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Showing posts from February, 2018

Hopefully Barnaby Joyce will get mate's rates on his new furnishings

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These must be stressful times for Barnaby Joyce and his pregnant girlfriend, what with being forced out of their rent-free accommodation and having their income slashed. Only natural if the deposed deputy PM turned to his National Party protege David Littleproud for some furnishing help. Mr Littleproud is in the rent-to-buy business as news.com.au reported earlier this week. Mr Littleproud, a first-term Queensland MP appointed as minister for agriculture and water last year, owns a firm called Mr Rental Southern Downs. It offers goods on a rent-to-buy basis, which Labor MP Meryl Swanson claimed in parliament on Monday meant a customer could end up paying $8000 for a $1900 laptop computer. Singalong in the hope that Mr Littleproud will give mate's rates to the man who plucked him from obscurity to become a minister.

The French moves to end food waste from supermarkets

French Food Waste Law Changing How Grocery Stores Approach Excess Food  - NPR ... giving leftover food to charity is no longer just an act of good will. It's a requirement under a 2016 law that bans grocery stores from throwing away edible food. Stores can be fined $4,500 for each infraction. giving leftover food to charity is no longer just an act of good will. It's a requirement under a 2016 law that bans grocery stores from throwing away edible food. Stores can be fined $4,500 for each infraction. ...Parliamentarian Guillaume Garot wrote the law. He believes the fight against food waste should be as important as other national causes, like wearing seatbelts. Garot says he's contacted by people all over the world who want to do the same thing. "It's changed the supermarkets' practices," he says. "They're more attentive to their environment and they give more." But most important, says Garot, is that a supermarket is now seen as mo

The UK acts on sexual misconduct by foreign aid charities but Australia's Julie Bishop just went on a London jog

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On Tuesday when our Foreign Minister Julie Bishop staged a jog around with her UK counterpart Boris Johnson, back in his Foreign Office they were grappling with the catalogue of abuse and harassment allegations at some of Britain’s biggest aid charities. Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, was setting a weeks-end deadline to submit reports on how they are protecting children and vulnerable people. Ms Mordaunt revealed she had set the deadline for almost 200 UK charities to disclose any safeguarding issues after aid charities admitted to a string of sexual misconduct claims.  “Given the concerns about the wider sector this case has raised, I have written to every UK charity working overseas that receives UK aid – 192 organisations – insisting that they spell out the steps they are taking to ensure their safeguarding policies are fully in place and confirm they have referred all concerns they have about specific cases and individuals to the relevant authoritie

Labor in front in another opinion poll for those who like looking at irrelevant data

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Out this morning:

Barnaby Joyce's bacon roll

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Journalist Linda Simalis, writing in the Murdoch Sundays, brings us this riveting piece of news:

A couple of Adani updates and other news and views

Adani May Sell Stake in Carmichael Coal Mine Amid Funding Delay  - Bloomberg The battle to build one of the world’s biggest coal mines has suffered a fresh setback after Adani Enterprises Ltd. conceded it would fail to meet a March deadline to arrange A$3 billion ($2.3 billion) in financing for the project. The December decision by the Queensland government to veto Adani’s A$900 million funding bid for a rail line meant financing would require more time to be secured, an Adani Australia spokeswoman said by phone Thursday. The Indian conglomerate said it will also consider selling a minority stake in its Carmichael project without providing further details. Adani abandons funding deadline for his Australian mine  - National Herald (India) While the Adani Group struggles for funds for its Australian mine, the Indian company committed an investment of ₹35,000 crore (approx $5 billion) in various projects in Uttar Pradesh Watch Out, Airlines. High Speed Rail Now Rivals Flying on Key

A Batman poll the betting people have ignored

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Wilted Greens? Labor edges ahead in Batman voter poll  was the Melbourne Age headline. Labor would have won the Batman byelection if it had been held this week, delivering union leader Ged Kearney to Canberra and denying Greens candidate Alex Bhathal for a sixth time, a poll has found. In a phone poll this week of about 700 voters in the Batman electorate, Labor led the Greens 53 points to 47 in a two-party preferred contest. And over in the world of punters and bookmakers they have taken virtually no notice. The Greens remain the firm favourites, paying $1.23 for a dollar in one place and $1.20 in another. That puts the percentage chances at Greens 70% to Labor at 30%. The pollster and the market clearly disagree. The Owl's opinion? He does not have the faintest, foggiest clue but thinks it makes no real difference either way to the way the country is governed.

