 2018, the ABC revealed that Dr Hollingworth was the subject of multiple complaints from survivors of abuse at the hands of Anglican clergy and teaching staff in the Brisbane diocese, where Dr Hollingworth served as archbishop in the 1990s.
Those complaints were investigated by Kooyoora but are still yet to be finalised, with the long-overdue hearing slated to begin on Monday.
"I'm not joking, this is probably the longest-running case of child abuse in the world,'' says Chris Goddard, an abuse expert and veteran advocate for survivors.
Victim blaming, the obfuscation of the church and constant delays reinforce the trauma for survivors, experts say.
Five years ago, the ABC revealed that a former Kooyoora director of professional standards told a sexual abuse survivor there was "…more than enough justification to prove [Dr Hollingworth's] unfitness to hold Holy Orders".
This fuelled the anger of survivors who have been waiting years for justice.
Despite survivors and their legal teams preparing for the upcoming hearings, the executive director of Kooyoora, Fiona Boyle, would not confirm if any hearing was taking place this week, nor if it involved Dr Hollingworth.
She says it is "terrible" if any matter takes five years to be dealt with, but has declined to comment on why this case has been delayed for so long.
Archbishop Philip Freier is on leave, but an Anglican spokesman says: "Dr Hollingworth has a limited permission to officiate in the diocese. If a finding is made against him, that will be revisited accordingly."
"The complaint process regarding Bishop Hollingworth is, properly, entirely independent of the Diocese of Melbourne. The diocese has had no influence on the investigation, and the Archbishop cannot comment on the process."
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Fascism reinvented in Australia
Business being "guided" by government was Mussolini's invention: Fascism. It's an old temptation on the Left
Like Kevin Rudd before him, Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers used the first summer after winning government to write an essay about how he is going to save capitalism. Chalmers begins by quoting Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus saying, ‘No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man.’ Reading Chalmers one is more inclined to think of that great baseball philosopher Yogi Berra who said, ‘It’s like déjà vu all over again.’
Chalmers didn’t go to the World Economic Forum (WEF) jamboree in Davos but Rudd did and just as the phantom of Rudd hangs over Chalmers essay, there’s also more than a whiff of the WEF. Chalmers wants Klaus Schwab to know he’s a fan. He chides the previous federal Liberal government for giving no thought to ‘the potential of the fourth industrial revolution’, the title of Schwab’s 2016 book on the topic.
Chalmers tells us that we are in a ‘polycrisis’, a term cooked up by Simon Torkington for the WEF. A polycrisis, says Torkington, is a cluster of related global risks with compounding effects so that the impact is greater than the sum of its parts. He says the cost-of-living crisis is the most immediate but that climate-related risks are the biggest future threat facing the world. The WEF helpfully provides a list of the ten most serious risks over the next two and ten years.
But if that’s not scary enough, Chalmers quotes Nouriel Roubini, aka Dr Doom, who forecasts ten ‘megathreats’ in his latest book, talking about a nuclear bomb being dropped on New York, Florida under water, drought from Colorado to California, wildfires all over the American West, the military annexation of Canada, and job-stealing robots. ‘This won’t end well,’ writes Roubini. You don’t say.
Of course, nothing excites the imagination of WEF-fies more than a crisis. Unless it’s ten crises. As Rahm Emanuel, adviser to President Bill Clinton and chief-of-staff to Barack Obama said, ‘You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that, it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.’
Chalmers certainly isn’t going to let his crises go to waste. He claims, like Rudd, that the Global Financial Crisis ‘exposed the illegitimacy’ of neoliberalism, which Rudd was going to fix with his own summer essay, a task left undone when he was turfed out of office creating what Chalmers calls the ‘lost decade’ which ended with the pandemic crisis, the energy crisis and the cost-of-living crisis, driven by the climate crisis.
According to Chalmers the ‘common thread’ in these crises is ‘vulnerability’. In reality, the common thread is that each of these crises was caused by politicians in their most dangerous guise, that of grinning do-gooders cracking the whip.
The GFC was created by do-gooding US governments forcing banks to lend to people that couldn’t afford to service their loans when interest rates rose, and regulators who gave triple-A credit ratings to subprime mortgages so that their clients in investment banks could make mega-profits selling them for far more than they were worth. When the inevitable crash came, the Big Banks were bailed out by their mates in government, to whom they had generously donated, and taxpayers and consumers footed the bill.
The so-called climate crisis has taken place while global lower-tropospheric temperatures have increased at a rate of 0.1 degree per decade since 1979, even with the massive increase in CO2 emissions from China over the last 20 years. According to the 2021 IPCC report, Earth’s average temperature in the last decade was 1.09 degrees warmer than the pre-industrial baseline, which means that if warming increases at the current rate, the planet will still be below 1.5 degrees hotter in 2050, meant to be the safe upper threshold, Yet, oblivious to this, governments force consumers and taxpayers to subsidise the most inefficient and unreliable forms of energy production while turning green investors from millionaires into billionaires.
The escalating cost of energy has driven inflation and fuelled rising interest rates and the cost-of-living crisis. This has been amplified by the government’s response to the pandemic, shovelling billions of dollars out to keep people alive while it destroyed their jobs and businesses while coercing people to take a vaccine which has coincided with an unprecedented 16 per cent increase in excess deaths.
Each of these crises has been created by government, the product of bad policies and regulatory capture. This isn’t a polycrisis, it’s a polly crisis. Only the pollies don’t want a cracker. They are crackers.
Chalmers’ modest proposal is to ‘build a better capitalism’ by redesigning markets, saying, amazingly, the ‘clean energy sector is a perfect example’ of what he plans to do to the whole economy, showing how ‘greater levels of private investment are achieved when the government ensures the flow of first-class information’. What Chalmers means by the first-class flow of information is the first-class flow of propaganda and the censorship of any other points of view, using his government’s misinformation legislation that will give the media regulator the power to crack down on online ‘misinformation’ as defined by faceless bureaucrats.
In the clean energy sector, state and federal governments have used a combination of subsidies, taxes, regulations, price caps and outright bans to railroad investors into building the most expensive and unreliable sources of energy that will inevitably pauperise consumers and drive any activity that requires significant energy offshore.
Chalmers proposes to start with climate finance but expand into aged care, disability, education, ‘partnering with the private sector’ in these ‘shared goals’ because, as he admits, ‘the federal budget is deep in debt’.
What Chalmers is really proposing is not some new kinder version of ‘capitalism with values’, it’s corporatism, or just plain old-fashioned crony capitalism, in which power is exercised by the government in concert with the trade unions, industry superannuation funds and favoured businesses for their benefit at the expense of ordinary people. Chalmers claims the last decade was wasted. But there can be little doubt that it will look like a golden age compared to what’s ahead.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/polly-wants-a-crisis/
***************************************************Anthony Albanese’s radical agenda that no one voted for
Imagine if Anthony Albanese had told us, pre-election, that a Labor government would create an Indigenous Voice as the fourth branch of government after the parliament, the executive and the courts, and that one of its first jobs would be to negotiate hundreds of treaties between various aboriginal groupings and the rest of us?
