The Media and the Australian election

Written By: - Date published: 2:03 pm, May 20th, 2022 - 28 comments
Categories: australian politics, elections, Media, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags:

I cannot understand why in Australia Scotty from Marketing still has a fighting chance of remaining as Prime Minister.  But the recent tightening in the polls suggests that this is a possibility.

But how can this be happening?  What is wrong with Australians that so many of them would vote for him?

Ross Gittens in the Australian has this explanation that is depressingly plausible:

It’s a sad commentary on modern politics that no mainstream politician would dare suggest we vote for them because they’d best advance the public interest. They know that we know their greatest interest is in advancing their own career so, to attract our votes, they offer bribes.

They’ve trained us to see elections as transactional, not aspirational. You want my vote? What are you offering? And is that better or worse than the other side’s offering?

That’s how, with climate change and so many other, lesser problems needing attention, we’re devoting most of this campaign to grappling with the great challenge of our age … the cost of living. Really?

Now, I don’t blame people on low incomes with big commitments who really do struggle to get by for wanting to see what the two sides are offering that might make their lives easier.

But you don’t have to be struggling to tell yourself your life’s a struggle, and you wouldn’t mind voting for a pollie offering you a few more bangles and baubles.

Bernard Keane at Crickey, who is one of Australia’s best political commentators said this:

The reasons why Morrison has proven to be competitive will be examined endlessly if this scenario plays out. Much of it will have to do with the power of the political party News Corp, which operates in coalition with the Liberal Party and its campaign strategists, while its staffers masquerade as journalists. But the role of the actual media will also be scrutinised; the complaint that Labor made itself too big a target will be replaced with the complaint that Labor made itself too small a target; the more nuanced take might be that it failed to provide a defining reason for voters to identify with Labor.

The Media and in particular News Corp have a lot to answer for.  From Denis Muller at the Converstation:

What does a democracy do when a dominant news media organisation goes rogue during an election campaign?

In 2022, News Corporation is confronting Australia with this question once again, as it did in 2019, 2016 and 2013, and as it did in the United States in 2016 and 2020.

“Going rogue” here means abandoning any attempt at fulfilling one of the media’s primary obligations to a democratic society — the provision of truthful news coverage — and instead becoming a truth-distorting propagandist for one side.

The evidence that News Corp has gone rogue during the current federal election is plentiful. It can be seen every morning in its newspapers across the country, and every evening on Sky News after dark.

If you need proof of the bias then just look at the treatment of the Teal Independents, a group of mostly female independent candidates standing against Government MPs in conservative held seats.  Their reason for standing is that the Government is that crap on climate change that it should be removed as soon as possible so that a responsible approach can be adopted.  But Murdoch is not taking this well and his papers have chosen to act as repeaters of Liberal attacks on the Teal independents.

The attacks are extraordinary especially considering the easy ride that the likes of Bob Katter and Clive Palmer receive.  This earlier video of Katter talking about gay rights still amazes me.

And Palmer’s United Australia Party have been pushing the line that both major parties were planning to transfer all of Australia’s health assets and hospitals to the “Chinese-controlled” World Health Organisation.

And unvaccinated Pauline Hanson has contracted Covid.

More recently the Murdoch press have urged people to support the bulldozer over the journeyman.

But interestingly the Sydney Morning Herald has come out and said that Morrison should be ousted.

Tomorrow will be an interesting day.  And if somehow Scotty from Marketing wins progressives everywhere will have to have a deep long think on how we campaign.

28 comments on “The Media and the Australian election ”

  1. riffer 1

    I just returned on Wednesday from a week in Australia. This analysis is spot on. The huge disparity in advertising spend between Labor and Liberal/National is astounding too. If I ever hear "there's a hole in your budget, dear Labor, dear Labor" again I may go mad. In an ad break with six ads, three of them were that ad. Between the Liberal/Nationals and United Australia party ads, you hardly hear anything from Labor, other than what the news media tells you. And the papers are running front pages all about how you can't trust Labor. Still, at least they are talking about Labor. The Teals don't get a look in, other than dismissing laughter any time they are mentioned.

  2. Corey Humm 2

    As a gay man I thank you for that Katter video rofl. His much, much younger brother is a gay former labour candidate and his dad was a labor mp who defected to the coalition interesting family.

    Glad someone in NZ is talking about the Australian election.

    The media are disgraceful. I've seen them constantly in packs screaming at Albo asking random questions trying to get a gotcha moment over his own policies but they are constantly checking their phones to remember their own questions. Pot kettle.

    If scomo wins I'll be forever happy we don't have STV. It's a weird weird system.

