Closing the Gap approach an utter failure

IF THE GAP FITS

Australia has — a decade after launching ‘Closing the Gap’ — overwhelmingly failed to meet targets for Indigenous childhood mortality, life expectancy, school attendance and employment, with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting just early education and Year 12 attainment are on track.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt has now called for a new community-led approach in the face of successive government failures — and in an Oz op-ed ($) pointed to a refreshed agreement between the Morrison government, COAG and the Coalition of Peaks. Scott Morrison will deliver the report itself in Parliament today.

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS NOT ‘ALIENS’

In not unrelated news, the ABC reports two Indigenous men have been released from immigration detention after the High Court struck down the Coalition’s attempt to deport First Nations people, 3-4.

TALKING POINT: All that came between the government and, really, the final ‘fuck you’ to Indigenous Australians, was a single judge’s vote.

THE NORMALISATION OF RACISM

Labor frontbencher Andrew Giles will today call for a new anti-racism campaign to meet a “creeping normalisation of hate and racism”, specifically the spike of xenophobia targeting Asian-Australians amid the coronavirus outbreak.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the shadow minister for multicultural affairs has specifically slammed Daily Telegraph columnist Tim Blair, who, as Junkee explains, hit primary-school level racism when mocking Tim Soutphommasane’s name last week.

[free_worm]

I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CANAVAN

Matt Canavan left two $1 million-plus properties — one in Canberra and another in Yeppoon, Central Queensland — off his 2019 declaration of interests, according to The Guardian.

Fresh from running out the clock on fossil-fuel disclosures, Canavan says he was not required to declare the properties for the 46th parliament after doing so for the 45th — a claim rebuffed by the register of senators’ interests. It’s neither the first time he’s failed to declare a house, nor the first time he may have gotten some dodgy advice.

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

I’m at the driest end of economic policy but support any and all measures to build a coal fired power station in North Queensland, including full Commonwealth underwriting, and defence force operation if necessary. Build then sell the asset by float to North Queensland users.

Ross Cameron

The former Liberal MP and Outsiders co-host called for a taxpayer-funded coal plant because “North Queenslanders are entitled to the same standard of living as the rest of coal powered Australia”.

FUN FACT: Not only did the market operator say North Queensland enjoyed an “energy surplus” in 2018, but North Queensland is, currently, on the same grid as most of Australia.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Wake up, Australia: the government is shattering the rule of law

Michael Bradley

Feb 11, 2020

43

“When the law is gone, what happens? Consider the sports rorts affair. The political shit has been spraying off the fan for weeks, with revelation after revulsion about the Coalition government’s lavishing of public money on ‘grants’ chosen solely to get itself reelected.”

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Revealed: Angus Taylor’s long history with bad maths

David Hardaker

Feb 11, 2020

15

“With the AFP no longer investigating the incident, Angus Taylor appears to have got away with using a falsified document and inflated numbers to attack Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“Taylor has form in this arena. He’s also used questionable numbers in an attempt to destroy the wind industry.”

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Welcome to Collinsville, the new home of the climate wars 

Georgia Wilkins

Feb 11, 2020

3

“Collinsville was once considered so left-wing that it earned itself the nickname ‘little Moscow’. Now, the tiny mining town in northern Queensland is at the centre of a bitter dispute over coal-fired power between moderate Liberals and conservative Nationals.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Cyclone expected to affect east coast, but worst to miss Sydney

Home Affairs halts new visas for Chinese students ($)

Auditor-General to front Senate probe into ‘sports rorts’ handouts

Home fires keep Nationals leader Michael McCormack off road ($)

International Energy Agency says global CO2 emissions flatlined in 2019

Cops’ legal battle to keep terrorists locked up ($)

Expert panel says 113 species need urgent attention after Australia’s bushfires

Federal Labor calls for debts raised from controversial robodebt scheme to be refunded

RFS Middle Arm brigade captain Jamie Buck dies in his sleep after fighting fires all summer ($)

Australians in Wuhan told no more evacuation flights planned out of coronavirus epicentre

THE COMMENTARIAT

Education key to closing the gap ($) — Ken Wyatt (The Australian): “For the first time in the Closing the Gap process, Indigenous expertise is at the centre of decision making – this represents an opportunity to set, implement and monitor closing the Gap along with Indigenous Australians.”

Behave as a team, Morrison tells the troops — Michelle Grattan (The Conversation): “As he battles to put containment lines around the damage the Nationals’ meltdown is causing his government, Scott Morrison has given his party room a pointed lecture about unity.”

High Court and the question of ‘Aliens.’ — Nat Cromb (IndigenousX): “The white power structures demonstrate their ubiquitous presence in our lives once again with the anticipated High Court decision in the matters Love v Commonwealth and Thoms v Commonwealth.“

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Canberra

• Chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel will deliver a National Press Club presentation on Australia’s hydrogen future, titled “Planned Obsolescence – managing the transition to the electric planet”.

• ANU will host Climate Update 2020.

Sydney

• Kevin Rudd will present a keynote at CEDA’s 2020 Economic and Political Overview launch, to include speakers David Thodey, Jennifer Hewett, Terry Moran and more.

Melbourne

• Lord Mayor Sally Capp will announce ‘monarchs’ for the 66th annual Moomba Festival, to be held in March.

• Capp, Housing and Planning Minister Richard Wynne and Property Council state executive director Cressida Well will speak at Housing Choices Australia’s event the “2020 Oswald Barnett Oration” at MPavilion.

• Former Bachelor Australia star and sports scientist Sam Wood will undergo a HealthScreen preventative assessment as part of the Hampton Day Hospital’s technology launch event.

Adelaide

• South Australian climatologist Dr Jacqueline Balston will present the impacts of global heating on Adelaide in “Applying Practice Note 12.1 — Impact of Climate Change on the Useful Life of Infrastructure” at City of Adelaide’s Old Methodist Meeting Hall.

Australia

• Truck drivers will rally at Aldi stores across NSW, Vic, WA, SA and Qld as part of a Transport Workers Union protest for improved safety standards in supply chains, amid an increase in truck crash fatalities.

New Hampshire, USA

• Democrats will host the New Hampshire primary vote, and possibly even declare a winner this time.