Now’s our chance to rebuild Australia

But it would require Greenies to compromise

It’s the greatest issue of our times, eclipsing even the War on Terror. As measured by the disruption and economic misery, the coronavirus pandemic is having a bigger impact than any event since World War II. And while more Australians will die each year from, say, cancer than from COVID-19, the precautions that shuttered large parts of the economy racked up debts that will hobble our recovery for years to come.

Coronavirus is disrupting the way we think, and it is resetting our priorities. In previous eras, such a contagion would have been interpreted as an act of God. Indeed, the clergy would have proclaimed that all this misery was divine retribution for humanity’s wickedness: “Repent now, lest the Lord wreak further havoc upon your wretched souls!”

Yes, well, humanity might have been able to conveniently blame God for disease, pestilence and famine in the past, but less so now. These days we are more scientific in our thinking and fairer minded in our search for a cause. I think most Australians are open-minded about where coronavirus began and how it spread. It may have come from Wuhan’s wet markets, but we are content to wait and see what the evidence suggests.

Today the cause of a natural calamity of this scale is likely to be attributed to a wilful disrespect for the environment – which, when you think about it, is a form of wickedness that demands contrition and personal change. Early in the virus’s spread there were attempts to make such a link: experts would talk about how mankind’s encroachment into native forests brings us into closer contact with wild animals, thus increasing the risk of cross-species infection.

Summer’s bushfires and the preceding drought were a case in point, too: both were “obviously” the result of climate change, exacerbated by the intransigence of denialists and vested interests. There is no doubt that during the bushfires most Australians supported action to mitigate the effects of global warming. But then came coronavirus, and our national priorities were reset. Out-of-control global warming by 2030, let alone by 2050, does not exert the same immediate threat to our lives as does the prospect of contracting coronavirus or losing our jobs.

Yet while our priorities are being reset, we have an opportunity: this is our chance to rebuild Australia in a way that is sustainable, that focuses on industries without trashing the environment, that delivers energy solutions without exacerbating global warming. Conversely, the urgency for action on climate change must now be viewed through other lenses such as the need for rebuilding the economy, strengthening the health system, delivering supply chain sovereignty, and perhaps shoring up alliances.

It’s a big agenda, and requires both climate change sceptics and environmentalists to make concessions. Maybe gas is a reasonable resource to exploit until renewables can deliver baseload power? Maybe acquiescing to global demand for coal is sustaining an industry that causes long-term damage to the environment? Maybe we should be having the discussion (again) about nuclear power? Maybe living in the suburbs and commuting to an inner-city job is an outdated concept?

Sometimes, adversaries are so fixated on winning that any concession is regarded as a loss. The way forward, I believe, involves both sides acknowledging that there is a better Australia to be built in the years to come, and that this will require concessions. And, more to the point, I don’t believe I am being overly optimistic in my hopes for the future.

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'Her views are something we would never endorse': Sonia Kruger is DROPPED from a popular podcast - following her controversial comments on Muslim immigration

Given the various attacks on Australians by Jihadis, it is surely reasonable to want to restrict the sub-population they come from

Sonia Kruger has been dropped from Mamamia's beauty podcast, You Beauty. As reported by The Daily Telegraph on Friday, administrators announced on Facebook that they have removed her episode this week on sensitive skin.

The lifestyle website informed followers that the decision was based on Kruger's past comments relating to Muslim immigration, that some found to be 'deeply hurtful'.

In February last year, a tribunal found Kruger, 54, vilified Muslims when she called for Australia to close its borders to followers of Islam because she 'didn't feel safe'.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal delivered their decision almost three years after Kruger's explosive comments were made on the Today Show in July 2016.

The tribunal found Kruger's 'vilifying remarks' had the ability to 'encourage hatred towards, or serious contempt for, Australian Muslims by ordinary members of the Australian population'. 

Kruger shocked former colleagues David Campbell and Lisa Wilkinson when she discussed a column written by conservative commentator Andrew Bolt following a terrorist attack in Nice on Bastille Day.