    Scomo has been called a psychopath, a compulsive liar, a sexist, a despot, a thug, a tyrant an authoritarian by his own cabinet let alone what Macron and others have said …

    If he wins… Good lord.

    My favorite answer from Albo and one NZ labour could use when asked about the perception labor is weak on defence and national security "I lead the party of John Curtin who led Australia through ww2" …. Nzlp never ever talks about our longest serving NZLP Pm Peter Fraser, the man who led us through WW2, next time we get accused of being weak on defence we should mention him

    One thing though that pisses me off about Albo and I see it every election worldwide on the left is not knowing the numbers on the OCR, unemployment, inflation AND THEY KNOW THE MEDIA IS GOING TO ASK BUT STILL DONT MEMORIZE THEM. I've seen Jacinda do it it's not a big deal and by no means justifies the lunatic attacks from the media but its just opening yourself up to unnecessary gotcha moments and it really stuffed Albos first week of the campaign.

    But for the love of god don't write them on your hand like Sarah Palin wrote the republicans only policy"tax cuts" on hers

    I hope Albo wins. A working class lad from a state house growing up to be pm is a great testament to an egalitarian democracy and tells kids they can be anything when they grow up. I liked that John Key was a state house kid, it was a testament to the social safety net that it was possible, the fact he further eroded it disgusted me but the fact it's possible to rise from the bottom to the top was a good for thing NZ (hated his policies of course) so go albo. Working class kid done good.

    Go Labor. If they win tomorrow, they'll have federal govt, and all state govts apart from Taz and NSW.

  3. tc 3

    Bernard Keane not Keen I think mickey. Guy rundle's done a similar job to the one he did in the trump election campaign hanging out and observing what's actually happening on the ground.

    The job done over 3 terms on the abc/sbs is depressing for those who can recall what they used to be like.

    Even if they lose they've stacked so many authorities and bodies with long tenured mates not much is likely to change.

    [Bugger right you are. Have corrected. Bernard Keane is right up there with local commentators like Bernard Hickey and Neale Jones. He has this ability to clearly sum up the insanity of modern politics – MS]

  4. aj 4

    I don't think history will look on Murdoch kindly.

    Meanwhile, this sums it up:

    https://twitter.com/marquelawyers/status/1527427903171923969?cxt=HHwWgsCoybrlwbIqAAAA

  5. adam 5

    Tsar Murdoch and his family, will not give up their hold of Australia. And damn the rest of us for even suggesting otherwise.

    The coalition will do well, because the corporations who Tsar Murdoch protects and speaks for, can't have it any other way.

  6. barry 6

    Australians are like – yes we know scomo is a useless prick, but albo might not be perfect!

  7. tc 7

    Best result IMO is hung parliament with the 'teals' holding the balance with One Nation reduced to the whiny Hanson.

  8. roblogic 8

    New "Australien" Govt ad by Juice Media… (the previous one was epic too)

    https://youtu.be/imuTUxBu-kQ

    • mickysavage 8.1

      They are so good. I guess the best local comparison is White Man behind a Desk.

    • swordfish 9.1

      .
      I've always voted in my undies … it's long been associated with a certain je ne sais quoi down our way.

      [I’m not sure that’s any cause for joe90 to call me an “amoral prick” (below) though]
      🙂

      • RedLogix 9.1.1

        Good to see you up again. I hope things are travelling OK with you. yes

        • mickysavage 9.1.1.1

          Second that!

        • swordfish 9.1.1.2

          .

          Cheers Red & Greg.

          Genuinely appreciate it.

          Had a very good response to my first-line Chemo (which I received from Sep 21 to Feb 22) … officially a "near complete response" … described as "very good" by one oncologist & "fantastic" by another … obviously not quite as good as a "complete response" where there's no evidence at all of remaining cancer … but still the kind of response you can only hope for at the start. A lot of people unfortunately have either no response whatsoever or just a kind of holding response that stops the cancer advancing for a while ("stable disease") but doesn't actually reduce it in volume, or they experience a minor / partial response … so I'm very thankful.

          I did a lot of research in the first weeks after diagnosis (once I got over the intial shock that it was terminal … always knew Stage 4 was a possibility but was hoping & expecting Stage 3) … all the research encouraged me to initiate a little daily regimen of complementary medicine (not New Age- Middle Class Hippie nonsense, I hasten to add … all re-purposed conventional drugs based on rigorous medical research) … so that may have helped … but impossible to be sure … good response may have been purely the corollary of the Chemo & my particular physiology / molecular structure.

          CEA, having been extremely high, is now only slightly above normal levels for people without cancer … which is pretty unusual for those with terminal disease. Most of my tumours have disappeared to the human eye, though still there at microscopic level (incl the primary bowel tumour) … only 2 (of the initially many) cancer lesions on my liver are still visible & have shrunk enormously … so very happy with that.

