The first Roy Morgan face-to-face poll of Tony Abbott’s Liberal leadership covers the last two weekends of polling, and it fails to replicate the encouraging results for Abbott in Morgan’s two earlier small-sample phone polls. Labor’s primary vote is up two points on Malcolm Turnbull’s last poll to 49 per cent, while the Coalition is up 0.5 per cent to 35.5 per cent. The Greens are down 1.5 per cent to 8 per cent. Labor’s lead on two-party preferred is up from 58.5-41.5 to 59-41.
Festive preselection action:
• Former Davis Cup tennis player John Alexander has won the Liberal preselection for Bennelong, having earlier tried and failed in Bradfield. Despite predictions of a close contest, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the Left-backed Alexander had an easy first round win over local business executive Mark Chan, scoring 67 votes in the ballot of 120 preselectors. As the Herald tells it, “the right split and the hard right deserted Mr Chan”, although VexNews notes the seat is “not a centre of factional operations for either camp”. The also-rans were businessman Steve Foley and financial services director Melanie Matthewson.
• Wanneroo mayor Jon Kelly has withdrawn his nomination for Labor preselection in the Perth northern suburbs federal seat of Cowan, after earlier being considered certain to get the gig. This comes in the wake of a Corruption and Crime Commission finding that Kelly had put himself at “risk” of misconduct through his relationship with Brian Burke. Burke presumably knew what he was doing when he subsequently endorsed Kelly, going on to say he had “sought my help on many occasions and I’ve always been available to assist him”. The West Australian reported the withdrawal was the product of a “mutual” decision reached after “a week of talks with Labor officials”, which included federal campaign committee chairman and Brand MP Gary Gray. Potential replacements named by The West are Dianne Guise and Judy Hughes, who respectively lost their local seats of Wanneroo and Kingsley at the state election last September. The ABC reports a decision is expected in mid-January.
• The Western Australian ALP has also confirmed Tim Hammond, Louise Durack and ECU history lecturer Bill Leadbetter as candidates for Swan, Stirling and Pearce.
• The NSW Liberals have selected incumbents Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and Bill Heffernan to head their Senate ticket, reversing the order from 2004. The Coalition agreement reserves the third position for the Nationals – I am not aware of any suggestion their candidate will be anyone other than incumbent Fiona Nash. Imre Salusinszky of The Australian reports Heffernan needed the backing of Tony Abbott to ward off challenges from David Miles, a public relations executive with Pfizer, and George Bilic, a Blacktown councillor.
• Phillip Coorey of the Sydney Morning Herald notes Left figurehead Anthony Albanese’s chutzpah in calling for the Macquarie preselection to be determined by rank-and-file party ballot, after the role he played in imposing numerous candidates elsewhere as a member of the party’s national executive. Albanese reportedly believes Left candidate Susan Templeman would win a local ballot, although the earlier mail was that the Right’s Adam Searle had the numbers and it was the Left who wanted national executive intervention.
• Final Liberal two-party margin from the Bradfield by-election: 14.8 per cent. From Higgins: 10.2 per cent. Respective turnouts were 81.51 per cent and 79.00 per cent, compared with 80.12 per cent at the Mayo by-election, 87.41 per cent in Lyne and 89.68 per cent in Gippsland. Question: if the results have been declared, why hasn’t the AEC published preference distributions?
• VexNews reports Saturday’s Liberal preselection for the Victorian state seat of Ripon was a clear win for the unsuccessful candidate from 2006, Vic Dunn, who my records tell me is “the local inspector at Maryborough”. Dunn reportedly scored 53 votes against 26 for Institute of Public Affairs agriculture policy expert and preselection perennial Louise Staley and four for local winery owner John van Beveren. Joe Helper holds the seat for Labor on a maergin of 4.3 per cent.
• The Berwick Star reports that Lorraine Wreford, the newly elected mayor of Casey, refused to confirm or deny reports she lodged a nomination for Liberal preselection in the state seat of Mordialloc last Friday. Janice Munt holds the seat for Labor on a margin of 3.5 per cent.
• The Country Voice SA website reports that one of its regular contributors, former SA Nationals president Wilbur Klein, will be the party’s candidate for Flinders at the March state election. The seats was held by the party prior to 1993, when it was won by its now-retiring Liberal member Liz Penfold.
