The ABC tries to be unscrupulously "fair" with their coverage of this election, I can't comment on the commercial channels as I watch or read very little of their news. On the ABC when ScoMo gets a run, the announcer soon reminds viewer that Albo will be along shortly in the interest of "balance". Reporting seems to be basically a 50/50 split between the Coalition and Labor. Is this really fair, considering the big two parties only score around 80% of the popular vote between them, would it not be fairer is minor parties and independents were given 20% of the coverage, at least by the ABC.

Voters are not being given an opportunity to evaluate other policies and ideas from the 20% group. One example is the Palmer Party policy of claiming that they will peg home loan interests rates at 3% for 5 years, according to Big Clive under both Liberal and Labor, interest rates will soar and many will lose their homes. This may be true, but analysis of the policy might show government does, or does not, have the power to fix private interest rates. Its possible that minor parties and independents will hold the balance of power in the lower house, and certainly in the Senate, after this election, and they will trade their policy for a yes vote for government legislation.

Hi Paul,

I agree with you - the larger minor parties like
One Nation, and The United Australia Party, should
be given an opportunity to be heard.

I'm not sure why they're not,
perhaps it has something to do with
election rules and the number of supporters that each
party has to have.

I believe that the rules have now changed
and the requirement now is for larger numbers. It used
to be 500 was all that was needed to be able to register
as a political party but I think that has now been
increased to 1,500.

The public Service Union would never allow any of the smaller parties any say. They dictate (I know we're supposed to be a Democracy) how effective the incumbent Govt can be. That's why they cooperate somewhat more with a Coalition when economic management is needed to re-fill the coffers. However, when the coffers are stocked up, the unions will support Labor in their spending modes.
A third party could keep some sort of order but, as I said-the Unions !

Actually, Clive Palmer supposedly is going to be
spending over $80 million on his election campaign.
He can easily manage to obtain space in the media
market, the TV networks, the radio networks,
the newspaper networks and even online networks.
How can anybody compete with that?

He doesn't need the ABC.

The Green ABC has never, ever tried to be fair. Only a person who "can't comment on the commercial channels as I watch or read very little of their news" could be so thick and bigoted to think that they have, or ever will be, while they are being maintained by the Australian people they hold in contempt.

Green agent, Paul, shoots himself in the foot - again - by confirming that his ignorance all comes from the ABC.

That covers his first paragraph. What the second one has to do with the title of his post, gawd knows.

If he really wanted to see other coverage, he would look elsewhere - but he can't do that because he is always rubbishing such sources; which of course means that every time he rubbishes the Murdoch press, SkyNews, and commentators like Andrew Bolt and other conservatives, he is talking through his backside because he reads, hears and sees "very little of their news".

Paul has proved himself to be a fraud.

ABC has never, ever tried to be fair
ttbn,
Undeniable.

Individual states: However, when the coffers are stocked up, the unions will support Labor in their spending modes.

It is probably better to spend money when the coffers are stocked up (otherwise why stockpile it?) than to spend money when the coffers are empty as we have seen over the last 2 years.

How dare taxpayers expect their money be spent on them. Remember only about 45% of us are net taxpayers anyway - the majority get far more back than is temporarily taken from their pay check.

There are many ideas out there worthy of discussion.
I would like a discussion around the notion of a debit tax. An elimination of all other taxes - income, sales, GST you name it.
Our electronic world would make it virtually impossible to avoid paying your commitment to the betterment of our society.

Smaller political parties are able to consider ideas like this and it is unlikely that they will be given any air time.

So yes, I think that the Media is biased at election time.

I've tried to look up the membership numbers of
both One Nation and The UAP. One nation does not
give its numbers. And The UAP claims around eighty
thousand (not confirmed). The UAP has not won a
single seat despite Mr Palmer's spending in the
past.

I wonder if Pauline Hanson will retain her seat in the
Senate?

Hi Foxy,

Requirements to register a political party, is not related to media coverage. The Palmer Party has been signing people up to free membership without their knowledge, claiming they joined online, but that's another John dory.

