This week’s Essential Research survey has Labor’s lead at 60-40, up from 59-41 last week. Also featured are interesting findings on development of nuclear power plants for electricity generation (43 per cent support, 35 per cent oppose) and whether Australia has an obligation to dispose of nuclear waste from countries it exports uranium to (26 per cent agree, 53 per cent disagree), along with perceptions of the Australian-US relationship and a quiz question on Australia Day (which makes me wonder how many answered without recourse to Google). Other news:
• The South Australian Liberals have suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of independent Geoff Brock in the Frome by-election following Saturday’s distribution of preferences. Crikey subscribers can read my post-mortem here, and a still lively discussion is raging on my live coverage post. The Advertiser reports that Brock’s success might give other potential independent candidates ideas, including “ALP stalwarts such as Rod Sawford and Murray Delaine”, who were respectively Labor members for the federal seat of Port Adelaide and the state seat of Cheltenham. Liberal leader Martin Hamilton-Smith says he is “ready to make deals with any independent candidate who ran next year in safe Labor seats such as Port Adelaide, Croydon, Lee and Colton”.
• Speculation about an early Queensland election continues to stop and start. Mark Bahnisch of Larvatus Prodeo says the Courier-Mail has damaged its credibility with its repeated wolf-crying on the subject, while The Australian’s D. D. McNicoll contends that “the whisper in Queensland political circles is Premier Anna Bligh will call the state election on February 28, a date that ensures bumper superannuation payouts for all the surviving members of the ALP’s ‘Class of 2001′ who were never expected to serve more than one term in parliament.” “Former Howard government senior adviser” David Moore surveys the landscape in The Australian.
• The NSW Nationals’ plans to select a candidate in a winnable seat for the 2011 state election by holding an open primary has caught the attention of blogger Tim Andrews, who is “unsure why this proposal hasn’t received more attention, as it has the potential to revolutionise Australian politics”. Ben Raue at The Tally Room reckons the idea is “at least a good gimmick”. The Nationals’ briefing paper on the subject can be read here.
• Western Australia’s daylight saving referendum will be held on May 16. Daylight saving was previously voted down in 1975 (53.66 per cent against), 1984 (54.35 per cent) and 1992 (53.14 per cent).
519 Comments
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Ron you’re a worry sometimes but we luv you anyway
make that “secret amigo bussiness”
I just love this.
John Thain of Merrill Lynch was to chair a session on “The future of Banks” at the Davos economic Summit. The session was cancelled because John Thain has no future as he was sacked by Bank of America this week:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/27/john-thain-subpoenaed-over-bonuses
And the Banks also have no future because they all have been nationalised.
In the Governments we trust.
Amigo, are you trying to steal the crown from Diog?
Ron, calm down mate it’s fine, Vera has my email addy now, she couldnt be offended at the glowing reference you gave her, besides maybe one day in the future i’m going to help her feed the possums, cheers Judy.
Judith WA workers might also regret voting the Libs in if they get all their rights taken off them and are forced onto individual contracts. This sentence from Sniffer says it all really
And as unemployment grows and more people are desperate for work the bosses will be given a free reign by the Libs to pay a pittance and treat workers how they see fit.
Is the same going to happen in NSW as WA if the ALP gov gets defeated next election?
People should be very careful how they vote.
somehow i wouldnt be a WA voter right now, i have visions of them in a slave line being lashed to work—weeeel maybe thats my over active imagination at work, any way i hope that Rudd can overrule them, at least Howard’s stomping on the states rights will come in handy.
You misspelt “sweet” as t-h-e.
The IMFs chief economist says on AM.
“OLIVIER BLANCHARD: The key here is to design packages which provide maximum boost to demand very soon. That tends to argue in the current context for measures focused on spending rather than taxes. Measures focused on taxes tend to have less effect in the short run than measures which increase spending.”
But unfortunately Turnbull had sided with an American Guru (equal but opposite) who says Tax cuts good.
