The Dunkley by-election is done and dusted, with Advance’s fear campaign failing to fire, and Labor’s primary vote actually increasing. The swing to the Liberals on preferences came from right wing voters not having anyone crazier to vote for this time, with UAP and One Nation out of the race. Meanwhile another question continues to be raised; which Australian politician was secretly working for a hostile foreign power, and when?
ASIO’s Director-General of Security, Mike Burgess, recently announced the existence of an ‘A-team’ (sadly not involving Mr T), a group working for an unnamed foreign intelligence service, specifically targeting Australia. ‘Several years ago, the A-team successfully cultivated and recruited a former Australian politician, said Mr Burgess. ‘This politician sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of the foreign regime.
‘At one point, the former politician even proposed bringing a prime minister’s family member into the spies’ orbit. Fortunately that plot did not go ahead, but other schemes did.’
Abbott-era treasurer and retired ambassador to the US Joe Hockey spat out his cigar and demanded Mr Burgess name names, for fear that the loyalty of all retired politicians would come under question, with reputations ‘besmirched’, but the chief spook was unmoved. He released another statement the next day saying the individual concerned was no longer a security concern, and that ASIO’s policy of not discussing individuals or providing operational details was unchanged.
Malcolm Turnbull’s son Alex has since named himself as one princeling who was approached, but reported the contact to authorities immediately. Former Labor senator Sam Dastyari says the mystery traitor is not him. The guessing game continues in the mainstream media, while the rest of Mr Burgess’s speech has been largely ignored.
Accelerationists
After dropping his political bombshell, Mike Burgess emphasised that ASIO was busier than ever, with Australians of all walks of life being heavily targeted by foreign intelligence, including members of the media, academics, business people, law enforcement officers and the judiciary, and a fast-growing threat from what he called ‘accelerationists’, people seeking to ignite race wars by inflaming divisions in society.
Spies and self-destruction are also discussed in a new book by Rachel Maddow, aptly named Prequel, which concerns the outrageous efforts of the German government in the 1930s and ’40s to keep America out of World War II, and if possible expand the Third Reich to the United States. Largely forgotten now, this scheme was only stopped due to the courage and investigative skills of a few individuals who lost pretty much everything as a result.
In the days before social media, Maddow’s book shows how Joseph Goebbels used the influencers and technologies of his day to divide the United States along pre-existing fault lines (particularly race), using compliant members of congress, religious leaders and celebrities such as Charles Lindbergh. It’s astonishing how close he came to succeeding.
Then, as now, comparatively open democracies offer numerous avenues for ruthless authoritarians to gain entry. The book shows how citizens need to remain alert to the traps and seductions of fascism and other forms of magical thinking, such as the beliefs that drove the Train brothers when they murdered police in Queensland in 2022, with the encouragement of Arizona’s Donald Day Jr.
In the US last week, Donald Trump’s supporters remained unmoved by the arrest of former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, upon whose evidence the entire bribery case against the Bidens rested. Smirnov is now proven to have links to Russian intelligence.
Similarly dodgy and unethical campaigns are at work in most democracies, with politicians like Peter Dutton accelerating things by seizing upon any cracks they can find in society, and then widening them for their own short term interests.
AUKUS
Mike Burgess patted himself on the back in his recent speech by talking about ’embedding’ ASIO officers in the AUKUS nuclear submarine taskforce. ‘Security is being built into every step of the supply chain,’ he said.
The wider question of whether the whole idea of getting into a nuclear bed with two increasingly rogue nations was making Australia more or less secure was above his pay grade.
‘Threats are not simple; threats are not static,’ he said. ‘Our adversaries are proficient, persistent and patient.’
The question remains though, who are Australia’s enemies? And if they’re so clever, why would they bother going through LinkedIn accounts, stealing laptops and trawling passwords of potential traitors when they could gain the ears of our highest elected representatives behind closed doors completely legally?
