Politics is a dirty word

A Chinese strike group including its flagship aircraft carrier Liaoning has entered the South China Sea, ready to confront opposing navies, It's not a good time for the US's latest destroyer to be out of action, but the USS Zumwalt is undergoing urgent maintenance after a series of equipment failures. The US is reported to have a carrier strike group from its 3rd Fleet ready to engage the Chinese, and it expects allies to support its aggression. South Korea will likely deploy the Terminal High Altitude Air Defence system installed by the US. It isn't known if America has asked for Australia to send in ships. On past behaviour, if the US President asks, our Government will put ships and troops at risk - probably including the $1.5 billion HMAS Canberra Amphibious Assault Ship, a couple of frigates and a Collins Class submarine.

Russia and the United States are the two biggest dealers in the more than $100 billion a year world arms trade. Thermobaric missiles, grenades and bombs are routinely sold to anyone with the money to buy them. More than 7000 hellfire missiles with thermobaric warheads were sold this year. They were bought by countries including Iraq, France, Italy, the UK and Australia Is it any wonder that the world is in turmoil and that terrorists find it easy to obtain weapons? Each missile costs from$110,000 but bulk discounts are offered.The troubled Lockheed Martin group is one of hellfire's main manufacturers. China is offering a 250KG thermobaric bomb to all comers. It has been bought by many Asian countries, and may have gone further afield. India has been developing and deploying its own thermobaric anti-tank weapons and Indonesia has also manufactured thermobaric grenades.

America's problems with selling the Lockheed Martin F35 stealth fighter plane has opened the door for world wide sales of Russian and Chinese aircraft. The Chinese J31 jet is reportedly being considered by Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria. Iraqi fighter pilots are said to be undergoing training in Pakistan which is interested in building the J31 in a project funded by the Saudis.

All the talk about debt and deficit in the Australian economy and the Government's rationale for cutting back pension entitlements and health services ignores the fact that successive Australian Governments have collected taxation revenues totalling trillions of dollars in the past 25 years. Income taxes paid over a lifetime in the workforce were supposed to ensure ongoing services, including education, good healthcare and a dignified retirement for those who contributed. Revenue from mining taxes and royalties added to the funding base for Australia's future. So what have the politicians and bureaucrats done with all that money? Why is the community now told that we have to endure cutbacks when our politicians and senior bureaucrats live the high life on money plundered from the system.

The continued squawking about Australia becomming a republic demonstrates that our politicians are still out of touch with the community. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull still hasn't got his head around the message his government was given at the last election. The coalition only just squeaked back into government with a one seat majority because of disillusionment with government performance. Unfettered spending was one of the problems, but now he is talking of holding a plebiscite about how to elect a President and then a referendum on Australia becoming a republic. Well, the public wants neither a plebiscite nor a referendum. We don't see how this country will benefit – will it cut the waste of taxpayers dollars? No. Will it be more democratic? No. So why spend more money? We are already the 51st de facto state of the United States as for decades our governments have always done everything requested of them by the American President. Please Mr Turnbull, stop spending our m...

It's no wonder that economies around the world are in trouble – because how can they grow when money is worthless? Record low interest rates demonstrate the collapse in the value of cash. India and Venezuela are the latest countries to experience the pain but many more will follow. The problem can be traced back to 1931 when Britain abandoned the gold standard. Up to that point the pound sterling was backed by gold. In 1933 US President Franklin Rooseveldt nationalised privately held gold and finally President Richard Nixon totally abandoned the gold standard for the dollar in 1971. Since then currencies have basically been worthless – simply pieces of paper with no intrinsic value. While financial institutions paid reasonable levels of interest on money invested, problems were held at bay, but once official and unofficial interest rates dropped virtually to zero, the current turmoil was inevitable. Thank you politicians and economists! Economics has never really recovered from the...

Politicians are the curse of humanity – they are responsible for wars and destruction across the globe. The current Middle East catastrophe is a good example. Western countries stamped in to interfere just because they had the power to do so – without any thought for long term consequences. The Middle east and many African countries were created by western politicians drawing lines on maps without any regard for ethnic or tribal realities. Politicians in the United States, Britain, France and Australia support terrorist groups and are keen arms traders when it suits them but pretend they support democratic processes.Wars are now seen as an opportunity to stimulate economic growth by developing, testing and selling new weapons.There are clear limits to growth, even though some don't want to know. They would rather close their eyes, put their fingers in their ears and cope with the crash when it happens.

People throughout the world have become war-weary as fighting in the Middle East shows no sign of achieving anything other than death and misery for countless numbers. But it looks like we need to brace ourselves for a US/China conflict over the South China Sea. China has commissioned its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning (an ageing ship bought from Ukraine in 1998), but it has undergone a major refit with upgraded electronics and weapons systems. The ship itself may not match the sophistication of the latest US carriers - but the Chinese weapons systems are reputed to be superior.

The Australian Government is still happily spending taxpayers money on this dog of a plane that even Donald Trump recognises is expensive rubbish.Australia could end up paying up to $100 million more for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets as a result of Canada cancelling its order.The coalition clearly has no intention of reducing spending (even though Scott Morrison says that's what it needs to do. After its disasterous performance, Lockheed Martin could go broke, leaving Australia with 72 piles of expensive junk (and that's just the initial order). it has flagged the purchase of another 28. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/trump-f35-lockheed-martin-1.3892314

Not only are established political parties failing the community, mainstream media is just as bad. Politicians pay a price for ignoring the wishes of the people by losing votes – which is why the coalition government only scraped back into government by one seat at the last election. Media businesses pay a price by losing readers, viewers or listeners and that hits their revenue. Mainstream media players didn't realise the extent of voter apathy in Australia which resulted in huge support for independent parliamentarians and minor parties. They also had an extreme bias against Donald Trump's run in the US Presidential election – and now can't forgive him for winning and making them look like turkeys. Is it any wonder than mainstream media is in the doldrums as a growing number of people turn to internet sources and social media for their regular news feeds? Blogs and Facebook are now more reliable sources of news than newspapers, or television. Cheque-book journalism such a...