He backed the wrong horse – but will not admit it. Now the IMF has it wrong. Lets add that to the RBA, Treasury, ACCC. I wonder if it will dawn on Malcolm that he is the one that is wrong?
Dec 30, 2008 – 1:08:08 PM
Olivier Blanchard, IMF Economic Counsellor/Chief Economist
“The IMF (International Monetary Fund) said on Monday that tax cuts in response to global slowdown should favour spenders not savers and it called for big spending measures.
Across-the-board tax cuts or bail-outs of embattled industries such as the motor sector are likely to waste government money while doing little to stimulate the global economy, the IMF warned.”
But Malcolm Turnbull says ” Mr Swan is ignoring that the IMF supported tax cuts just a week ago.”
Ooops No Mr Turnbull they did not – they have been entirely consistent. Unlike you.
For all those too sweltered by the heat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MLbk7UeWfI&feature=PlayList&p=71A7040CAE44332A&playnext=1&index=3
GG
Yep its hot got the ceiling fans on today – Only had to use the air-con for 8 days this summer.
Qld perfect one day – perfect the next. Thats why the new census report shows a 133% increase in dwellings in SW Qld since the last census.
Ooops SE Qld.
bluddy hell ruawake, come over here and find out what hot is, no need to fire up the barbie, just use the cement as a cooktop.
And here in Vic Judith. You South Aussies have to share everything even your bloody hot weather.
Yes Gary us Melbournians get everything SA gets a day later and 2 days after WA grrrr…stupid global warming jj…
Still im still glad i bought my new TV instead of an air-con…despite being bloody hot.
on the ch9 news Turnbull said IMF supported his idea of tax cuts and Swan was wrong, laurie Oakes immediately said Turnbull was wrong and IMF supported Swans policies, Turnbull’s a nutter if he keeps this up.
I hope you Victorians are giving Bolt hell about the record heatwave. Every day it rains he says it’s proof global warming isn’t happening.
Did anyone see the Today Tonight tonight going over the old argument about Rudd going overseas so much. They threw everything but the kitchen sink at him as to why he shouldn’t be going, including what a cc hypocrite he was. They quoted figures, given by the opposition showing how much pollution he has pushed into the air. (Oh, the holes in that argument).
I got the feeling most of this “investigation” (as they called it) was done before Rudd was to go away and before he cancelled and was designed to have a go while he was overseas. They had to acknowledge at the end that he had cancelled the trip and they read out a statement from the government which talked about the GFC and the need for Rudd to travel, saying that you couldn’t just sit at home and watch CNN.
Gary, my aircon is battling being evaporative but at least though not cold it’s bearable, anyway didnt it start your way? sigh it’s all the governments fault.
Yeah Gary,
It’s so hot the trees are whistling the dogs.
Dio, the joke was that on 3AW (where a person’s job must rest on them being a CC sceptic) people were criticising those that use this heat to show that CC is real. I had to laugh.
it hasnt been on here yet Gary, i’ll make sure not to miss it, red Kerry should be back next week, i think that woman {cant remember her name} is trying to make a name for herself while Kerry’s been away, she talks over whoever she’s interviewing anyway to try and get a “gotcha” but she’s not good enough.
370 Greensborough Growler – LOL
Still while we suffer 40 degree days, US/Canada and Europe have suffered through some of the worst winters on record…i guess they cancel each other out.
No.
They’re both symptoms of the same thing. Have a read of the IPCC reports.
Oz,
Glen’s waiting for the movie to come out.
Chris Uhlman just called Malcolm Turnbull an economic “expert”.
I almost threw up.
Still if you believe half the lies Al Gore sprouted in his doco then i guess what is the point of reading more of them…
So now Turnbull and Bishop’s tax cut mantra has been blown out of the water (at least Ms Bishop mentioned company tax – Malcolm has not to the best of my knowledge) what next.
