crikey--2020-12-21--The desecration of Juukan Gorge lays bare the ugly truth about our settler logic

By focusing on the particulars of Juukan Gorge and Rio Tinto , rather than the big issues at play , we 're looking to apply a sticking plaster when serious suturing is required .
This is an abridged version of an article originally published on Arena .
“ Never again ” will we see the destruction of sites of such extraordinary antiquity and cultural significance as those at Juukan Gorge .
So insists Warren Entsch MP in his emotionally charged foreword to the interim report of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia ’ s inquiry into Rio Tinto ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belonging to the Puutu , Kunti , Kurrama and Pinikura ( PKKP ) peoples .
There is no reason to believe that this is anything other than heartfelt .
Indeed , we believe that most Australians would “ never again ” want to see Australia ’ s version in 2020 of the destruction of the unique Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001 .
But there is little in this interim report , hyperbole aside , that fills us with any confidence that such destruction will not occur again .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the settler-colonial extractive logic on which the Australian nation was founded and on which it continues to prosper .
Emblematic of this , the country ’ s only broadsheet newspaper , The Australian , reported on the release of these preliminary findings and recommendations on page 5 , while on its front page it noted that China ’ s 2020 trade hit list excludes iron-ore exports , valued at $ 84.8 billion , almost exclusively sourced from the Pilbara region .
Coverage in the Australian Financial Review predictably focused on the negative economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
WA Liberal Senator Dean Smith , a member of the joint committee , lamented that the report ’ s recommendation of a stay on the destruction of sites , as allowed under section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 ( WA ) , would “ be a handbrake on the resources sector ” — a view shared by the resources sector .
“ Never again ” is a catchcry that First Nations people in Australia have heard on many occasions : never again will we tolerate stolen generations , as child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be deaths in custody , as numbers in incarceration grow ; never again will wages be stolen , as remote-living Indigenous unemployed people are subject to modern slavery-like conditions ; never again will there be rationing of food , as the parliament debates and then passes punitive and racially targeted income-management measures .
History is replete with fine intentions and many “ never agains ” , articulated with great sincerity by politicians to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples .
Much of the interim report , along with the media coverage that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particulars of Rio Tinto ’ s appalling corporate culture , actions and attempted cover-ups .
It is recommended first and foremost that Rio Tinto negotiate a restitution package with the traditional owners of Juukan Gorge , the PKKP peoples , for the destruction of the site , and that the obliterated habitation shelters be reconstructed .
The latter is a preposterous idea .
Even if such high-tech “ plastic surgery ” were possible , post-dynamite obliteration would result in a bizarre Disney-style avoidance of re-colonial reality .
Incrementally and systematically , the report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Rio Tinto up the responsibility food chain to the deficient Aboriginal Heritage Act , to the broader Western Australian experience of extraction and environmental and cultural-site destruction irrespective of the wishes of traditional owners ; to the experience only briefly alluded to beyond Western Australia ; to the apex Commonwealth laws — a tripartite layered set of legal arrangements covering Indigenous heritage : the ineffectual Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ( EPBC Act ) ; the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 ( ATSIHP Act ) that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debacle ; and the overriding Native Title Act 1993 that was carefully designed to ensure that holders of native-title rights and interests are rendered impotent to oppose mineral extraction .
The interim report quickly summarises the legal and administrative shortcomings of the EPBC Act and the ATSIHP Act and identifies the main role of the Native Title Act in heritage protection as arising through agreement making .
This is because holders and claimants of native title are only vested with a “ right to negotiate ” over extraction , with no right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inherent in this agreement-making process is revealed in the interim report : just three of 163 so-called “ future act ” applications have been successfully opposed in Western Australia under native-title law .
Even this is superior to the protection afforded to Indigenous owners under the prevailing WA legislation : of the 463 applications lodged by mining companies to destroy sites of significance under section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act since 2010 , not one has been rejected .
The report ’ s language is stronger than many and its consideration of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prior and informed consent to Indigenous owners is commendable in intent .
This might reflect the composition of the joint committee , which includes several members who have championed Indigenous rights on many occasions .
Yet ultimately the recommendations to date contain very little that might move Australia towards the report ’ s stated , titular intention , “ never again ” .
Instead , it issues words of “ encouragement ” and requests for voluntary improvements to a set of agencies antithetical to the Indigenous interests they are now being “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tinto to other mining companies in the Pilbara , all the way through to the WA government ( whose coffers are filled with royalties from those same companies ) , to a federal government that continues to participate in and benefit from ongoing processes of invasion and dispossession .
By focusing on the particulars of Juukan Gorge and Rio Tinto , the interim report is looking to apply a sticking plaster when serious suturing is required .
Is it possible for representatives of the Australian parliament , established by invader constitutional fiat that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to own and extract mineral wealth in corporate and national interests ) , to adequately represent pre-existing sovereign interests ?
There are competing , arguably irreconcilable logics at play here , one dominant , one subordinate : will the Australian settler state ever willingly engage in its own recalibration ?
Ensuring “ never again ” will require a new logic , one that overturns the prioritisation of rampant mineral extraction ( be it iron ore , gas or coal ) irrespective of any economic gains and ensures that corporations that transgress non-negotiable heritage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their licence to operate — not merely socially , but legally as well .
This will require an Australian state that properly prioritises the Indigenous interest over the so-called “ national interest ” .
Sadly , nothing in living memory suggests that any government is up to embracing such a challenge .
Jon Altman is an emeritus professor at the School of Regulation and Global Governance , Australian National University .
Dan Tout is a lecturer in history at Federation University .

This is an abridged version of an article originally published on Arena.
“Never again” will we see the destruction of sites of such extraordinary antiquity and cultural significance as those at Juukan Gorge. So insists Warren Entsch MP in his emotionally charged foreword to the interim report of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia’s inquiry into Rio Tinto’s destruction of the 46,000-year-old habitation sites belonging to the Puutu, Kunti, Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) peoples.
There is no reason to believe that this is anything other than heartfelt. Indeed, we believe that most Australians would “never again” want to see Australia’s version in 2020 of the destruction of the unique Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001.


crikey--2020-12-21--It was the biggest political scandal of the year. Yet somehow, no one was to blame

Additional reporting by Else Kennedy , Wing Kuang and Anthony Marsico .
It was one of the most egregious cases @ @ @ @ @ history .
Yet after a chaotic year , sports rorts has all but slipped from @ @ @ @ @ two of an oral history of the sports rorts affair , pieced together from first-hand @ @ @ @ @ contemporaneous accounts and evidence from Senate hearings .

Additional reporting by Else Kennedy, Wing Kuang and Anthony Marsico.
It was one of the most egregious cases of pork-barrelling in Australian political history. Yet after a chaotic year, sports rorts has all but slipped from memory.
This is part two of an oral history of the sports rorts affair, pieced together from first-hand interviews with key participants, contemporaneous accounts and evidence from Senate hearings.


crikey--2020-12-21--Australia just got one step closer to a High Court selected on ideological grounds

Keep your eye on Amanda Stoker .
The new assistant minister to the attorney-general has some big ideas about the @ @ @ @ @ Scott Morrison ’ s pre-Christmas ministerial shuffle has passed without much notice -- unsurprising given @ @ @ @ @ country would be able to name any of the affected MPs .
A bit of @ @ @ @ @ Alan Tudge being sent to education to underline the government ’ s contempt for that @ @ @ @ @ about it .
For the afficionados , however , there was one minor elevation on @ @ @ @ @ placed .
Queensland LNP Senator Amanda Stoker , who was given George Brandis ’ Senate @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , has risen from the backbench to the role of assistant minister to the @ @ @ @ @ the media like to call a “ firebrand ” , and she has noisily established @ @ @ @ @ of the religious right wing of the Coalition .
She is anti-abortion , anti-euthanasia , @ @ @ @ @ be a “ choice ” .
You get the idea .

Scott Morrison’s pre-Christmas ministerial shuffle has passed without much notice — unsurprising given that almost nobody in the country would be able to name any of the affected MPs. A bit of excitement in the Twitterverse about Alan Tudge being sent to education to underline the government’s contempt for that sector, but that was about it.
For the afficionados, however, there was one minor elevation on which a marker should be placed. Queensland LNP Senator Amanda Stoker, who was given George Brandis’ Senate seat when he retired in 2018, has risen from the backbench to the role of assistant minister to the attorney-general.
Stoker is what the media like to call a “firebrand”, and she has noisily established herself as an up-and-coming member of the religious right wing of the Coalition. She is anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia, anti-transgender and considers sexuality to be a “choice”. You get the idea.


crikey--2020-12-21--Second COVID wave risks exposing system built on cocky wire and string

Shutting the borders is easy .
Developing sound public policy is much harder .
The devil is always in the @ @ @ @ @ response to the threatened second wave of coronavirus is proof of the poor public policy @ @ @ @ @ Daniel Andrews has rightfully apologised for the monumental failings of the Victorian hotel quarantine program @ @ @ @ @ let down by a system -- and politicians -- that eschewed planning and delivered a @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
But there is a mighty lesson for other states in the Coate report @ @ @ @ @ has been given star billing during the pandemic lockdown .
Queensland has had fewer cases @ @ @ @ @ its perceived strong decision-making and largely compliant population has won acclaim internationally .

The devil is always in the detail, and the unfolding response to the threatened second wave of coronavirus is proof of the poor public policy that now governs us.
Daniel Andrews has rightfully apologised for the monumental failings of the Victorian hotel quarantine program. Victorians deserve to feel let down by a system — and politicians — that eschewed planning and delivered a shoddy response to an unfolding pandemic.
But there is a mighty lesson for other states in the Coate report — including Queensland, which has been given star billing during the pandemic lockdown. Queensland has had fewer cases than other states, and its perceived strong decision-making and largely compliant population has won acclaim internationally.


crikey--2020-12-22--What is Victoria’s ban on ‘conversion therapy’ actually trying to achieve?