Federal crossbencher Bob Katter has hit out at the decision to put big restrictions on the controversial Adler shotgun, describing the move as a "Christmas present" for minor political parties. This week's COAG meeting saw premiers and chief ministers agree to tough rules around the Adler shotgun, moving it into the most restrictive firearm category -- category D. If passed, the new rules mean the shotgun will only be available to professional shooters, with each state and territory having to pass the changes through their respective parliaments.He says that before long the only people in Australia with guns will be those in uniform.There have been examples all over the world demonstrating what happens then!

US President elect, Donald Trump and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin are reported to have agreed to reveal the existence of a ninth planet in our solar system, the legendary Nibiru (planet X with a brown dwarf Nemesis) which some believe is on a near collision course with earth and will cause massive destruction as it travels past. They believe it will trigger earthquakes and cause a polar shift. The planet was described in ancient Sumarian and Mayan texts but was only identified by astrophysicists in recent years Former US President Ronald Reagan issued a secret Executive Order banning public disclosure of the planet because of fears it would cause mass panic throughout the world, and disrupt economies. Subsequent Presidents maintained that prohibition and apparently threatened other Governments to stay silent. Details about the planet and an accompanying brown dwarf star have been confirmed by astronomical researchers at Caltech and the Carnegie Science Institution .

As the 100th F35 Joint strike fighter is about to roll off the Lockheed Martin production line in the US there are still huge misgivings about cost overruns and the jet's lack of performance. Australia is still committed to pay $25 billion for 72 of the planes even though none of the models built so far is operational. The F35 can fly only on sunny days. It can't fly in clouds, or near lightning or at night so it will be almost useless as an addition to Australia's air defence and attack capabilities. So why haven't our politicians followed Canada's lead and cancelled the order? three Air Warfare Destroyers are also being built for the navy at a total cost of more than $9 billion, not to mention the $50 billion French submarine contract! Military spending is unfettered by tight fiscal conditions. Schools and healthcare are not priorities.

It seems that the Australian Government has finally recognised the need to reign-in carbon pollution and is looking for ways to meet its targets. Some businesses have been addressing this issue for a while. Freeranger Eggs at Grantville, near Victoria's Phillip Island is an example of sustainable farming. The farm management plan takes a three pillars approach to how the farm operates. Animal welfare is one pillar, but equally important are land sustainability and food safety. Despite all the political bickering in Canberra over emissions trading scheme targets, Freeranger Eggs has been getting on with mitigating the impact of carbon emissions. The farm's carbon footprint is limited by imposing a food miles policy for deliveries, using recycled materials and equipment whenever possible, utilising solar power and mechanical processes and an effective waste reduction programme. As a result, the 1500-chook farm generates only about 60 tonnes of CO2 each year. But it is better than...

Final submissions are being sought on the free range egg standard adopted by Ministers for Consumer Affairs/Fair Trading, which allow producers with up to 10,000 hens per hectare to label their eggs as free range. We believe that the information standard on free range eggs adopted by Ministers is contrary to the interests of the industry and consumers. The standard reflects everything on the corporate egg producers wish list, allowing intensive production systems to be classified as free range and appears to directly conflict with specific rulings by Federal Court justices in their decisions on cases of deceptive conduct brought by the ACCC. The new standard simply allows unscrupulous producers to continue to mislead customers, adding millions of dollars to their profits each year just by labelling their eggs as 'free range'.. Loopholes in the standard ensure that almost any excuse can be given for keeping hens locked up, but we believe that the term ‘regular and meaningful acc...

Politicians don't need to think too hard about how to provide low cost housing. How about establishing not for profit regional housing cooperatives which can attract donations to purchase dwellings without paying stamp duty or land tax etc? The houses could then be let for minimal rentals.Providing affordable accommodation at no cost to taxpayers.

The Government has spent $100 million of taxpayers money in bribing the Australian Greens to wave through its backpacker tax legislation in the Senate.In a press release yesterday, the Greens said: "Farmers will now enjoy certainty that they can operate over the busy summer period – no longer will their fruit wither and die on the vine". "At the same time, we have secured a big victory for our environment, with the Government pledging $100 million for Landcare." What complete and utter Bull...... Very few backpackers will pay any tax (whatever the rate) because most work on a cash basis. The backpackers and farmers like it that way - no paperwork. So the Government has offered an extra $100 million of taxpayers money to throw at a system which has long been discredited. Landcare is more of a job-creation scheme than a program to improve environmental outcomes. There is a fully funded national Landcare office, fully equipped and funded State landcare offices in...

Proposed changes to consumer leasing regulations are probably long overdue. Big retailers make more by arranging financial loans then they do selling products.That has bolstered profits for major retailers for whom white goods and flat screen TV's are just the bait to attract consumers into their stores to sign up to exhorbitant financing deals.