Back in the day when I was more active in politics, I kept the phone numbers of jurnos I could trust, partially those from local community newspaers a great source of free coverage, making sure they got copies of press releases, etc. If they were doing a story on something they would often ring for comment or a response, which I was always happy to arrange from the candidate. There are genuine candidates, and the not so genuine, running in the lower house to simply garner Senate votes, or running as a stooge for a major party, "I am a Liberal Independent, but give your preference to the Labor Party". I must say the Greens are always open to discussion of the issues, some parties like the Palmer and Hanson parties tend to shy away from scrutiny, and rely on voter ignorance and fear to win votes.

In a NSW state election I recall a young jurno girl telling me; "I can never get a response from the Fred Nile group, I can't even talk to someone, no one ever answers the phone or returns my calls, everyone of us has the same problem" My answer was "it's all about getting the Rev Fred elected back in the LC, bugger the issues." It worked the Rev Fred got returned.

A Labor candidate for the NSW LC, an absolute nutter, in 15th position on the HTV. I said to the lead Labor candidate that bloke you've got in 15th position is an absolute nutter, he said; "We know, but we have to make up the numbers". He was no chance and didn't win.

better to spend money when the coffers are stocked up.
WTF? - Not Again,
Of course, no argument there but how many times have we had to watch good money blatantly wasted. ? Both majors are guilty of that but Labor even more so. At least the Coalition isn't buying votes via bureaucrat positions as blatantly as labor.
I have long said foreign aid for example should be in goods & materials rather than money & "services". We could reactivate basic local manufacturing of tools, prefab emergency homes & useful machinery for foreign aid instead of sending "experts" on travel allowances. The list of doing things more efficiently & becoming a better society in the process is endless & endlessly beneficial to all. All we need is just a little new blood to restock common sense & improve on the present mentality of those in authority.

Speaking of frauds, so far Albo has:

.lied about pensioner cashless cards
.lied about his past record on boat turnbacks
.lied on borders
.lied on his job with Hawke
.lied about casual workers
.lied about not being a climate crusader
.lied about health plans
.refused to say how he will defend us from China

ttbn,

Any evidence to back up your opinion?

any evidence
Foxy,
if you still need to ask that after all the evidence out there then you should disqualify yourself from voting !

In regards to ttbn's comment-

I enjoyed Ben Goldacre- on TED and Bad Science- Hebrew member of Cambridge University- and his comment on the funnel plot of studies of publication bias- that showed that studies of publication bias are biased. ie. the tail of the graph had been removed to massage the conclusions and shift the average- the studies that said that publications were bias had been removed from the dataset.

This dovetails with those that claim that the ABC is not biased.

ttbn, as a gullible Old Fart, you admitted that by joining the Banana Party, and allowing them to rip you off, poor you. You recently claimed on the Forum you will be voting for Hanson, Palmer and What's His Name in some order. Since Palmer is making great play of his 3% interest cap on home loans, maybe a devotee like YOU can explain how it would be achieved, otherwise you can admit you know nothing and are nothing more than a useful idiot who latches onto anything far right.

Yes Foxy, Palmer is great at spending money, other people's money that is. Maybe some of ttbn's money, he likes to give to shonky political parties.

The incentive for politicians is to get elected,
not tell the truth. To be elected politicians
need to convey the "appearance of trustworthiness."

And this they try to do by -
the endless boasting and inflating
of their achievements. This has become a stock
routine in virtually all interviews with government
ministers and members of parliament rolling out
zombie lists of statistics and superlatives that
no one can follow or has any inclination to believe.
Blaming their opposition is another stock in trade.

How many times have we heard Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's
set pieces, prepared and ready to be rammed into an
interview at the first opportunity. These are well
developed techniques that are used.

The PM does it all the time. He either
dismisses or laughs it off when caught out.

At a National Press Club address in 2019 - Morrison
was corrected by Michelle Grattan when he falsely
claimed that then opposition leader - Shorten among
other imputed inadequacies had never undertaken financial
reform.

Morrison's response to Grattan was:

"I must have found the performance underwhelming Michelle,
and I still find their performance very underwhelming.
So I'll let others, you know, correct the record as
they see fit."

These techniques in the long run lead to high political
polarization and the deterioration of trust in the
political system. It is a sad state of affairs that lying
or the false appearance of "trustworthiness" has become such
a part of the way politics is conducted nowadays.

But perhaps it has always been thus.

Individual you say: The list of doing things more efficiently & becoming a better society in the process is endless & endlessly beneficial to all.

