AUKUS OPPOSITION GROWS
Australian unions have reiterated their longstanding opposition to a nuclear defence policy, adding to the chorus of concerns over AUKUS led by Paul Keating, Malcolm Turnbull and a range of defence and strategic experts, including Hugh White. Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) president Michele O’Neil said the ACTU’s “decades-old” opposition to nuclear power, nuclear waste and nuclear proliferation had in no way been influenced by PM Anthony Albanese’s recent $368 billion AUKUS announcement, which she separately criticised for its excessive and unnecessary secrecy.
In answer, Defence Minister Richard Marles reportedly said the government had committed to “continue talking to the Australian people” about the “important endeavour” — forgetting, it would seem, that no such consultation with the community has in fact taken place. As Crikey’s David Hardaker put it yesterday, the only people consulted thus far are those with a “direct interest in expanding Australia’s defence budget”.
Meanwhile, there are reports New Zealand’s Defence Minister Andrew Little may enter negotiations to join the second pillar of the three-part AUKUS deal, which covers the sharing of advanced military technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing. But precisely how that arrangement would or could square with the country’s wider anti-nuclear stance within the region — including the Treaty of Rarotonga — remains unexplained.
CANBERRA TUESDAY WRAP
Over to the nation’s capital on Tuesday and Greens Senator David Shoebridge secured the support of the entire Senate crossbench as well as the Coalition to establish an inquiry into Australia’s “broken” freedom of information system. The inquiry will directly investigate the circumstances which compelled the recent resignation of former FOI commissioner Leo Hardiman, who sensationally quit earlier this month after less than a year in the job, as well as the delays, culture of non-compliance, obfuscation and under-funding that has long beset the system.
Former senator Rex Patrick, who is embroiled in legal battles with the government over lengthy delays on FOI reviews and access to Anthony Albanese’s diary, took to twitter to criticise Labor’s opposition to the inquiry, suggesting it confirmed the Labor government was “developing a transparency allergy”. It was view shared by Shoebridge, who posted a picture of a document the government was required to produce under a Senate motion about freedom of information which had, incidentally, been entirely redacted. “Is this an intentional parody from the Albanese government?” he tweeted. “Blocking out information from an order about FOI is high level political irony.”
In what’s proving a thorny week for the government on the transparency and integrity front, debate on the reforms to existing whistleblower laws has also been shelved for the time being due to the tight legislative agenda in the upper house. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus had previously committed the government to implementing the Public Interest Disclosure Act reforms before the commencement of the federal integrity commission, which is expected midyear sometime, but it’s now unclear whether that commitment will be met. The delay comes one day after tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle failed to a secure an immunity from prosecution under the PID Act, placing Boyle — much like war crimes whistleblower David McBride — in the invidious position of facing trial and the prospect of life in prison. Dreyfus has the power to discontinue both prosecutions but has so far expressed an unwillingness to exercise the power.
The Greens meanwhile have also drawn a “line in the sand” over the government’s proposed $10 billion housing future fund, forcing Labor to withdraw the bill until it negotiates in “good faith” with the minor party over a suite of proposed amendments. Among these is $5 billion for social and affordable housing annually and a national agreement to freeze rents for two years. As it stands, Labor’s policy — according to the government’s reckoning — would provide up to $500 million a year in returns to build up to 30,000 social and affordable homes over the next five years. Yet the glaring difficulty with this calculation — quite aside from the fact the fund would have lost $120 million last year and doesn’t guarantee a return — is that there’s already some 176,000 households nationwide on the social housing waiting list. It’s primarily for this reason other Senate crossbenchers, including Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock, have also expressed serious reservations about Labor’s bill.
Having said that, it’s doubtful Labor’s in the mood to compromise. As recently as Monday, Albanese warned that Labor was conversely “happy to have” an argument with the Greens over their opposition to the policy “between now and the next election” — a stance the Greens called “morally repugnant”. So, so much, you might say, for Labor’s pledge not to leave anyone behind.
AND NOW TO NSW
Former NSW Liberal minister Gareth Ward, who was suspended from Parliament last year after being charged with historical sexual assault, was formally arraigned on Tuesday in the Nowra District Court, where he entered pleas of not guilty to the various charges. Outside the court, the now-independent MP told reporters he was “incredibly confident” he would win the case as well as retain the seat of Kiama, where he was leading Labor on a slim margin of 615 votes as of Tuesday evening.
Whether or not a victory in Kiama will see Ward returned to the chamber remains something of an open question, however, given both Premier Chris Minns and former premier Dominic Perrottet pledged during the campaign to move a new suspension order if reelected. On that front, one of Australia’s leading legal minds, Anne Twomey, has cast doubt on the logic of a second suspension in the circumstances, pointing out it could be perceived as defying the will of the people. “People had not had a chance to say if they thought it was appropriate [last year],” she told The Sydney Morning Herald. “If he is voted back in when people know there are these charges against him, you can’t really say people have in any way been deceived. They made a choice.”
