Yes I have seen the doco "Gaslands" Paul1405.

Should be compulsory viewing on the subject of frakking.

It is amazing the level of deceit displayed by the corporations involved re the damage possible using this method of gas extraction, it's there for all to see in Gaslands. How about the tap water in peoples homes that you could light with a match.

Clearly the operators/miners in Gaslands knew little about the effects of frakking themselves and engaged in covering up afterwards.

Yes Lexi your right, we do indulge here a lot in the trivial pursuit of personally attacking public figures and conducting trial by media. Whilst the big picture issues go largely un-addressed.

I have got a couple of major concerns. In Australian workplaces today everywhere it seems in businesses big, medium or small, managements are moving to have any body with a real job replaced by contractors on much lower rates of pay and conditions. Workchoices by stealth.

One Big miner of coal in Qld have even recently temporarily shut down mining operations for show, such is their power, to rid themselves of their existing workforce whilst secretly advertising for contractors offering entirely less beneficial packages.

We own the resources and employ people to dig them up for us. We seem to have lost sight of this and at the same time consider it appropriate to allow them to spend the money they have made from doing this, to lobby and advertise for a deterioration in our working conditions and/or share in the benefits of the mining boom.

Under funded (privatised by Howard) disability or aged care sector workplaces now think they are profit making concerns and have seen outside managers move in and put pressure on permanent staff that have sickness and holiday benefits, in undisguised instructions to cop it or leave. The people whom work in this sector are already famously and tragically underpaid, as in recent news. The service deterioration for the clients is a most probably not a consideration for the operators, as much as the bottom line.

Two examples among multitudes

cont

Big Mega Business is ignoring the Govt and brazenly intends to further campaign and advertise for a further tightening of the industrial screws in their favour. Biding for the time that they will have the Govt they want, a Govt beholden to them. In this case, it is an Abbott Govt they want. Telling the viewers of their commercial TV outlets that anything the Govt does is bad, and anything Abbott says is right, on a daily basis. This they believe will get them over the line next election and the sooner the better they chant.

Lets hope it doesn't work for our sake.

To get back to topic,

Tony Abbott running for the door when Thomson voted with the Opposition aginst a government motion, was, from the vierwpoint of along-term Labor supporter, clearly a cynical attempt to demonstrate that he had more integrity than the Government in who would, or wouldn't, accept a 'tainted' vote. Obviously, Abbott, taking the long view, doesn't want to be associated with Thomson, just as Howard refused to be associated with the tainted vote of Mal Colston back in 1997.

Thankfully, the Gillard government is much more broad-minded, and would be prepared to accept the support and vote of any member, no matter where it came from. That forgivingness and broad-mindeness is clearly much more in an Australian tradition than Abbott's push for some sort of 'integrity'. On any other occasion, Gillard would be prepared to accept Thomson's vote, in the spirit of 'forgive and forget'.

After all, apart from members like Nick Xenophon and maybe Tony Winsor, for most MPs, integrity is pretty much an alien, almost a foreign, concept in Australian politics these days. Where are there any votes in it ?

Joe

Labor is far more broad minded, with the full range of morals from the incompetent to the corrupt, kiddy fiddlers etc?

I suppose the 10% of Australian population with criminal records need to be represented.

That post from Shadow Minister is not worth reporting.
Not worth my once head on charge.
It is best in its self to rebut any thing he ever says or said.
Worth however comparing it with yesterdays question time.
The dreadful insults Abbott's mob threw across the floor, *go back to Tasmania and rot*
Dead man walking, a host of filth.
Tide is turning, Abbott, even with in his party, is falling.
Do many know? workers at Kurri Kurri smelter refused to see him?
That his penchant for deliberate lies is bringing him in to disrepute.
Do not be offended by his words, nore those of Shadow Minister.
Revel in them!
At last! with the leader no one wants, we are benefiting from the fact they want him less.
Gillard, not my mate, has his measure now, see him run, trying to get out the door.
So very funny.
Stand tall those not Liberal/conservatives, see our opponents for what they are.
See our sad vindictive slanderer for what he is.
We need not defend our selves.
I am so very proud, honestly, that I am over my uncontrolled anger I once showed here, even leaving because of Shadow Minister twice.
I have many Liberal party mates, close true mates, every one of them would condemn this bloke.

Well, Shadow Minister, criminals are people too and are entitled to vote and be represented in Parliament, even if they can't stand themselves, so why shouldn't the Labor Party mix freely with them and share the mores and values of some of their fellow-Australians ? 'Forgive and forget' seems to be the mantra of some Labor Party members (okay, not many but some), and why should such a significant minority's views be neglected ?

Cheers,

Joe