Australian Atheists Forum

In Australia, well-connected lobbyists are greasing the wheels of access and influence to public officials for those who have the funds to pay them. The secret to their access is their insider status: as I note in research, almost 40% of these lobbyists are former politicians, public servants and ministerial advisers. The oiled path from public office to a career as a lobbyist is known as the “revolving door” phenomenon, where former public officials capitalise on their networks to gain access to powerful decision-makers and policymakers — for profit.

Lobbyists and industry groups tend to donate to political parties for strategic, rather than altruistic, reasons. A major reason for these political donations is to secure greater access to politicians than ordinary people have.

“Several years ago, the A-team successfully cultivated and recruited a former Australian politician,” Burgess said.

“This politician sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of the foreign regime. At one point, the former politician even proposed bringing a prime minister’s family member into the spies’ orbit.

“Fortunately, that plot did not go ahead but other schemes did.”

Burgess did not identify the politician who was recruited by the spies or their political party.

Burgess said the A-team had invited leading Australian academics and political figures to an all-expenses-paid overseas conference where they were met by spies pretending to be bureaucrats.

“They used the conference to build relationships with the Australians and aggressively target them for recruitment, openly asking who had access to government documents,” he said.

“A few weeks after the conference wrapped up, one of the academics started giving the A-team information about Australia’s national security and defence priorities.

“Another Australian, an aspiring politician, provided insights into the factional dynamics of his party, analysis of a recent election and the names of up-and-comers – presumably so the A-team could target them too.”

pipbarber wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 7:36 am Regarding the mysterious MP who sold secrets, I've heard, or read, three coalition MPs demanding that the person be named, which leads me to think that the person was of the ALP persuasion. I can think of quite a few dodgy left adjacent types over the years, but oh how nice it would be if the person were a law and order and secure borders dimwit from the right. I'd sell a limb for it to be Dutton but he's the most vociferous about naming the culprit, so it's not him...probably.

The “shocking” move has drawn widespread backlash from conservationists to forest growers and processors, including the Tasmanian Forest Products Association who said it was “disappointed” the industry was being “used” by premier Jeremy Rockliff ahead of a state election next month.

The 40,000 hectares are part of a “peace deal” signed between state and federal government in 2012 under Julia Gillard that signified an end to the bitter “forest wars”.

The agreement came after both governments legislate the protection of 356,000 hectares of highly-valued Tasmanian forests.

Loki wrote: ↑Mon Mar 04, 2024 12:33 pm Lol. Half the candidates on my ballot paper have no online presence whatsoever.

"Hi. My name is bob, vote for me"

Ummmm...

MAYOR
Other guy who's invisible, but makes a good anti-mayor protest vote.

MarkAsser@beige.party
Mark Asser
@MarkAsser@beige.party

Horrible woman (yes, I've met her) dumped in favour of blatantly fascist man who is a hyperbigoted religious zealot.

I'd say this party has a fascist takeover problem. The women are collateral damage.

57m
anathema_device
Anathema Device @anathema_device

Anti-abortion campaigner wins control of Brisbane LNP division

Concerns raised after former Cherish Life vice-president Alan Baker elected chair of party’s Griffith divisional council

A prominent anti-abortion campaigner has won control of a Brisbane division of the Liberal National party, prompting alarm among moderates that “fringe infiltrators” were attempting to increase their influence as polls point to a state election win.

Alan Baker, a former vice-president of the anti-abortion lobby group Cherish Life, was elected chair of the LNP’s Griffith federal divisional council (FDC) by two votes on Thursday night.

The council controls preselections and campaigns in the federal seat of Griffith, which has been held by the Greens and considered Queensland’s most progressive.