Gotta get down on Friday
The lack of a Roy Morgan federal poll result has reduced me to flogging the Rebecca Black dead horse in search of headline. There is this, I suppose:
• A very modest Roy Morgan phone poll of 324 respondents, with a margin of error approaching 5.5%, contradicts the January-March Newspoll result in finding the WA Liberals with a landslide 62.5-37.5 lead on two-party preferred, from primary votes of 53.5% for the Liberals, 3.5% for the Nationals, 29.5% for Labor and 6% for the Greens. Colin Barnett’s approval and disapproval ratings of 54% and 33.5% compare with Newspoll’s 51% and 33%, while Mark McGowan’s 36.5% and 18.5% compare with 43% and 17%. A bigger difference is recorded on preferred premier: 54-26.5 in Barnett’s favour, compared with 43-30.
• The Australian reported this week that Queensland election exit polling conducted for a private client by Liberal pollsters Crosby Textor gave Kevin Rudd ratings of 38% approval and 35% disapproval, Julia Gillard 20% approval and 60% disapproval, and Tony Abbott 30% approval and 41% disapproval.
Preselection activity remains at a high pitch:
• Clive Palmer’s prospects in his headline-grabbing pitch for LNP preselection in Wayne Swan’s seat of Lilley are not being rated highly. Andrew Fraser of The Australian reports that 2010 candidate Rod McGarvie, “a former soldier who now works with disabled people”, is “well entrenched among the party’s branches”. There is provision in the party constitution for a centralised preselection to overrule local branches, but Tony Abbott’s pointed call for a “grassroots” candidate who would “do the hard yards, knocking on doors, going to shopping centres and talking to local newspapers” suggests it is unlikely to be invoked.
• The Greens have confirmed winemaker and University of Tasmania economist Peter Whish-Wilson will fill the Senate vacancy created by the retirement of Bob Brown.
• The WA Parliament has officially confirmed Dean Smith to fill the casual vacancy created by the death of Liberal Senator Judith Adams. Debbie Guest of The Australian reports Smith was “a policy adviser to premier Richard Court and a senior adviser to Mr Howard during the 1998 election campaign”, as well as being the state party’s Treasurer and a principal of lobbying firm Smith & Duda Consulting.
• The South Australian Liberals have chosen their Senate ticket, with incumbents Cory Bernardi and Simon Birmingham confirmed in the top two positions. In third place is Anne Ruston, entrepreneur behind Ruston’s Roses, a Riverland wholesale flower-growing concern and tourism attraction. Whereas Coalition number three candidates in other states are looking well placed on present indications, the contest in South Australia will be complicated by Nick Xenophon’s bid for re-election.
• Richard Willingham of The Age reports that Jason Wood, who was unseated by Labor’s Laura Smyth at the 2010 election, is the favourite to win Liberal preselection in La Trobe.
• The Age further reports that John Pesutto, a lawyer and Victorian government adviser said by John Ferguson of The Australian to be key figure in the Baillieu faction (and who ran unsuccessfully for preselection in Kooyong before the 2010 election), is considered likely to get the nod in Deakin. It was earlier suggested that Phil Barresi, who held the seat from 1996 until his defeat in 2007 and failed to win it back in 2010, might be interested in a comeback, and also that local councillor Tim Smith was interested.
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Categories: Federal Politics 2010-, Western Australian Politics
Hockey slamming European citizens
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 11:43 am
guytaur
On what basis?
by BK on May 7, 2012 at 11:45 am
Hockey avoided Thomson question
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 11:45 am
Victoria
Slipper can say want he likes as he has a very broad immunity such that what he says cannot be mentioned in any legal proceedings let alone tested as to its veracity.
But making broad accusations may not endear him to Oakeshott and others.
I doubt he will replicate Michael Williamson’s current approach of emailing everyone as to his innocence.
I think Slipper will be very reserved in what he says.
Think in the past of those subject to serious allegations, Lionel Murphy, Michael Kirby to name a few. They have been reserved in their responses and were vindicated. It is a good approach IMHO.
by shellbell on May 7, 2012 at 11:45 am
BK
Austerity Rollback
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 11:46 am
JoHo is nought but a waste of time. Questions put to him by the media pack show there is not one with an understanding of economic matters.
by janice2 on May 7, 2012 at 11:47 am
guytaur
Thanks. He should look over the channel to see haw well his conservative mate Cameron is going.
by BK on May 7, 2012 at 11:48 am
Get ready for it, Bludgers. Bernard Keane says “Today’s Essential Report numbers will make for bleak, bleak reading for Labor.”
by BH on May 7, 2012 at 11:48 am
2938
“The French love their anthem”
Agree. Many do. But not ALL.
by gigi on May 7, 2012 at 11:48 am
janice2
Media pack probably feigning dumb to avoid lock up.
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 11:49 am
BK
Yes The voters of Europe have confirmed how well served Australia has been with its emergency kitchen cabinet of Rudd, GIllard, Swan and Tanner saving this country from their fate.
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 11:51 am
Gadzooks, a bad poll! Not like Labor’s had any of those in the last eighteen months…
by rishane on May 7, 2012 at 11:53 am
guytaur,
They don’t have to pretend to be dumb in my view because they are bloody dumb.
by janice2 on May 7, 2012 at 11:54 am
BK @ 2753
Thank you for my first giggle of the day (late start).
by fiona on May 7, 2012 at 11:56 am
by lizzie on May 7, 2012 at 11:56 am
fiona
I aim to please.
by BK on May 7, 2012 at 11:57 am
janice2
To be fair. They are not dumb. Just ignorant. They are general knowledge reporters and not specialist reporters. Back in the day the pack would have had a specialist economic reporter or two at these things. No more. Funding is down. Less people are paying for their tosh. It becomes a vicious cycle.
