Amanda celebrates Refugee Week?: It’s Refugee Week.
Does that explain why DIMIA droogs have been given water bottles complete with
the new departmental “People are our business” slogan on what a caring ‘n’
sharing bunch they are – and new screensavers with the same message?

Are you ready, boots?:
How did that old advertising slogan go? We’re
Number Two, we try harder? Well, poor old Peter Costello was forced
into shameless media tart mode yesterday, putting his best foot
forward in Melbourne at the Toorak Place Pink Ribbon Day Charity Walk.

The
Treasurer took to the treadmill to finish the last two hundred metres of
the walk, helping to raise $5,000 for research for the National Breast
Cancer Foundation – and as a thank you was presented with some special
PM Walking Shoes.

As a certain song about walking says “You
keep saying you’ve got something for me… These boots are made for
walking, and that’s just what they’ll do/And one of these days these
boots are gonna walk all over you.”

But with that song – and its
various versions – in mind, we think Cossie’s shaping up more and more
as a Jessica Simpson, not a Nancy Sinatra.

Role reversal: NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor’s
“bring your black ar*e in here to talk to me” radio remarks to
Aboriginal leader Mick Mundine last month showed just how much better –
shameless, perhaps – the bruvvers from Sussex Street are at crisis
management than the poor old NSW Libs.

But there was a nice reprise to the remarks when Sartor spoke to Mike
Carlton on Radio 2UE last week about a redevelopment at Bundeena in
Sydney’s south. A local got on the blower and suggested that the
Minister get his “wog ar*e” down there to talk about their concerns.

More here. There are some nice details about developers and donations to the local state Labor MP, Paul McLeay, too.

Economics made easy –A posting from the Institutional Economics
website
yesterday:

Serious Tax Reform – Finance Minister Nick Minchin
on tax reform.

“Serious, sustainable and responsible
income tax reductions can only be delivered by reducing government
expenditures,” the minister told the Liberal Party’s South Australian state
council last night.

“Those who want further substantial income
tax cuts should tell us all where they think the Government can and should
reduce its expenditure to pay for their cuts.”

If Minchin isn’t willing to volunteer these
cuts himself, doesn’t it follow that he is not interested in “serious,
sustainable and responsible” tax reform?