Secret figures show Liberal party’s ageing membership in freefall in NSW and Victoria

Average age of 68.

“One of the biggest expenses we used to have [at our local branch] was on funeral wreaths.”

Beats me why they’re getting so much media attention. It will be good when Parliament resumes and there’s some actual legislative action to talk about. — Wayfarer

Yeah. In the meantime, the Media has to create some sort of content to justify all of its many political gurus. Hence the concentration on the only game in town until parliament starts in mid July. At least, we're see the content of the enema bowl,a rare sight where the internal workings of the Coalition is concerned.

wry smile

The women in this party are so assertive now that we may need some special rules for men to get them pre-selected. — Alan Stockdale, to NSW Liberal’s Women’s Council

:roll:

The women in this party are so assertive now — Alan Stockdale, to NSW Liberal’s Women’s Council

Or have learnt how to play the game better.
It's not whether the toilet seat is left up or down after use, but how clean the toilet is left after use. In reference to experience cleaning public and entertainment venue toilets.
Who cares who rules, it's how they rule and the outcomes.

ironic smile

Who cares who rules, it's how they rule and the outcomes. — kazan

I agree Kazan, good point.

Don't you ever think of getting involved in Australian politics actively? I believe you and @Banno would be good Leaders of the House.

Pentagon launches review into AUKUS deal to ensure it meets Trump's 'America First' agenda

The Australian Embassy in Washington declined to comment when contacted by the ABC.


Review: After America: Australia and the new world order – Emma Shortis (Australia Institute Press), Hard New World: Our Post-American Future; Quarterly Essay 98 – Hugh White (Black Inc)

Recognising quite what an ill-conceived, ludicrously expensive, uncertain project AUKUS is, and just how unreliable a partner the US has become under Trump, might be a useful step on the path to national strategic self-awareness.

We really could stop the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza if Xi had a word with Putin and the US stopped supplying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the weapons and money to slaughter women and children. But climate change would still be coming to get us.

US AUKUS review could 'save Australia from itself', Keating says

He said in a Thursday statement that the Pentagon review was “subjecting the deal to the kind of scrutiny that should have been applied to Aukus in the first instance”, describing the deal as “hurriedly scribbled on the back of an envelope by Scott Morrison, along with the vacuous British blowhard Boris Johnson, and the confused president, Joe Biden – put together on an English beach, a world away from where Australia’s strategic interests primarily li — Gardian

Keating says — Banno

At least the sinophile is consistent in mind as he enters the age of incontinence of body.

Leave politics, write the obligatory autobiography, make yourself available for advice to the party, but don't encourage/feed the barking dogs or your own under fed ego. Unaccepted advice, obviously, for some/many?
Not a fan of K's foreign policy regards China... too naive/ too economics only orientated.

The Conversation Review is interesting in highlighting lesser known thinkers. Future directions do need be cross departmental in their scope like the futurist degree at unis.

@javi2541997
Not too sure about that. Banno's views are good to get along with here in the forum. What we'd be like else where, who knows?
But, thanks for the thought. Do you have political aspirations, at this stage in your life? You don't have to be Australian born to be Prime Minister here. And we're always on the scout for overseas educated talent. Don't always appreciate them when they get here though. So, be warned.

big smile

Do you have political aspirations, at this stage in your life? — kazan

No, not really; I lost confidence in politics because it always ended up disappointing me. It is difficult to keep an idea for years in this very volatile world. My motto is 'live and let live'. Don't treat people badly.

But politics is a game played by snakes. I am already happy if I am a good citizen, neighbour or friend. We have to be better than the people who are in power, the ones who pull the strings.

Australian smile.

Don't you ever think of getting involved in Australian politics actively? — javi2541997

Presumptuous, to supose that we are not... :wink:

Australian smile. — javi2541997

Spinach stuck on a gold tooth smile?

Being a good citizen could be dangerous in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East etc, at the moment. It's hard to know how to behave as an ant when the elephants have a rumble. Run, maybe, but where to? Such is life!

Anyone have an Optus account or shares? The offered $100 million should help shore up the ACCC's war chest.... after costs and govt "deductions". Same from Qantas in recent years. Another leg of Chalmer's tax reforms? Wonder if anyone's currently part of the targeted 80,000 with supers of $3 million plus.
A new marketing idea? Drive through shopping centres. Next move along from after hours drive in shopping? Oh well, just ban cars from shopping areas, like machetes. Like Qld's no reasonable suspicion required public stop and search laws. Law and order over social equality and opportunity, as usual.

barely smile

It would appear that Labor understands broad diplomatic commenting better than the Coalition. The pressure of govt responsibility, perhaps, or dealing with Chaos Pending on one hand and almost normality on the other. Even a pragmatic approach to govt only works locally while certain international affairs require the lightning selection from an amalgam of all philosophic approaches depending on the moment ( or latest utterance of...)
Just an off the cuff comment distilled from recent observations and a little historical/life experience.
Any comments on the latest Iran situation and how it will/might/is affect(ing) Australia?

coaxing smile

Presumptuous, to supose that we are not... :wink: — Banno

Even if only when we can find the time and motivation?

wry smile

At last the ALP understand the term “diplomacy.”

