crikey--2020-04-15--Even when the crisis is over, telehealth is here to stay

Even when the crisis is over , telehealth is here to stay By the time the coronavirus lockdown is over @ @ @ @ @ well and truly embedded in our health care system .
And that might not be @ @ @ @ @ As the co-owner of a small GP practice since 1988 , I ’ m pretty @ @ @ @ @ .

As the co-owner of a small GP practice since 1988, I’m pretty familiar with my work environment.
In early March I went to the UK. This week, after the compulsory two weeks’ quarantine, I hopped on my bike and pedalled back to St Kilda.
The workplace I had known for over 30 years had become foreign territory.


crikey--2020-04-15--There’s an app for that. But is there an aptitude for trust?

There ’ s an app for that .
But is there an aptitude for trust ?
Giving the authorities the @ @ @ @ @ to help fight the spread of COVID-19 seems to make a lot of sense .
@ @ @ @ @ when the crisis is over may not be so easy .

Here’s where the trust deficit bites.
We’d all love to kill the pandemic, as demonstrated by the relative seamlessness of the Australian people’s communal agreement to stay away from each other.
We’ve cheerfully enough given up our freedom of movement and association, not to mention such sacred pursuits as smashed avo and the footy.


crikey--2020-04-15--How long can coronavirus live on surfaces?

How long can coronavirus live on surfaces ?
We talk you through the findings of a recent study that uncovers the stability of coronavirus on various materials over different time periods .
Coronavirus can live on surfaces from three hours to seven days , according to a recent study that sought to uncover the stability of the COVID-19 virus .
How long can coronavirus live on surfaces ?
• Coronavirus can remain stable while airborne for three hours • Coronavirus can live on stainless steel surfaces for three hours • Coronavirus can live on copper surfaces for four hours • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours • Coronavirus can live on plastic for two to three days • Coronavirus can live on stainless steel for two to three days .
The study , titled “ Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1 ” , sought to replicate a scenario in which the virus contaminates materials that make up home and hospitals settings .
An infected individual contaminated the surfaces through coughing or touching the materials as mentioned above .
The scientists then measured the length of time the virus was still live and transmissible .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ detrimental effects casual contact with objects can have , especially in areas that have high footfall , such as supermarkets .
In light of the findings , the study recommends regularly cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home ; avoiding close contact with people who are sick ; staying home if you are sick , regardless of whether you think it may be coronavirus or not ; and safely disposing of tissues and other items used to wipe the mucous membranes of the face , such as the eyes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the World Health Organization , the length of time the COVID-19 virus will remain on surfaces depends on a number of conditions , such as the texture of the surface , surrounding humidity and temperature .
While more research needs to be carried out to fully understand the nature of coronavirus , the cited study highlights a need to regularly clean your surroundings .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following : • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces on a daily basis .
Examples of high-touch surfaces include doorknobs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devices , keyboards , light switches and toilets • Launder clothes and bedclothes at a high water temperature where possible • If there is an infected person in the household , ensure they are isolated in one area .
Read : How is coronavirus spread ?
Plus steps to reduce your risk

Coronavirus can last on surfaces from three hours to seven days, according to a recent study that sought to uncover the stability of the COVID-19 virus.
According to the World Health Organization, the length of time the COVID-19 virus will remain on surfaces depends on a number of conditions, such as the texture of the surface, surrounding humidity and temperature.
How long does coronavirus last on surfaces?
Coronavirus can remain stable while airborne for three hours
Coronavirus can live on copper surfaces for four hours
Coronavirus can live on cardboard for 24 hours
Coronavirus can live on plastic for two to three days
Coronavirus can live on stainless steel for two to three days.
The study, titled “Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1”, sought to replicate a scenario in which the virus contaminates materials that make up home and hospitals settings. An infected individual contaminated the surfaces through coughing or touching the materials as mentioned above. The scientists then measured the length of time the virus was still live and transmissible.


crikey--2020-04-15--Just how much does the government say a human life is worth?

Just how much does the government say a human life is worth ?
Can we really put a cost on @ @ @ @ @ is yes , and it happens more often than you think — as the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ s the value of your life , according to the Australian government : $ 213,000 @ @ @ @ @ under $ 600 a day .

Here’s the value of your life, according to the Australian government: $213,000 a year. A bit under $600 a day.
As the coronavirus cuts a swathe through the globe, and as Australia weighs the horrible trade-offs between the virus and the economy, the value of a life is a useful statistic. It works as an input to thinking about how we balance lockdown and death.
The figure above for the value of a statistical life year was published by the Australian government in 2019, updating from 2014 when we valued a year of life at $182,000 (inflation has been at work!).


crikey--2020-04-15--The political fault lines are real — and only slightly submerged

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

Less than a year after an election fought over franking credits, the Coalition government has dropped more than $200 billion to keep Australians afloat with almost complete support from the opposition.
Political fault lines seem to have been smoothed over, as leaders work together to save Australia from a health and economic crisis. Bills are passed without debate. Union boss Sally McManus and government Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter are now buds. One of Scott Morrison’s key advisory bodies includes former Labor minister Greg Combet. State premiers of both political colours are happily enjoined with the national cabinet.
But politics never really went away. Beneath the face of bipartisanship, there are plenty of fights going on, from politics to business, sport and the media.


crikey--2020-04-15--Don’t lockout citizenship in the name of locking down the pandemic

Don ’ t lockout citizenship in the name of locking down the pandemic This is an opportunity to change the @ @ @ @ @ government .
We need more information now , not less .
With the nationwide lockdowns @ @ @ @ @ , the question of when and how they will start to be modified is coming @ @ @ @

With the nationwide lockdowns heading into the fourth week, the question of when and how they will start to be modified is coming to the fore.
Prior to considering that however, and the many issues arising from lockdowns, it’s worth pausing for a moment to observe that they appear to be working.
Nations that imposed lockdowns early, and had not been the first hit, have been spared the larger tolls of those who were haphazard or late with their application.


crikey--2020-04-15--New Ruby Princess inquiry needs to place NSW government in the spotlight

New Ruby Princess inquiry needs to place NSW government in the spotlight As more and more questions emerge each day @ @ @ @ @ 'powerful and independent ' inquiry into the Ruby Princess debacle must look at the role @ @ @ @ @ The NSW government has set Bret Walker SC , fresh from his victory in the @ @ @ @ @ George Pell , loose on the case of the Ruby Princess , with Premier Gladys @ @ @ @ @ a reporting time of up to four months .

The NSW government has set Bret Walker SC, fresh from his victory in the High Court on behalf of George Pell, loose on the case of the Ruby Princess, with Premier Gladys Berejilklian announcing an inquiry with a reporting time of up to four months.
Berejiklian has said she wants a “powerful and independent” inquiry. She couldn’t wait for NSW Police to complete its investigation, which it estimated would take around 12 months.
The premier’s decision marks a let-the-cards-fall-where-they-may moment. Walker has a record for sharp and uncompromising legal inquiry.


crikey--2020-04-15--Plus ça change: division and tribalism may not alter as much as we’re telling ourselves

Plus ça change : division and tribalism may not alter as much as we ’ re telling ourselves For all @ @ @ @ @ has changed , the same patterns of tribalism , self-interest and abuse of power are @ @ @ @ @ For all the profound -- and welcome -- changes on the part of government in @ @ @ @ @ it might be wise to resist the temptation to declare that the world has changed @ @

For all the profound — and welcome — changes on the part of government in responding to the crisis, it might be wise to resist the temptation to declare that the world has changed forever.
The overall response of the federal government — Home Affairs’ tragic Ruby Princess blunder aside — has been by and large very effective, and embraced exactly the kind of big-spending fiscal intervention that it had long attacked Labor for.
Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has gone from a pointless talkfest to an effective crisis management mechanism. Labor (unlike the Coalition in 2009) has refused to block legislation for stimulus packages. Australians have generally accepted the rationale of shutting down the economy so that lives — mainly those of older Australians — are saved.


crikey--2020-04-15--Does Joe Exotic have COVID-19? (And other coronavirus misinformation)

