Australian news and politics.

[Sharkman84]

There have been protests against Iran.

As for the other two, I'm not commenting on here say. Especially with that attempt to continue weaponised language

It's mainly been the Iranian expat community protesting against the regime.

We haven't seen the rent-a-crowd nuffies like the former Australian of the Year Grace Tame protesting that one.

If there's one thing the far left and the far right have in common it's their psychotic hatred of Australia's Jewish community.

Both are scum and as bad as each other.

 

[zimbos05]

It's mainly been the Iranian expat community protesting against the regime.

We haven't seen the rent-a-crowd nuffies like the former Australian of the Year Grace Tame protesting that one.

If there's one thing the far left and the far right have in common it's their psychotic hatred of Australia's Jewish community.

Both are scum and as bad as each other.

If you want to protest Iran, nothing stopping you from joining the group.

Yes, there's been general protests in Australia against the Iranian authoritarian Government but not protests against it's Government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for providing funding, weaponry and training to Islamist terrorist groups to attack Israeli citizens and other Jewish communities arount the world.

And I also may add that one if the reasons why, is the Australian government has rightly sanctioned the Islamic Republic of Iran andB proscribed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism.

So good on Australia for it's stance on this. But apparently you can protest against both, the government carrying out the sponsoring of Islamist terrorism and the government complicit in supporting them....

Again, provide the evidence.

And again, stop trying to score cheap points by turning this as though Islam is the issue. Islamist is not it.

You are also coming at this from a rudimentary level. Hamas was formed in part by the Israeli government. They funded and supported this group and have equipped them. To now argue that it is all Iran is false.

 

[Sharkman84]

How Hamas was formed....

History Illustrated: The story of Hamas and its fight for Palestine

From its inception, Hamas has chosen armed resistance in its efforts to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation.

www.aljazeera.com

Al Jazeers a long established and highly respected Middle Eastern news organisation. Not a "rudimentary" one or one which "parrots" the dimwits at Sky or Fox News.

Devils advocate but isn't Al Jazeera the funded mouthpiece of the Qatari government, the very country who large swathes of the world condemned for their treatment of foreign workers building their stadiums for the last World Cup?

 

[zimbos05]

How Hamas was formed....

History Illustrated: The story of Hamas and its fight for Palestine

From its inception, Hamas has chosen armed resistance in its efforts to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation.

www.aljazeera.com

Al Jazeers a long established and highly respected Middle Eastern news organisation. Not a "rudimentary" one or one which "parrots" the dimwits at Sky or Fox News.

During the 1970s, Israel began providing support to Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood leader who controlled a network of Islamic schools, mosques, and clubs, in order to weaken the secular nationalist Palestine Liberation Organisation. It continued to encourage the expansion of Yassin's network during the first year and a half of the First Intifada, as the network re-organised into Hamas. This support lasted until 1989, when Hamas launched its first attacks on Israelis, leading to a significant crackdown against the organisation

 

[zimbos05]

I think that Israel thought that they'd allow then turn a blind eye to the Hamas’s spread because, at the time, it was a relatively minor threat to Israeli security, and Israeli leaders were focused on Yasser Arafat and the threat posed by the PLO. But it could never have been established as a bona fide Islamist organisation without the backing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

It certainly backfired on Israel in that sense. Especially with the October 7th attack.

Ok, so Israel never did anything wrong. Got it.

Also, you keep using that word, despite being told multiple times that damage it causes.

 

[zimbos05]

This article makes the case for removing the religious aspect from particular terrorism definitions such as the word "Islamist" and I think it makes a very good point.

Removing religion from Australia’s definition of terrorism - ABC Religion & Ethics

Australia is one of a handful of nations to include a “religious cause” in its legal definition of terrorism. This is both unnecessary and out of step with international law. It is also detrimental to the way Australians see members of the Muslim community.

www.abc.net.au

While most groups in the list of proscribed terrorist organisations by Australia are Islamic groups, it goes without saying that not all Muslims are terrorists.

Official definitions can aometimes imply otherwise. They need to be changed.

So, in saying that, do you not think we have an option to do that? To not distort the narrative.

We don't blame Christianity for the action of the LRA or Buddhism for the actions of Wirathu and 969.

 

[zimbos05]

B

I agree with rhe author of the article that certain religious terminologies should be removed from the law and therefore the official definitions.

They reinforce those nationalist and anti-Islamic narratives and de-humanise those of the Islamic faith, when terrorist groups are talked about in the same way.

