crikey--2020-11-10--Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine results are incredible (but don’t crack the bubbly yet)

It 's OK to be cautiously optimistic , but there 's much still to learn and the data must be @ @ @ @ @ .
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech have announced their COVID-19 vaccine is effective in preventing @ @ @ @ @ of participants .
This number is huge -- flu vaccines are only 40 % to @ @ @ @ @ the news sent stocks soaring .
But experts have warned the data has not yet @ @ @ @ @ optimism is needed and maintaining social measures are important to prevent the virus from spreading @

Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech have announced their COVID-19 vaccine is effective in preventing the virus in 90% of participants.
This number is huge — flu vaccines are only 40% to 60% effective — and the news sent stocks soaring.
But experts have warned the data has not yet been peer-reviewed, stressing cautious optimism is needed and maintaining social measures are important to prevent the virus from spreading.


crikey--2020-11-10--The private/public lives of politicians: are the floodgates about to open?

Will last night 's Four Corners revelations about Alan Tudge and Christian Porter open the floodgates for more stories about @ @ @ @ @ When does private behaviour become a matter of public interest ?
And after last night @ @ @ @ @ are we about to see an explosion of stories about politicians -- from both sides @ @ @ @ @ badly ?
Four Corners attempted several public interest justifications , including workplace standards and the @ @ @ @ @ as first law officer , needs to be held to the highest standards ( though @ @ @ @ @ political performance would bring him undone on that score ) .

When does private behaviour become a matter of public interest?
And after last night’s Four Corners expose, are we about to see an explosion of stories about politicians — from both sides of the aisle — behaving badly?
Four Corners attempted several public interest justifications, including workplace standards and the rationale that Christian Porter, as first law officer, needs to be held to the highest standards (though a cursory look at his political performance would bring him undone on that score).


crikey--2020-11-10--Politicians behaving badly is an old story, so why hasn’t it come out before?

Australia 's onerous defamation laws stop many a public interest story about notorious MP pants men from being published .
The real question about last night ’ s Four Corners on political sexual shenanigans is : what took so long ?
Not to the ABC team , who obviously fought unprecedented legal battles and political backlash to get the program to air .
But why did it take until now for any meaningful follow-up to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull ’ s infamous “ bonk ban ” in February 2018 ?
At the time , the usual predominantly male , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an avalanche of salacious stories about the private lives of innocent politicians .
Yet , surprisingly , nothing .
Either there was never anything to see there , or the offending pollies had put it back in their pants .
I recall at the time of the rumours about Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce — which were doing the rounds long before a front page photo of his pregnant mistress provided confirmation — I asked around Canberra for the names of the most notorious pants men in the senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of names came up over and over from press gallery journos to staffers , followed by knowing nods from some pollies when those names were mentioned .
Joyce was the most obvious at the time , even though the public knew nothing .
It appears even if you drove down the main street of his home town with a bullhorn shouting about his affair it still wouldn ’ t make the media .
Once he was exposed and Turnbull instituted the wholly reasonable ministerial code of conduct to rein in ministers sleeping with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time until others were outed .
If there was a flurry of staffers suddenly switching between bosses it might suggest something was afoot .
Or there might be sacked staffers daring to vent their outrage publicly .
Again , a deafening silence for two years , even when Me Too allegations exploded around the world and everywhere from board rooms to the High Court .
One of the main obstacles for the Australian media is not just our usual reticence to behave like the sleazy Fleet Street tabloids and run sex stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our onerous defamation laws .
If taking on a High Court judge was risky , imagine the problem with the top lawyer of the land , as Attorney-General Christian Porter proved with his libel threats at the ready even as the program went to air .
And Turnbull on Q+A after the show doing his now regular “ shoulda woulda coulda ” act only highlighted the murkiness .
While Turnbull should be commended for swiftly bringing down the bonking ban over Joyce at great political cost , there have always been questions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew it , about transgressions by senior ministers .
Only a few short weeks ago Turnbull was rushing to defend embattled NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian over her secret affair with corrupt former MP Daryl Maguire .
At the time I mused in Crikey whether the premier would have failed his bonking ban .
The usual Gladys defenders pointed out Maguire was not her staffer , even though technically he reported to her as evidenced by the fact she was the one who forced his sacking in the end .
Bonking ban or not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have been required to report such a longstanding relationship with a colleague .
The Gladys affair might not be the last one to damage the NSW government given the long-running threats of a newspaper exposé on another senior member that date back to the time of the Joyce scandal .
Not that the problem is confined to one side of politics .
It was only two years ago that then NSW opposition leader Luke Foley quit over inappropriate conduct towards an ABC journalist .
It was a story that was widely known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed , but she didn ’ t want the incident made public .
And female Labor MPs must have been extremely lucky if they have never been hit on by some of the gentlemen of the ALP over the years .
Then there ’ s the collateral issue of journos having affairs with pollies .
Years ago , a prominent ABC presenter would interview a senior minister very formally in the morning — “ Minister , who do you think of this ?
” — a short time after the two of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ table .
I learnt about the double standards very early in my career when , as a young journalist in 1986 , I wrote about former prime minister Malcolm Fraser harassing me in New York .
I was criticised at the time for breaking the rules on reporting pollies ’ personal behaviour .
The Canberra bubble extends far and wide .

The real question about last night’s Four Corners on political sexual shenanigans is: what took so long?
Not to the ABC team, who obviously fought unprecedented legal battles and political backlash to get the program to air. But why did it take until now for any meaningful follow-up to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s infamous “bonk ban” in February 2018?
At the time, the usual predominantly male, right-wing suspects frothed that it would lead to an avalanche of salacious stories about the private lives of innocent politicians. Yet, surprisingly, nothing. Either there was never anything to see there, or the offending pollies had put it back in their pants.


crikey--2020-11-09--Stalingrad at the Four Seasons: how it all ended in a Philly carpark

So this is how it ended for Donald Trump , wedged between a sex shop and a crematorium .
Because @ @ @ @ @ beast of an insomnia , turning night into day , he was fortunate enough to @ @ @ @ @ late act , in which reality fused seamlessly with every satire -- the now historic @ @ @ @ @ conference .
As Trump issued and rescinded tweets about the presser 's time and place @ @ @ @ @ filled the screen with a ratty low slung red brick building behind a chain link @ @ @ @ @ a sex shop and a crematorium .
There were no words .
This was going @ @ @ @

Because your correspondent currently has a beast of an insomnia, turning night into day, he was fortunate enough to watch the Trump administration’s late act, in which reality fused seamlessly with every satire — the now historic Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference.
As Trump issued and rescinded tweets about the presser’s time and place, pre-event set up footage filled the screen with a ratty low slung red brick building behind a chain link fence, all squeezed between a sex shop and a crematorium.
There were no words. This was going to be goooood.


crikey--2020-11-09--The ABC reveals Canberra’s sordid side — and it’s definitely in the public interest

Four Corners ' revelations have burst the Canberra bubble .
If claims about Christian Porter are true he must go .
The rush by the government and its media supporters to attack last night ’ s Four Corners as not in the public interest is not merely wrong , but offensively so .
The campaign was led by Liberal minders in the weeks before the program went to air trying to prevent the ABC from broadcasting it , including by contacting the board , then Liberal senators in a special Senate estimates sitting yesterday attacking it , and then News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to argue on Q+A last night that Four Corners had gone beyond normal standards of what was in the public interest in covering politicians ’ personal lives .
Kelly and the Liberals he was trying to cover up for couldn ’ t be more wrong .
The revelations about Alan Tudge and Christian Porter were very much in the public interest .
When the Barnaby Joyce affair broke in 2018 , Crikey was virtually alone in the media in criticising the revelations on the basis that they had no public interest value .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was not , to put it mildly , a popular stance .
But Four Corners revealed things very much in the public interest in a way that was never the case for Joyce .
First , Tudge .
Four Corners reporter Louise Milligan ’ s point that he was an opponent of marriage equality isn ’ t the half of it .
Tudge has form in using personal information for political purposes .
He authorised the release of confidential , private government information about Andie Fox , a critic of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheme , so that a blogger could attack her in The Canberra Times .
He then defended his actions as not just legal , but fair .
He thus set the standard down in the gutter : the use of private , confidential information is perfectly legitimate for partisan purposes .
He can have no complaints whatever after the shameful thing he did to Fox .
That ’ s even before you get to Rachelle Miller so bravely wanting to tell of the hurt and pain she experienced as a result of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform to do so .
Tudge has issued an apology .
Will he think twice next time before using private information held by the government to smear a critic ?
As for Porter , the public interest case is even stronger .
Porter denies the claims made by Four Corners , despite their corroboration and despite — according to Miller — Tudge ’ s furious efforts to force a journalist to erase photographic evidence of his public intimacy with a staffer .
He also complains — using very careful language — that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even though he was repeatedly contacted by the ABC about the story .
But if the allegations — many corroborated — about Porter ’ s public drunkenness , unwanted sexual advances and affairs have any truth , his conduct is utterly inappropriate for a cabinet minister and certainly the attorney-general , supposedly the first law officer of Australia .
But it ’ s much worse for Porter .
If there is any truth to the allegations , he is clearly a security risk in a key position in Australia ’ s national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , allegations corroborated by more than one party — would place him at grave risk of compromise by foreign intelligence services or organised crime .
Even the potential for compromise is grounds for suspension or dismissal inside intelligence services .
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull , who admitted he would have vetted Porter more if he ’ d been aware of the Four Corners material , was remiss to promote him without more due diligence on the potential security risk .
Porter , remember , is the man who authorised the prosecution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has attempted to keep their prosecutions secret on the pretext of national security , and who has systematically delayed and dragged out Collaery ’ s trial for years — also on the pretext of national security .
The idea that this party boy , while allegedly engaging in such compromising behaviour , is persecuting and harassing two patriots who have served their country so well on the basis that they are a threat to national security is utterly sickening .
What else do we not know about Christian Porter ?
What do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would prefer to keep secret ?
In a government that insists it ’ s all about national security , Porter must be sacked .
How must the government act to fix the Canberra bubble ?
Let us know your thoughts by writing to [ email protected ] .
Please include your full name to be considered for publication in Crikey ’ s Your Say section .