          Still terminal, though … odds still strongly against 5 year survival … esp without the publicly-funded targeted therapies that are routinely given in Aus & the UK (not sure yet if Budget will change that). Patients currently have to raise $60-80k per year themselves.

          Great response possibly boosted by considerably less stress = one of the key sources of stress over last 5 years – my Parents' violent anti-social prick of a neighbour – has largely lived elsewhere for around 11 months – though he's still holding on to the house (!!!), largely using it as storage for alcohol & periodically suddenly turning up late at night / early hours (sometimes with his mate), often drunk & almost always causing major trouble. But overall, a significantly less stressful situation for me over the last year in terms of having to worry about them & suffering sleep deprivation from having to ring Police & dealing with his intimidation of them through early hours.

          Unfortunately, though, this relatively calm situation may be coming to an end … he inflicted around 4 hours of violent intimidation on them (& other neighbours) last night & through the early hours of this morning … first time he's done anything on that scale since Nov 2021 (he's turned up a few times & played aggressive hip hop (MoFo lyrics) at full volume on his stereo, keeping them awake throughout the early hours & he aggressively abused & intimidated one of their other neighbours a couple of months ago with threats of violence & a whole lot of "fuck ya s" and, as I mentioned in a brief comment here a few weeks back, we had some hopes after he was arrested & taken away in handcuffs by Police … but nothing on this scale of abuse in recent months. He was dropped off around 1:40am, reasonably drunk by the sound of it & immediately started swearing & shouting threats at my Parents while strutting back & forth in front of their house (sort of behaviour that everyone was beginning to think was in the past), a neighbour saw him walk onto my Parents' property (driveway) while swearing around 2am, then he smashed a beer bottle onto the road, followed by another sudden surge in violent rage, throwing another beer bottle onto my Parents' roof, scaring the bejesus out of them. My Father then rang the Police who had to return twice over the next 3 hours (multiple calls from concerned neighbours) but never arrested him.

          Four & a half year saga … last year much better with him largely elsewhere … now beginning to look ominous again. Precisely zero sign of him changing personality or behaviour … true psychopath. But, then again, why worry because the miracle of "wrap-around services" (Sarc on a massive, deeply angry & exasperated scale)

          • RedLogix 9.1.1.2.1

            wow – thank you for this. A real mix of good and bad news there.

            Interestingly I had a long convo with my daughter last night who due to the nature of her work means she gets to see a great deal of what goes down locally. The deal according to her is that the Police have been instructed pretty much not to touch people like your neighbor unless extreme circumstances apply.

          • lprent 9.1.1.2.2

            Damn about the terminal. Good news about the current response – long may it continue to defer the day. I’d really miss your numeric abilities and common sense commentary.

            This is from a totally different perspective

            Drunk neighbours are a terrible pain in the arse. I have seen two of them depart our apartment building feet first over the last 24 years, and several other depart alive in ambulances to never return. We have 60 single bedroom apartments, so there is usually at least one problem occupant in any one year.

            Mostly it is quiet around here as you can when you’re just behind the intersection of K Rd, Ponsonby Rd, Newton Rd and Great North Road – just outside Auckland’s CBD.

            The worst drunks are usually the family trust bunnies planted here. Some grow out of their addictions. Some learn to handle it in a way that doesn’t fuck off the neighbours. Some die of it.

            If the drunks are renting, then we just organise that residents know the contact details of the landlord or the representatives. Much more effective targeting them than anyone else. If they are family black sheep dumps, then the same to the trustees or parents. Pays to lookup the property ownership to find out who to target and get their contact details. I can’t think of an actual owner occupant we have had a problem with.

            We call the police if they look like they’re getting violent or starting to sound suicidal.

            But for us it is a bit like the fairly frequent fire drills or false alarms. A bloody nuisance, but comes with apartment living.

            Curiously we don’t get bothered by the drug users much. Just the occasional request from police to be let in at odd hours of the day or night as they arrest someone.

            Same with the domestics. That is usually just someone storming out of a couple’s apartments. There aren’t the families with kids here.

            • RedLogix 9.1.1.2.2.1

              All that makes good common sense in the context of your apartment experience. Oddly enough we had a dose of something like it – a physical yelling and shoving match that needed breaking up – just last week.

              But swordfish's parents are in quite a different scenario – both in their 90's and unable to move, nor get Kianga Ora or the police to act.

              • lprent

                Yeah. I'm not that old. We have 3 Kianga Ora apartments in the block – one next door to my partners one where we have been living for the last 5 years. But I think I have dealt with about half of their tenants over the decades.