As the Victorian Parliament considers a ban on various forms of so-called conversion therapy , serious questions arise about the @ @ @ @ @ children and the role played by parents , teachers , religious people and professional groups @ @ @ @ @ Court case about children and transgenderism has highlighted the philosophical battles over the first duty @ @ @ @ @ to “ do no harm ” .
Earlier this month the UK High Court heard @ @ @ @ @ Keira Bell , who brought a judicial review against the Tavistock clinic , England ’ @ @ @ @ @ centre .
Bell went to the clinic at the age of 16 where she was @ @ @ @ @ ” , the feeling of alienation from one ’ s birth sex .
After three @ @ @ @ @ given puberty blocking drugs , then testosterone treatment and a double mastectomy .

A recent UK High Court case about children and transgenderism has highlighted the philosophical battles over the first duty of medicine, which is to “do no harm”.
Earlier this month the UK High Court heard the testimony of 23-year-old woman Keira Bell, who brought a judicial review against the Tavistock clinic, England’s only specialist youth gender-identity centre.
Bell went to the clinic at the age of 16 where she was diagnosed with “gender dysphoria”, the feeling of alienation from one’s birth sex. After three short consultations, she was given puberty blocking drugs, then testosterone treatment and a double mastectomy.


crikey--2020-01-31--Parliament faces an age-old problem

Parliament faces an age-old problem

While millennials are forming governments around the world , Australia 's MPs are bucking the trend ... and they 're @ @ @ @ @ After years of being maligned as lazy , millennials are now running countries .

After years of being maligned as lazy, millennials are now running countries.
Sebastian Kurz, sworn in as Austria’s chancellor in January, is just 33. Shockingly, it isn’t Kurz’s first rodeo — he held the position between 2017 and 2019, first elected at the tender age of 31.
Meanwhile, 30-something leaders are having a moment in Europe. In December, Sanna Marin became prime minister of Finland at 34. Oleksiy Honcharuk, prime minister of Ukraine, is 35.


crikey--2020-01-31--Morrison delivers big fossil fuel win for major donor Santos

Gas companies are the big winners from a federal-NSW energy deal purporting to fund renewable energy projects .
And among @ @ @ @ @ country 's biggest political donors .
Scott Morrison 's energy deal with NSW , announced @ @ @ @ @ huge win for fossil fuel company Santos , a major political donor with extensive ties @ @ @ @

Scott Morrison’s energy deal with NSW, announced this morning, is a huge win for fossil fuel company Santos, a major political donor with extensive ties to the Coalition.
Morrison’s deal with Gladys Berejiklian’s Coalition government will provide $960 million in funding, mostly through loans, for renewable energy projects and grid infrastructure in exchange for “commitments from the NSW Government to facilitate investment opportunities to inject an additional 70 petajoules of gas per year into the east coast market” and “an undertaking from the NSW Government to remove barriers to coal supply to the Mount Piper Power Station”.
At the National Press Club on Wednesday, Morrison argued expanding natural gas supply for power generation represented “climate action now”, that “we need to get the gas from under our feet” and that “there is no credible energy transition plan for an economy like Australia in particular, that does not involve the greater use of gas as an important transition fuel”.


crikey--2020-02-03--Financial firms hedged their bets on election outcome

Financial firms hedged their bets on election outcome A look at political donations by the Big Four accounting firms shows @ @ @ @ @ a bet each way on the election outcome .
It appears that all of Australia @ @ @ @ @ hedged their bets as to who would win the 2019 federal election , with each @ @ @ @ @ middle for the Labor Party and Liberal Party , with most tossing a small amount @ @ @ @ @ for good measure .

It appears that all of Australia’s major accounting firms hedged their bets as to who would win the 2019 federal election, with each largely splitting donations down the middle for the Labor Party and Liberal Party, with most tossing a small amount to a National Party branch for good measure.
The Big Four firms — PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young — receive billions of dollars from taxpayers each year thanks to government contracts; political donations are less about ideology and more about making an investment in future income security.


crikey--2020-02-03--Who were the most generous major party donors?

The majority of the money came from the sources you 'd expect ...
The annual donations data dump gives us @ @ @ @ @ major political parties get their money from .
Between out-and-out donations and what the AEC @ @ @ @ @ ( where the donor technically got something for their money ) , here are the @ @ @ @ @ year :

The annual donations data dump gives us our best glimpse into who major political parties get their money from. Between out-and-out donations and what the AEC calls “other receipts” (where the donor technically got something for their money), here are the biggest spenders of the last year:
ALP
Unsurprisingly, Labor got the majority of its funds from various affiliated unions. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union gave $280,000, the Electrical Trades Union $1.25 million, the CFMMEU gave $850,000, United Voice $950,000 and the shoppies donated a million (plus another $38,000 or so from various state branches).


crikey--2020-02-03--Minor parties, major cash

Minor parties, major cash

How much money is flowing into the minor parties ?
And what impact is it having on policy and election @ @ @ @ @ be small , but that does n't mean they are n't spending big money .
@ @ @ @ @ the political players who splashed their cash at the last election -- and how effective @ @ @ @ @

The parties might be small, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t spending big money. Crikey takes a look at the political players who splashed their cash at the last election — and how effective that spending has been.
United Australia Party
Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party (UAP) failed to win a single seat in last year’s federal election despite beating out every other party in political donations and expenditure, according to the Australian Electoral Council’s political donations records released today.


crikey--2020-02-03--How fossil fuel donations dominated the 2019 election

Record levels of fossil fuel donations were pumped into our political system last year .
Advocates for climate action were @ @ @ @ @ from fossil fuel interests dominated federal politics in 2018-19 as Clive Palmer 's historic spending @ @ @ @ @ , Australian Electoral Commission figures for 2018-19 show .

Political donations from fossil fuel interests dominated federal politics in 2018-19 as Clive Palmer’s historic spending dominated the federal election campaign, Australian Electoral Commission figures for 2018-19 show.
Palmer’s company Mineralogy handed his United Australia Party (UAP) more than $83 million in by far the largest political donation ever made, aimed at preventing Labor from winning the election. Palmer, a climate sceptic, is pushing for the development of mammoth coal mines in Queensland’s Galilee Basin via his coal company Waratah Coal, which also donated $150,000 to the UAP.
Right-wing industrial relations employer group the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association was also a major donor, handing more than $160,000 to the Coalition and $77,000 to Labor across different branches.


crikey--2020-02-02--Speered on Aunty: the new Insiders boldly remakes an institution

David Speers replaced Barrie Cassidy perhaps a little too well , delivering the toughest political interview seen on the ABC @ @ @ @ @ is a funny old thing .
Stick a program on air and if it survives @ @ @ @ @ an institution ; one day the host is not just the host but “ legendary @ @ @ @ @ .

Television is a funny old thing. Stick a program on air and if it survives for long enough it becomes an institution; one day the host is not just the host but “legendary” and “indispensable”.
But suddenly someone else is fronting the cameras, and instantly the result is so good that the previous program recedes into the distance — just as the arrival of Daniel Craig as James Bond caused a sharp revision as to what we all thought about Pierce Brosnan.
And so to Insiders, the ABC’s Sunday morning political gabfest, which began its new era in the best way possible yesterday. David Speers, a 45-year-old hot daddy* political nerd and asylum seeker from Sky News, calmly and methodically ripped the nation’s treasurer a new one.


crikey--2020-02-02--Record Labor war chest couldn’t compete with Liberal and Palmer onslaught

Today 's political donations data shows that money dominates Australian politics , now more than ever .
A $ 50 @ @ @ @ @ its biggest since Kevin '07 -- was insufficient to get Labor over the line at @ @ @ @ @ .
Today 's political donation data , released by the AEC , shows that the @ @ @ @ @ its leadership turmoil to equal its main opponent 's fundraising effort , political donation data @ @ @ @ @ shows .
But Clive Palmer outspent both of them with the biggest ever intervention in @ @ @

A $50 million election war chest — its biggest since Kevin ’07 — was insufficient to get Labor over the line at last year’s federal election. Today’s political donation data, released by the AEC, shows that the Liberal Party able to overcome its leadership turmoil to equal its main opponent’s fundraising effort, political donation data released by the AEC today shows. But Clive Palmer outspent both of them with the biggest ever intervention in Australian politics.
With Bill Shorten expected to win over a chaotic Coalition last May, federal Labor dramatically upped its fundraising and turned over just under $50 million in the course of 2018-19, its best year since 2007-08 when the prospect of a Rudd-led Labor victory fueled a surge in donations.


crikey--2020-02-02--McKenzie goes, but the stench of corruption remains

McKenzie goes , but the stench of corruption remains The community sports infrastructure program was always designed to be rorted @ @ @ @ @ rorting has now become the officially endorsed standard of the Morrison government .
Scott Morrison @ @ @ @ @ media 's traditional obsession with political personalities over systems and structures will apply to the @ @ @ @ @ that the sacking of Bridget McKenzie will bring an end to it before parliament begins @ @ @

Scott Morrison will be desperately hoping the media’s traditional obsession with political personalities over systems and structures will apply to the sports rorts scandal — and that the sacking of Bridget McKenzie will bring an end to it before parliament begins this week.
Given how systematic the rort was, that shouldn’t be the case — and the outrageous “review” by Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Phil Gaetjens that allegedly cleared McKenzie of everything but a trivial technical breach over a gun club membership should serve to focus on how deeply corrupt this government is.
McKenzie was only ever rorter inter pares, the minister who signed off — without legal authority — on the rorts, but it would have been anyone occupying that role in the lead-up to the election.


crikey--2020-02-03--The political donors you’ve probably never heard about

The political donors you ’ ve probably never heard about Millions of dollars flows to both major political parties each @ @ @ @ @ the places you might expect .
A lot of the money spent on our two @ @ @ @ @ last financial year came from expected and obvious places -- big business , unions , @ @ @ @ @ entities of the parties themselves .

