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Showing posts from November, 2017

Nationals force reluctant Turnbull to dress in Shorten's banking clothes

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Grattan on Friday: Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra Only a few months ago Bill Shorten would have thought that if he won the election he’d be delivering same-sex marriage and a royal commission into banks early in his government. Now Malcolm Turnbull is bringing us both – in each case, his hand forced by a (different) group of rebel backbenchers. The marriage bill, which will go through the House of Representatives next week, has some disgruntled conservatives arcing up after the Senate rejected their amendments, but Turnbull will mark it down as one of the achievements of his prime ministership. It’s another matter with the banking royal commission. Seldom is a government’s impotence and frustration as much on display as it was when Turnbull finally capitulated and announced on Thursday that the government would establish the inquiry it has so long resisted and denounced. For quite a time political hardheads had been arguing the government should accept the inevi

The remark of a personal nature that angered Barnaby Joyce

Man on other side of Barnaby Joyce stalking accusation speaks up about hat-flicking pub incident  - Northern Daily Leader The man, a one-time Tony Windsor supporter who said he is no longer aligned with any political party, said the first time he had met Mr Joyce was unplanned at a Bingara pub. The second time was the Graman Hotel. The man said he had canvassed friends on “What would you like me to ask Barnaby?” before he arrived, so “I had a big list of questions to ask”. "He was friendly initially and then I asked him whether he was going to pay back the money he had earned while he was illegally in parliament. That obviously hit a nerve,” the man said. "Then he's like, ‘Who are you with? Who sent you?’ I'm like, ‘I'm with no one’.” The man said that he had mentioned mining magnate Gina Rinehart's $40,000 agriculture award (which Mr Joyce declined) and “he took umbrage with that”. "His supporters, of which most of the people in the pub were, sor

Memories. Memories. Sam flies to Melbourne for 2 minute tv cameo re-enactment ... tonight gets 30 minutes on every channel....be careful what you wish for....

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'Pathetic' and 'pitiful': Veteran Labor MP Laurie Ferguson takes a swing at colleague Sam Dastyari for cameo in The Killing Season  - Sydney Morning Herald June 17, 2015 Veteran Labor MP Laurie Ferguson has hit out at his colleagues taking part in dramatic re-enactments of Labor's leadership wars in the sensational ABC television documentary The Killing Season. Mr Ferguson singled out parliamentary newcomer Senator Sam Dastyari, who served as the ALP's New South Wales state secretary when Kevin Rudd was rolled, for particular criticism. Senator Dastyari was filmed talking on his iPhone 6 walking down Lonsdale Street in Melbourne and sitting at a park bench. He recounted receiving a phone call from the ALP's pollster in 2010 warning the Labor Party would be "bloody stuffed" at an election if Mr Rudd remained leader. Mr Ferguson told Fairfax Media Senator Dastyari's performance was "pitiful".

Hats off for Barnaby - Is New England all over bar the voting?

Bill Shorten avoids New England byelection for entire campaign  - Financial Review Barnaby Joyce has complained about being stalked throughout the  New England byelection , but not by Bill Shorten. The Labor leader will not make a single visit to the seat which goes to the polls on Saturday. It is expected that Mr Joyce, who was dismissed from Parliament for being a dual citizen, will be re-elected. On the campaign trail in the New England by-election, but where's Barnaby Joyce? - ABC Is the outcome of this weekend's New England by-election a foregone conclusion? Judging by the way Barnaby Joyce is campaigning, you could be forgiven for thinking it is. "Barnaby Joyce believes that he is going to win this seat on his reputation and he doesn't need to campaign," said CountryMinded Party candidate, Peter Mailler. Barnaby Joyce claims he is being stalked following a heated encounter at a New England pub  - Brisbane Times Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyc

Singalong for the prospect that a politician's child will be Australia's number 25 million

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Twitter tells us that a politician will be father of a child due in February or March. The ABS population clock predicts the country's population to reach 25 million about the same time. So singalong and wish him luck.