• On Tuesday, The West Australian provided further data from the 400-sample Westpoll survey discussed a few posts ago, this time on attitudes to an emissions trading scheme. Forty per cent wanted it adopted immediately, down from 46 per cent two months ago. However, there was also a fall in the number wanting the government to wait until other countries committed to targets, from 47 per cent to 43 per cent. The remainder “ favoured other options to cut emissions or did not know”.
• Paul Murray of The West Australian offers some interesting electoral history on the occasion of the passing of former Liberal-turned-independent state MP Ian Thompson:
Shortly after the State election in February 1977, allegations began to emerge from both sides of politics about dirty deeds in the seat of Kimberley. Liberal sitting member Alan Ridge beat Labor’s Ernie Bridge on preferences by just 93 votes. The Liberals were the first to strike, claiming Labor was manipulating Aboriginal voters, but the move backfired badly. A subsequent Court of Disputed Returns case turned up scathing evidence of a deliberate Liberal campaign to deny Aboriginals the vote using underhand tactics and the election result was declared void on November 7.
Returning officers in the Kimberley for years had allowed illiterate Aboriginals to use party how-to-vote cards as an indication of their voting intention. What became apparent later was that Labor had put hundreds of Aboriginal voters on the roll and generally mobilised the indigenous community. The Liberals flew a team of young lawyers up from Perth to act as scrutineers at polling booths, with a plan to stop illiterate voters. The Court government pressured the chief electoral officer to instruct returning officers in the Kimberley to challenge illiterate voters and not accept their how-to-vote cards.
The court case turned up a letter of thanks from Mr Ridge to a Liberal Party member, who stood as an independent, saying “a third name on the ballot paper created some confusion among the illiterate voters and there is no doubt in my mind that it played a major part in having me re-elected”. Mr Ridge’s letter said that unless the Electoral Act was changed to make it more difficult for illiterate Aboriginals to cast their votes, the Liberals would not be able to win the seat.
Two days after the court ordered a new election, premier Sir Charles introduced in the Legislative Assembly a Bill to do just that. How-to-vote cards could not be used, nor could an instruction of a vote for just one candidate. Labor went ballistic, saying no illiterate voter would meet the test.
What transpired over nine hours was one of the most bitter debates ever seen in the WA Parliament and the galvanising of a new breed of Labor head kickers – Mr Burke, Mal Bryce, Bob Pearce and Arthur Tonkin, who came to power six years later. On November 10, it became apparent that the government was in trouble when one of the four National Country Party members not in the coalition Cabinet, Hendy Cowan, said he opposed the Bill because it disenfranchised all illiterate voters. When it came to the vote, the four NCP members crossed the floor and the maverick Liberal member for Subiaco, Dr Tom Dadour, abstained. The numbers split 25-25.
From the Speaker’s chair, Ian Thompson calmly noted that the law said when a Court of Disputed Returns ordered a by-election it had to be held under the same conditions as the original poll. If the Government wanted to amend the Electoral Act, it should do so after the by-election.
“Therefore I give my casting vote with the ‘Noes’ and the Bill is defeated,” he said. Hansard unusually recorded applause.
The reason why that speed limit was lowered on the Bruce Highway stretch past Tully was because there were a number of fatal accidents involving vehicles entering on to the highway!
I know of at least one accident where a whole family was wiped out there!
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&hl=en&tab=wl
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&hl=en&tab=wl
BB@2439:
[I have gotten into the habit of being a defensive driver. So much so that Her Indoors says I should make it official and get myself a hat.]
The ultimate step along that road is get yourself a ute to go with the hat!
Takes 20kph off posted speeds immediately.
😆
Is tooth suggesting he is the equivalent of Ark Tribe, but for road rules?
i.e. disagree with the law therefore see no need to follow it.
Scorpio,
yes, looks rather obvious when viewed on Google earth. The highway does indeed cut the town, and has quite a few intersections and driveways accessing it.
Perhaps TTH was hoping a lack of local knowledge would let him get away with the furphy he used to make a point.
Love Google Earth. We’re in the market for a new rental, and finding Google Earth answers a lot of questions before you even get to the drive-by stage.
fredn,
You make assertions about which I have no information, so I won’t comment.
However, you live in Australia(I presume). So, best you abide by Australian laws.
[ Love Google Earth. We’re in the market for a new rental, and finding Google Earth answers a lot of questions before you even get to the drive-by stage. ]
Streetview in google earth lets you even do a drive-by.
