Australian Senate announced – Hanson holds four seats. Malcolm Roberts wins!

The final Australian Senate was announced today with 11 wildcard “cross benchers” (people who are not in the four largest parties). Turnbull is going to have to choose to go conservative or go left. For foreign readers — sorry about more Australian politics but this finally maps out who holds the power in the Australian government.

Senators include: Hanson, 4. Nick Xenophon, 3.

plus  Bob Day, David Leyonhjelm, Jackie Lambie, Derryn Hinch.

The Coalition needs 9 of them to get legislation through the Senate. Somehow Turnbull has to deal with both Hanson and Xenophon candidates, an impossible combination on any climate or environmental issue. Turnbull will have to do deals with the Greens to get through any pro-climate-industry legislation The Greens have exactly the number of Senators that the Coalition needs. But a Greens deal risks a Liberal party room revolt for a weak PM. Potentially the Hanson team could up the ante in protest at a climate deal by holding out on approving other legislation as a price.

Skeptics, Defcons must keep the pressure on Coalition members to stop Turnbull doing Green deals.

In this messy senate, Turnbull cannot hold the threat of an election over recalcitrant senators because he barely won the last election. That dynamic would be upended if Turnbull was tossed out and a new Liberal PM installed (see my bold point above again). We need a list of all Coalition members in marginals seats that the Defcon votes can influence.

In the cross bench, Xenophon holds a lot of power because they can “go left” and block things. To stop legislation the Labor-Green combination just needs 3 of the crossbench list (which means the Xenophon team). The Xenophon team lean closer to the Green-Labor set on many issues and are more likely to stick together with votes. The Coalition have to get one of their votes in any cross bench deal.

The Hanson story is a remarkable achievement — Welcome Malcolm Roberts to the Senate

Malcolm Roberts, One Nation.

..

With little funding, and no favourable media coverage, they have achieved a remarkable success. One of their team includes Malcolm Roberts, an absolute die-hard skeptic who has been fighting in the climate trenches for years. So a big congratulations to him, finally rewarded after years of work. He has a masters degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and many skeptics will be familiar with his dedicated work with the Galileo Movement.

Malcolm Roberts has obviously been central to setting up the One Nation Climate Policy, which contains the Christmas wish-list of many a skeptic. Good on him:

One Nation: WHAT IS THE CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA?

Climate change has and will continue to be used as a political agenda by politicians and self interest groups or individuals for their own gain. We cannot allow scare mongering by people such as Tim Flannery, who make outlandish statements and are not held accountable. Climate change should not be about making money for a lot of people and giving scientists money. Lets know the facts and scientific evidence to make a well informed decision as to how best to look after our environment.

Paying a carbon tax or an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is not going to wave a magic wand and stop nature changing the climate change. It will only make it harder for Australian families and businesses to make ends meet. We can address real environmental issues with legislation.

Background: The small government guys on the cross bench are Leyonhjelm and Day. The Hanson team are socially conservative, utter skeptics, have mixed big government leanings but don’t like the banks. Lambie is a former Clive Palmer candidate who leans more big left. Hinch was elected as a law and order candidate.

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117 comments to Australian Senate announced – Hanson holds four seats. Malcolm Roberts wins!

  • #

    An interesting guest article by Blackswan about Hanson, and an equally interesting discussion beneath it.

    https://thepointman.wordpress.com/2016/07/21/pauline-hanson-a-political-phenomenon/

    Pointman

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    Analitik

    This is the best chance for conservative Australians to be properly represented in government discussions. We really couldn’t have gotten a better result

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      Peter Miller

      Sadly, I predict you are very wrong.

      Turnbull is a classic case of a totally unscrupulous politician.

      He will sell his soul and/or Australia to retain the reins of power, so expect horrific deals with the Greens, the Devil, or whoever.

      The Greens will make him pay horribly for their support in the Senate, so the supposedly conservative government will be forced to embrace swivel-eyed ecoloon policies, which none of their supporters would dream of voting for.

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        I’m not so certain. The LNP will have been having a long hard navel gaze at what they have wrought and I suspect that Turnbull will be up against increasing hostility. As the saying goes: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Does anyone really think that this is going to keep on? As of today, Turnbull is only a token PM.

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          delcon2

          We probably won’t have to worry about Turdbull for much longer.I’m sure the “Stick Insect”will have extracted her “Knives”out of Abbotts back and is probably looking for a new place to put them.

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          Craig Thomas

          Er, yes, because the Tea Party nuttiness that the Libs were flirting with and which lost them so much support within the electorate needs to be resuscitated….not!

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            cohenite

            AGW is now just a repository for loons, spivs and condescending types who can’t admit they’re wrong and don’t care how much they have cost the electorate.

            Nothing to do with a Tea Party.

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          shannon

          ” Does anyone really think that this is going to keep on?”…

          Unfortunately ..YES….

          Has anyone forgotten Rudd and how painful Gillard was….??

          As regard Gillard ..it got to the stage that thousands of people were just switching the TV off.

