Aussies: NSW Politicians, keeping ICAC in business

[Jeor]

2 hours ago, Paxter said:

This latest revelation is more a product of AUSTRAC being a strong regulator than anything else. The RC is over and was a watered-down affair due to Turnbull/Morrison's pro-business inclinations. 

As for the strength of the system, you'd naturally expect any banks with 10%+ ROEs to be in a decent capital position. The main problems with the system are around conduct and competition rather than balance-sheet strength. 

Yes, you're right on both counts - I guess this is a little separate to the Royal Commission. Nevertheless, I think the fact that the RC was held at all at least signals to some of the regulators and other government agencies that the previously untouchable Big Four are fair game.

The Australian banks are very well capitalised, especially compared to other countries, and they are amongst the safest banks in the world. But in the absence of much competition (they have a stranglehold on the mortgage market, there aren't many decent-sized foreign banks in the sector, and their nearest competitor St George in fifth place was bought out by Westpac) it's no surprise that they're pretty lax in other areas.

If the Australian government is going to continually support the Four Pillars policy and virtually guarantee the continued supremacy of the Big Four, they need to fund and otherwise support strong regulation. Hopefully the RC has released the hounds and AUSTRAC and others (APRA, ASIC) are able to keep the heat on.

 

[The Anti-Targ]

Funny and sad at the same time. But my question is did Scot Morrison really put some QAnon shit in one of his speeches? I thought people said he was one of the sane ones.

[Stubby]

Smoco is not one of the sane ones.

He is just as twisted as the tangerine one.

[karaddin]

He's close friends with one of the prominent Q believers in Aus and his wife was engaging in the "fun" game of flashing the white supremacy hand gesture in a family photo then having people insist it's not a thing

[Jeor]

At least one Liberal politician (Matt Kean, Environment Minister for NSW) has some common sense, speaking out on climate change and saying we can't "do nothing". Now that's not exactly the most rousing statement out there but you would have thought that would have at least been the accepted line for the Coalition, rather than ducking and diving.

On the one hand, I'd like this smokey haze and terrible bushfire season to continue (obviously without loss of life, and with as minimal human suffering as possible) as it might help persuade conservatives that climate change is indeed happening. On the other hand, one of my friends says he doesn't want this to reinforce "bad science" - in the sense that if we suddenly have a cold season these same people will say "hah see it's all solved now".

But I think I'm still in favour of anything that will change people's minds. At least, I'm beginning to think at least the public is properly turning. Even my parents, who are staunch old conservatives, are talking about it.

[karaddin]

It's probably cynical on his part, positioning himself to challenge as public opinion finally starts to demand it, but...I don't care. I'll take cynical if that's what it takes to get people on board.

I don't doubt that he accepts it's true either, I just don't think that's a new revelation for him.

[Paxter]

I think the NSW Cabinet (with a few notable exceptions) is generally quite centrist and sensible. The problems are in Canberra.

[karaddin]

I'd agree broadly, on climate change in particular it seems that Canberra (both major parties) are so unreasonable it's dragging Gladys in their wake which is why it was noteworthy he spoke out in the first place.

The assumption that it would work to his advantage in the mid to long term only works if you assume the state coalition is more reasonable than Canberra anyway.

[Paxter]

2 hours ago, karaddin said:

I'd agree broadly, on climate change in particular it seems that Canberra (both major parties) are so unreasonable it's dragging Gladys in their wake which is why it was noteworthy he spoke out in the first place.

The assumption that it would work to his advantage in the mid to long term only works if you assume the state coalition is more reasonable than Canberra anyway.

Yeah it is pretty depressing. But unfortunately, it seems you can never be as progressive in Canberra (thanks QLD). 

[Jeor]

Morrison has obviously played this very badly. I had predicted after the election that the Liberals would have at least taken some tokenistic action and paid lip service to the environment. I didn't expect anything of major substance - perhaps some more support for renewables or electric cars, which are both easily understood as environmentally-friendly strategies that no one can really complain about. But I am quite taken aback that the Coalition is treating it as a complete non-issue and they've misread the public mood. I hope some of the advisors or people in Cabinet start speaking up.

[Squab]

Im sure you’re all glad to know in 2019 we briefly became the worlds largest exporter of LNG, overtaking Qatar. I know, great news for workers. Also, coal exports are expected to rise year on year till the end of 2025. I found this a surprise as the guardian, the age and #theirabc have been predicting coals demise for years. Its almost as if their news departments have become ideological...

