Donations for me but not for thee | Between the Lines
The Wrap with Amy Remeikis
In one of his most recent columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist and author Will Bunch highlighted a quote a top aide to former US President George W. Bush gave to journalist Ron Suskind in 2004.
The context was the Iraqi invasion and the war on terror. Suskind reported the aide, widely believed to be Karl Rove (which Rove denies) told him:
“…that guys like me were ‘in what we call the reality-based community’,” which he defined as people who “believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality … That’s not the way the world really works anymore”.
“We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality – judiciously, as you will – we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”
Bunch dug up the quote to remind readers that trying to discern rationality and structure around the irrational and erratic was a pointless exercise that only served bad faith actors who were actively shaping new realities that only served them.
The wider point? Don’t get distracted by the individuals. Target the systems they operate in.
It’s a good reminder. As political pundits continue to argue over identity politics (and truly, what does that even mean – everyone has an ‘identity’, even the ‘quiet’ Australians the Coalition like to centre) and the merits of individual decisions, the very systems that dictate your life escape scrutiny.
It’s why it is so important to maintain the rage – and direct it at the systems that prop up the individuals who so infuriate you. Because if there is one thing politicians know how to do, it’s how to navigate those systems and use them to further their own agendas, rather than yours.
They know you don’t have time to look into the intricacies of legislation, or regulation changes, and therefore rely on 30 second sound bites selling changes to stay informed.
Like the electoral changes the government – with help from the Coalition – is rushing through the parliament.
The strategy is very similar to that deployed in South Australia, where equally significant changes were also rushed through without any public scrutiny. That bill was described as “a grand experiment”, “Sophie’s choice”, “fraught with anomalies” and “being concerned about voting in favour of the leopard that eats your face off” – even by politicians who ended up voting for it.
The federal electoral changes proposed by the Albanese government, with the Coalition in the driver’s seat over whether or not they pass, do nothing to make the electoral playing field fairer. In fact, quite the opposite – it will make it harder for independent and new minor party candidates to enter the parliament.
Bill Browne, the Director of the Democracy & Accountability program at the Australia Institute says the rush to pass the new laws could hinder people’s (already fragile) trust in democracy, not enhance it (as was the alleged aim).
And look, yes, there are some good things in there. The bill widens the definition of ‘gift’ to include payments to attend fundraising events and functions, lowers the donation disclosure threshold to $1,000 and introduces real time disclosure laws – so you should find out who is financially supporting political candidates and parties a lot sooner.
There’s also a provision similar to the mega-donor cap that the Australia Institute proposed last year, to stop any one millionaire or billionaire from having too much influence.
But overall, it seems designed to entrench the two-party system. Under this legislation, the major parties and incumbents have a pretty big leg up over independents and other new entrants when it comes to election spending and donations – and the major parties are getting ready to wrap it all up and put a bow on it, without any outside scrutiny.
The Special Minister of State, Don Farrell said he had done “extensive consultation” on the bill. Independent senator David Pocock who met with Farrell in June on the issue and was told he had no information, requested Farrell tell the Senate who he met with since July.
On Thursday, Farrell sent Pocock the list. In August Farrell met with independent MPs Helen Haines and Rebekha Sharkie. In September he met with Liberal senator Jane Hume, Ed Cavanough from the McKell Institute, and AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers. In October, Farrell held meetings with Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes-a-Court and the AEC deputy commissioner. And earlier this month, ahead of introducing the bill, Farrell met with the ALP National Secretary Paul Erickson and then cabinet ministers Tony Burke, Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher. And that’s the entire list.
The false sense of urgency around this bill doesn’t make sense. None of the measures will be in place for the next election. But if voting trends continue, and people continue to abandon the major parties in favour of more diversity in their representatives, they’ll have to look a lot harder to hear those different voices.
Because they’ll be outgunned in electoral spending, fundraising and even the ability to enhance name recognition. It’s not fair. And it’s certainly not enhancing democracy.
It’s not too late to have your voice heard – sign the Australia Institute’s petition demanding the parliament send these major electoral changes to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny.
After all – this is your democracy. You have the greatest right to be heard in all of this. You have told us you don’t want these important systemic changes to be rushed. Now tell them.
Remember, keep your eye on the systems and what changes they are trying to make and focus your energy there. Because nothing motivates politicians more than an informed voter. Use that power.
And as always – take care of you.
— Amy Remeikis, Communications Specialist at the Australia Institute
The Big Stories
Good COP, Bad COP
The Australian Government has made no secret of its desire to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference in partnership with Pacific Island Countries in 2026 (COP31), to “help restore Australia’s reputation” on climate.