The rush by the government and its media supporters to attack last night’s Four Corners as not in the public interest is not merely wrong, but offensively so.
The campaign was led by Liberal minders in the weeks before the program went to air trying to prevent the ABC from broadcasting it, including by contacting the board, then Liberal senators in a special Senate estimates sitting yesterday attacking it, and then News Corp’s bloviator-in-chief Paul Kelly tried to argue on Q+A last night that Four Corners had gone beyond normal standards of what was in the public interest in covering politicians’ personal lives.
Kelly and the Liberals he was trying to cover up for couldn’t be more wrong. The revelations about Alan Tudge and Christian Porter were very much in the public interest.


crikey--2020-11-09--CRIKEY EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump’s concession speech

Madonna King is an award-winning journalist who has worked across the ABC , Fairfax and News Ltd. A fellow of @ @ @ @ @ she is the author of a dozen books , including biographies of Ian Frazer and @ @ @

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crikey--2020-11-09--Bonk ban revisited: how one bonk ban cock-blocked an entire city

Public Bar , Canberra ’ s late-night watering hole , was once a bustling hotspot for piss-ups and hook-ups .
@ @ @ @ @ ban ' hit , and things changed ...
In light of Four Corners ' revelation @ @ @ @ @ by Attorney-General Christian Porter at Canberra 's Public Bar , Crikey is revisiting this story @ @ @ @ @ published shortly after Malcolm Turnbull 's infamous parliamentary `` bonk ban '' .
If Barnaby @ @ @ @ @ “ mad boarding school ” , then Public Bar , in the south Canberra suburb @ @ @ @ @ its horny students escape to blow off steam .
The first time I went to @ @ @ @ @ a panic attack -- the sight of politicians , journalists , staffers and lobbyists rubbing @ @ @ @ @ , charging glasses and grinding to dirty pop on the dance floor blew my uninitiated @ @ @ @ @ into the bathroom to catch my breath and nerves , a g-string abandoned on the @ @ @ @ @ made things worse .

In light of Four Corners‘ revelation of “inappropriate conduct” by Attorney-General Christian Porter at Canberra’s Public Bar, Crikey is revisiting this story from 2018, which was published shortly after Malcolm Turnbull’s infamous parliamentary “bonk ban”.
If Barnaby Joyce calls Parliament House a “mad boarding school”, then Public Bar, in the south Canberra suburb of Manuka, is where its horny students escape to blow off steam.
The first time I went to Public Bar I nearly had a panic attack — the sight of politicians, journalists, staffers and lobbyists rubbing shoulders on a school night, charging glasses and grinding to dirty pop on the dance floor blew my uninitiated mind. As I burst into the bathroom to catch my breath and nerves, a g-string abandoned on the floor of the cubicle only made things worse.


crikey--2020-11-11--We know what to do about News Corp. A royal commission isn’t necessary

Although it would be an awesome spectacle , it would n't solve the underlying problem : the overall collapse of @ @ @ @ @ he was communications minister in the Howard years , Richard Alston accused Labor of having @ @ @ @ @ '' .
Rarely has a blacker pot criticised a kettle : media policy in Australia @ @ @ @ @ has been mogul-centric for the best part of 100 years .
In recent decades , @ @ @ @ @ policy because of their control over what images voters see during election campaigns .
More @ @ @ @ @ industry has collapsed , News Corp -- which could make no headway against the free-to-air @ @ @ @ @ 2000s -- has been able to dictate the government 's policy towards Facebook and Google @ @ @ @ @ of the ABC .

When he was communications minister in the Howard years, Richard Alston accused Labor of having a “mogul-centric media policy”. Rarely has a blacker pot criticised a kettle: media policy in Australia under Labor and Coalition governments has been mogul-centric for the best part of 100 years.
In recent decades, free-to-air television owners have dictated policy because of their control over what images voters see during election campaigns.
More latterly still as the media industry has collapsed, News Corp — which could make no headway against the free-to-air oligopolists in the 1990s and 2000s — has been able to dictate the government’s policy towards Facebook and Google and the cowing and destruction of the ABC.


crikey--2020-11-11--Joel Fitzgibbon takes a stand — to defend coal multinationals

Demand for thermal coal has collapsed but the renegade MP continues to carry the flag for a dying industry .
@ @ @ @ @ heat up -- 2020 may yet be the hottest year ever and will be in @ @ @ @ @ -- and the government continues to deny climate change and the need for climate action @ @ @ @ @ that the Coalition is n't the only side torn between basic science and the demands @ @ @ @ @ Fitzgibbon is n't the only pro-fossil-fuel figure within Labor .
He 's backed by key @ @ @ @ @ Workers ' Union and the CFMEU , both of which oppose effective climate action in @ @ @ @ @ fossil-fuel-industry jobs .
Labor also receives generous donations from fossil-fuel companies like Santos , Origin @ @ @ @ @ gas and the myth of carbon capture and storage .

While the planet continues to heat up — 2020 may yet be the hottest year ever and will be in the top five hottest years — and the government continues to deny climate change and the need for climate action, Labor is busily demonstrating that the Coalition isn’t the only side torn between basic science and the demands of fossil-fuel donors.
Joel Fitzgibbon isn’t the only pro-fossil-fuel figure within Labor. He’s backed by key Labor donors, the Australian Workers’ Union and the CFMEU, both of which oppose effective climate action in the name of looking after fossil-fuel-industry jobs.
Labor also receives generous donations from fossil-fuel companies like Santos, Origin and Woodside, advocates of gas and the myth of carbon capture and storage.


crikey--2020-11-10--What needs to happen before we can get vaccinated against COVID-19?

Despite breakthroughs , widespread distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine is still a while away .
Here 's what needs to @ @ @ @ @ vaccines are in the final stages of testing , with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech @ @ @ @ @ effective in preventing the virus in 90 % of participants .
While it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ of the vaccine is still a while away , and most Australians will have to @ @ @ @ @ to get the shot .
Here ’ s what needs to happen before then .

Several COVID-19 vaccines are in the final stages of testing, with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech announcing Monday their vaccine is effective in preventing the virus in 90% of participants.
While it’s great news, widespread distribution of the vaccine is still a while away, and most Australians will have to wait until late next year to get the shot.
Here’s what needs to happen before then.


crikey--2020-11-10--Aung San Suu Kyi’s Nobel crown may be tarnished but she’s still Myanmar’s heroine

She can do little wrong in the eyes of millions of her people — despite her defence of the ethnic @ @ @ @ @ is now clear that tarnished Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi ’ s @ @ @ @ @ last Sunday ’ s Myanmar general election in another landslide , allowing it to govern @ @ @ @ @ another five years .
But while widely billed as the second free election in the @ @ @ @ @ from that .
About 1.5 million people from ethnic minorities -- from a population of @ @ @ @ @ voters -- were disenfranchised .
Most of these were Muslim Rohingya , more than 750,000 @ @ @ @ @ out of the country into refugee camps in Bangladesh .
But about 500,000 remain .

It is now clear that tarnished Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won last Sunday’s Myanmar general election in another landslide, allowing it to govern in its own right for another five years.
But while widely billed as the second free election in the impoverished nation it was far from that. About 1.5 million people from ethnic minorities — from a population of more than 37 million eligible voters — were disenfranchised.
Most of these were Muslim Rohingya, more than 750,000 of whom have been driven out of the country into refugee camps in Bangladesh. But about 500,000 remain.


crikey--2020-11-10--What good will the petition into the Murdoch media empire do?

A royal commission into Rupert Murdoch 's influence might seem like a long shot , but Australians are reaching a @ @ @ @ @ launched by former prime minister Kevin Rudd calling for a royal commission into the Murdoch @ @ @ @ @ parliament Monday with a historic 501,876 signatures .
It ’ s the most signed e-petition @ @ @ @ @ a 2019 petition calling for the government to declare a climate emergency which gained 404,538 @ @ @ @ @ logged on to the parliamentary website hosting the petition that it triggered the site ’ @ @ @ @ @ genuine users as bots .

A petition launched by former prime minister Kevin Rudd calling for a royal commission into the Murdoch media empire was tabled in parliament Monday with a historic 501,876 signatures.
It’s the most signed e-petition in Australian history, overtaking a 2019 petition calling for the government to declare a climate emergency which gained 404,538 signatures.


crikey--2020-11-12--Porter’s secret state: how the attorney-general leads the government’s war against accountability

As attorney-general , Porter has pursued secrecy in all its forms .
Crikey runs through some of the lowlights .
@ @ @ @ @ that Christian Porter has threatened to haul in the lawyers to fight the allegations aired @ @ @ @ @ Four Corners program about his public behaviour with a young female Liberal staffer .
Threatening @ @ @ @ @ deterrent to others who might publish more , and it 's very much in character @ @ @ @ @ reputation for seeing transparency and accountability as the enemy .
As attorney-general , Porter has @ @ @ @ @ forms ; from appointing political friends to government agencies , to introducing rules that allow @ @ @ @ @ on the prosecution of journalists .

It’s no surprise that Christian Porter has threatened to haul in the lawyers to fight the allegations aired on Monday night’s Four Corners program about his public behaviour with a young female Liberal staffer.
Threatening legal action acts as a deterrent to others who might publish more, and it’s very much in character for a politician with a reputation for seeing transparency and accountability as the enemy.
As attorney-general, Porter has pursued secrecy in all its forms; from appointing political friends to government agencies, to introducing rules that allow him to personally sign off on the prosecution of journalists.


crikey--2020-11-12--Apart from the presidency, the Dems had a weird and deeply unsuccessful election

The 2020 US election outcome may have been the only way forward for the Democrats , but in many ways @ @ @ @ @ As the Trump circus rolls on , testing how a coup might be prepared , @ @ @ @ @ the Democrat side .
The majority in the House of Representatives has been reduced right @ @ @ @ @ will most likely end up with the Democrats about 7-10 seats down , the House @ @ @ @ @ was equally disappointing .
With eight or so Republican senate seats exposed , the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ in Colorado .
That leaves them with 48 senators to the Republicans ' 50 .

