The Prime Minister has surprised nobody by confirming this morning that Australia has entered its first winter election campaign since 1987. The final remaining question – whether the date would be August 21 or 28 – has been resolved in favour of the former, meaning the issue of the writs and consequent closure of enrolments will occur on Monday, to Labor’s disadvantage (John Howard strikes from the grave). Psephos in comments identifies an auspicious historical precedent on this date for Labor. Appropriately, Antony Green’s election guide has opened for business this morning, and an impressive effort from Ben Raue at The Tally Room has been going for a while. My own effort will follow over the coming week.
Some recent happenings on the candidate selection front:
• Fairfax reports there have been talks between Tony Abbott and Mal Brough about the latter returning to politics, with Brough indicating he would be interested in his home electorate of Fisher on the Sunshine Coast. The seat is held by underachieving long-term member Peter Slipper, who denies having been tapped on the shoulder.
• Another Liberal National Party candidate has bitten the dust, this time in Kevin Rudd’s seat of Griffith. Emma Chalmers of The Courier-Mail reports a belief in the LNP camp that Rudd might quit after all led it to dump John Humphreys, an economist and one-time principal of the libertarian Liberal Democratic Party, so it could lock in a higher profile candidate with the potential to win the seat. The report goes so far as to nominate potential successors to Rudd: “Brisbane City Council Labor leader Shayne Sutton, lawyer Russell Thirgood and former state party treasurer Damian Power, who are all from Mr Rudd’s faction”.
• AAP reports Belinda Neal is refusing to say whether she will contest her seat of Robertson as an independent. Speculation has been boosted by the fact that she made the effort to advertise for a vacant media officer position on the weekend.
• The Liberals finally got around to choosing a candidate for the famously crucial western Sydney seat of Lindsay on Monday, with 33-year-old marketing manager Fiona Scott winning the preselection vote over 55-year-old school teacher Margaret Grand by 31 votes to seven. The Daily Telegraph reports Scott recommended herself to the party as she was “a safe candidate“ who “wouldn’t get in the way” of a backlash against the government on asylum seekers.
• The Liberals will today preselect candidates for other Sydney seats including winnable Greenway, which according to the Blacktown Sun looms as a contest between “Jayme Diaz, 34, and small business operator Venus Priest, 40”.
• Labor’s member for the highly endangered Queensland seat of Flynn, Chris Trevor, has confirmed he will contest the election after suggestions he was sufficiently alienated by Kevin Rudd’s demise to call it a day. Trevor took the opportunity of his announcement to condemn the “disgraceful” manner of Rudd’s treatment by “various factional bosses”.
• Dennis Shanahan of The Australian says Julia Gillard was prompted to challenge for the leadership by “polling in marginal seats in western Sydney and Queensland that showed she and the Liberal leader were ahead of the then prime minister in the key Labor-held seat of Lindsay in Sydney’s west and she was only six percentage points behind in Rudd’s home state of Queensland as preferred Labor leader”.
i have feeling this was tried once and knocked back in the senate abetz
did bring in something re voting when minister of state but cannot remeber what it was i think phes would know
Nico
What about the peaceful invasion???? LOL
ruawake@499
And you forgot Big Brother – BOO
Guy Rundle has a very good take on Psephos style Labor.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/the-gillard-transfer-20100716-10e6w.html
A pinch of the usual over-simplified straw man stuff, but some hard-to-counter kernels of truth about the state of politics today. Gillard as Howard-Lite.
It’s a real worry that 1.4 million people aren’t on the electoral roll.
The Electoral Commission makes it as bloody hard as possible to change your enrolment details – rather arcane processes straight out of the 19th century.
Abbott is running a trust campaign because that’s what his pin-up boy did in 2004. He has no original ideas of his own.
I read somewhere that seats like Wentworth and the PM’s own seat have very large number of people that are unenrolled.
I really think we could have an automatic enrolment process and al the how to vote cards placed inside the polling booths.
Mad Dog: Howard is Abbott-Lite
i agree we encourgaged all ours immediatley and if they hadnt i would got the necessary forms from the post office
and those that have not proably will not any way.
So Abbott will push the “I’ll stop the boats!” mantra for the next 5 weeks?
Spare me any more of that turkey, although I’m sure the dumb MSM will give him as much oxygen as possible.
With due respect Howard would have done a better job of responding to the election date announcement.
do you think that people that take up citizenship think that they are automatically now thats an area that should be looked at if is compulsory to vote then why not
and i would be in favour for it for all 18 year olds
evan14@510
But according to Barry McKinnon and Colin Barnett Boats are the issue in WA.
