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• Wanneroo mayor Jon Kelly has withdrawn his nomination for Labor preselection in the Perth northern suburbs federal seat of Cowan, after earlier being considered certain to get the gig.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.
Scarpat youve got it in one sentence. Dont expect a reply though
[don
Posted Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 1:05 pm | Permalink
Scorpio@2486:
Google has 1,220,000 hits on John Howard at church!]
Don, it was the only thing I could think of at the time to get info relating to Atkins assertion that Howard “never” had doorstops etc outside churches.
Over a 12 or 13 year period I can remember hundreds of occasions and I was prettu sure some of them would have been recorded by Google.
I was right in that respect and foyund more than I anticipated with all the references to Hillsong etc which Howard cultivated assiduously and made damn sure that it was covered broadly by the media.
Atkins told a “big” porky!
Ti Fischer Listed on Xavier’s OB page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Old_Xaverians
[A boat carrying six suspected asylum seekers has been intercepted near Ashmore Reef.]
Six? Heavens, how will we cope?
Gotta love how the usual suspects in the MSM trot out the “voters dont know Rudd” or pick out some demographic or other that arent happy or decide he is under pressure or in trouble or being tested, without the slightest bit of support from opinion polling. Why do we bother with opinion polling at all??
[Why do we bother with opinion polling at all??]
Andrew, how can you ask that question? No polling, no PB! 🙂
My point was why bother doing it if the so-called experts and commentators write as if it does not exist. Of course, we could not exist without PB!!
Scorps
After Hollingworth and all its associated detritus,Howie certainly kept his religiousity a little quieter.
Rudd was playing for the dissaffected christian vote as much as any other sector.
Gee, compared to this bloke, Kevin Rudd is positively a spend-thrift. This type of article just reinforces how well Rudd , Swan with assistance from the Reserve and DR Henry, steered Australia through the GFC!
[Yukio Hatoyama, the new Japanese Prime Minister, has stunned a nation already mired in huge public debt by unveiling the country’s biggest ever postwar budget: a 92.3 trillion yen (£630 billion) spending spree aimed at “saving people’s lives”.
The unprecedented budget, which supposedly shifts Japan’s fiscal spending focus “from concrete to lives”, comes amid rising concern about the solidity of sovereign debt in the world’s second-largest economy.
The new budget will require additional debt issuance of Y44.3 trillion — within the Government’s expected band, but still at a level that will raise Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio to nearly 195 per cent.
Of foremost concern, analysts for Nomura said, is that Japanese tax revenues are expected to fall to Y37.40 trillion this year, the lowest that they have been since 1984. It was, analysts said, a watershed moment — the first time that new debt issuance has exceeded tax revenues since the Second World War.
Related Links
* After the crunch came the squeeze
* Japan keeps pouring money into ailing economy
* Japan’s economy slides into deflation
Mr Hatoyama said: “We were just able to stay at a level in which we can maintain fiscal discipline.”
Mr Hatoyama swept to power in August with grand promises that the era of wasteful public spending would end. Japan’s unnecessary and notoriously expensive “roads to nowhere” public works projects would be curtailed and the money diverted to supporting beleaguered households.
Four months on from that victory and Mr Hatoyama has spent more than any of his predecessors and has yet to make any serious impact on the wider effort of repairing Japan’s shattered economy.]
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/japan/article6967956.ece
Dio
[About 25% are creationists.]
Compared with 70% in the US, I understand. It seems we win the ignorance contest. :-
Gusface,
[After Hollingworth and all its associated detritus,Howie certainly kept his religiousity a little quieter.]
Not much though. He was a regular at Hillsong events and didn’t mind being seen at church during overseas visits. he was a regular with GWB.
[PM attends church with Bush in Washington]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1416125.htm
Rudd was playing for the dissaffected christian vote as much as any other sector.]
When you look at all the links here, you have to agree that Rudd needed to stick as close to Howard as possible and make sure he didn’t vacate the god botherer field to Howard alone.
http://www.acl.org.au/national/browse.stw?article_id=16191
Rudd was determined to beat him and you can bet your life he won’t give Abbott any extra room to move in this regard either!
Scorps
Hollingworth was a own goal by Howie and quite a few GB’s that I knew then were definitely uncomfortable with both Hollingworth and Howie’s obsfuscation.Later actions by Howie were definitely seen as unchristian- ie detainess,workchoices etc
The extreme fundies were perhaps all Howie had left to cultivate?