Our politicians are spending an inordinate amount of time debating the so-called back packer tax which will add virtually nothing to revenue, whatever tax rate is levied - because the overwhelming majority of seasonal workers in the agricultural and horticultural sectors are engaged on a cash-in-hand basis so no tax or other deductions are made. The farmers can't be bothered with the paperwork and the backpackers just want cash.

Politicians have a habit of wasting their time (at our expense) rather than getting on with running the country (or the State) We have examples federally with the same-sex marriage debacle and the grandstanding over domestic violence. They don't understand that violence is the issue which needs to be addressed – If you hit someone you should go to jail whether you hit a stranger, your husband or your wife. Why is that so difficult to understand. Creating different categories of violence provides the illusion that thumping some people is OK. Then we have New South Wales where the head of the Independent Commission against Corruption was forced to resign for daring to launch investigations into alleged corrupt practices by Government Ministers.

The Australian Government's fixation with doing anything the US Government wants will likely add to pressure on the Australian economy at a time when this country's global financial rating is under scrutiny. It's unlikely that out AAA credit rating will last much longer because of fiscal irresponsibility. Put simply, our government is spending money it doesn't have – and politicians don't seem to care! Just one example is the $24 billion commitment to buy 72 F35 joint strike fighters from the US. The planes, built by Lockheed Martin, are already obsolete in the high-tech world of warfare because the company refused to implement technology developed in the UK. Britain's Hawker Siddeley developed a system called 'vectored thrust' during a program which resulted in production of the Harrier jump jet. That vectored thrust system is now an essential component of the Russian Sukhoi SU 37 fighter which is in service in Malaysia and India. The SU 37 is far more...

Journalism has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades. When I trained in the 1960's and 70's, it was drummed into us that reporting facts was the essence of journalism. Now that ethos has been thrown out of the window in favour of presenting opinion. The spread of television has probably hastened the process – bringing in the era of 'personalities' masquerading as journalists rather than good old reporters. A Case in point is the reporting of the latest US election. So many commentators are still smarting obsessively at being wrong – they wanted Hilary Clinton to win and they can't forgive Donald Trump for confirming in the public mind that they are buffoons. They allowed their personal bias to infect their reporting. One opinionated presenter on ABC morning television went so far as to say that anyone who voted for Trump needed an IQ test. What a mindless thing to say. How dare she talk about US voters that way. She would have been sacked on the sp...

Australia's “debt and deficit disaster” is likely to get worse with current Government policies. The annual deficit is expected to reach $1 trillion within a decade – potentiallyplunging the country into a depression greater than the 1930's. Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison seems to be unwilling (or unable) to tackle the problems head-on. Total national income is declining but there is no sign of the Government reigning-in its own spending. Salaries and perks for bureaucrats and politicians are untouchable, and this is reflected in the corporate sector where CEO's pay themselves multi million dollar salaries structured in ways to minimise (or avoid) the payment of tax.

If fighting starts in the South China Sea, the world will see a massive use of thermobaric weapons. The US, China and Australia all have stockpiles of thermobaric bombs and rockets equipped with thermobaric warheads. The warheads may also be on the rockets vietnam purchased from Israel. The longer fighting continues, the more likely it is to develop into a full scale nuclear war.The US has used thermobaric weapons in the Middle East conflict - particularly in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Similarly, the Russians have fired them in Afghanistan and Syria. So their destructive capabilities are well known.

America's preparations for a war with China are still gathering momentum. David Gompert a former chief Government intelligence adviser said the US should make “sensible preparations to wage a long and fierce" war with China. The US is reported to be preparing a carrier strike group to send to the South China Sea.

Vietnam has installed mobile rocket launchers on islands in the South China Sea, in preparation for expected military action against China by the US and Australia. The rockets and launchers were bought from Israel.India has deployed 3 warships to the South China Sea. If the Australian Government does send in ships, there will be much discussion about which. If they just send one of our 10 frigates, the Chinese will laugh, so they might send HMAS Canberra, a $1.5 billion Amphibious assault ship, accompanied by a frigate and a Collins Class submarine. Just imagine the political backlash if they are all sunk with huge losses of personnel.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says taxation and economic policy changes will create "winners and losers" but will eventually strengthen the country's economy. Speaking to the Business Council of Australia, he said the Australian economy must become more "flexible and competitive". It's a fair bet that politicians and bureaucrats won't be amongst the losers.

The world doesn't have to wait for Donald Trump to start a world war. The Pentagon is pressing ahead as hard as it can. The head of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, says the U.S. Army should deploy new ship-killing units to threaten surface warships in the Western Pacific including in the East China Sea and South China Sea. “I think the army should be in the business of sinking ships with land-based surface-to-ship missile systems,” he said. The central element of the strategy would be built around holding islands that can deny potential adversaries such as China's People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) access to the open waters of the Western Pacific. Possible weapon systems to be deployed include the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, the M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System and the Army Tactical Missile System, which will be upgraded with the capability to engage moving targets on land and sea. Meanwhile, China has completed a second 12,000-ton Coas...

Politicians in Victoria don't seem to be able to get their heads around things. An example is the way Departments are structured - and who does what. It is unclear to anyone outside the Victorian Government which Department is the domain of the Minister for Agriculture The Hon. Jaala Pulford. Sometimes she is lumped in with the Department of Environment,Land, Water and Planning. But other times she is part of the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. No wonder things seldom get done!

US President Barrack Obama is heading off for discussions in Europe which will cover refugee issues amongst other things.Lets hope Air Force One doesn't become a target as it heads near the Middle East war zone on a trip to Greece. Russian and US missiles have been captured by militants in the various conflicts, and there is potentially enough hardware in the region to bring down the Presidential jet.

