EYE-BALL Opinion – Goodbye and Farewell … for now –
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 Latest ‘EYE-BALL Opinion’ Posts: – 30th July – Gillard’s Demise – Almost done – 30th July – The Reasons for our Anger – we are living our own self-destruction – – 18th July – Get Old and Get Sacked – To see more EYE-BALL ‘Opinion’ posts: |
Title: – Goodbye and Farewell … for now – | Author: EYE-BALL Opinion | 11th Aug 2013 | |
| This blog site was established in late 2010, and to a cause to speak out about Julia Gillard as our Prime Minister.
The site grew and expanded, but the primary focus was always to highlight the flaw in our political system where a criminal can be appointed to the highest office in the land. All that ended a little over a month ago when Gillard was ousted. In the time since, the motivation to continue with the site has been a struggle and waned, I don’t support either Rudd and the ALP, not Abbott as the alternative PM. In that context motivation to write about mediocrity and the sham that is our democracy can no longer maintained. It is with humility and the deepest of respect for all the sites contributors, its readers and supporters, that sadly “The EYE-BALL Opinion” has run it course. I thank you all for sharing the journey. This is not the end of my writings or stories, just the end of EYE-BALL. I’ll be back … and when that happens I will share it with you via an update to this blog site. The site will remain, there are no plans to dismantle. At this time, all published stories will remain. In the interim … and as a parting suggestion … it is your Government and the stakes are very high, please make your vote in the upcoming election count as if the future of the Nation depended on it.
Once again … thankyou one and all …
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| The EYE-BALL Opinion … |
EYE-BALL’s – “On the Hustings” – The Campaign Trail – Day 4
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| Title: – EYE-BALL’s “On the Hustings” – – The Campaign Trail – Day 4 – | Author: No-Way José |8th Aug 2013 | |
Policy Issue Debate: [Information on Policy issues you won’t hear during the current Election Campaign.]Previous Policy Issues: [Use links provided to read story in a new window and see relative polling data …]
Day 4 Policy Issue: Government Limit on Borrowings – i.e. Debt to GDP ratio …[EYE-BALL Guru] … [click on Debt/GDP chart image to enlarge in a new window.]
it will be about the economic record under Howard, and the economic record under Rudd/Gillard Governments. If any one did research on economic management from the Government’s perspective it is all after the fact. The Australian Constitution has this to say on how a Government is allowed to manage its finances: See PDF version … see Word Version … On Taxation: [Revenues]
On Expenditires: [Spending]
The Constitution places all expenditure and revenue to be provided for under legislative process – meaning that all current and new expenditure is subject to existing and new laws under the Government of the day. In other words if the Government can pass legislation through the HOR and the Senate, then there is no restrictiveness on any Government spending initiatives, nor taxation revenue collect at its own will. The policy debate wanted is whether these rules should still apply given they were written at a time where Politicians had to get themselves elected, were deemed to be ‘of the people’ and ‘for the people’, and acted frugally when it came to the public purse. Since then society had changed in many ways, the advent of television and the ease in which the politician can reach the masses, and the modern method of the ‘candy store’ giveaways during election campaigns to get elected.. Since the GFC, all we know is that the world is in a debt spiral where new debt is doubling the old debt every four – five years. Obama inherited a 2008 Bush debt of US$7 trillion – five years later the debt is above US$16 trillion. Rudd inherited zero debt, and now we have almost $300 billion of debt, and under Bowen’s new forecasts, likely to be $4-500 billion in the near future. Europe is a basket case where many Nations have worse debt proportions than others and the P.I.I.G.S. have GDP/Debt rations from which they cannot recover if they remain in the EuroZone. Debt is the evil curse the Government’s have embraced to prop up ailing economies. In fact it has been irresponsible economic management and placed future generations in the position none of us want tem to be. Surely the prudent thing to do would be to place restrictions on the Government of the day’s borrowing capacity – force the Government to act responsibly and cut spending via Constitutional change linked to say – the Debt to GDP ratio. What we do know and as it stands now is this:
In a world where the struggle of life is ever increasing through debt explosion, and the Bank’s providing limitless lending to people already in financial trouble, the obvious answer to the question: ‘where will it all end’ … is relatively obvious – ‘badly’. Should not Government’s impose limitations on themselves and run budgets according to economic conditions? The problem is that ‘economic conditions’ is a subjective argument not often agreed to by opposing political party’s. Elections are won and lost on the basis of policies promised and the balancing of the costings for those policies left to balance once in Government. Surely we must know that this is ridiculous and makes us all look pretty stupid in accepting the ‘candy’ handouts with our vote. In a perfect world the onus of responsible ‘economic management’ would come from the Government – but when re-election is on the agenda, or a new Government wants to take control, responsible ‘economic management’ becomes about ‘tagging’ the other guy whilst not getting ‘tagged’ yourself on economic management. In that scenario who do we believe, the $70 billion hole in the Coalition policies promoted by the Government, or the confessed $50 billion hole by the Government? In either case the taxpayers and the electorate are bound to get screwed either way as they have done across the globe for the last 40 odd years. Should the people have a say in how much the Government can borrow during at term of office? How would an economic stimulus package as Rudd instigated in the face of the GFC work if there were limits on borrowings in place? Should a change of strategy against election policies render a Government out-of-order, and be forced to go back to the people to get approval and seek a mandate? One thing is true – Governments have to be made accountable for the mistakes they make in relation to managing the finances of the Nation. The referee who makes the decision of whether the Government has overstepped their boundaries has to be the GG under our current Constitution. Therefore when a GG is selected, are they canvassed on the matter as to whether they would be prepared to out the Government over poor economic Management, and who would they receive advice from if such a decision had to be made? It’s all too hard one might say. But easily fixed if it was legislated that all Government borrowings were restricted as a ratio of GDP. Meaning that if GDP growth stalled, then no new borrowings can be assumed. If GDP growth fell, borrowings would need to be reduced. If GDP growth grew, then the Government has opportunity to enact new expenditure policy. The goal being that the Government is responsible for economic growth and it has to find ways to stimulate that growth away from new Government debt spending. For far too long Government spending has underpinned GDP growth and as a result the World has become a toxic debt explosion waiting to happen – the GFC was a tremor compared to what is still to come. This has been coming for many decades and it is a global problem. Debt got us into the GFC problem, and the only solution Western Governments have been able to come up with in the last five years it to increase their debt exponentially. All with a consequence of future taxpayers being responsible for the repayment of that debt, and the resulting reduced living standards that will ensure. Please take a minute to register your opinion in the Poll below: [EYE-BALL Guru] … Harry Growl’s Water Cooler Gossip: … [Harry Growl] …
… [Harry Growl] … General Links to Election data and Information: AEC’s Enrollment Drive: Linked here. Today is Day 1 of the 34 day campaign and the immediate focus of the ALP and the Greens is to get as many un-enrolled electors enrolled … the deadline is seven (7) days and the AEC link to find more information about whether you are enrolled can be found here. [EYE-BALL.] ABC’s Vote Compass: Linked here. A brilliant on-line survey presented by the ABC’s Anthony Green will prove to be an election barometer never seen before. His 30 question survey has gone ballistic this morning with 170,000 people logging on to give their responses. His questions will decide the election issues seen as most important and the major party’s will be keenly seeking Green’s data to help them plan their election strategies. [EYE-BALL] Anthony Green’s Election Blog: Linked here. Party Policy links:
Campaign Speeches:
Link to the ABC’s 2013 Election coverage:
Final Comments from EYE-BALL: This new election commentary page is provided as a service to subscribers and readers during the 2013 election campaign. All and any abusive comments will be deleted without notice. Satire and witty comments are appreciated … and in all seriousness, this Nation is a bee’s dick away from disaster, and if anyone thinks that Rudd or Abbott have the goods to be our PM and lead this Nation away from that disaster, please express your thoughts and reasons in the comments section below. You never know, your comment might just make a difference. |
| Please – if you found this story to your liking and would like to promote it to your social media contacts – i.e. Twitter, Facebook, or other icon linked account below – please use/click on your favoured Icon(s) to promote the story. Thankyou.
Have your say where it counts: – contact your Local Federal Representative via the links below and let them know how you feel about this, or any other topic that you feel strongly about – or you can just post a comment below and let off some steam. Links to Australian Parliamentary Website – MP’s
|
EYE-BALL’s – “On the Hustings” – The Campaign Trail – Day 3
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| Title: – EYE-BALL’s “On the Hustings” – – The Campaign Trail – Day 3 – | Author: No-Way José | 7th Aug 2013 | |
| Policy Issue Debate: [Information on Policy issues you won’t hear during the current Election Campaign.]
