We have seen how the Abbott Government treats Inquiries. For Tony Abbott along with his front bench they are just another political tool.
One only has to look at his two biggest Inquiries, the Royal Commissions. One into Kevin Rudd’s pink batts programme, and the other into Trade Unions, no political agenda here….
Frankly I don’t blame Bill Shorten for being a tad sceptical when Tony Abbott talk about an Inquiry into the Martin Place Siege. Fairfax has reported that Abbott is now hinting that the Inquiry will not be in the slightest bit transparent with the government considering only releasing its response to the findings, and burying the findings themselves in national security red tape and bullshit.
I find it utterly disturbing and ultimately disappointing that after such a tragic event right before Xmas Tony Abbott and his Coalition can do nothing but go into damage control or criticise those who are showing compassion.
I thought these clowns running our country were meant to be full of Christian compassion, we are yet to see that they are full of anything other than shit.
All this talk of how the gunman was taken off the terrorist watch list years ago, what a crock. How does someone get taken off that list? I would have assumed they would only be taken off once they died. This is a man who was becoming increasingly violent with 40 allegations of sexual assault and a possible involvement in the horrific and torturous murder of his former wife in a carpark stairwell.
This smells of bullshit and buck-passing.
Even if he did come off the watch lists why was he not put back on them once he was linked to violent crimes?
Tony Abbott has shown us how he is in control and on top of things by talking of how he failed to understand how the gunman could have a gun license. Good job Tony, it’s just that he never did have a gun licence.
I would have thought that this would be perhaps about the easiest thing to be correct on. Does Abbott think that everyone with a gun has a license? Is he really that naïve? Or is it that the National Security Services have also had to bear the brunt of Coalition cutbacks and are now using computer systems that are having to be checked for the Y2K bug?
Do you have a license for that thing Tony?
Image – News Ltd
One thing we now know for certain is that the grown-ups are not in charge, in fact of those in charge it would seem a struggle to find a grown-up amongst them.
If there was to be an Inquiry at all it would have to be completely transparent otherwise it is just a waste of time and money and just another excuse for a free lunch for the legal fraternity.
An enquiry would have to delve into the failings of National Security Agencies under an Abbott Government that has until now told us how tough they were on National Security issues. It would also look at the Federal Police and ASIO, both under the control of the Abbott government.
In NSW, the Police would clearly looked at, as well as the judicial system, all under the control of another Coalition government. Also under major scrutiny would be the extremely controversial changes to the bail act that were heavily opposed by Labor and were also brought in by the current Coalition Government and which they themselves soon recognised as so flawed that they are due to be changed again in January next year. Too late for some.
The NSW Coalition government that screwed up so badly and would be under an Inquiry’s scrutiny is led by Premier Mike Baird.
Mike Baird is the member for Manly, although his dodging responding to questions on these matters has been anything but manly. Tony Abbott is the Federal Member for Waringah.
These guys share the same electorate, and even shared the same fundraising organisation the Waringah Club which has been found to breached the law previously regarding political donations. These guys are mates and practically neighbours, they may even be part of the same Liberal Party Branch.
Pardon me for thinking that an Inquiry under the control of this government may not be a thorough as required. Particularly one we not even have the opportunity to see the result of, only Abbott’s response into an Inquiry into the failures of himself and a mate.
We have a Prime Minister that talks tough but doesn’t even have the guts to face himself in the mirror.
Abbott has become Master of the backdown, and King of the gutless.
One only needs to look at his shirtfronting debacle and failure to confront Putin with anything more threatening than a pussy cat. For all his tough talk and Julie Bishop’s failed diplomacy what has been the result? Not a single family member mourning the death of a loved one in the MH17 tragedy has had remains returned to them to lay to rest so they can move on with their lives. MH17 was brought down July 17th over six months ago.
The huge terrorist raids across two states which “coincidently” coincided with Tony Abbott and George Brandis’s new terrorism laws made great public theatre but resulted in just two arrests.
The plastic sword of great insignificance
Although in fairness they did manage to seize a plastic sword.
While the press were talking up the beheading possibilities of a plastic sword, in a living room somewhere a now notorious man was probably polishing his gun. It would be funny were it not so tragic.
This week shock jock Ray Hadley downgraded his rating of Tony Abbott from a B- to a D-.
