Essential Research: 56-44 to Coalition
This week’s Essential Research shows no real change in voting intention on last week, with the Coalition up a point on the primary vote to 49 per cent, Labor and the Greens steady on 31 per cent and 11 per cent, and two-party preferred steady at 56-44. The poll also measures Bob Brown’s approval rating at 42 per cent and disapproval at 34 per cent (including very favourable figures among Labor voters of 60 per cent and 15 per cent); has 31 per cent favouring Kevin Rudd as Labor leader over 16 per cent for Julia Gillard (Gillard leads 40 per cent to 33 per cent among Labor voters); and 30 per cent favouring Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader with 23 per cent for Tony Abbott (Abbott leads 39 per cent to 26 per cent among Coalition voters). Further questions on the mining boom have 66 per cent believing it has benefited them “not at all”, 51 per cent supporting the mining tax (down one on mid-March) and 29 per cent opposing it (down five).
Federal preselection happenings in New South Wales:
• The NSW Liberal Party state executive has voted to dump Garry Whitaker as its candidate for Craig Thomson’s seat of Dobell. He has been replaced by Karen McNamara, a WorkCover public servant who reportedly has backing from the party’s right, who was defeated by Whitaker in the original preselection vote in December. Whitaker has since been struggling with allegations he had lived for several years without council permission in an “ensuite shed” on his Wyong Creek property while awaiting approval to build a house there.
• More proactivity from the NSW Liberal state executive in neighbouring Robertson, a seat the party was disappointed not to have won in 2010. Local branches have had imposed upon them Lucy Wicks, who herself holds a position on the executive by virtue of her status as president of the party’s Women’s Council. Wicks was identified by the Sydney Morning Herald last year as a member of the “centre right” faction associated with federal Mitchell MP Alex Hawke, which in alliance with the moderates had secured control of the state executive. Like the Dobell intervention, the imposition of Wicks occurred at the insistence of Tony Abbott – local branches in both seats have called emergency meetings to express their displeasure.
• Michelle Hoctor of the Illawarra Mercury reports Ann Sudmalis, the candidate backed by retiring member Joanna Gash, won Liberal preselection on Saturday in Gilmore with 16 votes against 10 for her main rival Andrew Guile. Rounding out the field were Alby Schultz’s son Grant, who scored four votes, and Meroo Meadow marketing consultant Catherine Shields on one. For those wondering about the small number of votes, the NSW Liberals’ preselection procedure involves branches being allocated a number of selection committee delegates in proportion to their membership, rather than a massed rank-and-file ballot.
• Imre Salusinszky of The Australian reports the Nationals are in the “‘initial stages’ of discussions with popular independent state MP Richard Torbay about endorsing him for a tilt at independent federal MP Tony Windsor in New England”. Torbay has been the independent member for Northern Tablelands since 1999, and served as Legislative Assembly Speaker during Labor’s last term in office.
Categories: Federal Politics 2010-
Finnigans
He admits using his papers to campaign for Fraser in 1975.
That should be all any progressive needs to know.
by guytaur on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:18 pm
my say
Ah, the old series. Now THAT was something worth watching. I do like Downton Abbey though – Maggie Smith is just perfect. Also Highclere House in Hampshire, where it is filmed, is a beautiful building and grounds.
If you didn’t know, it’s the actual home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon so is closed to the public for a part of the year. I image Lord C is making a fair pile of $$ from visitors because of the TV programme.
mari – perhaps you should add it to your already busy itinerary?
by Allan Moyes on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:18 pm
So far everything you were afraid to ask about Rupert Murdoch has come true
by The Finnigans on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Back on
by guytaur on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:20 pm
have been glued to the tv… jay making mincemeat of rupe imo
bb
i loved julia’s hat – it looked great!
by Lyne Lady on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:22 pm
Is that the sound of Rupe hanging himself with evidence?
by This little black duck on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Oh dear, Rupert thinks Horsey Rebekah has got “elitist view”. Who would have thunk that
by The Finnigans on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Rupert wacking the desk with his hand – aggro now.
by CTar1 on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:24 pm
BB @ 3355 that hat made Gillard look as vulnerable a little old lady as my aunt. Yeah the Fibs are punishing her. She sang the national anthem first verse AND second verse. She rocks!
by billie on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:24 pm
In view of what was said he should tell reporters here to stop being lazy in making up news instead of finding it
by Schnappi on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Mr Jay QC does know the value of the pause.
by This little black duck on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:24 pm
The U.K. economy shrank in the first quarter pushing Britain into its first double-dip recession since the 1970s. That aint a fucking BISON
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-25/u-k-returns-to-recession-in-first-quarter-on-building-slump.html
by The Finnigans on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Pegasus,
Blimey! Throughout history economies have gone through booms & busts, generations have had favorable conditions and suffered recessions/depressions etc.
In some respects, it is more like the luck of the draw. My mother was born in 1930, suffered with her family through the depression, then WW11, the rebuilding afterwards which saw many deprivations and a very slow recovery of the economy.
As an apprentice she earned $1.75 per week. There was no such thing as superannuation. She was only able to do as I expect most women of the time were expected to do and that was to marry, have a family & depend on her husband to support her & them.
When I started work at the age of 15, I was paid a wage of $16.25 per week. I was more privileged than the average worker in that I was entitled to superannuation. This was a deduction of 3.5% of my my gross salary.
After four years I changed jobs to an industry that was a pace-setter at the time that offered superannuation to its employees at 5% of their salary after five years of service. After 25 years of service to that company, I left with stuff all superannuation that has been slashed twice in the last ten years as a roll-over.
