Matters related thereto
Roy Morgan has spared the government a new set of poll results this week, presumably holding over last weekend’s face-to-face results for a combined two weeks’ result to be published next week. So here’s some stuff that has accumulated during my recent period of indolence:
• The federal parliament’s Joint Standing Committee of Electoral Matters brought down its report into the 2010 federal election a fortnight ago. One noteworthy innovation is a less pompous report title, “The 2010 Federal Election: Report on the conduct of the election and related matters” replacing the traditional formulation of “Report on the conduct of the (insert year) federal election and matters related thereto”. Antony Green summarises its recommendations here; now that my holidays are over I’ll shortly get around to reviewing it and will have more to say after I’ve fully absorbed it.
• One of the majority report’s recommendations was that the federal government follow the example of New South Wales and Victoria in allowing government records such as drivers licences, vehicle registration and Year 12 school enrolments to be used to automatically update the electoral roll. However, this is opposed in the dissenting JSCEM report from the committee’s Coalition members, for reasons I do not find persuasive. Antony Green has reviewed the impact of such measures in New South Wales since their introduction last year, observing that only 12 per cent of the 70,000 people whose enrolments have been added or updated have taken the trouble to enrol the old-fashioned way for the federal electoral roll. His conclusion: “On the evidence so far, by the time of the next commonwealth election in the second half of 2013, there could be as many as 200,000 voters enrolled for NSW elections and eligible to vote at commonwealth elections who will be missing from the commonwealth roll or be enrolled at the wrong address.”
• Draft electoral redistribution boundaries have recently been published for both our nation’s territory parliaments. Antony Green surveys the results for the Northern Territory here and the Australian Capital Territory here. An ACT redistribution would normally be of minor interest, as the territory is only divided into three electorates for purposes of a regionally based system of proportional representation, but Antony asserts that in this case the changes are radical enough to be of substantial interest, and in particular to put at risk the fourth seat the Greens won at the 2008 election. For the Northern Territory, Antony has calculated new margins for each of the 25 seats, with the caveat that the enormous sitting member factors which result from pocket-sized electorates of 4000 to 5000 voters make party-based margins less reliable than usual.
• There has been much talk lately about the possibility of an incoming Coalition government calling an early double dissolution election should it meet Senate resistance from its efforts to abolish a carbon tax. Tony Abbott’s argument to those concerned about the resulting uncertainty and expense is that opposing its repeal in the Senate would be politically suicidal for a defeated Labor Party, a case pursued by Queensland legal academic James Allan in The Australian.
There was a fair bit of material I had been compiling on Western Australian matters to coincide with a looming quarterly state Newspoll, but I was caught on the hop when it was published a month earlier than I’d anticipated.
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Categories: Federal Politics 2010-, Western Australian Politics
Like the tobacco execs
mining billionaires and
poker machine barons.
by castle on Jul 24, 2011 at 8:55 am
not alwasy victoria
it was pointed out here by BH that she misquoted Tony Windsor,.
by my say on Jul 24, 2011 at 8:56 am
my say
Yes Latika occasionally Misinterprets or misunderstands what she hears
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 8:58 am
touche’
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:00 am
Hi vic
Yes, Mrs BK’s birthday gathering went off very well. Just a family show – 11 around the table for a big roast dinner of pork and lamb.
Still plenty of dishes to do this morning.
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:01 am
Bill Shorten was very, very good this morning.
A very measured performance.
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:02 am
Insiders time its all about the media.
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:02 am
Bk
Great. Too bad about the dishes!
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:03 am
SK
You mean the media interviewing the media?
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:04 am
The trouble is vic that those people and the shock jocks give tactic support to the ongoing fear and loathing being perpetuated.
andy linked multiculturism and muslim immigration to the shootings calling both policies and failure and the shootings a consequence of such.
the linking and reaction brought to mind the head of a right to life movement who initially said of the murder of a security guard at a abortion clinic in australia
well that is what you get when people get passionate about what they believe in.
A guard murdered and only the courage of an individual stopped the mass murder of others as the shooter had planned to lock the doors of the clinic and kill everyone in it.
we have these shock jocks daily whipping up fear, loathing and prejudices, they screen the callers and comments so as to show that they have majority support and their sock puppets post extreme comments on assisinations and actions that they later take down after everyone has had a good read.
by castle on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:07 am
Good morning all.
Good on Cadel for winning that bicycle race in France. Sad news about Amy Winehouse, even though I never warmed to her music. 27 years old! What a waste.
by confessions on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:07 am
Good morning bludgers, and what a fine morning tis.
