Feb 20 2012

The front page

A quick Monday morning thread . . .

This morning I made a rare visit to the front page of news.com in a misguided attempt to read, dare I say the word, the news.

Most of it was old.  The ALP leadership challenge is well-worn.  Everything that was written may well be true, but it’s hard to believe stories that are based around “according to un-named sources”.  Maybe the stories where the sources can be identified – or not fabricated – could attract some credibility.

Here’s one, for example.  Talking heads chatty during silence.

The Governor-General Quentin Bryce and the Prime Minister Julia  Gillard have both been accused of talking through the minute’s silence during  the memorial for the 70th anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin.

Heather Malcolm said she saw both the ladies talking.

In agreement was Alana Chapman who said she saw Ms Bryce and Ms Gillard talking and said they should be able to show respect and not talk.

Others agreed.

“She was. She was talking to the Prime Minister. Very disgraceful and  disrespectful,” Darren Becker said.

“Yep. Saw them talking, very disrespectful,” Jenn Cameron said.

Dud story but at least the people were real.  Real people aren’t that hard to find, as this story shows. Makes the story seem real.

Apart from the leadership talk and the usual Julia Gillard slag-fest, one thing on the front page stood out.  It was under the heading “Most Recommended”.  Here we have a news organisation that rams the leadership talk down our throats yet recommends we read something else.  And what is today’s most recommended?  Here are the thrillers that round off the top three:

Princess Mary busts visiting dignitary’s cleavage stare.

ANZ rewards staff with holiday while customers get rates pain.

British tourist bitten ‘down under’ by deadly Aussie snake while answering call  of nature.

And their point is?  The headlines might be bullshit but we want you to read the other crap.

158 comments on “The front page”

  1. The story about the tourist being bitten was even accompanied with a picture of a snake. Not one poised to strike, but one curled up in what appears to be a box.

    Surely they could have Googled something more imaginative.

  3. Murdoch probably does not approve of the woman G-G talking to the woman PM. And if the PM did exchange a word with the Head of State it would have been either before or after (you never know with Limited News, the company which brought us the hacking of murder victims’ phones)

    But with all these wimmin in power the country has gone to rack and ruin I tells ya!

    Not done chaps – not like the good old days. Now when men ruled the country we had edifying Vice-Regal moments such as Sir John Kerr at the Melbourne Cup or John Howard (and Hyacinth) having a little sniffy because it was G-G Bill Dean opening the Sydney 2000 Olympics and not him.

  7. Josh, and of course the suggestion is that because it’s two women talking that it couldn’t have been about anything of importance. IF the PM and GG were exchanging a few words, it could have been a mention about the solemnity of the occasion. And I presume that never in history has a Prime Minister and a Government General ever spoken a few brief words during any ceremonial occasion.

  9. My mother once told me that of all the horrors reported in the news during WW2 nothing shocked and angered the Australian people more than the news that some Australian soldiers had been caught looting Darwin after the bombing.

  10. And who can forget the occasion in parliament when Tony Abbott turned his back and chatted with one of his front benches when the PM was offering condolences.

  12. But Tom R, allegations are what LtdNews does best.

    It even goes so far as to allege that Emperor Rupert is human! And el gordo is still searching for evidence that there are aliens among us.Go figure.

  16. can I pls defend the snake…. some one… anyone dropping a number 1 or 2 on me may make me a little snarky and have a nip…

    the PM & GG speaking sheesh is this the best the media can call a story… craptastic.

  17. I think this same sought of thing occurred with regards Howard and Costello, and I’m sure yourself and the Labor cohort complained equally vociferously; good on you!

  20. I bet they would be equally understanding if someone were to hold a conversation while they were talking or maintaining a moment silence in honour of a fallen fellow, like Gough Whitlam or Paul Keating, or even Bob Hawk the Silly Old Bugger ( i’m sure that’s the description he prescribes), may it be soon,

  21. No Chris, the current media campaign against Prime Minister Gillard is infinitely more vicious than any thing that came before!