                Kianga Ora are a pain in the arse to deal with sometimes mostly because they are terrible at responding. We just treat them as really annoying stupid landlords. They respond pretty well to having a lot of complaints from neighbours when their tenants have repeated incidents. Not to mention the followup calls, emails, and visit asking what in the hell are they’re doing about the last flood of complaints. Plus over the years they have learned to distinguish the chronic complainers (we always have a few) from the people who complain when it is really a problem.

                Generally their tenants are somewhat broken but not too hard to deal with socially. The only actual drunk we had from them was a quiet one, and eventually was one of those who exited feet first after not surviving his detox.

                I've ignored them when they don't seem to need help. Befriended them to point of my offering opinion, criticism, and even advice and them accepting or ignoring it if I thought that they could use it – typically after they turn up on my doorstep asking for it.

                Helped them when they've repeatably locked themselves out. Threatened phone companies for them after they have been sold a ridiculously overpriced 'cheap' phone deal. Inspected the poor workmanship on some of the repairs 'KO' contractors have done, and lent my washing machine until the damn thing was done properly. Helped them understand why their last employer dumped them. Turned up as a support at formal employment meetings. Donated wifi on a separate channel and even old computer hardware, furniture, household appliances if they can use it. Read their damn essays, CVs, etc etc..

                Basically the same as I do for anyone who can use a helping hand – and I have the time, expertise or gear to do it. Have never had to bail them out like I have had to do with my own family – usually for protesting or under age drinking.

                The police don't have any more powers over Kianga Ora drunks that they have over any other drunk. But usually they only come in to KO apartments to keep the peace. Which for KO here is usually moving non-resident family members resisting being told to go home by the resident.

                Only once they had to come for aggro from a KO resident. They came to find a group of older women standing around the guy telling him to calm down and stop making a racket (and keeping the guys in the complex observing from a distance). It was amusing to observe in retrospect and kind of upsetting watching my reactions as I was observing – also in retrospect. They weren’t that helpful in the situation.

                He got wound up because one of his mates lifted a parcel in the foyer on the way out and was upset when it was captured on camera.

                We have effectively got WO to move a tenant out, not because of her, but because she kept having her brother staying over to support her – and he was a bit of arsehole and seemed to enjoy trying to get into peoples faces. They went to a place for two people.

                As you say – it is completely different to the problem that swordfish has. But trying to do what needs to be done while fighting a disease isn't effective. But it shouldn't have to be solely up to him or his parents. Surely they aren't the only neighbours this idiot drunk is upsetting.

                The basics are the same – organise in a neighbourly manner and deal with the problem communally. Help if you can because people respond to neighbours making a effort. If needs be hammer the landlord or owner of the property if they don't deal with problem tenants.

                But deal with it locally because the police and social services usually can't do it much without a concerted local social effort. They are the ambulance.

              • swordfish

                Thanks RL. Some more incidents tonight, including once again casually walking onto my parents property … get the impression he's moving back in. He's a really malevolent character, very well-known to the Police… bad atmosphere whenever he's around … & he knows there are no consequences.

            • swordfish 9.1.1.2.2.2

              Cheers, Lynn.

    • Mike the Lefty 9.2

      If you can see the sea they are togs.

  9. joe90 10

    Amoral pricks.

    https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1527832398737526784

    Scott Morrison has breached his own rule against commenting on “on-water matters”, confirming an asylum seeker boat from Sri Lanka has been intercepted.

    In a last-ditch pitch to voters on election day, Morrison told Australians they “need to vote Liberal and Nationals” for him to be there to stop future boats, despite Labor having an identical policy to intercept and turn back boats where safe to do so.

    On Saturday voters reported receiving text messages, from the NSW Liberals, warning them about the “illegal boat” and urging them to “keep our borders secure by voting Liberal today”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/21/scott-morrison-breaks-own-rule-against-commenting-on-on-water-matters-to-confirm-asylum-boat-intercepted

    • Mike the Lefty 10.1

      The uncanny timing of this "asylum seeker boat" being found on election day should raise suspicions of any thinking voter, but I suppose the great unwashed will swallow it without a murmur.

  10. Mike the Lefty 11

    The Australian electoral system allows campaigning on election day. It also allows election posters, billboards and other electioneering to be done almost to the doors of the voting booths. Such a system allows fat billionaires to spend something like $60 million telling lies to try and prevent Labour from winning because there are no limits on campaign spending.

    If we ever thought our elections rules were bad – they are pretty good compared to the circus going on over the Tasman right now.

  11. aj 12

    Go David Pocock.

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    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government lowering building costs
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