From mass-murderer doctors to infected Tiger Kings , the internet is awash with misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic .
As the world grapples with an unprecedented health crisis , it is now more important than ever to ensure that the information we share is accurate and fact-based .
Fake news and misinformation seem to be spreading as fast and as far as the virus itself , infecting our newsfeeds and timelines at this crucial moment .
For this reason , RMIT ABC Fact Check has launched CoronaCheck , an email newsletter in which we will bring you the latest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the coronavirus .
You can read the latest edition below , and subscribe to have the next newsletter delivered straight to your inbox .
We open today ’ s newsletter with a pointer to our latest fact file , which examines the key differences in COVID-19 containment measures between Australia and Singapore , a country that is often cited as an exemplar in the fight against the coronavirus .
We also check in with everyone ’ s new favourite Netflix star , Joe Exotic , aka Tiger King , rumoured to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fake news story emanating from Italy .
Singapore has announced strict new measures around movements and social gatherings .
Over the next two days , churches , businesses and schools will close as households are asked to stay home .
Why is that significant ?
Because the Asian city state had been hailed for its efforts to arrest the spread of coronavirus while still affording its residents some semblance of normal life .
It ’ s also been held up as a model for Australia ’ s own schools policy .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on some measures , it has lagged Australia on others .
With infections now on the rise there , and the government anxious about community spread , Fact Check takes a look at what Singapore ’ s been doing and what ’ s changed .
Does the Tiger King have coronavirus ?
With the country in lockdown , Australians are turning to streaming services such as Netflix to keep them entertained .
One runaway hit has been Tiger King : Murder , mayhem and madness , a true crime documentary series about a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underworld of big-cat breeding .
In a true sign of the times , rumours are swirling that the Tiger King himself has been laid low with COVID-19 in a Texas prison .
Fact checkers at Snopes and PolitiFact found that while Exotic had not tested positive to the virus , he was in isolation in a new prison after being transferred from a prison facility with confirmed cases .
Does the virus linger in the air for eight hours ?
As scientists work to learn all they can about the novel coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spreads , causing confusion among the public .
Does the virus linger in the air for eight hours ?
As scientists work to learn all they can about the novel coronavirus , it remains unclear exactly how the virus spreads , causing confusion among the public .
One Facebook post playing into this uncertainty claims the virus has been confirmed as airborne and can remain in the air for up to eight hours .
This post has been debunked by fact checkers at PolitiFact , Africa Check and factcheck.org .
As experts told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus is thought to spread mainly via respiratory droplets , which are secreted when we sneeze or cough , but there ’ s no evidence that these droplets linger for a very long in the air .
“ There is no credible evidence at this stage that proved airborne particles could spread the virus in the community , ” La Trobe University epidemiologist Dr Hassan Vally told the ABC .
In fact , the World Health Organisation says that these droplets are too heavy to hang in the air , and will fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s not to say there ’ s no risk of catching the virus from these droplets before they reach a surface — standing too close to a person who coughs or sneezes may put you at risk of breathing in the droplets , which is why social distancing is considered so important .
Fact checkers who looked into the claim found one scientific study that suggested that , in some specific hospital settings , the virus could survive ( and remain infectious ) in the air for three hours .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italian doctor was arrested for intentionally killing more than 3000 coronavirus patients is fake news , according to fact checkers at Reuters and PolitiFact .
The article claims “ Dr Sergio Kerr ” , a “ known member of the Italian opposition Democratic Party ” , ignored medical procedures and administered drugs known to worsen pneumonia .
But fact checkers found no evidence of such an arrest , and discovered the photo accompanying the article was of an American physician charged with drug offences in 2014 .
While it certainly sounds like something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump did not call the coronavirus a “ hoax ” , fact checkers at Snopes and Lead Stories have determined .
In a news conference on February 28 , the President took aim at his political adversaries , saying it was “ their new hoax ” to claim that he wasn ’ t doing anything about the coronavirus .
But audio of the event has been edited to make it appear as if he was calling the existence of the virus a hoax .
In one such ad , viewed more than 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobby group edited the audio to make it appear that Mr Trump said : “ The coronavirus , this is their new hoax.
” Lead Stories went on to point out : “ While Trump did not explicitly call the coronavirus a hoax , critics say he downplayed the threat of the virus in the first couple of months of the year , comparing it to the flu , for example.
” • The Australian Government ’ s official page and app • The Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Disease Emergencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Control and Prevention ( US )

As the world grapples with an unprecedented health crisis, it is now more important than ever to ensure that the information we share is accurate and fact-based. Fake news and misinformation seem to be spreading as fast and as far as the virus itself, infecting our newsfeeds and timelines at this crucial moment.
For this reason, RMIT ABC Fact Check has launched CoronaCheck, an email newsletter in which we will bring you the latest in fact-checking from around the world in relation to the coronavirus.
You can read the latest edition below, and subscribe to have the next newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.


crikey--2020-04-14--How is coronavirus spread? Plus steps to reduce your risk

How is coronavirus spread ?
There are a myriad of myths coming to the surface .
Today we share the verified information on how coronavirus is spread as well as the steps you can take to lower your risk of infection .
As the name suggests , coronavirus , or COVID-19 , is a virus .
Viruses are the most common and numerous biological entities on earth .
Viruses require a host to live , which means they rely on living organisms to reproduce , grow and survive .
There are a myriad of myths out there when it comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest myth claims coronavirus can be passed through 5G mobile networks and radio waves .
Today we want to bring you the facts around how coronavirus can be contracted , as well as the steps you can take to slow and prevent further spread of the virus .
• How can we slow the spread of coronavirus ?
Coronavirus is spread through respiratory droplets .
Coronavirus enters the body through the mucous membranes on your face .
In this instance , the mucous membranes refer to your eyes , nose and mouth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Contact with infected droplets when a person is speaking to you , or heavily exhales near you • Sharing items that come into contact with your eyes , nose or mouth such as eating utensils , cosmetics or a handkerchief with an infected person • Touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes , nose or mouth • Being within one metre of someone who is infected with the virus and breathing in the same air .
A way to think about the spread of coronavirus since the outbreak in Wuhan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are playing paintball .
Each day when you leave the house , you are free of any paint traces .
The more time you spend in busy public places , or with people who you do not share a home with , the more paint you will find on your clothes .
This paint is not necessarily infected but each time we come into contact with busy places and people , we are increasing the likelihood of becoming infected with coronavirus , and spreading the virus to other people .
The paintball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it does illustrate how the virus easily spreads quickly across the world , and the steps that need to be taken to slow the spread of the virus .
How can we slow the spread of coronavirus ?
• Do not touch your face • Cough and sneeze into your elbow .
I am not sure we , as adults , ever thought we would see a day when we were being targeted with educational videos on how to properly wash our hands .
Viruses can live on the body for hours or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effective way to kill the virus due to the lipid membrane that encompasses the virus .
Soap , hot water and 20 seconds of washing is enough to break down the virus membranes and prevent it from entering the body .
Alcohol-containing soaps , gels , creams and disinfectants are a reasonable option if you are on the go .
With all of this time spent indoors , there is no excuse not to practice good domestic hygiene .
Remember the paintball analogy .
If you are bringing items into the house , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handled by other shoppers , you should be ensuring that you are thoroughly washing these goods before consuming them .
Consider taking your shoes off and leaving them at the door .
According to the ABC , high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs , kitchen worktops and tables should be disinfected twice a day .
These measures might seem extreme , however , we know that viruses can live on surfaces from a few hours , up to several days .
No exceptions can be made to the current social distancing guidelines that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the faster we all commit to staying home where possible , the faster we will be able to resume life as we once knew it , or something that least resembles life as we knew it .
Every time you do need to leave the home , aim to keep the expedition as brief as possible .
It ’ s the only sure thing that has been working to slow the spread of coronavirus since the outbreak started .
Do not touch your face Remember , coronavirus enters the body through your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your studying , working or watching TV , keep reminding yourself to not touch your face .
Write it on a post-it , put a reminder on your phone , just don ’ t touch your face .
Cough and sneeze into your elbow If you are displaying symptoms of a cold or flu , such as coughing or sneezing , try not the panic ; it may just be a cold or the flu .
( Read : What are the symptoms of coronavirus . )
Make sure you cough and sneeze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is an unsettling time and you may feel uncertain about what ’ s coming in the future .
Take solace that we are all in the same boat .
The best way to slow the spread of coronavirus is to act as a community , follow the guidelines set out , and for the love of Crikey , keep washing your hands .

Go deeper on the issues that matter.
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crikey--2020-04-16--Exclusive: Turnbull’s leaked obituary for Rupert Murdoch

'For one thing , he was extremely rich ' : Crikey has obtained exclusive leaked excerpts from Malcolm Turnbull 's obituary for Rupert Murdoch .
We at Crikey have nothing but respect for the exclusivity of publishing deals — something that News Corp can ’ t say after The Australian today published excerpts of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull ’ s biography , breaking an exclusivity deal with Nine .
But , as it happens , Crikey got an advance copy of Turnbull ’ s obituary for media mogul Rupert Murdoch .
We simply couldn ’ t resist sharing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you say about a billionaire who died ?
That he was very rich and ruthless , and that he hated action on climate change , paying tax — and me .
People would always ask me : “ Malcolm , what the hell did you to do Rupert Murdoch ?
How is it the Murdoch family would rather have a Labor government , a party of economy-murdering , union-loving , climate-change believers over you ?
” It ’ s a mystery .
Even , I suspect , to those that work for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involve myself in these days , this is not about me but Rupert , and everything he has achieved with his several hundred years on the planet .
For one thing , he was extremely rich .
For another , so are his sons .
And his daughters , for that matter .
But we can ’ t downplay his achievements in the field of publishing .
As I finished my book A Bigger Picture ( which was undermined by leaks to News Corp , plus ça change I suppose ) , Australia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst bush fires in our history .
It was the turn of 2020 .
Rupert ’ s papers were covering the fires .
But also giving acres of coverage to attacking a 16-year-old girl .
Apparently she had “ many mental problems ” for being worried about climate change .
Is Greta Thunberg really such a threat ?
Anyway , let me leave you with a thought : as we reflect on Rupert Murdoch ’ s achievements , we have to ask , what good has he done apart from making himself and @ @ @ @

We at Crikey have nothing but respect for the exclusivity of publishing deals — something that News Corp can’t say after The Australian today published excerpts of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s biography, breaking an exclusivity deal with Nine.
But, as it happens, Crikey got an advance copy of Turnbull’s obituary for media mogul Rupert Murdoch. We simply couldn’t resist sharing. Here is a taste:
What can you say about a billionaire who died?


crikey--2020-04-16--The costly reason an international student refuses to go home

The costly reason an international student refuses to go home After spending tens of thousands of dollars to study and @ @ @ @ @ international student explains why he refuses to go home .
UK citizen Tim tells Crikey @ @ @ @ @ on a visa to live out his dream of staying in Australia , making him @ @ @ @ @ face of the pandemic .
He explains the costly reason he 's decided to stay @

UK citizen Tim tells Crikey he spent $3200 on a visa to live out his dream of staying in Australia, on top of $42,000 in tuition fees, making him reluctant to flee in the face of the pandemic. He explains the costly reason he’s decided to stay.
I’m a recent international graduate, having studied a Master’s in accounting in Sydney for the last two years.
It’s been an expensive couple of years: the tuition fees are huge and applying for a graduate visa is no modest amount either (particularly if you include agency fees). I’ve spent $3200 on my visa, and $42,000 on tuition.


crikey--2020-04-16--Falling through the cracks: the millions left out of JobKeeper

Cracks are beginning to emerge in Scott Morrison’s big new return to the welfare state.
Despite spending over $200 billion to keep Australians employed and to expand existing payments like JobSeeker and Youth Allowance, a recent International Money Fund (IMF) forecast suggested we’re facing the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, with unemployment in Australia set to reach a high of 8.9% in the next two years.
A lot of that hit will be taken by people who fall through the gaps in the government’s JobKeeper package. From migrant workers and international students, to entire sectors of the economy, there are millions of Australians for whom JobKeeper provides no relief.


