Disgraceful Abbott

Don Randall the rorting Western Australian Liberal member has paid his rort of the taxpayers.

Quote:

West Australian state Liberal MP Rob Johnson called on Mr Abbott to dump the embattled federal WA Liberal Don Randall over a taxpayer-funded trip to Cairns with his wife in November last year.

Quote:

In a statement on Thursday Mr Randall said he would immediately reimburse the full cost of the trip to ''ensure the right thing is done by the taxpayer and alleviate any ambiguity''.

"The Department informed me that it cannot provide definitive advice.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...#ixzz2i13nNymY

I call ******** on that. How can the Department of Finance allow an M.P. to go across to the other side of a large continent to buy an investment property and claim the travel and other expenses on the taxpayers. This should have been investigated by the AFP.
Tony Abbott is not fit to govern this country due to his inaction on this and his own rorting of the system over many years.
So far the worst P.M. ever.
What a disgraceful rabble they are.

Coalitions Broadband Policy

The Coalitions broadband policy is causing ructions in the Telecommunication Industry. 

Quote:

National broadband provider iiNet has published an extensive list of questions it still has regarding the Coalition’s plans to alter Labor’s National Broadband Network strategy, noting that details ranging from points of interconnect to who would build the network are still unknown, a month after the Federal Election.

The telecommunication industry are very much in the dark over what is happening. The Coalition have no idea as far as I can see. This could be turning into a debacle like their telecommunication debacle under Howard.
http://delimiter.com.au/2013/10/17/c...il-says-iinet/

Quote:

The ISP pointed out that the Coalition had not yet announced key details of its plans, such as who would build its infrastructure (with candidates including the current outsourced construction industry model, in-sourcing the construction to NBN Co or even handing a large portion of the construction work to Telstra).

If they want Telstra to build it they had better hurry, because Telstra are getting rid of workers as fast a a socialite gets rid of last years fashions.

Parliamentary Entitlements Rort

Much is rotten in Parliament regarding parliamentarians entitlements.
The problem is on both sides of parliament. But it seems it is performed at it's most flexible in the Conservative side of parliament.
Just look at the latest "rort" by Liberal MP Don Randall.

Quote:

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is refusing to take action against a Liberal MP who has spent more than $10,000 of taxpayers' money on questionable expenses, including travel that appears to be linked to his Cairns investment property.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...#ixzz2hvNt1DIU
This rorter(is this a word) flew to Cairns, bought an investment property and claimed it as an electoral expense. His electorate is in Western Australia.

Quote:

Meanwhile, the South Australian Labor senator Don Farrell has admitted he repaid almost $1000 in travel allowances several months ago after billing taxpayers for accommodation he accepted free.
Senator Farrell blamed an ''administration error'' for the trip to last year's AFL grand final.

Those damn administration errors. Someone should do something about those pesky administrators.

Carbon Tax Lies and Parental Leave

Abbott and Hunt telling porkies about the carbon price impact on Australians.

Quote:

Experts have rejected claims by the federal government that household expenses would be significantly smaller after a repeal of the carbon tax.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Environment Minister Greg Hunt said on Monday average households would be $550 a year better off with the scrapping of the tax.

Quote:

Hugh Saddler, a principal consultant for energy analysts Pitt & Sherry, said it had been ''almost impossible'' to see the carbon price footprint when it was introduced, and it would be no easier if it was removed. The Australian Bureau of Statistics agreed.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...#ixzz2hvMBoNrr

In addition.

Quote:

Meanwhile, Mr Abbott might have a more pressing challenge than convincing Labor to abandon its carbon price: keeping his own senators in line over issues such as his paid parental leave scheme.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...#ixzz2hvNB7X25
Abbotts scatter brain idea about Parental Leave may come back and bite him on the bum, by his own Coalition.

AshbyGate 2

Read the next installment of AshbyGate here at Independent Australia.

Here is what Federal Court Judge, Justice Rares had to say after he heard all of the evidence on the James Ashby claim of sexual harassment against Peter Slipper. This is his conclusion.

