The Australian reports Newspoll has Labor ahead 63-37 on two-party preferred, with Brendan Nelson’s preferred Prime Minister rating down a further 2 per cent from last fortnight’s headline-grabbing 9 per cent. More to follow.
UPDATE: Two-party records on the Newspoll site only go back to January 1996 (the company goes back to 1985); before tonight the best result was Labor’s 61-39 from 16-18 March 2007, the top six all coming from Rudd’s killer run from March to October last year. The Coalition’s best result was 56.5-43.5 from 5-7 October 2001.
UPDATE 2: Graphic here. Kevin Rudd’s approval rating is at 69 per cent, up 1 per cent to beat the record he set a fortnight ago. John Howard’s best ratings were 67 per cent from 10-12 May 1996, and 65 per cent recorded in the aftermath of the Bali bombing on 1-3 November 2002. Pollsters other than Newspoll had Bob Hawke over 70 per cent in 1983-84. I have derived two-party figures for Newspoll from 1985 to 1995 using preference distributions from the preceding election, and none comes close to 63-37. The Coalition’s best result was 59.9-40.1 from 20-22 August 1993, immediately following John Dawkins’ horror post-election budget. Labor’s was 58.0-42.0 from 12-14 June 1987, at the onset of the campaign for the July 11 election.
UPDATE 3: Rather embarrassingly, this post originally claimed Brendan Nelson’s approval rating was 7 per cent. This figure is in fact his preferred prime minister rating. Nelson’s approval rating is 29 per cent, which is not much to write home about but nowhere near the record-setting level of his preferred PM rating.
Poor today show “400,000 carers receive the $1600 bonus” ooops thats $640 million, budget figures show it was $225 million. Only wrong by $415 million.
Ah well they are only out by the amount it cost to upgrade the immigration depts. computer system. 🙂
Frank, I am disappointed in the tory organisational skills. I was waiting for you to tell us that if I clicked on the link of ‘The Daily Terrorgraph’ it would link directly to Turnbull’s office.
[Poor today show “400,000 carers receive the $1600 bonus” ooops thats $640 million, budget figures show it was $225 million. Only wrong by $415 million.]
And how many of those get both the Carers Payment AND the Allowance. The Magic $1600 is only for those lucky buggers, most carers only get the Allowance.
We all know these fibs and scare mongering (they’re comimg back, they’re coming back!! oh hang on wrong scare!) is News ltd desperate attempt to lift Brenden 07’s and the libs polls numbers.
It may well work short term ,like the next couple of months, but after the budget when people realise they have been taken as fools and lied to Brenden and his bros will be wiped off the map.
While some journalist get worse some are out there doing good work;
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/opinion/at-last-we-take-a-stand-against-the-dark-side/2008/03/09/1204998316530.html
I managed to find the Libs policy for the last election (via http://www.archive.org) it is no longer on their website.
They said something along the line of we will look at the bonuses depending on economic circumstances.
What Costello meant was we will replace the bonuses with the $500 utilities allowance. (Given that some pensioners already got about $120 it was not really $500 for all).
The policy also confirms that this $500 was per family and his interview on the 7.30 report confirms that the bonuses were in the past.
So the Libs went to the last election with a policy to cut carers payments. Yet in mean and tricky style they spun it as an increase.
Will a journalist ask Dr. Nelson :
Did the coalition commit to definately retaining the carer bonuses?
Was the coalition policy taken to the last election a cut in carer payments?
Probably not. 🙁
I note PollyQ hasn’t been here since last night – it seems that she preferred News Ltd’s talking points to our own, often real life experiences.
And has anyone notice the absence of Glen and the other Conservatives ? Has all this talk of mergers sent them scurrying to be “re-educated” ?
ruawake, just happened to stumble across a copy of the Liberal Party Policy document from the 2007 election regarding carers myself.
http://www.liberal.org.au/about/documents/Carers.pdf
Thanks steve – thats the one.
A re-elected Coalition Government will extend, for the first time, the
Utilities Allowance to all recipients of Carer Payment.
Currently only recipients of Carer Payment who are of Age Pension
age receive this payment. The Utilities Allowance will be $500 a year
for a single and $500 a year for a couple from 20 March 2008.
More than 120,000 Carer Payment recipients will receive this payment
for the first time from 20 March 2008 through the Coalition’s investment
of $183 million over four years. This will be subject to the passage of
legislation.
This measure builds on the Coalition’s strong record of providing
financial encouragement and recognition to Australia’s carers.
In 2007 the Coalition delivered a $1,000 bonus for recipients of the
Carer Payment and $600 for recipients of Carer Allowance. One-off
bonus payments were also made to eligible carers in 2004, 2005 and
2006.