crikey--2020-04-16--The right’s way of thinking about coronavirus shows it is a death cult

As the ideological right call for an end to lockdowns , it must be asked : are they ignoring the basic maths of the COVID-19 crisis , or are they just blissfully ignorant ?
Whatever else you can say about him , Chris Uhlmann sure has a way of getting the crowd on his feet .
Two days ago , the headline of his op-ed piece — “ blah blah grandparent loving embrace blah kill them who are we to stop them ?
” — shot around social media , the only public sphere remaining .
As the pelted rocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter — a medium he purports to despise — to denounce people for not reading past a sensationalist headline ( if only he had some sort of , I don ’ t know , editorial position which allowed him to control the pitch of Age/SMH headlines ) .
He was right , in that the article itself was somewhat more tentative than the headline .
Trouble is , it was also vacuous .
On an issue that it is crucial to get right , Nine ’ s political editor could offer no statistics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cliches about lockdown as “ the cure worse than the disease ” .
The piece was just another example of what has occurred among the ideological right over the last two weeks .
As the left , progressives , centre and most of the institutional right has remained committed to erring on the side of caution in supporting lockdown , the ideological right has peeled away , taking up a position that is pure “ politics-first ” , a simple rejection of inconvenient facts and forces that appear from outside the political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ideological right has , for some time , not been a political formation that is in a relationship with external reality .
The Thatcherite world they wanted — a strong state enforcing traditional values and a “ free ” market within that — has been blown to pieces over the last decade as politics has been realigned .
One side is now a multicultural progressivism attached to the most dynamic parts of the economy , while the right relies on the rhetoric of a statist economic nationalism drawing support from the near-defunct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more insistent real than they have so far had to deal with , which exposes the inadequacy of their arguments , and their unwillingness to talk about the real problems all the more .
The position supporting lockdown is this ( it is necessary to repeat it , since none of it appears in right-wing articles ) : COVID-19 appears to have a basic reproduction rate ( R0 ) of around two , which means that anyone with it will infect two other people under normal conditions .
That is a basic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of infection spread .
If that period is , say , a day , then the population of Australia could be infected from a single case in a 25-day period .
The object of lockdown and social distancing is to detach the effective reproduction rate ( RE ) from R0 , and push RE below one , at which point the virus will eventually die out under maintained conditions ( so far as I understand it ) .
Lockdowns imposed early in the virus ’ s spread — by Australia , NZ , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushed the RE sharply below one quite early , thus saving thousands of people from nasty deaths and many thousands more from debilitating lung damage .
The right have latched onto this achievement and argued that it is evidence that forecasts of exponential growth were wrong .
In fact forecasts of exponential growth were acted on , thus turning an exponential progression ( one , two , four , eight… ) into an arithmetical ( one , two , three , four… ) one , in which only three or four new fatalities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to that is that if a process of arithmetical growth is then allowed to return to exponential growth , it will immediately trash any advantage gained immediately .
If it takes you 10 steps ( with a step as a day ) to slow the exponential growth , then you ’ ve hit 1000 cases ( 1024 to be exact , two to power of 10 ) .
If that is allowed to resume growth , then it is 2000 on the next day , and your 10 days preventive work has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a time lag of effect ) .
The RE has rejoined the R0 .
In other words , there ’ s an asymmetry in the process ( in terms of human interests ; not mathematically ) , which can wipe out hard won gains immediately .
Hence the wariness about coming out of a lockdown .
It ’ s not something you can try and then reverse your decision with no great cost .
And the maths shows why that is .
Now here ’ s the thing , with the ideological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates would have happened anyway or that an exponential process will not revive itself : it is impossible to tell whether people like Adam Creighton and Andrew Bolt simply do not understand the maths of the situation , and how swift action altered it .
It ’ s impossible to tell whether , in concluding that it ’ s been a beat-up and “ no worse than the flu ” they are being ( dimwittedly ) honest , or if they do understand it and are being duplicitous to a cynical and nihilistic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes for Uhlmann ’ s fact-free piece — there is no indication within it that Nine ’ s political editor has even considered the maths associated with the virus , or understands it .
There is a strong undertow of fatalism in Uhlmann ’ s piece , and one can ’ t help but wonder if such arises from his Christian literalist views , scorning science altogether .
There is one piece of the “ back to work ” mob that has some figures , and that ’ s Sam Lovick ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which Lovick — an economist , not a public health expert — using “ authors figures ” , suggests an “ accelerated removal ” of lockdown would see 3000 extra deaths , largely from a shortage of ICU beds as a mini surge occurs .
So , near 3000 triage death sentences of people who might otherwise live , something Lovick doesn ’ t really spell out .
Also omitted from the piece is the real counter-strategy that is being talked of : that of bringing COVID-19 ’ s RE down so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That would put his death calculations in a starker contrast .
The problem , then , with the ideological right is not calculations of unit cost per human life , mortality curves , etc .
All that has to be done , and some sort of modifying of lockdowns may be necessary fairly soon .
What is largely absent from its discourse is any acknowledgement that this is an actual , sodding virus , with a process of replication that has the mathematical capacity to overwhelm us , to reverse all gains rapidly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of — to not only resurge , but mutate .
How does that occur ?
Because their legitimation of global capitalism demands that nature be constructed as a passive and dominated force , bent to our ends .
The reverse can not be credited .
That is the root cause of climate change denialism , which persists because the full catastrophic effects are decades delayed .
COVID-19 is the nemesis to that hubris , immediate and unsparing , and in the face of it the ideological right retreats into cliches , rubbery figures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard questions about how we get out of this and what needs to change before it all happens again .

Whatever else you can say about him, Chris Uhlmann sure has a way of getting the crowd on his feet. Two days ago, the headline of his op-ed piece — “blah blah grandparent loving embrace blah kill them who are we to stop them?” — shot around social media, the only public sphere remaining.
As the pelted rocks bounced off him, Uhlmann took to Twitter — a medium he purports to despise — to denounce people for not reading past a sensationalist headline (if only he had some sort of, I don’t know, editorial position which allowed him to control the pitch of Age/SMH headlines).
He was right, in that the article itself was somewhat more tentative than the headline.


crikey--2020-04-16--Coronavirus animal origin | Can pets carry coronavirus?

Today we discuss the current findings on the coronavirus animal origin , as well as research on how coronavirus may affect pets .
Today we talk you through the current findings on the animal origin of coronavirus , as well as the question that many of us with furry friends are asking : can pets carry coronavirus ?
Evidence suggests COVID-19 ’ s animal origin is the Rhinolophus bat , also known as the Horseshoe bat .
However , researchers are unsure as to whether there was an intermediate host involved in the transmission of COVID-19 from the bat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Coronavirus infection typically takes place between a person and an infected animal .
For example , the MERS virus spread to humans via dromedaries ( a breed of camel ) and the SARS virus spread to humans from civet cats .
COVID-19 , also known as SARS-CoV-2 , was originally thought to have originated in a city seafood market , where wildlife was sold illegally in Wuhan , China .
Later reports published by The Lancet say it is unlikely there was just one originating location or source of the beginning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet been confirmed whether the Horseshoe bat is the only coronavirus animal origin , nor has it been determined if the seafood market was the single starting point for the virus .
The South Morning Chinese Post reports the first confirmed case of coronavirus dates back to November 17 , 2019 .
It is suggested the first person to have contracted the virus is a 55-year-old man from Hubei , however , further work will need to be done to confirm “ patient O ” of the coronavirus .
While the spotlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of us will also be wondering whether our pets carry coronavirus .
The majority of coronavirus transmission is happening through human contact but recent findings show our furry friends can both carry the virus and become infected .
The World Organization for Animal Health reports several domestic cats and dogs , and a tiger , have tested positive for coronavirus after coming into close contact with an infected human .
The report highlights these cases have been isolated incidents and there is no evidence to suggest pets are a risk for furthering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have tested cats , dogs , ferrets , ducks , pigs and chickens to uncover how susceptible these species may be to contracting the virus , and how easily they can transmit the virus to one another .
A study has shown cats are the most susceptible to becoming infected with coronavirus , due to the fact they can be affected by clinical disease .
Studies have also shown cats are capable of transmitting the disease to other cats .
Ferrets , similarly to cats , are susceptible to becoming infected with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms or fallout from becoming infected .
Dogs are susceptible to the virus but are less so than cats and ferrets .
It is important to note there is no reported risk of contracting coronavirus via pets .
The Centers for Disease advises pet owners should “ not let pets interact with people or animals outside the household .
If a person inside the household becomes sick , isolate that person from everyone else , including pets.
” As it stands , more research is needed to understand how coronavirus may affect different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in turn , affect human health .
Read : How long can coronavirus live on surfaces ?

Today we talk you through the current findings on the animal origin of coronavirus, as well as the question that many of us with furry friends are asking: can pets carry coronavirus?
Coronavirus animal origin
Evidence suggests COVID-19’s animal origin is the Rhinolophus bat, also known as the Horseshoe bat.
However, researchers are unsure as to whether there was an intermediate host involved in the transmission of COVID-19 from the bat to the first human carrier of the virus.


crikey--2020-04-16--The man behind the eyebrows: just who is Brendan Murphy?