Google are updating their streetview pictures of australia. I saw their distinctive holden astra vehicles around the lower north shore in sydney a couple of months ago, including once when I was out walking, so my ugly butt may be part of the update. 🙁
No dobt about it, Troothy gets you guys in every time. No doubt most of you are unfamiliar with the Tully area he is ranting about.
He may not be full of shit about getting his speeding fine, that is arguable.
What is arguable is his disingenious description of the area and its surrounding demographics which would be the reason for the 60k zone.
I have travelled this road on many occasions particularly when i had relatives living in the area.
Going north as you enter the area is a rail siding for quite busy loading/unloading farm requirements and not much further on is the Tully High School, then the Tully sugar mill. You can imagine how busy just the mill alone is during the crushing season.
The right hand side is mainly light commercial. The intersection he describes is the only way in and out of the main shopping area and on the opposite side of the highway is the busiest servo in the town. This therefore makes for a very busy hot spot of an intersection and only in the past couple of years has a set of traffic lights been installed.
Whilst his population figure of 2300 may be correct fo Tully itself (i can’t be bothered checking), the shopping area is supported by people from the surrounding districts of Mission Beach, El Arish, Silky Oak,Tully Heads, Hull River Heads, Cardwell (obviously not all), and every other small area in the vicinity, the “shopping” population sure swells during daytime and they would all converge on the one intersection.
How busy it was when he allegedly had his escapade would entirely depend on the time of day. There is every reason to have a 60k speed zone where it is.
Whilst the trip from Townsville to Cairns is quoted as 360km by road, it would be a near physical impossibility to reach Cairns in 4 hours at 100kph and slowing for all the towns and cities speed zones on the way, and that does not include any road works of which there is always some.
2424 Briefly is on the money.
I will do you all a favour. When he posts something about North Qld i will not give a lengthy decomposition of it.
I will just make a tiny post to say “Troothy is correct at …..” if he is correct, otherwise ignore his garbage for what it is.
I would just like to say that it is also a bit disingenious to describe all North Queenslanders as like “USA and the equator”, or Barnyard voters. Once upon a time the electorate of Herbert covered from Mackay to the Torres Straight Islands and until that electorate was slowly split in to other electorates, it was staunch Labor.
It is more recently changing because of the population moving here from other areas.
Hopefully it will all reverse now that the swinging voters have seen how much Howard did not do for NQ over the past decade.
Centre @ # 2441
Your referred me to your post 2415 which reads –
Has Christmas done something to some of you blokes? If voters read these few comments on speeding cameras, TTH arguments would win in a landslide!
Hurty Toof, I agree with you on this one – driving/revenue raising is a joke!
How else could you read this except as in support of abolishing speeding fines as advocated by TTH
The truth Centre is that criticising the current system without providing a suitable substitute you are arguing that -:
– people have the right to drive recklessly on roads endangering the lives of others.
– Nobody is saying that drivers should break the rules on our roads.
– Nobody is saying that drivers should exceed the speed limits on our roads.
– Nobody is saying that drivers should not be fined for breaking the law on our roads.
and that
* Most speeding cameras are positioned in a particular way purely for REVENUE
This is the argument of hoons and those who show no responsibility while driving on the roads.
I guess you did not read the data I provided earlier at post # 2419.
Just to help you here it is again but I guess that you will consider that you know better anyway.
Speeding is a factor in at least 40% of fatal crashes in NSW.
There have been many studies which demonstrate that speeding increases both the likelihood of a crash occurring and the severity of injury caused by road crashes.
The risk of being involved in a crash increases with speed because the driver has less time to react, less control of the vehicle and the distance it takes to stop is considerably lengthened.
A study of speed related crashes in 60km/h zones found that the risk of being involved in a crash causing death or injury doubles with each 5km/h increase in speed above 60km/h.
http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/pdhpe/core1/improving/3-2/3-2-3/speeding.html
The cost to the Australian economy is very large indeed.
The motor vehicle accident is the greatest single cause of accidental death in Australia, with about one-third of all accidental deaths occurring on the roads. Conservative estimates suggest that the annual cost of motor vehicle accidents in Australia (including costs such as medical treatment, workplace absence and vehicle replacement or repair) is about $17 billion.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Motor_vehicle_accidents
The simple fact is that ANY attempt to cut the speed at which we drive should be applauded.
