NATIONAL SHAME: Unthinkable horrors in heart of Australia

Above is the lead-in to the story excerpted below. It is utter garbage.  The state of many Aborigines in outback Australia is incredibly degraded but they did it to themselves.  No-one else is responsible.  But Paul Toohey in Alice Springs does give a long overdue "warts and all" picture of what is happening.  It has been going on like that for a long time but a true picture of it is rare.  Many governments have tried to improve the situation but nothing works.  Only the missionaries were able to lift them up out of their behavioural sink and they are long gone. Just the opening blast of the article below.

ON THE south side of Alice Springs, a Thursday afternoon, five adults are gathered around a sedan at the entrance to the showgrounds. A man king-hits a woman and she goes down, hard. She is helped up, then carefully lined up and smashed again, in the face. She’s so drunk she has no hope of defending the punch. She goes down again.

Sitting on the window ledge of the car, watching, is a child. This is what she thinks is normal: incoherent adults enacting the brutal afternoon rituals of total alcohol dysfunction, as desensitised locals drive by with barely a glance.

Alice Springs is at Australia’s spiritual heart: the creation point in our landscape, where raw earth blends seamlessly with the cosmic, and even diehard atheists confess to sacred encounters with the almighty red rock. Now that heart is broken.

There’s deep trauma here. Some Aborigines blame white settlement and loss of culture; others see income support as the driver of destruction, because it buys alcohol and obliterates self-reliance.

The tragedy for the child is that she has already been traumatised, by her parents, for whom acts of ultra-violence carry no shame and rarely result in repercussions, other than visits to the ICU.

She has no opportunity to start life clean but is at the vanguard of another broken generation, same as the last. She doesn’t know it, but she is already caught up in a hopeless hunt for answers in which blame will always displace solutions.

Tired and self-interested politicians; overworked and numb cops; distraught and confused welfare workers; cries for more money from all directions. The spotlight never tracks on the parents causing the harm, because of a shielding instinct that says they have been injured by history.

The middle of Australia, from Tennant Creek down to Alice, is at the statistical epicentre of Australian child neglect and abuse. Each attempt to intervene becomes a forced retreat about saving culture, rather than saving kids.

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A real mother



A mummy blogger with 18-month-old identical twin boys and a two-year-old daughter is 'unapologetically' refusing to bring up her children as 'gender neutral'.

Sydney mum Eliza Curby, 28, told Daily Mail Australia she won't 'create some unreasonable neutral gender playing field' for her children - because she isn't 'afraid of gender'.

Ms Curby made headlines after giving birth to her twin boys Jack and Wolfe in December 2016 - after conceiving just six weeks after the birth of her first child, Charlie in January.

The mum gave birth to three children in 2016 - Charlie, her daughter in January, and her sons in December    +9
The mum gave birth to three children in 2016 - Charlie, her daughter in January, and her sons in December

The busy mum noticed her young boys 'gravitating towards the few toy cars' in the house - and says they are 'obsessed' with the garbage truck.

'It got me thinking about boys and girls and why we are so afraid of the difference,' she said.

So she wrote a post about it on Facebook - challenging new-age ideals about gender.  'Why are we so scared of gender these days?' she asked.

'We are so concerned with equality, blurring the lines in such a way that we expect men and women be treated the same, act the same, be judged the same, 'be' the same,' she wrote.

'But here's the thing - we are not the same.'

She went on to say she is 'proud to be a woman' and that she expects to be treated as one.

'I'm honoured to have an incredible man who opens the door for me, pulls out my chair, who 'looks after me' - not in a sense that I cannot do these things myself, but to show me a certain respect and love in doing them.

'And I intend to raise my boys - unapologetically - in the same manner,' she wrote.

And it appeared to hit the mark with her 'Twingenuity' blog followers. 'Love this !! What's wrong with girls being 'girls' and boys being 'boys'!' wrote one mum.

'I am raising my son just as that - a boy. With respect, manners and chivalry for women. A gentleman. And there is nothing wrong with this!' said another.

'Hear, hear! Because a man treats (and respects) a woman differently to a man, like opening a door or giving up a seat, it in no way means men think of them as inferior. We are in all ways equal but just different. And the differences should be celebrated,' a father wrote.     

