Australian Politics
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Aboriginal self-sabotage
How can you provide facilites for them when their young people behave like this? It certainly validates the McElwain & Kearney findings about low average Aboriginal IQ
The Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council has condemned the actions of vandals who broke into the Cherbourg Sports Complex, setting fire to equipment, flooding the basketball court, setting off powder fire extinguishers and damaging offices.
The council said the community worked hard to acquire the equipment and facilities which were damaged or destroyed by the vandalism.
“(They) are destroying our community, tearing apart the infrastructure and breaking down the services vital to our community that have taken years of effort by our elders before us to bring here,” it said.
The council said the people who vandalised the complex had brought “shame to their families and their community,” and the physical damage done to the complex was only part of the harm caused.
“The hurt and mental anguish to our elders, the workers, families and community as a whole is real.”
Photos released by the council show offices ransacked and weight training benches burnt.
A professional grade wooden basketball court was “basically destroyed” by water damage from a fire hose being turned on.
Outraged locals and South Burnett residents expressed frustration with the vandalism. Debbie West said it was “disgusting for the community”.
“Put curfews in place and get them doing a community clean-up,” she said.
The council said the people doing this were “not heroes”.
“This must stop and it must stop now … That’s our home, stop destroying it.”
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Penny Wong tilt to Palestine state ‘would reward Hamas attack’
The opposition says Labor’s plan to “preemptively recognise a Palestinian state” would reward Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and risks bipartisan consensus on foreign policy.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Penny Wong’s speech setting out a case for Palestinian statehood ignored the reality of the Israel-Palestine conflict - “that a two-state solution will only be possible with security and confidence that the right of each party to exist will be respected by the other”.
Senator Wong told the ANU’s National Security College on Tuesday that peace could only come with a two-state solution, with “a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel”.
But Senator Birmingham said it was “downright dangerous to reward such barbaric conduct with a fast track to recognition of statehood.”
“To give the greatest chance for a sustainable ceasefire, that leads to prospects for stability and security, Labor should instead be applying maximum pressure on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all hostages and surrender all terrorist capabilities,” he added.
Senator Birmingham said Labor’s policy shift raised more questions than answers, given Senator Wong’s declaration that Hamas had no role in a future Palestinian state, that such a state could not threaten Israel, and would require a reformed Palestinian Authority.
“The Albanese government needs to urgently clarify whether these are preconditions to any recognition by their government of a Palestinian state,” he said.
“Prime Minister Albanese must guarantee not to undertake recognition while Hamas still commands the capacity to attack, Israel’s security remains threatened by those who promote violence, and the Palestinian Authority is crippled by incompetence.
“Labor is threatening to break decades of bipartisan Australian foreign policy that recognition of a Palestinian state should only occur as part of a negotiated solution which gives Israel and a future Palestinian state security within internationally recognised borders.”
Senator Birmingham accused Labor of violating its 2022 election campaign pledge that there would be no difference between the parties on Middle East policy.
Provocative tilt towards Palestine state by Wong
As the UN Security Council considers a new application for Palestinian statehood, Senator Wong said it was in Israel’s interests to respond to the demands of the international community.
“We need to build the pathway out of the endless cycle of violence. We need to build the pathway to a peace that is enduring, and just,” she said. “Because the simple truth is that a secure and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians will only come with a two-state solution; recognition of each other’s right to exist; a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel.”
The move comes as the Greens increasingly target pro-Palestine supporters in Labor’s inner-city seats, prompting a warning from Senator Wong that the party was stoking community division.
The government’s policy has driven a further wedge between Labor and Australian supporters of Israel. Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said any talk of recognising Palestinian statehood so soon after the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel would be seen as “a reward for those attacks”.
“Before any talk of statehood is credible, Hamas must be removed and a new generation of Palestinian leadership must emerge, which isn’t corrupt, doesn’t condone violence and recognises Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State,” he said.
Australia-Israel and Jewish Affairs Council director Colin Rubenstein said Palestinians would see any near-term recognition of statehood “as a major national achievement made possible by Hamas’ wave of barbaric mass violence”.