The pandemic has rocketed chief medical officer Brendan Murphy from bureaucratic obscurity to celebrity .
Inq profiles Australia 's top doctor .
Brendan Murphy is the best-known chief medical officer ( CMO ) Australia has ever had .
But it ’ s not a tough contest , given most people didn ’ t even know the role existed .
So who is the man with the bushy eyebrows who has stepped out of the bureaucratic shadows ?
Those who know him have painted a picture of a fiercely intelligent , cheery man with no time for small talk ( but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kicked out from a research lab because his tie kept falling in the experiments ) .
Others say he ’ s well matched for his up-and-coming bureaucratic role as secretary of the Health Department , having spent years rubbing shoulders with politicians to secure funding for hospital wards .
But he ’ s not infallible : Murphy has this week had to retract a comment he made about staff from a Tasmanian hospital , who are at the centre of a coronavirus hotspot , having an “ illegal dinner party ” together .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tittle-tattle , the police will investigate the allegations .
Murphy is a private man , with little personal information available online .
A spokesperson for the Health Department told Inq Murphy “ wasn ’ t keen for profile ” pieces , and declined an interview .
So just who is this well-connected , clumsy and complex chief medical officer ?
Murphy was born in 1955 to an eminent psychiatrist and pioneer of modern education for deaf children , Leo John Murphy , and teacher for the blind , Betty De Hugard .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his service to community health in 1989 .
Despite his name , he is neither Catholic nor Irish .
Murphy attended Melbourne Church of England Grammar School ( now , known just as Melbourne Grammar School ) , a prestigious private school for boys in South Yarra .
There , he was in the school orchestra , played hockey and joined the school ’ s cadet corps , where he was promoted to cadet under officer rank .
Murphy is the only one who followed in his dad ’ s steps down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a law professor at New York University , while his other brother Fintan is a violinist and music director of the Melbourne String Ensemble , while his sister Kerry is head of musicology at the Melbourne Conservatorium .
A love of classical music runs in the family : Murphy keeps a CD of Gustav Mahler in his car to switch to when the radio gets dull .
He enjoys the opera , and went back to Italian lessons when he moved away from his researching role .
Murphy has good taste in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a chapter of a crime novel and a shot of neat single malt .
Murphy studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and was a resident of the Royal Melbourne Hospital , completing a fellowship at The Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1984 .
Moira O ’ Bryan , now head of the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University , worked with Murphy as her honours and PhD supervisor across five years in the late ‘ 80s and early ‘ 90s .
“ I laughed when I saw him on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same , just a little bit older .
That same floppy hair , eyebrows that stand up , ” she told Inq .
The pair worked together studying how a protein , clusterin , interacted with the immune system .
O ’ Bryan remembers the time fondly , saying Murphy was supportive and cheerful with a good sense of humour .
He liked to drop in at the research lab for a chat .
But , she said , “ he ’ s a little bit uncoordinated , a bit clumsy .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tie falling into an experiment ” .
O ’ Bryan ’ s research assistant booted Murphy out of the lab on at least one occasion for messing up an experiment .
During the ’ 90s , Murphy worked his way through the ranks at St Vincent ’ s Hospital in Fitzroy — he was promoted from renal physician , to renal dialysis service director , to clinical services director , to the chief medical officer .
He transitioned to the health bureaucracy in 2005 when he was appointed to run Melbourne ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ north-east of the city .
Chris O ’ Gorman worked at both the Austin and St Vincent ’ s in corporate development , and first met Murphy when he was a physician .
“ He was always interested in the mechanics of hospital management .
I recall him sitting in my office chatting about different hospital processes I looked after , ” O ’ Gorman told Inq , adding Murphy prided himself on securing research grants every year for his renal work .
He ’ s not surprised Murphy has been so successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s extremely ambitious … He made himself well-connected with the health department.
” Nick Miller was health editor at The Age during Murphy ’ s time at Austin Health and said Murphy helped make the hospital media-friendly .
“ Murphy knew what was a good story for the hospital and the best way to get it out there , ” he told Inq .
“ He was smart and I got the impression he knew how to work the system for the hospital ’ s benefit.
” In 2008 , Murphy went on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of China , flanked by Olivia Newton-John , Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe and Grease star Didi Conn to raise money for the hospital ’ s cancer centre .
Miller said Murphy also knew sometimes it was better to talk to journalists than not : in 2009 , Victorian hospitals were accused of misrepresenting hospital waiting times by admitting patients to ghost wards .
( An audit was later launched , with hospitals directed to change their administration procedures . )
Murphy , Miller said , was cooperative .
“ He knew sometimes you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media rather than putting up a brick wall.
” In 2005 , a refurbished and extended Austin Hospital was reopened with a vibrant open day hosted by the Victorian then-Labor Government , which the Herald Sun reported was attended by 20,000 people and cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars , the opposition was quick to point out .
It was an odd cost blowout given just weeks before the launch party , Murphy had sent out a letter to thousands of households pleading for fundraising dollars .
“ There isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that doesn ’ t need some major equipment replaced or updated , ” he wrote .
A spokesman for Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said at the time the letter “ use [ d ] emotional language to present a distorted picture of the quality of the facilities at the Austin , which is one of our best hospitals ” .
Murphy conceded the letter was “ a bit emotive , ” stressing the hospital was grateful to the government .
He sent out a similar letter again in 2007 , prompting the Herald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Despite the Brumby Government ’ s $ 842m surplus , thanks to stamp duty and pokie taxes … Our hospitals still have to beg.
” It didn ’ t dampen relationships , however : John Brumby , who was the Victorian premier when Murphy was Austin Health chief executive and later was the chair of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute , told Inq Murphy had bureaucratic skills .
“ He ’ s adept at working with government at all levels and of different persuasions … [ Murphy ] proved very adept at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ philanthropic sources.
” Brumby added Murphy knew the health system “ inside and out ” : “ There are very , very few people with his depth and breadth of understanding of the public health system , ” he said .
In 2011 , Austin — along with other Victorian hospitals — went to war with Victoria ’ s powerful nurse ’ s union , the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation ( ANMF ) .
Murphy had been pushing for nurses to take on extra responsibilities after completing training courses , as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free up doctors and save the hospital money , with Murphy arguing anaesthetists were “ bored ” .
He later apologised , saying the comments were taken out of context .
At the time his health minister was Victorian Liberal MP David Davis .
The Austin Hospital chair was another well-known Victorian Liberal figure , Judith Troeth .
That same year , in response to a two-year trial of a nurses ’ assistant scheme , nurses went on a state-wide strike wanting an 18.5 % pay rise .
Victoria ’ s ANMF secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ vehemently opposed ” to the scheme .
“ He was a very hands-on CEO , ” she said .
Crises continued : in 2013 waiting lists grew , with bed closures and cuts to surgery in Victoria ’ s public health system following the Baillieu government ’ s $ 616 million cuts .
Murphy took the diplomatic route and wouldn ’ t apportion blame for the funding cuts : “ There are always adjustments to Commonwealth state funding and they happen every year , but I think the size of this has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been quite difficult to cope with because it was so quick , ” he said .
Diplomacy was the right tack to take : In 2013 , the Liberal state government gave Austin Health grants to train nurses to carry out cystoscopies as part of his nurse practitioners program .
With credentials established as a bureaucrat able to navigate the political waters , Murphy was appointed as the federal Health Department ’ s CMO in 2016 .
Murphy is married to emeritus professor and lawyer Sally Walker .
The pair tied the knot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together — Ben and Alex Murphy , who are both in their 30s .
Walker has an impressive CV : she has served as secretary-general of the Law Council of Australia , was the vice-chancellor and president of Deakin University and is currently a non-executive director on the board of SBS , an appointment made by the Turnbull government .
Murphy has been known to do most of the cooking in the relationship .
As vice-chancellor of Deakin University in 2005 , Walker put in a bid to then-federal health minister Tony Abbott @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establish a medical school in Geelong , which proved successful .
Walker has also consulted with Gareth Evans for a review into the Australian National University ( ANU ) Act .
What does he do now ?
The CMO is a medical appointment , working under the secretary of Health .
A spokesperson for the Health Department told Inq the CMO “ carries responsibility for the Office of Health Protection ” , which covers biosecurity , immunisation , and disease surveillance .
The CMO is also responsible for “ maintaining high-quality relationships between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical colleges , universities and other key stakeholders ” .
What this means , according to Stephen Duckett , the Grattan Institute ’ s health program director , is that Murphy is the principal medical advisor to the government .
“ The specific role varies according to who the medical officer is … depending on their background , they might take stronger responsibilities in public health or clinical health ” he said .
“ The role in part depends on the views of the secretary and in part on the interests of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four deputy CMOs , along with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee ( AHPPC ) , made up of state and territory chief medical officers and invited experts , which he presents to the National Cabinet .
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners ( RACGP ) president Dr Harry Nespolon told Inq so far , Murphy had been taking a holistic approach to the crisis .
“ He ’ s done a good job trying to match the needs of sick people and of that with the economy and doing our best to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s always going to be a difficult decision.
” With Greg Hunt , another moderate Victorian Liberal at the helm , Murphy was made the Department of Health ’ s secretary in January this year — the first doctor to hold the position for more than three decades .
He ’ s set to take up the role once the coronavirus crisis subsides .
While journalists have said Murphy looks tired , O ’ Gorman stressed Murphy is suited for the role : “ He ’ s very good at drawing disparate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all of them .
He ’ s a good deliberator.
” Though he might find the banality of politics frustrating , Murphy “ doesn ’ t suffer fools , ” O ’ Gorman said .
“ He wants the conversation to be intellectually driven , not small talk driven.
” Allen Cheng , an infectious diseases physician who sits on the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee ( AHPPC ) , which advises Murphy , told Inq the doctor was dealing with a lot of media attention .
“ I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrutiny , ” he said .
As for the Tasmanian dinner party rumour , “ he ’ d be the first to say there ’ s been a few slip-ups .
”

Brendan Murphy is the best-known chief medical officer (CMO) Australia has ever had. But it’s not a tough contest, given most people didn’t even know the role existed.
So who is the man with the bushy eyebrows who has stepped out of the bureaucratic shadows?
Those who know him have painted a picture of a fiercely intelligent, cheery man with no time for small talk (but also so uncoordinated, he once got kicked out from a research lab because his tie kept falling in the experiments).


crikey--2020-04-16--Virus Watch: six days is all you need to breed a pandemic

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

No WHO for you
Coalition backbenchers have called for a review of Australia’s funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It comes a day after US President Donald Trump announced the US would stop their financial support pending a review into the organisation’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Australia contributes nearly $53 million a year to the WHO, with Morrison saying he sympathised with some of Trump’s criticisms. He added Australia wouldn’t rule out reviewing the WHO’s performance but would wait until the pandemic was over.
Six days of non-intervention and now we have a pandemic
Chinese officials secretly determined they were likely facing a pandemic when the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan but waited six days to inform the public. During that time, millions of people started travelling for Lunar New Year celebrations, while the city of Wuhan hosted a banquet for tens of thousands of people.


crikey--2020-04-15--How long does coronavirus last on surfaces?


crikey--2020-01-13--Just a reminder that Morrison can send us to war whenever he wants

Just a reminder that Morrison can send us to war whenever he wants If Scott Morrison thinks that a military @ @ @ @ @ fortunes around , there 's not much we could do to stop him .
Over @ @ @ @ @ in the Middle East took a turn for the Armageddony after a US air strike @ @ @ @ @ Soleimani , and Iran retaliated by attacking US bases in Iraq .