          Already I’ve reached that stage, as regard Turnbull and 3/4 of the Left Media…and parliament

          hasnt even resumed !!

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        ianl8888

        The Greens will make him pay horribly for their support in the Senate …

        Actually, the Greens will make us pay for them supporting Waffle.

        That’s how the Senate works.

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          Ted O'Brien.

          Before he gets to seek the support of the Greens in the Senate, he will have to get the support of the Greens in the House of Reps, because some of his own coalition will never support Greens AGW policy.

          The long and the short of it all is that Malcolm Turnbull lost the election. And he can legitimately blame the DelCons, though the only help in that is the proof that the Liberal Party is hopelessly fractured.
          I can’t now see him remaining as Prime Minister. Nor can Tony Abbott return when the PM has to deal with Pauline Hanson.

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          Ian

          I had thought this site one of the better sites dealing with Climate Change and it is very disappointing to see it descend into a site seemingly for the benefit of delusional conservatives, and I use the term scathingly, who wish to destroy the Liberal Party and the government in protest against the deposing of Tony Abbott. I hope you noted what Abbott, as reported in The Australian July 2, said regarding voting in protest. In case you didn’t here it is:

          ““What I have been trying to do is to ensure that those Liberal supporters who see a fraught situation don’t make things worse,” he said. “Whatever their concerns and disappointments, it is still vastly preferable to vote Liberal than vote for Labor or independents and make Bill Shorten prime minister or create a hung parliament.” (http://tinyurl.com/jelmtrf).

          Wise words indeed but clearly not welcome to many here.

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        Analitik

        Turnbull is a classic case of a totally unscrupulous politician.

        He will sell his soul and/or Australia to retain the reins of power

        Of course. But the Liberals and Nationals can interpret the election of 4 One Nation senators and the loss of a Green just as well as we can, along with the lost seats and reduced margins.

        They won’t feel beholden to Turnbull as the electoral saviour anymore so you can expect that Turnbull won’t be automatically getting his way in the House of Reps before anything even reaches the Senate. It would now take him crossing the floor to Labor/Greens to enact some of his favorite, left of center notions and there is no way he could survive as leader if he attempted that.

        His innate wish to hold on to power may even make him take up some conservative positions, even if he doesn’t believe in them.

        We need to lobby our coalition members/senators to keep it in their minds that the conservative population is tired of being dictated to by the vocal left so Turnbull can’t use his centrist pitch to force issues on the populist argument. Use those contact pages and put forth your views, even you feel like you are behaving like a right wing nut j0b – the left are never shy about making themselves heard.

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    Mack

    Is everybody speechless? Am I the first posting here? This is fantastically good news. I saw Malcolm Roberts on the Paul Murray show saying there was no evidence for AGW .Absolutely astounding. May this Aussie politician lead the way.

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    aussieguy

    While the Senate numbers seem of worthy note, it appears something interesting popped up…

    Many moons ago, I said I was suspicious of Greg Hunt (Science Minister; former Environment Minister), and my suspicions have been confirmed.

    CSIRO: Greg Hunt instructs organisation to renew climate science focus, confirms new jobs
    => http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-04/greg-hunt-tells-csiro-to-renew-climate-science-focus/7688582

    Mr Hunt has announced an extra 15 jobs focusing on climate science, as well as additional support, costing $3.7 million a year.

    He said it would increase the number of climate researchers from 100 to 115 after the latest round of job cuts is taken into account.

    Mr Hunt said both he and Mr Turnbull have “clear and strong views” on the value of climate change science.


    …There you go folks. Turnbull and Hunt are total BFFs (Best Friends Forever) when it comes to Climate Change.

    “It’s a new Government and we’re laying out a direction that climate science matters.”


    …Translation? => We won! Now we can do whatever we want and you plebs won’t be able to do a thing about it! And we didn’t have to campaign on it! Suckers!


    Anyone want to tell Pauline Hanson about it, and let her kick up a stink with her 4 seats in the Senate?

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      Analitik

      I’m certain Pauline, Malcolm and the other One Nation senators are well aware of the CSIRO backflip and will be all over it. Bob Day, David Leyonhjelm and Derryn Hinch are almost certain to oppose this too

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        ianl8888

        … the CSIRO backflip …

        Not a backflip, the CSIRO manager who made the original decision is now left looking like a dill, which is the point to Hunt’s interference.

        As Cassandra opined months ago, the real victim is Larry Marshall (CSIRO Manager) who naively attempted to do the job he thought he’d been hired for.

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        Dennis

        I hope they are also aware of the BoM Inquiry and admission that there were errors and omissions in media releases about climate change, claims of hottest days/weeks/months/years that did not match BoM historical record data.

        And the Cabinet later voted against the PM Abbott proposal for independent due diligence to be conducted at the BoM to further investigate the misinformation released for public consumption.

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          Rob Moore

          Malcolm has been at the cutting edge of this BS scam for a decade and very few would know more about the chicanery that has gone on over this time.Pauline has the common sense practical view and Malcolm will be a fantastic foil against the “smart arses” who want to belittle her interlectual ability. 4 Senators=HAPPY days in OZ @ last!btw Greg Hunt was schooled in Europe and his only paid job was with the UN -SO has always been a closet “bedwetter”.

