Australian Federal Election
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="582406" data-time="1464140696"><p>
And why a stupid amount like $7? Make it an even $10 and they don't have to worry about small change if paying by cash.<br><br>
Or just get it back at tax time.<br><br><br><br>
Yeah. He's no Dutton, though...</p></blockquote>
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No, Dutton is actually competent. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="582493" data-time="1464148836">
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<p>No, Dutton is actually competent.</p>
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<p>At anything in particular?</p>
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<p>I mean, he looks and sounds a dull twat of a man, but serving in the drugs squad probably makes you a humourless fluffybunny. Particularly in QLD where you're probably on the take, anyway ;)</p>
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<p>And, TBF, the media probably cuts out anything good he says or does.</p>
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<p>They certainly didn't miss him on the "water lapping at your door" comment - that was straight up his work.</p>
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<p>Oh and the old "illiterate refugees will take Australian jobs" line. That was a fucking pearler, completely ignoring the fact that the literacy of people seeking refugee status isn't that relevant. Or the fact that <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/may/18/fact-check-was-peter-dutton-right-about-illiterate-refugees-taking-jobs'>his own department disagreed with him</a>. </p>
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<p><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bddk47SCUAA7l8x.jpg" alt="Bddk47SCUAA7l8x.jpg"></p>
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<p>In a similar vein, he denied the spying on Greens Senator Hanson-Young when she was visiting Nauru, <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/immigration-department-confirms-sarah-hansonyoung-was-spied-on-20150609-ghk0kr.html'>which again the Department contradicted.</a> He referred to her as an "embarrassment to this country". Uh... yeah...</p>
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<p>Probably can lay a bit of the blame on Abbott and ScoMo for the refugee thing of course - a lot of the asylum seeker / people smuggler rhetoric was in place long before he mumbled his way into the Immigration portfolio. </p>
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<p>Still, he wasn't much chop as a Health Minister, according to a poll of Doctors who voted him the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/12/peter-dutton-ranked-as-worst-health-minister-in-35-years-in-poll-of-doctors'>"worst health minister in living memory"</a></p>
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<p>Abstained from KRudd's apology to the Stolen Generation, which in a lot of ways is probably his most unworthy act, even over and above his gaffes and incompetence.</p>
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<p>I thought his accidental text to that journo, referring to her as a "mad fucking witch" was funny though - we've all been there! And he stopped that anti-abortion whacko from entering the country.</p> -
It can't be easy being immigration minister when you have a huge number of dickheads loudly advocating a return to mass people smuggling. <br><br>
I think he's doing a good job and his comments about that insane Greenie slag were right on the money.<br><br>
I agree that his "take errr jeerbs" line was bullshit". <br><br><br>
You want embarrassing, google Conroy and milk. -
<p>I can't really judge whether he's doing a good job, because it sits outside my day-to-day experience. I assume you're closer to the facts, or work in the Department.</p>
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<p>Still, gotta love the Schutzstaffel uniforms for Border Force - that's a bit of a winner if you want to look scary and important. Particularly if you want them to march around Melbourne, questioning people like its the Third Reich. Shame that got cancelled, really. Fucking leftard hippy protesters. How dare they defend our right to not be harassed on the street by authorities with no actual reason!</p>
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<p>I mean, shit... if Dutton was "doing a good job" then surely the people who are in the country are already here legally? After all, Abbott had successfully "stopped the boats" for nearly two years by that point.</p>
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<p>I don't think anyone is advocating people smuggling as a rule. That's your conservative approach to it. I want faster, better processing of refugees in a way that ensures we're meeting our obligations as an international signatory.</p>
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<p>As you pointed out earlier though: budget/economics is a big issue. </p>
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<p>So why the hell are we processing people offshore for nearly twice what it costs onshore? Surely a bit of onshore processing would result in some more jobs for Aussies too, while we're at it?</p>
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<p>I'll bet Cambodia is loving that $50M we tossed them for 5 refugees though. Fucking LOVING that. Corruption was never so easy.</p>
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<p>#jobsandgrowth</p> -
<p>Why did you write: "stopped the boats"?</p>
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<p>Have they been secretly coming in but the guys in their SS (very classy btw) have hidden it from us?</p>
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<p><strong>"So why the hell are we processing people offshore for nearly twice what it costs onshore? Surely a bit of onshore processing would result in some more jobs for Aussies too, while we're at it?"</strong></p>
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<p>Probably because it acts as a very effective deterrent. I'd rather the cost of that than sending the navy out every day to pick up a new boat or dead bodies.</p>
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<p><strong>I want faster, better processing of refugees in a way that ensures we're meeting our obligations as an international signatory.</strong></p>
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<p>Feel free to offer some suggestions. Do you place refugees selected from UN camps and undocumented arrivals who paid criminals in the same boat (no pun intended)?</p> -
<p>I didn't say Dutton was a saint and it was you who, for some reason, compared Conroy to Dutton.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="582866" data-time="1464226026">
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<p><strong>"So why the hell are we processing people offshore for nearly twice what it costs onshore? Surely a bit of onshore processing would result in some more jobs for Aussies too, while we're at it?"</strong></p>
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<p>Probably because it acts as a very effective deterrent. I'd rather the cost of that than sending the navy out every day to pick up a new boat or dead bodies.</p>
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<p>I suppose it looks like effective policy to the people who support it.</p>
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<p>I doubt whether the people targeted by it are even aware the policies exist. They're trying to survive as well as find somewhere they're not going to be in danger of dying. They find a smuggler, pay what they can, and aren't told otherwise. They'll probably just die anyway, or get sent back.</p>
