"think if ScuMo has his way he'll get rid of the parliament and make himself dictator, even if it means being a puppet of the Chinese Communist Party."

While that might seem a little extreme, it has to be said that Morrison's lack of interest in just about everything to do with leading a country is a big worry. He is a hollow man, lacking in personality and character. Even Malcolm Turnbull was starting to indicate that he was watching China with concern. This bloke - nothing. Dud Prime Minister. Bullied cabinet. The relief of avoiding a Labor government is wearing off very quickly. Since Tony Abbott, there has been only a slight difference between Liberal and Labor. Under Morrison, the gap has narrowed markedly in a very short time.

SR,

I don't think the senate should be the preserve of anyone. I believe the senate has outlived the purpose for which it was created.

When a populist half wit more suited to appear on Jerry Springer than Parliament, for whom less than 1/1000th of 1% of the population voted, holds the balance of power, then there is a problem.

Talking about Morrison and China: the NSW or premier wasn't aware of the visit of a Chinese warship to Sydney before it happened, so secretive was it. Morrison was so offhanded about the affair that it wouldn't be surprising if he didn't know about it either.

Experts with more knowledge than our PM, have deemed the visit as a muscle-flexing exercise by Communist China. And, who knows that there are three military vessels of a potential threat to Australia currently docked at Garden Island?

It is reported that Australia's Chinese community was privy to information on the visit that Australians were not.

And we are worried about Jackie Lambie!

Dear Shadow minister,

You wrote;

“I don't think the senate should be the preserve of anyone. I believe the senate has outlived the purpose for which it was created.”

What? You are kidding right? The Senate is there to protect the interests of the individual States. Lambie's advocacy on the issue of over 50% of Tasmania's social housing budget going in interest payments of a historical debt is a shining of exactly what the Senate was designed to do.

She has the blessing of the Tasmanian Liberal government.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/tas-govt-pleased-with-lambie-s-efforts

The only issue with the Senate is that it isn't completely full of independents. There are other Tasmanian senators who could have made a stand but have a greater allegiance to their party than they do their state. This is the sole reason why the place doesn't work as it should.

Ideally no senator should be allowed to be a member of a political party full stop. Until then we are going to have to make the best of what we have and Jacqui is part of that.

SR,

"The Senate is there to protect the interests of the individual States".

The point is that this isn't what has happened here. Lambie has taken a situation that involves no inequity towards Tasmania and levered it inequitably in regard to other states. Why you'd laud this is beyond me.

The Senate is a cesspit of political allegiance. The Greens and others have used it to achieve ends that have nothing to do with state issues. If the LNP controlled it you'd no doubt be dissing it from the rooftops.

Dear Lucifrase,

You write;

“The point is that this isn't what has happened here. Lambie has taken a situation that involves no inequity towards Tasmania and levered it inequitably in regard to other states. Why you'd laud this is beyond me.”

Tasmania has a social housing crisis and the debt payments are crippling its capacity to respond.

“Each year the Tasmanian Government refunds half the state’s funding under the National Affordable Housing Agreement to the Australian Government, to repay an historic debt from the former Commonwealth State Housing Agreement. In 2016-17 this meant returning $15.7m of the $28.6m received. Tasmania is locked into this arrangement until 2042, when the debt will finally be paid out. Other states have significantly less debt relative to Tasmania, while South Australia and Victoria have succeeded in removing the debt from their housing budgets altogether.”

This debt was incurred between 30 to 50 years ago.

Now we can get all hardarsed and say they should have paid it off by now but Tasmania has felt the impacts of downturns for keenly and for longer periods than the other states. Its capacity to repay the debt has been reduced significantly.

Having 50% of your social housing budget stripped for interest payments for the next 20 odd years makes it very difficult to serve the needs of homeless and struggling Tasmanians. Lambie has admirably gone in to bat for them and I applaud her efforts as should you.

You also wrote;

“The Senate is a cesspit of political allegiance. The Greens and others have used it to achieve ends that have nothing to do with state issues. If the LNP controlled it you'd no doubt be dissing it from the rooftops.”

I think you have just eloquently made my point for me. Having the LNP rubberstamping its own legislation would be a disaster and make a mockery of the checks and balances our forefathers placed within our democracy.

Why do Libs always want to retain the monarchy because of the checks and balances argument but then want to toss out the Senate?