Singalong as Larry Anthony proprietor of SAS Lobbyists farewells Barnaby Joyce

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The National Party was in good hands as it handled the Barnaby Joyce replacement problem. Its president Larry Anthony is a key member of the SAS consulting group which advertises crisis management as one of its key skills. Not that you would know that if you looked at the Australian Government Lobbyists register. See also With friends like these - the straw that broke the back of Barnaby

With friends like these - the straw that broke the back of Barnaby

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It was five little words from Barnaby Joyce's supposed friend David Littleproud that proved the kiss of death. "Put up or shut up" said the National Party new boy when commenting on another round of rumours about his party leader. And over in West Australia a woman reacted to the taunt. As the Owl understands it, the party member and pal of WA National leader Mia Davies who had remained silent for several years came forward with what she said were details of sexual harassment. Ms Davies was moved to forward the complaint to the federal party president Larry Anthony and for good measure sent Barnaby a message saying he had lost the support of her branch. This expansion of the story in to the #MeToo mainstream was too much for a majority of the 20 National Party caucus members in Canberra. They determined that the time for Barnaby's retirement as Deputy Prime Minister had come. And so this afternoon it came to pass. Now David Littleproud, a first-term MP who en

What will a 2pm press conference bring from Barnaby Joyce? Will we be singing along with Roy Orbison?

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Pulling back the curtain on money in medicine and other news and views

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Ontario law to require drug firms to disclose payments to doctors’ groups, patient advocates - behind a paywall at the Globe and Mail Pharmaceutical companies will have to reveal in detail the payments they make to patientadvocacy groups and professional medical societies in Ontario as part of the province’s efforts to pull back the curtain on money in medicine. The lack of transparency has meant that health charities and non-profits have had no mandatory obligation to reveal which companies are funding them and in what amounts. Right now, Canadian patient advocacy groups can disclose as much or as little as they like about the donations they receive from drug or device makers. ... The news that patient groups and doctors’ associations will fall under Ontario’s legislation comes less than two weeks after a U.S. Senate report revealed that five major opioid makers gave more than US$10-million to third-party advocacy groups and physicians affiliated with them over a fiveyear period

Michelle Grattan reports on the Barnaby Joyce soap opera

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Barnaby Joyce wields the tea towel in the government's soap opera Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra As Malcolm Turnbull heads for his time with Trump, which carries its own challenges, he has left behind a very untidy-looking ship of state. Treasurer Scott Morrison and former prime minister Tony Abbott are trading blows over immigration. Barnaby Joyce, supposedly on “leave”, is out in the media as part of his fightback against those – including Turnbull – who would like him out of the deputy prime ministership. In an at-home-in-Armidale interview with Fairfax , Joyce has spoken about his unborn son, and former staffer and now partner Vikki Campion has produced details of how much she was paid when she moved offices. The interview took place in the controversial townhouse that Joyce received rent-free from businessman and friend Greg Maguire – which Joyce rather disparagingly describes as “a bachelor’s pad” (and is looking to leave for security reasons). Abbott’s

Barnaby Joyce returns to his rightful place on page one of the Sydney Tele and other news and views

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Barnaby Joyce reveals he would likely have lied to Malcolm Turnbull over his affair if asked - Sydney Daily Telegraph AN unapologetic and defiant Barnaby Joyce has declared God will be the only judge of his personal choices, revealing he probably would have lied to Malcolm Turnbull over his affair with a young staffer if the Prime Minister had directly asked. In the first interview alongside Vikki Campion, the mother of his unborn son, from his rent-free Armidale flat he described as “a bachelor’s pad”, Mr Joyce said he will hold on as Nationals Leader because the “tide will turn” and people will “get bored of it”. Rather than stay out of the limelight during a week of personal leave, Mr Joyce instead gave an interview to a sympathetic Fairfax reporter, insisting “we didn’t breach the code ... we weren’t partners” when plum government jobs were created for Ms Campion, who is due in April. A song for Barnaby's son as mum and dad are forced to find a new home and it's al

