We all knew the trainwreck was coming, but you have to see it to believe it, and today the voters of New South Wales told the state ALP their opinion on the government’s performance over recent years.

Labor has suffered possibly the biggest defeat in Australian political history, with a swing against it of about 17%.  In some electorates in Sydney, more than 25% of voters changed from voting Labor at the past election to Liberal at today’s.  As of tonight it seems the former government will hold only 20 seats in the 93 seat parliament.  Previously it held 50.

State Premier, Kristina Keneally conceded defeat to Liberal leader Barry O’Farrell, who will be the new Premier.  She also announced that she will stand down as party leader.  I actually think that she has performed ok as premier since she was appointed to the role at the end of 2009.  But the legacy of all the incompetence, scandals and infighting amongst Labor party politicians and officials over the years was always going to see her beaten.

Having said that I thought she’s performed alright, I also always felt that she was all show and not much substance.  Like she was sent out to read her lines, and stuck to them, because she didn’t have any substantive understanding of much other than the message she was given to say.

What now for Labor in NSW?  With a bit of brutal self honesty, they might come to the realisation that a party full of people whose career experience has moved them from student politics to union official to political advisor to politician does not make for a group of people well equipped to govern, or indeed to connect with the community at large.  I somehow doubt that will happen, as these self same people will not want to face up to their shortcomings like that.  I think they will find lots of reasons why they lost so badly, but apart from a bit of tweaking at the edges, Sussex Street will keep on going business as usual, and the party will be dominated by professional politicians who don’t really stand for anything apart from acquiring power for themselves.

The Liberal party covered itself in glory again, critical of the government spending money on flying a small number of refugees from the Christmas Island detention centre to Sydney to attend the funerals of relatives who drowned when their boat sank off Christmas Island late last year.

Family members of 12 of the victims live in Sydney and requested they be buried there.  The Department of Immigration confirmed it had paid for flights and one night’s accommodation for 22 immediate family members in detention at Christmas Island and Perth to attend the services.

Opposition immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, yesterday attacked the government over the cost of transporting the mourners to Sydney.

”If people wanted to attend the funeral service from Sydney, for example, who may have been relatives of those who wanted these funeral services, well, they could have held the service on Christmas Island and like any other Australian who would have wanted to go to the funeral of someone close to them, they would have paid for themselves to get on a plane and go there.”

One of the Sydney based mourners was distressed at the suggestion her nephew be buried on Christmas Island because the family wanted to be able to visit his grave at Rookwood.  Not a totally unreasonable request.

And how were the detainees on Christmas Island meant to pay to travel to Sydney, Mr Morrison?  They’re not exactly working and earning incomes.

And what about just showing some plain old human decency?  These people experienced trauma themselves in the boat sinking, let alone what they have been through in their home countries before seeking asylum in Australia.  They’ve lost family and friends.  This country, to our total shame, treats these people like criminals – does it really hurt to be nice to them occasionally?

Obviously it does if you’re Scott Morrison.  Fiona Nash from the National Party also seems to agree:

"It’s not really an appropriate request I don’t believe for the government to say to the taxpayers of Australia, we want to pay for all of this.

Most of their colleagues seem to also share this opinion.  But to his credit, Opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey does show he is a more reasonable man than most of his fellow party members:

"I would never seek to deny a parent or a child from saying goodbye to their relative.

"No matter what the colour of your skin, no matter what the nature of your faith, if your child has died or a father has died, you want to be there for the ceremony to say goodbye, and I totally understand the importance of this to those families."

Scott Morrison happens to be the MP for the seat of Cook, which includes the suburb of Cronulla – coincidence?  Clearly he is keen to represent the views many of his voters hold dearly.

I can’t recall ever seeing anything like the flooding that happened in Toowoomba in Queensland yesterday.  The surge of water through the city was amazing and must have been terrifying for the people caught up in it.

This was much worse than normal floods.  You could have surfed down the main street such was the power of the water.  Roads, buildings and cars in the wake of the flood were smashed all over the place.  Tragically some people were killed in Toowoomba, and more elsewhere in the area – at the time of posting, ten people dead in all, with many missing still.

The flood is now heading towards Brisbane.  The river there is already breaking its banks and by all reports, these floods will be worse than the ones that went through there in 1974, which were I believe the worst recorded.

Hopefully the preparations in Brisbane will see everyone through the next few days safely.  Also, that the missing people from Toowoomba and surrounds are found safe and well.

In the words of Queensland premier, Anna Bligh:

“It might be breaking our hearts at the moment, but it will not break our will.”

How’s this for a dumb idea as a Christmas present?

Give a 10 year old kid a rifle.  Only in America of course.

And what happened next?

Mum got shot in the head and killed.

That wasn’t unpredictable was it?  Kid gets gun, accident (apparently) happens because kid is too young and irresponsible to have gun.  Whoever the genius was that thought giving a kid a gun as a present was a good idea should be charged with something to do with causing the mother’s death.

OK, gun nuts, try to convince me that giving guns to kids is a good thing to do.