The Australian has published a follow-up to its weekend Newspoll survey, showing issues rated most important and the party considered best equipped to handle them. Labor holds handsome leads on six of the eight listed issues, the exceptions being the economy and national security. Interestingly, the Coalition’s score on industrial relations has increased to 34 per cent from 31 per cent at the previous survey in June, after hovering around 30 per cent since the beginning of 2006. Industrial relations is also the one issue where there was no appreciable shift to Labor when Kevin Rudd became leader. The other issue to run against the overall trend is national security – it surged to Labor as strongly as any other when Rudd took over, but the Coalition has since recovered to levels near those of the Beazley era.
Steve,
The same rubbish about the tax cuts being unfair is churned out every time there’s a tax cut.
The fact is that the lowest income earners pay the least amount of tax, so of course the dollar-per-week figure is going to be lower. In any event, people in the highest tax bracket work just as much, have families like everyone else and pay tens of thousands of their income in tax, so I believe they are just as entitled to tax cuts as anyone else.
Furthermore, according to Ross Gittins in today’s SMH, he says that the cuts are roughly equal on a cents-in-the-dollar analysis. http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/tax-cuts-are-a-pms-best-friend/2007/10/16/1192300767464.html
No. 100
AM, you’re posts hardly demonstrate authority. The extent of your infantile argument is accusing people of being stooges.
I haven’t heard one person talk about the tax cuts. Rcandleori you still haven’t explained why this will have an impact when the Budget tax cuts didn’t.
Rcandelori, answer the question please: when did Howard release his tax policy in 1996?
rcandelori,
Please enlighten me on whether Howard released his tax policy early on in the 1996 campaign. I distinctly recall that it was released in the third week. Howard is trying this desperate strategy in the hopes of Rudd releasing an incomplete policy. Of course, it is expected that Howard would try and bully the opposition in this way: the stakes are very high (think political irrelevency). Rudd is smart to hold out: it is obviously irking the Coalition, their supporters, and Young Liberals everywhere. If the response on talkback radio is anything to go by, the tax cuts are bing seen as a bribe and nothing more by the majority. Next week’s polls will be insightful.
rcandelori – if you want to participate, then be prepared to cop some flak.
Ok, it seems that we’re doing what we always do – gang up on the conservative blogger, which inevitably ends up with he or she leaving this site and we end up having our daily love-in, waiting for ESJ and Glen to pop up…
We shouldn’t insult rcandelori’s intelligence, but seriously dude, you can’t come up with unsubstantiated statements without back up…
Howard’s 1996 strategy is immaterial. We are in 2007. Times have changed.
Anyone got a date for the next major poll release? (and no smart responses like, “yeah, I’m taking my mate’s sister to the movies and we’ll read it there.”)
I answered the questionnaire at the Australian website. My answer to the question on why I would vote Labor was “Sticking it up The Australian.” I suggest others answer the same way.
1 Lose the election please. Someone obviously in complete denial. Saying it is, won’t make it so.
“Howard’s 1996 strategy is immaterial. We are in 2007. Times have changed.” Wrong, fail, reveal yourself as a lying Liberal stooge. End of debate. Next please.
Swing Lowe,
That is the approach of all online forums towards conservatives. Apparently it is a heinous act to have a difference of opinion.
The fact is, most people’s statements here are unsubstantiated suckups to Labor. I’d prefer a debate on the substance.
Sadly “Glen’s” appearances will be less over the coming weeks, the Senator has some special projects for him.
Perth@21
I think Ben C should have got dressed before he got arrested. But then again maybe this is a way of the WA Police improving their image “Look at the std of criminal we arrest, hot aren’t they”
rcandelori,
[Howard’s 1996 strategy is immaterial. We are in 2007. Times have changed.]
This, unfortunately, is the type of unsubstantiated rubbish that’s going to cop you some flak on this blog. If you are going to say something like this, explain why (i.e, why have things changed so much over the past 11 years that the timing of the release of tax policy by the Opposition is now so different?)