Ringo Starr for the defence of older men preying on teenagers and other news and views

Breitbart editor says 1973 Ringo Starr song proves Roy Moore didn’t do anything wrong  - Think Progress During a CNN appearance Monday morning, Breitbart senior editor Joel Pollak attempted to justify Roy Moore against allegations that he molested children and sexually assaulted teenagers by citing a lyric from a song popularized by Ringo Starr more than 40 years ago. “You know, in 1973 Ringo Starr hit number one on the Billboard charts with the song, ‘You’re 16, you’re beautiful, and you’re mine,'” Pollack said. “He was 30-something at the time singing about a 16-year-old — you want to take away Ringo Starr’s achievement?” Why are the banks so scared of a commission of inquiry?  - SMH Banks And Governments Paying Attention As Bitcoin Hits Record Highs  - NPR Over the past year, Bitcoin's price has gone up more than 900 percent. It's a level of growth unheard of in traditional investing markets. Now, banks, governments, and everyday people are wondering if Bitcoin

Barnaby Joyce faces death threats on his campaign trail

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Barnaby Joyce replies to allegations of hiding from public  - Northern Daily Leader We don’t take it as a joke. If they’ve got a bullet, they’ve probably got a fire-arm to use it. We've been to the police but it’s not going to change the way I do things. Barnaby Joyce The Nationals candidate for the New England by-election, Barnaby Joyce, met party workers in Glen Innes and told them he thought they were “going to get a handy sort of result”. He faced some barracking from a few people outside the newly rented Nationals’ office on Grey Street as he addressed about thirty people inside. His visit to Glen Innes was only announced to local media a few hours before and no crowds of either supporters or opponents greeted him. He’s had death threats and a bullet sent to his office but said it wouldn’t change the way he worked (in the video, it’s his first answer). Is he shunning big public events? “I’ve done a number of forums. I’m here. I’m walking up and down the halls. I’m mak

Our New England election update an other news and views

For some reason this glowing praise for moving the APVM to Armidale has vanished from Barnaby Joyce's F-book page. pic.twitter.com/P3sDQ9dChR — Malcolm Farr (@farrm51) November 26, 2017 New England by-election: what voters want to hear  - The Glen Innes Examiner The desire for more renewable energy projects in the electorate was one of the most popular answers. ... Another issue of concern for voters was the National Broadband Network (NBN). While Armidale has fibre to the premise, the rest of the region will receive fibre to the node (FTTN). Critics say FTTN is inferior technology, which will not meet the nation’s digital needs as more and more business is conducted online. Medical cannabis, a topic close to the heart of New England, particularly those in Tamworth, is an issue many within the electorate are keen to see progress on. ... Respondents said their biggest concern with the Shenhua Watermark coal mine and the Santos Narrabri Gas Project was the potential damage

Pauline's Bundy rum and the LNP aftertaste

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Qlders reject Malcolm Roberts & the LNP's deal with One Nation. Bundy Rum won't rid Pauline of the LNP aftertaste #auspol @ShayneNeumannMP @SwannyQLD pic.twitter.com/cjG51Hj9Xj — Michael Danby MP (@MichaelDanbyMP) November 26, 2017

Barnaby Joyce's behaviour finally becomes a New England campaign issue

Perhaps now the mainstream media will break its silence and start reporting on the allegations being made in New England about unseemly behaviour by former deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. The former independent member for the electorate Joyce is standing in this Saturday took to Twitter today with this comment: Joyce running ads denouncing so called "outsiders" for running in New England as a diversion to avoid public scrutiny at candidate meetings ...real reason is he is petrified his family will out him in public over his behaviour ...don't blame democracy mate , look in the mirror. — Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) November 26, 2017 While it is just the latest in a series of tweets by Tony Windsor, it is one of the most specific. You can put it into context by reading this item  by the Owl on 21 November " Trying to make sense of the social media references to the problems of Barnaby Joyce ." As Mr Windsor has tweeted, "If sexual harassment to be

