Opinion AUSTRALIAN Politics: Adelaide Board Discussion Part 6

[Slippery Pete]

The lesson of 2025 is that you don’t need to “win the middle” the way the old textbooks insisted, you need to run your preference machine better than your opponent runs theirs. You also need to run a campaign that triggers your opponent’s flanks to bleed into minor parties.

This is a really salient point and one that most people never think about.

It’s still important to win the middle, broadly speaking, but it’s also critical to master the logistics of the actual electoral system.

The ALP got a relatively low portion of the primary vote in the last two elections. But won enough seats comfortably based on preferences and other logistics.

 

[Slippery Pete]

 

[ADL9798]

Firstly, Tony Burke tried to bring in hate speech legislation, but was opposed by Scott Morrison on the basis of religious freedom.

Terrorists are evil. Where have I said that they aren't? The shootings were abhorrent.

How are Labor any different to say the Abbott/Morrison governments when it comes to Islamic extremism? Did we blame Abbott for the Lindt siege?

The LNP did not want hate speech laws, as they believed it would restrict the ability of people to express a firmly held religious view. I can absolutely guarantee if Albanese and Burke tried to introduce hate speech laws to parliament say, in August, they would've been decried as free speech hating communists trying to control what people say.

Regarding Lindt - absolutely, why would you blame Abbott for a religious extremist committing a terrorist act? Because it's not his fault.

No, Albanese had not had any different approach to Islamic extremism, security etc than the government before him.

The LNP did not want hate speech laws, as they believed it would restrict the ability of people to express a firmly held religious view. LNP, especially conservative/right-leaning MPs, have long argued that broad hate-speech or anti-vilification laws can “police speech” and are un-Australian. Do you remember 18C?

It’s been disappointing but not at all surprising to see such hypocrisy and one-eyed partisanship come to bear in this tragic situation in a way that as you’ve pointed out we didn’t see for the Bondi Westfield stabbing, the Lindt cafe siege, the Christchurch and Port Arthur shootings, or the Bali bombings - events marked by the community and politics getting behind each other and responding in a strong and unified way against extremism.

This was inevitable given the shift we've seen in recent years for some people to base their moral compass on personal grievances, culture wars and tribal point scoring rather than any actual, universal set of principles. Their brains are melting as they try to navigate this terrible event through the increasingly ridiculous maze of contradictions they have created.

It's not just LNP politicians. We've seen many people (including posters in this thread) spend years dying on the hill for their right to unfettered free speech including hate speech, discrimination and/or inciting violence against black/brown migrants, Indigenous people, gays and other minorities (and having a massive sook anytime someone criticised or tried to make them feel bad about this ). They are now criticising a lack of action to crack down on and punish hate speech, but only in relation to criticising Albanese, and only in relation to hate speech about one particular group.

The same applies to so many other political issues. Civil rights. Immigration policy. The blatant coverup of a paedophile conspiracy involving some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the US reaching new levels of absurdity this week.

Societies obviously can’t function like this, with people switching on/off their principles depending on whether ‘their team’ is involved or not.

We need to get back to a universal set of core values and principles that we can all get behind, a united commitment to defending these from extremism on all sides of politics, and electing the politicians who have the best plan to deliver on this, rather than the ridiculous situation we have currently of people trying to carve out contradictory and hypocritical niches for specific issues to protect their tribe while simultaneously trying to punish everyone else.

 

[Mutineer]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/anthony-albanese-returns-to-bondi-to-face-grieving-families-at-vigil-week-after-terror-attack/news-story/ac8ff630e82d0bfb56e489413dd9a5b5

Anthony Albanese heckled at Bondi Beach vigil week after terror attack​

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been marched out of the Bondi vigil in extraordinary scenes.

Anthony Albanese was marched out of the Bondi vigil on Sunday night under a heavy police presence as one man yelled he was “weak and dangerous.”
In extraordinary scenes, Mr Albanese and his wife Jodie Haydon were whisked to safety in darkness by his AFP security team as NSW police guarded a fence to keep members of the public at arms length.

“You’re a weak man Albo,’’ one man yelled. “Weak and dangerous!

“You’ve got blood on your hands Albo.”
It followed Mr Albanese, who was joined by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles being repeatedly heckled and booed as they arrived and during the moving vigil.

It was the first time the Prime Minister had returned to Bondi Beach since a brief visit on Monday morning.
The Prime Minister had arrived around 6:30pm with his wife Jodie, wearing black.

The couple were booed and jeered with one man yelling out “blood on your hands.”

