Talking Politics

[Sintiger]

100% agree the losers are us. Our kids have no hope of getting reasonable services and infrastructure if money is wasted like this.

At the time of the report Dan Andrews had 82 staff in his office.

Meanwhile Jacinta Allan was asked today how many staff work in her office and she said I don’t know. Assuming this is not a lie.

How out of touch are these politicians that spending of tax payers money is of zero consequence?

The money is one thing but that’s not the big issue. 80 staff would cost $12-15 million ( and he would need some) and whilst that is a lot of money it is a drop in the ocean compared with the waste, delay issues created by the heavily centralised decision making process.
It is also small compared with the cost created by the sleeze of SCOMOs regime ranging from Robodebt to sports rorts to railways station car parks and many others.

 

[Ian4]

What's happening with the NACC? Everyone very excited when it was finally launched but haven't heard a peep out of them since. I can only assume they are all hands on deck with the Robodebt corruption. But expected to hear more from them than what we've seen.

Its a constant source of frustration for me. The sooner those corrupt bastards in the former government face the music, the better. Also waiting on Robdebt criminal charges. They need to be taken to the cleaners

According to the bun fight in Parliament and reported in various meedjia. The High Court ruling was in regard to the one kiddie fiddler, not all 140 of these queue jumpers n crims.

So you've been sucked in by the exact media lies i was talking about? Good one mate.

 

[Redford]

Well, in better news, we can all rejoice at the fact Taylor Swift is Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Just pipped Barbie.

 

[Sintiger]

Its a constant source of frustration for me. The sooner those corrupt bastards in the former government face the music, the better. Also waiting on Robdebt criminal charges. They need to be taken to the cleaners

Robodebt was morally reprehensible but who are you expecting to be charged and with what? I am not defending anyone but I also can't see what criminal charges could occur. Being a slimebag human and *smile* at your job is not a crime

It wouldn't come from the NACC anyway as they recommend criminal investigations occur, they have no ability to lay any charges. No such body in Australia does

 

[larabee]

Well, in better news, we can all rejoice at the fact Taylor Swift is Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Just pipped Barbie.

what a time to be alive

 

[Redford]

what a time to be alive

Ah cmon. Don’t be so down bumblebee. Shake it off.

 

[Tigaman]

Weak Australian government going pass laws where Australia Post do not have to make daily deliveries Mon-Fri. Australia Post is pathetic eg my new Mastercard posted last Monday week has not arrived. Parcel posted from Richmond Monday 27 Nov by Express post not arrived . AusPost tracker shows it has been to Sunshine West, Sydney South twice & Chullora. Last post in transit to South Sydney last Friday. Another one I posted a Express Post letter from Rockingham to Balcatta suburb north of Perth CBD some time 2021 distance about 55 ks. I got it back three weeks later.

Enquired where Richmond parcel was & advised by email from Aust Post this morning they have lost it. Contents a new Richmond football club cap my Xmas present. What a life we live in these days.

 

[Ian4]

Robodebt was morally reprehensible but who are you expecting to be charged and with what? I am not defending anyone but I also can't see what criminal charges could occur. Being a slimebag human and *smile* at your job is not a crime

I guess we'll wait and see. But they knew it was illegal and proceeded anyway. The cynic in me does feel like they will make scapegoats of public servants and not politicians. I really hope i'm wrong.

Every time i think of Robodebt, I think of Alan Tudge's infamous words and it makes my skin crawl. They cannot be allowed to get away with it.

 

[Ian4]

Enquired where Richmond parcel was & advised by email from Aust Post this morning they have lost it. Contents a new Richmond football club cap my Xmas present. What a life we live in these days.

PM me with your Tracking Number and Case Number and i'll take a look for you.

 

[Sintiger]

I guess we'll wait and see. But they knew it was illegal and proceeded anyway. The cynic in me does feel like they will make scapegoats of public servants and not politicians. I really hope i'm wrong.

Every time i think of Robodebt, I think of Alan Tudge's infamous words and it makes my skin crawl. They cannot be allowed to get away with it.

100% agree and there was solicitor general advice that it was illegal but that doesn’t mean that any individual (politician or public servant ) has done anything that they can be charged with

My view is there is no way anyone will be charged with anything

 

[Baloo]

Robodebt was morally reprehensible but who are you expecting to be charged and with what? I am not defending anyone but I also can't see what criminal charges could occur. Being a slimebag human and *smile* at your job is not a crime

It wouldn't come from the NACC anyway as they recommend criminal investigations occur, they have no ability to lay any charges. No such body in Australia does

I thought the commissioner deliberately delayed the release of her report so that she could recommend some findings to the NACC

 

[MD Jazz]

Agree. That's why I never liked Dan the Man. Allan's doing a good job so far. Hope she doesn't inflate hers later in time.