In his book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" Adam Smith also talks about benefits to all as the title implies.

Smith is often quoted by right leaning political parties when formulating financial policy.

The problem, for them, is that Smith goes to great length warning of the types of individuals that, given the opportunity, would take advantage of legislation to benefit themselves rather than all of society.

The Liberal Party and what it stands for is a pretty good summary of what Smith warns us about.

Is the media biased at election time?

Well Folks take an intelligent guess. The facts are
as follows:

Australia's mainstream news media is largely tied to
the Liberal Party. The ownership and management of practically
all of Australia's print and television media with exception to
Network 10, have links to the Liberal Party, News Corp, chaired
by Rupert Murdoch and majority-owned by the Murdoch family,
owns around two-thirds of the print media and is a majority
stakeholder in Foxtel and Sky News.

Nine Entertainment which was established by the Liberal
linked Packer family and is chaired by former Liberal member
Peter Costello, owns the Nine Network, about a third of
Australia's newspaper publications and subscription TV Service
STAN. Seven West Media, which is majority-owned and chaired
by Kerry Stokes, another Liberal supporter, owns Channel 7 and
any other major newspaper publications that are not owned by
News Corp or the Nine Entertainment.

Then there's Ita Buttrose, another person with links to the
Liberal Party, is chairperson of the ABC.

There's more at the following link:

http://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/the-effect-of-right-wing-bias-in-australias-media.14569

The Liberal Party and what it stands for is a pretty good summary of what Smith warns us about
WTF? - Not Again,
Well, the evidence I see is that it is Labor who pretends to warn us of what they're actually doing but blaming the Conservatives !
Yes, there are plenty useless Liberals & we need to rid ourselves of them. However, the greater future damage to our society is invariably caused by Leftist Labor.
The original Labor Doctrine would be ideal but unfortunately the parasitic academic component within Labor/Left is the decease for which the only cure can be common sense & that's why they've banned it since the '70's.

Here's the link again:

http://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/the-effect-of-right-wing-bias-in-australias-media,14569

Who owns the media is utterly beside the point. Murdoch isn't looking over the shoulder of each journalist who works for him to make sure what's written complies with his views.

Media bias is set by the journalists in the organisation. That's how we know the ABC is biased.

Murdoch, Stokes et al are in business to make money. They hire journalists that achieve that. FoxTel wasn't created to advance a political agenda. It was created to make money. As with the US Fox, they discerned that there was and is a market in giving people access to information other than the bias offered up by the ABC/SMH/Age/SBS.

In the end, the bias of this or that outlet is neither here nor there. I'd wager that all those here who whine about media bias, would deny that it affects them personally. They, they think, are too smart to fall for the bias. Its only those others who are affected. But media bias, in either direction, has little effect on outcomes. The media reflects opinions, it doesn't set them.

Paul also complains of parties lying about their policies. It's true that UAP's promises about interest rates are ridiculous and among the worst examples of false-promise that you'd ever find. But up there with it is Green suggestion that they have some way to solve what they call the climate crisis. Hint: they don't. Hint: Australia doesn't.

The decline of the Australian polity is stark, with all parties now routinely and wantonly lying about what they will and are capable of doing. Its all about their political careers. Little else matters. Its part of the reason we are in dire straights.

"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear". Sowell.

We aren't being told the truth and haven't been for a decade.

When listening to Media you must listen to what comes out of the horse's mouth, not the slant journalists put on reports. I listen to ABC, ABC 24, SBS, Ch7 and Sky to get a broader picture. Some TV reports cut out context of things said to put a slant on the politician saying it. I have found SBS especially slanted to a very left audience, so they feed things their audience want to hear.

So the ABC is biassed?

Is that the same ABC that Neville Wran refused to talk to, that both Hawke and Keating had issues with, the one that showed a comedy programme of Gillard as a suburban bogan having sex in her office under the Australian flag (while she was the PM)?

The same ABC that's being criticised in social media for taking many of it's lead stories from and echoing the front pages of the Murdoch newspapers?

The same ABC that sometimes tends to cut off Albanese comments and giving soft interviews to Morrison, depending on the presenter, such as the breakfast TV announcer who is the daughter of a former Bjelke-Petersen Minister?