Previous Policy Issues:
Day 3 Policy Issue: Judicial Appointments: …[EYE-BALL] …
High Court: Appointments to the ‘High Court’ and other Federal Courts are made by the Federal Attorney General. These Federal appointments are then rubber stamped by the GG. The appointments are drawn from a short list, after judicial reviews and assessments, and then decided upon by the Federal Government including the PM and its Cabinet process. The Attorney General announces the appointments after the GG has signed off on them. The current ‘High Court’ structure and appointments is contained in the table below: [linked on-line here.] [Click on image to see all judicial appointment data i.e. Education and Court experience, in a new window.] One of the rules for High Court appointees require mandatory retirement at age 70 – hence the appointment tenure. The spread of appointments of the current Justices is spread as three (3) from John Howard’s era, and four (4) from the Rudd/Gillard era. Two new appointments are due to be made during the next Federal Government term – both were John Howard appointments. Other Courts and tribunals controlled by Federal Government appointment include: [links to the Australian Federal Courts websites provided.] The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is an independent body that reviews a broad range of administrative decisions made by Australian Government ministers and officials, authorities and other tribunals.Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Australian Competition Tribunal was established in 1965. Prior to 1995, the Tribunal was known as the Trade Practices Tribunal. The Tribunal hears applications for review of determinations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.Federal Court of Australia The Commonwealth Courts Portal is an initiative of the Family Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia and Federal Magistrates Court of Australia. It provides web-based services for clients to access information about cases before the courts.Family Court of Australia Inquires into the amount of royalty payable in respect of the recording of musical works; fixes royalties or equitable remuneration in respect of compulsory licences; arbitrates disputes in relation to the terms of existing and proposed licensing schemes; and deals with applications for the granting of licences.Copyright Tribunal of Australia The Council of Australasian Tribunals facilitates liaison and discussion between the heads of tribunals. It supports the development of best practice models and model procedural rules, standards of behaviour and conduct for members and increased capacity for training and support for members.Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal hears and determines appeals from courts martial and Defence Force magistrates in respect of service offences by Australian Defence Force personnel.Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal The Family Court of Australia has jurisdiction over all matrimonial causes and associated responsibilities.Family Court of Australia The Federal Circuit Court of Australia (formerly known as the Federal Magistrates Court) was established at the end of 1999. The court is an independent federal court under the Australian Constitution. The jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit Court includes family law and child support, administrative law, admiralty law, bankruptcy, copyright, human rights, industrial law, migration, privacy and trade practices. The court shares those jurisdictions with the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia. The objective of the Federal Magistrates Court is to provide a simpler and more accessible alternative to litigation in the superior courts and to relieve the workload of those courts.Federal Circuit Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia began to exercise its jurisdiction on 1 February 1977. It assumed jurisdiction formerly exercised in part by the High Court of Australia and the whole of the jurisdiction of the Australian Industrial Court and of the Federal Court of Bankruptcy.Federal Court of Australia The High Court is the highest court in the Australian judicial system. Its functions are to interpret and apply the law of Australia; to decide cases of special federal significance including challenges to the constitutional validity of laws and to hear appeals, by special leave, from Federal, State and Territory courts.High Court of Australia The Migration Review Tribunal (the MRT) and the Refugee Review Tribunal (the RRT) provide an independent and final merits review of decisions made in relation to visas to travel to, enter or stay in Australia. The MRT reviews decisions made in respect of general visas (e.g. visitor, student, partner, family, business, skilled visas) and the RRT deals with decisions made in respect of protection (refugee) visas.Migration Review Tribunal and Refugee Review Tribunal The Social Security Appeals Tribunal is a statutory body established to review decisions made in relation to social security, education or training payments.Social Security Appeals Tribunal The Veterans’ Review Board is an independent tribunal to review decisions made by the Repatriation Commission on claims for acceptance of injury or disease as war-caused or defence-caused, on claims for war widows’, war widowers’ and orphans’ pensions, on assessment of pension rate for incapacity from war-caused or defence-caused injury or disease, and on claims for the grant, or assessment of, attendant allowance.Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The list of Current Federal Judges appointed to these courts are: Judges based in Sydney
Judges based in Melbourne
Judges based in Brisbane
Judges based in Perth
Judges based in Adelaide
Judge based in Canberra
Judges based in Hobart
List of State Courts: [Click to enlarge in a new Window.] All State based Courts Judges are appointed by the individual States Attorney General after the same process is pursued as for Federal Court appointments. The Debate: The system in place for Court Appointments has been in place since Federation and before. If not the Government to make the appointee decision then who. The matter comes to the debate table because of the appointment of Justice Bernard Murphy during the Julia Gillard term as Prime Minister. The AG at the time of the appointment – 13th June 2011 – was Robert McClelland. Nicola Roxon took over the portfolio in Dec 2011. Robert McClelland was involve din the AWU scandal as a lawyer after the AWU sacked Slater and Gordon and transferred their legal work to Maurice Blackburn. Nicola Roxon worked for Maurice Blackburn and it is widely acknowledged that Roxon took over the Gillard AWU file when Gillard was sacked from Slater and Gordon. McClelland introduced into the House a speech about his knowledge of the AWU scandal and Gillard’s involvement. Read the full text of McClellan’s comments – 21st June 2012 – in Hansard here via Andrew Bolt’s blog, or via APH here. There is a 12 month gap between McClellan’s comments and the prior appointment of Bernard Murphy. McClelland was sacked from the Gillard Ministry for supporting Kevin Rudd in his early 2012 Leadership spill. You do not have to be too clever to understand McClelland’s motives for the Hansard comments. What is interesting is that if McClelland knew about Gillard’s AWU scandal involvement, who else knew as well. And – if the numbers of ALP MP’s and Senators were aware of Gillard’s AWU scandal involvement, why was she chosen to become PM with the chequered AWU history there for the media and public to expose? Was the Bernard Murphy a payback by Gillard to hush up his knowledge of Gillard’s involvement in the AWU scandal – the evidence revealed to date had Murphy’s account differing with another Partner’s on the record account, and the transcript of Gillard’s recorded termination interview. As a policy issue – if the PM abuses their office to make judicial appointments who would know? Is there an appeals process for judicial members to appeal their case for a position they feel qualified for and want? The concept of Governments stacking the Courts is theatre stuff … honest and genuine Governments don’t play politics with Judicial appointments, just the same as judicial appointees never bare their political persuasion when passing judgement. That is how it is supposed to work and there are many judgements made that challenge the courts neutrality. The media and other vested interest try time and again to make the case of bias decisions from the judiciary. There is no case law where this has been proven. The Courts are often though of as being the third (3rd) arm of Government, behind the Legislature, and the Executive. [see link here.] Our Court Justices are charged with enforcing the Laws of the Land and as revealed with the High Court’s dismissing the Government’s Malaysian solution to asylum seekers, they are not only required to be seen to independent but they must act independently. Please take a minute to register your opinion in the Poll below: [EYE-BALL] … The Day’s Updates – Media Stories: … [EYE-BALL] … Amedia story no one is writing about is the Treasury forecasts made in May for the 2013 Budget and the $33 billion hole across the forward estimates made only 11 weeks later. Surely the story we all want to know is how Treasury could have got it so wrong – yet again. Remember the 2012-13 forecast in May 2012 was for a $1.5 billion surplus. It was revised down to $500 million surplus in the mid year estimates and then in Dec 2012 it all came unstuck. As at the May 2013 Finance Department numbers the budget is at $17 billion deficit. So in the space of the time from May 2012 – to Aug 2013 – the Treasury estimates have made errors in excess of $50 billion … how can the Treasury forecast modelling be trusted. The Opposition have every right to have no confidence in handing over their policy’s for costing by Treasury. But the question has to be asked – why have they not used the incompetence of Treasury over the past 2 odd years as the reason. The other news story today worthy of note was the High Court decision on the MRRT challenge from Twiggy Forrest.
Please give your feedback on whether you have confidence in the Treasury modelling and the numbers presented in Chris Bowen’s amended budget forecast: … [EYE-BALL] … Harry Growl’s Water Cooler Gossip: … [Harry Growl] …
… [Harry Growl] … The BULLSHIT Measure: The graphs showing the “Bullshit” measure will be updated weekly or there abouts … please if you find a story or media report that reeks of the ‘bullshit’ context, please send a link of the story text via comments section below. General Links to Election data and Information: AEC’s Enrollment Drive: Linked here. Today is Day 1 of the 34 day campaign and the immediate focus of the ALP and the Greens is to get as many un-enrolled electors enrolled … the deadline is seven (7) days and the AEC link to find more information about whether you are enrolled can be found here. [EYE-BALL.] ABC’s Vote Compass: Linked here. A brilliant on-line survey presented by the ABC’s Anthony Green will prove to be an election barometer never seen before. His 30 question survey has gone ballistic this morning with 170,000 people logging on to give their responses. His questions will decide the election issues seen as most important and the major party’s will be keenly seeking Green’s data to help them plan their election strategies. [EYE-BALL] Party Policy links:
Campaign Speeches:
Link to the ABC’s 2013 Election coverage:
Final Comments from EYE-BALL: This new election commentary page is provided as a service to subscribers and readers during the 2013 election campaign. All and any abusive comments will be deleted without notice. Satire and witty comments are appreciated … and in all seriousness, this Nation is a bee’s dick away from disaster, and if anyone thinks that Rudd or Abbott have the goods to be our PM and lead this Nation away from that disaster, please express your thoughts and reasons in the comments section below. You never know, your comment might just make a difference. |
| Please – if you found this story to your liking and would like to promote it to your social media contacts – i.e. Twitter, Facebook, or other icon linked account below – please use/click on your favoured Icon(s) to promote the story. Thankyou.
Have your say where it counts: – contact your Local Federal Representative via the links below and let them know how you feel about this, or any other topic that you feel strongly about – or you can just post a comment below and let off some steam. Links to Australian Parliamentary Website – MP’s
|
EYE-BALL’s – “On the Hustings” – The Campaign Trail – Day 2
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| Title: – EYE-BALL’s “On the Hustings” – – The Campaign Trail – Day 2 – | Author: No-Way José | 6th Aug 2013 | |
| Policy Issue Debate – Corruption in Politics: …[EYE-BALL] …
Why Not? With the Obeid/MacDonald ICAC revelations, the ongoing Craig Thompson saga that started in 2010, the AWU scandal on the go since the early 1990’s and both still not resolved, and then there is the Peter Slipper affair that goes back to the Howard years – political corruption and the abuse of parliamentary privileges is a big issue for the electorate. The Gillard assist in having the Thompson and Slipper incidents waylaid to allow the Gillard minority Government to stay in power is another issue that reeks of corrupt deals – yet and nobody in politics is interested in seeking the truth or having those deals exposed. The electorate want the debate, they want positive action to clean up the corruption issues and the longer Rudd and Abbott and other candidates hold off on the debate the more disengaged the electorate will become. When the rorting or travel and other personal expenses is excused as in the case of the Opposition Leader, the vested self serving interests that allow these claim error hiccups to go away is not the way these matters should be dealt with. We want the overseas trips for cooking lessons, and Test cricket junkets, the family trip to Tuscany to all stop. We want MP’s to pay for their own lunches and stop dining on the public purse. We want them to use taxi’s, buses and rail to experience the real public transport shortcomings the public are forced to endure. Claiming security needs and time constraints should be restricted to Cabinet Ministers – not backbenchers nor Senators. The first candidate to take a hard-line on political corruption will set a trend that can only drag all the other candidates into the same debate. Being soft on corruption is a great negative to any party or individual … If this be so – then why won’t they talk or debate the issue? Simple really – they are all a part of the problem and because they operate under a self-policing arrangement, they will not advocate for independence of the ‘watchdog’ ensuring expense claim legitimacy. Now that would be an election issue that most voters would be very interested in. Do you agree: [Please vote your interest below.] … [EYE-BALL] … The Day’s Updates – Media Stories: … [EYE-BALL] … The most honest of all the media stories browsed/read yesterday and overnight was a story by Peter Hatcher from “The Age” titled Both parties peddle a fiscal fairytale … lead in below:
Hatchers story reflects what we all know but political leaders want to take no notice of. Who wins an election with policies that increase taxes … yet that is what is needed. Please give your feedback on tax increases: … [EYE-BALL] … The Day’s Updates – Political Campaign Stories: …[EYE-BALL Guru.]… The obvious clanger of the day is the Opposition’s claim that lower interest rates translates to poor economic management.’ Joe Hockey made the statement in relation to the expectation the RBA will reduce official interest rates to 2.5% when the RBA meets today. This level is a record low for official interest rates and Mr Hockey made the statement that this means that the economy is not doing well. Mr Hockey has not updated his personal website with the text of link to his comments. However, Mike Pasco writing for the SMH posted a story on Mr Hockey’s credentials late last week – linked here – and points out Mr Hockey has some creditability issues as the alternative Treasurer. Searching for confirmed text and video of Hockey making his comment re the lower interest rates mean poor economic management are still eluding search and research requests. Perhaps Hockey has killed the story and the fact that his personal website does not carry the story is indicative. Suffice to say – interest rates go up and down in this Nation in response to the RBA’s view on inflationary pressures. EYE-BALL Guru has made the argument countless times that this inflation targeting by the RBA is in fact one of the major causes of our weakening economy. Interest rates should have been at these levels 3-4 years ago as they were with the rest of our major trading partners suffering under the GFC impact – see Guru charts below: Global Central Bank Cash Rates: – [click image to enlarge in a new window.]
