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cayteya.bsky.social
Cayteya
@cayteya.bsky.social
470 followers 790 following 1.5K posts
Research analyst. Dog lover. Tennis fan...

Some of my interests include integrity, anti-corruption, equality and accountability matters
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cayteya.bsky.social
“All of the bodies arrived at the facility with their hands and legs cuffed, the hospital said. The remains were being held in refrigerators in Israel & came with numbers marking them, rather than names, according to the hospital.

"Some are blindfolded, and there are signs of gunshot wounds…"
- CNN
14 October 2025 CNN live reports: Bodies of 45 deceased Palestinians transferred from Israel to Gaza remain unidentified, Nasser hospital says From CNN's Abeer Salman and Mohammed Tawfeeq Photo of a truck carrying the bodies of Palestinians who had been held in Israel during the war, arrives at Nasser hospital on Tuesday. The bodies of 45 deceased Palestinians transferred from Israel to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis have not been identified, the hospital's forensic department told CNN on Tuesday. Link: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-gaza-ceasefire-deal-hostages-10-14-25 14 October 2025 CNN Live report: It's unclear where, when, or how the 45 Palestinians died. CNN asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about the circumstances around the deaths. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Israel has not provided a list of deceased Palestinians' names. The ministry has previously suggested that either Israel knows the names but refuses to provide them or that Israel could have recovered the bodies while searching for Israeli hostages and did not determine their identities. All of the bodies arrived at the facility with their hands and legs cuffed, the hospital said. The remains were being held in refrigerators in Israel and came with numbers marking them, rather than names, according to the hospital. "Some are blindfolded, and there are signs of gunshot wounds in some cases, while others have been run over by tanks," Nasser hospital said. The hospital said it will ask the families of missing persons to help identify them. In a statement, the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons called edition.cnn.com Link: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-gaza-ceasefire-deal-hostages-10-14-25 14 October 2025 CNN: It's unclear where, when, or how the 45 Palestinians died. CNN asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about the circumstances around the deaths. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Israel has not provided a list of deceased Palestinians' names. The ministry has previously suggested that either Israel knows the names but refuses to provide them or that Israel could have recovered the bodies while searching for Israeli hostages and did not determine their identities. All of the bodies arrived at the facility with their hands and legs cuffed, the hospital said. The remains were being held in refrigerators in Israel and came with numbers marking them, rather than names, according to the hospital. "Some are blindfolded, and there are signs of gunshot wounds in some cases, while others have been run over by tanks," Nasser hospital said. The hospital said it will ask the families of missing persons to help identify them. In a statement, the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons called on Israel to provide all available information on the bodies being handed over "including the names of the victims and details about the circumstances of their deaths.* CNN has reached out to the Israeli government for comment. edition.cnn.com Link: Link: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-gaza-ceasefire-deal-hostages-10-14-25
October 15, 2025 at 12:41 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
4 deceased hostages were returned on Monday - identified as Guy Illouz, Bipin Joshi, Yossi Sharabi & Daniel Peretz.
4 more were handed over on Tuesday.
Three of them have been identified as Uriel Baruch. Tamir Nimrodi & Eitan Levi, but Israel has said the 4th "does not match any of the hostages".
BBC Live screenshot: Re: Israel-Gaza First Phase of October 2025 ceasefire / Trump peace plan with both sides currently returning deceased hostages. “How many deceased Israeli hostages remain in Gaza? Before the ceasefire took effect, 48 Israeli hostages were still being held in Gaza, 28 of whom were believed to be dead. Hamas handed back all 20 living hostages on Monday, and is gradually handing over the bodies of those deceased. Four bodies were returned on Monday - they were later identified as Guy Illouz, Bipin Joshi, Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Peretz. Four more were handed over on Tuesday. Three of them have been identified as Uriel Baruch. Tamir Nimrodi and Eitan Levi, but Israel has said the fourth "does not match any of the hostages". This means seven of the deceased hostages' bodies are confirmed to have been sent back to Israel, while 21 remain in Gaza. • For context: The first phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan had a deadline for Hamas to return all hostages - living and deceased - to Israel by noon local time on Monday. A copy of the ceasefire agreement, published by Israeli media last week, appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may struggle to locate all of the bodies within that time bbc.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, announced Monday morning they will release 20 living ‘Israeli’ captives as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.

