PVO ⛵️
@vanOnselenP
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Academic, commentator & author. Email: [email protected]
Joined September 2010
The lengths the Coalition are prepared to go against Djokovic, citing his anti vax views, are in STARK contrast to its tolerance for far more overt expressions of anti vax views among its own MPs. Profound hypocrisy in the hope of political advantage. Whatever your stance….
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Weird hill to die on not agreeing to free RATs during a pandemic when the far more expensive PCR tests were free and we’re being asked to move on from those as the default way to test 🤷♂️.
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A wholly unscientific straw poll with the distortion the method of voting creates as the main issue, but let’s see what the results reveal: RETWEET if you think Scott Morrison and the Coalition wins the election. LIKE if you think Anthony Albanese and Labor wins. #auspol.
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I realise it’s highly complex etc etc…but watching a nation of 40m people get invaded without provocation by a powerful non-democratic dictatorship without a single ally come to their aid tells you just how anarchical our international order can be. Genuinely scary stuff.
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The messaging, ambiguous details, poor communication and half baked clarity about what exactly going on in NSW re this lockdown is beyond a joke now. Seriously, it’s a government with abundant resources and advisers. Get it together for the love of god….
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Australia is in a really bad situation. I don’t think the opposition are yet ready to return to power after the problems of the Morrison years. But this Labor government is utterly hopeless already in a short space of time, and it is beyond unworthy of all of us.
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The fact that the Prime Minister doesn't think there is anything wrong with asking the CEO of Qantas for flight upgrades for personal travel - on no less than 22 occasions - is perhaps the worst aspect of this sorry saga. #auspol .
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For the life of me I can’t understand why all aged care workers weren’t fully vaccinated long before now. As a practical necessity to protect residents, but you’d think even at a base political level you’d think the government would have made that happen.
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So the PM’s plan he’s taking to National Cabinet is for the elderly and the disadvantaged to apply for free RATs…OMG this tight-fisted attempt to avoid a necessary backflip is so silly, including politically. More bureaucracy for those least able to deal with red tape 🤦♂️.
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Again today the PM tries to claim there is nothing wrong with him proactively calling the CEO of Qantas to ask for business class upgrades. 22 times! While transport minister in charge of aviation. I can’t believe he thinks that’s totally fine 🤯🤦♂️.
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CMO Paul Kelly on RN right now AVOIDING saying that the medical advice given was to make it illegal for citizens to return, before CONFIRMING that NO advice was given like that. So the government has misled the public it was just following the medical advice. Case closed. .
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PM uses TV interview to say inflation is coming down hours before it goes up.
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Politics today: The PM is visiting the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama…the Opposition Leader is unveiling a billion dollar policy to fund more TAFE and University places. #auspol.
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As COVID spreads around the country everyone needs to remember that as the PM keeps telling us hotel quarantine is 99.9% effective and just chill out….
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The French President has unequivocally called our Prime Minister a liar. Point blank, no other way to interpret his answer. Scott Morrison denies he lied. This isn’t just a diplomatic spat, it’s one leader calling into question the integrity of the other. Very personal.
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Ok today’s numbers in Sydney mean ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Either tighten the restrictions up and ensure the lockdown works or let the bloody thing rip. TO BE CLEAR I favour the former. Tighten things up and make the last five weeks mean something. No point being half pregnant FFS!.
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Six million doses of AstraZeneca six deaths. If only a multitude of other medicines commonly used every day had such a low risk profile….
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Albo used a media conference today to ask why author Joe Aston didn’t disclose having been a Liberal staffer and working at Qantas a decade and a half ago….he did, both are disclosed on page one line one of the book. How on earth does a media team of 50 let that happen 🤯.
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Scott Morrison says he’s “not pretending to be anyone else”…as this montage proves right? 🤔
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Listening to the PM & DPM defend Christensen is mind numbing. They say he has a right to speak blah blah. True but NOT the point. It’s their refusal to kick him out of the Coalition. Why won’t they? Because they want his vote and don’t want to anger Dawson voters. No other reason.
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So NSW Health spent valuable time laying a trap for a TikTok comedian who’s been leaking daily COVID numbers. As though THAT is a priority. It then leaked that it had plugged the leak. Good job guys, well done.
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Imagine just how different the outlook for the current outbreaks would be if we hadn’t trashed the AstraZeneca brand and if we’d viewed the vaccine rollout as a race not a stroll. Chalk and cheese unfortunately… #auspol.
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My grandfather died of a heart attack at 50, my dad was 62. You just don’t know how long you’re going to get. Thinking about Shane Warne’s children.
