crikey--2020-12-15--A key COVID lesson: put scientific funding on a whole new level or pay the price

Want your scientists to find a cure for cancer — or a deadly pandemic ?
It 's not the research standing in the way , it 's the funding model .
Ask a scientist about the obstacles to curing cancer , and the answer will point directly to our politicians .
After all , one told me a few years ago , what politician is going to commit to funding research years into the future , and then perhaps have the discovery revealed when someone else is in power ?
“ We would need to promise to find the cure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embargo it until the election campaign , ’ ’ this scientist quipped .
It was tongue-in-cheek , but last week ’ s devastating news that the University of Queensland ’ s COVID-19 vaccine is being dumped raises again how we respect — or not — science research in this country .
While we applauded this team for their around-the-clock attempts to create a workable vaccine , that treatment is at odds with how we treat scientific requests for ongoing research funding .
Too often , good research is stopped because a grant runs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists are forced to halt their scientific work so that they can earn enough money to pay the rent .
And too often , we allow small science fiefdoms at particular universities to work away , while similar research is also happening elsewhere .
Competition always sounds like a good idea but , public shows of collaboration notwithstanding , there is too much competition for the limited research dollars available in Australia .
The result is inefficient allocation of money and career structures that discourage good researchers becoming great researchers .
On one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ girls — to focus on their STEM skills to be at the forefront of Australian research .
Thousands of hours are put into that encouragement , inside our school gates .
And then we condemn them to careers of rolling short-term contracts .
And in an era where certainty is treasured , and a bank won ’ t provide a loan without a permanent job , that simply doesn ’ t make sense .
This pandemic has shown us how much we need a strong body of available and skilled researchers .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only “ wicked ” problem that could do with the best of our brainpower .
Unfortunately , too much of it is tied up in holding pattern jobs while waiting for an elusive vacancy in a university ( and fat chance of that right now ) .
Or , for those who have a long-term job ( and that means they can plan a life , buy a house and raise a family from the proceeds of their PhDs ) , too much time is spent navigating the research funding maze .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australian researchers in 2012 began some work on the inefficiencies of the research funding system .
That research found the successful application rate was only 15 % .
Despite that , each application took an average of 34 days .
Imagine the research that could have been conducted in that time .
Collectively that year , medical researchers spent the equivalent of 550 years putting together funding applications , according to one of the co-authors of that research , QUT Professor Adrian Barnett .
And that figure blew out to 614 years in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medical Research Council streamlining its processes .
Barnett used that research to advocate for a different approach — that researchers prequalify for research funding eligibility and then enter a lottery system to see who gets the money .
Allocating funding in this way , he said , would eliminate the need for lengthy grant applications , and save potentially hundreds of years of scientific time in Australia .
That determining research priorities by lottery is a serious proposal shows how flawed the current scheme is — and how urgently it needs to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a justice system that determines guilt by the flip of a coin .
Or a superannuation system that relies on the result of the fifth at Randwick .
It ’ s disappointing that University of Queensland researchers will not lead the world in halting this pandemic .
But perhaps knowledge of their work provides a golden opportunity for Australian policymakers to ensure that it ’ s never funding , and an archaic funding process , that stands between a disease and a cure .

Ask a scientist about the obstacles to curing cancer, and the answer will point directly to our politicians.
After all, one told me a few years ago, what politician is going to commit to funding research years into the future, and then perhaps have the discovery revealed when someone else is in power?
“We would need to promise to find the cure in the one political term, and embargo it until the election campaign,’’ this scientist quipped.


crikey--2020-12-17--COVID vaccine just a shot in the dark against the next global killer virus

This coronavirus is merely a dress rehearsal but there 's no sign of any comprehensive plans for the viral age @ @ @ @ @ , the vaccine is here !
Let the rejoicing be unconfined !
Truly a holiday @ @ @ @ @ folly of the war on Christmas and the truth of the Western faith .
I @ @ @ @ @ Buddha dishing out any miracle cures , do ya ?
Truly , the apparent discovery @ @ @ @ @ is a cause for rejoicing , proof of the success of a massive interconnected global @ @ @ @ @ private and public entities but driven by the power of the state to foot the @ @

Hurrah, the vaccine is here! Let the rejoicing be unconfined! Truly a holiday season miracle which shows the folly of the war on Christmas and the truth of the Western faith. I mean you don’t see Buddha dishing out any miracle cures, do ya?
Continue in this vein indefinitely.
Truly, the apparent discovery of an effective COVID-19 vaccine is a cause for rejoicing, proof of the success of a massive interconnected global effort, subcontracted to both private and public entities but driven by the power of the state to foot the bill.


crikey--2020-12-17--Cormann’s campaign for OECD top job fails the Team Australia test

Mathias Cormann 's bid for OECD chief has hit a snag as voices are raised against him .
Mathias Cormann @ @ @ @ @ next secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) is running @ @ @ @ @ .
Far from Australia pushing ahead on a unity ticket behind the former finance minister @ @ @ @ @ minister Bob Carr has written to scores of international government contacts urging them to consider @ @ @ @ @ change before appointing Cormann .
He 's not alone in his reservations , with politicians @ @ @ @ @ rallying against Cormann , calling him a hypocrite and a chameleon .

Mathias Cormann’s campaign to become the next secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is running into trouble. Serious trouble.
Far from Australia pushing ahead on a unity ticket behind the former finance minister, former Labor foreign affairs minister Bob Carr has written to scores of international government contacts urging them to consider Australia’s inaction on climate change before appointing Cormann.


crikey--2020-12-17--Sleaze of Origin: grubby Gladys shapes up to shady ScoMo

When two of our sleaziest political leaders square off to decide who is the most rotten , the real winner will be corruption .
When it comes to a New South Wales-Commonwealth match-up on sleaze and corruption , we ’ ve got two competitors in peak form .
Gladys Berejiklian is now a byword for sleaze in a state made famous by persistent corruption .
And Scott Morrison leads the most corrupt federal government since World War II .
But there can be only one winner when an uncleanable force meets a rotten-to-the-core object .
Phew !
Where to start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gate with a long-running “ close personal relationship ” with boyfriend , Berejiklian sackee and prize shonk Daryl Maguire , whose Walter Mitty-meets-Eddie Obeid dreams included selling access to the premier and name-dropping ministers for property developers eager to influence decisions while Berejiklian turned a blind eye .
If that icon of total corruption Joh Bjelke-Petersen made famous “ Don ’ t you worry about that ” , Berejiklian has made her own bid for Wikiquote history with : “ I don ’ t need to know about that bit.
” It wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a council development fund to favour Liberal electorates and her office tried to shred the relevant documents , only for forensic IT to recover them , leading Berejiklian to declare that there was nothing illegal about pork-barrelling and everyone did it .
In this , she was just following the lead of serial Coalition pest and Nationals leader John Barilaro , whose personal highlights of the year included a failed attempt to stand for a federal seat ( he didn ’ t fail to win , he failed to stand ) and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , along with protecting farmers from the tragic and horrific consequences of koalas being allowed to live .
The only reason Berejiklian still has a job , of course , is that her most likely successor , Dominic Perrotet , is embroiled in his own scandal over the deep cesspit of governance that is state workplace insurer iCare , which included having to dump his chief of staff and breaches by Perrotet of rules around staff employment .
Elsewhere the Berejiklian government blew more than $ 53 million overpaying for a slice of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide additional funding to the Independent Commission Against Corruption when it was investigating Berejiklian .
Then there ’ s the lingering fallout from the outrageous corruption of water rights purchasing in the Murray-Darling Basin that went on under the Coalition .
In most years , Berejiklian would be looking for a spot in her office for the Sleaze of Origin trophy — perhaps out in the lobby where so many developers and other rentseekers have come looking to wield influence .
But she ’ s up against a potent foe : Scott Morrison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his prime ministership declaring that he ’ d look after the Liberal Party ’ s mates — and he ’ s lived up to that commitment every day .
Fossil fuel donor mates allowed to write the government ’ s gas-led recovery policy .
Liberal Party mates looked after with huge , no-tender government advertising contracts .
Liberal donor mates at Austal looked after with manufacturing policy decisions .
Coalition candidate mates looked after with rampant rorting of the Community Development Grants and sports grants programs .
Official Coalition propaganda arm News Corp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of dollars .
And then there were the cover-ups of and distractions from scandals .
The cover-up of Alexander Downer and John Howard ’ s roles in the bugging of Timor-Leste via the harassment of Bernard Collaery and Witness K. The axing of the investigation into possible corruption at Home Affairs and Austal .
The attempt by the head of Prime Minister and Cabinet to denigrate the auditor-general ’ s sports rort findings .
The mysterious failure to prosecute government ministers and their staff for clear breaches of the law .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalist to delete embarrassing footage of Christian Porter , and the attempt by Paul Fletcher to intimidate the ABC over Four Corners .
Plus bog-standard scandals like the astonishing 1000 % mark-up on the Leppington Triangle for a Liberal donor or the expenses scandal at ASIC .
In normal years they would be spectacular highlights but this year were just variations on a theme .
Berejiklian , with a strong all-round performance of sleaze and her bold declarations that pork-barrelling is fine , would edge out Morrison — except for one factor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ national integrity body , for which we ’ ve waited two years but , in its proposed form , would actually help cover up corruption and subject serving law enforcement officers in the AFP to far more stringent oversight than politicians and public servants .
Morrison ’ s stroke of genius — an anti-corruption body that would actually help corruption — is what matches and defeats Berejiklian .
Morrison goes through to the final by the narrowest of margins .
But surely all can agree — it was a contest for the ages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Scott Morrison in a corruption cage-match that can have only one winner .

