The Internet is the best thing that has ever happened to Australian politics: discuss.

Oh, and, by the way, you may want to let people know about this…

Cartoonist Sowersby on the desperate attempts by the Liberals to seize for “working class cred” in the manufactured “truckie crisis”.

Cartoonist Sowersby on the Australian Governor General, who declined to shake Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek’s hand.

Today, I’m attending a conference called “Solving our employment crisis”, hosted by the excellent Australian Unemployed Workers Union. I facilitated this incredible panel featuring testimonials from the unemployed. I strongly suggest you have a look. This is the real Australia.

A packed out room at the St Kilda Sports Club last night joined my good friend Penny Wong – Senator for SA & I, with special MCs Van Badham & Ben Davison for a stirring Marriage Equality Forum. The message to the Government is clear – the people of Melbourne Ports want the Parliament to legislate Marriage Equality, not to wait for a costly and divisive $525 million plebiscite that may unleash a torrent of hatred on LGBTQI people. Marriage Equality is inevitable, it has the support of the majority of Australians and, indeed, the majority of Parliamentarians. If you haven’t read my St Kilda News article on this, please do http://stkildanews.com/nasty-525m-plebiscite-or-marriage-equality-within-100-days/

So many compelling stories last night from Penny Wong, Ben Davison and the audience are exactly the reason this last hurdle of equality matters, and why a plebiscite will be so unfair (not to mention expensive and an extraordinary repudiation of our duty as elected officials in a representative democracy). Bill Shorten MP deserves credit for bringing Marriage Equality back on the political agenda by sponsoring a new bill on it last year. At the election, it’ll be clear – if you want Marriage Equality within 100 days, you need a Labor Government.