Politicians plan to change consumer law to protect dodgy free range egg producers from prosecution.The outrageous standard for free range egg production proposed by Ministers for Consumer Affairs is still not set in concrete.To protect unscrupulous producers from prosecution for deceptive conduct, new legislation is is being pushed through to change Consumer Law. Farmers and consumers have until December 9 to make submissions. If the amendment is passed, it will effectively nobble the ACCC from launching prosecutions against businesses which breach standards defined by Federal Court Justices. http://www.treasury.gov.au/…/Free-Range-Egg-Labelling-Infor…

Politicians in Australia still don't get it. After a disastrous election for the major parties, they still won't listen to voters. The coalition only just snuck back into Government with a one seat majority in the Lower House and they lost Senate seats. hardly a ringing endorsement of their policies. The public simply doesn't trust them. It was the same in the US where long-term politicians are regarded either as crooks or as jokes and are not worth voting for so they turned to Donald Trump. In NSW The Nationals have lost their safe seat in Orange - again because of a lack of trust. An interview this morning with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull demonstrates why voters are apathetic about politicians and why so many of us turned away from the major political parties in the last election. Despite what he says, Turnbull is not listening to the people. Rather than answer questions he refused to provide details of the ‘deal’ with the US on refugees (such as how much it wi...

Australia has been collaborating with the US military in a $54 million programme developing high speed aircraft and missiles capable of flying at more than five times the speed of sound. Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (the HIFiRE program) has been a reality for several years, and facilities have been used in Queensland and the Woomera rocket range in South Australia. Tests of the ramjet (or scramjet) engine at Woomera propelled a missile at over seven times the speed of sound. The US is keen to catch up with Russian techology.

Stupid commentators in Australia are baffled by Donald Trump's win in America. They resent that they were wrong and look like a bunch of clowns. Hows dare Trump win when they said he couldn't! They don't understand that political processes in the US are fundamentally different from here. For example: we don't vote for a Prime Minister, we vote for members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Those members then choose the prime Minister. The people here didn't vote for Malcolm Turbull as PM, nor for Tony Abbott before him. Nor did we vote for Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard (except those voters who happened to be in their electorates.) Why can't the political commentators grasp that and move on? Accept that they were wrong!

Hypersonic cruise missiles which fly at five times the speed of sound and are practically undetectable and unstoppable, are expected to be deployed by Russia, China and India at least two years before the US has its hypersonic systems operational. The Russians plan to have their missiles on ships, submarines and aircraft by the middle of 2017 but military analysts say it is likely to be at least 2020 before the US missiles are ready for use.

Generals in the US Pentagon are said to already be gearing up for war – whoever wins the US Presidential election. For some time they are reported to have been advocating a pre-emptive nuclear strike against China and Russia before technology renders their defence systems completely useless. The Russians have already demonstrated their capacity to disable defence and navigational systems on sophisticated US warships. Both China and Russia have developed stealth missiles capable of evading detection and current anti-missile systems. Russia has built a prototype hypersonic stealth bomber which can fly at five times the speed of sound and go anywhere in the world within two hours. Nine countries currently have total stockpiles of over 15,000 nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia regularly deploy about 1,800 of them ready to be launched within minutes by missiles or aircraft. Complementary to nuclear warheads, the US, Russia, China and several other countries have substantial arse...

The closure of the Hazelwood coal-fired power station in the La Trobe Valley is a direct result of incompetent politicians.Closure was always on the cards once Victoria's power generating system was privatised by Jeff Kennet. Technology has been available to clean carbon emissions from the power plant. Environmental Auditor, Phil Westwood from Grantville said "Liquefaction processes with primary and secondary hydrogenation cleans up brown coal to produce a fuel which burns with virtually no ash or other residues as particulates. Various pilot projects have been run here, in Japan, China the UK and South Africa, in fact South Africa operates a commercial plant. If the system was perfected in Australia it would have massive potential for export earnings." Instead, 1000 people will lose their jobs in the La Trobe Valley and household power prices are likely to rise. An alternative would also have been to build a gas pipeline to the power station. Gas from the Yolla field c...

Ministers for Consumer Affairs throughout Australia have failed consumers by allowing potentially harmful substances to be included in food products without requiring the additives to be identified on labels. A prime example of this has been fish farming in Tasmania where the ABC TV Four Corners program revealed that additives are included in fish food to colour the flesh of salmon. The same additives are widely used in the poultry industry to colour egg yolks and the flesh of chicken meat. But the only action Ministers have taken is to promote a pathetic definition of the term 'free range'

Compulsory Superannuation has been a crock for baby-boomers. It's OK for the high flying GenYers and subsequent generations with its generous tax breaks. But for those about to retire it has been useless. After a lifetime working and paying taxes those around 65 and 70 get little more than the prudent savings accumulated over the years. One 70 year old has just cashed- out his super – the princely sum of $18,500. For most of the working life of people that age, superannuation contributions from employers were not available. Following the introduction of compulsory super, many only had limited part time employment and may have been largely self-employed. - taking meager living expenses out of business income. With a low level of disposable income, there was no opportunity to take advantage of tax breaks and shovel tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars into a super fund. It would have been far more beneficial for them if they had been given the opportunity to personally invest t...

The United States is flexing its muscles by sending a guided missile destroyer to cruise through the South China Sea. So far the Chinese have only responded with words. It would be interesting if they used their electronic capabilities to disable the ship's defence and navigation systems - as the Russians did with a US warship in the Black Sea. The Chinese have now deployed naval vessels to protect their interests as a result of the US aggression.