The group released a list of the captives’ names in a statement: ⤵️

en.royanews.tv/news/64040#1...
13 October 2025: List of people’s names of the 20 living ‘Israeli’ captives to be released Roya News reports: Hamas says will release 20 living 'Israeli' captives: statement Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, announced Monday morning they will release 20 living 'Israeli' captives as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal. The captives named by Hamas on its Telegram channel are among 48 captives -- both living and deceased -- held in Gaza. The group released a list of the captives' names in a statement: 1. Bar Kuperstein 2. Evyatar David 3. Yosef Chaim Ohana 4. Segev Kalfon 5. Avinatan Or 6. Elkana Bohbot 7. Maxim Herkin 8. Nimrod Cohen 9. Matan Zangauker 10. David Cunio 11. Eitan Horn 12. Matan Angrist 13. Eitan Mor 14. Gali Berman 15. Ziv Berman 16. Omri Miran 17. Alon Ohel 18. Guy Gilboa-Dalal 19. Rom Braslavsky 20. Ariel Kounio
October 13, 2025 at 5:21 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
As Red Cross buses have arrived in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip ahead of the expected release of hostages held by Hamas and handover of Palestinian ‘prisoners’ the list of Palestinians to be released is “all very complicated and very fluid” Al Jazeera reports.
13 October 2025 (03.00 GMT) Al Jazeera Live post: What we know about the Palestinian detainees, prisoners set for release As we've been reporting, under the ceasefire deal, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released in exchange for the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza. Here's what we know about them: • The figure includes some 1,700 Palestinian detainees taken from Gaza, who the UN considers forcibly disappeared. Another 250 of them are Palestinians who have been serving life and long sentences, mostly for attacks or alleged involvement in violence against Israelis. • Of the latter, 135 will be deported to Gaza or exiled abroad, and 100 are expected to be sent to the occupied West Bank. Some 15 are set to be released in East Jerusalem. • Ahead of the exchange, prisoners have been transported to Ofer Prison near Ramallah and Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert.
October 13, 2025 at 4:18 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
Israeli govt changes to Palestinian prisoners to be released also include 7 minors who were apprehended after October 7, 2023, were taken off the list, & 2 women are now set to be released. Overall, 1,718 Palestinian prisoners will be released, instead of the previously agreed-upon 1,722 - Haaretz
Haaretz Jonathan Lis reports Israeli government approves changes to Palestinian prisoners to be released Ministers of the Israeli government approved, overnight into Monday, several changes to the list of Palestinian prisoners set to be released as part of the Israel-Hamas cease- fire deal. The changes, which were approved in a vote via telephone, include the removal of one prisoner who was already released and the addition of two detainees who are not serving life sentences and are affiliated with Hamas. Seven minors who were apprehended after October 7, 2023, were taken off the list, and two women are now set to be released. Overall, 1,718 Palestinian prisoners will be released, instead of the previously agreed-upon 1,722.
October 12, 2025 at 11:32 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated to the media that the Israel-Hamas war "is over" when asked by the media regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hesitancy to declare that Israel has finished its offensive in the Gaza Strip.” Haaretz Ben Samuels reports

1/2
Haaretz Live - Israel at War Day 737 post by Washington Correspondent Ben Samuels Trump: Hostages might be released 'a little early,' Gaza Riviera plan will have to wait Photo: US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One for a trip to the Middle East on October 12, 2025 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Credit: Getty Images via AFP/CHIP SOMODEVILLA U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated to the media that the Israel - Hamas war "is over" when asked by the media regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hesitancy to declare that Israel has finished its offensive in the Gaza Strip. "The war is over. It's over. Okay? You understand that?" Trump said. "There are a lot of reasons why (the cease-fire] Haaretz Live - Israel at War Day 737 post by Washington Correspondent Ben Samuels Regarding the hostages, Trump said that they might be released "even a little early. All 20 of them. They were in places you don't want to know about." Earlier Sunday, it was reported that the hostages' families were told their loved ones are expected to be released at 8 A.M. on Monday. Trump also said that the Gaza Riviera Plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip will have to wait until Gaza's people are "taken care of". "You have to get rid of what you have there. It's incredibly dangerous...over the years, it will look very good, " he said, "I'd be proud to visit Gaza," Trump added. "I know it so well without visiting, but I'd like to put my feet on it at least."
October 12, 2025 at 10:36 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“Many questions remain about how the plan will be implemented, the exact boundaries of Palestinian territory, the timing and scope of Israeli withdrawals, the role of the International Stabilization Force, and the long-term implications for Palestinians across both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.”
9 October 2025 Al Jazeera article on the current ceasefire “peace” plan includes this map displaying the ‘yellow line’ Israel has agreed their troops withdraw to. The Israel-Gaza Conflict: Israel's withdrawal to the 'yellow line' In the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, Israel is set to withdraw its troops to the agreed 'yellow line' within 24 hours, after which a 72-hour period will begin for the handover of Israeli captives.
October 11, 2025 at 1:13 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
“Police were at the scene of an ambush in the High Country to execute a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations when two officers were shot dead.” Cameron Houston reports
26 August 2025: The Âge live reporting from Cameron Houston (1.21pm AEST) BREAKING: Police were at the scene of an ambush in the High Country to execute a warrant for historical sex abuse allegations when two officers were shot dead. Another has been wounded after a shooting at a rural property in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometres north-east of Melbourne. Heavy gunfire has prevented police from entering the property as they wait for Special Operations officers to arrive on the scene. Three police sources not authorised to speak on behalf of the force have told this masthead that two officers were killed in an ambush attack. Victoria Police have declined to comment.
August 26, 2025 at 3:26 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
🚨 “Two officers are dead and another wounded after a shooting at a rural property in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometres north-east of Melbourne.”

