Elections

AUSTRALIA
Federal election 2010

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Lured onto Tik Tok by Peter Dutton

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There's a first time for everything even for an 82 year old. Today it was Tik Tok. Finally ventured to this much publicised site after a friendly referral to a story titled Spud Stands on his Record . It told how " Peter Spud Dutton, the joyless eeew tuber and social media phobe, has taken to TikTok." I could not resist and went searching. I was disappointed at not finding one of those glamorous all-singing all-dancing clips that have crossed my path on other sites after being down-loaded from Tik Tok. Instead there was this : An Opposition Leader explaining “… I really joined TikTok for one reason. It’s to tell you that we do not have to live in a country where you spend your whole life renting,” (Spud. Sept 2024). A very serious politician indeed. But one to lure younger voters to the Liberal Party? Perhaps if they are moved by a photo of the would-be leader as an outdoor man. Footnote The Australian Inependent Media Network has what it calls "a  far from comprehe...
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Is Scott Morrison getting ahead of Malcolm Turnbull in the GST debate?

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Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra Scott Morrison has become a true believer in the cause of raising the GST, determined to drive a major switch in the tax mix. The big question is whether Malcolm Turnbull will end up in the same place as his treasurer. Turnbull is keeping his options open. “Changes to the GST are certainly part of the tax debate and certainly being actively considered by the government,” he said on Friday. If Turnbull agrees with Morrison, all will be well and good between them. On the other hand if Turnbull eventually opts for caution and doesn’t walk down the GST road, or in the shorter term feels Morrison is getting ahead of the game, that would be awkward for the gung-ho minister, who would the need to manage his retreat. Morrison wants a high profile and he seeks the limelight. But that carries risks. There is always that salutary tale from Labor days. Paul Keating was passionate about introducing a broad-based consumption tax. Bob Hawke let ...
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A quiet week so Amanda brings back the fat cats – the commentariat daily for Sunday 22 June

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It’s been a slow news week with those dreaded Labor villains not providing much fodder for biting criticism. So what’s a woman to do for a Sunday column? Get stuck into fat cats. That’s what. Public servants are a tried and true, reliable piece of fair game. Hence Miranda Devine’s  Time to take the scalpel to fat cats  in  The Sunday Telegraph.  Did you know the head of Treasury earns $824,320 a year and the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet a whopping $844,000? Well if Miranda thinks they are outrageous sums for running the country I wonder what she thinks of the tens of millions paid to those who run the country’s banks? Maybe she’ll tell us on the next slow-news Sunday. Nobody is laughing as clowns take over senate  asserts Piers Akerman in his  Tele  contribution as he comes to terms with the Abbott government being every bit as much a minority one as its immediate Labor predecessor. Writes Piers: “AT the end of this wee...
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