Counting continues in NSW, with Labor sitting on 45 seats — two short of majority — and is leading in one of the five yet to be called.
SHOOTING THE SOUL OF A NATION
Another day, and another school shooting in the United States. The latest massacre — this time in Nashville, Tennessee — has left three children and three adults dead, not including the attacker, who was shot dead by police on site. As has become typical in the reporting of these tragedies, the shooter’s age, identity, criminal history and weapon choice is known — this time ex-student 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, no criminal history, one semi-automatic rifle and two handguns. And, as has also become eerily predictable, the usual apologists for the gun lobby have offered their thoughts and prayers — this time one Andrew Ogles, a Republican from Nashville, pictured here with his wife and children in 2021, all but one child holding weapons in front of a Christmas tree. The only thing seemingly yet to pass is the usual denial and obfuscation of the gun lobby.
President Joe Biden labelled the Nashville shooting “heart-breaking”, imploring Congress to take legislative action to stop the carnage. “We have to do more to stop gun violence,” he said. “It’s ripping our communities apart, ripping the soul of this nation.” It was a sentiment echoed by Barack Obama, who tweeted the government was “failing our children”, with guns now the leading cause of death for children in America. Indeed, this year alone there have already been 89 school shootings — a number which firmly sets the country on a path to surpassing last year’s record 303 shootings.
Sticking with the US, it bears mentioning that Donald Trump — who reportedly flirted with the idea of gun control more than once during his presidency — has increased his national lead in the Republican presidential primary. The national poll, undertaken by the Centre for American Political Studies at Harvard, gives Trump a 26-point national lead over his chief rival, Ron DeSantis.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
It’s a strangely ineffable feeling, looking into your beloved pet’s eyes one moment and, the next, over their shoulder at the destruction they’ve visited on your shoes, a certain favourite book or two or even your carpet or blinds. “To hate or not to hate?” isn’t the first question which ordinarily springs to mind, but rather “to hate and for how long?”. That is, of course, until you look back over at your pet, and it you with its usual penetrating gaze, leaving neither of you in any doubt that you won’t be getting cross after all.
Our friends over at The Guardian haven’t explained the mechanics of this most vexing and charming of human-canine and human-feline experiences. But they have asked readers to share their stories of it, along with the all-important photographic evidence. One such response involved a rescue Parson Russell terrier by the name of Lucy, who shamelessly took a chunk out of a $400 boutique retirement cake. Despite the fact Lucy “showed no remorse” whatsoever, her owner told The Guardian she was nonetheless quickly forgiven. Another owner likewise recounted the time their border collie-Jack Russell mix, Cache, “moved” — and by “moved” they meant utterly destroyed — the venetian blinds, yet one look at the pup and all was forgiven.
Indeed, the only reader response that truly hedged a little on the forgiveness scale turned on the antics of a three-year-old labrador called Wilma, whose owner had dutifully sent in a complete shopping list of items lost to the lab’s destructive ways. “Most of my daughter’s dolls are [also] now amputees,” the owner eventually said, pointing out he was resigned to the fact his wife had forgiven Wilma “for all of it”. He, on the other hand, was “still working on it”.
SAY WHAT?
Expect a visit from me … That’s not a threat, it’s a guarantee.
Kyle Sandilands
The radio shock-jock threatened journalist Mitchell Van Homrigh after the latter reported Sandilands’ disparaging remarks about competitors in the Paralympics in September 2021. On Tuesday, the broadcasting regulator (ACMA) said both incidents breached basic standards of decency and, as a result, Sandilands will undergo “sensitivity training”.
CRIKEY RECAP
Inside the AUKUS machine: scrutinising the political links to defence contracts
“The AUKUS arrangement emerged from the final desperate days of one of Australia’s worst governments. It was led by a prime minister who had a habit of fudging reality and who secretly sought to accumulate the powers of five of his ministerial colleagues, without having a coherent rationale.
“At the same time, there has not been nearly enough scepticism about the AUKUS deal from Australia’s major media players. Some have even been offended that former prime minister Paul Keating would raise serious questions, focusing more on the manner than the substance of what he said. For these reasons, Crikey will be introducing a bit of sunlight — the best disinfectant — into the fetid corners of the AUKUS machine.
“To begin our coverage, this week we report on the activities of two of the biggest political names from the Coalition’s decade in office. They are former treasurer Joe Hockey and former defence minister (and before that minister for defence industry) Christopher Pyne.”
Australian democracy must learn from the nightmare of the super-citizen
“Is human nature suited to democracy? As the fourth estate goes into overdrive at the prospect of Donald Trump finally facing an indictment in one of four criminal investigations into his anti-democratic behaviour in the lead-up to his election and during his presidency, you’d have to wonder.