Was that Susan Lee's maiden speech as leader of the opposition, or that only so called when parliament sits in July?
Just a navelgazer's prayer/teaser, perhaps.

smile

At last the ALP understand the term “diplomacy.” — Banno

So far, so good. So long as usage reflects comprehension.

concerned smile

Knee jerk/arse covering reaction in Vic to child abuse allegations, "no requirement for reasonable suspicion" to weapon search in Qld, failed liquor law curfews in NT, social media age limits nationwide; to highlight a few govt reactions/ actions.
Do govts in this country only react to ongoing "tip of the iceberg" problems when they make the headlines or 7.30 Report? Or are politics what run/motivate/highlight govts not striving for good governance?
Or is this how good governance works? Or is it just the old question in democracies, do govts govern or just politic?
Are we just too comfortable/complaisant to take an interest in how well governance is operating until we get slapped across the face with a rotten piece of cod?
Probably the same question can be asked of the bulk of the "liberal" western world's citizens?
Just wondering "out loud".

smile

Albo in China... easy as she goes....honey not vinegar...and ignore the annoying self serving sandfly in the Washington swamp until later.
Playing the Great Game as a middle power.
Interesting watching. And revealing, watching the individual press members' and the individuals' of the coalition comments/questions surrounding this visit, as to how their and this nation's interests are and will be best served in coming years.

light smile

“For the good of Australia, Albanese should abandon our biggest trade partner to feed the ego of a country planning to tariff our products”

And remember that Albanese has seen Xi Jinping four times, and Trump zero.

Pedro Sánchez also had three or four meetings with Xi while with Trump zero and it is obvious that my government is trying to avoid him. But it seems very difficult, and the tariffs would affect us tremendously. I believe it would be a good deal if we started to export to Australia more than we already do!

Yes, not much here from Spain, I'm afraid. We haven't had a large wave of Spanish immigration to drive imports - Italy, Greece and Lebanon, yes... Even paella rice can be hard to come by.

Acoss breakdown of Australian taxation. Good information.

The biggest voices need to admit Australia is a low-taxing nation before joining the economic reform conversation

Good information. — Banno

Yes. But Jericho is baying at the moon in the conservative side of politics. Established wealth is entrenched and protected by the Right.

sad smile

So bring on the Revolution...!

What to make of the shenanigans of the Nationals, wanting to drop zero emissions?

What to make of the shenanigans of the Nationals, wanting to drop zero emissions? — Banno

Is that just Barnaby J. and his current ally, or is there general consent to it across the sitting members of the Nationals? Hard to tell. Anyway,when the nuclear power stations are up and running, emissions will drop to zero on their own,won't they?
The coalition...and both parties... is still a work in progress/ in shock recovery mode.
The Nats lost the plot, back in ancient history, when they went chasing outer Metropolitan seats with pro Liberal policies instead of working small rural city/town seats using a slight pro Labor policies whitewash. Their trad. farmer base is smoke on a windy day... there, but too thin and dissipated to be useful. And the overwhelming land area of their traditional seats, especially Federal, means that there are often too many opposing/competing infrastructural requirements, social, economic and physical environments for the electorate to have cohesion and direction on many political policies. The Nats need a revolution in their favorite political positions/foundations/thinking.

Just a suggestion...or a well intentioned fart in the face of a cyclone.

So bring on the Revolution...! — Banno

So that everything changes, back to where it is before the Revolution. Same band, same music, just a different front man using different words to the lyrics( soon to become a call for another "Revolution")

general purpose smile

Recognising Palestine.

The interesting thing here is probably the increasing isolation of US foreign policy.

The Reserve Bank has published a study confirming that growing concentration in the Australian economy has contributed to poorer productivity growth and higher mark-ups.

How Costly are Mark-ups in Australia? The Effect of Declining Competition on Misallocation and Productivity

https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/08/15/reserve-bank-corporate-profiteering-productivity-roundtable/

There is substantial evidence that the degree of competition in the Australian economy has declined over the decade or so leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has the potential to weigh on productivity, and in turn incomes, and so the welfare of the Australian people. In this paper we calibrate the general equilibrium model from Edmond, Midrigan and Xu (2023) to Australian microdata to answer the following question: If the degree of competition in the Australian economy had not declined from mid-2000s levels, how much higher would aggregate productivity and GDP be due to resources being better allocated across firms throughout the economy? The answer, according to this model, is 1–3 per cent. The model also suggests even larger economic costs once we account for other channels through which rising mark-ups affect the economy, though these are less precisely estimated. — Reserve bank

So corporate profiteering is costing 1 to 3 percent of GDP.

Keep this in mind as the week progresses, in relation to the forthcoming productivity discussions.