The latest weekly Roy Morgan face-to-face poll has Labor’s two-party lead unchanged at 61-39, although its primary vote is down 1.5 per cent to 51.5 per cent while the Coalition is unchanged on 33.5 per cent. The slack has been taken up by Family First and independent/others.
Elsewhere:
• The Central Midlands & Coastal Advocate reports that Liberal Kalgoorlie MP Barry Haase has been making himself known in the areas of O’Connor which will be in the new seat of Durack under the radically redrawn boundaries. Despite being 75 years old, Wilson Tuckey has reportedly been taking an interest in the city of Kalgoorlie, which along with the southern coast from Albany to Esperance and areas of the South West will constitute the redrawn O’Connor.
• Liberal National Party candidate Andrea Caltabiano is launching a challenge against her 74-vote defeat by Labor’s Steve Kilburn in Chatsworth at the March 21 Queensland election. Claimed irregularities include double voting, particularly by candidates who lodged absent votes, and voters being wrongly removed from the roll.
• The Australasian Study of Parliament Group Queensland Chapter is holding a “behind the scenes review of the Queensland 2009 State Election” at the George Street parliamentary annexe from 6pm on Monday, Apirl 27. Star attractions are Antony Green, Treasurer Andrew Fraser, Keating government Attorney-General Michael Lavarch and Lawrence Springborg’s former chief-of-staff Paul Turner. RSVP by Monday to Erin Pasley, who can be reached at Erin-DOT-Paisley-AT-parliament-DOT-qld-DOT-gov-DOT-AU or on 3406 7931.
• No, I haven’t forgotten the May 2 Tasmanian Legislative Council elections – I will have a post up when I get time. In the meantime, Antony Green outlines the candidates.
NOTE: I am leaving open the previous thread for those who wish to continue the discussion, if that’s the right word, about asylum seekers, indigenous affairs, racism and the rest. This thread is for pretty much anything else.
Partly as a result of Danby’s good work, Australia’s immigration detention laws have been *improved*, not “softened.” Read and learn:
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/mig/detention/index.htm
[If unions have right of entry, then in such cases they can at least determine if workers are receiving their legal rights.]
Unions are not the police and nor should they paraded around as such.
I live in Ruddock’s electorate…….lucky me!
No 97
Labor never had points of order. 🙂
LOL
No 101
What’s “improved” about it?
Zoomster #98 please, stop it! Reports of workplace exploitation such as that will be giving Liberals wet dreams!
And Oz #44 you should stop it too. Reports of rising union membership will be giving them nightmares.
[Unions are not the police and nor should they paraded around as such.]
I’m sure you’d be thrilled if Gillard formed a new Industrial Police and recruited enough officers to inspect every workplace every minute of every day. Imagine what that would cost the taxpayers. Instead the union movement does it for free. You should be pleased you don’t have to pay for it. Of course it wouldn’t be necessary if employers stopped trying to exploit their employees, but it seems that’s asking too much.
[Zoomster #98 please, stop it! Reports of workplace exploitation such as that will be giving Liberals wet dreams!]
Speaking of Wet Dreams, this was banned by the BBC, but small problem – it’s an instrumental.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQRPX9n9fIo
Frank
I bought the single in my youth – it was not an instrumental 🙂
SNIP: To repeat what I said above: “I am leaving open the previous thread for those who wish to continue the discussion, if that’s the right word, about asylum seekers, indigenous affairs, racism and the rest. This thread is for pretty much anything else.”
[Presumably Generic Person would concur?]
No.
[Of course it wouldn’t be necessary if employers stopped trying to exploit their employees, but it seems that’s asking too much.]
Unions exploit employers.
Unions also exploit Union members.
[Labor never had points of order. ]
You should listen to your mob in question time!!
[I bought the single in my youth – it was not an instrumental ]
So I notice, though the B side I think was
No 114
Of course.
The officials use their union-funded credit cards to fulfil their sexual desires with escorts.
Every single union official does the above.
It’s an absolute fact.
[The officials use their union-funded credit cards to fulfil their sexual desires with escorts.]
Of course such a thing would never happen to a corporate Amex card in the hands of a manager would it?
Oh and people ARE jailed for People smuggling.
[A District Court Judge in Perth has sentenced a 31-year-old Indonesian man to 6 years jail for people smuggling.