A song for Barnaby's son as mum and dad are forced to find a new home and it's all the fault of the media

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Barnaby Joyce and his pregnant partner Vikki Campion claim they have been hounded out of their rent free apartment, and fear their baby son will be viewed "somehow less worthy than other children". In an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media in Armidale a fortnight after their relationship was exposed, the couple made a direct appeal to politicians and members of the public: "It's time to move on." ...  Asked why the pair were leaving, Mr Joyce said the address was now widely known and media intrusion had played a part. He gestured to the front gate, where a local television crew had been waiting that morning. "Because of that," he said. The Sydney Morning Herald So here's a song for the little fella.

Nick Xenophon's irrelevant television ad but he still looks the government maker

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The Owl doesn't think that advertisements during an election campaign actually have much influence on the final result. In his experience it is a matter of what will be will be. So he believes all the discussion about the impact that Nick Xenophon's South Australia Best television spot will have is irrelevant. But here it is and you can judge for yourself. What does seem clear is that SA Best will probably be the deciding factor in which party provides the state's next Premier. There's also a realistic possibility of Nick Xenophon himself ending up with the top job WHAT THE BETTING MARKETS SAY The Owl has taken the prices of the major corporate bookmakers and converted them into probabilities. Party of next Premier Labor 39% Liberal 31% SA Best 30% 100% No. of SA Best seats 11 or More Seats 39% 9 or 10 Seats 16% 7 or 8 Seats 12% 5 or 6 Seats 11% 3 or 4 Seats 9% 1 or 2 Seats 8% No seats 5% 100% As always, the Owl, as a believer in the wisdom

Scientist winning half a million ignored by Australian media

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Australian biomedical scientist Jacques Miller was just recognized by one of the world's top science prizes, the Japan Prize. Has anyone seen/heard that story in the print/broadcast media? — Prof. Peter Doherty (@ProfPCDoherty) January 31, 2018 The Owl has done his Google search and come up with only one mention in the mainstream media - three lines on the SBS news site on 30 January headlined "Aust researcher wins top science prize" reporting that "the prestigious Japan Prize has gone to an Australian scientist whose research is providing the basis for many new medical treatments." The Atlanta Journal Constitution gave it a mention but the 50 million yen prize ($A590,000 or so) was not deemed worthy of a mention in an Australian paper apparently. Which is strange really because the newsagency AAP's Medianet carried the official press release .

Singalong for Barnaby Joyce's railway land

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Barnaby Joyce did not declare during Cabinet discussions on the Inland Rail that he had bought five large parcels of land within a 15-minute drive from the planned route https://t.co/5QYv0fO24H — Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) February 20, 2018

The childbearing penalty - Why women earn less than men

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Why Do Women Earn Less Than Men?  - Mother Jones Sarah Kliff points today to a new study from Denmark on the gender wage gap. Danes are famously egalitarian, and labor force participation is nearly equal between men and women these days. However, Denmark still has a large gender wage gap—nearly as large as the United States, in fact. Why? Researchers Henrik Kleven, Camille Landais, and Jakob Egholt Søgaard conclude that it’s almost purely a childbearing penalty: Children and Gender Inequality: Evidence from Denmark - NBER ABSTRACT Despite considerable gender convergence over time, substantial gender inequality persists in all countries. Using Danish administrative data from 1980-2013 and an event study approach, we show that most of the remaining gender inequality in earnings is due to children. The arrival of children creates a gender gap in earnings of around 20% in the long run, driven in roughly equal proportions by labor force participation, hours of work, and wage rate

Crikey changes its tune as it leads the way revealing new rumours about Barnaby Joyce.