However, if you have suffered from an unfortunate choice of words and you meant something entirely different that I apologise. But I am afraid that to my reading it reads as an argument in support of TTH
PS
Thanks for letting us know that you can use the word count function on your word processor. I have no idea what that has to be with this topic but congratulation with acquiring a that skill.
GG
That Catholic article was interesting. It said that Roxon and Carr said “not religious” and I thought I’d seen that Roxon was quite religious somewhere. And Gillard wasn’t down as “not religious” despite having described herself as “not particularly religious”.
Some of Truthy’s friends in QLD!
[The worst drivers
• A 37-year-old Mudjimba woman was intercepted for a random breath test at Maroochydore about 1.30pm on September 8 and allegedly recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.416 per cent.
• A 29-year-old lost his licence after being caught driving at 154km/h in a 70km zone on the Nambour Connection Rd at Woombye at about 6.30pm on December 6. He had a blood alcohol reading of 0.091 per cent.
• A 41-year-old male car salesman was caught driving at 201km/h in 100km zone on the Barkly Highway at Mount Isa.
• A P-plater lost his licence for six months after he was caught driving at 146km/h in a 80km zone on Lilley Rd at Cashmere in January.
• A 19-year-old was fined and lost his licence when he tried to race an unmarked police car on Settlement Rd, The Gap. He was driving at 103km/h in a 60km zone with a blood alcohol reading of 0.104 per cent.
• A 28-year-old man was caught driving at 161km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Dawson Highway at Calliope. He was overtaking an unmarked police vehicle and allegedly drinking a beer.
• A 44-year-old Redland Bay woman blew more than eight times the legal limit (0.413 per cent) after she crashed into the side of another vehicle on Redland Bay Roadat about 1.40pm on July 2.
• A 33-year-old Miles man was picked up three times in December and each time he was allegedly driving with a blood alcohol limit more than six times the legal limit.]
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26524828-952,00.html
Diogs,
I believe Roxon went to MLC and that her antededents were Jewish.
Sometimes religiosity is in direct proportion to the need for political salvation.
Some seem to arguing that the imposition of fines and speed cameras are not effective however from a quick glance at the stats that does not seem to be the case.
1970 seems to be the worst year with 3798 deaths
2005 was the latest year for which I could find data with 1627 deaths
The rates per 100,00 vehicles seems to top out at 22.9 in 1925 and in 1970 it was 8.0 and fell to 1,2 in 2005 which is the lowest rate to that point.
Surely this is a good indication that whatever is being done is working.
See – http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/publications/2008/pdf/1925_05_casualties.pdf
How sad are these media types when they have to do a poll on who’s holier so they can have their Lib mates level pegging with St Kev in a poll ? 😉
Seems like religion is all they have left to attack Ruddy with!
Has Shame-of-a-man got a sister/wife on the OO payroll who has the hots for Abbott too?
[Rudd should be worried about the advent of Abbott, not just on climate change but because his forthright views, particularly on abortion, will prompt defections in the Christian camp. There is widespread enthusiasm for Abbott among the core of politically active evangelical Christians and they will take their cue from what they see and hear themselves anyway, not from lobby groups. As for Catholics, the Prime Minister’s exuberance about the impending canonisation of Mary MacKillop won’t cut much ice with the majority of lukewarm Catholics or the more ardent conservatives who think he is a wishy-washy apostate.]
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/mad-monk-may-have-the-people-on-his-side/story-e6frg6zo-1225813625218
GG
What’s MLC?
Possum has a great post on religion and politics. Evolution is only believed by about 50% of Australians and a surprising number believe in UFOs, angels and ESP.
From a political POV though, we don’t want our politicians to be overtly religious, or at least we aren’t more likely to vote for them if they are.
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/2009/12/23/politics-and-faith-a-nielsen-poll/comment-page-1/#comments
Ratsars
I don’t think wearing seat-belts was compulsory back in 1970. That would have made a big difference.
vera
That’s a huge coincidence! Just as you post the MSM saying how religion and Rudd’s slightly less religiousity than Abbott will cost him votes, I posted that voters DON’T want overtly religious politicians, and they want religion separate from politics (even the religious ones). 😉
Diog
I’m on the Amigo shift while GG Finns and Ron have a break. 😉
You know we have to contradict everything you say :kiss:
[BS. Start naming.]
