Should we be surprised that with the current Victorian election we see the LNP's Dirt Brigade and Peter Costello's, CEO of The Age, effort to be Rupert Murdoch? Politics has changed over the years in a way that hasn't been driven by Labor alone. But Fairfax Press has changed and shifted Right under Costello's control.
Remember Napthine's LNP government that left in a rush leaving signed contracts behind to lay a legal mine field for the incoming Andrews Government? That cost Victorians more than a Billion and a half dollars. At the same time Tony Abbott's withheld $3.5 billion in infrastructure projects. Neither he or Napthine turned to the Public Service for advice on that.
Problems do arise like the increased violence in the Health Services and need to be resolved quickly. In the example here the solution appears to have been an appropriate one. The Age writers don't offer any better alternative and seem to suggest the Covid Pandemic was a trivial excuse to dropping a program suggesting a smokescreen for a donation to a Union. However in their same long winded breath they admit "nobody lined their pockets"
All governments have changed and the growth of advisors is indicative of the complexities politicians face coming to office needing to manage a State of 6 million people as opposed to one once of 2 million. The cry that the Public servants have somehow been left out of the loop is an odd attempt at distraction. They have never in history been paid more than they are today more in fact than politicians are. Politicians and Heads of Departments are free to choose their subordinates. Seniority or careers no longer seem to matter or meritas much as a person's politics.That applies to advisors as well. Politicians appoint their own advisors today and loyalty to the team is what counts. Matthew Guy's poor character choices proved to be headline news for quite some time. Politicians like Guy choose and use people to entrench their positions within the battlegroung of their own parties and he is an exemplar on how that's done.
Exceptions of poor character can be found in media as well not just in the case of Rupert Murdoch but in recent years Peter Costello and what he's done to Ch9 and The Age. What were once a reasonably balanced media and a point of difference to Murdoch's Herald Sun he has swung them the dark side of PR influencers, propagandizing,and pretending what they publish is News. A quid pro quo relationship and and unaccounted for donation to the LNP for favors yet to come. Now that's dark money talking and it's not for nothing and it doesn't do our Democracy any favors.
Why is the Daintree Report, of which The Age admits knowing nothing, simply blown up as an opportunistic onslaught of Dan Andrews? Why is the statement below buried half way into their rant about how politics has changed not just the ALP's but universally in Australia? What has changed is the imbalance of mainstream media which has become worse and increasingly Right-wing and propaganda. The Age and Ch9 are living proof of that and are evidence of today's shift away from Democracy .
It hasn’t been suggested to The Age that anyone in government or the HSU lined their pockets or materially benefited from the grants. Daintree, from what we know, is not a story about public figures with their snouts in the trough. It is about something more commonplace and arguably, more insidious; a willingness to subvert proper process and potentially, misuse public funds, to achieve a political outcome.
What was in the Herald Sun
Daniel Andrews’ week went downhill as he was forced to bat away repeated questions about a 2013 car crash involving his family, after the young man who was seriously injured cast doubt on the premier’s version of events.
The timing of the Herald Sun story raised the eyebrows of Monash University political scientist Zareh Ghazarian.
Source: IBAC probe uncovers a troubling picture
Daniel Andrews has issued a blistering statement about the “smear and innuendo” surrounding an anti-corruption investigation.
Source: Daniel Andrews blasts ‘smear and innuendo’ – Michael West
Premier Daniel Andrews’ satisfaction rating has fallen three per cent to 51 per cent, pushing up the Labor leader’s dissatisfaction rating to 44 per cent.
Liberal leader Matthew Guy’s satisfaction rating sits at 32
per cent but his dissatisfaction rating has risen three per cent to 52
per cent.
Victorian election race tightens: Newspoll – Michael West
How many are LNP donors?
What’s the scam? It’s the fossil fuel corporations again, the usual suspects, paying no income tax despite billions in income. For yet another year: Exxon nought, Shell nought, Ampol, BP and APLNG nought, and Chevron putting them all to shame with the $30 in income tax paid on its $9bn in revenues.
Source: The Usual Suspects: tax office dump lays bare Australia’s biggest tax dodgers – Michael West
Pauline Hanson tells lions to ‘piss off back to Africa’
In what world is this a believable statement. Is it because BP is Australia’s largest investor in solar energy and has its foot on the subsidy accelerator?
Ms King vowed to back new gas and coal fields to combat the energy crisis. She also expressed support for the ongoing role of gas to power mining and refining, which will support a net-zero emissions economy.
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