GOT PIPES
- AND SMOKIN'!
radioleary: A certain @JohnNewmanMusic ruling on Jules. What a set of pipes.
NEW RADIO SESSIONS CD
juleser: The commute home on a miserable wet evening is made phenomenally better by @radioleary's Saturday Sessions albums. #happyears
radioleary: @juleser Ta. New one in march hopefully. Love putting them together. X
PODCASTS
radioleary: RT @Soundingspod: And here is the itunes link for @Soundingspod Episode 2 https://itun.es/i6Fx4Hs It is primarily for fans of Keanu Reeves.
radioleary: RT @Soundingspod: Soundings Podcast Episode 2 is now free on itunes, feat. The National documentary, Booker shortlist, RIBA's Forgotten Spaces & POINT BREAK!
SHIRT
ScottypOscar: @radioleary were the long sleeve polo shirts from you had on celeb juice last night #need
radioleary: @ScottypOscar thanks man @JohnSmedley
FROM SOMEWHERE
OVER THE RAINBOW
- WITH MR OZ -
FRIDAY
FIRES ACROSS NSW AUSTRALIA
It's now Friday morning and we've woken to discover hundreds of homes in NSW were lost overnight. My son-in-law phoned us pre-dawn to say that he didn't evacuate as previously mentioned in my Twitter updates yesterday. In fact, he didn't want us to worry so he told us a little white lie, he had stayed at his farm to help his elderly neighbours who refused to evacuate. Of course we are grateful that he's OK but are very cognicent of what may have happened if the fire had engulfed his farmhouse. Temps have dropped to 20c and winds have changed direction. We are volunteers for sandwich making for our local fire brigade so wife and I will be busy feeding the troops today - it's the least we can do.
Below: Further south in Sydney NSW you can hardly breathe due to the smoke blanketing the city.
AlboMP: Sky over Marrickville Sydney - middle of day - now
AUSTRALIAN PM TONY ABBOTT TURNS MISERY INTO A PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
offlinesometime: #auspol The Prime Minister for self promotion was in a fire truck waiting for photo opps. @ABCNews24 @billshortenmp
SandraEckersley: People of NSW devastated by fire need a PM who helps with words of support & a strategic support plan not a photo op in costume. #auspol
GeorgeBludger: What climate change? What global warming? What scientific consensus? Now excuse me while I have my photo taken in a fire fighter's uniform..
ldquilts: @GeorgeBludger most non prime ministerial we have ever had thinks sitting in fire truck is brave or something shakes head
GeorgeBludger: @ldquilts all about the 'image'. People will think he's doing something by just being there. Shaking head indeed
jenny_sinclair: @GeorgeBludger @Helishingly he could at least go put out an unseasonal fire (completely unrelated to climate change) while he's wearing it.
ldquilts: @GeorgeBludger I'd love to know who tells him to do these childish gimmicks [now that's a word from my childhood]
wwwendoss: @ldquilts @GeorgeBludger Appears to go over well in that other Australia - where Abbott's a good, selfless bloke. May I never get a passport to that Oz!
SandraEckersley: Fires rage everywhere and our Prime Minister Tony Abbott has gone missing in action. Shame. New era of unaccountability. #auspol
SandraEckersley: Action man fire fighter PM Tony Abbott nowhere to be seen in crisis in his backyard. Is he working out what allowances he could get? #auspol
AustraliaVote : #Australia's new PM Tony Abbott, referred to police for serial corruption #auspol #APEC #UN #G20 http://t.co/FscHUdeXHk
$4 MILLION IN ABBOTT RORTS
smh: Enough is enough: Coalition and Labor must address expenses rorting and sack offenders. Today's editorial: http://ow.ly/pTnM2 #auspol
dakindon: @smh Does he have the power to sack himself? Look at his $4 million in rorts.
