GhostWhoVotes tweets that the latest fortnightly Newspoll has the Coalition’s two-party preferred lead at 55-45, from primary votes of 32 per cent for Labor (up two on last time) and 46 per cent for the Coalition (up one). The personal ratings are good news for Tony Abbott: his approval rating is up four to 36 per cent and his disapproval is down three to 52 per cent, and he has opened up a lead over Julia Gillard as preferred prime minister of 40 per cent (up three) to 37 per cent (down three). Julia Gillard is respectively up down one to 32 per cent and up two to 57 per cent. Newspoll also ran a teaser last night showing Abbott favoured over Gillard for economic management 43 per cent to 34 per cent, and Wayne Swan and Joe Hockey in a statistical dead heat for preferred Treasurer (38 per cent to 37 per cent).
We also today had yet another 54-46 result from Essential Research. After losing a point on the primary vote over each of the two previous weeks, Labor was back up one to 34 per cent, with the Greens down one to 10 per cent and the Coalition steady on 47 per cent. Essential’s monthly measure of leadership approval found both leaders’ personal ratings essentially unchanged – Julia Gillard down one on approval to 36 per cent and up one on disapproval to 53 per cent, Tony Abbott steady on 35 per cent and up two to 53 per cent – but contrary to Newspoll, Gillard made a solid gain as preferred prime minister, her lead up from 39-36 to 41-34. However, only 31 per cent expected her to lead Labor to the next election against 47 per cent who said they didn’t (hats off to the 22 per cent who admitted they didn’t know); while for Tony Abbott the numbers were 47 per cent and 25 per cent.
A question on government control of media ownership has support for more control and less control tied on 24 per cent, with 34 per cent thinking it about right. There was also a question on the impact of Gina Rinehart on the independence of Fairfax newspapers, which I personally find a little odd – the issue would mean little outside of New South Wales and Victoria. I also had my doubts about the question on whether Australia is “fair and just”, but the question asking for comparison with other countries is interesting: Canada and New Zealand are seen as Australia’s main partners in freedom, the UK does less well, Japan and France less well again, and the United States worse still. China however sits well below the rest of the field.
Bilbo, have you watered the crikey gerbil yet ?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-14/gillard-defends-four-corners-interview/3828596
[Gillard defends Four Corners interview
Updated February 14, 2012 09:54:39
Julia Gillard has defended her decision to do an interview with Four Corners which revealed that her office prepared a victory speech two weeks before she overthrew Kevin Rudd for the leadership.]
Video – First comment is where she talks about why she was asked to appear on 4C.
CTar1:
It would appear the ABC ambushed the PM by not revealing exactly what the doco was about or what she would be asked. She shouldn’t have appeared, and should’ve told them to go jump.
confessions – Yep.
so, the PM went on a major current affairs program, told it would be about government’s progress. did she check who else in the government were appearing (or presumably they were … where was swan etc)? who from opposition? did she or advisors check main questions? seek anything more about program. while in interview she answered questions about the ‘coup’ and rudd etc. this is unbelievable naivity.
i agree with confessions
It’ll be interesting to see if the PM will “seek leave to make a personal explanation” after QT today. Probably not.
Good news for the gimme the job or I’ll wreck the joint duo.
DISUNITY IS DEATH.
RUDD IS DISUNITY.
RUDD IS THE DEATH OF THE LABOR GOVERNMENT.
Ducky:
Why give the story more oxygen?
enough of rudd already, the real enemy is abbott
Confessions
If the PM really did NOT know the purpose of the 4C interview then I suggest everyone in her office should resign immediately. For heaven’s bloody sake, 4C is run by Kerry O’Brien. Tough interviews and searching questions and agenda go with the territory. Since taking on the role he has had MORE impact that when on 7:30.
Maybe her new UK minder was arrogant and thought “oh just a little colonial program”.
If the PM and staff thought for one moment a 4C program would NOT touch on the 2010 events then frankly they needed their head read. This has been obvious since July 2011 that any 4C program (or Australian story or Agenda etc) would address the Rudd/Gillard issue.
