richard.obrien's blog

Joe Hockey's Intergenerational Report is a long term prediction of Australia's economic challenges, a justification for Hockey's harsh but (according to the report) necessary budget cuts, and the most demonstrable horseshit any Australian government has had the audacity to pass off as economic analysis.

Indonesian authorities have confirmed Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will be moved to Nusakambangan Island prison. They are among ten people who will be transferred to the prison this week for execution. While the method of execution varies slightly from case to case it is likely the scenario will be similar to the last time Indonesia carried out executions on the island in January.

This week is National Hypocrisy Week culminating in the annual ‘Jeff Kennett Hypocrite of the Year’ award, named in honour of Jeff’s 2011 feat of calling for less restrictions on poker machines while simultaneously chairing the anti-depression initiative BeyondBlue.

Past winners include such Australian luminaries as Alan Joyce, Gina Rinehart and Rupert Murdoch. This year has seen some of the strongest entries yet. So without further ado here are the results:

While the Abbott government and Murdoch's lackeys have been busy attacking Gillian Triggs over her inquiry into the government's treatment of children in Immigration detention, Australia's Human Rights Commissioner has been characteristically silent.

"I reckon that the Human Rights Commission ought to be sending a note of congratulations to Scott Morrison saying 'Well done mate because your actions have been very good for the human rights and the human flourishing of thousands of people'."
- Tony Abbott 12/02/2015

Yesterday about 10 government MPs walked out during Bill Shorten's response to the annual Closing the Gap report to Parliament in protest at what they called "political point scoring". The political point they claimed Shorten was trying to score was attempting to explain the impact of cutting half a billion dollars from indigenous funding. This came in response to the report's findings that 4 out of 6 targets are not being met.

We’re not racist but…

Before the PNG Prime minister Peter O'Neill lectures us on the legitimacy of asylum seekers in detention in his country, here is some background on the man:

O'Neill became PM under questionable circumstances in 2011. His appointment was ruled illegal by the PNG Supreme Court. In 2014, when a corruption watchdog found out that O'Neill allegedly expropriated $31 million of public funds, they issued a warrant for his arrest. O'Neill shut down that watchdog and sacked the police chief of operations and several deputy police commissioners. The warrant remains outstanding.

"Where are the moderate Muslims protesting against Islamic extremism?"

Congratulations to Peter Dutton for being voted worst health minister in living memory. A poll of 1,100 readers of the politically conservative Australian Doctor magazine has rated Dutton head and shoulders below his predecessors (who include Tony Abbott) with one reader describing him as “the dullest, least innovative and most gullible” member of the government.