The latest weekly Essential Research survey has Labor’s two-party lead narrowing from 62-38 to 59-41. There are also interesting breakdowns on attitudes to the budget and the retirement age by employment and self-identified social class: office workers think the higher retirement age fair, tradesmen and manual labourers very much the opposite, while class reaction to the budget is how you would traditionally expect with Labor in power. The survey also finds the public slightly more receptive to a senior role for Peter Costello than they were three months ago.
Other news:
• Two challengers have emerged against incumbent Dennis Jensen in the Liberal preselection for Tangney – neither of whom is Matt Brown, who defeated Jensen in the local vote ahead of the 2007 election only to have the result overturned on the intervention of John Howard. Andrew Probyn of The West Australian reports the conteders are Alcoa government relations and public policy manager Libby Lyons, last seen angling for the state seat of Nedlands (and apparently the granddaughter of Joseph Lyons), and Toyota Finance executive Glenn Piggott.
• The ABC reports that Tasmanian David Bartlett has “reconsidered” his original proposal for fixed elections on March 20 after “consultation with key stakeholders”, which hopefully includes Antony Green (the move would have set up a permanent clash with elections in South Australia). He instead proposes to allow a future Premier “flexibility” within a three-month period, similar to what Colin Barnett is advocating in Western Australia. An draft that was being circulated for consultation early in the year allowed for early Legislative Assembly elections if the Legislative Council so much as blocked a bill the Assembly deemed to be “significant”, and provided for an Assembly election in the event of a no-confidence motion or if the Council blocked supply.
• Staying in Tasmania, David Bartlett helpfully puts out a press release each time a Labor candidate is nominated for next year’s state election – the latest being Franklin candidate Kate Churchill, whose role as operations manager of Colony 47 would appear to make her a community organiser in the Barack Obama mould.
• Andrew Landeryou at Vex News runs a scan of an Australian Financial Review report that the Labor national executive “may be asked to run preselections for state seats in the western suburbs of Melbourne to try to defuse factional tensions before the election next year”. As Landeryou puts it, “Some say this is code for a cross-factional and multi-sub-factional agreement that the member for Keilor George Seitz be encouraged to retire”, following the state Ombudsman’s recent probings into Brimbank City Council and their bearing on the state preselection for the 2008 Kororoit by-election. Landeryou raises his eyebrows at the assertion that the arrangement’s backers, said to include Kim Carr of the Left and Bill Shorten of the Right, want preselection for Brendan O’Connor’s federal seat of Gorton taken out of local hands, as there as been no suggestion he might be troubled.
• Writing in The Australian’s weekly State of the Nation wrap-up of state politics, Imre Salusinszky returns to a favourite theme: the unlikelihood of an early federal election given the need for “mini-redistributions” if the redistributions for New South Wales and Queensland are yet to be finalised. In particular, he notes that a mini-redistribution would have to create three Coalition seats from two (Fadden and Moncrieff) in Queensland, while merging two Labor seats (Sydney and Lowe) in New South Wales – as well as giving the Coalition a stick with which to beat Labor for calling an election under such inopportune circumstances.
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Rudd had better be on his toes lest he do a Gordon Brown in PMQ lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5stftd5qv3M
Gus, Jenkins needs hazardous duty pay
Perhaps Turnbull is so frightened of upsetting the applecart that he feels that he cannot tack the risk of dumping Coonan.
It would be a bit odd if he only did her in when there are couple of other Opposition competitors for the title of ‘Complete Waste of Taxpayer’s Money’.
No 1850
Coalition ministers don’t believe in spending an egregious amount of money without so much as a cost-benefit analysis. They also don’t believe in providing things the private sector is perfectly able to.
It is also not the Government’s job to keep broadband prices low.
Or we could have a Musical Question time ala Wayne and Schuster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OwUW5_7N94
I haven’t seen Keenan come close to landing a blow on Gillard yet. Dutton’s performance on alcopops was abysmal, but that’s probably not his fault. You should promote Senator Cormann, too, he seems quite smart (if you don’t mind his German accent).
Why stop at adopting Brit QT? Their system of MP rorting seems to be somewhat more satisfying as well. My fav was the 1600 pound duck house. The spruiker of same assured the BBC that the duck houses work. Ducks like to breed in them. This puts some of the rort spending ahead of some other Government spending.
No 1851
Glen, the problem is that Rudd actually believes he saved the world.
Sometimes i yell at the teev and tell him he should kick the lot out and have em scrub the streets, the scrubbers
But then, he sits,zen like, and gives a little smile and brings calm to proceedings.
I personally think the speakers job is the hardest, in a well run and fair parliament.
To wit
“Enemy of all
friend of none
until my job is done”
C 2009
GP
You may have been o/s and missed it but there was a certain $10billion Water Package that was done on the back of an envelope, apparently egregiously.
True GP lol
That’s not his job Adam his job is to keep a low profile and not antagonise her or make IR an issue and he’s been successful.
a propos an earlier discussion on MPs employing rellies, Kirkbride has just indicated that she will not be standing for the next election. She genuinely thought she did not wrong but apparently employing her sister or some other nepotic is now electoral poison.