  22. Chris it is not surprising that you are wishing for Gough Whitlam’s, Paul Keating’s or Bob Hawke’s speedy demise; it tells readers everything they need to know about you.

  23. I believe the tourist are advised of the deadly reptiles abounding in this fair land, and if they expose their fair end to the reptiles, surely they should expect the reptile to use what is available to it to discourage such activity.

  24. Signe/Chris,

    Apparently he was bitten on a testicle! One can only imagine the circumstances.

    It’s amusing that the tourist referred to his geographical location as the outback. He was in Tasmania lol.

  25. It’s like that joke I heard once about two blokes alone in the outback. One starts taking a pee and is bitten on the old fellow by a snake,

    The other bloke gets on his satellite phone and calls the nearest hosptital – a day’s drive away – describes the situation and the snake.

    The advice is that he needs to suck out the poison or his friend would be dead in 15 minutes.

    He hangs up. His desperate friend askes what’s going to happen.

    “I’m sorry, mate” he replies, “but you’re going to be dead in 15 minutes”.

  26. @Miglo… he was within driving distance of Hobart Hospital… my daughter lives in Hobart and they are quite civilised and have Loo’s, and the ‘outback’ well what can you say he was a tourist.LOL

  30. Wilkie seems to have a habit of making statements and failing to correct the record, or at least not strongly enough when the media get it wrong.

    The media said over and over that Wilkie would withdraw support for the government if the government failed to get the poker machine legislation through, that he was prepared to help the Liberals in bringing down the government.

    It must have taken Wilkie a good couple of months, and not before the media had run with this same interpretation over and over, before Wilkie corrected this and said that he would not vote with the Opposition on a whim, just to bring down the government.

  31. He was a Scotsman. Maybe he was wearing nothing under his kilt. Not safe to be dressed like that in Tasmania.

  32. Maybe when he said ‘withdraw support’ he meant ‘whiteant’ ;)

    I note the PM just telling the journalists that all of their ‘stories’ have been denied, such as Wilkies testimony.

    This instead of questions to do with the Gronskie report.

  33. Tom R

    the jurnos behaved themselves. pm set out the program today first gonski then after general questions. there was considerable time on gonski about 40 minutes. the press only got 11 minutes on rudd.

    basically pm said the fa has denied reports he spoke with wilkie or journos about leadership/challenge.
    pm said there has always been one issue or another bu she has pressed ahead with her reforms, carbon tax, mrrt with help of swann, and last week health insurance.
    pm said she is getting on with the job this week, education
    fa is doing his job.

    so first to wilkie
    does wilkie still think he could work with rudd, seeing that rudd has said wilkie is a liar.

    now the journos
    who amongst them is going to stand up and say that rudd has been briefing them.
    otherwise rudd is saying they are liars

  34. the first off the rank to misinterpret what the pm said about gonski and funding.
    essentially the current funding is set to end of 2013, so they are aiming for 2014 for new arrangements, but look at this typical rubbish

    “The government has put a surplus before tackling structural disadvantage in Australian schools, despite the long-awaited Gonski report warning that the gap in student opportunities was leading to falling performances.”

    Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/surplus-before-schools-as-gonski-report-decries-student-disadvantage-20120220-1tin1.html#ixzz1mtDdeHjt

  35. there was considerable time on gonski about 40 minutes. the press only got 11 minutes on rudd.

    my bad Sue

    I got back from lunch, and saw the ‘live link’, when I went there, it was all I heard. Must have been the tail end.

  38. What is wilkie playing at:

    Mr Wilkie, who admits to meeting with Mr Rudd on November 3 in the Foreign Minister’s Canberra office, said that some of the reporting had been “inaccurate or misplaced”.

    “Mr Rudd requested the meeting to discuss my public call for the Prime Minister to instigate another inquiry into Australia joining in the invasion of Iraq in 2003,” Mr Wilkie said in a statement.

