In this evening’s wrap of political nonsense, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has cancelled a scheduled appearance at Deakin University‘s Geelong campus amid security concerns. The cancellation comes on the heels of a pair of spirited student protests at similar events, in which both current MP Julie Bishop and former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella were both confronted by angry groups protesting the deregulation of University fees outlaid in the recent Federal Budget.
Prime Minister Abbott was scheduled to appear at the University to celebrate the work of Carbon Nexus – a carbon fibre research facility that has received some federal funding in the past – but the prospect of having the PM face the wrath of students angry with certain aspects of the budget, namely the fact that it truly and properly fucks them all over, seemed too big a risk to take. Mr Abbott will be in Melbourne to meet with Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, who has also been vocal in his displeasure of the Federal Budget, primarily because Victoria is set to suffer $20billion in funding cuts to both health and education.
Meanwhile, Treasurer Joe Hockey is none-too-pleased with Fairfax Media, and is set to sue for defamation over a story that portrayed the treasurer as being, more or less, for sale. The story claimed that Hockey’s fundraising organisation charged memberships in the range of $22,000 annually that offered VIP perks such as audiences with the treasurer, effectively portraying his time and favour as being wholly for sale.
A spokesman for the Treasurer stated, “The Treasurer has filed statements of claim in the federal court in relation to defamation proceedings against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times and their online services. The Treasurer’s determination to seek to prosecute this matter against the relevant publications should not be underestimated.”
Hockey at the time rejected the claims as being “both offensive and repugnant.“
The lawsuit, if successful, must leave The Daily Telegraph in a litigiously fucked situation, surely.
Between angry students and people writing mean things about you, who’d want to be a politician?
Photo: Pool via Getty Images.