Over the last fortnight, events in the Middle East took a turn for the Armageddony after a US air strike killed Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani, and Iran retaliated by attacking US bases in Iraq.
With everything feeling quite precarious, Prime Minister Scott Morrison — acting with a speed that will no doubt surprise anyone who lost their house to the bushfires while he was in Hawaii — announced he was monitoring the events in Iraq and ready to do whatever was necessary to “keep Australians safe”.
So it’s worth bearing in mind that oversight of Australia’s war powers is practically non-existent.


crikey--2020-01-13--Dear Michael, I can no longer be party to spreading climate denialism

One News Corp employee has finally had enough of the company 's bushfire coverage .
A News Corp employee , a non-journalist , last week blasted the company ’ s reporting of the bushfire crisis in a resignation letter to executive chair Michael Miller and cc ’ ed to all employees .
Her comments were leaked and widely reported .
Below is the letter in full .
For the record , Mr Miller disputed her claims and noted she was already leaving the company .
Thank you for your email regarding fundraising and other support initiatives in relation to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not offset the impact News Corp reporting has had over the last few weeks .
I have been severely impacted by the coverage of News Corp publications in relation to the fires , in particular the misinformation campaign that has tried to divert attention away from the real issue which is climate change to rather focus on arson ( including misrepresenting facts ) .
I find it unconscionable to continue working for this company , knowing I am contributing to the spread of climate change denial and lies .
The reporting I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun is not only irresponsible , but dangerous and damaging to our communities and beautiful planet that needs us more than ever now to acknowledge the destruction we have caused and start doing something about it .
News Corp ’ s decision to take this approach in such a devastating time for our country , communities and environment is a step too far for any of us stakeholders to ignore and continue with our daily tasks without thinking for a minute about what we are contributing to .
Anxiety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been occupying me over the last 24 hours , to the point where I am finding it incredibly difficult to focus on my work and do my job .
I hope this email will get you as a leader of this organisation to think about the big picture and the impact of our publications .

A News Corp employee, a non-journalist, last week blasted the company’s reporting of the bushfire crisis in a resignation letter to executive chair Michael Miller and cc’ed to all employees. Her comments were leaked and widely reported. Below is the letter in full. For the record, Mr Miller disputed her claims and noted she was already leaving the company.
Hi Michael,
Thank you for your email regarding fundraising and other support initiatives in relation to the devastating fires.


crikey--2020-01-13--Australia isn’t the only place battling extreme weather in the new year

Australia isn ’ t the only place battling extreme weather in the new year Fake snow and cold snaps : @ @ @ @ @ , the rest of the world had its own crises to deal with .
Not @ @ @ @ @ s hottest and driest year ever , but we twice cracked our hottest average day @ @ @ @ @ bushfire-generated dry-lightning storms and had , temporarily , the world ’ s worst worst air @ @ @ @ @ That 's not to mention country 's worst bushfires .

Not only was 2019 Australia’s hottest and driest year ever, but we twice cracked our hottest average day, saw an uptick in bushfire-generated dry-lightning storms and had, temporarily, the world’s worst worst air quality and hottest temperatures. That’s not to mention country’s worst bushfires.
But while Australia is seeing unprecedented weather extremes (the full list of which is too long to include), we’re not the only ones.
Here’s how the rest of the world has fared while we’ve been battling the summer from hell.


crikey--2020-01-13--Smoko and Albo present contrasting catastrophe tactics

While Scott Morrison has stumbled from bungle to bungle in his bushfire response , Anthony Albanese , to the fury @ @ @ @ @ a long game .
For those inside the smoke-filled Canberra bubble , one of the @ @ @ @ @ government 's shocking response to the bushfire crisis has been the ineptitude of both Scott @ @ @ @ @ .

For those inside the smoke-filled Canberra bubble, one of the more perplexing aspects of the government’s shocking response to the bushfire crisis has been the ineptitude of both Scott Morrison himself and his office.
Regardless of what you think of his policies — or, mostly, lack thereof — Scott Morrison has shown himself to be a formidable political tactician. The contrast with Malcolm Turnbull was immediately apparent in 2018: Morrison was far more nimble, far quicker to respond to threats and opportunities in the political cycle. Where Turnbull and his office were inclined to let issues fester, Morrison would move much more quickly to, usually, the same destination Turnbull would have been dragged to.
One of Labor’s failings last year was to understand just how different a political beast their new opponent was, and he made them pay in spades.


crikey--2020-01-13--The government is guilty of criminal neglect. But it’s not alone

The government is guilty of criminal neglect .
But it ’ s not alone While Scott Morrison deserves to bear @ @ @ @ @ the bushfire catastrophe , it is a disaster a generation in the making .
For @ @ @ @ @ class -- politicians , policymakers , economists , journalists , business leaders -- have patted @ @ @ @ @ their success in the core business of public policy : the unprecedented global feat of @ @ @ @ @ growth , including avoiding the 2008 global recession .

For decades, Australia’s governing class — politicians, policymakers, economists, journalists, business leaders — have patted themselves on the back for their success in the core business of public policy: the unprecedented global feat of nearly three decades of economic growth, including avoiding the 2008 global recession.
While they were achieving that, however, they were also preparing a climate catastrophe that would cost the lives of, so far, 28 Australians, inflict an unimaginable toll on the country’s ecosystems, impose colossal health costs on the residents of our largest cities and inflict tens of billions in economic costs.
It’s the greatest policy failure of a generation, much worse than the debacle of the Iraq War or the early nineties recession. And no one has any excuses. This summer’s catastrophe — which will be a forerunner of similar summers to come — is exactly what scientists have repeatedly, for decades, warned would happen.


crikey--2020-01-13--War on facts: it’s time for op-ed writers to respect the truth

War on facts : it ’ s time for op-ed writers to respect the truth News Corp 's editorial response @ @ @ @ @ frequently seen facts forced out in favour of grievance , fabrication and diversion The climate @ @ @ @ @ coverage of the summer bushfire crisis has exposed an uncomfortable truth about what passes for @ @ @ @ @ : it ’ s floated free from any factual tethering .

The climate denialism that has peppered the coverage of the summer bushfire crisis has exposed an uncomfortable truth about what passes for opinion writing in traditional media: it’s floated free from any factual tethering.
Opinion pieces are no longer designed to make the reader smarter. They’re designed to reinforce existing views and to feed the supporting trolls and sock-puppets that make-up the biomass of social media.
News Corp has led the way as its editors seem happy to see their writers shake off any facts that might get in the way of generating the audience outrage that drives the modern mass media economy.


crikey--2020-01-14--Fifty seven million ways the carbon industrial complex infects Australian politics

A closer look at how fossil fuel companies influence policy making shows that Australia has a carbon industrial complex uniting @ @ @ @ @ Fossil fuel companies and climate denialists have pumped at least $ 57 million into Australian @ @ @ @ @ years using our lax political donation laws , and the figure is likely significantly higher @

Fossil fuel companies and climate denialists have pumped at least $57 million into Australian politics in the last twenty years using our lax political donation laws, and the figure is likely significantly higher.
The Australian Electoral Commission’s recently overhauled register of donation disclosures now allows compilation of donations data back to 1998-99, although data for 2018-19, which covers last year’s election, won’t be available until February.
The available data is only a subset of financial contributions made to political parties: under Commonwealth law, financial contributions made in exchange for goods or services — such as a seat at a table to lobby a minister at a party fundraiser — do not need to be disclosed by donors.


crikey--2020-01-14--What did the government get up to while the country was shrouded in smoke?

What did the government get up to while the country was shrouded in smoke ?
These are the plans and @ @ @ @ @ while we were all distracted by the country being on fire .
Australia 's fires @ @ @ @ @ for politics , with the crisis rightfully dominating our attention and headlines .

Australia’s fires have created a literal smokescreen for politics, with the crisis rightfully dominating our attention and headlines.
While the country queued for face masks, here are some of the bills and policies the federal government tried (and occasionally failed) to push through.
✖ Drug testing welfare recipients: As the first fires sparked up in September, the government’s plan to drug test welfare recipients was put on hold after Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie refused to back it until greater resources are given to rehab facilities.


crikey--2020-01-14--Crikey’s guide to spinning a climate catastrophe

Here 's what you can learn from the conservative response to the bushfire crisis — a masterclass in spin , @ @ @ @ @ .
Climate denial in Australia is alive and well , and seeing as how we @ @ @ @ @ -- even amid a bushfire crisis both scientists and firefighters link directly to global heating @ @ @ @ @ ?

Climate denial in Australia is alive and well, and seeing as how we can’t beat them — even amid a bushfire crisis both scientists and firefighters link directly to global heating — why not join them?
Try Crikey’s guide for spinning what is arguably the most horrific climate change signal in Australian history, and you too could eke out a few more years of sweet, ignorant bliss!
Blame fuel loads and the Greens
Whether you’re a federal politician, deputy premier or an inexplicable Sunrise personality, the easiest way to downplay global heating’s role in the crisis is to invoke hazard reduction as a silver bullet.


crikey--2020-01-14--Corporate firewash: donating to relief today, contributing to climate crisis tomorrow

Here are the billionaires , businesses and lobby groups donating to fire relief in the hopes you 'll forget they @ @ @ @ @ climate crisis .
While you can ’ t put a price on the people , @ @ @ @ @ Australia 's current bushfire crisis , we can assume that recovery costs will reach well @ @ @ @ @ .