10yr and 2yr CGS v RBA Cash Rate: – [click image to enlarge in a new window.]
Both these charts reflect the RBA’s policy in how Interest rates are used to kill inflation whether there be the threat of inflation or not. The easiest message the Opposition can use on economic Management is to ask the question why mortgage holders have had to pay A$1,000’s in forced higher interest rates compared with our trading partners? Why have offshore investors been allowed to plunder our riches at the expense of mortgage holders? Both these policy explanations would stump the Government – nobody thinks inflation is an issue anywhere across the globe – why is the RBA stuck in this twilight zone where 20 odd years ago, inflation was a problem for all the western world. All political parties are stuck in the mud on this issue and claim the RBA”s independence, just like Treasury – these bureaucrats get it wrong – just look at the $33 billion hole since the MAy ’13 budget. Of course the higher interest rates here influenced the value of the A$ and that higher value had an impact on all our export industries leading to job losses and increased domestic labour costs relative to the rest of the world. The fact that the media nor the political brains of our Nation have not made the connect and acted accordingly gives insight to the how and why we are where we are economically speaking, and in the position of being forced to prop up the car industry and spend taxpayer funds to support ailing export and domestic business’. Mr Hockey and Mr Robb would be a worse alternative to Swan and Wong, now the ALP has The economy will be a big election issue – on management, on spending restraint, and on policy implementation i.e. Gonski, NBN, Disability Insurance etc … but what it won’t be about is who best understands the global market and how Australia is an island in a cyclone tempest where we live and die by the value of the A$ and the export revenues that rise and fall on the back of the stability of the A$. …[EYE-BALL Guru.]… Harry Growl’s Water Cooler Gossip: … [Harry Growl] …
… [Harry Growl] … The BULLSHIT Measure: The graphs showing the “Bullshit” measure will be updated weekly or there abouts … please if you find a story or media report that reeks of the ‘bullshit’ context, please send a link of the story text via comments section below. General Links to Election data and Information: AEC’s Enrollment Drive: Linked here. Today is Day 1 of the 34 day campaign and the immediate focus of the ALP and the Greens is to get as many un-enrolled electors enrolled … the deadline is seven (7) days and the AEC link to find more information about whether you are enrolled can be found here. [EYE-BALL.] ABC’s Vote Compass: Linked here. A brilliant on-line survey presented by the ABC’s Anthony Green will prove to be an election barometer never seen before. His 30 question survey has gone ballistic this morning with 170,000 people logging on to give their responses. His questions will decide the election issues seen as most important and the major party’s will be keenly seeking Green’s data to help them plan their election strategies. [EYE-BALL] Party Policy links:
Campaign Speeches:
Link to the ABC’s 2013 Election coverage:
Final Comments from EYE-BALL: This new election commentary page is provided as a service to subscribers and readers during the 2013 election campaign. All and any abusive comments will be deleted without notice. Satire and witty comments are appreciated … and in all seriousness, this Nation is a bee’s dick away from disaster, and if anyone thinks that Rudd or Abbott have the goods to be our PM and lead this Nation away from that disaster, please express your thoughts and reasons in the comments section below. You never know, your comment might just make a difference. |
| Please – if you found this story to your liking and would like to promote it to your social media contacts – i.e. Twitter, Facebook, or other icon linked account below – please use/click on your favoured Icon(s) to promote the story. Thankyou.
Have your say where it counts: – contact your Local Federal Representative via the links below and let them know how you feel about this, or any other topic that you feel strongly about – or you can just post a comment below and let off some steam. Links to Australian Parliamentary Website – MP’s
|
EYE-BALL’s – “On the Hustings” Day 1 – The Campaign Begins –
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| Title: – EYE-BALL’s “On the Hustings” Day 1 – – The Campaign Begins – | Author: No-way José | 5th Aug 2013 | |
| Welcome to the greatest ego fest ever where the wannabe’s and pretenders to our welfare tell us how good they are, and how much of a difference they will/want/try to make.
None of us really take a whole lot of notice of what is promised, i.e. none of us expect deliverance as history proves, but what can we reasonably expect from these cashed up political parties?History proves that the talk is by far more than the reality … so who and how do we figure out who is the best/worst liar, who has the most believable policy that will make a difference? EYE-BALL’s “BULLSHIT” measure is designed to access every Political Party’s policy bullshit component therein. All the major Party’s have a start value of 40% based on a generalised view on past performances. The exception is the “None of the Above” campaign who aren’t wanting anybody to vote for them – just to not vote for anybody unless you the voter are sure the candidate you do vote for will serve your interests best.
To explain the measure further the following is offered: how much can a candidate/party/leader obviously lie to the public before the public realises that what is offered really is a ‘bullshit’ offer. We acknowledge that most of us are only professional political analysts once or twice every three years … but our instincts are accurate because we always get the Government we vote for.
In addition to the Political Party “BULLSHIT” measure, there is also the Media “BULLSHIT” measure as indicated by the chart below. The Media measure is not hard – News have declared their Coalition bias, and the ABC and Fairfax are ALP supporters. EYE-BALL’s opinions are neutral and are about the only unbiased opinions that will be expressed outside the mainstream media arena. WHO can you trust for your political analysis? Day 1: AEC’s Enrollment Drive: Linked here. Today is Day 1 of the 34 day campaign and the immediate focus of the ALP and the Greens is to get as many un-enrolled electors enrolled … the deadline is seven (7) days and the AEC link to find more information about whether you are enrolled can be found here. [EYE-BALL.] ABC’s Vote Compass: Linked here. A brilliant on-line survey presented by the ABC’s Anthony Green will prove to be an election barometer never seen before. His 30 question survey has gone ballistic this morning with 170,000 people logging on to give their responses. His questions will decide the election issues seen as most important and the major party’s will be keenly seeking Green’s data to help them plan their election strategies. [EYE-BALL] Party Policy links:
Day 1 Campaign Speeches:
Link to the ABC’s 2013 Election coverage:
Snippet Updates from EYE-BALL’s – Harry Growl:
Final Comment from EYE-BALL: This new election commentary page is provided as a service to subscribers and readers during the 2013 election campaign. All and any abusive comments will be deleted without notice. Satire and witty comments are appreciated … and in all seriousness, this Nation is a bee’s dick away from disaster, and if anyone thinks that Rudd or Abbott have the goods to be our PM and lead this Nation away from that disaster, please express your thoughts and reasons in the comments section below. You never know, your comment might just make a difference. |
| Please – if you found this story to your liking and would like to promote it to your social media contacts – i.e. Twitter, Facebook, or other icon linked account below – please use/click on your favoured Icon(s) to promote the story. Thankyou.
Have your say where it counts: – contact your Local Federal Representative via the links below and let them know how you feel about this, or any other topic that you feel strongly about – or you can just post a comment below and let off some steam. Links to Australian Parliamentary Website – MP’s
|
EYE-BALL Opinion’s “None of the Above” campaign – We don’t trust our Leaders –
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Latest EYE-BALL ‘None of the Above’ Posts: – 28th May – New cash grab to cover Political Party Administration Costs – – 5th Nov – Referendum Discussion No 1 – Compulsory Voting – “None of the Above” Campaign – – 3rd Nov 2012 – ALP voters beware – The Labour Party is not what it seems – – 2nd Aug 2012 – New Q’LD LNP amends Party Funding arrangements …. – 13th July 2012 – The Consequence of Poor Political Leadership – 12th July 2012 – This Labour Party is Diseased – 10th Jan 2011 – Australia Votes – “None of the Above” Campaign – Link to 2011 JSCEM Submission (PDF file format) |
Title: – we don’t trust our Leaders – – part of Eye-Ball’s – “None of the Above Campaign” – | Author: EYE-BALL Opinion | 4th Aug 2013 | |
 Link to the Eye-Ball – ‘None of the Above’ campaign Front Page …
Most of this post was written during the past week – but the news yesterday – [Sunday 4th Aug 2013] – that PM Rudd has called a 7th Sept election is news that a Nation has been waiting for, and renders some of the commentary outdated. On the Election: Why Rudd believes calling an election now serves the ALP’s as the best timing for an ALP good showing, can only mean that he and his advisors do not expect to win. Last week’s release of the NSW ICAC reports into NSW ALP corruption, and with the ‘Acacia’ report still to be released, can only mean the news cycle in coming weeks will harm the ALP vote bigtime. There is also the revelations of new investigations into additional ALP figureheads that will only do additional harm to the Labor vote. Why would Rudd choose to go now? If Rudd does lose and he will, his political career is over. It it more than likely that his ‘arrangement’ included a contingency that in the case of a loss, he will resign and look to take up a UN or Security Council position. In that scenario Rudd’s future career becomes something he wants. Who would want to lead the ALP given the issues they will have to deal with after the election and in Opposition. Look to NSW and QLD post their State elections. In fact given those results everybody had to have known that the Federal ALP brand could not survive the swell against the ALP vote. The ALP cannot win this election and to think otherwise is fanciful. They would have to win 6 seats plus hold all the seats they currently have. In NSW they are expected to lose 10-15 seats … Victoria about 4-5 … SA maybe 2-3 … Tasmania maybe 1-2 … WA perhaps 3-4 … and in QLD, before Rudd took over from Gillard they only had a chance of holding Rudd’s own seat – now they talk of winning seats there, the reality is they will probably lose 3-4 seats. In a worst case scenario that means losses of 33 seats, and in a best case scenario the losses would be restricted to 23 seats. Before Rudd’s appointments the talk was of a 30-40 seat loss, so any number less than these Gillard leadership predictions can only be seen as justifying the Gillard dumping. The NSW ICAC Reports: Where is the effort to fight injustice and tyranny within our Political ranks? Any investigative body who investigates itself can never be trusted. That is a statement that rings true in any industry or Government office. Management the globe over and in positions to write their own expense account limits carry that air of entitlement that most can only dream about. That Management gravy ride has extended deeper and deeper into our Public Service ranks, and these days Government have some of the best perks and paying jobs around. Politicians head the list where entitlement is demanded as expense claims are tendered where no entitlement exists. It becomes the Dept of Finance’s job to establish legitimacy of any parliamentary claims, and many MP’s and Senators err and are forced to refund overstated claims. Why are these errors not treated in the same way as Peter Slipper’s overcharge use of cabcharge vouchers? We are asleep to these issues – the real life struggle for survival the world over is in refugee camps, on the high seas where refugees dream of a better life, among the ever increasing homeless living on the streets, and the children being used in divorce court settlements where money becomes more important than the children. In all this gloomy existence a new political voice speaks, that message is reproduced below:
