Don't want to leave but cannot pretend
That's, uh, not good, right? Because I'm getting Manchin flashbacks here.
Edited by fredhot16 on May 22nd 2022 at 9:47:10 AM
Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
What's more likely is that a by-election might knock them into a minority government or a coalition. But a coalition between Labor and Green wouldn't exactly break any of our hearts.
I despise hypocrisy, unless of course it is my own.
Don't want to leave but cannot pretend
Are there any problems with the Green Party?
Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
circumlocutory square
It's not as tenuous as this, fortunately - at least on several issues such as a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and climate action - thanks to the way the rest of the lower house has panned out. To summarise, the conservative Coalition's neglect of various moderate, inner-city electorates (whose representatives have for the most part unflinchingly toed the party line on issues like climate change) has resulted in them losing several previously-safe seats to moderate independents.
Most of these 'teals', as we've taken to calling them, reflect pro-climate sentiments in their electorates which the erstwhile Liberal MPs in those seats were responding to with an awkward smile-and-wave mentality.
So, if there are a few dissident MPs within the Labor Party who want to try and cross the floor on those kinds of matters, they won't exactly be able to hold the party hostage the way Manchin does across the pond, 'cos there are roughly a dozen crossbenchers who absolutely will negotiate with Labor to the overall benefit of climate action.
Hopefully you get multiple answers to this question, 'cos my perspective definitely won't be enough. I'd say that they have some of the ideological baggage that you'd usually associate with a green party in any country — anti-nuclear-power hysteria holdovers, some people who think Trotsky was Based(tm), and such — though to be fair, any non-authoritarian political party has factions.
I mentioned previously that I'm a Labor supporter, so I'll mention that there's a bit of bad blood (though not insurmountable) between Labor and the Greens. It's left-wing politics, so naturally Scotsmanning is involved. A common point of view within Labor is that the Greens are hard to work with because the Greens, by definition, hate us (not passing judgement, just saying that it's a common POV). And the Greens do tend to attract the kinds of disaffected people who are vocal about having sampled the "Labor is basically right wing" Kool-Aid.
There's also the matter brought up near the bottom of the previous page: historically, outside of the cities, voters have tended to hate the Greens. To the point where being seen as bowing to them or getting into bed with them has damaged Labor's chances in swing seats in the past.
Edited by coruscatingInquisitor on May 23rd 2022 at 3:54:52 AM
My first launched Trope!
In the name of being honest
For perspective: during the 2019-2020 bushfire season, ruling Coalition politicians and their allies in the Murdoch-owned media went into overdrive blaming the Greens for supposedly vetoing backburning programs meant to pre-empt bushfires in the affected rural areas. Despite the Greens holding no offices in these places. Which speaks to long-running stranglehold that the right wing had on Australian media on the one hand, but also the Greens' near-total lack of presence outside their well-off inner city bases on the other.
Labor, meanwhile, has a number of key constituencies in rural mining and agricultural/pastoral areas (on account of their historical ties with, well, labour movements), so they have a vested interest in not being seen as a bunch of inner-city "champagne socialists".
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
I'm finding it deliciously ironic that while the UAP blew $100 million on ads bragging that they were the only party that understood the average Australian, the majors that they were vilifying actually went out and spoke with people.
Edited by DoctorSleep on May 23rd 2022 at 3:15:42 AM
circumlocutory square
Granted, another reading of it is that Palmer's party is the preferential-voting equivalent of a 'spoiler', meant to snap up however many votes it can from low-information, bothsides-meme-subscribing Australians and direct them to preference Coalition candidates over Labor ones, particularly in marginal seats... though the two readings aren't mutually exclusive.
This isn't to say Clive Palmer is in any way strategically adept (he's an idiot), but a victory for the Coalition would have been, by and large, a victory for mining billionaire Palmer.
Edited by coruscatingInquisitor on May 25th 2022 at 1:19:38 AM
My first launched Trope!
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
Senator Fatima Payman made a speech in Parliament, which partly touches on hr choice of having a hijab worn.
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
In the name of being honest
Guardian: Tanya Plibersek says she will block Clive Palmer’s proposed coalmine near Great Barrier Reef.
Palmer’s Central Queensland Coal project would have mined up to 18m tonnes a year from two open-cut pits near Rockhampton.
It comes amid calls from the Greens to ban new coal and gas projects as the Albanese government’s bill to enshrine a 43% cut to greenhouse gas emissions made its way to the Senate.
The decision is the new environment minister’s first in the portfolio.
Environmentalists said the proposed refusal was a victory for the state, for the Great Barrier Reef, for the environment and for the climate.
A Queensland state government assessment said last year the Central Queensland Coal project was “not suitable” and would risk damaging the reef as well as wetlands, fish habitat and ecosystems that depended on groundwater.
An official notice said the minister is proposing to refuse the mine under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and has invited public comment on her draft decision, with submissions closing on 18 August.
In a statement, the minister said: “Based on the information available to me at this stage, I believe that the project would be likely to have unacceptable impacts to the Great Barrier Reef marine park, and the values of the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area and national heritage place.”