For example when citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a proscribed terrorist group, which the Australian Government does, the name suggests that it has direct links to Islam.

The authorities need to look at how they could re-define the wording.

But don't we as citizens and society members have the option to not use that language, or not conform to government lines?

 

[WhatAmIWatching]

I'm not Morrison fan but to be fair he didn't go 'apeshit' at China. He rightly suggested that there should be a thorough investigation into how COVID originated and got out of China.

He was 100 per cent correct. Something that disrupted the world for 2 years and killed millions should be thoroughly investigated.

China were the ones that went 'apeshit' because Scomo had the 'gall' to suggest it should be looked at. Punished us accordingly and it took years to re-establish trade under Labor who no doubt will have learnt the lesson not to fuck with China.

It sucks when we're beholden to big players when they're engaged in bad behaviour.

According to George Brandis, Morrison and himself went around Europe and the USA warning about China. AUKUS came about because Morrison and Brandis wanted to deter a Chinese invasion. George Brandis can be good value for some of his thoughts as he is one of the few libertarians that knows the limits of ideologies.
As far as investigating COVID is concerned, WHO already had established guidelines for scientific co-operation in investigating the origins of pandemics for example SARS and its variants. China had never opposed those investigations and collaborated fully as they were impacted. It was News Corp and amplified by Trump and hen picked up by Morrison that turned scientific research into a political football. Also, Australian scientists screamed loudly that their research conducted in the nearby lab was misused and photographs were used without authority. You remember how News Corp papers put that on their front page?

 

[Sharkman84]

The International Monetary Fund has issued an unprecedented warning that the federal government may need to bail out heavily indebted states and territories such as Victoria and the Northern Territory, as it called on Treasurer Jim Chalmers to press the states to rein in spending and overhaul property taxes.

Unprecedented warning: Taxpayers may need to bail out broke states

The International Monetary Fund issued a rare warning as it called on Treasurer Jim Chalmers to press the states to rein in spending and overhaul property taxes.

www.afr.com

 

[JS96]

The International Monetary Fund has issued an unprecedented warning that the federal government may need to bail out heavily indebted states and territories such as Victoria and the Northern Territory, as it called on Treasurer Jim Chalmers to press the states to rein in spending and overhaul property taxes.

Unprecedented warning: Taxpayers may need to bail out broke states

The International Monetary Fund issued a rare warning as it called on Treasurer Jim Chalmers to press the states to rein in spending and overhaul property taxes.

www.afr.com

Yeah but we've got billions earmarked to go abroad first.

 

[Muz]

According to George Brandis, Morrison and himself went around Europe and the USA warning about China. AUKUS came about because Morrison and Brandis wanted to deter a Chinese invasion. George Brandis can be good value for some of his thoughts as he is one of the few libertarians that knows the limits of ideologies.
As far as investigating COVID is concerned, WHO already had established guidelines for scientific co-operation in investigating the origins of pandemics for example SARS and its variants. China had never opposed those investigations and collaborated fully as they were impacted. It was News Corp and amplified by Trump and hen picked up by Morrison that turned scientific research into a political football. Also, Australian scientists screamed loudly that their research conducted in the nearby lab was misused and photographs were used without authority. You remember how News Corp papers put that on their front page?

That's not my recollection and I'm not saying your wrong but I remember it as someone asked him whether they should look into it, he said yes and China went berko. And it wasn't just lobster. It was wine, barley, beef and a bunch of other things they canned.

Anyway point being China wields a big fuck off stick if exporters don't toe the line. They've done it to multiple countries.

 

[Muz]

Yeah but we've got billions earmarked to go abroad first.

Labor is paying down the debt mate. Like they have every time they come in.

At $250 billion when Labor was in it was a "DEBT AND DEFICIT DISASTER".

Then what did the Coalition do? They left Labor with a $1 trillion debt. Fucked by a black dog.

So yeah 4% interest on a trillion is $40 billion a year.

$110 million a day
$4.6 million an hour
$76 thousand a minute.

Yes COVID was a major contributor for that but the Coalition never afforded Labor the same excuse for the 2008 crash when debt went up under Rudd.

Fuck all these pricks.

 

[LFC]

For the record and not making excuse's BUT we did go through a pandemic that costed the world over a motza and more.......
Hence the record debt going through 2yrs of utter crap and costs - largely driven by 19 stimulus etcetc......so ofcourse it sucked big time no matter who would have been in Gov.