A re-elected Coalition Government will consider continuing to
pay these bonuses, depending on the economic circumstances at the time.
The defence rests 😛
“In 2007 the Coalition delivered a $1,000 bonus for recipients of the
Carer Payment and $600 for recipients of Carer Allowance. One-off
bonus payments were also made to eligible carers in 2004, 2005 and
2006. A re-elected Coalition Government will consider continuing to
pay these bonuses, depending on the economic circumstances at the
time.”
Pdf page seven
7 and 9 news both put a favorable light on Rudd telling carers and pensioners they wouldn’t be worse off after the budget. 9 even had old footage of Kev in a nursing home holding an elderly lady’s hand.
761 vera – Those at the OO still don’t believe it though. They are desperate to keep it running.
“Samantha Maiden, Online political editor – March 10, 2008
KEVIN Rudd has today pledged pensioners and carers will not be worse off under the May budget.
But the Prime Minister has not ruled out dumping the one-off payments that sparked controversy last week among pensioners and carers who fear the cash handouts could fall victim to the budget razor gang.”
Well dug out, Steve. Perhaps, Glen, Generic Person and ESJ are out trying to find someone who prefers the nightwatchman as PM? Maybe, it’s finally sinking in with some in the MSM, that the gov’t has changed and the country certainly will change. Phew!
Samantha Maiden excluded.
[Samantha Maiden excluded.]
And the entire News Ltd “Journalistic Staff”
I’d go with that, Frank.
Oh and The West Australian in Perth – I hope Kerry Stokes gains control of the Board and sacks that Young Liberal of an Editor 🙂
Bonus schemes should be scrapped, they are pure pork barrelling, and instead the pension and carers allowance increased.
Labors’ stupid promises in the campaign regarding middle class welfare are becoming an immense burden. They should be cutting the benefits provided regarding private subsidies on health insurance and to rich private schools, but instead again it seems vulnerable groups may come under the spotlight or if not rumours occur harming Labors’ support.
Why would you care about Labor’s support being harmed in any way? You appear to be opposed to just about everything that Labor represents. I’m still not sure why you haven’t joined the Young Socialists Movement. I’m sure that their agenda would be more to your liking – seriously.
[Why would you care about Labor’s support being harmed in any way? You appear to be opposed to just about everything that Labor represents. I’m still not sure why you haven’t joined the Young Socialists Movement. I’m sure that their agenda would be more to your liking – seriously.]
Or the Socialist Alliance or even the Communist Party.
Marky Marky
Yep. I’ll just wait and see the budget in May before I offer an opinion.
Steve, enjoyed the link.
marky marky, I suspect the stupid promises in the campaign will be subtly re-worked. I noticed that Rudd flagged a re-jigging of the support system (hate the word welfare) for people who may be aged or have different needs.
I agree bonus schemes should be scrapped and instead, people needing financial support, should have an indexed system to ensure they get what they need.
I also suspect this will take some time to sort through.
The current system is an absolute mess. It’s not something I’ve any expertise in particularly, so can’t comment further. I’ll get onto the Australian Association of Social Workers to get a submission together.
I’ll say it again, though, often when you’re trying to organise something that some one’s rightfully entitled to, you have to battle bureaucratic idiots who’ve got absolutely no idea. Recently, I had a year long battle with the State Housing mob, who didn’t understand that global developmental delay was one of the criteria for emergency housing and that it wasn’t curable. Won, though.
You gotta love the Terrorgraph.
[Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson called on Mr Rudd to say if the payments would be kept.
He said that pensioners, like terminally ill Mackay man Ashley Norman and his wife Pat, depended on the bonus.
Dr Nelson met the Normans during a visit to Mackay last weekend to speak to flood victims.
“That $1600 for carers, the $500 for seniors and elderly people, it’s in their budgets,” Dr Nelson said.
“Mr Rudd, you need to say in plain language, not ‘Rudd speak’ or anything else, just in plain language, tell Mr Norman and tell his wife and tell the 400,000 carers in this country that the $1600 that they’ve got in their budgets is safe and secure.”
Mr Norman, 73, is terminally ill with lung and heart disease and diabetes, and is cared for 24 hours a day by his 70-year-old wife.
An angry Mr Norman said the carers’ bonus made a huge difference to the couple.
“I will fight to the day I die, whether it’s next month or six months’ time or whenever it is, I will fight to hell and back,” he said to ABC Radio.
“I’m not going to wear this. I’m not going to let a popinjay of a – I could go worse than that – but I’m not going to let a bloke who tucks a little white hanky up his sleeve do this.” ]
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23350923-5001028,00.html
So Steve you agree with taxpayers money going to the wealthy? Yep the poor pays for private health subsidies and rich schools such as Wesley, Scotch and Kings College.