A lot of the money spent on our two major political parties in the last financial year came from expected and obvious places — big business, unions, industry associations and well-known associated entities of the parties themselves.
However, a few very influential donors might not be quite so familiar, and are definitely worth knowing about.
The Greenfields Foundation
The Liberal-affiliated Greenfields Foundation brought in $950,000 to the Liberal Party in 2018-19. But it’s worth noting that Greenfields has a long and controversial history with the party.


crikey--2020-02-03--Spend a buck, gain a thousand: Big Four political donations reach record levels

While big bank donations to parties have dried up , the world 's big consulting firms have replaced them as @ @ @ @ @ all while taxpayers hand more and more money back .
2018-19 was another big year @ @ @ @ @ Four consulting firms , with Deloitte , EY , KPMG and PriceWaterhouseCoopers ( PwC ) @ @ @ @ @ in donations to the major parties .

2018-19 was another big year for donations from the Big Four consulting firms, with Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) together reaching a new record in donations to the major parties.
The firms jointly donated $1.02 million to political parties’ state and federal branches during the year, according to data released yesterday by the Australian Electoral Commission. That was up from $916,000 in 2017-18.
Big Four donations have steadily risen in recent years to the point where they represent one of the largest sources of political contributions.


crikey--2020-02-03--Revamped Q&A brings the nation together (even the climate denialists)

Revamped Q & A brings the nation together ( even the climate denialists ) Hamish Macdonald 's first outing as @ @ @ @ @ had more than a few divisive moments .
Will it last ?
Poor Hamish Macdonald @ @ @ @ @ truth in media that journalists can ’ t advertise their new program without appearing to @ @ @ @ @ poseur .

Poor Hamish Macdonald. It is a universal truth in media that journalists can’t advertise their new program without appearing to be a bit of a poseur.
It’s impossible to avoid. So sympathies for the new Q&A host as he has dutifully trotted all over the ABC to promote the revamped panel discussion as a kind of national “R U OK?” conversation.
Last night’s debut was quite a departure for a program that since 2008 has often hinged on stunt casting and divisive moments — Zaky Mallah, Mona Eltahawy — in the hope of generating as many provocative headlines as possible.


crikey--2020-02-04--Another miracle? Joyce fail leaves PM’s moral compass unchallenged

Barnaby Joyce has lost a bid to return as deputy prime minister — surely a relief for Christian Scott Morrison @ @ @ @ @ grounds .

Scott Morrison can breathe a sigh of relief.
Barnaby Joyce’s bungled leadership challenge means the Nat will not return to the deputy prime ministership, hopefully putting an end to more Coalition instability.
But beyond Coalition disunity, there could be more personal reasons for any reluctance by the prime minister to have Joyce as his deputy.


crikey--2020-02-04--A short history of News Corp’s war on Adam Bandt

As soon as Adam Bandt emerged as front-runner for the Greens leadership , The Australian sprang into action against one @ @ @ @ @ .
Adam Bandt , having run uncontested , has taken over as leader of the @ @ @ @ @ 's shock resignation yesterday .

Adam Bandt, having run uncontested, has taken over as leader of the Greens after Richard Di Natale’s shock resignation yesterday.
And The Australian has wasted no time in showing what kind of media treatment Bandt can expect. As soon as he emerged as front runner, the national broadsheet sprang into action.
The Australian — which is yet to identify a Green it would endorse as leader of the Greens — responded to the news by reminding its readers of what a “radical” Bandt is.


crikey--2020-02-04--Advice to Bandt’s Greens: it’s time to get arrested again, but make sure you dress well

Advice to Bandt ’ s Greens : it ’ s time to get arrested again , but make sure you @ @ @ @ @ the new leader of the Greens .
What happens next is anyone 's guess .
@ @ @ @ @ LEADERSHIP WIN !
UNANIMOUS VOTE OF CENTRAL COMMITTEE AS DOVE DESCENDS FROM BREAK IN CLOUDS @ @ @ @ @ 'S BIRTH !

GLORIOUS ADAM BANDT IN GREENS LEADERSHIP WIN! UNANIMOUS VOTE OF CENTRAL COMMITTEE AS DOVE DESCENDS FROM BREAK IN CLOUDS OVER SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAINTOP OF BANDT’S BIRTH!
That is how I imagine the rightoid press will cover the elevation of the Greens’ new leader this morning.
Bandt was elected unopposed, a recognisably “left” candidate against a more centrist leadership option of either Sarah Hanson-Young or Nick McKim.


crikey--2020-02-04--Joyce’s denialist revolt turns Nats into a joke, government into a shambles

After years of Liberal leadership turmoil , now it 's the National Party 's turn to embarrass the Coalition .
@ @ @ @ @ close former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce came to seizing the deputy prime ministership this morning @ @ @ @ @ reveal the numbers .
But the fact that he was a serious contender in any @ @ @ @ @ government is becoming .

We don’t know how close former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce came to seizing the deputy prime ministership this morning. The Nationals won’t reveal the numbers. But the fact that he was a serious contender in any way reveals how farcical the government is becoming.
Scott Morrison has endured a nightmare start to the year, all of it of his own creation. There’s his climate denialism, and that of his party. There’s his loss of political judgment in relation to the bushfire catastrophe. And there’s the extraordinary and blatant rorting of taxpayer money that went on in the community sports infrastructure program, with the connivance of his own office.
But Joyce’s attempt to recover the position that he was forced to resign two years ago can only have left Liberals agog at the self-indulgence of sections of the Nationals Party.


crikey--2020-02-04--Media missing in action on political donations yet again

Media missing in action on political donations yet again Yesterday 's political donation data dump should have been a massive @ @ @ @ @ the mainstream media ?
Another year of donations data has passed and , sadly , @ @ @ @ @ disappointing effort by the mainstream media in terms of covering the news , seeking reaction @ @ @ @ @

Another year of donations data has passed and, sadly, we’ve had another disappointing effort by the mainstream media in terms of covering the news, seeking reaction and calling for reform.
This is especially so given 2018-19 was a federal election year with record revenues and spending reported by both sides.
Unlike Crikey, which produced five stories on the data yesterday, and several more today, News Corp and the ABC put in disappointing performances.


crikey--2020-02-03--The political donors you’ve probably never heard of

The political donors you ’ ve probably never heard of Millions of dollars flow to both major political parties each @ @ @ @ @ the places you might expect .
A lot of the money spent on our two @ @ @ @ @ last financial year came from expected and obvious places -- big business , unions , @ @ @ @ @ entities of the parties themselves .


crikey--2020-02-04--Have more than 1 billion animals died this bushfire season?