My rating for this entire government would be an F.
The F can stand for either failed or fucked.
I’ll let readers decide which…
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These failures are well and truly Fucked.
With the big talk of keeping tabs on certain people to catch them before they commit a terrorist act, I think of all the women and children who have died at the hands of violent partners and ex-partners. The law enforcement response in many cases has been (still is?) totally inadequate when stalking and death threats are reported to police and AVOs obtained. Obviously some threats to life are more worthy of resources and prevention efforts than others.
Prime Minister of Australia
The Right Honourable
Tony Abbott
Press Communique ( to world press in response to-:
Sydney Siege —–“SHIT HAPPENS”—–
Hmmm.. it’s rather difficult not to go into “conspiracy” mode about what the AFP and ASIO knew or didn’t know. I have to admit thinking about the Hilton Bombing and the odd “enquiries” into that .
The trouble with “independent inquiries” is they often provide the answers their employer wants and how can we trust employers who has been so cavalier with their promises and so bounteous with their lies? Inquiries are also an excellent way to put an issue you’re not prepared to address on the back burner in hopes the public will forget about it.
yes, this situation with our Gov is quite extraordinary (and worrying)
thank goodness for independent-minded journos like yourself, Peter.
Please know your work is much appreciated. Keep it up. Hope 2015 is good to you : )
The Y2K bug is a nasty piece of contrived unreality that turns steel swords into plastic once contents are scanned.
The AFP need a change of uniform– brown shirts with blue ties is my like just totally preferred favourite for them and Tony can “man up” at the barracks “soggy sao” Xmas Tugfest.
No one from ASIO or the AFP or even the NSW Police corps goes to sniper training and this led me to find out the Guiness Book of Records records where 2 kills by a British Sniper were done in Afghanistan at a distance of over 2.7 kilometres.
I even talked to an ex Nam sniper [they`re truly terrifying folk] who said if a camera can shoot them,then our job`s piece of piss and plenty got taken out through car/truck windows,and through the windows of buildings.
I imagine this was discussed and obviously thought to WTF ever.
He told me that movie with Tom Berringer was very close to the mark and even their own gave them a wide berth
The truth of his claim-I don`t know but the pub talk we had on Tuesday had me eyes wide and ears open.
Anyway when Labor are returned we need dozens of RC`s
Its unrealistic to expect Tony Abbott to do anything about MH17 because there is no real evidence of the involvement of Putin or even Russian aligned rebels. Its currently under investigation by the Dutch and they have yet to draw any conclusions regarding culpability.
Having looked at the cached website of the gunman, he doesn’t look a typical jihadist at all – just a bit of charlatan pushing pseudo-spirituality for cash. I can’t help feeling if the police had wanted a negotiated ending to the stand-off they could have achieved it – as one of the hostages wrote on facebook – “why don’t they just give him his $#@%ing flag?” At least – and at risk of being a Monday morning quarterback – police might have taken in their assumptions regarding jihadists into negotiations, unaware this individual was somewhat different.
The case of involvement with the death of his former wife’s death was described by the magistrate as very weak. And the sexual assault charges resulted from someone responding to his ads regarding occultism tuition, attending two sessions and claimed she was sexual assaulted both times (perhaps she returned the 2nd time just to check?) – very much a he says/she says situation.
The letters he sent to the families of fallen servicemen (or it at least the one I read) were not in themselves hateful, just the recipients completely inappropriate. The one I read was quite rational and claimed to have evidence that 3 children killed in Afghanistan during an ADF raid had not been killed by the Taliban, but by members of the ADF. An interesting claim, just grossly insensitive and pointless to be sending it to bereaved families.
You can’t help wondering if these letters and the matters raised may have raised the ire of the defense establishment and directly led to those other legal problems. With feelings of paranoia and persecution being the motivation for the hostage taking. I don’t really care if a hostage-taking gunman winds up dead, but two other people also lost their lives, something that might have been very avoidable.
I don’t want to hijack this post but would like to agree with littlegreyrabbit re MH17. The investigation isn’t complete so let’s wait. If you only read Western MSM you’ll conclude that Russia was probably behind it, but other media present a different, and at this stage, equally plausible case. Tony should have waited before mouthing off. Innocent until proven guilty should apply to Russia as much as to Craig Thomson.