When it comes to a New South Wales-Commonwealth match-up on sleaze and corruption, we’ve got two competitors in peak form.
Gladys Berejiklian is now a byword for sleaze in a state made famous by persistent corruption. And Scott Morrison leads the most corrupt federal government since World War II.
But there can be only one winner when an uncleanable force meets a rotten-to-the-core object.


crikey--2020-12-18--How Australia and Fiji’s leaders approach climate change

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison could n't have more different attitudes to climate change @ @ @ @ @ cyclone is predicted to threaten 95 % of Fiji 's population in coming days .
@ @ @ @ @ Bainimarama has wasted no time in linking Cyclone Yasa -- and other recent cyclones -- @ @ @ @ @ As the world is getting warmer these storms are getting stronger .
Every one of @ @ @ @ @ catastrophes with deadly seriousness , ” he said in a Facebook video .
Cyclone Yasa @ @ @ @ @ later today with winds of up to 250km/h and torrential rain .

A category five tropical cyclone is predicted to threaten 95% of Fiji’s population in coming days. And Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has wasted no time in linking Cyclone Yasa — and other recent cyclones — to climate change.
“As the world is getting warmer these storms are getting stronger. Every one of us must treat these climate-fuelled catastrophes with deadly seriousness,” he said in a Facebook video.
Cyclone Yasa is expected to make landfall later today with winds of up to 250km/h and torrential rain.


crikey--2020-12-18--The big smoke job: a century of peddling a killer product

Australian regulation has long been a thorn in the side of big tobacco .
But while it might have slowed them down , it certainly has n't stopped them .
Australia is known as the darkest market for big tobacco .
Our laws and regulations are some of the strictest in the world .
But no matter our laws and policies , big tobacco is always one step ahead .
Its current tactic is to rebrand itself as a friend of public health , marketing nicotine-laden “ harm reduction ” smokeless devices like vapes , e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company Philip Morris paid News Corp tens of thousands of dollars to run four pro-vaping science features in The Australian .
From creating shell associations to represent them , to getting in the ear — and pockets — of politicians , the strategies have stayed the same even as the laws have changed .
And with a Senate committee into tobacco harm reduction handing down its report today , we thought it might be useful to look at a century of big tobacco tactics .
Cigarettes were first mass-marketed around the 1920s .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ young men hooked with cigarettes provided alongside military rations to US soldiers in WWI .
Cigarette demand in North America tripled during the war .
But there was a social taboo against women smoking .
So in 1928 , the American Tobacco Company hired Edward Bernays — the father of public relations — to change things .
American Tobacco wasn ’ t the first company to market to women — but it was by far the best at it .
Bernays resolved to make Lucky Strike Cigarettes , made by American Tobacco , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He wanted to make cigarettes a symbol of female emancipation and freedom from suppression .
So the “ Torches of Freedom ” campaign was launched , one of the most successful PR stunts in history .
Bernays recruited female friends to smoke as they marched in the 1929 Easter Parade down Fifth Avenue in New York .
One young woman , Bertha Hunt , stepped out into the crowd telling reporters men had told her to put out her cigarette , and it “ it was high time something was done about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her with reporters who had been tipped off about the protest snapping photos .
The next day , The New York Times ran a story with the headline “ Group of Girls Puff at Cigarettes as a Gesture of ‘ Freedom ' ” .
At the same time he was marketing cigarettes as a symbol of freedom , Bernays was also wiggling his way into women ’ s insecurities .
Bernays wanted to reinforce the idea that slim was in .
He sponsored studies published in major media outlets highlighting the detrimental effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of slender models to fashion reporters and industry heads .
Also in 1929 , Bernays launched the “ Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet ” campaign , appealing directly — and only — to women .
Ads showed slender women haunted by their fat shadows .
This early example of advertising preying on consumers ’ self-esteem was effective .
Sales of Lucky Strikes increased by more than 300 % during the first year of the campaign .
The number of female smokers doubled within a decade , and American Tobacco ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few decades , advertising ramped up with big tobacco advertising cigarettes as a suave , sexy and sophisticated thing to do .
Advertisers ’ efforts were only slightly dampened by the landmark 1950 Wynder and Graham Study , the first in a long line of studies to link cigarettes to cancer .
In response to the study , big tobacco launched a major disinformation campaign , running ads in 400 newspapers headlined : “ A Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers ” .
Big tobacco also formed the Tobacco Industry Research Committee , sponsoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for articles which promoted smoking .
As the evidence against tobacco grew , companies pivoted to selling “ healthy alternatives ” such as filtered , menthol or slim cigarettes .
When bans on advertising tobacco on TV and radio came into effect in the ’ 70s , the industry started looking for new ways to market its products , Sydney University senior lecturer in public health Becky Freeman told Crikey .
“ The tobacco industry has been incredibly well funded compared to public health , ” she said .
“ They have access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more marketing agencies .
Public health is always a step behind the tobacco industry.
” Tobacco companies can ’ t display their logos in stores or on packaging , or in any way market directly to the customer .
In a landmark study which Freeman worked on , Sydney University researchers spoke to 10 informants from four tobacco companies operating in Australia .
It found that one-third of tobacco retailers received a benefit or incentive from a tobacco company in return for doing something for the company .
Incentives ranged from lush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a retailer ’ s marketing fees and events .
Big tobacco offers cash rebates for every thousand cigarettes sold , and even sometimes offer cash in hand to small retailers to display their products at the top of the stores ’ price list .
The events were not to be missed , as one participant pointed out : High profile celebrities like John Farnham and Jimmy Barnes were hired for events , while staff were given training sessions — sometimes at international resorts — to help them better sell the product .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ around packaging , no legislation exists to stop big tobacco from donating to political parties .
It all came to a head in 2010 when Australia became the first country to pass plain packaging legislation , replacing colourful logos with warning labels and images of cigarette-related diseases .
Big tobacco fought back — hard .
The Alliance of Australian Retailers was born , a tobacco industry front representing retailers who would be affected by the law .
The alliance sent out an open letter that said : It was later revealed British American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the association , Philip Morris had funded $ 2.1 million and Imperial Tobacco Australia just over $ 1 million .
By 2011 , the group had snatched up Malcolm Turnbull ’ s former press secretary Tony Barry , who was reportedly earning more than $ 20,000 a month to lobby Liberal MPs and crossbenchers against tobacco reforms .
The Australian Institute of Public Affairs ’ ( IPA ) Tim Wilson , now an MP , also argued the government may have to compensate tobacco companies up to $ 3 billion for their lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : British American Tobacco is one of the IPA ’ s funders .
When big tobacco lost its case against the plain packaging laws in our High Court — and was made to pay the government ’ s legal fees after judges called the defence “ delusive ” — Philip Morris took Australia to the free trade tribunal .
Tobacco lawyers found a 1993 treaty between Australia and Hong Kong which had a provision that Australia couldn ’ t seize Hong Kong-based property .
So Philip Morris moved its headquarters to Hong Kong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its cigarette packages were being effectively seized .
It lost that case too .
Despite their losses , big tobacco continues to lobby politicians .
While Labor stopped accepting donations from tobacco companies in 2004 , followed by the Liberal party a decade later , other parties still happily hold out their hand for tobacco cash .
Across the past five years the National Party has raked in $ 120,000 from Philip Morris .
Around $ 80,000 of that came in the last two years alone In 2013 the NSW Liberal Democrat Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philip Morris , with then-federal senator David Leyonhjelm thanking smokers in the Senate .
Is it possible to separate funding from policy ?
According to a large body of research and 2018 Senate committee into the political influence of donations , the answer is no .
“ I think it ’ s ludicrous , ” Freeman said .
“ As a researcher , if you take any sort of private sector funds or a grant from the government , you have to declare those conflicts of interest because it influences what you do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to completely separate yourself from the funds that you get and the people that you ’ re lobbied by — why on earth would you take money from an industry that ’ s killing your constituents ?
” The restrictions have worked — In 2019 11 % of Australians smoked tobacco daily , down from 12.2 % in 2016 and 24 % in 1991 .
But don ’ t feel sorry for big tobacco — they ’ re far from broke .
Companies have shifted their cigarette sales abroad , where there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 52.1 % of men smoke .
The six largest tobacco companies have recorded year-on-year profit growth largely thanks to increasing smoking rates in Asia and Africa .
The profits of the world ’ s six largest transnational tobacco companies were US $ 44.1 billion in 2013 .
That ’ s the same as Disney , Google , Coca-Cola , McDonald ’ s , FedEx , AT & T , General Mills and Starbuck ’ s yearly profits combined .
Big tobacco as ‘ part of the solution ’ In Australia , big tobacco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a 2005 speech at the National Press Club in Australia , then-senior vice-president of corporate affairs at Philip Morris International David Davies offered an olive branch to public health .
He said big tobacco could be a helping hand in getting people off their product .
The aim was to get back in the ear of policymakers , scientists and public health groups to promote their products .
Only now , instead of cigarettes , it ’ s vapes , e-cigarettes , and heated tobacco products .
Chief executive of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Swanson told Crikey Philip Morris ’ offer was seen for what it was : “ a Trojan horse to undermine current regulatory approaches in Australia.
” While the speech didn ’ t work , it hasn ’ t stopped big tobacco from pursuing their smoke-free goals .
Across the UK and US , Philip Morris ran ads saying they were trying to stop selling cigarettes , writing in 2018 : They ’ ve also set up the “ unsmoke your world ” campaign which claims smoke-free products are less harmful than cigarettes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ — if at all — smoke-free alternatives are to cigarettes is unclear .
There have so far been some links found between vaping products and lung disease .
Why are these products so important for big tobacco ?
For starters , the global vape market is set to hit revenues of more than US $ 60 billion between 2020 and 2025 .
Vapers are on the rise , with vaping among smokers more than doubling to 9.7 % between 2016 and 2019 .
Vaping has also recruited non-smokers and young people .
Nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoke and one in five non-smokers aged 18 to 24 reporting having tried e-cigarettes in Australia .
One company , Juul , sells brightly coloured , flavoured vape pens around the size of a USB .
In the US , the company bought ads on teen-focused websites for Nickelodeon , Cartoon Network , and Seventeen magazine .
Studies have found these flavoured vapes get kids hooked for years .
In 2018 , Altira Group — which owns Philip Morris — bought a 35 % stake in Juul Labs for US $ 12.8 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advertising laws by sponsoring influencer ’ s content on social media platforms , using celebrities like British singer Lily Allen and Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek to post product endorsements .
There is consistent evidence this approach works .
“ [ Tobacco companies ] have fulfilled their strategy in terms of re-engaging with young people and getting as many of them addicted to nicotine as possible , ” Swanson said .
To tackle this growing trend , Health Minister Greg Hunt announced in June this year new restrictions around vapes and nicotine juices .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ bought from registered stores or online , while nicotine juices are illegal to buy or import without a doctor ’ s prescription .
The new rules will uphold the nicotine juice restrictions , and ban selling and importing smokeless products .
The industry was up in arms .
Lobby groups sprung up from every direction .
The Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association also ramped up its pro-vaping campaign .
The doctor-led charity has taken around $ 43,000 from vaping and tobacco industry-related funding to get set up .
The Australian Taxpayers ’ Alliance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive director Brian Marlow is head of Legalise Vaping Australia , which is funded by vaping stores .
The Australian Retailers Association — distinct from the Alliance of Australian Retailers — established the Australian Retail Vaping Industry Association ( ARVIA ) in 2019 , though dissolved the group earlier this year .
Meanwhile Philip Morris sponsored pro-vaping articles in The Australian , likening e-cigarettes to the invention of the car and space travel , which may have breached tobacco advertising laws .
Pro-vaping politicians also frequently appear on Sky News .
( Rupert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Morris for 12 years . )
This lobbying worked : Hunt delayed the ban until 2021 and established a Senate committee into tobacco harm reduction .
Today the committee handed down its report , supporting the ban .
But Coalition senators Hollie Hughes and Matt Canavan broke ranks , recommending vapes and e-cigarettes be legalised and regulated .
With Australia ’ s relatively small population and dwindling smoking rate , you ’ d think it would make sense for tobacco companies to cut their losses and focus their campaigns elsewhere .
But , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in big tobacco ’ s strategy around “ smoke free ” products because of our harsh restrictions .
“ Australia is described by the tobacco industry as the darkest market in the world because we ’ ve consistently shut them down , ” Swanson said .
“ They would be pitching to other countries and saying , look , Australia has very strict tobacco regulations , and they ’ ve now accepted the information that we ’ ve given to Australia ’ s regulatory authorities on the safety and benefit of these devices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
For now big tobacco will have to stick to their century-old tactics : lobbying politicians , sponsoring studies and exploiting every loophole they can .
For more detail on big tobacco ’ s marketing tactics , listen to Crikey ’ s audio story available here .