www.theage.com.au/national/vic...
26 August 2025: The Age newspaper live reporting (1.05pm AEST) from By Cameron Houston and Carla Jaeger Two officers are dead and another wounded after a shooting at a rural property in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometres north-east of Melbourne. Heavy gunfire has prevented police from entering the property as they wait for Special Operations officers to arrive on the scene. Three police sources not authorised to speak on behalf of the force have told this masthead that two officers were killed in an ambush attack. Victoria Police has declined to comment. One officer was shot in the thigh while serving a warrant at the property on Tuesday morning. Police are still searching for the offender. We will bring you the latest updates as we confirm them.
August 26, 2025 at 3:26 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
“And in all of this, America perseveres with its longstanding preference for brawn over brain, destruction over diplomacy.” - Allan Behm
23 June 2025: The Guardian Australia article by Allan Behm - ‘As the US chooses destruction over diplomacy in Iran, Australia has to decide between principle and prostration’ Link in post above
June 23, 2025 at 8:36 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
“Labor had managed to give voters a faint glimpse of hope that things are turning around in the real world and not just the rhetorical – inflation is falling, the government is offering extra cost-of-living relief and the Reserve Bank has started to cut interest rates.”
#AusVotes #auspol
3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher “Finally, a fundamental blunder. An election campaign chiefly is about the future. The Coalition's campaign chiefly has been about the past. Dutton says that this election is a referendum on Labor's three years in office. Are you better off than you were three years ago? Even its slogan about getting "back on track" was a look to the past, to a track most would rather forget. “It was important for Dutton to remind everyone of Labor's failings, but an election is a referendum on the future. Scott Morrison forgot this basic truth in 2022, and Dutton forgot it in 2025. Labor's campaign overwhelmingly has been about the future. “Besides, Labor had managed to give voters a faint glimpse of hope that things are turning around in the real world and not just the rhetorical - inflation is falling, the government is offering extra cost-of-living relief and the Reserve Bank has started to cut interest rates. “The Liberals, of course, have announced some winning policies. The one that cut through to voters is the promise to cut petrol excise by 25c a litre. It'd help with the cost of living, and it looks to the future. “The problem is that Labor can say its tax cuts are permanent; the Coalition excise cut is only temporary.” 3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher “The Liberals, of course, have announced some winning policies. The one that cut through to voters is the promise to cut petrol excise by 25c a litre. It'd help with the cost of living, and it looks to the future. The problem is that Labor can say its tax cuts are permanent; the Coalition excise cut is only temporary. “The moment Albanese announced the formal campaign, he campaigned aggressively. On day one, he went straight to Peter Dutton's seat of Dickson. Dutton, by contrast, went to lunch with the Chinese business community in Melbourne. “Albanese was seeking to win fresh advantage while Dutton was looking to recover from the past mistake of alienating the Chinese Australian vote. “Luck also happened to be on Labor's side. Donald Trump's tariffs unsettled the entire world. This changed the atmosphere. "Everyone is seeking the solace of the status quo," as Jim Reed puts it. Australian voters were more inclined to look for reassurance rather than risk change. “And Labor finished the campaign as it had started, with Albanese flashing a Medicare card and returning to Dickson to hunt Dutton. The Coalition threw the election away. Labor took it away. And Donald Trump helped them.”
May 2, 2025 at 10:13 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“Time and again, Dutton repeated the underlying blunder committed with the “work from home” policy. He appealed to his base when he should have used every opportunity to win over voters from the centre.”
3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher With a photo of Opposition leader Peter Dutton - looking Scott Morrison-esque holding his two thumbs, sitting in the passenger seat of a blue vehicle, alongside someone else in the driver’s seat, when they visited a 7-Eleven in Joondalup in the WA electorate of Moore on Friday. CREDIT: JAMES BRICKWOOD “Strikingly, the Coalition didn't learn from this early disaster. In an election, you already have the support of your party base. That's why it's called the "base", the foundation on which you build. To win, you need to broaden your appeal from the base to the centre. This is where elections are won. “But, time and again, Dutton repeated the underlying blunder committed with the "work from home" policy. He appealed to his base when he should have used every opportunity to win over voters from the centre. “Examples? Dutton called the ABC and The Guardian "hate media". He said that Welcome to Country remarks were "overdone" and said they shouldn't occur on Qantas flights or Anzac Day events. He did this deliberately and purposefully. Why? Because he thought it would stir public memory of the Voice referendum. his great triumph.” 3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher “But, again, he already had the votes of the ABC-haters and the people who think it's important to dismiss concessions to "woke" Indigenous concerns. But he doesn't have the votes of most of the people who live in most of the seats that have turned "teal". People in these areas voted Liberal for almost three-quarters of a century. “While the Coalition stands a good prospect of winning back one or two teal seats today, they also risk the loss of another traditional Liberal seat to a teal. And most of the teal seats are not going back. “With some of Dutton's messaging, it seems he's given up on them. In trying to explain his rhetoric, some have suggested that he's pitching to win One Nation votes, or at least their second-preference votes. “This makes some sense. Pauline Hanson's One Nation has been polling around 7 to 10 per cent in recent weeks. That's higher than the 5 per cent it fetched at the last election. “But the Coalition won about two-thirds of One Nation preferences last time. And, with Dutton's policy of cutting immigration and his position on the Voice, he's sure to get at least as big a share this time around. Is it really a smart trade-off to surrender votes from the centre in pursuit of preferences at the fringe, preferences he's mostly set to win anyway?” 3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher “The Coalition campaign has been rife with blunders large and small. A small one? Dutton's expressed intention to move into Kirribilli House may have been honest, but it was an unforced error. Labor used it to declare him arrogant. People in his home city of Brisbane thought his enthusiasm to live in Sydney unfaithful. And a large one. Labor promised two small tax cuts. The Coalition opposed it. For a modest cost to the budget, Labor won an enormous political victory over the Liberals. Who's the party of lower taxes now? “The Coalition compounded this error with its policy costings on Thursday; the Coalition promises a bigger federal deficit than the Labor Party in its first two years in office.”
May 2, 2025 at 10:13 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“If Medicare was the defibrillator that set Labor's heart pumping,
working from home was a heart stoppage that seemed to stop blood flow to the Coalition brain for much of the rest of the campaign.”