'I mean, personally, I think Andrew Bolt has a point here, that there is a correlation between the number of people who are Muslim in a country and the number of terrorist attacks,' she said.

'Now I have a lot of very good friends who are Muslim, who are peace-loving who are beautiful people, but there are fanatics.

'Personally I would like to see it (immigration) stopped now for Australia. Because I want to feel safe, as all of our citizens do, when they go out to celebrate Australia Day.'

The tribunal decided Kruger was 'calm and measured' in her comments and believed she made it clear she did not think every Muslim person was a fanatic.

'Broadly, the Tribunal accepts that the purpose of the discussion in question was to have a debate about the size of the Australian Muslim population, the levels of Muslim migration and whether an increase in the level of either increases the likelihood of future terrorist attacks in Australia,' the Tribunal said.

'Further, the Tribunal accepts that to have a public discussion on such matters was in the public interest.'

While the tribunal accepted Kruger and Nine acted in good faith and without malice, they could not accept that her remarks were 'reasonable'.

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'What is wrong with you people?' Jacqui Lambie chokes back tears as she slams 'un-Australian' Black Lives Matter protesters

Lambie is an independent conservative

Jacqui Lambie has held back tears as she tore into 'un-Australian' protesters who took to the streets across the country for Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Protesters gathered in their tens of thousands across Australia's largest cities on Saturday to rally against Aboriginal deaths in custody and the death of George Floyd allegedly at the hands of a white police officer in America on May 25.

But the Tasmanian senator hit out at the logic of gathering in such large numbers when the threat of a COVID-19 second wave still hung over the nation.

'Not only have Australians gone through the bushfires for months on end, we've now been through COVID-19 and people's mental health is really not dealing with this,' she told Today show host Allison Langdon on Thursday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also slammed the protesters, saying the rallies were the 'only legitimate blocker' to relaxing coronavirus lockdown measures further.

'We actually don't know right now whether those rallies on the weekend may have caused outbreaks. And we won't know, my health advice is, for at least another week,' he said.

'It just puts a massive spanner in the works. By all means, raise your issue but by doing this they've put the whole track back to recovery at risks and, certainly, any further action on this front would be absolutely unacceptable.'

Ms Lambie appeared to choke back tears as she called out the protesters. 'Quite frankly, I'll call it out today. I just find this [the protests] really, really reckless and if black lives matter so much then why are you putting them at risk and doing this?,' she said.

'What is wrong with you people? It is so bloody un-Australian.

'This is not good for the cause. Please don't do this. There are other ways around doing this.'

She also defiantly defended Australian police officers - calling on those who are criticising them to 'go spend a day in their shoes'.

'There are many out there suffering with their own mental health but still go to work every day to make sure we keep peace on our streets,' she said.

'For a couple of bad eggs, this is just unacceptable. Everybody in society has bad eggs but to blame everybody for that action, that's not on and that's once again un-Australian.'

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PM wants protesters charged if they breach COVID-19 restrictions this weekend

Scott Morrison says he wants to see protesters charged if they ignore coronavirus gathering bans to attend rallies this weekend.

The Prime Minister told 3AW's Neil Mitchell this morning there was “no doubt” the government would have been easing COVID-19 restrictions sooner if not for last weekend’s protests.

“I really do think they should (be charged),” Mr Morrison said.

“The issues of last weekend were very difficult, but I think people carrying it on now, it’s not about that. It’s about political people pushing a whole lot of other barrows now, and it puts others lives and livelihoods at risk.”

He said protesters were being selfish. “Millions of quiet Australians have done the right thing and they didn’t seem to be that concerned about their health, or their businesses, or their jobs,” he said.

“People who would turn up to a rally this weekend would be showing great disrespect to their neighbours. It’s a free country and we have our liberties but the price of that liberty is exercising it responsibly.”

His comments came hours before a person who attended a protest in Melbourne tested positive for coronavirus.

Authorities say the individual, who developed symptoms on Sunday, the day after the protest, wore at mask at the protest.

“They weren’t symptomatic at the time,” Victorian Chief Health OfficerProfessor Brett Sutton said. But he said it is possible the person was infectious at the time they attended the protest.

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 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