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
GO CADEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:46 am
Cadel!
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:46 am
Go Cadel!
by Socrates on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:47 am
Schleck stays with him damn
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:47 am
CADEL EVENS USE YOUR SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS AND SOME SPOKIE DOKIES!
by ShowsOn on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:47 am
Contador and Sanchez now cannot win the TDF
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:48 am
Frank is gone though. Cadel in second.
by Socrates on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:48 am
They have drug tests for that sort of thing now.
by It’s Time on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:48 am
Cadel & Andy catching Alberto slowly.
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:49 am
Looks like its going to be Andy v Cadel in the time trial tomorrow for the TDF win
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:49 am
Well done, Roland!
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:50 am
French stage win at long last
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:50 am
Cadel cant let Andy get away from him at the end. If anything needs to cross thew line ahead of him
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:51 am
Well there you go, its all down to 57 seconds in the TT!
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:52 am
Cadel 57 behind. Will win!
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:52 am
Andy looks wrecked… that is a VERY good sign!
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:52 am
Nice finish by Cadel, he looks good
by Socrates on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:53 am
I still think that is a 50/50 call. Andy is not as bad a TTer as has been made out, but yes Cadel is better. Hopefully Andy is spent from the last two days and Evans has the legs, but Andy will be going last so he will know what pace he has to set to win.
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:53 am
That said, it is definitely now Cadel’s race to lose
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:54 am
After that mech failure for Evans, to finish where he did he has BALLS OF STEEL
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:55 am
Cadel now third. Don’t worry about Frank.
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:55 am
Elliott Gould best movie: MASH
by Goshome on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:56 am
Contador won’t pick up 3 minutes.
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:57 am
Glad I don’t have to get up early on Sunday morning. Night all.
by Socrates on Jul 23, 2011 at 1:58 am
Yup, its Andy v Cadel now. The rest are going for the minor placings.
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:01 am
Absolutely
Nite
by Dario on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:01 am
Gee, you wouldn’t be dead for quids!
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:01 am
great nights racing!
by Puff, the Magic Dragon. on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:03 am
G’night, Puff.
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:03 am
nite
by Puff, the Magic Dragon. on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:09 am
Major dramas in Norway with bombings ands shootings.
by Goshome on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:35 am
WTF have the Norwegians ever done to anyone. *shaking head in disbelief*
by Dr Phibes on Jul 23, 2011 at 2:51 am
What a load of BS:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/early-poll-could-save-labor-from-total-collapse/story-e6frgd0x-1226100051504
by Frank Calabrese on Jul 23, 2011 at 3:00 am
What a load of BS:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/early-poll-could-save-labor-from-total-collapse/story-e6frgd0x-1226100051504
by Frank Calabrese on Jul 23, 2011 at 3:00 am
Why would you read anything by Christopher Pearson? He has writing utter poop for almost 20 years.
by ShowsOn on Jul 23, 2011 at 3:24 am
Frank Calabrese
“What a load of BS:”
It would have saved NSW Labor……………
by rummel on Jul 23, 2011 at 6:13 am
Thefinnigans The Finnigans
@
@latikambourke Good Morning, why #Oslo? Been there, nice place. Dont tell me The Colonel (Muarmar) has carried out his threat to Europe
3 minutes ago
by The Finnigans on Jul 23, 2011 at 7:37 am
Morning all.
Horrible happenings in Norway.
Alan Moir continues his good form. Look at what Abbott is holding.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/opinion/cartoons/alan-moir-20090907-fdxk.html
by BK on Jul 23, 2011 at 7:47 am
Thefinnigans The Finnigans
Minchin retired, yet criticised Turnbull for speaking up outside MT’s portfolio, truly bizarre logic #auspol
11 seconds ago
by The Finnigans on Jul 23, 2011 at 7:48 am
Good morning, Bludgers.
Engineer reports no structural damage – PHEW!. Built like a brick proverbial, in fact. Can’t get workmanship like this now. Lot of severe water damage; but superficial only (mainly wall cladding & dropped window heads), easily fixed.
Thanks, Frank. The latest NewsLtd Waddawe want? A new election! Wendawe want it? NOW! effort. Wez only tellin’ yous Laborites in govmin for yiz own good. HONEST. What a hoot!
If the OO, sundry tabloids and ranting shockjocks weren’t doing in front of our very eyes, would we really believe it was happening? Where’s Monty Python’s Flying Circus when we need it?
The nearest I can find is Mike Carlton’s As scandals go, this one’s a shocker … on English scandals, mad press barons, how well the HoC & its Speaker stack up against our HoR & its, and misogynistic shockjocks.
by OzPol Tragic on Jul 23, 2011 at 7:50 am
Thefinnigans The Finnigans
Banzai #Cadel. Solly i have doubted you. You show those bloody Europeans tonight who is Da Boss #tdf
12 seconds ago
by The Finnigans on Jul 23, 2011 at 7:56 am
Saved by the bell!
Texan school books are largely used throughout the US.
by BK on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:00 am
Good morning all. There were two attacks in Norway last night: the bombing in the capital and a shooting at a youth camp which authorities say is linked to the bombing.
WTF?
by confessions on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:00 am
ABC has Jane Hutcheon covering Norway. Excellent!
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:00 am
News Radio had reportage from CNN – bloody ambulance chasers!
by This little black duck on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:02 am
BK, those bloody monkeys
by The Finnigans on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:10 am
Proof that climate change denialists the world over are just as stupid as our own crop, this from America:
http://bit.ly/nYsHak
by Dan Gulberry on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:10 am
Today’s OO editorial states the climate change ‘debate’ is becoming more rational. It then goes on to state:
Presumably that was to show how irrational the climate change debate was, because only an anti-science establishment like the Australian would take the observations of unqualified people over those of experts in the field.
by confessions on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:12 am
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/news-corp-sells-russian-unit/
by my say on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:17 am
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/22/phone-hacking-authorities-subpoena-news-corp
by my say on Jul 23, 2011 at 8:19 am