The intimidating strategy of Alan Jones and Ray Hadley plus some other news and views

To Qlders who voted One Nation, I'm sorry we in the LNP let you down. We need to listen more, work harder, stand up more for conservative values & regional Qld & do better to win your trust & vote. A lot of that rests with the Turnbull govt, it's leadership & policy direction. pic.twitter.com/0vCREdd7mn — George Christensen (@GChristensenMP) November 25, 2017 Bennelong by the numbers: The voters who could decide Malcolm Turnbull’s fate  - The New Daily More Bennelong residents describe their ancestry as Chinese than Australian or English. In total, 51.7 per cent were born overseas. Gone to the dogs: intimidating strategy Alan Jones and Ray Hadley used in war against Mike Baird  - Imre Salusinszky who was media director for former premier Mike Baird on the SMH website Make a ludicrous claim and say you don't buy the denials. But even if the denials are true, "this is what is being said" ... by you. ... You can see the strategy: before y

Sunday Morning Coming Down for Pauline's One Nation

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The Owl's Queensland election commentary:

Waiting for Amazon in Australia and other news and views

The Amazon Effect - Conversable Economist One of the ongoing puzzles of the US economy in recent decades is why inflation has stayed so low. Even outgoing Fed Chair Janet Yellen has highlighted this puzzle . The "Amazon effect" may be part of the answer: basically, the Amazon effect is that a higher level of competitive pressure from the rising level of on-line retail sales is holding back price increases that might otherwise have occurred. Saudi Arabia’s Arab Spring, at Last : The crown prince has big plans to bring back a level of tolerance to his society. - New York Times Lee Rhiannon loses Greens' top NSW Senate spot to Mehreen Faruqi  - The Guardian Senior party figures express hope the ballot result will bring to an end the infighting Law, Politics and Ideology: The Regulatory Response to Trade Union Corruption in Australia  - UNSW Law Journal   Europe at Its UgliestT: he Refugee Scandal on the Island of Lesbos  - Der Spiegel As winter arrives, the si

Sexual harassment and a shocking failure by the Canberra press gallery

What we call the mainstream media has largely been absent from the New England by-election. The consensus wisdom apparently is that Barnaby Joyce will win easily so there is nothing to report. Let the yokels of the local papers do their thing reporting on the 16 other candidates. We smarties of the Canberra press gallery will get on with covering important matters while the deputy Prime Minister coasts to victory. Not for them to stick their bib into the questions of sexual harassment and worse that are continuing to surface in the wilds of the social media. The commentators on what they regard as the important matters of political life have decided that the private life of a politician should stay private and is not a legitimate concern for the voters. This attitude of the Canberra press gallery stands in stark contrast to the approach of their peers in other countries to matters of sexual harassment by elected politicians. And I am not writing here about the stories of a Coalition m

"You hit the wrong note Billy Goat" makes a fitting end to the Queensland election campaign

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"Vote One Nation?": Qld LNP leader's 'Steven Marshall moment' Queensland Liberal National Party leader Tim Nicholls has blamed the effect of a 27-day state election campaign for a slip of the tongue in which he almost urged voters to support One Nation at tomorrow's poll - a gaffe eerily echoing South Australian Liberal leader Steven Marshall's infamous election-eve appeal to "Vote Labor". - From InDaily

Pauline Hanson's forgotten candidate breaks into our political singalong

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Hanson doesn't know her candidate's name Senator Hanson was visiting a lighting factory in the new seat of Toohey on Thursday morning when asked if she knew the name of the local One Nation candidate. The candidate, Guansheng (Victor) Zhang, was not present for the press conference and Ms Hanson was open about not knowing who he was. "I couldn't tell you who the candidate is in Toohey, it's a completely new seat," Senator Hanson admitted.

