Bernie Finn has been accused of harassing a Liberal party member online. The article doesn't say who.
Can we work it out?
1/
I'm reminded of the time a recording was leaked of a Liberal Party room meeting where Bernie Finn calls Tim Smith a f**king ididot.
I'm not sure if that's harassment, or truth.
2/
But, back to this 'harassment'.
Apparently, the legal action was initiated after Bernie and the complainant saw each other in a car park, and Bernie subsequently wrote about the encounter.
But who could it be?
3/
Perhaps this is a clue. Bernie wrote on Facebook on May 17th that he almost had a face to face encounter with Stephanie Bastiaan.
Does that name sound familiar?
4/
It does. I coincidentally referenced Stephanie Bastiaan as a result of her association with catholic-linked conservative think-tank and disingenuously named 'Women's Forum Australia'.
Interestingly, Stephanie Bastiaan has tweeted more than 10 times in support of Moira Deeming, and in a case of 'gee it's a small world', Moira was Secretary of Bernie Finn's anti-abortion activist group.
If it is Stephanie bringing the complaint, whose side is Moira is on?
7/
After being booted out of the Liberal Party, and then failing to be re-elected having joined the confusingly named Democratic Labour Party, Bernie Finn is now the federal Victorian senate candidate for Lyle Shelton's 'Family First' party.
What a mess.
/end
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Today Josh Frydenberg treated a terrorist attack as a political relaunch opportunity.
It’s one of the most repellent displays of opportunism ever in this history of Australian politics.
There's some relevant historical context. A thread.
#auspol
/1
Josh Frydenberg asked, “How did they come here?”
Sajid Akram arrived under Howard.
He received a gun licence under Abbott.
His Aus born son was assessed and cleared by ASIO under Morrison, with Frydenberg in the Cabinet.
That’s the answer, Josh.
/2
Josh asks how they went to the Philippines.
About 200k Australians do every year, including his colleague George Christensen, who went 28 times without scrutiny.
The only person known to ASIO was cleared under the govt Josh sat in, so what would trigger extra monitoring?
The Liberals lined up to film themselves claiming Labor’s machete disposal bins cost $325,000 each.
They all pushed the same lie.
Let’s take a tour through this political rubbish - and at the end, I’ll show you what the bins really cost 🗑️🧵
How big will their lies be?
/1
Bin watch #1: Jess Wilson posted her $325k bin claim, and did this after the real cost had already been stated in Parliament.
Jess knew the number. She lied anyway.
If you’ll knowingly push a falsehood this brazen, what’s your credibility worth on anything else?
/2
Bin watch #2: Jane Hume, delivering the bin lie with the same energy she brings to railing against working from home - loud, confident, and completely wrong.
You’ll remember the blow-up over Matthew Knott’s SMH piece quoting a Hamas co-founder in what looked like a hit job on Albanese. (Context in the quote tweet below if you aren't up to speed.)
Well, it gets worse, and no one’s noticed. A thread....
/1
After the backlash, and an AFR piece (same parent company, see quote tweet) inadvertently called Knott's article into question without explicitly saying so.
Colleen Harkin from the Liberal Party’s admin committee is behind the court action to block the payment John Pesutto needs to settle Moira Deeming’s defamation case, and avoid bankruptcy.
Harkin backed Israel Folau when he damned gay people to hell, because that’s what culture war crusaders do.
Now she’s backing Deeming and trying to kneecap Pesutto.
Different battle, same culture war.
2/4
Oh, and Colleen runs the Institute of Public Affairs' schools program, whatever that is.
From Deves to Deeming, Folau to factional chaos, Colleen Harkin embodies the culture war conservatism making the Liberal Party unelectable in progressive Victoria.
A legal stoush has erupted on Kew High Street just now after Boroondara Council enforced its directive: one sign per candidate on public land.
Everyone complied except the Liberals who are refusing and have called in lawyers, leaving their signs all over the public footpath.
Another council officer has arrived but the Liberals are digging in further.
I just saw someone try and cross the road and get stuck behind the signs while 4 lanes of peak hour traffic flies by.
Council officers have raised serious concerns about signs on the cnr of Kew High Street and Pakington Street.
They say the signs are obstructing drivers’ visibility, making it dangerous for them to see children crossing the road on their way to Kew Primary School just 30m away.