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No problem with Taiwanese president visiting Pacific 'allies', CNMI's US congressman saysPETER VAN ONSELEN: The rot at the core of Team Albo has been exposed by these shady last minute acts - including a startling admission about the misinformation bill By PETER VAN ONSELEN, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Published: 18:46 EST, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 18:48 EST, 24 November 2024 e-mail 6 View comments The poor priorities and inconsistencies of Anthony Albanese 's government are nearly summed up by the political manoeuvres taking place as we enter the final parliamentary sitting period before the summer break. They are tangible evidence for why Labor is floundering in the polls in just its first term in power. On the one hand, Labor spent months telling us its misinformation bill was a vital reform aimed at stamping out... you guessed it, misinformation in public discourse. Yet Labor dumped the bill once a united front lined up against it - the Coalition, the Greens, a plethora of crossbenchers representing the right and the left. But it didn't just walk away from what it once claimed was so important in the here and now. It has promised not to pursue the changes even after the election - assuming it is victorious - with Special Minister of State Don Farrell saying: 'That's the end of it'. I guess what was proposed can't have been that important after all. In truth the proposed laws were highly subjective, badly drafted, lacked consultation and transparency in their development, impinged on free speech, and even if you liked the idea of muzzling opinion they didn't go far enough to satisfy supporters. So they have been thrown in the policy garbage bin, as they should be. Anthony Albanese's government spent months telling us its misinformation bill was a vital reform aimed at stamping out misinformation. It has now promised not to pursue the changes even after the election, assuming it is victorious. I guess it mustn't be so important, after all Submissions for public comment on the misinformation bill closed back in September. However they have never been uploaded and made public. I suspect the government wanted them hidden from view because they were so scathing. It is so ironic that when Labor walked away from the misinformation bill its political spin to justify doing so was littered with untruths. They claimed, for example, that the Coalition and the Greens were in cahoots - even though their opposition to the bill was for diametrically opposing reasons. The Greens said the bill didn't do enough to stop misinformation, while the Coalition said it was an attack on free speech. The government's approach to its planned social media laws that ban under 16s from accessing platforms such as TiKTok and Reddit is equally shady. The government opened public comments on the bill for just a single day. That's not how good government takes consultation seriously. Labor will be successful rushing its youth social media bans through the parliament because the Coalition came up with the idea before the government did, and it plans to support the changes. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland is now pushing her bill to ban under 16s from social media. The government is likewise employing shady tactics to ram it through It will likely do the same when it comes to election donations reforms , which haven't even been sent to a parliamentary committee for consultation and public feedback. So much for good policy process on that front. Meanwhile, there won't be legislation forthcoming to curb online gambling or gambling ads, as had previously been promised. Why? Probably because Labor doesn't want to upset big media organisations who enjoy streams of revenue from its advertising. So what excuse have they used to justify the inaction and the broken promise? 'This is a very difficult and complex piece of work that simply cannot be finalised in the remaining week that we have of parliament this year', according to minister Murray Watt. Yet so are changes to social media usage and laws designed to curb misinformation. As are adjustments to political donations. Yet Labor found ways to rush these law making processes when it suited them. Such inconsistency is equally evident when you listen to Labor's rhetoric about concern for young Australians as it moves towards social media bans. But the sound of crickets is all you hear when asking the same politicians why they won't act to curb online access to violent and graphic pornography for minors. Be the first to comment Be one of the first to comment Comments Now have YOUR say! Share your thoughts in the comments. Comment now All of the above highlights the policy-making failures of this government. It's proof positive that it is a bad government unworthy of re-election. Which is not to say it won't win re-election. No first term federal government has lost a re-election attempt since 1931, so history favours Albo's chances of securing a second prime ministerial term. While social policy scripts such as those referred to above are dominating the final sitting period, voters could be forgiven for wondering why Labor's priorities are focused in that direction and not on the economy. On Wednesday we'll get updated monthly CPI figures. We already know inflation is higher than in other western nations and there are no guarantees interest rates will fall in the first half of next year. That's despite anaemic economic growth and falling real living standards. You would have thought Labor wanted the optics of its final sitting week to be all about the economy and its plans to address cost of living concerns hurting so many Australians. Yet that isn't the focus at all, probably because Labor can't say anything too positive on that front because it's fiscal policy settings - spending too much - are grinding up against the RBA's monetary policy advice. Reddit TikTok Anthony Albanese Share or comment on this article: PETER VAN ONSELEN: The rot at the core of Team Albo has been exposed by these shady last minute acts - including a startling admission about the misinformation bill e-mail Add commentThe Albanese report card: A grim year but don’t write him off
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm . But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, , who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump’s allies have described the in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. ___ Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.Amazon Boosts Investment in AI Startup Anthropic to $8 Billion
