Community Cabinet comes to Adelaide/SA

[Gozu]

The Federal Government's Community Cabinet will be at Fremont-Elizabeth City High School, Elizabeth SA this Tuesday night and by the looks of things registrations have closed to attend now but it will be shown live on the A-PAC channel.

[Squawk]

Boring as bat sh i te - I went to the last one and it was like a US presidential campaign. All colour and pomp and no/very little substance.

[Gozu]

Fair enough. I never knew there had already been one here. Just thought it might be amusing to see what sort of characters come out of the woodwork to ask questions.

[Squawk]

Fair enough. I never knew there had already been one here. Just thought it might be amusing to see what sort of characters come out of the woodwork to ask questions.

Yeah, that was about the "highlight".

Last one was in the marginal electorate around Hallet Cove, at the local school. The usual stuff of school kids singing the national anthem, the Kaurna greeting etc gave way to the arrival in single file of Cabinet, with the PM front and centre.

Questions were done by show of hands. One person said they had written to Jenny Macklin 3 weeks ago and heard absolutely nothing. LOL. Another person spent 5 minutes talking about their personal circumstances re not getting maintenance from the other parent.

Police everywhere, no protests allowed under state legislation, and you have to pre-register to get in the door. Then there were tea, cofee and OJ's to drink and a selection of abominable sandwiches - pickled onion, gherkin, cheese, relish etc - that sort of stuff.

Afterwards, not a taxi in sight.

This one can only be an improvement.

[mick]

as I expected touchy feely bullshit

[mrjbeam1981]

Fair enough. I never knew there had already been one here. Just thought it might be amusing to see what sort of characters come out of the woodwork to ask questions.

Yeah, that was about the "highlight".

Last one was in the marginal electorate around Hallet Cove, at the local school. The usual stuff of school kids singing the national anthem, the Kaurna greeting etc gave way to the arrival in single file of Cabinet, with the PM front and centre.

Questions were done by show of hands. One person said they had written to Jenny Macklin 3 weeks ago and heard absolutely nothing. LOL. Another person spent 5 minutes talking about their personal circumstances re not getting maintenance from the other parent.

Police everywhere, no protests allowed under state legislation, and you have to pre-register to get in the door. Then there were tea, cofee and OJ's to drink and a selection of abominable sandwiches - pickled onion, gherkin, cheese, relish etc - that sort of stuff.

Afterwards, not a taxi in sight.

This one can only be an improvement.

but you did get to see a fellow safooty(er)...

[Squawk]

Yes, I did! That was the best surprise and the major highlight of the night! Will you be mixing with the masses again this Saturday at Brighton Rd? Might see you again there mate!

I saw a bit of coverage on the ABC news tonight - did you end up going Gozu?

[Gozu]

Nah I didn't. But I set the IQ to record it so might have a bit of a look at it tomorrow night. Like you I just saw a few glimpses on the ABC news tonight and then watched Honest John's Liberal Rule on SBS.

[Squawk]

Community Cabinet no 3 in SA, was held tonight. Did anyone go?


http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26613922-5006301,00.html

PM keeps his cool as community lets rip
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd faced fire over water resources, indigenous issues, climate change and immigration at a community cabinet meeting last night.

Arriving about 20 minutes late for the scheduled 6pm forum, Mr Rudd and his ministers had an audience of about 200.

In answer to a question from a local councillor living in Meningie, concerned about the future of the Lower Lakes, Mr Rudd made a point of emphasising the Commonwealth's role in recent negotiations with South Australia and New South Wales to secure 148 gigalitres of floodwater for that area, announced on Tuesday.

Heckled for ignoring the problem, Mr Rudd said the Government was taking steps to "take as much pressure off the (river) system as possible", including water buybacks of 771 gigalitres and giving the SA Government $200 million for long-term planning.

"That does not solve the problem (but) it is a solid step in the right direction," he said.

Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement spokesman Neil Gillespie called on Mr Rudd to increase levels of Aboriginal legal aid, as promised before the election.

Another man who said he had travelled from the Northern Territory, told the Prime Minister of an indigenous community where there were no men aged over 40, funerals were held weekly and children did not attend school.

"What is your plan for their future?" he asked.

Mr Rudd replied that "rather than just pushing it to one side and saying it's all too hard" the Government was implementing its national Closing the Gap response.

When one woman raised concerns about asylum seekers gaining quicker access to the country than her sister's fiance, who had waited more than a year for a visa, she drew both cheers and boos from the audience.

Another woman caught the PM off guard by announcing there are "a lot of miserable people around who should be dead" - referring to a push for voluntary euthanasia laws.

Mr Rudd acknowledged it was a "question of conscience", but said the Government had no plans to change the laws.

It was the 21st community cabinet held by the Rudd Government and the third to take place in SA - this time in the marginal, Liberal-held seat of Sturt.

Security was strict at the public event, with state and federal police swarming over the schoolgrounds and putting attendees through airport-style security screenings.