australian politics
Categories under australian politics
- No categories
Do not deport your people and your problems to New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, February 29th, 2020 - 53 comments
Jacinda Ardern has trashed traditional notions of how New Zealand Australia relations are conducted when making the clear point that Australia should not be exporting Australian made problems who are barely kiwis to New Zealand.
The death of Holden
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, February 18th, 2020 - 43 comments
Thousands of households across New Zealand heard the announcement of the complete death of the Holden marque this week, as the death of one of the greatest binaries and one of the most closely teased and contested brands of all: Holden versus Ford.
The right is splintering on climate change
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, January 23rd, 2020 - 70 comments
The right appears to be splintering on climate change, with former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull describing Donald Trump as the world’s leading climate change denier. And locally National MP Andrew Bayley has talked the profound effects of climate change on Antarctica’s ecosystems at the same time as Paula Bennett is attacking educational material designed to make children think about climate change.
Australian fires and the climate crisis everybody wanted to ignore
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, January 7th, 2020 - 51 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s Blog
Australia is no longer the lucky country
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, January 6th, 2020 - 112 comments
Australia is arguably no longer the lucky country. And if it does not resolve its addiction to coal it may not have a future.
He wasn’t here to help us, was he
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, January 4th, 2020 - 80 comments
The utter failure of the Australian Prime Minister to lead during the bushfire crisis reminds us that it’s care for our children and communities that drives climate action. When people mobilise politicians will follow.
Goodbye 2019
Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, January 1st, 2020 - 8 comments
Throughout the world 2019 was the worst year for the left since 1979. What will 2020 bring?
What Cheeto, Bojo and Scomo are up to
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, December 21st, 2019 - 76 comments
It has been a tough week for conservative leaders with Trump impeached and the evangelical magazine Christianity Today calling for his resignation, Johnson in the UK announcing voter fraud measures reminiscent of the American deep South, and in Australia Morrison being criticised for missing in action, upstaged by a 13 year old girl and pushing through protection for religious bigotry that Israel Folau would be pleased with.
How to counter angry boomer campaigns
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, December 17th, 2019 - 154 comments
The UK election was won not by Russian bots but by older voters with limited technical skills circulating poorly designed ads. What can be done in New Zealand to counter what is clearly a right wing campaign tactic?
Strike Force Raptor for the win
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, November 28th, 2019 - 40 comments
National has proposed significant changes to the Criminal Justice system to create a Police group without evidence that it works, and that if enacted would make our prisons less safe and plug holes in our law that do not exist.
Learning to win fast
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 12th, 2019 - 53 comments
While Australia burns its conservative politicians still refuse to accept the enormity of the climate crisis and are acting to hinder and prevent measures that need to be taken to address what is a clear threat to the country’s future.
NZ First Youth drags party screaming and kicking into 20th century
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, October 21st, 2019 - 24 comments
At New Zealand First’s weekend conference the party’s youth wing has forced the party to rethink its ultra conservative view on pill testing services being offered at festivals.
Australia gets tough on climate change activists
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, October 17th, 2019 - 22 comments
Following on from Weka’s post yesterday concerning attacks on the right to protest in the United Kingdom, Australia has also shown a concerning tendency to attack and undermine that most important of rights.
Burning down the house
Written By: - Date published: 5:03 pm, October 15th, 2019 - 28 comments
Why is it that conservative politicians throughout the world engage in rhetorical attacks on laws that in many situations actually serve important purposes?
Lying : the preferred denier behavior
Written By: - Date published: 3:45 pm, September 22nd, 2019 - 26 comments
In a striking example of the typical climate change denier, the “Australian Young Coal Coalition” released a photo bemoaning the mess left by friday’s climate change strike rally in Hyde Park. Pity that it was a lying fake. Being put out by climate change deniers, of course it was just a lie. That is all […]
China, Climate Conference, and New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, September 18th, 2019 - 4 comments
At the United Nations Climate Action Summit next weekend the question may be asked what would happen if China stopped buying Australian coal?
Legitimate target, daft war
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, September 16th, 2019 - 30 comments
The war that Saudi Arabia and its allies has been waging against the Houthi side in the civil war in Yemen took a interesting turn yesterday. Houthi claimed an attack on Saudi oil processing facilities using drone strikes. It is likely to significantly reduce the output of the Saudi exports for a while as the […]
The Far Right’s Winning Narrative Superiority
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, September 7th, 2019 - 132 comments
Why is the right winning so many elections?