(The following 3 posts are excerpts of this article for those unable to access it behind a paywall)
3 May 2025: SMH article excerpt, ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher With an illustration by Simon Leitch of a caricature of Anthony Albanese with a paint roller, rolling red paint over a poster of Peter Dutton. “In this election campaign, the Coalition hit the ground losing. The contrast in positioning by the two major parties in the immediate run-up to the formal campaign will go down in political folklore. A month before he called the election, Anthony Albanese launched his campaign's central offering. A revitalisation of Medicare. More doctors would bulk bill. And medicines would be cheaper. It wasn't a covert move. He declared it to be "the beating heart of our election campaign". He added a flourish. He'd discovered from the last election campaign the marketing power of a visual prop. In 2022, he held up a $1 coin, again and again, to drive home his policy in support of an increase in the minimum wage by a dollar an hour. The image stuck with voters. So now he held aloft a Medicare card for the cameras. It became his campaign signature. 3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher “heart" of the campaign. “The pollster for this masthead, Resolve Strategic's Jim Reed, observes that "of the policies that stood out in voters' minds, on the Labor side it was Medicare and bulk billing and cheaper medicines - they did very well to frame it as a cost-of-living measure". Peter Dutton immediately matched the Labor offering. It didn't register. Why not? Because the electorate has a deep-seated impression of Labor as the party of Medicare and the Liberals as the party opposed to it. So, for Labor, the promise was on brand. For the Liberals, it was not trusted and simply overlooked. About a week later, the Liberals promised to end working from home for federal public servants. It wasn't a casual throwaway. It was announced in a speech by the Liberals' finance spokesperson, Jane Hume: "It will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal government that all members of the APS work from the office five days a week." Why was this a stupid move on the cusp of a campaign? Let us count the ways. First, it was gratuitous. Dutton already had announced that he'd sack 36,000 federal public servants to save $6 billion a year. You've already appealed to your base, and made a budget saving in the process. Mission accomplished. Why go even harder on the public service?” 3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher Includes photo of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (holding a puppy dog) with Anne Urquhart and Jodie Haydon & others in Tasmania on Friday.Alex Ellinghausen. “Second, it was not supported by any evidence. Hume referred to one US study showing that working from home impaired productivity. Her evidence that this might apply to the Australian federal public service? A couple of anecdotes implying that public servants were lazy and negligent. The policy didn't even claim to make any budget savings.” Third, it was a stinking political disaster that would cost the Coalition seats in an election. Although the policy was limited to public servants in Canberra, it sent a signal all across Australia that Dutton was opposed to working from home on principle. This prospect troubled millions of workers. Worse, it was portrayed as anti-women, reinforcing one of the Coalition's core problems. Jim Reed is baffled. Why was this policy not tested with focus groups, as the parties do routinely, before Hume announced it? “It would not have passed,” Reed says. 3 May 2025: Excerpt of SMH article ‘Labor’s central offer was clear. Then the Coalition hit the ground losing’ - a campaign explainer of the two major party leaders from Peter Hartcher “Why was this policy not tested with focus groups, as the parties do routinely, before Hume announced it? "It would not have passed," Reed says. “Dutton had to revoke it. The reversal took more than a month. It was in the thick of an election campaign. It was too late. The damage was done. “Labor went into the campaign offering a benefit to the people. The Coalition went into it offering a punishment. You don't need to be a genius to see who's winning that competition. If Medicare was the defibrillator that set Labor's heart pumping, working from home was a heart stoppage that seemed to stop blood flow to the Coalition brain for much of the rest of the campaign. “Labor's disciplined campaign gained votes as time went on while the Coalition's ramshackle effort lost votes. Sometimes campaigns don't matter; they fail to change the parties' standing. But this was different. “The campaign, and its immediate prelude, produced a "huge turnaround", says Reed. In his polling, the Coalition started with an advantage of 4 to 5 percentage points in the election-deciding, two-party share of the vote. By this week, it was 3 points behind, a 7 or 8 point reversal of fortune.”
May 2, 2025 at 10:13 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
The LNP’s pledge for cuts to the Public Service are a major contributor to their budget costings for this election.