Tully, Queensland…..
I also love where these speed cameras are positioned. Right at the EDGE of a speed change, especially ones that change down from 100km/h to 60km/h. If you go 10 meters past that 60km/h sign and you haven’t slowed down fully from your 100km/h than it’s flash for cash time. What a scam.
Actually I should correct my comment about only 50% of Aussies believing in evolution. About 75% believe in evolution with 40% believing it happens as Darwin said and 35% saying God directs it. About 25% are creationists.
Truthy
You should live down my way, the coppers park their cars down a side road out of sight and hide behind a bush on the footpath, speed camera in hand! 😛
Vera,
[Seems like religion is all they have left to attack Ruddy with!]
Dennis Atkins, one of News Ltd’s more rabidly anti-Labor/anti-Rudd, is on the same line. Murdoch’s mob probably think that this sort of garbage will have a higher resonance at this time of the year and especially whilst Rudd is having a bit of a break.
I wonder what Truthy would make of this article? I would love to see his/her considered analysis of it.
[CHRISTMAS is a good time to consider Kevin Rudd, a Prime Minister who sends a cheerio to the people “in the ‘burbs” in his season’s message.
Two years into the national leadership of the boy from Nambour and, for many Australians, Rudd remains something of an unknown.]
[In his own eyes he’s the nation’s number one church-goer, the politician who brands himself with St John’s heritage-listed chapel in the Canberra suburb of Reid in the background in much the same way John Howard made his mark in an Aussie tracksuit walking his way around the world.
Rudd’s faith is a given for most Australians, although Abbott, a Catholic whose own faith was such that he considered the priesthood, sometimes throws out muffled hints that it might not be as genuine as it appears.
After the 2004 election loss Rudd’s mission to become Labor leader went into hyper-drive and faith was one of the cards he played, appearing on the ABC’s religious program Compass to discuss why parties of the Left should engage with the Christian community.
He told host Geraldine Doogue that he worried colleagues might see him as a “slightly besotted God botherer”.
Rudd didn’t need to worry too much.
He already had a reputation as something of a God botherer, a persona he coloured in himself when he worked for Wayne Goss in Brisbane.]
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,1,26523918-953,00.html
The reason for the decline in the road toll is clearly not down to any one thing. Since 1970 we have had:
* Seat belts compulsory
* Many more major divided roads
* 100 kph on most non-divided roads (was unlimited before that), 50kph on suburban streets, 40kph near schools
* Speed and red light cameras
* Aggressive Random Breath Testing (I can still remember the first night of it… reports in the newspapers had casualty staff in hospitals sitting around playing cards because there were no customers)
* Better cars (anti-lock braking, better crash protection, air bags and all the rest)
* A more pervasive atmosphere of safety from all of the above.
All of these have resulted in the lowering of the road toll. I’m not saying that the relaxation of the demerit points system for lesser speeding offences has been the sole cause, or indeed had anything to do with the increase in NSW fatalities this year. I was merely asking the question and stating that my three unfortunate experiences with cameras over a short, sharp period of a few weeks and the fright I got thinking I’d lose my licence with even one more offence in the next three years slowed me right up and made me a safer driver.
A very small lapse in concentration can cause you to knock over a glass of water on your desk, or spill coffee into your keyboard. A lapse of similar innocuousness when you’re behind the wheel can cost lives. That’s the lesson I’ve learnt, and I hope others in a similar position to myself have learnt too. It’s not that I didn’t intellectually realise the consequences of a small lapse before, but $700 in fines and 9 demerit points, putting you on “sudden death” for the next offence has a way of concentrating the mind on paying attention, and reminding you that you are in charge of a potentially lethal machine.
Angela Shanahan – Who’s she?
Diogs,
MLC is Methodist Ladies College.
[Hopefully it will all reverse now that the swinging voters have seen how much Howard did not do for NQ over the past decade.]
Or Anna Blight for that matter.
I went down to Brisbane recently and the amount of money being spent around that area and the Gold Coast on road works and public works was amazing. Meanwhile up here in North Queensland where most of Queenslands money derives from, the roads are falling apart.
As the saying goes, don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
[He already had a reputation as something of a God botherer, a persona he coloured in himself when he worked for Wayne Goss in Brisbane.]
With a little rewrite atkins article makes sense
[Atkins already had a reputation as a wangker and a idiot of a epic proportions, a persona he coloured in himself cos he works for Rupert Murdoch in Brisbane.]
