Galaxy: 56-44 to Coalition
• WA Treasurer Christian Porter’s bombshell announcement that he will seek to enter federal politics at the next election has transformed the Liberal preselection contest for the Perth hinterland seat of Pearce, where incumbent of 19 years Judi Moylan will retire at the next election. Porter entered state parliament at a February 2008 by-election and assumed the role of Attorney-General when the Barnett government came to power seven months later, winning promotion to Treasurer in December 2010. Marcus Priest of the Australian Financial Review says Porter is “often seen as part of the right of the WA Liberals”, being “an economic dry and law and order hard-liner”, but “can be socially liberal on issues such as native title”. Prior to entering politics he had been a public prosecutor, adviser to Howard government Justice Minister and WA Senator Chris Ellison and law lecturer at the University of Western Australia. The front-runner for the preselection was previously thought to have been 24-year-old trademark lawyer Alex Butterworth, who is planning to fight on. The West Australian reports the field also includes “two locals, Bill Crabtree and Rod Henderson”. Another contender, high-profile financial adviser Nick Bruining, has conceded Porter’s entry has left him with no chance and withdrawn.
• Richard Torbay, state independent member for Northern Tablelands, has all but been confirmed as the Nationals candidate to take on Tony Windsor in New England, with Imre Salusinszky of The Australian reporting the party has guaranteed him “freedom to speak with an independent voice on local issues”. Nationals internal polling reportedly found Torbay rated more highly in the electorate than both Windor and the other mooted Nationals contender for New England, Barnaby Joyce. Labor’s NSW state secretary, Sam Dastyari, has accused Torbay of offering to join the ALP in November 2009 if it agreed to make him Premier, shortly before Nathan Rees was dumped in favour of Kristina Keneally. The claim has been vigorously denied by Torbay, who was a member of the ALP during his days as mayor of Armidale in the 1990s. This is consistent with reporting at the time from the Daily Telegraph and Barrie Cassidy on Insiders, which indicated that approaches to Torbay were at Labor’s initiative rather than his own. (UPDATE: Fairfax further reports that John Della Bosca, who was involved in the talks with Torbay, has said Dastyari’s account is inconsistent with his own recollection).
• Sarah Henderson, former state 7:30 Report presenter and unsuccessful candidate in 2010, has easily won a fiercely contested struggle for Liberal preselection in Corangamite, polling an absolute majority in the first round. Her main rival was Rod Nockles, an internet security expert and former Peter Costello staffer who also sought preselection last time. Henderson’s backers were said to include Tony Abbott and Michael Kroger, while Nockles reportedly had support from Peter Costello, Andrew Robb, Senators Arthur Sinodinos and Scott Ryan and Higgins MP Kelly O’Dwyer.
• Michael Sukkar, a 30-year-old tax laywer for the firm Ashurt, has emerged a surprise winner in the Liberal preselection for the marginal eastern Melbourne seat of Deakin. The presumed front-runner had been John Pesutto, a lawyer and Victorian government adviser said to be closely associated with Ted Baillieu. In third place was Michelle Frazer, state government media and communications adviser. (UPDATE: VexNews relates that also-ran candidates Phillip Fusco, Terry Barnes, Andrew Munroe were eliminated in that order, at which point Sukkar and former Melbourne candidate Simon Olsen were tied for third. After winning a run-off against Olsen, Sukkar crucially managed to get his nose ahead of Frazer, who unlike Sukkar would not have succeeded in getting ahead of Pesutto in the final round due to a view among Sukkar’s backers that she “wasn’t up to it”.)
• Cate Faehrmann, who filled the vacancy in the New South Wales Legislative Council when Lee Rhiannon was elected to the Senate at the 2010 election, has won preselection to lead the party’s Senate ticket at the next election.