Also looks like Adelaide is becoming a future for activity 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-18/equinor-receives-environmental-approval-to-drill-in-bight/11811534 

[Varysblackfyre321]

5 hours ago, Squab said:

Im sure you’re all glad to know in 2019 we briefly became the worlds largest exporter of LNG, overtaking Qatar. I know, great news for workers. Also, coal exports are expected to rise year on year till the end of 2025. I found this a surprise as the guardian, the age and #theirabc have been predicting coals demise for years. Its almost as if their news departments have become ideological...

Also looks like Adelaide is becoming a future for activity 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-18/equinor-receives-environmental-approval-to-drill-in-bight/11811534 

 Short-term economic gains are not worth a long-term, permanent Environmental harm. Yes, John Doe keeps his job in the coal industry for a couple more years, but that certainly isn't worth the cost of contributing a crisis that will leave tens of millions dead(a few Australians)  at least, inevitably reduce the standard of living for nearly everyone anyway.  

Cheering at the prospect of this news is like cheering at the prospect of your car catching fire, while your inside it, just because you were slightly cold. 

Or cheering for the fact the Tobacco Industry’s sales are up. I mean sure they may give some people jobs but at the cost of giving millions cancer. 

 

[Jeor]

So Morrison is on his way back, but regardless it is a complete PR disaster and a bonehead play overall.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the secrecy and radio silence from his office just made it worse. If he'd said upfront before he left that, "Our family is going on holiday to Hawaii, like most families do over the summer, and January is a busy month because of all these diplomatic engagements, Michael McCormack is Acting PM and will look after things in my absence" then I think he would have had a more sympathetic reading from the public. The general punter understands a family holiday and taking time off work over the summer. and it would have focused more attention on McCormack than Morrison.

He also ought to make some statement on climate change, although I don't anticipate anything until the current crisis is over. But even an acknowledgement or limited promise that they will be discussing the impact of climate change and bushfires in Australia would be something.

Albanese, to his credit, is doing a reasonable job of saying what Morrison should have said :

Quote

"It is very clear that whilst you can't say that any individual event is just because of climate change, we know that the scientists told us that the bushfire seasons would be longer and more intense, just like with other natural disasters," Mr Albanese told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.

 

[Paxter]

Not convinced any of this matters. Australian voters have had years to tell politicians that the environment matters, but they never seem to send that message. Our country just sucks on this issue.

[Free Northman Reborn]

Look, Australian voters aren’t idiots. If they knew that switching to all green energy would reverse the 40 degree heat waves and stop the bush fires they would probably vote to do so tomorrow.

But they know even if Australia stops using all energy and goes back to the Stone Age, the heatwaves and bushfires will still be there. Because Australia’s tiny contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is insignificant in the face of India and China’s emissions alone, let alone the whole world put together.

All going green will achieve is the ability to preach sanctimoniously to other countries. But physically Australia can’t cause any meaningful reduction in global warming whatsoever.

So blaming Morrison every time there is a bushfire or a week long 40 degree heat wave is non-sensical.

[Jeor]

1 hour ago, Free Northman Reborn said:

Because Australia’s tiny contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is insignificant in the face of India and China’s emissions alone, let alone the whole world put together.

This is probably the main reason why action against climate change has never really gotten traction. There is a huge disincentive for action because individually no country can make a global difference and it's only collectively that it'll happen, so it's a massive game of chicken where no one wants to budge first.

1 hour ago, Free Northman Reborn said:

So blaming Morrison every time there is a bushfire or a week long 40 degree heat wave is non-sensical.

Of course Morrison can't be blamed for the bushfires or heatwaves. But he can be blamed for poor PR in not communicating his holiday plans, and for not providing enough resources for firefighting. And it's natural to draw the link from a season like this to climate change, and the government hasn't really done anything even just tokenistic to show that they are aware of the link. Morrison can also be blamed for government not planning for this effectively, although it's a tricky one because firefighting is a responsibility of the states.

Whether or not climate change policies are needed, I think the government needs to get back on the front foot and at least communicate that they are going to have a review of existing systems and pump more resources and money into the budget for it - so that as the fire seasons increase in intensity, we are properly planning to mitigate the impact. It seems that this particularly bad season has caught a lot of people by surprise and that shouldn't happen again.

[Varysblackfyre321]

 

 

12 hours ago, Free Northman Reborn said:

Look, Australian voters aren’t idiots. If they knew that switching to all green energy would reverse the 40 degree heat waves and stop the bush fires they would probably vote to do so tomorrow.