Yeah, I and most of my peers are bloody millionaires. Get this into your stupid head. Over the term of a lifetime, there will be numerous peaks and troughs in the economy that will have an effect on your retirement capacity.
Don’t sit there and have cheap shots at those who go before you as exactly the same thing will happen to you.
Tens of thousands of my hard earned (and I mean “HARD” earned) have disappeared into cyber space. You think that makes me happy?
The greater majority of my peers (those around my age) didn’t even have the benefits I had (ie no superannuation) but when you think about it, what a marvelous benefit it was getting 5% of maybe $50.00 a week put into a superannuation account.
Yeah! We are all bloody millionaires and are living lives that most can only dream of of, paid for by the likes of you!
Grow up & get a life.You are going to be so far better off than any generation before you has ever been. We and our forbears, have done the hard yards to make it happen for you.
Stop kicking us in the guts. We have had a pretty hard time of it already. You are just cruising along on the labors & sacrifices of those who have gone before you.
by scorpio on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Puff – have just started watching – so Rupert didn’t mention that he had John Kerr GG out to his Yass farm for lunch the day before The Dismissal? or did he?
by BH on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:27 pm
LJ being persistent
by CTar1 on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Mr Jay rocks.
Mr Murdoch is looking like a befuddled old man.
Not that I’m being ageist, you understand
by Danny Lewis on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:28 pm
TLBD
It sounds like it. I wonder how the transcript writer is coping with his frowns, other facial expressions, hand hitting the desk, pauses, pursing of lips etc!
I notice his “American” accent, isn’t as noticable as it has been.
I love Leveson’s gentle probing questions which often end up in some kind of “gotcha”, if you get my meaning.
by Allan Moyes on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:29 pm
WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!
“i think we would have supported the Labour Party if they had different policies.”
by Puff, the Magic Dragon. on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Scorpio @ 3351
You have no idea how old I am, at what age I began employment, how much I was paid, how hard I have worked…. but that doesn’t stop you making your usual nasty personal attack.
by Pegasus on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:30 pm
Interrupting ‘sHonour is a non-optimum tactic.
by This little black duck on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:30 pm
The Finnigans@3411
You can say that again!
by victoria on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:30 pm
BH
No he didn’t mention that.
He’s proud of the Sun’s headline. I’m assuming that that was the “It was the Sun What Dun It?” or wtte
by Allan Moyes on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Shit.
Murdoch seriously fumbled that answer.
Kewl
by Danny Lewis on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
puuuffyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, #RegimeChange
by The Finnigans on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Nikki Savva thinks it shows off her ears.
by Bushfire Bill on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Puff,
But they wanted to SOCIALIZE Britain!
by This little black duck on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Peg,
would it change any of Scorps conclusions.
probably not!
by Greensborough Growler on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
You sound like James Ashby, except we knew he was 33.
by Bushfire Bill on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Nikki Savva wouldn’t know if her arse was on fire
by Danny Lewis on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
BH
It either slipped his mind
or
It slipped his evil fiendish mind.
by Puff, the Magic Dragon. on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Is there two bemused, who is that in the gravartar picture
by my say on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Ruperts excuse is he was pissed.
by Schnappi on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
You are a very old Horsey
by The Finnigans on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
BB,
Gillard has ears?
Another policy disaster.
by Greensborough Growler on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
I was pissed – it was a joke …
by CTar1 on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Mr Murdoch makes “stupid, light-hearted” remarks.
by This little black duck on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Puff: Shorter Murdoch: I would supported the Labour Party if they were the Tories
by Danny Lewis on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Pegasus @ 3418
I know my parents generation had it much harder than I did and I know that my sons generation has it’s issues, but I am sure they have it easier than I did. It’s called progress and I hope my grand children have it even easier or better.
Security in employment now decreases as you get older.
by bemused on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:33 pm
vic, this? – That aint a fucking BISON
by The Finnigans on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:34 pm
the sooner morticia gets her old job back with the addams family the better…
by Lyne Lady on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:34 pm
You’re right, SK. Only an accredited taxi owner can claim against them. Cabcharge would almost certainly reject any individual attempting to claim against them, that is if they did not first report them to the police for fraud.
As a cab driver, I never have a problem with them, but essentially it is the owner who bears the risk. We drivers merely claim the credit from the owner in our returns.
I should add that I always fill in the dollar amount of the metered fare on the voucher before I get the signature from the passenger. That way, he/she knows I’m not on the take.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I believe the Cabcharge E-ticket suoercedes these vouchers and reduces the risk of fiddles. There is an electronic trail of all transactions and a capacity to measure this against the meter, which is synchronised.
The only other possibility I can see is to enter an overly generous amount in the ‘tips’ data entry (I mostly don’t enter anything because I fear the tax office might use the same data to go after us.)
by Gorgeous Dunny on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:34 pm
TLBD
At dinners and on twitter apparently.
by guytaur on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Which group is tne murdoch lawyers left or right if the screen
by my say on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:35 pm
I remember the poll tax and the fuss … says Rupert
by CTar1 on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:35 pm
The Finnigans
Yes! Worth repeating dont you think.
by victoria on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:35 pm
my say @ 3430
Relax, I just felt like a change of Gravatar.
by bemused on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:36 pm
*have supported*
My 4.30 am start is catching up with me.
I think I might have to hit the hay.
by Danny Lewis on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:36 pm
On the right, starting with the lady in the blue top and going to your right.
by This little black duck on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Hire car owners too (which is what Slipper used).
by Bushfire Bill on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Editorials don’t get read. Lol
by guytaur on Apr 25, 2012 at 8:37 pm