Re: The Australian Federal Election 2010 Thread (III)

by bodyline Mon 30 Aug 2010, 05:26

JGK wrote:From crikey.com today:

The other destabilising element is the coming High Court challenge to two new Coalition MPs who foolishly failed to resign their positions on local councils before being elected.

Former Campbelltown mayor Russell Matheson, the new Liberal member for Macarthur, is even promising to stay on Liverpool council despite serving in the Federal Parliament.

And George Christensen, the new CLP member for Dawson, only formally quit the Mackay Regional Council last week after it was clear he’d scored a political promotion.

Both these chaps could fall foul of section 44 (iv) of the Constitution which prohibits anyone enjoying an office of profit under the crown from nominating for Federal Parliament.

Independent Phil Cleary and Liberal Jacqui Kelly both faced by-elections after coming a cropper in court challenges relying on this constitutional provision, but the High Court has never been asked whether this includes councillor stipends.

As a councillor in Victoria running for the Senate, I received very strong advice to quit before the election but this was ignored given there was no prospect of success.

The Coalition holds Dawson by just 2.08% and Macarthur by 3.17% so Labor sympathizers would definitely have a crack at the High Court given success would trigger two by-elections in winnable marginal seats that would bring down a minority Abbott Government.

I thought prentice only resigned from the BCC after she was elected this time?

by Mick Sawyer Mon 30 Aug 2010, 05:39

bodyline wrote:
skully wrote:Indeed.

What would be on Bob's list?

National line dance day?
Red neck races at Rocky?
Pig shooting at the next Olympics?

Which one are you really bl, Truss, Joyce or Boswell?

by bodyline Mon 30 Aug 2010, 05:43

Mick Sawyer wrote:
bodyline wrote:
skully wrote:Indeed.

What would be on Bob's list?

National line dance day?
Red neck races at Rocky?
Pig shooting at the next Olympics?

Which one are you really bl, Truss, Joyce or Boswell?

You're obviously Wong.

by Bradman Mon 30 Aug 2010, 06:12

Greedy farking torries. Don't most state laws annul this provision in regards to Councillors?

by bodyline Mon 30 Aug 2010, 06:22

Bradman wrote:Greedy farking torries. Don't most state laws annul this provision in regards to Councillors?

Ahem - didn't Latham resign as mayor AFTER he was elected???!!!!

by Mick Sawyer Mon 30 Aug 2010, 06:25

You're obviously Wong.

chuckle!

No, I'm right, you're one of 'em.

by Bradman Mon 30 Aug 2010, 06:26

That's what I was talking about. Someone should save their money and not tie up the High Court. Doesn't negate the fact that torries are greedy bastards. Actually greedy and disunited bastards at the mo.

by JGK Mon 30 Aug 2010, 06:37

bodyline wrote:
Bradman wrote:Greedy farking torries. Don't most state laws annul this provision in regards to Councillors?

Ahem - didn't Latham resign as mayor AFTER he was elected???!!!!

Phurt - the Libs could have had him kicked out but they didn't because he was more valuable to them in Parliament.

by Bradman Mon 30 Aug 2010, 06:47

Same reason why no-one should challenge Wyaat Roy's election.

by Hass Mon 30 Aug 2010, 07:12

The notion that the "profit under the crown" clause should apply to local councillors is nonsense.

Councillors are not appointed by the executive or by anyone working under the executive.

Councils operate within the framework of state legislation, but so does the SCG trust. I'm pretty confident any challenge will fail.

by Hass Mon 30 Aug 2010, 07:18

G.Wood wrote:The other anti-christ revealed HERE

Senator Heffernan, who is a touch eccentric, often jokes around when he rings people he knows. He introduces himself variously as ''the devil'' and ''Australia's most disgraced Senator''.

That's like saying horace is a touch bitter or qm3 a touch inventive

You know, there's something about Bill Heffernan that makes me like him.

He does have a long history of disgracing himself, but he's also got some sort of je ne sais quoi about him that makes me think he's ultimately a good egg.

by JGK Mon 30 Aug 2010, 07:25

Hass wrote:The notion that the "profit under the crown" clause should apply to local councillors is nonsense.

Councillors are not appointed by the executive or by anyone working under the executive.

Councils operate within the framework of state legislation, but so does the SCG trust. I'm pretty confident any challenge will fail.

Wasn't Phil Cleary a school teacher in the state system?

by Bradman Mon 30 Aug 2010, 07:28

And Howard's little princess was an Air force officer (I think). Hass is talking about elected and non-elected officials. Though I think in NSW the Governor has the power to terminate a Councillor, so maybe you could make an argumernt there.

by skully Mon 30 Aug 2010, 08:22

Are we there yet? Sleep

by Zat Mon 30 Aug 2010, 08:49

Bradman wrote:
Zat wrote:Well, we are talkaing about some pretty backward parts of the country.