Australia is known as the darkest market for big tobacco. Our laws and regulations are some of the strictest in the world.
But no matter our laws and policies, big tobacco is always one step ahead. Its current tactic is to rebrand itself as a friend of public health, marketing nicotine-laden “harm reduction” smokeless devices like vapes, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products as safer alternatives to smoking.
Tobacco company Philip Morris paid News Corp tens of thousands of dollars to run four pro-vaping science features in The Australian.


crikey--2020-12-18--The real test is how fast we can test, but the government keeps dragging its feet

Until the vaccine is deployed , the fastest route to normality is the widespread deployment of rapid testing .
Yet @ @ @ @ @ interest in groundbreaking , Australian-made technology to allow for just that .
Certainly no one @ @ @ @ @ and its battalion of health advisers of being fast learners .
Despite the obvious warnings @ @ @ @ @ and Melbourne quarantine outbreaks , the federal government seems to have spent the last few @ @ @ @ @ lap -- a celebration that , in light of the situation in Sydney 's northern @ @ @ @ @ been somewhat premature .
As we ’ ve said since mid-March , other than a @ @ @ @ @ government appears to be ambling towards three months slower than other developed countries ) , @ @ @ @ @ is the widespread deployment of rapid testing .

Certainly no one could accuse the Morrison government and its battalion of health advisers of being fast learners.
Despite the obvious warnings from the Auckland, Adelaide and Melbourne quarantine outbreaks, the federal government seems to have spent the last few weeks completing a COVID-19 victory lap — a celebration that, in light of the situation in Sydney’s northern beaches — appears to have been somewhat premature.
As we’ve said since mid-March, other than a vaccine (which the Australian government appears to be ambling towards three months slower than other developed countries), the fastest route to normality is the widespread deployment of rapid testing.


crikey--2020-12-18--Sleaze of Origin: All to play for in the corruption grand final

It 's down to one final contest .
Can Victorian Labor face down the hard-nosed professionals of the Morrison government ?
We ’ re at the business end of the corruption season now , with today ’ s blockbuster grand final match-up between our two victorious semi-finalists .
On Wednesday , Dan Andrews blew Annastacia Palaszczuk out of the park with a stunning performance that will send the Queenslanders back home with a lot of thinking to do if they ’ re going to be competitive in the corruption stakes next season .
And yesterday , Scott Morrison edged out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went right down to the wire .
The prime minister was forced to dig deep and pull something magical out to defeat a surging NSW premier — and boy did he produce , with a cracking proposal for an integrity body that would actually help hide corruption .
So on paper , Morrison would look to have the edge over his Victorian rival — with whom he has been engaging in constant sledging for the last six months .
But has Andrews got a surprise or two left ?
Before the main event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contest between the last-placed major finalist , Queensland , and the best of the rest .
On Wednesday , South Australia showed that it ’ s not just all about lovely wines and stinking hot summers , but can mix it with the best on sleaze , easily defeating the rest of the smaller states and territories .
But what happens when South Australia , with its multiple casualties from a travel allowance scandal and the ongoing ructions over the University of Adelaide , faces the lift in quality that marks a trip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turns out , Queensland just has too much pace and power when it comes to sleaze .
With staffers-turned-lobbyists-turned-campaigners given government offices as part of a lobbying-industrial complex in which people move seamlessly between public office , political campaign and private lobbying , Queensland is the place where integrity takes a well-earned holiday .
Systemic sleaze in which the very system of government is disposed toward influence-wielding by well-connected vested interests beats out MPs engaging in some routine rorting of travel allowances .
So the Sunshine State — as befits the state that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps its place in the big league , but South Australia is by no means disgraced .
Fielding a good young team , it augurs well for corruption in future years if it can get the system right in Adelaide .
As the players take the field for the main event , we can reflect on two strong recent histories .
The Andrews government , of course , had the red shirts scandal , which for some strange reason — you ’ d never pick it — led to no charges at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a long and healthy tradition of branch-stacking that helped build the career of Adem Somyurek , who lost his job under Andrews previously but was welcomed back before finally making one cash drop and misogynistic comment too many .
But to illustrate the commitment of the federal Liberals , they were not about to let branch-stacking , a traditional Labor strength , go unchallenged , mounting their own branch-stacking scandal that saw powerbrokers forced from their own Victorian ranks mid-year and left questions hanging over current and former federal ministers and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have had quite the seedy gravitas of Victorian Labor , but the Victorian federal Liberals showed that they weren ’ t about to be overawed on their opponents ’ turf .
The Morrison government also has deep roots in sordid behaviour — there was the handout to the government ’ s Business Council mates at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation in Malcolm Turnbull ’ s time ; there are the unresolved sexual harassment allegations involving Barnaby Joyce to this day , dating from his time in the ministry , and a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welfare from his time in the Agriculture portfolio .
The prosecution of Witness K and Bernard Collaery began under Malcolm Turnbull , too .
But where the Morrison government ’ s real strength lies is in the truly systemic nature of its corruption .
Under Scott Morrison , the Liberal and National parties sell policy to the highest donor .
The Liberals have always been about serving the interest of business donors , but now donors routinely get to dictate policy , especially around energy , climate , banking and consulting , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Labor Party relies heavily on union donations and thus allows unions a key role in shaping policy , that limits and stymies the potential for truly systemic corruption because of the limited aims of unions relating to their memberships .
The genius of the Liberal model is that it accepts donation from corporations and high wealth individuals , who then play a key role in shaping policy according to the commercial interests of corporations — bugging the Timor-Leste cabinet for Woodside , trying to block FOFA for the big banks , inventing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Origin , and so on .
That ’ s why Victorian Labor are highly-skilled , dedicated amateurs at corruption , with the whiff of student politics about them , while Scott Morrison ’ s government are cool , highly trained professionals strongly motivated by cash — tens of millions of it .
That ’ s why Scott Morrison ’ s government wins the 2020 prize for the sleaziest , most corrupt outfit in Australia .
And what a worthy winner — all the hard work , all the rorting , all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blatant misconduct , have paid off in spades .
Truly the federal government is a deserving winner of the inaugural Gold Aldi Bag made famous by NSW Labor — a fitting symbolic passing of the torch from the thugs and crooks of that state , who set the standard so high in corruption for so long , to a new generation of right-wing spivs aiming even higher .

