Editorial 
Trickle treaty

Malcolm Turnbull has shown he lacks the spirit or imagination to offer a referendum on the consensus reached in the Uluru statement. It is perhaps the greatest single failing of his prime ministership, a tenure marked by failings and failure. His hands must be sore from sitting on them.

OPINION

Paul Bongiorno 
The latest Barnaby Joyce fallout

“As far as his Nationals colleagues are concerned, last Sunday night’s nationally televised interview was Barnaby Joyce’s political death warrant. Kevin Humphries, whose state seat of Barwon is within the boundaries of Joyce’s federal electorate, told Ten Eyewitness News that ‘for his own sake, Barnaby should move on’. Humphries’ assessment of the damage was chilling for his federal colleagues. He says, ‘People want consistency in decision-making. You need discipline in government and that’s not currently being displayed, so that’s got to change.’ ”

Guy Rundle 
Michaelia Cash and Shorten’s factions

“You could forget in the middle of all this low comedy that Cash has pushed the back-and-forth of Australian politics about as far as it can go without becoming something else. There’s the police raid on the Australian Workers’ Union offices, the tip-off to journos from her office, the almost-maybe of what she knew and what she told the Senate, the whiteboard she hid behind. And now the subpoena directing her to front the AWU’s court case challenging the legality of the raid. All of this is such farce that it is easy to miss how serious it is. ”

Exclusive: Payments to former minister concealed

“The Senate notification said the term of his appointment as defence export advocate on the CDIC board was “permanent” and listed the remuneration as “nil”. The Senate estimates committee had heard that the position was for a year only – renewable at Pyne’s discretion – and paid at an undisclosed rate.”

Karen Middleton Having taken a board position with a Swedish arms manufacturer, former Defence minister David Johnston is receiving an undisclosed sum as the government’s defence export advocate.

Read more:https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/