In all likelihood it was a sort of trap. Gillard goes on the program, then releases the no media contact rule. It is hoped/expected that Rudd would chat to 4C, breaking the media ban. Bingo! Excuse to dump him.
Once again Rudd springs the trap and leaves the Gillard team looking a bit wet behind the ears.
I am surprised that Gillard has sort to use the “I was misled” line because it makes her look a bit incompetent.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/gillard-stands-by-coup-timeline-despite-damaging-plot-claims-20120214-1t2vo.html
[Gillard stands by coup timeline despite damaging plot claims
Jessica Wright
February 14, 2012 – 10:42AM
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has all but accused the ABC’s Four Corners of deception after it aired damaging claims last night that her office was plotting the downfall of Kevin Rudd well before the June 24, 2010 coup.
The ABC’s Four Corners program, aired last night, alleged Ms Gillard’s staff had begun drafting her acceptance speech two weeks before she replaced Mr Rudd as Labor leader.
But Ms Gillard told ABC radio this morning that she had been invited on the television program to speak about the government’s achievements since the 2007 election.]
Contains reactions from various MPs.
http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/questioning-her-judgment-over-facing-questions/
[Questioning her judgment over facing questions
by Malcolm Farr
14 FEB 09:50AM
Julia Gillard today said she never dodges questioning but there are some, including Labor backers, who wish she had last night. However, many of these tut-tutting critics would also have been piling into the Prime Minister had she snubbed the Four Corners interrogation.]
Malcolm is a fair minded bloke
George Brandis SC at his condescending ‘best’ in Estimates.
Don’t these pesky officials know he’s a leading legal authority!
fess,
You do know the routine, don’t you? “Do you claim to have been misrepresented?” …
Boerwar
[DISUNITY IS DEATH.
RUDD IS DISUNITY.
RUDD IS THE DEATH OF THE LABOR GOVERNMENT]
Not forgetting the Qld civil service called him, DR DEATH.
Many on this blog continually criticise Abbott for not having the guts to do proper interviews that aren’t totally scripted. Now there are people criticising the PM for doing such a proper interview. The issue isn’t what the PM says or doesn’t say. It’s what Abbott NEVER says or doesn’t say because he doesn’t submit himself to scrutiny.
That being said, and not having watched the program so I’m going on the evidence of others, it seems the ABC has stuffed up another chance of making a contribution to the national debate and gone instead for the tabloid gotchas.
Compare last night’s program to the one many years ago that blew the whistle on entrenched police corruption in Queensland. That was a fair bit more significant than what some speechwriter in Canberra might have done to make sure he/she was prepared for any urgent request for a speech. The contrast is that stark.
At least Today Tonight and Current Affair occasionally do expose some shonky operators taking advantage of other people.
Did Wilkie say something odd on ABC24 just now?
DTR:
If the PM hadn’t appeared on 4Corners you’d be screeching away this morning about why she was ducking the questions.
With people like you, the PM is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t. You don’t approve of her leading the ALP; I get it.
Doesn’t matter what Prime Minister Gillard does or doesn’t do.
They’ll always seek to lay the boot in.
Good Governence demands that we fall in line behind our Prime Minister
/rant
Ducky:
I dare say the opps will throw in some questions in QT.
Leroy,
At the moment Libs’R’Us is carrying on like a pork chop.
When Mark Riley asked a question that left Tony Abbott shaking his head for 40 seconds, the Murdoch press and shock jocks demanded Riley’s head on a stick.
Compare and contrast with today.
As Crikey is a major PITA to the MSM and Rabbotts mob has anyone thought that the outages are a little too convenient ..??
[I dare say the opps will throw in some questions in QT.]
will there be enough of them, in the chamber, left ?
wot with Mr Slipper an all ?
Thank you for your email regarding the interview with Julia Gillard on 7.30.
Your concerns have been investigated by Audience and Consumer Affairs, a unit which is separate to and independent of program making areas within the ABC. We have reviewed the broadcast and assessed it against the ABC’s editorial standards for impartiality.
