Australian Politics and Elections

[coley]

Hang on, what does FF mean in the Aussie context?

Fossil fuel interests.

 

[Idris2002]

Fossil fuel interests.

Just as corrupt as in the Irish context then.

 

[coley]

Just as corrupt as in the Irish context then.

Are there many Irish politicians in the pockets of the FF lobby?

 

[Dom Traynor]

Are there many Irish politicians in the pockets of the FF lobby?

Loads they even run openly on FF tickets

 

[coley]

Loads they even run openly on FF tickets

Links( if this isn't a wind up)

 

[Dom Traynor]

Links( if this isn't a wind up)

About Fianna Fáil – Fianna Fáil

 

[coley]

About Fianna Fáil – Fianna Fáil

 

[Idris2002]

It appears that there is a "Flouride Free" candidate in Western Australia, from a glance at chitter.

Also from chitter:

Straya based folks, does this make sense to you?

 

[DownwardDog]

It appears that there is a "Flouride Free" candidate in Western Australia, from a glance at chitter.

Also from chitter:

Straya based folks, does this make sense to you?

Partially. We have compulsory voting in Australia so the major parties don't have to get their core vote out with ideologically driven policies So elections are contested over hairsplitting trivia in the political centre. Conviction politicians like Abbott are very few and very far between. The two leaders of the main political parties are two interchangeable middle aged men in suits who made their bones in two equally interchangeable and corrupt entities - Goldman Sachs and the Australian trade union movement.

 

[JTG]

Grylls has conceded Pilbara to the ALP.

The ALP began on 10 seats and have gained 21. That's incredible really.

 

[redsquirrel]

Grylls has conceded Pilbara to the ALP.

Bollocks, mining interest win again. Fuck the ALP.

 

[redsquirrel]

A diversion but this spat between the South Australian (Labour) and the Federal (LNP) governments live on air is somewhat amusing.

Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill have clashed during a bizarre press conference that descended into a slanging match over energy policy.
...
In Adelaide to launch a federally funded "virtual power plant", Mr Frydenberg found himself seated awkwardly between Mr Weatherill and South Australia's Treasurer, Tim Koutsantonis, and then conducting a joint press conference with the Premier.

Mr Frydenberg laughed when asked if "it was all a bit awkward", but Mr Weatherill told reporters "it's about to be" before laying into the Federal Government.

Think SA had the best of it.

EDIT: better version here

 

[coley]

A diversion but this spat between the South Australian (Labour) and the Federal (LNP) governments live on air is somewhat amusing.

Think SA had the best of it.

EDIT: better version here

Friedturd and Turnbull have been lying their arses off RE; the SA blackouts, and they still want to build a new coal fired power station?

 

[redsquirrel]

Rumours that Bernadi's "party" is margining with Family First. Amusingly though FFs federal senator isn't going to be part of the new group, so all a bit of a mess

But the ABC understands newly elected federal Family First senator Lucy Gichuhi will not be part of the merged party and is expected to issue a statement about the developments today.

Senator Gichuhi, who was confirmed just last week by the High Court as the Family First senator for South Australia to replace Bob Day, highlighted her allegiance to Family First.

 

[redsquirrel]

Don't know if anybody else has caught it but there's been a ludicrous saga running for the last few months in Australia with eight (so far) senators/MPs being ruled ineligible to sit in parliament because they hold duel citizenship.

Now even better one of the replacement senators has been ruled ineligible too (though for a different reason).

Excellent entertainment. And doesn't help Turnbull.

 

[redsquirrel]

After the Liberals preferencing One Nation in WA last year they are now not only suggesting voters preference ON ahead of the Greens (and Labor in some seats) in Qld but seem to be suggesting that they could form a coalition with ON too. Wouldn't have thought that would help their chances with the swing voters.

 

[Poi E]

Jesus. Putting the cunt into Liberal and Country party.

 

[redsquirrel]

And another one down.

Skye Kakoschke-Moore becomes the ninth federal politician to lose their gig in Canberrabecause of the dual citizenship fiasco (yes, we've escalated from saga to fiasco).

 

[Poi E]

Jesus so these guys have not even read the constitution act.

 

[redsquirrel]

Well TBF it is a stupid clause and the way the high court has interpreted it (in a very wide manner) has made it even more stupid. Plus it's mostly been the smaller parties that have fallen foul.

 

[Poi E]

Allegiance to a foreign power?

 

[redsquirrel]

But it's not 'allegiance to a foreign power' it's dual nationality, and the eligibility for dual citizenship. And if you're talking about s44 in total you also have the stupid 'office of profit under the crown' which excludes those working in the public services.

 

[Poi E]

Ahh ok, not actually holding the passport. My misunderstanding.

 

[Poi E]

Or holding the citizenship, rather.

 

[redsquirrel]

ALP looking likely to be returned to government in Qld

Annastacia Palaszczuk will be returned as Queensland Premier with her government likely to win up to 48 seats, giving it a slim majority, ABC election analyst Antony Green says

Greens displacing might pick up one seat, One Nation polling well (13.7%) but probably only going to pick up one seat.

 

[redsquirrel]

Joyce easily returned in by-election. No real surprise.

 

[redsquirrel]

Another two in the Section 44 mess, this time Labor. One of them being the utter cunt David Feeny, if he's kicked out Greens might fancy their chances in any resulting by-election.

 

[redsquirrel]

Labor MP David Feeney, who "forgot" about his $2.3 million house has now "lost" his paperwork about his citizenship. Don't have a lot of time for the Australian Greens but I'd be a nice bit of news to see this prick lost his seat.

 

[redsquirrel]

Feeney resigns (because the dog eat his citizenship papers) so by-election in Batman on 10th March

At a preliminary hearing in the high court in January, Feeney’s legal team confirmed he was still unable to produce any documentary evidence from British or Irish authorities that he took steps to renounce his citizenship and entitlements.

On Thursday, Feeney told reporters that since the necessary records could not be produced: “I am unable to disprove that I am a dual citizen”.

“On this basis, having regard for my duty under section 44 of the constitution, I have today written to the speaker of the House of Representatives resigning as an MP effective immediately,” Feeney said.

Greens in win a decent shot here of taking a seat of Labor, especially if the Liberals don't run.

Northcote sits within the southern part of the Batman electorate, where Labor lost all but one polling booth in a 9.58% swing toward the Greens in the 2016 general election, winnowing what was once the safest federal Labor seat in the country down to a margin of 1.03%.

Without Liberal preferences, the seat would have been lost to the Greens then, and the campaign of Richard di Natale’s party, around Adani and other issues, has only strengthened since then.

Which is why the ALPs decided to run Ged Kearney (former head of ACTU)

EDIT: And another bit of good news for the LNP is in getting Lucy Gichuhi to join the party.

 

[redsquirrel]

So two interesting electoral battles in Australia tonight/today.

There's the state elections in South Australia, which has a bit of a three way battle between the ALP, LNP and Xenophon's SA Best. Hard to call with SAB in there but if Labor where to get back in government, even as a minority, it'd be a good result for them having been in office for four terms already.

There's also the Batman by-election, which is going to be a contest between the ALP and Greens. This was a good chance for the Greens but according to the polls they've stumbled slightly over the last few days. I feel that the ALP might just squeeze home here.

These results will also have an effect at the federal level. If the ALP lose in Batman and SA, coming in the heels of the after the disappointing Tasmania result earlier in the month, it will strengthen Turnbull and there might be some in the ALP that start to grumble more loudly about Shorten.