Australian politicians won't have the guts to follow the lead of the Philippines and cut military ties with the United States. President Duterte's decision to engage with China rather than continue to support US aggression is a game changer in the region. the US/Philippines' Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement is likely to be revoked and that move will bar the US from rotating ships, aircraft and troops through five Philippines bases. That probably means that our Government will allow more military use of our ports and other facilities by the Americans.

Politicians can't help themselves – they just have to play silly buggers!! The coalition Government claims that it has a mandate for everything it wants to do – when the election clearly demonstrated widespread dissatisfaction with Government. It ended up with a one seat majority in the House of Reps and less senators than previously. - Hardly a ringing endorsement of its policies and certainly not enough to claim a mandate for its every move. The Government is reintroducing the union-bashing bill which was the excuse for a double dissolution but, to succeed, it needs the support of nine cross bench senators. David Leyonhjelm has seized the opportunity to force an amendment to gun laws to allow the importation of seven-shot Adler lever action shotguns. Hard to understand the fuss really as the five shot lever-action shotgun is already available here. If that's the price the Prime Minister pays for Senator Leyonhjelm's support for the building industry legislation, there...

Most taxpayers don't realise how much our politicians cost us. It's not just the salaries and perks they take while sitting in Parliament. Even when they are kicked out at an election (or they choose to retire). They still have both hands firmly in our pockets. After the latest Federal election, former deputy prime minister Warren Truss is now getting a pension of more than $300,000 a year. Other MPs who are no longer in Parliament are also enjoying a golden handshake which currently adds up to over $40 million every year for ex politicians.

Claims that the introduction of a back a backer tax will have a major negative impact on rural businesses and could boost Government revenue are both rubbish. The reality is that most seasonal roles picking fruit or vegetables are on a 'cash-only" basis and no tax is collected or benefits paid such as holiday pay and superannuation. The workers want it that way and so do the employers.

Politicians and fat cat public servants will get a pay rise from January, taking the annual salary of a federal backbencher from about $195,130 a year to $199,030. Some State politicians will be rewarded with rises of up to $30,000. Not only are they all grossly overpaid, they also collect massive retirement benefits enabling them to live in luxury for the rest of their lives at our expense.

Australian politicians are back in Canberra but are they concentrating on running the country? Hell No, they are bickering over a plebiscite on same sex marriage. Get real! Thankfully the plebiscite which would have cost a couplwe of hhas been knocked on the head by the Senate - which demonstrates why we need a senate which is a genuine house of review rather than just a rubber stamp for inept Govewrnment policies.

The Australian Government is showing no signs of reigning-in its spending on military hardware. It clearly believes that spending on military assets is exempt from any form of real scrutiny. Over the next decade it has earmarked $5 billion for maritime Anti-Ship Missiles,$4 billion for Offshore Patrol Vessels and another $4 billion on weapons for the future frigate program.

Politicians here need to start addressing the problem of violence in the community. The first step should be to limit parole opportunities for convicted violent offenders. Murderers and rapists are routinely paroled to continue their predatory behaviour. There may be some cases where parole may be appropriate but the parole board should be held liable for any offences during the parole period

Australia’s debt is still spiralling out of control and will blow out by more than $100 billion unless the Government takes serious steps to cut spending. The Government is almost certainly wrong in its claims that the economy will return to growth. Government figures suggest that debt will be down to $335billion by 2020-21. But a more realistic figure is $440 billion as a result of unfettered spending - particularly on military equipment.

Inefficiency and wasted time are major problems throughout Australia – and particularly in our capital cities. Time taken in travelling to and from work amounts to billions of dollars a year. Assuming melbourne is typical, peak hour traffic is a nightmare and there are just as many vehicles travelling from the west as there are from the east. Why can't our politicians encourage those people living to the west of Melbourne to work on that side of the city and give the same treatment to those in the east. While some people, tradesmen and salespersons may need to have a vehicle with them – most office workers do not. They drive into work, park the car and only pick it up to drive home – or visit a favourite hotel for lunch so why should such a vehicle be tax deductible? Many vehicles are provided to staff on tax-effective arrangement such as novated leases which simply encourages the use of cars. Removing such arrangements would help to limit vehicle use and encourage people to live c...

There's no doubt that Australia is over-governed - we have three tiers of Government - Local, State and Federal.The Federal Government's lunatic fiscal policies over the past few years has just about guaranteed that we will slide into recession. It's likely that the Australian dollar will slip to 55c US. At least the Federal Treasurer is making noises about cutting the excessive level of spending – but we are yet to see any action. In many opinions, Western society has been in decline for decades (if not centuries) but we do seem to be heading towards the abyss at an ever increasing speed. Australia is probably a reasonable reflection of what is happening elsewhere (at least if the drivel in newspapers and on television is any guide. There is little real political choice when it comes to elections as all party hacks scramble for the 'middle ground' In Australia there is virtually nothing to choose on economic policies between the Liberal/National co...

The Australian Defence Force is stepping up its demands for more spending on missiles which will allow it to launch attacks almost anywhere. It has recognised that powerful ships are unlikely to win decisive victories in modern warfare. The giant American aircraft carriers which form the basis of US battle fleets around the world are likely to be easy targets for precision missile strikes and electronic attack. Advanced missile systems have already been designed specifically to destroy the aircraft carrier battle groups that the US uses to demonstrate its might.Both Russia and China appear to have recognised the vulnerability of carriers and have limited their interest in building more. No doubt Australian politicians will give the military everything they want even though they say they are trying to fix a " debt and deficit disaster ."