Steve you are typical of the new type of Labor member, give up on what you really believe. Brainwashed. Countries in Scandinavia can create societies and communities which provide for decency and equalitarian service delivery- they of course are socialists regimes.
And you people have forgotten what socialism is. What is it again? Is their something wrong with equality. In education, health, employment, oh no cannot have that better to have the wealthy get their big wage increases- CEO wages have increased significantly in recent years. Better to let the wealthy own all the resources in this country whilst the poor gets nothing. Ever seen the statistic Steve that the about 100 people in this country own about 80 per cent of our wealth whilst the rest 20 per cent , and it has got worst under both governments Labor and Liberal.
But that is alright.
Frank, what is the difference between Socialism and Communism? I despise communism completely and would never support it.
I am a socialist because i care about all people and despise greed and that is what kind of country we are living in.
Labor continues to apply bandaid solutions last week housing and today binge drinking. What a waste of our taxes.
Binge drinking, how about making the alcohol companies pay for this instead of us taxpayers.
I have checked the Costello’s transcripts since 2004, he did 741 interviews and mentioned in passing carers 3 times.
This omits his 7.30 report interview (23/10/2007) so to be fair it is 4 out of 742. To his credit the 3 reported by the treasurers website were all Alan Jones, but the Tip never answered a question.
I reckon that the missing member for higgins was never in favour of the “bonuses” he was rolled by the former member for benelong.
Steve, Ogmios works for the Labor Party ( i think). He provides objective analysis on the policies of the Labor Party. That is to stop people on this site having a opinion which questions the conventional orthodoxy.
Labor was once a party which was concerned about where this country was heading, it had vision. Today it has little vision and is concerned primarily with spin and doing what the media moguls want.
The upcoming summit- is an idea to divert peoples’ opinions from the real issues. The summit has real Australians on its summit such as a member of News Limiteds’ board on its main table. These are the people who will bring forward a vision- bollocks.
Steve says
[Asked about the merger, Mr Rudd said: “I think the problem for the Liberal Party and National Party is they don’t know what they stand for.
“The problem that these two parties present at the moment is it’s quite unclear to the Australian people what principles they stand for.”
Mr Rudd said the Nationals were a “declining force” which had not represented the interests of rural and regional people for quite some time. ]
Yes the conservatives do not stand for anything.
But please explain to me what the Labor Party stands for.
Democratic socialism is what Rudd said, if that is the case then sorry the policies being put in place mean democratic capitalism.
762 Gary – I doubt there would be too many that read the OO whereas most people watch the 7 or 9 6pm news
I know what you’re saying however but just remember the lies and crap OO sprouted all the way through the election campaign and it didn’t do them or howard any good.
[762 Gary – I doubt there would be too many that read the OO whereas most people watch the 7 or 9 6pm news]
But remember that it’s the entire News Ltd stable involved in this charade- The Terror in Sydney, THe Hun in Melbourne, THe Curious Snail in Brisvegas, the Tiser and the Sunday Crimes here in Perth.
All of those people are aimed at Joe Sixpack, who is either caring for someone, or knows a carer.
No 777
Not too long ago, the ALP failed to enunciate what it stood for as well. Then Kevin Rudd came along and proclaimed the ALP stood for 90% of John Howard’s policies. 😉
777 Can’t help you there Marky Marky, I am not a member of any political party. I just dislike living under conservative governments and range across a broad political spectrum but have never voted right of Labor and never intend to do so. I do not like what the Liberal, National or One Nation, Family First etc stand for now, in the past or in the future.
I am interested in why people vote the way they do and what people do to get people to vote for them or not as the case may be. I am also a keen student of the parliamentary process with all it’s strengths and weaknesses.
I have no trouble with people questioning the conventional orthodoxy. I have been known to do so myself and have been arrested numerous times and jailed under the street march laws of Bjelke Petersen.
I’ve seen both sides come and go on many levels but I’m still here doing what I enjoy, no matter what a party stands for.
780 [Not too long ago, the ALP failed to enunciate what it stood for as well. Then Kevin Rudd came along and proclaimed the ALP stood for 90% of John Howard’s policies. ;-)]
And if you expect us to believe a word of that GP then you will be very happy and quiet for a long time, won’t you GP?
Generic person,
Please list all of John Howard’s policies and tell us which of these Labor has supported too so we can see the 90 per cent.
just watching the Lateline report about the Aboriginal group kicked out of the resort in N.T.
It’s heartbreaking. just so sad.
I will reverse the question Chris, which policies does Labor not agree with which were John Howards’?
780 Generic – by golly the electorate sure hated that 10% though didn’t they GP?
It is interesting how politics works, last week the Agriculture Minister Mr Burke went to town on Mark Vaile for having another job whilst in poltics, then surprisingly enough he went mute because the hypocrite was found out- he to did the same thing.