Imagine if he admitted his plans to soften us up to change the date of Australia Day, take the monarch off the $5 note in readiness for the “inevitable” republic, put the unions back in charge by allowing industry-wide bargaining and strikes, and effectively ban all new fossil fuel developments via planning rules, despite the fact we still rely on coal and gas not just to keep the lights on but also to prop up our debt-laden budget?
How do you think voters would have reacted? Not too well would be my guess, even allowing for the fact that Scott Morrison was a massive drag on the Coalition’s vote.
No one should forget that Anthony Albanese is PM despite fewer than a third of Australians voting for Labor.
And Anthony Albanese should never forget that he doesn’t have a mandate for this radical remaking of Australia that he and his government now seems hellbent on pursuing.
Make no mistake: this is a government set on the cultural and economic reordering of our country.
Last week’s leftist manifesto, a 6000-word essay in The Monthly from Treasurer Jim Chalmers, is terrible economics but a good guide to where the government wants to take the country.
His call for markets to respond to “values”, rather than to price signals set by supply and demand, inevitably means more government interference in our economic freedom — on top of the taxes, regulations and subsidies that are already making it harder and harder for people to get ahead.
It shows the government’s determination to wage the class struggle as well as the culture wars that, pre-election, the PM was at pains to reassure us he’d left behind.
Paul Keating’s statement “when you change the government, you change the country” wasn’t just the self-evident point that governments make a difference and that different governments make different decisions. Rather, he was pointing to what Labor governments see as their mission: not to make the country work better but to reshape it in order to better reflect Labor’s values, not necessarily the values of our country.
Most Labor ministers, for example, are not just fixing policy problems in their portfolio, but instead determinedly stripping out any programs and laws from former governments as far back as Howard.
It’s ideology over good sense, as the decision to end the grog-bans in remote Indigenous communities (from Howard) and the cashless welfare card (from Abbott) show.
Last week, as well, we saw the Albanese government release plans to radically reshape the laws around shared parenting in the event of separation and divorce.
Under the draft laws, the decade-long position that both Mum and Dad are important to the life of a child is up for grabs, and experts fear it’s a stealth move back to the days when divorced fathers saw their children on the weekends, if at all.
As a respected aboriginal man told me last weekend in Alice, a big part of their problem with young boys was the absence of strong male role models.
But here we are, contemplating the same madness on a national scale, when it’s the right of the child to know both parents that should be front and centre.
While Coalition governments are usually concerned about addressing practical problems like school standards, hospital waiting lists, and the red tape drowning small business (as examples), Labor governments tend to focus on social engineering, and increasingly identity politics.
Once you could oppose Labor policy on the grounds of cost or lack of effectiveness, but now opponents are made out to be moral pariahs — not just wrong, but bad.
Listen to how often the Prime Minister says that supporting Labor’s Indigenous Voice is just “good manners”, that it’s about “being on the right side of history”, even that the world will judge us harshly if it fails. Despite the fact that he is refusing to give voters any details, everything he says on this topic drips with moral judgment.
But that’s the modus operandi for the modern green-left; make others feel unworthy so they’re more inclined to give in, or to meet the left halfway as we’ve seen on issues of climate and energy policy as well as social change.
It’s why too many moderate Liberals end up quibbling about the detail rather than rejecting what’s wrong in principle because they aren’t brave enough to counter criticism at the next dinner party or on social media.
It’s why the Liberal Party base is peeling off to other players on the centre-right and won’t come back until the MPs they’ve elected grow a spine to reflect the values of those who put them there.
Meanwhile, as the Liberals try to sort out who they are and what they stand for, Labor and its allies are simply relentless.
To soften us up for the Voice, the Indigenous flag is flown everywhere alongside our one and only national flag, and no minister or bureaucrat opens their mouth without an acknowledgment that the country doesn’t belong to all of us, just to some of us.
To soften us up for a republic, axing the King from our bank notes is just the start.
You can be certain that if the Voice referendum fails, Labor will then try to do by legislation what the people have rejected as a way of letting us know that — under Labor — the government always gets its way.
Labor is masterly at bludgeoning Australians into changing what doesn’t need to change, fixing what isn’t broken, and running roughshod over what Australians have a right to decide, not politicians, whether we like it or not.
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Women must defend their single-sex spaces
A woman who works for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), has been asked by the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Office (SeMPRO) to find an alternate bathroom to the female toilet if she finds the presence of a male in the facility unsafe. The only other bathroom in her office is for males.
SeMPRO was set up in response to the recommendation of a review into the treatment of women in the ADF and provides advisory services around sexual misconduct in the workplace to staff and service personnel. The review found that sexual harassment and assault existed in the ADF and that there was ‘significant under-reporting of sexually based incidents from victims because of fear of victimisation; concerns about negative impact on career progression; and personal trauma’.
SeMPRO is meant to ‘coordinate timely responses, victim support, education, policy, practice and reporting for any misconduct of a sexual nature’. SeMPRO considers the violence ‘gender based’, but evidence strongly suggests sexual violence is based largely in sex. The key error in government bodies and structures that considers gender to be behaviourally significantly dominant to sex, is causing a cascading list of problems for progressive and conservative politicians alike.
Nicola Sturgeon this week was so tongue tied over the previously simple question of whether ‘trans women are women’, she looked as if she might overheat in the midst of a bitter Scottish winter. Sturgeon had been forced by public outcry to intervene and place a trans identifying man into the male prison. To me, it felt like press were rebelling from draconian editorial guidelines by reporting the man had allegedly raped women with ‘her penis’, echoing Ricky Gervais’ latest controversial Netflix special.
When the ADF employee, (I’ll call her Jane) contacted SeMPRO to seek assistance, she told them that a male was utilising the female toilet facility she had been provided and he was making her feel unsafe in her work environment. SeMPRO allegedly replied with a warning to Jane, that if the male person identifies as a ‘transgender woman’ it would be ‘discrimination’ to deny them access to the female facility. The social worker from SeMPRO, with she\her pronouns, apparently went on to suggest that Jane ‘utilise a different bathroom’.
‘Female’ is now an identity category throughout the Australian government. All males who identify into the category of female, which they can do with a simple declaration, are given the assumption that they are free of male pattern violence.
According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, 97 per cent of all sex offenders are male. Under the doctrine adopted by all our government departments, it is theologically impossible for a male with a ‘trans’ declaration to exhibit male pattern sexual behaviour. Women, however, are doomed to inhabit the mortal world where physical bodies still matter a great deal in interactions.
The ADF is a ‘principal partner’ of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Program, gaining a ranking of ‘bronze’ in their latest Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) publication, having fallen from the dizzy heights of ‘silver’ in previous years. According to ACON the Pride programs:
‘Help make the places where our community members live, work, study and play more inclusive of LGBTQ people, improving the mental health and wellbeing of our community through the reduction of stigma, discrimination and social exclusion.’