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        Robert Rosicka

        Unfortunate the presstitutes have started to attack Malcolm Roberts and make him out to be a right wing nut job , and they’re succeeding it seems they found a skeleton in his closet that has links to a mob who has an FBI watch on them .
        Why attack why not question him on climate ? Because they know they will lose .

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      toorightmate

      Greg Hunt was/is/will always be a waste of space.

      I hope the media keeps on following Malcolm Roberts on climate related issues, particularly “homogenisation”.
      Roberts has a higher intellect than 95% of the wasters who occupy seats in the upper and lower houses.

      Roberts and Hanson have done something which is almost unique for a politician – they have worked for a living.
      Roberts also has first hand knowledge of where the CFMEU has come from and how it to the monstrous scum which it is now.

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        Yonniestone

        “Roberts has a higher intellect than 95% of the wasters who occupy seats in the upper and lower houses.”

        A worthy challenger for Turnbull then, the perpetual smartest man in the room…../sarc.

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      A C, of Adelaide

      Wasn’t Hunt an Abbott appointee?
      I still maintain (inspite of the ad hominem attacks) that Abbott was Turnbull-lite and initially sparked the defcon movement. Adelaide may be seen as a backwater by some – but My circle in Adelaide were supporting Cori Bernardi attending Recliam rallies and signing up for the ALA before Turnbull turned up.

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    peter

    I saw Malcolm Roberts on ABC news24 today being interviewed by the media – until the ABC saw the error of their ways and cut off back to the studio. He was great – didn’t hold back – gave them both barrels. No apologies to climate change spin (unlike Fed. government minister, Josh Frydenberg).

    I clapped and cheered “right on!”. The journos were like stunned mullet, they didn’t know what to say as he dismissed climate science as corrupted. It was like a new cardinal had appeared in the Vatican and said “there’s no god and the Church is corrupt!”. Lol.

    I have NOT seen a replay of that interview on ABC Drum, News or 7.30 Report. Does that tell us something?

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    • #
      Leigh

      “I have NOT seen a replay of that interview on ABC Drum, News or 7.30 Report. Does that tell us something?”
      We probably won’t Peter.
      Right there is the problem we skeptics have with a left bent media hell bent on silencing him. As they do with all who question their ideolygys.
      The “usual suspects”,as they dismissively refer to the likes of Jo and Andrew, will continue to highlight Senator Roberts but few others will.
      My hope is that he continues to call out those in the parliament, not just publicly but on the floor of the senate in “real time” as they make their “contribution” to the scam that is global warming.
      It will be a brave politician (we all know the alarmist ones appear to have a ring in their collective noses) that makes alarmist procumations now that they have been put on notice. Turnbul and Hunt, as they punt more of taxpayers resources in persuit of their personal ideolygy are particularly vulnerable. As argument now against such waste, will be “tainted” with scientific fact.
      The greens will be particularly worried by someone who can and will destroy their global warming alarmism with “their own science”!

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      Dennis

      Oh well, that’s it, the public broadcaster fully funded by the taxpayers of Australia, the hijacked by leftists ABC, will surely ban him from appearing in future.

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      • #

        he was on am, RN and newsradio already today. Let us know when the ban happens so we can all get upset.

        Rothschild’s will probably arrange for a terrorist to hit him before he even sits anyway.

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          peter

          Gee,
          I didn’t mention a “ban” why did you?
          You mentioned am, RN and newsradio – that’s great. But what about free-to-air TV? That’s where most people get their news. TV is that moving picture stuff that used to come out of boxes but now is on flat screens. Try it, you might like it.

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          • #

            Hi Peter, see if you can find the word ban in this sentence that I responded to (note the nesting of the comments).

            Oh well, that’s it, the public broadcaster fully funded by the taxpayers of Australia, the hijacked by leftists ABC, will surely ban him from appearing in future.

            So that is why.

            So, has he not appeared on free to air TV since last night when I saw him last night? Oh yes he has, on rotation on News 24. You’ll need to do some impressive research to show he has been neglected by the ABC over the next 3 years; research that will include estimating his time on air with respect to an objective assessment of his newsworthiness. Then you’ll need to compare that to other politicians and other news sources to show that the ABC is treating him differently from other news sources. A fun project for you.

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            • #
              peter

              Gee,
              ‘ban’ was not mentioned by me but only by Dennis who was making an anticipatory prediction well into the future. Sort of like the way your climate scientist mates talk. You know “there will be runaway global warming in future years…” based on no science, observations or experimental evidence just dodgy computer models.

              Malcom Roberts will appear on ABC TV – but only where a derogatory context can be fitted to him or a critical review of his ideas will be discussed.

              Actually the ABC never really “ban” people. They practice a soft persona-non-grata procedure where people whose opinions they don’t like never get invited back for interviews or panel positions. eg When was the last time you saw Prof. Ian Plimer on an ABC interview? Or any climate skeptic for that matter? Got you there Gee Lol.