The same ABC that is constantly being monitored for bias, unlike the unwatchable and over-the-top Sky after Dark fascist cheer squad?

It seems that anything short of gushing praise is seen as negative bias and the mere fact that it attracts criticism from both sides is indicative of even-handedness.

Who owns media matters a great deal. Murdoch's minions don't need to be given orders for everything they say - they know what he wants from them. In the end it's all about "click-bait" and selling advertising space and the more controversial they are, the more money they make.

Murdoch has a presence only in Australia, Britain and the USA and is responsible for the rise of Abbott/Morrison, Boris Johnson and Donald Trump and other countries seem to do quite well without his guiding wisdom. Also, giving him $30million (plus) of taxpayers money to advertise womens sport which taxpayers then have to pay to watch reeks of corruption.

Finally that Palmer 3% mortgage freeze is a hoax. As interest rates rise the Banks will be losing money on those loans and will have to further increase new mortgage rates or pay less on deposits to compensate. Will the taxpayer then have to bail them out or will we watch the share market slip as they start to go broke?
It's as real and as likely as the Titanic replica he was going to build years ago.

The medias biased ALL THE TIME.

"WTF? - Not Again" said- The problem, for them, is that Smith goes to great length warning of the types of individuals that, given the opportunity, would take advantage of legislation to benefit themselves rather than all of society. The Liberal Party and what it stands for is a pretty good summary of what Smith warns us about."

Answer- I'm not sure that Adam Smith said what "WTF? - Not Again" is implying. Smith talked about the hidden hand of the market- and how this selfish motive benefited the community as a whole. But Smith did seem to take a pretty dim view of stockpiling and price gouging during the American Revolutionary War- he used the example of tobacco from memory. Stockpiling and price gouging can occur when there is a gap between supply and demand. Modern financial markets appear counter price gouging. Price gouging apparently due to artificial supply restrictions due government red tape- certain industry and ideological groups lobby for favour- but both the Labor and Coalition pander for their reasons. For example Unions have a vested interest in certain legislation usually under the auspices of safety but really to wall their patch. I'd like to think we could have safety without restricting supply.

Despite the above communist/ socialist/ Labor/ Left claims for example are often based on the principle of perfect equality- which in my view is unachievable- even Economic Liberals/ Libertarian's such as Ayn Rand appear to support the "equality of the dollar"- Stiglitz says that the "Efficient Market Hypothesis" in the weak and strong form fails- so even Libertarian Equality vote of the dollar appears unachievable.

Peterson says "Humans need Values create Hierarchy creates Inequality"

Deneen (and Maltuse) suggests that all forms of Locke Liberalism are doomed to failure being top down, growth based, with finite production.

Representative Democracy itself seems to discount "Equality of the Vote".

The Socialist Left has some interesting concepts that seem to "mirror" those of Adam Smith/ other economists- the apparent non sequitur's of Marx's Das Capital Vol 1-3- Labor Theory Of Value, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_theory_of_valu

The intention of this thread was for a discussion of the policies of minor parties and how the media tend to concentrate on the Big Two, ignoring the 20%. I think that the policies of parties such as the Greens, Palmer, Hanson and Independents should be more open to media scrutiny and critical analysis so voters have an opportunity to assess their worth.

Of course some minors welcome such an opportunity, the Greens I know do, both Jacqui Lambie and the Mad Katter (I say that with some affection, great value is old Bob) are always open to discourse with the media, as are others. I don't think Fat Clive in particular and The Lovely Pauline to a lesser degree are so welcoming. In the case of the Palmer Party they rely on saturation propaganda advertising and voter ignorance and fear to win votes.

The media should be out there with; "FAT CLIVE, explain your CRAP TALK to the VOTERS." Then you would see Fat Clive scuttling up a back ally, like the snake oil salesman he is, trying to avoid the cameras.

Um, the ABC is giving more coverage to Katherine Deves' trans views than the Ukraine war, and that is getting covered with a Russian bias. Nor is there anything about that great anti-American friend of Russia and China, Julian Assange. Poor Jules, about to be sent to the Evil Empire and his greenie mates have gone quiet.

When people have to go back to the ancient history of Neville Wran, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating to defend their ABC they don't have anything up their sleeve. Just like Green Paul who is still locked into parties and politicians gone for three years because he can't think of anything else to attack me with. What a drone!