The higher your employer is in the AWEI ranking, the less likely they will be to have any accommodations at all for the special needs of female bodies, and certainly not with the security, privacy, and dignity of a facility that is separate from males. The AWEI has a 43 question ‘scoring guide’ for employers to gain ranking toward equity greatness. Item 15 in the ‘advanced’ section of the guide is the question: ‘We have (or are working towards) having “gender neutral” or “all gender” bathrooms.’
The AWEI will not give equity points to a Unisex facility because it ‘reinforces a binary’. Disability facilities are not to gain points for being ‘gender neutral’ because people with disabilities have specific bodily needs. Catering to the needs of female bodies is also without any points benefits in the AWEI, only feminine gender stereotypes are respected, the stereotypes feminist have long been critiquing.
When told to use another facility, Jane asked the social worker from SeMPRO if she should use the male facility or go home to use her own bathroom, to which she was given no response. Jane further inquired as to how serving female soldiers and officers will fare in the field when they are expected to shower and undress in a common facility. Will women be expected to shower naked in front of males? She was allegedly not given a response, although it is a fair question given the history of the ADF in failing to safeguard women from sexual assault and harassment.
A woman like Jane has no way to make her concerns heard about a trans identified male without the accusation of transphobia. Given that SeMPRO already know that under-reporting occurs because of ‘fear of victimisation; concerns about negative impact on career progression; and personal trauma’, it’s a wonder that they appear to continue the same patterns of silencing and shaming women for speaking up.
Sexual coercion, intimidation, and assault of women by trans identified males is impossible in gender identity theology, in the same way that it once was for a sexual predator to be in the priesthood. This is a religious belief, not a factual one. Not all priests were sex offenders, but the assumption that none of them could be, led to more harm than our society was ultimately able to bear.
The logical extension of trans activism and indeed the constant demand on women and their facilities, is that we should normalise the sight of the penis in a female-assigned public space where one might typically expect female nudity. Women and their children must become comfortable with the presence of males in facilities where they attend to personal bodily needs, of which they have many.
Last year, the Wi Spa controversy, saw a man in the women’s section of a Korean Spa, sport a semi erect penis in front of a naked female child. In response, prominent British trans activist Laurie Penny replied to a mother on Twitter asking what a she might tell a girl child to in such a situation by saying she should tell her daughter, to ‘not to stare at other people’s genitals without their permission, because it’s rude’. This advice aims at shaming the girl child for being uncomfortable around a grown man’s semi-erect genitalia.
The trans identified man in the Wi Spa incident was later confirmed to be a registered sex offender and was charged for indecent exposure, even though he had every legal right under California law to be in the facility. The woman who brought the story to the public’s attention, by confronting the staff on video, was vilified in the press and roundly accused of lying and transphobia.
Women are being forcefully recruited into a project of cultural re-engineering that requires women and girls to bury natural instincts and natural trauma responses in the presence of adult males, even if the men are exposing their genitalia.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that 1 in 6 women have been sexually assaulted as adults and more than twice that as children. So, if any given female facility is being used by more than five or so people we can safely assume it is being accessed by a survivor of male pattern violence and specifically sexual assault.
Women have a disproportionate need for facilities in the workplace, not just because of the complexities of the female protective instincts and trauma responses, but because of menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the kind of problems that can be caused by birth injuries.
Not many women want to talk to their boss about sexual trauma, incontinence, or heavy bleeding. The dignity of attending to our issues in a single sex environment is a luxury we are being forced to abandon along with our knowledge that humans don’t change sex.
The mental health comfort and ongoing safety of women and girls is never a consideration in any modern equity bench-marking or progressive policy. The policies that now dominate the management of women’s facilities, stand in stark contrast to the reality of sex that women face in workplaces every day. Sexual abuse survivors are given no consideration as to their feelings about having males in female spaces, and no impact studies are being done on the mental health of women who are self-excluding from facilities, services and events that now include males.
What we are being asked for, instead, is to present evidence that Self ID is negatively impacting the lives of women and girls with rising cases of sexual assault. What they want to see is the bodies of raped women and children, and that in vast number, and that peer reviewed, before they will even consider reversing harmful loss of sex-based rights and protections for women and girls.
Girls between 10 and 14 are the most vulnerable individuals in our society to sexual assault, and that is just on conviction statistics. These girls are being told by ‘progressive’ government funded sexuality education that their instincts are discriminatory, and that they have no natural or legal right to seek a space that excludes males. Girls are being told that they must trust the word of a male if they tell you they are a female ‘inside’, and to trust self-declared ‘women’ in the same way they trust a woman.
Government funded groups like ACON, who dominate workplace bathroom policy, should be legally held to account, in my opinion, for the experience of women at work and the lies they teach our daughters. Women need to make political trouble for these organisations. Ask your union if they guarantee single sex facilities, and remember, any shame they place on you for asking for a boundary between you and a male is rape culture and the shame belongs to them.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/women-must-defend-their-single-sex-spaces/
************************************3 February, 2023
Queensland protesters face court charged with disrupting state parliament
More than a dozen people charged over a protest staged in Queensland parliament last year, including the wife of the man who headed the state government's integrity probe, have faced court.
It is alleged a group of climate activists caused parliamentary proceedings to be paused for several minutes in November, after they stood up in the public gallery and began chanting.
Some of the men and women, aged between their 20s and 80s, were holding banners with messages opposing new resource projects in the state.
Fourteen people were charged with disrupting the legislature, including Lee Coaldrake, the wife of Peter Coaldrake, who led an independent review into culture and accountability in the public sector.
The other members of the group include Aisling Geraghty, Lisa McDermott, David and Judith Rasborsek, John and Rae Sheridan, Sasha Steindl, Dianne Tucker, Robin Keller, Miree Le Roy, Ian Hawksworth, Wendy Hawsworth and Tracey Hickey.
Mrs Sheridan and Ms Steindl were also charged with failing to comply with the direction of the speaker.
They each appeared briefly for the first time in the Brisbane Magistrates Court this morning, where their matters were adjourned to next month.
The group are all on bail and as part of their conditions were ordered by the court to stay away from the grounds of Parliament House.
Mrs Coaldrake said there was a "general overreach" across all levels of government in Australia, in relation to attempting to "silence protesters". "It's not about the court or us being punished, we are here because we are not acting appropriately or urgently enough on climate change," she said.
"What we have in common is a belief in the science and also we're terrified about what the future holds for our children and grandchildren."
Her co-accused, Ms Le Roy, said she believed there had been a "crackdown" on climate protesters and could not understand why they were being "targeted" at the same time the nation was experiencing increasing natural disaster events.
"I'm not sure why the people who are supposed to protect us are walking away and actually trying to punish people who are trying to sound the alarm," she said.
Another co-accused, Mrs Hawksworth, said "we are not criminals by any stretch of the imagination".