While you can’t put a price on the people, animals and ecosystems lost during Australia’s current bushfire crisis, we can assume that recovery costs will reach well into the tens of billions.
The world has responded with an outpouring of donations, support and relief efforts, with several notable individuals and businesses leading the charge and gaining much publicity along the way. Good on them.
But is that the full picture?


crikey--2020-01-15--Will the government’s aged care blunders turn into Mediscare 2.0?

Will the government ’ s aged care blunders turn into Mediscare 2.0 ?
First the government had hoped to drive @ @ @ @ @ care assessment .
Then its aged care minister verballed the aged care royal commission .
@ @ @ @ @ the pieces .
If the government 's plan to outsource aged care assessment hits the @ @ @ @ @ Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck .

If the government’s plan to outsource aged care assessment hits the fence, it can blame Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck.
Colbeck has managed the unlikely feat of drawing a direct rebuke from a royal commission and highlighting widespread opposition to a strategy that has mostly been kept out of public view.
The government has long planned to complete the outsourcing of aged care assessment that it began in 2014, when it put out to tender Regional Assessment Services (RAS), which provide assessments for people wanting to access home care packages.


crikey--2020-01-14--Is a change in climate coming to News Corp?

James Murdoch has laid bare divisions on climate crisis within the media empire .
Will it amount to any real @ @ @ @ @ Rupert ’ s youngest son , has always been the family 's black sheep .
@ @ @ @ @ up his own hip hop record label , he had to be coaxed into News @ @ @ @ @ on board , he preferred to run his own race in far-flung parts of the @ @ @ @ @ Kong and London , well away from his father and older brother Lachlan .

James Murdoch, Rupert’s youngest son, has always been the family’s black sheep. A Harvard drop-out who set up his own hip hop record label, he had to be coaxed into News Corp in 1996. Once on board, he preferred to run his own race in far-flung parts of the empire, such as Hong Kong and London, well away from his father and older brother Lachlan.
Fast forward to 2020 and James is a free man. The US$71.3 billion sale of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets to Disney last year led to two seismic events: each of the adult Murdoch children scored around US$2 billion in a carve-up of the Disney pay day and James quit his executive job at the slimmed down Fox Corporation.
It now only has six directors and James isn’t one of them.


crikey--2020-01-14--The lost summer: Australia faces the knock-on effects of an unimaginable crisis

The lost summer : Australia faces the knock-on effects of an unimaginable crisis While the true cost of the bushfires @ @ @ @ @ , industries around the country are already feeling the heat .
Australia was once -- @ @ @ @ @ -- a carefree nation abundant with wildlife and bushland .
Now , we are the @ @ @ @ @ the world is watching on in horror .

Australia was once — just a few months ago — a carefree nation abundant with wildlife and bushland. Now, we are the nation on fire. And the world is watching on in horror.
Just how are we perceived abroad — and what effect will the bushfires have on our economy?
Concerts cancelled and campuses closed
Australia is known for its large-scale sporting events, world-renowned universities and epic music festivals (well, everywhere outside NSW at least).


crikey--2020-01-14--Get off your high horse, Labor — your bushfire policies leave a lot to be desired

Get off your high horse , Labor — your bushfire policies leave a lot to be desired Labor has been @ @ @ @ @ Coalition 's response to the fires .
Have they really earned that right ?
From @ @ @ @ @ Scott Morrison “ no longer fit to hold the high office of prime minister ” @ @ @ @ @ Cameron calling Morrison ’ s platitudes to victims “ bullshit ” , the opposition has @ @ @ @ @ Coalition ’ s response to the bushfires .

From former PM Kevin Rudd declaring Scott Morrison “no longer fit to hold the high office of prime minister” to former Labor senator Doug Cameron calling Morrison’s platitudes to victims “bullshit”, the opposition has been quick to criticise the Coalition’s response to the bushfires.
But this made Crikey wonder: just how robust are Labor’s policies?
Land management
Given how quickly critics accused the Greens of causing the bushfire crisis through blocking hazard reduction burning (misinformation that has since been debunked), it’s a little strange that Labor’s strict land management policies haven’t yet been raked through the coals.


crikey--2020-01-15--On the other side of the world, a zoologist is counting The Australian’s climate deniers

Of 306 letters to the editor addressing climate science , 67 % were opposed to it .
One cold and @ @ @ @ @ an Australian zoologist decided to take a break from counting invertebrates and start counting something @ @ @ @ @ the editor in The Australian .

One cold and cloudy weekend in Cambridge, an Australian zoologist decided to take a break from counting invertebrates and start counting something equally spineless: letters to the editor in The Australian.
Philip Erm, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, trawled through every letter to the editor published on Factiva — a news archiving database owned by News Corp — over the past six months to find out how many climate-focused letters denied climate change.
The result? Of the 306 letters addressing climate science, a whopping 67% were opposed to it. Just 16% supported it, and the rest were somewhere in between.


crikey--2020-01-15--Australia needs a Medicare system for mental health

Mental ill-health costs Australia approximately $ 130 billion every year .
It 's time for a policy solution .
Australia @ @ @ @ @ a mental health crisis .

Australia is in the midst of a mental health crisis.
At any given time, one in five of us will be experiencing mental ill-health and almost half of us will be affected by a mental health disorder.
Policy solutions are needed to address this crisis. It’s time our government considered bringing mental health into the Medicare system.


