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Byron Shire
April 20, 2024

Peter’s shadow

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So now it’s the turn of the Deputy Leader of the opposition, Sussan Ley, seeking to sow dissent over the Voice. Perhaps, because Mr Dutton’s messages are not cutting through, she’s coming to his aid. But her defence of Peter Dutton has its own form of irrationality.

She claims Mr Albanese has been ‘lashing out at Peter Dutton’. On the contrary Albanese is aware of the need for seeking consensus and the need for maintaining sensitivity in this delicate matter. And yes, Ms Ley, Albanese ‘wants the referendum to succeed’ and it will be ‘on his terms’ as the Coalition is either ‘against’ (Nationals) or ‘undecided’ (Liberals). So let’s move on.

Ms Ley wants the PM ‘to stop laying traps, stop willing the Coalition to oppose this’. Am I actually hearing this confected nonsense?

The Coalition has got itself into this unseemly vortex by not advancing the Uluru Statement when last in government. Remember Ken Wyatt, Minister for Indigenous Affairs in the Morrison government, who in 2019 committed the Morrison government to deliver a vote on constitutional recognition of a Voice by June 2021?

By January 2020 the same Mr Wyatt rejected the idea of a referendum and instead said it would be legislated… and no date was given. Since he lost his seat in last year’s election Mr Wyatt seems to have rediscovered his belief in constitutional recognition because on 17 January 2023 he stated, ‘there is enough detail in the Calma/Langton Report [the report explaining the pathway to a Voice – a very good reference manual for Mr Dutton – 272 pages long] for Australians to make up their minds on the Voice referendum’.

So Mr Wyatt appears to be back on board with the referendum. Ms Ley should take note. There is no bullying of ‘big’ Peter by ‘little’ Anthony, it’s just that Peter has lost his way. 

Frank Lynch, Wilsons Creek

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11 COMMENTS

  1. What is the voice to parliament ? Details ?
    And how will this improve the lives of Aboriginal people’s ? 🤔 this is the question Albo has been asked and simply won’t answer.. or give details..

  2. Frank, Susan Ley is about as out of touch as Peter Dutton as is the rest of the right wings of the Liberal and National Parties, they have still not woken up to why they lost the last election so badly, and they probably never will.

    • Yes keith labor sure do know about that …
      If you don’t like our policies don’t vote for us ”
      Aka Bowen .. !! Incidentally how well keith
      Are labor doing ATM ? The punters are not
      Happy .. Tax & Spend maybe a glue ..

      • If you just pander to populism you will keep all the punters happy. If you make some “hard” decisions to fix the superannuation fiscal minefields that Howard and Costello left – in their successful attempts to bribe their way back in by splurging the mining boom – you might upset the odd multi million $ super account holder.

        But even the coalition realised that that Cayman Islands like scheme was unsustainable and did quite a bit of tinkering themselves in the Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison years.

        The most significant – capping the amount that could be held in a tax-free income stream – was much more radical than taxing earnings on accounts above 3mil a bit more. You know, to a rate something like that paid by PAYE lower income earners.

        But when it’s the coalition I suppose that’s OK 👌

        And I think quite a few of the punters are smart enough to see through the knee-jerk TAXES! 😱spin and are very happy with the proposed change.

      • Which party is still streaks ahead in every opinion poll and preferred PM? let me refresh your memory, it’s Labor.

        • Yes keith ..agree as previously stated iam for the betterment of the country regardless
          Of who is in power.. Albo spoke well regarding AKUS ..as global warming mad is The President & the UK prime minister..
          Ablo was the only one to mention climate change 4 times as a world threat to security..
          If that came from Brandt you could understand.. albo is hard left.. and the beer
          Tax again is hard to take keith ..
          Unfortunately it won’t be the last tax labor
          Will subject the punters with ..history will
          Repeat..

          • From the ABC website (I know full of commy bastards!):

            ‘In a January 28 Facebook post, Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “thinks you won’t notice some new taxes. Even though he promised no new taxes.”

            ‘”Beer drinkers are the newest victims of Labor’s sneaky taxes,” he wrote.

            ‘”The 3.7 per cent tax ­increase, which affects draught as well as packaged beer, comes on top of a 4 per cent increase in August.”

            ‘This, Mr Wood said, was “just another broken promise”.

            ‘So, did Labor introduce a new beer tax? RMIT ABC Fact Check investigates.

            ‘The verdict
            Mr Wood’s claim is misleading.

            ‘ Although the federal tax on beer has increased, this was the result of regular, automatic indexation that occurs in line with inflation.

            ‘In other words, when the cost of living increases, so do beer taxes.

            ‘Alcohol taxes have existed in Australia since colonial times, and the current indexation arrangements for beer taxes have been in place for nearly 40 years.

            ‘The relevant legislation has not been changed since Labor was elected in May 2022.’

            And further:

            The report also adds that the alcohol excise typically increases automatically every February and August and states:

            ‘However, the CEO of the Brewers Association industry group, John Preston, published a statement following the August 2022 rise that said such increases were “a problem that the new Treasurer has inherited from his predecessors”.’

          • Barrow, we feeling your global warming anxiety, it must be crushing keeping your cool as climate catastrophies keep coming.
            But you right about Presidnet Biden, he’s now given up on climate action after his approval of Big New Oil and Gas in Alaska…..burn it baby, burn!

  3. Yeah into court ..lot’s of punters talk a big game
    Regarding this apparent climate change emergency 🤔 yet as individuals “you do as I say not as I do ”
    Hypocrites ? I think so ..

    • Whether or not the posters to these pages are guilty of “you do as I say not as I do ” – and how would you know?- it has nothing to do with the veracity of the claims of climate scientists. When will you stop bringing out this ridiculous refrain as some sort of meaningful comment?

      And how come you don’t answer me any more? Still convinced Labor snuck in a beer tax?

      • Lizardbreath mate ..here it is ..Australia is in the top three nations taxed regarding
        Alcohol consumption… smashed ..
        Not happy Jan !!

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