Surely there has to be mandated access measures built into the DHS enabling legislation surrounding the surety of payments to people?
Which I can't imagine could be delegated to contractors.
.. Then again, I did hear a bill being proposed in the lower house the other day, allowing the delegation of AGSVA agricultural chemical approval processes to outside contractors because moving that department to the back of Bourke was such a laugh.
Looks like the enabling legislation states that if Centrelink doesn't consider your applications for payment, then after 13 weeks they will be deemed to have found the claim invalid.
At which point you can complain to the AAT.
In the meantime, whilst your complaint is being processed, Centrelink has the ability to continue payment where there has been an adverse decision.
That is, up until 13 weeks has passed, at which time it will be assumed Centrelink has not deigned to afford you the payments during this complaint process either.
DHS has no other specific commitments to customers on their website either, aside a vague commitment to deal with payments in a timely manner.
So, Sky News is the absolute worst channel to accidentally land on whilst eating dinner.
But apparently Scott Morrison is going to be in Townsville taking questions from the viewers next Wednesday (at 9 AEST).
They had an email that you could send questions to, but I'm unsure how any of our questions would make it through the Sky News filter.
The ABC has uncovered a covert plot by Australia's alt-right movement to join major political parties and influence their policy agendas from within.
Background Briefing has witnessed members of the NSW Young Nationals in Sydney attending a secret men's-only fight club set up by some of the country's most prominent alt-right nationalists.
The group is called The New Guard and its followers are self-described fascists.
At least three NSW Young Nationals — including Clifford Jennings, who sits on the executive of the party's youth wing — are, or recently have been, members.
On Facebook and elsewhere online, more NSW Young Nationals are sharing alt-right talking points, racist in-jokes containing coded references to Hitler, and theories of a global Jewish conspiracy.
The ABC has uncovered a covert plot by Australia's alt-right movement to join major political parties and influence their policy agendas from within.
Background Briefing has witnessed members of the NSW Young Nationals in Sydney attending a secret men's-only fight club set up by some of the country's most prominent alt-right nationalists.
The group is called The New Guard and its followers are self-described fascists.
At least three NSW Young Nationals — including Clifford Jennings, who sits on the executive of the party's youth wing — are, or recently have been, members.
On Facebook and elsewhere online, more NSW Young Nationals are sharing alt-right talking points, racist in-jokes containing coded references to Hitler, and theories of a global Jewish conspiracy.
Eh, they already do this in America with the police so . . . I’ll pray for Australia.
...
Not sure what I think of this to be honest.
How long do you suppose these people could 'sleep' in a party that's more left than they are?
Wouldn't they start to shift party policy towards the right soon after getting any power?
I just can't see infiltrators sleeping long enough to trick Australians into voting an outwardly right but inwardly alt-right party in.
And if they don't contain themselves, then the Lib/Nats move themselves too far right, and Labor picks up the center voters.
It'd be if the resolution of the Malcolm affair became Dutton at the helm whilst the voters completely desert the party.
So yeah?
They can shift the party right if they want, and then get absolutely none of their desired policies.
Surprising no-one, but disgusting everyone, Mark Latham is returning to politics with One Nation in NSW. He of course announced this on Alan Jones' 2GB show.
In response to media reports and comments made in the NSW and federal parliaments about an incident in November 2016 involving an ABC journalist and the NSW Leader of the Opposition, Mr Luke Foley, the ABC makes the following statement.
The ABC’s first priority is and always has been the welfare of our employee, journalist Ashleigh Raper. ABC management first became aware of the matter following media enquiries in April this year. At this time ABC management spoke with Ms Raper, who made it clear she did not wish to make a formal complaint or take any action and wished the matter to remain confidential. The ABC respected her wishes but took all steps to ensure Ms Raper received complete management support.
In February 2018, Ms Raper asked to be reassigned from State Parliament to general reporting shifts for reasons unrelated to the incident and before media enquiries were received. There has been no change to the work assignments given to Ms Raper. There is absolutely no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Ms Raper and her career should not be affected in any way.
Ms Raper has today decided to issue a personal statement, which can be read below.
This is the only comment on this matter she and the ABC wish to make.
The ABC considers it extremely unfortunate that media and public pressure has been applied to Ms Raper during these past months and caused her to speak publicly on an issue she did not wish to pursue or to comment on.
STATEMENT BY ASHLEIGH RAPER
This is a position I never wanted to be in and a statement I never intended to make.
But I think the time has come for my voice to be heard, for the following reasons:
The escalation of the public debate, including in state and federal parliament, despite my expressed wish to neither comment nor complain, and the likelihood of ongoing media and political interest.