'If my kids decide they are the wrong gender I will support them, if they are boys boys or if my daughter is a girly girl I will support them - I just don't intend to overthink the matter,' she said.

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Bill Shorten doubles down on opposition to ‘rotten’ company tax cuts at ALP conference

Labor will campaign in the Super Saturday by-elections on bolstering basic services such as schools and hospitals and accuse the Turnbull of government of an obsession with the big end of town.

Labor leader Bill Shorten today used his address to the Victorian ALP state conference to accentuate his class warfare rhetoric against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

In a tight but targeted speech rich with pro-union rhetoric, Mr Shorten said the ALP would stand up for people who lacked a voice and would oppose the Coalition’s tax agenda.

He also this morning indicated that Labor would still attempt to hold a national conference before the next election.

“The choice is clear, Labor chooses hospitals and schools,’’ he said.

“Mr Turnbull and the government choose looking after big corporations and big banks.’’

Mr Shorten told hundreds of delegates Labor’s immediate business was to campaign to win the five by-elections on July 28, followed by the next national poll.

In a traditional stump speech that lasted less than 25 minutes, Mr Shorten focused heavily on opposing the Coalition’s “rotten” business tax cuts and warned that Australia was becoming increasingly economically divided. “We are seeing growing inequality in this country,’’ he said. “And that is the cost of five years of conservative government.’’

Mr Shorten promised to lift average wages, declaring that workers had been buckling under the pressure of how wages growth.

Mr Shorten said it was only a matter of time until the Turnbull government “gives up” on its proposed company tax cuts, and promised a Labor government would see that the overall package was “dead, buried and cremated.”

He said the plan was disproportionately favourable to big business, including banks, at the expense of public services.

“I am damn sure Australians do not want to give a $17bn tax cut to the big banks which have been proven, have been demonstrated to be ripping off consumers,” Mr Shorten said.

“I actually think the average Australian wants to see their scarce taxpayer dollars invested in hospitals, reinvested in schools.”

Federal Labor MPs in attendance included Richard Marles, Michael Danby, Tim Watts, Joanne Ryan and newly sworn in Batman MP Ged Kearney.

The party was left reeling last week following the Turnbull government‘s surprise announcement to schedule the “Super Saturday” by-elections on the same weekend as the long-planned national conference.

While party members were quick to condemn the government’s move as an act of political treachery, insiders are already weighing up delaying the conference for twelve months.

Privately, they will admit that suspending the event — which is a magnet for factional clashes and high profile, contentious police debates — could be favourable during a potential election year.

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Newspoll: Voters snub Bill Shorten’s tax attack

Bill Shorten’s class-war attack on the big end of town has been blunted, with an overwhelming majority of voters supporting company tax cuts and more than one-third believing they should be ­implemented immediately rather than phased in over 10 years.

The strengthened support for corporate tax cuts in an exclusive Newspoll comes as the government slipped back in the two-party-preferred vote and Mr Shorten racked up the longest run of negative satisfaction ratings for any opposition leader since records were first taken in 1985.

The poll, conducted for The Australian, suggests Labor’s ­attempts to tie the government’s policy to recent banking scandals has been largely dismissed by voters, with 63 per cent backing tax cuts for corporate Australia.

The results also challenge the opposition’s claim the reforms are politically toxic for the Turnbull government, as Mr Shorten vowed yesterday to wage war over the issue in the lead-up to the “super Saturday” by-elections on July 28.

“I am damn sure Australians do not want to give a $17 billion tax cut to the big banks, which have been proven, have been demonstrated to be ripping off consumers,” he told Labor’s Victorian state conference.

Yet even among Labor and Greens voters polled by Newspoll, more people supported dropping the corporate rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent either immediately or in line with the government’s 10-year phase in.

In a warning to the crossbench that it was out of step with community sentiment, 60 per cent of One Nation voters also backed the company tax cuts, undermining Pauline Hanson’s justification for welshing on a deal to support them because they were unpopular with her supporters.

Contrary to suggestions that the government would walk away from the cuts, it is expected it will put them to a vote in the Senate before parliament rises at the end of next month for the winter break.

This would extend to all businesses the tax cuts that currently apply to those with turnovers of less than $50 million a year and bring the rate down to a globally competitive 25 per cent.