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              • #
                Leigh

                “Malcom Roberts will appear on ABC TV – but only where a derogatory context can be fitted to him or a critical review of his ideas will be discussed.”

                Peter, an example of the ABC’s treatment of people who question their persuit of personal ideolygys was there for all to see last night.
                Alberkerky interviewed Roberts last night on lateline and just flatly refused to shut up after asking question after question.
                The questions she was asking required a little more than a one word answer. A couple of sentences into his answers she’d cut him off with another question requiring a little more detail. This went on for six or seven minutes with the “flashing” sign on her fore head, I’m a global warmist for all to see.
                She lost it towards the end of what I would describe a bludgeoning rather than an insightful interview.
                In desparation rolling out in closing of her one sided “opinion piece” the old furphy of the 97% scientific consensus on global warming.
                The same rude treatment, for example, is simply not given to say the “serial climate pest” Flannery to describe him politely.
                If you can get a replay of the show he was the last interview.

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                Gee Aye

                So peter, I did not reply to you. You don’t own responses to people who respond to you. And yes, his future prediction is self delusional fantasy unless he is prepared to follow it up with some data. Then you go on on your own fantasy. And I delude myself by bothering to reply to such blather,

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          • #
            Gee Aye

            Am awaiting moderation

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            • #
              peter

              Gee, Gee I seemed to have got up your nose. I don’t think anyone on this page would want to own a response to you. We simply make comment for discussion. Sorry you took offence at that.

              I was pleasantly surprised to see Barrie Cassidy interview (briefly) Malcom Roberts on the ABC Insiders program, Sunday 7/8/16. Credit to Cassidy for doing that but it will be more significant to see whether more ABC interviews follow that include objective, factual questioning on Climate rather than personal attack. Wouldn’t you agree Gee?

              “his future prediction is self delusional fantasy unless he is prepared to follow it up with some data” – I loved that comment from you. But you could accurately apply that comment to every climate prediction ever made by the climate alarm botherers – you know, your mates. Do you agree?

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              • #

                Nope. He is a senator and he should be interviewed and take up public time for his public position proportional to his importance on that issue. If he goes on about climate every single day it is not beholden upon anyone in the media to report that more than once unless he says something new or unless it is important at that moment to his role as a senator. He is one senator and climate is one issue.

                Also, you did not get up my nose I just could not grasp why you thought that I was directing my comment on banning to anyone else other than the person (Dennis) who mentioned it, and then I was bemused that you continued to pursue me on it once your error was pointed out..

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        Bulldust

        They gave his views a fair summary under the elected senators page:

        Mr Roberts is a prominent climate change sceptic with the Galileo Movement.

        The Queenslander spent the early years of his life in India before working in the coal industry.

        In a statement, Mr Roberts said he “spent the last nine years working pro bono checking alarmist climate claims made by academics”.

        Mr Roberts has called for a re-think of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, and said he will focus on “issues like flawed assumptions driving the budget, massive debt, and tax systems that are killing business, exports and jobs”.

        http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-04/election-2016-results-senate-crossbenchers/7566692

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    Thank god for the results. The government has even less chance of doing bad anything now. Gillard and Rudd have done lots of demage and they did not have Tony,s majority. Malcom in not so in the middle has demonstrated extradinary ineptness, lack of leadership and continuous fambles. So his natural ability to achieve nothing works in every person,s favour.
    Pauline,s uncompromising stance of climate and immigration will alert a lot of people to new reality. If so, in 3 years time I predict further destruction of major parties and rise of us, the DELCONS.

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      delcon2

      And if Hunt and Turdbull do deals with the “Leftards”One Nation will only strengthen and may even”Threaten”these”Lying,do nothing,career politicians”Suck it up Little Johnny Howard.Move over,Pauline has arrived.LOL

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    richard ilfeld

    As a stranger to the parliamentary system except as an intellectual concept, its hard to see what the outcomes might be on specific issues. But one general thought about all anglo politics seems clear to me — far better to muck up the processes of government and stop it from doing stuff, than allow the government to muck about in the processes of the economy, and make everything worse. Very often a single voice, inside, pointing out the lack of clothing of the emperors, can cause considerable restraint. I think our most important cause, after the climate, may be to try to return honesty and objectivity to journalism, to establish a fourth estate worthy of the name. If the solo voice speaks, but is not heard and reported, the value is diminished.

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    PeterS

    Looks like Turnbull can’t get anything right. He was hoping for a more favourable Senate yet it turned out it will be his worst nightmare. That’s good. I hope the Senate give him hell. He will go down in history as the biggest gas bag ever. If his party has guts and foresight they would replace him now rather than later. With him at the helm the Liberal Party will be demolished at the next election. That would be good as the party has lost all sense and direction. It was once a great party but now it has turned into a directionless party.