What is "Sky after Dark"? Who made that one up? Some goon who says it is "unwatchable"?

Who "gave" Murdoch $30 million? Probably not Australian taxpayers, who give $1 billion to the ABC so that they can slag off Australia and Australians, most of whom don't even watch it or listen to it. It costs Australians nothing to ignore the Murdoch empire if they wish to, and nothing if they do use it.

You have to be a moron to think it is OK to pay for anything you don't use and don't want. A Leftist moron, who expects everyone else to chip in for something he or she wants. Good old socialism.

"Finally" the Palmer 3% mortgage rate cap is not a "hoax". That's what Palmer thinks the rate could/should be, and that's what he would aim for if he were in a position to do so. We know it's not going to happen, but the same goons would whine if he had no policies. The Left criticises shite put out by the people they hate, but they are silent about Green Labor shite, including the straight out lies by Albanese that I listed above. Oh, and by the ABC that puts out stories on 4 Corners that turn out to be actual, fair dinkum hoaxes.

And, Palmer pays for his own advertising. It costs the public nothing; unlike the ABC, which gives free advertising to Green Labor, and we all pay them to do it.

For all mortgage whingers and history illiterates, the mortgage rates in the 1960s/70s were 6.5% - 7%. And there was a lot less money around then, when people actually SAVED and paid off the debt well before the 25 years or whatever the term was.

Palmer said he would peg home loan interest rates at a maximum of 3% for 5 years. He also said he would use his policy demands as leverage in any balance of power negotiation.

From what is an ironclad election promise on interest rates, the camp follower and useful idiot ttbn goes to using the weazel words of; "That's what Palmer thinks the rate could/should be.....what he would aim for".....and if he misses, what's next? Free cheese for everybody.

Just as you were a camp follower and useful idiot for the Banana Party three years ago, you're doing the same thing with the Palmer Party, have you joined up, and made a donation?

No. No donations. Unlike you, a slave to the Greens, I have learned that all parties are crap. 10 years young than I am, and it is already too late for you to see the light - or get new material

" It's not good crying over spilt milk.
All we can do is bail up another cow."

( Joseph Chiefly).

I think Paul1405 is a bit of a banana. Kudos ttbn.

Bananas are a-peeling.

when people actually SAVED and paid off the debt well before the 25 years
ttbn,
Because I paid up front for everything all my life, I had a very difficult time to get a bank loan to buy a small property in the last ten years before retirement.
I experienced major theft at 30 & then again 3 more in my 50's. I have not been able to recover but luckily I stuck to whichever employment I had & managed to retire debt-free.
People in my neighbourhood have mostly been on drugs etc & they now receive more pension than I do & receive rent assistance on top of it. At times, when people like Paul1405 et al accuse us old age jockeys of being on Welfare I'd like to see them manage without the handouts they're on.
After all, most bureaudroids are on Welfare considering what little work they do. As a poor excuse they always try to align themselves with competent professionals just because they have a BA but all they are is BA's.

It may be that some people's sole purpose in life
is to serve as a warning to others.

I think that Foxy's comment is straight out of Balthasar Gracian's Book Of Worldly Wisdom- "the only thing that a fool can teach others is what not to do". I was surprised that she might have read it!

CM,

Yes. One of those bananas that growers are complaining about being rotten by the time they reach retailers due to Covid and transport problems.

individual,

Yes. I don't think that I would even have a credit rating. Have never bought anything until I have the cash to pay for it - including motor vehicles; debit card, not a credit card. Three separate mortgages, all paid off well before the agreed term - never borrowed for anything except housing. I think cheap money is coming to and end, and a lot of people spending other people's money are in for a big surprise.

People like us, and others like us, are invisible. Everything is set up for spendthrifts and no nopers, who want everything that they see rich people with - the people supplying most of what they borrow, the people rubbish and want to pay even more tax.

ttbn said- "People like us, and others like us, are invisible. Everything is set up for spendthrifts and no hopers, who want everything that they see rich people with - the people supplying most of what they borrow, the people rubbish and want to pay even more tax."

Answer- We need to make them invisible. Take back the power. Ayn Rand said the non-productive want to take from the productive- Moochers and Looters.