Electronic warfare is now part of Australia's war machine. The Government is spending $3.7 billion on Twelve Boeing “Growler” Super Hornet electronic attack jets. They carry a variety of electronic jamming systems as well as missiles designed to inflict maximum damage on an enemy’s radar and communications systems - to limit their capacity to respond to an attack.The US, UK, Russia, China and North Korea are reported to be working on non-explosive electro magnetic devices which can be inserted into artilliary shells.

America seems to be rushing to generate another world war. Things seem to getting back to the Cold War era when countless billions of dollars were spent maintaining 24/7 aerial protection. In the UK squadrons of V bombers and fighters were always in flight because Britain had just a four minute warning of nuclear attack and planes could not be scrambled in time if they were on the ground. Recently, the US has deployed three of its B52 Stratofortress bombers in the UK, each capable of carrying 20 nuclear Cruise missiles. B52's have also been deployed in the Middle East and discussions have been held with South Korea about maintaining flights there. Nuclear powered and armed submarines are cruising the oceans, waiting for an opportunity to launch their missiles.

The Australian Government deserves to be kicked in the head over its treatment of Timor in the dispute over oil and gas revenues in the Timor Sea. Timor-Leste's case against Australia over a disputed maritime boundary will be heard by the permanent court of arbitration in the Hague after the court rejected Australia’s claim that the court had no jurisdiction. Timor-Leste asked for the process which could decide on the border covering a large oil and gas field (worth over $40 billion) over which the two countries have a revenue-sharing agreement. Australia has resisted negotiating a permanent border until 2056 at the earliest. The conciliation process will now take place behind closed doors over the next year. Timor-Leste argues that treaty should be scrapped because, six years after it was signed, it was revealed Australia had bugged the Timor-Leste government’s cabinet room, with listening devices implanted by Australian Security Intelligence Service agents pretending to be a...

I have no interest in American politics and I find it confusing that Australians seem so fixated with it. Surely we have enough dumb-ass political jokers here without thinking about the US versions? But for all that, Is Donald Trump's idea about building a wall such a bad thing We should encourage him to extend his thinking, build it right around the country so that Americans can't get out – then they will only be able to kill each other rather than tramping around the world sharing their violence. ....Just a thought.

Violence in Australia's legal system has continued unabated despite various enquiries over the years politicians don't take it seriously. An investigation is underway into the death of a prisoner who was injured in a brawl with guards at Adelaide's Yatala Prison. The 29 year old man died in hospital this morning, after being taken there in a critical condition on Friday. The Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement has called for an independent investigation. How much more violence will be tolerated?

Australians have been short-changed for years by Commonwealth Governments, Rather than making prudent decisions with taxation revenue they chose to spend on things which added nothing to the future of this country. For decades, the Governments have been pocketing around $170 billion to $200 billion a year in income taxes levied on individuals – but now politicians say there is no money to pay age pensions to people who have contributed to the system all their working lives.There's also no money for education or hospitals. It's not only income taxes which have been mis-spent. Many billions of dollars were poured into government coffers during the years of of the mining boom (which everyone knew was going to end). So where has all the money gone? The answer in part is it's gone to support the US aircraft and munitions industries.

It's about time politicians gave up on the pathetic idea of putting clocks forward one hour in the mistaken belief in that it somehow benefits us. On Sunday October 2 we are forced to go through this again.The circadian clocks of humans and other animals were not designed for such rapid changes in the normal rhythm of life

The Commonwealth Government is an unnecessary financial burden on the Australian people. The current stoush over education funding demonstrates why our political system needs fundamental change. Why not let the States run things? They do most of the work anyway. It's way past time to reduce costs for the economy. We don't need the current duplication of services in Canberra and the States. About the only function which needs to be administered Federally is defence. State Governments deliver all other services – including health and education so it makes no sense to pay for an army of bureaucrats and Ministers in Canberra who do little but polish chairs with their backsides and hold out their hands to grab our money. The duties of a Federal Government could be adequately performed by the Council of Australian Governments COAG. This would save billions of dollars every year.

Despite all the political bickering in Canberra over emissions trading scheme targets, some small businesses have been playing their part in addressing the problem. Freeranger Eggs in Victoria has been getting on with mitigating the impact of carbon emissions. The farm's carbon footprint is limited by imposing a food miles policy for deliveries, using recycled materials and equipment whenever possible, utilising solar power and mechanical processes and an effective waste reduction programme. As a result, the 1200-chook farm generates only about 60 tonnes of CO2 each year. But it is better than carbon neutral, it is carbon positive. The average organic matter in soil tests was 4.1 per cent in 2004, in 2006 it was 6.0 per cent, and in 2009 it was 7.9 percent. Calculations based on 2-inch deep samples, show that over those five years the farm sequestered about 14 tons of CO2 per acre or four tonnes of carbon per acre on the grasslands. Further testing and calculations have not been...

The use of the word "intelligence' by politicians is usually misplaced. It can be used as an excuse for inexcusable acts - such as bombing civilians or shooting down commercial passenger jets. What it usually signifies is a distinct lack of intelligence. So a proposed review into Australia's intelligence and security agencies is a good idea even though it probably won't make the system any more 'intelligent'.If it results in better anti-terrorism training for our police forces it will help to prevent further atrocities like police shooting a hostage in the Lindt cafe siege.