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      TdeF

      The rationale for replacing Abbott was wrong. Allegedly Abbott was a loser, incompetent, unpopular and leading them to certain electoral defeat. For the sake of five votes by ‘bet wetters’ in the party room, we had a new PM. Malcolm the bridesmade had conspired with his friends to undermine a very successful leader who trusted them.

      In fact all this is now proven true of Malcolm. Incompetent, rambling, thought bubbles, no negotiating skills at all and with his own different agenda, none of it Liberal in the sense of conservative. Malcolm has produced a disastrous do nothing government, more Green than Conservative. Big taxation, big spending and all Climate Change.

      What would be puzzling for overseas readers is that in Australia, the Liberal party believes in small government, small taxation, strong defence, law and order, more Republican. The other puzzling word is Progressive used in Australia to mean Green, big government, big taxation, repressive, politically correct and government interference in every part of social life, the complete opposite of progressive. More repressive and communist. Whenever they increase taxation, they call it tax reform. This is abuse of language.

      So our Liberal/National coalition is closer to Republican and the Green/Labor coalition is closer to Democrat. While Union membership has dropped from 50% to 12% of the workforce and 40% of public servants, they control nearly 50% of the popular vote through tradition, barracking and control of the very left media. Our ABC has the same charter of scrupulous balance, except they utterly ignore it. This Labor dynamic is changing rapidly as Union movement dies, but the growth of the Progressive/Green/People Against Everything, even Climate Change is balancing it, keeping alive our very own Jeremy Corbyns. Strangely in Australia, we have the same phenomenon in the conservative party where a man has seized control and totally unrepresentative of the rank and file of his own Conservative party.

      You can only think the remarkable growth of a conservative senate is a good sign. It is the complete reverse of what Turnbull wanted, but the Greens backed out of his deal at the last minute, leaving him exposed as the most hapless Prime Minister in recent history.

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        TdeF

        That’s Bridesmaid. Phoenitic fingers.

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        delcon2

        The Liberal/National party is dead.Time to bury it.

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          Dennis

          Not so fast, think harder, just under half of Liberal Party MPs did not vote for the present PM to be their leader, and none of the National Party MPs did. There is no alternative government apart from the untrustworthy Union controlled Labor and the Greens the Unions donate to and support.

          And the smaller parties are a very long way from being anything more than loud voices in the Parliamentary audience. Useful as many might be to counter government excesses.

          Therefore, the problems we want addressed will require MPs who are inside the government to deal with.

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            TdeF

            Most of the plotters (Credlin’s bedwetters) are gone. Peter Hendy was just given a job by Malcolm Turnbull as compensation. Chief economist. FOM. Friend of Malcolm. However you would have to wonder what would happen in the same vote today. Even Bishop would be having second thoughts, having set Macolm up to fail with Rudd, only to have Malcolm prove as untrustworthy and erratic as Rudd. What would happen if Abbott presented for election today? That must keep Malcolm up nights. Maybe he will make every MP a minister, just to keep them onside?

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              Dennis

              Andrew Bolt Daily Telegraph today;

              Maurice Newman, former head of the stock exchange, says Malcolm Turnbull has proved he is unfit to be Prime Minister:

              Turnbull’s experience in business appears not to have prepared him for the sheer scale and complexity of politics, particularly government. He seems to be erratic, egocentric and divisive. His supersized ministry suggests people-management issues. His vacillation over Kevin Rudd’s UN candidacy is symptomatic of a chairman not in command of his cabinet. When careful reflection is needed, he finds a television program all that is required to immediately order a royal commission into juvenile detention in the Northern Territory.

              Personal qualities aside, there is the further complication that this Prime Minister is a “progressive” liberal in a party that traditionally has been centre-Right, when the country desperately needs a fundamental change in philosophical direction.

              His beliefs on climate change are similar to Labor’s, with billions of dollars being promised to the cause. His uncompromising line on taxing “wealthy” superannuants, largely supported by Labor, does not align with conservative values of independence in retirement. He champions old-fashioned Labor industry assistance policies, by agreeing to build overpriced submarines in Adelaide using taxpayer money to featherbed inefficient industries and to entrench South Australia as a mendicant state. For reinforcement, the Prime Minister has surrounded himself with career politicians, many of whom show little appetite for smaller government and demonstrate reluctance to strongly prosecute any case to constituents that advocates spending cuts.

              The treachery and misjudgment behind the leadership coup, compounded by the disastrous election outcome, have left the party wounded, distrustful and culturally divided. Its direction remains confused and ad hoc. Its leader’s personality and life experience ill equip him for the massive task at hand. Something will have to give.

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          Angry

          Cremate and then bury them……..