Nope, they're no more stupid than the typical conservatives who vote for politicians who deny the problem of climate change exists in the first place. It's just humanly short-sighted. 

The fact that much of Florida will lost in the coming decades, will probably factor as strongly as it should in it’s citizens voting habits.  

10 hours ago, Jeor said:

This is probably the main reason why action against climate change has never really gotten traction. There is a huge disincentive for action because individually no country can make a global difference and it's only collectively that it'll happen, so it's a massive game of chicken where no one wants to budge first.

I wouldn't say this exactly. China has been budging in recent years in regards to the issue. Hasn't gotten anyone who'd been crying ”what about China” in response to any discussion of their  country’s contribution to Climate change

Hell, even if you have strong criticisms about how China has responded to the issue(which there are still many), it's not as if China exists in a vacuum. A lot of the pollution it creates through making certain products, are in the demands of a global market.

What China does never really mattered to most who go ”what about china!” in regards to the discussion on what their community could do to address climate-change.

What mattered was how the proposed policies by experts trying to combat this issue could possibly be a draw-back to their short-term interests.  Such as having a job in an industry that is really helping exacerbate the problem. 

Some instances are just gratuitous  lifestyle choices.

A lot of people deciding just not deciding to fly, would help. But, a Vacation in let's say Hawaii sure sounds nice. 

Deciding to take Public Transportation would also help. Many people don't have such an option, and for them it is a pity. Side note biking would be better, obviously, but plenty urban environments, make it far more difficult than it needs to be

Some however just think public transportation sounds yucky. Mingling with the poors? Gross. Why shouldn't I enjoy the luxury of riding my BMW? I deserve nice things!

If China were to cut it's carbon emissions by at least half tomorrow a lot of these people(assuming they're not Americans who were crying ”what about China”), will simply cry more loudly of ”what about the US.”

For instance: Why should India do anything when the US is in the world? It's carbon footprint is twice that of India, and the US has population less than a 1/4 of India’s. Hell Indian isn't  even as rich as the US. It has enough money to spend trillions on a plane that will never fly; https://www.google.com/amp/s/futurism.com/us-militarys-f-35-fighter-jet-unflyable/amp

Yet India has to be the one to take the hit? The more populous country has to shoulder the cost? That's totally unfair.  Wag your fingers at all those fat Americans. Leave India alone. 

Most US citizens who cried what about China in regards to the discussion of how the US could combat climate-change will cry more loudly ”what about the rest of the world?” and point to the fact by themselves they don't make up the majority of the World’s carbon emissions.

And, nothing in the end is accomplished other than possibly incentivizing others to do nothing. 

 

[Paxter]

Personally I agree with Jeor that it’s a tragedy of the commons scenario.

Australian voters seem to be a lost cause on the issue but really they aren’t a lot worse than voters worldwide.

[Jeor]

ScoMo has now come out with some comments on the link with climate change and the bushfire seasons and some vague promises to look at strategies to mitigate future seasons. No budging on climate policy though, which he amazingly thinks is adequate and that we're doing our job (which we aren't).

Like Howard with Port Arthur and gun control, I really wish that ScoMo would do the same with this bushfire season and environmental initiatives. This season is by no means done (and probably still has another awful couple of months to roll while summer is in) so I hope the government is working on some comprehensive response plan once this is done and dusted, but I don't hold high hopes.

To all those out there who are affected, I hope you're all safe and sound and getting the help that you need.

My brother's family dodged a bullet; they ordinarily would have been holidaying down at the NSW south coast right now (where things have been at their worst) with their three young children, as they customarily go for the week between Christmas and New Years. But for some reason this year they decided to go a week later than usual (and now obviously have not gone at all).

Knowing their usual situation I can only imagine how many other people would have made the same plans, between Christmas and New Year being a rare time when both parents are on leave and a family can have a good holiday. Simply devastating, and especially also for all those small towns and businesses that rely on the tourism.

[karaddin]

ScoMo is also doing wonderfully on the PR front by trying to force a woman, and then later a firefighter, in Cobargo to shake his hand by grabbing it despite their clear refusal all on camera.

This guy is inept at some of the basic core competencies and there's no way it actually hurts him, it's ridiculous.

And yeah, we can't single handedly roll back climate but we could at least adequately fund and resource the fucking fire fighters, that shouldn't be a partisan issue.