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Back on 7 February, the day Sydney's Daily Telegraph made Barnaby Joyce's infidelity a mainstream media story, Bernard Keane, political editor, Crikey, had this to tell his readers: I’m Barnaby Joyce’s harshest critic in the press gallery. But this story about him is shameful non-journalism and debases public life. There is zero public interest in Joyce’s personal life, despite the efforts of News Corp columnists like Caroline Overington , and left-wingers on social media, to confect one. Because a politician has mentioned their family at some point in their career — which they all do — does not magically create a “family values hypocrite” justification for revealing their personal lives. Because some other public figure on your preferred side of politics has suffered the same fate does not justify it happening to a figure you dislike. Joyce has not used taxpayer resources inappropriately; he has not behaved in a way that opened him to the risk of security breaches, there is

Triple down economics and the Emma Alberici article

Triple down economics and the Emma Alberici article - Pearls and Irritations The ABC says that their decision to withdraw Emma Alberici’s article was because it represented an opinion for which there is allegedly no evidence. In fact there is plenty of evidence that increasing corporate profits will not lead to any increase in investment or employment and wages if aggregate demand continues to remain weak. Furthermore this evidence has been endorsed by the IMF, the OECD and others. Can the ABC cite anyone or provide evidence to the contrary, other than the ramblings of Scott Morrison and the Business Council? Michael Keating, AC, a former Head of the Departments of Employment and Industrial Relations (1983 -86), Finance (1986-91), and Prime Minister and Cabinet (1991-96) wrote on 18 January: Despite the evidence of the last few decades that ‘trickle-down’ economics doesn’t work, big business and its apologists in the media are calling for a company tax cut to stimulate in

Barnaby Joyce is dug in and defiant writes Michelle Grattan

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Fischer calls for quick resolution of Nationals crisis, while Joyce is determined to fight to the death Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra Former Nationals deputy prime minister Tim Fischer has added his voice to those pressing for a rapid resolution of the Nationals crisis, as Malcolm Turnbull admits he doesn’t know whether Barnaby Joyce retains his partyroom’s support. “It has to be resolved quickly,” Fischer told The Conversation. Earlier on Monday another former deputy prime minister, John Anderson, speaking to The Australian , advised Nationals MPs to act swiftly to exercise their responsibility and urged Joyce to think through his situation very carefully. But the Nationals remained apparently paralysed, with Joyce on leave , dug in and defiant, feedback coming from the party’s grassroots that he should step down as leader, and his support eroding in the officialdom of the party. Sources in the Joyce camp say there is no way he will step down before Monday’s par

Singalong as The Owl takes you into Monday’s National Party...........could this be the end for Barnyard?

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The Owl has written about it before. What if Barnaby Joyce refuses to stand down? When you only have a majority of one, how can you force him ?

Russia isn't the only one meddling in elections and some other news and views for the day

Celebrate National #DrinkWineDay with Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. On this bronze from our collection, he sits in a rocky landscape with his wife, Ariadne. pic.twitter.com/03rwpsE6Sn — J. Paul Getty Museum (@GettyMuseum) February 19, 2018 IMF Warns Trump's Tax Overhaul Could Fuel a Global ‘Race to the Bottom’  - Bloomberg “What we are beginning to see already and what is of concern is the beginning of a race to the bottom, where many other policy makers around the world are saying: ‘Well, if you’re going to cut tax and you’re going to have sweet deals with your corporates, I’m going to do the same thing,”’ Lagarde said. Women could be the undoing of Donald Trump  - The Economist Many of the cultural clashes the president has engineered work to his advantage. Not this one Russia Isn’t the Only One Meddling in Elections. We Do It, Too.  - New York Times “If you ask an intelligence officer, did the Russians break the rules or do something bizarre, the answer is no, not

The "sport" of hunting. Do you recognise this man?

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I am told that this fearless baboon killer with his warped sense of humour lives in Canberra. If you recognise him let him know what you think of his barbarism. Maybe a sign on a shopping centre fence would be appropriate

How Russians influence other people's politics and other news and views. Will Australia be the next target?