CONCLUSION
196. Having read all of the text messages on Mr Ashby’s mobile phone, as Mr Ashby’s senior counsel invited me to do, as well as the other evidence, I have reached the firm conclusion that Mr Ashby’s predominant purpose for bringing these proceedings was to pursue a political attack against Mr Slipper and not to vindicate any legal claim he may have for which the right to bring proceedings exists. Mr Ashby began planning that attack at least by the beginning of February 2012. As Mr Ashby and Ms Doane agreed in their texts of 30 March 2012 what they were doing “will tip the govt to Mal’s [Brough] and the LNP’s advantage”: [66]. It may be a coincidence that Mr Ashby suggested to Mr Slipper the idea of becoming Speaker just as Mr Brough began to move towards challenging Mr Slipper for LNP pre-selection for his seat and Mr Ashby ended up in an alliance in late March 2012 with Mr Brough to bring down Mr Slipper after he became Speaker. It is not necessary to make any finding about this or about whether Mr Slipper did sexually harass Mr Ashby in any of the ways alleged. It is also not necessary to consider whether these proceedings are “vexatious proceedings” within the meaning of r 6.02 or if that expression has a different meaning in r 26.01(1)(b) under which the Court can give summary judgment if “the proceeding is frivolous or vexatious”.
197. For the reasons above, I am satisfied that these proceedings are an abuse of the process of the Court. The originating application was used by Mr Ashby for the predominant purpose of causing significant public, reputational and political damage to Mr Slipper. It contained the scandalous and irrelevant 2003 allegations and assertion that Mr Ashby intended to report to the police Cabcharge allegations. To allow these proceedings to remain in the Court would bring the administration of justice into disrepute among right-thinking people and would be manifestly unfair to Mr Slipper: Jeffery & Katauskas 239 CLR at 93 [28]. Even though Mr Ashby has now abandoned the 2003 and all the Cabcharge allegations, the features that I have criticised did the harm to Mr Slipper that Mr Ashby and Mr Harmer intended when those allegations were included in the originating application. A party cannot be allowed to misuse the Court’s process by including scandalous, irrelevant or damaging allegations knowing that they would receive very significant media coverage and then seek to regularise his, her or its pleading by subsequently abandoning those claims.
198. Sexual harassment of anyone, including an employee such as Mr Ashby, is a violation of the person’s human dignity and rights. The Court must always be available for the hearing and determination of bona fide proceedings to vindicate and protect those rights. But for the reasons I have given, Mr Ashby’s pre-dominant purpose in bringing the proceedings was not a proper one.
199. Even though I have not found that the combination was as wide as Mr Slipper alleged in his points of claim, the evidence established that there was a combination involving Mr Ashby, Ms Doane and Mr Brough of that kind. Mr Ashby acted in combination with Ms Doane and Mr Brough when commencing the proceedings in order to advance the interests of the LNP and Mr Brough. Mr Ashby and Ms Doane set out to use the proceedings as part of their means to enhance or promote their prospects of advancement or preferment by the LNP, including by using Mr Brough to assist them in doing so. And the evidence also established that the proceedings were an abuse of the process of the Court for the reasons I have given. Accordingly, I am satisfied that the exceptional situation that enlivens the Court’s power to dismiss (or stay) proceedings as an abuse has been proved to the heavy standard required: Williams 174 CLR at 529. The duty and power of the Court to protect its own processes require that I give effect to the findings I have made by dismissing the proceedings under r 26.01.

 

 

 

 

 

Liberal Party Policies

I thought this sums up the 2013 election.

Should the AFP investigate Abbott

Slippery Pete is now being investigated for defrauding the Commonwealth of $900 in cab charges in 2010.
Should Tony Abbott be investigated for possibly defrauding the Commonwealth of at least $6651 in 2009 whilst advertising his book Battlelines.
From The Independent.

Quote:

Tony Abbott released Battlelines in 2009. It was a book designed to set the tone for his leadership and outline his vision for Australia. From his Sydney seat of Warringah, Abbott flew to Canberra to discuss the book at the National Press Club on 28 July. While it can probably be argued that the Press Club visit was legitimate business – even if it was to discuss and sign copies of his book – how would he explain his trip to Melbourne on 3 August for a dinner event at a Dymocks bookstore? Abbott returned to Melbourne as well as visiting Brisbane and Perth to promote his book. In all, he charged $5,689.36 to the Commonwealth for business that seems personal not parliamentary. That was only the air fares. Including drivers to and from his book events, the taxpayer has put $6,651.96 towards the promotion of his book.