Powerful interests with no concern for the Australian environment or its people do this every day in Parliament House. It’s called lobbying.
Originally from Canberra, David Lowe is an award-winning film-maker, writer and photographer with particular interests in the environment and politics. He’s known for his campaigning work with Cloudcatcher Media.
Long ago, he did work experience in Parliament House with Mungo MacCallum.
Thank you David Lowe.
Love your conclusion and its application to every day life in Australia today.
“Powerful interests with no concern for the Australian environment or its people do this every day in Parliament House. It’s called lobbying.”
David, the Dunkley result was a shocker for the Libs, if One Nation and UAP had both fielded candidates the Lib primary vote would have almost certainly gone backwards, because together they should have attracted more primary votes than the six percent the Libs picked up. Also the ballot form heavily favoured the Libs, they were first and Labor was last, so they got the donkey vote. If Dutton couldn’t win a diverse seat like Dunkley, that is not a heartland Labor seat, in the middle of a housing and cost of living crisis, in a bi-election that normally produces a swing to the Opposition, he will need a miracle to win win similar seats in a general election. Well done Albo and Labor.
What’s your theory on the Greens vote going so awry Keith? Did some of them, looking at the polls 😱 and fearing a Dutton victory 😱, decide they’d not risk a protest and make damned sure Labor got back? Were some of them in the well heeled suburbs and pissed off about the bigger tax cut they’d lost?
Oh to know!
Mr Lizardbreath, I’m told that for some obscure reason the Greens were invisible, during the whole campaign, it doesn’t make sense to me. For a party that has spent so much time and political capital criticizing the Labor Govt and pursuing populist policies around cost of living and housing, one would think they would they would be gung-ho and campaign strongly on those issues. Remember the last bi-election in Fadden, the Greens also suffered around 6% loss in their primary vote, could we be seeing a trend here? Maybe we should ask our old mate Joachim, I’m sure he would have an opinion.
Yes but in the Aston by-election, that no-one expected Labor to take from the Coaltion, the Greens vote increased slightly. 🤷🏻
Keith a swing of 4% or more against
Labor is a concern for you especially..!
The teals and the Greens are gone ..well
Really the teals are the greens ..however
Your mate Airbus Albo has done FA
To mitigate the cost of living crisis
Apart from some tax relief…look i dont
Mind Albo certainly better than Morrison
But Keith..know this mate..if Morrison was
Gallivanting around the country socialising
With the elites as Albo has ..Morrison would
Have been taken to the cleaners from the likes
Of you and your Labor buddies..the Greens
The teals ..and especially the ABC ..yet
Nothing to see here Keith..Albo has lied
so many times to his constituents ..this will
Not go unnoticed at election time…the most
Glaring mistake was spending 4 hours in
The NT sorting out the riots etc ..
Flying out to be front row at the AO
Tennis for 3 nights the same day …
The left have short and selective memories..
Mr Barrow, the Liberals did not receive a swing of 4%, you haven’t changed, you are still parroting those right-wing [deleted] on Sky News, and like you they are seldom right.
4%…5%, don’t split hairs. People aren’t so keen on Labor. They are also not keen on Liberal. It’s a lose for the Una-party either way.
It wasn’t a win for the Nazis either but!
Barrow, the latest voting numbers ( courtesy ABC News ) with 78.1% votes counted, the swing to the Liberals is ONLY 3.6%.
This “4% or more” number of yours, is making stuff up.
Barrow, the swing was not 4%, and in fact was about average for an anti government protest in a by-election. And that was in a situation where the crazies had no one standing.
The absence of Teals may have indeed helped the Liberal primary vote, as most are much more aligned with the Libs than they are with Labor. They are basically traditional middle class conservatives but educated and with enough brains to recognise that ignoring climate science doesn’t work to anybody’s advantage – a bit like the UK Tories and most of the rest of the world.
The Teals are certainly not the same as the Greens – as I said most are educated and sensible.
