Latest news with #JohnHoward
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Question time returns, but you wouldn't want to look here for answers
That was after John Howard's Coalition smashed Paul Keating's Labor government. All these years later, Anthony Albanese's Labor government, having reduced the Liberal-Nationals Coalition to even worse ruin than Keating's remnants, has precisely the same novel numbers problem. And as Albanese and his colleagues have discovered, there just aren't enough seats on the government benches to accommodate 94 posteriors. So overwhelming are the government numbers that Albanese no longer has just front benchers and backbenchers, but a group we might call assistant side benchers. The side benchers, squeezed out of the government's regular seating arrangements behind the prime minister, have been consigned to spots across the House of Representatives aisle from the massed ranks of their Labor colleagues. Loading All five are assistant ministers, which is to say, not quite of the front rank in the pecking order, but a step up from mere backbenchers. The intriguing question, unanswered, is whether they are being taught a chastening lesson about status, or granted prized territory, allowing the prime minister to look fondly across at them as he rises to speak at the dispatch boxes. The new government assistant side-benchers, anyway, are in spots previously occupied by crossbenchers – independents and Greens, who rarely attracted a fond gaze from a prime minister. The independents, most of whom are known as teals, plus the single remaining Green and the hard-to-describe-but-certainly-independent Queenslander Bob Katter, have all been shoved further sideways to benches that were once occupied by Coalition MPs. There are, of course, plenty of vacant spots for the incredibly shrinking Coalition after the Liberal Party's rout at the May election. Their numbers have been reduced to even fewer than Labor's scant numbers after Howard's 1996 landslide. Labor lost government in 1996 and was left with 49 seats. Now, the Coalition has just 43. Liberal and Nationals MPs sit huddled together in a corner of the big house, an awkward partnership since their brief post-election break-up, trying to summon up the strength to caterwaul satisfactorily, and failing. Side-eyes, you can be sure, are cast. Angus Taylor and his disappointed minions of the Liberals' harder right must endure the sight of Sussan Ley leading them on a relatively moderate adventure. Even deeper into the Coalition's age of discontent, two former Nationals leaders, Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack – bitter enemies of the past, now the living embodiment of 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' – have joined forces to cause current leader David Littleproud as much discomfort as they can. Across the chamber, Albanese's assembled ranks, hip to hip across the benches, not a spare seat to be found, apparently figured that old standby of question time, the bellowing of feigned outrage, was no more than wasted energy in such an uneven contest. Butter, it seemed, would not melt in this government's collective mouth. And hip to hip? Right at the back of the backbench, some comedian had assigned side-by-side seats to a pair of physical giants: the new member for Leichardt, Matt Smith, who is a former Cairns Taipans basketballer, and the member for Hunter, former Olympic shooter Dan Repacholi. Smith stands at 2.1 metres (6 feet, 11 inches) and Repacholi at 2.02 metres (6 feet, 8 inches). The first two Dorothy Dixers were given to Labor's leader-slayers: Ali France, who took down the opposition's previous leader, Peter Dutton, and Sarah Witty, who dispensed with the Greens' Adam Bandt. Loading France wanted to know about the government's efforts to ease the cost of living and Witty asked about reducing student debt. Utterly inoffensive, naturally, and designed for nothing more than drawing attention to their winning ways. There were quite a few more questions, most of them predictable. Just don't call this first session of the 48th parliament 'answer time'.