The adversarial or ‘devil’s advocate’ style of interviewing, employed at times by Chris Uhlmann, can generate a strong and mixed reaction from the public. Part of the technique of the ‘devil’s advocate’ approach is to take major points of criticism from various sources and put them to the interviewee. This can sometimes give the audience the impression that these are the personal views of the interviewer. This is not the case.
When he is doing a one-on-one interview he has a duty to conduct a testing interview that does not allow the interviewee to use the occasion as a political platform. It is his duty to put other points of view to the interviewee and his responsibility to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the questions are answered.
Having reviewed the interview against the impartiality provisions of the ABC Editorial Policies, Audience and Consumer Affairs is satisfied it is in keeping with those standards. The questions posed to Ms Gillard were relevant and based strictly on their news value. She was afforded ample opportunity to clearly state her views in response and did so at length and with ease. We are satisfied that the interview was suitably respectful and courteous.
This is the answer I received back after Chris U , interview of the PM, can anyone decipher it for me, I am just so disgusted with the ABC now I just don’t want to see or hear from them again and this letter is the final straw
DTT
I’m not sure that Kerry O’Brien actually has editorial control of 4 Corners. He’s the presenter, but often the editorial control of these sorts of programs is behind the scens.
The Oops will be hard put to find a question on Speechgate that doesn’t contain argument or that will not be deemed out of order in another way.
The answer, anyway, will be “What goes on in my office is none of your business.”
Mari,
The key is in the last para : “news value”. Read as: whatever will generate the biggest headline. Bugger accuracy, proper enquiry, truth or even real “balance”.
poroti
Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 8:27 am | Permalink
What a wonderful law.
News Corporation executives could be vulnerable to individual prosecution by US anti-bribery authorities under the so-called “willful blindness” clause that holds company chiefs culpable if they chose to be unaware of any specific wrongdoing by their employees.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/13/news-corp-executives-risk-us-prosecution
Poroti thank you for cheering me up this morning, maybe the start of the Hallelujah will do the trick
Unless the interviewee is Tony Abbott.
[The adversarial or ‘devil’s advocate’ style of interviewing, employed at times by Chris Uhlmann, can generate a strong and mixed reaction from the public. Part of the technique of the ‘devil’s advocate’ approach is to take major points of criticism from various sources and put them to the interviewee.]
The only “major points of criticism” the ABC relies on come from one source only: the opposition!
what did wilkie say??
[ajm
Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 11:11 am | Permalink
Mari,
The key is in the last para : “news value”. Read as: whatever will generate the biggest headline. Bugger accuracy, proper enquiry, truth or even real “balance”.]
I think on rereading, you are correct but I may add the proviso as long as it is ALP bashing in there as well. Well think will go to the beach and cool down
[This is the answer I received back after Chris U , interview of the PM, can anyone decipher it for me, I am just so disgusted with the ABC now I just don’t want to see or hear from them again and this letter is the final straw]
Uhlmann interrupts FAR too much, but onyl when interviewing Gillard or other Labor ministers.
All you need to know is that he’s the “preferred” interviewer for a range of Coalition politicians and hangers-on, from Tony Abbott to Kroger’s girlfriend, Janet Albrechtsen.
TLBD and Confessions, 226 and 227 yes unfortunately you are both correct, I don’t know why I even bothered, beach here I come
The 4 Corners nadir for me was hearing the ABC ‘journalist’ referring to the baseless old hoary chestnut – BER & Pinkbatts disaster.
BB I’m surprised you have not got out the old rusty side by side double barrel and let a couple of actual BB’s go!
Thank also to BB 230, now off
victoria
[Do you know when the senate is going to vote on the MRRT?]
No. I don’t know what will happen until each sitting day unless the media reports something days in advance. I don’t think the Senate debated the MRRT last week and it doesn’t sit again till 27 Feb, so it’s still some way off.
mari:
It seems to me that the ABC usually just whip off a dismissive reply to any criticism they receive. It’s hardly worth writing to them.
Enjoy the beach!
Dr John,
Unfortunate that that was also its zenith.
TLBD @ 202 – I wouldn’t think the PM has any reason to make an explanation after Question Time. All this is doing is keeping the events of 2010 on the boil, and is grist to the mill for the ALP’s opponents.