    “When we’d finished discussing Iraq I raised with Mr Rudd the leadership of the ALP

    Mr Rudd and I discussed the leadership in generalities only.

    “At no stage did Mr Rudd ask for my support on the floor of the Parliament or did I offer my support.”

    Mr Wilkie said at no stage in the conversation did Mr Rudd criticise Ms Gillard.

    Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/kevin-rudd-didnt-do-it-says-andrew-wilkie/story-e6frfku0-1226275975181#ixzz1mtFmsRCB

    So after all the headlines this nutter is having 2nd thoughts.

  39. Tom R the press conference about gonski report was very good. but is already being misreported. gonski recommended they test and design before implementing. for example the states differ in their definition of “disability” .
    also the $5B is all govts spending but was based on 2009. as gillard pointed out that figure will change with latest figures.

  41. I am shocked the media misreporting what Wilkie (and Rudd) said on the question of leadership back in November.
    Of course they (the media) will rush to correct the story and say “We was wrong”
    It seems that denial is not even a river in North Africa.

  42. So that Wilkie thing was a beat up? A lot of people fell for it.

    The media who misreported it in the first place being at the front of the queue

  45. Why has it taken wee willie wilkie so long to “correct” the “inaccurate or misplaced” reports in and on ALL media outlets?

  50. I think it is too late Sue, too many MP’s have panicked, trusting too much in what they read. The media might have won this round for the noalition

  51. Good grief here we go again..the SMH has a speculation on a speculation..will Bob Katter play “a key role” should Kevin Rudd become Prime Minister again.

  53. tom R how about a few questions for the media have they been malicious by inaccurately reporting. will the challenge become a nonstory, will it sell ANY papers?

    also today showed pm in good light. she said that rudd denied the reports, so both she and rudd were getting on with the job.
    imagine if she was not so strong or even a weepy. fancy her, having to as the press put it “demand the return of rudd, only to have the press run the new story Rudd Didn’t Do it.

    instead for the pm it is business as usual.
    carbon tax
    mrrt
    health insurance rebate
    ehealth
    education
    community release for refugees
    pokie precommittment trial in ACT

    so what is on next week?

  56. Roswell at 1:47. Do you realise that a precious little Tasmanian who lurks here will have a huge dummy spit over your comment? By now he’d be crying to his mates and they’ll be in a frenzy.

    Well I have two comments to make:

    Oh how we laughed.

    Guffaw.

  57. I’m not perturbed Miglo. If people don’t like it here then why do they bother coming? That’s advice you could take too.

  58. Miglo,

    I’m just speaking for myself, but I stopped going there a while back. I tried to join in with a comment once and was immediately called a troll. They don’t seem to take to criticism too kindly.

    Sue and Tom R,

    Australians have it far too easy. Perhaps the government should do a lot more whinging about how crook things are.

  59. tom r @1.03
    they can only hope. but what is the angle, no wilkie, no rudd

    back to plan b, sometime between may and xmas.

  60. AntonyG,

    They only like to give it out. Returning any criticism attracts the same reaction as pissing on an ant hill. It’s a killer frenzy.

    Hilarious, really.

    Nay, pathetic.

    Nay, it’s a disgrace.

    But it’s a well-orchestrated groupwank, I’ll give them that much.

    Guffaw.

  61. Min@ 4.00
    thanks for the laugh.

    yes i can see it all the way blot has organised rudd’s return
    rudd as pm backed by tony abbott, cause noone in labor or independents are stupid
    abbott wants rudd in the lodge
    abbott lets rudd hog the cameras
    julie bishop gets to apologise to rudd

  62. Sue, so now they’re running story after story..but sadly the ‘evidence’ is being eroded and we’re back to what a brother of a bloke I know said…

  63. AntonyG,

    It’s hilarious that they called you a troll. I thought that word was taboo amongst them. Somebody called ToM a troll once and he threatened legal action.

    Guffaw.

  64. Miglo,

    At least I didn’t come back here to cry about it. It’s a pretty clicky group I didn’t understand much of what they were talking about.