Despite the shrill, semi hysterical, performance of Susssssssssssan Ley, this was bad news for the Coalition. Labor increased its primary vote despite 13 interest rate rises and hard times (none of which should be sheeted home to just 20 months of Labor in power). Their new strategy – in the absence of strategies for winning back Teal voters – of becoming the new champions of the working class 😂😂😂
is well and truly seen through.
I must admit I was nervous, cause the old heady mixtures of hip pocket appeals and bogey men have been traditionally powerful forces. We should all breathe a sigh of relief that the electorate seems to be less prone to being hoodwinked.
Lizardbreath with all due respect
The Teals are more aligned with the middle class conservatives ? Unless you are referring
To another nation ..that is nonsense…
All teals are Holmes a court aligned..
And to suggest anything different is
As my above … they are 💯 percent
Instep with Greens policies
Climate change, Pro the Voice..pro
💯 anti Israel.. !
Labor for the working Class Lizardbreath ?
That may have been the case 2 decades ago
Not now ! They are absolutely hypocritical
Elites and like it or not ..more aligned
With the Greens every day that passes ..
Most of us that work in the construction industry know the modern labor party
Are so detached from the Bob Hawke
Era ! So obvious Lizardbreath…so to suggest
Anything different is inconceivable…
Prime example blackout Bowen…
Seriously if you can’t see his policies are not more aligned with the Greens ..than you are not educated…!
You really are a confused little possum Barrow. The Teals are loosely aligned on a few key areas and that includes the need for more immediate action on climate change. Lots of people, whom I’d hesitate to call working class radicals, agree with them. Most sane people do.
Many prominent Liberals were also in favour of the Voice. The more working class, less “elite” suburbs were where the No vote was strongest. Didn’t you notice that?
On what basis would you say Robert J Hawke Rhodes scholar, and Paul Keating, collector fine French Empire clocks, were more working class than Albo. The proof is in the policies and the outcomes. Try discussing these in some substantial way occasionally, rather than dragging out these tired old tropes.
Barrow, why you upset that Simon Holmes a Court supported Community Independents?
I mean the likes of Gina Rinehart pump their S’s into The Liberal Party which I’m guessing you very pleased to see happen.
Community Independents being elected to Parliament is not a new thing.
But perhaps the tidal wave of female Community Independents tipping out Liberals at Election22 is a trauma that is irrecoverable for you.
The Liberal Party still hasn’t worked it out as shown by their desperation to have Allegra Spender renounce being an Independent and come straight back to the Liberal Party.
The Allegra, she is a smart lady, the Allegra says ..N O O O….to the Liberals.
And its all on show again with the just concluded Liberal Party pre selection for Scotty’s old seat of Cook – a recycled bloke with a track record of failing in the seat of Bennelong gets the nod ahead of a female in a SAFE Liberal seat. Sigh.
Craig making stuff up again I see.
Liz & Joachim set you straight on most, but they missed your claim of working in the construction industry. Spraying a few termites & cockroaches doesn’t qualify
Lizardbreath you are in no position to refer to myself as little possum..unless you are
The late great Dame Enda of course…!
Who mentioned paul keating ? Once again
Ablo is not a working class labor politician.
the modern day labor party pretend to be at one with the working class but are anything but really …they are just elites ! have worked
In the construction industry for over 30 years
And the overwhelming view is labor have lost their way ! How long have you been working
In the construction industry Lizardbreath ?
Name one Teal that is aligned with conservatism ?
Sorry Barrow ‘twas a term of endearment – and I’ve been known to use worse.
Now your little tactic is one I’ve seen before from you. I asked first! Tell me exactly what POLICIES you and your mates in the construction industry have been anti workers or indeed elitist. Hint: going to the AO isn’t a policy and doesn’t cut it!
Besides, I doubt you’re talking about the BLF. More the MBA?
YOU referred toLabor two decades ago. Aside from the fact that Hawk resigned three decades ago, Keating was a fairly substantial figure in deciding the major policy directions of that government. It’s not really about personalities and who can play cricket or skull a yard glass.