As he arrived at Bondi to shouts of “shame!,” Mr Albanese made his way through the crowd with his security team and staff.
In contrast to the angry welcome, former prime minister John Howard received a standing ovation from some sections of the ground.

During the vigil, Mr Albanese was roundly booed by the crowd before NSW Premier Chris Minns was given a standing ovation as it was noted he had “not missed a funeral”, unlike the Prime Minister.
“Beautiful defiance”: Chris Minns speaks, not Albanese

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not speak at the event amid reports that organisers declined any suggestion on the grounds that he would be “booed.”

Instead, he sat silently in the crows as NSW premier Chris Minns did speak, offering a powerful mea culpa to the thousands in the crowd.
“I want to say this clearly and sincerely that we are deeply sorry,’’ Mr Minns said.

“We agree with you and with humility I acknowledge the government and its highest duty is to protect the citizens and we did not do that one week ago.

“That reality weighs on me heavily. We must accept that responsibility and use that to do everything and anything we possibly can to stop it from happening again.

“Bondi is beautiful tonight. And not because of its beaches. The sunset, the people.

“It is beautiful because you and your thousands, in your defiance, with your resistance and resolve, you have returned to the sand just seven days after a shocking crime, and have said to the terrorists, we are going nowhere!.”

In an emotional speech, NSW Liberal leader Kellie Sloane offered the story of her own experience, after she drove to Bondi with a Jewish first responder on the night of the attack

“I love Bondi. But I’m absolutely heartbroken to be standing before you tonight in these circumstances,’’ she said.

 

[Mutineer]

It’s been disappointing but not at all surprising to see such hypocrisy and one-eyed partisanship come to bear in this tragic situation in a way that as you’ve pointed out we didn’t see for the Bondi Westfield stabbing, the Lindt cafe siege, the Christchurch and Port Arthur shootings, or the Bali bombings - events marked by the community and politics getting behind each other and responding in a strong and unified way against extremism.

This was inevitable given the shift we've seen in recent years for some people to base their moral compass on personal grievances, culture wars and tribal point scoring rather than any actual, universal set of principles. Their brains are melting as they try to navigate this terrible event through the increasingly ridiculous maze of contradictions they have created.

It's not just LNP politicians. We've seen many people (including posters in this thread) spend years dying on the hill for their right to unfettered free speech including hate speech, discrimination and/or inciting violence against black/brown migrants, Indigenous people, gays and other minorities (and having a massive sook anytime someone criticised or tried to make them feel bad about this ). They are now criticising a lack of action to crack down on and punish hate speech, but only in relation to criticising Albanese, and only in relation to hate speech about one particular group.

The same applies to so many other political issues. Civil rights. Immigration policy. The blatant coverup of a paedophile conspiracy involving some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the US reaching new levels of absurdity this week.

Societies obviously can’t function like this, with people switching on/off their principles depending on whether ‘their team’ is involved or not.

We need to get back to a universal set of core values and principles that we can all get behind, a united commitment to defending these from extremism on all sides of politics, and electing the politicians who have the best plan to deliver on this, rather than the ridiculous situation we have currently of people trying to carve out contradictory and hypocritical niches for specific issues to protect their tribe while simultaneously trying to punish everyone else.

What a load of crap.

Anthony Albanese and the ALP Government have failed the Australian Jewish Community miserably with their inaction on Anti-Semitism the last 2 years at least, they've instead allowed it to fester and grow massively, NSW ALP Premier Chris Minns has the cajones to admit what is bleedingly obvious to any fair thinking Aussie, the only people that could think differently are the ALP luvvies....Chris Minns is a true leader, Albanes, Burke and Wong have been pathetic, listening to Wong is sickening with her clear and obvious denialism.

 

[pjcrows]

What a load of crap.

Anthony Albanese and the ALP Government have failed the Australian Jewish Community miserably with their inaction on Anti-Semitism the last 2 years at least, they've instead allowed it to fester and grow massively, NSW ALP Premier Chris Minns has the cajones to admit what is bleedingly obvious to any fair thinking Aussie, the only people that could think differently are the ALP luvvies....Chris Minns is a true leader, Albanes, Burke and Wong have been pathetic, listening to Wong is sickening with her clear and obvious denialism.

We discussed a few days ago the circumstances around hate speech laws. You completely ignored them.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Surely national gun registry needs to he a priority. Unbelievable there are still some paper records in this century.

A key piece of Port Arthur-era gun reform remains unfinished. Could it have helped prevent the Bondi attack?

National register would have allowed police to better assess risk posed by alleged Bondi shooters before attack, expert says

www.theguardian.com

 

[ADL9798]

What a load of crap.

