good morninghappy Sunday! Today on #Insiders are Jennifer Hewitt (AFR national affairs), Lanai Scarr (Westralian political chief) and Pat Karvelas (ABC radio and TV). The interview is with Nats deputy David Littleproud.
This thread is not fact-checked.

first ever all-woman #Insiders panel afaik.
In completely separate news, Speers was mega-ratioed for his government comms assistance this week.

“case numbers are falling”, Speers calls the success of stage four restrictions in Victoria, “a whiff of better news”. #Insiders

Speers then conflates the success of stage four restrictions in Victoria in bringing down case numbers with “hope” the “prime minister wants”. And moves straight onto Premiers’ health-based border closures decisions, which Speers calls “the federation”. #Insiders

the montage has an uplifting - *hopeful* - soundtrack with a repeating riff that goes “things can only get better”. Lots of Liberal and National politicians and their journo echo chambers talking about how business wants borders opened #Insiders

#WantThePapersSay: Australians “stranded” overseas - this framing is a conflation mechanism for confusing and pushing the internal borders campaign - and #NTVotes. Footage of Labor Chief Minister Gunner declaring confidence that he can form government #Insiders

we cross to the ABC NT correspondent and Speers then gives his editorial on #NTVotes and borders. He says the result will “encourage” Anastasia Palaszczuk to keep Qld borders closed, which is pure speculation. He then invited Hewitt to speculate along the same lines #Insiders

the panel are in furious agreement that border closure discussion should minimise health advice and be massively politicised... by a bunch of journos. Hewitt says “nothing” would convince Qld to re-open. Scarr says closures are “popular”. So does Karvelas. #Insiders

the “problem” says Karvelas is that the prime minister can not order Premiers to open borders. She also frames this as a failure of federation. Clip of the PM and his hotspot announcement. It’s about tweaks at most, says Hewitt. Karvelas agreed #Insiders

we are all Australians, says Karvelas. She found a state premier taking about essential services for the people of that state - a thing they do every single day - “jarring” and “outrageous”. After all the Qantas boss wants borders open says Karvelas [paraphrased] #Insiders

Scarr and Speers think that business leaders need to “raise their voice directly with Premiers” about how much they - business leaders - are “suffering”.

Seriously. Personalising the “suffering” of Alan Joyce? That’s the line? #Insiders

the segue to interview with David Littleproud, who got some cut through this week with the sad story of the Victorian farmer with 500 head of cattle in NSW, is a clip of QLD premier saying the feds can stop making business and borders all about Queensland thanks #Insiders

Speers has a go at pinning Littleproud down on the “practicalities” of crossing borders for business purposes. He’s gotten a leak about phone tracking by the sounds. Littleproud says he is open to whatever will get business moving. #Insiders

bunch of talking points from Littleproud, designed to demonise [state public health decisions on] border closures. Sovereignty of the states he says. Leadership. Not Australian. We feel like the forgotten people [Menzies, not a Nat] out here, he whines. #Insiders

federal agriculture dept responsibility for #RubyDutton. When was permission granted for passengers to disembark? Littleproud is getting testy. He tells Speers “what you don’t understand ...is it [timing] doesn’t make any difference” this is a very bad explanation. #Insiders

Speers has some granular detail on the timing of when permission was signed off. Littleproud says it is “very technical” and thus “it is important you let me finish”. When Speers does, Littleproud uses the air to blame NSW Health instead of explain “technical detail” #Insiders

oh ffs. Another journo asking for an apology. We don’t want their cheap #SorryNotSorry apologies, thanks. Resignation is the Westminster mechanism for ministers to to responsibility when their departments fail eg decisions that cause over 600 infections and 20 deaths #Insiders

moving on then. Trade with China. If Speers asked about wine, the most recent follow-up from China in a trade mess caused by Morrison’s blundering “diplomacy”, I missed it #Insiders

clip of PM tying himself in knots to try and avoid responsibility for federal aged care homes. Karvelas pulls NO punches. She says there is no ambiguity, the buck stops with the federal government, it is crystal clear, they need to take full responsibility, and more. #Insiders

that dreadful clip of Colebeck trying to find information on how many aged care residents have passed away from Covid19. It was an embarrassment, says Karvelas, and worse. Scarr calls it a debacle. She agrees the federal government “do need to take responsibility”. #Insiders

hmm furrowed brow from Speers, who repackages this massive federal government fail as “how vulnerable” do you think the government is over aged care?

