Summary: This week, the increasingly decrepit SomethingWonky leaves behind the grim news and depressing revelations to become Australia’s Cheeriest Political Podcast. AUSTRALIA’S CHEERIEST POLITICAL PODCAST Australians turn out to protest for social services High Court provides some sort of a check on the government’s plans to claim enough authority over international waters to kidnap refugees, but not enough to be subject to Australian law. Solar overtakes Coal, even briefly, in Queensland As a government backbencher likens climate change to a science fiction film plot (which it is - the one about people not heeding warnings and then there being an apocalypse), the Canberra Times, pointing out that the carbon price has cut electricity generation pollution by 10% and increased our use of clean energy by 37%, asks why kill a working carbon price? WILL ANYONE LISTEN? Well, yes. Senate says no… temporarily. Penny Wong fires up to inspire the Senate to tell the govt not to take them for granted (AUDIO ON LINK) Then, in news.com.au’s analysis, Clive “bullies” Tony ABC has a totally leftist night of leftism THINGS THAT DON’T DESERVE TO BE TAKING UP TIME IN OUR HUNDREDTH EPISODE Tony spends $4.3m of public money on spin doctors in his “strategic communications branch” Tony Abbott reveals that Australia was unsettled before the British (but it isn’t the first time - last year he said that the “first Australians” were picked by British judges). Malcolm Turnbull sending off $1m in a vulture fund in the Cayman Islands to dodge tax STUCK IN MY CRAW Andrew Tiedt on NSW’s shamefully weak weak Bail weak laws of weakness that let people accused of crimes eat lunch by the beach AUSTRALIA BEING AWFUL Self-harm amongst asylum seekers in detention skyrockets six-fold since offshore resettlement, reports SERCO. Asylum seeker mothers reported trying to commit suicide to help their children. Mr Abbott says he won’t be “held over a moral barrel”, “moral blackmail”. Other asylum seeker mothers asking for Australians to be allowed to adopt their children Australia confirmed to have sent 41 refugees from Sri Lanka back to Sri Lanka, where they were then taken into custody to face court (It’s a crime punishable by 2 years imprisonment to leave Sri Lanka without permission). There are reasons Sri Lanka is a refugee-producing country. Reports of our on-water treatment not promising: Another migrant said they were racially abused and denied medication, while some attempted a hunger strike to protest their treatment. “They kept on saying ‘You fucking Sri Lankan, go back to fucking Sri Lanka’,” said the man, who declined to give his name. He said he was also refused medicine for a rash he had developed during the sea journey in a small fishing trawler. Another unnamed passenger said they were given food past their expiry date, adding: “They treated us worse than dogs.” Richard Ackland points out that handing back asylum seekers is called refoulement and it’s illegal Ray Hadley and Scott Morrison are greatly amused by the presence of a dog, because they’d have left theirs behind. (AUDIO) Scott Morrison’s new ludicrous “national interest” test for refugees Scott Morrison’s new “four question” asylum seeker test. Eric Abetz is offended at Fran Kelly suggesting that just because Australia is now taking people and refusing to say where they are, we might be “disappearing people”. Are not, he tells Insiders. Scott Morrison toddles off to Sri Lanka for mysterious reasons UNHCR slams Australia transferring refugees at sea, which it turns out we did. On the other hand, although we’ve probably contravened refugee conventions, Crikey points out there’s probably nothing they can do about it. Julian Burnside accuses the government of piracy, apparently una