Russia Wanted Trump to Win. And It Wanted to Get Caught.  - New York Times If there were any lingering doubts that Russia’s intervention was aimed at harming Hillary Clinton’s campaign and bolstering Donald Trump’s, an internal directive quoted in the indictment spells it out explicitly: “use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump — we support them).” That Russia should have preferred Mr. Trump’s victory to Mrs. Clinton’s is hardly a surprise: The real estate mogul had long been open in his fawning admiration for autocratic leaders generally and Mr. Putin in particular. But in any game of strategy, the best moves are those that accomplish multiple objectives. Friday’s indictment should serve as a reminder that Project Latkha didn’t merely aim to influence the outcome of the election, but also its tone, and Americans’ attitudes toward their own democratic institutions. As An American Tragedy Unfolds, Russian Agents Sow Discord Online  - NPR As t

Singalong with Barnaby while he waits another seven days as his National Party mates “talk to the public” and get feedback before holding a ballot on his future.

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There's nothing like speculation about a leadership challenge to drive journalists into a frenzy. I notice this afternoon that our press gallery brethren, like me, have decided to adopt Daily Mail website rules and start quoting each other as sources. An example from the website of The Australian : Party members have been using the messaging service WhatsApp to try to oust Mr Joyce on the basis that “disunity is death”, the Daily Telegraph reports. And again: On Friday, Nationals MP Andrew Broad said that while Barnaby Joyce had made an error of judgment, his leadership of the Nationals remained safe for now. “But I’m still waiting to see if there’s been an abuse of power. If I see that and it’s clear, then I’ll be one of the people talking about what should be the action as a result of that,” he told the ABC. And from the ABC News website: He may have survived an open mutiny on his leadership last week but Nationals colleague Michael McCormack, who has been touted as a

Will Barnaby Joyce sing this song come Monday week?

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There's always a risk in voting a man out of his job when your government only has a majority of one. Would the National Party party room on Monday week take the risk of Barnaby Joyce singing this song if the numbers went against him?

An update on the Sydney Tele's great Barnaby Joyce coverage

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An update on the Owl's coverage of the way the Sydney Tele has been leading the way on the Barnaby Joyce story. It's still on page one this morning for the 12th consecutive day. And here are some of the gems from inside. Annika Smethurst, National Politics Editor: EMBATTLED Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is refusing to step aside despite being called to Sydney yesterday for an emergency summit with the Prime Minister. Malcolm Turnbull emerged from the crisis talks “frustrated that Barnaby still doesn’t get it”, according to senior sources. A GROUP of National Party MPs secretly discussed a plot on the messaging service WhatsApp to try to oust embattled leader Barnaby Joyce this week. And the Nati o na l s are still considering a coup, with Veterans Affairs Minister Michael McCormack refusing to rule himself out when asked. Miranda Devine, columnist: Suddenly everyone is a libertarian, sneering about “bedroom police”. Even the most prominent proponent of the sanc

Reader objects to Tony Abbott being called the "winged warrior". The Owl says judge for yourself

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This email from a reader has just been received. The Owl’s description of our Tones as the “winged warrior” [see  The joke about a Tony Abbott comeback ] is out of order, NOT HAPPY, Andrew of Adelaide Look at this introductory episode of he white winged warrior - The most fantastic crimefighter the world has ever known- and judge for yourself.

A sex and politics edition of the politicalowl's news and views.

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It's a scandal! Illicit sex, spying, embezzlement, perjury and murder conspiracies — from Profumo to Jeremy Thorpe, why are politicians so very self-destructive? - Daily Mail Author Theo Barclay collates a series of political resignations in a new book "Fighters and Quitters" Perhaps the funniest story in this book concerns the plight of Lord Lambton, Minister for the Royal Air Force, who, using the alias ‘Mr Lucas’, visited call girls in Maida Vale in London. His marriage was disintegrating, not least because his wife, Bindy, after she left hospital having broken both legs go-karting, ‘drove the wrong way down the A1 and veered straight into the path of a lorry’. Nearly every bone was shattered. In Maida Vale, a tabloid newspaper, tipped off by Lambton’s pimp, concealed tape recorders and cameras in the walls and ‘inside a teddy bear on the bed’. Photographs were passed to the police, who were upset to see Lambton smoking cannabis. Upon being cautioned, Lambton