Super rugby: tick
Netball: tick
Trinations opening match: tick
Tour de France: tick
so whats next?
by Mod Lib on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:09 am
castle
Agreed. This tweet sums it up
These are questions the coalition need to be asked
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:10 am
Tony Abbott: kick
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:10 am
Vic,
This morning they are talking to Mischa Schubert, Dennis Atkins and Michael Stutchbury.
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:10 am
Tony Abbott: kick
I think you may be right but it would need
Julia Gillard: kick
first!
by Mod Lib on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:11 am
castle;
Perhaps the shockjocks and tabloid blow hards should start having second thoughts about their violent rhetoric:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/hate-filled-thug-terrorise-communities-in-northwest-suburbs/story-e6frf7jo-1226100462930
by confessions on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:12 am
Couldn’t resist it Mod Lib.
Have a good day.
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:12 am
confessions
I linked that article last night. I was shocked to be honest
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:13 am
Don’t apologise! It would suit me just fine…
by Mod Lib on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:13 am
victoria:
The stuff in Norway is very scary, esp given the vile and putrid stuff coming out of the Murdoch press, the Liberal party and their shock jock shills. How long until we see a Breivik here in Australia?
by confessions on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:16 am
confessions
If it can happen in Norway, it can happen here
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:17 am
Every sunday on the bolt report.
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:18 am
Ah. Kidette’s back with a vengeance!
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:19 am
Brendan O’Connor’s doing well on Insiders.
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:20 am
SK:
I’d laugh, but it’s too close to the truth!
by confessions on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:21 am
Trust me, Manus Island is ON. PNG will NOT knock back money from Australia to house AS.
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:22 am
The picture of the Oslo idiot in his Freemason regalia says a lot.
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:24 am
confessions,
That is what is so scary. Our illustrious rich mining princess and media prince have happily paid for the biggest, most extreme rightwing nutjob loose on our screens.
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:25 am
Powerful stuff. blue-green would approve.
by confessions on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:26 am
victoria@1742
The scary bit would be gina reinhart buying newscorp’s media in australia.
But any change of ownership would be the ideal time to restrict the 70% penetration of the market – by anyone
by dave on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:28 am
Misha stick it to Stutchbury task about his claims that the govt is inherently unstable.
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:29 am
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-23/norway-did-not-see-far-right-as-27serious-threat27/2807566
Tragic hindsight – security forces spent too long listening to people like Bolt, and not enough time looking at ….people like Bolt.
This was clearly a political attack, and people like Bolt and Jones are fueling the ideological fires of intolerance for unhinged and motivated whackos on the ground. Which is essentially how Al-Qaeda operates as well.
Lets not make the same mistakes here, and fail to take right-wing extremism seriously.
by lefty e on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:29 am
Sutchbury is being more obnoxious than usual this morning,
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:30 am
dave
Gina is a likely candidate, but would it be profitable enough for her?
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:30 am
The OO journalists seem a bit on edge this morning. I wonder why.
by Gary on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:32 am
Sutchbury. Your slip is showing!
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:33 am
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:36 am
Morning Bludgers.
It does make you wonder whether something is or has happened over here, those journos all know it, and are terrified of any inquiry that would put that fact in the public domain.
by Danny Lewis on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:36 am
Yes, Dennis it was opportunistic, BUT long overdue. MSM is a law unto itself and it needs to be put back in its box.
by Space Kidette on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:38 am
Danny Lewis
Are the journos really terrified, or want to use this opportunity to rail against the govt?
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:38 am
If Lachlan buys Roos Aus stuff that would be bye bye Hartigan. No wonder he is shitting himself.
by Gaffhook on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:40 am
There are always “much more important issues for the government” than ones that embarrass the MSM.
by BK on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:40 am
Good morning all.
I have given up trying to catch up with everything so confined myself to the last page. PB has been taking up too much of my time.
Watching Insiders and Misha Schubert is holding her own against the Limited News duo. Atkins is restrained, possibly even reflective, but Sutchbury is in full flight.
by bemused on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:41 am
victoria@1797
Doubt profit would be her motivation. She is after political power without having to get elected. She already has more money than god anyway and will end up with a lot more by just watching it roll into her bank account via china.
by dave on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:42 am
dave
Gina is known to be a stickler for the dollar
by victoria on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:44 am
Just turned Insiders off. The show is a living example of the problem with the media in this country right now…..unbalanced rubbish with a complicit ABC giving it a weekly airing.
by joe2 on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:47 am
Why? Do the two not get on, or would Lachlan prefer to instal his own mob?
by confessions on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:48 am
I haven’t bothered with it. It’s the same every week really.
by confessions on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:49 am
But Melbourne doesn’t have the mad shock jock radio which sprouts the racist diatribe, does it?
by It’s Time on Jul 24, 2011 at 9:49 am