“The available evidence also suggests that the project would be likely to have unacceptable impacts on water resources in the area.”
She said Palmer’s company had been contacted, adding a final decision would be made after public comments were received.
“While I am seeking comment on my proposed decision, and until I make my final decision on this project, I am unable to make any further statements on the matter.”
Last year Queensland’s state government sent a final assessment of the mine to the federal government, saying it posed “a number of unacceptable risks”.
Conservationists had called on the previous environment minister, Sussan Ley, to refuse the mine.
Palmer’s company had rejected claims the mine would do unacceptable damage. Guardian Australia called the Brisbane office of Central Queensland Coal, but was told nobody was available to speak as “everyone from the company is on site in central Queensland”.
In the name of being honest
Qantas execs nabbing pandemic relief money while laying off thousands of ground crew: Haha fuck yeah!!! Yes!!
Qantas execs when they have no one left to do baggage handling:
Guardian: Qantas asks executives to volunteer to fill in as baggage handlers.
The embattled airline’s chief operating officer, Colin Hughes, told staff in an internal memo that Qantas is seeking expressions of interest for a contingency program over a three-month period.
“People who respond to the EOI will be trained and rostered into the ramp environment at Sydney and Melbourne airports,” Hughes wrote. “These people will support our ground handling partners, who are managing the Qantas operation, over a three-month period from mid-August.”
At least 100 managers will be recruited to sort and scan bags and transport luggage. Hughes added: “There is no expectation that you will opt into this role on top of your full-time position.”
At least 1,600 baggage handlers were sacked during lockdown, with the service outsourced to contractors, a decision that the federal court has ruled unlawful. Qantas has vowed to appeal the decision.
The once-highly regarded airline has apologised after a litany of complaints from frustrated passengers who have endured delayed and cancelled flights, long queues at airports and lost baggage.
Qantas is hoping to address the problems by scheduling fewer flights in the next month and hiring more staff.
The airline’s domestic and international chief executive, Andrew David, acknowledged that Qantas had been plagued by problems as it recovered from the Covid-19 lockdown period.
A spokesperson said the airline was committed to improving its services: “We’ve been clear that our operational performance has not been meeting our customers’ expectations or the standards that we expect of ourselves – and that we’ve been pulling out all stops to improve our performance.
“As we have done in the past during busy periods, around 200 head office staff have helped at airports during peak travel periods since Easter.
“While we manage the impacts of a record flu season and ongoing COVID cases coupled with the tightest labour market in decades, we’re continuing that contingency planning across our airport operations for the next three months.”
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
Lidia Thorpe called the Queen (UK) a colonizer after she was sworn in as a senator.
Also raised her right hand with a fist.
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
In the name of being honest
Ah, the "C" word finally makes it into the Parliament House.
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
To those who don't know, Thorpe's ancestry is traced back to the Djab Wurrung, Gunnai, and Gunditjmara Aboriginal tribes.
FYI, she revised her pledge of allegiance without "calling out" the Queen after being warned.
She's involved in the Pay the Rent campaign, where non-Aboriginal Australians pay reparations voluntary
"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Here's a Guardian article on it
Thorpe, a Greens senator for Victoria, was chided by her parliamentary colleagues, one of whom yelled, “You’re not a senator if you don’t do it properly.”
Thorpe was absent from parliament last week when other senators were officially sworn in, so took her oath on Monday morning. Walking to the Senate floor with her right fist raised in the air, Thorpe was asked to recite the words written on a card.
“I sovereign, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and I bear true allegiance to the colonising her majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” she said.
The word “colonising” is not in the formal oath.
The Labor Senate president, Sue Lines, interjected, as other senators voiced criticism and began calling to Thorpe.
“You are required to recite the oath as printed on the card,” Lines told the Greens senator.
“Please recite the oath.”
Thorpe turned to speak to a Labor senator behind her who appeared to voice further criticism, before repeating the oath as printed.
Another senator was heard to say “none of us like it”.
Thorpe later tweeted “sovereignty never ceded” as she shared a photo of her swearing-in.
Section 42 of the Australian constitution states that “every senator and every member of the House of Representatives shall before taking his seat make and subscribe” the oath.
But Prof Anne Twomey, a constitutional expert at the University of Sydney, said it was up to the parliament to decide whether failing or declining to make the oath would block someone from taking their place as a senator.
“As this is an internal proceeding in the Parliament, I doubt whether it would be ‘justiciable’ – ie I don’t think it is something that could be enforced before a court,” she told Guardian Australia.
“It is a matter for the presiding officers of the Houses to enforce section 42.”
Twomey said Thorpe could have decided not to take up her seat, if she was not prepared to swear allegiance to the Queen.
“Failure to do so would mean that she could not sit or vote. She would be entitled to other rights and privileges ... However, if she failed to attend for two consecutive months without the permission of the Senate, her place would become vacant under section 19 of the constitution,” she said.
The assistant minister for the republic, Matt Thistlethwaite, last week told Nine newspapers that swearing allegiance to the Queen was “archaic and ridiculous”.
