The most recent examples of sexism by two Coalition front bench MPs reminds us that sexism and misogyny is alive and thriving 32 years after the landmark law that made such discrimination a crime. From the outrageous sexist attacks on former PM Julia Gillard 鈥 largely from the same Coalition MPs 鈥 to MP Peter Dutton's 鈥渕ad fucking witch鈥 (MFW) text, the view that women are second-class citizens and sexual objects 鈥 and can be treated as such 鈥 remains strong especially among those with the means to shape public opinion.
Malcolm Turnbull
On the day Tony Abbott was rolled, one of my family members, who lives in Malcolm Turnbull's electorate of Wentworth, posted a one line warning on Facebook: "Beware the silver fox." Well, it proved true remarkably quickly.
A concerted attack on Medicare is in full swing and it has one clear objective: dismantling public health care and replacing it with a US-style privatised system that costs more, delivers inferior outcomes and leaves the poorest to die.
In 2015 Prime Minister Tony Abbott was booted from the top job courtesy of his own party and replaced by Malcolm Turnbull. This was considered a victory by many and a result of the work of a number of social movements campaigning against a range of Abbott's policies.
Born To Rule: The Unauthorised Biography of Malcolm Turnbull
Paddy Manning
Melbourne University Press,2015
442 pages
Coalition Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull likes to downplay his image as a privileged, wealthy silvertail by touting his time as a flat-dwelling young boy from a broken family.
But, writes the business journalist Paddy Manning in his biography of the former investment banker, Turnbull's upbringing was not that humble.
If we needed any further proof that our politicians are "fossil fools", despite recent leadership changes, look no further than the responses made by the Prime Minister and federal resources minister to the call for a moratorium on new coalmines by the President of the Pacific island nation Kiribati, Anote Tong.
In yet another policy continuity with Tony Abbott, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is considering raising the goods and services tax (GST).
Once again, this shows the government acting in the interests of big corporations and the super rich against the interests of ordinary people.
The simple truth is that the GST is an unfair tax. Poor people pay a higher proportion of their income in GST than rich people.
When it was revealed last month that Malcolm Turnbull has in the Caribbean tax haven of the Cayman Islands, I'll admit I felt some relief. At least our prime minister appeared committed to helping someone's economy, even if It was just a banking system once described by Barack Obama as 鈥渢he biggest tax scam on record鈥.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dumped knights and dames from the honours system, saying they are 鈥渁nachronistic and out of date鈥.
The imperial honours were reintroduced by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2014 to ongoing ridicule and controversy.
Turnbull, a well-known republican, said Cabinet agreed the titles are no longer appropriate in a modern Australia and revealed the Queen has approved his request to scrap them.
鈥淜nights and dames are titles that are really anachronistic. They're out of date, not appropriate in 2015 in Australia,鈥 he said.
About 500 people attended Geelong鈥檚 first marriage equality rally on September 19. It was largely a young crowd with the visible presence of the local Socialist Alliance branch, the Greens, local Deakin University students, and the Geelong Adolescent Sexuality Project, a local support service for LGBTI youth.
鈥淲hen it comes to technology policy, [now Prime Minister] Malcolm Turnbull has been a disaster. The Member for Wentworth will be remembered as Australia's worst ever Communications Minister 鈥 the man who single handedly demolished the NBN [National Broadband Network] and put a polite face on draconian Data Retention and Internet Piracy Laws.鈥
Few people would have shared tears 鈥 unless they happened to be chopping onions at the time 鈥 when Tony Abbott was ejected as prime minister in the latest of a string of Lib-Lab leadership spills.
Let's be honest. The rolling TV coverage of Malcolm Turnbull's political assassination of Abbott kept the nation entertained for a couple of hours on a Monday night. Who did not enjoy watching the grim faces of those Liberal MPs as they trooped into their party room for the spill, and the even grimmer faces of some as they came back out?
Ok, who didn鈥檛 cheer when they heard that Tony Abbott might be dumped as Prime Minister? And then before the reality that nothing had really changed sank in, who didn鈥檛 cheer when he actually was dumped?
Yes, you spoil sports out there, I know that we have just switched captains on a leaky boat 鈥 appropriate metaphor don鈥檛 you think 鈥 and the boat hasn鈥檛 actually changed. But you have to admit that seeing Abbott鈥檚 humiliation was enjoyable.
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