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Categories: Federal Politics 2010-
mauler
There’s nothing on austlii about it yet.
by Dan Gulberry on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:52 pm
poroti. i know its not about PC. but my comment was in regards to how i think it would be beaten up by the press.
by middle man on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:52 pm
blackburnpseph @ 3787
I agree with you about the independent, it would be doubtful whether there will be anohter one like a windsor or torbay
also on the federal election , what happens if things do turn against the coalition would the electorate bother with torbay if it looks like labor will retain government
by Meguire Bob on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:52 pm
OzPol Tragic, weren’t you working on an adaptation of ‘Land Downunder’ for Lynchpin? I’ve got a draft for her of ‘Working Class Girl’ and I can’t find anywhere to send it unless it’s to the http://www.lynchpin.com.au/ which is a male trio. I’ve always thought of Lynchpin as a woman, an expatriate Aussie living in the States. Don’t ask me why!
by PatriciaWA on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:52 pm
vic, no, not about KRudd
by The Finnigans on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:53 pm
guytaur – are you saying that all Greens are atheists? I’m sure my Churchgoing Greeny neighbours would be displeased to know the Greens are against that policy as their kids go to a Christian School, with Chaplain provided by the Govt. Remember the policy includes non religious counsellors who do good work.
by BH on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:53 pm
bbp@3797, I thought I heard this morning that roads funding is properly covered by legislation already (as one would hope).
As to school funding, the point I was making is that the decision today does not close the door to another, more soundly based, section 116 challenge.
The government (and George Williams) will be alert to that possibility.
by susan winstanley on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:54 pm
TheFinnigans天地有道人无道 @Thefinnigans
@latikambourke have you read this? http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/fairfax-and-g20-visits-what-do-we-need.html
by The Finnigans on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:54 pm
The finns
I suggest you do. Not sure what el slacko is playing at lately
by victoria on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:54 pm
poroti. my comment needed a sarcasm emoticon to go with it.
by middle man on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Polling on torbay who isnt an officially running as an nat for new england at this point of time and saying he will win is too risky
by Meguire Bob on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:55 pm
@brittneykleyn: Journalists say the newsroom is silent as News Ltd staff hear of the company’s restructure via video link #newsltd
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Marrickvile Mauler
What is the truth that I have hidden and have forgotten where I put it? Is this in relation the debate over uncertainty in science we touched on from the other night? (Various links to this to Judith Curry, James Annan & Stephen Lewonowsky.)
BTW was it you who suggested I might be a member of the IPA or Lavoiser. No, but if I was, so what.
by Gauss on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:57 pm
poroti – have I got the wrong end of the stick on this Chaplain business in schools?
I thought RE classes were disbanded yonks ago and that the Chaplains were there as counsellors only for kids who needed somebody to go to with personal problems if they didn’t want to speak with their teacher.
by BH on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:57 pm
mauler
Oops sorry it is there: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2012/23.html
by Dan Gulberry on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Narns
I’m thinking they will not so much go “ruff ruff” but give long mournful howls of “Nooooooooooo”
I can hear them already
by poroti on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:58 pm
BH @ 3805
Perhaps your neighbours ought to become better acquainted with the policies of the party for whom they have been voting.
by blackburnpseph on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:58 pm
why the smurf is the ABC live streaming a News Ltd corporate restructure announcement????!!!
by middle man on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:58 pm
mm
As tweeted by someone earlier the ABC needs to know the new name it is going to be operating under.
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm
middle man
I’m over on Apac
by BK on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Thr finns
Have you read her tweets starting about an hour ago?
by victoria on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm
I read it in the paper – 25.6%
I heard it on the radio – 62.9%
Don’t know – 5.9%
Refused to respond – 5.6%
by Aguirre on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm
I am sticking with 24. Going to rely on bludgers for QT update while watching Williams
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:01 pm
I’m on http://webcast.aph.gov.au/livebroadcasting/
by Dan Gulberry on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:02 pm
@LatikaQT: Wakka opens #SenateQT. Yest you said no last minute changes but do you still really mean that?
