Comments on: It's all happening in Tasmania

By: Kina

Kina — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:08:50 +0000

A lot of people have put their neck out this year and you can bet the Howard govt crucify them, villify them and character assasinate them without mercy if they win the election. We have already seen like a mafia mob this govt can sometimes act… aka Justice Kirby.

By: grace pettigrew

grace pettigrew — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:06:06 +0000

“Since we are on the subject of Tory female miscreants-in-powersuits, what involvement would Hillary Penfold have had in the drawing up of the NT Indigenous affairs legislation?”

Exactly none, Paul. Hilary Penfold was the highly esteemed head of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel (the agency that drafts legislation for all departments) until a few years ago, when she moved to Parliamentary Services, a truly thankless job. And she’s no Tory miscreant.

By: Carl

Carl — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:15:44 +0000

I notice the ALP has said it won’t crank out another ‘night of long knives’, bulls*it, they would be idiots not to, and Janey and Barbs will be first on the chopping block.

I’m a lowly Canberra policy wonk and can assure you that not only is Jane Halton a crony, she’s incompetent, her Department is a f#*king shambles.

By: Andrew E

Andrew E — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:03:19 +0000

The Mersey Hospital thing is the type of stunt that works like an absolute beauty in the heat of an election campaign, but when people have time to mull it over it falls apart. I tell ya, the magic is wearing off.

Jane Halton and Barbara Bennett, what a lovely pair.

Liberal candidates in 2009/10, you read it here first. If it worked for Pru Goward …

By: paul walter

paul walter — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 05:00:41 +0000

When all else fails, try censorship!
Ron Walker for one has been caught out on it. The ABC and SBS are under suspicion. Then there is the current perverse refusal to explain the relevance of “expired 2006″ from reporting of the Dr.Haneef appeal SIM card evidence ( Cosima Marriner of the SMH is the latest culprit ).
And the revelation concerning the government egging Lennon on to close Devonport and then knifing him is disturbing.
After all, we learnt from Tony Jones, interviewing Peter Beattie the other night, that tax cuts for the rich are much more important than infrastructure; a message reiterated by the Milne press gang to Lindsay Tanner at a Press club luncheon this week.
Mark, Brian and others would recall what a favourite Jane Halton was with “Web Dairy” when it was at it’s peak a few years back ( still kicking on ). Kingston was so incensed with Halton over the boat peope saga that she ran her photo for months using a corner of the home page as a sort of gibbet.
Since we are on the subject of Tory female miscreants-in-powersuits, what involvement would Hillary Penfold have had in the drawing up of the NT Indigenous affairs legislation?

By: Guido

Guido — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:21:03 +0000

Jane Halton and Barbara Bennett, what a lovely pair.

By: joe2

joe2 — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:59:03 +0000

Jenny I share your concerns. Though , slowly but surely, this unscrupulous, anti-democratic action is unravelling. Of more concern will be the pork hand grenades dropped, in marginals, during a most likely brief ‘actual’ campaigning period.

The government are so experienced at this tactic and we see just the beginning of their plans. There will be no chance for any scrutiny of what we should expect to be a barrage of wasteful, polarising and potentially dangerous bribes.

By: Rod

Rod — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:39:27 +0000

Hi Jenny

There’s more details here – Jeff Richardson wrote about his advice to the Tassie Govt and the health dangers of the intervention in New Matilda.

By: tigtog

tigtog — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:39:08 +0000

Robert, Jenny: spot on.

Downgrading the Mersey hospital to a satellite hospital was exactly the right thing to do to guarantee the concentration of resources at a regional centre of excellence at Burnie Hospital. The State govt was doing exactly the right thing, so the Federal intervention is more than just pork-barrelling, it’s absolute healthcare sabotage.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:00:47 +0000

I’ve been disappointed to date that more hasn’t been made of the Mersey debacle by the media.

In the main the coverage has tended to treat this as outragous pork-barrelling, which of course it is. But that’s not all. Normal pork barrelling involves giving undue priority to something that does at least have intrinsic worth. But not only is the funding for the Mersey Hospital not worth doing, but it is an ‘absolute bad’ on so many levels. It will lead to risks to patients and other hospitals. It also sabotages one of the Lennon Government’s regrettably rare attempts to do the right thing thus reducing the liklihood that it, or other State Governments, will allow doing the right thing to become a habit.

So I’m delighted with Davidson’s article, but disappointed that the message doesn’t seem to be getting out into Telly Land.