"Former Greens leader Greg Barber reached a $56,000 settlement with a female staff member over sexual discrimination and bullying allegations, and quit politics two days after the claims were aired within his party.
The settlement was reached in July 2017 after the woman threatened to take Mr Barber to the Federal Court alleging she had been subjected to sex discrimination, bullying and victimisation during her five-year employment in the politician’s office.
Mr Barber denies the allegations, and paid $9000 of the confidential payout from his own pocket on the condition there would be no apology to the woman.
The state government's Department of Parliamentary Services paid the remaining $47,000..."

Seems that this was kept quiet, for some reason!
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/former-victorian-greens-leader-hit-by-sexual-discrimination-bullying-claims-20180410-p4z8tr.html

Too stupid for words...

There has never been a Greens leader of that name has there? Anyway, there is no reason why another Green would lose an election because of some little known perv. The Greens lost the election because of the dud candidate who was on her sixth try, and because the Greens are not popular with anyone except a few way-backers.

Issy, another one of your attempts at you know what, when it comes to the Greens. That matter which was an employment issue, dealt with by the Victorian Department of Parliamentary Services had no bearing on the Batman by-election.

The reason Labor retained Batman, an electorate they have held for 50 years, was they had a better candidate in the high profile "Ged" Kearney a former ACTU president who they parachuted in. They well and truly outspent the Greens on their campaign. The high voter turnout 91%, and the disastrous result for Corny Bananas Conservative Party 6% indicates Liberal voters threw their lot in with Labor.

Cynically, the Liberals did not run a candidate, don't they want to represent the people of Australia? The Greens always field a candidate in all elections, in all electorates, the Greens want to represent Australians, and give them the chance to have their democratic say. The Federal Coalition should be very worried by the result, from their point of view Batman indicates they are in for a trouncing come general election time.

p/s Lets hope Gerardine Kearney achieves far more for the people of Batman than she ever did for Australia's nurses, who still have the worse pay and conditions of any professional group. Except for Geb who done very well out of them.

p/p/s Issy, where was your Shooters and Hooters candidate for the by-election? Busy out bagging koalas!

IM,

Probably not, the greens were too busy stabbing each other in the back and losing a gimme election.

Paul,

"Issy, another one of your attempts at you know what, when it comes to the Greens. That matter which was an employment issue, dealt with by the Victorian Department of Parliamentary Services had no bearing on the Batman by-election"

Another attempt at 'you know what',
yes indeed, every chance that I get, I'm too old now to defend my country in a physical manner but I can attempt to expose the enemies within at every opportunity, and the Greens are an enemy within Australia.

Had this matter been aired before the election even more voters would have shunned the Greens.

Is Mise,

The Green vote is steadily going south; shouldn't be much longer before they go the way of the Democrats.

It's not about what would or wouldn't have hurt the Greens/APL/LNP at the Batman/Federal level, it's more about what is hurting ALL of us here in the electorates.

Plain & simple, there is not one decent pollie in the whole of Australia, and what should have happened when the "Citizenship Saga" erupted was for the G-G Cosgrove to exhibit some testicular fortitude & dissolve the Parliament in its entirety.

But even he could not prejudice his 'retirement strategy' by doing so, & thus we are stuck with the whole rotten & corrupted lot until another crises ensues or the incumbents turf poor Malcolm out on his ear.

PS: Paul1405, even 3 days dead Koala tastes alright, lightly seared over coals when you're 2 weeks into a survival course, & there are just not enough Mountain Pygmy Possums left to make a decent mouthful.

Recently in the US we had a vegan, peta activist and woman shooting up people in a place where guns are banned. The perfect candidate for the Greens and their dumbed down supporter. Of course no coverage by the abc, drum q&a etc. Funny also how a party that screams diversity have no coloured leaders among them. Why don't they come straight out and call it the party of Marxist and hypocrites.