@LatikaQT: Penny Wong says Govt’s made it’s position clear. #SenateQT
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Yellow for Babyface Dutton.
by BK on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:02 pm
BK. I just saw it on the banner on the ABC news page. I’m at work so i can’t look at the box.
by middle man on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Did Swan just withdraw something without being asked to withdraw? Bit odd.
by Aguirre on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:03 pm
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:03 pm
While I’m certainly not sympathetic to Windsor’s (conservative) politics, and disagree with hiom on same sex marriage, he stands out as a man of integrity and compassion, with whom one could have a civilised exchnage of opinions. I’ve no doubt that he really is trying to do the right thing as he sees it, even when he’s wrong.
by Fran Barlow on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:03 pm
Very sad that the school chaplaincy program wasn’t ruled unconstitutional on religious grounds.
by ShowsOn on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:04 pm
bbp – I think I’ll enlighten them. I don’t think I’ve mentioned the death duty issue to them either. Will do it this weekend. 2 Labor voters coming up
by BH on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:04 pm
@LatikaQT: Wakka with a supp. Gets directly to the Windsor LPG changes announced yesterday. #SenateQT
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:05 pm
BK. my comment was why are they showing it at all…. i just don’t get why the ABC does some of this stuff. of what importance is a News Ltd restructure to anyone that isn’t an employee. i mean did they live stream restructures of the auto’s or airlines? its shows a bizarre focus on their own industry as real news.
by middle man on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:05 pm
mm
Its called media navel gazing. has been happening forever.
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:07 pm
middle man
Is it because their main source of editorial direction is under threat?
by BK on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Gina knows her onions – radio more effective than newspapers and New England has the Sydney networked shockjocks in their ears.
by BH on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:08 pm
@LatikaQT: Further Supp – Wakka – he’s asking about Tony Windsor’s primary support polling and whether the LPG concessions are to appease him.
@LatikaQT: Brandis POOing and is in a tremendous huff with Penny Wong. #SenateQT
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:08 pm
its the sort of thing the govt should be reviewing in my opinion.
by middle man on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:09 pm
BH
As far as I know they are doing both. NSW is/was trying to get ethics classes in as an alternative for those that do not attend the classes as currently they cannot do any meaningful work during the RE classes. I’m pretty sure they are not called RE anymore but they are the same sort of thing.
by poroti on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:09 pm
by Aguirre on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Why is ABC showing a News limited advertisement? And why didn’t they show the press conference by fairfax journos yesterday? Says more about the ABC than anything Mark Scott could say…
by liyana on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-transport-shakeup-plan-for-single-deck-metrostyle-trains-and-second-harbour-crossing-and-20120620-20ngm.html#ixzz1yIr0T200
Well, as my first act as Emperor Laocoon I, I hereby absolutely and iron-clad commit to making every one of my subjects a billionaire. However, I do not have a set timetable
Politicians might wonder why there is a degree of cynicism…
by Laocoon on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Anything re the News announcements yet?
by BK on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:11 pm
BH – I hope you weren’t taking those figures seriously. I just made them up.
by Aguirre on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Liyana
ABC24 is showing the full News Ltd presentation by Kim Williams
by victoria on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:12 pm
@LatikaQT: Furner with a Dixer to Evans – how are you helping families with meeting the cost of living? #SenateQT
@LatikaQT: Chris Evans could wrap this up in 3 words – CASHFORYOU! #SenateQT
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Weird. Kim Williams sounds like Bobby Santamaria. Same nodding, same strangled delivery.
by susan winstanley on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:12 pm
@LatikaQT: Furner with a supp to the Dixer – how are you supporting pensioner pay their utility bills? #SenateQT
@SimonPalan: #Breaking Kim Williams confirms News Limited has purchased Business Spectator and The Eureka Report.
by guytaur on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:14 pm
BK
News Td cutting their operations from 19 to 5 . Williams says there will be redunancies, but cannot say how many at this stage
by victoria on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:14 pm