NRA: a international terrorist organisation
Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, September 6th, 2019 - 22 comments
I was joyful to see that the San Francisco board of supervisors has declared what I have long thought; that the National Rifle Association in America has for many years been acting as a terrorist organisation. We should add them to our register of terrorist organisations as well.
Cmon Aussie …
Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, August 18th, 2019 - 54 comments
In the last week Australia has insulted Pacific nations by refusing to commit to a 1.5 degree maximum increase in global temperatures and by claiming that Pacific Islands will be fine because they can pick Australia’s fruit. And Alan Jones has almost lost his job through misogynist attacks on Jacinda Ardern.
Slowing economy?
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 14th, 2019 - 39 comments
In May this year the New Zealand Treasury was projecting growth accelerating from 2.4% to 3% in 2019-20 while the Reserve Bank has pessimistically cut interest rates to 1%. Both can’t be right.
Nuclear chickens coming home?
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, August 8th, 2019 - 30 comments
The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty between the United State and Russia signed by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987 formally ended on August 2nd. On Sunday the new US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper dined privately with Winston Peters. Before and during his trip to the Pacific, Mark Esper called for placement of intermediate-range US missiles in Asia.
Arnhem Land and Ihumātao
Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, August 5th, 2019 - 44 comments
A Recent High Court decision in Australia suggests that protection of indigenous land rights may be better than we think.
Dutton engages in weaponised brutality
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, August 1st, 2019 - 63 comments
Australia is responding to New Zealand’s concern at the forced repatriation of New Zealand citizens from Australia who fall foul of the law by dramatically increasing the potential for this to occur.
The weasel accurately dissects National.
Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, July 26th, 2019 - 36 comments
Matthew Hooton has a piece on National’s chances in the next election this morning entitled as “National stumbling to defeat”. Personally I think he is a PR weasel who is on the border to dirty politics. But he did cover the salient points that will be on the mind of the National party conference.
Australian right wing commentators suffer from deranged Jacinda syndrome
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, July 24th, 2019 - 76 comments
Australian right wing commentators are losing their shirts at the thought that Jacinda Ardern may be in the running for a Nobel Peace prize.
National supports 47% tax rate for top income bracket *
Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, July 5th, 2019 - 25 comments
* this is one possible interpretation for National’s praise of the Morrisonn Government’s change to Australian tax system.
FiveEyes on our elections
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 am, June 12th, 2019 - 94 comments
Andrew Little’s letter to the Select Committee on election interference puzzled me – it seemed to be out of the blue and not particularly relevant to our system. Then I read about a meeting on the Gold Coast last year and it became clear as to why – FiveEyes pressure.
Government under FiveEyes
Written By: - Date published: 9:48 pm, June 7th, 2019 - 11 comments
Australian Federal Police chief Neil Gaughan told media after raiding the ABC that “if police did not investigate the leaking of classified information, Australia would no longer be entrusted by FiveEyes partners with intelligence that saves lives.” FiveEyes didn’t save Muslim lives in Christchurch.
The Coming Global Economic Slowdown and New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, June 3rd, 2019 - 49 comments
With the United States – China trade war well underway, the sick chaos of Brexit is shrinking the U.K. economy and slowing much of Europe’s economy, and smaller economies such as that of Mexico in the crosshairs through further politically manufactured trade disputes, the second half of this year looks for New Zealand nowhere near as rosy as the first half.
Death tax fake news
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, May 21st, 2019 - 62 comments
Social media was responsible for the repeated broadcasting of the claim that Labor in Australia intended to bring in a death tax. What should happen when claims that are clearly wrong are made?