As an aside did bomber ever come out all religious,I dont seem to remember him wearing his spirituality on his sleeve?
[As an aside did bomber ever come out all religious,I don’t seem to remember him wearing his spirituality on his sleeve?]
No, he didn’t and it certainly left the field wide open to old Howard to cultivate assiduously.
In fact the Libs and their media cheer squad, made a point of making sure the public were aware of Bomber’s divorce and re-marriage supply comparing him to Howard’s “solid” family situation with lots of luvy duvy stuff with Jeanette and the kids etc!
[THERE ARE NO BOATS! NO BOATS! *fingers in ears* LALALALA NO BOATS THERE ARE NO BOATS!]
Do you think ‘the invading hoards arriving by boats’ is the most important policy issue? Seriously, THE most important?
In an earlier post I had listed the people I would be thinking of at Christmas time in accordance with the exhortation of PM Rudd, to think of those away from their families at this time.
Generally speaking the people I was speaking of was those in prison, who should not have been there. They could be classified as the “victims” of our criminal justice system.
However, Truthy suggested I should be thinking of the victims of crime. The reason I did not include the victims of crime in my list was that they did not qualify as persons spending their time away from their families, as PM Rudd suggested. Hopefully, the victims of crime would be spending their time with their families. In so far as some victims of crime were killed, I can understand Truthy’s point – however I suggest there would be plenty of people thinking about them at this time. The people I mentioned would probably not be the subject of anyone’s thoughts. My thoughts fill that void. In addition, the number of killings per year, represent a very small proportion of the total crime committed.
Another poster stated:
[ However, PY’s post does reveal an equally unbalanced focus on perpetrators rather than the victims of crime.]
Once again, the people I listed were generally not perpetrators of crime (because they had not committed crimes or were imprisoned under unjust laws).
Let me explain that I don’t think there is a great deal of difference between Truthy, the other poster and me regarding crime. We all abhor crime.
The difference lies in our views of the working of the criminal justice system.
I recognise that no system is perfect and the criminal justice system is not perfect either. Although it might get it right the vast majority of times, on occassions it gets it wrong. Thus innocent people may be charged, held in prison bail refused , before being finally released, or even convicted and spend years in jail before being finally released years later after the appeal process is gone through. These people in my view are the victims of the criminal justice system.
The criminal justice system works to protect the community. The community benefits greatly from it. Without it, the community would be a less safe place.
So the community gains the benefits of the system. But as I pointed out inevitably their are mistakes. The “cost” of these mistakes are not borne by the community which gains the benefit of the system, but by the individuals who happen to be the “mistakes”. In my opinion this is unfair. Indeed, in my opinion to merely sweep the mistakes under the carpet as fluff to be forgotten, represents selfishness on the part of the community.
[Meanwhile up here in North Queensland where most of Queenslands money derives from, the roads are falling apart. ]
Hey Toothy, what about me?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzQKECQgjW8
Some interesting info re Hillsong and the Libs!
[Political influence
Hillsong Church has attracted support from high profile politicians, especially from the Liberal Party of Australia. In 1998, Brian Houston met with then Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, and most of his Cabinet, at Parliament House in Canberra before sharing prayers.[35] In 2002, John Howard opened the Hillsong Convention Centre at the Baulkham Hills campus.[36] In 2004 and 2005, the then Treasurer of Australia, Peter Costello, spoke at its annual conferences. Mark Latham, the former Leader of the Opposition, declined Hillsong’s invitation to the 2004 conference,[37] although Bob Carr, the then Premier of New South Wales (from the Australian Labor Party), did attend the 2005 conference.
Liberal MP for Mitchell, Alan Cadman, and two Family First Party senate candidates, Joan Woods and Ivan Herald, who failed to win senate seats, were featured in a Hillsong circular during the election, with members being asked to pray for them.[38]
Hillsong’s high profile involvement with political leaders[39] has been questioned in the media, and publicly, the church has distanced itself from advocating certain political groups and parties, including the fledgling Family First party.[40] Brian Houston has replied to these criticisms by stating, “I think people need to understand the difference between the church being very involved in politics and individual Christians being involved in politics.”]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsong_Church
TTH #2408
I decided this speed was ridiculously low for a HIGHWAY … So I proceeded along at 80km/h instead Unbelievable! The law got you for refusing to obey it, because you decided it was ridiculously slow so you did 80, the speed camera did you … As the Q Gov Ad campaign says You’re a bloody idiot, and you’re complaining about the applicatin of the law?
