Like old times with ‘Dasher’ Dastyari on the back foot
Donations and discrimination dominate the first real day of the new Parliament
That’s a lot of halal snack packs. Victorian MP Michael Sukkar, Sky News, yesterday:
He’s had $1600 of travel repaid by somebody affiliated with the Chinese government. Not long ago he had a $15,000 telephone overspend. The question for him now is who paid for that for him?
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce redirecting a question about agriculture to the controversy, question time, yesterday:
One couldn’t go past a truly novel form of entrepreneurial financing, that of senator Sam Dastyari — crowdfunding! … we look forward to asking what the Leader of the Opposition is going to do with … Sam Dastyari.
Sam Dastyari, Twitter, yesterday:
Fair yarn. While fully disclosed, understand concern, so I’m donating the amount to charity.
Race to the bottom. Malcolm Turnbull says no to changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, Canberra, yesterday:
It’s filled the op-ed pages of newspapers for years and years but the government has no plans to make any changes to section 18C. We have other more pressing, much more pressing priorities to address.
Senator Cory Bernardi is still looking for a yes, ABC’s 7.30, Tuesday:
When you have got a circumstance where the Racial Discrimination Commissioner is encouraging people to lodge grievance claims on the back of a cartoon by a nationally syndicated cartoonist, we have a problem in this country.
Perhaps once upon a time. The Daily Telegraph, August 17:
Malcolm Turnbull had committed to making changes to the controversial section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act to persuade pro free-speech MPs in his quest for the leadership last year, it has been revealed.
Senator Eric Abetz spars with Radio National’s Fran Kelly, yesterday:
This sort of industry of taking offence at everything has gone far too far within our society.
Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm on The Spectator Australia’s Flat Whiteblog, yesterday:
The assertion that Aboriginals are particularly vulnerable to insults is insulting to many Aborigines. The excuse for 18C is itself unlawful under section 18C. How absurd … whenever we hear such groupthink, I suggest we make a complaint to the Human Rights Commission, because it’s hard to imagine an approach … more insulting to Aboriginal Australia.
The programmatic specificity of UN diplomacy. Kevin Rudd’s global ambitions remain unquelled, Sydney Morning Herald, yesterday:
In a report that offers a fascinating insight into what might have been, Mr Rudd, now describing himself as “an ordinary global citizen”, has delivered a 65-page personal blueprint for restoring faith in global diplomacy.
Get out the butcher’s paper. More from the Herald, yesterday:
A summit in San Francisco by 2020 for world leaders to gather and pledge their faith in the principle of collective action.
Snoozing senator Derryn Hinch should thank his lucky stars he’s not in North Korea. Britain’s The Times, yesterday:
Two senior North Korean officials have been publicly executed using an anti-aircraft gun on the orders of Kim Jong-un for challenging his authority and falling asleep in his presence, according to South Korean media.