Reflections on the Miracle of Democracy at Work in the Greatest Nation on Earth

Newspoll: 53-47 to Labor in Queensland

A very well timed Newspoll survey of 752 respondents shows Anna Bligh’s Labor government looking well placed with a 53-47 lead on two-party preferred – although this may be based on an unduly generous preference estimate. On the primary vote, Labor holds a narrow lead of 43 per cent to 42 per cent. This marks a correction from an aberrant looking result in the last quarter of 2008, when Labor led 45 per cent to 37 per cent (57-43 on two-party preferred). Normally Newspoll’s Queensland surveys are quarterly, with samples of over 1000 – obviously this one been cut short and rushed into service.

212 Comments

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  1. 151
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 1:14 pm | Permalink

    When was the last time a State leader lead their Party to three successive election defeats?

  2. 152
    Antony GREEN
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    Almost certainly Frank Nicklin and he went on to be Premier of Queensland for decade.

  3. 153
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    Good point Diogenes,

    IN Queensland Sir Frank Nicklin worked and chiped away from 1943 until 1957 to achieve Government for the Country Party so it can happen with even more than three attempts. I think that lack of Loyalty in its leader lead to the National Party losing support in later periods.

  4. 154
    Diogenes
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 1:25 pm | Permalink

    Wow! I looked Frank Nicklin up and he lost five successive elections as leader over a 16 year period. And then to go on to be premier for ten years is pretty amazing. He must have been a remarkable guy.

  5. 155
    Antony GREEN
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 1:26 pm | Permalink

    Mind you Paul, he did become Premier after the unusual situation where Premier Vince Gair and all but one member of his cabinet were expelled from the Labor Party. Such spectacular splits don’t happen too often in politics.

  6. 156
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 1:32 pm | Permalink

    Lets not also forget Antony the gentleman he was afterall Vince Gair offered him the Deputy Premiership of a QLP_Country Party Coalition Government but he stood for Loyalty to his Liberal Party Junior collegues who would soon try and cut his troat with the beginning of the three-cornered contests in the 1960’s.

  7. 157
    Antony GREEN
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:17 pm | Permalink

    Shades of Peter Beattie in the last days of a Joh Bjelke-Petersen!

    As for the rise of 3-cornered constest, the reason they didn’t happen before Nicklin became Premier was because Queensland used first-past-the-post voting at the time. Nicklin knew that with first past the post voting, the ALP-QLP split would guarantee Coalition victory, as it did.

    Both the Liberal and Country Parties wanted preferential voting exactly so they could again compete agianst each other, so it’s a bit rich to say the Liberals were trying to cut his throat. Both parties wanted preferential voting exactly so they could again compete against each other.

  8. 158
    The Finnigans
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:37 pm | Permalink

    Showson when moved form my hometown of Toowoomba to Sydney in the early 1990s I relised where the majority of ethnics lived and its not in sunny Brisbane its in the Southern capitals. I remember travelling in the train to work every morning from Strathfield to Town Hall and they were everywhere. I’m so lucky I came back to Queensland I feel a lot more comfortable and secure.

    #139, Are we talking about the world of 2009 or 1869?

    they were everywhere

    yes like germs, they were everywhere.

  9. 159
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:40 pm | Permalink

    yes like germs, they were everywhere.

    They must be everywhere, the LNP even pre-selects them to run for parliament!

  10. 160
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:46 pm | Permalink

    Antony Green @ 157

    You can’t compare the circumstances between Vince Gair’s polite offer to Frank Nicklin following the 1957 ALP split in QLD to form a stable Government to Peter Beattie trying to use an manipulate a hurt, fragile and vunerable Sir Joh in his attempt to bring down the Ahern National Party Government.

    Sir Joh had experienced a year from hell in 1987 in his attempt to rid Australia from the A and B flickpass he loved Queensland and thought the Australian way should be the Queensland way to try and compare these two events is most disturbing.

  11. 161
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:50 pm | Permalink

    Both the Liberal and Country Parties wanted preferential voting exactly so they could again compete agianst each other, so it’s a bit rich to say the Liberals were trying to cut his throat. Both parties wanted preferential voting exactly so they could again compete against each other.

    And then ignorance comes along en masse after the Frome by-election where Libs whinge over Brock winning on Labor prefs.

  12. 162
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:55 pm | Permalink

    Anyway enough tripping back into the past the new look LNP is fresh with a new vision and new ideas to take Queensland further to the right and make the Sunshine State shine above all the states throughout Australia and maybe some in the United States itself.

  13. 163
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:56 pm | Permalink

    LNP and ALP won’t preference Pauline Hanson:
    http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/hanson-wont-get-preferences/2009/02/25/1235237704234.html

  14. 164
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:59 pm | Permalink

    Anyway enough tripping back into the past the new look LNP is fresh with a new vision and new ideas to take Queensland further to the right

    New branding, same stale vision. Parties win by moving to the centre, not to the extremes.

