Summary: Wait You Can Do That? drops in on a meeting between members of the previous government as they learn what they could have gotten away with. FX: CLINKING GLASSES, GENERAL BACKGROUND CHATTER Did you hear last week's SomethingWonky? Yes, me too. Never miss it. ANYWAY IT TURNS OUT THAT when we won Government from the Coalition we didn't need to appoint their former MPs to cushy posts! We didn't need to make Tim Fischer Ambassador to the Vatican or Brendan Nelson Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the EU and NATO. Or that Director of the Australian War Memorial job we gave him next? We didn't have to give Peter Costello that gig with the Future Fund. Or that quite absurd "UN envoy" post Alexander Downer begged for? DID YOU KNOW we could have ended their appointments early? YOU CAN DO THAT? AND WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??! - the Liberals are releasing our cabinet papers for that insulation scheme witch-hunt? WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT?! We didn't need to respect the "cabinet confidentiality" of the Howard government on the Iraq War or the AWB scandal? We could have embarrassed the other side's politicians by publishing their confidential deliberations? WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT? (Note: even Andrew Bolt isn't sure that's a good idea.) Our Ministers could have gotten away with woeful conflicts of interest like Fiona Nash and her chief of staff Furnival and the PM could just have dismissed it as a "zephyr in a thimble" and not been a laughing stock? We could have pretended to cut such a mate adrift whilst finding him a plum public job in exactly the same area as his conflict of interest without it even making the tabloids? Also, HANG ON, the Coalition actually were serious about that Medicare fee idea - they just didn't announce it until after they'd tested the waters by leaking it over the holiday? They've waited until their research tells them that they can get away with it before getting the Health Minister to start talking about how "important" it is? WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT? You don't have to lead with your chin? AND WHAT? We could have hidden absolutely everything about boat arrivals? WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT? If anything went wrong we could have called a bullshit faux inquiry into the mistreatment of refugees in our detention? WAIT YOU CAN - oh, we already knew about that one. We could have preselected hopeless candidates in unwinnable seats who would go out there and actively abuse and insult their potential constituents - for example, calling them smelly and work shy just for the hell of it? WAIT are we sure we didn't do that already. I'm just so sniff PROUD to be Australian (Patriotic Music plays) Diplomats fear Australia will wreck UN probe into Sri Lankan war crimes CAMBODIA?!?!?! More revelations on us using our spy agency to cheat East Timor. Staggering quote from Downer: "I don’t think I mind about my legacy. I just mind about doing the right thing" In other things we're proud of - Three Minutes of Dear God Manus Island Dear God Sri Lankan ex-military operations manager over Manus Island refugees (inc those who'd fled Sri Lanka) - and the national broadcaster, the ABC screws over Asher Wolf who reported it Other citizen journalist Tara Moss reports on informant with details about more than 20 shots being fired at the compound towards refugees. (Courier Mail retaliates by putting her in a photo gallery about "boobs". Morrison has to admit his declarations to the public were fundamentally false - and the SMH reports Morrison knew a week earlier that his claims were false. But don't worry, Scott - Tony Abbott has got your back, explaining "You don't want a wimp running border protection, you want someone who is strong, who is decent and Scott Morrison is both strong and decent". G4S in PNG seizes Fairfax journo's camera and deletes photos. No we may not see what's been done to them. Witnesses report that G4S let armed locals into the Manus Island detention centre. G4S staff ordered to lie to refugees about their rights Former ALP MP who was wor