Anthony Albanese and the ALP Government have failed the Australian Jewish Community miserably with their inaction on Anti-Semitism the last 2 years at least, they've instead allowed it to fester and grow massively, NSW ALP Premier Chris Minns has the cajones to admit what is bleedingly obvious to any fair thinking Aussie, the only people that could think differently are the ALP luvvies....Chris Minns is a true leader, Albanes, Burke and Wong have been pathetic, listening to Wong is sickening with her clear and obvious denialism.

Ok

 

[Mutineer]

Hear Hear.

Have you ever hosted a gathering in your home? Were you selective about who you invited? Did you expect your guests to respect your way of life? We’ve all hosted people in our homes. We are selective in who we invite, and we expect our guests to respect our house rules. Whether it’s a birthday party, barbecue or Christmas lunch—our guests respect the rules, or we ask them to leave. The same expectations apply for those who come to Australia. That’s why the Bondi terror attack was so confronting for us. We witnessed the cold-blooded murder of Australians who were observing a peaceful religious festival by the sea. They were Jewish Australians observing Chanukah, but they could have been you or me. It was an attack on all of us. And it was led and carried out by a man who was a guest in our country. That’s right—the father who led the attack wasn’t even an Australian citizen. We let him into Australia as a guest, and he broke every single house rule. He attacked our home, and murdered our people. Bondi Beach became a battlefield with police gunfighting Islamic jihadists. The Prime Minister won’t say it, but I will: we need to talk about immigration and citizenship. The truth is that Labor’s uncontrolled borders are posing a risk to our security. Labor is hosting a big gathering in Australia: the invite has gone out across the globe, and they don’t seem too bothered about checking who walks through our door. You and I are sick of hearing from Labor that Australia is “the most successful multicultural country in the world”. If that were true, why are Australian families mourning the murder of loved ones gunned down by a terrorist and his Australian-born son? A terrorist who was on a visa. A terrorist who was shaped and motivated by radical Islam. We need to talk about this, and we need change. A massive 2026 campaign against Labor’s immigration failures is not just urgent. Our nation depends on it. We know that Labor is letting historical numbers of people into Australia. You and I see it every day. But it’s not only the numbers that matter. Our primary concern is the type of people coming to our shores. We want people who speak English, share our values, and love Australia. Law-abiding people who make great guests, and who can become permanent members of the Australian community. The Prime Minister does not have the will to tackle immigration. He’s on track to bring in two million people by the end of his second term. He doesn’t care what this is doing to our country. That leaves it to us. It up to you and me to get the job done. The only way to win this fight is to build a campaign big enough to shift the debate, and fight it on our terms. That’s why I’m asking you to right now help fund a massive push against Labor’s immigration failures. Your support today will help hit a critical $275,000 election fighting fund target, before the December 31 deadline. I am asking you to help fund hard-hitting advertising, direct voter communication, and the groundwork needed to take this fight to every corner of the country. I am asking you to support my campaign so I can continue to be your voice fighting to close the door on Labor’s out-of-control immigration. This is the defining issue for Australia’s future. Please stand with me and help make this campaign impossible to ignore. Regards Andrew Hastie Member for Canning

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I see for some it's more important to make this a political issue, than address the issues that should be tackled to reduce the likelihood of this happening again...

 

[Doctor B]

Surely national gun registry needs to he a priority. Unbelievable there are still some paper records in this century.

A key piece of Port Arthur-era gun reform remains unfinished. Could it have helped prevent the Bondi attack?

National register would have allowed police to better assess risk posed by alleged Bondi shooters before attack, expert says

www.theguardian.com

Too Many Guns

I just can't see why people living in metropolitan areas need hundreds of guns in their home.

There is a serious loophole in Australia’s firearms laws that is being exploited by some gun owners so that they can accumulate dozens and dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of guns. Gun owners can endlessly recycle the same “good reason” to get their first gun and then their second gun, their tenth gun and their 300th gun.

This lack of rigour in the law has allowed 100 citizens in NSW to have more than 78 guns each. There are dozens of people in ordinary suburbs and towns who quite literally own private arsenals. The community expects that our firearm laws will put reasonable limits on the number of guns people can own to prevent the build-up of private arsenals in the community.

The top 5 owners of guns by postcode – excluding collectors and dealers respectively have 298, 295, 241, 226 and 221 guns. No sensible firearm laws would allow massive private arsenals to be amassed like this.

 

[Bearded Clam]

Hear Hear.