  65. Here’s some good news..no wonder Abbott has become strangely quiet about the NBN..

    Australians supporting the high speed national broadband network (NBN) exceed opponents by more than two to one, a new survey shows.

    The Essential Research survey released on Monday showed 56 per cent of 1042 respondents were in favour of the NBN, up from 54 per cent when the question was previously asked in April 2011.

    http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/aussies-support-nbn-by-two-to-one-poll-20120220-1tj6r.html

  68. What about a Roxon/Combet ticket or an Albanese/Shorten ticket..ah dear, Labor has so much talent that it becomes difficult to choose.

  71. How about Howard and Costello? At least it would cause one blogger to neil.

    Then again Hitler and Mussolini could be fun.

  74. “not in prospect” is an interesting phrase.

    Like a good dose of the clap, this will require some form of intervention.

  80. If you live east of the Great Dividing Range AntonyG, you’re safe.

    It seems I’m a gonorrhoea, out punned by Migs. :(

  83. Julia is about to get the sword and you’re still concerned about my gender.

    Judging by your ill conceived answers I’m assuming you haven’t given a leadership change much thought.

    Around this time next week we will have a new PM and it won’t be Rudd, who might choose to take up a UN job in June with the blessing of his family.

    So who will you accept to replace Julia?

  86. Given that this must be at least the 999th re-run of the leadership speculation issue, ask me again when or if it becomes a reality.

  87. eg

    look to abbott and who will replace him.
    there is trouble a brewing with him having to boost his economic team, with 5 of them that will make it even easier to fool/confuse the press. with a merry-go-round of experts to give credence to the latest of abbott’s pledges/brain farts.
    but eventually the press will work out that they are all confused and will start looking for anyone with some smarts.

  88. min
    for the 1000th just look at 7.30
    there are a lot of journos/insiders looking to justify their paypackets. and they call public servants fat cats.

  93. Sue, from your link..

    “Furthermore, I draw your attention to what the Prime Minister has said on this matter in Australia. I am the Foreign Minister of Australia doing my job.

    To which Farr concludes..

    In Australia the remark was seen by Gillard backers as Mr Rudd taking the moral high ground.

    And that is mostly all Rudd has ever said, I’m doing my job.

  94. min
    what is the point of newspapers/journos if they outright lie
    and then for tv you have to contend with editing.

  95. Min @ 6.01pm

    I heard an interview on ABC News Drive around the time you posted your comment.

    The Essential Research pollster, Peter Lewis I think, was telling it exactly as you reported, with some extra interesting bits.

    There is majority support also for the other Labor policy initiatives, like means testing private health insurance rebate, the mining tax, carbon pricing etc.

    The interviewer put it to Peter Lewis that it seemed that the voters liked the Labor policies, but would prefer the coalition to administer them.

    Lewis then made the obvious point that the coalition is “diametrically opposed” to all of these policies.

    Meanwhile Abbott bangs on about it’s Labor’s policies that are the problem…

    And I quite agree. But the problem will be Abbott’s.

  96. El gordo, this is my take: if the media fabricates a story and continually hammers it, it can create change. Then when it happens they say “we told you so”. Do you really think a leadership challenge was in the making if they hadn’t kept it in their headlines?

    It could yet backfire. The new leader may not necessarily be Rudd.

  97. It also explains why I haven’t expressed an opinion. I don’t bother with speculation. So it’s not “brains in a vat”. It’s a simple case of not being overly interested in what the media has to say.

  98. Miglo, I haven’t spotted this on any MSM page, let alone the front page.

    Australian schools fitted out with 911,000 new computers

    The implementation complements the government’s Digital Education Revolution
    Diana Nguyen (Computerworld)17 February, 2012

    http://www.cio.com.au/article/415732/australian_schools_fitted_911_000_new_computers/

    More than 911,000 computers have been installed in Australian schools under the National Secondary School Computer Fund, the Federal Government has announced.