"We just have a moral duty," she said. "[The protests are] always non disruptive and non-violent – always peaceful."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-01/queensland-parliament-protest-lee-coaldrake-climate/101915856
*****************************************************Resisting the Left’s ideological war on Australia
Lyle Shelton
We can’t go on like this. Alice Springs is burning and the radical Left is waging war on our legitimacy. Nothing will placate their demands.A treaty won’t, a ‘Voice’ won’t.
Wokeism’s insistence that we continue to ignore fatherlessness and family breakdown means the kids will stay on the streets.
A Voice to a Parliament that can’t even define a woman, let alone a family – the basic building block of society and the hope for every child of the human race – can offer no answers.
Changing the date of Australia Day won’t placate the rage of the Lidia Thorpes or the stop the passive-aggressive patronising of the Linda Burneys.
If the problem is ‘the invasion’, a new national day can’t be the solution.
But when the annual Australia Day tumult and the shouting dies down, we are still left with arguably the most desirable nation on the planet.
New citizens from Asia and Africa scratch their heads.
Waves of non-white immigrants, who love the new life our culture and political institutions, give testament to the fact that we are some of the least racist people on Earth.
Yet the left want to burn it all down.
For the first time in our history, the national government is actively undermining Australia Day.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said staff employed by the Department of Finance were free to give our national day a miss, making the Prime Minister’s assurance there were ‘no plans’ to change the date sound disingenuous at best.
Woke corporations such as Tennis Australia, Cricket Australia and the media promote ‘Pride’ and gender-affirmation to children, but eschew pride in our nation.
For example, Tennis Australia refused to acknowledge Australia Day but held a ‘Pride Day’ at the Australian Open.
Toxic identity politics is killing national cohesion.
Displaying an Australian flag on Australia Day feels like an act of rebellion. Flying the rainbow flag is safer.
Our flag has become a symbol of resistance against our Woke elite overlords.
Despite all the fuss, the reality is the Australian nation exists. It is not going away.
The starter’s gun in the race to claim what was then called New Holland was fired by governments in London and Paris in 1787.
The British fleet beat the two French frigates of La Pérouse by just four days. That was a photo finish.
That is why Governor Arthur Phillip hoisted the Union Jack in Sydney Cove as quickly as he could.
The date happened to be January 26, a day which started the trajectory, warts and all, of modern Australia.
What has been achieved here is extraordinary and is something every Australian from every racial background should take pride in.
Undermining pride in Australia is not the way to fix Alice Springs.
Indigenous leader Warren Mundine writes eloquently in the Australian Financial Review about his up-bringing by a mother and father who were determined not to be victims.
‘The problems in Alice Springs aren’t hard to understand. The world over, social breakdown, family violence and abuse, drug and alcohol abuse go hand in hand with kids not going to school, adults not in work and chronic intergenerational welfare dependency.
‘We were taught that you’re never a victim, and you’re just as good as any other person. But you have to get educated, work for a living and seize any opportunities you can to better yourself, your family, and your community. You have to take responsibility for your own future and not be pushed around by governments and bureaucrats. You also can’t look to them to rescue you.’
The social breakdown Mundine speaks of is of course family breakdown.
Fatherlessness is the curse that political correctness won’t let us name, although former deputy Prime Minister John Anderson raised ‘family structure’ on Sky News Australia this week when commenting on Alice Springs.
As Mundine writes, his father and mother certainly were not treated justly by the Aboriginal Protection Board of the day.
But despite our nation’s faults, it still gave him and his family the opportunity for a better future.
Despite the hand-wringing of the radical left, those opportunities still exist and will only be enhanced if we have the courage to strengthen our families and take pride in our nation.
Destroying family and destroying our national identity is sadly their project.
One of the best ways to resist and rebuild is to continue to celebrate Australia Day on January 26.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/resisting-the-lefts-ideological-war-on-australia/
****************************************************Unions and green groups clash on carbon offsets
The Australian Workers Union and Mining and Energy Union have attacked conservation and clean-energy groups trying to block fossil fuel companies from accessing carbon offsets under Labor’s tougher safeguard mechanism, warning that heavy industries could “collapse”.
The unions said the mechanism, which will force the nation’s 215 biggest-emitting facilities to slash pollution by nearly 5 per cent each year to 2030, must include Australian Carbon Credit Unit offsets and safeguard credits for fossil fuel industries to help their transition and avoid carbon leakage.
BP and Orica, which have facilities captured by the safeguard mechanism, along with the Business Council of Australia and Minerals Council of Australia have strongly backed access to carbon credits and trading to accelerate emissions reduction.
In a joint AWU-MEU submission to a Senate inquiry into Labor’s safeguard mechanism (crediting) amendment bill, the unions endorsed Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen’s draft plan but warned “it is impossible to apply a single approach to reducing emissions across many industries”. The unions, representing 90,000 blue-collar workers, said “the design of the safeguard mechanism will have a significant impact” on industrial facilities that underpin regional economies.
“Australia’s heavy industries continue to provide good pay and conditions to thousands of people across the country, and our members are keen to play a role in supporting Australia through the energy transition,” the submission said. “A successful transition of Australia’s industrial sector also has the opportunity to place Australia as a clean-energy superpower, creating new job opportunities for coal workers and across the broader economy.
“By contrast, a poor transition that fails to consider Australia’s international competitiveness could see our industries collapse.”
Amid calls from the private sector for a bipartisan agreement on the mechanism, the Coalition has flagged it will oppose the emissions crackdown while Greens leader Adam Bandt is demanding new coal and gas projects be scrapped in return for his support in the Senate.
The AWU and MEU said the mechanism, due to start in July, was the most significant energy policy imposed on heavy industry since the now-repealed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
They said higher-grade Australian thermal and metallurgical coal exports would remain essential globally for years. “Some commentary has suggested that fossil fuel projects should be excluded from the use of carbon offsets or otherwise treated differently from safeguard facilities.
“This misguided proposal fails to recognise that Australian coal and natural gas have a role to play in the world’s transition to lower emissions, and it also disregards carbon leakage risks.”
The Australian Conservation Foundation said coal and gas facilities should not have access to carbon credits and be excluded from a $600m fund supporting their low-emissions transition.
ACF climate and energy manager Gavan McFadzean told The Australian “fossil fuel industries have had a free ride on polluting with a toothless safeguard mechanism for the last seven years”.
“The fossil fuel sector has had plenty of time to prepare for this, but has chosen not to prepare and is now crying the sky is going to fall in,” Mr McFadzean said.
Orica, whose ammonium nitrate manufacturing sites in Newcastle and Gladstone fall under the safeguard mechanism, said it supported the “thrust” of the new regime but was “concerned with the erosion of the existing deemed surrender provision and investment uncertainty”.
“Deemed surrender enables an entity to surrender ACCUs to government to achieve an emissions reduction and to also receive payment under an ERF carbon abatement contract,” Orica said.
The chemical giant said deemed surrender had helped it “meet our voluntary corporate emissions reduction commitments and monetise our ACCUs”.
BP, whose facilities under the safeguard mechanism include the Kwinana refinery, said it supports a “market-based policy … to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.