There have been many numbers thrown around about animal deaths this summer .
Here are the facts .
More than 1 billion animals are said to have died in Australia ’ s bushfires so far this fire season .
Chris Dickman , an ecology expert from the University of Sydney , initially suggested on January 3 that as many as 480 million animals were likely to have died in the NSW fires .
Less than a week later , he updated that number to 800 million and projected “ nationally ” that more than 1 billion had died .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple of weeks ago , and the fires have now burnt over a large area of further country .
That means over 800 million mammals , birds and reptiles have been affected by the fires .
Australia-wide , it ’ s probably over a billion , ” Dickman told US radio station KOSU .
In making the calculations , he has consciously understated animal density rates for areas that previously were bountiful habitats for diverse Australian wildlife species .
Using figures drawn from a 2007 research paper on the number of animals per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extent of land affected by fire , he has concluded that more than 1 billion animals , birds and reptiles have been lost in NSW alone .
However , he has intentionally understated the animal density figures of the traditionally wetter , richer eastern ranges habitat by using lower density rates that apply in sparser , drier regions .
The calculation does not include estimates for the number of platypuses or bats lost .
As well , his estimate is based on the extent of fire-affected areas in NSW and Victoria only ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire in other states .
How do the numbers stack up ?
Dickman ’ s calculation is based on native animal density estimates in certain habitats in NSW .
Those density figures were published in a 2007 research paper for the World Wildlife Fund co-authored by Dickman , Dr Hal Cogger , Professor Hugh Ford and Professor Chris Johnson .
The 2007 paper was commissioned in response to concerns about how government-approved destruction of native vegetation , and consequent disruptions to habitats , were affecting wildlife .
The researchers drew on a variety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studies to assess the impact of land clearing on mammals , birds and reptiles in NSW .
At that time , they concluded that “ 104 million native animals , birds and reptiles have died or will die as a result of the clearing of native vegetation approved by the NSW government between 1998 and 2005 ” .
The researchers categorised the state of NSW into two broadly distinct geographical and climatic regions : Table 3 of the 2007 paper shows density rates ( the number of animals per hectare ) for each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : echidnas ; koalas ; the common wombat ; possums and gliders ; kangaroos , wallabies and rat-kangaroos ; bandicoots ; antechinuses , dunnarts and other carnivorous marsupials ; native mice and rats .
For example , the researchers arrived at a density of 0.05 koalas per hectare in eastern ranges and coastal areas ( compared with 0.08 koalas per hectare in the tablelands , western slopes and plains ) .
The 0.05 figure is what the researchers agreed is conservative considering the range of less than 0.01 to 4.4 koalas per hectare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gliders , they decided to use a density rate of 15.5 per hectare in eastern ranges and coastal areas , being below the mid-point of the sources ’ range of 0.5 to 34.0 possums and gliders per hectare .
Underpinning Table 3 are 19 sources ( peer-reviewed papers or chapters from edited books ) that draw on surveys of specific species in NSW forests , woodlands and scrub .
Separate tables and density estimates are included for birds and reptiles in the 2007 paper .
The researchers also drew on animal-density estimates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a 2003 paper ( also commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund ) which examined land-clearing impacts in Queensland .
The 2007 calculation of 104 million animals lost through land-clearing in NSW was achieved by multiplying the animal densities for each of the two general regional areas by the land area ( in hectares ) the government had approved for clearing in the seven-year period to 2005 .
Dickman told Fact Check his estimate of 1 billion-plus animals was derived by utilising the density rates from the 2007 paper and multiplying them by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been lost to fires this summer .
He says that while the extent of land-clearing may change from year to year , the animal density rates in each of the broad geographical classes would have remained fairly constant .
However , rather than using the animal density rates for the wetter — and therefore more populous — eastern ranges and coastal region , Dickman used rates applicable in the sparser land areas ( tablelands , slopes and plains ) .
“ At every point , where there was a conservative option to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he told Fact Check .
“ The estimates are for terrestrial mammals — that is , everything except bats and the platypus , as shown in Table 3 of the 2007 report — birds and reptiles .
So frogs , fish and invertebrates were all excluded.
” Taking that into account , Dickman ’ s figures are based on 17.5 mammals , 20.7 birds and 129.5 reptiles per hectare ( about 167.7 animals per hectare ) .
Since September 2019 , the official start of the Australian fire season , bushfires have affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ namely the coastal and eastern ranges of the continent , including Victoria ’ s east .
It should be noted , though , that fires have also devastated parts of South Australia , Western Australia , Queensland and Tasmania .
Dickman told Fact Check , his estimate of 1 billion animals is based on projected losses only in NSW and Victoria ; his figures do not take into account losses of wildlife in areas such as Kangaroo Island in South Australia , or in the other states .
The overall national losses are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion animals .
Dickman says his calculations are confined to NSW and Victoria because the original density estimates ( 2007 ) were based on surveys pertinent to NSW conditions .
His justification for applying the NSW density rates to habitats lost by fire in eastern Victoria is that the Gippsland forests and woodlands are very similar to those in the NSW eastern ranges and coastal region .
Dickman says that methodology also is conservative because rainfall rates in Victoria ’ s eastern forests and woodlands tend to be higher than in NSW : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildlife , so animal-density rates are likely to be even higher in east Gippsland than in NSW .
How much has been burnt ?
The NSW Rural Fire Service told Fact Check that 5.22 million hectares of land had been burnt in that state since the start of the fire season through to January 16 , 2020 .
The RFS said the calculation was based on a range of sources , including on-ground reports from individual incidents , aerial surveys and satellite views .
It said the information was available internally to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not published on a public website .
In Victoria , the State Control Centre ( Emergency Management Victoria ) estimates 1.487 million hectares had been burnt between July 2019 and January 18 , the overwhelming majority of which was the result of fires that flared on and after the first ‘ code red ’ day of November 21 , and the major fires of December and January .
This estimate , which is not published publicly , is the sum of land area lost by fire in state and national parks plus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landholdings .
The centre said the area burnt is sometimes overestimated initially ; more accurate analysis is obtained through on-ground situation reports and aerial observation , including infrared scanning by helicopters and high-level linescanning by aircraft .
A rough calculation of fires outlined on the Victorian government ’ s emergency website on the morning of January 20 included : the Orbost complex , which had burnt 601,704 hectares ; the Bairnsdale complex ( 310,263 hectares ) ; Walwa ( 216,786 ) ; Abbeyard ( 101,503 ) ; Beloka region ( 68,283 ) ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and Shannonvale ( 42,163 ) .
That does not give a complete picture of land area affected because the site registers only those fires that are still ‘ going ’ , not those that have been largely extinguished .
The total area burnt in eastern ranges and coastal areas in NSW and Victoria by January 20 was approximately 6.7 million hectares .
Using Dickman ’ s estimate of 167.7 animals per hectare , more than 1.1 billion mammals , birds and reptiles would have died in NSW and Victoria alone .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at the University of Melbourne ’ s School of BioSciences , noted that Dickman ’ s calculation rested largely on the density of reptiles and seemed to assume that all affected animals in the fire zones would die .
He said the level of mortality would depend on the species and whether they tend to burrow underground or hide under leaves ( which would burn ) , or whether there were rocks and other potential forms of shelter , as well as the intensity of the fire .
“ But many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ And a large fraction of those affected individuals would either die during the fires or in the days after the fires , given the size and intensity of the fires.
” He said the number of invertebrates killed would “ greatly exceed ” the 1 billion estimate , and the figure also excludes fish and amphibians .
McCarthy said the impact on fish and amphibians is “ likely to be large , and will extend into areas downstream of the fires ” .
He suggested Dickman ’ s calculation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ educated guess rather than an estimate ” .
Mark Eldridge , principal research scientist at Australian Museum in Sydney , said Dickman ’ s estimate is probably an underestimate , especially considering it does not include losses of bats , frogs or , notably , invertebrates which are foundation elements of the food chain .
“ The approach is an entirely appropriate way to estimate the numbers of a limited range of vertebrate animals that would have been present in the areas burnt , ” Eldridge said .
But Eldridge noted that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what to expect in terms of proportion of animals that might have perished outright in the fires or that could have survived .
Nor is there any data on what proportion of animals might have succumbed to injuries , starvation or predators in the aftermath .
He suggested that , considering the intensity and extensive nature of the fires , the number killed “ is nevertheless likely to be a significant proportion of the animals present ” .
And he noted that there would have been “ significant ” additional mortality in fires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Australia and Western Australia .
Chris Johnson of the University of Tasmania , was a joint author of the 2007 paper .
He told Fact Check that , for the 2007 paper , he compiled all the animal density figures he could find for Australia and supplied the research team with his own work relating to density figures in Queensland , which he originally published in a paper in 2003 .
Those figures were then adjusted to account for NSW conditions .
Johnson said the work he did at the time enabled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ densities in states other than NSW .
That database is freely available for fellow ecologists and scientists to use , though it is not publicly available online .
He said the method of calculation used by Dickman was valid .
“ But I think everyone would accept that it is a very limited calculation and we could not estimate with confidence just now because the density varies over place to place , ” he said .
“ It ’ s looking at it in the most general statistical measure we can use , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Johnson said the animals killed by fires were inevitably dominated by common species — those that are widespread and which occur at high densities , so have lots of individuals in the path of the fires .
“ For many of those species , the large numbers killed in fires represents a great deal of animal suffering .
But it does not necessarily amount to a serious threat of extinction , because there are still lots of live animals in the wild in unburnt habitats [ that are ] able to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ habitat when it recovers .
Another co-author of the 2007 paper , the University of New England ’ s Professor Hugh Ford , said he had discussed Dickman ’ s latest estimates with colleagues and checked other research papers .
He noted that while there were many more reptiles than birds in forests , and “ somewhat fewer ” mammals than birds , “ Chris ’ estimate of 800 million animals killed by the bushfires in NSW and 1 billion in Australia are reasonable estimates and definitely in the right ballpark ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Ford told Fact Check .
“ On average , there are about 20 birds per hectare in woodland and forest .
I ’ ve seen figures of 6 million hectares burnt , though it is probably more now .
This would give 120 million birds .
He added : “ We will not be able to obtain a good estimate of the number of animals killed by fire until we undertake broad surveys of the burnt areas — probably not for many months .
More importantly , [ at that time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which species have survived the fire in reasonable numbers and which have not.
” Ford also pointed out that the effects of the extreme drought that preceded the fires — and which continues in many regions — would already have put some animal populations under pressure .
“ Food — nectar , seeds , fruit , insects , etc — would have been scarce , and animals would have been stressed even before the fires , ” he said .
Dr Rosie Hohnen , of the University of Tasmania , has previously conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kangaroo Island .
She told Fact Check that she had surveyed 42 sites in the Flinders Chase National Park , Ravine des Casoars wildlife protection area and Kelly Hill conservation area in 2017 and 2018 .
Her focus was mostly on determining sample sizes of small mammals , reptiles and amphibians .
“ The traps we had weren ’ t built to capture kangaroos , large possums , wallabies or koalas , or any birds , ” Hohnen said .
“ So the data I have is probably a significant underestimate of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data indicated that , on average , 11.7 individual animals were captured on the sites , which each measured about 3,600 square metres .
Extrapolating these numbers suggests a density rate of 32.5 animals per hectare , which Hohnen says “ is a significant underestimate ” .
Hohnen estimated that about half of the approximately 210,000 hectares burnt on Kangaroo Island appears to be bushland , indicating as many as 3.4 million animals are likely to have died there .
She noted , however , that even if animals had survived the fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-fire shortages of food and shelter .
• Emma Elsworthy , ‘ NSW bushfires lead to deaths of over a billion animals and ‘ hundreds of billions of insects , experts say ’ , ABC , January 9 2020 • University of Sydney , ‘ A Statement about the 480 million animals killed in NSW bushfires since September ’ , Media Release , January 3 2020 .
• University of Sydney .
‘ More than one billion animals killed in Australian bushfires ’ , Media Release , January 8 2020 .
• Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R. Dickman , Hugh Ford , ‘ Impacts of Landclearing : the impacts of approved landclearing of native vegetation on Australian wildlife in New South Wales ’ , World Wide Fund for Nature , February 2007 .
• Dr Hal Cogger , Professor Hugh Ford , Dr Christopher Johnson , James Holman and Don Butler , ‘ Impact of Land Clearing on Australian Wildlife in Queensland ’ , WWF-Australia , January 2003 .

