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Yep...Shifty Shorten has been embarrassed a couple of times this week.

In the meantime while the PM is gloating about what a wonderful day it was that SS couples can get married perhaps you might get back to fixing the economy guys and girls.

Exactly DD. The SS legislation was passed through parlaiment and became law very quickly. Why can't those plonkers in blundersville work as quickly on addressing the too many issues that need urgent attention!!!???
All the ssm has been a distraction.
Everyone in the world should have been forced to have watched the tv programme on SBS last night. After that show finished, if people cannot see how bad the situation is in this country, why can't they see?
Sorry for getting off topic

westaussieguy wrote: Exactly DD. The SS legislation was passed through parlaiment and became law very quickly. Why can't those plonkers in blundersville work as quickly on addressing the too many issues that need urgent attention!!!???
All the ssm has been a distraction.
Everyone in the world should have been forced to have watched the tv programme on SBS last night. After that show finished, if people cannot see how bad the situation is in this country, why can't they see?
Sorry for getting off topic

WAG it did take a long time and cost upwards of $100 million for a non-binding opinion poll. It always required the parliament to do exactly what they did when they passed the legislation through both houses. Perhaps Bazza will put on record is views about Abbott not voting on the SSM legislation.

I am surprised that Bazza hasn't commented on the fact that the leader of the opposition is in NZ (possibly meeting freezin) rather than in Bennelong. Of course if he did that he would mention how many times M Turnbull has visited the electorate since the by-election was called. He could also mention how many times Turnbull visited Queensland the number of times Shorten visited Queensland during the most recent election in that state. I also wait with interest for Turnbull to turn up and support J Alexander 7 minutes after the close of polls like he did with B Joyce.

Good to see the irony and desperation of Turnbull that the Liberals rolled out in Bennelong only the SECOND PM in almost 90 years to lose their OWN SEAT in an election. Bazza please remind me what electorate that was.

Fair enough swan42. And the only reason we had the ssm postal survey is because Coorman and the other guy thought most people would say no.
But then again, politicians will tell you the ol' taxpayers have plenty of money to waste!

westaussieguy wrote: Fair enough swan42. And the only reason we had the ssm postal survey is because Coorman and the other guy thought most people would say no.
But then again, politicians will tell you the ol' taxpayers have plenty of money to waste!

It wasn't required: all that was needed was a change in legislation.

It was redundant and superfluous: the member for Waringah (TONY ABBOTT) ignored the will of around 75% of that electorate that voted YES in the non-compulsory, non-binding waste of money. I mention the member for Waringah as prior posts seemed to ignore the Liberal electorates that recorded an overwhelming YES vote.

It was a waste of $100,000,000.00. this money could have been used to provide assistance to the disadvantaged; improve schools and hospitals etc.

Its been a very poor year for Federal Polotics.How any Duel Citizen got into our Parliment is just reprehensible. We have not had Stable Government since Kevin Rudd mark 1.
Can't believe Senator Cash and Desteari have not been kicked out of the Senate.
To my knowledge both the ALP+LNP support the TTP.Trans-Pacific-Partnership.That turns Australia into an EU type open border country.That saids something about a national leaders.

Sam should be forced to resign from the Senate by being threatened with a Commonwealth Police investigation on whether or not he has interferred with an operation by the Security Services. It is clear that such orgainisations as ASIO and ASIS want him out. How exactly, for example, do people think, and more particularly for the country, Bill Shorten think, that Sam's recorddings got into the public sphere?

ArkRoyal wrote: Sam should be forced to resign from the Senate by being threatened with a Commonwealth Police investigation on whether or not he has interferred with an operation by the Security Services. It is clear that such orgainisations as ASIO and ASIS want him out. How exactly, for example, do people think, and more particularly for the country, Bill Shorten think, that Sam's recorddings got into the public sphere?

The whole affair stinks to high heavens. Exactly how was it leaked to the media? That in and of itself would suggest that there has been a breach of security that has nothing to do with a NSW ALP Senator. There is also the question of whether we as a society think that it is acceptable to be spying on our federal politicians of any persuasion.

AR do you think that Australia's democratic processes are best served by one side of politics in government directing the AFP to investigate the other side of politics? DId anyone mention a certain senator by the name of M Cash? How many politically motivated RCs have been called by PMs Abbott and Turnbull so far?

As to S Dastyari it is not ILLEGAL to go for a walk without one's mobile. I don't defend what he has done ; but I am not sure that there has been any illegal activity by him. And let's not forget it was the current government that refused to support changes to legislation that would have made it illegal to accept money from foreign sources.

What will be interesting is the result of the Bennelong by-election. This like the New England by-election is not the normal by-election. Just checking with the AEC Bennelong has been held by the Liberal for all bar 3 years (2007-2010) and won in 2010 by a margin of 9.72%.

I would expect S would resign if there is only a very small swing to the ALP.

Swan 42: Thanks for the very good post. We have got to clamp down on foreign influences in our country as they pertain to the making of national policy. It goes a lot deeper and higher than Sam, former PMs of this country are far too pro-Chinese. The problem with Sam, as you know Swan42, is that he has openly supportted a foreign power against the national interest.

Ideally, Swan 42, it against the law to leak such information to the ABC, but clearly, the security services regard the man as a risk to the state in an environment where Bill Shorten will not act against him. Keep in mind, leaving aside the national policy, when he spoke on China, he broke ALP discipline -- an offence which has seen people expelled from the party in the past.

This is an issue which could swing part of the electorate if Lord Turnbull handles it correctly