The electorate voted Labor because and i agree this country is a conservative country, people here are basically stupid and ignorant. The media also helped Rudd a little hence went a little soft on him.
People here wanted us to support Kyoto’ s signing and doing something about it but i bet if policies were brought in which affected peoples’ greedy lifestyles they would hate the government.
People here don’t do much thinking they either go we the flow or change according to a its time factor and this is what happened last year, policies meant little. Workchoices helped a little but frankly the media moguls became satisfied with labors’ workplace changes because in the main awa’s will not change for a number of years.
What we need is a media which is not an arm of big corporations, this would make it much easier to educate and introduce responsible and humane policies.
788 marky marky – if you dislike Labor’s policies that much why are you still a member? For heaven sake there must be a party more suited to your views, Labor certainly aint it. I know we’ve discussed this before but I really get the impression you’d rather see a conservative government in power than a Labor government that doesn’t do what you want it to do. Am I right?
If the Brisbane City Council elections are won on brand recognition, then Can Do Campbell will win it in a canter this weekend. Labor has been asleep at the wheel in this campaign. Most punters wouldn’t even know who their Mayoral candidate is.
[I know we’ve discussed this before but I really get the impression you’d rather see a conservative government in power than a Labor government that doesn’t do what you want it to do. Am I right?]
He’s displaying the traits of a typical Socialist alliance member who’s stuck in the Cold War, or even is a closet member of the DLP.
The meaning of democracy is to have a say and try to change it Gary and that is what i am doing- simple.
Steve, you and many others rarely utter a word of criticism against Labor or actually i am yet to read a word of criticism, so obviously you get on here and either keep your thoughts to yourself, don’t believe in anything or are closet Labor supporters but deny it.
Joining another party hmm… i like to stay put and try to change from within.. and don’t forget i also am critical of the conservatives but at the moment they are not in government anywhere so it is best to question people making the decisions or nothing decisions.
Gary what opiniions do you have which are different to the Governments’ because yet i have not seen any.
Ferny Grover, I’m surprised they haven’t given Gridlock Campbell a hammering over the last month. They have enough on him but just refused to go for the jugular until time has run out. Especially with Standard and Poors threatening to cut his rating because of his huge debt and rates going up astronomically more than he promised.
Say it again Frank what is difference between Socialism and Communism? DLP what next… Yee support their catholic ethos to a tee..
Also Frank if the scandanivan countries can showcase to the world that socialism can work economically why can’t Australia but of course you are into having a society of wealthy ceos’, media moguls who run it for you and politicians do spend more time talking and doing nothing about our entrenched social, environmental and economic problems. Frank you make laugh.
Marky Marky ever heard of a couple of important principles like solidarity, unity, or joint interest. The Tories have enough people on their side without me joining them or speaking for them. Have your say by all means but the criticism of others allegedly on your own side while you do it is dysfunctional stuff. See how the Liberals are operating under Nelson as an excellent lesson in how not to behave politically.
Steve i thought you said earlier
I have no trouble with people questioning the conventional orthodoxy. I have been known to do so myself and have been arrested numerous times and jailed under the street march laws of Bjelke Petersen.
Steve being a member of a party is about questioning also and having a say and trying to change what is occurring. If you think everyone should be united than you would get no where in the decision making process. Everyone has different views on things and i am expressing my own.
Nelsons’ problem at the moment is not about party bickering because i don’t think their is any. It is about perception, honeymoon for Rudd, and Nelsons’ own personality lack of it and his pathetically poor effort when he was a Minister for Defence. He has bungled on Stolen Generations but that was his own fault.
His party seems to be behind him but the media do not.
Personally i think he is not a leader.
Finally i respect everyone’s views on here but i will continue to express my own- this united stuff means nothing , you argue and argue flesh a view and then come to a compromise that is how politics and policies are made mate.
I am just crying.
796 [If you think everyone should be united than you would get no where in the decision making process. Everyone has different views on things and i am expressing my own.]
There’s your way of expressing a view and as many other ways as there are people on this blog. Just express your opinion and leave it at that, few things are right or wrong and it all comes out in the wash anyway.
Anyway what decisions of any great importance are going to made on a public blog like this? I think you are having a lend of yourself.
If you are going to make decisions that will change the country, marky marky, try Federal cabinet or the board room of a top one hundred company. Somehow Poll bludger, fun that it is won’t be changing the world any time soon.
“Gary what opiniions do you have which are different to the Governments’ because yet i have not seen any.” So Marky because you express an opposing opinion to the party YOU (not me) are in and I don’t, because I recognise political compromise is necessary, this some how makes you a better person? I’m not sure why you insist that people should argue against a government when they don’t disagree with what they’re doing and how that makes you better because you do.