This week’s Essential Research shows no real change in voting intention on last week, with the Coalition up a point on the primary vote to 49 per cent, Labor and the Greens steady on 31 per cent and 11 per cent, and two-party preferred steady at 56-44. The poll also measures Bob Brown’s approval rating at 42 per cent and disapproval at 34 per cent (including very favourable figures among Labor voters of 60 per cent and 15 per cent); has 31 per cent favouring Kevin Rudd as Labor leader over 16 per cent for Julia Gillard (Gillard leads 40 per cent to 33 per cent among Labor voters); and 30 per cent favouring Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader with 23 per cent for Tony Abbott (Abbott leads 39 per cent to 26 per cent among Coalition voters). Further questions on the mining boom have 66 per cent believing it has benefited them “not at all”, 51 per cent supporting the mining tax (down one on mid-March) and 29 per cent opposing it (down five).
Federal preselection happenings in New South Wales:
• The NSW Liberal Party state executive has voted to dump Garry Whitaker as its candidate for Craig Thomson’s seat of Dobell. He has been replaced by Karen McNamara, a WorkCover public servant who reportedly has backing from the party’s right, who was defeated by Whitaker in the original preselection vote in December. Whitaker has since been struggling with allegations he had lived for several years without council permission in an “ensuite shed” on his Wyong Creek property while awaiting approval to build a house there.
• More proactivity from the NSW Liberal state executive in neighbouring Robertson, a seat the party was disappointed not to have won in 2010. Local branches have had imposed upon them Lucy Wicks, who herself holds a position on the executive by virtue of her status as president of the party’s Women’s Council. Wicks was identified by the Sydney Morning Herald last year as a member of the “centre right” faction associated with federal Mitchell MP Alex Hawke, which in alliance with the moderates had secured control of the state executive. Like the Dobell intervention, the imposition of Wicks occurred at the insistence of Tony Abbott – local branches in both seats have called emergency meetings to express their displeasure.
• Michelle Hoctor of the Illawarra Mercury reports Ann Sudmalis, the candidate backed by retiring member Joanna Gash, won Liberal preselection on Saturday in Gilmore with 16 votes against 10 for her main rival Andrew Guile. Rounding out the field were Alby Schultz’s son Grant, who scored four votes, and Meroo Meadow marketing consultant Catherine Shields on one. For those wondering about the small number of votes, the NSW Liberals’ preselection procedure involves branches being allocated a number of selection committee delegates in proportion to their membership, rather than a massed rank-and-file ballot.
• Imre Salusinszky of The Australian reports the Nationals are in the “‘initial stages’ of discussions with popular independent state MP Richard Torbay about endorsing him for a tilt at independent federal MP Tony Windsor in New England”. Torbay has been the independent member for Northern Tablelands since 1999, and served as Legislative Assembly Speaker during Labor’s last term in office.
Mark butler. Pm material, also mr. Lee. Greg combet, , bill shorten . Nicola roxon. And others
Truthfu,ly i have considered liberals cannot thi k of any one, they are like a rudderless boat.
Or i had better say a boat with out a captain,
[….the prime minister would be in jeopardy if the alleged support for the BSkyB bid proved to be part of a bigger deal between the Conservative leadership and News Corp. In its crudest form, the suggestion is that the Murdochs used the Sun to make sure that Gordon Brown was driven out of Downing Street so that the incoming Conservative government could deliver them a sequence of favours – a fair wind for them to take over BSkyB; the emasculation of the much resented Ofcom; and a severe funding cut to their primary broadcasting rival, the BBC.]
