Quite often, I have been so incensed about some government policy, hypocrisy, lying or criminal behaviour, that I feel I must write something, only to find that someone has done a much better job than I could. There have been a few of these recently. The first concerned Malcolm Turnbull’s assertion that he donates all of his salary to charity. That may well be, but he was not quite being genuine about how it helps him minimise his tax. Most people, when they think of a charity, think of an organisation to which you donate money to help the homeless, the very poor, the disabled or others without the ability or the equipment needed to read or write stuff such as this. Most people would think of charities like the Smith Family, the Salvos and Vinnies. However, Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t seem to think of charities like these. He donates his salary to the Turnbull Foundation.
While his government is obviously looking after the wealthy and their corporations, from the few records that are available (from 2015) it seems that Turnbull’s charity does also. Recipients of donations from the Turnbull Foundation included: Biennale of Sydney ($25,000, Lucy Turnbull was a director); Australia Chamber Orchestra ($20,000); Rhodes Scholarships ($200,000); Sydney’s Scots College ($10,000); and the Australian National University ($70,000). He probably thinks the homeless just need to get a better job.
You can read more detail about the FIGJAM* philanthropist here:
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/editorial-the-figjam-philanthropist,11644
*F#%$ I’m Good, Just Ask Me
Frankly Turnbull could give away his entire wealth to a really good cause (eg a refugee assistance program) and I wouldn’t give a fig because it’s what he does with other people’s incomes and our taxes that counts more. His record shows that he helps the big end of town while giving the bird to hard-working and struggling lower-paid workers. His brain-fart Snowy 2 is an example of his total disregard for science and economics, and you know well how I feel about his (and Shorten’s) disgraceful contempt for the management of our gas resources.
Jon,
He is the most reprehensible PM, because, unlike Abbott, he is not a moron. He knows better but cannot give a stuff, because he just wanted to be PM. Nothing else mattered to him.
Without detracting from the myriad sins of Malcolm Turnbull, it is important to note that Shorten has done absolutely nothing to bring the LNP to account. If perchance Shorten got up at the next federal election, we wouldn’t see any significant change or repeal of Turnbull legislation. Quite obvious neither pauline Hanson or Corey Bernardi are viable options, both being LNP franchisees. The Greens have been the only opposition but in such a feeble manner that the party is not worth a glance. If it wasn’t for the cognitive dissonance of Australian voters generally, we’d be in a far better position to vote ‘none of the above’. Unfortunately what I believe is likely to happen is that the rusted-on fallback position will apply, with traditional LNP / ALP / Greens / whatever voters continuing to support parties that are well past their use-by date.