Lidia Thorpe in the Senate accuses Liberal David Van of sexual assault, but later withdraws comments https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-14/lidia-thorpe-senate-accuses-david-van-sexual-assault/102480086
Senator Lidia Thorpe has used parliamentary privilege to accuse a Liberal senator of sexual assault, but later withdrew the remarks.
Lidia Thorpe said then Prime Minister Scott Morrison relocated Liberal David Van’s office after he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
We should listen to women if they make a claim of sexual assault, and we should believe them.
I'm not going to speculate on why Lidia Thorpe withdrew her comment from parliament, but think it's safe to say there will be more news to come.
I know Anika Wells personally. Before I transitioned and before she was the Federal Sports minister, we were volunteers together for several years at parkrun.
She got to see me coming out, and she got to see my transition, all in the context of community sports. parkrun even did a campaign about my transition to highlight the importance of inclusion.
So even though it's unsurprising, it hurts to see her so dedicated to sitting on the fence on this issue. I had (perhaps foolishly) thought that her personal connection with my own journey might be a boon given her current role as Sports Minister
Labor are not good people. This is straight out of the "trans people aren't people" playbook.
Imagine if the question was on Indigenous women competing in sport, the answer would be clear, but for Labor, whether trans women are women is up to a sporting code.
The answer to the question of whether transgender bans in sport is either "bans on trans women in sport are discrimination" or you're a terrible person #auspol
Hearings for the potentially groundbreaking Australian Climate Case will take place On Country in the Torres Strait (Zenadth Kes), 5-19 June 2023. Guda Maluyligal plaintiffs Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai from the islands of Boigu and Saibai will give evidence of the climate harms experienced by these communities on the frontline of Australia’s impending climate disaster. #auslaw#auspol#climate#torresstraitislands#IndigenousIP#UNDRIP
“our principal motivation in this paper is concern that IPCC has underestimated climate sensitivity and understated the threat of large sea level rise and shutdown of ocean overturning circulations” #auspol#climate#environment#gas#oil#fossilfuel #Australia
I notice the phrase "Right-leaning" more often recently.
Personally I am OF the Left, not leaning towards it & I have been since I thought things through 60 years odd ago, of the people, of society & civilisation & decency in general. Still in the same political place I was then watching government leaning further & further away to the right so far they fell flat on their faces. #politics#auspol
Australian racism is a special kind of racism. It's racism by denial. If you ask most Australians if they are racist, they will reply with a definite NO, all the while spewing microaggressions and claiming an indigenous voice to parliament would be racist. Dave Milner sums things up pretty well.
One of the interesting details the ABC shows is that retailers along the strip significantly overestimate the percentage of customers who arrive by car.
While retailers assume nearly two-thirds of customers drive to their stores, the real figure is closer to 30%.
Already, just under 70% of customers either walk, catch public transport, or cycle.
Most of those who drive to businesses in the area park in one of the 2000 parking spots off Sydney road, rather than the 450 on the road itself.
Meanwhile, the lack of a dedicated protected bike lane makes it far less attractive to cyclists. The cars significantly slow down trams. And the exhaust fumes make it unpleasant for pedestrians.
The minister said the legislation had to pass parliament by April next year, and he was confident it would help drive down smoking rates and respond to marketing strategies the tobacco industry had introduced to get around current laws. #auslaw#auspol#health#tobacco#smoking#worldnotobaccoday
The governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia suggests the solution to a housing shortage is more people per household... but you try turning up at his house with all your things, and sticky labels ready for the fridge. #AusPol
"I don't want everybody to vote. Our leverage in the elections goes up as the voting populace goes down" Paul Weyrich, founder, Heritage Foundation, Moral Majority
They voted for something that plenty told them was a stupid idea. They were warned by NO but they fell for the lies. Now it has turned out EXACTLY as the remain campaign said it would.
You have regret and want closer relationships with the #EU. How about 'No'! This is what you voted for. You won get over it. Deal with it!
The obsession with reducing immigration seems to be entirely illogical.
In 2021, the last year I could find figures for, the non-immigration related population change in the UK was around 30,000. Not enough to prop up the "forever growth" policies of our capitalist society.
So, we NEED immigration to top up that number.
500k, or even 1m more people in a year is not actually that many for a country with population 67m.
@localzuk
The reason birth rates are declining is because people in graduate jobs can no longer afford to buy a property big enough for a large family.
The high #immigration rates are crowding out local births.
The solution is to change the model, not keep jamming in more and more people to indulge wealthy retirees.
"A cycle path built through part of Sydney’s inner west will be ripped up on Tuesday, five months after it was completed, due to a council decision described by riders as a knee-jerk reaction to complaints from residents."
"Dear Shankar, Andrew, Brendan, and all whom this may concern,
"One more thing.
"Just a little heads up about something.
"Next time, before you send everyone who responded to an inquiry with the same pro-forma letter, you might want to check that it hasn't gone viral on social media.
"Because, when there's several Mastodon threads full of people who received the same pro forma letter, it comes across as a little insincere to say you are 'effectively engaging with the community as part of this process'.
Labor talks up possible aged care levy as minister says Australians willing to pay for more ‘choice’ (www.theguardian.com)
Anika Wells says taskforce will include consideration of levies but government ‘still not advocating any particular proposal’
‘Knee-jerk reaction’: Sydney cycle path to be ripped up months after opening (www.smh.com.au)
"A cycle path built through part of Sydney’s inner west will be ripped up on Tuesday, five months after it was completed, due to a council decision described by riders as a knee-jerk reaction to complaints from residents."