Another week, another slew of personality-conflict and MP-scandal headlines. Who’d think it was Budget week in Canberra, eh?
Here’s a thread for discussing actual policy, if you like. What’s being proposed, what’s being blocked, what’s on the back-burner, what they’re overlooking: the lot. The good, the bad and the ugly – have at it. Or just heave brickbats at the worst of the circus acts, if you prefer (since this is a Both-And blog, after all).
Media Circus: 4chan meltdown has begun #electionday edition 
Grabbing somebody is Assault, and sexual touch makes it Sexual Assault. Stop minimising this. #rapeculture101 
Media Circus: Parliament Resumes Edition 
I’d just like to say that I am very upset New Zealand. Even though my threats to move to NZ in the case of an Abbott Government was largely talking out of my bum, I’m a little hurt that NZ felt the need to bring in the Key Govt to ensure that I stayed here. See Deborah’s post for details.
Queen of Thorns has a couple of posts about that free-contraceptives-for-women-on-benefits policy too: Part 1 and Part 2.
Andrew Elder has an interesting post putting the factional horse-race spotlight on the Libs for a change: Abbott Delenda Est.
As for the Budget? It’s a clever but not particularly exciting balancing act, and the orchestrated leaks over the past few weeks have taken a rather large puff out of the Opposition’s rhetorical sails.
I am surprised and disappointed that an Indigenous Literacy program costing about $56 million was cut, while School Chaplains still chug merrily along on $220 million. I think that was a poor move by the Govt. The surplus we had to have is only whisper thin, but I think Indigenous issues are more important.
Whenever I hear surplus, I hear “Money that we took off you that we aren’t spending on you”. You haven’t been overcharged, you’ve been surplussed.
Whoa, Pure Poison has a post on the #lolstralian’s front page on the Budget today – the screencap has to be seen to be believed.
Grog’s Gamut on today’s unexpectedly good unemployment figures – graphs, graphs and more graphs!
The Failed Estate has a brickbat for Aunty ABC re coverage of the unemployment figures. It’s a depressing spectacle, the faux-balance paranoia they seem to have these days.