So shall we add human rights to the long list...

[i-need-a-martini]

...of stuff ups made by the Abbott Government?

The government has appointed (without any recruitment process, merit considerations, interview and even without the GG approval which is the usual process) the anti Human Rights Commission advocate, Tim Wilson as the (and this is truly true) Australian Human Rights Commissioner.

In case you don't know who Wilson is, I can fill you in just a little -

• has campaigned for years to have the AHRC disbanded. And lo and behold, here he is RUNNING it. Go figure.
• right winged extremist who is obsessed with left winged so-called communist activities and thinks all Labor supporters have a communist hiding under their bed. 
• Thinks that health warnings on cigarettes are "nanny state" (his favourite term) politics
• is a vehement 'free speech' advocate
• yet for some reason believes that the family and associates of bikies should not have their 'rights' infringed upon by police wishing to interview them after a crime is committed.
• Climate change talk is all a lie and the CT is a threat to our sovereignty

He is a prolific writer on all things right winged with ridiculous views. A good example is an article in the Australian last month titled: "Who's on first, gay black man or disabled Muslim woman?". The article itself isn't worth reading as it is full of garbage but I think you can get the general gist of this guys attitude from the title.

And his first published article after the appointment? Did it mention human rights for our indigenous people? Or our disabled people? Or asylum seekers being held in detention centres? Nope. He mentioned 2 specific bugbears of his - firstly, that the police have no right to interview family members of bikies and secondly, the innappropriateness of unions (an allegation only BTW) to donate to the cause of same sex marriage.

This person is now head of human rights in Australia.

[icyfroth]

It reminds me of Ms Gillard's "Captains Pick" of Nova Peris for the NT Senate

"For Gillard, her demand that Peris be put into the Senate spot is  double-edged.

She is taking an important and historic step. As yet no Aboriginal woman has  sat in the Federal Parliament. The PM has asserted her authority in a good  cause.

But the way she has treated Crossin will raise a comparison with what she and  her supporters did – on a much greater scale – to Kevin Rudd. The negotiations  with Peris have been under way for weeks. But it was only on Monday that Gillard  told Crossin what was happening."

From Here

[freakiness]

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@icyfroth wrote:

It reminds me of Ms Gillard's "Captains Pick" of Nova Peris for the NT Senate

"For Gillard, her demand that Peris be put into the Senate spot is  double-edged.

She is taking an important and historic step. As yet no Aboriginal woman has  sat in the Federal Parliament. The PM has asserted her authority in a good  cause.

But the way she has treated Crossin will raise a comparison with what she and  her supporters did – on a much greater scale – to Kevin Rudd. The negotiations  with Peris have been under way for weeks. But it was only on Monday that Gillard  told Crossin what was happening."

From Here

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Nova Peris had to be elected though after the "captains pick". Tim Wilson didn't even have to go through an interview or any of the other processes that are normally required for such appointments.

[monman12]

FN: "Tim Wilson didn't even have to go through an interview or any of the other processes that are normally required for such appointments."

FN, I would be interested to know which section of  the  AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ACT 1986 -specifies what is normally required to be appointed, other than ministerial "satisfaction"

What on earth does a ministerial appointment to a position on a Commission have to do with Poor Me Gillard  ignoring her own party protocols by dumping  a popular established ALP  senator, other than by Poor Me  making a cynical "populist" move, with an election looming?

"NT Labor members deserve the right to elect their Labor candidate to run in the NT."

By picking a past gold medal female indigenous athlete, who then  was not even a member of the ALP,  Poor Me was using a candidate for appeal not political substance. If she wanted to push the gender barrow (again) she had a choice of an ALP  politician:

"Former NT education minister Marion Scrymgour, who was Australia's first indigenous female minister, had planned to challenge for the position."

"Nova was the first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal," Ms Gillard said."

That  certainly will be useful in Senate politics/ debates, a hockey player with a gold medal!

[silverfaun]

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@icyfroth wrote:

It reminds me of Ms Gillard's "Captains Pick" of Nova Peris for the NT Senate

"For Gillard, her demand that Peris be put into the Senate spot is  double-edged.

She is taking an important and historic step. As yet no Aboriginal woman has  sat in the Federal Parliament. The PM has asserted her authority in a good  cause.

But the way she has treated Crossin will raise a comparison with what she and  her supporters did – on a much greater scale – to Kevin Rudd. The negotiations  with Peris have been under way for weeks. But it was only on Monday that Gillard  told Crossin what was happening."

From Here

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Whilst having nothing against Nova Peris, Gillard has forever  put her in the invidious position of being known as the "token Aborigine".

Another great move by Gillard another backward step for Aboriginals........ 2013

[icyfroth]

love your new Avi, Faun!

[silverfaun]

Happy Christmas morning Icy.  

[silverfaun]

Happy Christmas MM.  

[lakeland27]

he voted for rudd and gillard you know

[icyfroth]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

he voted for rudd and gillard you know

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much to his disappointment, and mine, as did I.

[izabsmiling]

Monman12 wrote: 

What on earth does a ministerial appointment to a position on a Commission have to do with Poor Me Gillard  ignoring her own party protocols by dumping  a popular established ALP  senator, other than by Poor Me  making a cynical "populist" move, with an election looming?

I wondered that myself when I read Icyfroth's post .