“It is BP’s view that the crediting of emissions performance below the safeguard baseline and the ability to trade those credits is essential to the reformed mechanism … ” BP said. “It encourages entities to reduce their emissions beyond what is required … if it is cost-effective to do so. This supports efficiency across safeguard entities, with the market determining the lowest cost abatement pathway for the sector.”
The Australian Aluminium Council, whose members operate several bauxite mines, six alumina refineries and four aluminium smelters captured by the safeguard mechanism, said short-term carbon credits and offsets were crucial because low-emissions technologies were still being developed.
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Look back in anger at government Covid folly
Remember this joke: a teenager kills his parents and appeals to the courts for mercy as an orphan? The Australian Medical Association backed lockdown restrictions back in the day but is now complaining about the growing backlog in elective surgery. Here’s a question. Had the vast sums thrown at Covid been redirected to the leading killer diseases, using the standard quality-adjusted life year metric, how many million deaths would have been averted around the world over the next decade? The lockdown harms are showing up in excess death counts, job losses, supply chain chaos, rising cost of living, and have locked in generational poverty and inequality in and across nations. Historical illiteracy is now a job requirement for ‘experts’. Germany has burnt 17.25 million masks past their expiry date, while stockpiling more for future emergencies. Recalling Margaret Thatcher’s comment on the trouble with socialism, politicians don’t learn from mistakes made with other people’s money. The media too lived down to their description as stenographers with amnesia. The state dictated every aspect of peoples’ lives, down to the most ridiculous, absurd and intimate details. With no known cure for blind faith in governments, people embraced compliance with draconian directives from politicians proffering iron fists as a magic bullet.
Lockdowns were a euphemism for a wholesale shutting down of social and economic activities and putting entire populations under house arrest. Neither based in science and best-practice medicine, nor commensurate with the age-stratified threat from the virus, they lasted on and off for two years with constantly shifting goalposts. As early as February-March 2020, data told us that elderly people with comorbidities were the most vulnerable. In a modern-day version of sacrificing virgins to appease the viral gods, the young have lost many more years of their life to buy a few more lonely, miserable months for the infirm old. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that lack of household exposure to kids increased Covid hospitalisation of grown-ups by 27 per cent and ICU admission by 49 per cent. They should have said: ‘Don’t be a Granny killer. Leave that to us.’
The UK Influenza Preparedness Strategy 2011 encapsulated the prevailing consensus on masks: ‘there is very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use in [the community and household] setting’. The lack of observed differences can be seen in a series of comparative charts in Ian Miller’s Unmasked: The Global Failure of Covid Mask Mandates (2022). Governments ‘nudged’ the public to exert peer pressure as a tool of social coercion, backed by sometimes brutal police action against pockets of resistance and protest. Mask mandates reflected and perpetuated the reign of fear and demonstrated broad compliance with the effort of governments to exercise population-wide social control. A highly visible symbol of collectivist compliance, masks became Mao suits for the face. The degree of coercion deployed to increase vaccine uptake would not have been possible without the ground having first been prepared with lockdowns and masks.
Japan has extraordinarily high levels of public compliance with government directives and mask wearing is all pervasive. Using Our World in Data figures, Japan hit 80 per cent full vaccination on 9 December 2021 when its Covid daily death rate was 0.01 per million. This had risen to 3.43 per million on 9 January 2023. Total deaths had increased from 18,370 to 63,777 over that period. Thus 2.5 times as many people died with Covid in the 13.5 months after full vaccination than in the 21.3 months before 80 per cent full vaccination. Yet they still refuse to entertain the notion that vaccines might be the problem, not the solution. The continued hold of the ‘safe and effective’ vaccine mantra, and face mask efficacy for controlling the coronavirus is cause for despair in official cussedness and public gullibility. The transient effectiveness of vaccines has necessitated boosters every few months. Often vaccine rollouts coincided with upsurges in infections and deaths, suggesting negative efficacy. Newer studies show successive doses are less effective and repeated doses may be driving infections by damaging immune function. When vaccines began to be administered at the end of 2020, 1.9 million people had died with Covid globally. Another 4.8 million have died since then. Added to the growing toll of vaccine injuries, this has discredited officials and experts who claimed the vaccines would prevent infection, transmission, severe illness and death. Yet all that matters to zealots is how many arms are jabbed and how often.
With help from the media, social media (thank you, Elon Musk, for the Twitter Files) and police, people were frightened, shamed and brutalised into submission to arbitrary and authoritarian diktats. Governments deployed state propaganda to instil fear of the disease and shame all effort to question edicts. Turning the debate from a scientific discourse into a moral imperative facilitated the demonisation and denigration of critical voices on the lethality of the virus, the effectiveness and ethics of lockdowns, masks and vaccine mandates, and the harms inflicted by these interventions. Calls have grown for an immediate suspension of vaccinations until the unusually strong correlation with excess deaths, heart problems and female reproduction are properly investigated. Instead, suspicions become only stronger that regulators have become vaccine-enablers first, more committed to defend vaccines from criticism than protect people from harmful vaccines. The media switched from exposing official lies to amplifying them. One dispiriting lesson of the last three years is people will ‘live happily ever after’ as long as the media ignores how governments trample our freedoms while claiming to keep us safe.
On every major point of contention in managing the pandemic, the Great Barrington Declaration was right. Fearmongers-in-chief like Neil Ferguson, Anthony Fauci (whose omniscience deserted him during deposition) and their local ‘useful idiots’ were wrong. The common sense distilled into the few words of the Declaration was an uncommon virtue. The three scientist-authors – from Harvard, Oxford and Stanford! – were taken down savagely and belittled as ‘fringe epidemiologists’. This malfeasance was compounded by the cowardice of political leaders hiding behind ‘Follow the Science’ that mistook a slogan for policy and let loose upon democratic societies previously unimaginable acts and scenes of censorship, coercion and brutality which have gradually eroded trust in authorities and institutions. Recovery and healing will be difficult without accountability, punishment and robust institutional guardrails against repeating episodes of the abuses.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/01/look-back-in-anger-5/
************************************2 February, 2023
Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson demands Ita Buttrose retract ‘white supremacy’ stories
The mayor of Alice Springs has demanded ABC chair Ita Buttrose retract multiple stories on the public broadcaster that claimed the town’s community forum on Monday was beset by sentiments of “white supremacy”.
Matt Paterson said the reports that aired nationally on the ABC following Monday’s meeting at the Alice Springs Convention Centre were a complete misrepresentation of what took place and “it could not be further from the truth”.
“Ita Buttrose should retract the stories and issue a public statement of apology to the community of Alice Springs,” he told The Australian. “I was in the meeting and I’m not a white supremacist”.
He said he would give the ABC 24 hours to do so or he would be filing a formal complaint with the organisation.
The ABC aired several reports, including a live cross to its Indigenous affairs correspondent outside the Alice Springs Convention Centre, during which she stated: “People were leaving early and streaming out of that Convention Centre in Alice Springs, we spoke to some who were quite emotional.
“One resident who was non-indigenous said the meeting was, quote, ‘a disgusting display of white supremacy’.”