- Speaker’s handling of hīkoi ‘overkill’ – Te Paati Māori
Staff were locked from being able give water to protesters, and wifi access was blocked too, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said. ...2 days ago - Richard Chambers to be announced as new Police Commissioner
Richard Chambers is replacing outgoing commissioner Andrew Coster. ...2 days ago
- Richard Chambers announced as new Police Commissioner
Richard Chambers is replacing outgoing commissioner Andrew Coster. ...2 days ago
- Government designates Hezbollah as terrorist entity
The government has also slapped a similar designation on the Houthi movement. ...2 days ago
- Cost of road cones, temporary speed limits ‘eyewatering’ – Transport Minister
Simeon Brown had previously raised concerns over the cost of road cones and temporary speed limits, asking the ministry to look into it. ...2 days ago
- 10 years after the Lacrosse building cladding fire, the defects and disasters continue
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trivess Moore, Associate Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Metropolitan Fire Brigade, CC BY Ten years ago, a late-night cigarette started a fire that spread rapidly up 13 storeys on the Lacrosse apartment building in Melbourne. The ...2 days ago - What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder? And how is it different to PMS?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eveline Mu, Research Fellow in Women’s Mental Health, Monash University Austin Guevara/Pexels Periods can feel like an unwanted guest for many women and gender diverse people who menstruate, bringing cramps, mood swings and exhaustion. But how do you know ...2 days ago
- Bill would ‘render the treaty worthless’ – world reacts to national Hīkoi
RNZ News International media coverage of Aotearoa New Zealand’s national Hīkoi to Parliament has largely focused on the historic size of the turnout in Wellington yesterday and the wider contention between Māori and the Crown. Some, including The New York Times, have also pointed out the recent swing right with ...2 days ago
- PPTA Urges Government To Act For Children In War Zones
Children are our future and have the right to access education wherever they live. We must do everything we can to uphold this fundamental human right. ...2 days ago - ‘I’ll try any synonym under the sun’: Jacqueline Bublitz’s crimes against language
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Jacqueline Bublitz, author of new crime novel Leave the Girls Behind. The book I wish I’d written I was so impressed by the big reveal in All the Colours ...2 days ago - Financial forms of family violence affect 1 in 7 New Zealanders – but the law is lagging
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ayesha Scott, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, AUT Business School, Auckland University of Technology and Senior Lecturer in Finance & Financial Planning, Griffith University Economic harm – restricting access to, sabotaging or exploiting another person’s financial resources, and impeding their economic autonomy – is ...2 days ago
- Who is the new Police Commissioner, Richard Chambers?
He is known to have long-held ambitions for the top job and is considered a favourite of frontline police. ...2 days ago
- COP29 Ends In Promise To Send More Taxpayer Money Overseas
This decision proves how out-of-touch this tax more, spend more, ship more overseas Government is with New Zealand taxpayers. Fix your house first before you go fixing the neighbourhood. ...2 days ago
- Richard Chambers to be announced as new Police Commissioner, RNZ understands
RNZ understands Chambers will take over from Andrew Coster, who stepped down last week to head up the new Social Investment Agency. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand a very difficult place to be blind – advocate
Jonathan Mosen says New Zealand is the worst country in the Western world in which to be blind. ...2 days ago
- A beginner’s guide to yum cha
Let Jean Teng show you how to do yum cha right. All photos by Jin Fellet. Yum cha is ritualistic. Being absorbed into the cacophony of Sunday morning chaos at a Cantonese restaurant pretty much always feels the same, no matter which one it is. There’s the same families ...2 days ago
- Vietnam war vets’ financial support claims boosted by new ruling
Sir Wira Gardiner made a claim in 2021 to have his brain tumour treated as a defence service-related condition. ...2 days ago
- Taxpayer-funded Hīkoi Organiser Shows Parliament’s Budget A Political Slush Fund
Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said “Taxpayers’ money is not a political slush fund. MPs shouldn’t be able to hide how they’re wasting our money, and it’s long-past time their budgets were covered by the OIA.” ...2 days ago
- Public Comments By Auckland CCO Bosses Demonstrate Need For Duty Of Political Neutrality
"Dean Kimpton is the poster child of what an undemocratic CCO model has led to," says Jordan Williams, a Spokesman for the Ratepayers' Alliance. ...2 days ago
- Modern cars are surveillance devices on wheels with major privacy risks – new report
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law & Justice; Lead, UNSW Public Interest Law & Tech Initiative, UNSW Sydney Varavin/Shutterstock New research reveals serious privacy flaws in the data practices of new internet connected cars in Australia. It’s yet another reason ...2 days ago
- The world reacts to te Hīkoi mō te tiriti
International media seem to agree the Treaty Principles Bill and national hīkoi put New Zealand at a pivotal moment in history. ...2 days ago
- City Rail Link: Mayor Wayne Brown unsure it will get across the line in time
Auckland's mayor has lost confidence that the City Rail Link will be finished on time, despite assurances from officials. ...2 days ago
