Australian Politics Forum - Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats

freediver

Gold Member

Offline

www.ozpolitic.com

Posts: 48816
At my desk.

Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Sep 25^th, 2016 at 8:30pm

Here is an article I just published on an important issue that I think did not get enough media coverage after the election. Let's see if we can fix that.

http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/broken-promises-stolen-senate-seats.ht...

Labor and the Coalition have gotten away with stealing Senate seats. By decree, they have handed themselves a disproportionate amount of the six year senate terms. They were handed to Labor's Deborah O'Neill and Liberal's Scott Ryan, at the expense of Derryn Hinch and the Greens' Lee Rhiannon. In doing so, they break repeated promises they have made to the Australian public. These promises took the form of two separate but identical Senate resolutions that were passed with support from both Labor and the Coalition in 1998 and 2010. The commercial media facilitated this coup by failing to mention these Senate resolutions in any articles written after Labor and the Coalition announced their plans. There was a long period of time between the announcement and the Senate vote (which the media also failed to report on) in which a more aware Australian public could have held the major parties accountable to their promises. The media quoted major party spokespeople offering a variety of excuses and validations for their actions, but universally failed to report key facts that would have allowed the Australian public to make an informed judgement. No tough questions have been put to the politicians responsible.

This article provides a brief constitutional background and the history of this important electoral reform, details of the 2016 election, the decision to steal Senate seats and the consistent failure by the media to report key facts.

Introduction
Background
History
A difference of two seats
The resolutions that no-one knows about
The 2016 election
Media coverage
Public remain ignorant
Lazy and incompetent?
Odger
Public pesters Antony Green
ABC coverage
Coverage in the commercial media
The Australian and Senator Mathias Cormann promote a lie about preference flows
Media silence
Where to from here?
Commonwealth Consolidated Acts
Odgers' Australian Senate Practice Thirteenth Edition
Double dissolution election: implications for the Senate
Antony Green's blogs
Curious Campaign: Which senators will get a six-year term and which will only get three?
Election 2016: How do we decide which senators are in for three years and which are in for six?
[url=http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/broken-promises-stolen-senate-seats.html#Greens-call-on-Labor-to-support-'fairer'-method-to-share-six-year-Senate-terms]Greens call on Labor to support 'fairer' method

Back to top

« Last Edit: Sep 25^th, 2016 at 8:58pm by freediver »

People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

IP Logged

freediver

Gold Member

Offline

www.ozpolitic.com

Posts: 48816
At my desk.

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #1 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 8:31pm

Further Senate results and analysis
Cormann raises &#8216first elected&#8217 plan to halve Senate terms for crossbenchers
ALP-LNP deal to force senators back to poll in three years
Election 2016: Pauline Hanson secures six-year Senate term, Derryn Hinch has three years until re-election
Senate terms: Derryn Hinch and Greens' Lee Rhiannon given three years
Coalition and Labor team up to clear out crossbench senators in 2019
Coalition flags first elected Senate plan
Jacqui Lambie secures six-year position in Canberra
Urgent - please support democracy in the senate
Coalition-Labor Deal On Rotation Of Members Confirmed By Senate
Media asleep at the wheel on stolen senate seats

Back to top

People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

IP Logged

Aussie Gold Member Offline OzPolitic Posts: 38478 Gender:	Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats Reply #2 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 8:41pm I guess, because I have responded, this is not spam from you freediver. Only the FOURTH Thread you have started on the same topic. Your Forum so I recognise you are free to do what you like.
Back to top	IP Logged

freediver Gold Member Offline www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 48816 At my desk.	Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats Reply #3 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 8:49pm You are correct Aussie, this is indeed a very popular topic. No doubt because of the lack of adequate coverage in the mainstream media. Here is a full list of threads about it that were started by myself and others: http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/broken-promises-stolen-senate-seats.ht...
Back to top	People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words. IP Logged

President Elect, The Mechanic

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 17501
Gender: male

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #4 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:04pm

freediver wrote on Sep 25^th, 2016 at 8:49pm:

You are correct Aussie, this is indeed a very popular topic. No doubt because of the lack of adequate coverage in the mainstream media.

Here is a full list of threads about it that were started by myself and others:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/broken-promises-stolen-senate-seats.ht...

bullshit FD...

read between the line...

Aussie is telling you that you are FLOGGING a dead horse...

your inability to understand the Australian public is astounding..

you are like a 'greens/PUP" voter... Roll Eyes

Back to top

Q

The STORM has arrived
Every Dog Has Its Day...
Dark to Light.
Sheep no more.

IP Logged

freediver Gold Member Offline www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 48816 At my desk.	Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats Reply #5 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:05pm I do realise that some people would prefer this was swept under the carpet, mechanic. Do you have anything relevant to add?
Back to top	People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words. IP Logged

Aussie Gold Member Offline OzPolitic Posts: 38478 Gender:	Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats Reply #6 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:10pm freediver wrote on Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:05pm: I do realise that some people would prefer this was swept under the carpet, mechanic. Do you have anything relevant to add? No-one has, given this is the FOURTH Thread you have started on EXACTLY the same topic.
Back to top	IP Logged

freediver

Gold Member

Offline

www.ozpolitic.com

Posts: 48816
At my desk.

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #7 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:20pm

Fair enough. I'm sure this thread will drop off the board in no time at all then.