In this void of political time where promised deals mean nothing by weight or legislative process – Prime Minister Rudd and Opposition would be PM Abbott joust for political gain and play the game of winning voters. Truth be known they have a ‘macro’ view of the Nation and the people only matter when it comes around to elections. Trustworthiness: How do we as a Nation get back to a place where we will trust our political leaders – what will it take? We can only choose from the candidates before us and with the track record of all the major parties, where does one turn to seek honest and uncorrupted Governance? Julian Assange and his Wikileaks party speaks above of a ‘transparency’ within Government process – is that enough> Or, do we as citizens have a role to play through our own scrutiny of the information provided? In that context presented hereto are some well researched facts about the Tony Abbott parliamentary expense reconciliations – see excel file for full disclosure here – click on image below to enlarge in a new window:
About 3-4 weeks ago Mr Abbott was asked about the parliamentary expense travel rort he was engaged in during his book tour. The question came after FOI release of parliamentary expense refunds were released showing that Mr Abbott was forced to repay some $9,400 in travel expenses he claimed during his Australia wide book launch. The travel expenses associated with Mr Abbott’s book launch were claimed as parliamentary business expenses but investigations showed they were nothing to do with parliamentary business but of a personal nature. This on face value is no different to the ‘rort’ Peter Slipper is in court over when he used ‘cabcharge’ vouchers to transport himself to ‘wine-tasting’ events. Mr Slipper is charged with ‘rorting’ the parliamentary system for around $1,000 of misused taxpayers funds. Now let me put a scenario to you: An experienced politician like Tony Abbott would know what his travel expenses rules are. Yet he felt he had entitlement to claim ComCar services and airfares during his book tour event. Surely Mr Abbott’s intent to claim those expenses cannot be explained away as a clerical error, or that his staff got the purpose wrong. The rule of thumb with parliamentary expenses seems to be – claim everything and let the burden of proof fall to the MAPPs Department to find the fraudulent claim. Mr Abbott would have known that his book tour expenses were off limits in terms of his parliamentary expenses. Then why the use of ComCar services to get him to and from airports and venues whilst promoting his book launch? This is not how the system works – any burden of entitlement must fall to the Member and the Member alone must be accountable for erroneous claims – i.e. 500% penalties imposed if a claim cannot be verified or justified, and a revoking of all parliamentary expenses over and above the bare minimum to manage his staff and parliamentary office. The parliamentary expense system is being abused and nobody seems to really care – least of all the Parliamentarians. Peter Slipper is defending his abuse of expense claims in court with taxpayer funds – surely he must know that what he did was wrong and why hurt the taxpayer again by claiming Legal Aid to defend his position? This is hubris and entitlement gone amuck and the fact that no MP or Senator speaks out about the abuse highlights just how deep they are all in it. Further investigation of Mr Abbott’s parliamentary expenses see that he has used almost $500,000 in ComCar expenses since July 2009 and up until Dec 2012. His spouse/family has also used another $13,000 in ComCar expenses during the same period. Now if Mr Abbott is an example of a expense entitlement deluge by all our MP’s and Senators – no wonder the $400 million parliamentary expense price tag is an expense that rises each and every term. Summary: Morality, Integrity, Honesty – just three issues where our Leaders should excel … yet who can be trusted to provide Governance where these ingredients are in surplus? Please make your vote count – please don’t vote top of the ticket i.e. PArty of choice, vote for you local candidate because you believe they are the best person and someone you can trust. If you don’t know your candidate don’t blindly trust they will represent you. If you have doubts make the effort to contact them and ask them questions that are of concern to you. If unconvinced – vote “NONE OF THE ABOVE” in a box you will make on the ballot paper … don’t hand up your vote freely – whoever you vote for will get $2.51 in electoral refunds … make them earn that refund. A ‘None of the Above’ vote saves taxpayers funds. |
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Have your say where it counts: – contact your Local Federal Representative via the links below and let them know how you feel about this, or any other topic that you feel strongly about – or you can just post a comment below and let off some steam. Links to Australian Parliamentary Website – MP’s
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EYE-BALL’s Snoop-Poop – Ricky Stuart – NRL Supercoach!!! Poor, Poor, Parramatta –
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 Latest ‘Snoop-Poop’ Posts:
– 30th July – 2013 State of Origin – Game 3 and Series Review… – 28th June – 2013 State of Origin – – 29th May – 2013 State of Origin – Game 1 Pre Match Review and Player Rankings … – July 5th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 3 and Series Review – June 25th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 3 Preview – June 13th: – NSW SOO Coach – A Dirty Stinkin’ RAT … – June 7th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 2 Preview – May 24th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 1 Review – May 21st: – 2012 State of Origin Preview – Game 1 To see more EYE-BALL Snoop-Poop posts: |
Title: – Ricky Stuart – NRL Supercoach!!! – – Poor, poor, Parramatta – | Author: EYE-BALL’s Snoop-Poop | 31st July 2013 | |
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| The fall of the Parramatta Rugby League dynasty has been many years in the making – they last won a premiership in 1986 – their 4th and all since their first in 1981.
It was the era of Jack Gibson, Stirling, Price, Kenny, Cronin, Groth, Ella, and many other Eels legends – it is the only era Eels fans have had to cheer about. Ever since they have been a Club trying to recapture those glory days and their fans have been kept waited a long time. The most recent history of the manic coach musical chairs sees Ricky Stuart sitting in the job. When his time is done it will be proven that Parramatta are a Club without a soul, without a heartbeat, a club where the rudder of Leadership is a bankrupt and left meandering in an abyss where the fans keep showing up, the players keep turning up, but the outcome stays the same. As an outsider it is easy to see all this – my friend as an insider defends the Club to the hilt and blindly trusts his judgement as a fan to believe Ricky Stuart is the answer. It is a crime to even try to tear down his belief. When a racehorse fails to do what is expected who do the punters blame – it is never the horses fault – it is always the Trainer, the jockey, or just plain bad luck in running – it is never the horses fault. Then why is it in the human world of sport and the Parramatta League team in particular, where a 3 and 17 win loss record is not the trainer/coach/owners fault – it is the player rosters fault? Parramatta’s defining crisis point will come mid way through the 2014 season when all Parramatta fans realise that Ricky Stuart is the problem. What will they do then? The new player roster Ricky Stuart has promised will be weaker than this season – firstly – who will he attract to the club – money players at best and we all now how that works in professional football. How Parramatta can be so stupid to allow Stuart to lead the Club down a path that will tear the heart and soul from the club is something only the Club can answer. Returning to the Coach musical chair appointments see the are list below –
… can anyone remember the anguish the club went through with each of these appointments? Then a few years back many though a change of Administration was the answer when Fitzgerald was dumped after decades of service – did that solve the problem – where is Paul Orchard now? Lets recap Ricky Stuart’s credentials – Stuart won an NRL premiership in 2002 when in his first year as head coach of Easts – we all know that he was hand-held throughout the season by Phil Gould and Graham Murray – in the next three seasons when he flew solo he saw the Roosters make successive Grand finals and lose – and then in 2006 he was booted from the club – all the while his player pool was of high quality. His stats appear below: [Sourced from Wikipedia.]
Stuart’s Club Coaching performance can be viewed further using this source link: [sourced from Wikipedia.] During the 2011-2012 period he was a NSW appointed State Of Origin head Coach and was appointed so because NSW felt that the rigors of a NRL Coach coaching the SOO team was too much. Stuart’s State of Origin performance history is displayed in first table above – coached 9, won 4 and lost 5, with a series win in 2005 – the last time NSW won a SOO series. For Parramatta fans and Administrators to have placed the Club’s survival prospects in the hands of Ricky Stuart it is an almighty gamble. At Test level we all remember losing the WOrld Cup and Stuart going on a rant about the referee that is his living legacy. I asked a question of the Parramatta fans – ‘do you not think that if the players were getting the job done the Club would be better off?’ A stupid Q&A scenario – of course on field success brings contentment within the Club. But Parramatta fans have gone past this point – now it is the thought of on-field success at some point in the future that brings contentment. If Parramatta’s problems have not been solved with a revolving coach policy, how do they think they will succeed with a revolving player policy? WIth their recent performance history as the only incentive to attract players – who do they think will get to come and play at Parramatta – let alone under a Coach like Stuart who thinks the current player roster can’t get the job done – walking this player dump walk is inviting players to be judged based on a Coach’s ability to win games. Stuart’s record over his whole coaching career is not that great – how do Parramatta fans think he will change that around? Stuart strikes all as someone who has anger issues – his emotive sideline antics has a two-sided impact – we all see his passion and him wearing his heart on his sleeve – but so do the players. Again we all remember his post match antics when he lost the World Cup – Australia losing to NZ in Australia – Wayne Bennett helped coach that NZ side with Stephen Kearney – in fact that Kearney performance and his Assistant Coach record with the Storm under Bellamy, was the reason Parramatta gave Kearney two years coaching at Parramatta. Stuart has come after Kearney and now in his 1st season he has three wins from 18 matches and his answer is to dump half the 1st grade player roster and the Club supports him in the action. Poor … Poor … Parramatta … Blind Freddie can see that the problem the players have on the field comes from the Coach and the Administration’s desperation … why should the players put their bodies on the line when all they see is a Club self-destructing. Players can read the signs, and it is they who go out there and get booed by the fans every week for their performances. All on behalf of the real failures – the Coach and the Club Administrators. It’s time for the fans to get real, wake up and take back their club. The ‘dreamland’ the fans live in is all a part of the fracture that is the Parramatta Rugby League Club … an example – Chris Sandow – a Souths reject picked up by Parramatta for $500+ when any league fan could see he was a dud … even my friend who supported the buy initially has come on bended knee and acknowledged that he can’t play and it was a bad buy. No – Parramatta will agin own the wooden spoon and in the next season when Stuart has promised all – they will again be favourites to run last. Poor … Poor … Parramatta … Stuart leaves his mark – look where Cronulla are now – and how long did it take Easts to again be a competitive force in the competition. Ricky Stuart is no supercoach – in fact this blogger thinks he should just bow out of the game and learn to deal with his anger issues. Perhaps when he has learnt some humility and wants to give back to the game, he should try coaching some kids where he can let the players teach him about respect and a true coach’s role in getting the best out of players. Stuart has to learn how to give rather than take from the game … that is his story.
