Tony Abbott has told nervous Coalition MPs he plans to knock "one or two barnacles off the ship" before Christmas, triggering speculation he is preparing to abandon one or more of his government's unpopular budget measures. 

With the government languishing in the polls, some Liberals and Nationals MPs believe changes must be made to clear the decks and start 2015 with a clean slate. Here are 10 ways 'Captain Abbott' could do it:

1) Act on climate change

(whoever wrote this is in dreamland)

2) Restore renewable energy policy

(whoever wrote this is in dreamland)

3) Have a cabinet reshuffle

(like go to oblivion)

4) Allow a conscience vote on same-sex marriage

(whoever wrote this is in dreamland)

5) Abandon the deregulation of university fees

(Pyne would rather die first before giving this stupid idea)

6) Dump the paid parental leave scheme

(dump Tony's baby?)

7) Revise the government's communications strategy

(Malcolm is a double speak double dealer)

8) Ditch the $7 GP co-payment

(whoever wrote this is in dreamland)

9) Review the proposed welfare overhaul 

(whoever wrote this is in dreamland)

10) Reconsider budget cuts to the ABC and SBS

(lies, regrets, slash, guillotine, Tony does not care one hoot)

etc etc... read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/ten-ways-captain-tony-abbott-can-clear-the-decks-for-2015-20141126-11u719.html

Note the italics and bold are somewhat confused: Gus old computer is struggling with the new Java... So consider that what is in bracket are Gus comments.

Abbott under pressure to drop the defence minister, David Johnston, after the PM was forced to defend the Australian Submarine Company, while Jacqui Lambie expects a deal on defence pay. Follow it live.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2014/nov/26/tony-abbott-under-pressure-to-dump-defence-minister-politics-live

It is my simpleton view that Abbott being smarter than Lambie will make some more promises he does not intend to keep and will spin around once his idiotic aspects of his budget are secured... Beware my little Lamb, the wolf is disguised as a fox flattering the crow...

Picture of barnacle in the toon at top from Gus' collection of useless marine objects: The BIGGER barnacle in the shot, still in Gus' possession is about 5 centimetre wide by 5 centimetre high... For experts in marine barnacles, this one is a giant amongst barnacles, even covered with a budding oyster shell.

Defence Minister David Johnston has been censured by the Senate over comments in which he said he would not trust an Adelaide-based submarine-building firm to "build a canoe".

The comments yesterday prompted criticism from workers and the Opposition, as well as several figures in the Government, including frontbencher Jamie Briggs, who described them as "wrong".

The Labor-led censure of Senator Johnston passed 37 votes to 31 with support from the Greens and crossbench senators.

Opposition Senate Leader Penny Wong, who moved the motion, said Senator Johnston should be censured for "undermining confidence" in Australian Defence Force (ADF) capability and "threatening the integrity" of plans to build new submarines.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-26/tony-abbott-defends-david-johnston-over-submarine-remarks/5919590

Do these ministers who believe they are stand-up comics know what they are doing? The emphatic response is NO ! They are full of embarrassing carelessness, unknowingness and ratshit right wing windbaggery while parading like rednecks full of regrets because they set their own arse on fire by their own ineptitude... 

You wonder why voters wouldn't trust the Abbott government to run a fair competitive tender for construction of new submarines, let alone a Defence Department facing critical issues relating to costs and a culture of abuse?

Defence Minister David Johnston is hardly displaying the qualities needed to oversee the subs decision, let alone his department.

Senator Johnston has embarrassed Australia's defence forces, potentially undermined national security and lost the confidence of South Australians by saying he didn't trust the government-owned ASC - formerly the Australian Submarine Corporation - to build a canoe.

ASC is involved in building three air warfare destroyers for the navy and maintains the Collins class submarines.

Perhaps such a "rhetorical flourish" - his words and those of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, not ours - could be excused if it were an isolated embarrassment.

But the minister's performance has been substandard.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/defence-deserves-better-than-minister-david-johnston-20141126-11u0j3.html

---------------

Just highlighting this minister as substandard is a bit short of the mark, but fair. The ENTIRE ABBOTT REGIME CABINET has been substandard, infantile, stupid, idiotic, bombastic and petty. It's TIME to get rid of them all...

The defence industry and unions are demanding "crisis talks" with Defence Minister David Johnston following his remark that he would not trust Government-owned ship builder ASC to "build a canoe".

Chris Burns from the Defence Teaming Centre said he feared the comments undermined the nation's defence industry.

He said he wanted face-to-face talks with Senator Johnston to talk about criticism of the local industry contained in the unreleased Winter report, which looked into the $8.5 billion Air Warfare Destroyer program, which is running $300 million over budget.

The review was led by former US secretary of the navy Don Winter, and was commissioned by the Federal Government just over a year ago.

It listed a number of concerns including the "performance and capabilities of ASC and major subcontractors".

ASC maintains Australia's Collins Class submarine fleet, and is building the Air Warfare Destroyers.

"We'll be seeking the opportunity to meet with the minister to try and get an understanding of what were the issues raised in that report, and why he won't release that report, so we can address those issues," Mr Burns said.

That call was echoed by the Australian Manufacturers Workers' Union's Glenn Thompson.

"We obviously would be seeking a discussion with the minister on the basis of the leaked report - that is the Winter report - to be released," Mr Thompson said.

