The National Interest

Treasurer Joe Hockey this morning announced the decision to reject Archer Daniels Midland's $3.4 billion bid for the eastern grain handle, saying he had to take the national interest into account. ABC

and Barnaby Joyce is going around like the cat that got the cream

Barnaby decides not to go to Indonesia

Can't help but feel they dodged a bullet. ABC

Abbott Government: Week 7 in review

• Scott Morrison says if you go to a brown-infested country, don't expect to just come back
• Centrelink: Coming soon to a post office near you
• Tony Abbott declares an end to Australia's longest war. Hope he told the Taliban
• Protesters burn an effigy of T-Abs, chase Hockey down the street
• 12,000 lazy public servants to get the chop
• Tony reassures us all our spies are legal
• Barnaby Joyce tells people not to be sheep when they see footage of animal cruelty
• Julie Bishop will have a little talk with Indonesia about 'trust'

Barnaby says don't be a sheep

Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says the live export regulation system is working, despite new footage showing Australian sheep being mistreated in the Middle East. Abc

Abbott Government: Week 6 in review

Here we go again

• Abbott goes on photo op with RFS
• His gay sister gets engaged
• Joe Hockey increases the debt limit. National credit card something something
• The Government will challenge ACT gay marriage laws
• Flogging off assets starts with Medibank
• Climate change isn't a factor in bushfires, says Tony
• Anyone who thinks it is, is talking through their hat
• Possible DD trigger: Direct Action tied to supply
• Barnaby Joyce says that free range could cause a bird flu epidemic
• Tony unimpressed by some more hogwash about climate change\
• Wrap it up guys the boats have stopped in just 50 days
• Carbon tax = SOCIALISM.

previous weeks wrap ups here

Barnaby Joyce on bird flu

The Federal Agriculture Minister claims there will be more avian influenza outbreaks and more chicken deaths if there is an increase in free-range egg production.

Barnaby Joyce says a move by Woolworths to phase out eggs from caged production systems has the potential to destroy the New South Wales chicken flock and, subsequently, the state's egg industry. Abc

Midweek roundup: Week 4

I don't know whether the expenses scandal counts as a scandal since the info's been out there for years, but w/e here we go with the week's scores and highlights

• Barnaby says Gina bought him cheaply, saving taxpayers money.
• Defence Minister D. Johnston defends censored report, because you can't handle the truth, or national security or something.
• Tony Abbott's excited about consummation with China.
• Scott Morrison proposes a new plan: lock innocent people up for being innocent, and when they get out, lock them up again because there's a 0.13 percent chance they could commit be charged with a crime.
• Tony Abbott does a Barbra Streisand by trying to repay Slipper wedding expenses on the sly.
• And some claimed for an iron man thing.
• The ABC gets on the bandwagon, revealing that ' Mr Abbott has claimed thousands of dollars to take part in various sporting events in recent years.' 
• Abbott prostrates himself* before Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in an act of contrition.
• Victims of terrorism get compo, and it's not at all because they are middle class white people.
• Abbott cries crocodile tears over the time he was in Bali enjoying a holiday with his family, and then it was ruined. By terrorists.
• Abbott proclaims to everyone in Asia that Japan is Australia's BFF, so everyone else back off okay.

*: may or may not have actually occurred

Barnaby defends wedding trip

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says the fact that mining magnate Gina Rinehart paid for him to fly to a wedding in India helped make the trip cheaper for taxpayers. ABC

Weddings expenses cause headaches

Barnaby Joyce, Julie Bishop and Teresa Gambaro collectively claimed more than $12,000 in ''overseas study'' allowances to pay for their flights

Tony Abbott repays expenses after charging taxpayers to attend Sophie Mirabella's wedding

If in doubt, don't claim expenses, Malcolm Turnbull tells colleagues

Abbott Government: Week 2 in review

Building on achievements of Week 1 and since the midweek review

• The Nats struggle for relevance, break ranks over uni services fees
• Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane wants Barry O'Farrell's gas
• Abbott promises not to violate Indonesia
• Australia declared open for business...
• ..but Ministers' doors remain closed to journalists, unless they have Tony's blessing.
• The Indonesian Navy disagrees with Tony.
• The Indonesian Foreign Minister accidentally on purpose leaks what he thinks of Julie Bishop.
• Are you a business person? The Indigenous Council wants you!
• Diplomatic dream team faces dilemma over West Papuan arrivals
• All this hubbub is just a 'passing irritant' though.
• The Navy sends asylum seekers back to Indonesia.
• An asylum boat sinks, after radioing Australia for help. People drown. 
• Joe Hockey talks down the Budget, which is in better shape than expected.
• Asylum Boat 2: Returned to Indonesia Boogaloo.
• The three star general in charge of stopping boats chooses a great time to go on holidays.
• Tony Abbott turns his back and walks away from questions about boats.
• Brandis and Barnaby practice austerity, Coalition style. Thanks for the perks, suckers.

until next time!

More austerity from Brandis and Barnaby

Two of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's most high-profile ministers claimed thousands of dollars in taxpayer entitlements for attending the wedding of close friend and Sydney shock jock Michael Smith. Fairfax

Hockey/Joyce foreign relations dream team

Barnaby makes a mess and Joe cleans up.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation finance ministers meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Mr Hockey insisted questions of foreign investment in Australia would be worked through in a methodical fashion. 

The comments come after Nationals deputy leader Barnaby Joyce last week slammed a proposal by Indonesia to buy a million hectares of Australian cattle land as part of its efforts to reduce its reliance on imported beef. Yahoo

Thicker than a stack of Bibles

Abbott ministry sworn in.

Forty-one frontbenchers took the oath, the overwhelming majority coming with their own bibles.

New parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister Josh Frydenberg brought the Bible that his mentor Zelman Cowen used when he was sworn in as governor-general in 1977, while Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce (who arrived at Government House in a maxi taxi) came with not one, but two tomes.

Arguably, they were upstaged by parliamentary secretary for education, Scott Ryan, who brought along a humungus family heirloom for his swear-in moment. The Age