We’re at the business end of the corruption season now, with today’s blockbuster grand final match-up between our two victorious semi-finalists.
On Wednesday, Dan Andrews blew Annastacia Palaszczuk out of the park with a stunning performance that will send the Queenslanders back home with a lot of thinking to do if they’re going to be competitive in the corruption stakes next season.
And yesterday, Scott Morrison edged out Gladys Berejiklian in an absolute nailbiter that went right down to the wire. The prime minister was forced to dig deep and pull something magical out to defeat a surging NSW premier — and boy did he produce, with a cracking proposal for an integrity body that would actually help hide corruption.


crikey--2020-12-17--Secrecy in the year that was: Crikey asks the questions we didn’t get answers to in 2020

Once again with feeling : who , what , when , where and why .
Simple questions , elusive answers .
Many of us spent more time consuming news in 2020 than any other year in memory .
But never has information been so desperately sought and so frequently hidden .
Take the story of the year : a deadly virus that upended the world killing more than a million people .
Almost a year on and we ’ re none the wiser about how it started .
And with China waging a trade war with Australia for trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting a while for the answer .
It wasn ’ t just China dodging interrogation .
It seemed like all across the world the powerful were perfecting the art of evasion .
In Australia questions about alleged corruption , pork-barrelling and secret affairs were batted away with innovative PR , deflection and spin .
But while COVID-19 has proved the perfect cover for those avoiding scrutiny , some questions deserve to be asked again and again .
Here ’ s Crikey ’ s list of just some : Coronavirus : how exactly did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know .
As the science journal Nature points out , nailing down the origins of the virus could take years , if it can be done at all , and any investigation would have to navigate the highly sensitive political situation between China and the rest of the world .
Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire : how much of a security threat did Maguire pose ?
The New South Wales premier ’ s secret love affair with the disgraced MP prompted enough questions to keep the Independent Commission Against Corruption ( ICAC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adept at swatting away reporters ’ questions , dismissing the potential risk posed by Maguire ’ s connections to China as “ complete rubbish ” .
But one question Crikey is still asking : did ICAC also dismiss the security risk out of hand , or did it pass on its information to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation ?
Angus Taylor and Clover Moore : who altered the document ?
Remember when the Australian Federal Police ( AFP ) “ formed no concluded view ” about who altered the City of Sydney document @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack Sydney ’ s Lord Mayor Clover Moore ?
The AFP made the announcement in February after deciding not to interview either Taylor or Moore .
Frenzied messages between Taylor ’ s staff have only added to the mystery .
Will we get to the bottom of it in 2021 ?
Leppington Triangle : who decided to buy the land for 10 times its market value ?
Months after the revelation that a government department paid 10 times more for a piece of land than it was worth we still don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Who made the decision to pay $ 30 million for land worth $ 3 million ?
That it was bought from Liberal Party donors Tony and Ron Perich makes the question only more pertinent .
We might get answers now it ’ s the subject of a criminal investigation .
But don ’ t expect it to be easy .
The government has already refused to comply with a Senate order to produce its associated briefs .
Robodebt : who knew what , when ?
Now the government has agreed to pay $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ robodebt scheme , it might seem like the scandal is over .
But there are a lot of questions we don ’ t have answers to — which is one of the reasons why Labor and the Greens are calling for a royal commission .
The biggest question is : who knew what , when ?
Given the social services minister at the time is now the prime minister , it ’ s not going to be easy to find out .
But as the program has done untold damage to some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we should keep asking .
Stronger Communities grants : whose idea was the scheme , and how was the money allocated ?
Not even an office shredder was enough to let Berejiklian escape questions about another scandal : her using local government grants to bankroll an alleged $ 140 million pork-barrelling scheme .
But it certainly slowed things down — as did her refusal to testify about the program to a parliamentary inquiry .
Whose idea was the scheme ?
And how was the money allocated ?
With the destroyed documents now recovered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearings next year , perhaps we ’ ll get some answers .
What would happen if Scott Morrison got COVID ?
And who was in quarantine with him in November ?
When Trump was hospitalised with COVID in October , Crikey tried to find out what plans were in place if the same thing happened to the prime minister .
We asked his office where would he be treated — in a public hospital or privately ?
Who would act as his physician ?
What would the procedure be around isolating those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We never got a response but these are still valid questions .
As are those we asked in November when Morrison went into quarantine after travelling to Japan : was Adam Taylor , Morrison ’ s personal photographer , the only staffer in lockdown with him ?
And if not , how many people were in lockdown and what are their roles ?

Many of us spent more time consuming news in 2020 than any other year in memory. But never has information been so desperately sought and so frequently hidden.
Take the story of the year: a deadly virus that upended the world killing more than a million people. Almost a year on and we’re none the wiser about how it started.
And with China waging a trade war with Australia for trying to find out, we’ll be waiting a while for the answer.


crikey--2020-12-16--Sleaze of Origin: Mate v mate, state v state — it’s the contest you’ve been waiting for

Who will win the crown as Australia 's sleaziest government — and who is ready to move up to the @ @ @ @ @ Sleaze of Origin 2020 begin .
As our year of pain draws to an end @ @ @ @ @ a better 2021 on the economic and medical front , at least we can enjoy @ @ @ @ @ despite all else , 2020 was fantastic for corruption .
Today -- finally -- we @ @ @ @ @ of the year , as our states , territories and the Commonwealth go head to @ @ @ @ @ determine who is the grubbiest government of them all .
The hits come hard in @ @ @ @ @ nothing compared with the hits on the public purse from dodgy politicians and crooked bureaucrats @

As our year of pain draws to an end with signs of hope for a better 2021 on the economic and medical front, at least we can enjoy a summer break knowing that despite all else, 2020 was fantastic for corruption.
Today — finally — we launch the biggest sporting contest of the year, as our states, territories and the Commonwealth go head to head in a battle to determine who is the grubbiest government of them all.
The hits come hard in footy, but they’re nothing compared with the hits on the public purse from dodgy politicians and crooked bureaucrats.


crikey--2020-12-21--Is NSW moving fast enough to control the northern beaches cluster?

Lock down too hard , and you risk ruining Christmas .
Don ’ t lock down enough , and you @ @ @ @ @ ruining Christmas .
So here we go again .
Just when Australians thought they could @ @ @ @ @ , an outbreak of COVID-19 cases on Sydney ’ s northern beaches has led to @ @ @ @ @ lockdown .
The state recorded 15 new cases in the 24 hours up to 8pm @ @ @ @ @ 38,000 tests .
It was the lowest case figure since last Thursday .
On the @ @ @ @ @ put the northern beaches into a five-day lockdown , with residents only allowed to leave @ @ @ @ @ And , with Sydney back on the “ knife edge ” , the state government @ @ @ @ @ trying to strike a balance on the eve of the holiday season .
Lock down @ @ @ @ @ risk ruining Christmas .
Don ’ t lock down enough , and you also run @ @ @ @ @ .

So here we go again. Just when Australians thought they could get a relatively normal Christmas, an outbreak of COVID-19 cases on Sydney’s northern beaches has led to border closures and a localised lockdown.
The state recorded 15 new cases in the 24 hours up to 8pm yesterday, from a record 38,000 tests. It was the lowest case figure since last Thursday.
On the weekend, Premier Gladys Berejiklian put the northern beaches into a five-day lockdown, with residents only allowed to leave home for essential reasons. And, with Sydney back on the “knife edge”, the state government has the unenviable task of trying to strike a balance on the eve of the holiday season. Lock down too hard, and you risk ruining Christmas. Don’t lock down enough, and you also run the risk of ruining Christmas.


crikey--2020-12-21--Remember the biggest scandal of the year? We do. As the year ends, let’s not forget it

Crikey looks back at one of the most egregious cases of pork-barrelling in Australian political history .
Additional reporting by @ @ @ @ @ and Anthony Marsico .
It was one of the most egregious cases of pork-barrelling in @ @ @ @ @ after a chaotic year , sports rorts has all but slipped from memory .
This @ @ @ @ @ oral history of the sports rorts affair , pieced together from first-hand interviews with key @ @ @ @ @ evidence from Senate hearings .

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


crikey--2020-12-21--Porter gives some last-minute Christmas presents at the AAT

The attorney-general made 14 appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on Friday , five of which are linked to the @ @ @ @ @ opportunism , it 's hard to beat Australia 's first law officer Christian Porter .
@ @ @ @ @ afternoon , at the tail end of the year , to announce the appointment of @ @ @ @ @ to high-paying jobs at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ( AAT ) .
As regular readers @ @ @ @ @ gone into some detail on the government 's plundering of the AAT -- a practice @ @ @ @ @ has been to use taxpayers ' money for party political purposes , as a reward @ @ @ @ @ payoff for factional work .
In doing so , the government -- with the attorney-general @ @ @ @ @ independence and professionalism of a body with the quasi-judicial role of reviewing the merits of @ @ @ @ @ been one of those areas .