“According to the Fair Work Commission, if an employee declines to relocate they could be entitled to a redundancy.

Forced relocations can also risk unfair dismissal claims.
#auspol
2 May 2025 Canberra Times article except: "Natural attrition happens everywhere but we will move people around appropriately to meet the needs of regional areas and front-line services," he [Angus Taylor] said. “Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised Mr Dutton's APS policy while campaigning on Friday, saying his government wanted to "back Australians" while "the other side, Peter Dutton wants to sack Australians." "And with 41,000 public servants losing their job, the idea that that won't have an impact on services and on delivery here in Tasmania is just not right," Mr Albanese told reporters in the Tasmanian seat of Braddon. “The Coalition has shifted the narrative on its promised APS cuts throughout the election campaign.” “On Thursday, Mr Taylor and opposition finance spokesperson Jane Hume said the 41,000 reduction would be "focused" on Canberra, after Mr Dutton spent days insisting jobs would only be cut "in Canberra". 2 May 2025 Canberra Times article except: Senator Hume said the PBO advice was that "a hiring freeze and natural attrition will allow us to reach a 41,000 reduction in ASL over five years" and that "we're not expecting voluntary redundancies." “Mr Taylor reiterated on Friday morning that the planned cuts would be "focused on Canberra [and] this will be done by natural attrition".", rather than voluntary redundancies. "We will migrate people around to make sure that our numbers remain where they are in regional areas," he said. “Senator Paterson told Sky last week: "We've always left open the option, if necessary, that we will use voluntary redundancies." “This masthead has previously revealed that the agencies with the highest attrition rates in the APS are those with roles the Coalition has promised to ringfence, such as Defence, Home Affairs and in front-line services, meaning thousands of staff who leave Services Australia each year would need to be replaced.” 2 May 2025 Canberra Times article except: “While the Public Service Act allows for an agency head to decide where a role should be based, it does not allow secretaries to unilaterally move an employee. “According to the Fair Work Commission, if an employee declines to relocate they could be entitled to a redundancy. Forced relocations can also risk unfair dismissal claims., “After the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority moved from Canberra to Armidale in 2016, the agency priced payouts to 23 staff who were unable to move to Armidale at $1.5 million - about $60,000 each on average. “Canberra economy to 'remain very strong' as workforce slashed ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said if the Coalition went ahead with its policy to reduce the number of public servants in Canberra by tens of thousands, the territory economy would be plunged into a prolonged recession. “Mr Taylor argued this would not be the case, pointing to the Coalition's increase in Defence spending as benefiting defence industrial businesses based in Canberra.”
May 2, 2025 at 11:16 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
🚨“If the Coalition were elected and stuck with the policy, only 10% of the mooted workforce reductions would occur in the first year, and the biggest cuts would only come after another federal election.” Julian Bajkowski writes

#auspol
Excerpt of The Mandarin article by Julian Bajkowski on 2 May 2025 “Savings from the Coalition's vow to push 41,000 public servants, ostensibly working in Canberra, off the Commonwealth's payroll would only seriously ramp up in the outer years of forward estimates, with a yawning $11 billion gap opening up between opposition savings touted after the budget and its actual election costings released on Thursday. “In a set of numbers that have imploded compared to previous public service savings, expectations that were explicitly set by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, the costings project total savings from chopping the Australian Public Service (APS) have come in at $17.248 billion over four years. “Dutton had previously inked in $28 billion in APS savings when he used the Budget in Reply speech to say that "We will reverse Labor's increase of 41,000 Canberra-based public servants - saving $7 billion a year."| Excerpt of The Mandarin article by Julian Bajkowski on 2 May 2025 “The numbers appear to be modelled on an estimate of an average public service salary of about $105,000, if the total savings of $17.2 billion are divided by 41,000 positions over four years. “That, if anything, looks a little modest when superannuation, workers' compensation, and entitlements like long-service leave are added in. • Also unclear is whether separation incentives or voluntary redundancy payments are included, with differing versions of whether such mechanisms would be applied further confusing the Coalition's policy. On the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's 7.30 program, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor tried to resuscitate the case for APS cuts and insisted they could still be achieved through "natural attrition", but then clarified that 6,000 of the 41,000 job losses were for budgeted positions not yet filled. "Natural attrition is happening across the board, and we have been working very closely with the Parliamentary Budget Office. We are very confident that the 41,000 can be achieved through natural attrition and a hiring freeze," Taylor said.”
May 1, 2025 at 11:32 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
Dutton “hardened his stance on Monday as the Coalition’s policy agenda was beset by a series of conflicting statements from frontbenchers on immigration and road taxes.”