crikey--2020-01-15--Blaming arsonists? All the evidence points to a smokescreen

Is arson primarily to blame for the bushfire crisis ?
Let 's take a look at the evidence .
As bushfires continue to cut a devastating swath across millions of hectares , debate has turned to focus on the extent to which arson is to blame .
Social media has been rife with claims that the majority of the fires have been deliberately lit .
A number of prominent politicians and public figures have also suggested that arson , not climate change , is the main cause .
In a recent interview , controversial Liberal MP Craig Kelly said climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that unprecedented arson had .
“ We know you need some form of ignition , ” he told ABC Radio ’ s RN Breakfast .
“ Now the majority of these fires , we ’ ve had unprecedented numbers of people being arrested and charged with arson offences .
The arson is not caused by climate change.
” In a January 4 interview on ABC News Channel , Tasmania Liberal Senator Eric Abetz also referred to “ unprecedented ” levels of arson in relation to the bushfire crisis .
And Nationals MP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the cause of the fires was “ certainly ” man-made , but “ it ’ s just not man-made climate change .
It ’ s man-made arson that , to me , almost borders on terrorism ” .
Meanwhile , West Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest , having announced a $ 70 million donation for bushfire recovery and resilience measures , said while he did not want to politicise the crisis , he believed arsonists played the “ biggest part ” in starting bushfires .
Forrest subsequently issued a statement clarifying his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warming of the planet as a primary cause of the catastrophe .
“ I do not want people to think that criminal behaviour , while reprehensible , is the main reason for the devastation this bushfire season , ” he said .
“ Arson may be responsible for starting fires in some cases , but it is not the reason the fires have reached the proportions they have through this season and it is not the reason they have continued for so long.
” Is arson primarily to blame for the bushfire crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at the evidence .
As noted by the Black Saturday Royal Commission , in a legal sense “ arson ” is an indictable offence that involves deliberate fire-setting resulting in criminal damage to property , including a structure , a house , a vehicle or vegetation .
Arson also involves the “ requisite intention ” to cause damage or have no regard for the damage that might result from a fire .
Many bushfires , for example , are the result of negligent or illegal behaviour by people ignoring total fire bans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , this type or behaviour generally does not meet the legal or technical definition of arson .
Assessing the extent to which bushfires are caused by arson is tricky .
Various jurisdictions and government agencies have different approaches to defining and recording fires that are deliberately lit .
As the Black Saturday Royal Commission report put it : “ Some jurisdictions adopt a broad definition , deeming all suspicious fires to be arson ; others might limit the term to those fires for which there is a prima facie , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” According to experts contacted by RMIT ABC Fact Check , this inconsistency has changed little in the years since that report was handed down .
Identifying the cause of a bushfire can be difficult , given fires often start in remote or secluded places .
Melbourne University Associate Professor Janet Stanley , a leading expert from the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson , said about 40 % of fires had no assigned cause , and less than 1 % of arsonists were caught and convicted .
“ I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this point how this current round of fires started , ” Stanley told Fact Check .
“ Unless people were there and picking a person up on the spot lighting the fire , arson is very hard to detect because it tends to be committed away from people in a quiet spot in the bush .
“ Often the fire itself destroys any evidence , so it ’ s a very hard crime to detect , and getting evidence to prosecute and get a conviction is difficult.
” Australian research into the causes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arson is to blame is relatively scant .
A February 2008 report by the Australian Institute of Criminology estimated that , of bushfires with known causes , 13.3 % were maliciously lit .
A further 36.2 % were deemed “ suspicious ” .
About a third , 35 % , were found to be “ accidental ” — started , for example , by children or smokers .
“ Difficulties exist in determining how the numbers of deliberate ( incendiary and suspicious ) fires have changed over time , due to changes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ databases , the considerable uncertainty in the causes of many fires and complexities in delineating the specific cause of particular temporal variations , ” the report noted .
Troy McEwan , an associate professor in clinical and forensic psychology at Swinburne University , said in an interview on ABC ’ s RN Breakfast that arson was responsible for a significant proportion of fires in Australia , although it was not helpful to attribute the majority to arson .
McEwan offered the example of the February 2009 Black Saturday fires , which killed 173 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires were thought to have been caused by arson , leading to 52 of the 173 deaths .
“ Subsequently , only one of the fires on that day was actually attributed to arson and that caused 10 deaths , ” McEwan said .
“ And that ’ s obviously horrific and bad enough but we can ’ t jump to conclusions too quickly .
“ I think we need to be open to the idea that it could be caused by arson but , equally , it ’ s not helpful to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arson or the majority of them are because the reality is , it seems , that most very large fires are not caused by arson.
” Has bushfire arson risen to an ‘ unprecedented ’ level ?
In Victoria , the Crime Statistics Agency publishes information on offences in relation to bushfires .
The offence is divided into three subcategories : intentionally cause a bushfire ; recklessly cause a bushfire ; and recklessly spread a fire to vegetation .
The latest data is for the year to September 2019 , with no official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available .
Over the 12 months to the end of September 2019 , Victoria Police recorded 21 offences involving a person intentionally causing a bushfire .
Far from representing an “ unprecedented ” level of bushfire arson , that was the lowest level for at least a decade , and well below the 10-year average of 49.5 offences .
Victoria Police has also contradicted suggestions that the current bushfire crisis has been overwhelmingly caused by arsonists .
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said : “ There is currently no intelligence to indicate that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been caused by arson or any other suspicious behaviour.
” The Country Fire Authority ( CFA ) has also reportedly said the recent fires were not caused by arson .
The CFA incident controller in Bairnsdale , Brett Mitchell , pointed to lightning as the cause of most of the fires .
Likewise , in NSW , emergency services personnel have blamed lightning strikes for most of the fires .
“ I can confidently say the majority of the larger fires that we have been dealing with have been a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a result of dry lightning storms , ” NSW Rural Fire Services Inspector Ben Shepherd was quoted as saying .
The New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research provided Fact Check with unpublished data on the number of people suspected of bushfire arson facing police action .
These figures show over the year to September 2019 , 56 people faced police actions in relation to alleged offences regarding the lighting of a fire , lower than the decade average of 68.7 people .
According to a January 6 statement released by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal action ranging from cautions through to criminal charges had been taken against 183 people in relation to bushfires .
However , it is wrong to suggest , as some people have done , that this figure relates solely to bushfire arson .
The vast bulk of this action related to other offences such as failing to comply with fire bans and the discarding of lit cigarettes and matches .
Of the 183 people who face legal action in NSW , only 24 ( representing 13 % of the total ) were charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 53 people ( 29 % of the total ) faced charges or a caution for failing to comply with a total fire ban ; 47 ( 26 % ) faced charges or were cautioned for throwing away a lit cigarette or match on land .
Fact Check was unable to access separate data for “ bushfire arson ” ( as opposed to “ arson ” more broadly ) in Queensland .
In a statement , Queensland Police said a taskforce had been established in September 2019 to investigate fires .
It suggested about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between September 10 , 2019 and January 8 , 2020 had been found to have been deliberately lit .
“ As at January 8 , 2020 there have been 1068 reported bushfires in Queensland since September 10 , 2019 , ” the statement said .
“ Of these , 114 fires have been deliberately or maliciously lit through human involvement and have been subject to police enforcement action.
” It said 109 people ( including 36 adults and 73 children ) had been dealt with by police across Queensland for offences relating to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lit bushfires are likely to be smaller Although not always the case , evidence suggests that so-called “ natural fires ” — generally started by lightning strikes — are likely to be much larger and more remote than fires started by arsonists .
University of Tasmania Professor of Environmental Change Biology David Bowman , a leading bushfire expert , told Fact Check that many of the big fires in the current crisis were known to have been caused by lightning strikes , having originated in remote areas after lightning storms .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused these fires , ” Bowman said .
“ One of the signatures of arson is that arson [ occurs ] in proximity to people .
Many of these fires have been burning in remote and inaccessible areas , so there is a significant lightning component.
” Swinburne University ’ s Professor McEwan told Fact Check that smaller fires on urban fringes were more commonly linked to arson .
“ What we do know is that larger vegetation fires that occur further from urbanised areas are less commonly attributable to deliberate fire-setting than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the urban-rural fringe , ” she said .
This was backed by an Australian Institute of Criminology study , which analysed about 280,000 fire incidents attended by 18 different Australian fire services .
It concluded that natural fires tended to be much larger than deliberately lit fires , which typically occur nearer to populated areas and roads , meaning they tend to be contained more rapidly .
“ [ D ] eliberate fires typically comprise a decreasing proportion of all fire causes as fire size increases , whereas natural fires comprise higher proportions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted .
“ Deliberate fires resulting from illegal burn-offs are on average larger than deliberate fires resulting from vehicle arson or other incendiary activities.
” The bottom line : Australia is getting hotter and drier There is no doubt that arson is responsible for a significant number of fires in Australia .
However , the data does not yet exist to accurately dissect the current bushfire crisis .
According to experts consulted by Fact Check , that could take some time .
What evidence there is , however , suggests it is highly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the current bushfires .
Nor is there any evidence to indicate bushfire arson has increased to “ unprecedented ” levels , as some in the Morrison government have suggested .
In Victoria , the number of intentionally caused bushfire arson offences peaked in 2016 , but had fallen to a level well below the 10-year average according to the most recently available figures .
Data provided to Fact Check by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows the number of people facing police action for deliberately lit bushfires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , having peaked in 2014 .
Regardless of how bushfires are started , hotter , drier conditions are exacerbating them , according to bushfire experts .
Bowman , of the University of Tasmania , said even if all of the unexplained fires were attributed to arson , it would not explain the current bushfire crisis .
“ It can ’ t , ” he said .
“ To try to criminalise the crisis as being caused by arson is not rational , and it also underplays the fact that the reason this fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a climate and drought-driven event of heatwaves and extreme wind .
There is a very strong background of climate and weather.
” • Janet Stanley , Humans light 85 % of bushfires , and we do virtually nothing to stop it , The Conversation , November 18 , 2019 • ABC News , The Truth about Australia ’ s fires — arsonists aren ’ t responsible for many this season , January 11 , 2020

As bushfires continue to cut a devastating swath across millions of hectares, debate has turned to focus on the extent to which arson is to blame.
Social media has been rife with claims that the majority of the fires have been deliberately lit.
A number of prominent politicians and public figures have also suggested that arson, not climate change, is the main cause.


crikey--2020-01-16--Rorting is one of Australian politicians’ favourite pastimes

Rorting is one of Australian politicians ’ favourite pastimes Bridget McKenzie 's latest scandal is just one of many in @ @ @ @ @ Australian rorts .
Bridget McKenzie 's rorted sports grants have been described by Labor as @ @ @ @ @ .
But where do they fit in Australia ’ s broader political history ?

Bridget McKenzie’s rorted sports grants have been described by Labor as “industrial-scale pork barrelling”. But where do they fit in Australia’s broader political history?
Is this on the softer, “bottle-of-wine” end of the corruption spectrum, or could McKenzie conceivably face serious consequences? Check out Crikey’s guide to recent rorts and decide for yourself.
Michael Wooldridge’s suspected scan-scam
Allegations: Former health minister and deputy leader of the Liberal Party Michael Wooldridge held discussions with the College of Radiologists ahead of the 1998 federal budget, after which there was a surge in orders for $3 million MRI machines just before the budget gave medicare rebates for expensive scans.


crikey--2020-01-16--Most Australians ‘would hardly notice’ if we went coal free, say experts

Most Australians ‘ would hardly notice ’ if we went coal free , say experts Scott Morrison says coal is @ @ @ @ @ but experts say we could phase out fossil fuel and life would go on as @ @ @ @ @ Morrison launched a strident defence of coal on Wednesday , saying the industry was worth @ @ @ @ @ to the economy and vital to many communities around the country .

Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched a strident defence of coal on Wednesday, saying the industry was worth $70 billion a year to the economy and vital to many communities around the country.
Asked about the world’s biggest investment fund BlackRock dumping half a billion dollars in coal shares, Morrison said transitioning away from coal could “[pull] the rug from regional communities”.
But experts say most Australians would “hardly notice” if we went coal-free, and that the transition was already well underway.


crikey--2020-01-16--McKenzie’s magic maths: numbers show how badly government rorted sports grants

The ANAO has precisely laid out how a Coalition minister and her staff spent taxpayer money on the government 's @ @ @ @ @ Agriculture ( former Minister for Sport ) Bridget McKenzie and Prime Minister Scott Morrison ( @ @ @ @ @ In its dissection of how Nationals minister Bridget McKenzie and her office essentially directed funds @ @ @ @ @ Program to the Coalition 's re-election strategy , the Australian National Audit Office ( ANAO @ @ @ @ @ from every possible angle .

In its dissection of how Nationals minister Bridget McKenzie and her office essentially directed funds from the Community Sport Infrastructure Program to the Coalition’s re-election strategy, the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has crunched the numbers from every possible angle.
It is authoritative in its assessment that “the award of funding reflected the approach documented by the minister’s office of focusing on ‘marginal’ electorates held by the Coalition as well as those electorates held by other parties or independent members that were to be ‘targeted’ by the Coalition at the 2019 election”.
It also lays out the maths to prove it.


crikey--2020-01-16--By blaming social media, the right ignores its own role in a young man’s death

By blaming social media , the right ignores its own role in a young man ’ s death Following a @ @ @ @ @ Brisbane , the right seems surprised that the lethal politics it has courted for years @ @ @ @ @ consequences .
The most striking scene in The Brothers Karamazov is when Dmitri , the @ @ @ @ @ poor career officer , Captain Snegiryov , in front of his small son Ilyusha .

