Roberts-Smith, wasted billions, Senator Hanson-Young and News Corp inquiry, and ending HECS debts

06/09/23 • 52 min

1 Listener

In this episode, we delve into the significant events that have unfolded in the political landscape during the week. We start with the explosive findings from the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case, which confirmed the truth behind shocking allegations, including civilian murders in Afghanistan and disturbing behaviour towards a woman.
Shining a light on government actions, we discuss revelations of the former Morrison government misspending $2 billion in health funding programs, exposing a pattern of poor guidelines and politically motivated grants. These unethical practices continue to provide material for the National Anti-Corruption Commission, adding to the Morrison government’s list of possibly illegal behavior.
Another major development is the official interest rate rise, reaching the highest rate since 2012. Amidst the blame game, we explore various factors contributing to this economic challenge and emphasise the government’s responsibility to address the problem.
In Western Australia, we highlight the controversial decision to award Gina Rinehart as Western Australian of the Year, questioning the selection criteria that favour wealthy businesspeople over community champions and unsung heroes.
Our attention then shifts to the ongoing push for an inquiry into the Murdoch media empire in Australia, a long-overdue inquiry to examine the influence of News Corporation, which we believe has become a cancerous force in the media and political landscape.
To provide insight, we interview Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who shares her perspective on an inquiry and its potential to improve media behaviour in Australia.
Finally, we address the contentious issue of growing HECS debts, a scheme implemented in 1990. We explore the impact of increased inflation rates on HECS debts, and the need for fundamental reform of the university and higher education sector, highlighting the broader community benefits that education brings.

Previous Episode

Goodbye McGowan, the PwC scandal, and the conservative attacks on the Voice to Parliament

In this episode, we discuss the recent resignation of Mark McGowan as Premier of Western Australia; examine the controversy surrounding PwC’s leak of secret information from the Australian Taxation Office; and delve into the issue of conservative attacks and takeover of the Voice to Parliament.
Mark McGowan, has stepped down as the Premier of Western Australia after six years in office. Citing exhaustion and a lack of energy to effectively continue in his role, McGowan concluded his resignation speech, marking the end of an influential and highly successful career.
The a prominent consulting firm PwC – one of the ‘Big Four’ – has faced intense scrutiny for leaking confidential information from the Australian Taxation Office to its international clients, revealing plans by the Australian Government regarding multinational corporations tax and corporate law changes. There are suggestions that the released information represents just the tip of the iceberg, with other consulting firms likely to be implicated. This situation raises significant concerns about government outsourcing, particularly given the staggering $21 billion spent on consultants and outsourcing in the final year of the previous Coalition government. This figure is equivalent to 54,000 full-time staff or 37 per cent of the entire federal government public service. While the current Labor government aims to reduce this spending, the existence of ongoing contracts and the need for specific expertise pose challenges in immediate reduction.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been actively promoting the Voice to Parliament: during his speech in Adelaide, he emphasised the potential of the Voice the Parliament as a moment of national idealism, and an opportunity to surpass the achievements of the 1967 referendum. However, there is a major difference between the 1967 referendum and the Voice to Parliament. The Liberal Party’s nature has evolved from a liberal stance in the 1960s to a more reactionary conservative party today and mobilising fear, loathing, and hatred is easier now than in the past, and it was always inevitable that the federal Liberal Party was not going to support the Voice to Parliament – they declared their support for the “no” campaign, even before the legislation reached Parliament.
The Liberal Party misrepresents information, spreads lies, and continuously demands more details: they accuse Anthony Albanese of being secretive about the Voice to Parliament, attempting to cultivate a racist vote across Australia. These bad faith actors show no intention of supporting positive change for Indigenous Australia, despite having had nine years to address the very issues they complain about.
While some have criticised Albanese for lacking courage and being slow in implementing reforms, these criticisms should not apply to the Voice to Parliament. It aligns precisely with the demands of Indigenous people. Indigenous issues do not garner significant electoral support in Australian politics, and the Labor government will possibly lose votes on the Voice to Parliament. But, it’s the right thing to do. Despite this, it just highlights the difficulty of convincing the rest of Australia to support initiatives that positively affect Indigenous people amidst conservative antagonism. #auspol #VoiceToParliament

Next Episode

An awful week in politics, fixing housing and is the Voice To Parliament really in trouble?

We should never underestimate the lengths to which the Liberal Party will go, or how low they will stoop, in order to gain a political advantage. This was evident in one of the most distressing weeks in federal Parliament in a long time: they exploited their own act of covering up allegations of sexual assault in Parliament House in 2019 and attempted to shift the blame onto Senator Katy Gallagher, accusing her of misleading Parliament during a Senate hearing. The real issue here is the mistreatment of a woman – Brittany Higgins – who was sexually assaulted, and the Liberal Party has decided that they cannot go low enough to seek advantage. However, the Liberal Party’s tactics backfired, and by the end of the week, the focus was on Liberal Party Senator David Van, who faced allegations of sexual harassment and assault by several women Senators and was subsequently asked to resign from Parliament.
We also address the issue of housing affordability in Australia and speak with Cathy Callaghan, senior policy officer at Shelter NSW, who provides an overview of the various aspects of housing policy that need attention in order to achieve a sustainable and equitable housing sector in the future. Housing has been neglected by successive governments over the past 30 years, with social and public housing largely left to the private sector, which is a significant reason why we are facing the problems we have today. Resolving these issues requires substantial effort and focus by government.
Lastly, we examine the opinion polls regarding the Voice to Parliament initiative. While some polls suggest a decline in support for the initiative, others indicate that support remains around 60 per vent, creating a confusing picture. The Voice to Parliament is an important aspiration for First Nations people in Australia, but the debate surrounding the referendum has become toxic, with conservative groups disseminating misinformation to undermine its success. Beneath these layers of deception, the underlying reason for this strategy is a disturbing undercurrent of racism that is becoming more overt and brazen.