For sheer political opportunism, it’s hard to beat Australia’s first law officer Christian Porter. The attorney-general chose last Friday afternoon, at the tail end of the year, to announce the appointment of yet more Liberal Party mates to high-paying jobs at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).
As regular readers will know, Inq has gone into some detail on the government’s plundering of the AAT — a practice that shows how ready it has been to use taxpayers’ money for party political purposes, as a reward for service or as a payoff for factional work.
In doing so, the government — with the attorney-general’s sign-off — trashes the independence and professionalism of a body with the quasi-judicial role of reviewing the merits of government decisions. Robodebt has been one of those areas.


crikey--2020-12-21--Trump’s odyssey is destined to continue, but history tells us it won’t end well

As a leader with an insatiable thirst for power , attention and money , Trump will not go quietly .
@ @ @ @ @ a well-worn path of populists before him .
On February 20 , 1939 , 20,000 @ @ @ @ @ 's fabled Madison Square Garden .
They were n't there to cheer the New York @ @ @ @ @ the Stanley Cup , or for Joe Louis to defend his heavyweight boxing crown .
@ @ @ @ @ part of a `` Mass Demonstration for True Americanism '' , a self-proclaimed pro-American rally @ @ @ @ @ Bund .
The Bund was an American Nazi organisation founded in 1936 .
Its forerunner @ @ @ @ @ by Heinz Spanknöbel , a German Nazi , on the orders of Hitler 's deputy @ @ @ @ @ the vein of the infamous Nuremberg rallies , the spectacle was choreographed with American flags @ @ @ @ @ storm troopers , martial music and Nazi salutes .

On February 20, 1939, 20,000 Americans crammed into New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden.
They weren’t there to cheer the New York Rangers in their hunt for the Stanley Cup, or for Joe Louis to defend his heavyweight boxing crown. They had come to be part of a “Mass Demonstration for True Americanism”, a self-proclaimed pro-American rally hosted by the German American Bund.
The Bund was an American Nazi organisation founded in 1936. Its forerunner was started three years earlier by Heinz Spanknöbel, a German Nazi, on the orders of Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess. In the vein of the infamous Nuremberg rallies, the spectacle was choreographed with American flags and swastika banners, uniformed storm troopers, martial music and Nazi salutes.


crikey--2020-12-21--The rort that got away: it started with a Downer

Georgina Downer 's big cheque is but an early footnote in the sports rorts affair .
But in many ways , it sums up what the whole sorry episode was about .
It started with a Downer .
Georgina , the faildaughter of the storied Adelaide dynasty , was floundering again in her second crack at winning Mayo — the family heirloom of an electorate that straddles the plusher parts of the Adelaide Hills .
In 2018 , the Liberal Party gave Georgina the keys to Mayo and she sank so hard that a week out from the byelection the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dynasty was simply no match for Rebekha Sharkie , the popular Centre Alliance MP who “ bleeds Mayo ” .
Months later Downer won preselection again because , as local party elder Park Fogarty said , they simply did not have anyone better to run .
Fogarty — a bit more on him later — was worried the “ baggage of this dynasty ” might drag Downer down .
Still , Georgina , who ’ d spent decades living nearly 1000km away in Melbourne , working her way through the soft-right wonkocracy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family name still wasn ’ t working .
In early February , months out from an election everyone thought the Liberals would lose , Downer ’ s campaign was a comedy of errors .
Liberal Party flyers started appearing around the electorate calling her “ Georinga ” .
Another time , Downer appeared in a video with a “ regular ” retiree called Jim who wanted to voice his concern about Labor ’ s plan to abolish franking credits .
Switched-on hacks quickly identified him as Jim Bonner , a long-term Liberal Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fraser .
It really was that kind of campaign .
But one moment stood out .
Well after the Liberals were somehow returned , after Georgina had lost ( again ) and gone off to become a podcaster with her dad , the ripple effects from the moment would trigger a ministerial downfall and put the Morrison government through the ringer .
It began when Downer handed a giant novelty cheque worth $ 127,373 to the Yankalilla Bowling Club in late February 2019 .
The cheque was in Liberal blue , and prominently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hot pink heels , and swilling flutes of champagne ( or perhaps it was sparkling wine ) , Downer and the club ’ s leaders posed proudly for the cameras .
Downer ’ s political opponents smelled blood and pounced .
It turned out the cheque was for money from Sport Australia .
And that wasn ’ t money Downer — a mere candidate on the road to defeat — had any right doling out , or representing as a generous gift .
It was , according to Sharkie , a “ desperate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Labor ’ s shadow attorney-general , and a former silk with a head for this stuff , quickly referred the cheque to the auditor-general .
For what it ’ s worth , the bowlo said they reached out to Downer because Sharkie never helped with their application .
Sharkie produced a letter she claimed went to then-sports minister Bridget McKenzie .
The club said they never saw it .
But a few useful Liberal connections between Downer and the bowlo had been bubbling away for a while .
In late November 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with officials about the dire state of their third green .
Meanwhile , on the other side of the country , Scott Morrison and McKenzie were working on a scheme to funnel millions into various community sporting clubs .
Three months later , Downer returned armed with the big cheque .
The bowlo would get its green .
Another connection came in the form of Park Fogarty , who spoke so candidly about Downer ’ s Mayo credentials .
He ’ d had a long affiliation with the Liberals , and in 2006 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house campaign for Michael Pengilly ( now the mayor of Kangaroo Island ) .
Fogarty was also the Yankalilla Bowls president who drafted their grant application .
The whole Yankalilla affair would be forgotten , of course , until about a year later when the auditor-general released a bombshell report unveiling what came to be known as the sports rorts affair .
Millions in grant money were funnelled to marginal electorates , or Liberal targets .
Even now , Downer ’ s big cheque is but an early footnote in the affair .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ up what the whole sorry episode was about .
It ’ s a story about a rank mateocracy , about brazen partisan pork-barrelling that leaves the little guys screwed over .
It ’ s about rorters too incompetent to cover their tracks .
And about politicians who get away with everything .
This is the story of the sport rorts affair .
Next : the scandal that 2020 forgot…

It started with a Downer. Georgina, the faildaughter of the storied Adelaide dynasty, was floundering again in her second crack at winning Mayo — the family heirloom of an electorate that straddles the plusher parts of the Adelaide Hills.
In 2018, the Liberal Party gave Georgina the keys to Mayo and she sank so hard that a week out from the byelection the Libs had given up. The Downer dynasty was simply no match for Rebekha Sharkie, the popular Centre Alliance MP who “bleeds Mayo”.
Months later Downer won preselection again because, as local party elder Park Fogarty said, they simply did not have anyone better to run. Fogarty — a bit more on him later — was worried the “baggage of this dynasty” might drag Downer down.


crikey--2020-12-21--Keep your enemies close, your mates closer: the big winners of ScoMo’s reshuffle

It takes a lot for a Morrison muppet to lose his job ...
Traditionally at this time I would do a winners and losers of the year .
But before we get to that , how about winners and losers of last weekend ?
Initial reaction from the Canberra press gallery described it as “ boring ” , which is not surprising given the major move of Dan Tehan to trade had been well and truly leaked beforehand .
Tehan was the big winner .
But who would have thought that another promotion would go to Alan Tudge , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ written off by pundits after the damaging Four Corners episode highlighting his messy personal life ?
A defiant PM promoted Tudge to Tehan ’ s old education portfolio from the much harder job of acting immigration minister .
This in a year where corporate Australia supposedly led the way in new standards of workplace behaviour , with Nine CEO Hugh Marks losing his job over a consensual relationship after negative stories from his commercial rival News Corp. At the same time , the ABC , which revealed the behaviour the Tudge felt compelled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The PM danced around the promotion , calling it a “ reassignment ” .
He even defended Tudge , whom he said had “ dealt with these issues honestly ” .
Morrison was obviously referring to the extramarital affair , not the handling of the immigration portfolio , where a Federal Court judge recently labelled Tudge ’ s behaviour as “ criminal ” .
If you ’ re sensing double standards we could start with the overall makeup of the cabinet , where every player — well , mainly right-wing ones — seemed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s efforts to keep as many snouts in the ministerial or assistant ministerial or mate-of-Scotty-with-an-official-title trough is also at odds with the rest of Australia , where reining in costs and management roles is the new austerity message .
Do as I say not as I do is always the message from Canberra , of course .
Let ’ s not forget they ’ re still fighting workers getting a super raise to 12 % while holding tight to their own rate of 15 % .
Speaking of super , the leader of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her rise , joining the ministry now having responsibility for superannuation , financial services and the digital economy .
Other Sky After Dark favourites among the conservative ascendancy included Queensland Senator Amanda Stoker as assistant attorney-general , ACT Senator Zed Seselja to international development and right-wing factional heavyweight and close ScoMo ally Alex Hawke to immigration .
One conservative promotion that was well deserved was Andrew Hastie as assistant defence minister .
The one demotion the PM managed , of Richard Colbeck out of the aged care portfolio he so mismanaged , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still in charge of sport .
As I ’ ve noted before , it takes a lot for a Morrison muppet to lose his job in this cabinet .

