In keeping with its regressive policy platform, the Turnbull Government has taken Australia back to a bygone Elizabethan era, where sexuality raised blushes, rather than evoked freedom, writes deputy editor Michelle Pini.

JUST as we’ve only had 116 years since Federation to think about “progressive” issues such as becoming a republic or scientific developments concerning climate change, assuming we can be responsible for whom we choose to marry is getting a little ahead of ourselves.

This is the unwavering position of our current Coalition Government led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull — a politician who once espoused all of the above.

Sept 2012: Turnbull criticises church's opposition to gay marriage #auspol #plebiscitepic.twitter.com/8QA4bVdHqU

Raising the hopes of Australia’s gay community once again, recently self-described “Elizabethan”, Malcolm Turnbull held an "emergency" Liberal Party meeting on Monday (7 August) to discuss the future of same-sex marriage. Many could be forgiven for thinking the Coalition’s nonsensical position of holding a plebiscite, at a cost of $160 million to rediscover the long-held and frequently polled public opinion on this issue, might be changed inside the secret discussions of this emergency Liberal Party meeting.

This possibility seems logical since former PM John Howard changed the Marriage Act to define marriage as a union "between a man and a woman" without a plebiscite the last time around.

But the Liberal Party has managed instead to take Australia firmly back to an Elizabethan era, more in keeping with its regressive policy platform, where sexuality raised blushes, rather than evoked freedom.

Oh, but something has changed and it seems we aren’t paying the Turnbull Government the big bucks for nothing, as Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann tasked with the job of breaking this momentous news to the media, emerged from the liberal party room with the announcement of a “plan”.

read more:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/turnbull-take...

To quote Gough Whitlam:

"I am rather disappointed in the Prime Minister. Before this campaign began we had a distinct understanding — that he wouldn't tell any lies about me, if I didn't tell the truth about him."

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/politics-live-as-parliament-debates-plebiscite-on-samesex-marriage-20170808-gxs733.html

If only Christians fought like this for refugees. Imagine if the Coalition’s big men of faith threatened to tear down their own government unless it brings home the wretches we’ve imprisoned in the Pacific.

Surely there couldn’t be a greater service for Christ?

Or what about crossing the floor for the poor, the homeless, for battered wives and illiterate Aboriginal kids. No. What excites these Christian warriors is beating up on gays. I’ve watched it all my life.

They fought like hell to keep sex between men a crime. As they lost the backing of the public they went about their task more urgently. The rules of heaven were not to be swept aside by opinion polls. Sin had to be punished.

Mealy mouthed, they reckoned they didn’t want to send us to jail. Oh, heaven forfend! But they demanded the states set an example – a Godly example – by leaving criminal laws just as they were. That meant 14 years jail for buggery in New South Wales.

As the numbers drifted away from them the Christian warriors grew, if anything, more determined, better organised and nastier. Again and again, the end of the world was nigh.

They fought no-fault divorce law with everything they had. They fought legal recognition of de facto relationships. They attacked anti-discrimination laws and were given extraordinary exemptions from them. And they kept on fighting LGBTI reform until the last state, Tasmania, fell over the line in 1997.

Spectators look on bewildered. Times have changed. This is a secular country. Why these brawls? Surely these bigots know they’re on the wrong side of history?

We shouldn’t be bewildered.

Nothing is inevitable in the imagination of Christian warriors and no battle is quite as righteous as a battle lost. The God-given imperative is to fight and keep on fighting. Winning even a little delay is a triumph.

So much is at stake. But these days the warriors are a little shy of saying the truth: they’re doing Christ’s work on Earth. The euphemism de jour among the conservative Christians is “saving Western Civilisation”.

Only a handful of secular warriors are fighting with the army of the faithful. Of course, many Jews and Muslims share their Old Testament disgust. But right now in Australia they are leaving the latest battle in this old, old war to the Christians.

It’s a commonplace of the campaign for equal marriage that it has the support of most Christians in Australia. Catholics are particularly keen. And a Galaxy poll published a few weeks ago also showed their disquiet that crusaders against reform are claiming to represent all Christians in the country.

The bigots have been deserted even by their own followers.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/09/abbotts-obstructi...

Christine Forster has publicly demolished the case against same-sex marriage put by her brother, Tony Abbott, rejecting his view the marriage law should stay the same to defeat “political correctness” and protect religious freedom.

Forster said it was “simplistic and inaccurate” to label people who support same-sex marriage a “politically correct minority”, in an opinion piece for the Australian on Thursday.

Forster, a Liberal councillor for the City of Sydney who is engaged to her partner of the same sex, said that many marriage equality advocates “come from the conservative side of politics and on all other issues are derided as reprehensible dinosaurs by those who embrace political correctness”.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/17/christine-forster...