    The fund is aimed at assisting schools in buying new computers and other ICT equipment for students in Years 9 to 12 by providing $1000 per computer and up to $1500 for its installation and maintenance.

    The budget, however, is not only limited to computers. The budget can be allocated to a diverse range of device such as netbooks, laptops and tablets, depending on the school’s needs.

  99. The right wing death beasts amuse me. They harp on that Gillard ‘knifed’ an elected PM but are quite happy to see it happen to another elected PM. It’s all part of the duplicitous* nature of the right.

    * This word may be subject to copyright.

  101. Just heard Julie Bishop on Q + A, say “there shouldn’t be a carbon “tax’ at this time”.

    My answer isn’t copyrighted but it is unprintable. :mrgreen:

  109. Looks like we’ll have to settle for pizzas and some lattes.

    Do you mind making the pizzas? And while they’re cooking perhaps you can make the lattes as well. I’ll set the table just to prove I’m not entirely useless.

    We can leave the dishes for Min.

  110. I don’t suppose there are any paper plates Migs, Min might not appreciate the dirty dishes first thing in the morning.

    I’ll rev up the coffee machine…

  116. Very selective hearing Sue….I wasn’t going to watch but did in the end, and all it did was make me very angry with the ABC…..again….still…

  120. talking pizza

    when i went through the tofu making era, the soybean grounds were delicious in my pizza dough. that era coincided with being vegetarian, so pizzas were adventurous.

    nowadays anything and everything most appreciated

  125. bill shorten was very good on q&a
    when he spoke to the audience, he was assuring them that the govt of pm julia gillard is achieving change, has more to do and not to worry. he gently disagreed with certain audience questions. i felt the audience responded well, the audience was not negative it was willing to listen.

    i got the impression the audience was sick of the media

  126. miglo
    i apologise for my rant on pizza memories if we start talking recipes then we will be no better than that silly anabelle crabb and her kitchen cabinet..

    actually a post on what type of recipes the mps will serve up to her might be funny..
    pyne for example is probably a quiche man

  132. Thanks to Eddie for the link on Facebook

    The Australian was caught out nicely by ABC’s Media Watch

    http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3435269.htm

    A numbers game

    And lastly tonight, a cautionary tale. Being a political numbers man isn’t as easy as it looks.

    The Weekend Australian tried it on Saturday, with a fancy graphic assigning every member of the Federal Parliamentary Labor caucus to one of three columns.

    Shame about the maths., :lol:

  133. The oo lists.

    according to the oo numbers, labor should be in majority govt.

    the oo couldn’t work out who the mps were supporting so put some mps in all 3 catergories. what a hoot.
    sadly the oo claims to be australias premier newspaper, but this is typical of the crap dressed up as journalism and is so freely picked up by the abc.

  135. Sorry to hark on this, but according to this challenge story, the assurance rudd has given his backers is that he has changed is this:

    “pointing to the diplomatic appointment of a former NSW federal Labor MP as a demonstration of the Foreign Affairs Minister’s new preparedness to reward Labor loyalists.”

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-rudd-to-reward-loyalty-say-backers-20120220-1tjr1.html#ixzz1mx5TjoEI

    Now that will assure the voting public that their, the electorates, best interests are at the heart of any challenge.

  136. Sue, the SMH seems to be saying that Kevin Rudd will “reward” his backers and then names the 3 people who he, when Prime Minister did reward…somehow I wouldn’t count Tim Fischer and Brendan Nelson as “backers”.

  137. There’s only one way to describe Uhlmann and his interviewing “skills”.

    He’s got the Costello smirk down pat.

    And once again the “probing” questions had the sophistication of schoolyard taunts.

    It was good that Garrett stayed unruffled. You could easily see who was the grown-up in the exchange.

    And when all this comes to a head, as it will inevitably do within the next week or so, how do you think people will view all of the denials that there was anything going on when people can measure what was said against what actually happens?

    I can’t wait for “all this” to not happen.