Traditionally at this time I would do a winners and losers of the year. But before we get to that, how about winners and losers of last weekend?
I’m talking about the Morrison cabinet reshuffle.
Initial reaction from the Canberra press gallery described it as “boring”, which is not surprising given the major move of Dan Tehan to trade had been well and truly leaked beforehand.


crikey--2020-12-20--The Liberal Party is now little more than the political wing of News Corp

News Corp has n't just glommed on to a loyal political audience .
It is now the voice of the Liberal Party .
It ’ s a reverse takeover .
News Corp has stopped pretending .
It ’ s now out and proud as political party media .
But there ’ s still one big question : who ’ s in charge ?
The party or the media ?
It ’ s a tale of two cities .
This past weekend , the front page of The Sunday Telegraph read “ FOR YOUR OWN GOOD ” on the Sydney lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s front page on Melbourne ’ s July lockdown : “ SIX-WEEK SENTENCE ” ( complete with its “ Disaster for Dan ” subhead ) .
There ’ s also virtual media silence over the isolation rule-breakers on Sydney ’ s wealthy northern beaches .
It seems they ’ re not deserving of a Courier-Mail-style “ ENEMIES OF THE STATE ” mugshot .
Maybe News Corp has got better at understanding how governments manage risk in a pandemic .
Governments can learn the lessons of the past .
Why not news media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After all , it ’ s always going to be easier to lock down Sydney ’ s wealthy , Liberal-voting northern beaches than Melbourne ’ s western suburbs .
( They don ’ t call it “ the insular peninsula ” for nothing ! )
The NSW government , however , won ’ t be too confident .
Gladys Berejiklian has never been News Corp ’ s Liberal premier of choice .
She ’ s already considered to be on borrowed time until the more acceptably male Treasurer Dom Perrottet can put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the icare scandal .
The apparent News Corp tabloid shift from July to December is , journalistically , shocking — but it shouldn ’ t be surprising .
The company has decided to open up about its positioning .
It once used to dog-whistle , famously with the Fox “ fair and balanced ” tagline .
It relied on the “ good journalists ” to offset its campaigning op-eds and banner headlines .
But when ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull called this out on Q+A — News Corp ’ s climate coverage , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physics into an issue of values or identity ” — one of these good journalists , Paul Kelly , shrugged .
In a long interview with former deputy PM John Anderson , released that same week in November , Kelly was brutally honest in explaining the News Corp business model : the shift from advertising to subscriptions sorts the media politically , based on audience demand , with News Corp on the right ( I made a similar argument here in Crikey this month ) .
But News Corp has more than glommed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is now the voice of the Liberal Party .
It ’ s a reverse takeover .
The Liberal Party is now little more than the political wing of News Corp .
The 2018 book Network Propaganda goes into this issue in depth .
It ’ s not just that audiences want different perspectives , they want different things .
Audiences on the centre and left want news that gives analysis and context .
They ’ re open to critiques of their own side .
And audiences on the right want confirmation bias @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and political enemies publicly eviscerated — whether it ’ s a Labor premier or young women of colour breaking quarantine .
News Corp ’ s deep roots in traditional journalism means it has long tried to bridge the divide , delivering both news analysis ( albeit from a conservative perspective ) and red meat for its audience .
It meshes these two lumps of content together to create talking points which it can amplify through the voices of backbench ultras ( Hello , Craig Kelly ! )
as diktats for government action .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ranty by night ) replicates the Fox model .
It ’ s integrated into the Fox social media environment , with its Sky After Dark YouTube clips going viral in Trump world as transnational validation .
But , as as Trump is again teaching Fox , there ’ s only so much “ fact ” its audience is prepared to tolerate in this mix .
Fox journalists now find themselves hammered by Trump ’ s supporters for questioning his false stolen election narrative , while its late-night commentariat eggs them on .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ America News Network stick loyal to the Trumpian Lost Cause .
They ’ re rewarded with Trump retweets and a growing audience .
They ’ re dwarfed by Fox on the right , but they ’ re dragging enough viewers to cost Fox its coveted top spot in the cable news world to ( gasp ! )
CNN .
The Australian market has been too small for a voice to the right of News Corp .
But take News Corp at its word : it ’ s not taking any risks with its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to let its political wing in Canberra do so either .

News Corp has stopped pretending. It’s now out and proud as political party media. But there’s still one big question: who’s in charge? The party or the media?
It’s a tale of two cities. This past weekend, the front page of The Sunday Telegraph read “FOR YOUR OWN GOOD” on the Sydney lockdown. Contrast that with the Herald Sun’s front page on Melbourne’s July lockdown: “SIX-WEEK SENTENCE” (complete with its “Disaster for Dan” subhead).
There’s also virtual media silence over the isolation rule-breakers on Sydney’s wealthy northern beaches. It seems they’re not deserving of a Courier-Mail-style “ENEMIES OF THE STATE” mugshot.


crikey--2020-12-22--Sports rorts: McKenzie, Morrison, Gaetjens and the questions left behind

As Crikey has reconstructed the sports rorts affair , there are still some key voices missing .
Here are the @ @ @ @ @ the past few weeks , we ’ ve been putting together an oral history reconstruction @ @ @ @ @ , which you can read here .
And if there ’ s one thing that @ @ @ @ @ s that nobody is willing to accept any responsibility or answer any questions about the @ @ @ @ @ , Prime Minister Scott Morrison has maintained there was nothing to see here , and @ @ @ @ @ that was then-sports minister Bridget McKenzie ’ s fault .
McKenzie herself has been largely @ @ @ @ @ wrongdoing , she resigned over a gun club membership and has appeared to blame funding @ @ @ @ @ while also failing to front up to the Senate inquiry .

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been putting together an oral history reconstruction of the sports rorts affair, which you can read here. And if there’s one thing that shines through, it’s that nobody is willing to accept any responsibility or answer any questions about the matter.
From the start, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has maintained there was nothing to see here, and if there was well, that was then-sports minister Bridget McKenzie’s fault.
McKenzie herself has been largely MIA. Initially denying any wrongdoing, she resigned over a gun club membership and has appeared to blame funding decisions on her staff, while also failing to front up to the Senate inquiry.


crikey--2020-12-22--Can the ABC survive the war under General Buttrose? Could anyone?