Unless of course people are still interested in the theft of Senate seats, from right under the public's nose. Do you know anyone who might be interested Aussie? It still counts even if you merely want to voice your displeasure at this topic getting airtime.

Interestingly, even in the very first thread you felt compelled to announce your disinterest, and you have repeatedly announced your lack of interest in every single thread since. That is a whole lot of disinterest you've got there Aussie.

Back to top

People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

IP Logged

President Elect, The Mechanic

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 17501
Gender: male

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #8 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:25pm

freediver wrote on Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:05pm:

I do realise that some people would prefer this was swept under the carpet, mechanic. Do you have anything relevant to add?

do I have anything relevant to add??

are you kidding me... ????

this is coming from a person who runs a forum that still runs a sub forum for PUP who is deregistered..

and also other sub forums that have Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard logos ..

its like you are living in the last century.. Roll Eyes

wake up and small the bacon FD..

the world has left you behind..

Back to top

Q

The STORM has arrived
Every Dog Has Its Day...
Dark to Light.
Sheep no more.

IP Logged

Aussie

Gold Member

Offline

OzPolitic

Posts: 38478
Gender: male

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #9 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:36pm

freediver wrote on Sep 25^th, 2016 at 9:20pm:

Fair enough. I'm sure this thread will drop off the board in no time at all then.

Unless of course people are still interested in the theft of Senate seats, from right under the public's nose. Do you know anyone who might be interested Aussie? It still counts even if you merely want to voice your displeasure at this topic getting airtime.

Interestingly, even in the very first thread you felt compelled to announce your disinterest, and you have repeatedly announced your lack of interest in every single thread since. That is a whole lot of disinterest you've got there Aussie.

You misunderstand what my interest is freediver. My interest, (in this Thread) and those of others, is that you 'spam' your own Forum on EXACTLY the same topic, and then, (because it suits your agenda) you tell us that no matter how many times the same issue is raised in a new topic, adnauseum, so long as anyone responds in an exact duplicate Thread, it is not spam.

Your Forum. You make the Rules and I can assure you, I'll abide by them.

Back to top

IP Logged

freediver

Gold Member

Offline

www.ozpolitic.com

Posts: 48816
At my desk.

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #10 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 10:35pm

Here is Aussie mocking another poster for bumping a thread they consider to be spam.

Aussie wrote on Sep 5^th, 2016 at 6:59pm:

Secret Wars wrote on Sep 5^th, 2016 at 6:57pm:

Aussie wrote on Sep 5^th, 2016 at 9:59am:

Setanta wrote on Sep 4^th, 2016 at 10:24pm:

Sticky on the feedback forum.

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1172571481

Yeas, thanks. I thought I read somewhere here an edict that commencing duplicate Threads was not to happen, but I cannot find it.

Anyone?

Speaking of duplicate threads how many now have you started questioning forum rules?

Dunno, but whenever I do, there are always idiots who make dumb arse comments like that, so I am quite safe.

SW got owned, wot?

Back to top

People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

IP Logged

Setanta

Gold Member

Offline

\/ Peace man!

Posts: 16376
Northern NSW
Gender: male

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #11 - Sep 25^th, 2016 at 10:49pm

Aussie is correct about the public interest, you are correct about the way the senate is dealt with after a DD. As you have pointed out there is bipartisan support but when either of the major parties are making decisions, you can bet it will be in their own interests and these are the same people that you need to change it.

Unless there is something constitutional you can side swipe them with, and there is not, don't expect change. It is a bit of a dead horse and on the nose.

Back to top

IP Logged

freediver Gold Member Offline www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 48816 At my desk.	Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats Reply #12 - Sep 26^th, 2016 at 7:15am It will get a lot smellier over the next 3 years until it takes effect, but there is plenty we can do about it in that time, and I suspect that is the plan by the minor parties in not making a bigger fuss right now. http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/broken-promises-stolen-senate-seats.ht...
Back to top	People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words. IP Logged

freediver

Gold Member

Offline

www.ozpolitic.com

Posts: 48816
At my desk.

Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats
Reply #13 - Sep 28^th, 2016 at 6:18pm

I think you lot need to put this into perspective. This is a politics forum on a politics website. The outcome of a federal election has been stolen. Both major parties have broken promises they made clearly and repeatedly to the Australian public. An important electoral reform has been destroyed. There will be legislative outcomes, and possibly constitutional outcomes also. The media was complicit through their incompetent reporting on the matter. We should have 100 threads on this topic by the time it is done. We probably will. I really don't understand why anyone would want to go to any effort to downplay this, unless they are happy to subvert democracy to get the political outcome they want. It's not like any of you are being forced to post here and just want to talk about the cricket. Why bother posting on a politics forum about your lack of interest in such an important political issue? You have all been here long enough to realise you can pick and choose what topics interest you. I am thinking of starting one new thread on this for every complaint posted by Aussie.

Back to top

People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

IP Logged

Secret Wars Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 3928 Gender:	Re: Broken Promises and Stolen Senate Seats Reply #14 - Sep 28^th, 2016 at 6:22pm freediver wrote on Sep 28^th, 2016 at 6:18pm: I am thinking of starting one new thread on this for every complaint posted by Aussie. sucks air in between clenched teeth whoooo, you sure you got the stamina?
Back to top	IP Logged