" Australia has certainly come a long way over the years.
From its humble beginnings it has become a thriving,
wealthy modern nation. Who would have thought, when
the unhappy denizens of the First Fleet were huddled,
starving and desperate on the shores of Port Jackson,
that one day Australia would grow so powerful and
confident on the world stage.

The real beauty of this country lies not in its trees,
seas, or cassowaries, but in the greatest resource that
any country can have - its people. The Australian people
define Australia, create it, represent it, and make
flesh the aspirations our young, ambitious nation has
always had. Every inhabitant adds something to Australia,
makes it more Australian than it would otherwise be.

Obviously, there are some Australians who have left a
greater footprint on the pants seat of the world.
Great Australians come in all shapes and sizes and from
all backgrounds. Some come from the city, some from the
country. They come from every state and often from
different countries driven to become Australian.

Over the course of its history, Australians have become
titans of business, legends of sport, giants of science,
colossi of philanthrophy and pygmies of politics.

Australians have led the world in a myriad ways, whether
generating wealth, inspiring youth, opening up new vistas of
human potential, saving lives, they have done it all in a
peculiarly Australian way, with a swagger and style that
marks a person out as an inhabitant of the scientifically
determined greatest country on earth.

To these earthly gods of the Antopodes, we salute you, the
most Australian way we know with the joyous cry:

"Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!"

(This was taken from Ben Pobjie's book - "Aussie Aussie Aussie.")

That $30million handout was given to Murdoch by the Morrison Government but later increased to $40million at the same time it cut ABC funding by another $84million and history isn't a two-week wide moving window.

It's incorrect to say that private media costs us nothing if we choose not to watch it.
It's funded by advertising and advertising in turn is funded by a sort of levy on everything you buy that is advertised. It's not funded by after-tax profit but as a cost and it's the consumer who pays for it and costs us each far,far more than the ABC.
You can't choose to avoid it - not everyone is a taxpayer but we are all consumers.
So as well as paying the salaries of ABC staff we also pay the same for everyone employed in the rest of the media.

I'm surprised that Sky After Dark is unknown by anyone, particularly those stalk sites like this. It's the name they themselves have given to a collection of opinion shows posing as news and hosted by extremist right-wing pundits with the same agenda and like many on this site, spend their time attacking the left but somehow never get around to to defend the right.

According to policy and financial experts, limiting interest rate rises would increase demand, which would in turn push house prices higher.
It would be extremely difficult (if not impossible)for the federal government to control rates set by private banks, so the only likely way for this policy to work would be if the government subsidised interest rates. "It’s as if there is absolutely no rational thought behind this policy.”
This promise will go the way of Hanson's promised 2% flat-tax and abolish-the-GST miracle.

Kudos Kid, if you are going to quote other posters get it right, Foxy and I are HOPERS the likes of you and ttbn are NOPERS. No song and dance from you on that on, just a cut and paste, and a quiet correction Ah!

As Arsethrottle famously said; "Sometimes the porcupine comes home to roost, and it just might be up your backside!" So watch out for us porcupines.

A good quote there Foxy, always be positive, unlike the miserable Old Farts who are going to exit this world full of bile and hatred.

Indy,

Come on tell the truth, when you got off the boat you were given a free house, a well paid cushy job, only if you wanted it, and cash in your pocket, after that it was straight down to Social Security for your dole, followed years later by an over paid pension. That's what many native born Aussies believed at the time. As it was said by the Dinky Di's; "The Wogs have got all the houses!"

Hi Paul,

I always try to be positive. How can we not be when
we know the great things our forebears accomplished.
We must not lose sight of the sacrifices that our
ancestors made for us.

Anzac Day is tomorrow - Lest
We Forget.

I guess what I am trying to say is - we
should let the memory and celebration of all our
great Australians be not only a reflection on our
past, but a salutory lesson for our future.

We need to learn from people like Sir Weary Dunlop
and Caroline Chisholm and Vincent Lingiari and all
their historical kin, so that we can become the Australia
we aspire to be and more importantly, create the Australia
we aspire to live in.

rache,

So this Sky After Dark refers to SkyNews, does it? You just call it "they".

And, you believe "they" are "extremist right-wing pundits with the same agenda (as) many on this site, (who) spend their time attacking the left but somehow never get around to to defend the right".