"Plain & simple, there is not one decent pollie in the whole of Australia, and what should have happened when the "Citizenship Saga" erupted was for the G-G Cosgrove to exhibit some testicular fortitude & dissolve the Parliament in its entirety.", says Albie, and he is dead right.

The GG can do this, but I'm not sure what the procedure is. I believe that the Opposition would have to block supply a la the Fraser/Kerr removal of the dud Whitlam government. As far as I know, the GG's reserve powers are still available, and they are another reason why we should never be conned into a republic.

The sooner voters get to making a decision, the better - before we are rooted beyond any hope of redemption.

//Of course no coverage by the abc//

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-05/youtube-shooter-visited-gun-range-before-rampage,-police-say/9620742

<< Recently in the US we had a vegan, peta activist and woman shooting up people in a place where guns are banned. The perfect candidate for the Greens and their dumbed down supporter. Of course no coverage by the abc, drum q&a etc. >>

9. Thou shall not bear false witness. See you in hell runner.

ttbn, your death wish for the Greens, is nothing but wishful thinking on your part, and not supported by the facts. Despite a surge in popularity by the Nick Xenophon Team in SA, which cost us a Senator in that state, the Greens vote nationally was once again up last federal election. We won our first seat in the Queensland parliament, We have strong representation in the populous states of NSW and Victoria, along with Tasmania.

I can comment on NSW where last election the Greens picked up their second lower house seat, and look on track to win a third next year, adding to our already strong team in the upper house. In local elections we are winning more and more seats on councils, as residence realize we are the only party that can deliver a safe and healthy environment for them and their families. We are a grass roots party that is totally concerned for the people, unlike the big two and others that pander to powerful sectional interests.

On the other hand, your party The Australian Conservatives run by Corny Banana has failed to fly, its national support is pathetically low. The only support for far right parties comes from fringe dwellers, including the red neck racists and knuckle draggers that vote for the air head Hanson and her One Nation.

Hi Paul,

We lived on the edge of the Batman electorate fifty-odd years ago, I worked there, and our kids were born in PANCH, right in the middle of the electorate. In those days it was solidly working- lass. Of course, many of their kids and grand-kids have had vastly better opportunities, and the more self-obsessed and self0indulgent have move right and joined the Greens.

We forget that, from a Marxist point of view, the class which forms the bulk of the Greens is that pampered, self-regarding, class of professionals, whose view of themselves is that they are the rightful rulers of society, but have cruelly been overlooked by a Philistine society, obsessed with money. That attitude has been around for a long time, amongst Marx himself and most 'revolutionary' leaders since, have been members of this viciously-neglected class. Hence their fascination with the Gramscian strategy of tearing society down - nihilism rather than socialism.

I suspect that, these days, groups like the Greens may sound Left but are fundamentally self-interested, and use Leftist slogans and issues, as well as bogus-Left issues such as homosexual marriage, to insert that ideology into the minds of society. But at base, like all self-interested groupings, they are fundamentally right-wing and would revert to that reactionary stance in a heartbeat.

Discuss.

Cheers,

Joe

P1405, do you try to be an arrogant, ignorant ass? Or does it come naturally? Your love of all things left and low is well documented. Your continual demands for proof and links is tiresome and your superior attitude to everyone else is making you less viable as a commentor, by the day. Just because YOU say the greens are blah, blah, blah in no way at all raises them to any level higher than a weed. I and many others here, don't care about your green stats, we go by the real peoples opinions and not your sources, no matter how much you try to push them as fact. Here is where it is really at; The greens are a nothing party, because they are not a political party. They are a TV garden show. And a bad one at that. They have NO policies. I don't like either of the big boys, but that does not mean I'm going to settle for a different con-man just because I don't like the con-men on offer. Your so one eyed you can't see what is actually going on. Here's a thought I know you'll love. If fish and chips actually got a controlling edge in the votes, it would absolutely kill the big boys, because they would lose control of the purse strings. We would not get any more stupid laws passed, because, as if, we don't have enough of them now. It would be, as I have said before, 'the cat amongst the pidgeons'. Oh what a wonderful time that would be. The govt in total dis-array, seeing them all walking around like zombies, bouncing off walls and so on. The country would still keep functioning, nothing would change, we could plan and look forward to stable day-to-day activities, not wondering when the next hit in throat or pocket will come from. If you seriously think the gardeners have anything useful to say or offer, on any topic, you have sadly not looked close enough at them.