Mr Paterson said the community was “already full of anxiety” and this story was only “adding fuel to the fire”.
“This story is not correct and now has national media attention and it’s why the Alice Springs community loses faith with the rest of the country, because of these stories that portray as all as racists and it’s absolutely not the case,” he said.
The suggestion that the forum was a “white supremacist fest” were also refuted by Country Liberal Party MP Josh Burgoyne who was born and raised in Alice Springs.
He told Sky News Australia host Andrew Bolt on Tuesday night the public broadcaster’s reports were “extraordinarily disappointing”.
“I was at the meeting yesterday afternoon, what I witnessed was actually a coming together of the community,” Mr Burgoyne said on Sky News on Tuesday night. “It showed that people in Alice Springs had had enough.”
Sydney’s 2GB breakfast radio host also Ben Fordham also took aim at the ABC’s coverage on Wednesday morning.
Fordham referenced some of the comments that he said the ABC had “cherrypicked” from people outside the meeting, and accused the broadcaster of only covering one side of the story.
“And there were no examples given of the so-called ‘white supremacy’.”
Issues discussed at the meeting included the rising crime rates in the town and whether class action should be taken against the Northern Territory government for its failure to address the problem.
Indigenous leader Warren Mundine said on Sky News Australia the ABC’s reporting was “disgraceful”.
“They … just spoke to a small handful of people and they made out there’s sort of like some Ku Klux Klan meeting going inside which could be no further from the truth,” he said.
“These are decent Australian citizens black and white who were there to resolve a whole lot of issues happening in that community.”
However the ABC defended its reporting of the community event.
“The ABC’s long-running reporting on the issues facing Alice Springs has included a range of perspectives and will continue to canvass people’s views and experiences as coverage continues,” a spokeswoman said.
“Many strong and conflicting views and opinions are expressed within the community, including some confronting views and the news coverage reflects that and doesn’t shy away from it.”
Despite being heavily critical of some of the ABC’s reporting, both Mr Paterson and Mr Burgoyne commended the public broadcaster’s local reporters who are stationed permanently in the area.
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No acknowledgment of Aboriginal country for Gold Coast council. Mayor says national anthem is 'enough'
The City of Gold Coast is the largest council in Queensland that does not conduct an acknowledgement of country at its ordinary meetings, which instead begin with a prayer and the national anthem.
Other larger councils, including Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns and Townsville conduct acknowledgements of country.
According to the council's minutes, about 60 per cent of Queensland's local councils deliver an acknowledgement of country at the beginning of their ordinary meetings.
Mayor Tom Tate said he would take the matter on board but there would be no changes until the current term ends in March 2024. "Everything is going great here. [During] citizenship [ceremonies] we do acknowledgement," he said.
"Council business is council business. "We do our national anthem and I think it's good enough."
Speaking again on Thursday, Cr Tate said holding an acknowledgement before council meetings was "not efficient".
"You've got all the staff there, everyone is per hourly rate, I don't waste a minute on other things," he said. "We do our prayer, we do our national anthem and we get on with our business."
Cr Tate said he had not been approached by traditional owners but that he understood the council was planning to appoint an Indigenous liaison officer.
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Treasurer Chalmers’s essay is terrible economics, but a very good guide to the radical nature of the Albanese government
It’s not often I quote Paul Keating but his declaration, “when you change the government you change the country”, encapsulates the left’s mindset for government. To the left, government exists to pursue an aggressive agenda, using the organs of state to remake individuals, institutions, and society. Whereas to the right, government’s purpose is only to do what citizens can’t do for themselves, hence government should normally be smaller, not bigger.
So when Jim Chalmers talks about “reinventing capitalism”, to base markets on “values”, he’s talking about the Labor Party’s values, not yours.
Hence there’ll be even more government interference, dressed up as greater fairness, on your freedom to buy, sell, own and invest. This latest missive, from a Treasurer who hasn’t even had 12 months behind his fiscal desk, reveals a government already looking far more radical than the “safe change” platform it was elected on.
Chalmers’s essay in The Monthly is terrible economics but a very good guide to the real nature of the Albanese government that not only wants to change the way we’re governed but to make government bigger and more domineering than ever, despite the absence of any demonstrable mandate.
Before May’s election, Anthony Albanese was at pains to reassure us he’d cut electricity bills, raise real wages, and do more on climate, but only in ways that created jobs and boosted the economy. There’d be no deals with the Greens, and his role model would be Bob Hawke, the last Labor prime minister who actually delivered a budget surplus.
Exploiting Scott Morrison’s unpopularity, Albanese skilfully created the impression all he really intended to change was the identity of the prime minister. But that’s not how it’s turning out.
Pre-election, then-shadow treasurer Chalmers denied multi-employer agreements were “part of our policy” to lull business groups into a false sense of security. Post-election, the law was changed to permit industry-wide bargaining and industry-wide strikes after dragooning business into a “jobs summit” that was a pre-planned stitch-up with the unions; Hawke-Kelty in style but nothing like it in substance.
And there was more. The government pre-empted legislation to abolish the building industry watchdog by first stripping its funding. It then announced emissions-intensive industries would have to buy carbon credits at up to $75 a tonne to keep operating. Most recently, to limit the power price rises driven by attempts to prematurely retire fossil fuels, the government took the unprecedented step of imposing price controls on gas and thermal coal.
Now, the Treasurer has tried to lend a spurious intellectual rationale to this abandonment of economic responsibility via supposedly reinventing capitalism to deal with what he calls the “poly-crisis” of war, pandemic, climate change and inflation. Markets are not perfect but they’re the most efficient way to allocate scarce resources. And what Chalmers finds mysterious and attributes to the failings of markets is much more often the failure of governments: such as today’s inflation due to governments’ unfunded spending to deal with the pandemic, and supply chain bottlenecks due to government-ordered pandemic lockdowns.
Labor has form when it comes to masking economic ineptitude under a thin veneer of moralising. In a 2009 Monthly essay, Kevin Rudd claimed the global financial crisis proved the failings of capitalism. Like Chalmers, he wanted markets with a higher purpose; only in practice, his legacy was massively overpriced school halls, a multibillion-dollar failed pink batts scheme, and billions more spent on hospitals and schools without any commensurate improvement in outcomes.
In early 2012, Chalmers’s then boss, Wayne Swan, also penned a Monthly essay, but his supposedly superior insights into capitalism didn’t save him from the worst economic prediction of all: namely, his 2012 budget boast about “the four years of surpluses I announce tonight”, of which none ever arrived.
Chalmers asks: “How do we build this more inclusive and resilient economy?” His answer: “By strengthening our institutions and our capacity with a focus on the intersection of prosperity and wellbeing, on evidence, on place and community, collaboration and co-operation. By reimagining and redesigning markets – seeking value and impact, strengthening safeguards and guardrails in areas of unchecked risk. And with co-ordination and co-investment: recognising that government, business, philanthropic and investor interests and objectives are increasingly aligned and intertwined.”