Excellent post as always wixxy. you go straight to the heart of the matter. Thank God we have people like you ferreting out the truth.
I really don’t think there’s a grade low enough to rate this apology for a PM and his equally lamentable cabinet.
Any inquiry instigated by this mob would also be the same failed witch hunt which could only conclude that Julia Gillard seemed to display irritability when she gave evidence. Considering the amateur hour it obviously was, it’s no wonder she was peeved.
You want a conspiracy…….This was the siege abbort encouraged not so long ago. Arranged by abbort’s accomplices, utilising a loner radical who was prepared to do anything to make a noise & with nothing to lose, manipulated into the said siege.
This isn’t new, checkout the cia, israel ss, kgb, mi5 etc
are the public ever going to see the video/cams the police had on during the raid? What type of gun did the gunman have? Was it auto? What type of projectiles wounded and killed the hostages? If it meant just a phone call why didn’t the PM make the phone call if it would mean some hostages being released? And if the gunman was a religious nut why not let his religious leaders talk to him?
I was alarmed to hear the guman was inside the High Court some 48 hrs before the siege on Monday morning. Imagine if he had been a real terrorist, and he killed the Chief Justice or others sitting on the bench that day. It is astounding, that people like Abbott and Baird are not concerned with that factor. D- = Derelict of Duty
Allegations of crimes are not facts, they are not convictions, the only convictions he had were for writing nasty letters, but none as nasty as the vomit of hate and bile the Ltd News Corps bloviators spew out.
Got that people, he was only convicted of sending nasty letters. He was a man innocent of any other crime when he was shot dead.
Whether you like that or not it is a fact.
He was also not a refugee at the time of his death, he was an Australian citizens for 12 years when he was shot dead.
If he had tried to join ISIS they would have shot him on site.
He made one demand – he wanted a full court hearing into the only conviction in our history for sending hate mail, he did not and could not live with the agony of limbo on a split 3-3 decision.
Let me illustrate what that means – Henry Keough in Adelaide will walk free on Monday after 19 years in prison for a murder blind freddy could see he did not commit. He tried for 15 years to have a fair hearing in a fair court with only the evidence presented and was denied with some judges believing him and some not.
Hundreds of convictions for serious crimes now stand untrustworthy because one man was not impeached 15 years ago on evidence that was speculation.
Sort of like the weird speculation Heydon made in the TURC regarding Gillard, apparently she was a bit rehearsed over questions she had answered 4 million times and without Heydon asking why she was even called as the TURC was about unionists and she was not in the union.
Limbo and unanswered questions drive people to the brink of insanity and frankly Peter you joining in the mass hysteria again is beneath your formidable intelligence.
if he had survived and been sent to trial on 17 charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, threatening abuse and all his other crimes over 17 hours one would expect that he might die in prison in about 20 years or so.
As his only conviction was for sending hate mail up until 2013 and indeed until he died, why would he be on a watch list? Just because he is a muslim?
I’ve gotten a little sick and tired of the endless propaganda recently in our MSM media so tend not to follow events through those eyes. This article did appear in my inbox mid week and may be interesting to those who haven’t seen it. It tends to back up Wixxy.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-shape-shifting-sheik-and-the-sydney-siege/5420129
see also http://www.vox.com/2014/12/15/7393791/sheikh-haron-website/in/7157998
Now here`s a totally differing view of this tragic reality and thank you for sharing this Marilyn as by the greatest majority of the public would have no idea of what you wrote.
Makes one wonder what he wanted to speak to the PM about and of course the demonization of Muslims is MSM fare and they`re fair game to their propaganda as well
An interesting comment that will open many eyes.
Agreed, Marilyn and Bighead. As well as wondering what he wanted to speak to Abbott about, I will be interested to hear what the negotiators (assuming there were some) were prepared to concede – his demands seemed to offer room for compromise, it’s not as though he was asking for the release of dangerous prisoners or a plane to take him to parts foreign, or similar. I’m optimistic that the full story will eventually come out because there were too many witnesses (hostages) to enable a coverup.