Hi Joe,

What has caused you to exude this rabid jealous streak towards the "professional middle class", I do not know. Could it be the result of your own political experience, or simply envy and avarice of a group in society that has been successful.

I certainly do not agree with your summation, Greens are not in general a pampered self-indulgent people at all. Rather I find most to be hard working educated folk with a social conscience. Wrongly you steal the phrase "rightful rulers of society" and apply it to the middle class professionals, it is nothing but a variant of the "born to rule class" which applied to the aristocracy and the owners of capital.

As for your last paragraph, your suspicion is simply that, a suspicion, therefore I cannot say if that is true or not, only circumstance would tell. The class warrior talks in terms of issues being left and right, a hangover from a bygone era. The gay marriage issues was a social justice issue. The Greens is a social justice party, and rightly takes a strong position on social justice issues.

ALTRAV, put a sock in it, you nonsense is not worth commenting on.

Hi paul,

Yes, you're half-right: Greens know how to talk the talk, how to make the most beautifully and passionately virtuous statements, perfect for T-shirts: "Free Darfur !" "Save the Hairy-Arsed Pygmy Possum ! Now !" "Let 65 Million Refugees Breathe Free !" "Make It Up As You Go !" But walking the walk ? Not so much.

But actual progressive action ? If homosexual marriage is a progressive issue, not just an exploitable one, then yes, but not much else. I'll stand by my assertion, that they, like so many 'revolutionary' groups over the past couple of hundred years, believe they - being so sophisticated and righteous and, as you say, well-educated - are the rightful ruling class, the class with vision, yearning for a Lenninesque Utopia [that's both John and Vladimir] to impose on the ignorant masses. Failing that, being spurned by the ignorant masses, they wouldn't hesitate, if they had power, to resurrect the firing squads - after all, every revolution regrettably needs such purgers, under the wise direction of the Central Committee.

Have I got that right ?

Cheers,

Joe

My favourite line from a green leader when sexual harassment was mentioned. That's not right we are believers in equality! Seven of our eight MP's are women! So tell me again how they can do anything but game political pensions, political donations and taxpayer funded electoral expenses.
Drain the swamp let's find our Donald!

Hi Joe,

No. Well not as far as the Greens are concerned. Your attempt to equate The Greens to "revolutionary groups" of the past 200 years is erroneous, and then to carry that fallacy further and associate Greens with Bolshevism is certainly wrong. The Greens are as confined to the social political parameters that exist in Australia as are the Liberal and Labor parties. Why must those who hold with progressive ideas, always be seen by some as having a secret hidden agenda? Could it be possible that the bloke with the t-shirt which reads 'Save The Whales' has no other agenda than saving whales, and his message is not short hand for "Down with the Bourgeoisie, Long Live the Proletariat, bring on the Firing Squads" which he could not spell. or fit on his shirt.

J Bowyer, hear, hear. I think we have our Donald. It's his sister, and I like her. Like her brother she knows little or nothing about politics. But she's learning. As weak as she is on policies and presence, I think she would be just what the swamp needs. Like her brother who promised he was 'going to drain the swamp', that's exactly what he has been doing. Ridding the White House of the Rothschild implants that have been advising most previous Presidents for centuries. Sure she won't have a clue what she is doing, so it means we won't be getting these bloody laws that target every Aussy for the worse and not the better. We won't have to worry when the next hit in the neck and our hip pockets will be coming. We will have a bit of social stability for as long as she was in charge. As if we don't have enough laws. I for one look forward to a cessation of law making as they are too hostile to the greater population and like all laws, designed to be of benefit to the govt not the people. So stuff em'. Put Pauline in charge and we can take a breather, and catch our breathe, for a while at least. LOL.