Show me a cost / benefit analysis for the introduction of television into Australia.
Or even better, show us the cost / benefit analysis for the Alice to Darwin rail way. Of course you can’t because that is a completely unprofitable railway line!
If the private sector alone was willing to build an NBN, it would’ve already done it.
Instead, we need a government to pay for some of it, you know, like the telephone, electricity, sewer, water, gas, and road and rail networks.
Typical Liberal that has absolutely no idea of the concept of public good.
Makes me weep seeing David Cameron’s performance in QT and comparing that with what we have with Malcolm Turnbull
That railway is a public bad.
No 1865
So is broadband to unprofitable areas.
It was nice of Pyne to conditionally accept the precedent set in 2006 by his own speaker until he has a bit more time to think about it.
What a tribute to Gillard that a “successful” shadow minister is one who can keep out of her way! May you have many more such successful shadows, Glen! Why not just leave a set of potted palms on the Oppo benches and go on holidays until Kevin, Julia, Wayne and Lindsay have all retired?
Boerwar 1853, I would actually WORRY about Turnbull if he got up the nerve to chuck one of his front bench (as opposed to shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic)(and the higher profile the person, the more I would be concerned). If he’s suddenly developed a backbone, then he’s become dangerous and an unknown quantity to the ALP as opposed to the present version which we know well as someone who has no courage and nerve
Yes, Coonan is awful, but that’s pretty much describes the entire Liberal front bench.
juliem
Krool. But you never know. He might do a last weekend’s Laidley.
Try telling that to the Nationals who are whinging at only getting Wireless rather than Fibre to areas with less than a 1000 residents ?
And does anyone else stand up in parliament for more useless points of order than Chris Pyne?
GP
I am very curious. Is the ‘Prime Elephant’ a reference to the matriarchal structure of elephant society?
Treasury is backing Swan because Swan is the Treasurer and it’s their job.
Anyway Dutton and Keenan will both be very lucky to be in the next Parliament. Unless Dutton gets a good redistribution he will in grave danger in Dickson. And with Carpenter gone there will probably be some sort of swing back to Labor in WA, which will keep Keenan busy hanging onto Stirling.
1873…Tuckey?
Frank
I agree. If someone really wanted to tell them something, they could always try telling the Nats over the phone.
I believe it is a reference to size of brain versus bodymass
Psephos
A propos serial parliamentary bad boys/girls… what is the longest time anyone has ever been kicked out for?
Well, Hugh Mahon was actually expelled in 1921.
But apart from that, I don’t know. Someone was kicked out for a week last year, but I forget who. (Two namings in a week gets you a week in the bin.)
It is unprofitable to post a letter to region and remote areas! But since it is so cheap for Australia Post to send mail between capital cities, they are able to cross subsidise packages being sent to remote and rural areas for the same stamp price.
No 1870
Rubbish. The most awful senator in the history of the parliament is Senator Conroy.
Psephos
Thanks.
There ought to be a swing back to Labor in WA next time, so that’d make Swan, Cowan and Canning possible gains for Rudd, to off set a few losses elsewhere(Robertson, Dawson, Corangamite?).
GP
If it isn’t the martriarchal elephant thing is it just another cultural accretion? Are you really the sensitive face of Rush?
Shows On
I am confused. Are you arguing, in line with GP, that posting a letter to Armata is a public bad?
I don’t see why Dawson would be at risk. I expect a further swing to Labor in Qld. We southern cynics may find Bidgood’s religious views weird but in North Qld weird religious views are probably a plus. They like eccentrics up there.
Corangamite is rapidly filling up with Labor voters as Geelong expands southward and the Surf Coast towns grow. On these boundaries it will get steadily better for Labor.
I have no comment on Robertson.
Deakin too Evan…
I think at worst we’ll lose Cowan and Swan.
With a 2 termer in Stirling if he’s been a good local member he should hold on after all he got a .1% swing against him in the Ruddslide of 07.
No, I am pointing that that some aspects of a public good – like a postal or telephone network – may not be profitable, but the really profitable parts more than compensate for the parts that never turn a profit. The same deal would apply for a national broadband network.
But of course, G.P. thinks that we should have an NBN network in areas that are profitable (e.g. inner metro areas) and no NBN network in areas that may not be profitable for many years, if ever.
To be consistent G.P. would have to propose shutting down the postal network in areas that aren’t profitable.
Astrobleme and Bird of Paradox;
in case you didn’t see yet in the sports section, Cousins was named in Richmond’s team so Harvey’s promise to sic Stephen Hill on him will come to pass
If Peter Lindsay and Bob Baldwin don’t contest the next election, Labor is a good chance of picking up Herbert and Paterson.
ah,,, luckily, for the Bush, GP is not PM
*goes*
Is anybody running for pre-selection in Bradfield??
Glen, I thought they were trying to butter up Mark Taylor for that gig?
Glen,
Arthur Sinodinis allegedly and Tom Switzer.
I believe Arthur Sinodinos is running.
Arthur Sinodinis and Tom Switzer
Artie is too old and Switzer is a hack why cant we get people who would be Ministers/potential leaders in a safe seat!
Sinodinis is of course great young talent, in the Andrew Robb mould.
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