[BS. Start naming.
Tully, Queensland…..]
And that has been hit out of the park TTH. Besides GG’s comment was
[MOST speeding cameras are positioned in a particular way purely for REVENUE RAISING purposes. That’s it. It has nothing to do with road safety.]
So one name just won’t cut it.
Gary
Not sure if you’re taking the proverbial. But Angela Shanahan is a Canberra mother of 9 including Leo who currently writes for the Murdoch press. Yes, she is also the better half of Dennis “we own Newspoll” Shannahan.
Gary @ 2477,
You are giving me attributions I don’t deserve.
[Gary
Not sure if you’re taking the proverbial.]
Thanks GG. No, I’d never heard of her before. That explains the article though.
Sorry GG if it wasn’t you. I’ll try and rectify the record.
Of course speed cameras are for revenue rasising,in Perth the print the locations in the local rag,which aint improved,and people still get caught you speed, you get caught, its your problem.
[1970 seems to be the worst year with 3798 deaths
2005 was the latest year for which I could find data with 1627 deaths]
In 1970’s computers could calculate 1 million calculations a second.
In 2005 computers could calculate 3 Billion calculations a second.
Clearly this is because of speed cameras. See the problem?
Lets have a look at vehicle safety improvements since the 1970’s shall we:
1. Airbags for both driver and passenger
2. Pre-tension Seat Belts that tighten on impact then release to absorb energy
3. Crumple Zones that crush the car rather than let your body take the impact
4. Side Airbags on selected models
5. Vehicle Stability Control that reduces the chances of a crash
6. Improvement in tyre treads, leading to more grip from the tyres, especially in wet
7. ABS braking in addition with Assisted Braking
8. Lap Sash seat belts for all passengers including middle rear childs seat
9. Improvements in baby seats including reverse facing baby seats
10. Collapsable steering wheels and soft plastic interiors
Gee now none of them have anything to do with reduced road toll now would it.
[Sorry GG if it wasn’t you. I’ll try and rectify the record.]
It was that bloody Centre. Geez.
[Diog, I’m on the Amigo shift while GG Finns and Ron have a break]
Vera, you just keep on making sure that young fogey is in check.
To keep World War III exploding with the other household member, am doing painting around the house at the moment. Just sneak in to check the Cricket and PB. You are all doing very well…………………….
The Atkins piece is not only a twisted version of News Ltd’s reality regarding Kevin Rudd, it also contains obvious lies!
[Soon after Rudd became Prime Minister he introduced the Sunday morning doorstop outside the Reid church. Nothing speaks solid, respectable and trustworthy leadership more than this almost weekly image.
Howard, who was a man of sincere faith, never did this.]
Google has 1,220,000 hits on John Howard at church!
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&hs=erL&q=John+Howard+PM+at+church&btnG=Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=
[Perhaps the most shameless example of the politics of piety was when Rudd wrapped himself in the looming sainthood of the late Mary MacKillop.]
[Rudd raised the case of MacKillop with the Pope while in Rome in July and he clearly saw this sainthood goal as part of the mission statement for Tim Fischer, the former conservative, and Catholic, deputy prime minister who was appointed as Australia’s first in-residence ambassador to the Holy See.]
This is just a lame “beat-up” and I am pretty sure Tim Fischer is Anglican or something, not catholic. This was discussed at length when Rudd appointed him as Ambassador to the Holy See and questions were asked as to why he was appointed, not being catholic!
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,1,26523918-953,00.html
To say speed cameras have no effect on the road toll is as dishonest as saying they are the sole reason for the role toll. If you accept they have some effect then they are worth it.
Finns
Is this you? :kiss:
Off to the TAB to have a few bets now, be back soon
has any one read an article student day of abbott
i was about 2004 in the smh i think/ some one smarter than me may be able to google it.
i remember reading it i think it was about this time
Atkins and Shameahams pieces are not worthy of wrapping up fish and chips. The Hillsong crowd are happily conservative regardless of the leadership of the parties. But youve got to give it to the cheersquad, they’ll try ANY angle to be anti-Rudd
This will upset some of those attacking Conroy, but shows just how Howard worked to garner the god botherer vote.
Rudd would have been a political fool to leave “that” field wide open to Howard and Costello who had made an “art form” out of it. Hillsong anyone? Exclusive Brethren, Hollingsworth, Pell and on and on!