As the Trump circus rolls on, testing how a coup might be prepared, the recriminations have begun on the Democrat side.
The majority in the House of Representatives has been reduced right to the bone — it will most likely end up with the Democrats about 7-10 seats down, the House about 225-210.
The Senate was equally disappointing. With eight or so Republican senate seats exposed, the Democrats have taken only one, in Colorado. That leaves them with 48 senators to the Republicans’ 50.


crikey--2020-11-12--While Porter parties, his protection racket inflicts misery

As Alan Tudge tried to protect Christian Porter from embarrassment , so Porter is trying to protect Alexander Downer from scrutiny over his role in the bugging of Timor-Leste .
So it seems after further revelations today about how Alan Tudge pressured an ABC journalist to delete a photo taken in a Canberra night spot that , according to Four Corners ’ bombshell report on Monday , would have embarrassed and compromised Christian Porter .
Any minister of the Crown learning that a colleague may have placed themselves in a position to be compromised should have immediately alerted the prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies .
Public Bar in Manuka is a well-known locale for politicians , staffers and journalists , the latest in a succession of such nightspots in Canberra .
Don ’ t think people connected to foreign intelligence services weren ’ t mingling there on Wednesday nights as well .
Who else took a photo of Porter , more surreptitiously ?
In any event , Tudge , a child of Melbourne privilege — elite Haileybury , Melbourne University , Harvard — sought to protect another child of privilege , Christian Porter , whose offensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — as opposed to his alleged continuing partying these days — was well documented by the ABC .
Significant as it is in itself , the incident is the perfect symbol for what party boy Porter himself is doing for Alexander Downer .
Downer ordered ASIS to bug the cabinet rooms of the Timor-Leste government in 2004 in order to give Australia an advantage over the fledgling state in negotiations over resources in the Timor Sea .
The advantage gained would accrue to resources company/de facto government agency Woodside .
After leaving politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His DFAT secretary of the time , Ashton Calvert , took a directorship .
Porter ’ s authorisation of the prosecution of Witness K and Bernard Collaery for revealing ASIS ’ crime is intended to punish them for exposing Downer and the Howard government .
Porter ’ s conduct in the prosecution , however , is designed to cover up Downer ’ s role .
He has sought to make the trial secret , he has repeatedly intervened in proceedings ( separately from the DPP ; Collaery and K face two legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Porter ’ s barrister trying to keep as much as possible secret ) ; Porter has so stymied and delayed the trial of Collaery that his barrister has been twice chided by magistrates for delays .
There is a key question in this trial about Downer : what authority did he have to authorise ASIS ’ conduct ?
Did prime minister Howard , his cabinet or the National Security Committee approve it , or did Downer decide himself ?
We may never publicly learn the answer to that crucial question because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Only , instead of demanding the deletion of a photo , Porter is trashing basic rights like open trials and long-standing norms like the Commonwealth ’ s status as a model litigant .
Porter ’ s conduct has had enormous impacts on K and Collaery — two men who have served their country and protected its national security in ways Porter could only dream about as he sleeps off another big night on the dance floor .
K remains unclear exactly as to what he is being asked to plead guilty to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health and the mental toll Porter ’ s vexatious prosecution has inflicted , he wants the whole thing done with .
Collaery ’ s practice has been wrecked and he is living on borrowings .
The process has so far dragged on for more than two years , with 42 hearings so far without a trial date in sight — the majority driven by Porter ’ s interventions .
It includes the juvenile tactic of requiring Collaery to travel interstate to view , but not retain , the allegedly secret brief directed against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to footage aired by the ABC , carried on carousing , and allegedly compromising himself as a national security risk far worse than even the fantasies claimed by the prosecution of K and Collaery .
The bugging of Timor-Leste and the persecution of K and Collaery are the biggest political scandal of recent decades in Australia .
That the press gallery seems to have been mostly uninterested in it — or have fallen for Porter ’ s tactic of dragging things out so long people forget about it — doesn ’ t change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raw demonstration of the ugliness of how power is used in Australia by well-connected corporations , their political shills and the parties that protect and enable them .
Power used at the expense of the people of Timor-Leste .
Power used at the expense of K and Collaery .
And despite Porter ’ s efforts at secrecy , at least some of it has occurred in plain sight at the ACT Law Courts building , in full view of the press gallery if they wanted to come five minutes down the road .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Bar , in full view five minutes in the other direction from Parliament House .
If you ’ re not enraged by the smug , smirking indecency of it all , you might want to check your moral compass .
It ’ s an obscenity .

Privilege protects privilege.
So it seems after further revelations today about how Alan Tudge pressured an ABC journalist to delete a photo taken in a Canberra night spot that, according to Four Corners’ bombshell report on Monday, would have embarrassed and compromised Christian Porter.
Any minister of the Crown learning that a colleague may have placed themselves in a position to be compromised should have immediately alerted the prime minister, possibly for referral to intelligence agencies. Public Bar in Manuka is a well-known locale for politicians, staffers and journalists, the latest in a succession of such nightspots in Canberra.


crikey--2020-11-11--Gladys Berejiklian and the unsubtle art of appearing more human

Whether ICAC brings findings of corrupt conduct is still an open question , but appearing more human now may save Gladys Berejiklian 's career .
Corruption may prove to be a sexually transmitted disease if events continue to unwind for Premier Gladys Berejiklian in NSW .
It is insufficient for a state leader to be wilfully unaware of dishonesty , irrespective of the perpetrator being a stranger , colleague , partner or lover .
ICAC ( Independent Commission Against Corruption ) are the traffic cops at the intersection of personal relationships and public duty , and thus far Berejiklian has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she did nothing wrong .
By December 7 , Scott Robertson SC will lay out recommendations that could include findings of corrupt conduct , breaches of the ministerial code and more .
The affected parties will submit final responses by February 22 and Commissioner Ruth McColl will announce outcomes some considerable time after that .
While the process lumbers along , the premier faces war on two fronts : ICAC , and the public .
She brings different strategies to each battlefield .
ICAC needs purely rational responses , while the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for if she emerges tarnished she will need public sympathy to survive .
Long established as a comparatively competent but somewhat remote premier , Berejiklian is busy building a more human image .
Likeability helps survivability .
The public war is won and lost with the disengaged .
While the observer class and the hapless foot soldiers of the culture wars turn their noisy artillery on one another , the real battle is for the opinion of the uncommitted mass who are busy picking a bargain at Coles , waiting for the bus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this indicium populi she ’ ll either be corrupt and expendable , or humbled , human and forgivable .
She can win public support by reframing the debate from corruption to heartbreak , for there are few who can fail to understand her compromised private position .
If having a dud boyfriend is a crime , then 51 % of the population have been guilty at one time or another .
This is why she ’ s been telling a prurient press that she has given up all hope of finding love .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and without question , I stuffed up in my personal life , ” she told the media .
The agenda shifted from NSW to NSFW with Kyle Sandilands on KIIS FM who , opining that he ’ d once imagined Berejiklian a lesbian , then talked about her “ getting her freak on ” with Daryl Maguire .
“ Even though you ’ re the premier and very good at your job , don ’ t you find that secret sex is the best sex ?
” queried Sandilands , which the premier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2GB she told Ben Fordham “ I was certainly in love with him … but no , he wasn ’ t my boyfriend .
Close and personal is the best way to describe it — after a certain point it became more.
” “ Privately there have been tears ” she allowed .
“ It ’ s excruciating to talk about .
I have less dating experience than the average person .
I ’ ve always been focused on my job , work , family and have had no time for anything else.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ while privately dealing with the traumatic end of a relationship and an existential threat to her job .
It must be anathema to her — but it may also be the key to political survival .
Which again raises the question : why would decent people commit to the unhappy path of a career in politics ?
You start out wanting to change the world , fight your way through preselection by cosying up to locals , win a seat while mouthing party lines , then find yourself in parliament , where your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that were not why you chased the gig .
Keep doing that long enough and circumstance may reward you with the title of premier or prime minister .
At last you have control , but soon enough you realise you don ’ t really .
To keep your team in power you ’ re enslaved by opinion polls .
If you stuff up you take down all your colleagues too , and the moment you look like doing so they ’ ll stab you in the back , or very possibly the front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having your personal life smeared across an episode of Four Corners .
We demand out politicians be flawless .
And nobody is .
Has Gladys Berejiklian succeeded in making herself appear more human since the ICAC revelations ?
Let us know your thoughts by writing to [ email protected ] .
Please include your full name to be considered for publication in Crikey ’ s Your Say column .

Corruption may prove to be a sexually transmitted disease if events continue to unwind for Premier Gladys Berejiklian in NSW.
It is insufficient for a state leader to be wilfully unaware of dishonesty, irrespective of the perpetrator being a stranger, colleague, partner or lover.
ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) are the traffic cops at the intersection of personal relationships and public duty, and thus far Berejiklian has tried to avoid a ticket by arguing that she did nothing wrong.


crikey--2020-11-11--Could the electoral college keep Trump in the White House?

The president is not elected by the people ; that power is held by the electoral college .
And if @ @ @ @ @ rogue , there 's not much anyone can do .
At last count , president-elect @ @ @ @ @ more than 5 million in the popular vote .
Yet Donald Trump is still claiming @ @ @ @ @ a lot ” , and only four of the 48 Republican senators have come out @ @ @ @ @ victory .
Most attention is focused on two contingencies in these uncharted seas : Trump @ @ @ @ @ to the election which are being filed in and thrown out by the courts daily @ @ @ @ @ to do ?
” prospect of his simply refusing to shift his arse out from @ @ @ @ @ January 20 , 2021 .
Will the Secret Service have to deploy a forklift ?
@ @ @ @ @ , the commander-in-chief of the armed forces until that date , declares martial law ?

At last count, president-elect Joe Biden was ahead by more than 5 million in the popular vote. Yet Donald Trump is still claiming he actually won “by a lot”, and only four of the 48 Republican senators have come out and acknowledged Biden’s victory.
Most attention is focused on two contingencies in these uncharted seas: Trump’s many legal challenges to the election which are being filed in and thrown out by the courts daily; and the “what to do?” prospect of his simply refusing to shift his arse out from behind the Resolute Desk on January 20, 2021.
Will the Secret Service have to deploy a forklift? Also, what if Trump, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces until that date, declares martial law?


crikey--2020-11-13--An autocrat refuses to step down. His sycophants support him. Is this a coup?

Is Donald Trump attempting a coup ?
And if so , could he really pull it off ?
Well , @ @ @ @ @ loudest democracy in the world has an infantile celebrity refusing to concede the presidency .
@ @ @ @ @ office , Donald Trump is acting more and more like a tin-pot , banana-republic strongman @ @ @ @ @ sacking his defence secretary , replacing staff with loyal acolytes , hiding in his palace @ @ @ @ @ machinery of democracy to work .
But does it amount to a coup , or @ @ @ @ @ a case of being a sore loser ?

