TGIF, folks. It’s almost weekend time and that means you can ignore politics – perhaps to your own detriment – for at least two days.
Today was all about getting people cancelled. Actually, that was all week. Political candidates from One Nation, Labor, the Liberals, the Greens, and even Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party have been forced to either step down or apologise after old posts on social media surfaced.
Friday in particular focused on Labor’s candidate in the seat of Melbourne Luke Creasey. A series of Creasey’s old Facebook posts, including a meme that joked about rape and “roughly” taking someone’s virginity were found earlier this week. At first, Labor leader Bill Shorten stood by his candidate, judging it to be the actions of a man in his early ’20s who didn’t know any better. Unfortunately by Friday more old, problematic posts leaked and Shorten then called for a full brief into Creasey’s social media activity. One hour later, Creasey resigned.
Usually that sort of drama would be celebrated by Scott Morrison and the rest of the Coalition, but they were busy cleaning up their own mess after the Liberal candidate in Tasmania, Jessica Whelan, quit over anti-Muslim social media posts. Soon after stepping down, Whelan told the ABC she didn’t have the time or energy to ran as an Independent. And then a few hours later she announced… she would.
BREAKING: Here is a statement from Lyons candidate Jessica Whelan. While she’s left the Liberals I can also confirm she will be running as an independent. #politas #auspol #ausvotes @WINNews_Tas pic.twitter.com/7qoJowVn6f
— Holly Corbett (@holly_corb) May 2, 2019
Elsewhere on the campaign trail ScoMo was asked a very bizarre question about Vegemite, because the Labor Party apparently plans to reduce the salt in certain foods. ScoMo hadn’t heard about that plan, either.
https://twitter.com/richjamesuk/status/1124111767330799622
ScoMo and his deputy Josh Frydenberg announced a new environmental policy this morning, too, committing to investing $200 million towards things like reducing litter and cleaning up water ways. HUGE.
On the other side of that, the kids are still royally pissed off with our elected officials for not doing enough about climate change. Offices of local MPs around the country were crashed by students as thousands of kids skipped school again for Round 2 of the School Strike 4 Climate. There was more than 70 strikes across the country.
#ClimateStrike #Fridaysforfuture @GretaThunberg #Manly pic.twitter.com/iM14jeW7MF
— Alex Martiniuk (@AlexMartiniuk) May 3, 2019
Former Deputy Prime Minister (and former Nationals leader) Barnaby Joyce was in the news again, this time because some other Nationals MPs, probably for no reason at all, mentioned a potential new-look party room that would feature Joyce as leader again. I’m sure he was totally unaware that these statements were being made.
Clive Palmer was in the news too. The eccentric millionaire and would-be senator’s $100 million foundation to benefit Indigenous Australians, which is almost a decade old, only has $109 in it and the Western Australian government said today it is investigating.
Finally, this happened at a meeting between pro/anti Tony Abbott protesters. I refuse to tell you any thing else to give you more context. Just enjoy the photo.
Australian Politics, 2019 pic.twitter.com/KS2BSfAUcz
— dan nolan (@dannolan) May 3, 2019