Two recent phone conversations with the Leader of the New South Wales Opposition Luke Foley.
To set the record straight.
In November 2016 I attended an official Christmas function at New South Wales Parliament House for state political reporters, politicians and their staff.
This is what happened on that night.
The party moved from Parliament House to Martin Place Bar after a number of hours.
Later in the evening, Luke Foley approached a group of people, including me, to say goodnight.
He stood next to me.
He put his hand through a gap in the back of my dress and inside my underpants.
He rested his hand on my buttocks.
I completely froze.
This was witnessed by Sean Nicholls, who was then the state political editor at the Sydney Morning Herald and is now an ABC journalist.
Mr Foley then left the bar.
Sean and I discussed what happened.
As shaken as I was, I decided not to take any action and asked Sean to keep the events in the strictest confidence.
He has honoured that.
I chose not to make a complaint for a number of reasons.
It is clear to me that a woman who is the subject of such behaviour is often the person who suffers once a complaint is made.
I cherished my position as a state political reporter and feared that would be lost.
I also feared the negative impact the publicity could have on me personally and on my young family.
This impact is now being felt profoundly.
When a reporter contacted me earlier this year after hearing about the incident, I informed ABC news management about Mr Foley’s actions.
I told them I didn’t wish to make a complaint or for any further action to be taken.
They respected my request for privacy and have offered me nothing but their absolute care and support.
David Elliot raised the matter in the New South Wales Parliament last month, putting the incident in the public domain.
The matter then became a state and federal political issue and resulted in intense media attention.
This occurred without my involvement or consent.
Last Sunday (4 November) Luke Foley called me on my mobile phone and we had a conversation that lasted 19 minutes.
He said he was sorry and that he was full of remorse for his behaviour towards me at the Press Gallery Christmas function in November 2016.
He told me that he had wanted to talk to me about that night on many occasions over the past two years because, while he was drunk and couldn’t remember all the details of the night, he knew he did something to offend me.
He apologised again and told me, “I’m not a philanderer, I’m not a groper, I’m just a drunk idiot”.
He said he would be resigning as the leader of the New South Wales Labor Party on either the next day (Monday, 5 November) or Wednesday (7 November).
He said he couldn’t resign on the Tuesday because it was Melbourne Cup Day and he didn’t want to be accused of burying the story.
On Tuesday (6 November) Mr Foley called me again.
He repeated his apology and told me he owed me “a lot of contrition”.
He informed me he’d received legal advice not to resign as Opposition Leader.
He indicated he intended to follow that advice.
There are three things I want to come from my decision to make this statement.
First, women should be able to go about their professional lives and socialise without being subject to this sort of behaviour.
And I want it to stop.
Second, situations like mine should not be discussed in parliament for the sake of political point scoring.
Someone drove into Bourke St this afternoon, set fire to their car and started attacking people with a knife.
He managed to injure three people before police arrived. There are some videos around, but the police did a great trying to resolve the situation non-lethally but were eventually forced to shoot him in the chest.
One of the people stabbed has died and the attacker is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
Someone drove into Bourke St this afternoon, set fire to their car and started attacking people with a knife.
He managed to injure three people before police arrived. There are some videos around, but the police did a great trying to resolve the situation non-lethally but were eventually forced to shoot him in the chest.
One of the people stabbed has died and the attacker is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
Some may think it callous, but I think it needs to be said.
AUS - Mentally ill man goes on rampage on busy city street. 1 dead. 2 injured.
USA - Mentally ill man goes on a rampage in busy bar. 12 dead (including one LEO). 18 injured.
Get the fuck outta here that it's mental illness that's the consistent issue, not ready gun access.
Someone drove into Bourke St this afternoon, set fire to their car and started attacking people with a knife.
He managed to injure three people before police arrived. There are some videos around, but the police did a great trying to resolve the situation non-lethally but were eventually forced to shoot him in the chest.
One of the people stabbed has died and the attacker is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
What's crazy is that this happened on the same day as the trial for the last guy who went on a "running people over" spree in the Melbourne CBD.
+4
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
Precious metal deposits like gold and silver are a big hodgepodge so it wouldn't be possible to be that discrete, but there are cool maps that show what mines are digging up where like this:
But I guess the libs/nats paying $30mil for foxtel and handing out $444mil to a private foundation meant they had to make cuts somewhere to appease their donors.
But I guess the libs/nats paying $30mil for foxtel and handing out $444mil to a private foundation meant they had to make cuts somewhere to appease their donors.
But in the third cut to its federal funding since 2014, Foodbank chief executive Brianna Casey said the government was now asking the organisation to absorb another cut, which would leave it with less than $430,000 a year for a key program. Three years ago, the organisation received $1.5m a year to do the same job.