Well, here it is. The loudest democracy in the world has an infantile celebrity refusing to concede the presidency.
In his final weeks in office, Donald Trump is acting more and more like a tin-pot, banana-republic strongman: stacking key departments, sacking his defence secretary, replacing staff with loyal acolytes, hiding in his palace and refusing to allow the machinery of democracy to work.
But does it amount to a coup, or is this no more than a case of being a sore loser?


crikey--2020-11-13--Crikey Talks: On China, ‘Australia is very much on its own’

It 's ' a dystopian future , something like we 've never had to navigate before ' .
Former ambassador @ @ @ @ @ Centre for Independent Studies executive director Tom Switzer sat down with Crikey Inside Access members @ @ @ @ @ is very much on its own in the Asia-Pacific region and will have to devise @ @ @ @ @ than it has for many decades .
That 's the blunt verdict of former Australian @ @ @ @ @ , speaking last night alongside Centre for Independent Studies executive director Tom Switzer in a @ @ @ @ @ Janine Perrett for Crikey Inside Access subscribers The overriding theme of the talk was how @ @ @ @ @ , as Switzer put it , an increasingly assertive China -- Australia ’ s key @ @ @ @ @ increasingly erratic United States -- Australia ’ s most important security ally .

Australia is very much on its own in the Asia-Pacific region and will have to devise much more authentic foreign policy than it has for many decades.
That’s the blunt verdict of former Australian ambassador to China Geoff Raby, speaking last night alongside Centre for Independent Studies executive director Tom Switzer in a talk hosted by Crikey columnist Janine Perrett for Crikey Inside Access subscribers
The overriding theme of the talk was how Australia navigates its relationships with, as Switzer put it, an increasingly assertive China — Australia’s key trade partner — and an increasingly erratic United States — Australia’s most important security ally.


crikey--2020-11-12--What do Labor’s denialists know that the world’s biggest energy companies don’t?

As Labor lays itself bare over coal , the industry itself is dying before our eyes and the biggest companies @ @ @ @ @ left with the bill .
This week should have been a target-rich environment for Labor @ @ @ @ @ 's reluctance to say anything about Trump 's attempted coup .
There was Four Corners @ @ @ @ @ and Christian Porter , and David Crowe 's revelation of Rachelle Miller 's complaints about @ @ @ @ @

This week should have been a target-rich environment for Labor.
There was the government’s reluctance to say anything about Trump’s attempted coup.
There was Four Corners‘ exposure of Alan Tudge and Christian Porter, and David Crowe’s revelation of Rachelle Miller’s complaints about Tudge and Michaelia Cash.


crikey--2020-11-12--Oil-loving International Energy Agency hears the music on renewables. Will Australia follow?

Renewable energy is on track to become the largest source of power worldwide in just a couple of years .
@ @ @ @ @ of renewables , the International Energy Agency .
Here 's something that Joel Fitzgibbon , @ @ @ @ @ division of the CFMEU , and maybe journalists whipping Fitzgibbon 's departure up as a @ @ @ @ @ , might do well to read -- as would Scott Morrison , Angus Taylor and @ @ @ @ @ the Coalition .
The International Energy Agency -- reflecting its history as an OECD think @ @ @ @ @ the perennial laggard when it comes to energy forecasts , routinely overstating fossil fuel production @ @ @ @ @ .
But its latest report predicts that renewables will soon become the largest source of @ @ @ @ @ one third of the world ’ s electricity .

Here’s something that Joel Fitzgibbon, the AWU, the mining division of the CFMEU, and maybe journalists whipping Fitzgibbon’s departure up as a leadership threat to Anthony Albanese, might do well to read — as would Scott Morrison, Angus Taylor and the other climate denialists of the Coalition.
The International Energy Agency — reflecting its history as an OECD think tank for oil — is the perennial laggard when it comes to energy forecasts, routinely overstating fossil fuel production forecasts and significantly underestimating renewables.
But its latest report predicts that renewables will soon become the largest source of electricity generation worldwide, supplying one third of the world’s electricity.


crikey--2020-11-12--How Annastacia Palaszczuk became Queensland’s most successful politician

This one-time 'accidental premier ' deserves the new-found lofty status she earned in last month 's election .
This article was first published by InQueensland and is republished with permission .
When planning political campaigns , former US president Barack Obama was fond of observing that : “ You don ’ t get to pick the moment , the moment picks you.
” This acknowledgement that events and circumstances shape political battles and fortunes had a loud ring in the recent Queensland election where the winner , Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk , was put into the centre of the least expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the global COVID-19 pandemic .
Palaszczuk ’ s handling of the insidious and lethal health emergency and its economic consequences might have been the key to navigating what was previously an almost impossible path to success but her victory was much more than the happenstance of incumbency .
Palaszczuk was picked by a moment that she was not just ready for but excelled in managing , despite the inevitable mistakes and slips along the way .
This election victory elevates Palaszczuk as the most successful politician in Australia in 2020 .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone who was dismissed as having achieved high office accidentally five years ago .
Palaszczuk is beginning a four-year term during which she will achieve 10 years as Labor leader and , later , surpass Wayne Goss and Peter Beattie as the longest-serving ALP premier since the party split in the mid-1950s .
She might not have stamped her presence as a transformational leader but she has been consequential .
Palaszczuk took the keys to the premier ’ s office after pulling off what was assumed to be out of reach — toppling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his eight-to-one supremacy in parliament .
Now she ’ s seen off three other LNP leaders and has the stature and authority of a three-time winner .
Most importantly , this third victory is Palaszczuk ’ s to claim as her own .
As one long-time Labor campaign strategist observed , this time the premier was a key factor in the result rather than one piece on a more complex chessboard .
“ This time Stacia drove the victory , being the prime reason for people voting Labor and also central to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said the strategist .
“ Her handling of the virus was the bedrock of our success but she also deserves credit for driving the jobs agenda that worked so well in regional Queensland , especially in resource and manufacturing communities.
” Few people who watch Palaszczuk realise or appreciate that she holds degrees in economics and law and studied at the University of London , where she was a Chevening scholar .
It ’ s an unlikely background for someone who was dubbed a “ tuckshop mum ” early in her career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connection with voters that still endures .
“ During her time in office , she has grown into a persona of the favourite aunty , ” said a former political colleague now out of parliament .
“ She has an authenticity that politicians crave but it is so casually present you don ’ t notice it.
” Another Labor figure who has worked closely with Palaszczuk over the years said the premier picked up another sobriquet in this recent campaign , that of the “ nice niece ” , a character recognised by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first time or after a long dalliance with conservative parties .
It makes the phrase “ what you see is what you get ” important when assessing Palaszczuk .
A ministerial colleague said one of Palaszczuk ’ s strengths was her innate understanding of Queenslanders .
“ She ’ s not a snob , ” said this politician .
“ She takes people as they come and listens if she finds a connection.
” Others point to Palaszczuk ’ s “ resilience ” and “ toughness ” when asked about her .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruthless when she thinks it ’ s necessary , ” said one senior Labor figure .
“ I often joke that she ’ s a lot like [ former Nationals premier ] Joh [ Bjelke-Petersen ] but her warm , human side masks those traits.
” A leader of one of Queensland ’ s peak interest groups said Palaszczuk had a couple of “ true norths ” which she “ probably owes to [ her father ] Henry and her upbringing in Inala ” .
Two common observations come through in discussions with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Palaszczuk : once she trusts you it ’ s an almost unbreakable bond , and she is an attentive listener to advice .
“ She has a pretty basic commonsense approach to problems , whether they are political or policy , ” said one sectoral insider who has dealt with Palaszczuk throughout her time in office .
“ I ’ ve lost count of the number of times I ’ ve underestimated her , ” he said .
“ But I think she quite enjoys being underestimated.
” One unknown at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this most significant of her three election wins .
Most people who know Palaszczuk well and work with her hope she will shake off some of her infamous caution and build a broad policy agenda for the post-pandemic economy .
However , the current consensus is that this coming term will be “ business as usual ” .
If so , it would be a missed — and wasted — opportunity .
Perhaps an emboldened , reelected Palaszczuk will start picking some moments rather than waiting for them to select her .

This article was first published by InQueensland and is republished with permission.
When planning political campaigns, former US president Barack Obama was fond of observing that: “You don’t get to pick the moment, the moment picks you.”
This acknowledgement that events and circumstances shape political battles and fortunes had a loud ring in the recent Queensland election where the winner, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, was put into the centre of the least expected occurrence anyone has seen in a century: the global COVID-19 pandemic.


crikey--2020-11-12--Is Labor learning the right lessons from the US election?

Biden ’ s victory isn ’ t quite the vindication of centrism some Labor figures think it is .
The @ @ @ @ @ likened to a mirror .
But it has n't just reflected the hopes and fears @ @ @ @ @ has also revealed the stress-induced pustules of our leaders in all their barely concealed repugnancy @ @ @ @ @ it has exposed a cloying obsequiousness to Daddy Washington -- from conspiratorial MPs and has-beens @ @ @ @ @ to call Trump out .
In Labor , it has again revealed self-effacing uncertainty borne @ @ @ @ @ .

The US election has rightly been likened to a mirror. But it hasn’t just reflected the hopes and fears of US citizens; it has also revealed the stress-induced pustules of our leaders in all their barely concealed repugnancy.
In the Coalition, it has exposed a cloying obsequiousness to Daddy Washington — from conspiratorial MPs and has-beens to a complacent leadership unwilling to call Trump out.
In Labor, it has again revealed self-effacing uncertainty borne from its 2019 election loss.


crikey--2020-11-17--Adelaide cluster puts ScoMo’s Christmas wish in doubt

Australia 's latest COVID-19 outbreak once again raises the question : what does new normal look like ?
South Australia @ @ @ @ @ grown to 20 cases today , with the state imposing new restrictions and calling in @ @ @ @ @ attempt to get the outbreak under control .
The latest COVID-19 spot fire has arrived @ @ @ @ @ the verge of eliminating the virus altogether , after Victoria recorded its 18th consecutive day @ @ @ @ @ It also once again raises the question : what does our new normal look like @

South Australia’s coronavirus cluster has grown to 20 cases today, with the state imposing new restrictions and calling in the defence force in an attempt to get the outbreak under control.
The latest COVID-19 spot fire has arrived just as Australia seemed on the verge of eliminating the virus altogether, after Victoria recorded its 18th consecutive day of no new cases.
It also once again raises the question: what does our new normal look like?


crikey--2020-11-17--Just how will Trump’s Australian cheer squad pivot to a Biden world?