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I’m sure anyone with HECS debts will love this, of course. But this is just transferring their debt to all taxpayers. What’s next, cutting home mortgage debts. It’s so profoundly economically irresponsible…but the opposition will probably match it as a populist gesture. #auspol.
BREAKING: Labor will cut 20% off all student debts. That’s right. Every student debt. For someone with a HECS debt of $50k, this will wipe $10k from your total debt. This is a game changer for every Australian with a student debt.
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What’s wrong with that? He protected his citizens, he hit 90 per cent popularity in the polls, he reduced the Liberals to just two seats at the last state election. 🤷♂️.
Scott Morrison has fired a salvo at Anthony Albanese, saying the Opposition Leader is a Mark McGowan wannabe.
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Would anyone be ok about a Treasurer calling up a bank CEO and asking for a lower interest rate on their home loan as a personal favour?.
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The PM enduring lockdown in Sydney just like every other Sydneysider…
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I can’t think of a better choice as the 2022 Australian of the Year than Dylan Alcott! Amazing athlete, wonderful human being and a tireless campaigner for disability rights, services and representation. Huge congrats and so well deserved. 👏👏👏.
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I’ve seen some partisan criticism levelled at the minister who leaked their text exchange with Gladys Berejiklian…fair enough. Were the same people critical of the PM’s texts with the French President being leaked? 🤔 #auspol.
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“If Anthony Albanese won't do his job and sack his wildly incompetent Immigration Minister then his party should to find a new prime minister who will.” 👇. #auspol.
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It is great news Mehdi is finally free. After Australia incarcerated a genuine refugee for nearly a decade, 15 years of age on arrival. But why couldn’t he settle here? There’s no reason. This remains a blight on our draconian policies, a shame and stain on our country. #auspol.
Tonight I am free and leaving Australia to start my life in the United States of America. But I won't be happy until all my friends are get released from detention. It's not freedom until we are all free. Thank you all for your support.
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I don’t have a problem with ending daily press briefings in theory, but in practice when basic rights are being given up, when politicians depart from health advice (it can happen but deserves scrutiny) and when Covid numbers keep going up: DO YOUR JOB, TURN UP, ANSWER QUESTIONS!.
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There’s plenty of rewriting of history going on re Christine Holgate. As I’ve said from the start, how the PM treated her in parliament was appalling and inappropriate. But Labor also claimed her position was untenable (which it wasn’t) and they raised the watches to begin with.
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Don’t miss this interview - a confirmed genuine refugee who has been in detention for 9 years, NINE, since he was 15. Today is his 24th birthday. It’s an utter utter disgrace. He’s at the same hotel as the world number one 🎾 #auspol.
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Tweet of the year….
I really wanna hear this guy's advice on injecting toxic substances into our bodies.
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So Keith Pitt - no great believer in climate change - moves into cabinet as part of the deal for the Nationals to back net zero…if you weren’t jaded by the sell out self interest of politics before now….
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“The Americans are winning all the shooting, that’s not very surprising.” Our 14 year old 🤷♂️.
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Labor was happy to weaponise unproven allegations against the previous government, so let’s see how it deals with this serious allegation by one of its own, at the highest levels of the executive. I bet it will now claim due process matters…. #auspol.
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In media this morning Labor MPs are lamenting the pile on Albo is copping. So he’s the victim here…seriously, who is suggesting such garbage spin in response to the actual issue of what he did - and the total lack of contrition about it! #auspol.
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The ABC says it doesn’t need a political editor so it’s making the role redundant? What an utter f^*king embarrassment for a national broadcaster. #auspol.
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How UTTERLY ridiculous! . Grace Tame not invited to participate in the government’s national strategy on the prevention of child sexual abuse.
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At the start of this Joker saga I had little sympathy for him. But the more I read about it the more I realise how badly he’s been treated. The court process has been important (who knew the law mattered) exposing that. What happens next will be VERY interesting to watch.
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Mocking (and much worse) Scott Morrison for catching covid, whatever you think about him, his prime ministership or his government, is deeply unbecoming. People’s health should be above such nonsense. Wish him well in his recovery instead.
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So having had to wait well past when our booster was due because of difficulties getting a booking, that booking (for tomorrow) has been delayed because of supply chain problems. Not the fault of our GP obviously. I think we all know who to blame…again. #strolloutgoingwell.
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There is one thing and one thing only that is entirely incontestable in this Covid crisis it is this: when Scott Morrison claimed getting vaccinated isn’t a race, that was a complete misread of the situation and it contributed to an abject failure to rush vaccines into arms ASAP.
