When Right meets Right, it's all wrong: Alex Antic a poster boy for Australia's Trumpists
"Australian pluses; Australia signs up to the Climate Club alliance, Albanese announces in Berlin "Australian disgrace: ‘Crude and cruel’ scheme: robodebt royal commission report recommends civil and criminal prosecutions""
From below -- Check the video, it’s both hilarious and scary.
By Ross Jones | 14 December 2021, 3:00pm | 14 comments |
Dated yet relevant today, tomorrow and times to come.
Senator Alex Antic was interviewed on Steve Bannon's podcast spouting accusations against the Government (Image by Dan Jensen)
Liberal Senator Alex Antic has been siding with America's extreme right wing while slamming Australia's COVID-19 response, writes Ross Jones.
“DRAIN THE BILLABONG”. That’s what SA Liberal Senator Alex Antic wants to do.
Antic was being interviewed by Steve Bannon on Bannon’s War Room podcast, Steve’s direct line to America’s rabid Right.
Apart from being politically dangerous, Bannon is a man currently facing prison time.
Steve has been charged with criminal contempt for defying a subpoena from Congress to spill what he knows about the coup attempt:
‘Bannon faces two counts of criminal contempt: one for refusing to appear for a congressional deposition and the other for refusing to provide documents in response to the committee’s subpoena.’
Bannon has pleaded not guilty but will not face trial until July 2022:
‘Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who has been charged with two counts of criminal contempt of Congress, is scheduled to stand trial on July 18.’
Bannon faces a year on each charge:
‘The charges against Bannon each carry a maximum sentence of one year in gaol and may serve as a warning to others seeking to avoid or defy the 6 January committee.’
Steve recently had a near miss with the orange suit after he and a few mates started a fundraising campaign (allegedly) designed to fleece Trump’s much-vaunted Republican base and brilliantly called it ‘We Build the Wall’.
‘Former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon pleaded not guilty on Thursday hours after being arrested on a luxury yacht for allegedly skimming donations from an online fundraising campaign for the President’s controversial border wall with Mexico.’
Just hours before his time was finally up, the ex-President pardoned his one-time adviser:
‘President Donald Trump pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon in a last-minute decision made only hours before he is scheduled to depart the White House for a final time.’
After some wrangling over the consequences of Trump’s pardon, Judge Torres dismissed the indictment as to Bannon — but not without first opining that Trump’s former chief strategist’s acceptance of the pardon could be seen as an acknowledgment of his guilt.
...from the country’s earliest days, courts, including the Supreme Court, have acknowledged that even if there is no formal admission of guilt, the issuance of a pardon may “carry an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it”.
‘Trump never granted clemency to Kolfage, Badolato or Shea, who were charged in the same case as Bannon — but unlike him, were never employed by the 45th President’s administration.’
Their trial is continuing and is scheduled to run through December 2021.
Alex Antic knew exactly what kind of person Bannon was when he had a Zoom interview with him on 9 December.
South Australian Liberal Senator Alex Antic has hit out at the state’s “bureaucratic overlords” after being placed in hotel quarantine upon his return to Adelaide.
The vaccine mandate critic left Canberra on Thursday when Federal Parliament finished sitting for the year.
Under border changes that took effect on 23 November, all unvaccinated travellers to SA must quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
Being one of the members of the coy Right, Antic won’t reveal his vaccination status, but:
‘Senator Antic, who’s declined to reveal his vaccination status, appears to have been caught by the rule.’
Rule? For me, you mean?
Alex was indignant and who better to speak with when you’re indignant than the Prince of Indignation, Steve Bannon?
Alex ranted to Steve about unelected bureaucrats, forced incarceration, police guards and vaccine fascists generally. Steve said American patriots would do all they could to help their Aussie buddies.
‘Americans in heavily Trump-supporting counties were more than three times as likely to die from COVID-19 in October than those in heavily Biden-supporting counties, with death rates of 25 per 100,000 people and 7.8 per 100,000 people, respectively, according to the New York Times report.’
Alex winged it into the Senate from third place on the SA Liberal ticket in the 2019 Election and is not due for re-election until 2025, so he will be pushing his dangerous delusions until then.
Antic has become the poster boy for Australia’s Bunyip Trumpists.
