Blogotariat

Oz Blog News Commentary
Thursday, January 16, 2014 - 21:25
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Thursday, November 7, 2013 - 16:32
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Thursday, November 7, 2013 - 14:32
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Thursday, October 10, 2013 - 16:40
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 14:54
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 14:54
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 14:54

Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott has picked just one woman for his 19-member cabinet, to be sworn in tomorrow. In defending his choice he declared he was prioritising stability, experience and merit.

So Crikey decided to have a go. Is it so very hard to select a Coalition cabinet which meets these requirements, but is not 95% male?

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Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - 00:05
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Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - 00:05
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Friday, September 6, 2013 - 20:47
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Thursday, September 5, 2013 - 20:26
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013 - 23:32

Here's the game plan. Abbott is foreshadowing that if he wins the election he will call a double dissolution if Labor blocks his plans to undo carbon pricing. By Labor he means the Senate. If he can call one quickly enough, while Labor is in disarray and he is riding high in the polls, exploit the division in the electorate, he might be able to control both houses of parliament.

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Tuesday, September 3, 2013 - 22:14
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Monday, September 2, 2013 - 21:21
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Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 21:20
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - 21:46
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Monday, August 26, 2013 - 22:01
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Monday, August 26, 2013 - 14:19
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Thursday, August 22, 2013 - 22:25
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - 21:47
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - 21:47
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Friday, August 16, 2013 - 21:57
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Friday, August 16, 2013 - 21:57
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Sunday, July 21, 2013 - 11:27

Bob Brown put it best. “I get asked on this immigration question, as with others, well, why aren’t we bringing this government down? Because you get Tony Abbott.”

Politics is the art of the possible. We end up with what is do-able rather than what is desirable. In Australian politics at present, whoever owns the Bogan vote gains Federal office.

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Friday, November 23, 2012 - 08:17
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Friday, September 21, 2012 - 10:50
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Monday, September 17, 2012 - 14:11

A salute to the captain of the good ship Queensland. On visiting Campbell Newman’s sunny state last week, I was asked to be part of an event called The Sincerest Form of Flattery, in which writers mimic the style of a favourite author. I decided to go with A.B. Paterson. When I’ve got a minute I might rework this, keeping to the Banjo’s original metre. But I rather had to knock this piece together on the day, so this is it, as performed at the Brisbane Writers Festival.

Campbell of the Overflow

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - 16:56

"At last count, I've knocked on more than 3 million doors since 1969, that's a lot of doors", Clive Palmer said.

It sure is - that's 69,767 per year. Let's be generous and allow 366 days in a year. That's an average of 190 doors a day. At 3 minutes a door that's 9.5 hours a day. Clive has been a busy boy. Or else it's a sad indictment of the numeracy skills of the political journalists who left this claim unchallenged.

Update: On Lateline last night he said it was 4 million. Must have had a busy day.

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Wednesday, May 30, 2012 - 09:00
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012 - 09:00
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