(Click to enlarge spreadsheet of Abbott's rorts)
Date October 18, 2013
Mark Kenny, Daniel Hurst, Heath Aston
Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Expenses claims by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Attorney-General George Brandis have been referred to the Australian Federal Police, and a senior Liberal has been urged to resign by one of his colleagues as the expenses scandal continues to dog the government. Meanwhile, former Liberal senator Nick Minchin, has told The Australian Financial Review that his system for dealing with expense claims, developed in 1998 and dubbed the Minchin protocol, was not designed to ''let MPs off the hook''. While he refused to call for reform of the system, he urged parliamentarians to be ''conservative'' in their entitlement claims. ''The protocols were never intended or designed to be a mechanism to 'let MPs off the hook' and it does provide for departmental officials to refer allegations to the federal police where that is deemed appropriate,'' Mr Minchin reportedly said. West Australian state Liberal MP Rob Johnson called on Mr Abbott to dump the embattled federal WA Liberal Don Randall over a taxpayer-funded trip to Cairns with his wife in November last year. That cost the public $5259 and has not been explained beyond the two words ''electorate business''. In a statement on Thursday Mr Randall said he would immediately reimburse the full cost of the trip to ''ensure the right thing is done by the taxpayer and alleviate any ambiguity''. ''I today contacted the Department of Finance seeking urgent advice in relation to my Cairns travel expenses due to the ongoing media scrutiny and public interest about this matter," he said in the statement. "The Department informed me that it cannot provide definitive advice.'' The decision comes after days of refusing to respond to requests from Fairfax Media to specify the nature of the so-called ''electorate business'' in Cairns. It appears to reflect an open admission that the original claim was not capable of being defended on the very basis it was made. However, Mr Randall continued to claim that the trip was bona fide even though he has provided no additional information, and had decided of his own volition to repay the money rather than defend the claim. ''I've always acted in good faith when submitting claims and after an extensive review of all my expenses, I’m satisfied that those claims meet the guidelines,'' he said. The Randalls took possession of an investment property in Cairns at the time, a fact recorded in the parliamentary register of members' financial interests just a week after the Cairns visit. With the scandal dominating politics, Victorian Labor MP Rob Mitchell revealed on Thursday he had written to the AFP seeking a formal investigation of claims by Mr Abbott and Senator Brandis to attend the weddings of Peter Slipper and Sophie Mirabella. Mr Mitchell said there appeared to be ''a consistent and deliberate abuse of taxpayer funds for personal gain''. NSW Nationals senator John Williams also called on Mr Abbott to tighten the system, saying people who were struggling with the cost of living were annoyed to see stories about politicians' expense claims. ''The Australian people must have faith in a government and all politicians that we're doing the right thing,'' Senator Williams said. With the government bleeding over the Randall case, one of a string of expenses scandals on both sides of politics, Mr Johnson branded Mr Randall ''a coward'' and said he was speaking up on behalf of other ''disgusted members of the WA party''. ''He should resign from Parliament or the Prime Minister should show some leadership and sack him,'' said Mr Johnson, a former state minister and current member of the Barnett government. He said Mr Randall needed to explain to his constituents exactly what business he was doing on their behalf on trips to Cairns and Melbourne with a family member. Mr Johnson acknowledged that the pair ''had history''. Mr Abbott has so far refused to commit to changes to the parliamentary expenses system, despite multiple cases of MPs making false claims that, if made in a tax return, could lead to prosecution. Mr Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin this week told all Coalition MPs to get approval from the Prime Minister at least four weeks before travelling overseas. Monday's email said MPs and senators were ''reminded that approval must be sought'' for overseas study travel, sponsored travel and privately funded trips, but not for parliamentary delegations. It followed Fairfax Media reports on Coalition MPs Barnaby Joyce, Julie Bishop and Teresa Gambaro flying to India on a private jet funded by Gina Rinehart to attend a wedding, then claiming ''overseas study'' entitlements to cover the cost of the return journey. A spokesman for the Special Minister of State Michael Ronaldson dismissed the referral to the AFP as ''a political stunt''. ''I trust Rob Mitchell has also written letters to the Federal Police asking they investigate Tony Burke, Julia Gillard, Anthony Albanese, Mark Dreyfus, Jacinta Collins, Senator Mark Bishop, Senator Don Farrell, Trish Crossin and Kirstin Livermore,'' he said. The AFP announced on Thursday that it would not be investigating the alleged misuse of MPs entitlements, despite the multiple complaints, but had forwarded them to the finance department.
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