​

Have you ever hosted a gathering in your home? Were you selective about who you invited? Did you expect your guests to respect your way of life? We’ve all hosted people in our homes. We are selective in who we invite, and we expect our guests to respect our house rules. Whether it’s a birthday party, barbecue or Christmas lunch—our guests respect the rules, or we ask them to leave. The same expectations apply for those who come to Australia. That’s why the Bondi terror attack was so confronting for us. We witnessed the cold-blooded murder of Australians who were observing a peaceful religious festival by the sea. They were Jewish Australians observing Chanukah, but they could have been you or me. It was an attack on all of us. And it was led and carried out by a man who was a guest in our country. That’s right—the father who led the attack wasn’t even an Australian citizen. We let him into Australia as a guest, and he broke every single house rule. He attacked our home, and murdered our people. Bondi Beach became a battlefield with police gunfighting Islamic jihadists. The Prime Minister won’t say it, but I will: we need to talk about immigration and citizenship. The truth is that Labor’s uncontrolled borders are posing a risk to our security. Labor is hosting a big gathering in Australia: the invite has gone out across the globe, and they don’t seem too bothered about checking who walks through our door. You and I are sick of hearing from Labor that Australia is “the most successful multicultural country in the world”. If that were true, why are Australian families mourning the murder of loved ones gunned down by a terrorist and his Australian-born son? A terrorist who was on a visa. A terrorist who was shaped and motivated by radical Islam. We need to talk about this, and we need change. A massive 2026 campaign against Labor’s immigration failures is not just urgent. Our nation depends on it. We know that Labor is letting historical numbers of people into Australia. You and I see it every day. But it’s not only the numbers that matter. Our primary concern is the type of people coming to our shores. We want people who speak English, share our values, and love Australia. Law-abiding people who make great guests, and who can become permanent members of the Australian community. The Prime Minister does not have the will to tackle immigration. He’s on track to bring in two million people by the end of his second term. He doesn’t care what this is doing to our country. That leaves it to us. It up to you and me to get the job done. The only way to win this fight is to build a campaign big enough to shift the debate, and fight it on our terms. That’s why I’m asking you to right now help fund a massive push against Labor’s immigration failures. Your support today will help hit a critical $275,000 election fighting fund target, before the December 31 deadline. I am asking you to help fund hard-hitting advertising, direct voter communication, and the groundwork needed to take this fight to every corner of the country. I am asking you to support my campaign so I can continue to be your voice fighting to close the door on Labor’s out-of-control immigration. This is the defining issue for Australia’s future. Please stand with me and help make this campaign impossible to ignore. Regards Andrew Hastie Member for Canning

What a pathetic little man.

How can they bald face lie about the basic facts that the bondi shooters were Australians?.. a father that came here nearly 30 years ago and his son who is a born and bred Aussie.

Migration has nothing to do with it and, regardless of his hysterical nonsense, has not been any higher under labor than it was under the liberals in their last decade in government.

There was a spike to counter the massive fall during the covid times..

This, like all their other desperate wedge politics of late, will fail. You watch.. They will over cook it as they always do.

The great majority of Australians arent stupid enough to fall for it anymore.

Imagine using a terrorist shooting where Australians have been killed.. to push for donations to your political ambitions.

The majority of Australians will see this as the desperate acts of a pathetic talentless politician who couldnt come up with a coherant policy position and so simply resorts to racist dogwhistling..

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Given the event & number of deaths & injuries, i would have thought a commonwealth royal commission is warranted.

Need to take all steps necessary to try & prevent this from happening again.

Albanese sorry but rejects royal commission, as Labor MPs break ranks

Two ALP politicians have demanded a federal inquiry, but the prime minister instead announced legal changes including outlawing the radicalisation of children.

www.afr.com

 

[Bearded Clam]

What a load of crap.

Anthony Albanese and the ALP Government have failed the Australian Jewish Community miserably with their inaction on Anti-Semitism the last 2 years at least, they've instead allowed it to fester and grow massively, NSW ALP Premier Chris Minns has the cajones to admit what is bleedingly obvious to any fair thinking Aussie, the only people that could think differently are the ALP luvvies....Chris Minns is a true leader, Albanes, Burke and Wong have been pathetic, listening to Wong is sickening with her clear and obvious denialism.

And yet you still fail to give us a clear and precise way the PM can actually stop anti-semitism from festering in our communities. Nothing. Not a single solution.

Why?.. well, putting aside that you are a partisan hack for a second.. we all know why..

Because it is impossible to do..

Just as its impossible to stop racism against black and brown skinned.

Just as its impossible to stop mysogyny against women. Over a hundred of which die of DV each year at the hands of men they know in this country..