How vulnerable? The federal government? The Commonwealth? About as “vulnerable” as Alan Joyce is “suffering”??? #Insiders

Lanni did the government overcook things on this [non-existent thing]?
I do think the government overcooked things on the [non-existent thing], says Scarr. She also points VERY usefully, to the failure of creating pre-19 coronavirus vaccines for decades #Insiders

the prime minister was everywhere this week, says Speers with his [slogan] and invites Karvelas to #ScottSplain the one-word Morrison message of the week. She repeats his message multiple times and specifically legitimises it. “It is a legitimate message”, she says. #Insiders

Hewitt is on board with the panel + host consensus here that the PM
1/ “overcooked” the message [he lied].
2/ it was perfectly legitimate for the PM to spruik [the lie] all week because [Liberal Party comms message].
#Insiders

we move on to the ludicrous Morrison + his MPs shifting positions on compulsory/opt in/no jab no play no pay/carrot and stick mumbo jumbo future potential policy settings on [non-existent thing]. This, too, legitimises the Morrison announcement on [non-existent thing].
#Insiders

superannuation. Recall MILLIONS of workers are paying for stimulus to the tune of $30 billion+ with their own money. The Liberals are looking to “postpone” - cancel - the increase in employer contribution. Never waste a good crisis. Favour bosses. Shaft workers. #Insiders

the revolting Liberal Party position of shafting workers in a deep recession is seamlessly moved to what the panel think about internal Labor dynamics. Almost two years out from the next election. During a pandemic. #Insiders.

clip of Charles Firth asking Bill Shorten about the election result in May 2019. During a pandemic. And recession. With federal failures so bad even corporate media have noticed (as mentioned, they call it “federalism”). #Insiders

#TalkingPictures with Cathy Wilcox, who sings a little tune called Hotel Quarantina. #Insiders

[rate limit exceeded]
#FinalObservations Hewitt: border closures are not just about the pandemic. It is also about the AFL.
[Ed: moving sporting fixtures from trad state homes, especially the AFL out of Victoria, ARE about the pandemic.]

#FinalObservations Scarr: looking forward to seeing how well online parliamentary arrangements will work. Will there be bloopers? (Karvelas answers this Q with some Qs of her own and says “buffering!!!” which um watch out for the Turnbull wrath for that Pats). #Insiders

#FinalObservations Karvelas: wouldn’t normally promote 60 minutes but they have an expose on rampant branchstacking (she calls branchstacking “recruitment drive”) in federal Liberal Party seats. Which will put pressure on Frydenberg as most senior Vic Liberal, she says #Insiders

Speers, who is based in Melbourne as well as being an unapologetic Liberal Party apologist, quickly bothsides the rampant branch stacking in federal Liberal Party seats story. Hmmm a busy week on a number of fronts, he says. #Insiders

we go out with excruciating footage of QLD LNP leader Deb Frecklington announcing a new Co-ordinator General to “get Queensland back to work”. Asked who the last CG is, she says um, a man. Told “it’s a woman” she says the previous CG to that was a “very good” man. #Insiders

this has been another edition of watching #Insiders so you don’t have to

tip jar here https://www.paypal.me/IngridMM 

helpful clarification here thank you.

https://twitter.com/thisiphone1/status/1297314585767116800?s=21

and the montage soundtrack details here. Thank you! (the crowd sourcing info function of twitter is one of favourite things) https://twitter.com/nicholashills11/status/1297312324173221888?s=21