The Teals? I’m just taking a hint from that well respected Liberal, Julie Bishop, who bemoaned the fact that these nice gals should have been prime candidates for the Liberal party of old.
How long have I been in the construction industry? Really Barrow, is no one else allowed an opinion?
Barrow asks, “Name one Teal that is aligned with conservatism ?”, well try, Zali Steggall, Kate Chaney, Allegra Spender and Rebekha Sharkie. Their origins are the conservative side of politics.
But the Liberal Way is to piss women off (just ask Julie Bishop and Julia Banks ), so these formerly conservative side of politics women went on a mission and didn’t they deliver – along with Zoe Daniel, Sophie Scamps, Kylea Tink, they all sticking it to the Liberals in formerly heartland Liberal electorates.
My word is my bond . I’ve
Always been a man of my
Word…..I believe that
When you go to an
Election, and you make
Commitments you should
Stick to them !
The honourable
Prime Minister Albo
July 2022..
Anything to add Keith ?
Yes Mr Barrow the people have just spoken and it wasn’t in your party’s favour, I can assure you that we are very happy with the Dunkley result, as bi-elections can go it could have been much worse; it looks like it’s back to the drawing board for demolition Dutton and silly Susan with their Trumpian style politics, thankfully this is Australia not the US.
I see keith ! Trumpian style ! Yeah mate
Call it what you may Mr keith.. so you and
The likes of you will eat humble pie when this
Guy gets voted back in for what reason ?
You see the American population dont take
Lightly to anyone being persecuted
Not prosecuted…the Russian and Chinese
Governments would be jealous..the
Democrats have out done them to
Shutdown the opposition.. so democratic
You would agree keith ? How is it possible
That Trump will be voted back in ?
How deplorable … as Ms Hillary Clinton
Has suggested..the same hypocrite
Who did not cone to terms with Trumps win
In 2016..took the result to the highest court
In America… if it wrecnot for double standards The left would have no standards at all ! Thats the far left Keith..!
Mr Barrow, you and your miserable out of touch, corrupt Liberal party LOST, you best get over it and stop rambling on with irrelevant nonsense.
Ssssssilly Sussssssssan you mean?
Nobody cares Barrow. I guess they asked themselves: whats’s more reprehensible, breaking a promise that you were wedged into making, or abandoning the most abominably regressive wealth distribution in the face of a yawning wealth divide?
18 months of labor ..
* food is up 9%
*housing is up 12%
*Electicity is up 20%*
*insurance up 22%
* Gas is up 27%
*fuel is up 29%
Source..AB or statistics ! 🤔
What about the previous governments mammoth deficit, did nothing for 10 years re energy, climate change, pacific relations, committing the navy to overpriced but very inadequate ships, stuffing our agriculture exports, demonising people through robodet, forcing a tax system favouring the well off but offering little to the average taxpayer, 100000 illegal immigrants that flew in plus all the visas handed out that lead to the problem facing immigration today, billion to a dodgy company dealing with off sure detention, the list goes on. Can you point to any developed nation not facing inflation/ interest rate hikes, energy costs due to the Ukrainian war? Guess not, like hoping for those mythical modular nuclear reactors.
Rod we as a nation ..the most resource rich
Country on the Planet…yet we sell to other
Nations ..but not use ourselves ..go figure !
We should be debt free …! Simple’s …
No thanks to the Tories when in government.
Rod the previous government are not
Running the country are they !
The now is the Labor party..
and Albo has lied ever since being
Elected..the country is in Trouble
Cost of living crisis..and Albo spends
500 million of taxpayers money
On the Voice proposal..we knew
Very little about.. next !
What are these lies “ ever since being
Elected..” (sic)? You need to be able to back up claims like this. Hint: saying “My word is my bond” is not lying “ ever since being
Elected..” (sic)
Barrow you missed;
‘Wages’ – Wages is up 4.2%, for the year ending 2023 – from ABS, Wage Price Index Latest release 21/2/24.