A Joe Biden presidency could be a problem for some of Australia 's loudest Trump fans .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ the Australian business leaders and influence seekers who have enmeshed themselves in the world of @ @ @ @ @ president continues his attack on democracy , will they stand by , or start edging @ @ @ @ @ , like Rupert Murdoch , have been quick to switch allegiances , choosing pragmatism over @ @ @ @ @ more embarrassing retreat from their close proximity to Trump , now a dictator in the @ @

It’s a moment of truth for the Australian business leaders and influence seekers who have enmeshed themselves in the world of Donald Trump.
As the president continues his attack on democracy, will they stand by, or start edging towards Joe Biden?
Some, like Rupert Murdoch, have been quick to switch allegiances, choosing pragmatism over ideology. Others face a more embarrassing retreat from their close proximity to Trump, now a dictator in the making.


crikey--2020-11-17--Cosy relationships and a front organisation: how Sky News operates as a law unto itself

When the body in charge of regulating pay TV is stacked with Foxtel 's own executives , why are we @ @ @ @ @ baseless conspiracy theories go unchallenged ?
As alarm builds over the key role of Fox @ @ @ @ @ the United States , it turns out that in Australia the Murdochs write their own @ @ @ @ @ what is acceptable on News Corp 's Sky News Australia .
Because of a little @ @ @ @ @ a Murdoch front organisation is at the centre of regulating subscription television in Australia .
@ @ @ @ @ apparent free-for-all reveals that while there are limits to what Sky 's commentators can say @ @ @ @ @ the channel has been largely outsourced to the industry itself -- with Murdoch interests dotted @ @ @ @ @ of disinformation is now such that it would be `` on the radar '' of @ @ @ @ @ Australian Media and Communications Authority ( ACMA ) , according to UTS regulation expert Professor @ @ @ @ @ held senior roles with the regulator .

As alarm builds over the key role of Fox News in spreading disinformation in the United States, it turns out that in Australia the Murdochs write their own rules when it comes to what is acceptable on News Corp’s Sky News Australia. Because of a little known set of arrangements, a Murdoch front organisation is at the centre of regulating subscription television in Australia.
Inq‘s investigation into the apparent free-for-all reveals that while there are limits to what Sky’s commentators can say, the task of regulating the channel has been largely outsourced to the industry itself — with Murdoch interests dotted throughout.
The resulting spread of disinformation is now such that it would be “on the radar” of Australia’s media regulator the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA), according to UTS regulation expert Professor Derek Wilding, who has held senior roles with the regulator.


crikey--2020-11-17--ScoMo goes to Tokyo: what will happen and what can we expect to learn?

Scott Morrison 's visit to Tokyo will see questions of defence , the US and China on the table as @ @ @ @ @ increasingly insecure positions .
Scott Morrison is in Tokyo this week on a long-awaited visit @ @ @ @ @ .
That Morrison picked Japan for his first official visit of the year is a @ @ @ @ @ 's foreign policy intent , and how seriously it takes our relationship with Japan .
@ @ @ @ @ visit which could give Australia plenty to learn .
First things first : Morrison 's @ @ @ @ @ just how seriously Australia takes its relationship with Japan .
Morrison was the first world @ @ @ @ @ new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga when he took office in September and he 'll be @ @ @ @ @ a visit at the Kantei , the PM 's office and residence .

Scott Morrison is in Tokyo this week on a long-awaited visit delayed by bushfires and pandemics.
That Morrison picked Japan for his first official visit of the year is a clear sign of the government’s foreign policy intent, and how important that relationship is. But it’s also a visit which could give Australia plenty to learn.
Deepening ties
First things first: Morrison’s trip is a sign of just how seriously Australia takes its relationship with Japan. Morrison was the first world leader to call Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga when he took office in September and he’ll be the first to pay him a visit at the Kantei, the PM’s office and residence.


crikey--2020-11-17--Public wage curbs run counter to RBA efforts to drag nation out of recession

The federal and NSW governments are making extra spending harder to achieve .
Talk about a fiscal own goal .
@ @ @ @ @ to curb public sector wage growth will frustrate the Reserve Bank of Australia 's ( @ @ @ @ @ the economy through the worst recession in 90 years .
The move will leave over @ @ @ @ @ worse off over time and impact income tax and GST inflows .
The Morrison government @ @ @ @ @ for over 240,000 Commonwealth public servants to just above zero ( at the moment ) @ @ @ @ @ sector wage growth .
The Coalition government in NSW is doing something similar by cutting @ @ @ @ @ 2.5 % to 1.5 % for its almost 400,000 public servants .
Between the two @ @ @ @ @ 5 % of the Australian labour force .

Federal and NSW government decisions to curb public sector wage growth will frustrate the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) attempts to support the economy through the worst recession in 90 years. The move will leave over 600,000 people and their families worse off over time and impact income tax and GST inflows.
The Morrison government has effectively cut wage rises for over 240,000 Commonwealth public servants to just above zero (at the moment) by linking them to private sector wage growth. The Coalition government in NSW is doing something similar by cutting the wage increase cap from 2.5% to 1.5% for its almost 400,000 public servants.
Between the two governments the move covers around 5% of the Australian labour force.


crikey--2020-11-16--Year spins to a nauseating close. It might be funny if it weren’t so obscene

From Hollywood Hugh Marks to Alan Tudge to Gladys Berejiklian , 2020 has been a big year for the spin doctors .
The spin doctors are in overdrive this morning , from the Hollywood Hugh saga at Nine , to the Alan Tudge mea culpa , to the attempts to pardon Crown Casinos even before the verdict is handed down .
Pity most of it is so ludicrous .
Not to mention obscene .
Let ’ s start with the Hugh Marks scandal , despite the fact that many readers have noted that most of the public had never heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Nine for inappropriate relationships with staff .
Sure , being CEO of a major media company inevitably invites attention from the media itself , but this story has also muddied the waters on the whole issue of bonking bans , consensual relations between employees and management , politicians ’ double standards , women ’ s rights , you name it .
So after a weekend of dramatic developments with Marks dumped by the Nine board and then giving numerous personal and emotional interviews to his own reporters , it was time for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His new love interest , former Nine executive Alexi Baker , decided she would speak to The Australian .
You know , The Australian , part of News Corp , which has been hounding Marks for months over his messy private life .
In the gushing profile under the headline “ the truth about Hollywood Hugh and me ” , Baker goes to extraordinary efforts to portray a rosy picture of life with her and Hugh ( no babies yet ) while providing a very detailed timeline on their affair and disclosures to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ reported $ 2 million bonus .
It ’ s not clear whether Baker ’ s interview with the enemy is payback for the Nine board ’ s lack of support for her boyfriend , or just what happens when you follow the lead of Barnaby Joyce ’ s partner Vikki Campion , who ended up actually working for the same Daily Tele who so outraged the pair by breaking news of their affair and her pregnancy .
If you can ’ t beat ’ em , help ’ em sell more papers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PR offensive after her affair with dodgy Daryl Maguire was exposed at the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption .
This week the very private premier is plastered over the cover of local suburban rag The Wentworth Courier , continuing her poor Gladys narrative which doesn ’ t quite fit with the new zero-tolerance attitude to secret affairs with co-workers .
Pollie waffle and spin was on full display too in the case of Alan Tudge , who just sent his voters a Facebook apology for his illicit affair and then vowed to recontest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damage control was somewhat muted by the news yesterday that his former lover Rachelle Miller had turned up for a new job only to find the defence contractor was having second thoughts because of all the negative media attention she had garnered by going public with her affair on Four Corners .
Cue outrage over double standards for women , not to mention for staffers , given that even the most incompetent , useless , imbecilic ex-politician can walk straight into a job with any defence contractor .
The final spin award is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t involve illicit affairs of a sexual nature — although there are still plenty of people getting screwed .
For sheer chutzpah , the winner yesterday is barrister Neil Young QC , for his closing arguments to the NSW inquiry into Crown ’ s fitness to hold a casino licence .
In comments that seemed to bear no resemblance to the damning and disgraceful evidence presented over the past months , he claimed that the litany of criminal allegations and corporate malfeasance were just “ honest mistakes ” ; that the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that it was time to move on .
This led to one incredible headline : “ Crown has learned its lesson ” .
Can you keep up with the spin ?
Who do you think wins the award for spinning a scandal this year ?
Let us know your thoughts by writing to [ email protected ] .
Please include your full name to be considered for publication in Crikey ’ s Your Say column .

The spin doctors are in overdrive this morning, from the Hollywood Hugh saga at Nine, to the Alan Tudge mea culpa, to the attempts to pardon Crown Casinos even before the verdict is handed down.
Pity most of it is so ludicrous. Not to mention obscene.
Let’s start with the Hugh Marks scandal, despite the fact that many readers have noted that most of the public had never heard of him before he was forced out of Nine for inappropriate relationships with staff.


crikey--2020-11-16--Exodus from One Nation helped Palaszczuk, but will it do the same for Albo?

Support for One Nation was decimated at the Queensland election , but it ’ s where those votes now sit @ @ @ @ @ the federal campaigns of both major parties .
Support for Pauline Hanson ’ s One @ @ @ @ @ Queensland election , but it ’ s where those votes now sit that holds a @ @ @ @ @ of both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese .
Morrison knows Queensland helped hand him victory @ @ @ @ @ the same way Anthony Albanese knows he must win back a swag of seats in @ @ @ @ @ to take the treasury benches .
Just consider this : there is not one Labor @ @ @ @ @ River to the tip of Cape York .
It ’ s a sea of Morrison @ @ @ @ @ .