#auspol
Excerpt of SMAGE article, ‘Dutton says veterans don’t want Welcome to Country’ “The Coalition's immigration plans have become confused after spokesman Dan Tehan last week ruled out targeting family visas under the opposition's pledge to cut permanent migration by 45,000 places, only for a campaign spokesman days later to say family visas would be reduced.” Excerpt of SMAGE article, ‘Dutton says veterans don’t want Welcome to Country’ “Frontbencher Bridget McKenzie and Dutton similarly tangled their position on reducing working holidaymaker visas - the second-biggest contributor to net migration - after McKenzie ruled out cuts on Sunday but Dutton refused to do the same on Monday. “Dutton also overrode McKenzie on road-user charges for electric vehicles, saying they were not opposition policy a day after McKenzie had kept the option open, in the latest example of policy changes and reversals to trouble the Coalition's campaign.”
April 29, 2025 at 12:19 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“..This tells us something about Dutton – but it also tells us something about the Coalition of recent years. As [Lech] Blaine tells me, Dutton’s habits, now doing him damage, are the same habits that allowed him to rise in his party…”
28 April 2025: Excerpt from Sean Kelly’s SMGA article - ‘What fuelled Dutton’s rise is now derailing his bid to be PM’ “This tells us something about Dutton - but it also tells us something about the Coalition of recent years. “As Blaine tells me, Dutton's habits, now doing him damage, are the same habits that allowed him to rise in his party. It was this very looseness, Blaine says - Dutton's willingness to make incendiary comments - that nabbed him prime conservative media spots; taking those spots then reinforced the habit. “His comments may be less incendiary now, but the looseness remains. If Dutton fails on Saturday, it will be a failure that has much to say about the party he leads, what it values, who it promotes and why.”
April 28, 2025 at 12:32 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
After her comment,“What the Labor Party has essentially done is brought in yoga teachers instead of construction workers.”
David Crowe posted:
“It's not true to say, as Bridget McKenzie just said on #insiders that the government is bringing in yoga teachers instead of construction workers.”
#auspol
Excerpt of SMH article by David Crowe on 4 November 2024 by David Crowe, ‘Coalition stretches facts in yoga workers housing row’ “A Coalition claim about an influx of foreign yoga teachers has been debunked by official figures that show only 69 entered the country last year despite fears they would get higher priority than construction workers. “In the latest tussle over housing policy, the migration statistics show the government brought in 11,349 skilled building workers last year compared to the tiny number of yoga and sports instructors.” Excerpt of SMH article by David Crowe on 4 November 2024 by David Crowe, ‘Coalition stretches facts in yoga workers housing row’ “The numbers challenge Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley and opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar after they claimed the government preferred yoga teachers to builders in the middle of a housing crisis. “The Coalition claims began in June when the federal agency that advises on skills in demand, Jobs and Skills Australia, listed yoga teachers as one of the jobs - a legacy from Australia's latest trade agreement with India. “When this masthead revealed the listing, Sukkar accused the government of limiting the number of construction workers. "Now we see that under Labor there'll be more yoga teachers and less tradies!" he wrote on social media. “The Coalition has repeated the claim over the past five months to blame the government for the high labour costs in the building industry, a key challenge in adding to housing supply. "In recent times, we've had the Labor Party bringing in more yoga instructors than bricklayers, that's not where we think the migration program should be," Sukkar said on October 21. In fact, 195 bricklayers arrived under the skills program last year, more than the 69 yoga teachers.” Excerpt of SMH article by David Crowe on 4 November 2024 by David Crowe, ‘Coalition stretches facts in yoga workers housing row’ “Ley, whose portfolio includes industry and skills, blamed the government on October 18 for blocking building workers. “"While current government policy allows people to come in from overseas to work as yoga teachers, though that may be, it doesn't allow them to come in as construction tradies," she said, according to a transcript from her office. “The official figures show that the government brought in 165 construction tradies for every yoga teacher over the year to June 30. “A spokeswoman for Sukkar said Australians were experiencing a housing crisis coupled with a shortage of skilled workers, with the Labor government making it harder for Australians to find a place to live or rent. Ley declined to comment. Skills Minister Andrew Giles said the Liberals were lying about the foreign workers and the government's record. “While the Coalition has made repeated claims about yoga teachers in social media posts and media interviews, migration analyst Abul Rizvi, a former deputy secretary in the immigration department, said the claims were overblown. “"The yoga trainer line might run well in some parts of the media but the numbers are so small as to be irrelevant," he said.”” Excerpt of SMH article by David Crowe on 4 November 2024 by David Crowe, ‘Coalition stretches facts in yoga workers housing row’ “The figures from the Department of Home Affairs show that the 11,349 workers brought in last year was the highest level in a decade and was up by 7 per cent on the previous year. “While Australia brought in 10,399 skilled building workers in the year to June 2014, the intake fell over the subsequent years and reached 6996 in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. It slumped to 3984 in the middle of the pandemic and then recovered quickly once the borders were re-opened. “The number of yoga teachers and sports instructors brought into Australia under the same skilled visas stood at 74 in the year to June 2014 and then increased to 111 and stayed at that level for three years. It was lower last year than a decade ago. “Even so, the government is yet to rule on the priority given for building trades after this masthead revealed in June that yoga teachers were ranked more highly on the draft plan from Jobs and Skills Australia, known as the Occupation Shortage List. “Master Builders Australia chief Denita Wawn has been calling for faster action on migration for several months after issuing an estimate in August that the industry would need 500,000 more workers over five years to meet the government's housing target.”
April 27, 2025 at 2:24 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
It was another snarky comment from Bridget McKenzie

“An offshore windfarm developer has asked the Albanese government to pause its application to progress its project off the Illawarra until after the coming federal election, after the Coalition campaigned against it.”