Time will not be kind to Andrews. One of the more secretive leaders of recent times. Not at most LNP levels but transparency wasn't his thing.

 

[Sintiger]

I thought the commissioner deliberately delayed the release of her report so that she could recommend some findings to the NACC

The NACC may investigate but what I mean is that if there is any recommendation to potentially charge anyone that wouldn’t go to NACC. If there was to be an investigation into whether any corruption had occurred that may be by NACC but the most they can do is refer any suspected corruption to the relevant body.
It seems convoluted but NACC has no power to charge anyone. They are not prosecutors.

 

[Sintiger]

Time will not be kind to Andrews. One of the more secretive leaders of recent times. Not at most LNP levels but transparency wasn't his thing.

I have been around the state public service for more than a decade now. What I was told by people close to the decision making was that Andrews got worse as time went on.

Politicians who stay in power a long time often drown in their own hubris. He wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last.

 

[Ian4]

I have been around the state public service for more than a decade now. What I was told by people close to the decision making was that Andrews got worse as time went on.

I have a mate who works in the VIC public service and he says similar things about how Andrews loved the power. But I question this argument.

If he loved the power so much, why quit now? He's only 51. Been Premier for 9 years. He was literally at the height of his powers with a huge majority and a poor opposition. He could have gone on for another 2 terms and broken Bolte's record if he really wanted to.

But, nup. I reckon people have got the word power mixed with the phrase control freak. Andrews was a hands on Premier. And thats why he had a high number of public servants in his office.

 

[Baloo]

The NACC may investigate but what I mean is that if there is any recommendation to potentially charge anyone that wouldn’t go to NACC. If there was to be an investigation into whether any corruption had occurred that may be by NACC but the most they can do is refer any suspected corruption to the relevant body.
It seems convoluted but NACC has now power to charge anyone. They are not prosecutors.

Here's what I was referencing

Exclusive: Robo-debt findings delayed to allow NACC referrals

Commissioner Catherine Holmes has written to the attorney-general to ask that her findings be delivered after the National Anti-Corruption Commission is operational, so she can make direct referrals.

www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au

 

[Sintiger]

I have a mate who works in the VIC public service and he says similar things about how Andrews loved the power. But I question this argument.

If he loved the power so much, why quit now? He's only 51. Been Premier for 9 years. He was literally at the height of his powers with a huge majority and a poor opposition. He could have gone on for another 2 terms and broken Bolte's record if he really wanted to.

But, nup. I reckon people have got the word power mixed with the phrase control freak. Andrews was a hands on Premier. And thats why he had a high number of public servants in his office.

The problem was a lot of them weren’t public servants in the traditional sense they were political operatives. That’s what got everyone annoyed

There is a way decisions get made in the public service but what happened over the years was that decisions got made in the premiers office, often by people with very little knowledge and experience outside political advisory. Think of lots of Bruce Lehrman type people ( without the sexual assault allegations).

The other thing that got changed was the massive centralisation of financial power in the Treasury because Pallas is a control freak as well. For example CFOs of government departments now report to treasury and not the their department secretaries. This has meant financial decisions have increasingly been made by people far removed from the actual day to day knowledge of the consequences.

My personal view is that he decided to quit at the peak of his powers because it was only going to go south from here. He decided at 51 that it was time to make some money. That’s a personal view only

 

[Sintiger]

Here's what I was referencing

Exclusive: Robo-debt findings delayed to allow NACC referrals

Commissioner Catherine Holmes has written to the attorney-general to ask that her findings be delivered after the National Anti-Corruption Commission is operational, so she can make direct referrals.

www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au

So she must have suspicions of corruption that fall within the NACC. It will then be up to the NACC to refer any of those to prosecutors/police.

 

[K3]

Juice Media have nailed it once more.

I had no idea about how eff'n *smile* the changes to fundraising truly are... More crap from Labor and the LNP

 

[TigerMasochist]

Its a constant source of frustration for me. The sooner those corrupt bastards in the former government face the music, the better. Also waiting on Robdebt criminal charges. They need to be taken to the cleaners



So you've been sucked in by the exact media lies i was talking about? Good one mate.

So all these meedjia bastards have been lying through their back teeth every five minutes of every day, yet they're never pulled to account by one single politician or political party and all these meedjia companies simply keep raking in the money from everyone watching their lying presenters pouring out *smile*.
Feel free to blindly continue kissing labor party arse as long as you like, sadly for you Old mate Dan quit his job n left you bereft. Me, I'll happily dislike and distrust all politicians especially the ones from the two major parties and enjoy whenever the meedjia gives whichever pollies arse a bit of a chewing.