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This is everything Australians hate about the political class. Christensen retires entirely of his own accord but his branch seeks to (mis)use the rules to secure him an undeserved $100k payout designed for people forced out rather than those who CHOOSE to quit politics. #auspol.
LNP HQ asked by branch to reject Christensen as a candidate, after he already says he won’t run. That way, he gets $100,000 from taxpayer.
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Well that was $7m of taxpayers money well spent incarcerating them on Christmas Island for two years… #auspol.
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The argument being run by the government’s barrister in the federal court case involving Djokovic is essentially the minister might as well be a despot because he can do whatever the hell he likes…which according to the legislation is pretty close to the mark.
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Concerned Labor MP about the PM: 'He just looks like he doesn't give a sh** anymore’ #auspol 👇.
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The PM points out US economic growth is ‘so slow’ when its economy is growing nearly four times as fast as ours…does he just not know this simple stuff? Is he not briefed? Does he not care to read his briefs? Is he deliberately deceiving? . #auspol.
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Gladys Berejiklian translation: sure I said I’d stop doing media conferences last week, but today I had some good news to announce regarding lifting restrictions, so I wanted to be here to take credit. If it’s just bad news tomorrow I’ll stick to my promise and I won’t be here….
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The PM’s statement on ND talks about removing him cites the need to protect us during the pandemic. While there are reasons to kick him out which can be debated, with 100k plus Covid cases a day now I’m not sure protecting us from Covid is the best argument….
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If Albo retires now on the old parliamentary scheme he can get free business class flights without having to pester the Qantas CEO each time he wants one 🤷♂️ #auspol .
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You’ve got to love the irony of the government spreading mistruths as it has a tantrum about its misinformation laws getting rejected by pretty much everyone but Labor.
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You have to love the irony of Albo’s diary - after meeting Alan Joyce for 30 minutes he heads off to do a 15 minute speech about the anti corruption commission. #auspol
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@MikeCarlton01 I find it UTTERLY outrageous from the side of politics that claim to be institutional conservatives.
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Announcing the decision to cancel ND’s visa late on a Friday had nothing to do with the news cycle (normally the reason for such timing) and everything to do with the courts, hoping to make it harder for his appeal. But that COULD backfire as too tricky by half…let’s see.
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“Dreyfus frilling out his neck like a lizard to try and scare off fair questioning at a media conference just proves that he’s learnt nothing”
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So Albo’s office says he never called the Qantas CEO for upgrades, despite not ruling it out yesterday. They think this is clever. It raising more QTs than answers. Did he text & get called back, did he email, did his office call. Did he call Qantas gov relations team. #auspol.
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“The great Australian unwashed who live in suburbs that actually ARE diverse rather than just trumpeting diversity from up high in the nation's capital have a right to feel aggrieved by the unsubstantiated and generalised insult”. #auspol.
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Absolutely. Until vaccination rates are much higher hard and fast lockdowns are the only way to manage this delta strain. NSW stuffed that up badly and is paying for it now….
Well done to the Qld Govt for a hard and fast lockdown.
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The problem with the 80 per cent vaccination target, apart from the time it’s going to take to get there during this outbreak, is that 80 per cent of over 16 year olds is a tick over 60 per cent of the population. No where near herd immunity and delta harms our children.
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You have to love the irony of politicians - who let's face it mislead for a living - wanting to ram through new 'misinformation laws' that won't apply to them but do apply to the average Australian. #auspol .
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The message is simple: don’t bother going to Queensland with its “open borders”….
#BREAKING ALL passengers on the first Newcastle to Brisbane flight since borders opened, will now be spending Christmas in quarantine. @qldhealth has just deemed everyone on board yesterday's VA1105 as close contacts, after a Covid positive case. @9NewsSyd @9NewsQueensland.
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So Morrison has now been called a “horrible, horrible person”, a “complete psycho” a “fraud”, a “liar”, a “hypocrite” and someone who is “obsessed with petty political point scoring”. This now as bad as the character assassinations Kevin Rudd faced before Labor’s defeat. #auspol.
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What does former SAS captain, now assistant defence minister, Andrew Hastie think about arguments being used to justify not helping Afghan interpreters who helped us? Given they had security clearance to undertake such roles how are they suddenly too much of a security threat?.
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Gladys Berejiklian doesn’t have a leg to stand on claiming no disclosure of her relationship with Daryl was necessary as a matter of good practice when (re)appointing him as a parliamentary secretary in her government. She can’t REALLY believe that can she?.
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Plenty of hate getting directed at Kristina Keneally for moving into a lower house seat. It’s not only misdirected (blame the power brokers not her) but it ignores what she’s overcome to get to where she has. I won’t even address the tall poppy syndrome underscoring the criticism.
