Rotovia-
12-10-2005, 01:16
With continued desent inside the Co-alition Government, there may yet be hope for blocking industrial relations reforms. Overnight the government's approval rating on industrial relations dropped from 54% to 23%! With Labour picking up the slack. Overall government apporval is hitting new lows with the prelimary estimates as low as 45% against Labour's rising margin.
With Australian voters staunchly against reforms and co-alition Senators falling into line with their voters, the government may just have tio deal with a little thing called democracy to get laws passed.
Admittedly much of this support has come from a less then above board advertising campaign that focused on emotion as much as cold hard fact. However, given Labour has lost twice against the conservative emotional machine gun. It's about time they fought fire with fire.
Now is not the time for the left to let up, we may have to fight a four year election campaign to win. But god-damnit we can't let the right wing go unchecked.
Article of Joy:
Joyce crosses floor for hollow victory
Katharine Murphy and Sid Marris
October 12, 2005
BARNABY Joyce last night finally carried out his threat to cross the parliamentary floor, doing it twice in a matter of minutes to raise questions over Peter Costello's overhaul of Australian competition law.
But his show of dissent amounted to nothing, with both votes on a technical motion to do with the competition bill ultimately defeated.
And having earlier promised to abstain from the final vote on the new laws, Senator Joyce rejoined the Coalition ranks to see the changes through.
The new government legislation reforms the Trade Practices Act to give small business greater rights to band together and bargain collectively with large firms.
It also overhauls the procedures governing mergers between companies.
Moving across to support the first technical motion by Family First's Steve Fielding, Senator Joyce looked sombre as he sat down in unusual company next to Democrats leader Lynn Allison and in front of the Democrats' former leaders, Andrew Bartlett and Natasha Stott Despoja.
But as his Coalition colleagues looked across the chamber, the vote was tied at 32-all. A tied vote means the motion - in this case, to split the bill and debate and vote on its elements separately - failed.
As the votes proceeded during the so-called third reading, or committee stage, in the Senate, Senator Joyce again voted against the Government on a Democrats amendment. His decision created another tie, and the motion was defeated. He then sided with his colleagues during the rest of the committee stage, voting down other amendments and, ultimately, helping pass the bill just after 10pm (AEST) with a vote of 35 to 30.
Before last night's vote, Senator Joyce said he would ultimately abstain from the final vote - a move that would have allowed the new law to proceed.
Under the new laws, the Government has given the Australian Competition Tribunal the task of authorising mergers. Under the existing regime, big firms seeking a union went to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for the tick of approval.
The new proposals are a key reform recommended by former High Court judge Daryl Dawson as part of his national review of competition law.
But they have raised significant concern among National Party MPs and senators because of the potential for the competition tribunal to allow more concentration in the retail market - a move strongly resisted by small business. Senator Joyce had said the changes would lead to less competition in the retail market and undermine the ability of people to start a small business. "The greatest freedom someone can have is to go into business," Senator Joyce said.
Senator Joyce said he would like to have seen the bill split in two so he could vote in favour of the collective bargaining arrangements, but against the merger changes. Historically, Senator Joyce's decision to cross the floor was not unusual: a report released yesterday by Canberra's parliamentary library shows Coalition MPs are far more likely to cross the floor than their Labor rivals.
Since 1950, 89 per cent of all MPs to have crossed the floor have hailed from the Liberals or Nationals. And the instances of floor-crossing become more frequent when conservative governments control the Senate.
With Australian voters staunchly against reforms and co-alition Senators falling into line with their voters, the government may just have tio deal with a little thing called democracy to get laws passed.
Admittedly much of this support has come from a less then above board advertising campaign that focused on emotion as much as cold hard fact. However, given Labour has lost twice against the conservative emotional machine gun. It's about time they fought fire with fire.
Now is not the time for the left to let up, we may have to fight a four year election campaign to win. But god-damnit we can't let the right wing go unchecked.
Article of Joy:
Joyce crosses floor for hollow victory
Katharine Murphy and Sid Marris
October 12, 2005
BARNABY Joyce last night finally carried out his threat to cross the parliamentary floor, doing it twice in a matter of minutes to raise questions over Peter Costello's overhaul of Australian competition law.
But his show of dissent amounted to nothing, with both votes on a technical motion to do with the competition bill ultimately defeated.
And having earlier promised to abstain from the final vote on the new laws, Senator Joyce rejoined the Coalition ranks to see the changes through.
The new government legislation reforms the Trade Practices Act to give small business greater rights to band together and bargain collectively with large firms.
It also overhauls the procedures governing mergers between companies.
Moving across to support the first technical motion by Family First's Steve Fielding, Senator Joyce looked sombre as he sat down in unusual company next to Democrats leader Lynn Allison and in front of the Democrats' former leaders, Andrew Bartlett and Natasha Stott Despoja.
But as his Coalition colleagues looked across the chamber, the vote was tied at 32-all. A tied vote means the motion - in this case, to split the bill and debate and vote on its elements separately - failed.
As the votes proceeded during the so-called third reading, or committee stage, in the Senate, Senator Joyce again voted against the Government on a Democrats amendment. His decision created another tie, and the motion was defeated. He then sided with his colleagues during the rest of the committee stage, voting down other amendments and, ultimately, helping pass the bill just after 10pm (AEST) with a vote of 35 to 30.
Before last night's vote, Senator Joyce said he would ultimately abstain from the final vote - a move that would have allowed the new law to proceed.
Under the new laws, the Government has given the Australian Competition Tribunal the task of authorising mergers. Under the existing regime, big firms seeking a union went to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for the tick of approval.
The new proposals are a key reform recommended by former High Court judge Daryl Dawson as part of his national review of competition law.
But they have raised significant concern among National Party MPs and senators because of the potential for the competition tribunal to allow more concentration in the retail market - a move strongly resisted by small business. Senator Joyce had said the changes would lead to less competition in the retail market and undermine the ability of people to start a small business. "The greatest freedom someone can have is to go into business," Senator Joyce said.
Senator Joyce said he would like to have seen the bill split in two so he could vote in favour of the collective bargaining arrangements, but against the merger changes. Historically, Senator Joyce's decision to cross the floor was not unusual: a report released yesterday by Canberra's parliamentary library shows Coalition MPs are far more likely to cross the floor than their Labor rivals.
Since 1950, 89 per cent of all MPs to have crossed the floor have hailed from the Liberals or Nationals. And the instances of floor-crossing become more frequent when conservative governments control the Senate.