The Age
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Age
Question time returns, but you wouldn't want to look here for answers
That was after John Howard's Coalition smashed Paul Keating's Labor government. All these years later, Anthony Albanese's Labor government, having reduced the Liberal-Nationals Coalition to even worse ruin than Keating's remnants, has precisely the same novel numbers problem. And as Albanese and his colleagues have discovered, there just aren't enough seats on the government benches to accommodate 94 posteriors. So overwhelming are the government numbers that Albanese no longer has just front benchers and backbenchers, but a group we might call assistant side benchers. The side benchers, squeezed out of the government's regular seating arrangements behind the prime minister, have been consigned to spots across the House of Representatives aisle from the massed ranks of their Labor colleagues. Loading All five are assistant ministers, which is to say, not quite of the front rank in the pecking order, but a step up from mere backbenchers. The intriguing question, unanswered, is whether they are being taught a chastening lesson about status, or granted prized territory, allowing the prime minister to look fondly across at them as he rises to speak at the dispatch boxes. The new government assistant side-benchers, anyway, are in spots previously occupied by crossbenchers – independents and Greens, who rarely attracted a fond gaze from a prime minister. The independents, most of whom are known as teals, plus the single remaining Green and the hard-to-describe-but-certainly-independent Queenslander Bob Katter, have all been shoved further sideways to benches that were once occupied by Coalition MPs. There are, of course, plenty of vacant spots for the incredibly shrinking Coalition after the Liberal Party's rout at the May election. Their numbers have been reduced to even fewer than Labor's scant numbers after Howard's 1996 landslide. Labor lost government in 1996 and was left with 49 seats. Now, the Coalition has just 43. Liberal and Nationals MPs sit huddled together in a corner of the big house, an awkward partnership since their brief post-election break-up, trying to summon up the strength to caterwaul satisfactorily, and failing. Side-eyes, you can be sure, are cast. Angus Taylor and his disappointed minions of the Liberals' harder right must endure the sight of Sussan Ley leading them on a relatively moderate adventure. Even deeper into the Coalition's age of discontent, two former Nationals leaders, Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack – bitter enemies of the past, now the living embodiment of 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' – have joined forces to cause current leader David Littleproud as much discomfort as they can. Across the chamber, Albanese's assembled ranks, hip to hip across the benches, not a spare seat to be found, apparently figured that old standby of question time, the bellowing of feigned outrage, was no more than wasted energy in such an uneven contest. Butter, it seemed, would not melt in this government's collective mouth. And hip to hip? Right at the back of the backbench, some comedian had assigned side-by-side seats to a pair of physical giants: the new member for Leichardt, Matt Smith, who is a former Cairns Taipans basketballer, and the member for Hunter, former Olympic shooter Dan Repacholi. Smith stands at 2.1 metres (6 feet, 11 inches) and Repacholi at 2.02 metres (6 feet, 8 inches). The first two Dorothy Dixers were given to Labor's leader-slayers: Ali France, who took down the opposition's previous leader, Peter Dutton, and Sarah Witty, who dispensed with the Greens' Adam Bandt. Loading France wanted to know about the government's efforts to ease the cost of living and Witty asked about reducing student debt. Utterly inoffensive, naturally, and designed for nothing more than drawing attention to their winning ways. There were quite a few more questions, most of them predictable. Just don't call this first session of the 48th parliament 'answer time'.
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
New bar and restaurant opens in Edinburgh ahead of Festival
A dedicated bar space has been created for people to drop in for a leisurely drink and snacks seven days a week from lunchtime until late. Edinburgh chef Scott Smith has teamed up with Òir Group to oversee the kitchen at The Captain Darling and help with the launch phase of the new venue. The focus of the menu is on classic, well-made, seasonal dishes that are created to be full of flavour. A separate dining area is now serving an all-day brasserie-style menu. Starters include Cumbrae oysters; prawn cocktail, Caesar salad and haggis croquettes. Highlights of the main menu include handmade savoury pies and a selection of meats cooked over coals. READ MORE: John Howard, owner and director of Òir Group, said: 'This is an extremely proud and exciting moment for our whole team. After months of planning and preparation, the doors are finally open to Edinburgh's newest brasserie-style bar and restaurant, just in time for the start of the Festival in August. 'Located right in the heart of Stockbridge, we really want The Captain Darling to feel part of the local neighbourhood. Open seven days a week, we're offering a warm and relaxed welcome to everyone to either drop in for a drink, catch up with friends, or sit down for a good meal. Small and friendly dogs are welcome too! 'We're also planning some other new ventures around Edinburgh over the coming months, so watch this space.' The Captain Darling is located at 16-18 Hamilton Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, EH3 5AU
The Independent
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Tony Blair government lobbied by Australia not to meet Indigenous ‘troublemakers', archives reveal
