Aboriginal Cultural Act is not a game, SO DON'T GET PLAYED. AN UGLY GAME IS AFOOT

Much has been spoken & written about the ACH Bill which became the ACT Act. If you suffer insomnia try reading it all & no doubt you should fall sleep except its that serious you may not. You may have more trouble sleeping.

However that was up til Friday lunchtime and then a political trick came into play. A Katanning meeting had been & gone, recommendations came out of that meeting. They are to be presented to Opposition Leader on the steps of Parliament. At first it was "delegates" who were invited to go but there was confusion as to whether it is/was delegates or whether it's to be a fully on publicrally to Parliament. It is I think the latter so free up some time, get to Parliament on Tuesday the 8th of August.

Then came the side shuffle & the sleight of hand. After dismissing all criticism about the ACH Act legitimately being the worst Legislative disaster since Federation, since any point in WA history then came the non announcement that the ACH Act would go. Here it is...

Now be very aware...(deliberate emphasis added, this is the utmost importance)

THIS WAS NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT, THIS IS NOTHING MORE THAN A "SOFT LEAK". THIS IS A CALCULATED PLOY DURING A HUGE POLITICAL DISASTER FOR THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS AN EXTRACTION TACTIC DUE TO A MASSIVE SELF INFLICTED COLLATORAL DAMAGE HIT.

THE TRICK IS IN PLAY. DO NOT GET PLAYED

Now be very aware, this is not Josh Zimmerman's fault. He has a job to do. Somethign drops in his lap, he has to do something with it. Something that is in the best interests of his employer, the newspaper. Whilst his job is to tell the facts, his underlying job is to sell news to sell papers. He can hardly say the government is playing games, he has to report within the unwritten rules. Has to be true, has to be accurate, it has to be fair...those are his goal posts.

But this was not reporting an official announcement.
Note - 

1. There was no official press conference from the Premier
2. There was no official press conference from the responsible minister
3. There has been virtual radio silence from Labor MPs ever since
4. The Soft Leak was timed with calculated precision, late on Friday when Talk Back radio & any political commentary is replaced by the overwhelming weight in weekend sport meaning apart from new bulletins there's nothing until Monday
5. Tuesday Parliament sits, it was always going to be rowdy due to the ACH Act growing into a statewide political disaster for all involved
   
6. Tuesday was also the rally to Parliament to deliver recommendations on the steps of Parliament that came out of the massive public meeting in Katanning that was not atteneded by the Premier, the Federal Agriculture Minister, the WA Agriculture minister or the Minister for Aboriginal affairs 
7. ACH Act Education Workshops were running up to a few hours prior to the Soft Leak Announcement. It is a monumental disaster

So the soft leak is not the trick, it is only part of the trick. It gives a soft landing for a big announcement. It gives the most aggrieved & adversely affected 2 days to fist bump & feel relief so when Monday or Tuesday comes it's all dwindle to a big "phew" when the next play of the trick rolls.

We find out now that some groups from mining & Aboriginal groups had already been briefed BEFORE Friday. WALGA has not. Land Owner groups have not. Other political parties have not. Agricultural lobby groups have not but there is a big rally planned for Tuesday & no matter how many turn up, its a huge political embarassment for the Labor Party & they need to politically diminish it. So by Friday afternoon many of us knew the Government would pull some players into their office to round them up. 

If someone gets tricked into going or not, the main thing people should do is attend the Rally to Parliament House on Tuesday. Both Live Export & ACH Act recommendations still need to be handed over. In essence there is no point walking into the Premier's office or the Minister's office.

Why would you sit down with the Minister who is the responsible architect of the worst legislative disaster in WA History. Unless he's getting people in to watch his formal resignation & introduce the new minister why go? Even then, why go?
Hopefully any & all invites are graciously declined. If I were a big player in this game I would not be meeting with a minister I have absolutely no confidence in inviting me into to watch a card trick whilst I'm politically pick pocketed.

Serious admission of the disaster is the meeting with Minister...if its the Premier & the Minister then yes at that point any invited would probably make sure there's at least 4 postcodes between them & that meeting.
When the Premier is involved with and above the minister it's huge. They're really trying to impress & coerce someone at weapons grade level. Run, just run...there is nothing to gain until the end of the rally.

I don't know what the Katanning meeting recommendations are, they'll be presented to the Opposition Leader on the steps of Parliament. Any meeting beforehand diminishes the Opposition, the Opposition Leader & what they'll be trying to achieve for Western Australians as it gives tacid approval to the failed minister.

I do know the Katanning meeting was about ACH Act & restoring Live Export. 
WA Labor plays orchestrated theatre when they say they support Live Export. Their MPs & the Ag Minister doesn't attend any public Save Live Export meetings nor any meetings of the federally appojnted Transition Committee AND transition still remains in the WA Labor Policy Platform as it did pre 2017. Its a total pretence to say they support Live Export.

Undermining the recommemdations, the rally, the Opposition and everyone associated with putting these recommendations forward is a political impreative of the Government & the ministers involved. They are fighting for their ministerial lives, they are fighting for their political survival. Meeting with the failed minister before the meeting gives those failed ministers who should be sacked from cabinet confidence & it gives them a crack to open to undermine the fuller process.

The only thing to do is to show up to the rally on Tuesday and nothing else. Anything else will be part of the Government's desperate sleight of hand to lessen the political damage. 

EVERYONE needs to stay focused, do nowhere except the rally on Tuesday & beware every trick come Monday to lessen, diminish & undermine Tuesday.

I hope one of the recommendations is a Vote of No Confidence in Minister Buti but if not it must be glaringly apparent to all inside & outside Parliament.

Firstly - Mr Buti has to be removed from Parliament for the unworkable, unfair, under cooked, unready & non fit for purpose legislative disaster.

Secondly - The Act must be suspended & returned to Parliament for a full and proper rewrite because the 1972 Act is not fit for purpose either.

Those 2 things, one is King, one is Queen and the rest, whatever that is, is just irrelevent angels dancing on the head of a pin. Interesting but a pointless distraction.

Come Monday...

THE UGLY GAME IS STILL AFOOT. THE CRAFTY WILL STILL TRY TO PLAY PLAYERS WHO THINK THEY'VE ALREADY WON. RIGHT NOW ITS NOT OVER, ITS HALF TIME & ALL THE PLAYERS ARE BACK IN THE ROOMS...NOW ONE SHOULD TAKE TO THE FEILD UNTIL THE 3rd QUARTER SIREN SOUNDS...WHICH IS TUESDAY ON THE STEPS OF PARLIAMENT. NOTHING IS WON & WINNERS WILL LOSE GROUND GOING OUT EARLY. IT IS THAT SIMPLE

SHOW UP TUESDAY SUPPORT WESTERN AUSTRALIA - SAVE LIVE EXPORT & SCRAP THE FAILED ACT... & don't get played on Monday. The Bulldust is coming. The Ugly Game is afoot