Sport is big businesses in Australia and politicians are happily throwing hundreds of millions of dollars a year at sporting institutions while limiting spending on health and education. First into the money pot We have the $250 million a year Australian Sports Commission closely followed by the Australian Institute of Sport which offers over 700 scholarships a year for individual training. Then there are various affiliated State Sports institutes or academies, plus the Australian Institute of Winter Sports with an annual budget over $1 million. At the end of all this training, highly paid athletes are produced – some pocketing several million dollars a year without any obligation to repay their training costs.some skip off overseas to live in tax havens like Bermuda. Why are they not treated in the same way as students leaving Universities with huge Hecs debts? If doctors, nurses,lawyers and teachers have to repay the cost of their training why don't athletes? Politicians need to...

It has long been recognised that politicians don't live in the real world. Here, they populate the rarified atmosphere of Canberra and generally ignore the people - until it's election time. Every now and then they can't help but fiddle with things - and superannuation has been the latest target. Superannuation is still a crock - the changes simply help high income earners shuffle more money. People in their late 60’s – early 70’s spent most of their working lives prior to super – and they are now facing retirement with virtually nothing except the assets they managed to acquire, because super fund managers charge fees on the total funds under management instead of charging fees based on the profits they generate each year. Superannuation has been more about building up a huge slush fund to prop up the share market and financial services industry rather than creating a system to provide retirement income for individuals. It has been great for high income earners but has don...

It's hard to keep track of Government spending on warfare (it's not appropriate to call it defence). The official figure is $32 billion for 2016-17 but there was an additional $142 billion over the budget forward estimates which presumably included the $50 billion submarines and maybe the $35 billion future frigates project. Not sure about the 'Virtual' Defence Innovation Hub which has an estimated costing of $640 million or additional operational funding of $690 million. Then there is the 72 F35 joint strike fighters which have been ordered. It's all 'monopoly money' to the politicians.

Most people think of the Woomera Rocket range as a thing of the past, a joint facility between Australia and the UK to test Britain's nuclear capabilities. But the range is still very much in use with the participation of the US. Work on the Patriot long range missile system has been underway there for some years - missiles used extensively in the various Middle East wars. Each individual interceptor rocket costs $20 - 24 million, so they are expensive toys. Woomera also is a space tracking facility and is linked with the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury.

Politicians in Australia have perfected the art of spending money - as long as it's not theirs. They are always putting their hands in our pockets to fund whatever takes their fancy - overseas trips or hair-brained schemes which do nothing for the community. Despite an acknowledegment that Governments have been spending too much money, they are now squandering $160 million on a plebiscite over same sex marriage - and handing over another $15 million to fund advertising for the 'Yes' and 'NO' campaigns. They have also awarded a contract for $9 million to have dress uniforms for Australia's soldiers to be manufactured in China There are heaps of problems here which could do with the money which is just running through their hands. It now seems likely that the plebiscite will be blocked in the Senate - but don't expect the $175 million to be used for anything useful.

Political parties are the main reason for the wide distrust of politicians. Our MPs owe more allegience to their parties than to the voters in their electorates. The current furore over political donations is just window dressing - nothing has changed or will change because the politicians have their snouts in the trough and have no intention of limiting their ability to access cash (particularly if it's not out of their pockets).Political donations by businesses and unions have been an active part of politics for years. Developers have always handed over bags of cash to gain favours from those in Government. Slush funds designed to launder contributions have been set up all over the country - just like the Higgins 200 Club which channels money to the Liberal party without disclosing sources.

Australia's Treasurer, Scott Morrison seems determined to ignore economic reality. He spruiks about this country's "25 years of growth" as if he can keep it going for another 25 years. Economic cycles dictate that growth cannot be exponential. Periods of strong growth are inevitably followed by collapse or recession. History demonstrates that. Governments can prop up growth by stamping around the world in an endless cycle of war, providing a short term stimulus by spending on armaments. The Roman empire couldn't keep going, neither will the US or Australia.

Politicians in Victoria should be congratulated for banning fracking in this State. There has been widespread opposition to the practise used to extract gas by using explosives to fracture underground sediments which hold gas - at the risk of contaminating groundwater - and apparently potentially generating earthquake activity. an earthquake in Oklahoma on Saturday resulted in state regulators ordering the closure of 35 disposal wells which are used by frackers, to shut down over 500-square miles. Government scientists warned that oil and natural gas drilling had made a wide swath of the country more susceptible to earthquakes. The U.S. Geological Survey, in a March report on "induced earthquakes," said as many as 7.9 million people in parts of Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas now face the same earthquake risks as those in California. The report found that oil and gas drilling activity, particularly practices like hydraulic fracturing or fracking,...

It's refreshing to find politicians capable of making rational, considered decisions rather than jumping in without much thought. In Australia, even though we are constantly reminded that this country has a "debt and deficit disaster" money is always readily available for our politicians to spend on military escapades overseas and on new hardware to meet some vague 'threat'. In Malaysia, politicians seem to be more careful in the way they handle things. The Royal Malaysian Air Force has a fleet of outdated MIG29 fighter jets but rather than rush in to buy replacement such as the US F18 Super Hornet. They are waiting until they are able to properly find the budget for an acquisdition. The current political climate and government austerity measures in Malaysia mean that a number of programs for the Malaysian armed forces look likely to be postponed until the 11th Malaysia Plan, which covers government spending for 2016-2020. A combination of public dissatisfaction ...