But Lefty<Lawyer Chris Murphy has tweeted this to add to the mix-
chris murphy ?@chrismurphys 4h4 hours ago
Outraged by continuous misrepresentation of my 2009 image & contact with 2014 #sydneysiege killer Monis #auspol
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B5U976UCAAAGkBc.jpg
you will need to click the link
Thanks for the link Bighead – Mmmm – one meeting, less than ten minutes, ‘rant’ ‘unhinged’.
Murphy may have been spot on, but I think I’ll wait for something a bit more definite than a hasty judgement by someone with no expertise in psychiatry.
One can only pass on truthful information as it comes to hand and like Julian Burnside,Chris Murphy has some cred,albeit not as much as Burnside.
The MSM thinks these lawyers as Leftist scum which adds to their credibility.
Reminds me a little of the B (C or D?) team running breakfast on Radio National the other morning who adlibbed her outrage over North Korea hacking Sony – as if she new for a fact that this was so – when most likely N Korea had nothing to do with it. But it’s what the radio front people do these days – they fall over themselves repeating the latest State Department propaganda… of the moment or even repeat propaganda from the past as if to build credibility thru subservience to empire – be it Iraqi WMD’s, Iranian Nukes, Syrian Chemical weapons blah blah. It’s all bullshit, man.
if Tony can delay the enquiry until after the next election the ALP will be able to hold it. what a sweet thought
Sceptic, I agree with your thoughts
Spanner it was a sawn of shotgun so one two at the most rounds in the barrel/s. Pump actions don’t get cut down . hearing the sound of the star force weapons it could only be the styer 22 on full auto
So I’m leaning to trigger happy coppers as the real killers and harmers in this play for political power.
How does one prove the need for anti-terrorism law changes . make it happen
Our so called terrorist was at one point clean shaven ish . all of a sudden he is sporting a “terrorist beard”. Abbott thinks were the dumb dumbs.
And yes conspiracy theory was my fave movie.
Police said it was a short barreled shotgun, which can be devastating in close quarters.Looking at the vision of the young lady carried out with the leg wound and given the fact that she was carried out, not stretchered out,coupled with the amount of blood on the leg and apparent minimal damage to clothing. I would put money on a single projectile rather than multiple projectiles from a shotgun, so probably “friendly” fire or a ricochet from “friendly” fire. Be interesting to see the projectiles that fatally hit the other two victims. My guess is that they wont be shotgun wounds. I suspect that the young lady was hit in a major vessel and bled out, hence the CPR at scene.
Given the volume of fire into the cafe, we will probably never know who fired the fatal shot(s), probably only if it was the gunman or the police. It probably was only good fortune that not more innocents were killed. Even if it was “friendly” fire, the police were doing a very difficult job and I would not apportion blame to them in the circumstances. Snipers, the movies make it seem effortless, but in reality, a crowded city, small cafe crowded with hostages, don’t think I would like to make that call
The investigation into the siege will go the same way as the MH17 investigation.An article in counter punch by barrister James O’Neill who tried to obtain a copy under freedom of information.
>An Australian citizen (name redacted) wrote to the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss) seeking a copy of the agreement. By letter dated 15 October 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) replied on behalf of the Minister, refusing the requester a copy of the agreement as its contents were “classified.”
The present writer wrote to DFAT on 21 August 2014 seeking a copy of the agreement of 8 August 2014 under the Freedom of Information Act. The department declaimed responsibility and said that they had passed my request on to the Attorney-General’s Department. This was odd, but even odder was advice from the Attorney General that my request had been passed in turn to the Australian Federal Police who were the responsible body.
>On 2 December 2014 the Australian Federal Police finally gave their decision on the FOI request. It was declined on the basis that disclosure of the document (which they acknowledged existed) under section 33 would, or could reasonably be expected to, cause damage to:
(i) the security of the Commonwealth; or
(ii) the defence of the Commonwealth; or
(iii) the international relations of the Commonwealth.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/19/why-the-secrecy-on-the-mh17-investigation/
My previous comment was in relation to the secrecy agreement signed by Australia, Belgium, Ukraine and Dutch and reported on in a Ukrainian news site but no western MSM reported it.
The original article here. Use google translate.
http://www.unian.net/politics/950394-dannyie-rassledovaniya-katastrofyi-boinga-budut-oglashenyi-pri-soglasii-storon-gpu.html