First some background – on the weekend Adam posted this, but its the comments from Schubes that are especially noteworthy. Schubes says that Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited newspapers are lobbyists for the current opposition. It is hardly a controversial claim to anyone with an interest in Aussie politics.
OK, now to today’s news:
Current opposition leader Tony Abbott today announced his government would commit $5million dollars of taxpayer’s money to help with the redevelopment of a football club’s stadium. The politics of pork-barreling is nothing new, of course, but what is interesting about the football club is it is 68% owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited.
Oh dear.
I don’t know if the media are going to latch onto this, but it may be a source of some political news.
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To be fair and balanced, I’ll try to dig up a pork-barrel scandal on the other side of the political fence; if anyone has one, please put it in the comments.
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ps. the current state of play in the Aussie election is current polls have Abbott’s opposition ahead to win. The markets are wanting a decisive result one way or another to dispel the uncertainty that has accompanied the past 3 years of minority government. News like this I have written about, above, that perhaps threatens Abbott’s lead brings the results closer to a tie again, an uncertainty the market is not looking for.
