Richard Di Natale Greens sexual assault

GREEN PANIC

Senior Greens members have submitted polling analysis to the party room and national council warning that the party is “flatlining” and stands to lose over half its senators within two elections.

The Australian ($) has obtained the analysis of Greens’ polling, which dates back to the 2016 election. The Oz reports that the Greens’ federal primary vote has gone back to 2013 levels and, in polling for the 12 months leading to March 2018, went above 10% once just once — compared to 16 spikes in 2016. The analysis follows the Greens’ loss in Batman earlier this month, poor performances at the South Australian and Tasmanian state elections, and months of internal disruptions including the factional leaks and leadership speculation.

RUSSIANS BOOTED

US President Donald Trump has ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats from the United States and closed the Russian consulate in Seattle in response to a nerve agent attack earlier this month in Great Britain.

The ABC reports that Trump’s sanctions, which will give the expelled diplomats seven days to leave the US, comes after the Russian government’s alleged use of a military-grade nerve agent against Russian spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia, who now remain critically ill in hospital. Fourteen EU member countries will also expel Russian diplomatic staff, while Russia has denied all responsibility for the attack and announced it will respond to the US expulsions in kind.

WHITE PRIVILEGE LIES

Claims that a new code of conduct will force white Australian nurses to declare their white privilege have, quite unsurprisingly, been proven false.

Media Watch last night investigated reports from Today Tonight, The Daily Mail and Sky News that this month’s new code would force nurses to announce and apologise for white privilege before treating Indigenous or Torres Strait Islander patients. They found that, unsurprisingly, there are no requirements to acknowledge or announce “white privilege” before treating patients and the claims, initiated by union-buster and Nurses Professional Association of Queensland founder Graeme Haycroft, were based on “completely untrue statements” according to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

“Emma Alberici is not above spruiking a jewellery brand on ­Instagram” — The Australian, 4.05pm, March 25

“I’m not on Instagram #factsmatter” — Emma Alberici, 6.11pm, March 25

— The national broadsheet hit the bottom of the barrel in its embarrassing crusade against Emma Alberici yesterday, reporting on a tweet the ABC’s chief economics correspondent wrote at last year’s Logies ($), and then dug a fresh new hole by getting her social media platform of choice wrong.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

David Warner at heart of ball-tampering scandal

Clerks’ warning over spy laws ($)

Labor signals changes to cash refunds policy with plan to ‘protect pensioners’

Peter Dutton attacks ‘defamatory’ story and says he did not benefit from au pair decision

Bureau of Meteorology industrial action ramps up as workplace storm intensifies

Woman’s naked prison transfer prompts calls to change system for mentally ill inmates

China’s Cubbie Station owner in push to buy Liddell coal plant ($)

Zibelman: Old energy market rules make no sense

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Australia: Roughly 6500 childcare workers across the country are expected to strike over wages and conditions, with some centres expected to close for the day and others to shut from midday onwards.

Canberra: Australian Education Union launches “fair funding now” campaign with the AEU president, Labor leaders Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek, and Greens leader Richard Di Natale speaking to a crowd of union officials, school principals and parents.

Canberra: Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten will each respectively address Coalition and Labor party room meetings.

Sydney: ICAC will hold an public inquiry for “Operation Skyline,” an investigation into, among related matters, proposals from 2014 to 2016 for the sale and development of properties owned by the Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Canberra: Senate report due into transvaginal mesh implants.

Perth: WA Treasurer Ben Wyatt will address the state’s finances as part of the FINSIA Business Breakfast Series.

Canberra: Former prime minister Tony Abbott will launch Pauline Hanson’s new book, Pauline: In Her Own Words, a collection of speeches documenting her key policy areas of concern.

Ulladulla, NSW: Premier Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn and NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy will discuss the Easter long-weekend road safety campaign from the New South Wales south coast.

Gold Coast: “Stop Adani” protesters will demonstrate outside Federal Trade Minister Steve Ciobo’s office and deliver letters of concerns from local constituents.

Canberra: Former NSW premier and now federal senator Kristina Keneally will deliver her inaugural parliamentary speech.

Perth: ANZ and Chamber of Commerce and Industry Economic Breakfast, with former Docker’s Captain Matthew Pavlich, CCI CEO Chris Rodlwell and ANZ chief economist Richard Yetsenga.

Melbourne: City of Melbourne council meeting.

Brisbane: Opening day for Australia’s first “Looseum”, a museum showcasing historic dunnies.

Perth: Perth Zoo’s baby giraffe will go on public display for the first time after being born March 7th.

THE COMMENTARIAT

#MeToo is not just a debate, or a whinge. It’s a reality — Sarah Blasko (The Guardian): “Recently some men I know were talking, within earshot, about how the debate had ‘gotten out of hand’. In a hushed conversation, they commented on how they thought women should express themselves better on the matter. They had interpreted the movement as some kind of “man-hating” exercise, utilised by women as an opportunity to complain about them. The discussion had clearly become personal to them.”

US credibility another Syrian casualty — Peter Hartcher (Sydney Morning Herald): “The fate of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, one of the great butchers of the modern era, is no longer in any doubt. Seven years after Barack Obama demanded that Assad resign, six years after he declared Assad’s use of chemical weapons would be a ‘red line’, and four years after the UN stopped trying to keep count of the dead, Assad is secure.”

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Company tax robbery is everything that is wrong with our governance — Bernard Keane: “If, as seems likely, the Turnbull government convinces enough crossbenchers to support its plans for a massive tax handout to Australia and the world’s biggest companies, it will be regarded by future historians as not merely the biggest and most brazen robbery in Australian history — $64 billion definitely puts the Great Bookie Robbery in the shade — but the textbook example of how policymaking in Australia has been corrupted by neoliberalism.”

Australian media has absolutely lost its mind for this cricket scandal — Emily Watkins: “Former captains and players have been readily available for op-eds and TV appearances. Michael Clarke first appeared on Nine’s Sunday Sport yesterday morning, then again on Today this morning. Simon Katich, Brad Hogg and Adam Gilchrist have all made appearances to share their thoughts, and the Daily Telegraph today has an op-ed from another former captain, Ian Chappell, calling it a ‘dark day in Australian cricket’. As part of its coverage, The Australian ran pull quotes of tweets and comments from Shane Warne, Ian Healy, Kevin Pietersen, Mitchell Johnson and Jason Gillespie.”

Dutton may be Trumpeting divisive bile, just don’t call him a racist — Christopher Warren: “We now have three Peter Dutton data points in three months that tell us about the Trumpification of the Australian right: ‘African gangs’, ‘white farmers’ and ‘dead to me’. This Trumpeting has been amplified by an unstated rule of journalistic practice: it’s more divisive to call someone a racist than it is to make racist comments.”

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