Senator Wong pointed to British Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s comment in January that the UK would “look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations”.
She said the normalisation of Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbours, which began prior to the October 7 Hamas attack, was doomed to failure without progress on Palestinian statehood.
“Recognising a Palestinian state – one that can only exist side by side with a secure Israel – doesn’t just offer the Palestinian people an opportunity to realise their aspirations,” she said.
“It also strengthens the forces for peace, and undermines extremism. It undermines Hamas, Iran and Iran’s other destructive proxies in the region.”
Senator Wong reiterated the government’s position that there was no role for Hamas in a future Palestinian state and said a reformed Palestinian Authority would be required to ensure Palestinian statehood did not threaten Israel’s security.
But she offered no prescription for removing Hamas from Gaza.
If Australia recognised a Palestinian state, it would join 140 of 193 UN member states to do so. But no major Western democracy, including Australia’s closest Five Eyes allies, has done so.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected international calls for Palestinian statehood, warning it would “endanger the state of Israel”, and blasting “attempts to coerce us”.
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No home building because all the tradesmen are busy on lush government constrction projects
Developers are calling on the state Labor government to act now or “there will be no cranes left in the sky” as new figures reveal a staggering jump in construction costs and time blowouts across South East Queensland.
One of the state’s peak industry bodies has revealed there has been a 96 per cent rise in construction costs compared to pre-Covid (2019) rates, and a 73 per cent increase in the time taken to complete a project.
The research by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) also found South East Queensland apartment numbers will fall short by almost 150,000 by the end of the Labor government’s ShapingSEQ plan.
UDIA Queensland CEO Kirsty Chessher-Brown said apartment developers were facing the most severe construction conditions ever, with new apartment project prospects dwindling as projects failed to stack up.
“With the Queensland housing crisis already severe, we need all levels of government to act now,” Ms Chessher-Brown said in an email to members.
“Nobody wants to believe the housing crisis could get worse, but these figures say it will.”
The UDIA report found that on average since 2020, South East Queensland has produced about 4,764 apartments a year, which is 5,946 fewer than required under ShapingSEQ. If this shortfall continues for the life of the plan, there will be a shortfall of 148,660 apartments, the research found.
Max Panettiere of Panettiere Developments said the city’s ‘tier one’ builders and labourers were tied up with government infrastructure, leaving residential projects financially unviable.
“All the tier ones are not taking on residential work because they’ve got an open chequebook with the government,” Mr Panettiere said.
“If you’re a traditional developer where you tender for a builder, they’re not even returning calls.
“Basically, you have EBA workers on tier one jobs, and with their rates and site allowance, they’re earning more than $200,000 a year. The bigger the project, the bigger the site allowance.”
Mr Panettiere, who has just lodged an application with Brisbane City Council for a 1000-unit development in Newstead, said the state government needed to step in or the housing crisis would worsen.
“The government needs to get involved by incentivising developers and builders, otherwise nothing will be built,” he said.
“We used to build units for between $650,000 and $800,000 per unit. Now, you’re looking at $1.2 to $1.4 million for the same unit. The numbers don’t work.
“In six months, there won’t be a crane in the inner city skyline unless things change.”
Property Council Queensland executive director Jess Caire said it “has never been harder to get projects to stack up here in Queensland”.
Ms Caire said Property Council figures showed residential projects were taking about 30 per cent longer and costing 30 to 40 per cent more.
“The targets set in the recently released Housing Plan are ambitious but necessary, so we need to clear all barriers that block the delivery of homes to Queenslanders,” she said.
“For industry that’s a holistic review of the regulatory and taxation settings that obstruct new supply to market.”
It comes as new report by Master Builders Association says the Queensland government’s $92bn Big Build pipeline of projects across health, energy and transport over the next five years is making high-rise residential projects economically unviable due to a lack of workers and supply constraints.