Re 114
You obviously dont know your own Liberal Party, no one is allowed to have an opinion that is different to theirs.
Unsubstantiated? Do you deny that you are a Young Liberal, rcandelori? I distinctly recall that you admitted to it on the old insidepolitics forums when they still existed. So when people are accusing you of being a stooge, they are telling the truth. If I am wrong, please let me know.
No. 113
AM, of course they don’t make any sense to you. How inconvenient.
We’re yet to here anything resembling a substantive argument from you.
rcandelori – if times have changed, why does Howard heep mentioning Labor’s 17% interest rates from 1989? as he did just yesterday.
rcandelori – if times have changed, why does Howard keep mentioning Labor’s 17% interest rates from 1989? – as he did just yesterday.
“I’d prefer a debate on the substance.” – So provide some evidence instead of recycling Liberal Party lines.
ESJ — Well, I’m glad you’re not employed as a Labor strategist then! If Rudd has come out immediately and matched the cuts… you can’t get more “me too” than that surely. That would be asking for it IMO.
They will wait a bit and then come out with a different package. Sadly I don’t think it will be dramatically different, but enough so that it doesn’t look the same as the Libs. Given the debate is this weekend, it may be that they will release their tax policy on Saturday.
# 94 – Edward, I disagree with you entirely. It would be much wiser of Rudd to keep his powder dry on tax for a while yet. (As has been noted, Howard didn’t release his in ’96 for several weeks into the campaign and, like ’96, this election is much more about the incumbent than the aspirant.)
By the middle of next week, the polls will indicate whether Howard has got a bounce from his tax cuts. If so, Rudd can frame his response accordingly. If not, Rudd can spend that money in other places…like childcare rebates, hospitals, renewable energy projects…and maybe some new boots for our soldiers and a couple of tanks which work.
No,he doesn’t have to match them at all ESJ.
What he has to show he can be fiscally responsible,and target his tax spending to areas that actually need funding like Health,Education,Infrastructure,the Environment,Child Care,Climate Change. to name a few.
As a voter I would happily forgo my tax cuts for improvements and extra funding in the above services .The tax cuts are going to do nothing but raise interest rates and any benefit is gone in mortgage payments to the banks.
Ive not seen Janet Albrechtsen on tv before yesterday and she seeMs to have lost the glasses? Anyway more of the same from her in the GG. How can she be serious claiming the rodent is a conviction politician not least with his latest about face on reconciliation? In fact if you substitute Howard for Rudd in her article you have an almost perfect analysis of Howard- the man who said and did anything to become and stay PM.
Not much sign today of the tax plan that has wrong footed and KO’ed the ALP-Ben Cousins you beauty!
God… another 5.5 weeks of this?
No. 117
Times have changed because Kevin Rudd has been tirading against the government about a so-called “plan for the future”, yet after 10 months of questioning from the media, the best we received was a gaffe regarding the tax scales. Where is Mr Rudd’s plan for the future? It is distinctly lacking thus far.
Ben Cousins is a Labor party stooge.
Re Am’s “Fairfax papers are not as bias as News Com papers..
Does anybody know what ratio of our 121 million dollars went to Rupert. Not that I’m a conspiracy theorist or anything.
rcandelori – If you watch Rudd talk you’ll see his five fingers. His plan for the future is more than tax cuts.
No. 127
I think you’ll find that Keating dug his own grave.
rcandelori:
You sound like the Devil himself, John Howard I mean.
No 129,
I disagree with you on the fact that Rudd has a vision for the future, but I’m too tired/exhausted (like LTEP @ 128) about this election already for the day. I’ll be back later in the day, but I’m off to watch baseball.
Apologies for the rubbish answer, but I can’t believe that there’s 38 days more of this to go…
So was Janet A wearing those undies – leather, fur and studs. She is a weirdo!