Malcolm Turnbull cannot remember anyone being too drunk to vote — other than Tony Abbott.

Mr Abbott has for the first time revealed he drank too much and slept through several votes in federal parliament in 2009.

"I lay down and next thing I knew it was morning," he told Annabel Crabb in an upcoming episode of the ABC series The House.

Mr Turnbull was leader at the time and was trying to oppose the Rudd government's stimulus measures.

He has told radio 3AW that Mr Abbott was drunk but "there was nothing we could do".

He said the MPs known as whips — who organise their colleagues to be ready for votes — just could not wake Mr Abbott as he slept on the couch.

"The whips tried to rouse him to get him down into the chamber to vote but they were unable to move him so he missed out on his vote," Mr Turnbull said.

"It was a pretty important vote too — that was Rudd's big cash splash after the GFC, I was arguing we did not need to spend that much money that quickly.

"I was disappointed, I can't remember anyone else missing a vote because they were too drunk to get into the chamber, but the fact is that Tony has 'fessed up to it, he knows it was an error or whatever.

"He has acknowledged it and that is good.

"It is clearly not acceptable or admirable in any way."

Mr Abbott has never before explained fully why he missed the votes on Labor's stimulus plans.

He told Crabb he was with his colleagues Peter Costello and Kevin Andrews in the parliamentary dining room.

"I think quite a few bottles of wine were consumed by the three of us," he said.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-25/abbott-too-drunk-to-vote-turnbull-...

Tony Abbott has taken another veiled swipe at Malcolm Turnbull, writing a new essay to argue Australia needs serious policy changes that will happen when “someone who’s prepared to do them will actually get elected”.

Cementing his intention to stay in politics longer than Turnbull, who plans to retire from parliament when he loses the prime ministership, Abbott has pledged to remain​ “as a vocal MP for as long as Liberal-conservative values need a strong advocate”.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/28/tony-abbott-outli...

His relentless turdship Tony is a capitalist fascist catholic... what should we expect next? ... More crap... more crap...

Does the ordinary Australian find the c-word offensive?

That is a question a NSW District Court judge had to consider on Tuesday during an appeal for Danny Lim, a man many Sydneysiders would recognise from his bright sandwich boards bearing political and social messages.

Mr Lim was convicted of offensive behaviour for standing on busy New South Head Road, Edgecliff, one morning in August 2015, wearing a sign that appeared to call then prime minister Tony Abbott a "c---".

The front of the sign read: "PEACE SMILE PEOPLE CAN CHANGE TONY YOU C---. LIAR, HEARTLESS, CRUEL. PEACE BE WITH YOU."

The back of the sign read: "TRICKY LYING TONY YOU C--- SCREW EDUCATION HEALTH, JOBS & THE ENVIRONMENT CHILDREN'S FUTURE SMILE"

The word included an apostrophe as if it was the word "can't", and the letter "U" was represented by an upside-down "A".

In February last year, a magistrate accepted it was a play on words, but deemed it offensive because a "reasonable person" would have been offended by the use of "c---" in reference to the prime minister.

For a court to deem any behaviour offensive, it must be considered likely to invoke "anger, disgust, resentment or outrage", and arouse a "significant emotional reaction".

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/activist-danny-lim-has-offensive-behaviour-conviction-quashed-over-tony-abbott-sign-20170829-gy6ft4.html

Actually, I think the smart little dog writes his posters... but it can't spell...

supplied by one of Gus "observers"...

See also:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/30/australians-love-to-swear-especially-when-it-comes-to-what-you-can-and-cant-call-tony-abbott

Legal documents describing senator Jacquie Lambie talking about her sex life, using foul language and behaving aggressively in the workplace have been made public, despite the efforts of her legal team.

The material was contained in an initial court submission made by Rob Messenger, the Tasmanian senator's former chief of staff.

Mr Messenger is taking Senator Lambie and the Commonwealth of Australia to the Fair Work Division of the Federal Court, claiming he and his wife Fern Messenger, who was Senator Lambie's former office manager, were unlawfully dismissed in May 2017.

The court documents, obtained by the ABC, showed Mr Messenger's initial statement of claim detailed a number of alleged incidents and complaints regarding Senator Lambie's office conduct, including regular comments about her sex life, aggressive behaviour and use of explicit language.

He claimed Senator Lambie regularly announced to staff words to the effect "I desperately need a root", and that "her excessive alcohol consumption could impact upon her work health and safety and that of the staff working within her office".

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-31/jacquie-lambie-stoush-documents-ma...