Just as it is impossible to stop the bigotry and hate speech against our LGBTIQ communities..

Because a government cannot control the minds of its population.. you cannot stop thought.

The only people that can change this are the anti-semitists, the racists and the bigots that hold their views toward these minority groups I have mentioned above. Although.. women are not a minority but there are hard right elements of our society that see them as second class citizens.

And strangely.. it is your side of politics, the hard right, that are the islamaphobes, the antisemites, the bigots and the racists.. mostly based on the more hardline teachings of the various archaic religions they blindly follow.

You want change?. It starts with everyone dropping their racist, bigoted hate.

 

[kirky]

You seriously need to have an inward look and ask how you turned into a cold hearted leftie

I’m not taking life lessons from you of all people.

 

[kirky]

I see for some it's more important to make this a political issue, than address the issues that should be tackled to reduce the likelihood of this happening again...

Its all they have because the reality is that the current federal government will be in power until 2031 so they have another 5 1/2 years of Albo.

Already the Nats in NSW have stated they won’t support the new NSW legislation.

Need bipartisanship like the ALP provided after Port Arthur, Lindt Cafe etc. They didn’t go political at all.

 

[Slippery Pete]

We need to get back to a universal set of core values and principles that we can all get behind, a united commitment to defending these from extremism on all sides of politics, and electing the politicians who have the best plan to deliver on this, rather than the ridiculous situation we have currently of people trying to carve out contradictory and hypocritical niches for specific issues to protect their tribe while simultaneously trying to punish everyone else.

Couldn’t agree more with this.

You surely can’t agree with this push to clamp down more on “unapproved” speech, and can see that it’s a tactic to divert attention away from other things.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I see for some it's more important to make this a political issue, than address the issues that should be tackled to reduce the likelihood of this happening again...

Perhaps, but in order to reduce the likelihood of it happening again you have to be able to form government, as those currently in charge have zero interest in that goal.

 

[Slippery Pete]

the bondi shooters were Australians

Lmao.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Migration has nothing to do with it

You checked in on things in the Europe and the UK lately?

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Too Many Guns

I just can't see why people living in metropolitan areas need hundreds of guns in their home.

There is a serious loophole in Australia’s firearms laws that is being exploited by some gun owners so that they can accumulate dozens and dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of guns. Gun owners can endlessly recycle the same “good reason” to get their first gun and then their second gun, their tenth gun and their 300th gun.

This lack of rigour in the law has allowed 100 citizens in NSW to have more than 78 guns each. There are dozens of people in ordinary suburbs and towns who quite literally own private arsenals. The community expects that our firearm laws will put reasonable limits on the number of guns people can own to prevent the build-up of private arsenals in the community.

The top 5 owners of guns by postcode – excluding collectors and dealers respectively have 298, 295, 241, 226 and 221 guns. No sensible firearm laws would allow massive private arsenals to be amassed like this.

I find it to be hypocritical to publicly launch these "gun buy back" schemes for political expediency .......both parties have been in power, whilst gun ownership has doubled since Port Arthur .....doubled !

So what have these schemes achieved, other than costing taxpayers .....whilst at the same time, our Hospitals require more funding

Fact is these schemes are designed to appease upset voters, up until the next issue arises ......a few months is the length of our focus

Remember after 9/11 ...we were to get Air Marshalls on every plane flight, plus secured cockpit doors ......well, how long did that last .....actually, I don't think those declarations were ever followed thru on ?

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Because a government cannot control the minds of its population.. you cannot stop thought.

But, they're giving it a damn good shot

 

[Bearded Clam]

Lmao.

Your ignorance towards this basic fact doesn't make it any less of a fact.

You live and work in a country and own a house there, regardless of whether you are naturalised, for nearly 30 years pretty much means you are essentially a citizen.

As I said to you a few days ago.. my mother moved here from the uk when she was 18.. had three kids, owned property and businesses.. but didnt bother getting naturalised until in her late 60’s.. she’s been an Aussie for a fxxkn long time now regardless of when she went through with the ceremonial fanfare.

The son of the bondi shooter was born and bred here.. please tell us all that you think he wasnt an Aussie so we can all have yet another laugh at your expense.. you give us all so many great laughs as it is.. one more wont hurt Petey!

 

[Bearded Clam]

You checked in on things in the Europe and the UK lately?

Couldnt give two fxxks about either.. so why would I?

 

[George CantStandYa]

I’m not taking life lessons from you of all people.

You don’t take them from anyone, there your problem.

Your post had zero compassion or empathy and that’s not a good thing to be proud of