ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY
An Australian company run by a Queensland family that donated tens of thousands to the Liberal National Party was paid $1.82 billion for a five-year contract to operate refugee services on Nauru, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age ($) report this morning. Much of that was paid out even after the number of refugees and asylum seekers on the island dwindled, prompting questions over whether taxpayers got their money’s worth.
Last financial year alone, Canstruct, owned by the Murphy family from Brisbane, was paid more than $300 million for providing welfare and garrison services on Nauru. “Between 2017 and 2020, the family, its related companies and executives made donations of at least $47,500 to the Liberal National Party,” the story says. The newspapers stressed they were not suggesting any wrongdoing or illegality relating to either the profits or the donations, and neither does the Worm.
“Any illegality or corruption concern would be on behalf of a decision-maker if they were improperly influenced. The way the contract was managed by home affairs and the value for money it delivered are worthy of scrutiny,” the story added.
Over in the UK, the “stop the boats” politics that secured Tony Abbott’s 2013 landslide victory and that boosted the use of Nauru as an offshore processing destination has been adopted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak is copping heat for using a gigantic barge, known as Bibby Stockholm, to house asylum seekers. The BBC reported earlier in the week the first 15 people had boarded the vessel where “up to 500 men will eventually live”. Human rights groups have said the arrangement is “inhumane”, and the UK’s Fire Brigades Union has raised concerns over narrow exits and the possibility of overcrowding.
Greens NSW Senator David Shoebridge slammed the UK’s “stop the boats” policy as a “repeat of the divisive and toxic slogans” used by Australia’s former Coalition government. “This is a floating prison barge designed to limit the rights of asylum seekers in the UK. And it is appallingly modelled on the brutal Australian precedent,” he said last night in comments to news.com.au.
DATE WITH DESTINY
Could Anthony Albanese’s springtime travel schedule offer a hint on when the First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum will be held? One constitutional law expert thinks so, and has nominated a specific date: October 14. The Australian ($) reports that a single parliamentary sitting week from September 11 to 14, and several prime ministerial trips planned for late October and early November, leave only a four-week gap in which a proper final campaign could be held (Parliament next sits from October 16-19).
News Albanese will visit the White House on October 23 was the final clue needed for Professor George Williams from the University of NSW: “Everything has already pointed to the 14th [of October], but this leaves little doubt it is the preferred date.” As the Parliament’s “quick guide” to constitutional referendums makes clear, the vote has to be held on a Saturday. September 30 would not be a smart date because it would clash with the AFL Grand Final. According to The Australian, the prime minister has said he wishes the referendum to be held before the wet season begins in November.
SAY WHAT?
Vanity ultimately prevailed and I decided to yield to having an official portrait done.
Kevin Rudd
Australia’s ambassador to Washington finally unveiled his prime ministerial portrait, a decade after he was last a resident of the Lodge. Rudd delayed sitting for the portrait “for so long that the directors of the parliamentary art collection became exasperated and threatened to commission a ‘knock-up’ portrait based on a photograph”, The Sydney Morning Herald ($) reported. But Rudd, who told an event at Parliament yesterday he wasn’t happy with his official photograph, finally relented. The painting, by Ralph Heimans, depicts Rudd looking professorial, in a beard and suit sans tie, in front of a collection of Chinese crockery and books. On a table in front of him is a chess board on which treads the former PM’s cat, Louie. For those who haven’t seen the painting, the Australian Associated Press has published a series of pictures.
CRIKEY RECAP
“The Long Passeggiata is one of four unproduced scripts selected by the Campari Posters to Production initiative — the company has designed posters for each, which are displayed at the Campari cinema lounge at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) this year. Each carries a QR code which leads to a GoFundMe page to help the film raise production funds.
“What does such an initiative say about the health of Australian cinema? Of the nearly $1 billion taken in by all films at the Australian box office in 2022, $48.6 million was claimed by Australian films, and of that, $33 million was for Baz Luhrmann’s love letter to Americana, Elvis.”
“More than 100 people have used an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant set up by a campaign against the federal government’s proposed misinformation law to write submission letters opposing the bill, in what appears to be a first for the technology.
“Stop Aussie Censorship is a campaign created last month to oppose the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023 after an exposure draft of the law was published and a public consultation launched in June.
“The group behind the campaign, Australian Democracy By Discourse, describes itself on its website as ‘a significantly-sized and diverse group of Australians from across the political spectrum who came together out of shared concern for this dangerous bill’.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
How a massive scout event spiralled into ‘Fyre Fest’ for kids (The Daily Beast) ($)
Russia’s military push on the eastern front prompts Ukraine to evacuate thousands of civilians (Associated Press)
Donald Trump pleads not guilty to latest charges in documents case (BBC News)
Hawaii wildfires raze resort city on Maui island, killing dozens (Reuters)
West African bloc leaders activate standby force, say all options open for Niger (Al Jazeera)
Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated at campaign event (CNN)
THE COMMENTARIAT
When MPs allegedly behave badly, justice pays little part in the consequences — Annika Smethurst (The Age) ($): “Fuelled by overexposure, I developed a rather phlegmatic attitude towards misbehaving politicians during my time working at Parliament House in Canberra. It was only when I was invited to give evidence in Kate Jenkins’ review into the culture at Parliament House that I realised how jaded I had become.
“Thankfully, hundreds of witnesses shared their allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual assault in federal Parliament, forcing the Parliament to act. Yet, little has been done to formalise the complaint process and improve workplace safety on Spring Street, which is no less hazardous.”
Indigenous children would be among the greatest beneficiaries of the voice — Catherine Liddle (Guardian Australia): “More and more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being removed from their families and put into out-of-home care. This is not because they are not loved. It is because vulnerable families are trapped in systems and policies that were designed for them, but without their input. We are not making meaningful progress; we are moving backwards.
“These statistics aren’t just numbers, they aren’t just another bureaucratic measure. They are an indicator of the difficulties and challenges we still face as a nation; they are a reminder of how much we still need to do, and how grim our reality is.”
The Coalition’s likely embrace of nuclear energy is high-risk politics — Michelle Grattan (The Conversation): “Crazy brave, or just crazy? If, as seems likely, the opposition embraces nuclear power in its 2025 election policy, it will be taking a huge political gamble. The Coalition might argue this would be the best (or only) way to ensure we achieve net zero by 2050. But ‘nuclear’ is a trigger word in the political debate, and the reactions it triggers are mostly negative.
“Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has been open since the election about nuclear energy being on the Coalition’s agenda. It’s a ‘no surprises’ tactic — but one that has allowed the government, especially Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen, to regularly attack and ridicule the idea.”