The claim
More than 1 billion animals are said to have died in Australia’s bushfires so far this fire season.
Chris Dickman, an ecology expert from the University of Sydney, initially suggested on January 3 that as many as 480 million animals were likely to have died in the NSW fires.
Less than a week later, he updated that number to 800 million and projected “nationally” that more than 1 billion had died.


crikey--2020-02-04--ACT takes the lead on another frustrated federal issue

ACT takes the lead on another frustrated federal issue The federal government 's Health Star Rating system has been criticised @ @ @ @ @ ACT simply made its own version ...
Whether it 's decriminalising cannabis , legalising marriage @ @ @ @ @ from criminal law , the ACT is often seen taken the lead on national issues @ @ @ @ @

Whether it’s decriminalising cannabis, legalising marriage equality, or removing abortion from criminal law, the ACT is often seen taken the lead on national issues frustrated by federal filibustering.
Now, the territory appears to have responded to the federal government’s long-debated and widely-criticised Health Star Rating system for packaged food, launched in 2014.
A five-year review of the system published last year found that products high in sugar, salt and fat were scoring highly due to loopholes in the rating criteria. But new labels have been popping up in independent supermarkets across the ACT, pointing out “healthier choices” among aisles of products.


crikey--2020-02-04--Bridget McKenzie’s downfall shows why political freebies need reform (as a starting point)

Bridget McKenzie ’ s downfall shows why political freebies need reform ( as a starting point ) Politicians are getting @ @ @ @ @ , of undisclosed freebies .
This is a real flaw in our democratic process .
@ @ @ @ @ presumably record that she lost her ministerial position over failing to declare a measly $ @ @ @ @ @ local gun club on parliament 's register of interests .

Bridget McKenzie’s diary will presumably record that she lost her ministerial position over failing to declare a measly $180 gift membership to her local gun club on parliament’s register of interests.
That was the reason given by the prime minister, on the basis of (unseen) advice from the head of his department Phil Gaetjens.
For a second, let’s accept this on face value — and put to one side the mountain of evidence compiled by the Australian National Audit Office of systemic rorting by McKenzie’s office of sports grants in the lead up to last year’s federal election.


crikey--2020-02-04--Is Australia’s climate denialism a turnoff for tourists? We asked an expert

Is Australia ’ s climate denialism a turnoff for tourists ?
We asked an expert If catastrophic bushfires and viral @ @ @ @ @ even bigger things may be keeping visitors from Australian shores .
Who would want a @ @ @ @ @ the organisation charged with persuading international travellers to head our way ?

Who would want a job at Tourism Australia, the organisation charged with persuading international travellers to head our way?
Tourism Australia finished 2019 on a high note with the (mostly) well-received release of the Kylie Minogue “Matesong” campaign, which it then had to pull a few days into the new year.
The organisation’s 2020 plans didn’t include a catastrophic bushfire season or a global virus scare. Either one would have been like a massive stroke, paralysing part of the tourism industry; together they leave it in an extremely perilous state.


crikey--2020-02-04--Australian tourism can bounce back from the bushfire disaster

Australian tourism can bounce back from the bushfire disaster The tourism industry will suffer because of the bushfire crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ And it 's never been more clear we need to foster it .
With bushfires @ @ @ @ @ never been a more crucial time to acknowledge the importance of our natural environment to @ @ @ @

With bushfires still raging, there has never been a more crucial time to acknowledge the importance of our natural environment to the Australian economy.
Tourism has been an enormous growth area for Australia in an era where a lot of our other industries have been standing still. Visitor numbers have doubled in the last decade alone as China’s growth rubs off on us. We will soon be regularly seeing 1 million visitors per month.
But the devastation wrought by the infernos has raised fears our tourism industry could disappear in a blink.


crikey--2020-02-04--Racing cars in a catastrophe: it’s time to ditch the Grand Prix

Racing cars in a catastrophe : it ’ s time to ditch the Grand Prix Melbourne 's Grand Prix is @ @ @ @ @ year , but this year it 's a waste of money with truly appalling symbolism @ @ @ @ @ catastrophe reached new levels of severity at the end of 2019 , there was much @ @ @ @ @ of New Year 's Eve fireworks displays .

As the bushfire catastrophe reached new levels of severity at the end of 2019, there was much discussion of the possible cancellation of New Year’s Eve fireworks displays.
Some displays were called off, but in most cases it was argued that the fireworks had already been paid for, and that there was no real risk in going ahead.
A more serious version of the issue will arise in March, when the Australian Grand Prix is due to be held in Melbourne.


crikey--2020-03-30--Cut Morrison some slack… but not too much

Charlie writes chiefly about industrial relations , politics , culture and social services .
Prior to Crikey he worked in @ @ @ @ @ unions and was a researcher for RN 's the Daily Planet .
He hosted the @ @ @ @ @ radio , and is a regular guest and occasional host on Breakfasters .
He spent @ @ @ @ @ , covering the fight for Tony Abbott '' s seat .

The messaging from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and chief medical officer Brendan Murphy during the coronavirus crisis has been roundly criticised.
Morrison was going to the football, and then he wasn’t, then hand shakes were fine, and then they weren’t. What was meant by “necessary travel”? What remained an “essential job”?
Last Tuesday may have been the nadir. The advice that classrooms, funerals, weddings, hairdressers, outdoor workout groups, all distinct from general “public gatherings”, were each subject to different restrictions caused confusion and criticism.


crikey--2020-03-30--Trump’s poll boost not as good as he thinks

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science .
His blog , The Poll Bludger @ @ @ @ @ most heavily trafficked forums for online discussion of Australian politics , and joined the Crikey @ @ @ @

With free time the one commodity currently available in abundance, there has inevitably been a proliferation of deep thinking about what COVID-19 portends for electoral politics.
For some, the crisis is already sounding a death knell for neoliberalism, by demonstrating the true cost of underfunded public services and the state’s capacity to take charge when motivated to so.
However, a contrary point of view offers that pandemics promote the psychological dispositions associated with conservatism (“disgust sensitivity”) while discouraging those associated with liberalism (“openness to experience”), a subject neatly explored by the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt in his book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion.


crikey--2020-03-30--Virus Watch: war-time measures, ‘virtue signalling’ and there’s an app for that

Amber has been a reporter for The Age , writer for ABC Comedy ’ s Tonightly , and creator of @ @ @ @ @ .
She was awarded the Jacoby-Walkley scholarship in 2018 , and was an Associate Producer @ @ @ @

Stricter rules have been announced over the weekend, with business leaders and politicians alike sticking to the “war-time” analogy.
Meanwhile, Australia’s isolation measures may be working as a third stimulus package is due to be announced today.
Factory shutdowns would be ‘virtue-signalling’
Closing Australia’s steel making factories to protect workers would be nothing but a symbolic gesture, Tony Shepherd, former Business Council of Australia president and chair of Tony Abbott’s 2014 commission of audit, has said.


crikey--2020-03-30--The conflicted interests of Bridget ‘Beretta’ McKenzie: Exhibit A