Gecko
Good point.
# 129 – Candles, Rudd has used his messages about broadband, climate change and IR to position himself as a man with a plan for the future. In this, he has been incredibly successful. You may rant against this..and it may be that this perception is an illusion…but it’s a very real perception all the same.
See: “Headland Speeches”.
No. 132
LOL.
If a journalist asks Rudd, “what is your plan for the future?”, Rudd will reply “well, I have a plan for the future, unlike Mr Howard etc etc”
You don’t have a plan just by saying you have one and pointing at your fingers.
candle… Howard’s plan for the future is a tax cut. That’s it. I think Rudd will find it tough to match that stunning vision.
However, I didn’t really think this was a debating website.
ESJ@115: That’s pretty good. Give rcandelori some of your jokes…s/he’s grating.
Not much psephology going on today i see…..
[ 115Edward StJohn Says:
October 17th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Sadly “Glen’s†appearances will be less over the coming weeks, the Senator has some special projects for him.]
.
.
Edward,
Does that mean Glen has joined the Dirt Unit? Digging through Julia’s hairdresser boyfriend’s garbage bins perhap?
I understand “Glen” has been given the chicken suit and will be appearing shortly with KR on the outskirts of Brisbane. I am unsure what other special projects Senator M has in mind for “Glen”.
The Senator is also upset “Tabitha” has been neglecting blogging duty. It will mean “John of Melbourne” has to be reallocated.
[ understand “Glen†has been given the chicken suit ]
Isn’t that a promotion for Glen?
Reading the GG is like going through the looking glass. Its trippy, weird, and makes a good tale later, but really bears no actual relationship to electoral reailty.
I think the campaign going swimmingly for Rudd so far. Better ads, more fresh material, the coalition has stuck with the nuclear vote killer (baha!), and ALP leads on 6 of 8 issues in a generational shift election. Plus the coaltion has shot its load too early. Not much dough in the campaign barrel. And workschoices stinks as bad as it did 6 months back.
Howard is in seriously deep sh*t. His primary is way, way too low to win.
Dont believe otherwise until you see the coalition 2pp anywhere near the ALP primary.
Wow, just found this website and can see that 99% of comments are from lefty Labor voters/staffers. What is it with you lefties dominating blogs? Is it because you’re still at uni studying your 3rd arts degree? Viva la Ruddulucion eh….
Yes it is. The Senator believes in incentivation of youth.
Can we PLEASSEEE get back to discussion of the issues poll, rather than all these endless cycles of Conservatives vs Lefties bashing each other up?
Concerning the issues poll, Labor has a lead on the top 4 issues. This becomes even bigger in the case of water and environment, when you consider that most of the “others” in these issues would be saying Greens would be better. Thus centre-left parties are a long way ahead of the centre-right on the top 4 issues.
On IR, the 49% who rate it as important is not an indication of the vote influence. Most people are not affected by Workchoices, and so it’s not of primary importance to them. However, there’s a large minority that is affected, and for whom IR would be of the highest importance. These people are the ones who have shifted to Labor over IR. The Crosby Textor analysis at Possum is revealing; Workchoices is a big vote driver for Labor.
The odds of a rate rise are increasing:
http://www.asx.com.au/sfe/targetratetracker.htm
If the next set of inflation figures are not good, looks like Howard will have a rate rise to deal close to the poll. It’ll be interesting to see how he spins it, if it happens.
I watched Nine news here in Sydney last night. The election story was seventh, just before the first ad break.
That represents the opinion of the News Director about the level of election interest in the wider community after a long year of campaigning.
Very bad news for Howard. He’s so far behind he needs people to pay attention now. The Australian can write every lead story from here to poll day on economic issues if it wants, but no voters-that-matter are reading it. They’re watching the 6pm news.
So cheer up everyone. Except you, Candles. You can stay depressed and narky.