“It does not represent the Australia we live in and it’s further evidence of why we need to begin discussing becoming a republic with our own head of state,” he said. “We are no longer British.”
However, under the Australian constitution all senators and M Ps must swear an allegiance to the Queen and her heirs and successors before sitting in parliament. The provision cannot be changed without a referendum, which Thistlethwaite said would only be done as part of a broader move towards a republic in a future term of government.
Thorpe last month described Australia as a “colonial project” and said the national flag did not represent her.
“It represents the colonisation of these lands, and it has no permission to be here, there’s been no consent, there’s been no treaty, so that flag does not represent me,” she told Channel 10’s The Project.
Thorpe said she stood for parliament “to question the illegitimate occupation of the colonial system in this country”.
“I am here for my people, and I will sacrifice swearing allegiance to the coloniser to get into the media like I am right now, to get into the parliament like I am every day,” she said.
I bet there is already a lot of pearl-clutching at shock horror this gravest defamation of the current head of state!!!
(Although since Elizabeth II was only born in 1926, I would probably consider it a bit factually dodgy. But that's not really very important)
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
She's still very much benefiting from the British Empire's exploitation of large parts of the world. Those crown jewels aren't ethically sourced, for starters.
Also, apparently swearing an oath to the queen is not actually a requirement - it's in the speaker's purview if they want to enforce it or not.
Which says something about the current speaker's priorities, I guess. 
Edited by DrunkenNordmann on Aug 10th 2022 at 12:11:33 PM
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
In the name of being honest
The British royal family is the largest non-corporate shareholder in Rio Tinto, whose mining activities have been linked to environmental and heritage destruction on Aboriginal lands over the years (most infamously the Juukan Gorge scandal a couple years back, which led to a round of resignations after a court ordered the mining giant to pay a massive reparation bill).
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
AP News: Former Australian PM Morrison took on extra powers in secret
Albanese said Morrison had been operating in secret, keeping the Australian people in the dark and misleading Parliament over who was in charge of what portfolios.
“This has been government by deception,” Albanese said.
Adding to revelations first detailed over the weekend by News Corp. media, Albanese said that between March 2020 and May 2021, Morrison was appointed minister of health, finance, home affairs, treasury and industry — moves which appeared to have given Morrison equal powers to the ministers already appointed to those positions.
“It is completely extraordinary that these appointments were kept secret by the Morrison government from the Australian people,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra.
Speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB, Morrison defended taking on the extra portfolios, saying they were a safeguard during the coronavirus pandemic and that he would have made the appointments public had he needed to use the powers involved.
“Sometimes we forget what was happening two years ago and the situation we were dealing with. It was an unconventional time and an unprecedented time,” Morrison told the radio station.
He pointed to the coronavirus hospitalization of the then-British prime minister.
“Boris Johnson almost died one night,” Morrison said. “We had ministers go down with COVID.”
Morrison used his additional powers on at least one occasion, to overturn a decision by former minister Keith Pitt to approve a contentious gas project off the New South Wales coast.
A: How was this even possible? Shouldn't government positions like that be public knowledge?
B: Are multiple people allowed to be minister of finance, health, etc.?
C: Under a situation like COVID, isn't it even worse to have so much power concentrated in a single person who could come down with COVID at any moment?
A: That's kind of the question. The rules are really, really basic for swearing someone in as a minister but those appointments are supposed be "gazetted" once they've happened and ScoMo's failure to do so is raising red flags. Apparently it's not legally required but that was probably on the grounds they never expected anything like this to happen when they wrote them.
B: Yes, though it's not common (and usually they're sworn in as assistant ministers for large porfolios) and before this never with out telling the senior minister.
C: Please don't take ScoMo's excuses as having any relation to reality or reason.
So the Air Bud approach to politics, basically.
In the name of being honest
"Average Australian parliamentarian holds multiple citizenships and executive postings" actually just a statistical error! Engadine Scott, who ran five ministries in secret from a beach resort in Hawai'i, is an outlier and should not be counted.
Anywho, a couple (or more) things I saw pointed out:
- ScoMo's Minister for Home Affairs, Karen Andrews, said on May 4th last year that she was considering letting the Murugappan family (a family of Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers whose two daughters were born in Australia) out of their detention facility on Christmas Island. A couple days later ScoMo took up the Minister's posting in secret. Sure seems like he didn't think the Department for Home Affairs hated refugees enough for his liking.
- He also took up the treasurer's post on the same day, weeks before then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg was due to deliver his 2021 budget speech.
- Morrison has also previously funded (out of the federal budget) a rather sketchy charity linked to Governor-General David Hurley, who was the person in charge of swearing in MPs and cabinet ministers, so make of that as you will.
<me wonders what Engadine Scott is> I know about Hawaii Scott-while-Australia-burns but that one is new.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Oh, bother.
It's from a rumor that Scott once shat his pants at Engadine Maccas in 1997.
Disgusted, but not surprised
Results are finished. Labor has a majority of...one.
I despise hypocrisy, unless of course it is my own.