While not a usual Labor voter, I take issue with The Echo’s front page report on the prime minister opening the Beacon laundry in Bangalow last week.
The Echo used a negative slant about the visit, calling it ‘the Anthony Albanese show’ and describing ‘a carefully curated event’ in which the PM was ‘whisked through the facility’.
Unlike his predecessor, Mr Albanese has frequented our region many times. During the floods, when he was opposition leader, and post floods as PM he‘s visited Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads, Ballina and Lismore to name a few.
Rather than whisk through, he met people on the ground and seemed very gracious, personable and genuine. Indeed, when meeting the kids at Murwillumbah East Public School he joked around and displayed something rare in a modern leader, self-deprecating humour.
One shopkeeper in Murwillumbah even joked that Albo has spent more time in the town than any leader since Doug Anthony (who lived there).
Whatever you think of his politics, let’s not slander our PM with disingenuous reporting designed to make him appear phoney. If he’s here showing an interest in our region and making some positive changes, such as the Beacon laundry, please give him some credit when credit is due.
We’re not asking for The Echo to endorse his policies (I disagree with him on some issues too), just for some fair reporting, free of political bias.
You are hoping for a bit too muck , I suspect.
Yes both the PM and Justine Elliott certainly deserve praise for supporting this great initiative, it’s called” getting things done”; It actually was an election commitment by Justine Elliott along with a funding injection of $700.000, it’s strange and really sad that in the previous article the Echo ran on the PM’s visit, failed abysmaly to mention that important fact. Justine makes many visits “south of the Tweed” for important events, but is constantly hounded by rent a crowd of Greens protestors trying to damage the great work Labor is doing for entirely political purposes.
Keith please ..the Echo with all due respect
Have been critical of the coalition even in good times for how many decades ? it’s very much on par with the conservative
Free ABC …this is not going to change anytime soon.. as for Justine Elliott ..a decent human being
and Politician.. however Keith as with any Party
That may be in Government..it’s generally referred to as accountability..and the Echo or anyone
For that matter has the right be critical of the
Sitting Government if the need arises..and for
Darn good reason at times.. and one prime example is the release of the 150 hardened criminals into the society .. not good !
So yes Keith being the Prime Minister at times
Has consequences… and at times the Population
Is going to be critical of the Prime Minister and the Labor
Something you clearly Keith find hard to come to terms with..!
Mr Barrow, what part of – “it was the HIGH COURT of Australia that released 150 detainees into the community, and they were NOT all hardened criminals”- are you unable to understand?
Really Keith ? So what precautions did
Albo and his enept Minister’s Giles & Co
Put in place to mitigate the possibility
Of those hardened criminals offending
Again .. before they were released ? You know Keith keeping the population safe ? I will answer that for you Keith F Zero …now we the Taxpayer’s are
Not happy that we are going to have to foot the bill for impending legal action..and rightly so …now as of today the high had a change of
Heart and keep the remaining 200 locked up .
What was the difference between the first 150
Being released..and the high Court decision
Today Keith ? I will tell you what it was …the heat was on Keith on the first 150 being released..and the Government would have been in Absolute damage control if the
High court ruled in favour of those remaining
Illegal boat people…NOT GOOD KEITH ..
Giles & Co why have they not been sacked ?
And let tell you this Keith..if it were the Coalition in ..YOU would be calling for
Dismissals… !
An interesting read for you Barrow: “ Detainee released by Coalition one of trio accused of attack on grandmother”.
The Age/SMH May 11. I’d give you a link but I’m not allowed. You’ll have to Google it.
Strange Mr Barrow missed that important point.
KD, shame on the Albo rabble for not having the experience or ability to have legislation in place if a high court decision was unfavourable. The ministers incompetence is astounding, shameful and so amateur. The detainees were indeed not all hardened criminals, never the less they were criminals that did not have the right to roam our streets. Blame the high court all you like, you know it was the Albo and inept ministers ever increasing incompetence that started the whole debacle.
The High Court was doing its job. I’m quite glad it decided that people can’t be incarcerated indefinitely with no legal recourse. Sounds like the sort of country I want to live in.
In terms of developing legislation, it might have been helpful if the High Court had published its reasoning at the same time it gave its decision. Imagine the cries of “incompetence” if the government rushed to legislation that was rendered useless in light of the extra info. And as Clare O’Neil said, we can’t legislate away a High Court decision. Nor do ankle bracelets do much other than tell you where the person is – not whether they’re about to commit a crime.
But it seems the Coalition didn’t bother to pass legislation to cover the detainee/s they let loose all on their own. The High Court hadn’t even told them to so they had plenty of time! 🤔
No Greg you are wrong again, it was actually boofhead Dutton who incarcerated these people in the first place with inadequate legislation, and the High Court had to act, as usual a Labor Govt had to fix the problem. You really don’t let facts get in the way of a good rant do you.