It 's been the ABC 's annus horribilis , but it could get even worse .
2020 has ended badly for the ABC — so badly that it ’ s time to ask if chair Ita Buttrose is capable of halting the broadcaster ’ s slide .
Right now it looks like she ’ s not .
But is there anyone who could , given how the stars have aligned against the ABC this year ?
Here ’ s a wrap of December so far : • Communications Minister Paul Fletcher demanded answers from the ABC board over Four Corners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story , which reported on an alleged toxic culture with respect to women in the Liberal government .
Fletcher upped the ante by tweeting his two-page complaint alleging bias in the report and questioning if it was in the public interest • Before the episode aired , government senators Sarah Henderson and Amanda Stoker interrogated the ABC ’ s managing director on its content during estimates hearings • Coalition Senator James McGrath led a Senate motion which ordered the ABC to release an internal review finding instances of alleged bias in the ABC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senator Andrew Bragg demanded the ABC provide details of a content supply agreement with online publication The New Daily and questioned if the deal had an impact on the broadcaster ’ s independence .
Buttrose has reportedly accused the government of a pattern of political interference in her reply to Fletcher ’ s complaint .
She also launched a strong objection to the Senate ’ s demand to produce the ABC ’ s internal review — but to no avail .
Adding to the pain inflicted by politicians , broadcast media regulator the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) this week found a Four Corners report on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan from 2019 breached impartiality rules .
The ABC said it disagreed with the finding , pointing out that the government had failed to provide a spokesperson for an interview .
In the hands of its enemies , though , it is yet another stick to beat the broadcaster .
Can it get worse ?
2020 has been the ABC ’ s annus horribilis when you also throw in the funding cuts which led to a mid-year exodus of experienced staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get worse .
As we ’ ve reported , the regulation of Australia ’ s media in effect gives a free pass to the rising power of News Corp ’ s Sky News .
Perversely , while ACMA has applied the might of the government ’ s media laws to find Four Corners in breach of impartiality rules , Sky continues to spew out right-wing conspiracy theories and disinformation without the regulator lifting a finger , even though it has the power to instigate action .
There is no move from the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have Sky abide by the subscription television code of practice when it comes to accuracy .
The lack of action allows the Sky/Foxtel business model — built on extremist right-wing ranting — to flourish .
Further , News Corp ’ s influence is set to increase again early next year when its separate-but-linked NCA newswire service launches on the open market as a competitor to the independent and once-mighty AAP .
Might the future be more USA than AUS ?
The US election and its aftermath have shown how the pandemic of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Recent polls suggest 70 % of Republicans believe Donald Trump ’ s big lie that the election was stolen , a presidential assault on the truth propelled by some of Murdoch ’ s Fox News hosts as well as far right channel Newsmax and social media .
The information ecosystem has become so fragile that governments only have three to four years to act before it is too late , according to Prue Clarke a one-time ABC journalist who helped establish the Sydney-based Judith Nielsen Institute for Journalism and who now works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of democracy building efforts .
“ The US election shows how close it has come , ” Clarke told Crikey .
“ It pulled back from the brink but it is far from over.
” The United States has no public broadcasting organisation like the ABC .
Its nearest equivalents are National Public Radio ( NPR ) and Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ) which provides television programs .
The US government provides only US $ 450 million to fund public broadcasting compared to Australia ’ s funding of around $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much smaller market .
Even so , for the past four years Trump , addicted to Fox News , has attempted to eliminate even that small level of public funding , though he has been thwarted by Congress .
But it remains the instinct of authoritarian politicians .
In a pattern of behaviour depressingly similar to Australia ’ s conservative politicians , Trump questioned NPR ’ s meagre government funding after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was angered by a line of questioning from an NPR reporter .
Trump ’ s threat was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Fox personality Mark Levin .
Channeling any number of News Corp and Sky News commentators lining up to slam the ABC , Levin tweeted , “ Why does NPR still exist ?
We have thousands of radio stations in the US .
Plus satellite radio .
Podcasts .
Why are we paying for this big-government , Democrat party propaganda operation.
” In Australia the free marketeers of the Institute of Public Affairs has long urged the government to do away with the ABC altogether .
What support it has among Coalition parliamentarians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a fringe ideological cause , though , the idea of privatising the ABC or having the ABC accept advertising is now not so far-fetched for a government that may well retain power until 2025 .
By that time the Coalition will have been in charge of the ABC ’ s budget and board appointments for almost 25 out of 30 years .
What would the end of the ABC look like ?
In the slow unravelling of the ABC , the broadcaster has already become something that it wasn ’ t .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has reported , the ABC is far from the hotbed of lefties that exists in the imagination of some conservative politicians .
The ABC produces far less current affairs content than even a decade ago .
Yet the many accommodations to government demands are never enough for the Tony Abbotts of the world who question the ABC ’ s loyalty to Team Australia .
The ABC stands as one of the few public broadcasters in the world that is purely government-funded .
Canada ’ s CBC and New Zealand ’ s TVNZ both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exception , funded by a television licence fee paid per household .
In the US , government funding makes up a tiny percentage of NPR ’ s budget , with the rest coming mainly as tax-deductible donations from individuals and foundations .
It also accepts a small amount of advertising .
According to Clarke , who over nearly 20 years in the US worked as a journalist for the Washington Post and Newsweek and taught at New York City Graduate School of Journalism , the NPR model has produced a strong , independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the interests of the public — a product of the direct funding relationship with listeners .
Clarke describes a country where mainstream media outlets including NPR , The Atlantic and , especially , The New York Times — for people on the left and centre of US politics — have produced stellar journalism during the Trump presidency while other outlets have fanned extreme truth-destroying agendas .
“ What ’ s happening in the US is that one side — Biden voters – are living in what is likely the healthiest information ecosystem there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the best journalism that has ever been done , ” Clarke said .
“ Trump voters live in a completely alternate reality fed by right wing media and social media disinformation campaigns .
“ The mainstream Australian media is much weaker than America ’ s , and the social media disinformation campaigns are virulent , ” she said .
“ I see Australia as potentially more vulnerable to an information pandemic than the USA.
” Whether or not the ABC could survive with a mix of government and private funding with tax deductibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not have the same tradition of no-strings philanthropy as exists in the USA .
And unlike Americans , Australians are already used to the idea that public interest journalism is a public good that they should pay for , albeit through taxes .
At this stage the Morrison government is happy to bring the ABC to its knees in the interests of promoting its own political fortunes .
And there are plenty of its fellow travellers cheering it on .
To that extent Buttrose — or whoever is chair of the ABC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tide .
But the government is also flirting with the destruction of an institution which plays the role of one of Australia ’ s few remaining public interest agencies , even if it does its job imperfectly at times .
Only a public backlash could halt the slide to destruction .
But who would count on that now ?

2020 has ended badly for the ABC — so badly that it’s time to ask if chair Ita Buttrose is capable of halting the broadcaster’s slide. Right now it looks like she’s not. But is there anyone who could, given how the stars have aligned against the ABC this year?
Here’s a wrap of December so far:
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher demanded answers from the ABC board over Four Corners’ “Inside the Canberra Bubble” story, which reported on an alleged toxic culture with respect to women in the Liberal government. Fletcher upped the ante by tweeting his two-page complaint alleging bias in the report and questioning if it was in the public interest
Before the episode aired, government senators Sarah Henderson and Amanda Stoker interrogated the ABC’s managing director on its content during estimates hearings
Coalition Senator James McGrath led a Senate motion which ordered the ABC to release an internal review finding instances of alleged bias in the ABC’s 2019 election coverage
Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg demanded the ABC provide details of a content supply agreement with online publication The New Daily and questioned if the deal had an impact on the broadcaster’s independence.
Buttrose has reportedly accused the government of a pattern of political interference in her reply to Fletcher’s complaint. She also launched a strong objection to the Senate’s demand to produce the ABC’s internal review — but to no avail.


crikey--2020-12-22--Crikey Awards 2020: A lament for ScoMo and a win for the king of Danistan

Crikey ‘ s Arsehat of the Year for 2020 is not the first winner to be a popular media figure who takes any criticism they get as evidence that they are just too much of a dangerous teller of incendiary truths for all the milquetoast pearl-clutchers in the mainstream .
Hell , he ’ s not even the second .
In that regard , YouTuber Jordan Shanks , aka FriendlyJordies , has to settle behind Kyle Sandilands and Alan Jones , the respective winners in 2011 and 2012 .
Illustrious company .
But Shanks is , as far as we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win .
Like fools , in giving him a kick after he used his nominally left-wing platform to tell his largely young audience that a bloke shouldn ’ t necessarily lose his job for sexual assault , we failed to see this coming .
Indeed , ending this awful year by giving the Arsehat to someone who actually wants it — above many other far stronger candidates — is an appropriately dispiriting note .
Shanks ’ campaign at least makes him a slightly worthier winner .
So congratulations to you and your fans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which we can all agree is extremely cool , and now it ’ s yours .
A shoutout to our silver medalist this year , who will go down as one of the great “ shoulda-beens ” in Arsehat history .
Indeed , had it not been for the above intervention he would have won by a huge margin .
Prime Minister Scott Morrison started 2020 with truly dire leadership during the bushfires .
Things never got better .
There ’ s his default setting of evasion and dishonesty .
The tautological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flippant responses to legitimate questions .
Saying “ we ’ ll get through this together ” while his senior ministers hurled partisan trash at the Victorian state government .
His cheap , confected apoplexy over Australia Post execs buying watches while the Department of Infrastructure paid a Liberal donor 10 times the going rate for a parcel of land .
He led a government that managed , in 2020 , to be the sleaziest , most corrupt outfit in Australia .
Throughout 2020 Morrison and his government lead an ideological war under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a secretive , fossil-fuel dominated commission to respond to the crisis , to the draining of independent regulators , to the late attempt to gut industrial relations protections .
If you ’ re as disappointed as we are that he ’ s missed out , take heart .
With Australia ’ s comparatively strong showing in response to COVID-19 — something for which he does deserve some credit — and an essentially invisible opposition , one imagines he ’ ll have every opportunity to get back on the list next year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ some distance , the 2020 Person of the Year award to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews .
No leader in the country had a tougher 2020 , perhaps save Morrison early on — and Morrison had a largely compliant media happy to move on from Cobargo as soon as he had .
Andrews had no such out .
It is no secret that Crikey has joined and in some cases led criticism of Andrews — there was , in truth , plenty to criticise .
But it ’ s also true that the relentless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gleefully , transparently partisan — you only need to compare the coverage of second waves in South Australia and New South Wales to the front pages that greeted Victoria ’ s setbacks .
Ditto the grubby attacks from federal ministers discussed above .
Throughout this , Andrews quietly did something we ’ ve been wanting a politician to do for a while : he showed up .
Day after day .
For 120 consecutive days he fronted the media , explained what was happening and why , and he stayed until there were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of lockdown , the hard decisions paid off .
Andrews was also one of the few politicians to acknowledge the link between the virus and insecure work , and his government produced a budget that acknowledged that not everyone was affected by the virus equally .
The report into the disastrous hotel quarantine program was released yesterday .
Elsewhere , Bernard Keane is giving the Andrews government a well-deserved excoriation for its many failures on this front .
Further , the way the virus was policed was hugely problematic .
2020 wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Indeed , Andrews , the “ party apparatchik from central casting ” hoisted beyond all expectations to become cartoon villain or cult hero , is a perfect emblem for 2020 ; great triumphs and miserable failures , relentless buffeting and impressive resolve .

Arsehat of the Year
Crikey‘s Arsehat of the Year for 2020 is not the first winner to be a popular media figure who takes any criticism they get as evidence that they are just too much of a dangerous teller of incendiary truths for all the milquetoast pearl-clutchers in the mainstream.
Hell, he’s not even the second. In that regard, YouTuber Jordan Shanks, aka FriendlyJordies, has to settle behind Kyle Sandilands and Alan Jones, the respective winners in 2011 and 2012. Illustrious company.
But Shanks is, as far as we know, the first to campaign to win. Like fools, in giving him a kick after he used his nominally left-wing platform to tell his largely young audience that a bloke shouldn’t necessarily lose his job for sexual assault, we failed to see this coming.


crikey--2020-12-22--After animal acts and Labor cowardice, the Corkman pub destroyers finally face jail

It was a piece of rare good luck in a year of misery — but the Corkman wreckers facing justice @ @ @ @ @ 's gone , and it wo n't expunge Labor 's cowardice .
The sad , @ @ @ @ @ of the Corkman pub is coming to its close as the year winds down .
@ @ @ @ @ good luck , the wreckers who demolished it illegally have actually been given a jail @ @ @ @ @ for contempt -- while at the same time plans for the soulless new tower on @ @ @ @ @ been announced .
From that tower they will make millions .
Readers will remember the @ @ @ @ @ Inn as it was known until recent years , as the 1850s-era pub that was @ @ @ @ @ 2016 by Raman Shaqiri and Stefce Kutlesovski .