No reported sightings of Barnaby Joyce as voting gets underway in New England and other news and views

By-election CountryMinded candidate says it's to improve the economy  - The Inverell Times Not many election candidates go into an election proposing the growing of narcotics as the new industry to revive an economy. But Peter Mailler is up-front about it: “Medicinal cannabis is one of our key platforms. It's potentially a multi-billion dollar industry for Australia." Barnaby Joyce says he had no prior warning of $40,000 farming prize from Gina Rinehart  - ABC "I'm trying to work out how to be polite on the stage while in the back of my head I'm desperately working out how to get this thing back," he said. Countdown to the New England byelection is now on  - The Guyra Argus More than 2000 people have already cast their vote in Armidale as the countdown begins to next Saturday’s New England byelection. ... Armidale-based Independent Rob Taber said he’s been busy travelling “up and down” the region for the past two weeks. “I’m trying to get to as

Discovery of the cabinet leaker would present bigger problem than the leak

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Grattan on Friday: Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra What on earth was Julie Bishop thinking when she declared she’d support a “formal investigation” into this week’s damaging cabinet leak? Bishop was defending herself as the questions swirled about who might be the leaker, saying it wasn’t her. But to have one of the most senior ministers – she’s deputy Liberal leader too - talking about a probe into cabinet members just underlines the serious breakdown not just in the government’s discipline but in its common sense as well. The leaked story was by the Daily Telegraph’s Sharri Markson, reporting that a “despondent”: cabinet had discussed, in the context of the backbench revolt on banking, whether the government should capitulate and hold a royal commission. Treasurer Scott Morrison said no; Peter Dutton, one of the conservatives who has had Malcolm Turnbull’s back, was reported to be “opposed in principle” but open to the idea on pragmatic grounds. But Turnbull remai

A Queensland election prediction

The pollster is telling us this morning that Queensland is having two separate elections tomorrow with each likely to have a different winner. Down in the south east, according to Galaxy published in The Courier Mail , Labor's on the way to victory. The pollster estimates the two party preferred share at Labor 54% (up 1.7 points on the last election) to the LNP's 46%. Out in the regions the LNP lead 52 per cent to Labor’s 48 per cent, a swing towards the LNP of 1.1 per cent. Put the two parts together and Galaxy has Labor leading 52% to 48% on the statewide two party preferred vote with the following primary vote shares: Labor 37% LNP 35% One Nation 12% Others 16% Really complicating matters is that high predicted vote for other than the two major parties. Up north Galaxy estimates this "cross bench" share is running at 37%. Galaxy has had a go at distributing all those preferences but the prediction is little better than a lottery. For what it is worth the

Tora Tora Tora Jools (It’s not me) Bishop launches court martial attack on leakers on The Good Ship Turnbull

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. @JulieBishopMP says ‘it’s not me’ in response to cabinet leaks saying she supports a formal investigation https://t.co/JdMUn3RGlc pic.twitter.com/aJOUpIzCqE — Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 23, 2017

What Queenslanders think about politics and links to other interesting news and views

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Voters see through Turnbull, but cool on Shorten: Queensland research  - The Conversation Malcolm Turnbull’s cancellation of next week’s House of Representatives sitting has been received sceptically by Queensland “soft” voters, but they still prefer the Prime Minister over Bill Shorten, according to focus group research ahead of Saturday’s state election. Participants were dismissive of Turnbull’s claim he was rearranging the sitting times to concentrate on the same-sex marriage bill. Nor do they believe the marriage issue will boost his fortunes. But when pressed, these voters don’t agree Turnbull is a dead duck for the next federal election. They think Australia is headed in the right direction, and there is still some hope for him. The four groups of 10 people each were conducted on Monday and Tuesday, two in Brisbane and two in Townsville. There was a mix of gender, age and socio-economic characteristics. They were run by Landscape Research for the University of Canberra’s Insti