Well Malc was in Qld where the only thing the opposition can say is LNP-LNP-LNP so he has pinched this and changed it to JOBS-JOBS-JOBS.
I can’t wait for question time next week – will Ms Bishop survive?
Rua when will somebody else be Treasurer instead of Swan…the stock markets would gain 10% if they knew someone other than Swan was pulling the fiscal strings…
So Buswell has shown that the WA Liberals are determined to keep the spirit of SerfChoices alive. This confirms what I’ve heard members of the federal government say in Question Time: that the Liberal Party remains welded to industrial relations extremism. I don’t believe for a moment when they say that “WorkChoices is dead”. Fiberals.
If they are genuine about fire-at-will by the employer, then why did the Liberal Party (employer) keep Buswell on after details of his chair-sniffing and bra-strap-snapping became known? If it was any other employer he would have been dismissed for harassment and the Liberals would have supported the employer all the way, and rightly so.
Yet Buswell was not only not sacked or asked to stand down when news of the scandal broke. He actually survived a leadership spill!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/new-stink-kicked-up-over-chair-sniffer/2008/05/06/1209839619603.html
If not chair-sniffing, just what does the Liberal Party consider a ‘WorkChoiceable’ offence when it comes to one of their own?
Glen
Someone else will be treasurer when Swan decides he has had enough or your mob win a Federal Election.
The longer he stays the sooner the latter will occur IMHO rua…
WTF?????? Was this on ABC news?
Glen
Can you tell me what a Liberal Treasurer would have done differently to Swan? Given the current circumstances?
“No merchant banker would live in poverty’.
Speaking of treasurers. Well, ex-treasurers, here’s Ross Gittins on Peter Costello:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Ross-Gittins/Will-Costellos-budget-force-Reserves-hand/2005/05/13/1115843370320.html
Al Gore has nothing to do with the IPCC. But of course, you know more than climate scientists.
Yes, lead story.
Ruawake all they would have had to have done is sound more competent and they’d be ahead of Swan….it isnt hard…but it is for Swan…
Their Bank Deposit unlimited guarantee was a joke…
Stephen Long asks a good question – Why are we all of a sudden marching to the beat of the IMF? They’ve caused more problems and bankrupted more economics than even this economic crisis will.
Cuppa, the reason he survived the spill was because no-one else was there to take the leadership at the time.
IIRC.
Surely the phrase was “Turnbull who many see as an economic expert” or “The LIberla Party hopes Turnbull’s image as an economic expert…”??
Senate estimates is on in a couple weeks. No doub tthe LNP will grill the ABC over bias. The ALP never bothers. Maybe they should…. Nah, stay above it all.
OK Glen
The Bank Deposit scheme was a “joke”. This seems to have slipped off Malcolm and Julie’s radar. So OK for the sake of discussion. But it has not caused the crisis predicted.
What next?
“Wayne Swan is arguing against tax cuts. However, economic experts (camera on Turnbull walking) disagree.” Cut to Turnbull saying “Taxcuts are stimulatory etc.” No credible economists to cite, Uhlman? Have to create a fake economic debate?
For what it’s worth:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24584219-36418,00.html
Glen the answers are easy.
Payments to pensioners?
Payments to families?
First Home Buyers?
Local Govts?
What would the rabble do differently?
tax cuts?
Bad news Glen, the IMF disagree.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24978648-36418,00.html
Now that’s a fact, not a prediction!
Yep thats about it, but Malcolm does not have the “fortitude” to say he means company tax cuts.
I guess Crosby-Textor has told him that people will not buy company tax cuts, even though it may be the correct thing to do. Ms Bishop has no problem in mentioning them, why won’t Malcolm?
I have been banging on about this for a few days – your mob wants to reduce company tax but Malcolm does not have the chestnuts to say so.
ruawake,
I think you’re thinking of Julie Bishop not Malcolm with that “chestnut” sledge.
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