 

[Muz]

You can tell that the resources mob, particularly gas exporters, (thanks David Pocock) are getting toey because the Mineral Council is now running ads on tv about how much tax they pay.

Will see it ramp up if how little royalties we're getting starts making the news more.

Why can't Murdoch do some good for Australia? Just imagine if every paper, every talk back station and all the TV news starting banging on about how we should have a massive sovereign wealth fund and why don't politicians do something about it.

Christ on a bike.

 

[patjennings]

For the record and not making excuse's BUT we did go through a pandemic that costed the world over a motza and more.......
Hence the record debt going through 2yrs of utter crap and costs - largely driven by 19 stimulus etcetc......so ofcourse it sucked big time no matter who would have been in Gov.

Let's put some facts out there

When the Coalition took office under Tony Abbott in September 2013, the Australian government's net debt was approximately $161.3 billion to $174.6 billion, while gross debt was roughly $271.7 billion.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, debt levels had already significantly increased under the Coalition. By December 2019, net debt had risen to $403 billion. Gross debt on the eve of the pandemic (January 2020) was approximately $568.1 billion, nearly double what it was in 2013.

At the time of the May 2022 election, when the Albanese government took over from Scott Morrison, the inherited gross debt was $888.5 billion and net debt stood at approximately $515.6 billion.

Then compare the projections taken to the 2022 election by the LNP to waht is there now

Projected vs. Current Debt (2025–26)

Based on the Coalition's 2022 PEFO projections compared to the most recent December 2025 budget update:

• Gross Debt: Was projected to reach $1,169 billion (44.7% of GDP) by June 2026. Current 2026 projections have this at $993 billion, which is $176 billion lower than the Coalition's estimate.
• Net Debt: Was projected to hit $865 billion (33.1% of GDP) by mid-2026. Current 2026 projections have this at $587.5 billion, approximately $277 billion lower than the 2022 forecast.

Comparison Table: 2025–26 Debt Projections
Metric	LNP 2022 PEFO Projection	Current Dec 2025 Projection	Improvement
Gross Debt (% of GDP)	44.70%	34.00%	-10.70%
Net Debt (% of GDP)	33.10%	20.10%	-13.00%
Gross Debt ($ Billions)	$1,169B	$993B	-$176B
Net Debt ($ Billions)	$865B	$587.5B	-$277.5B

Future Trajectory
Current medium-term projections indicate that debt as a share of the economy is expected to fluctuate before gradually declining:

• Peak Gross Debt: Gross debt is now expected to peak at 37.0% of GDP in 2030–31. This is 7.9 percentage points lower than the peak of 44.9% projected under the previous government's 2022 settings.
• Long-term Decline: Gross debt is projected to fall to 31.9% of GDP by June 2036.
• Interest Savings: Due to the improved budget position compared to 2022 levels, the government estimates it will avoid more than $60 billion in interest costs over the 11 years to 2032–33.

In 2013 post GFC

Entity	Gross Debt (% of GDP)
Australia	30.80%
Germany	~78%
United Kingdom	~88%
United States	~104%
France	~122%
Japan	~230%

Net Debt: Australia’s net debt of 11.3% in 2013 was a fraction of the 71.9% average for the Euro Area at the time.
Fiscal Strength: Experts noted that Australia was "more like a frugal Germany than a spendthrift US" during this period, benefiting from a decades of mining-boom revenues and lower initial debt levels prior to the GFC.
Deterioration Rate: While Australia's debt did increase between 2007 and 2013 due to GFC stimulus, the scale of deterioration was far less severe than the "disasters of Europe" (such as Greece, Ireland, or Spain), which saw debt ratios jump by more than 50% of GDP in the same period.

 

[WhatAmIWatching]

I have to confess that I am still concerned on the federal debt levels (and even more so on the state level excepting WA) as we are now approaching 20 years since the GFC and the finance sector has not been reined in. So I can easily see debt levels doubling once the proverbial hits the fan.

 

[LFC]

Let's put some facts out there

When the Coalition took office under Tony Abbott in September 2013, the Australian government's net debt was approximately $161.3 billion to $174.6 billion, while gross debt was roughly $271.7 billion.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, debt levels had already significantly increased under the Coalition. By December 2019, net debt had risen to $403 billion. Gross debt on the eve of the pandemic (January 2020) was approximately $568.1 billion, nearly double what it was in 2013.