The latest cut, which works out to about $323,000 a year, comes into effect from January 2019, impacting contracts and arrangements the organisation already had in place.
Cut funding by $323k. Which works out to a 42% decrease for this year, and they're down to 28% of what they were getting three years ago.
That's some impressive horribleness there.
Shut up, Mr. Burton! You were not brought upon this world to get it!
But surely you see that funding a whole new program with 'record' funding is a -good- thing?
Why is everyone getting snippy when they were on X/2 and they're now receiving (X+1)/3?
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
The Queensland LNP are whining that the sitting Labor government in that state cut funding to public health.
The reality of the situation is that the federal LNP government slashed a billion dollars out of their health funding, and the state government somehow doesn't magically have a spare billion dollars in revenue they can plug that hole with.
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
I know. I just wish the Labor had the backbone to run campaign ads pointing out that historically the LNP are terrible at the one thing they claim to be good at, which is managing the economy.
Looks like Daniel Andrews will win again, which I am glad for.
I have my issues with the way he has handled something things, mostly the Port, ambulance/paramedics and firefighters but overall I've been pretty happy with how his government has performed, as well as sinking that terrible contract the Libs signed a week before getting out of office.
My parents have voted Labor/Greens for as long as I can remember but will be voting Liberal solely for the fact that one of the local rail crossing sections that is being elevated will block the sun from hitting the front of a coffee shop that they go to maybe half a dozen times a year during summer.
Maybe his reelection will inspire other politicians to campaign on goals rather than just criticising the other side.
It helps that the Greens are enough of a threat in the inner suburbs that Labor have their feet held to the fire on progressive policies.
Though it helps when you're literally running against a Guy in a suit.
Looks like Daniel Andrews will win again, which I am glad for.
I have my issues with the way he has handled something things, mostly the Port, ambulance/paramedics and firefighters but overall I've been pretty happy with how his government has performed, as well as sinking that terrible contract the Libs signed a week before getting out of office.
My parents have voted Labor/Greens for as long as I can remember but will be voting Liberal solely for the fact that one of the local rail crossing sections that is being elevated will block the sun from hitting the front of a coffee shop that they go to maybe half a dozen times a year during summer.
Maybe his reelection will inspire other politicians to campaign on goals rather than just criticising the other side.
It helps that the Greens are enough of a threat in the inner suburbs that Labor have their feet held to the fire on progressive policies.
Though it helps when you're literally running against a Guy in a suit.
I hope so, and yeah, Matthew Guy appears to be an empty suit.
The amount of time I had to spend arguing against the "But he wasted a billion dollars!" bullshit has been way too much. First, the Liberal party should never have signed such an onerous contract. But also the fact that according to all estimates he saved much more. Because there's no way the original estimate was realistic. What I read had it being 4-7 billion over what was quoted. So he saved 3-6 billion, because as we've seen with this shit in the past, it's the government that ends up on the hook.
Don't get me wrong, Labor can fuck up too. Wonthaggi was a massive waste of money, in that there were several better solutions. But between the two, Labor is definitely the least worst choice.
+1
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HeatwaveCome, now, and walk the path of explosions with me!Registered Userregular
A lot of people I know end up voting Liberal for single, often minor, issues, while ignoring all the crap they've done to make life hell for them and the people around them.
E.g. "Oh but they donated to X charity once so I'll vote for them"
Went and voted, half an hour after polling opened. Walked in, walked straight up to a poll worker without breaking stride (there were 6, of which only two were busy dealing with the people who walked in ahead of me), got my name marked off (without needing to show ID), went straight to a booth, made my marks, went straight to the ballot boxes, deposited my ballots, and walked out.
All told, less than 3 minutes inside the building.
It boggles my mind that Americans put up with 4+ hour queues.
Posts
Which I can't imagine could be delegated to contractors.
.. Then again, I did hear a bill being proposed in the lower house the other day, allowing the delegation of AGSVA agricultural chemical approval processes to outside contractors because moving that department to the back of Bourke was such a laugh.
At which point you can complain to the AAT.
In the meantime, whilst your complaint is being processed, Centrelink has the ability to continue payment where there has been an adverse decision.
That is, up until 13 weeks has passed, at which time it will be assumed Centrelink has not deigned to afford you the payments during this complaint process either.
DHS has no other specific commitments to customers on their website either, aside a vague commitment to deal with payments in a timely manner.
But apparently Scott Morrison is going to be in Townsville taking questions from the viewers next Wednesday (at 9 AEST).