Australian politicians have lost the plot – if they ever knew what was happening around them! Violence in this country is at an all time high, probably because our system has encouraged a lack of respect in the community. People don't respect each other, people don't respect police and this reflects the antics of our politicians. Anyone listening to a broadcast of Parliamentary question time could be forgiven for thinking it was a prize fight in a brothel. The aggression and disrespect which is displayed demonstrates that aggression is applauded by our so-called leaders. No wonder then, that passers-by are assaulted in the street, rape and murder are common and that our courts and prisons are clogged. The only response seen from politicians is to compartmentalise the issue – divide it up into real violence and domestic violence. So the progression is to send the message that domestic (or family) violence is a lesser form of the problem and is therefore seen as more acceptable...

The world should impose sanctions against Australia for its policy of apartheid. The treatment of aboriginal children in the Northern Territory clearly demonstrates that “Separate Development” is operating here. It was Separate Development that was so reviled in South Africa and led to sanctions against that country. Politicians only decided to pretend to take action over the mistreatment of aboriginal children in a Northern Territory detention centre because of adverse publicity on television. The action was simply to call for an expensive Royal Commission - but what will that reveal that we don't already know? The thugs at the Don Vale detention centre, and administrative bureaucrats should be in court facing serious prison time.Theyand their political masters appear to have no idea about ‘right and wrong’ At least voters in the Northern Territory have voted out the Government -but the bureaucrats are still there and the new Minister may be no better than the previous one.

The Labor opposition missed a golden opportunity in Parliament yesterday to pass a vote of No Confidence in the Coalition Government. A number of coalition MPs left Parliament early and Labor won several procedural votes - but failed to bring on a motion of no confidence. They may not get another opportunity.

The latest Federal election result demonstrates the low-standing of politicians and the apathy of voters. It's time for change. Talk of introducing a four year term for Government is a good idea, but if we are to have a referendum, make it really worthwhile. Australia could save more than 50% of the cost of Government by dumping Federal elections and allowing the States to run the country. It's time for a major shake-up with the political system here in Australia. We just seem to lurch along from one pathetic government after another.For years Australia 'rode on the sheep's back' then after the wool price collapsed we enjoyed a mineral boom. But rather than build up financial reserves our politicians squandered every dollar. If our Governments had been prudent, the Reserve Bank would be stuffed with money and there would no need for international borrowing. Australia's lunatic fiscal policies over the past few years has just about guaranteed that we will slid...

The cost of Australia's 2016 census has been at least $450 million and the Government is still running radio ads urging people to send in their details. Many people have been questioning the value of some of the information demanded. It seems more like collecting data for the sake of collecting it rather than gathering useful information.The online version of the census was a disaster because all the initial blurb sent out made people think that they had to fill it in on the evening of the census - so everyone went on line at 7pm and the system crashed. A little thought would have prevented that. Maybe the Government could learn from the latest elephant census which has recorded a 30% decline in numbers across 18 African countries.

It's not often that I agree with former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, but Australia does need to form its own foreign policy rather than blindly follow America's agenda. Paul Keating said on Tuesday "Australia needs a foreign policy, and it needs it urgently. Australia does not have a foreign policy." The leaders of this country should develop an awareness of the issues which drive china's economic and political progress. In the past few years Chinese business interests have donated more than $5 million to Australia's coalition parties and the Labor Party -showing that they know how things work (and they won't be happy with the anti Chinese rhetoric spewing out from Canberra).

It's not often that I agree with former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, but Australia does need to form its own foreign policy rather than blindly follow America's agenda. Paul Keating said on Tuesday "Australia needs a foreign policy, and it needs it urgently. Australia does not have a foreign policy." The leaders of this country needs to be aware of the issues which drive china's economic and political progress. In the past few years, Chinese business interests have donated more than $5 million to Australia's coalition parties and the Labor Party -showing that they know how things work (and they won't be happy with the anti Chinese rhetoric spewing out from Canberra.

We all know that there's money in politics - but how much? The UK's former Prime Minister, Tony Blair reportedly earned 60 million pounds sterling in the latest financial year from endorsements, speaking engagements and businesses he owns. His net worth is estimated at 180 million pounds. Former US President Bill Clinton is said to have a net worth of $80 million. Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has an estimated net worth of $200 million – but that was accumulated during his years in merchant banking.

Corruption is alive and well all over the world. Some Australians think that corruption is something that happens overseas – in Asia, the US or South America. But there are endless examples here. Not only in politics, but also in the corporate world and bureaucracies. Planning permits are much easier for developers to obtain if the application is accompanied by a bag full of money. The Independent Commission Against Corruption in New South Wales, revealed some details about the extent of the problem. But it needs a national investigation to show the full extent of the issue. The recent revelation about a Chinese company paying travel expenses for Sam Dastyari, leader of the Labor opposition in the Senate is just the tip of an iceberg as far as donations to politicians are concerned. Often, special slush fund accounts are set up to which business donate then the money is used for election campaigning. It has been common practice for State Governments to provide special deals to entice...

Australia's lunatic fiscal policies over the past few years has just about guaranteed that we will slide into recession this year. It's likely that the Australian dollar will slip to 55c US in the third quarter. At least the Federal Treasurer is making noises about cutting the excessive level of spending – but we are yet to see any action. Sustainability and economics In many opinions, Western society has been in decline for decades (if not centuries) but we do seem to be heading towards the abyss at an ever increasing speed. Australia is probably a reasonable reflection of what is happening elsewhere (at least if the drivel in newspapers and on television is any guide. There has been little real political choice when it comes to elections as all party hacks scramble for the 'middle ground' In Australia there is virtually nothing to choose on economic policies between the Liberal/National coalition and the Labor opposition. Both also have almost identical polic...