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Don’t like the question accuse the journalist of being rude…pathetic.
Palaszczuk @AnnastaciaMP snaps at Seven’s @Bianca_Stone: . “Well I’m not going to answer people who are being rude … You are being very rude”. #MediaWatch
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If the rules currently allow non disclosure of donations into a blind trust then those rules need to be changed. As do so many other (non)disclosure rules surrounding politicians and political parties. It’s ridiculous.
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US media saying Kamala Harris won’t address the gathered crowd at her event this evening. Seriously? Great way to treat the party faithful in attendance….
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Treasury’s factsheet this month notes that disaster payments ARE taxable…on morning TV today the Prime Minister said they are NOT taxable. Riddle me that… 🤷♂️ #auspol.
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“An Albanese Labor government will deliver the same legislated tax relief to more than 9 million Australians as the Morrison government.” Joint statement by two politicians who can never again be trusted: the PM and the Treasurer.
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It’s hard to know where to start detailing what a complete dickhead this guy is for what he’s done. But the fact his late fiancé decided she wanted her mother to get her super AFTER their relationship started ends ANY defence of his actions. What a FW…
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I wonder if the Aussie cricketers and the PM are all looking forward to their catch up at the PM’s residence in Sydney ahead of the new year test. 😬.
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Albo in action…telling someone asking a specific question that there is no specific allegation for him to answer, then being called out on it in real time.
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I feel like I should have turned comments off for this post. but with all house doors closed I just discovered the dog pissed in the box with copies of How Good is Scott Morrison? in it. Had it been the cat it might have been deliberate. #auspol
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The opposition leader didn’t miss today… #auspol 👇.
Anthony Albanese has accused the federal government of presiding over the largest public policy failure in Australian history, as booster bookings are cancelled and thousands struggle to get a PCR or rapid antigen test | @vanOnselenP
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Funny how the Aussie flag mask was even too cringeworthy for Morrison when he was meeting with Biden et al…see, everyone has their limits 🤷♂️.
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Might have been a more meaningful announcement if Biden could have remembered our PM’s name.
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While the reasons behind the collapse of Afghanistan’s democratic government (to the extent it really was democratic) and the return of the Taliban are complex, the failure to protect those who protected and helped us while we were there is very simple. And it’s simply appalling.
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How is it inappropriate to release it straight away? Makes no sense at all….
The modelling of the federal government's plan to reach net zero by 2050 hasn't been released. @AngusTaylorMP says there's no secrecy around the modelling. But cannot confirm when it will be released. "The detail of the modelling will be released at an appropriate time."
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“Jim Chalmers all but confirmed on Monday that Labor will make changes to negative gearing when he categorically ruled out doing so. That’s what his word is worth these days.” #auspol.
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Excuses excuses… 🤷♂️ #auspol.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is citing Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation as a reason not to have a New South Wales-style corruption watchdog federally, as he is yet to introduce a long-promised national ICAC | @vanOnselenP
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The late American political satirist PJ O'Rourke once said that blaming central banks for high interest rates is like blaming your bathroom scales for putting on weight. #auspol.
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“It must bring a sense of relief to Brisbane residents knowing that the Prime Minister has jetted into town to personally spearhead the response to Cyclone Alfred.” #auspol .
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I think it’s great we got the bronze in the basketball, but for the love of god can we hear from the silver medalist in the women’s high jump channel 7!.
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Another shameful chapter in our treatment of refugees: the case of Mehdi Ali who came here as a 15 year old child. Despite being classified as a genuine refugee, he has remained locked up for nearly nine years. His youth stolen by our government. #auspol.
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I’m not remotely religious, but the mocking of the PM for his religion is only going to see non-evangelical religious Aussies feel for him. Less than one per cent of Australians are Pentecostals but millions are religious and take their faith seriously.
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According to the latest quarterly economic data, government spending grew seven times faster than the national economy. #auspol.
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I realise I’ll be in the minority on this & get attacked no doubt…but I don’t have the slightest problem with the PM getting an ACT travel exemption to return to Canberra post Father’s Day. He’s the Prime Minister, he should be free to travel, even if the rest of us can’t.
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Australia has done amazingly well at this Olympics (6th on the medal tally) but New Zealand, a country with fewer than 5m people coming 11th! THAT is extraordinary 👏.
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Getting a million Pfizer a week come 19 July is an increase on what was anticipated (previously we weren’t getting that many until September), but it’s not extra Pfizer beyond the 40m total promised. It’s just earlier. Of course we’ll wait for it to actually happen to be sure.
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