The sports rorts affair showed why we need a transparent goverment .
Inq examines the case against then-sports minister Bridget McKenzie .
Bridget McKenzie — and the whole sports rort affair — has become a symbol of all that ’ s wrong with our system of government .
This week , Inq ’ s David Hardaker examines the five “ exhibits ” in the case against McKenzie .
Today , exhibit A ... From the time she entered parliament Senator Bridget McKenzie was an accident waiting to happen .
But behind the senator ’ s fall from grace is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There were warnings the senator was on a collision course with the very concept of government from her first words to the Senate in 2011 .
Describing herself as a conservative ( and constitutional monarchist ) the newly-elected parliamentary representative declared she was “ suspicious of government and its role in our lives ” .
“ It may be unfashionable , and I acknowledge the inherent contradiction , ” she said in a nod to the oddity of doubting the very institution she had been elected to help run .
It took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to grief for failing to declare a conflict of interest .
McKenzie awarded a $ 36,000 grant under the Community Sports Infrastructure program to a shooting club which had given her a membership .
McKenzie had also failed to declare she was a member of Field and Game Australia , a recreational shooting and hunting organisation , though she had awarded a $ 500,000 grant to its Northern Territory branch .
It might be basic common sense to declare that you are part of an organisation that will benefit from your decision as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money .
Yet as Inq has discovered , McKenzie has struggled with the concept for much of her time as a senator .
Her failure is all the more serious because , as Inq ’ s investigation shows , for almost two years , McKenzie was part of a parliamentary body — the Senate standing committee of Senators ’ Interests — responsible for ensuring that senators are aware of conflict of interest rules and declare any conflicts , with regular updates if needed , on the register of senators ’ interests .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public online .
McKenzie ’ s statement of interests lodged with the Senate registrar between 2011 and 2019 reveal the senator herself has a poor record of complying with the rules .
She has declared gifts received in her official capacity — yet for years she failed to declare the source of those gifts , which is required by the Senate ’ s rules .
Declaring the source of largesse is the key to understanding conflict of interest .
In September 2016 McKenzie reported receiving hospitality from undeclared sources for : In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a year earlier , in 2015 .
If McKenzie was indebted to or doing the bidding of anyone connected to these gifts it was impossible for the public to know .
Meanwhile the gifts continued to pour in over 2017 and 2018 , including : four dozen bottles of wine , complimentary flights , Derby Day tickets and corporate hospitality , a boxed bottle of wine with accessories — the list continued but still with no clue as to who saw value in giving things to the senator .
McKenzie only corrected the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — on November 23 , 2018 .
We learn , belatedly , that gifts were given by a range of corporations and associations with a barrow to push .
They include Emirates Airlines , Tabcorp , the Brewers Association , Credit Union Australia and agriculture biotech industry organisation , Croplife .
The timing of McKenzie ’ s belated disclosures coincides with a ramping up of approvals under the sports grants program .
It was then she finally declared the identities of a host of sporting organisations that had handed over gifts large and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It emerged that professional sport organisations Tennis Australia , the Football Federation of Australia and the Australian Rugby League Commission had plied the senator with free tickets to major set piece events such as the Australian Open tennis tournament and rugby league State of Origin .
McKenzie , though , conspicuously failed to declare who paid for her Tasmanian “ flights and recreation ” in 2015 .
Or her trip to New Zealand the same year .
Or who had given her an expensive bottle of Tasmanian Scotch in 2014 .
Might it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regional development grant ?
Or a sports grant ?
Who would know ?
It is only now , five years on , and at the specific request of Inq , that McKenzie has revealed the source of those gifts .
The recreational trips to Tasmania and New Zealand had been “ sponsored ” , to use McKenzie ’ s term , by the Australian branch of the international firearms manufacturer , Beretta .
which sells rifles and shotguns in the local market .
A gift of “ sports and recreational clothing ” was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ S Firearms , a gun dealership with an outlet in Sale , Victoria .
The Tasmanian scotch , the senator says , was gifted by high-end Victorian wine and spirit merchants , Taylor Ferguson & Co. Inq has asked McKenzie to clarify if the Beretta-sponsored “ recreational ” trip to New Zealand was for pig shooting .
McKenzie ’ s undeclared gifts overlap with her time as a minister in charge of four different portfolios , covering sport , regional communications , rural health and regional services .
She also sat as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years without publicly declaring the sources of her gifts .
It ’ s not known what issues the Cabinet considered at that time , but McKenzie ’ s various gift-givers have interests in gambling , airlines policy , alcohol taxes and gun ownership rules , to name a few .
McKenzie has also consistently failed to update and amend her interests declaration within the 35-day period set out in the Senate ’ s rules .
In several cases her declaration came more than 12 months later , destroying any chance of real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an honour system , with senators self-reporting on gifts over a particular limit .
It is not subject to monitoring from an independent party .
According to a Senate handbook , senators are reminded every six months of their duty to keep their declarations up to date and of the need to name the source of gifts .
They are also given guidance on how to interpret conflict of interest .
The handbook informs senators that any breach of the rules is a “ serious contempt of the Senate ” and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate , after going through the Senate Privileges Committee .
None of this should have been news to McKenzie .
She was a member of the bipartisan Senate committee on interests , charged with keeping senators aware of how to comply with the rules , from September 2016 to February 2018 .
Over this period McKenzie disregarded the rules continually and with impunity .
In a Kafka-esque touch , McKenzie was also a member of the Privileges Committee , which rules on cases of potential contempt of the Senate , while at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overseeing the Senate interests register .
So what does the Senator say ?
In an emailed response , McKenzie refused to concede she had breached the rules : “ I declared to the Senate the trips [ Inq ] is inquiring about , ” she wrote .
Asked why she failed to declare the source of gifts and hospitality , McKenzie said that it was “ not unusual ” for senators to adopt “ different declaration methods.
” The senator declined to explain why she suddenly corrected the record in late 2018 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not all — previously undeclared gifts .
In February this year , in the days after she was forced to resign from the ministry , McKenzie made a brief speech to the Senate to apologize and to come clean on the various memberships she held but had not declared over the years .
• Australian Deer Association ( the public voice for ‘ ethical and responsible ’ hunters ) In the same breath , however , McKenzie maintained that none of her memberships had “ contributed any real or apparent conflict of interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or a senator , despite it being the reason she was forced to resign .
While using the occasion to apologise for “ her transgression with regard to the register of interests ” , McKenzie still kept important information to herself .
No one was told about Beretta Australia which paid for her trips and last year formed a partnership with shooters group , Field and Game Australia .

Bridget McKenzie — and the whole sports rort affair — has become a symbol of all that’s wrong with our system of government. This week, Inq’s David Hardaker examines the five “exhibits” in the case against McKenzie. Today, exhibit A...
From the time she entered parliament Senator Bridget McKenzie was an accident waiting to happen. But behind the senator’s fall from grace is the story of a system’s failure.
There were warnings the senator was on a collision course with the very concept of government from her first words to the Senate in 2011. Describing herself as a conservative (and constitutional monarchist) the newly-elected parliamentary representative declared she was “suspicious of government and its role in our lives”.


crikey--2020-03-29--Improvisation is the latest medical skill our GPs are having to learn

Why are doctors being forced to improvise on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus ?
Just how much should we need to improvise ?
I recently heard a GP call in to a radio show to say that she was so short of proper protective gear , her practice had resorted to wearing swimmers ’ face masks and snorkels purchased from Rebel Sport .
And how did our deputy chief medical officer , Paul Kelly , respond ?
He praised her ingenuity .
Then he spouted the usual figures about how many masks had been ordered etc .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a GP myself , was an abject apology that someone on the front line should be left so under-resourced and exposed .
I would have also liked a guarantee about when she could expect supplies to arrive .
Instead , Paul might just as well have directed our GP to YouTube for these videos : Rebel Sport run out of masks ?
No problem , just rip off those Y-fronts , do a quick twist and turn , then hey presto : a cap and mask .
Only have a thong ?
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poorly supported we ’ ve been in primary care , it ’ s just as well we ’ re good at improvising .
One of the huge shortages has been of hand sanitiser .
It ’ s an issue all GP practices have been grappling with .
Well , here comes improvisation again .
Only , this time , it ’ s on an industrial scale .
Frustrated at the shortage of hand sanitiser , and the absence of any government help , practice manager Anna Davidson decided to use her industry connections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First she contacted a chemicals company , Manildra , and convinced them to divert their ethanol production for hand sanitiser use .
Then , she partnered with another local company , Sydney-based Water Test Systems , to create the final product .
She had access to large quantities of sanitiser , but no way to distribute .
This is where Riwka Hagen came in .
Hagen is the admin of a Facebook group for more than 3500 practice managers .
She put out the information , along with an order form .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanitiser , just $ 125 a pop .
Guess what ?
Within 10 days , she had more than 3600 orders .
Manufacturing has now shifted to Melbourne , at Mera Chemicals .
They have the capacity to pump out 100,000 litres a week , so the offer has now gone out to other healthcare facilities such as specialist rooms , hospitals , pharmacies , and so on .
Finally , medical professionals are getting the help they need .
Why has this worked so well ?
• Connections .
Davidson knew people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job .
Hagen is a trusted source of information .
Her Facebook group could trust that this wasn ’ t yet another scam .
• Money — or rather , the absence thereof .
Industry has done this at rock-bottom prices , but so far government has been nowhere to be seen .
• Improvisation .
Add to that inspiration and application .
Hope you ’ re impressed , Paul .
But what ’ s really needed to make this work across the country is funding .
Doctors need government funding .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half a million .
With all the tens of billions of dollars being thrown around right now , surely that doesn ’ t seem too much .
What do you reckon , ScoMo ?
While we await the government ’ s prompt financial intervention , anyone in healthcare can order here .
Sorry , it ’ s not for personal or private use .

Just how much should we need to improvise? I recently heard a GP call in to a radio show to say that she was so short of proper protective gear, her practice had resorted to wearing swimmers’ face masks and snorkels purchased from Rebel Sport.
And how did our deputy chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, respond? He praised her ingenuity. Then he spouted the usual figures about how many masks had been ordered etc.
What I wanted to hear, as a GP myself, was an abject apology that someone on the front line should be left so under-resourced and exposed. I would have also liked a guarantee about when she could expect supplies to arrive.


crikey--2020-03-29--A users’ guide to the new golden age of bullshit

A users ’ guide to the new golden age of bullshit You 're not the only one struggling to keep @ @ @ @ @ .
So much information that is circulating about the COVID-19 crisis is rooted in misunderstanding @ @ @ @ @ political malice .
This is rapidly becoming a golden age for bullshit , with social @ @ @ @ @ .

So much information that is circulating about the COVID-19 crisis is rooted in misunderstanding, tactical disagreement or outright political malice. This is rapidly becoming a golden age for bullshit, with social media leading the global charge.
Let’s review.
Malaysia’s Health Minister, Dr Adham Baba, recently went on television to pass on the idiotic web-spread wisdom that people should “drink a glass of water that is warm because the virus does not like warm things. Make sure [the water] is not too hot. The virus will go down and when it reaches the stomach which has acids, the virus dies.”


crikey--2020-03-30--The conflicted interests of Bridget ‘Beretta’ McKenzie: Exhibits B and C

Senator McKenzie is far from the only politician to benefit from the generosity of special interest groups .
Yesterday Inq @ @ @ @ @ had twice picked up the tab for Senator Bridget McKenzie 's `` recreation '' trips @ @ @ @ @ to declare Beretta 's generosity for years .
So how did McKenzie continue to flourish @ @ @ @ @ say about our system of government ?