Totally wacko off the planet comment from you ALTRAV. Yep! you've got it in a nutshell, it was The Donald's sister that hurt the Greens in the recent Vic. elections. Not only have you got the hots for The Donald's sister. The Donald also has the hot for her as well, anything in a skirt does The Donald. Introduce him to the Lovely Pauline.

Paul, you misunderstand me - I'm not 'equating' Greens with Bolsheviks, but merely pointing out that the class basis of the Greens and of the Bolsheviks (and of the leaders of Fascist parties in the past, indeed of the 1789 French revolutionaries too) is similar, if not identical: well-educated, relatively affluent, self-obsessed, frustrated at their lack of rightful power, contemptuous of the lower classes/bogans/peasants etc., and given to sloganeering rather than actually getting down with the down-trodden and working with them, i.e. doing anything useful.

Such people have a clear-eyed vision of the Utopian Future (which of course, in their own minds, the bogans don't have) and are not swayed by bourgeois concerns like sympathy for other people's lives or livelihoods - after all, one must not weaken in attaining the ultimate goal of supremacy over one's class enemies. How many times have we seen this virtuous purity already ? How often has it degenerated into a reign of terror, one it hs enough power ? And actually degenerated into some ghastly form of fascism, by whatever name one might give it ?

Thankfully the Greens will never get enough power to implement these ultimate aims. So they will gather in their restaurants and bistros and arts seminars to console each other about the blind, unfeeling world around them, as they sip delicately on their kale smoothies and nibble their goat's cheese, before they head off to their fitness trainers.

Joe

Hi Joe,

I have attended many Greens meeting at various levels over a number of years, and the revolution has not been big on the agenda. In fact I have never come across it as a discussion item at all, not even in causal discussions. Have you ever encountered it as a item for discussion among Greens, or are you presupposing it must be so.

"getting down with the down-trodden and working with them" and how do you do that yourself? You seem rather contemptuous of the educated in society calling them self-obsessed. As for "contemptuous of the lower classes/bogans/peasants etc." I'll add the unemployed, Aboriginals, gays, Muslims and others and I find some in the Liberal Party fit that bill better than any. They must be about to start the revolution, do you agree.

"Thankfully the Greens will never get enough power to implement these ultimate aims" Joe you are totally ignorant of the Greens, and those ultimate aims only exist in your minds eye. You would do better to stick to what you do best, dumping on our Indigenous

"Ridding the White House of the Rothschild implants that have been advising most previous Presidents for centuries"

What's their secret?

To live so long is a major achievement in itself.

Paul.

Oy. Are you deliberately misunderstanding what I am trying vainly to get across ?

What's the use ?

Joe

Hi Joe,

No I don't believe so, when you you make the statement "Thankfully the Greens will never get enough power to implement these ultimate aims". This implies some secret revolutionary agenda, which as far as I'm am aware, and I think I should know, does not exists formally or informally with The Greens Party. You have thrown a shot load of nonsense... quote;

"Such people (Greens) have a clear-eyed vision of the Utopian Future (which of course, in their own minds, the bogans don't have) and are not swayed by bourgeois concerns like sympathy for other people's lives or livelihoods - after all, one must not weaken in attaining the ultimate goal of supremacy over one's class enemies. How many times have we seen this virtuous purity already ? How often has it degenerated into a reign of terror, one it hs enough power ? And actually degenerated into some ghastly form of fascism, by whatever name one might give it ?" UTTER RUBBISH as far as The Greens are concerned! It might apply to your way of thinking.

Please explain what you mean by "ultimate aims" could read ultimate goal (see above), and what concrete evidence do you have to support this assertion that there are such clandestine aims within the Greens.