Support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation was decimated at the Queensland election, but it’s where those votes now sit that holds a clue for the federal campaigns of both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese.
Morrison knows Queensland helped hand him victory last time round, in the same way Anthony Albanese knows he must win back a swag of seats in the north if he’s to take the treasury benches.
Just consider this: there is not one Labor seat north of the Brisbane River to the tip of Cape York. It’s a sea of Morrison blue. At the moment.


crikey--2020-11-16--Trump fulfils the age-old prophecy of America’s decline

In not much more than a fortnight , Donald Trump has achieved what no one in the US has been @ @ @ @ @ War .
`` Once upon a time there was a place called Amerikkka ... '' @ @ @ @ @ a '90s Doonesbury cartoon , passing the torch to his kinder , gentler successors ( @ @ @ @ @ ?
Was n't that dangerous ? ''
) .
Read more about the damage being @ @ @ @ @ Register your email address to get FREE access on a 21-day trial .
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crikey--2020-11-16--The sound of not-so-distant fire. What’s at stake for a Victoria Cross recipient

There 's a lot on the line for highly decorated former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith , who finds himself at the @ @ @ @ @ investigation as well as a defamation suit .
A lot is at stake for highly @ @ @ @ @ , who was allegedly involved in seven unlawful killings during his time serving in the @ @ @ @ @ SAS ) in Afghanistan .
Millions of dollars in debt , Roberts-Smith is at the @ @ @ @ @ Police ( AFP ) investigation into the death of Ali Jan , an Afghani villager @ @ @ @ @ a costly defamation suit against the Nine papers , refusing to back down as evidence @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the case up to ?
Last Wednesday , the Federal Court ruled that @ @ @ @ @ war crimes inquiry into Roberts-Smith 's conduct in Afghanistan be redacted and released to lawyers @ @ @ @ @ defamation case .

A lot is at stake for highly decorated former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, who was allegedly involved in seven unlawful killings during his time serving in the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) in Afghanistan.
Millions of dollars in debt, Roberts-Smith is at the centre of an Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation into the death of Ali Jan, an Afghani villager. He’s also fighting a costly defamation suit against the Nine papers, refusing to back down as evidence against him mounts.
Where’s the case up to?
Last Wednesday, the Federal Court ruled that preliminary findings made by a war crimes inquiry into Roberts-Smith’s conduct in Afghanistan be redacted and released to lawyers on both sides of the defamation case.


crikey--2020-11-16--There’s a big new trade deal in town. What’s in it for us, China and the region?

The RCEP has been described as ' a coup ' for China and a 'lifeline ' for Australia-China relations .
@ @ @ @ @ on the Regional and Comprehensive Economic Partnership ( RECP ) , a mammoth trade deal @ @ @ @ @ 14 other countries across the Asia-Pacific .
Here in Australia , it ’ s been @ @ @ @ @ It 's been called the biggest trade deal in human history , a multi-billion-dollar injection @ @ @ @ @ and an opportunity to cool off an increasingly testy relationship with China while also diversifying @ @ @ @ @ .
In the United States , the RCEP has been framed as a sign of @ @ @ @ @ the region .
International media outlets have also raised concern about the extent of its @ @ @ @ @ Turnbull has criticised it as having “ low ambition ” .

The ink has now dried on the Regional and Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP), a mammoth trade deal signed yesterday by Australia and 14 other countries across the Asia-Pacific.
Here in Australia, it’s been described in triumphant terms. It’s been called the biggest trade deal in human history, a multi-billion-dollar injection into the regional economy, and an opportunity to cool off an increasingly testy relationship with China while also diversifying Australia’s trading partners.
In the United States, the RCEP has been framed as a sign of Beijing’s dominance in the region. International media outlets have also raised concern about the extent of its trade liberalisation, and Malcolm Turnbull has criticised it as having “low ambition”.


crikey--2020-11-18--Stamp duty v land tax: NSW takes a giant leap into the political unknown with good policy

With its stamp duty change , the NSW government is taking a political risk on — shock horror !
— @ @ @ @ @ in NSW where the Berejiklian government is axing stamp duty .
Sort of , partly @ @ @ @ @ period .
The government is taking a huge political risk , sneaking in an actually @ @ @ @ @ cover of the upheaval caused by the coronavirus .
It could still be the end @ @ @ @ @ the opportunity to accuse it of “ land tax by stealth ” is almost certainly @ @ @ @ @ opposition to pass up .

Big news in NSW where the Berejiklian government is axing stamp duty. Sort of, partly. And after a consultation period.
The government is taking a huge political risk, sneaking in an actually excellent economic reform under the cover of the upheaval caused by the coronavirus.
It could still be the end of the government, as the opportunity to accuse it of “land tax by stealth” is almost certainly too tempting for the state opposition to pass up.


crikey--2020-11-18--Can the top brass reform the very culture it supposedly controls already?

The defence bosses responsible for implementing any inquiry recommendations were all trained through the SAS themselves .
The long-awaited inquiry @ @ @ @ @ Australian special forces in Afghanistan is likely to trigger the next stage of a dark @ @ @ @ @ military history .
But questions remain about how independent and transparent the process of implementing @ @ @ @ @ will be .
So far there have been encouraging signs that defence is willing to @ @ @ @ @ Military sociologist Samantha Crompvoets , whose report sparked the probe , has spoken to the @ @ @ @ @ being made public .

The long-awaited inquiry into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan is likely to trigger the next stage of a dark chapter in Australia’s military history.
But questions remain about how independent and transparent the process of implementing the recommendations of the report will be.
So far there have been encouraging signs that defence is willing to address the allegations head-on. Military sociologist Samantha Crompvoets, whose report sparked the probe, has spoken to the media ahead of the report being made public.


crikey--2020-11-18--Once a mate, now a hate: the Oz is out to get Anthony Albanese

Unnamed sources have been briefing the Oz against the paper 's former mate Anthony Albanese .
The faceless men and women are back .
During a week when several senior Liberal MPs have covered themselves in odour , it is , apparently , Labor leader Anthony Albanese whose job is at risk .
At least , it is according to unnamed party figures quoted in News Corp ’ s national broadsheet , The Australian .
The narrative of Albanese in freefall kicked off in the aftermath of Joe Biden ’ s victory , and gained serious momentum last Tuesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader Joel Fitzgibbon quit the front bench .
Then , overnight , Albanese ’ s deputy chief of staff Sabina Husic resigned , after an online dossier attacking her character did the rounds , indicating that something indeed is amiss in the leader ’ s office .
And these flashpoints have been accompanied by the all-familiar rumblings about leadership instability .
Anonymous sources are forward-sizzling snippets of Albanese ’ s political obituary to gleeful News Corp scribes .
Nameless Labor figures continue to express their disappointment with the state of things in The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a target has begun to emerge on the opposition leader ’ s back .
Biden ’ s election win , a rare recent success for a progressive in the West , gave Labor a bit of a jolt .
After congratulating the president-elect , Albanese appeared to urge Scott Morrison to get on the blower and push Donald Trump to concede .
The Australian wrote that Albanese “ was privately ridiculed in Labor ranks ” for the suggestion .
It was , according to political editor Denis “ the curve ” Shanahan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fallout from the US election , which marks the end of an administration firmly wedded to climate denialism , helped spur on Albanese ’ s next big headache : Joel Fitzgibbon .
Ever since Labor ’ s shock loss last May , when Fitzgibbon ’ s formerly safe seat of Hunter turned marginal , the now-backbencher has been freelancing on climate policy , arguing the party ’ s ambitious emissions targets were the key reason for that defeat .
After months of bitching to the media , Fitzgibbon quit after a caucus shouting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s success to talk about climate change .
Fitzgibbon ’ s departure sent the hot takes about Albanese ’ s demise into overdrive , and gave the Oz a new hero .
Within hours , the paper was arguing that the blowup “ set the scene for a leadership challenge ” , with Fitzgibbon the most likely alternative .
Labor right figures ( and lord knows who ! )
told national affairs editor Simon Benson the situation may be “ terminal ” .
Fitzgibbon , Benson argued , had “ broad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat to the Morrison government .
Over on Murdoch ’ s Sky News , Andrew Clennell said Fitzgibbon was “ stoking the fires of leadership speculation ” , and in an interview , discussed the “ angst ” brewing within caucus .
Even Albanese ’ s decision to replace Fitzgibbon with Ed Husic on the front bench was a disaster , Benson claimed , as the western Sydney MP ’ s support for a live exports ban would surely be a disaster in the bush .
By the start of this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared Albanese ’ s leadership on death watch , because , apparently , most MPs were certain he would be dumped before the election or lead them to another defeat .
Late on Monday , an anonymous dossier , alleging a culture of bullying in the leader ’ s office began circulating among journalists andstaffers .
The Nine newspapers were first to jump on that , reporting yesterday about the dossier ’ s existence , and later adding Albanese ’ s insistence it was fake .
By this morning , Sabina Husic had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , false , fake and defamatory ” attacks made against her in the dossier .
Husic , a well-regarded staffer , is the sister of Ed Husic , who took over the resources portfolio after Fitzgibbon quit .
The Daily Telegraph today reports Albanese ’ s claim that the allegations made about his office were false .
Also today , the Oz has used Sabina Husic ’ s resignation to talk about division in Albanese ’ s office and how they were “ now dividing and distracting every tier of the federal opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this ?
Just ask Kevin and Malcolm .

The faceless men and women are back. During a week when several senior Liberal MPs have covered themselves in odour, it is, apparently, Labor leader Anthony Albanese whose job is at risk.
At least, it is according to unnamed party figures quoted in News Corp’s national broadsheet, The Australian.
The narrative of Albanese in freefall kicked off in the aftermath of Joe Biden’s victory, and gained serious momentum last Tuesday, when member for coal and right factional leader Joel Fitzgibbon quit the front bench.


crikey--2020-11-18--A noisy budget hits the burbs: just how will the quiet Australian react?

While the NSW budget will get some ticks of approval , the question of whether the state will be able @ @ @ @ @ growth is an open one .
If this was the Nixon years in America , @ @ @ @ @ be considered on the adage , “ how will it play in Peoria ?
” @ @ @ @ @ quintessential middle-America , a place where companies and politicians alike market tests idea .
Take @ @ @ @ @ to Australia ( as ScoMo and others do ) : how will an idea play @ @ @ @ @ ?
So , how will the newly revealed 2019-20 NSW budget play out not just @ @ @ @ @ for the country -- and the economy -- as a whole ?

If this was the Nixon years in America, a major political move would be considered on the adage, “how will it play in Peoria?”. Peoria, Illinois is quintessential middle-America, a place where companies and politicians alike market tests idea.
Take the idea and apply it to Australia (as ScoMo and others do): how will an idea play with “quiet Australians”?
So, how will the newly revealed 2019-20 NSW budget play out not just for the quiet Aussie but for the country — and the economy — as a whole?


crikey--2020-11-17--Frydenberg rips into regulators. But wasn’t it 5 minutes ago they were too soft?