“Obviously, support for super-citizens runs counter to what small-d democrats say about their principles, which are that ‘no one is above the law’ and ‘all people are created equal’. But with the progressive punditry buzzing around like fan-flapping gossips at a provincial French court, horrified and scandalised in equal measure that one of their own — someone rich and powerful! — could finally face accountability for their actions, where does the disconnect lie?”
Stan Grant slams ABC management for ‘insulting’, ‘entire white’ NSW election coverage
“Q+A host Stan Grant has written to ABC management to condemn the lack of diversity in the broadcaster’s NSW election coverage, which he said reduced journalists from diverse backgrounds to ‘cameo’ roles.
“In a letter Crikey understands was sent to management on Sunday, Grant said he was ‘fed up’ with being reassured that the public broadcaster was on a ‘journey’ towards equity and diversity, only to assess its progress nearly 40 years after joining to see ‘the dial has barely moved’.
“He told Crikey the ‘ABC must do better’, and that as a senior First Nations journalist it is his responsibility to ‘keep the organisation honest’: ‘I don’t do it for myself — I have had my career — but I don’t want to wait another decade for things to change.’ “
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Albanese criticises ‘very strange’ question on whether Voice will impact energy policy (Guardian Australia)
Pressure on Reserve Bank not to raise interest rates as consumer spending slows (The Age)
ABC boss reacts to Stan Grant diversity criticism (Guardian Australia)
Kim Jong Un wants North Korea to develop more nuclear material for bombs (Associated Press)
Myanmar military leader calls for decisive action against foes of regime (Associated Press)
ACTU boss calls for four-day working week to boost productivity (The Australian Financial Review)
One-week-old southern white rhino calf dies at Werribee zoo (The Age)
Latitude hit with class action after cyber attack (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Inquiry hears Charlie Teo is not a credible witness (The Sydney Morning Herald)
More than 800 secrecy laws keeping government information from Australians (Guardian Australia)
Zelensky accuses Russia of ‘radiation’ blackmail (Al Jazeera)
FBI releases secret files on Ivana Trump (Bloomberg)
Beijing catching up to the IMF as a lender of last resort to the world (The New York Times)
Trump’s fate hangs in the balance with Manhattan jury (The Washington Post)
Prince Harry and Elton John give evidence in case on phone tapping (ABC)
THE COMMENTARIAT
Why are we treating tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle as a criminal? — Adele Ferguson (The Sydney Morning Herald) ($): “Whistleblowers should be protected, not punished. It’s a simple message that Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus needs to heed after a devastating loss to whistleblower protections emerged in the South Australian District Court on Monday. The court ruled that former Australian Taxation Office employee-turned-whistleblower Richard Boyle will have to stand trial over a series of offences after a judge decided that Commonwealth whisteblower protection laws did not shield him from prosecution. Dreyfus knows the Public Interest Disclosure Act he set up is broken. And now he knows it doesn’t protect whistleblowers. It is time to step in and help Boyle, who must feel like he is suffering death by a thousand cuts.”
Coalition allows climate policy to veer to the left — (The Australian Financial Review editorial ($): “To guard against the green-left political fringe’s anti-fossil fuel ideological fixation, the Financial Review urged the Coalition to reverse its flat ‘no’ to expanding the safeguard mechanism the Abbott government created, and agree to negotiate its passage through Parliament with Labor. Thankfully, the safeguard mechanism deal struck by Labor and the Greens has fallen well short of the blanket ban on new coal and gas projects that Greens Leader Adam Bandt initially demanded. Bandt is talking up the concessions extracted from Labor as much as Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen is talking them down.
“Yet, the fact remains that we would not now be having to assess what the Greens-Labor deal might mean for Australia’s energy transition if the Coalition had put the national interest ahead of seeking to reignite the political carbon wars.”
High stakes in Aston for worried Liberals — Paul Bongiorno (The New Daily): “Peter Dutton is facing the voters next Saturday at what appears to be the worst possible time for him and his party. The disastrous shellacking the Liberals received in last weekend’s NSW election following on similar drubbings in Victoria and South Australia suggest the party’s brand is in deep trouble with voters. The federal party received similar treatment at last year’s federal election.
“The prime minister last week played down Labor’s chances when he addressed the caucus, reminding his troops that it is 100 years since a government has taken a seat from an opposition at such a contest. But it is clear Labor believes Dutton is its secret weapon based on its own polling and all the published polls that show him trailing Anthony Albanese badly in the approval stakes and as preferred prime minister.”
WHAT’S ON TODAY
Kulin Nation Country (also known as Melbourne)
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The John Cain Arena will play host to Barack Obama’s speaking tour tonight.
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Jury set to return at least some verdicts in the high-profile Malka Leifer trial.
Ngunnawal Country (also known as Canberra)
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Landmark gender pay gap legislation to be debated today.
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Review into the Reserve Bank could be handed to Treasurer Jim Chalmers today (if not today, then Thursday or Friday).