New England by-election: Aiming to turn a safe seat into a marginal one

‘You don’t want to be a safe Nats seat,’ CountryMinded says | Profile  - Northern Daily Leader Good political outcomes are driven by political competition, Mr Mailler says. “If you want your member to work hard for you, they need to know that if they don’t perform, the next election is not guaranteed,” he said. “Neither side of government is particularly interested in what they can do for these ultra-safe seats. When weighing up where to use its resources, much more likely to throw them at securing a marginal seat than a safe seat. “The Nationals can’t leverage a position if they hold the seat by more than about five per cent because it’s deemed to be safe.” The job of CountryMinded is to give people a “progressive, conservative alternative”, and to erode the vote to turn safe seats in to marginal seats Rob Taber campaigns in Tenterfield  - Tenterfield Star This is the third time Mr Taber has contested the federal seat of New England after securing 36 per cent of the votes last t

Does Brexit really mean a British exit? A German look at reversing Britain's decision to exit the EU and other news and views

The Dreamers: Doubts about Brexit on the Rise in Britain - Der Spiegel It has often been said that Brexit means Brexit. But does it? With Prime Minister Theresa May showing weakness and the negotiations dragging, some are hoping that Britain's departure from the EU can be warded off. Australian rock star Nick Cave to boycotters: ‘I love Israel’ - J Wire Australian rock star Nick Cave is facing backlash from BDS supporters following a performance in Tel Aviv, where he accused the anti-Israel movement of trying to bully and censor him. Jeffrey Archer: Jeremy Corbyn will be PM because the voters are sick of us Tories  - The Spectator The bestselling novelist on the Labour leader’s good points — and why he’ll keep writing to the end Coalition Talks Collapse :Germany Wins, Merkel Loses - Der Spiegal The collapse of coalition negotiations in Berlin is a win for political clarity in Germany. The parties involved would hardly have been able to govern effectively together. But it

Citizenship crisis claims Nick Xenophon Team's Kakoschke-Moore

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Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra Nick Xenophon Team senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore has resigned from parliament after being advised she is a British citizen via her mother, in another blow to the party. The NXT has three Senate spots, as well as one member in the House of Representatives, Rebekha Sharkie – whose future is under a cloud in the citizenship crisis. A tearful Kakoschke-Moore said she was “heartbroken” by the news. She had previously not believed she had British citizenship and had only checked when preparing the declaration to be presented to parliament. Her mother was born in Singapore to British parents, and migrated to Australia with her family. “Usually where a parent is born outside of the UK they are unable to pass their citizenship on to their children where those children are also born outside of the UK. It was my understanding for my entire life that I was not eligible for British citizenship due to that rule.” When she was living in Oman as a child

Maybe, just maybe, Barnaby Joyce will have time to sing about friends while down on his farm

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Barnaby Joyce on receiving a $40,000 cheque from Gina Rhinehart: “All I’m thinking about now is the things I’m going to do on my own farm to be quite frank”

The message Malcolm Turnbull will get from Newspoll

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Click to enlarge What will the magic number be? An increase on the 56% figure last time will surely add extreme pressure on Malcolm Turnbull when parliament returns a week later. polls

Halle Berry's revenge on groping South Australian Senator

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South Australian senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore will resign from the Senate after discoveing she obtained British citizenship through her mother.

The letter reminding Malcolm Turnbull of his manic Monday a reason for "Let Me In"

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When Malcolm Turnbull announced his cunning stunt to postpone parliament the Owl decided that Manic Monday  was the appropriate political singalong . That tune still catches the flavour of the political environment as Labor and the motley collection of third parties find ways to remind people of how the Turnbull team is Running Scared . (Have a listen to that appropriate singalong HERE .) But in preparation for next Monday when some Opposition members will turn up to protest at not being allowed to work in the House of Representatives, what could be more appropriate than this:

Barnaby Joyce enters the New England campaign with a $40,000 prize cheque

When you launch a prize, and win it too! Mining magnate Gina Rinehart hands over an over-sized novelty cheque for $40k to the former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce 💰 💵 #auspol Video courtesy of @ColinJBettles pic.twitter.com/4powky4BhV — ABC Politics (@politicsabc) November 21, 2017 👍 #Agday is about the whole of industry not about any one person.We were not consulted & completely surprised by the presentation last night https://t.co/PexUq6zsJ7 — Fiona Simson (@afsnsw) November 21, 2017 Gina Rinehart hands Barnaby Joyce a $40,000 National Agriculture Day award  - The Weekly Times UPDATE: BARNABY Joyce will not be accepting $40,000 bestowed on him by mining magnate and cattle queen Gina Rinehart last night, The Weekly Times understands. It’s understood Mr Joyce will not be accepting the prize money at all, and it will be returned to the award’s organisers. The Nationals leader and former agriculture minister took time out from campaigning in the New England by-el

With election campaigning in full swing will the baby punch replace the baby kiss?

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Things are getting hectic in Queensland and Bennelong. An Owl reader asks how far off are we from a baby punch in our local shopping mall.

Trying to make sense of the social media references to the problems of Barnaby Joyce

If you are trying to sort out the social media references to Barnaby Joyce, this collection of recent tweets by Tony Windsor might help. This could explain why some candidates don't want to front up in "uncontrolled" environments .. https://t.co/ixuO01FgpR — Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) November 18, 2017 What it is tho Sean is more poor judgement from Turnbull , he knows the time bomb Joyce is sitting on ...Turnbulls office were informed in 2015 . Turnbull went berserk when Joyce told him of citizenship position and personal issues on same day--that's Malcolm's model Australian!! https://t.co/IwkoG7YZfI — Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) November 8, 2017 May like to ask Canavan who is sending the legal letters relating to " prominent public figure" and harassment allegations ? https://t.co/gOITE4o8kS — Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) November 8, 2017 Does the ABC Board listen to AM ...sexual harassment story ...standard you walk past is t

Who is the mystery Coalition MP blackmailing his team in an effort to oust Malcolm Turnbull as PM?

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Well the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions does not think Andrew Bolt is having a lend of us. Ms McManus has had a go at naming the mystery MP Bolt says has told him that he'll quit the Turnbull Government next month if Malcolm Turnbull is not sacked as Prime Minister. I reckon "unnamed MP" threatening to defect is: male, central QLD electorate and talks big at home but squibs it in Canberra. All hot air. #auspol — Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) November 21, 2017 Well, not quite named him, but Ms McManus has certainly narrowed the field. And it is a wonderful guessing game which the Owl thinks deserves a prize. Put in your entry by midday Monday by adding a comment at the end of this item with the mystery name. If and when the identity is ever revealed the Owl will randomly select one of the correct entries. And the prize? The Greatest Hits of The Partridge Family album that includes the track we chose today for our political singalong to ce

Singalong with the Abbott Family and celebrate

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Really thrilled at the news of Francie and Sam’s engagement. 1/2 — Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) November 20, 2017 We are very proud of her and the Abbotts are looking forward to welcoming Sam into the family. 2/2 — Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) November 20, 2017 Singalong with the Abbott Family and celebrate Frances' two week whirlwind romance and engagement to fellow body builder Sam! If only our MPs could find such instant harmony.

A New England poll update and links to other news and views

Greens thrown down the gauntlet on TAFE funding  - Northern Daily Leader The Greens are the only party offering a guarantee for 100 per cent of the public vocational education budget to be devoted to TAFE, says the party’s New England candidate Pete Wills. “Instead of replacing TAFE with an internet cafe like the Nationals, or keeping TAFE on life support with a 70 per cent funding threshold like Labor, the Greens will restore quality public TAFE colleges throughout New England with a 100 per cent funding guarantee,” he said. New England candidates line up for education debate at Wests Leagues Club - Northern Daily Leader ELEVEN candidates will line up to talk about their vision for the nation’s education at a public forum on Tuesday night.The event will be held at West Leagues Club at 6pm. NSW Teachers Federation president Maurie Mulheron will update the audience on the school funding situation, following the Gonski 2.0 announcement in June.Candidates will then have three minutes