His efforts to ingratiate himself with the real “Made In USA” model is a desire to be the leader of the local sycophants, basking in the reflected glow of old two-shirts himself.
“Drain the billabong” is an insulting cultural cringe of no obvious relevance, just sucking up to Steve.
Alex probably doesn’t realise a billabong is an entirely different aquatic environment from a swamp.
Investigations editor Ross Jones is a licensed private enquiry agent and the author of 'Ashbygate: The Plot to Destroy Australia's Speaker'. You can follow Ross on Twitter @RPZJones.
Australia’s time has come to be a green energy-intensive export superpower
"Australian pluses; Australia signs up to the Climate Club alliance, Albanese announces in Berlin "Australian disgrace: ‘Crude and cruel’ scheme: robodebt royal commission report recommends civil and criminal prosecutions""
Rod Sims
What’s not to like about value adding more in Australia, with new jobs outside our cities and a continuing boost to productivity and prosperity?
One Big Idea is a new series on how to transform Australia’s economy
Tue 12 Aug 2025 01.00 AEST
‘Green iron should be made where the renewable resources are and where the hydrogen is made – in Australia.’ Composite: Victoria Hart/Guardian design
What is your one big idea?
One really big idea is to take the steps necessary to see Australia become a renewable energy superpower by exporting green energy-intensive products such as green iron, green aluminium, green transport fuels and green fertilisers. Australia is blessed with some of the best solar and wind resources with world-best availability factors, and comparatively little of this is needed domestically.
These significant resources can be used to make energy-intensive exports. The key point to understand is that in the fossil fuel world it is low cost to transport, for example, our iron ore, coking coal, gas and thermal coal to north-east Asia where they are used to make iron and steel.
In the net zero world, however, it is extremely expensive to export the renewable energy and the hydrogen to replace coking coal, which are needed to make green iron. So green iron should be made where the renewable resources are and where the hydrogen is made – in Australia. The change in transport costs flips the economics so that it is logical that more value adding occurs in Australia.
What are the benefits?
The benefits for Australia and the world are enormous. Significant investment is required, many skilled workers are needed, and our productivity will be boosted as the technology and learning-by-doing sees continuing improvement in making these products.
The world benefits as well because if we realise our green energy-intensive export potential, Australia can produce products that will reduce world emissions by up to 10%. Countries that do not have the renewable resources to decarbonise themselves will rely on Australia playing its role, just as we have by being the world’s largest exporter of coal and gas combined.
What are the downsides?
The only downside is that we do not know how quickly countries will meet their international commitments and decarbonise. The faster they do, the larger the opportunity for Australia.
How practical is it?
Australia as an energy-intensive green export superpower is extremely practical. Indeed, its time has come. Continually talking about the superpower opportunity without projects emerging encourages scepticism and sees other countries gain an advantage over us that they should not have. Other countries are starting projects and gaining the learning-by-doing lessons we should be benefiting from.
What is needed is for the government to support early projects with 15% to 30% innovation capital grants and to provide initial support to make up for the lack of a world carbon price. If you believe in the climate science that fossil fuel use damages our environment, it is ridiculous that products that do not damage the environment are competing with those that do without the latter paying for the damage they cause.
While not a necessary component of this big idea, this could all be paid for, with considerable money left over, if Australia introduced a carbon price. This would see Australia decarbonise in an easier and much less costly way than we are now.
How politically risky is it?
There are minimal political risks apart from where the government obtains the small amount of money to fund this. The funding is small as only the first few projects will qualify for the innovation grants, and Australia’s green energy intensive exports, once we have made a start, can respond to overseas carbon pricing, as will soon apply in Europe with the introduction of its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and as is emerging in other countries directly or via increasing green product mandates which have the same effect.
Whereas decarbonising Australia involves some politically difficult decisions, what is not to like about Australia value adding more in Australia, with new jobs outside our cities, and a continuing boost to productivity and prosperity?
The only downside is talking about it but not taking the steps to bring it about.
Rod Sims is the chair of the Superpower Institute .. https://www.superpowerinstitute.com.au/ . He is an expert advisor to the Treasury’s competition taskforce and to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority on digital issues. From 2011 to 2022 he was chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
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