Those backwards part of the country fund the dickheads in Spiv/Chip/Vomit central's ability to get tied up in traffic for three hours every day, or run a heavily subsidised rail network that doesn't work.

Bring back MacArthur and the Brisbane line and float the whole rotten stinking mess of Se Australia to NZ. We'll keep Roxby and Olympic Dam though.

Farkin took long enough for me to get a bite from that one. (Not going to make the obvious line about the internet being slow on a piece of string between two cans.)

by Zat Mon 30 Aug 2010, 08:50

G.Wood wrote:
JGK wrote:
Bradman wrote:
horace wrote:
Zat wrote:'Smear calls' to Oakeshott.

He must be making this sh!t up, because the people allegedly making the calls can't be that stupid. Can they?

some pretty ordinairy things going on

the new Lib Member for Hasluck in WA also happens to be an Indigenous Australian....he and his staff have received threatening and racist calls from some neanderthals who said they would not have voted for him if they had known he was black

Is he black?

No but his mum and dad are.

I thought VoR lived further west than Hasluck so it must have been saffie ex-pats making the calls

The original point made by Wyatt shows - once again - that too many people take no interest in the people standing and just vote out of habit. Useless qunts should have their right to vote rescinded.

by skully Mon 30 Aug 2010, 08:51

Zat wrote:
Bradman wrote:
Zat wrote:Well, we are talkaing about some pretty backward parts of the country.

Those backwards part of the country fund the dickheads in Spiv/Chip/Vomit central's ability to get tied up in traffic for three hours every day, or run a heavily subsidised rail network that doesn't work.

Bring back MacArthur and the Brisbane line and float the whole rotten stinking mess of Se Australia to NZ. We'll keep Roxby and Olympic Dam though.

Farkin took long enough for me to get a bite from that one. (Not going to make the obvious line about the internet being slow on a piece of string between two cans.)

Shouldn't that last sentence be in spoiler tags....

Spoiler:

by Zat Mon 30 Aug 2010, 08:56

Hass wrote:
G.Wood wrote:Senator Heffernan, who is a touch eccentric, often jokes around when he rings people he knows. He introduces himself variously as ''the devil'' and ''Australia's most disgraced Senator''.

That's like saying horace is a touch bitter or qm3 a touch inventive

You know, there's something about Bill Heffernan that makes me like him.

He does have a long history of disgracing himself, but he's also got some sort of je ne sais quoi about him that makes me think he's ultimately a good egg.

Bill lives in Junee, about 40km up the road from Wagga, and I've run into him at quite a few events around the Riverina. He's a nice enough bloke. Unfortch he's also as mad as a cut snake.

by Paul Keating Mon 30 Aug 2010, 11:30

I just found out that Paul Howse is 29 years old. What the fark! He looks 45!

by JGK Mon 30 Aug 2010, 14:32

Just saw Malcolm Fraser on QandA - he sold the achievements of the ALP in the last 3 years far better in 5 minutes than the entire ALP machine did in the last 12 months.

by JGK Mon 30 Aug 2010, 14:33

Meanwhile, the Coalition go ahead on the national 2PP vote.

Abbott is home and hosed.

by Zat Mon 30 Aug 2010, 23:04

JGK wrote:Meanwhile, the Coalition go ahead on the national 2PP vote.

Figures reached by the AEC removing eight seats from the calculations and branding them official. WTF???

by G.Wood Mon 30 Aug 2010, 23:43

JGK wrote:Meanwhile, the Coalition go ahead on the national 2PP vote.

Abbott is home and hosed.

Radio is worse than pollies.

As you know, the radio station I listen to in the morning sources their news from a tory-centric station and they were reporting that JG had been hoisted by her own petard and must to the noble thing and step aside.

Yet the pinko leaning station I listen to in the car was reporting that that isn't the true count because it doesn't include the indie seats or the Pink v Green seats (8 all up) so the real 2pp vote is 50.2 to the pinkoes

by Blackadder Mon 30 Aug 2010, 23:50

JGK wrote:Meanwhile, the Coalition go ahead on the national 2PP vote.

Abbott is home and hosed.

by Zat Tue 31 Aug 2010, 00:06

So does this mean we should retrospectively reassess governments. Say 1990, when Hawke lost the 2PP, yet won the election? Or when Beazley won the 2PP and lost to Howard?

In the end it comes down to how 76 seats can be cobbled together, and the hope that the Senate deadlock, once the Greens take up their new seats next year, doesn't lead to Italian-style electoral cycles.

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