#auspol
LNP Senator Bridget McKenzie ‘s response to question by Insiders’ host David Speers - ‘Why hasn’t Dutton been to any of the nuclear sites in the campaign ‘ McKenzie’s deflecting response was, “Well I would ask the same question of Chris Bowen, who you can’t find …” Speers interjects, “He’s not promising nuclear.” McKenzie continues, “You can’t find Chris near an offshore wind site. Send him to Illawarra.” Guardian Australia article by Graham Readfern on 28 February 2025. “Offshore windfarm developer asks Labor to delay application on Illawarra project until after election” Chris Bowen accuses Coalition of creating ‘sovereign risk’ by opposing offshore projects as Nationals celebrate ‘major win’ “An offshore windfarm developer has asked the Albanese government to pause its application to progress its project off the Illawarra until after the coming federal election, after the Coalition campaigned against it.” “BlueFloat Energy was the only applicant asking for a seven-year feasibility licence to further develop its project in the deep waters of the Illawarra offshore wind zone.”
April 27, 2025 at 1:53 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
Lest we forget

“This was a known and growing issue for the Coalition. In March 2022, ahead of Josh Frydenberg’s final budget…”

#auspol
SMH article from 20 May 2024 by Shane Wright titled ‘Page 97 of the budget kept me awake at night, and is a stain on Morrison’s legacy’ The legacy the Coalition govt left in the Department of Veterans Affairs that Shane Wright discovered in May 2024 Budget. Excerpts incl: “This was a known and growing issue for the Coalition. In March 2022, ahead of Josh Frydenberg’s final budget, then veterans’ affairs minister Andrew Gee threatened to resign unless extra money was put aside to clear the backlog...” “That was 60,000 veterans, partners or widows of people who had served in the Australian forces waiting for someone to start looking at their claim for financial support.” “Within the veterans’ community, the term “delay, deny, die” is used to describe the system. It means if a government delays the start of processing a claim, and then denies the initial claim, the veteran is likely to have died before they are finally paid what they are owed.” “The incoming Labor government, including new Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh, quickly realised the disaster left by the previous bunch...” In the October 2022 budget, handed down just five months after Labor took over from the Coalition, Treasurer Jim Chalmers allocated funding for a further 500 employees, and last week, funding for an extra 141 staff was allocated to make sure claims are processed, and so that our veterans can start getting their entitlements. This goes to the heart of the problem left by the Morrison government. To save costs across a number of sectors, including Veterans’ Affairs, it used labour hire companies and short-term employment contracts in favour of permanent employees. Unsurprisingly, the department has become more efficient since switching back to public service employees. Peter Dutton complained last week that the number of public servants has swelled under the Albanese govt, declaring the Coalition sees defence spending as “much more of a priority than office staff in Canberra”.
April 26, 2025 at 11:48 AM
cayteya.bsky.social
Well done Aaron. 👏🏽
Good to see some media have now picked it up.
Screenshot of some media outlets that have picked up the story of Amelia Hamer and the $20m Trust Fund that Aaron Smith. Note: Ch9 article includes an acknowledgement (haven’t looked at others): “The trust was revealed in court documents from December last year, shared on social media yesterday by Ryan volunteer Aaron Smith.”
April 16, 2025 at 10:08 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
Cartoon by Matt Golding
#auspol

“Peter Dutton’s property portfolio is reportedly worth $30 million. And he wheels his son out to say he can’t afford a house. Seriously?”
From Letter to The Age by Ross Hosking, Blackwood, SA
15 April 2025: Matt Golding cartoon in The Age with caricatures of Peter Dutton and his son, Harry in blue collared shirts with hi-vis orange vests. To the right of the cartoon are hands holding microphones towards their faces. The caption is a speech bubble from Dutton’s son that reads: “I’m concerned I’m destined to be a renter … like Amelia Hamer”
April 14, 2025 at 9:39 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“The $10 billion pledge to build 100,000 affordable homes is made up of $2 billion worth of grants and $8 billion in zero-interest loans or equity investments, primarily to states and territories…
The plan includes opening up vacant or underutilised government land for residential development”
12 April 2025: Excerpt of Canberra Times article by Dana Daniel - ‘PM unveils $10b pledge to get Australians into their first homes’ The $10 billion pledge to build 100,000 affordable homes is made up of $2 billion worth of grants and $8 billion in zero-interest loans or equity investments, primarily to states and territories, which would be required to stump up $2 billion of their own towards the grant program. It would be delivered over eight years, with construction hoped to start by 2026-27 and buyers to move in from 2027-28. The plan includes opening up vacant or underutilised government land for residential development, with state and territory governments to be required to fast-track land release, upzoning and planning approvals. Under the promised expansion of the home buyer guarantee scheme, the maximum house price would increase - in the ACT, from $750,000 to $1 million, enabling first home buyers to purchase a median-priced house in the territory with a 5 per cent deposit if all other lending criteria area were met. The changes would kick in on January 1, 2026 following industry consultation. The federal government guarantees up to 15 per cent of a property's value under the scheme, enabling people to buy with deposits as low as 5 per cent, enabling them to avoid paying mortgage lenders' insurance.
April 12, 2025 at 9:55 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“PM Anthony Albanese has unveiled a major $10 billion pre-election pledge to build 100,000 homes for those struggling to get into the housing market.