‘National Debt’ – National Debt is $889.70billion @ 30/6/2023, down from $895.25billion @30/6/22 – from AOFM
and
‘Income Tax’ – coming down, down with Albo’s Stage 3.2 Taxidermy change.
Happy to help, again.
Captain planet Joachim…National debt
Down ? Due to what ? Look i will answer that for you happy to help …receipts from
Coal & iron ore…be very quiet Joachim
Because we don’t want the Greens to know
Such factual truths…oh i forgot wages up ?
Uh dont think so Joachim…only the politicians are up who with the help of
Independent agencies…who incidentally
Are all ex politicians…! How ironic..
There are a range of factors that contributed to the surpluses we have been experiencing but certainly war affected commodity prices are a considerable influence.
I, like many reasonable people, applauded the coalition’s belated stepping up to emergency expenditure during the worst impact of Covid 19. (It’s sort of typical Greens’ opportunism and logic deficit to decry debt while demanding bottomless expenditure to fix everything everywhere all at once.)
Wages though? From the ABS: “Seasonally adjusted, wages grew 0.9% in the December quarter 2023 and 4.2% over the year. The annual increase is the highest recorded since March quarter 2009.21 Feb 2024”
And further: “ The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6% this quarter. Over the twelve months to the December 2023 quarter, the CPI rose 4.1%.”
How long has it been since we’ve had parity or better?
So Barrow, let me get this right;
Wages have not risen?
The ABS must be telling lies because YOU…. “Uh dont think so”, that wages have risen 4.2%.
You going to have to do a bit better than giving us ‘your vibes’ about wages.
Sigh
National debt Down.
But not to your liking apparently, one of ‘your vibes’ in play again?
Sigh.
Well, since both parties have stuffed us, a Taxidermy change would be the only way to get more money out of us.
Joachim, you could knock me down with a feather! Are you giving credit to the Government! 😧
Lizardbreath, facts are facts and facts can be annoying and inconvenient at times.
Barrpw did provide facts but he overcooked things with a super ripe cherry picking effort.
I merely provided additional facts that our Barrow ‘overlooked’ to give some balance to affairs.
Our old mate Joachim seems to be in a very conciliatory mood since the Dunkley bi-election Mr Lizardbreath, he seems to want to talk about everything else except the hiding the Greens received, he usually can’t stop running of at the mouth about how well the Greens are doing and how bad the ALP has been in Govt, it’s funny what a reality check does to people like old mate Joachim.
And hello to you old friend Keithy.
As I mentioned further up the page – Joachim March 4, 2024 At 2:23 – in response to you inquiry about the Greens, the Greens saved their campaigning resources for the coming full Federal Election.
Albo has flagged the ALP taking a similar approach in the upcoming Cook by election, saving resources for the coming Federal Election.
Keith, there is absolutely no shame in the ALP taking the lead, once again, from the Greens.
Barrow, are you that deluded that you could believe these commodity prices that are up like this and even far worse world wide. Would not also be up if we had been inflicted with a Dutton Govt?
What is the upmost concern for many Australians is having a Govt that is addressing cost of living increases with real policies solid policies.
Duttons leftovers after 9 wasted years of the LNP doing absolutely nothing economically, “Trillion dollar debt”, to address these problems and are still doing nothing, but for political purposes, obstructing anything and everything Labor are doing to address these problems.
Can you or any other rusted on LNP supporter, name any Dutton LNP policy, apart from making sure Rhinehart and any other billionaire bankrolling the contrived anti-Labor media propaganda, gets another billion Australian dollars into their Singapore tax haven bank accounts?
David, the Dunkley result was a shocker for The Greens!
Any party that loses 40% of their vote in a by-election is doing something seriously wrong.