Newspoll also shows the ­Coalition slipping back a point to trail Labor 52-48 on a two-party-preferred basis, while losing a point in primary support to 38 per cent. One Nation picked up two primary points.

The result marks a halt to the gains the Coalition had been making over the past two months, ­having got as close 49-51 in the most recent two polls, including one directly after the May 8 ­budget.

Malcolm Turnbull further ­extended his advantage as the preferred prime minister, gaining a point to lead 47 per cent to 30 per cent over Mr Shorten, who dropped a further two points to reach one of his lowest levels since the 2016 election.

One Nation’s support rose from 6 per cent to 8 per cent. The resurgence comes from a low base for the conservative minor party, which had had a continuous slide in popular support since last year.

In what will be a frustrating result for the government, the poll revealed that 63 per cent of voters now backed its company tax plan despite the Senate crossbench having effectively killed it off last week when Senator Hanson withdrew her support after a previous pledge to back it.

Senator Hanson said one reason she had reneged on her deal to support the plan was she believed they should be implemented ­immediately, in line with US ­President Donald Trump’s move to cut the corporate tax rate to 22 per cent.

This view was reflected among One Nation voters, with 32 per cent agreeing compared with 28 per cent backing a stepped ­approach over the decade.

Among Greens voters, 34 per cent wanted them done now compared with 16 per cent preferring them to be delayed and 39 per cent opposing them entirely.

Among Labor voters the split was 28 per cent in favour of an ­immediate implementation, 20 per cent in support of a longer time­frame, a combined level of ­support of 48 per cent compared with 45 per cent not wanting them at all.

Addressing the Victorian state conference yesterday, Mr Shorten vowed to campaign against the company tax cuts in the lead-up to the five by-elections on July 28, claiming the cuts would come at the ­expense of more schools and hospital funding.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann last week dismissed sug­gestions the government would walk away from the company tax cuts following Senator Hansen’s decision to back out of a deal to vote with the government in ­exchange for a range of demands.

“Let me assure you, I will not leave any stone unturned to land this important economic reform for Australia through the Senate,” Senator Cormann told The ­Australian.

“If we don’t get there, it won’t be because of a lack of a genuine and good-faith effort to secure a consensus through the Senate.

“The future job security, future job opportunities, career prospects and wage increases of nine out of 10 working Australians working in a private sector business depend on the future success and prof­itability of businesses here in ­Australia.”

The Newspoll of 1591 people nationally was conducted between May 24 and yesterday, and across metropolitan and regional areas.

SOURCE 






Final Report Into Security of Payment Laws   
         
Master Builders Australia welcomes the release of the report by Mr John Murray AM following a comprehensive review of various current Security of Payment regimes operating around Australia.

“Everybody who is entitled to be paid, should be paid. Security of Payment is a vital function as it protects all building industry participants and ensures that businesses, and therefore their workers, get paid,” Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia said.

“The 300+ page report is a comprehensive contribution to what is an important issue for many participants in the building and construction industry, right up and down the supply and contracting chain,” she said.  

“Mr Murray should be commended on the extensive work undertaken to complete the Report which is a welcome contribution to this policy debate,” Denita Wawn said.

“Security of Payment law assists in helping industry ensure businesses receive payment when due, however the various regimes have become more complex and divergent in recent years,” she said.

“Master Builders has long supported the goal of greater uniformity and consistency of Security of Payment law across the states and territories to increase industry understanding, clarify uncertainty, reduce complexity and boost payment compliance outcomes,” Denita Wawn said.

“The history of Security of Payment law shows that more regulation does not always mean better outcomes on the ground, particularly for small subcontractors, and urged all stakeholders to consider the reports 86 recommendations in a sensible and practical way,” she said. 

“We will carefully consider the report and its recommendations following extensive consultation with our 32,000 members across the country. Naturally there will be a range of views given the existing differences from one jurisdiction to the next, and we hope the focus can be on finding common ground,” Denita Wawn said.

Via email from Ben Carter, Ph. 0447 775 507

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).    For a daily critique of Leftist activities,  see DISSECTING LEFTISM.  To keep up with attacks on free speech see Tongue Tied. Also, don't forget your daily roundup  of pro-environment but anti-Greenie  news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH .  Email me  here