Dear Belly,

Back to the topic.

I agree with you about the ostriches.

The Liberal Party still has
not learned anything from the
mess they find themselves in. It's not
a good idea to second guess, denigrate, or
undermine the opposition. Rather than
having a contract with the nation they
appear to be seeking a blank check.
They're not going to get it.
They need to come up with policies of
substance on so many issues prior to
the next election.

Indeed Foxy, truth is they insult their base no one puts it better than one of their own
In the SMH today lamenting Turnbull took the base with him worth the read

//please supply 5 instances over the past 5 days against different people.//

Against 5 different people? So it's OK if you just single out two or three, e.g. Nick, Belly and Foxy for special treatment?

//"My thread" knowing how this forum is setup means I started it//

Having started it does not confer ownership. They are everybody's threads, and will remain so until OLO stops being a PUBLIC forum.

Bringing people from Nauru, what could go wrong? Just 1 has cost over $329,000 dollars.

Asylum seekers flown to Australia for medical treatment are put up in $300-a-night hotels and serviced apartments costing the taxpayer $1.4billion

The government has spent more than a billion dollars on housing asylum seekers who have been flown to Australia for medical treatment and put up in luxury hotels.

In the past five years, The Daily Telegraph reports the government has paid $1.4billion to accommodate people being flown over from offshore detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru.

Some are held in high-end hotels, such as the Meriton and the Medina, while others stay in guarded townhouses, which cost about $4000 per month.

The hotels, which can cost more than $300 a night, have been home to one asylum seeker for nearly three years, but stays can range from one day to 1096.

One room at the Meriton Parramatta in Sydney's west reportedly used to home asylum seekers receiving medical treatment and their families contains a flat-screen TV, unlimited Wi-Fi and a full kitchen and laundry.

About 1500 individuals and family members who were living on Manus and Nauru have been flown to Australia for medical treatment in the last five years.

Luxury accommodation has not been provided to everyone, however. Those believed to pose a risk to the community are held in onshore detention centres.

Of those flown to Australia, The Daily Telegraph reports just over a third were not found to be genuine refugees.

The revelations come as Labor announced it would back a plan to allow asylum seekers into the country for treatment with the sign-off of two doctors – a softer approach than is currently taken.

The party is hoping to end Australia's current policy of detaining asylum seekers who arrive via boat offshore indefinitely, but has not announced an official policy to do so.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6502117/Asylum-seekers-flown-Australia-medical-treatment-hotels-townhouses.html

Just when you thought Labor could not get worse. Not 4,000 but 4,000 extra on top of what they also want to bring.

An extra 4000 refugees will call Australia home every year and $500million will go to the United Nations to help asylum seekers if Labor wins the next federal election.

Bill Shorten is also promising an urgent review of Newstart, which the party believes is too low.

But the opposition leader will maintain the coalition's hardline boat turn backs policy and refuses to commit to lifting dole payments.

'You can have secure borders and you can live up to our humanitarian obligations. You just require leadership,' Mr Shorten told Labor's national conference in Adelaide on Monday.

The two announcements go some way to soothing tensions between Labor's factions over lifting the dole and welcoming refugees.

The Community Sponsored Refugee Program will over time be expanded from 1000 to 5000 places annually.

The program allows state and local governments, community organisations, businesses, unions and faith-based organisations to sponsor humanitarian entrants into Australia.

A Shorten Labor government will also give $500million to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees over five years.

Mr Shorten said he would look to take up New Zealand's offer to resettle refugees from Nauru and Manus Island immediately on similar terms with the United States agreement.

The Labor leader also promised to release the findings of the Newstart review within 18 months of taking power.

'We believe in the greatness of the Australian safety net,' Mr Shorten said.

The party promised to abolish the controversial Community Development Program work-for-the-dole scheme meant to help indigenous people in remote Australia.

It will be replaced because Labor says it punishes indigenous job seekers compared to their city-based counterparts.

Labor also committed to establishing a voice to parliament designed by indigenous people and enshrined in the constitution.

On the first day of the conference on Sunday, Mr Shorten promised to subsidise the building of 250,000 new affordable homes, and a launch crackdown on dodgy bosses who steal superannuation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6502691/Labor-4-000-refugees-Bill-Shorten-elected-2019.html

There we go, labor is at it again Bill Merkel will increase the refugee intake by about 14000, dismantle off shore detention and rely entirely on boat turn backs which they earlier claimed would never work.

What a bunch of venal incompetents.