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EYE-BALL’s Herman on – Federal Economic Update – A conjuror’s spin –
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Links to Previous ‘Herman’ Posts:
– 17th July – Constitutional Reform – This time it is recognising Local Council. – 5th July – Gone – Ski Part II (Gone is Gonski) – 27th June – Gone-Ski: Prime Minister Julia Gillard – – 24th June – The Ashes – – 21st June – The Senate – – 5th June – Zombies – – 1st June – Canberra – and black holes – -30th May – What is an adequate Contrition? – – 24th May – Simplex – – 19th May – The Tears of a Prime Minister – – 24th Mar – An Example of bureaucracy gone mad – – 10th Mar – The Carbon Tax – Post Election … – 7th Mar – Wayne Swan – Please Stop 28th Feb – The Australian Labor Party View – 6th Feb – Corruption – 25th Jan – Anti Discrimination – – 17th Jan 2013 – Atheism – – 12th Nov – Hegemony – 2nd Nov – A March early Federal election – To see more EYE-BALL ‘Herman’ posts: |
Title: – Federal Economic Update – – A conjuror’s spin – | Author: EYE-BALL’s Herman O’Hermitage | 2nd Aug 2013 | |
| Some have termed it a mini-budget. Unless it is debated on the floor of parliament it is not that. It will not be passed into law until after the election. It contains updated Treasury estimates. The deficit trajectory is now for a fiscal deficit of A$30.1bn in 2013/14.
It is yet another ALP policy statement. Everything that has occurred since Rudd ascended back to the lodge, is another roll of the dice, attempting to reverse the contrarian opinion polls since early 2010. Virtually nothing has received scrutiny through parliamentary processes only trial by media. Each roll of the dice is asking us the electorate to give them another chance. Given the tardiness or lack of merit of the opposition we continue to grasp at any other alternative. That is particularly what the opinion polls are saying. There is no realistic choice. When the budget was passed down in May, I was deeply shocked to find a structural deficit approaching $20bn. I expected a deficit approaching 10bn. Gillard has gone, Swan is gone and so on but Swan is standing again for Lilley, and more. Wong switched camps, and Dreyfus and Burke (it all doesn’t really matter). Hey Bob Carr appointed by Gillard switched horses mid race. The real problem was how do you reverse the structural deficit when GDP is under immense pressure, where cutting government consumption will make things worse? The deficit and government debt prior to last May (at that stage of the economic cycle) was totally inappropriate. Stimulus was required rather than cutting federal government spending. Anyone who said the bleeding obvious, that a recession by 2015/16 is becoming more probable is guilty of talking down confidence. But should you quietly speculate on this bleak outlook, then that is OK because that is called free markets. Not predatory behaviour. Costello did well to put a surcharge on superannuation drawing from future spending rather than current spending in the late 1990’s but it came at a cost. The cost of reversing the policy and compensating in time for the cost, the desecration. Some might even argue the reversal was the seeds of part of today’s problems but I see that as part of the overall stresses created by the ensuing mining boom. There was a major economic policy shift in November 2007 and from there onward. Australia started running substantial fiscal deficits. With every turn of the page, government ramped up consumption. The package today at 1pm AEST is currently all about bank’s deposit insurance and tobacco excise. Each are worthy of careful scrutiny but they are also a major smokescreen. Unemployment has risen. Volumes to export for the major miners are up in coal. A glimmer of hope has appeared for the live cattle trade, with prices stabilising. The AUD has fallen to just below 90, to assist terms of trade. Several sectors of the broader economic spectrum are doing well, as measured through ASX performance. But WA property prices are weak, the mining services sector is sick, the signs are mixed. The problems of major sectors like SPC Ardmona in the Shephardon and Goulbourn valleys are insignificant compared to those like the car industry. On Wednesday morning local radio featured a story of Mark who is sleeping rough on the steps of Parramatta Town Hall. He had a job once , but when he was made redundant he sooner or later found himself on the street. When you couch surf, sooner or later you burn your friends. You outstay your welcome. Surviving on $220 a week is impossible. You can’t afford rent. You can’t save a deposit bond, or an electricity deposit. Vagabonds drift towards Parramatta because of the meal van each night at Prince Alfred Park. Sooner or later all your worldly possessions are moved around in a shopping trolley. The fridge and TV and stereo were hocked to pay bills a long time ago. There is a core group of men sleeping rough in the Parramatta precinct of 40. The aid services are stretched. No one would consider hiring you or giving you a job. You are sleeping rough, and generally considered to be of poor mental health. Definitely dishevelled unwashed and unkempt. Mark was very well spoken, and it was radio, so I can only wonder was it all a political beat up? But the story is indicative of what is really happening out there, of the long term unemployed, how it breeds mental health issues, of those struggling to find hope. Those who know of a better world, but are on the outside looking in. Too often cold and hungry. So today while we speculate on the price of tobacco and the efficacy of bank deposit insurance, both designed to distract from the real issue ie the fall in government incomes (taxes) and the excesses of federal parliamentarians, do we spare a thought for Mark or Mary (the single Mum) or Ralph (the alcoholic) or Beryl (the broken grandma – who hasn’t seen her grandchildren in over a decade for whatever reason). The more I dwell on it, the more I dwell on the speech I made at 7.45am on election day 3 years ago. In 15 minutes those doors will open and we will go into a working frenzy. We will assist the little fella to play his part in our democracy. We are the servants of democracy. Today we are expected to help those little people cast 4000 votes. Each polling assistant is expected to serve 600 local electors, and each declaration officer is expected to help cast 100 votes. Today is the one day in the 3 year electoral cycle when we get to hear from them. We have heard enough of the politicians and all their promises. Today it is the little persons turn. The ones who to get to have their say every 1100 days. We will treat them as the voice of democracy. Etcetra. Within a fortnight of that day as the counting was pointing to a hung parliament, the media was in their speculative frenzy, could we have true bi-partisan cabinet, should we go back to the polls, the futility, the chaos and now nearly 1100 days later, just the void. Today as the Australian Bankers Association threatens how if a deposit insurance tax is not implemented properly, it could jeopardise the core strength of the banking sector – that is a euphemism for the banks who each make roughly 6bn per annum will pass it on to the mortgage sector. 0.05% deposit insurance can be passed onto term deposit rates, but can it be passed on to savings accounts where nominal interest is 0.10% (before outrageous fees). Without going on to tobacco excise, Canberra misses the point. When they talk of Public Service productivity savings of 2.25% (having risen from 1.25% last May – in the forward estimates) it is hollow – it is rhetoric, it is pyrrhic. As a financial planner you talk about discretionary spending. If Canberra be serious about cutting discretionary spending they might start in their own backyard. During this parliament Canberra (the Productivity Commission) awarded themselves pay rises of 30% (according to some 40%). Only weeks ago they were discussing new electoral funding measures. How about cutting parliamentary wages by 10% (make that 20%) and cap parliamentary expenses for the next term at 80% of parliamentary expenses for the current term (about to expire). The flow on to senior civil servants will start a meaningful dialogue. That will really affect discretionary spending. Nextly get tough with the banks. WE ALL DRINK from the same well. Your sector’s health is not beyond that of the household sector or small business. Any bank paying any executive million $ bonuses we are watching! We have levers we will use to curtail your excesses! Why do you charge the destitute silly fees (without decency – yet encourage this deregulated nonsense)? Then comes real change with the public service. This word we use called Productivity is becoming an oxy moron. It is mixed up and abused, with regulation, green or environmental and culminates in red tape. All projects will be affordable. Cost benefit will become a core value embodied in all mission statements. Transport will be affordable and efficient. Taxes and charges must be justified, or eliminated. All types of cash splash will not fall on the household sector or small business. There will be no new taxes in the next 3 years. And it will go on. And On. Don’t forget -This will be implemented by Christmas. Everything we are currently hearing is nothing but spin. The spin of the conjuror. It is that stage of the electoral cycle. It is time to hear from the little fella. But he has no idea what to think. What might I say on election day this year. Argh! Believing in sanity, is itself insanity. |
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Have your say where it counts: – contact your Local Federal Representative via the links below and let them know how you feel about this, or any other topic that you feel strongly about – or you can just post a comment below and let off some steam. Links to Australian Parliamentary Website – MP’s
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EYE-BALL Opinion – EYE-BALL’s MediaZone Growl No: 4 – Australia’s Media Horde
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| Title: – EYE-BALL’s MediaZone Growl No: 4 – – Australia’s Media Horde – | Author: EYE-BALL MediaZone | 30th July 2013 | |
| Hello all … frustration more than anything drives this post – frustration at our Media and the complete ineptness demonstrated in the way they report political stories and the News.How many times do you now see a story and immediately recognise the bias involved, the slant, the unasked question we all want asked, the pursuit of a desired answer to a question we all know was prompted, how many times do we see journalists behaving like dogs off their leash?The reality in how politics is being fed to the public via News broadcasters is nothing more than extended personal political battle-lines, all to a cause to serve media barons and their lust for political favours.