  15. 165
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 2:59 pm | Permalink

    Will you still be posting here when the LNP lose the election?

  16. 166
    Winston
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 3:00 pm | Permalink

    Dio @ 151

    Clyde Holding lost the 70/73/76 Victorian elections.

    And I think his predecessor Clive Stoneham lost the previous 3.

  17. 167
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 3:36 pm | Permalink

    WOW! Pyne gets warned for the third day in a row!

  18. 168
    dovif
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 3:40 pm | Permalink

    Paul Nash

    I agree completely, we should put a fence around Queenland and kick out all those smelly ethnics

    We should start with Anne Bligonski, Lawrence Springbogwitz, all Qld school kids should be taught Mein Kumf, we will need to invite the communist in. But if they were Chinese, we will have to kick them out again

    We will all wear white conehead as well, I love Qld

  19. 169
    dovif
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 3:40 pm | Permalink

    Paul Nash

    I agree completely, we should put a fence around Queenland and kick out all those smelly ethnics

    We should start with Anne Bligonski, Lawrence Springbogwitz, all Qld school kids should be taught Mein Kumf, we will need to invite the communist in. But if they were Chinese, we will have to kick them out again

    We will all wear white conehead as well, I love Qld

  20. 170
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 3:40 pm | Permalink

    Wrong thread ShowsOn ;)

  21. 171
    centaur009
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:02 pm | Permalink

    Anna Bligh is likeable- I like her too. They will win and lose about 6 – 9 seats

  22. 172
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:05 pm | Permalink

    Yes. Anna Bligh is new and fresh. Lawrence Springborg is old and stale.

  23. 173
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:10 pm | Permalink

    One thing that voters in Queensland should be reminded of this election is that in the 20 years that Labor has dominated Queensland Politics they rarely run their full three years.
    In 1992 Goss went early by three months
    In 1995 Goss went early by two months
    In 2001 Beattie went early by four months
    in 2006 Beattie went early by five months
    and in 2009 Bligh goes early by six months

    Should Queensland voters reward Labor for not running their full three years I don’t think so its time for change. LABORS GOT TO GO

  24. 174
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:15 pm | Permalink

    LABORS GOT TO GO

    Wasn’t that Hewson’s rallying call in the 1993 election?

  25. 175
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:18 pm | Permalink

    Yes we were in a midst of a recession then and where certainly in one now

    LABORS GOT TO GO

  26. 176
    ruawake
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:22 pm | Permalink

    No Paul the recession is a peripheral issue – get with the script. ;)

  27. 177
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:25 pm | Permalink

    Thats right after 10 years of boom just before a recession hits Labor in Queensland as left the state broke with little room to fight a Recession. Its just Socialism and its just not right weve suffered for long enough we need a strong direction and sense of right wing purpose.

  28. 178
    Paul Nash
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:26 pm | Permalink

    LABORS GOT TO GO

  29. 179
    scorpio
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:26 pm | Permalink

    Paul Nash, your post at 118 had this accusation. It is blatantly false. Please provide “ANY” proof that what you claim here contains even a remote semblance of truth.

    Recently a new rail line and port was approved by the State Government in Central Queensland this project was rejected by Federal Environment minister Peter Garrett and not a word of Protest from Premier Bligh. The Shoalhaven development would have provided thousands of jobs for people in the Rockhampton area crying out for employment.

  30. 180
    scorpio
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm | Permalink

    Paul Nash, please have a read of the following link. It applies to YOU!!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

  31. 181
    ShowsOn
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:34 pm | Permalink

    LABORS GOT TO GO

    PEOPLE WHO CAN’T USE APOSTROPHES HAVE GOT TO GO!

  32. 182
    centaur009
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:36 pm | Permalink

    Surely Scorpio you can’t be getting offended by the Nash. In all seriousness, labor has it in the bag but how many seats are they likely to lose and how many to gain. what are the mrginals seriously at play?

  33. 183
    scorpio
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:42 pm | Permalink

    centaur009 @ 182,

    I don’t any of that is of concern to Mr Nash. His only concern appears to be to disrupt the thread with multiple, inflamatory comments which he hopes will get a response from posters who take the thread seriously and put forward sensible, well throughout comments which address the subject of the thread.

  34. 184
    scorpio
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 4:45 pm | Permalink

    I don’t (think)any of that…

    No, not offended at all, centaur009. I do though, think that Mr Nash is just wasting his time and William’s bandwidth.

  35. 185
    dovif
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:00 pm | Permalink

    Shows on

    I think he meant both Labor party have to go, both state and federal

  36. 186
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:07 pm | Permalink

    Paul Nash, that’s because QLD doesn’t have fixed terms, like federal.

    In federal politics, the last election to be called following a completion of the entire term was the 1910 election.