The report also warned the state’s pro-union “best practice industry conditions” — which apply to major government projects — would be a challenge, as it ties up labour on builds that take longer to complete due to falls in productivity.
But Master Builders’ latest building and construction forecast shows Queensland will not hit the estimated yearly target until mid-2026.
It means the state will be nearly 5000 homes short of 246,000 dwellings.
Ms Chessher-Brown said the UDIA was working with bodies such as Master Builders to put to government solutions, ranging from increased levels of inter and intra-government co-operation with industry, investment in trades and skilling, and a productivity reset involving a review of the impact of government red tape on the cost of housing.
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Queensland Education: Stark new figures showing Qld’s loss of teachers outstripping recruitment
The elephant in the room is the chaotic state of many classrooms -- with little no effective discipline. So what is our genius government about to do? Make discipline even harder. No wonder teachers are giving up where they can
Queensland’s loss of teachers and teacher aides is outstripping the recruitment of new staff by 50 per cent, new figures reveal.
In response to a Sunday Mail report on a record exodus of educators from the state department, government frontbencher Meaghan Scanlon said that to date, the state government had hired more than 5900 new teachers and 2300 new teacher aides.
“The retention rate of teachers and of all teacher aides is around 95 per cent,” she said.
While the government was on track to meet its four-year teacher recruitment target, the new figures revealed a worsening resignation rate over four years.
Teacher and teacher aide resignations increased by more than 60 per cent from 2020-23.
Teacher resignations have spiked 54 per cent since 2020, with more than 2600 state school teachers ditching the profession last year, compared with about 1600 three years prior.
The number of teacher aides quitting is even more stark, with 1142 resignations last year compared with just 637 in 2020.
In total, 8646 teachers and 3729 teacher aides quit from state schools in four years.
This overshadowed the state government being on track to fulfil its 2020 promise to hire more than 6100 new teachers and 1100 new teacher aides by the end of this year.
Ms Scanlon said: “There’s a whole range of factors at the moment that are pushing people from all different industries to look at other types of jobs that are available.
“We also know there are teacher aides who are actually getting qualifications to basically become teachers as well.
“We are trying to attract our key workers to regional Queensland and there are a whole range of incentives out there.”
Education Minister Di Farmer said earlier there were various reasons why teaching staff resign including transitioning to a departmental role, returning to study, or family commitments.
“Queensland’s universities continue to deliver a pipeline of new teachers and help teacher aides transition to Registered Teacher positions,” a spokesman for Ms Farmer’s office said.
“We will continue to monitor trends in resignations within the Department of Education to ensure support services and training opportunities are fit for purpose.”
It comes as tensions remain high over the proposed amendments to the state’s Education Act, which were introduced last month, including changes to suspensions and exclusions.
They would see new appeal rights for students who had accumulated 11 days of short suspensions within a year.
They would also require student support plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students with a disability, and Prep students who were suspended or excluded.
The powerful Queensland Teachers Union said its members were appalled.
“The Bill fails to contribute to the good order and management of state schools because it undermines the professional decision-making powers of school principals and will exacerbate excessive workload pressures on school leaders,” the QTU submission said.
Teachers’ Professional Association of Queensland state secretary Edward Schuller said it would take decisions away from school leaders and give the power to bureaucrats.
“Beyond a basic question of functionality, the attempt to introduce a Department of Education managed appeals process is a slap in the face to principals and their schooling communities, and serves to worsen the issue of student discipline,” TPAQ’s submission said.
Ms Scanlon said the government had listened to the QTU and other organisations and taken on board the feedback from the parliamentary committee hearings.
“Of course, we’ll take on board any of (the parliamentary committee’s) recommendations, our principals’ powers in regards to suspensions haven’t changed,” she said.
“I think everyone expects that it’s reasonable that we ensure that young people who are facing suspensions get the support they need, but it’s important that we also support our teachers.
“We have increased some funding and started to do dedicated programs, particularly for young people who have seen a number of suspensions.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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Evelyn Rae, a conservative Australian political commentator
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My son Joe at ANU
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