Man Pombili brought a boat carrying 10 Afghani passengers into Australian waters in November last year.
The boat was intercepted about 90 nautical miles off Bigge Island off the West Australian coast.
Mr Pombili’s lawyer told the court his client was not aware he was going to Australia and had been taken advantage of by someone higher up in the people smuggling chain.
He will be eligible for parole in 3 years.]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/17/2546170.htm
Steve K
Don’t be silly thats a legitimate business expense and is also tax-deductable.
How about cartels – ripping off millions and getting a slap on the wrist because the hammock dweller did nothing. 🙁
[Alcopops sales dropped by 29 per cent following the introduction of the federal government’s tax hike on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages in April, new figures reveal.]
http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-national/alcopops-tax-a-success-research-20090308-8sa7.html
No 122
Since when has paying $36 million been a “slap on the wrist”? Give me a break.
[thats a legitimate business expense and is also tax-deductable. ]
True, how silly of me. And according to GPs simple view of unionism then all managers (yes, even the female managers) in all businesses must use their cards for sexual services. Goodness those prostitutes and gigolos must be busy – it’s a wonder they have time at all to entertain a mere union official.
[Since when has paying $36 million been a “slap on the wrist”? Give me a break.]
When you are a mullti-millionare that is loose change to them 🙂
No 126
Hardly.
[NOTE: I am leaving open the previous thread for those who wish to continue the discussion, if that’s the right word, about asylum seekers, indigenous affairs, racism and the rest. This thread is for pretty much anything else.]
“about asylum seekers, indigenous affairs, racism and the rest”
Vs
“pretty much anything else”
William, these must be your parallel universe.
GP Compared to being in jail, where the directors probably should be, the company paid a fine.
That is a slap on the wrist. 🙁
It might be noted that the credit-card allegations are so far in the field of “unsubstantiated allegations.” If the allegations are substantiated I hope and expect that anyone who has misused union funds will be charged and punished according to law. I’m certainly not claiming that the union movement is above sin. Nevertheless, for all their faults the unions work to protect workers, particularly the low-paid and unskilled, against the kind of exploitation which is, sadly, *very common* in Australian workplaces. The employer class gets the kind of union movement it deserves.
[The employer class gets the kind of union movement it deserves.]
Ain’t that the truth.
No 130
What I’d like to know is why union officials require union-funded credit cards? Surely that is an egregious misuse of member contributions?
No 130
The Australian union movement has a colourful history of holding back productivity whilst blackmailing employers.
Now Juanita Phillips has gone feral. After Leigh Sayle, Ali Moore, Fran Kelly and La Trioli.
It must a directive from the Politburo of the Central Committee of the ABC to the female comperes: “Get the Govt or We get you”.
GP,
Spoken like someone born with a silver spoon up their arse.
No 134
Ugh….you guys simply cannot help yourselves.
No 135
$36 million is a lot of bloody money to fine a company. Any other business would go broke with such a fine.
GP
The Howard Govt were successful in reducing productivity to zero. 🙂
#136, i would have thought that your lot would be very very pleased that ABC is now on the right side of Genghis Khan
😆
[Spoken like someone born with a silver spoon up their a***]
And cue Roger Daltery 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV2X_Ek2bms
There are more important things than productivity.
No 139
The ABC is neither left or right. It is balanced. It has occasional communist tendencies and occasional fascist tendencies.
GP,
Yeah, I listen to the footy too!
[The ABC is neither left or right. It is balanced. It has occasional communist tendencies and occasional fascist tendencies.]
Now you are just being silly. 🙁
No 141
That’s funny, given Rudd’s faux outrage in the election about productivity declines. Any average punter would have thought productivity was the single most important indicator of economic performance.
But, I suppose you’re one of the folk who thinks the Maratime union’s monopolistic grip on the waterfront in 1997 was perfectly fine.
[Rudd’s popularity will fall. It will happen sooner than most realise. When it does it will be dramatic. When voters become tired of Labor they need to know we, the coalition, are credible, capable and dependable to lead again.]
Never knew Hawker wrote fantasy fiction.
Finns,
Genghis wasn’t very lovable, but very effective.
No 146
Actually, Ian Callinan, former High Court Judge, is a crime-fiction writer.
[Actually, Ian Callinan, former High Court Judge, is a crime-fiction writer.]
??? and this is relevant because….?
GP,
If you’d read his judgements, you’d already know that.