All political News these days holds a propaganda message designed to influence rather then inform. A lead story on one broadcast is treated as low profile on a different broadcaster because of how it portrays the story comport. Who’s interests were best served when the Gillard ‘police investigation’ story was rejected by the media as News, who’s interests are being served when the Abbott travel rorts for his book publishing tour were discovered and treated as a non event? The Slipper, Thompson, Williamson, Obeid, MacDonald corruption stories – all major fraud stories and stories all given different prominence and focus by different broadcasters. Over a long time the likes of Rupert Murdoch and his fellow media barons have demonstrated their willingness to sacrifice integrity and moral standards in the pursuit of political favour for withheld news stories. Deals are done and trade off’s made to have stories pulled or ‘toned down’ when the media is looking for favour – be it lobby donations for a more agreeable media ownership spread, more coverage, more influence, and it sickens to imagine where it will all end. The Media are responsible for the greatest fraud of all time – the media barons alone have destroyed the integrity of News reporting – remember Conrad Black, the Maxwell empire, and the countless other media barons over the years who have come and gone. There is still one that has survived them all – the Murdoch press. Globally Murdoch is the most influential media empire the world has ever seen – and still he does not have enough. Who do we have in Australia, Kerry Stokes, Fairfax – ha … small time players and not in the same market as Murdoch. Murdoch plays the ‘kingmaker’ … and the Australian politicians and public listen. Neutrality of opinion has disappeared in the way journalists write their stories. Editorials express opinions and journalists take their cue from the editors. To highlight the most recent episodes of some non Murdoch owned or influenced TV shows – the following is presented. The three high-profile political programs I watch are “Insiders”, “The Bolt Report”, and “Q&A” – in no particular order of preference all have highs and lows in what there serve up to the public. A common thought about all three is that they do a great disservice to the political debate as media presentations. For example – The Bolt Report: Take last Sunday’s program built under promo’s in that the PM will make his first appearance on the program. Bolt invited us to see the PM squirm under his questions and revealed that the PM would answer honestly – look what happened: [Warning – watch for Bolt’s need to pursue the answer he wants – not the answer the interviewed wants to give …] You see the point – the political Q&A is not important – only the shock value to boost Bolt’s ratings. Bolt could be called a ‘narcosis psychopath’ in the way he believes his opinion is the only one that matters. He stint on “Insiders’ was proof in his believe that his opinion was more relevant and more correct whenever he shared the panel time and question. Now his show is on commercial TV and is struggling for ratings so there is commercial value in trying to play the Bob Dwyer ‘Pick-a-Box’ theme of audience drawn into the suspense and drama of trying to trip up the PM or some other guest on the show. Bolt’s ‘prima-donna’ performances have earned him a reputation that scares politicians. Albanese is the only other ALP Minister to have appeared on his show. Rudd’s aim was to shorten Bolt’s stature, Bolt’s aim was to get one over the PM on National TV. How does that advance the political debate? How does that hold the Government accountable – there were so many areas Bolt could have gone to expose Rudd’s weakness – i.e. the AWU scandal and how Gillard became PM in the first place – the Peter Slipper affair as he sat on the backbenches watching it unfold – same with the Craig Thompson affair – surely Rudd’s responses to these questions would have served the Australian people so much more than questions about a new initiative in asylum seeker policy that is currently being tested by the people smugglers. Rudd has to wear his share of responsibility as well – if he wanted to put Bolt in his place and that has to be the only reason Rudd would appear on the show – his response to Bolt’s ‘goading’ could have been so much more dismissive and to the point … it was pathetic television and a waste of time. “The Bolt Report” gets a 2/10 rating, and Andrew Bolt gets a 1/10 rating for interview style and how he presents himself as a member of Australia’s media industry. ABC’s “Q&A”: Monday nights program – linked via “IView” here – was a massive disappointment – normal host Paul Jones was absent and Virginia Trioli stepped in. The first question asked by a schoolgirl was:
‘… put Australia out of its misery …’ indeed – how does a schoolgirl who is more than likely not old enough to vote get to pass a judgement about ‘political misery’? How the researches who vet the questions allowed this to pass as in the interests of the viewers watching the program points again to program agenda as opposed to true political interest. So much of the media today are about when the election will be called – why waste all that page and TV time on a question that will never be honestly answered … Kate Ellis was allowed to state chapter and verse about the ALP policy successes whilst answering a question about something entirely different – why did the presenter allow this? The most interesting guest on the program was Peter Shergold, who was Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 2003-2008. He was also the nation’s most senior public servant when he resigned four months into Kevin Rudd’s first term as PM. In two decades he served in the public service he served four Prime Ministers and eight Ministers in both Labor and Coalition governments. During this time he established the Office of Multicultural Affairs, headed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), and was Public Service Commissioner. He was secretary of several government departments, including the Department of Education, Science and Training, and the Department of Employment, Workforce Relations and Small Business. Surely his contribution to the political debate during this program could have been better used – he hesitated on his first direct question that asked him for an opinion … the question was –
That was about the most exposing question put to Shergold – why not ask about the reason for his resignation i.e. the Rudd work ethic in those first months had the public service up in arms about the demands and hours they had to work – surely Shergold’s take on that would have audience interest in forming opinions as to why Rudd was booted by his ALP MP’s. The rest of the program descended and Magda Szubanski’s levity was about the only reason one stayed to watch the whole program. This is a program that has the ability to get real answers to people’s concerns – the problem is that it to is in a ratings war and dictated by populists formats. Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg had his moment of fame when he talked about the Rudd tweet about cutting himself shaving – really … is this what Frydenberg wants to introduce as his contribution to the debate …
This question should have opened many doors – why did the media focus on the ‘shaving cut’ as opposed to the unemployment numbers … whatever Rudd’s purpose to tweet that he cut himself – and I’m sure it was not him that actually typed the tweet but some media staffer – the opposition chose to raise the tweet in context with the unemployment numbers. Does this not demonstrate the shallowness of Frydenberg and the rest of the panel, or the audience for allowing the comments to go unchallenged? “Q%A” get a 2.5/10 rating, and it’s a rating that has been on the slide for some time. ABC’s – “Insiders”: [or the Barry Cassidy ego and ALP propaganda show – watch here – transcripts here – ] Cassidy gave Opposition Immigration spokesperson Scott Morrison a good go – unusual for Cassidy. Morrison has grown in his responsibilities and is an impressive communicator. His early days in the job prove he has come far. The issue here is that the Rudd answer to the ‘asylum seeker’ will not prove to be a failure or success until it has had time to impact. The rush by people smugglers to get the people who have paid for transit rather then refund if people change their mind highlights the desperation these people are subjected to. This is criminal and negligent homicide by the people smugglers and it all happens far away from our shores. It will only be in 9-12 months as to whether opinion can be gauged whether the policy has worked or not. Rudd knows that if he finds a perceived solution to the asylum seeker invasion that he has a better chance at the election. Abbott knows also that and success to the Rudd plan means his job becomes tougher in trying to win the election. It is understandable why the media have this focus – but they also know that short term speculation can only damage the policy as the people smugglers build a case for the Abbott response to hasten the asylum seeker exodus. “Insiders” Rating – 4/10. Summary: So where does one turn to get informed political opinion? Is the Murdoch press the only source of real journalism? None of the above programs has any real interest in exposing the AWU scandal, nor the Craig Thompson, or Peter Slipper corruption charges. I ponder long and hard as to why that is? The people have a right to know why Tony Abbott’s ‘book-tour’ travel expense claims differ to those of Peter Slipper. Why is Abbott given a free ride and Slipper hung out to dry? Also – why the Union movement was called upon to help with the payment of Thompson’s legal expenses – all to avoid his bankruptcy and the resultant calling of an election for his seat some two years ago. These are stories that have public interest yet none of the three above programs go near any depth of question on these matters. The subject of a post due to be published soon is the expense accounts for Tony Abbott – as a forerunner check out this excel file imaged below to see how Mr Abbott has used his parliamentary expenditure expense account since mid 2009. [Click image to enlarge in a new window.]
Ho hum .. off we go … the $370 million spent as expenses by our 230 MP’s and Senators has an annual spread of $1.6 million per member. That is some 8 times their recent remuneration payment – before the increase it is a factor 13 times. This $1.6 million does not include parliamentary staff cost – which can be for up to a minimum of 4 additional staff ranging in remunerations from a high of $240k to minimum’s of $65k. The $1.6 million also does not cover the cost of the non-contributary parliamentary superannuation schemes for pre 2005 members – nor the staff expenses over and above remuneration costs – i.e. redundancy, super, and health schemes. We are truly living in the age where public servants enjoy a ‘sense of entitlement’ that borders on is decadence … |
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EYE-BALL Opinion – Gillard’s Demise – Almost done –
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Latest ‘EYE-BALL Opinion’ Posts: 30th July – The Reasons for our Anger – we are living our own self-destruction – – 18th July – Get Old and Get Sacked – – 3rd July – The Elephant in the Room – Gillard’s Police Investigation – – 27th June – After the Fact: Will Gillard escape? Gillards Epitaph: Criminal or Feminist hero – – 26th June – A Nation held to Ransom – – 26th Jun – Independent Rob Oakeshott Quits – To see more EYE-BALL ‘Opinion’ posts: |
Title: – Gillard’s Demise – – Almost done – | Author: EYE-BALL Opinion | 30th July 2013 | |
| The combined efforts by many have helped see the demise of Gillard from our Parliamentary ranks. Yet – the job is still not done –
For now those who fought for her removal can take a break and feel the satisfaction in their accomplishment. Ms Gillard has abandoned her Victorian Home and her constituents and is moving herself back to South Australia – already packed and vacated well ahead of her parliamentary responsibilities. It is so typical of how our democracy is no longer about the people but about the individual. Can you see a football captain sacked quitting the team … perhaps not the ideal analogy … but the context is relevant. Gillard was voted to represent the people who lived in her electorate – not to be the PM but to be representative of constituency. Why has she deserted them and please don’t think that because an election is looming is a legitimate reason. She will be provided with a parliamentary pension somewhere near $200k+, to go along with additional perks as an ex-PM to fund the rest of her life. Her criminal past renders her as a person who should not be entitled to live off the public purse. In the time since Gillard was replaced by Rudd – some 4 weeks ago – the political fortunes of the ALP have responded – another reason to congratulate the efforts over the last 30 odd months to have her removed. But from this bloggers perspective it was not so much about the ALP v coalition – Gillard had a criminal past all ALP parliamentarians knew about yet they still elevated her to be our PM. Those who fostered, schemed, lobbied, and voted for her promotion, now have to deal with their own roles played in her elevation. This should never have happened and those responsible all have to be made accountable. There is too much invested in the AWU scandal and if Mr Rudd tries to make it go away, and the same for the Craig Thompson, Peter Slipper, and the Eddie Obeid corruption scandals, he will find his political revival will be short-lived. Justice has to be served and seen to be served. Our parliamentary system is constantly rorted by corrupt politician’s greasing their remunerations via expense account billing – all under a sense of entitlement. It all has to be exposed. The justice dished out to those who believe in this sense of entitlement has to be the equal of our courts, and more importantly because of the trust invested and extended to our leaders – any wrongdoing should carry harsher penalties. If the AWU inquiry ‘goes’ away under a Rudd or Abbott Government, then a great injustice will have been served upon the Australian people.
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EYE-BALL Opinion – The Reasons for our Anger – we are living our own destruction …
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Latest ‘EYE-BALL Opinion’ Posts: – 18th July – Get Old and Get Sacked – – 3rd July – The Elephant in the Room – Gillard’s Police Investigation – – 27th June – After the Fact: Will Gillard escape? Gillards Epitaph: Criminal or Feminist hero – – 26th June – A Nation held to Ransom – – 26th Jun – Independent Rob Oakeshott Quits – – 24th June – The ALP Cocoon – – 17th Jun – Our Leadership Betrayal – Entitlement should be earned, not assumed nor expected – – 11th June – Julian Assange – An Interview worth Watching – – 6th Jun – True Leadership – Australia is still to experience it the way it was meant – – 30th May – Revisiting the Past – A post some two years ago has relevance today .. – 13th May – Just Stunningly Beautiful – – 11th May – Budget 2013-14 – Wayne Swan about to deliver an ALP death notice – To see more EYE-BALL ‘Opinion’ posts: |
Title: – The Reasons for our Anger – – we are living our own self-destruction – | Author: EYE-BALL Opinion | 30th July 2013 | |
| The efforts from within our society to fight the injustice and the tyranny by our leaders at Local Council, State and Federal Government levels is a frustrating and lonely road. Most won’t even think about challenging the problem let alone speak out against it – yet the corruption within our Leader groups is what we most often ponder about.