- Women are still being paid almost $30,000 a year less than men and the gap widens with age
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leonora Risse, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Canberra Kaewmanee jiangsihui/Shutterstock Australia’s gender pay gap has been shrinking year by year, but is still over 20% among Australia’s private companies, a new national report card shows. But that gender gap is ...2 days ago
- Listen: Christopher Luxon says ‘no need to meet’ with hīkoi at Parliament
The Prime Minister says organisers were "closely aligned" with Te Pāti Māori, but acknowledged it was "a significant day". ...2 days ago
- ‘Burnt out, tired, frustrated’: how hospital pressures harm doctors’ mental health
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Belinda Lunnay, Senior Research Fellow in Public Health, Torrens University Australia Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock Even before the COVID pandemic, which added significant pressure to the health-care workforce, Australian doctors experienced poor mental health at higher rates than the overall population. The ...2 days ago
- When picking schools, don’t get stuck on single-sex vs. co-ed. Instead ask – are all students su...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Keddie, Professor of Education, Deakin University If parents have a choice, the decision about where to send a child to school and what will be best for them can be a really difficult one. One question that comes up frequently ...2 days ago
- Michelle Visage is now hosting Drag Race Down Under. It’s a milestone for cis women in drag
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yves Rees, Senior Lecturer in History, La Trobe University Stan Drag Race Down Under is back for a fourth season, only this time something is different. The Australasian franchise is no longer helmed by the eponymous RuPaul. Instead, this season the ...2 days ago
- ‘Impossible’ to know effect of new gang laws on victimisation – Justice Minister
The gang patch ban comes into effect at midnight tonight. ...2 days ago
- Luxon didn’t meet the hīkoi, but he won’t be able to hide from what comes next
An undeniable show of opposition to the coalition painted the streets of Wellington red, white and black, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...2 days ago
- In a global nursing shortage, NZ’s reliance on overseas-trained staff is not sustainable
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Holloway, Associate Professor, Director of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Olafur Seinar Gestsson/Getty Images The global shortage of trained nurses has been described as a health emergency by the ...2 days ago
- Deportations hampered by availability and cost of flights
A lack of flights is being blamed for the number of deportations being hundreds short of government targets. ...2 days ago
- Live: te Hīkoi mō te tiriti is over, but the debate isn’t
After the hīkoi: supporters are proud of the message sent, but a six month long process for the Treaty Principles Bill still lies ahead. ...2 days ago
- What now for the Treaty Principles Bill?
"Kill the bill" was the cry from the hīkoi - and that's likely to happen with National and NZ First saying they will not support the Treaty Principles Bill at its second reading, but it may not be as quickly as protestors would like. ...2 days ago
- The smack: How a family’s plea to Oranga Tamariki for help with their son unravelled
A family living in fear of their young son's increasingly dangerous behaviour asked for support. Instead, the agency turned its focus on his mum. ...2 days ago
- Was the hīkoi New Zealand’s largest-ever protest?
Media estimates of the crowd size ranged from 17,000 to 100,000+, but one thing we can say for sure — it was bloody massive. Thirty-five thousand people. That’s the crowd size police initially estimated for the final leg of the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, the nine-day march in protest of ...2 days ago
- How has Luxon’s position on the Treaty Principles Bill changed over time?
The prime minister has never supported David Seymour’s bill in principle, or beyond first reading in practice, but his language has certainly changed. The National Party has spent a large amount of time in this parliamentary term talking about a bill it doesn’t like. Which is not much fun. In ...2 days ago
- Has Netflix forgotten about New Zealand?
Following the opening of the Netflix ANZ office in Sydney and lacklustre commissioning of New Zealand content, the local industry has been left wondering where we fit in. Here at the bottom of the globe, we’re used to being overlooked. New Zealand has been left off the world map so ...2 days ago
- Three generations: the court queens of Kāhu
At seven months old, little Holitopa won’t yet comprehend she’s part of basketball history. But her mother, grandmother and aunties hope that one day, she will follow in their shoes.“I hope she’s taller and longer than all of us,” says her mum, Krystal Leger-Walker. “There are a lot of basketball ...2 days ago - Wellington intervention looks like a first resort, not the last
Opinion: This looks like ‘punching down’, in the mayor’s words The post Wellington intervention looks like a first resort, not the last appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Homeowners move house sooner than you think: Why the average stay is shrinking
It turns out that the so called ‘seven year itch’ is more like five these days. The latest data from realestate.co.nz shows how long people hold onto their homes before they sell. And it’s shorter than you’d think.Kiwis keep their homes for an average of just five and a half ...2 days ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
Recent Comments