Australian Politics

“Every community consultation meeting, every study undertaken, all the costings analysis – it’s all in there"

A cross-party delegation of jet-lagged and obstinate Australian parliamentarians arrived in Washington DC last September to advocate for Julian Assange's freedom. Those in the room reflect on how the "robust", and at times "aggressive", meeting went.

Sitting on one side of the long mahogany table were three US departmental officials and a media adviser.

On the other side, as diverse a collection of Australian politicians as you could imagine – Senator Whish-Wilson, his fellow Greens senator David Shoebridge, former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, independent MP Monique Ryan, Labor MP Tony Zappia, and Liberal senator Alex Antic.

Also present was Julian Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton and Rohan Wenn, an adviser to independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who could not make the trip.

"They all picked up on a different piece of the argument — watching them all come together and work together was something else. I was very impressed."

The delegation during the meeting raised several issues including freedom of speech, shifting public sentiment in Australia, the US-Australia alliance, and jurisdictional rights.

The group acknowledged the important roles played by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australia's US Ambassador Kevin Rudd, Assange's family, his legal team, and the Australian people.

"I want to stress it was a small part of a years-long global solidarity campaign, without which Julian's release could not have been achieved," Senator Shoebridge said.

Labor senator Fatima Payman has crossed the floor to vote against her party on a motion related to Palestinian recognition.

It is the first time a Labor politician has crossed the floor while Labor is in government since 1986.

Labor party rules state that all members must vote in line with the position taken by the Labor caucus. It is then up to the caucus to decide on the penalty, which can include suspension from the caucus.

Expulsion from the Labor Party itself is a matter for the party's national executive.

Good to see we take climate change so seriously /s. Ffs 85% ?

• In short: The Albanese government will introduce legislation giving members of the manufacturing division of the CFMEU an opportunity to split from the union.
• While not expressly linked to Victorian CFMEU secretary John Setka’s campaign against the AFL, it follows criticism of his threats to the league.
• What’s next?: The bill will be presented to parliament in the next few weeks.

Labor Senator Fatima Payman defies her party to advocate for the recognition of Palestine

In opposition, our prime minister and the Labor Party were fierce champions of Palestine and passionate voices for justice. I ask that we summon that spirit of old and do the same in power.

See also the Guardian covering her writing the article https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/18/labor-senator-fatima-payman-albanese-government-palestine-israel-gaza-war

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/10841937

Archive/non-paywall link.

• South Australia's government will introduce legislation to ban electoral donations.
• Newly registered political parties and unendorsed candidates would be entitled to receive donations of up to $2,700.
• Premier Peter Malinauskas said the reforms may face legal challenge.

Peter Dutton has finally put a date on when his party will reveal its 2030 emission reduction targets, saying Australians only had to wait another 26 years to see the detail.

“We’re not going to rush into this. We’ll take a measured approach, which means waiting to see how much Australia’s emissions are in 2030, allowing a further two decades to pass, and then putting in place a target that is no longer relevant,” Dutton said today.

“We must not forget that people have the legal right to seek safety and asylum. It is beyond comprehension the Albanese government is continuing Australia’s cruel legacy of banishing people offshore simply because they sought safety by sea, and to prevent political fallout from the opposition.”

Abdel-Raouf said authorities on the island had kept asylum groups separate – and so unable to share information – and restricted people’s ability to contact family members, support agencies or advocacy organisations. Asylum seekers have had smartphones taken from them – and with them access to apps like WhatsApp to communicate with family – replaced by “brick” dumb phones without cameras, which means they cannot take photos to document their detention.

An investigation has been launched into the National Anti-Corruption Commission over its refusal to investigate six public officials referred to it by the Robodebt Royal Commission almost a year ago.

Two years ago, few would have thought Peter Dutton would go to the next election without a 2030 climate target. So what's changed?

The NACC's decision to ignore the crime of Robodebt is a kick in the guts for every victim of this heinous scheme and further evidence of the failure of our public institutions, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.

As the shift away from fossil fuels gathers pace, the Coalition has turned to an emissions-free technology with a long and contentious history — nuclear fission. These are the numbers you should keep in mind when thinking about its place in Australia’s energy transition.

I encourage you to at least glance through the article before you leave a comment that other commenters will dunk on you for.

• In short: The Coalition says Labor will fail to meet the Paris Agreement emissions reductions target but will damage Australian industry in trying.
• Recent projections indicate Australia is not on track for the 2030 target, but could get close if existing policies are implemented as promised.
• What next? The Coalition is focusing on gas and nuclear power, which the Australian Conservation Foundation describes as a "fantasy which Australia does not need".

I'm not a supporter of Pauline and there's a lot of problems with this video, it is funny to think that people believe this shit.

Also I'm gonna bet that the music (from the Man from Snowy River) was used without license as with most of this authoritarian pro-fossil fuels propaganda shit...

Adam Bandt said comments Mark Dreyfus made about the Greens and pro-Palestinian activists were "utterly unfounded".

• Greens leader Adam Bandt says his lawyers have written to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus over "defamatory" comments.
• Dreyfus made the comments about pro-Palestinian protests in an interview with the ABC.
• It comes after the government and Opposition condemned the protests and accused the Greens of inflaming tensions.

This bit resonated.

It makes me so terribly sad that in a society such as ours the wealthy keep creating new means to harm the less lucky.

That aside, Alan Kholer has also opined in the past that our economics policy is based on disdain.

I know many will read my financial experiences and see failure. I haven't failed; I succeeded when the odds were totally stacked against me. I made good what life threw at me. I survived … with my values intact.

I can only agree.