Tensions are already running high in Adelaide after the Government confirmed it was considering buying Japanese-designed submarines to replace the Collins Class vessels.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-28/david-johnston-canoe-remarks-defence-industry-unions-meeting/5925570

Meanwhile in Barrow-in-Furness, Pommyland:

The Astute class is the latest class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines in service of the British Royal Navy. The class sets a new standard for the Royal Navy in terms of weapons load, communication facilities and stealth. The boats are being constructed by BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness.[5] Seven boats will be constructed. The first of class, Astute, was launched in 2007 and commissioned in 2010, and the second, Ambush, was launched on 6 January 2011,[6] and commissioned on 1 March 2013.[7] Astute was declared fully operational in May 2014,[8] while Ambush is undergoing maintenance in preparation for operational deployment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astute-class_submarine

-------------------------

Though I am not in favour of armament, if the Abbott Regime wants to build sumthin', may as well be in Australia and provide JOBS... But am I deluded in believing that the Turdy Regime wants to hurt the South Australian people for having had the gall to re-elect a LABOR government at their last elections?... Is my cynicism taking over my boots?... Sack Turdy and his barnacle men and his token mermaid (fishmonger-woman)...

Johnston began paying out on the ASC in spades, suggesting it had no more than a one-page document to justify its submarine costings and appearing to mock its staff by suggesting they were just looking for jobs. Goaded by jibes from Labor, he went further, eventually bellowing across the chamber, "you wonder why I wouldn't trust them to build a canoe?"

It was a reckless comment from the man nominally in charge of the process. Johnston didn't stop to think what effect his remarks might have on the morale of ASC's staff, or on the navy's submariners, who entrust their lives to the maintenance the ASC performs on Australia's existing Collins class submarines.

read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/under-siege-defence-minister-david-johnston-feels-the-pain-20141128-11w1hx.html

Ross Jones

For a bunch of tough guys – Tony, Mathias, Smokin Joe et al – it hasn't be a very manly year. Lots of puffy chests, but not of the Arnie variety — more your drooping man-boob kind.

There is a question mark hanging over this government and the question is — just how stupid is it?

They have taken a proud nation and, within a blink of Mandrake’s eye, magically transformed it into a Richie Rich comic.

Or manga.

The primary job of any government is to safeguard its citizens. Our government plans to do this by outsourcing our primary safeguards.

Japanese subs to patrol our sea lanes, the bloated JSF to control our airspace.

You just know Miranda Devine and the Bolt Boy think this is a sound, economically rational way to go.

They are children. Naïve infants, who have no comprehension of what happens when the shit hits the fan.

Under this Government we have fallen to 11th spot of the Global Corruption Index.

Why? Because there is more corruption.

If there was a national ICAC to expose the truth, we’d rank a few places lower still. Corruption permeates all levels of Government, local, state and federal, yet there is no clearly expressed will to rid us of this scourge.

So, when we combine massive defence expenditure and high-level corruption, what do you think is going to happen?

It’s not good.

Only few weeks ago, the Russians sailed into the Coral Sea and hung off the Queensland coast. Our subs could not track the flotilla because their only base is in WA and it’s a long way away, what with the price of diesel and everything.

Ironically, the role of monitoring the Russian surface fleet fell to anti-submarine warship HMAS Parramatta, which apparently had enough fuel to make it to the Sunshine Coast.

Fortunately, the Australian submarine base, Fleet Base West, aka HMAS Stirling, is not too far from Balthazar restaurant in Perth because that’s where our Minister for Canoes chooses to work through the defence budget one $150 bottle of wine at a time.

'To our regular customers, Balthazar has become a trusted place of celebration.'

That’s when he’s not at Adelaide Casino knocking back martinis and scoffing lobster rolls.

It was News Ltd who broke the story of Johnson’s profligacy with the defence budget — when News Ltd turn on you, you know it’s curtains.

Just how toxic things have become in the Dept of Deefence was clearly shown when retired General Jim Molan, described by former Labor Defence Minister Stephen Smith as a partisan Liberal Party activist, spat the dummy in September and walked out on his well-paid gig as Johnson’s strategic policy advisor.

The Australian noted senior Tory philosopher Andrew Bolt had observed Major-General Molan appeared to be

“... narrowing (his) criticism down to the Minister, David Johnston."

Molan said his job was ‘not feasible’. Maybe he just didn’t like the wine.

read more: https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/a-year-in-the-life-of-the-abbott-tough-guys,7158

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has unveiled sweeping changes to his front bench, appointing Scott Morrison to a super-sized social services portfolio and handing him a key role in driving the government's economic agenda next year.

Defence Minister David Johnston has been dumped in favour of veteran MP Kevin Andrews, while NSW MP Sussan Ley to be the second woman in his cabinet as she takes charge of Health and Sport, while Peter Dutton moves from that portfolio and takes over as Immigration Minister.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-sacks-defence-minister-david-johnston-moves-scott-morrison-and-kevin-andrews-20141221-12bm85.html

----------------------

Yes now, as Johnson is scrapped off, the minister for marriage counselling, wedding bell(e)s and bashing "bludgers" has gone to building canoes, shooting peas and buggle tuning.

David Johnston has been appointed to sell Australian defence products to the world.

• David Johnston once declared that he wouldn't trust Australia's government-owned shipbuilder to build a canoe
• He's been appointed to sell Australian defence products to the world
• Christopher Pyne said he brings a "wealth of experience and knowledge"

Mr Johnston has been appointed as the nation's first Defence Export Advocate by Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne.

"As a former minister for defence, Mr Johnston brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of Australian defence industry to this significant role," Minister Pyne said.

"I work tirelessly to advocate for Australian industries looking to sell their world-class defence materiel to our friends and allies but I can't be everywhere.

"Our Defence Export Advocate will help connect Australian industry to overseas governments and defence forces, build relationships in our key markets and act as a focal point for long-term campaigns."

As defence minister in 2014, Mr Johnston raised the ire of Australian shipbuilders after declaring he lacked confidence in the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC) during a Senate debate about where Australia's future submarine fleet should be built.

Red more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-09/former-defence-minister-has-been-a...

and

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-28/david-johnston-canoe-remarks-defen...

Read from top.