Fighting Fake Facts with REAL 10/12/21; Call for Royal Commission into Media; Murdoch Influence; LNP Regional Rorts; Morrison Humour; Oil-backed opposition to wind farms;

 

 

 

We witness the blithe abuse of billions in public funds, just as the nation confronts record deficits.

Shameless pork-barrellers have normalised political graft

 

A Labor and Greens-dominated Senate committee has called for a judicial inquiry with royal commission powers into media diversity - a finding rejected as a “stunt” by the Liberal deputy chair

In a majority report backed by Labor senators, the Senate’s communications committee concluded a judicial inquiry with royal commission powers was needed to “determine whether the existing system of media regulation is fit-for-purpose and to investigate the concentration of media ownership in Australia”.

But Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, the deputy chair of the inquiry, savaged the findings in a dissenting report, saying the inquiry had been “a stunt conducted at taxpayers’ expense”.

The recommendation was welcomed by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, whose campaign for a royal commission to examine News Corp Australia’s influence on the domestic media landscape led to the creation of the Senate inquiry.

 “This report vindicates the concerns of the 500,000 Australians who last year signed the record-breaking ePetition calling for a royal commission,” Mr Rudd said.

Call for royal commission-style inquiry into media splits Senate committee

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How much influence does the Murdoch media have in Australia?

A little administrative juggling, and an unlikely set of funding proposals magically turns into reality, writes Jommy Tee in his continuing series on regional grants.

Michael West Media (MWM) has previously outlined the corrupt process where 161 grants worth $165 million were manipulated by the ministerial panel overseeing BBRF Round 3 and Round 4 and heavily skewed to Coalition seats. Round 5 grants worth $300 million were announced in early October. Not surprisingly the grants were heavily skewed to government seats by the ministerial panel that interferes in the awarding of the grants, despite the evidence of government officials.

First, let’s turn to the secretary’s evidence. Labor’s Senator Murray Watt tried to drill down into the opaque process of the advice that the department provided to the ministerial panel. The secretary responded:

… it may be in the nature of our advice into the cabinet deliberations, which, ordinarily — I think it is in the public interest for us to be able to do that in a way that remains private for governments of all persuasions going forward.

An extraordinary statement from the head of a department that oversees among others the rorted Community Development Grants, Urban Congestion Fund, and Commuter Car Park Fund.

 

 Source: Rampant rorts in the regions: how it happens – Michael West Media

 

He does all of his own stunts.

Scott Morrison wins Best Costume Design, Best Supporting Actor at AACTA Awards 

 

Local think tanks that previously supported offshore drilling have engaged in a wide-ranging campaign to stop the expansion of offshore wind farms.

Source: Oil-Backed Group Opposes Offshore Wind for Environmental Reasons