The latest Roy Morgan Most Trusted & Distrusted Leaders research has bad news for Anthony Albanese but worse news for Peter Dutton.
….. and the political class as a whole also has deep problems with Michelle Levine, Roy Morgan CEO, saying that overall trust is down and deep and toxic distrust has increased.
David Stephens, the author of this post, is the founder of the Honest History website and the inspiration behind the Defending Country Memorial Project. This article was published recently on the Defending Country Memorial website and is re-published by permission.
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Matt Keogh, should refresh the Council of the Australian War Memorial, which at present looks like a cosy club of well-connected conservatives and ex-military types.
Yet again we are seeing the anti-climate change forces reverting to support for nuclear energy as a ‘solution’ to the pending climate catastrophe.
Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, is offering nuclear projects but ones which seem to be another ‘new improved’ product like the products spruiked on late night TV shows and online shopping channels.
Near the end of the Earth’s hottest year since records began, Australia is facing storms, potentially huge Summer bushfires, half-hearted climate policy by the Albanese Government and continuing climate denialism from much of the Opposition and others.
This at a time when we have reached significant global climate tipping points.
Now what on earth will those staunch monarchists and climate denialists – John Howard and Tony Abbott – say about their new king, Charles III, and his very strongly held environmental views?
Charles may or may not be terribly bright (well smarter than his brother anyway) and rather pompous but that tends to go with the job. He has the requisite royal small talk – have you come far etc etc – but to the discomfort of UK PM, Rishi Sunak, he also has strong opinions on the environment at a time when Sunak is desperately trying to hold on to power by reversing his previous support for climate action and other environmental policies.
Keen readers know how it works. You are in a bookshop. You see something you would like to read. You have a quick look at the introduction. Then you buy it, take it home and put it on a shelf in your library.
There it sits until…..
In this case the ‘until’ was the launch of the Defending Country Memorial Project which grew out of David Stephens long-running campaign to ensure the Frontier Wars were represented in the Australian War Memorial.
Given the daily diet of extremism and irrationality demonstrated in US politics it is re-assuring to see research that, on the issue of global warming at least, the majority of Americans understand the problems and are supportive of action.
The latest report from the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication shows that 57% of US registered voters would prefer to vote for a candidate who supports action on global warning.
Just recently there is more news on our wonderful Indian ally and its murderous activities abroad; a reality check on Australia’s global significance; and, a statement of from a leading Australian novelist that few have been brave enough to utter.
India’s attacks on Sikh activists – wherever they live
On the day on which the Earth recorded a global average surface temperature of more than 2 Centigrade for the first time since records began what was the Australian Parliament and media doing?
While the Australian Parliament and the media were obsessed by whether or not the Prime Minister did or did not say something or other to Xi about sonar or how we would fit ankle monitors to refugees much of the rest of the world was looking towards the forthcoming COP28 with alarm and Australian politicians seemed oblivious.
For a former cricketer (one time Port Melbourne Cricket Club thirds all-rounder) and keen participant in politics it was immensely satisfying to see Australia winning the ICC World Cup while the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was there in the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad to witness it.
In case you were wondering of the significance of Modi’s presence the Indian media made it clear. Unlike in Australia – where it is impossible to imagine an Australian media outlet starting its report on a cricket match by mentioning the PM’s presence – it’s not the case in India.