Nick Davies take on the wider implications of the Leveson inquiry evidence are fascinating, if only for the parallels of what Murdoch seems to be pushing, locally. A possible attempt to put Abbott in power and destroy the NBN, preserve his pay tv empire and finish the job on the ABC/SBS.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/24/leveson-inquiry-murdoch-david-cameron
In memory of the courageous anti-conscription campaigners, who saved thousands of young lives in WW1, and were supported by a majority of Australians, twice, in doing so.
http://john.curtin.edu.au/education/tlf/R2991/00687157_image/index.html
There was also this in my comment, of course…
[An affectionate arm is placed on a shoulder after a video has been particularly well-made. During a bit of banter a kiss is offered. SNIP: Dangerous comment deleted – The Management.]
If William thought it was “dangerous” maybe the ABC did too.
I see the denialists are making one big final push (with the help of the usual suspects Limited News and TheirABC) to discredit climate-science before carbon-pricing come sinto effect.
Blogs like Deltoid are getting trolled heavily and the latest meme is to vox-pop retired NASA administrators and techs whilst ignoring working scientists and quote-mine some recent statements from a guy who is now 92 and who admits not everything he postulated 20 or 30 years ago was 100% correct.
It can’t be to long before the Murdoch stink reaches aus in some fashion.
Does the AWM fall under the auspices of the DVA or is it an independent institution?
[the Murdochs used the Sun to make sure that Gordon Brown was driven out of Downing Street so that the incoming Conservative government could deliver them a sequence of favours – a fair wind for them to take over BSkyB; the emasculation of the much resented Ofcom; and a severe funding cut to their primary broadcasting rival, the BBC.]
That was pretty obvious to me at the time. The Murdochs want the same thing here, for pretty much the same reasons.
Call me paranoid, but I think Chris (flagship ABC current affairs host) Uhlmann co-authoring a book with Steve (utegate, slippergate) Lewis stinks to high heaven.
BB original post link, folks…
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2012/04/23/essential-research-56-44-to-coalition-6/comment-page-36/#comment-1227994
Scrutineer @ 2724
I would like to think the NAZIs would eventually have been overthrown. Of course another scenario is that the Soviet Union could have eventually “liberated” Europe.
All speculation and I leave it to the fiction writers.
[So if it costs us a reasonable amou t to have home care if needed, i all for that.
Not sure what your suggesting .]
My say, the Aged Care Reform is a very good reform. Especially, the option to have home care, which is what people want. That’s a real BISON.
But true to form, you never hear Horsey admitting and praising it. Like Tony Abbott, she always looks for a negative angle to have a go at Labor directly or indirectly.
Danny Lewis @ 243
[Bemused: WW1 wasn’t all about the Nazi Party.
Besides, Germany, and Austria in particular had, for many hundreds of years prior to the 20th century, been countries dripping in culture and sophistication. Many of the world’s greatest composers, writers and artists come from countries, like Germany & Austria.
Are you seriously suggesting that such sophisticated and cultured countries were incapable of every reclaiming that proud history just because they happened to have a bunch of ratbags in change for a couple of decades?]
With this post I think you’ve just graduated from being stupid and naive to being almost a Nazi apologist, on today of all days. If I were you I’d get down on my knees and beg forgiveness from many of the posters here including me, who wouldn’t be here, if Nazi Germany had been allowed to finish their sacred work of annihilating every single Jew in Europe with the same dedication they showed to their “culture” and proud history”. Thank God that my grandparents got to England before the rise of Nazism and my dad had the PRIVILEGE of serving in the British Army against the Nazis. He hated every minute in the Army but knew that he couldn’t turn his back on the facts, unlike revisionist Danny Lewis, 70 years later. Not one single member of my paternal grandparents’ family in Europe survived.
Victoria:
I’m sure this came up on a twitter feed yesterday. It’s a novel, in I believe the crime or detective genre.
Mick77: I think you just Godwined yourself.
GG
[However, Theophanus was actually charged and tried for Rape whereas Slipper has (at this stage) only been accused of sexual harassment.]
Theophanous was not tried for rape. The charge was thrown out at a committal hearing.
The point I was making was that
a) Theophanous stepped aside when the allegations were made
b) He resigned the Ministry once charges were laid.
c) He didn’t resign from parliament.