  138. Exactly Mangrove JacK

    “And when all this comes to nothing, as it will inevitably do within the next week or so, how do you think people will view all of the wasted space this has consumed.”

    Although, if they keep this barrage up for much longer, something really has to break.
    Labor have some fantastic results they are trying to put out there, all overshadowed by a media obsessed with their own story.

  139. Also, there is a lot of talk about the recent decline in education standards, going back over a decade.

    All of the journalists that I have heard have laid this at the feet of the Government, wondering why, if funding has increased so much, has this not turned around, It doesn’t appear to matter how often Garrett tells them that these things take time to turn around, the question is the same.

    At the same time, why do none of them look to when the slide happened? I have heard the funding model put in by howard described as confusing, overly complex. Why not ‘waste’ or ‘rort’?

    Double standards there anyone?

  141. Tom, the media are also setting the scene for the next less than exciting episode. Next will be the unresolved leadership dispute.

    Therefore when “when all this comes to nothing”, the MSM can still be right..the leadership ‘tensions’ are unresolved. Cute trick isn’t it.

  142. Tom R
    the gonski report used figures to 2009,
    7 years of coalition
    2 years of labor

    yep education standards down, labors fault, typical indepth analysis by msm

    the msm could at least praise howards commitment and contribution to education, school flag poles and the funding bungle.

  144. Cute trick isn’t it.

    It is that Min.

    All ready for the next time our two leaders face off with their economic credentials, and the oppositions cheer squad realise that all tabot is holding is a spud gun.

    Of course, this was all purely coincidental :shock:

  145. Heard the ABC24 say this morning that the Opposition should not have said no the education proposals without at least talking about it among themselves. Mr. Pyne said there is nothing wrong with the present system. He appears the only one that has this view. Then, it is normal for the Opposition to be on their own with many/most things today. It is like “father knows best”
    The speaker on the ABC24 also said the proposals are about more than money. T

    There is much detail and makes one wonder how a decision can be made after one and half hours. Mr. Pyne would have been more prudent to say that there are things we do not agree with but no decision can be made until we have time to analyse the report. Mr. Pyne has closed the door adopting any odd that is in the report.

    Are we to believe the front pages? We hear so much about what the PM and Mr. Rudd is going to do. There is no evidence or given. We have reports what people are saying or doing, Once again nothing to back up the allegations. That, we are told are facts.
    What is not fact according to the front pages?
    It is not fact what those who are supporting the PM have declared. The media is trying to say, they do not mean what they say. I think they are inferring, if they deny what the media has claimed they said, the MP’s are lying.
    They, according to the front pages they mean something else. The front pages are being ignored is what MPs are really saying.
    The ABC is now covering their back by the enlightening announcements that nothing can happen while Mr. Rudd is overseas. What has the last week been about?

    The state of play today is that the PM and Rudd refuse to bring the matter to a head. What matter? The matters, the front pages are consumed by, or what is really going on in the government.

    The media is now saying things have to come to a head. What things? Maybe the media that have come up against that brick wall. It is time for them to begin producing facts, not continuing with the farce, they are imposing on the public.

    It is time for the media to report what is happening, not what they think is happening, or worse still predicting what is going to happen.

    There will not be a spill, mainly because it is not necessary.

    The PM will do as she is now doing; get on with governing the country. The media will continue with their quest, until the penny drops that they have nothing to say. The emphasis will be on the media to put up or shut up.

  146. Is it the leadership problems consuming the government? Is it the truth that the leadership so called problems are consuming the media.

    I suggest what is consuming many in the government is the media’s claim that there is leadership speculation. It would be the media’s behaviour that is consuming the government.

    I love Mr. Shorten last night, in his reply to Ms. Bishop. He said he respected her robustness in being loyal to three deposed Opposition leaders. I suspect that figure is to grow to four in the near future. Either this, or one has a rebirth.

  147. It would be the media’s behaviour that is consuming the government.

    So true CU

    Apparently, trying to diffuse a media beat up proves that there is no media beat up.

