WOMAN POWER
Former PM Scott Morrison had “a really weak, if no regard, for working women with children”, former Liberal MP and former corporate lawyer Julia Banks told ABC’s Nemesis, calling it “particularly bizarre”. He had a record number of women in his cabinet, former Defence minister Marise Payne piped up, but former Home Affairs minister Karen Andrews pointed out none were in Morrison’s inner circle, and she didn’t know any women he listened to. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie said she had huge concerns when Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate was “effectively sacked on the floor of Parliament by the prime minister” over the Cartier watch saga, even though Holgate hadn’t “breached any policy” of her organisation. Former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce agreed, calling Morrison’s approach “ridiculous” (and the fallout continues — The Australian ($) reports this morning there’s now just one woman left in Australia Post’s C-suite).
The former PM also said he regretted his “as a father,” comment following Brittany Higgins‘ sexual assault allegation because he didn’t want to “bring Jenny into that” but maintained he didn’t understand the backlash, as SMH reported at the time. Then ya never will, Scott. Surprisingly, Leigh Sales described Morrison as nothing but courteous and respectful to her, despite the “myths” that he was aggressive to her as a female reporter. But former Liberal Fiona Martin recalls the “controlling environment” and “high stress” moment when she crossed the floor on Morrison’s religious discrimination legislation. It was a weird moment, Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg told Nemesis — we’d just lived through years of the pandemic and yet it was billed as critical legislation. It was the only time Parliament sat til 4am, as Guardian Australia reported, and Bragg said “that gives you an idea of the way the show was being run”.
COURT UP
Former ACT director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold’s legal battle with the ACT government kicks off today, The Australian ($) reports, after an inquiry the top prosecutor called for accused him of serious malpractice and unethical conduct in the rape trial of former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann. The former DPP also took issue with the fact Walter Sofronoff gave his final report to The Australian and the ABC before the government had even made it public. Drumgold will also allege Sofronoff was way too chummy with columnist Janet Albrechtsen during the inquiry, with evidence including text messages, phone calls, and emails to be submitted. He wants the report thrown out because of procedural unfairness. Speaking of Lehrmann, a jury in a $13 million ATO fraud case was yesterday told not to research outside of the court like in the infamously aborted trial, the SMH reports. Seems it truly will go down in legal history.
To another high profile case now and it’s hard to imagine how an elderly Afghan man died during an SAS raid if not by an unlawful execution, the judge in probable war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation appeal said. “Precisely,” the lawyer for Nine newspapers responded, as Guardian Australia reports. A judge in the defamation case found Roberts-Smith had ordered a junior soldier to kill the unarmed prisoner to “blood the rookie” — but the soldier denies it was unlawful (soldiers can’t kill non-threatening prisoners under rules of engagement). He’s always denied any wrongdoing and hasn’t been criminally charged, the paper adds. It comes as judges will be chosen with cultural awareness and diversity considerations for the first time, The Australian ($) reports, in an updated handbook from the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration.
LOUD PART QUIET
Angry shoppers will face up to seven years jail and fines of up to $36,000 for abusing retail staff in WA, The West ($) reports, including for throwing objects and spitting. It’s way up from 18 months and a $18,000 fine — but abuse is up too, with 87% of staff saying they’d experienced it in the last year. Plus, the federal government may boost the powers of its eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant so she can come down harder on cyberbullying, internet pile-ons, revenge porn and other abuse, the Herald Sun reports, as part of a review of the Online Safety Act. Consumer affairs expert Delia Rickard is also going to look at the harm AI can cause us in her report, due October.
Meanwhile, doxxing (publishing a person’s contact details or private information) will be criminalised under speedy new laws Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised, the SMH reports. It comes after writer Clementine Ford, among others, published the names and details of almost 600 Jewish writers, artists and academics last week, Guardian Australia reports. Members of the group had encouraged each other to contact her publisher and media about Israel-Palestine coverage and the WhatsApp leak that showed the campaign to oust Antoinette Lattouf from the ABC. Back to AI a moment — the NSW government has rolled out its purpose-built AI app known as NSWEduChat in a 16-school trial, Guardian Australia reports. It’s modelled on ChatGPT but doesn’t give kids answers or write essays — rather, it coaxes them with a method like a virtual tutor. It can also help teachers with administrative tasks, one principal said, like marking.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
At 19, Alyssa Hodges was going through what many experience in their teen years — her first major heartbreak. The Brisbane woman had split with her boyfriend and was dealing admirably with the acute pain of her broken relationship. She was also dealing with her first pregnancy. She told ABC that dating someone new was the furthest thing from her mind, but a friend had urged her to give Tinder a go. It’ll take your mind off the break-up, they reasoned, and who knows what could happen. Then Alyssa matched with Max. The conversation flowed surprisingly easily between the pair, a golden thread of chemistry gently weaving their hearts together. And the 25-year-old guy didn’t mind one bit that his new crush was with child. At 34 weeks, Alyssa went in for a routine appointment when the midwife took her aside. Your waters have broken, she was told.
Suddenly terrified, all she could think about was Max, who she quickly dialled. “Do you need any support?” he asked her. She thought about it. They’d never discussed him being there — plus, “I didn’t want to taint my birthing experience if we fizzled out and then some random Tinder guy had been a support person for me at the birth,” she says. But she said yes anyway. Max immediately took a week off work and arrived at the hospital shortly after, giving Alyssa words of encouragement, a heat pack, massages, and even snacks as she gave birth to little Ollie. Fast forward to eight weeks post-birth, and Alyssa watched on awe-struck as Max told big-eyed baby Ollie that he loved him so much. That was the moment we became an “instant family,” she says. The pair, now married with a second child, will celebrate their third anniversary this year.