Never mind that it is a notorious stretch of road – in the heart of Sugar Country (& tropical fruit etc), with sugar cane trains, sugar cane trucks & trailers, sugar cane harvesters (big machines) coming out of sidetracks – often concealed). It’s also a school bus route. It’s also infamous for what happens to roads (inc highways) in a Golden Gumboot Frequent Winner Town; ie Tully clinched the national and southern hemisphere record for the most annual rainfall in 1950 with 7.93 metres, and is regarded as one of the wettest towns on earth. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-49585992.html Ever heard of washouts? especially ones that rip the road metal out from under the bitumen surface (so you can’t see it above 60kph) and you can kill yourself as well as your car being caught when it collapses?
BTW: “It’s” called, not “revenue raising” but You think you’re a law unto yourself, TTH! The Divine Right of TTH! Aka, Arrogance! That’s what I figured. Thank you for confirming it! (BTW: The last English ruler who arrogated that right to himself was executed by the English Parliament (30 Jan 1649; his son, who tried, was booted from the throne!)
No wonder you’re so pooed off with the government for not obeying what you think should be the law re boat people! However, since they, like you, have obviously decided this law is ridiculous and come anyway. And you don’t see any hypocrisy in your similar attitude to a duly passed Law?
I doubt you’re a Liberal Party supporter – it’s BIG on Laura Norda, the Nats more so. Doesn’t sound like the ALP either. Nor Bob Katter or the other Fed & state Independent Members. That leaves Pauline H, the LoR, la Rouche, CEC, the DLP and other little RW splinter parties.
Ozpol
In all fairness troofy was heading to the boatramp to begin another day of protecting our glorious coastline from jibber jabberers and pagans from the north.
His zeal overtook his normally law abiding self.
😉
[pagans from the north.]
Gus, you mean like this?
allegory – #2453
[ 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. ]
You have suggested (perhaps unintentionally) a great topic for discussion – one that philosophers have argued about forever, namely whether a citizen should obey a law, just because it is the law.
[In all fairness troofy was heading to the boatramp to begin another day of protecting our glorious coastline from jibber jabberers and pagans from the north.]
And couldn’t miss the tide!
Can’t have those dreaded boat peopld setting foot on our sacred shores, can we! 😉
Crikey, Injuns!
The MV Princess Pauline has a shallow draught and can negotiate most tidal swamps and reefs,so I dont think the tide mattered that much to troothy.
Tho having Boswell checking the that the tide is still coming in and then going out again may be the cause of troothys speeding.
Boswell obviously needed a witness to his theory debunking CC
re : Tim Fischer – Australian Ambassador to the Vatican
Why does Australia need an Ambassador to the Vatican?
Could someone please explain that to me.
I am not sympathetic to Truthys plea for selfishness to not be punished, but I often wonder if we don’t have the bull by the wrong end on traffic fines. If you are photographed over the speed limit or going through a red light you are automatically fined a substantial amount. On the other hand if you cause an accident by whatever means, the penalty is often not so severe. My wife and I were hit by a man driving through a stop sign intersection, suffering substantial and long term injuries. He was given a written caution. If there had been a camera there but no colision he would have suffered a significant penalty.
I believe that the purpetrator of motor “accidents” should suffer significant penalties, certainly greater than the maximum penalty for speeding.
Posted speed limits apply from signpost to signpost. Requiring drivers to slow down by the signpost and then catching those who have not is a great way of catching drivers who are not paying attention.
Is it true that Tim Fischer lives alone at the Vatican and his wife and children still live in Australia? If so, why is this so? Has it something to do with the Catholic Church’s belief in celibacy?
2526
Sounds sensible. They should also have stop sign cameras that catch people who don`t stop.
[Why does Australia need an Ambassador to the Vatican?]
In case the Holy Roman Empire restarts?
To ensure God dont forget us (we are a long way away from Rome)?
As penance for electing Downer and making him foreign minister?
To keep an eye on the papists?
[troofy was heading to the boatramp to begin another day of protecting our glorious coastline ]
Stop Press!!!! The latest satellite GPS photos have just arrived:
1. Toothy leaving Townsville Harbour on his glorious service:
2. Toothy at sea:
OsPolTragic – #2518
I am amazed by your implied assertion that Bob Katter is not a looney-tune. What makes you think he is remotely rational?