  37. 187
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:11 pm | Permalink

    Paul Nash, please learn the difference between a budget deficit and a recession. You’re a National so I can understand why you might have trouble grasping the concept, so here goes.

    No state has recorded two quarters of negative growth. No states are in a recession (at least, one doesn’t spring to mind). The budgets have all gone in to deficit around the country because tax income has declined sharply. Look at the Liberal/National government in WA – it is also going in to a deficit because of this very reason. Should we assume WA Labor was superior to the WA Lib/Nats just because Labor ran a surplus whole the WA Libs/Nats are going in to deficit? No, governments don’t control the economy, the market does. And if you still think they do, you would probably pay for the bear patrol tax because the rock is keeping bears away.

    Idiot.

  38. 188
    dovif
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:21 pm | Permalink

    bob1234

    How do you explain Kevin Rudd spending $22 billion of our money on short term stimulus then, he thinks he can control the economy and prevent 300,000 job losses.

  39. 189
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:29 pm | Permalink

    A government can attempt to influence the economy, but they cannot control it. Cash handouts are the short term stimulus, and the infrastructure spending is the medium and long term stimulus. The IMF, the RBA, the OECD, the Senate enquiry, and 95% of economists support the stimulus package that the Rudd government has proposed, which is very similar to the Obama package.

    It’s a better recipe than a Liberal government which would just cut spending everywhere. Look what happened when they did that in the Great Depression.

  40. 190
    dovif
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:35 pm | Permalink

    No not similar to the Obama package at all, the obama package offer tax cut to all people who lodge tax, only those who does not lodge gets handout

    This is because tax cut is a quick but longer term stimulus

  41. 191
    ruawake
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:36 pm | Permalink

    No not similar to the Obama package at all, the obama package offer tax cut to all people who lodge tax...

    Wrong :P

  42. 192
    bob1234
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:41 pm | Permalink

    dovif, unlike the US, the Rudd government already has tax cuts being implemented every year. It was an election committment. So tax cuts are already there.

    Not to mention the IMF, the RBA, the OECD, the Senate enquiry, and 95% of economists all agree that tax cuts are not a good economic stimulus.

  43. 193
    Fargo61
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 6:00 pm | Permalink

    The Daylight Saving Party (DS4SEQ) had previously announced that they would stand candidates in 69 seats, but has now announced that it “plans to field candidates in 20 to 30 seats, including Indooroopilly, Chatsworth, and electorates on the Gold Coast”.

    “The only other single-issue party on the Queensland ticket, The Fishing Party (Qld), has pulled out of the race. Party leader Kevin Collins blamed a legal dispute with its rival, The Fishing Party, which was registered in NSW eight years ago and has asked the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to deregister the newer Queensland namesake.”

    http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25103217-5018775,00.html

    Meanwhile, The Greens currently have 31 candidates listed on their website.

    The Family First website is not currently showing candidates, although they have previously announced some in various local (eg – Quest) newspapers.

  44. 194
    Socrates
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 8:35 pm | Permalink

    Paul Nash seems to share a similar IQ to his beloved Borg. How proud he must be.

    Then again, perhaps its just a Qld coalition thing. I loved this story about the coalition candidate in a Brisbane seat who installed the solar panels on his roof facing south:
    http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25100679-5018787,00.html

    The really funny thing is that the installer said he was instructed to install them that way! Genius.

  45. 195
    soyaking
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 9:11 pm | Permalink

    I don’t profess to be Nostradamus, but judging by how things are going at the moment I don’t see a change in government, even though ALP will lose a swag of seats. I think the end result will be a Bligh majority of something in the order of eight to fourteen seats.

    Pauline Hanson has not a televangelist’s chance in Nimbin of winning Beaudesert; if she had even a two-digit IQ she should have selected a different electorate.

  46. 196
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 10:18 pm | Permalink

    “Murray McNaught, manager of Infinity Solar, which installed the system facing south at Mr Pollard’s request, said the panels were generating enough power to run the campaign office but he could not predict how efficient they would be during winter.”

    Winter? In Qld? Why weren’t we told?

  47. 197
    Albert Ross
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 10:36 pm | Permalink

    Adam

    Are you actually mellowing? That was funny.

  48. 198
    Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 11:05 pm | Permalink

    Albert Ross, do you come with a wafer?

  49. 199
    dyno
    Posted Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 7:46 am | Permalink

    In federal politics, the last election to be called following a completion of the entire term was the 1910 election.

    Bob, unless you are playing some obscure word game, that statement is clearly wrong. The 2007 federal election was more than three years after the 2004 one.

  50. 200
    dyno
    Posted Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 7:48 am | Permalink

    Whatever the faults of Colin Barnett, he’s no Springborg. Springborg’s not electable in the Brisbane seats that he would need to win.

    This ain’t going to be WA all over again.

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