As it does sites like this will become more and more invaluable.
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 11:58 am
Hi BH,
Glad you were onto the B Keane article. Yes, it’s wonderful, though all too rare, to see the truth behind their spin in black and white. Bernard’s piece more or less follows in the footsteps of this one by Ross Gittins, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February 2009 http://business.smh.com.au/business/rudd-needs-courage-to-defuse-timebomb-20090222-8env.html?page=-1
Another which you’re probably familiar with is “The Economic Myths of Peter Costello” by Andrew Charlton, The Monthly, October 2007 http://www.themonthly.com.au/nation-reviewed-andrew-charlton-comment-economic-myths-peter-costello-676
by Cuppa on May 7, 2012 at 11:58 am
lizze
Is that an official Opposition position. Right of a neo-Nazi party?
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 11:59 am
Hey BK, good to see you here still in one piece
You had me worried when you said you would be out wielding a chainsaw.
by janice2 on May 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Just spent an hour paying obeisance to a sulking dishwasher, cleaning out its filters. It still won’t start, but cries “water!”
Does anyone else have a Bosch dishwasher?
by lizzie on May 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm
The thing that annoys me about Joe Hockey is his entitlement attitude
by spur212 on May 7, 2012 at 12:02 pm
spur
Here is more evidence of his arrogance.
by lizzie on May 7, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Yes, we do, but our problem was the soap dispenser wearing out. Had to take the old dispenser off, purchase a new one and install it.
What’s your problem exactly?
by Bushfire Bill on May 7, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Quite right. Also, the Speaker abusing parliamentary privilege and making a blatantly political speech from the chair would demean the institution of the speaker, the House of Representatives, and make his position untenable.
by ltep on May 7, 2012 at 12:06 pm
guytaur,
Dumb or ignorant doesn’t matter much. They’ve got to be dumb if they can’t put in a little legwork to learn SOMETHING about budget/treasury/economics so that they may at least appear to know what they’re asking and be able to know if the answer they get is not gobbley gook.
by janice2 on May 7, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Latika
by shellbell on May 7, 2012 at 12:06 pm
How can you have savings ideas and at the same time say you’re not releasing them until the election?
by Bushfire Bill on May 7, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I have fixed my dishwasher problem. I do it. Saves massively on power bills.
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Victorian State seat
by Leroy on May 7, 2012 at 12:06 pm
So are the HSU soon to go the way of the BLF?
by bluegreen on May 7, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Media release on FWA site now re HSU
by Geoff D on May 7, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Stop the teasing:
by shellbell on May 7, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Who said he would make a political speech?
He might just send a suitably couched message to the Mysterious Mr. Ashby that he’s got a fight on his hands.
by Bushfire Bill on May 7, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Interesting. Presume the Liberals will sit this one out too?
by ltep on May 7, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Surely that’s Thomson. Jackson and Williamson are current officials.
by bluegreen on May 7, 2012 at 12:09 pm
janice2
They have been busy chasing fruitless leads regarding Slippergate.
Or HSU.
Research Time has to be allocated priority now.
Wrongly as we see.
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Bushfire
There’s a light on the “dashboard” over the word “water”, which is lighting up when I switch DW on. Never seen it before.
According to manual, I should check the water hasn’t been turned off (which it hasn’t) or there’s a kink in the pipe (it’s copper, there isn’t).
Possible that the spray arms are blocked. The bottom one isn’t and I can’t get the top one off.
I’m stuck.
by lizzie on May 7, 2012 at 12:10 pm
If only they had spent their money on good instead of evil
Pigs in the trough, Orwellian-style.
by bluegreen on May 7, 2012 at 12:11 pm
I wouldn’t be worrying about the polls at the moment. The shit re Slipper and the Libs is deepening. It stinks.
by Gary on May 7, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Melbourne is a marginal Labor/Greens seat so this could be a quite serious by-election, even if the Liberals do sit this one out.
by Von Kirsdarke on May 7, 2012 at 12:11 pm
bg
Who is “Napoleon” Kathy Jackson? Williamson? Thomson?
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 12:12 pm
guytaur
I’ve had a dishwasher for 40 years so don’t come the raw prawn with me!!
I’m allergic to soaps and detergents and anyway I can’t stand washing dishes
by lizzie on May 7, 2012 at 12:12 pm
janice
Mrs BK vetoed the action.
by BK on May 7, 2012 at 12:13 pm
I guess this is the line that has been crossed.
by bluegreen on May 7, 2012 at 12:14 pm
“I will vigorously defend the allegations against me and look forward to returning to service as speaker” is all he should say
by shellbell on May 7, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Alternative news service:
1. Peter Martin on the education tax rebate and its replacement.
http://www.theage.com.au/business/federal-budget/refund-did-little-to-help-education-20120506-1y70o.html
2. The single parenting payment
by Pegasus on May 7, 2012 at 12:15 pm
lizzie
Sorry to hear about your allergy. Not so much on the washing dishes front. The hassle you must go through when wanting to travel.
I know what you mean about washing dishes too. However it is hard to justify when it just you and the cat.
by guytaur on May 7, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Sorry, forgot the link, just in case it wasn’t linked earlier. J Bishop is now involved in the cover up.
by Gary on May 7, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Heh, nice:
by rishane on May 7, 2012 at 12:15 pm