The Australian government privately pressured Tony Blair in 1999 not to meet an Indigenous delegation led by Patrick Dodson, labelling them 'troublemakers', according to newly released government files. Mr Dodson, a Yawuru elder and one of Australia 's most influential Indigenous leaders, later elected as an Australian Labour senator, is widely regarded as the 'father of reconciliation'. Australian officials feared the delegation would seek an apology from the Queen and raise 'historical failure of the British government to consult Australia's Indigenous population during colonisation ', according to a report in the Guardian based on the newly released UK National Archives papers. A memo from Mr Blair's foreign affairs adviser, John Sawers, reportedly reveals that the Australian high commissioner, Philip Flood, urged Mr Blair not to meet the visiting Indigenous delegation. The UK government was uneasy about the optics and feared diplomatic fallout, with Mr Sawers suggesting Mr Blair cite 'diary problems' to avoid the meeting, an idea Mr Blair appeared to agree with. 'The Australians are pretty wound up about the idea of you seeing the Aborigines at all,' Mr Sawers reportedly wrote in a note to Blair, the outlet reported. 'Their high commissioner rang me to press you not to see them: they were troublemakers – it would be like [the then Australian prime minister] John Howard seeing people from Northern Ireland who were trying to stir up problems for the UK.' Mr Dodson has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame in Broome, and he was recognised as a 'National Living Treasure' in 2008. He also has received the Sydney Peace Prize. In 2022, Mr Dodson was visibly moved to tears as he recalled meeting Queen Elizabeth II two decades ago. Indigenous Australians still grapple with the lasting impact of British colonisation, dispossession, and systemic discrimination. Earlier this month, Australia's first truth-telling inquiry revealed that the British committed genocide of the Aboriginal people in Victoria during their colonisation of the country. Meanwhile, the same memo also noted that meeting the delegation could complicate Blair's position on a forthcoming request to meet Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng. 'It will be harder to avoid seeing Wei if you're seeing Australian dissidents next week.' Newly released National Archives files also revealed that Blair's government quietly changed the rules for laying wreaths at the Cenotaph in 2004 to appease unionist sensitivities during Northern Ireland's peace process. The shift reportedly came after a defection altered party standings, leaving the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) just short of eligibility under existing rules, prompting complaints and a rule change to maintain political balance. The newly-released National Archive papers also revealed that Mr Blair was advised to repay thousands of pounds in discounts which he received on designer clothes. Papers released to the National Archives show that No 10 officials recommended he should pay back more than £7,600 on items bought from designers Nicole Farhi and Paul Smith. The discounts were negotiated by his wife Cherie's controversial friend and style adviser, Carole Caplin, who bought clothes for Mrs Blair. The papers also revealed that Mr Blair bitterly accused French president Jacques Chirac of trying to undermine UK efforts to put pressure on Zimbabwe's dictatorial leader Robert Mugabe. Papers released by the National Archives show Mr Blair erupted with anger when he learned Mr Chirac was insisting the Zimbabwean president should be allowed to attend an EU-Africa summit due to be held in 2003. 'But this is the opposite of what he said to me,' he scrawled in a handwritten note after No 10 officials told him Mr Chirac feared South African president Thabo Mbeki would stay away from the gathering unless Mr Mugabe was invited. 'Ultimately if France wants to take the heat on this they can and probably they are using it to damage the UK's standing in Africa in the belief (mistaken) that Mugabe retains credibility. 'But we should be seen to do all we can to protest.' The row came as Zimbabwe was caught up in a worsening spiral of violence and economic collapse after Mr Mugabe instigated a violent campaign to drive the country's remaining white farmers from their lands.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Australian Parliament resumes after Labor's landslide election victory
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's Parliament resumed Tuesday for the first time since the center-left Labor Party won one of the nation's largest-ever majorities in the May elections. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked the traditional owners of the national capital Canberra at a Welcome to Country ceremony in Parliament House. He noted that such ceremonies performed by Indigenous people to welcome visitors to their traditional land at the start of a new parliament had been introduced by a Labor government in 2007. 'In the 48th Parliament, we write the next chapter. Let us do it with the same sense of grace and courage that First Nations people show us with their leadership,' Albanese said. The government has said the first legislation will be a bill to reduce student loan debt by 20%. The measure to be introduced Wednesday will benefit 3 million Australians with student loan debts and cost the government 16 billion Australian dollars ($10 billion). The government also plans to introduce laws that would cut funding to child care providers who fail to meet quality standards and that would provide legal protections for some wage rates. Labor won 94 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives where governments are formed. Labor's majority is the largest since Prime Minister John Howard's conservative coalition won 94 seats in 1996, when the lower chamber had only 148 seats. Howard stayed in power almost 12 years, and Albanese is the first prime minister since then to lead a party to consecutive election victories, following an extraordinary era of political instability. The main opposition Liberal Party has elected its first woman leader, Sussan Ley, after one of the party's worst election results on record. Her conservative coalition holds 43 seats in the House, while independent lawmakers and minor parties that are not aligned with either the government or opposition hold 13. No party holds a majority in the 76-seat Senate. Labor holds 29 seats and the conservatives 27 seats. The Australian Greens hold 10 seats, which is the next largest bloc. The government will likely prefer to negotiate with the conservatives or Greens to get legislation through the Senate, rather than deal with multiple minor parties and independents.