Any comments on this. Do you all feel it is necessary to investigate Abbott?

What's happening to Pete "Slippery" Slipper

I have been following this "Slippery Pete" imbroglio for a while now and the more that comes out the more I realise he is probably innocent. Or, at least, is acting exactly like other politicians currently do.
Justice Rares threw out the sexual harassment claims by Ashby and said it was a conspiracy to set up Slipper for a fall.
Then there was the cab charge imbroglio brought on by Ashby that he later dropped after it soundly put a lot of negative publicity on Slipper. Obviously nothing there.
But finally the AFP found a $900 cab charge misdemeanor in 2010.
But wait, what about all of the other finance misdemeanors by other politicians?

There is of course the Peter Reith phone card imbroglio from 2000.
Here is an exert from the ABC show PM.

LINDSAY TANNER: On what basis and on what authority did you provide your son with your tele-card and pin number? Since becoming aware of the fact that your card was being misused, what inquiries have you made to determine how the tele-card and pin number came to be more widely abused?

PETER REITH: I did give the card to my son and it was . I should not have done so. There is a Remuneration Tribunal determination which says that you must only use the card personally and I was in breach of that.

PHILIP WILLIAMS: A straight breach of the rules. So, what was the penalty?

The Prime Minister.

JOHN HOWARD: It's not something that I would encourage people to do and it's not something I've done but if you're asking me would I regard it as a hanging offence in relation to the position he now holds the answer is no, I don't.
This was a $50,000 phone card debt that Reith's phone had on it. His son "rakked" up illegally, $950.
What penalty??
A slap on the wrist.

All below from the Independent Australian.
There is the Finance Department Protocol followed when an Allegation is Received of Alleged Misuse of Entitlement by a Member or Senator (the so-called Minchin Protocol, because the then Howard Government finance minister Nick Minchin decreed it) which says that when a politician claims too much for minor expenses (such as cab fares) then they just quietly repay the excess and all is forgiven.

From the Protocol:

Internal Audit

• When an allegation of or other event which suggests misuse of entitlement occurs, the Department undertakes an internal investigation to ascertain whether the allegations are credible (rather than being only malicious or vexatious).

• If the matter is relatively minor, the Member or Senator will be invited to provide an explanation to the Department.

A rort from March 2011.
A LIBERAL staffer who splurged $906 on a cab ride from Wodonga to Melbourne boasted on Facebook: “I don’t do buses.”
Adam Wyldeck, who works for Victorian Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella, provided taxi fare updates on Facebook as he travelled to the airport on Sunday.
“Not even in Melbourne yet and the cab fare is sitting at $756,” he wrote.
After a Facebook friend asked whether he could have caught a bus, Mr Wyldeck replied: “I don’t do buses.”

Sources have revealed exclusively to Independent Australia that, in accordance with this Protocol, when the 2010 overpayment (a mere $900 or so) was discovered several months ago, Peter Slipper immediately offered to repay the excess.
But sources say Finance refused to allow him to do this. Instead, they said that — because the AFP was interested, they would not follow the protocol.

So it seems that "Slippery Pete" has been hung out to dry by the conservatives. All the media and opposition outrage over Slipper is as far as I can see a total over exaggeration and conspiracy to undermine Slipper and ultimately the Labor Government.
This is the real story, this is the scandal, not Slipper himself.
The media have a lot to answer for for being a part in this deception and vilification of a man. A man that has been denigrated and dragged through the gutter for sheer political gain so that Tony Abbott can become Prime Minister.
A disgrace.
I just hope Slipper does not do what a lot may do after all of the mud that has been thrown, that is commit suicide. This is a possibility after his name has been dragged through the mud for sheer political gain by the opposition.
See my other posts on this subject.
http://wombatsramblings.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/justice-rares-judgement.html
http://wombatsramblings.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/ashbygate-referred-to-federal-police.html
http://wombatsramblings.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/ashbygate.html
http://wombatsramblings.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-liberal-mire-is-getting-murkier-aka.html