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    pat

    the not-so-sceptical Rob Taylor at WSJ:

    4 Aug: WSJ: Rob Taylor: Australia Has Climate Change of Heart
    Conservative government performs policy U-turn, directing researchers to again focus on climate science
    The January decision to cut its climate program in response to budget cuts imposed by former prime minister and climate skeptic Tony Abbott in 2014 was criticized by senior officials at NASA and the European Space Agency, which both rely on CSIRO data to aid atmospheric monitoring. It was also heavily criticized at home, with some pre-election opinion surveys showing ***two-thirds of Australians thought the government wasn’t doing enough to address climate risks…

    While jobs and stuttering economic growth dominated the July 2 ballot, many seats lost by the conservatives were in the island state of Tasmania, the birthplace of Australia’s environmental movement, and the tropical state of Queensland, home to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef—which generates an estimated A$4 billion a year from tourism—has been hit this year by coral bleaching that scientist have attributed to shifts in climate and unusually high water temperatures…
    New One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts said he wanted to use the office to confront “the corruption of climate science,” demanding an investigation into the CSIRO and Australia’s weather bureau. But Mr. Turnbull, criticized for months of bowing to his own Liberal-National coalition right wing, appeared ready to confront critics.
    ???John Hewson, a former conservative leader and political analyst, said the new Senate could prove less fractious than the last, with Ms. Hanson and Mr. Xenophon controlling larger voting blocs…
    “Mr. Turnbull will be looking for them to be responsible, and not just populist and negative and blocking,” Mr. Hewson said. “I do think it’s going to be more difficult, but possibly more constructive.”…
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/australia-has-climate-change-of-heart-1470293468

    about the writer from WSJ: Rob Taylor: Based in Australia’s parliament in Canberra, he has also worked in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. He was previously with Reuters and also worked in Jakarta for Australia’s local agency AAP.

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    Egor TheOne

    4 senators for one nation…. good on Hanson!
    And Bob Day from family First, and David L from Lib.Dems…more good news.

    not sure about Hinch as yet, but anybody is better than a Green or the corrupt Alp.

    Also the weaker ‘the TurdFull’ the better, along with his closet lefty supporters and global warmer ratbag U.N. appeasers such as Hunt and Back Stabber Bishop.

    What a bunch of incompetents the coalition have become (excluding some notable exception) under the waffling and bumbling appeasership of the ‘global warmer in chief’!

    They could not even expel that Dud Rudd from his attempt at the UN emperorship, without it becoming a big sad soap opera!

    How did ‘the TurdFull’ ever run a bank with the kind of incompetence and appeasement he has displayed since his theft of PMship from Abbott?

    The coalition will get smashed at the next election if they keep the waffler at the helm.

    He needs the ‘Bums Rush Out’ along with UN appeaser Bishop and CAGW True B’lver Hunt.

    All Global Warmers need to be excised fro the coalition, or its a dead duck.

    Barnabe J and Cory B need to start thinking of a conservative roundup and breakaway and leave what’s left to the left…the ratbag left…. their true unclosetted selves.

    Just need ‘the Donald’ to win elected office in the USA, and that will spell the beginning of the end of the CAGW BS and associated racketeerings.

    The lefties are panicking…Brexit, the Donald, a new strong Conservative UK PM, and a rise here of down to earth conservatives such as One Nation and others.

    In just one election Hanson has gone from zero to 4 senators, half the Greens 9, the success story of the election, Australia’s 4th largest party from nothing…. so it looks like ‘the TurdFull’ has had one achievement in his un-illustrious 11 month tenure of coalition party destruction.

    Hope Hanson’s One Nation Party double their vote next election and start pushing the Greens into the oblivion they aspire to!

    Vote : the Donald for the White House, Hitlery for the Out House.

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    Roy Hogue

    …sorry about more Australian politics but this finally maps out who holds the power in the Australian government.

    Jo,

    You never need to apologize for placing Australia first. Your audience there is large and you all have a very compelling interest in what’s happening and the rest of us know it.

    I even spend some time reading it myself, though I have more than a little trouble keeping track of all the characters and the differences between a Republic and a Parliamentary System like yours. But maybe someday, if I keep going I’ll master the thing.

    Besides, never apologise, it’s a sign of weakness. — NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs* 😉

    * You can’t get a better authority than Gibbs.

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    How sweet it is to see the fruits of one’s labours http://conservativerevolt.wix.com/howtovote and that of others (http://stopturnbull.com/ & http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/05/del-con-notes/ ) come to fruition beyond our wildest expectations!

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      Peter C

      Thanks for referencing the Stop Turnbull web site. This a very important site that needs a lot of exposure.

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    MichiCanuck

    After much studying, I’ve found the perfect description of how to vote in Australia (it’s actually pretty simple):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4SIEjo2EII

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    Turnbull will have little choice but to start handing out money and concessions to Big Green and all things PC. Having tried leadership – which in his case meant dropping huge thought bombs which had to be defused by others within 48 hours – he now wants to get back to the grand old days of blurting grand abstractions and exchanging flatteries with the ABC harpies. He fears nothing more than the disapproval of the Posh Left, the weekday tennis ladies and Fairfax-perusing classes.

    The flattery junkie needs his rush. Unfortunately that fleeting pleasure for Malcolm is going to cost us billions in white elephants and strangling regulation – unless these senators can form a real core of resistance.

    Good luck to the new senate.