At the time of the May 2022 election, when the Albanese government took over from Scott Morrison, the inherited gross debt was $888.5 billion and net debt stood at approximately $515.6 billion.

Then compare the projections taken to the 2022 election by the LNP to waht is there now

Projected vs. Current Debt (2025–26)

Based on the Coalition's 2022 PEFO projections compared to the most recent December 2025 budget update:

• Gross Debt: Was projected to reach $1,169 billion (44.7% of GDP) by June 2026. Current 2026 projections have this at $993 billion, which is $176 billion lower than the Coalition's estimate.
• Net Debt: Was projected to hit $865 billion (33.1% of GDP) by mid-2026. Current 2026 projections have this at $587.5 billion, approximately $277 billion lower than the 2022 forecast.

Comparison Table: 2025–26 Debt Projections
Metric	LNP 2022 PEFO Projection	Current Dec 2025 Projection	Improvement
Gross Debt (% of GDP)	44.70%	34.00%	-10.70%
Net Debt (% of GDP)	33.10%	20.10%	-13.00%
Gross Debt ($ Billions)	$1,169B	$993B	-$176B
Net Debt ($ Billions)	$865B	$587.5B	-$277.5B

Future Trajectory
Current medium-term projections indicate that debt as a share of the economy is expected to fluctuate before gradually declining:

• Peak Gross Debt: Gross debt is now expected to peak at 37.0% of GDP in 2030–31. This is 7.9 percentage points lower than the peak of 44.9% projected under the previous government's 2022 settings.
• Long-term Decline: Gross debt is projected to fall to 31.9% of GDP by June 2036.
• Interest Savings: Due to the improved budget position compared to 2022 levels, the government estimates it will avoid more than $60 billion in interest costs over the 11 years to 2032–33.

In 2013 post GFC

Entity	Gross Debt (% of GDP)
Australia	30.80%
Germany	~78%
United Kingdom	~88%
United States	~104%
France	~122%
Japan	~230%

Net Debt: Australia’s net debt of 11.3% in 2013 was a fraction of the 71.9% average for the Euro Area at the time.
Fiscal Strength: Experts noted that Australia was "more like a frugal Germany than a spendthrift US" during this period, benefiting from a decades of mining-boom revenues and lower initial debt levels prior to the GFC.
Deterioration Rate: While Australia's debt did increase between 2007 and 2013 due to GFC stimulus, the scale of deterioration was far less severe than the "disasters of Europe" (such as Greece, Ireland, or Spain), which saw debt ratios jump by more than 50% of GDP in the same period.

you were up late patj
Oh for sure nothing like facts - my post was purely based as offthecuff recalling imo no Gov knew how to manage the "pandemic" by script, managing it was like trying to keep a good eye on a moving target hour by hour - it was damage control not seen since WW2 for eg.
Knowing the side of the fence you stand on I prefer a more balanced outlook politically instead of pushing one side only for I am not one eyed.
Below provides a fair summary from way back to near on to date - obviously its someone else's research and may not be agreed by all but I prefer looking at there is always some good from either side of the fence and naturally wrongs as well.
I like that this guy says about "timing" and that is very true, as far as I'm concerned thats how some of the leaders we have had came to position more than anything else.

Labor -v- Libs: which side has a better record on Deficits & Debts? Here are the facts

'Left' governments have run deficits more often than 'Right' governments, and the Left have also run larger deficits on average than the Right. But timing is everything! - the Left happened to be in power during the big deficits and debts in the two World Wars, when spending was bi-partisan. My...

www.owenanalytics.com.au

 

[Beretta]

ISIS brides 'en route' to Australia delayed by Syrian authorities as Albanese government continues to deny involvement​

No Cookies | Sky News Australia

SkyNews.com.au — Australian News Headlines & World News Online from the best award winning journalists

www.skynews.com.au

 

[tsf]

ISIS brides 'en route' to Australia delayed by Syrian authorities as Albanese government continues to deny involvement​

No Cookies | Sky News Australia

SkyNews.com.au — Australian News Headlines & World News Online from the best award winning journalists

www.skynews.com.au

Bring these gorgeous girls home. They’ve been through enough already.

Western Sydney awaits their arrival. What a wonderful coming home story.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Bring these gorgeous girls home. They’ve been through enough already.

Western Sydney awaits their arrival. What a wonderful coming home story.

Im not sure if that is racist towards Western Sydney or not??? ahahaha