This pretentious blather is worth quoting at some length because it typifies his essay, which is almost entirely devoid of any meaningful, specific content.
He seems to regard the government’s energy policy as a good example of how values-based capitalism might work. And it’s true that as long as there are consumer subsidies and government incentives for renewables, rent-seeking investors will rush to install more wind turbines and solar panels.
Unfortunately, apart from the inflated profits of the businesses restricting supply, the result of too much intermittent and not enough reliable power is much higher prices to consumers and the likely loss of all our heavy industry to jurisdictions that don’t care about how power is generated; just that it’s cheap and 24/7. The problems in our energy markets are much less from any market failure than from successive governments trying to run them to reduce emissions rather than for optimal power generation.
The Treasurer also seems to regard the nation’s compulsory superannuation balances as the perfect place for governments-that-know-best to partner with impact investors to advance a “social purpose economy”. In practice, though, this means the union-dominated super funds not investing our money to maximise returns to us but to meet the political imperatives of government.
What Chalmers fails to appreciate (and his doctorate is in political science, not economics; his thesis was “Brawler Statesman: Paul Keating and prime ministerial leadership in Australia”) is that what he refers to as “capitalism” is just ordinary human freedom in the economic sphere.
No country has taxed and regulated its way to prosperity, although plenty of governments have tried; always to their citizens’ cost. Likewise, while there are some things that only government can do, such as defending the nation and exercising physical force over citizens, there are no goods or services the public sector can provide more efficiently than the private sector, if the private sector is prepared to invest.
Chalmers is going beyond the obvious point that markets can only operate within a framework of law that government sets. His sermonising against the way markets have operated in Australia, including under the Hawke government, can only mean more regulation, higher taxes, sweetheart deals with rent-seeking big business and big unions, and government forcing money to move from more to less efficient parts of the economy.
“Reinvented capitalism” means stopping us from doing what we want, in favour of forcing us to do what government wants. If Chalmers’s essay is the government’s road map, forget the PM’s spin about emulating Bob Hawke. It’s on a Whitlam-esque path to becoming the most left-wing government in our history.
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Immigration minister orders changes to assessments for New Zealanders facing deportation
Most of the offenders are Maori and NZ jails are full of them already
The immigration minister has ordered his department to soften its stance on deporting New Zealanders convicted of serious crimes, saying how long they have lived in Australia should now be made a top consideration.
Australia has deported hundreds of New Zealanders using laws made almost a decade ago that allowed long-term residents to be deported on character grounds, as well as those who had been sentenced to a prison term of at least 12 months.
The most common reasons for visa cancellations of any nationality were drug offences, child sex offences and domestic violence offences.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said the government had told the department to take a "common sense" approach.
"Under these changes the Department of Home Affairs must now consider the length of time someone has lived in the Australian community as one of the primary considerations when determining whether to cancel someone’s visa," the spokesperson said.
"Where individuals pose a risk to the community, the Australian government will continue to cancel their visas and remove them."
Successive New Zealand governments have complained that the people deported to New Zealand had no meaningful links to the country or had spent most of their life in Australia.
New Zealand's recently departed prime minister Jacinda Ardern in 2019 labelled the policy "corrosive" to the country's relationship with Australia during a joint press conference with then-prime minister Scott Morrison.
Ms Ardern raised the issue again with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following his election win, where he said Australia would not change its core position on deportations, but that his government would take New Zealand's concerns into consideration "as friends".
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the decision was a welcome "first step".
"The acknowledgement on the Australian side that actually some of the people that we are talking about have had a long history in Australia – some of them have been there since they were very young children – and sending them to New Zealand when they have no connections here other than a very historic one isn’t really a fair or just outcome," Mr Hipkins said.
"I think the acknowledgement of that by the Australians is very, very welcome.
Mr Hipkins said further work with Australia around visa cancellations would continue, as well as "the general treatment of New Zealanders living in Australia".
"That's something that was discussed with Jacinda Ardern in the first meeting that was held," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in Perth.
"Some common sense needs to be applied here between Australia and New Zealand.
"But we retain, of course, our right to take action on the basis that it's appropriate action."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-01/new-zealanders-facing-deportation-new-assessments/101914758
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Youth and age
Two generations of Leftism
It's interesting to note how the young face differs from the older face -- smoother.
Yes: Several people have remarked that Ryan has had the Rugg pulled from under her
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NT Police and attorney-general to argue Zachary Rolfe should be forced to front Kumanjayi Walker inquest, with protective certificate
Rolfe was found not guilty by a jury but that is not enough where Aborigines are concerned. He should never heve have been charged for his dealings with an aggressive black thug
Lawyers for the Northern Territory attorney-general and police force will urge the NT Court of Appeal to force Constable Zachary Rolfe to front the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, with a certificate protecting him against self-incrimination.
A jury last year found him not guilty of murder, manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death, after a five-week Supreme Court trial.
Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage is presiding over a lengthy coronial inquest into the shooting, which heard three months of evidence in Alice Springs last year, and is scheduled to resume next month.
Constable Rolfe was called briefly to the stand in November last year, but refused to answer a series of questions about fourteen topics, including his text messages and the events of the night of the shooting.
The officer claimed penalty privilege, arguing police could not be forced to answer questions which could result in an internal "penalty", or disciplinary action, being taken against them at work.
Judge Armitage had earlier ruled police could be compelled to take the stand and be given an immunity certificate, that protects inquest witnesses from incriminating themselves with their evidence.
But Constable Rolfe and his lawyers appealed against the decision in the Supreme Court, where Justice Judith Kelly ultimately ruled his argument was "untenable".
Justice Kelly found penalty privilege did not exist in the context of a coronial inquest, not only ruling that Constable Rolfe could be forced to answer questions, but he was not entitled to a protective certificate at all.
The officer has since launched an appeal, claiming Justice Kelly "erred" in her judgement, and that the coroner "cannot direct or compel the appellant" to answer questions where answers "would tend to expose the appellant to a penalty".
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Urgent call from CEDA to tackle different jobs for different genders
Why on earth does this matter? As long as there are no formal barriers, both men and women should be free to take any job for which they are qualified. Are men and women not allowed to be different?
Implementing more family-friendly policies should be among the initiatives taken to address worsening gender segregation in key industries including construction, technology, health and education, the Committee for Economic Development of Australia has found.
In a submission to the federal government’s Employment White Paper, CEDA says occupational gender segregation – where a job is done by either mostly male or female workers – remains at a high level in Australia, despite the growing proportion of women in the workforce.
According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 12 per cent of construction workers in 2018 were women compared to 14 per cent in 1998. The proportion of female workers in health care and social assistance was 79 per cent in 2018, up from 77 per cent in 1998.
CEDA chief executive Melinda Cilento said there remained a low proportion of women in traditionally male-dominated industries such as construction, mining, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and manufacturing.
“Conversely, there is a low share of men in female-dominated industries, such as health care and education, and some of these occupations have become even more segregated over time,” she said. Even in female-dominated industries, men still disproportionately held more leadership positions.