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<p>Fucking glad its not me.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="582902" data-time="1464229011">
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<p>I suppose it looks like effective policy to the people who support it.</p>
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<p>I doubt whether the people targeted by it are even aware the policies exist. They're trying to survive as well as find somewhere they're not going to be in danger of dying. They find a smuggler, pay what they can, and aren't told otherwise. They'll probably just die anyway, or get sent back.</p>
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<p>Fucking glad its not me.</p>
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<p>I doubt they dont know about it.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="582902" data-time="1464229011"><p>
I suppose it looks like effective policy to the people who support it.<br><br>
I doubt whether the people targeted by it are even aware the policies exist. They're trying to survive as well as find somewhere they're not going to be in danger of dying. They find a smuggler, pay what they can, and aren't told otherwise. They'll probably just die anyway, or get sent back.<br><br>
Fucking glad its not me.</p></blockquote>
Ok Nick, let's go back to the RGR years when those compassionate policies you yearn for were so effective.<br><br><br>
So is it accurate to conclude that you equate refugees in UN camps with undocumented migrants who fly to Indonesia and pay criminals to enable them to illegally enter the country? -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="582903" data-time="1464229109"><p>
I doubt they dont know about it.</p></blockquote>
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Of course they know about. That's one of the reasons the boats have stopped. The idea that these people are completely clueless and blindly hand over their cash to people smugglers is laughable. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="582802" data-time="1464221629">
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<p>I can't really judge whether he's doing a good job, because it sits outside my day-to-day experience. I assume you're closer to the facts, or work in the Department.</p>
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<p>Still, gotta love the Schutzstaffel uniforms for Border Force - that's a bit of a winner if you want to look scary and important. Particularly if you want them to march around Melbourne, questioning people like its the Third Reich. Shame that got cancelled, really. Fucking leftard hippy protesters. How dare they defend our right to not be harassed on the street by authorities with no actual reason!</p>
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<p>It was a joint agency operation led by Victoria Police with the ABF assist other agencies in the operation by conducting background visa checks on individuals who are referred to us by Victoria Police and other agencies. Joint operations of this type are common and were previously conducted by Departmental immigration officers.</p>
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<p>The original Pacific Solution was effective. Unbelievably so. The current mess is solely a result of Labor's ill-advised dismantling of that policy response.</p> -
<p><img src="https://scontent.fmel1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13346502_534847890021305_8065482459219569325_n.jpg?oh=24c33e71649145eb878a8b7eda957fe2&oe=57DCF2BF" alt="13346502_534847890021305_806548245921956"></p>
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<p>Damn this has been the shittiest election campaign of all time. Two shit candidates, two shit major parties, one insane lunatic party and several shit smaller parties. Such an embarrassment of riches.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="584899" data-time="1464916999">
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<p>, one insane lunatic party </p>
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<p>The Greens? Its probably the sanest they've ever been. Which isn't saying much, I suppose... Its a low bar.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="584914" data-time="1464919405"><p>
The Greens? Its probably the sanest they've ever been. Which isn't saying much, I suppose... Its a low bar.</p></blockquote>
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You have to look at it in terms of which party would bankrupt and wreck the country if they got in. The Greens is that party even if their current leader appears to be less of a nutter than the previous 2. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="584934" data-time="1464923403">
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<p>You have to look at it in terms of which party would bankrupt and wreck the country if they got in. The Greens is that party even if their current leader appears to be less of a nutter than the previous 2.</p>
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<p>Di Natale seems alright - I think he realises they're not going to get many seats, though with a full senate dissolution they may come out of it slightly better than before, given the PUP is gone and the teeny weeny parties will struggle. The Greens want to be that third party who can form temporary alliances.</p>
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<p>There is still too much Big Party bullshit going on to let the Greens hold even a balance of power in the Lower House, and so they'll be forced to horse trade in order to have any semblance of power through the Senate.</p>
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<p>So, I doubt whether they're in any danger of true power for a couple of elections yet. Even then, they get a fruit loop back into leadership and all that goodwill could dry up.</p>
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<p>By then, either the Libs or Labor might have finally found a way to take credit for ideas they were dead against this time around. I was reading about the Minerals Council of Australia yesterday via someone in the renewables industry, and it was head-shaking.</p>
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<p>The same Libs who said to the car industry "That's all we're giving you" are still throwing money into coal pits like its a going concern - and Peabody, for one, isn't.</p>
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<p>Did you see the clip of Bill calling for Company Tax Cuts from a few years back? Basically quoting trickle-down economics like a good Blue Tie. Change your spots, leopards - there is an election coming ;)</p> -
<p>On a separate note - relating to renewable energy:</p>
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<p>I read the Green's "Renew Australia" proposal - was interesting, but not sure some of the amounts they're quoting for transition funds etc. are going to pan out. Not that it matters, if they have no chance of implementing it with only a handful of seats.</p>
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<p>I think, based on the people I've spoken to, that private sector investment is going to lead a lot of the increase in changing the energy landscape, without Federal government support. Financial attrition is probably going to be a threat for coal, as the market continues to slump, and some of them might need to pivot into other resources - like Lithium, which promises to be large for the next wee while.</p>
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<p>But it may yet filter through that governments, sick of subsidising big, unwieldy networks, might start to adopt some of those practices. In some cases they already are to address black spots in the network.</p>