Finns
Its a dog of a life,being the only vigilante in the village
😉
If it’s good enough for TTH to ignore our road safety laws, how can he complain about asylum seekers ignoring our immigration laws?
It will take Wato another 10 hours to get his 10 runs for his first ever Test century.
Is it true that a dog will not pea on a boat, but will hold on until it gets back to dry land?
Peter Young #2525
Because it’s a sovereign state, and we have legates in most sovereign states, and Oz had not appointed a resident ambassador since diplomatic relations were established in the first year of the Whitlam Government?
Because Australian RCs were keen to have Mary MacKillop become a saint?
Because we hoped Fischer, a former Trade Minister, could flog some Oz exports, esp Barossa wine, more especially from Penola?
Because most Australians, regardless of politics or political (or religious) affiliations, think Tim’s a pretty good sort of a bloke and this was an undemanding honour that would suit a DPM with his history and interests, a track record of “hands on” community involvement, being a “front man” for deserving causes … and an autistic child, to help care from whom was his reason for leaving parliament a term or two early.
It was a politically savvy move – one wonders why that supposed “political genius” 😉 Howard didn’t think of it
That’s about all I can remember of discussions at the time of his appointment.
Michael Cusack – # 2526
[ I believe that the purpetrator of motor “accidents” should suffer significant penalties, certainly greater than the maximum penalty for speeding.]
I extend my sympathies to you and your wife for what you suffered as a result of the car accident. I appreciate that your personal experience (and ongoing disabilities, pain, suffering and loss) is foremost in your mind.
I trust that you received some monetary compensation for your loss and injury (at least lessening the burden). I also appreciate it may not have been full compensation, because of the various limitations on damage recovery instituted this century by governments, who wished to keep compulsory third party insurance premiums low, to placate the electorate who claimed they were paying too much in premiums.
However, apart from satisfying your own desire for revenge, I can’t see how a stiffer penalty imposed on the other driver, would make any difference to the consequences suffered by you.
I am interested in this subject, and would appreciate your views on how a stiffer penalty might have lessened your suffering arising from the accident.
OzPolTragic – #2537
Given the size of Vatican State, its population etc:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City
the only reasonable reason for appointing an Ambassador seems it was a political savvy move. If by political savvy you mean likely to increase the vote for for Rudd, I would think that even that reason is highly contentious.
What does it cost the Australia taxpayer annually for this post?
I could understand the need to have political ties with the Vatican in 1500, but I can’t in the 21st century.
[the only reasonable reason for appointing an Ambassador seems it was a political savvy move. If by political savvy you mean likely to increase the vote for for Rudd, I would think that even that reason is highly contentious.]
Hate to burst your ALP Bashing Bubble, but the appointment was made by a J.W.Howard of Wolstonecraft. 🙂
[I am interested in this subject, and would appreciate your views on how a stiffer penalty might have lessened your suffering arising from the accident.]
It is interesting PY
Would the priests being in prison make the abused childrens bottoms any less sorer, does Bryant being in prison alleviate the suffering of the relatives he killed?
I see, Ozpol, Fischer, the highly superannuated bumpkin, is a charity case, which the Labor Party in its generosity sought to provide for by granting him a sinicure.
Not giving him a damn thing is one of the few Howard decisions I agree with.
Ok, Frank has left me with egg on my face.
But why hasn’t Rudd recalled him and left the position vacant?
Oh dear!
[On July 21 2008 Tim Fischer was nominated by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as the first resident Australian Ambassador to the Holy See since 1973, when diplomatic relations with the Vatican and Australia was first established.]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Fischer
ALP Bashing ?
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world-youth-day/tim-fischer-gets-vatican-posting/2008/07/21/1216492312756.html?page=2
Actually I was wrong re who appointed Tim:
[On July 21 2008 Tim Fischer was nominated by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as the first resident Australian Ambassador to the Holy See since 1973, when diplomatic relations with the Vatican and Australia was first established.[4]]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Fischer#Post-political_career
Whoopsie, I thought it was Johhny.
[ALP Bashing ?]
See my correction at 2546.
I should follow my recollection and not you, Frank! 🙂
[I should follow my recollection and not you, Frank!]
Well at least I admitted my mistake, unlike certain other posters 🙂
Frank -#2540
Did you have too much pagan festival drinks?
Or are you in that space, referred to in this song, again?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPjggN-KByI