The most striking scene in The Brothers Karamazov is when Dmitri, the eldest brother, humiliates a poor career officer, Captain Snegiryov, in front of his small son Ilyusha.
Of all the terrible things that happen to people in that novel, that is the worst, and we understand why: Snegiryov is shamed beyond recovery in the eyes of his son, whose capacity for unquestioning trust in the world is too damaged, too early.
The fact that the scene strikes almost everyone who reads it so deeply suggests a universal truth is at play, a rule you don’t break.


crikey--2020-01-16--Anatomy of a rort: how the Coalition spent $100 million in grants to help its election campaign

Anatomy of a rort : how the Coalition spent $ 100 million in grants to help its election campaign In @ @ @ @ @ a grants program ever seen , Nationals minister Bridget McKenzie oversaw the use of a @ @ @ @ @ help the Coalition win the 2019 election .
Minister for Agriculture and former Minister for @ @ @ @ @ : AAP/Mick Tsikas ) Ros Kelly can finally relax : a quarter century after the @ @ @ @ @ ended her political career , there 's a new sports grants rort that dwarfs hers @ @ @ @ @ have been forensically dissected by the Australian National Audit Office ( ANAO ) .

Ros Kelly can finally relax: a quarter century after the “sports rorts” affair ended her political career, there’s a new sports grants rort that dwarfs hers, the details of which have been forensically dissected by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO).
The offender? Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie and her office, which systematically abused the $100 million Community Sport Infrastructure Program, ostensibly administered by the Australian Sports Commission, to help the government’s 2019 election campaign.
The ANAO’s analysis was prompted by a referral from Labor’s Mark Dreyfus after serial Liberal failure Georgina Downer presented a novelty cheque to a bowling club in the electorate of Mayo before last year’s election. It outlines the extraordinary ways in which legal and procedural hurdles to the partisan abuse of the grant program were overcome by ministerial staff.


crikey--2020-01-17--When did Australian politicians become incapable of shame?

When did Australian politicians become incapable of shame ?
Scandals like the one Bridget McKenzie is facing used to end @ @ @ @ @ for Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie to resign , but very few believe it will actually @ @

Many are calling for Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie to resign, but very few believe it will actually happen.
A recurring theme in coverage of the sports rorting scandal is that shame — of the kind that say, led to former Labor sports minister Ros Kelly’s resignation — is in diminishing supply among the political class.
Kelly faced those same calls after doling out $30 million to electorates chosen by writing their names on a great big whiteboard, and rubbing out contenders. ALP seats received on average double the amount given to marginal Coalition seats.


crikey--2020-01-17--Who is the Australian billionaire who just hired Julie Bishop?

Bishop will bring 'unparalleled expertise ' as Lex Greensill pitches his controversial finance company to Canberra .
If you 've @ @ @ @ @ , you 're not alone .
The `` billionaire from Bundaberg '' has made a @ @ @ @ @ who is now making billions off a controversial new financial product .

If you’ve never heard of Lex Greensill, you’re not alone. The “billionaire from Bundaberg” has made a relatively quiet rise for someone who is now making billions off a controversial new financial product.
With the announcement that he just hired former foreign minister Julie Bishop, Crikey takes a look at who he is and why he might need a friend in Canberra.
From farmer to financier
The son of sugarcane and sweet potato farmers, Greensill became a lawyer before taking on the world of finance and landing a job at US investment bank Morgan Stanley.


crikey--2020-01-17--Welcome to the era of invitation-only grants (and other news you may have missed)

Welcome to the era of invitation-only grants ( and other news you may have missed ) The Department of Social @ @ @ @ @ way to streamline its grants process : get rid of that pesky `` transparency '' @ @

Pyne’s bonus lobbyhorse
You’re possibly across the news that former minister, MP for Sturt and federal mischief-maker Christopher Pyne was formally advised by the attorney-general’s office that he’s banned from lobbying for Saber Astronautics — a firm which he gave multi-million dollar contracts to while in government.
However, readers who aren’t from South Australia might not be aware of the extent of Pyne’s activity since launching out of that restrictive public office thing he used to do.
These days Pyne is not only running his lobbying company GC Advisory, but also writing op-eds for News Corp’s The Advertiser. It’s pretty much the only physical newspaper — or at least newspaper-shaped thing — still published in the state.


crikey--2020-01-17--We know Bridget McKenzie is a political rorter. Here is how she can get her comeuppence

We know Bridget McKenzie is a political rorter .
Here is how she can get her comeuppence The legal ramifications @ @ @ @ @ rorting scandal run deeper than you may think .
The stink from the Morrison government @ @ @ @ @ of smoke it chooses to ignore .

The stink from the Morrison government goes higher than the plumes of smoke it chooses to ignore.
The rorting of public funds engaged in by then-minister for sports (now Minister for Agriculture) Bridget McKenzie is breathtaking in its brazenness. The political fraud has been raked over already, but there’s also a nugget of legal kryptonite in the Australian National Audit Office’s (ANAO) report that exposed the scandal.
The money tree was the Community Sport Infrastructure Grant Program (CSIG), set up in late 2018 to support public access to sporting facilities and encourage participation in sport. Over 2,000 applications were received.


crikey--2020-01-16--The face of Scomo’s climate evolution no stranger to party struggles

The face of Scomo ’ s climate evolution no stranger to party struggles Science Minister Karen Andrews defiantly stands against @ @ @ @ @ .
But is she backing that up with any action ?
Science Minister Karen Andrews @ @ @ @ @ many of her Coalition colleagues this week , urging Australia to stop wasting time debating @ @ @ @ @ .

Science Minister Karen Andrews appeared to break ranks with many of her Coalition colleagues this week, urging Australia to stop wasting time debating whether climate change is real.
“Every second we spend discussing if climate change is real is a second we don’t spend addressing these issues,” Andrews told the Nine newspapers.
Andrews’ statement comes after Scott Morrison’s government has faced weeks of public fury over its perceived sluggish management of the bushfire crisis ravaging Australia, and its failure to put together a substantial climate policy.


crikey--2020-01-16--The Adventures of Bridget McKenzie

The Adventures of Bridget McKenzie

If you wanta get your bagmen in a frenzy ... introduce them to Bridget McKenzie !

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crikey--2020-01-16--News Corp is trying to dictate a broken climate debate

News Corp is trying to dictate a broken climate debate What to do when your usual brand of climate denialism @ @ @ @ @ a new one , of course .
For a while , News Corp executives and @ @ @ @ @ out the bushfire catastrophe .

For a while, News Corp executives and editors thought they could brazen out the bushfire catastrophe.
They thought they could run the conspiracy theories that arsonists and a lack of fuel reduction (as a result of out-of-control Greens) were the real cause of the fires; pretend it had nothing to do with climate change; and demonise the criticism by other outlets of the coverage of The Australian, The Telegraph, Sky News and other Murdoch platforms for denialism as a kind of war on free speech and diversity of opinion.
Things fell apart pretty quickly.


crikey--2020-01-16--Who speaks for us: Australia’s international bushfire reps are a mixed bag

Who speaks for us : Australia ’ s international bushfire reps are a mixed bag Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly is @ @ @ @ @ international media has made .
Australia 's lost , burning summer has gained an incredible @ @ @ @ @

Australia’s lost, burning summer has gained an incredible amount of international attention.
Haunting images have made their way around the world, the news has hit international front pages, and the crisis was used as evidence of a climate emergency at yesterday’s US Democratic debate by presidential candidate Tom Steyer.
It got us thinking: just who is representing us in these international discussions? It’s a mixed bag.


crikey--2020-01-19--What would happen if we all gave up meat, eggs and dairy?

What would happen if we all gave up meat , eggs and dairy ?
Vegan eating can be better for @ @ @ @ @ planet .
But is it really all upside ?
January is generally the time to @ @ @ @ @ year 's resolutions , promising this time you ’ ll be a better human .

January is generally the time to guilt-trip yourself into making new year’s resolutions, promising this time you’ll be a better human.
This often means giving up drinking or giving up sugar; and the latest craze, “Veganuary”, means going vegan for the month of January.
The movement has more than 370,000 people formally signed up worldwide, which made Crikey wonder: just what would happen to Australia’s economy if every resident suddenly gave up meat, eggs and dairy?


crikey--2020-01-20--Ex-ambo open to offers: Joe Hockey’s plans raise questions about life after public service

Ex-ambo open to offers : Joe Hockey ’ s plans raise questions about life after public service Australia 's ambassador @ @ @ @ @ four years milking Trump contacts .
Now he 's off to make truckloads of money @ @ @ @ @ former PM Tony Abbott , and outgoing ambassador to the US Joe Hockey ( Image @ @ @ @ @ outgoing Australian ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey so happy about pulling such a @ @ @ @ @ farewell party on Friday night ?

Why was outgoing Australian ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey so happy about pulling such a powerful Trump-friendly crowd to his farewell party on Friday night?
The 400 or so guests at the Washington event included billionaire Anthony Pratt, former PM Tony Abbott, golfer Greg Norman, Bret Baier from Fox News, and the president’s acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Was it because Hockey wanted his successor, Arthur Sinodinos, to meet and greet some important people? Well, no, Arthur wasn’t there.


crikey--2020-01-20--When it comes to rorts, why is it always the Nationals?

When it comes to rorts , why is it always the Nationals ?
Nationals ministers are routinely exposed for rorting @ @ @ @ @ the mindset of the whole party ?
Far more than their Liberal colleagues or their @ @ @ @ @ MPs star in scandals and rorts involving maladministration .
Bridget McKenzie is only the most @ @ @ @ @ misusing programs .

Far more than their Liberal colleagues or their Labor opponents, federal National MPs star in scandals and rorts involving maladministration. Bridget McKenzie is only the most recent Nationals minister exposed for misusing programs.
McKenzie was also on the Nationals-dominated “ministerial panel” that overturned departmental recommendations for funding under the Regional Jobs and Investment Package and directed it to Coalition seats, in a program run by Nationals leader Michael McCormack.
There were also serial scandals in the agriculture portfolio while it was run by Barnaby Joyce. This included water buybacks; water theft in the Murray-Darling (Joyce’s NSW Nationals counterpart, Niall Blair, was the state minister); Joyce being condemned by a royal commission that examined the Murray-Darling Basin Plan; an abandonment of animal welfare regulation of live exports that was so egregious the government itself condemned it; Joyce’s interference in the Farm Deposit Scheme; and the relocation of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to Joyce’s own electorate.