Knee-jerk analysis from the ABC

A controversial call for fiscal restraint from corporate interests:

The Business Council says cuts to disability services and foreign aid should be considered as alternatives to the flood levy.

Enlightened Lefty Jeremy Sear is aghast that life-long government handouts to both the genuinely disabled and to substance abusers, who are unemployable by choice, might be reviewed:

I’m surprised the BCA isn’t just straight out bashing the unemployed – surely it realises that picking on the disabled is likely to be torn to pieces – but, either way, what a repulsively typical approach.

Not surprisingly, Sue Cato, a guest on the ABC's The Drum, toes the Lefty line by saying that the BCA suggestion is "unlikely to get a lot of support". The Daily Telegraph's Joe Hildebrand jumps on the anti-business bandwagon as does Antony Loewenstein, who says that the proposal doesn't deserve the support of anyone.

Well, surprise, surprise:

The Australian Human Rights Commission's disability discrimination commissioner has backed calls to get people off the disability pension and back into work.

So, the BCA's call for a review of disability pension entitlements isn't at all outrageous. And many working Australians might seriously doubt that drug users and alcoholics should have perpetual entitlement to disability pensions.

Update The Drum also considers the impact on Private Bradley Manning of Julain Assange's decision to continue releasing confidential cables apparently provided by Manning. It is pointed out that Wikileaks and Assange have virtually ignored Manning, concentrating instead on Assange's claim that he is a victim of a political vendetta – click the link and pick up the discussion at 29:45. Antony Loewenstein attempts to discuss the issues but has no clue.

Update II Four Corners investigates Manning's plight:

While WikiLeaks boss Julian Assange has been cast as a heroic champion of free speech, his ongoing expose of US foreign policy would not have been possible without the work of Private Bradley Manning. It was Manning who allegedly stole the classified documents published by WikiLeaks. It is Manning who now languishes in a US military prison.

Now reporter Quentin McDermott tells the inside story of Bradley Manning and his daring intelligence heist.

Extended interviews of Assange, Daniel Domscheit-Berg and others are available here.