Shorten the shapeshifter changes spots again this Easter over penalty rates and cricket

Bill Shorten reignites his penalty rates campaign. Twitter, yesterday:

Many Australians have worked over this long weekend and we thank them for it. They deserve their penalty rates. A Shorten Labor government will restore those who have had theirs cut. It’s the right thing to do.

We’ll just put this back up again. Shorten discusses the Fair Work Commission’s penalty rates review on 3AW, April 21, 2016:

Neil Mitchell: You’ll accept them (any penalty rate cuts made by the FWC)?

Shorten: Yes.

Mitchell: Even if they reduce Sunday penalty rates?

Shorten: Well, I said I’d accept the independent tribunal.

Cut and Paste is just glad Shorten is keeping his eye off the cricket. The Labor leader on Twitter, March 29:

No one’s perfect. A terrible lapse in judgment but good people make mistakes. Credit to Steve Smith for fronting up. Now let’s give him some time and space.

Shorten was less understanding days before. Twitter, March 25:

Like all Australians, I can’t quite believe what we saw last night. For the sake of all cricket lovers I hope Cricket Australia make it clear that this behaviour is unacceptable #SAvAUS #Auspol

Could this Paul Kelly line be used in any situation involving Shorten? Our editor-at-large writes in The Weekend Australian, March 3:

Shorten’s character as an opportunist has rarely been so embarrassingly exposed. On display is his compulsion to offer conflicting messages to different constituencies for electoral gain, the antithesis of any politics of principle.

Elsewhere, one of Shorten’s own MPs wants to collect HECS debts from dead people. Julian Hill speaks to The Australian online, yesterday:

The dilemma has been that any party of government, whether Labor or Liberal, may propose this kind of thing ... (the opposition party) yells ‘death tax’ ... So instead of standing there in a Mexican standoff, perhaps we can take the conversation outside.

Bet that’s going to go down a treat in the ALP partyroom. ABC News, May 29, 2014:

Lyndal Curtis: The PM (Tony Abbott) has ruled out collecting HECS debts from a deceased estate. Is that the end of the matter?

Kim Carr: Another day, another fiasco in education in Australia.

Doesn’t Labor prefer giving money to dead people, rather than getting it back? The Australian, May 29, 2009:

Kevin Rudd has defended sending $40 million in one-off cash payments to dead people and people living overseas under his government’s economic stimulus package.

And talking of Labor, Paul Keating says Prince Charles is sick of us Aussies. The former prime minister in The Australian, yesterday:

I have no doubt he believes Australia should be free of the British monarchy and that it should make its own way in the world.

Tony Abbott says Keating is verballing Prince Charles. He then goes on to verbal Prince Charles as well. Abbott on Twitter, yesterday:

Prince Charles would just want to do his duty and he shouldn’t be verballed by an ex-PM.

Why are we talking about Charles? Everyone knows his papa is the real, rabid republican in the family. Prince Philip speaking to Australian reporters, 1967:

If the monarchy is of value, retain it. If not, get rid of it.