Rape is a criminal offence, sexual harrassment is not.
Slipper is following precedent then.
Cab charge vouchers – if fraudulently used – criminal offence.
Slipper steps aside from his position. while it is sorted out.
If charged, Slipper will resign his position.
There is absolutely no obligation for Slipper to step aside during civil proceedings whatever they are.
It should be a great read. Uhlmann shows what a lover of fiction he is every time he interviews a Liberal Party politician 😀
Meaning?
By they way, Mick, any comment on how Australia was wrested from its Indigenous inhabitants and how that stacks up in relation to the “freedoms” Indigenous Australians now enjoy?
My Say
With reference to your list. Greg Combet and Bill Shorten are pretty obvious. Nicola Roxon has hit the top of her political career – her media persona will see to that – she comes across as nasty, snide and bitchy – something Julia G, Penny Wong or Tanya Plibersek have never done (to their credit) – Julie Bishop falls into the same hole. Nicola Roxon or Julie Bishop on Q&A are just excruciating – their is always a level of partisan nastiness that is toohard to bear.
If Tanya Plibersek makes a good fist of Health she also may be in the running one day – though there is some extremely ambitious competition.
Aguire
If Lewis is writing fiction it will be. Good read.
Rummel
I agree that some of the argument on climate change has been overblown – it seems one scientist’s claim of imminent disaster invariably leads to another saying that things are even worse.
However whatever the truth of climate change I am surprised that a corollary of the argument that there is no need to take action against carbon is that the world can continue to rely on fossil fuels indefinitely and that these fuels will not rise in price as they become rarer.
It can be argued that we are very close to peak oil and any further supplies will only be gained at ever increasing cost. Even if climate change is a myth, a smart economy should be taking action to ensure a low carbon future.
(Didn’t it occur to you that Germany, Austria and Hungary are the way they are today precisely because the Nazi regime in Germany was defeated?)
Bemused from my mother laws diaries, she certainly would agree , as both she and my father in law where ristance workers i honour their efforts to day also, aling with my great uncle father and others
The hardest thing though is remembering the racist slurs, and ukindess when they settled in weatern sydney
These immigrants had actually fought a silent war, for people here , o e ex. Helping send british pilots
Backto tbe uk
[Just to clarify, is this a non fiction book?]
No, it has Steve Lewis as part author.
More interest rates to follow:
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/interest-rates-to-fall–and-keep-falling-20120424-1xjhf.html
Danny Lewis @ 2743
Danny, you are so confused you seem to get WWI & WWII mixed up.
The NAZI regime was probably the most ruthless dictatorship the world has ever experienced and it had developed all the institutions to suppress any dissent on an ongoing basis.
You seriously underestimate their ability to perpetuate such a regime by violence and terror into the future.
Look, for example, at how long the Franco regime persisted when the remainder of western Europe was democratic. And it was nowhere near as evil as the NAZIs.
I am really struggling to take you seriously.
OC/2772
In tennis terms. Wow, what an ace!
The fascist symapthies of senior members of government and royalty were being taught in UK schools 35 years ago, so the cover up wasn’t very successful.
I somehow doubt Jews, homosexuals and Romanies, to name a few, would have had a great time during Nazi regimes, even if said regimes had eventually foundered.
How much is a limo ride from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane btw? My experience from Brisbane to Gold Coast suggests Slipper was getting taxpayers a pretty good deal.
kezza2,
You are most likely right about the commital. But, my point was that there were charges against Theophanus and currently, none against Slipper. So it was right for him to stand aside. Whereas, Slipper is perfectly entitled to stay.
I think we might be in violent agreement, really.
Danny Lewis @ 2769
[By they way, Mick, any comment on how Australia was wrested from its Indigenous inhabitants and how that stacks up in relation to the “freedoms” Indigenous Australians now enjoy?]
Good try on changing subject but first let’s have the contrition on your previous post regarding the positives of Nazi Germany and them we can discuss your apparent dislike of your own society.