You are trying to smear the Greens by some broad association with Nazi Fascism and Stalinist Communism, I have not met any French speaking Greens so can't say about that one.

Hi Joe,

What makes you think that Paul deliberately misunderstands? Misunderstanding seems to come naturally to him.

One wonders how the name 'Watermelons' came about?

//One wonders how the name 'Watermelons' came about?//

It's a compound of water & melon, on account of them being melons that contain a lot of water.

I suppose some old bugger with a gun made it up. Been around for a while.

Issy, did you fire off a few shots this weekend. I was talking to an old Aboriginal bloke last night, we had a couple of beers with him at the RSL. Told me he never went to school in his whole life, grew up on the river bank outside of town in the Central West of NSW, out in the area I come from. Told me in those days they were not allowed to spend time in town, coppers would move them on. Wants to take his grandchildren back "home" and show them where he came from. Worked in Sydney same job for 40 years.

Didn't get much time to tell Mick about the revolution, as we were more interested watching the NRL class war between the Bourgeoisie from Canberra and the Proletariat of Parramatta. Mick popped in to watch the game. Mick is a Parra supporter and they crashed to their 6th straight defeat, the bogans are yet to win a game! He did think "T" was Aboriginal, until she explained she is Maori (who doesn't like football, in that case a definite candidate for the firing squad when the revelation comes) . He couldn't believe my wife "T" could speak fluent "native" as he called it. Said he knew some "native" when he was a kid but not now. Asked me, "can you also speak "native" as well", I said no, but I understand some words and phrases, like Joe is "hoha" and he made me "pukuriri".

Hi Toni.

Some gunnies like to use watermelons for target practice, because when they hit them they explode just like a human head! Such fun ah Issy, I bet you have had a shot at the odd watermelon or three.

Here I was minding my own business plotting the revolution, and along came a member of the Shooters and Hooters Party,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iSOnbxocEI

I tell ya a blokes never safe from those gunnies!

Paul,

Yes, I fired a few shots on Sunday, our monthly .22 Bench Rest shoot; my lowest score was a 92, open sights at 50 metres.
I don't use a scope sight as my eyesight hasn't deteriorated enough to justify the added expense.

Never shot a watermelon in my life and human heads don't explode the way that watermelons do.

Toni,

"It's a compound of water & melon, on account of them being melons that contain a lot of water."

Now who wooda thunk!!

Hi Issy, I hope 92 was a good score, its not like golf is it, where with luck. a few folk one day get a score better than their age.
I don't really see a lot of harm in target shooting, I think you certainly enjoy it, so go for it.

Haven't you ever heard of some nincompoop being described as a melon head, or a two legged sheep (another thread).

Hi Toni, your assertion that a watermelon is a compound of water and melon, has that been scientifically proven? Where is your evidence, provide a link! Just to bring some rational debate into this, and to expand the topic further, can I ask; Do you like fried eggs?

Paul,

Possible score is 100 (with 10 shots in the X ring, so 100,10X is the highest), so 92 isn't all that bad, occasionally I shoot 98 and once, recently, I shot 99,7X, which is the best that I've ever managed on the SSAA 50 metre targets, I have cracked 100 a few times on slightly bigger targets.
Next Saturday is the Service pistol monthly shoot.

I like fried eggs, firm whites and runny yolks.

Hi Issy,

I have cracked 100 a few times on slightly bigger targets. Were they watermelons? LOL

Glad you mentioned eggs. The best fried eggs are, wait for it.... DUCK EGGS. big yolks. Nan always used the duck eggs in her cakes. When I was a kid on the farm, as well as a 'million' chooks running around the place, we also had ducks, and a few turkeys. Turkeys lay a round shaped egg. not bad eating. Old Pop was one of your mob, used to shoot wild ducks on the dam, not that good eating, not much on them, yet we had ducks at home, ate them now and then, Xmas etc.