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    Ian G

    Like the sound of this bloke especially re CC. Just check SA mean max temp for July. Nearly 50 sites below average and less than 20 above average. Mean temp +0.2C. Dodgy homogenisation formula can change below average to above. The BoM needs investigation immediately.

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    el gordo

    High Speculation

    Talcum has little choice, he will throw over the Liberal right in the party and put on his green coat.

    What you see here are the formative days of a one party state, the Liberal Green Alliance.

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    Geoffrey Williams

    Well spoken Malcolm Roberts this morning on ABC Radio.
    Congratulations -at last a voice in Parliament
    GeoffW

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    TimiBoy

    Three words. Hunt. Hunt. Hunt. What the hell is with Mal’s giving this guy rope?

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    Neville

    Here is a June 2016 interview with Malcolm Roberts by Alan Jones.

    http://www.galileomovement.com.au/downloads.php

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    Orang Putih

    Not too sure what actually constitutes a marginal seat but this link to the AEC’s site might be helpful to anyone trying to work out where to apply pressure.
    http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-20499-182.htm

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    handjive

    The rubber stamp is inked & ready:

    Bill Shorten: The best political friend Malcolm Turnbull may ever have (Laura Tingle@australianfinancialreview)

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    el gordo

    Imagine a world where climate change scepticism is taught in schools, its unheard of.

    ‘Mr Roberts, a leader of climate sceptic group the Galileo Movement, wants climate scepticism taught in schools and believes CSIRO scientists have conspired with the United Nations to produce “corrupt” reports on climate change.

    Kenny/SMH

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      Dennis

      The Teachers Union would never willingly agree to that.

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      Craig Thomas

      Here are some of those “Corrupt” records:
      http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/records

      U.S. All Time Records Summary
      PERIOD HIGH MAX HIGH MIN LOW MAX LOW MIN
      Last 365 Days 44 80 3 4

      Yes, over the past year, there have been 124 “HOT” records and only 7 “COLD” records.

      Ridiculous. Anybody can see that it’s actually cooling.

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        AndyG55

        Using the NON-CO2 El Nino only serves to enhance your IGNORANCE.

        Untainted surface data shows that the 1940’s were FAR warmer tha now in the USA.

        Pristine surface data of USCRN, which trend matches BOTH satellite series over the USA shows that there has been NO WARMING over the USA except for the effect of the now-fading El Nino.

        You really need to do a bit of basic research instead of listening to the SCAMMERS of AGWC alarminati.

        But that would be beyond you, wouldn’t it Craig.

        Never question, always OBEY your far left masters. !!!

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    Mawashi

    Good news for skeptics everywhere.

    And it hasn’t taken the fright bat media to start cranking out, so to speak, the hitpieces on Malcolm Roberts. Here’s today’s burnt offering from the sinking Fairfax’ fallacy-generating machine that’s getting the regressives’ mouths foaming;

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    Angry

    A WIN for Uncommon Sense………

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    pat

    4 Aug: News3 Las Vegas: The excitement briefly interrupted Clinton’s return to Las Vegas, where she came before a friendly and enthusiastic union crowd…

    4 Aug: KTNV: Riley Snyder: Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in Las Vegas
    Roughly 1,400 attended the rally, with several hundred watching from an overflow tent outside the union hall…

    no need for urls as there are, as usual, no photos tho i found an enthusiastic Tweet by a Jon Ralston: Two hours before Clinton rally: hundreds here, no parking…

    PICS: 3 Aug: ConservativeTreehouse: “We’re gonna break through the media folks” – Donald Trump Rallies With 10,000+ In Daytona, While Hillary Talks Ties…
    In contrast Hillary Clinton is alone in Colorado complaining about Donald Trump neck ties. No seriously, you can’t make this stuff up folks…. you just can’t…
    The media has lost all pretense of trying to hide their bias. This too is part of Trump’s larger strategy. By positioning his campaign as visibly antagonistic to the media he baits them into ridiculously over-the-top attacks.
    Some in the media have noticed the trap Trump is laying in front of them and have begun to tell their colleagues to back off. –SEE HERE (JUSTIN RAIMONDO/LA TIMES ARTICLE) – However, so far -thankfully- the alarm bells are falling on deaf ears and the media continues the onslaught…
    Donald Trump is America’s candidate.
    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016/08/03/were-gonna-break-through-the-media-folks-donald-trump-rallies-with-10000-in-daytona-while-hillary-talks-ties/

    yet Murdoch’s WSJ & anti-Trump NBC validate Murdoch’s Fox poll and the MSM are all over it today:

    Hillary Clinton’s Lead Over Donald Trump Widens to 9 Points, Poll …
    Wall Street Journal-4 hours ago
    … a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found Democrat Hillary Clinton opening a 9-point lead nationally over the New York businessman.

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    Graham Richards

    Jo,
    Just an observation which must be looked into to avoid criticism of your site. When pushing the green approval buttons I notice the count goes up not by one point but by two & in some cases buy 3 or more points. Red buttons increase points by only one.
    This would detract from the credibility of your site & critics will have a field day.
    Suggest you fix it smartly.
    Must admit though that some of the commentators do deserve a higher score.