It also includes how we feel about the private sector and how CEO’s and the like abuse their perks and make bonus’ that sicken the soul when revealed. It even goes to how we ponder and feel about the outward signs from our neighbours, or the person you sit next to on a train, it is most often about why our own life is not blessed with what others appear to have. We all know about the increasingly difficult struggle to make ends meet on a day-to-day basis, and that eternal question nags at us – why is it that everybody else seems to be making a better go of it? The West has nothing to complain about when it comes to poverty and opportunity to better oneself. The truth is are all in the same mortgage ‘trap’, those who don’t have one want one, and those who have one live every day not knowing whether the next day will be when it all falls apart. To those I say – take a look at third world Nations and tell yourself you deserve a better, or an easier life. The western world is asleep and oblivious to the hardships of real live being lived in distant lands. Yet – western civilisation has lost sight of what life should really be about. They live their lives day in and day out thinking they are happier and have the joyous rewards yet over time the battle has been lost and now all that remains is the anger at what they have to do to try to find happiness and joy. The reality is that Western civilisation has lost the ability to enjoy life and the pursuit of financial independence has consume society. Financial rewards has become the trigger we all think will make our lives happier and filled with joy. They don’t understand that the more they struggle for it, the more it eludes them. We are all in a life struggle we don’t really understand and have little awareness of. The real struggle for life survival is in refugee camps, on the high seas, and amongst the ever increasing homeless … the world is getting darker and soon the lights we turn on at night to make us feel safer will dim, and we will all realise just how asleep we have become to what has really been happening all around us. Real life and the survival of humanity is being played out in distant lands – out of sight and out of mind. When it comes to our doorstep we will regret not getting involved. When our society becomes dependent and at the mercy of military law, we will realise just how wrong we were to allow our Leaders to ‘dip their wicks’ and abuse their responsibilities over the last 50 odd years. Public service should be about the struggle and want to do public good – not about the decadence and exuberances our Leaders believe they have entitlement to. In the darkness fast approaching – a lone and despised voice speaks out – one might say a light shines in all that darkness and this voice of reason and accountability might be the voice we should at least listen to – a sample of that message is reproduced below:
Sorry if the intro was a bit graphic – but the despair all around us cannot be disputed. Whilst new PM Mr Rudd and Opposition would be PM Mr Abbott joust for political gain, positive media coverage, and the hearts and minds of the voters – those who are sceptics and cynics to the future of democracy focus on the greater evils. An award-winning documentary that is a must watch for everyone titled: “Decadence Decline of the Western World” – linked here – the bit-torrent download link provided here … … presents a luminous scenario as to why western civilisation has become such a struggle – why the last 50 years our society has given in to the excess of the seven deadly sins, and become the basis for our existence. Those sins represent the decadence our society now represents and the future holds no bounds for misery and misfortune. If we are to be brutally honest with ourselves those seven deadly sins have become the norm in how we live our lives … taken over our purpose and the way we live – they are – All of these exuberances have played their part in the demise of past and historic civilisations, i.e. Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and the like – and are most of the reasons why the current 300 odd years of our current Western civilisation finds itself in the death throes of a new and historic era change. The greatest concern is that we have not realised we are the designers and masters of our own destruction. We alone are responsible – just as Rome became decadent in its last days, so has western civilisation and just as they did in the demise of the Romans – these things always end badly. Be it the GFC and its ongoing crisis management lurching us further and further toward the abyss, or the doomsday forecasts about climate change and environmental destruction, to the demise and division of a muslim verses christianity holy crusade that has been a backdrop for over 2000 years, the summary is that there is no one, or no group of people who have the answers to fix the problems the world faces today. It is unfixable given the ego’s involved and the history of conflict that runs so deep within those Nations – Nations that were largely decided in post WWI and WWII carve ups. The current era of Western civilisation started around the time of America’s discovery – people flooded the new world looking for escape and opportunity. I ask – where can one now go to do the same thing? There is nowhere where new frontiers are to be discovered unless we talk of off planet or beneath the oceans. We are forever stuck and tied to what is about to follow – and that only seems fair given that we are all responsible for the mess we have made. Please – try to watch the doco via the links provided – it truly will open your eyes … |
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EYE-BALL’s Snoop-Poop – 2013 State of Origin – Game 3 and Series Review…
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| Latest ‘Snoop-Poop’ Posts:
– 28th June – 2013 State of Origin – – 29th May – 2013 State of Origin – Game 1 Pre Match Review and Player Rankings … – July 5th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 3 and Series Review – June 25th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 3 Preview – June 13th: – NSW SOO Coach – A Dirty Stinkin’ RAT … – June 7th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 2 Preview – May 24th: – 2012 State of Origin – Game 1 Review – May 21st: – 2012 State of Origin Preview – Game 1 To see more EYE-BALL Snoop-Poop posts: |
Title: – 2013 State of Origin – – GAme 3 and Series Review – | Author: EYE-BALL’s Snoop-Poop | 30th July 2013 | |
| Again the SOO Game 3 decider contest was true, fierce, and absorbing … some two weeks after the event the glow of victory still brings a smile and want to shout the ‘Queenslander’ match cry.
On the night NSW looked would be winners with possession and the tiring QLD forward pack. Yet the scoreboard did not favour them in the end result. The immediate post match questions are mountainous – so too with the benefit of time lapsed to consider the efforts of both teams. In both scenarios it comes down to one thing – what was missing from the NSW effort to get them over the line? Too have had that much ball possession in the 20 minutes prior to half-time, and then again in the last 20 minutes of the 2nd half and not be able to post a winning score, points to greater issues other than the efforts and committment the players left on the field. Gallen and Hayne missed Game 3 – would they have made the difference if they played? We’ll never know but they have not been the difference in the past in terms of NSW winning a decider. During post match interviews the word being used by NSW coaches and players was ‘clinical’ or lack of – to that I say ‘composure’ and ‘self-belief’ are better points of reference … NSW on the back-end of an 8 year drought have already written off next year because QLD host two games in 2014 – already NSW are displaying that defeatist attitude and that is the problem every NSW player has never tasted SOO victory and some have been there for many of the 8 years of losses. Whilst the crowds and the TV audience are posting new records every season – and the games themselves thrill the audience with their intensity and brutality – continued excuses for NSW losses only avoid the cold hard truth and that truth comes in many forms. Phil Gould’s interview shown pre-match with Smith, Kronk, Thurston and Slater tells much of the story – this group of players have been together since junior league learning and feeding off each other all their league careers. Bonds like that can never be forged – this is truly a QLD side of which legends are made from. Gordon Tallis made the comment in the pre-match build-up –
Never has a comment proved so poetic as Game 3 played itself out. QLD were gone in the back-end of both halves – be it the aging QLD team, the mystifying mistakes they make – or the 50-50 ref calls all going NSW’s way – NSW had enough ball to win this game thrice over … Yet their failure to get the job done given all the positives they had to work with – the failure to post points comes down to the options taken by the halves. During that last 10 minutes when NSW drew themselves to a 12-10 score line – every QLD’er watching had fear in their mind as they believed NSW would run over the top and end the winning streak. If NSW coach Daly was honest he would tell all they he also believed NSW would win the game from that position – the game was there to be won and yet again NSW found a way to lose … QLD did not win this game – NSW lost it. Gould would have believed in the NSW victory as well – but he knew as he has known all along – NSW don’t have what QLD have – the ability to turn adversity, the ability to weather the momentum shifts, the story is that as much as the hype demands NSW are in the contest – NSW have forgotten how to win important games. The myth that QLD’s have greater ‘ticker’, greater ‘belief’, and greater ‘composure’ lives on and was proved once again. Those north of the border say it every year in the wash-up – NSW can’t match QLD for heart and soul – and the NSW team Management say otherwise – but the truth is that every Queenslander knows that beating NSW in SOO is a blood sport that cannot be underestimated. QLD’s believe in the symbolism of SOO victories and when defeat comes – all QLD will feel a sense of loss that will have no bounds. This is what QLD players feel and play for – a responsibility worn as proudly and all those who have gone before. NSW don’t have this inner soul that comprehends – they had it once under Gould, and during the 90’s – but these recent teams have not come near what those teams showed on the field in terms of heart and soul. It can all be traced back to the biggest winning margin in Origin history – NSW crushed QLD when they posted more than 50 points in the year before the winning streak began. The NSW player antics in post try celebrations will live in QLD memory forever. Those dark days in QLD SOO history is what drives the coaches, the players, and the QLD supporters – never again … NSW don’t get it – in that contest they disrespected the game and the contest – they now deserve their humiliation in 8 series losses – never once has QLD disrespected the NSW efforts or the team players in those victories. QLD has class – and when NSW understand that their losing streak is based on their biggest victory – perhaps they might get some understanding where the QLD spirit comes from. Another reality is NSW play as individuals – they claim to have the will and the determination, and at this level there is nothing special about that commitment – it is about how far they will go as a team and as individuals to spend themselves physically, and emotionally on the field. Of course ability and insight to the game is just as important and that comes down to individual player ability – QLD’s dominance comes down to their halves combination over many years. In Pearce NSW have committed themselves for four series now and he has demonstrated from a QLD perspective that he is the weak link – Soward, Carney, and now Maloney – have been his five-eight combinations and they have come and gone and Pearce still remains. Look to Pearce’s club form and measure the stats for the re-starts he gets when in the opposition 22 – his conversion rate is the worst in the league – how can NSW selectors think that at the SOO level his record would improve or get any better? I believed NSW had the forward pack to dominate the aging and smaller QLD pack in this series – Game 1 proved that. Game 2 they went walkabout – and Game 3 they again stood up and were the better pack on the field. As a team the NSW halves just don’t make it work and QLD love to see Pearce at half – they see it as a choice that favours them. Can QLD make it 10 in a row – the odds have shortened and where can NSW go to get the players needed that are not mentally scarred? Well done QLD – suck it up NSW and in the next year try to be humble as you contemplate the enormity of QLD’s efforts.
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EYE-BALL Opinion – Get Old and Get Sacked – QLD Health Minister destroys careers –
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Latest ‘EYE-BALL Opinion’ Posts: – 3rd July – The Elephant in the Room – Gillard’s Police Investigation – – 27th June – After the Fact: Will Gillard escape? Gillards Epitaph: Criminal or Feminist hero – – 26th June – A Nation held to Ransom – – 26th Jun – Independent Rob Oakeshott Quits – – 24th June – The ALP Cocoon – – 17th Jun – Our Leadership Betrayal – Entitlement should be earned, not assumed nor expected – – 11th June – Julian Assange – An Interview worth Watching – – 6th Jun – True Leadership – Australia is still to experience it the way it was meant – – 30th May – Revisiting the Past – A post some two years ago has relevance today .. – 13th May – Just Stunningly Beautiful – – 11th May – Budget 2013-14 – Wayne Swan about to deliver an ALP death notice – To see more EYE-BALL ‘Opinion’ posts: |
Title: – Get Old and Get Sacked – – QLD Health Minister destroys careers – | Author: EYE-BALL Opinion | 18th July 2013 | |
| The QLD Government has taken career opportunity to new lengths when it agreed with a policy to sack long-term and experience nursing staff to make way for raw and new graduates.