So, what your use of 'Sky after Dark' boils down to is just another big sneer opportunity for the Commo Class to use in lieu of actual ability to make a case and make sense.

Oh, and it is good to know that we allegedly "extremist right-wing pundits" are not actually being attacked by you people on the extreme left.

As soon as someone starts using labels - people turn off.
Nowadays people's views are not
locked in as they once were. People do change their
minds on things - as more information is made available.
Or they lose trust.

In this election there are so many serious issues to consider.
And unless someone just votes for their "club," they will
have much to think about and consider.

For example, not everyone is buying what they're being told
by the major parties. People are questioning more and more.
It will be interesting to see how all this pans out.
It used to be so common - the endless boasting and
inflating of achievements. The promises made.
This no longer works so well.

Lying also leads to high political polarization and the
deterioration of trust in the political system. People
are becoming "swing" voters. They are also expecting promises
to be kept. Scrutiny is making its appearance.
And politicians had best beware. They may just lose the seat
they've taken for granted for years.

In a sense- "The people haven't left the parties- the parties have left the people."

Hi ttbn

Throw another lump of coal into your stem powered telly and you will know the Murdoch mob on Sky were promoting 'Sky After Dark' a collection of far right fruitcake commentators like 'Beat Up Bolt and Mad Murrey sprooking the Gospel according to Rupert.

To correct you I do watch some free to air commercial news. The wife likes to watch 'The Chase' at 5 o'clock, so the telly is on the 7 Nightly News at 6 o'clock. The 7 and 9 news coverage is rather limited, just the headlines and then trivial local stuff mostly, almost nothing on world news except the headlines.

Krumpet CM

David Speers - the Australian journalist and host
of "Insiders" on ABC TV - previously was political
editor at Sky News and also he was the host of their -
"PM Agenda" "The Last Word," and "Speers Tonight."
He's been a member of the National Press Club since 2006
and is currently a director.

As I stated earlier - it's not always easy
to pigeon-hole people. Views can change -
especially in politics.

My goodness tbbn you're so easily triggered.

The name "Sky After Dark" is what Sky News itself refers to as that group of presenters (not journalists) that broadcast in the evening (after dark).

The hosts are mainly Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt, Paul Murray, Shari Markson, Rita Panahi, Cory Bernardi and Chris Smith although Alan Jones was sacked to make way for Piers Morgan.

Strangely they all share the same opinions and repeat the same talking points. Their frequent guests are typically like-minded people people like Mark Latham, Pauline Hanson, Bronwyn Bishop, Rowan Dean, Campbell Newman, Chris Kenny, Michael Kroger, Matt Canavan, Prue MacSween and Jim Molan although sometimes they invite on a single "lefty" for "balance".

They are pundits in that, unlike journalists they start with a conclusion and work backwards looking for support to justify it and ignore evidence to the contrary. That's precisely why Bolt was found guilty of breaching the Racial Discrimination Act Section 18C some years ago.

I'm sure you would feel at home watching it. I do but I also watch the ABC and some commercial news services but I like to do my own thinking.

Foxy,
David Spears' body language changes immediately when he goes from a Left politician to a conservative one. He gives the Left one more time to waffle on but cuts in with the conservative within moments.
He pretends at times to "pressure" a leftie when it's safe to do so but tries to corner the other at every opportunity & even joins in ganging up on them.
Spiers is a perfect specimen of a biased reporter.

Dear individual,

God you can be a dill sometimes.

Speers was at the hard right wing Sky news for nearly 2 decades some of that as their chief political reporter.

Do you really think a left leaning reporter would have kept that job for that amount of time?

If anything he is a bit of a centre right character but keeps his dealings with interviewees pretty straight down the middle.

But to call him as having left bias is just idiocy from you.

Indy's not having a bar of evil Socialism! Just don't cut out his AGED WELFARE. He just pocketed $250 BEER AND POKIE MONEY, an ELECTION BRIBE from ScumO', there's one vote that ScumO' got, for 50 bucks more Indy will vote for ScumO' twice.

Talking about biased reporters, I hear that Sales sheila's quitting the 7.30 Report & not a moment too soon. She put Spears to shame in the bias department.

Steele, I object to you saying Individual is a dill sometimes. No he is not, he is a dill all of the time, there's no time for sanity for our Individual!