Whether this will damage the PM I don’t know. For one, I’m really not sure how many people give a rat’s arse, given this happened nigh on two years ago, and secondly, people aren’t so stupid as to believe a Deputy PM wouldn’t have known something was going down at the time.
Those who follow politics closely might be in a lather over it, but at the end of the day, those who dislike the PM and think her dishonest are not going to change their vote, and those who like her are unlikely to either.
I do question the judgment of many in the Pm’s office though, from a political as opposed to policy POV. I think the PM needs to take a step back from the day-to-day malarky, even if it means less press conferences. Leave the fairly routine announcements to relevant ministers, and let the likes of Albo, Nicola, Tanya and Penny have a crack at the opposition boof heads outside parliament.
Part of me thinks the PM ought not to have appeared on 4 Corners, as she after all is the one with everything to lose right now, not Rudd. I also agree, if the program approached her on the basis of an interview about the government’s achievements but then stirred the leadership lot then that’s poor, but both she and her office must have expected some questions on it.
On the other hand, if the PM didn’t appear on the program, she would only be facing the same questions today. It’s a tough call.
Henry 179
[2: It would be my guess that the leaker during the last election was either Troy Bramston or Bruce Hawker. Both seem particularly embittered these days.]
I don’t think this will come out too easily if at all. Rudd himself has a reasonable alibi being ill at the time. However, in the Latham Diaries he is cited as a media obsessive and leaking to Oakes (which Latham proved by floating a different fake story to various individuals and watching sure enough for the story he gave Rudd to turn up in Oakes’s stuff). Rudd has form with Oakes. I don’t doubt he was complicit in some way.
Great posts from BB and Muttley.
This was a good forthright interview played on Newsradio at 5am from BBC Hardtalk.
Stephen Sackur with John McCain. Asked about his support for Romney and choosing Palin as his running mater in 2008
Oh good, a news conference from Tone coming up!
I wonder what the subject will be!
This time with a link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ht
Burgey:
Excellently put.
Oh FFS!
I’ve had enough!
And you Evan are a monsterous bloody hypocrit. When Rudd was PM you were wishing for Gillard.
You are full of shit.
Have the guts to declare your position instead of this faux concern for Rudd.
A male pollie challenges & he is the ‘Loser’ or the ‘Victor’, done and dusted within a month. Gone!
There is an incestuous relationship between the media barons,big corporation money & the Coalition.
It has been a concerted effort from the media to roll this government & moi don’t give a rats arse if you think that is conspiratorial.
I think it is ‘FACT’. The fact that Gillard is a woman has made the job easier because we are still a nation of yobbos.
The ALP wanted Gillard there for good reason. She gets the job done & is concilliatory.
I’m absolutely disgusted at the lack of courage, support & protection the party has given Gillard. Ministers should be out there headkicking.
If you make a decision to change the leader then you have to commit 100% to get out there and fight under their leadership.
Simple as that!
There’s a boom coming for Australia. The Coalition will bask on the back of all the hard work the ALP have done just as Howard did.
And if you really love your party, start sending messages to ministers demanding they get out there and support their leader instead of giving the media & the Coalition what they want.
Well that’s my disjointed, convoluted rant for the day!
Off to mow the lawn!
Really?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
[Markus Mannheim @MarkusMannheim Close
Customs is the latest to warn against Abbott’s boat policy bit.ly/zyAfUE Read the Customs briefs here: bit.ly/Ab1xNg #auspol
11:18 AM – 14 Feb 12]
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/liberals-pledge-on-boats-slammed/2454270.aspx?storypage=0
[Liberals pledge on boats slammed
BY MARKUS MANNHEIM PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTER
14 Feb, 2012 01:00 AM
The Coalition’s pledge to turn back asylum seekers’ boats is illegal, costly and would expose Australian naval personnel to harm, formerly secret Customs advice says.
The advice also shows the Howard government’s attempts to forcibly return boats often failed, and details how the policy had relied on assuming, without evidence, that Indonesia agreed with it.]
http://customs.gov.au/disclosurelog/default.asp