500
Enrolment is compulsory but they hardly ever fine anyone for not being enrolled.
Can the AEC sent out notices saying “It has come to our attention that you are not enrolled to vote. This is an offence and we will fine you $x unless you fill out the attached form enrolment and sent it to the AEC within 30 days.”?
Not sure, but a fair transient population in Potts Point, Paddington etc – not just an age thing, but moving as well
Thanks to all for feedback on Abbotts press conference. Appreciate your comments.
What the Green Army will be singing as they march behind Herr Abbott:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqVffZYR7A0
Anyone care for an Australia Card?
Allan
‘ Ditto ‘
First ALP Ad is out 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyR2pu_pY_I
mexicanbeemer @ 462
Even with undue respect, they have no excuse. I had to wait until I was 21 and, perhaps I’m unusual in this regard, but I couldn’t wait to get on the roll and looked forward to exercising my “power’ for the first time. It was quite exciting – although some of you might say “get a life” – and indeed there were other exciting things on my mind at 21 – but I saw it as a privilege to be able to cast a vote. After all, in those days, in a lot of the world you didn’t have that right, or there would be a mock election with one candidate only.
mexicanbeemer
when my eldest was in Yr 12 about 4 years ago the AEC came out and did a bulk enrolment of all the kids 17 and older. Their school enrollment was taken as sufficient ID.
What can I do to help the election of the Labor party in real life? Bearing in mind I have a full time job and live in an ultra safe liberal seat.
Lib Ad :
http://www.liberal.org.au/Latest-News/Blog/2010/07/Stand-up-for-Australia.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=SwordEmailer&utm_content=299260900&utm_campaign=ElectionStandupforAustralia
nico@523
Contact your local ALP Candidate
You only need an excuse if you think you have done something wrong and if you care about what you have done wrong.
You can project all you want on young people but don’t expect them to take you seriously.
was that around 2006/07
Nice ad Frank
Frank. What did you think of ALP ad?
Abbott is asking everyone to stand up for Australia.
Great Ad.
Lets move Australia Forward, a nice twist on an obvious theme. Julia must have done it Thurs or Fri – different hair colour. 🙂
and also your take on the Lib ad?
victoria@529
Great, Simple and to thev point – The Lib one is a shocker
The ALP ad I should have said.
Just watched The Abbott ad – appealing for party donations. They must be strapped for cash.
Not surprising when you consider their anti business policies.
Tone sounds a tad desperate in his ad.
be brave and say what you think. one thing i think is important to young people
is the new National Broadband which abbott intends to drop here in tas it up and running and the those that have it say is so fast.
another is no computers for schools, and also re woman and how he is so backward about our rights in society.
little talking points that effect the age group you are talking to.
With me be older its to remind people about the gfc and our super and that howard never put pension up for years re the cost of living etc.
and then there is health
Remind families about the Parental payment scheme to take time off work to have a bub etc.
so its who you are with re age you decide the topic, not much just a one liner
You can also say as if effect you. gee i love the thought of the New broad band dont want to loose that etc
AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE JUST LIKE U TO DO THE SAME HAS YOU HAVE GREAT TO SEE
Actually — I don’t get why we happily give our details to financial institutions but are scared to give our names to the govt!
I would love a single way of identifying myself. I don’t drive, so I have to cart my passport around everywhere.
Even better would be an implant. For those of us who are honest, it would save hassles.
The be fair the lib ad is for the supporters only, not for general consumption. The fact that Abbott has a theme tune now is hilarious though.
Good one!
HOPE YOUR STILL AROUND, its would be great to have new person alsol
nico. that does put Lib’s ad into context then.
what is it. theme tune
Just saw some of Christopher Pyne’s corflutes. Most have no picture and say Energetic, Effective, Experienced.
Looks a tad desperate.
jenauthor
I agree. But when it comes to the crunch the scare wins every time.
meant to write “to be”
did you know that in holland you can be micro chiped to go in to certain bars and clubs
then you dont have to worry about your credit card true story.
Kinda sums Pyne up.
He asked for money!!!!
Two seconds in and with a smile & a twinkle in his eye the Rabbott promotes his book sublimally.
What followed? Have no idea. Turned it off before I became ill.
Gillard’s ad comes across as soft, confident, relaxed & straight to the point.
No negative punches thrown.