“While many social, historical and economic factors have driven this segregation, many of the remaining barriers to change are cultural – whether at the government, workplace or individual level,” Ms Cilento said. “We must tackle these entrenched cultural barriers wherever they exist.”
According to CEDA, a significant cultural barrier is access to flexible work. Rigid workplace structures and cultures that insist on fixed hours, locations and modes of attendance further entrench occupational segregation.
Since the Covid pandemic, flexible work arrangements have overtaken compensation as the highest priority for jobseekers.
CEDA says Australia has had one of the least generous and most unequal paid parental leave schemes in the OECD, with 99.5 per cent of parental leave taken by mothers.
The federal government expanded the scheme from 18 to 26 weeks in the October 2022 budget, starting in July. Changes include greater flexibility around the timing of leave taken by both parents.
Men are still 1.8 times more likely than women to be working in a STEM field five years after completing their qualification. The proportion of women studying and working in STEM has barely changed since 2015.
According to CEDA, the skilled migration system also adds to the problem, as female migrants are more likely to be secondary applicants to their partner’s visa, and to work in lower-paid occupations.
“We must break down entrenched barriers in the jobs market,” Ms Cilento said.
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Carbon taxes are useless without a technological breakthrough
Raising the cost of using a particular fuel will shift consumption to another fuel, but only if all other things are equal. Unfortunately for climate change hysterics, when it comes to CO2 emissions, all other things aren’t equal.
This is a relevant issue now Australia effectively has a CO2 tax.
Under Australia’s ‘Safeguard Mechanism’, an invention of the previous Coalition government now being ‘refined’ by Labor, Australia’s 215 largest CO2 emitting facilities will face a virtual carbon tax.
They’ve been told they need to reduce their emissions on average by 4.9 per cent a year, and if they can’t manage this, they may buy carbon credits, but only if the credits cost less than an inflation-adjusted $75 a tonne.
This is effectively a tax that cuts in at the average mandated level of emissions per type of facility, and which is determined by the number of facilities that can’t meet those benchmarks and the amount of emissions they emit.
The more emissions, the higher the price, until $75 a tonne. And if the demand exceeds the supply? Well, perhaps some of those polluters will wish their industry organisations hadn’t lobbied for a price cap. They may already even be thinking that, looking at the mess a cap is making of the gas market. Those that can stay in business at those tax levels, that is.
To make this hang together in some way that keeps the Greens happy, the government needed to prove the carbon offsets market was effective. Carbon markets are susceptible to fraud, with double-dipping, poor governance, and imprecise science.
The answer to these problems, raised in an ANU critique about the Australian carbon credit market, was to appoint former Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb to do a review. Chubb gave the scheme the all-clear, subject to 16 recommendations.
Inquiries are only as good as their terms of reference and their personnel. At no stage was Chubb asked what the total carbon credit capacity of Australia is, which would determine the depth of the market and the price that should be charged. If he had, he may have discovered that Australia absorbs more than twice as much CO2 as it emits.
So, on a national basis, the cost of carbon credits ought to be zero – we are already NetZero, with surplus credits to sell to the world.
But this wouldn’t suit the narrative which is to see emissions management as a result purely of fuel-type, rather than also a function of volume. The size of the continent, which contributes to Australia’s high per capita emissions, is also the solution to them, as long as we don’t grow the population too much.
There is also another side to the use of carbon credits which points to the absurdity of carbon taxes. The fact that they need to be available at all, means the government tacitly acknowledges there are no substitutes for fossil fuels for particular uses.
Which is the whole weakness in the idea of carbon taxes. While superficially ‘efficient’ they cannot meet their aim of fuel substitution because the suitable fuels do not exist, or if they do, are banned from consideration by this government.
There are a number of results from this. One is that rather than substituting one fuel type for another they end up substituting one highly-taxed location for a lower-taxed one.
Much of Australia’s emissions under the various regimes in place under previous and current governments have merely been exported to China, South-East Asia more generally, and more recently South Asia, rather than reduced. Ditto for most of the rest of the hyperventilating carbonphobic world, like the EU and the balance of the Anglosphere.
Because only the 215 largest installations will have to adapt, this also represents a boost for smaller businesses. The 216th largest installation will be laughing all the way to the bank, at least in comparison to the 215th (which raises another issue, what happens if one of the 215 goes out of business?).
That’s why since 1990, when the IPCC at the Second World Conference called for a treaty on climate change, global emissions have risen over 53 per cent despite the expenditure of trillions trying to stop them rising.
There are no substitutes and carbon taxes are therefore, in effect, a subsidy to manufacturing in China and the developing world, not a mitigation strategy at all.
Carbon taxes do cause some substitution, such as from coal to gas. This has happened in a perverse way in Australia. As renewables continue to penetrate the power generation mix, there is an increased need for on-demand rapid deployment sources of power, like Open Cycle Gas Generators. In a state like South Australia they make up around 30 per cent of electricity supply.
Unfortunately for Australia the carbonphobics hate natural gas too and have made it difficult to prospect for new fields and bring them online, making gas more expensive than coal, unlike the US where it is generally cheaper. This results in a further ‘tax’ on consumers as gas, being the marginal producer, sets the price for the whole of the electricity network.
Yet even this substitution is to be banned as the governments of Australia declare that gas cannot be part of any ‘capacity mechanism’ (even though gas makes up a substantial part of AEMO’s Infrastructure Plan in 2050, the year we plan to be Net Zero).
Which is where the lack of substitutes will really cut in. Metal refineries need to operate 24/7 – you can’t ever let the metal cool in the pots. And some of them consume vast quantities of electricity. For example, Rio’s three smelters in Queensland consume about 17 per cent of state power generation, the Tomago smelter in NSW around 12 per cent.
The technologies don’t currently exist at all, or where they might exist, in the quantities required, to make these large installations viable using renewables (despite what management says). The tax squeeze is going to send them to the wall, but the world will still need their output, so it will come from somewhere else.
Bear in mind that the businesses we are talking about include power generators, steel and cement manufacturers, fertiliser and plastics manufacturers, oil refineries, and rail operators. The bulk of emissions from some of these has little to do with fuel supply, but is a by-product of their manufacturing process. For example, the coking coal used in steel manufacture cannot be replaced at the moment.
It turns out that carbon taxes are very efficient taxes, but only when it comes to putting industries out of business.
The tax wouldn’t be so dire if all existing technologies were on the table, but alongside gas, nuclear power has been ruled out by this government. Nuclear is the only viable 24/7 non-emitting source of electricity. If it were available the smelters might be safe even if the plastics, fertiliser, steel, and cement manufacturers still faced existential problems.
Bjorn Lomborg has long argued that we need to invest in researching and developing alternative technologies, rather than taxing existing technologies. To date, Australia has more or less avoided this trap, but under enthusiastic Labor, no longer. Their virtual carbon tax guarantees Australia will have an impoverishing collision with the physical limits of reality. And all for no return in global emissions.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/02/carbon-taxes-are-useless-without-a-technological-breakthrough
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