  149. whisperers

    today there was a news conference at a school in western sydney.pm, garrett and local mp bradbury.
    garret and bradbury were asked to declare their loyalty.
    i have seen the same question asked by many reporters, don’t they listen to the answers?

    Anyway when it got to bradbury, he repeated he is 100% loyal, that the reporters in papers who claim he is undecided have NEVER asked him. and he dared any to come forward. he was frustrated with the media and asked “Do i have to get tattoo, because i will. my wife may not be happy though”

    the pm was quite amused with bradbury.

    but that is what it comes down to, unless they walk around with advertising they cannot be reported on.

    the conclusion of the pm,garret and bradbury, we will get on and reform because that is what labor govts do.

  150. a great line by pm, when asked about education levels dropping.

    ” I said when we came to govt, that the Howard years were a lost decade in education reform”

  151. After 99% of the interview about an exciting reform to education the ABC returned to the syudio and talkng head Joe O’Brian who’s first comment was
    “PM fends off leadership speculation”
    Joe did you watch the interview or were you reading from a prepared script?

  153. ………a merry-go-round of experts to give credence to the latest of abbott’s pledges/brain farts.

    And which catering company would that be, Sue?

    A new PM by this time next week, el gordo. We must be up to prediction #4,739, by such knowledgeable pundits as yourself. Must be very depressing to be so wrong so often, though. Ever thought of making book on it? I’ll put the house on you being completely wrong yet again!

    Just heard Julie Bishop on Q + A, say “there shouldn’t be a carbon “tax’ at this time”.

    Well isn’t she the lucky one? It turns out that there not only isn’t a carbon tax at this particular time, nor will there be one at any other time she nominates. She should buy a Xlotto ticket. Clearly her luck’s in.

    ………according to Hartcher and Coorey, Sen Marshall is organising a petition to bring on a spill.

    Is the good Senator aware that he is organising this petition, Sue?

    Mangrove Jack @8.19am, did Garrett ask for the English translation of that tortured whatever it was supposed to be? All Uhlmann’s statements should be preceded by the announcement, “And here is Chris Uhlmann saying words!”

    There must be something really juicy happening in the Liars Party. We’ve been begged so desperately to “Look over there!” by the msm, I’m surprised we haven’t all got whiplash!

  155. What should be on the front page. The good senator is not having a good day. It is good watching the MCA defending the government, mainly because of the stupid questions senator Cormann is asking. His side cannot even get a question. Kept going when told to let someone else to have a go. This has to be one of the most arrogant man in parliament.

    Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) chief Mitch Hooke told a Senate inquiry in Canberra on Tuesday the 30 per cent tax on the profits of big coal and iron producers was ‘workable’.

    ‘We have done the best we can with the hand of cards that we were dealt with,’ he told the Senate economic legislation committee.

    ‘We still have work to do in mitigating the adverse consequences and the unnecessary complexities to the compliance costs.

    ‘But this is a much better designed tax, notwithstanding that it was not necessary in the first place.’

    Asked if the tax should be passed into law in its current state, he said: ‘Yep’.

    and

    While the federal opposition argues that the design of the tax that will credit all state royalties into the future leaves the budget exposed to future increases in royalties by the states, Mr Hooke said it would have been a ‘deal breaker’ without that clause.

    ‘It goes to the fundamental principle of putting an effective cap on this tax liability, otherwise we just have an escalator all the way through Mount Everest which would put us back in the camp of compromising international competitiveness.’

    He said while the MRRT provided certainty, investors would be watching developments in the legislation to see whether it passed through parliament and whether the tax stayed.

    http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Finance/2012/02/21/Mining_tax_workable_-_Minerals_Council_720897.html

  157. Sue @4.06pm, I believe Sir Liealot is doing guided tours for the faithful on Nauru. Exciting night lectures on How to Successfully Negotiate with Independents are a feature as well as the highly sought after talks on How to Sell Your Arse and Be PM.

  158. Pingback: http://www.myebuzz.net/upcoming/News

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