40% is a very serious decline, but you must have missed it in the results
Accelerationists are people who see their opposition as slowly causing a negative outcome, and so promote policies that would accelerate the arrival of that outcome – to cause the public to backlash against the policies/actions that caused it. A Right-Wing Accelerationist would not only want the Voice, they would want it to replace the Parliament. A Left-Wing Accelerationist would want open racial warfare in the streets.
Really more looney contributions from you again, banding around words to make you sound intellectual and well read…!
What we have on display is the Christian’s acceleration into irrelevancy.
As David hints, AUKUS does not strengthen our security; it endagers us. Lobbying and manipulation (legally by agents of a foreign power) have brought us to this position where we have no control over our economy, our defence force is infiltrated by foreign’experts’, a foreign power has military bases in our country and 65% of the print media is controlled by a foreign family. Burgess is looking in the wrong direction!
The results of the 2024 Dunkley By-election are on the AEC or ABC web site, detailed information shows it was held by the Liberals for decades prior to Labor wining it back in 2019. If P “Dudd one” Dutton cannot win Dunkley back with the an all out Anti-Labor media funded disinformation fest, bankrolled by billionaires and some of the shadiest people in the country and hired mercenaries from overseas. Dud one and “Suss an Lie” may as well resign tomorrow. “Suss an Lie’s” own electorate have been desperately attempting to dump her election after election, like so many other Lieberal electorates are attempting to dump their own deplorable Lieberal candidate.
The Liberals Dunkley loss? Perhaps it was the fact the Liberals controlling branch stacking religious fundamentalist factions refuse to stand female candidates, “Basically the reason for the Teals success”, it’s pretty tough attempting to win elections with 50% or voters excluded and pissed “right off”?
We see in Cook electorate the religious fundamentalist factions controlling all Lieberal party administration and preselection have appointed yet another bloke? But Cook is as safe as Gold Coast Fadden electorate, with an overwhelming number of wealthy, selfish uncaring Lieberal supporters, only to willing to think of themselves and never anyone or anything else, period! Labor are not going to waste scares money to run a candidate in such poisoned ground!
If anyone should be concerned about the Dunkley loss, it’s the Greens, voters don’t like what they are seeing, good people led by incompetent leaders obstructing and voting with Hanson and Duttons leftovers, perhaps the Greens without some urgent leadership changes will soon be called the leftovers also?
Joachim old son, so are we to believe that the Greens got such a hiding because “the Greens saved their campaigning resources for the coming full Federal Election” seriously; now one would think that if a responsible political party really wanted to do that they would not bother running a candidate at all, yes? And people who disrespect other peoples names, even when engaging in civil discourse, are really very petty and small-minded and just show that they are unable to handle not being able to win even the smallest of arguments. Us locals on the Northern Rivers who engage in this public forum almost always show that respect, but you are not from around here are you?
Barrow, you are entitled to your say, please don’t let the likes of the green lefty knowers of all talk you down. They are in trouble politically, their anti-Semitic disgusting rhetoric has harmed them greatly. Keep calling them out Barrow, we must not let the Echo dictate totally the content of their lefty news letter.
Much better to have woke righties infecting the very fine pages of The Echo, eh Greggy.
Another lefty rant from the David Lowe, so predictable, when will we see a conservatives opinion ever in the Echo?. I am so disappointed labor held Dunkley, however extremely overjoyed the greens got a kick in the guts which they have had coming for some time. While ever they maintain their extreme left ideology and disgusting anti-Semitic stance among other stupid policies they will keep slipping down the greasy pole. There is some justice after all. Hooray. KD, gloat while you can old sock, the best prime ministers reign is shakey, no one likes a liar in the lodge or an inbecile dictating energy policy.. .. .. .. ..
Greg, my heart bleeds four disappointment, but you bring it all on yourself, the flow of politics is very fluid at best so it’s best not to continually make wildly opportunistic predictions, it’s quite obvious that people like you still have not accepted the reasons as to why the Liberals got such a hiding at the 2022 election, especially Peter Dutton and the right-wing rump.