Hoping you feel the love today.
SAY WHAT?
Prime minister, noting that 75% of all Labor members in Parliament own investment properties, can you explain to the House why Labor supports big tax handouts for property investors, like negative gearing, that are hurting renters and first home buyers by allowing investors to outbid renters trying to buy a home?
Max Chandler-Mather
Immediate rumblings were heard when the Greens MP stuck the boot into the PM, who returned the kick by pointing out that the minor party’s Nick McKim and Mehreen Faruqi both own more than one property.
CRIKEY RECAP
“The right-wing lobby group behind the No campaign for the Voice to Parliament has turned its attention to the March 2 federal by-election in Dunkley by repurposing its faux neutral ‘news’ social media account to run thousands of dollars of negative advertisements against the Albanese government.
“Since the end of last month, Advance, formerly Advance Australia, paid for 20 targeted Facebook ads on its ‘Election News’ Facebook page. Election News was, until January 29, ‘Referendum News’, an anti-Voice Facebook page that posted and ran advertisements linking to news articles that were critical of the Voice to Parliament referendum and the Yes campaign.”
“France was also the only Western country where McDonald’s sales went backwards: along with Starbucks, it is the target of a boycott by Palestinian supporters after McDonald’s stores in Israel began handing out free food to Israeli Defence Force members. Sales also fell in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.
“None of this stopped both PepsiCo and McDonald’s management teams from handing investors a reward for their greed: McDonald’s lifted its dividend by 10% (nearly three times the US inflation rate) and Pepsi upped its by 7% (nearly twice).”
“In a speech written for the questionably funded Dubai-based think tank Legatum and published in The Australian, former prime minister Tony Abbott unites his apocalyptic and Churchillian sides to paint a chilling near future scored by the drums of war.
“Global conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and East Asia are neatly woven together with other culture war concerns — How can we prepare for war with everyone treating climate change like it’s our biggest threat? Who will fight for countries so wracked with self-loathing that they tear down the statues of their greatest men? — into a grand narrative of Western decline and external threats. Classic Abbott, essentially.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Kamala Harris says she is ready to serve as Biden faces age scrutiny (The Wall Street Journal) ($)
Israel rescues two hostages in Rafah amid deadly strikes (BBC)
The world is in a ‘super election’ year. This is what it means for Australia (SBS)
‘It’s non-negotiable’: French MPs angry at move to restrict citizenship on Mayotte (The Guardian)
[New Zealand] house prices double in 10 years – but can it continue? (Stuff)
[Former President Jair] Bolsonaro coup probe weakens Brazil’s right-wing opposition (Reuters)
Five things to know about Finland’s new ‘selfie’ president Alex Stubb (euronews)
THE COMMENTARIAT
Can China escape its debt deflation trap? — Karen Maley (The AFR): “Consumer prices in the world’s second-largest economy dropped at the fastest annual rate in 15 years in January, as the country grapples with its deepening real estate crisis, weaker export revenues and souring consumer sentiment. Indeed, after China’s consumer price index recorded its fourth straight monthly decline, dropping 0.8% year-on-year in January, there are growing concerns that the country risks becoming trapped in a deepening debt deflation spiral. This occurs when corporate profits get squeezed by falling prices, and companies respond by delaying hiring and investment decisions, and instead focus on reducing their debt levels.
“Meanwhile, consumers respond to weaker income growth by tightening their belts, which further depresses demand and worsens the deflationary cycle. Meanwhile, falling prices in China are helping to quell inflationary pressures worldwide, as Chinese producers cut prices on export goods in a bid to boost offshore sales. As a result, prices of Chinese exports — ranging from higher value-added goods such as electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels through to lower value-added products such as household appliances, furniture and clothing — have been falling at their fastest clip since the 2008 financial crisis.”
Chalmers is doing a fantastic job … at ignoring the dire outlook — Tom Switzer (The Age): “The treasurer is politically stronger than at any stage since the 2022 federal election. His delivery is smooth and authoritative. He is excellent at attracting a positive press and eliciting the support of important voices in the media and the business community. He has grown as a parliamentary performer. There is a reason why Chalmers has seized the political high ground: the Australian economy has performed better than most economists predicted a year ago. Wages are rising and unemployment remains near half-century lows. The government may record another budget surplus in May. Even the national debt increase has been much less than was projected at the height of the lockdowns. The good news has also fuelled a stock market rally.
“As far as inflation is concerned, some pundits are speculating that the worst is over and that lower interest rates are coming sooner than expected. Barring an unforeseen shock, the economic signs appear reassuring. However, probe deeper and things look disturbing. It’s not just that many Australians continue to experience a fall in living standards. Or that inflation remains higher than most OECD countries and well above the RBA’s 2-3% target range (which means interest rates could be slow to fall or may even rise again). Our dire outlook has more to do with our productivity drought and runaway government spending programs. The consequences are being masked for now by the rebound from the pandemic, high immigration and a federal tax revenue boom. When these pass, we will see a return to budget deficits and stagnation or decline in living standards.”
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WHAT’S ON TODAY
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Good For The Hood’s Jo Taranto and the Australia Institute’s Nina Gbor will talk about the circular economy in a webinar for the institute.
Kulin Nation Country (also known as Melbourne)
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Journalist Brittany Spanos will talk about musician Taylor Swift at the Wheeler Centre.