Yesterday Inq revealed gun sellers Beretta Australia had twice picked up the tab for Senator Bridget McKenzie’s “recreation” trips, though the Senator failed to declare Beretta’s generosity for years. So how did McKenzie continue to flourish? And what does it say about our system of government?
Exhibit B: it’s what we do
Senator McKenzie is far from alone when it comes to being open and honest with the voting public about the generosity of special interest groups.
The most senior members of the National Party have displayed a loose understanding of what constitutes a bad look. As Inq reported last month, the current leader of the Nationals, Michael McCormack, donned the official tie of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and posed for photographs with its lobbyists at the organisation’s annual parliamentary ball last year.


crikey--2020-03-31--‘I could be dead by then’: slow NDIS support puts thousands of lives at risk

Crucial disability support services have been slashed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Support workers are pleading for testing kits and personal protective equipment, and warning that slow-moving procedures are risking the lives of thousands.
The disability sector has been largely ignored in the government’s stimulus package, with carer unions and the opposition calling for the disability sector to be given the same stimulus benefits — including personal protective gear and retention payments — as the aged care sector.
Romola Hollywood, director of policy and advocacy for People with Disabilities Australia, told Crikey that people with disabilities feel forgotten in the government’s messaging.


crikey--2020-03-31--Socialism? You’re kidding. The PM is using the state to save capitalism

The notion that the government 's wage subsidy represents any kind of radical philosophical shift needs to be knocked on the head , writes Guy Rundle .
Well , this is all happening very fast .
And pretty much simultaneously .
As the Morrison government announced an unprecedented degree of direct state support for the private sector , largely targeted at wage support , the Victorian and NSW state governments brought down a series of legal restrictions on everyday social life that can only be described as totalitarian .
Quite possibly it is a rational totalitarianism , but totalitarianism it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support and praise from the most unlikely places .
The state governments ’ measures — which have been asserted , rather than argued or extensively justified — have been praised as firm and decisive , often as a sort of love letter to nu-style hard man Dan Andrews The federal subsidy/stimulus scheme , meanwhile , got giddy calls that socialism was here , and that neoliberal economics was dead and buried for ever .
Let ’ s pull that all up a bit .
As your correspondent noted a fortnight/a hundred years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towards a socialist conception of society , and an acknowledgement of such .
But the purpose of the government ’ s new initiative is not to further that , but to hold it off at all costs — by using enormous amounts of money to preserve capitalist socio-economic relations in as static a form as possible .
The switch from no wage subsidy to an overwhelming one is simply a switch of method brought about by a rapid change of circumstances .
One would presume that came about because on the weekend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they were more or less cactus , and half a dozen other major franchises and groups made the same throat-clearings about their viability .
They possibly also got a message from the Australian Council of Trade Unions ( ACTU ) and Labor that the show of national unity was soon to be wrapped up , and politics would recommence .
The government had been relying on hopes and prayers all last week , hoping that consumer capitalism could wheeze along until we flattened the COVID curve , and some modicum of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go ” ideology — the idea that capitalism has some logic of fairness , reward and punishment buried deep within — could be preserved .
So having held it off for as long as possible , it clearly made sense to go superbig , to make it very simple and comprehensive .
But both the notion that this is some form of socialism , and that it has retired “ neoliberal economics ” for ever , needs to be knocked on the head .
This is state capitalism on a vast scale : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolutely zero concessions — or even demands — on changes to the share of capital , control of money and the workplace , conditions of work , etc .
Such a move has a contradictory effect .
It ’ s true that in certain circumstances it makes actual economic-nationalist/socialist solutions , for industries which are both essential , but no longer have a viable market , such as airlines .
But it also holds off any sort of crisis that would force a change in social and production relations in a genuinely post-capitalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has insisted on — and the ACTU appears to have acquiesced in — payment of the wage subsidy via private companies , rather than as a direct payment to workers .
Sure , there are safeguards in place to ensure that companies don ’ t take the money and sack people anyway ( though this will happen ) .
But there aren ’ t any to ensure that companies don ’ t take the wage subsidy and use money that would otherwise have gone to wages for other purposes , such as labour-reducing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way the economy is managed , wage subsidy in this form remains a socialisation of capital ’ s losses , and an abolition of its risk .
Nor should left-Keynesians conclude that this move has blown “ neoliberal ” economics of deficit reduction and austerity out of the water .
Such economists repeatedly fail to understand the persistence of such a mindset among the general public .
The paradox of economics is that while the microeconomic myth that a national economy is just a household economy writ large is wrong , it looks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deep-seated notions of reward and punishment .
And while the macroeconomic approach of managing aggregate demand and money supply is right , it looks nuts — a weird Escher picture world in which you can create money you ’ ll never have to pay back because the growth that money created winnows the capital sum to an amount of no importance .
That is weird and screwy to many people who don ’ t work in abstract intellectual milieux , and that ’ s part of the persistence of centre-right political dominance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would benefit from such policies recoil from them because they appear to annihilate personal responsibility and hand control of life to technocrats .
Such policies could persist in the post-war period from the ’ 40s to the ’ 70s , because people weren ’ t voting on the policy mechanism per se ; it was a left-right struggle over ownership of production , not over the abstract methods by which it is managed .
So in that respect , and absent countervailing political force , a state capitalist initiative such as wage subsidies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions of state capitalism ; it remains subsidised neoliberalism — is a downpayment on a return of moralising virtue economics and a new round of austerity in future years .
Left-Keynesians , MMT enthusiasts and Labo ( u ) r ’ s tame intellectuals may point out that , in principle , the principle never needs to be repaid .
But global money markets don ’ t see it that way , and like to use government debt as a pretext for manipulation , even in times of cheap money .
If there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future — and I mean , what are the chances that the world could change radically over a matter of weeks , I know , crazy , right ?
— then a peripheral state like Australia will be in the same squeeze as Greece .
Global capitalist politics will then determine global capitalist economics , not vice versa .
Furthermore , as we come out of the COVID crisis , class economic divisions relations will re-emerge , between the high-waged and low-waged/precarious/benefit dependent , and those with property/investment/super and those without .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ via a post-depression/recession raised profit rate will only occur , within current frameworks , by driving down wages and conditions , and creating a reserve pool of labour by the slashing of benefits .
Don ’ t be surprised if many of the “ all in this together ” crowd vote for a new austerity to this end , the top 65 % or so ganging up against the lower third .
The radical possibilities of this moment are not to be found in initiatives which reinforce a commodity economy in its existing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forms of relation and production are introduced and new forms of social authority of capital along with them .
Debt and mortgage reduction , rent relief and other such measures are more radical in this regard — one reason , perhaps , why some Laboristas have been so sluggish to push for them .
Something as simple as a six-month eviction suspension is , in that respect , genuinely communist ( genuinely communist , not vote-for-Joe-Biden communist ) on a small scale , because it abolishes , for a time , some property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strange twists all this might take later in the week , but the short take is that unless we can push unions , Labor and other groups to demand a qualitative transformation of work , economy and social relations , this opportunity is going to be lost .
Ha !
As if there were any other type of opportunity .
Here there is only space to observe the paradox we are in .
As the federal government pulls out all stops to preserve the capitalist content of social relations , state governments are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form of social relations — basic sociality — into direct state control , via capricious and under-legislated policing .
Whatever the arguable necessities of such , it is also obvious that this is performative politics to make up for the sluggish application of more moderate regimes earlier on — the lack of testing and contact tracing , and the dozens or more avoidable deaths that will result from the Ruby Princess disaster .
What is disconcerting is how many in the political/media elite and the wider knowledge class have supported these measures utterly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrutiny of state reasonings .
Indeed , support of totalitarian state response has become a counterfeit form of solidarity — supplanting the anti-state , anti-market solidarity we will need in this crisis .
Still ‘ n all , whichever one of you had the nationalisation of Qantas by Thursday in the sweep is looking pretty good right now…

Well, this is all happening very fast. And pretty much simultaneously. As the Morrison government announced an unprecedented degree of direct state support for the private sector, largely targeted at wage support, the Victorian and NSW state governments brought down a series of legal restrictions on everyday social life that can only be described as totalitarian.
Quite possibly it is a rational totalitarianism, but totalitarianism it is. The coincident moves have brought support and praise from the most unlikely places.
The state governments’ measures — which have been asserted, rather than argued or extensively justified — have been praised as firm and decisive, often as a sort of love letter to nu-style hard man Dan Andrews


crikey--2020-03-31--Aussies stuck in Peru have been ‘left behind’ by Australian government

Aussies stuck in Peru have been ‘ left behind ’ by Australian government More than 100 Australians are stuck in @ @ @ @ @ home .
Karolina Ristevski is one of them , and she tells Crikey how the @ @ @ @ @ citizens .
On Sunday morning , 292 Australians managed to get on a plane leaving @ @ @ @ @ base in Lima , Peru .
Many were not so lucky .
They now face @ @ @ @ @ country under full military lock down .

On Sunday morning, 292 Australians managed to get on a plane leaving for Sydney from a military base in Lima, Peru. Many were not so lucky. They now face an uncertain future in a country under full military lock down.
Around 200,000 Australians have flooded back into the country since March 17. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) would not name an exact figure, but thousands of Australians are estimated to be still be stuck overseas, from Italy, to Panama, to Nepal.
There are more than 100 Australians still stuck in Peru, with no immediate prospect of help. This is one of their stories.


crikey--2020-03-31--Rich are different. But they’re not that different — even in Aspen, darling

Before joining Crikey in 2018 , Kishor was an editor of the University of Sydney ’ s student paper Honi @ @ @ @ @ The Sydney Morning Herald on the state news beat , a casual legal reporter for @ @ @ @ @ Law and Journalism , and a research assistant at the Australian Human Rights Commission .
@ @ @ @ @ he is completing a law degree at the University of Sydney .
Kishor will be @ @ @ @ @ immigration , race and religion .

