Thursday 13 May 2010

The member for Leichhardt’s fan club

More yesterday, from the House of fun, in a wee town called Canberra...

  • Jim Turnour (Leichhardt, ALP)
    My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for Education and Minister for
    Social Inclusion. Will the Deputy Prime Minister outline to the House the investments the government is making in skills through the budget and the importance of these measures for Australia’s productivity?

    ...Honourable members interjecting

    Harry Jenkins (Speaker)
    Order! If the member for Leichhardt’s fan club on both sides of the chamber can just be a little quieter, I will give the call to the Deputy Prime Minister.

    Julia Gillard (Deputy Prime Minister)
    I am certainly a member of the member for Leichhardt’s fan club and I thank him for this important question.

    Of course, the member for Leichhardt knows, and I have spoken to him on many occasions, about the need for investment in skills in this country, and last night’s budget contains an important skills package. Today I want to highlight just one part of this important skills package. It is the right time to be generating even more investment in skills, as the budget papers show we are moving towards a full employment environment. In this environment, we want to make sure that young people get a start in life, that they get a trade—an opportunity for a start in life.

    Last time our country went through an economic downturn, apprenticeship commencements went through the floor. The really bad news is that, after they went through the floor, it took 14 years for commencements to recover—so sharply down and 14 years to recover. As a result of the global recession, apprenticeships were threatened once again. As a government, we became very concerned as we saw signs, in the 12 months following September 2008, like apprentice and trainee commencements falling by 20 per cent—worrying signs for all.
    (continues...)

12 comments:

Tony Hillier said...

A classic Dorothy Dixer I'd say!

Syd Walker said...

Does Jim ask more than his fair share of Dorothy Dixers?

I ask because that's all I ever seem to notice him do on the odd occasions I spot him on TV making a contribution to debate in Parliament.

It makes him look like a sock puppet.

Can't they give Jim a break and let him ask some original, probing questions for a change?

Questions that don't look like they're written by Hollowmen in Kevin Rudd's office.

Here's an example: "Why is Australia still engaged in an overseas war in Afghanistan that was originally launched on the basis of a pack of obvious lies and and will soon have lasted longer than World Wars One and Two combined

Tony Hillier said...

The hoi polloi here, there and everywhere is heartily sick of glib politicians who slavishly tow the party line (whatever party that might be), evade asking or answering searching questions, and fail to listen to or serve their constituents. It will be interesting and perhaps illuminating to observe how the first coalition in half-a-century works in the Old Dart (and closer to home in Taswegia).

Trevor Livingstone said...

Quite honestly it would be wiser for Jim Turnour to remain silent rather than parroting off a puerile Rudd office prepared question.
As they say, better to remain silent and have some people think your a fool than opening your mouth and leaving everybody without doubt.

Cairns Resident said...

Well, there you go! I always considered our Jim to be a blithering idiot, incapable of coherant speech and only elected because the Libs put up an even worse candidate. And now he has written and asked a beautifully constructed question which will, no doubt, be featured in Hansard's top 10 questions of the year and one which reflected the concerns of all the citizens of Leichhardt. Congratulations, Jim. You did, of course, actually write the question, didn't you?

Jim lover said...

LEAVE brittany alone leaave her ALONE OH shit wrong blog!
I mean't leave jim alone at least this time he asked a setup question , the frigging whole house did not piss it's self laughing like last time .
Well some did hhhaaaaaaaaaaa
I love seeing him on tv .
He looks like a goanna in a suit.

Brother in Arms said...

If Jim had any brains; which by his actions he unfortunately does not seem to have, he would distance himself from 'Rudd the Dudd' cause the way Rudd is self imploding he wont be there to sweep up the pieces.
What Jim needs to do, while Rudd implodes, is to have his own identity, a bit like what Warren did during his tenure.
If he had the guts to stand out and be counted then people would respect him and reward him with re-election.
The community loves individuals who have spunk.
Come on Jim, show us what your made of cause its not to late!

Bryan Law said...

Bro! A bit of reality please. Jim's whole career has been based on blind obedience to his factional leaders. He has done and said what the Party bosses have told him to do and say.

I'll bet a million he firmly believes that the Budget Lie, the Policy Lie, and the KRudd "popularity" will see the ALP re-elected, and him along with it. He doesn't need or seek local achievement.

Expect huge amounts of personal attack on Warren, and on anyone who dares to criticise Labor performance (child molesters, every one of them).

It will be up to local voters to stand strong and put this cat's paw OUT OF OFFICE.

That's the only way we send a message to the apparatchiks that we want results, not spin. harden you heart comrades. be pitiless in dumping Jim Squirmer from Parliament.

I hate Imposters! said...

Where was Rudd when Jessica Watson left on her round the world trip...no where to be seen in case of failure.
Where was he today when Jessica Watson successfully arrived home?
Well you guessed it. Right there on the Opera House steps welcoming her back.
Typical Rudd there for the photo opportunity and the good news! What a shallow man he is...that is why Australians are beginning to see through him.
Julia could have been given the PR exercise and he should have been hard at work trying to salvaging what is left of his moribund administration and baseless budget.

Deaks said...

Wouldn't it have been a different story 'I hate imposters' if we really did have a moribund administration and baseless budget. Considering that we are one of the very few western nations that didn't slip into recession and that most of us still have our jobs, heaven forbid what depths of economic depression this country would be in if we still had a do nothing John Howard like conservative administration.

I hate Imposters! said...

Deaks your a real tosser. How about living in today's world, instead of dreaming of yesterday's glory days and lost opportunities.

Today Rudd wreaks of mistrust and opportunism of which the people of Australia have had a gut full.

Deaks, a leopard does not change its spots.

Rudd costs Wayne Goss the election of 1994/95 with his advice to close schools, railways lines, regional Government offices, got rid of the hospitals boards that provided local transparency...shall I continue Deaks!

Rudd is like that leopard, but this time he is in Canberra and is wreaking havoc on Australia in everything he has his fingers in; which is everything as he reminds us the buck stops at his desk.

Pulling his spiral notebook from his top pocket on the front lawn of Parliament House and reassuring that desperate woman wanting answers to the roof insulation fiasco was a low and disgraceful stunt.

Fancy telling her; 'he got it" and then within 2 months closes the programme down thereby dashing all hope of her viability. Yes he will get it all right!

It is this sort of behaviour and duplicity that is upsetting a usually compliant and respectful electorate and they will give him 'what for' come next election.

Like Keating's 1996 fate, the same baseball bats await Rudd. At least Keating had vision and conviction.

Abbott has him rattled big time and what we are seeing and will continue to see, is a 'political death by a thousand cuts'

The sooner Australia gets rid of this imposter Rudd, the sooner we will get back to some honest and respectful governance.

Thornton On Spence said...

Deaks have you checked on the current unemployment rate in Cairns? I think you said "most of us still have our jobs". If that is a positive well I must be mad. You overlooked the fact that John Howard left a massive amount of cash in the till that the rest of the Western World did not have and Rudd quickly spent it.