Blackburnspeth, i mostly agree,
The bit i picked upon all so your praise of the pm
No i hever heard her utter a nasty word either.
May be some hard hitting comments in parliment but that is ecpected.
She is very dignified. And gracious
Danny Lewis @ 2765
And you just confirmed your utter stupidity.
[That was pretty obvious to me at the time. The Murdochs want the same thing here, for pretty much the same reasons.]
Pretty obvious to many of us, confessions, just like what seems to be happening here, though with the added local goody of Abbott being an ex-employee of Murdoch.
They, however, are starting to get a few bones of evidence together on what seemed “obvious” to anyone back then with a reasonable capacity to put two and two together. Largely because of the efforts of some media beyond the sway of the Murdoch world view. Something we do not have much of here.
Has Abbott come out and made any dickhead inflammatory comments this morning? He’s got a habit of crapping all over national days to keep up. Just want to get a heads-up on the next media beat-up.
rummel @2756
The Murdoch stink began in Australia.
Steve Lewis has a lot of experience in fiction writing.
[It can’t be to long before the Murdoch stink reaches aus in some fashion.]
OH, it’s already here, but it’s more at that, “Can you smell something?” stage.
The working title of Uhlmann-Lewis treatise is one of those MSM texts, “Regime Change by Dummies”.
GG
[I think we might be in violent agreement, really.]
I’m pretty sure we are!
the sticking point for me is that when the criminal allegations were made against Theophanous, he stepped aside. Which Slipper has done in the face of criminal allegations (cabcharge fraud).
It wasn’t till Theophanous was charged that he resigned from the ministry.
As you say, Slipper hasn’t been charged with anything criminal.
So stepping aside until it is sorted is fine.
Further, there have been civil allegations against Slipper.
He has no need to even step aside as far as I’m concerned.
If the allegations are upheld though, different matter altogether.
Both cases look pretty weak at this stage, imo.
blackburnpseph
I have been waiting for you to show up to get back to you on Anna Burke.
My information is that she has not contemplated retirement from parliament at the next election. Perhaps it is a rumour started by her opponents?
Steve Lewis writing a work of fiction is nothing out of the ordinary, surely?
2790
I beleive something like hat was suggested re wayne swan also
joe2:
This reminds me that we don’t hear much about the media inquiry happening here.
Danny Lewis
With the talk about Steve Lewis here, a thought just struck me. Are you related to Steve?
There is a similar fictional quality to your writing.
kezza2,
Weak?: If they were a cup of tea you could complain you’d received hot water instead.
Mick77: Where did I mention the positives of Nazi Germany? I was talking about the time BEFORE and the time SINCE in Germany – the country – and Austria and many other countries that were aligned with Germany in WW1. Nazism is a separate thing, confined to a particular place in history and should never be synonymous with Germany and its people.
You should never condemn a country forever on the basis of one dark time in its history. I don’t know if you’ve ever talked to a German person about their feelings about that time in their history. I have, and everyone I have spoken to is mortified and horrified that their nation ever allowed itself to be controlled by such a bunch of murdering ratbags.
[It can be argued that we are very close to peak oil and any further supplies will only be gained at ever increasing cost. Even if climate change is a myth, a smart economy should be taking action to ensure a low carbon future.]
What hope have we for a continuing “smart economy” when the leader of the opposition has no understanding of what “peak oil” actually means?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCiHFyLIfu8
LOL @ Bemused
Do you think I should go for a job at the DT? 😆
GG
[Weak?: If they were a cup of tea you could complain you’d received hot water instead.]
😆 😆
GG and kezza
[However, Theophanus was actually charged and tried for Rape whereas Slipper has (at this stage) only been accused of sexual harassment. Theophanus standing aside in such circumstances is appropriate.]
There is a crucial point here and it is where is the line drawn when allegations are made.
And then fitting Kafer’s standing down into the picture makes it very blurry.