Rudd is certainly going to guve a “free hit” to Abbott and the god botherers in the Opposition!
[JOHN Howard is going to spend $189 million on “cleaning up the internet” for Australian families, blocking pornography, upgrading the search for chat-room sex predators and cutting off terror sites.
Every Australian family will be provided with a free internet filter and the federal Government will enter an unprecedented partnership with service providers to filter pornography at the source.]
[The Prime Minister unveiled his new net commandments last night on a webcast to more than 700 churches and thousands of churchgoers around the country.
Mr Howard and Kevin Rudd delivered the addresses on the 2007 election campaign to 770 Christian churches of all denominations.
Mr Howard and the Opposition Leader agreed to speak for 20 minutes and answer questions from church leaders at the National Press Club in Canberra as part of the Australian Christian Lobby’s campaign to get Christians to make their vote count.
Both leaders attend church and have appealed to Christian voters to support them.]
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/howard-on-internet-porn-crusade/story-e6frgamx-1111114150318
Settle down Gary, you obviously don’t get around, do you?
The majority of speed cameras are positioned in a close proximity of where the speed limit is suddenly reduced. And even, down hill!
Only the very most gullible would believe that all or most speed cameras are installed for road safety purposes only.
As most drivers, on this one, would agree with me and Hurty Toof and some other Bludgers surely, the issue is now closed. 😀
*bye bye*
THERE ARE NO BOATS! NO BOATS! *fingers in ears* LALALALA NO BOATS THERE ARE NO BOATS!
I always wondered where Baghdad Bob disappeared to, seems he is now working as the Australian Immigration Department spokesman.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/no-more-asylum-seekers-on-the-way-govt-20091221-l8so.html
[No more asylum seekers on the way: govt
The government has denied reports that more asylum seekers are turning up in northern waters ahead of January cyclones.
…
A spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor denied more boats were on their way.
“There are no boats,” the spokesman said.]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/26/2780871.htm?section=justin
[A boat carrying six suspected asylum seekers has been intercepted near Ashmore Reef.
The boat was intercepted by a border protection vessel in the early hours of this morning.
Three crew were also on board.
The group will be transferred to Christmas Island.]
[ Tim Fischer is Anglican or something, not catholic ]
No. I’m pretty sure he IS Catholic. Educated by the Jesuits in Melbourne if I
remember correctly.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world-youth-day/tim-fischer-gets-vatican-posting/2008/07/21/1216492312756.html
[ Mr Fischer said he was of good Catholic stock, having been schooled at St Xavier Jesuit school in Melbourne, but admitted that his religion was another area of his life that might need some touching up. ]
Scorpio@2486:
[Google has 1,220,000 hits on John Howard at church!]
No, there’s only one.
See:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22John%20Howard%20at%20church%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
When google gets john howard at church, it finds all the places with john, and howard, and church.
Not the same thing at all.
Put it in quotes, and you get that string only:
“John Howard at church” = 1 entry
“Howard at Church” = 2 main entries
John Howard at Church = 4,140,000 entries.
The first entry on the last search is our John Howard.
The second is:
#
John Howard Yoder – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Howard Yoder (December 29, 1927 – December 30, … Upon the conclusion of the process, the church urged Yoder “to use his gifts of writing and teaching …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Howard_Yoder – Cached – Similar –
#
and so on.
ETA:
The search giving one entry only is not our John Howard!
Geez, Centre. You’ve just made on own goal.
The majority of speed cameras are positioned in a places where there is a high risk that drivers will not conform to the speed limit.
Only the very gullible would believe that all or most speed zones are implemented for reasons other than the risk associated with the higher speed.
Double jeopardy: High risk of incident site, high risk of non-conforming drivers. That’s why the speed cameras are there.
[THERE ARE NO BOATS! NO BOATS! *fingers in ears* LALALALA NO BOATS THERE ARE NO BOATS!]
TTH, you have never explained why you are not the least bit concerned about the 50,000+ people who overstay their visitor visas but are terrified by 1500 boat arrivals. Is it because the 50,000+ are, to a very large extent, caucasian whereas the boat people are non-white?
Dave,
Checked Wiki re Tim Fischer! You are correct. I do remember though a discussion when he was appointed by Rudd and it was generally thought at the time that he was Protestant. Nothing like a quick check.