richard.obrien's blog

Stuff that cost more than the Newstart allowance:

In 2016 former prime minister John Howard claimed the equivalent of 21.5 years’ worth of Newstart allowance in expenses

Tony Abbott claimed more than 37 years’ worth

Peter Dutton claimed more than 55 years’ worth

Scott Morrison claimed more than 61 years’ worth

Malcolm Turnbull claimed more than 105 years’ worth

Julie Bishop claimed nearly 113 years’ worth

According to the Federal Budget, the cost of maintaining our 226 Federal MPs in 2015/16 was 36,120 years’ worth of Newstart allowance

This is the form parents held in detention on Nauru were required to sign if they wanted to be considered for the US swap. It effectively requires them to permanently give up their children.

This isn't protecting our borders, upholding government policy or sending a strong message. It is cruelty for cruelty's sake.

On Friday I posted a picture of a man who appeared to have been beaten by police at a rally in Melbourne against the treatment of detainees on Manus Island.

At the time my understanding was that the man had intervened when a group of men attacked a speaker at the rally, and was subsequently beaten and arrested by police.

Actually he was beaten and arrested for trying to stop the police taking away another man who intervened when the speaker was attacked.

I didn't know that then.

The international cricket season kicked off last Sunday with the annual charity match between the Prime Minister's XI and the Australian XI at Manuka Oval.

This year's match will be used to raise funds for Julie Bishop's application for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Bishop has already been given a seat on the council but insists it needs more cushioning.

Goodbye […Page Name…],

Thanks everyone, it’s been fun (no sarcasm intended). I am leaving this page due to the appearance of anti-vaxxer posts. While I am generally disposed to entertain the opinions of just about anybody (if for no other reason than intellectual curiosity), I adhere to a strict regime of not engaging with anti-vaxxers under any circumstances.

What's good about being an Aussie is that at the last election four One Nation candidates were elected to parliament - as opposed to 9 Indigenous candidates, 3 practising Muslims (including our first female one), 9 LGB candidates (with the first transgender Aussie candidate gaining a 1.2% swing for their party) and 18 candidates from a non-English speaking background.

Mr Turnbull - I want to talk to you about Josh Frydenberg.

Your speech about Frydenberg's mother and the suffering of stateless Jewish refugees during the Nazi era would have been inspiring and statesmanlike, had it been in any fucking way genuine and heartfelt. Instead it was another of your pathetic attempts to save your pathetic government.

When Theresa May called a snap election in April, opinion polls had her Conservative Party 20 points ahead of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party. Media commentators predicted her government would be returned with a majority of around 90 seats.

For the entire campaign Corbyn and his fully costed policies – including more spending on government services, a more equitable tax system and re-nationalising former government owned enterprises - were dismissed as unaffordable and unworkable.

“There is no more important title in our democracy than ‘Australian Citizen’.

And we should make no apology for asking those who seek to join our Australian family to join us as Australian patriots - committed to the values that define us, committed to the values that unite us.

Our success as a multicultural society is built on strong foundations which include the confidence of the Australian people that their government, and it alone, determines who comes to Australia.”
- Malcom Turnbull calling for migrants to become 'Australian patriots'

“When it comes to taking on extremism and terrorism things have to change”
- Theresa May

The person responsible for taking on extremism and terrorism in the UK is the Home Secretary.

Theresa May was Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016.

During that time she attempted to cut 20% from the police budget.

Since May became home secretary in 2010 total police numbers in England and Wales have fallen by 46,700 or 19.5%.