You can almost hear the sound of pitchforks being sharpened.
Last week, the NSW and Victorian governments released damning data which showed the biggest clusters of COVID-19 infections were located in some of the states’ most affluent areas: the beachside areas of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and Toorak and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
Speaking on ABC radio yesterday, Health Minister Greg Hunt fired a parting shot at Australia’s recalcitrant one-percenters.


crikey--2020-03-30--Virus Watch: rules, fines and more fines

Instead of a bedtime story, late last night NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian read the state a list of new rules and police powers to punish anyone leaving their house without a valid excuse.
NSW is not alone in its authoritarian push — Victoria and Queensland have followed suit with a list of strict measures to keep people at home.
Draconian measures
Following Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement on Sunday night limiting gatherings from 10 people to two, states have acted to pass that rule into law.


crikey--2020-03-30--Pandemic sends Australia lurching towards authoritarianism

Michael Bradley is a freelance writer and managing partner at Sydney firm Marque Lawyers , which was created in 2008 @ @ @ @ @ completely changing the way law is practised .

At least Mussolini made the trains run on time.
Fascism only has one allegedly positive attribute, and that is competent efficiency. Given that the Coalition’s one trumpeted achievement — its ability to stop boats — turns out to be a mirage (285 of NSW’s 1900 COVID-19 cases came off cruise ships), its sudden lurch to authoritarian rule is a bit of an unfunny laugh.
What I’m about to say is unrelated to the measures the government has taken in response to COVID-19, including the game-changing JobKeeper subsidy announcement. My point is about the hidden risks of expedient rule-making.


crikey--2020-03-30--There are quibbles, but Morrison’s historic reversal hits a much-needed spot

There are quibbles , but Morrison ’ s historic reversal hits a much-needed spot We 'll be paying for the @ @ @ @ @ package for decades to come .
But the cost of inaction would be far steeper @ @ @ @ @ , it 's the biggest backflip in Australian political history , and the most welcome @

At $130 billion, it’s the biggest backflip in Australian political history, and the most welcome.
In less than a week, Scott Morrison has gone from calling an economy-wide wage subsidy scheme “dangerous”, claiming it would require a whole new payments system and couldn’t be done quickly, to announcing $130 billion over two quarters, to be delivered from the start of May via the tax system. And it’s more comprehensive in some areas than the UK wage subsidy scheme, though less so in terms of the proportion of wages subsidised.
All the problems of such a scheme are present. It will create perverse incentives, there are arbitrary and perhaps unfair thresholds (especially around casual workers), there are opportunities for gaming.


crikey--2020-03-31--What it’s like to have COVID-19

What it’s like to have COVID-19

COVID-19 doesn’t care. It doesn’t care whether you’re young and healthy, or that you washed your hands, stayed at home, and did everything right. It can still get you.
By now, the early signs are well-documented: a dry, hacking cough, a temperature, body chills, fatigue.
But when you suspect you have the coronavirus, even the process of getting tested is unpleasant. It involves someone in full protective gear sticking a swab very far up your nose.


crikey--2020-04-01--What can Australia learn from New Zealand’s coronavirus modelling?

What can Australia learn from New Zealand ’ s coronavirus modelling ?
New Zealand has released the modelling it used @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus spread — we look at how it can apply to Australia .
Following @ @ @ @ @ Minister Scott Morrison , deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly announced modelling on Australian coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ ” later this week .

Following some spectacular question-dodging by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly announced modelling on Australian coronavirus cases would be “unlocked” later this week.
New Zealand’s modelling has already been released, with one report thanking “our Australian colleagues for their valuable work in providing modelling data on numbers of infected cases for different scenarios”.
But researchers say while estimated case rates match other modelling, New Zealand’s modelling is preliminary at best and excludes a number of necessary variables to be applied to Australia.


crikey--2020-04-01--Virus Watch: North Korea shows what a ‘virus free’ society looks like

North Korea leads the way
The rapid expansion of police state powers across Australia has provided a rare occasion of bringing Crikey broadly into agreement with an editorial in The Australian. However necessary we may believe these powers to be, we must be vigilant that this simulacra of totalitarianism doesn’t morph into the real thing.
For a glimpse at how the real thing deals with a crisis of this sort we can look to North Korea. The hermit kingdom acted early and claims to not have a single case of coronavirus — but then they also claim supreme leader Kim Jong-Un can control the weather, so many experts have their doubts.
But, as The New York Times reports, a lack of testing equipment may mean the state would genuinely not detect a single case in the likely case that outbreak did occur. This is particularly worrying for a country whose health system has been ravaged by years of international sanctions.


crikey--2020-04-01--Sick-ins and yellowbans — time to stand up on workplace safety

It 's now time to stand up for the stackers and packers , and other essentials , working amid multiple @ @ @ @ @ the story going round the traps was that Greg Combet and Sally McManus had come @ @ @ @ @ package and sold it to a reluctant Scott Morrison , who then sold it to @ @ @ @ @ in his cabinet .

Yesterday, the story going round the traps was that Greg Combet and Sally McManus had come up with the JobKeeper rescue package and sold it to a reluctant Scott Morrison, who then sold it to the even more reluctant hardliners in his cabinet.
This morning in the Oz there’s a breathless story about how Morrison dodged it up with four business leaders, and Greg Combet was then roped in to sell it to Sally McManus. I don’t believe that Paul “Elevator to Nowhere” Kelly or other journos would knowingly report porkies, so I don’t doubt the business roundtable happened.


crikey--2020-03-31--The conflicted interests of Bridget ‘Beretta’ McKenzie: Exhibits D and E

David has an extensive career as a journalist and broadcaster , primarily at the ABC where he worked on flagship @ @ @ @ @ , The 7.30 Report , Foreign Correspondent , AM and PM .
He spent eight @ @ @ @ @ East and can speak Arabic .

Yesterday Inq reported on the National Party’s blurred lines when it comes to conflict-of-interest questions. Today we ask if Senator Bridget McKenzie’s flawed decision-making during the sports rorts affair is actually part and parcel of how the Morrison government does business.
Exhibit D: a minister’s right to do what they want
Senator McKenzie has consistently refused to concede she breached the law or convention in overriding 73% of grant approvals recommended by Sport Australia bureaucrats, recommendations which followed a merit assessment.
In the first week of March — six weeks after her administration was eviscerated by a report by the independent Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) — she posted a defiant message to her website, saying. “I make no apology for applying ministerial discretion to ensure fairness across funded projects.”


crikey--2020-03-31--Gasping for air: what is it really like to have COVID-19?


crikey--2020-04-01--Life on a block with an emergency morgue truck: ‘We hear the hum of the refrigerator going all night

Life on a block with an emergency morgue truck: ‘We hear the hum of the refrigerator going all night long’

'Hospitals around the country should be prepared for this to come . '
This story was originally published by ProPublica .
Warning : The article contains images that some readers may find disturbing .
Across New York City , there are unthinkable scenes everywhere .
Empty public spaces .
Teeming emergency rooms .
Shuttered churches .
For Marc Kozlow , the unthinkable played out on Stanhope Street in Brooklyn this weekend .
He lives on the block with his fiancee and dog , a rescue named Hank .
Near his apartment is Wyckoff Heights Medical Center , a 350-bed nonprofit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Most of the hospital ’ s patients are people of color ; about a fifth are 70 or older .
This month , Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an 82-year-old Brooklyn woman at Wyckoff was the city ’ s first official COVID-19 death .
As of Sunday , the city ’ s death toll had risen to 776 , accounting for more than quarter of the deaths nationwide .
The city has brought in at least 45 refrigerated trucks and tents , in case hospitals and morgues reach capacity for the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They are distributed as needed to support hospitals , ” said Aja Worthy-Davis , a spokeswoman for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner .
Wyckoff has a refrigerated truck , said hospital CEO Ramon J. Rodriguez .
It is on the side of the hospital , close to the loading dock .
The morgue is in the basement .
Kozlow shared with ProPublica several pictures he ’ d taken because he wants the country to take sensible precautions .
“ I understand the time that we ’ re in , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything , ” he said .
“ I shared the photos with the intention that the rest of the U.S. knows to take it seriously .
This is what the country should be aware of , and hospitals around the country should prepare for this to come.
” His account has been edited for clarity and brevity .
“ It ’ s not a huge hospital .
We have a dog .
I have to take him out three or four times a day .
All around the hospital is littered with surgical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finding their ways into trash .
I started thinking , ‘ What the hell is happening ?
’ “ And then two days ago , the trailer arrived .
I didn ’ t think twice of it .
I thought it was possibly one of the many additional medical supply trucks that the hospital needed .
When I was taking the dog out for the evening walk , I walked past the truck .
I watched a man in full protective gear work the trash compactor in a hazmat suit .
A doctor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctor said , ‘ They got mad bodies in there.
’ “ And then on Saturday morning , they started building a platform .
They ’ re drilling and setting up this platform system on the street .
They finished the platform , and then they basically carted out what looked like a body in a gurney , but I was very unsure of what it was and they opened it up and it was a coffin .
The guys on the platform pulled out a body from the trailer , and put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to four hours later , it was like a conveyor line of bodies .
“ This was about 6 to 7 p.m .
There were at least 10 bodies going into the trailer .
The first ones had bags , and then they were one by one on gurneys , and then they started coming two per gurney , they were just covered in sheets .
“ We leave our windows open and we hear the hum of the refrigerator going all night long .
It ’ s disturbing to know what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ originally published by ProPublica .

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