The sad, absurd and very typical tale of the Corkman pub is coming to its close as the year winds down.
In a piece of rare good luck, the wreckers who demolished it illegally have actually been given a jail term — a month, for contempt — while at the same time plans for the soulless new tower on the site in Carlton have been announced.
From that tower they will make millions. Readers will remember the Corkman, or the Carlton Inn as it was known until recent years, as the 1850s-era pub that was illegally destroyed one Saturday in 2016 by Raman Shaqiri and Stefce Kutlesovski.


crikey--2020-12-22--2020 rushed us into a future beset by threats and issues we should have already fixed

In 2020 , neoliberalism proved an effective vector for both a deadly virus and climate change .
Yet we 're intent on resuming business as usual despite the ghastly toll .
How do you write an end-of-year piece about a year like 2020 ?
The usual year-in-review shtick of finding some unifying theme isn ’ t particularly useful when applied to a year in which history sped up dramatically , in which we not merely went through the looking glass but were propelled at a rate of knots .
Viruses and bacteria shape human history , and always have .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of early , more lethal and more transformative pandemics -- the Black Death wiping out half of Europe in the 14th century and ending feudalism , or diseases exterminating Indigenous populations as imperial Europe reached out to the rest of the world .
Our tendency to cluster together with our animals , and to trade with anyone we can find , makes us perfect logistics providers for germs .
Neoliberal capitalism -- with global supply chains , insatiable exploitation of natural resources , precarious work , massive international travel and , in many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the perfect vehicle for bacteria and viruses to spread in ways previous generations never had to fear .

How do you write an end-of-year piece about a year like 2020? The usual year-in-review shtick of finding some unifying theme isn’t particularly useful when applied to a year in which history sped up dramatically, in which we not merely went through the looking glass but were propelled at a rate of knots.
Viruses and bacteria shape human history, and always have. The Spanish flu was merely an echo of early, more lethal and more transformative pandemics — the Black Death wiping out half of Europe in the 14th century and ending feudalism, or diseases exterminating Indigenous populations as imperial Europe reached out to the rest of the world.
Our tendency to cluster together with our animals, and to trade with anyone we can find, makes us perfect logistics providers for germs. Neoliberal capitalism — with global supply chains, insatiable exploitation of natural resources, precarious work, massive international travel and, in many countries, inadequately funded healthcare — is the perfect vehicle for bacteria and viruses to spread in ways previous generations never had to fear.


crikey--2020-12-22--Dan Andrews shows why no politician is accountable for anything anymore

Daniel Andrews failed to lead on Victoria 's tragically bungled hotel quarantine program — and failed to ensure anyone else did .
The cost in terms of human life is his responsibility .
Nearly $ 200 million .
Over 18,000 infections .
768 deaths , usually lonely , miserable deaths away from loved ones .
That ’ s the cost of the failure of Victoria ’ s hotel quarantine program .
But Premier Daniel Andrews has paid no cost whatsoever , despite his responsibility for its failings .
The Coate report makes clear that the tragic mistakes in the program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gruesome toll .
“ Such a finding is likely to shock the public , ” Coate concludes .
But if that were so , Andrews would no longer be premier .
On March 15 , the Andrews government , as part of the national cabinet process , agreed that self-isolation would be required for returning travellers , because “ the majority of cases in the community , at that time , were linked to the virus coming in via international arrivals ” .
On March 27 , a mandatory hotel quarantine program was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commencement 36 hours later .
But no work had been done by the Andrews government to prepare for the program , even after March 15 .
It had to establish the program from scratch in 36 hours .
The Department of Jobs , Precincts and Regions was given the task of establishing the program , despite a complete lack of relevant experience in establishing a quarantine program and the services required to run it .
At the same time , the Department of Health “ was in charge as the control agency of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Precincts and Regions was also in charge .
The confusion about who was running the program became the dominant feature of it .
As for the decision to use private security guards , that was a decision made by a variety of officials by osmosis , with literally no consideration given to the range of options available .
The only person to express a firm view was the then police commissioner Graham Ashton , who believed that adequately trained private security could guard quarantine hotels , with his police force providing “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be accepted by every other bureaucratic participant in the incessant meetings involved in established the program .
But no decision was ever made , and no assessment was ever made .
The inquiry received more than 70,000 documents in response , including cabinet documents .
No document was produced to the inquiry that definitively revealed who made the decision to engage private security or how the initial decision-making process occurred .
Likewise , no document produced to the inquiry revealed that there was any consideration given to the ongoing expenditure associated with private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or whether an alternative enforcement model should have been adopted… This itself bespeaks of a failure of governance .
This decision was a substantial part of an important public health initiative and it cost the Victorian community many millions of dollars .
But it remained , as multiple submissions to the inquiry noted , an orphan , with no person or department claiming responsibility .
In the course of the inquiry , Chris Eccles , the head of the Premier ’ s Department , and health minister Jenny Mikakos , both resigned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do any preparatory work in relation to quarantining overseas travellers , Andrews ’ agreement to the national cabinet deadline for the establishment of the quarantine program , and his failure to clarify who was in charge of that program and thus who was responsible for key — and fatal — decisions like the one to use private security guards , ended up costing 768 lives .
There ’ s been a tendency — one we at Crikey have been guilty of — to suggest that the Victorian tragedy reflects some reflexive disposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s appropriate .
But the Coate report doesn ’ t show that .
If Ashton has professed a preference for police undertaking the quarantine duties , it seems that would have been absorbed as the de facto decision as well .
The report shows decisions being made without any clear leadership , by officials from different departments and with different agendas , with suggestions , comments and arse-covering substituting for actual decisions with clear accountability .
Sometimes bureaucrats are empire-builders .
But sometimes , too , they sense risk and avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what .
The whole process around the private security issues smacks of officials making sure they didn ’ t place themselves at risk of failure in a crucial program .
The lack of leadership — the lack of someone demonstrably and accountably in charge — goes all the way to the top .
Andrews wasn ’ t in charge , despite his title .
Nor — fatally — did he ensure someone else was .
For all his rhetoric about being responsible , Daniel Andrews hasn ’ t been accountable .
He threw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eccles departed .
He himself sits there still , continuing to enjoy high approval ratings , confident he can survive everything critics , News Corp and Scott Morrison throws at him — let alone the useless Victorian opposition .
But that won ’ t change the fact that his leadership failings cost 768 lives .
It seems to be the way of politics in Australia .
No one in New South Wales has ever been held accountable for the Ruby Princess disaster and the 28 deaths that caused .
Certainly not Gladys Berejiklian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and turned a blind eye to her boyfriend ’ s grifting and corruption , and who defends blatant pork-barrelling .
And certainly not Scott Morrison , who ducked all responsibility for the catastrophic regulatory failures that contributed to the deaths of hundreds of Victorians in privately-run nursing homes , insisting it was not his responsibility — and who leads the nation ’ s most blatantly corrupt government , in which no minister , whether rorter , sleazebag or outright crook , is ever held to account , but instead protected by cover-ups .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ want of reporting .
The media has done its job of exposing rorting and corruption , of revealing systemic failings , of demanding explanations of who was responsible .
But the three most senior politicians in the country , who should all be out of parliament in disgrace , remain in charge .
Perhaps , for all that the media obsesses about accountability , and politicians pay lip service to it , voters don ’ t particularly care ?

Nearly $200 million. Over 18,000 infections. 768 deaths, usually lonely, miserable deaths away from loved ones. That’s the cost of the failure of Victoria’s hotel quarantine program.
But Premier Daniel Andrews has paid no cost whatsoever, despite his responsibility for its failings. The Coate report makes clear that the tragic mistakes in the program have involved no adequate accountability despite the gruesome toll.
“Such a finding is likely to shock the public,” Coate concludes. But if that were so, Andrews would no longer be premier.


crikey--2020-12-21--With some stiff competition, here are the biggest losers (and winners) of 2020

It was an enormous year for cock-ups , but a few people managed to give us shining moments throughout 2020 @ @ @ @ @ to long suffering artists to politicians just being themselves , it was a year rife @ @ @ @ @ plenty of winners .
Sure , Scott Morrison was generally considered the big winner for @ @ @ @ @ crisis , but where he really lucked out was in getting a major do-over .
@ @ @ @ @ year he was a definitive loser , with his disastrous handling of the bushfire disaster @ @ @ @ @ lasting legacy of that image of a Hawaiian shirt and cocktail .

From billionaires behaving badly to long suffering artists to politicians just being themselves, it was a year rife with losers… but still plenty of winners.
Sure, Scott Morrison was generally considered the big winner for his handling of the COVID crisis, but where he really lucked out was in getting a major do-over.
At the start of the year he was a definitive loser, with his disastrous handling of the bushfire disaster meaning he was facing a lasting legacy of that image of a Hawaiian shirt and cocktail.