The treasurer uses that old cliché 'cutting red tape ' to justify his push to roll back Hayne banking royal commission reforms .
The COVID-19 crisis has apparently trumped our memory of previous financial crises , what caused them , and the tortuous process of legislating to fix the long-term damage .
That could be your conclusion after reading the extraordinary speech that pumped-up Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is delivering to yet another Australian Financial Review talkfest today , the aptly named Banking & Wealth Summit .
According to the AFR take on the treasurer ’ s speech , he will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — “ the major financial regulators for hampering the recovery from the COVID-induced recession with overzealous intervention in policymaking ” .
And if that tough talking wasn ’ t enough the dire warnings are ramped up with these ominous words : “ He views some of their actions as an attempt to usurp the role of parliament and tie lenders in red tape.
” In other words , after years of parliament being forced to push regulators to better protect everyone he now blames them for doing what the public — then belatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do .
Silly us for thinking the regulators were too soft .
On the surface it seems rather extraordinarily provocative — but that might be only if you actually put it into context .
Like reading another story in the Nine papers this morning under the headline “ Time of reckoning ” with the Australian Bankers Association ’ s dire warning of the problems ahead as loan deferrals and government stimulus packages end .
So on one hand the banks are warning us that next year there will almost certainly be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but also now is the time to loosen responsible lending initiatives and rev up the economy to help Frydenberg ’ s government ’ s reelection prospects .
While the treasurer quite rightly gloats about how well our financial system has coped with the pandemic — “ no run on banks ” he proudly noted , among other things — he must believe the worst of the crisis is over .
How else to explain such an aggressive push to roll back the protections that Kenneth Hayne championed after the pain of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Of course the government has used the cover of COVID-19 to hold up most of those reforms — despite promising to implement nearly all of them .
The explanation and context is simple : the banks have been pushing back strongly against responsible lending reforms and the treasurer is using that hoary old chestnut “ cutting red tape ” to justify rolling over to their demands .
In his speech Frydenberg cites the fact that in consumer credit the responsible lending framework has led “ to almost 100 pages of ASIC regulatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lenders to become increasingly risk-averse and conservative for fear of falling foul of the guidance , ” he said .
“ As a consequence , the government is seeking to remove responsible lending obligations for all lenders except those issuing small account credit contracts or consumer leases , with APRA ’ s lending standards remaining.
” This is incredible given it was less than a week ago that ASIC reported that some consumers are having to cut back on essentials such as meals because of debt they racked up from using buy now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in five consumers were missing payments .
ASIC also admitted it was yet to actually do anything about this looming consumer credit crisis but it was working on it .
( Don ’ t rush , if you are reading the treasurer ’ s speech . )
As well as pandering to the banking lobbyists to tone down responsible lending legislation and weaken the Hayne recommendations , the speech promises the usual ideological crackdown on the superannuation industry .
The treasurer wraps up by saying : “ The reforms both preceding and during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many other nations , but there is no room for complacency.
” A classic bit of newspeak where what he is saying appears to be exactly the opposite to what he means .
What do you make of the treasurer ’ s speech ?
Let us know your thoughts by writing to [ email protected ] .
Please include your full name to be considered for publication in Crikey ‘ s Your Say column .

The COVID-19 crisis has apparently trumped our memory of previous financial crises, what caused them, and the tortuous process of legislating to fix the long-term damage.
That could be your conclusion after reading the extraordinary speech that pumped-up Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is delivering to yet another Australian Financial Review talkfest today, the aptly named Banking & Wealth Summit.
According to the AFR take on the treasurer’s speech, he will “reprimand” — yes, reprimand — “the major financial regulators for hampering the recovery from the COVID-induced recession with overzealous intervention in policymaking”.


crikey--2020-11-17--Military wrongdoing is nothing new. The question is, will the coming storm wash anything away?

The coming report into war crimes in Afghanistan wo n't be the first time the Australian Defence Force has been @ @ @ @ @ all know the story of Harry `` Breaker '' Morant , who exhorted the firing @ @ @ @ @ , you bastards ” .
But while Morant might have been Australia 's first recognised @ @ @ @ @ far from unique in the annals of our nation 's military history .
The imminent @ @ @ @ @ of a report into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan is expected to detail how our @ @ @ @ @ and prisoners during the ill-fated Afghanistan campaign .

We all know the story of Harry “Breaker” Morant, who exhorted the firing squad to “shoot straight, you bastards”.
But while Morant might have been Australia’s first recognised war criminal, he’s far from unique in the annals of our nation’s military history.
The imminent release of a redacted version of a report into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan is expected to detail how our venerated special forces killed civilians and prisoners during the ill-fated Afghanistan campaign.


crikey--2020-11-17--The case for a royal commission into robodebt — institutionalised cruelty of historic proportions

Justice for the victims , assurance that this won ’ t happen again and accountability for the powerful — all @ @ @ @ @ saga of robodebt to be brought to light .
Robodebt is a dystopian enough word @ @ @ @ @ s official name -- the Online Compliance Intervention -- would have conveyed its sinister intent @ @ @ @ @ other “ intervention ” ?
Perhaps it ’ s Coalition secret code for punishing the @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 with the promise of using artificial intelligence to save the taxpayers $ 3.7 @ @ @ @ @ welfare payments .
It ended this week with $ 2.1 billion going the other way @ @ @ @ @ use automated data-matching between Centrelink and the Australian Tax Office , to identify who was @ @ @ @ @ then issue invoices and the money would come back , all without the inefficiency of @ @ @

Robodebt is a dystopian enough word, but the program’s official name — the Online Compliance Intervention — would have conveyed its sinister intent more effectively. Remember that other “intervention”? Perhaps it’s Coalition secret code for punishing the unworthy.
Robodebt was introduced in 2016 with the promise of using artificial intelligence to save the taxpayers $3.7 billion by clawing back undeserved welfare payments. It ended this week with $2.1 billion going the other way.
It was supposed to use automated data-matching between Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office, to identify who was being overpaid. Robodebt would then issue invoices and the money would come back, all without the inefficiency of human intervention.


crikey--2020-11-19--39 allegedly murdered by Australian special forces: the nation’s shame laid bare

Chief of Defence Angus Campbell described the alleged unlawful killings as a result of a toxic culture of 'ego , @ @ @ @ @ The shocking truth about Australia ’ s conduct in Afghanistan has finally been laid bare @ @ @ @ @ the long-awaited Brereton report into alleged war crimes by special forces soldiers .
Chief of @ @ @ @ @ alleged unlawful killings as a result of a toxic culture of `` ego , elitism @ @ @ @ @ patrols took the law into their own hands , rules were broken , stories concocted @ @ @ @ @ killed ” .
The saga is far from over .
A special prosecutor will take @ @ @ @ @ to charge Australian troops over incidents spanning a decade .

The shocking truth about Australia’s conduct in Afghanistan has finally been laid bare, with the release of the long-awaited Brereton report into alleged war crimes by special forces soldiers.
Chief of Defence Angus Campbell described the alleged unlawful killings as a result of a toxic culture of “ego, elitism and entitlement” where “patrols took the law into their own hands, rules were broken, stories concocted, lies told and prisoners killed”.
The saga is far from over. A special prosecutor will take the next steps about whether to charge Australian troops over incidents spanning a decade.


crikey--2020-11-19--China gave us a list of stuff that makes them mad. Do they have a point?

Beijing 's new dossier of 14 disputes with Australia does n't tell us anything we did n't already know — @ @ @ @ @ they 're wrong ... Beijing ripped off the mask yesterday , releasing a dossier to @ @ @ @ @ government of poisoning bilateral relations , including a handy list of 14 disputes .
In @ @ @ @ @ Chinese official reportedly remarked : “ If you make China the enemy , China will @ @ @ @ @ is the dossier really `` extraordinary '' , as the Nine newspapers chose to label @ @ @ @ @ a bit underwhelmed , '' said Australia China Relations Institute director James Laurenceson .
`` @ @ @ @ @ that list that we do n't already know China are already annoyed about . ''

Beijing ripped off the mask yesterday, releasing a dossier to Nine journalists accusing the Australian government of poisoning bilateral relations, including a handy list of 14 disputes. In briefing the media, a Chinese official reportedly remarked: “If you make China the enemy, China will be the enemy.”
But is the dossier really “extraordinary”, as the Nine newspapers chose to label it?
“I was a bit underwhelmed,” said Australia China Relations Institute director James Laurenceson. “There’s really nothing on that list that we don’t already know China are already annoyed about.”


crikey--2020-11-19--It’s not just special forces — the entire military has to change

The ADF has a culture problem that , in its worst manifestation , leads to abuse and war crimes .
@ @ @ @ @ tacitly approved by command , how can it be fixed ?
“ Don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ 's a phrase that every defence force member knows well but is lost on the @ @ @ @ @ means never dob in your mates , don ’ t admit who might have been @ @ @ @ @ and always have each other ’ s backs .
This mantra is excellent to build @ @ @ @ @ de corps and fighting capability .
However , it also begins the process of subverting @ @ @ @ @ and compelling fellow members to cover up incidents and protect wrongdoers .

“Don’t go Jack” — it’s a phrase that every defence force member knows well but is lost on the rest of us.
It means never dob in your mates, don’t admit who might have been responsible for bad actions, and always have each other’s backs. This mantra is excellent to build small group cohesion, esprit de corps and fighting capability.
However, it also begins the process of subverting command, encouraging bad behaviour and compelling fellow members to cover up incidents and protect wrongdoers.


crikey--2020-11-18--How shonky providers are draining the accounts of people with disabilities

The NDIS says it has zero tolerance for fraudulent disability providers , but a former investigator tells Inq that fraudulent @ @ @ @ @ .
A homemade wooden ramp running alongside a barbed-wire fence leads to the two caravans @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s not an ideal living situation for anyone , let alone for someone @ @ @ @ @ has paid one company almost $ 5000 from his National Disability Insurance Scheme ( NDIS @ @ @ @ @ organise modifications to make his home more accessible .
But nothing has been done .
@ @ @ @ @ company dropped him as a client -- before draining nine weeks ' worth of funding @ @ @ @ @ not providing any new services .