Also for people looking to buy their first homes with deposits as low as 5% Labor promises to expand access to the home buyer guarantee scheme.
12 April 2025: Excerpt of Canberra Times article by Dana Daniel - ‘PM unveils $10b pledge to get Australians into their first homes’ Under the promised expansion of the home buyer guarantee scheme, the maximum house price would increase - in the ACT, from $750,000 to $1 million, enabling first home buyers to purchase a median-priced house in the territory with a 5 per cent deposit if all other lending criteria area were met. The changes would kick in on January 1, 2026 following industry consultation. The federal government guarantees up to 15 per cent of a property's value under the scheme, enabling people to buy with deposits as low as 5 per cent, enabling them to avoid paying mortgage lenders' insurance. 12 April 2025: Excerpt of Canberra Times article by Dana Daniel - ‘PM unveils $10b pledge to get Australians into their first homes’ Picture by Peter Lorimer Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled a major $10 billion house pledge ahead of the May 3 federal election. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who used his budget-in-reply speech to pledge to scrap the HAFF, is targeting Australians' cost-of-living concerns as he attacks the Albanese government. Mr Dutton, who has declared that he wants to be the "prime minister for home ownership", has missed no opportunity to remind voters of this on the campaign trail. "We have an opportunity to get our country back on track... to make sure we can restore the dream of home ownership," he told reporters in Perth on Friday. The Coalition has pledged to allow first home buyers to access their superannuation for house deposits and to compel the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to reduce the mortgage serviceability buffer from 3 per cent to 2.5
April 12, 2025 at 9:55 PM
cayteya.bsky.social
“What of Australia? My sense, even amid an uninspiring election campaign, is that there is a renewed appreciation for the distinctive features of Australian democracy which act as a safeguard against US-style extremism.” Nick Bryant writes
#auspol

2/2.
Excerpt of Nick Bryant’s SMH 11 April 2025 article - ‘Trump’s made nationalism great again, just not in America’ “What of Australia? My sense, even amid an uninspiring election campaign, is that there is a renewed appreciation for the distinctive features of Australian democracy which act as a safeguard against US-style extremism. Ever since returning to Australia from America three years ago, l've been extolling the virtues of compulsory and preferential voting, and the value of an independent electoral commission and a non-partisan judiciary. But what I have noticed since the start of the year, whether talking in front of corporate, academic or writers' festival audiences, is the more vigorous nods of approbation - and often outbreaks of applause - when I launch into my hymn of praise to the Australian democratic model.” Excerpt of Nick Bryant’s SMH 11 April 2025 article - ‘Trump’s made nationalism great again, just not in America’ “What's also obvious - and, now, much-remarked upon - is how the Trump effect has altered the federal election. On January 20, when Trump was sworn in, Peter Dutton looked like being the beneficiary of the rightward realignment. The Liberal leader seemed to be harnessing the zeitgeist when he spoke supportively of an "anti-woke revolution" occurring globally and proposed swingeing job cuts to the federal bureaucracy and, in another echo of Elon Musk, an end to working from home for public servants. This week's volte-face on work-from-home, however, speaks of how the political ground has shifted. Even though Dutton's anti-wokeism unquestionably has "silent majority" resonance, the cut-through jibes of "Dogey Dutton" and "Temu Trump" are an impediment to him reaching The Lodge.” Excerpt of Nick Bryant’s SMH 11 April 2025 article - ‘Trump’s made nationalism great again, just not in America’ “Trump is affecting the Australian election in other ways, too. Politics for the past two years has been a graveyard for incumbents. In 2024, for the first time in history, every government seeking re-election either lost ground or was turfed out of office. Now, at a time of such Trumpian turmoil, incumbency looks more like a valued commodity, which goes some way to explaining the revival in the Albanese government's fortunes. “My hunch, too, is that Anthony Albanese is being seen in a different light. For all his limitations and presentational shortcomings, he is authentically Australian, and that, for many voters, makes him reassuringly recognisable. At a time when voters are more appreciative of an emphatically Australian democratic model, they seem to be looking more approvingly on an emphatically Australian prime minister.”
April 12, 2025 at 8:38 PM