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Julia's Reign

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Bruwheresmycar

Bruwheresmycar

Nicholas Shehadie (39)
Well if that's the attitude they are going to take, it's stupid they have a license to run a hospital with religious tweaks in the first place. The government should immediately stop handing out such deals.

I mean, imagine if some hospital decided they were going to refuse treatment or prevention of the flu because they believed the virus is sacred and killing it was equivalent to murder. That wouldn't stand a chance probably on the basis the place needs to have some basic standard.

Actually, do you even need some kind of license to operate a hospital? Does it say you need to provide a basic level of health services to the public?
 
I like to watch

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
So you are suggesting they close a private hospital that provides ESSENTIAL health services in a region where there is no alternative for 200km.
Because they do not offer one or two optional services?
 
Bruwheresmycar

Bruwheresmycar

Nicholas Shehadie (39)
No, I said they should stop accepting proposals from new private hospitals that selectively choose what basic health cover they do and don't want to provide for no good reason.

So hopefully in the future the hospitals that already do that become a minority and it's not a problem for the public.
 
ChargerWA

ChargerWA

Mark Loane (55)
Does anyone else think this parliamentary term has been poorer for the lack of real independents?

With the independents being forced to be defacto labor members they haven't been able to act as a general 3rd level of legislation review and without being free to support good and advocate against bad legislation I think it has been a real factor behind why this has been the most bitter and partisan term of government in living memory.
 
ACT Crusader

ACT Crusader

Jim Lenehan (48)
ChargerWA said:
Does anyone else think this parliamentary term has been poorer for the lack of real independents?

With the independents being forced to be defacto labor members they haven't been able to act as a general 3rd level of legislation review and without being free to support good and advocate against bad legislation I think it has been a real factor behind why this has been the most bitter and partisan term of government in living memory.
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I agree CWA. For all their failings and bad episodes, the Democrats were a genuine 3rd voice and offered good scrutiny in the Senate.

Today the Greens are beholden to the Government and vice versa and given the makeup of the Senate, any real policy debates are lost in the politics.

And it all kicks off again this week. Joy.
 
chasmac

chasmac

Dave Cowper (27)
I was reading the paper over the weekend regarding the calling of the election for September this year. In the several paragraphs written, there was not one mention of the setting of the election date as being something that was done for the greater good of the public / voters / fellow Australians. It was all about political manouvering and power grabbing.
I am already sick of politics for this year and it hasn't even started.
 
Scotty

Scotty

David Codey (61)
It is hard to work out the real reason that Gillard called an election so early:

1. To have the spotlight on policy rather than politics (very doubtful)
2. To stave off an bi-elections (timing of Craig Thompson arrest and Roxon resignation seems too co-incidental)
3. To halt a leadership challenge? (I noted that Shorten wasn't one of the ones advised that Gillard was going to call the election)
 
ChargerWA

ChargerWA

Mark Loane (55)
My guess is mainly point 3.

With the resignations there would have been definate calls for another leadership challenge. I think the Thompson thing was just lucky timing.
 
Rob42

Rob42

John Solomon (38)
I reckon the PM called the election date so early to give the impression of being in control, not reacting to situations - the election was almost certainly going to be sometime Sept/Oct anyway. But, as seems inevitable, it's blown up in her face.

The Thompson arrest was out of Gillard's control - it's going to be a mess for Labor all year, regardless of what they do - but the Roxon/Evans resignations look really bad. If they had announced their resignations before the election date was announced, it could have looked like a "clearing of the decks" before starting election preparations - but this way, it just emphasises the dysfunctionality of the government.

I would have thought it would be standard procedure for the PM's office to warn each minister, a year or so out from the expected election date, that if they had any thoughts of resigning, to do so immediately, or lock themselves in until after the next election - to avoid exactly this kind of embarassment.
 
Inside Shoulder

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Rob42 said:
I reckon the PM called the election date so early to give the impression of being in control, not reacting to situations - the election was almost certainly going to be sometime Sept/Oct anyway. But, as seems inevitable, it's blown up in her face.

The Thompson arrest was out of Gillard's control - it's going to be a mess for Labor all year, regardless of what they do - but the Roxon/Evans resignations look really bad. If they had announced their resignations before the election date was announced, it could have looked like a "clearing of the decks" before starting election preparations - but this way, it just emphasises the dysfunctionality of the government.

I would have thought it would be standard procedure for the PM's office to warn each minister, a year or so out from the expected election date, that if they had any thoughts of resigning, to do so immediately, or lock themselves in until after the next election - to avoid exactly this kind of embarassment.
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But Joolia says she'd known Roxon was going for 12 months - a proposition I have some misgivings about even if its true!
 
Rob42

Rob42

John Solomon (38)
Inside Shoulder said:
But Joolia says she'd known Roxon was going for 12 months - a proposition I have some misgivings about even if its true!
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Surely not - I can't imagine she'd want to be reshuffling her cabinet AFTER calling an election. But, I've been relentlessly surprised by this parliament, rarely in a good way.
 
Inside Shoulder

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Rob42

Rob42

John Solomon (38)
I hadn't seen that, IS. Even more mind-boggling. My armchair PM advice would have been to announce the resignations, then announce both the reshuffle and the election date together a few days later. I would have blitzed it.
 
Rob42

Rob42

John Solomon (38)
chasmac said:
As I said; None of it relates to the welfare of the nation.
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I think any politician would tell you that all's fair in election campaigns because the only way you can improve the nation's welfare is to be in government, so do whatever you need to in order to get there. Better to win ugly than lose whilst scoring plenty of tries, you might say.
 
Inside Shoulder

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Rob42 said:
I hadn't seen that, IS. Even more mind-boggling. My armchair PM advice would have been to announce the resignations, then announce both the reshuffle and the election date together a few days later. I would have blitzed it.
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Agree!
It may be that she had to do it this way so that she didn't face a caucus issue: caucus might have been prepared to stand her up in the absence of an "imminent" election.
 
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