A homemade wooden ramp running alongside a barbed-wire fence leads to the two caravans Jay White calls home. It’s not an ideal living situation for anyone, let alone for someone in a wheelchair.
White has paid one company almost $5000 from his National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding to help him organise modifications to make his home more accessible. But nothing has been done.
When he complained, the company dropped him as a client — before draining nine weeks’ worth of funding from his NDIS account despite not providing any new services.


crikey--2020-11-18--Finding a vaccine is just the beginning. The delivery will be every bit as critical

Jubilation over the imminent arrival of COVID-19 vaccines needs to be tempered by the reality that a fast , safe @ @ @ @ @ continent like Australia will be highly complex .
Jubilation over the imminent arrival of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ must be tempered by the reality that a fast , safe , efficient rollout across @ @ @ @ @ be highly complex .
This makes last week ’ s release of a national COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ in how we will contain SARS-COV-2 in the future .
Arrangements have been made with @ @ @ @ @ candidates that , if successful , will begin arriving in 2021 : • Oxford/Astra Zeneca @ @ @ @ @ million people delivered , plus doses for 15 million immunisations manufactured in Australia • University @ @ @ @ @ 25.5 million immunisations manufactured here The federal government has also signed a deal with COVAX @ @ @ @ @ platform co-ordinated by the World Health Organization .
The agreement secures enough doses of a @ @ @ @ @ of the Australian population .

Jubilation over the imminent arrival of COVID-19 vaccines is justified, but must be tempered by the reality that a fast, safe, efficient rollout across a continent like Australia will be highly complex.
This makes last week’s release of a national COVID-19 vaccination policy an important development in how we will contain SARS-COV-2 in the future. Arrangements have been made with the developers of four promising candidates that, if successful, will begin arriving in 2021:
Oxford/Astra Zeneca: doses to immunise 1.9 million people delivered, plus doses for 15 million immunisations manufactured in Australia
University of Queensland/CSL: doses for 25.5 million immunisations manufactured here
Novavax: doses for 20 million immunisations delivered
Pfizer/BioNTech: doses for 5 million immunisations delivered.
The federal government has also signed a deal with COVAX, the global COVID-19 vaccine platform co-ordinated by the World Health Organization. The agreement secures enough doses of a successful vaccine to immunise half of the Australian population.


crikey--2020-11-18--Petty scandals hide the real corruption as culture and media miss the mark

Last week 's bombshell Four Corners report missed the real story .
Guy Rundle on the rotten core of Australian @ @ @ @ @ great organisational theorist Northcote Parkinson once noted that time spent on the debate of an @ @ @ @ @ to its consequence .
Authorising a nuclear power plant takes five minutes , because no @ @ @ @ @ should cost .
The budget for tea and coffee : everyone 's got an opinion @ @ @ @ @ goes for hours .
There 's something of that in the character of politics , @ @ @ @ @ and culture at present .
The two great scandals of the moment should be , @ @ @ @ @ which the Morrison government 's administration of JobKeeper through companies -- rather than directly to @ @ @ @ @ of millions to corporate bottom lines and company profits .

The great organisational theorist Northcote Parkinson once noted that time spent on the debate of an issue is in inverse proportion to its consequence.
Authorising a nuclear power plant takes five minutes, because no one really knows what it should cost. The budget for tea and coffee: everyone’s got an opinion on that, and it goes for hours.
There’s something of that in the character of politics, as it oscillates between economics and culture at present. The two great scandals of the moment should be, firstly, the manner in which the Morrison government’s administration of JobKeeper through companies — rather than directly to workers — has shuttled hundreds of millions to corporate bottom lines and company profits.


crikey--2020-11-20--Seven caught in the middle of an unignorable story and the loyalty of Kerry Stokes

Seven West Media must walk the tight rope of its coverage of the Brereton SAS war crimes report and its @ @ @ @ @ figures .
The appalling revelations of the Brereton war crimes report have made headlines around @ @ @ @ @ in the disbanding of the SAS regiment at the centre of the allegations of war @ @ @ @ @ Service Regiment 2 Squadron .
But the SAS unit has found solace from one source @ @ @ @ @ Stokes .
Already , Stokes has loaned decorated former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith somewhere between @ @ @ @ @ 2 million ( depending on the source ) to aid his -- so far not @ @ @ @ @ defamation case against the Nine papers .
Nine had printed allegations that the Victoria Cross @ @ @ @ @ was investigated for involvement in executions and mistreatment of prisoners in Afghanistan .
Roberts-Smith , @ @ @ @ @ disbanded squadron , is now an executive at Seven and denies the allegations .

The appalling revelations of the Brereton war crimes report have made headlines around the world, already resulting in the disbanding of the SAS regiment at the centre of the allegations of war crimes, the Special Air Service Regiment 2 Squadron.
But the SAS unit has found solace from one source: Seven West chairman Kerry Stokes. Already, Stokes has loaned decorated former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith somewhere between $1 million and $2 million (depending on the source) to aid his — so far not going all that great — defamation case against the Nine papers.
Nine had printed allegations that the Victoria Cross and Medal for Gallantry recipient was investigated for involvement in executions and mistreatment of prisoners in Afghanistan. Roberts-Smith, a former member of the disbanded squadron, is now an executive at Seven and denies the allegations.


crikey--2020-11-20--The Tudge report: the decade-long descent from Indigenous champ to infamous chump

In his 10 years in parliament , Alan Tudge has come a long way , as the last fortnight has shown .
Between Four Corners and the billion dollar settlement of the robodebt , scandal it ’ s been quite a fortnight for Alan Tudge .
Who knew the little-known Melbourne Liberal MP could hold his own against interstate rivals Angus Taylor ( NSW ) , Christian Porter ( WA ) and Stuart Robert ( Queensland ) as Crikey starts to think about its 2020 Arsehat of the Year .
On paper Tudge should never have been a contender .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago revealed him to be a stalwart supporter of Indigenous Australians , having worked with Noel Pearson ’ s Cape York Institute for three years .
Education was a priority , as was a fair go for all via the neo-liberal magic of “ flexible labour markets ” — a nod to Tudge ’ s Boston Consulting Group pedigree and a belief in personal responsibility .
And above all there was the love of his wife and children .
But a large gap has opened up between Tudge 2010 and the compromised political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is out of a job , of course ) .
The family man caught in the spotlight of an affair with his staffer Rachelle Miller , he is also the compassionate conservative whose behaviour was branded “ criminal ” by a Federal Court judge after he refused to do right by an asylum seeker .
Tudge ’ s parliamentary declaration of interests shows that in the first years of the Abbott government he received free flights to remote parts of Australia courtesy of Andrew “ Twiggy ” Forrest ’ s Fortescue Metals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s push to have the Australian government adopt the a cashless welfare card for Indigenous communities , a tough-love approach favoured by billionaire Forrest and a number of Indigenous leaders .
Legislation to that effect was passed several years later with Tudge as human services minister .
The robodebt horror show ran at full speed from 2015 to late 2019 as the government set computer data matching onto human lives at an industrial scale .
Several leading Liberal figures oversaw the unfolding nastiness .
They included Scott Morrison , Porter and Tudge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using the debt-recovery system as a means of repairing the budget .
The trio of Morrison , Porter and Tudge would regroup in the wake of the Four Corners story aired last week to bat away questions of systemic prejudice against women in the Liberal government .
Tudge was a strident defender of robodebt in 2017 .
He threatened “ welfare cheats ” with jail and described robodebt critics as having a “ philosophical objection to widespread compliance checks ” .
It has since emerged that his department was aware of misgivings about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government this week offered to settle the class action without any former ministers forced to face questions in a court , a move which meant no minister who would be publicly held to account for the morality of their actions .
As human services minister Tudge backed the release of the personal details of a young woman who had publicly criticised Centrelink for “ terrorising ” her over a debt she did not owe .
The government ’ s public shaming of the woman happened in 2017 , around the time Tudge himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tudge was also doing his best to keep a lid on Porter ’ s own extramarital activities with a Liberal staffer in a Canberra bar , according to Four Corners , which reported that Tudge demanded a reporter erase images taken on the reporter ’ s phone .
( Porter disputes this . )
A year after Tudge defended revealing the private details of the welfare recipient the federal government ’ s privacy and information commissioner found , controversially , that releasing the personal information was justified .
Privacy experts warned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A former NSW deputy privacy commissioner urged a review of the Privacy Act , calling on Attorney-General Christian Porter to act .
Fat chance .
Who knew then that Tudge had earlier stepped in to help keep Porter ’ s behaviour away from public exposure .
The AG and the Tudge , it emerges , each had reason to keep each other ’ s behaviour secret — a courtesy not extended to the young woman who complained about robodebt .
Tudge was one of three ministers threatened with contempt of court charges for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weak ” .
The Victorian appeals court said the ministers had “ failed to respect the doctrine of separation of powers ” and “ breached the principle of sub judice ” .
A Federal Court judge labelled Tudge ’ s behaviour as “ criminal ” for leaving a man seeking asylum to languish in an immigration detention centre in defiance of an Administrative Appeals Tribunal order that he be granted a visa .
According to the ABC , the court said Tudge had “ intentionally and without lawful authority been responsible for depriving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his “ conduct exposes him to both civil and potentially criminal sanctions , not limited to a proceeding for contempt ” .
Tudge ’ s parliamentary declarations show that he has twice attended the annual gathering of conservative think tank the Centre for Independent Studies ( CIS ) , with the cost of “ attendance and accommodation ” paid for by the centre .
The CIS , awash with cash and influence courtesy of its supremely well-connected corporate supporters , held its end-of-year conference over three days at the the award-winning five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Byron Bay .
The CIS is backed by tax deductible donations so it can be “ an independent voice for free markets , limited government and individual responsibility ” .
Tudge ’ s journey to the depths was complete this week as he posted a comprehensive mea culpa on Facebook over his relationship with Miller .
“ All of us make mistakes in life , but some of us make bigger ones than others , ’ ’ Tudge wrote .
“ There is nothing that justifies what I did and I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my life , ” he added , saying he felt deep regret for the impact on his wife and children .
Is this what 10 years in Canberra does to politicians ?

Between Four Corners and the billion dollar settlement of the robodebt, scandal it’s been quite a fortnight for Alan Tudge.
Who knew the little-known Melbourne Liberal MP could hold his own against interstate rivals Angus Taylor (NSW), Christian Porter (WA) and Stuart Robert (Queensland) as Crikey starts to think about its 2020 Arsehat of the Year.
On paper Tudge should never have been a contender.