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      PeterPetrum

      Graham, I think you will find that, before you click the green button, if you do a page refresh the number will increase before you click it. This is because others are clicking it just prior to you but they are not showing until you click, causing a refresh on your page. Nothing wrong with Jo”s site.

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        Graham Richards

        Thanks for that Peter. Rather cover her back than have some whinging, whining you know what pick it up!

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    TdeF

    In the 76 seat senate now.

    Liberal + National Party 30
    Labor + Greens 26+9 = 35

    Hanson 4
    Xylophone 3
    Family First 1
    Hinch 1
    Liberal Democrats 1
    Jaqui Lambie 1

    (Cross benchers 11)

    Unlike the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate votes and a majority is needed, 39 votes to pass legislation, a majority.
    The Opposition only need 4 to stop legislation as a tied vote at 38 each means rejection.

    As Jaqui Lambie has a track record of voting against everything, it is unlikely much can be achieved in cost cutting.
    So much for the Malcolm’s Double Dissolution election. Only Malcolm and his closest friends truly appreciate his brilliance
    because no one else can see it.

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    John

    Stand by for the character assassination of Malcolm Roberts by the Left. Fran Kelly made the first foray this am but was cut short by Malcolm’s quick and forthright response. Watch out ABC climate sceptics have a confident well informed voice. Should be very interesting.

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      AndyG55

      They will not get far with that.

      Malcolm Roberts has been there done that.

      Fran Kelly is a gnat.. nothing more…. with brains to match.

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    philthegeek

    Oh gods…..not again!

    Hopefully they will be able to sort this with a re-count of some sort and not a re-run of the Senate Election. Could have real implications for the W.A senators elected in the latter rounds of counting (after count 153??) depending on how they deal with votes after excluding the ON waste of space. And how does that affect preference flow? And if the AEC comes up with a reasonable solution you can bet someone will challenge that at law……Raises a few questions as to whether ON organizers can actually read and comprehend even the simpler more plain parts of the Constitution. 🙁

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    Bob

    On “Lateline” (5th Aug) Malcolm Roberts was interrupted about a dozen times and unable to finish what he was saying. http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/lateline/NC1625H135S00 (from 19:15).

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    Typical tactics by the ABC, Fairfax & the Leftist media & their attack dogs who will do their level best to denigrate & try to preclude debate on the real issue at hand – the science of CAGW that Malcolm Roberts is extremely well equipped to deal with.

    The sooner Malcolm finds his way onto the floor of the Senate for some real debate regarding the Climate Change/Global Warming issue with his Leftist peers the better.

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    Geoff Sherrington

    So the ABC interviewed Malcolm-Ieuan: Roberts., soon after he became a Senator-elect on 5th Augst.
    He was interviewed by leftist mouthpiece N. Emma-Tube: Alberici., who attempted to make fun of his publicity name.

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    philthegeek

    attempted to make fun of his publicity name

    So is “Ieuan” his middle name or a made up thing then??

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      Robert Rosicka

      Just look up the name and find out phil .
      I think the presstitutes and leftards are getting nervous maybe the jig will be up if Roberts gets his way , what on earth difference can it make what he calls himself , to me he’s a saint .

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        Robert Rosicka

        Geez it is a weird name who ever heard of anyone named John .
        Well it’s the Welsh version of John apparently .

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    Andrew McRae

    Just saw the Lateline interview with Malcolm Roberts.

    Any slim chance climate skeptics had in Australia has now died, along with the law of conservation of mass apparently.
    This is how the ABC does a hit piece on Malcolm Roberts: they ask him open-ended questions and let us hear exactly what he really believes. Every loopy incompetent part of it.

    This senator is not the best that climate skeptics can produce, but it is the best the One Nation Party could produce.

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    John

    I Love it. Michael Roberts will now be known by me as Agent O double 7 working for MI 7 for the free world of sceptics against bigotry, hypocrisy and totalitarianism.

    But he will be hounded to death much more than James Bond by the KGB as the GWF have already perceived him as a severe threat.

    As seen by his first venture into the High Church of the Faith with activists Fran Kelly and Emma Alberici, they will first try and belittle or delegitimize his character. Under no circumstances do they want any of the public to listen to any fact based reasoning that questions the global warming doctrine.

    They will therefore paint him as a rebel, a traitor, a fraud, an extremist, a misguided eccentric, a buffoon – anything that discredits his character and anything but a capable, intelligent, well informed spokesperson.

    If he was not aware of this fact, I am sure that he is now. But my only advice to 0 double 7 is don’t waste all you ammunition and try and win the war in a day. Relax a bit more and fire the shots when you see a target. You have a massive army against you Michael but don’t forget you also have a lot more people on you side than the opposition would care to think about. And the real buffoons and false prophets of doom are on their side.

    But just pace it a bit more, it is going to be a long war and Good Luck

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    Lots of truth in that John, however, get his name right. It’s Malcolm Roberts, not ‘Michael’ !

    00