Last year at COP28, parties to the Paris Agreement, including Australia, signed an agreement to “transition away” from fossil fuels with Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen saying that “…all nations of the world have acknowledged the reality that our future is in clean energy, and the age of fossil fuels will end.”
It remains to be seen if we’ll be any better than the host of the currently wrapping-up COP29, Azerbaijan, who has called gas and oil a ‘gift of the gods’ and has used the conference to procure deals on fossil fuels.
Pacific Island countries have repeatedly called for Australia to end its fossil fuel addiction. To be a credible co-host of a Pacific COP31 and follow through with the promise made at COP28 the Australian Government would at the very least;
- Announce an end to fossil fuel subsidies by 2026
- Announce it will not approve any new coal or gas projects by 2026
- Announce significantly increased funding for Pacific countries to better address the impacts of climate change they face
Go Home on Time Day
Despite new Right to Disconnect laws coming into force earlier this year, new research reveals Australians are still working an average of five weeks’ unpaid overtime each year.
Each year, the Centre for Future Work publishes a report for Go Home on Time Day, showing the extent of unpaid overtime in Australia.
This year’s report shows that, while the situation has improved, the average worker performs 3.6 hours of unpaid overtime each week. If the average worker was paid for the real hours they worked, they’d be almost $300 per fortnight better off, with an extra $7,713 in their pockets each year.
Eight things you need to know about the Government’s plan to change Australian elections
The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024 is over 200 pages of complicated and technical changes to how democracy works in this country. It passed the House of Representatives just two days after it was first made public.
This has all happened unusually fast. Even parliamentarians and political scientists are struggling to get their heads around what would change and what it would mean for Australian democracy.
Here are eight things you need to know about the Government’s plan to change elections, and eight ideas for how to improve it, from Bill Browne, the Australia Institute’s Director of Democracy & Accountability.
Last chance to preorder our book and save!
To mark The Australia Institute’s 30 years of big ideas, we have asked some of our good friends and leading thinkers from Australia and around the world to share a big idea for a better Australia.
In our first 30 years, The Australia Institute has shown how to make the impossible feel inevitable, and the radical seem reasonable. The works in this inspiring volume serve as a reminder that the solutions are there, Australia just needs the courage to implement them.
This week is your last chance to preorder your copy and save $5 off the sticker price!
The Win
The UK has announced a new emissions reduction target: 81% below 1990 levels by 2025.
The Guardian reports that this shows the Australian government should set an ambitious climate target that will quickly drive investment and create clean industries.
The Bin
When questioned about her voting against a ceasefire in Gaza, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said “It’s not good…if we don’t have a positive relationship with the US.”
Do we really want our elected MPs to make decisions for us based on appeasing the US, instead of acting in Australia’s interests?
The Quote
– Dr Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs at the Australia Institute
Donald Trump is wasting no time in setting up his administration and it should come as no surprise that some of his picks for key positions of power are drawn straight from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.
As Emma Shortis told The New Daily this week, Trump’s efforts to distance himself from its radical agenda were always unconvincing.
This has big implications for Australia. Navigating the inevitable crises and internal warfare that will characterize this administration, as it attempts to implement its radical agenda, will be about a lot more than just ‘managing’ Trump. The Australian government will soon have some very important choices to make about the future of Australian security.
Podcasts
The uninsurables: how climate change is pricing people out of home insurance | Follow the Money
Walkley Award-winning journalist Stephen Long joins Alice Grundy to discuss climate change, skyrocketing premiums and the serious impact they’re having on inequality.
Listen now:
Standing up to Trump with Malcolm Turnbull | After America
Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s 29th Prime Minister, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss why sucking up to Trump will get Australian leaders nowhere and how the AUKUS “shocker” is making Australia more dependent on the United States, right at the time America is becoming less dependable.
Listen now:
All I want for Christmas… | Dollars & Sense
…is an interest rate cut, says Greg Jericho.
Listen now:
What’s On
Unparliamentary with Rachel Withers | 1pm AEDT, Tuesday 26 November
Unpack the big political and policy issues at Unparliamentary with Rachel Withers, freelance journalist and commentator.
Policy School: Fossil fuel subsidies | 11am AEDT, Thursday 28 November
Ending fossil fuel subsidies should be the first order for any government serious about fairness and climate action. Join Australia Institute Research Director Rod Campbell to discuss what these subsidies are, why they still exist and what can be done about them.
Climate obligations on trial | 11am AEDT, Tuesday 3 December
How is Australia representing itself on the global stage on climate? Join the Australia Institute and Greenpeace Australia Pacific to analyse Australia’s testimony to the International Court of Justice over a landmark UN resolution on our obligations under international law to protect the climate.
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