The Australian politics thread

[Jono]

God the Government really ****ed up on the Australia Network bidding process.

Don't blame Sky News for being pissed off tbh.

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by Jono

God the Government really ****ed up on the Australia Network bidding process.

Don't blame Sky News for being pissed off tbh.

Yeah. Their handling of this could really turn News Limited against them.

Oh....

[Jono]

That's the point. You can't let vendettas come to the fore AFTER the bidding process.

If you don't want a News Corporation company running Australia Network because they're a bunch of ****s, fine, just don't let them enter the tender process and just give it to the ABC.

Don't open it up to bidding, get recommendations from DFAT that Sky News is the best bet, and then say "actually we don't like that, we're just going to give it to ABC anyway".

It does nothing for Labor's reputation. It's a pretty big **** up.

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by Jono

That's the point. You can't let vendettas come to the fore AFTER the bidding process.

If you don't want a News Corporation company running Australia Network because they're a bunch of ****s, fine, just don't let them enter the tender process and just give it to the ABC.

Don't open it up to bidding, get recommendations from DFAT that Sky News is the best bet, and then say "actually we don't like that, we're just going to give it to ABC anyway".

It does nothing for Labor's reputation. It's a pretty big **** up.

It's a bad look I agree. The good news is no one gives a **** about it.

It's intriguing Conroy called for the inquiry into the leaks and the process. He may know something we don't. Though in his case I doubt it.

Nothing tainted by the pox of Murdoch should be allowed anywhere near a government operation tbh.

[Jono]

I actually think it would have been funny if News Corp ran the Australia Network that gets shown in South East Asia.

I imagine their support for "stop the boats" policies and general xenophobic vibe would be received quite well

[Redbacks]

Originally Posted by Jono

I actually think it would have been funny if News Corp ran the Australia Network that gets shown in South East Asia.

In Italy, Sky Italia, is a left-leaning broadcaster in order to go head to head with the former PM Berusconi's major network. On an easy government dictated contract, finances assured, I'm sure they would end up doing a far better job than the ABC as DFAT no doubt thought also.

[Spikey]

Originally Posted by Jono

That's the point. You can't let vendettas come to the fore AFTER the bidding process.

If you don't want a News Corporation company running Australia Network because they're a bunch of ****s, fine, just don't let them enter the tender process and just give it to the ABC.

Don't open it up to bidding, get recommendations from DFAT that Sky News is the best bet, and then say "actually we don't like that, we're just going to give it to ABC anyway".

It does nothing for Labor's reputation. It's a pretty big **** up.

yeah i was pretty shocked there was even a process.

[Burgey]

Pretty pissed off at Labor appointing all the Tory filth to decent jobs post-2007 tbh, with the possible exception of Tim Fischer. He may be that mythical creature, a decent Tory.

But probably not.

[Redbacks]

Originally Posted by Burgey

We'd still have a surplus if Costello and Howard hadn't gone around with a goody bag for eight years pissing away the first mining boom revenue on middle class welfare.

I agree with some of that, productivity continued to stagnate in the noughties. We would have been better off investing money in infrastructure/education and the like than simply going for welfare spin. If they wanted to give people back the money then it would have been better not to tax it in the first place. Around $4-6billion a year is the estimate of management costs of the merry-go-round taxation which would have been ~$10 a week back in the pocket of a worker.

The proof of incompetence for the Coalition occured when workchoices was introduced. It increased hours worked which was always going to decrease productivity in the short run (outputs/inputs) as the lower value adding service industries (retail/hospitality) would be the first to gobble up the new workers. So as unemployment fell it was a free kick against as Labor could point straight away to a fall in productivity and the Coalition MPs were clueless in their attempts to defend the policy on these grounds.

[social]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Interest rates now at the level they were when John Howard declared them at "record lows".

This with inflation within the RBA target band, unemployment at five per cent, record investment in the pipeline, record terms of trade, low debt, labour market pressures outside the mining sector now easing (take that Reith you ****), our economy the envy of the world and the government taking 4% of GDP less in tax than it's big spending, big taxing predecessor.

We await Joe "Audit" Hockey's response to these figures. He's got it lined up already:

Rates down - "Bad mangement means the economy is going poorly, so rates come down. The government is bad"
Rates up - "Bad management means debt related pressure on inflaiton, rates up. The government is bad"
Rates on hold - "No relief at all for borrowers. The government is bad".

**** I hope some **** goes him for his blatant lie on their costings. the bloke makes Jim Carlton circa 1986 look like the greatest Shadow Treasurer ever.

Aaaah no

Rest of the world regards Oz as a ****ing big quarry surrounded by beaches where sales of raw materials to the Chinese havent benefitted the vast majority of the population.

BTW, when was the last time a gov't decreased interest rates because things were going well?

[Spikey]

hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Burgey]

All those years little Johnny said rates were low because the economy was going so well. You mean, things were ****ed for decade?

[Spikey]

Originally Posted by social

BTW, when was the last time a gov't decreased interest rates because things were going well?

Ftr this hasn't helped for a very long time for one very simply reason

[Redbacks]

Haters can suck it!

Australian Exceptionalism | Pollytics

I guess Howard/Costello really could say 'Australians have never been better off' in economic terms.

The hard/loopy left will be angry that the wealthy got more, but they can now be laughed away as we lead the world in distribution, high wage and a high minimum wage. Thug Cameron can get ****ed.

[social]

Originally Posted by Spikey

hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Save for the fact that they're living in Oz, how many people can you name that believe they are "doing well"?

Guarantee that the answer is somewhere around 5% if not less

Australia is almost totally dependent on the export of finite, unrefined natural resources for its' "economic success" and opportunities for the average Joe are simply not available - that is the real view of the outside world

What's more, our dependence upon these exports is a policy doomed for failure as they will be replaced by cheaper suppliers in the very near future and if you dont think the Chinese or Indians will call stumps on Australian product when this is the case then you are seriously deluded