Read story below:
This decision boggles the mind – the wealth of experience and knowledge lost in those 140 positions can never be recovered – how many mistakes will now be made with patients because of the loss of that experience. Then there is the realisation that careers now end on someone elses decision – how does 140 experience nurses start a new career or placement when Government Health funding is beyond its limits. The chances of these displaced nurses getting similar employment have to be poor – particularly when Government policy is to replace experienced and long-term employees with raw an inexperience graduates. This story is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to stupidity within Government – politicians in positions to make these types of dumb decisions need to be exposed and made accountable for the decisions made. How can a decision like this be justified? If there are no nursing positions available for new Graduates – why do honest hard-working nurses need to be sacked to make way for raw recruits? This is an abomination of a decision and needs to be fought at every opportunity – else all ages workers will be on the scrap heap as other Departments and Employers take their que from this policy. |
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EYE-BALL’s Herman on – Constitutional Reform – This time it is recognising Local Council.
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| Links to Previous ‘Herman’ Posts:
– 5th July – Gone – Ski Part II (Gone is Gonski) – 27th June – Gone-Ski: Prime Minister Julia Gillard – – 24th June – The Ashes – – 21st June – The Senate – – 5th June – Zombies – – 1st June – Canberra – and black holes – -30th May – What is an adequate Contrition? – – 24th May – Simplex – – 19th May – The Tears of a Prime Minister – – 24th Mar – An Example of bureaucracy gone mad – – 10th Mar – The Carbon Tax – Post Election … – 7th Mar – Wayne Swan – Please Stop 28th Feb – The Australian Labor Party View – 6th Feb – Corruption – 25th Jan – Anti Discrimination – – 17th Jan 2013 – Atheism – – 12th Nov – Hegemony – 2nd Nov – A March early Federal election – To see more EYE-BALL ‘Herman’ posts: |
Title: – Constitutional Reform – – This time it is recognising Local Council – | Author: EYE-BALL’s Herman O’Hermitage | 17th July 2013 | |
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| In the foreseeable future it is recognising the Indigenous heritage. The States in Australia started with the Bigge Commission of enquiry into Lachlan Macquarie’s administration. All interesting stuff (see Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bigge)
Van Dieman’s Land was given its own Legislative Council. Ipso facto New South Wales was isolated. Then was South Australia and so on. Over the next 7 decades a process developed amongst many other factors to alter those states as British colonies, then ultimately through federation, the birth of modern Australia occurred, a form of free trade zone and independence from Britain under the title the Commonwealth of Australia. The independence process in some ways took a further 7 decades to finally curtail right of appeals to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. This history while for me is fascinating for others it often loses listeners. Too much detail. In federation through the work of Sir Henry Parkes, Alfred Deakin, Edmund Barton and others (Samuel Griffith, John Cockburn, Stafford Bird) an agreement on this federation was cobbled out, and at its pinnacle is the constitution. Once more a fascinating history, where the constitution is really quite boring, great for Insomniacs, and constitutional lawyers. New Zealand and Fiji opted out, while Western Australia only joined at the midnight hour. For these purposes something started in the 1820’s (1819-25) was reversed in 1901, and 112 years later rankling continues. This constitution was something written in the late 1890’s for those times and attitudes and the constitution is very difficult to change. It was intended to be. It is so difficult to change it requires a simple majority in 4 of the states (out of 6), and an absolute majority (carried by 50 plus %). Starting all over without the British input of the late 1890’s makes sense. Every governor in 1890 was a British appointment rather than a local appointment ratified in Whitehall. Back then NSW and Vic were dominant, and their economic interest should not be preferenced over the majority of land (the population minority) ie WA, SA, QLD and Tas. Not to forget the territories (Below – listed as other). A table of House of Representative divisions by state and suburban v rural number 2013.
NB The Federal division of Berowra includes parts of Sydney’s Hills District, Dural, Arcadia up to Wiseman’s Ferry. It is included as regional but would also fit equally as suburban. You might consider NSW has 26.5 suburban seats, Similar occurs in other locales. Adelaide’s North. NSW plus QLD plus Vic (the Eastern seaboard) are 70% of the numbers in the House of Representatives (represented by population, rather than landmass) in 2013, hence the senate being an equalising factor (the house of the States), hence also the requirement for a majority of States required to change the constitution – to protect the minorities. The simple answer is the states are a throwback to Colonial times. In NSW, Farrer, Parkes and Riverina represent the western plains (vast landmass sparsely populated – sheep and wheat), New England, Hunter, Calare and Hume the western slopes (gradually more populated, more densely populated), Eden Monaro both western slopes and coastal, and Richmond, Page, Cowper, Lyne, Paterson and Gilmore the coastal divisions. In the above table they are listed as Rural. Each has a distinct personality. Coastal has more senior citizens. Coastal tends to include dairy and fishing. You can’t put the seat of Richmond in NSW on the Queensland border in the same breath as the seat of Eden Monaro on the Victorian Border. Richmond is tourism and retirement closer to the logics of Gold Coast, yet Eden Monaro represents diary, fishing and a rather different socio demographic (cheese and logging). In Local Government Eden Monaro becomes Bega Valley, Euro – Bodalla Shire, Cooma Monaro and Bombala and a bit more. The two coastal areas of Bega and Euro Bodalla have more in common than the two more alpine regions. Based on that reasoning – of course Local government must be given greater weight in the constitution. Direct economic thought , determination and policy or sovereignty. Maybe that is and should be through department of fisheries or water conservation or whatever? The Snowy Mountains scheme starts in Eden Monaro. Does Macquarie Street in Sydney truly capture their economic interests? Who really looks after the interests of the greater Murray Darling and Riverina region when it crosses into Victoria and SA actually starting in Qld? When you move into Sydney the debate alters. The NSW government wants to create about 10 Super Councils to cover Sydney more akin to what has developed in Brisbane. That means councils of up to 600,000 constituents. In the original (older) Sydney suburbs you have councils with a constituency of 40,000 electors. In the growth areas you have large councils like Sutherland Shire, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Liverpool, Campbelltown or Hornsby while in the St George parish you have Rockdale, Kogarah and Hurstville Councils. Why wouldn’t you merge Waverley and Randwick? We are currently (as always) considering sacking Ryde City Council and appointing an administrator. If it is not Ryde, then it is Randwick, or Burwood or Liverpool and so on. Corruption is endemic. See my post: Where is Ryde City? Where is Rockdale City? Or Randwick City? Blacktown City might be considered a satellite city of Sydney or Parramatta. Campbelltown and Liverpool are satellites. But how many councils are there in greater Parramatta? There is Holroyd, Prospect, Auburn, Baulkham Hills and so it goes. In the NSW Police Local Area Command structure Waverley, Bondi, Randwick and Mascot are all deemed Eastern Beaches LAC. Similarly, Marrickville, Ashfield, Lewisham, Burwood, Strathfield, Flemington and Auburn are all deemed Flemington LAC. 5 (possibly 6) Local Council areas. In Sydney councils administer town planning, garbage collection, civic centres including libraries and that is about it. Town Planning and Development applications are the real grist. Are they really integrated, or too easily corrupted? I truly belief that real reform would be Federal divisions are also local councils. One and the same. The division of Cook is basically the Sutherland Shire. The division of Eden Monaro would be The Sapphire Coast Ward, (Bega council), The Euro Bodalla Ward (Euro Bodalla Shire Council), The Cooma Ward (Cooma Monaro Council) and the Snowy Ward (Bombala Shire). It then follows that Reid would be Drummoyne, Five Dock, part of Burwood, Strathfield, Concord and Auburn. It’s mayor would also be its MHR in Canberra. Its Mayor and deputy mayor would be their MLA’s in Macquarie St. They would sit in Canberra for about 40 days per year, working on the macro level. They would sit in Macquarie Street similarly for about 40 days per year, to discuss more regional issues. Policing, health and education. They would sit fortnightly at Local level, Town Planning, chamber of commerce, local infrastructure, parking etc. Routine DA’s would be routinely passed. Only disputed application would go to council. Other Councillors would always be available. The administration would be the council. The General Manager (or CEO) will be appointed by the council just like in the corporate world, the Board of Directors appoints the CEO. Would this work in the NT seat of Lingiari? In 2010 only 46,409 votes were cast in Lingiari. That part would need special and extra consideration but it is not that different to some others like, Farrer, Kennedy, Durack, O’Connor and Maranoa by way of land mass, Leichhardt by way of remoteness and islands. It won’t happen because it will destroy the traditional parties. Elections would be truly reformed. You vote for 5 councillors in your ward. They select the Mayor, and the Deputy Mayor. You simultaneously elect State MLC’s and Federal Senators. The gate keepers – the houses of review. NSW MLC’s could be weighted to fix disparity of urban v rural. (Qld does not have an upper house at State Level). Without getting too lost on what I believe, what is the real question we are being asked to address come election day. Recognising Local Council? What does that mean? The lack of clarity or specificity of the question, means that like all history precedent, this plebiscite too will fail. When in doubt, just say no. What is bi partisan support? Why is funding so heavily weighted towards the Yes campaign? From our last plebiscite – What is a constitutional monarchy? We are not Britain. Does a democracy need a president? Do you mean a Republic? Australia is a democracy with a vice regal who is essentially ceremonial. Most Mayors in NSW are purely ceremonial. Why is corruption on council so endemic? Why is corruption in politics so endemic? Politics is confusing. Politicians don’t help. Politicians are the problem, they obfuscate and create the crisis. Most tend to believe it is out of self interest. Believing in sanity is itself insanity. The very thought of redressing the indigenous issue in the constitution makes my head spin. In the movie Lincoln much of the story was about enacting the 13th amendment of the United States constitution to outlaw slavery. It was a very deep issue. The movie is thought provoking. Was Abe Lincoln sending America’s sons to their slaughter (mass genocide) to abolish slavery? Or what is “The Amendment”? Should any changes in future to Australia’s constitution be the 1st Amendment and so on? Might it give some greater understanding, specificity or accountability? Believing in sanity is itself insanity! The following is it is a different perspective on glass half full We are the World! When thousands and thousands of people around the earth are celebrating, singing, dancing, ecstatic, drunk with the divine, there is no possibility of any global suicide. With such festivity and with such laughter, with such sanctity and health, with such naturalness and spontaneity, how can there be war?…. Life has been given to you to create, and to rejoice, and to celebrate. When you cry and weep, when you are miserable, you are alone. When you celebrate, the whole existence participates with you. Only in Celebration do we meet the ultimate, the eternal. Only in celebration do we go beyond the circle of birth and death. I Celebrate Myself. Osho Chapter 4. |
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The EYE-BALL Opinion.
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