They had an email that you could send questions to, but I'm unsure how any of our questions would make it through the Sky News filter.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-13/alt-right-plans-shake-up-of-mainstream-politics-in-australia/10368972
Eh, they already do this in America with the police so . . . I’ll pray for Australia.
mystery solved, I guess.
Tends to be the case, that conservative parties recruit their young from racists, misogynists, and trust fund babies.
To be clear, I'm not saying all of them are. But there's a greater portion there, than are in the general public, let along more leftist parties.
Hydra were more subtle though.
John Howard semi-famously said he didn't trust Young Libs.
Not sure what I think of this to be honest.
How long do you suppose these people could 'sleep' in a party that's more left than they are?
Wouldn't they start to shift party policy towards the right soon after getting any power?
I just can't see infiltrators sleeping long enough to trick Australians into voting an outwardly right but inwardly alt-right party in.
And if they don't contain themselves, then the Lib/Nats move themselves too far right, and Labor picks up the center voters.
It'd be if the resolution of the Malcolm affair became Dutton at the helm whilst the voters completely desert the party.
So yeah?
They can shift the party right if they want, and then get absolutely none of their desired policies.
*vomits*
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/former-labor-leader-mark-latham-joins-pauline-hansons-one-nation-party-in-nsw/news-story/7a68550669cd4edd823146e10f9708c4
He managed to injure three people before police arrived. There are some videos around, but the police did a great trying to resolve the situation non-lethally but were eventually forced to shoot him in the chest.
One of the people stabbed has died and the attacker is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
Some may think it callous, but I think it needs to be said.
AUS - Mentally ill man goes on rampage on busy city street. 1 dead. 2 injured.
USA - Mentally ill man goes on a rampage in busy bar. 12 dead (including one LEO). 18 injured.
Get the fuck outta here that it's mental illness that's the consistent issue, not ready gun access.
What's crazy is that this happened on the same day as the trial for the last guy who went on a "running people over" spree in the Melbourne CBD.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Classic ScoMo
EDIT: HOLY SHIT. They just cut funding to $323k for foodbank.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/12/coalition-cuts-funding-for-foodbank-charity-by-323000-a-year
These guys need every cent they can get.
But I guess the libs/nats paying $30mil for foxtel and handing out $444mil to a private foundation meant they had to make cuts somewhere to appease their donors.
Steam / Origin & Wii U: Heatwave111 / FC: 4227-1965-3206 / Battle.net: Heatwave#11356
Cut funding by $323k. Which works out to a 42% decrease for this year, and they're down to 28% of what they were getting three years ago.
That's some impressive horribleness there.
Why is everyone getting snippy when they were on X/2 and they're now receiving (X+1)/3?
- Dutton or someone probably
The reality of the situation is that the federal LNP government slashed a billion dollars out of their health funding, and the state government somehow doesn't magically have a spare billion dollars in revenue they can plug that hole with.
Keep it classy, LNP!
Bravely Default / 3DS Friend Code = 3394-3571-1609
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-20/federal-government-scott-morrison-migration-cuts/10513256
Blaming congestion on roads, crowding in schools, on immigration, not infrastructure funding.
Not so much on the dogwhistling or subtlety, then.
I have my issues with the way he has handled something things, mostly the Port, ambulance/paramedics and firefighters but overall I've been pretty happy with how his government has performed, as well as sinking that terrible contract the Libs signed a week before getting out of office.
My parents have voted Labor/Greens for as long as I can remember but will be voting Liberal solely for the fact that one of the local rail crossing sections that is being elevated will block the sun from hitting the front of a coffee shop that they go to maybe half a dozen times a year during summer.
Maybe his reelection will inspire other politicians to campaign on goals rather than just criticising the other side.
It helps that the Greens are enough of a threat in the inner suburbs that Labor have their feet held to the fire on progressive policies.
Though it helps when you're literally running against a Guy in a suit.
I hope so, and yeah, Matthew Guy appears to be an empty suit.
The amount of time I had to spend arguing against the "But he wasted a billion dollars!" bullshit has been way too much. First, the Liberal party should never have signed such an onerous contract. But also the fact that according to all estimates he saved much more. Because there's no way the original estimate was realistic. What I read had it being 4-7 billion over what was quoted. So he saved 3-6 billion, because as we've seen with this shit in the past, it's the government that ends up on the hook.
Don't get me wrong, Labor can fuck up too. Wonthaggi was a massive waste of money, in that there were several better solutions. But between the two, Labor is definitely the least worst choice.
E.g. "Oh but they donated to X charity once so I'll vote for them"
Steam / Origin & Wii U: Heatwave111 / FC: 4227-1965-3206 / Battle.net: Heatwave#11356
All told, less than 3 minutes inside the building.
It boggles my mind that Americans put up with 4+ hour queues.