Writer and editor, formerly of The Monthly, nickfeik at proton dot me
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Nov 4 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Nothing like #estimates to reveal the true nature of bipartisan govt.
Last night Home Affairs revealed that contracts with Serco for detention services have blown out by $2.7bn to total $4.6 billion over ten yrs, for decreasing no.s of detainees.
No one seemed to give a shit.
The diligent senator Shoebridge was trying to understand how the contracts could blow out so badly (by $2.7bn!), and a parade of snr bureaucrats led by Stephanie Foster acted like their job was to conceal, obfuscate and condescend instead of explaining. We are poorly served.
Oct 3 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
It's been a year since the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tas Govt's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings was released.
The report revealed thousands of child abuse cases, the worst being at Ashley detention centre over decades. #politas
Not a single staff member from Ashley has been fired, not a single one charged, and dozens of alleged perps are on full paid leave. Kids have been abused in this time. It's still not safe to report. Mandatory reporting isn't happening. What is minister Jaensch doing?
Feb 10 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Here’s a funny Tasmanian story:
In 2015-16 the Tasmanian govt commissioned a group of eminent constitutional lawyers to conduct a review of the notorious Tasmanian constitution, with a view to fixing it and adding a section on Indigenous recognition…
The working group operated in partnership with the Law Foundation of Tas , UTAS Faculty of Law, and Tas Law Reform Institute and contained eminences such as George Williams. (More here: ). Their consensus statement abt the TAS constitution was astonishingclassic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UT…
Aug 31, 2023 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
It’s been largely missed on the mainland, but the series of (linked) cases of child abuse in Tasmania exposed by the recent Commission of Inquiry is the worst I’ve ever encountered. #politas abc.net.au/news/2023-08-3…
The Commission made over 100 (!) criminal referrals of state public servants. It will make 160 recommendations to the govt. It also recommended closing down Ashley Youth Detention Centre altogether, as a matter of urgency.
Jul 29, 2023 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
Mike Pezzullo has a lot to answer for. Here's a thread, just from the past few years, of bad deals by Home Affairs under his leadership. (There's a longer thread tbc of human rights abuses during this period.)
In 2017, Home Affairs awarded $423 million in contracts to a little-known company named Paladin whose Australian arm was registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island, and had just $50,000 in capital.
https://t.co/7LvlwYxetythemonthly.com.au/issue/2021/feb…
Mar 27, 2023 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
The hard cap on emissions in the Safeguard is a good thing, without doubt. But there's serious devil in the detail. 1. Who decides which facilities can offset and which need to cut (to meet the overall cap)?
Remember: gas facilities only count scope1 emissions (10%), so...
2. Given many gas companies have already acquired many of their offsets out to 2030, it may well be the non-fossil industries that need to bear the load of actual cuts. IMO the effect on new gas and coal likely very small. Maybe need to buy a few more offsets?
Mar 21, 2023 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
The thing that irritates me the most about Labor's arguments defending the Safeguard?
That there are none. They don't even TRY to make the case for unlimited offsets, or allowing new gas & coal. They know they'd lose the moment they engage so they treat the public like mushrooms
They mount strawman arguments and fight those instead - as if opponents are calling for an end to ALL gas, for example - and then head straight for the political lines (perfect/enemy/good etc)
Dec 12, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Oh look, another public service exec who cannot recall anything useful to the #RobodebtRC. This time someone from the ATO, who cannot explain why the ATO continued to allow DHS to misuse its data.
Who on earth is this twit from ATO protecting? And why? #RobodebtRC
Dec 11, 2022 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
Has everyone registered that the Climate Change Authority chair is also the chair of Aust’s biggest carbon aggregator? And that the CCA keeps pushing policies that profit Carbon aggregators? australiainstitute.org.au/post/climate-c…
And that several other Climate Change Authority board members are commercially involved in carbon trading? No wonder Aust’s entire emissions reduction policy rests on carbon offset trading. Much more profitable than actually reducing emissions amirite
Aug 1, 2022 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
“The ABC Overton window has shrunk to reduce the presence of strong left-wing commentary. A climate-change denialist is more likely to appear on an ABC discussion panel than a trade unionist.” themonthly.com.au/issue/2022/aug…
Let alone an actual socialist. The national broadcaster’s idea of left wing (like the rest of the big media) is a nice person in a suit inviting us to do capitalism more mindfully.
May 2, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
A secret deal with Joyce, Canavan etc is "democracy" but voting for an independent candidate like Zoe Daniel who campaigns on real climate action is apparently not.
Are News Corp charging for this advertising space?
Just quietly, I'm enjoying the unhinged desperation of the News Corp papers this week. Real end-times vibes.
Mar 25, 2021 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
This is a thread about Stuart Robert, one of the ministers Morrison so proud of, and who is reportedly set to be given control of the Home Affairs portfolio soon.
(from here: themonthly.com.au/issue/2021/feb… )
Mar 24, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Stuart Robert? Home Affairs?!
I fear we’ve entered some kind of political news warp drive.
Desk masturbators, slut-shaming by Eric Abetz, gay orgies, fake News Corp news, the PM crying, Cabinet reshuffle, Stuart ROBERT!... and that’s only the past 15 minutes!
Mar 22, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
This press conference is making me ill.
Wow, he's wheeling the wife and daughter card again.
Albanese can’t even summon up the fortitude to voice the aspiration of a target? Worried they might actually be forced to commit to some kind of policy?
It’s been 18 months...
Oct 21, 2020 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
“Maguire talked about earning a commission from a Badgery Creek land deal... He complained to Berejiklian about ‘problems’ with the Greater Sydney Commission just as she decided – against strong advice – to bring it within her portfolio control.”
Stinks. themonthly.com.au/blog/russell-m…
If their relationship met the definition of “intimate personal relationship” under the NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct, she was under a legal obligation to make a declaration every time she took any action that “could reasonably be expected to confer a private benefit” on Maguire
Oct 13, 2020 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
"An email sent by racing heir Louise Raedler Waterhouse to Ms Berejiklian was deleted from her personal account before corruption investigators could retrieve it" smh.com.au/politics/nsw/c…
"The October 2017 meeting over 'gaming issues' was attended by Ms Berejiklian, Mr Maguire and three publicans, one who had been convicted of arson and attempted insurance fraud and another who had been found guilty of illegally owning poker machines." smh.com.au/politics/nsw/p…
Oct 12, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Berejiklian casually chatting and chuckling (on tape) with her boyfriend, a sitting MP, as he tells her about the deals he's trying to line up, and stands to profit from...
When she steps off the stand she should just keep walking off and out of politics.
Unless Berejiklian can provide definitive proof that she told Maguire that what he was doing was inappropriate and wrong, and then did something about it, she doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Sep 30, 2020 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
OMG they're so full of shit. A multi-million $ manufacturing roadmap? Running on all the front pages again. Please.
They announce a "boost" for manufacturing every few months. Here are some they prepared earlier:
This whole COVID Commission idea is ridiculous: unelected, hand-picked, unaccountable. And no health professionals among them.
Re-open the parliament instead. We elect MPs to coordinate national affairs. What are they doing?
If nothing, then cancel salaries.
Morrison: Everyone’s jobs are essential. Except ours. Parliament is unnecessary. MPs: hide out for 5 months on full pay. We’re outsourcing decisions to business types and pliant bureaucrats.
Mar 22, 2020 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
Morrison is defensive, unclear, belligerent, misleading on ABC.
No effort to confirm the importance of these measures.
He needs to get out of the way now.
Morrison is clearly irritated he’s been bypassed by the premiers, and now he’s having a tantrum.
He is a child.
