GhostWhoVotes reports another 56-44 federal opinion poll, this time from Nielsen, which at least has Labor improving from 58-42 at its poll a month ago. The primary votes are 30% for Labor (up two), 47% for the Coalition (down one) and 12% for the Greens (steady). Tony Abbott has slightly increased his lead over Julia Gillard as preferred prime minister, up from 46-42 to 48-43. A question on carbon price compensation has 5% rating themselves better off and 38% worse off, with 52% opting for no change. Bad as that may seem superficially, it contains the germ of a good headline for the government, as Nielsen’s poll conducted immediately before the introduction of the scheme had 51% expecting to be worse off and 37% expecting no difference. The 5% better off figure is unchanged. Full tables courtesy of GhostWhoVotes.
UPDATE: Essential Research has Labor recovering a point on two-party preferred for the second week running, now trailing 55-45, although primary votes are unchanged: Labor on 33%, the Coalition on 49% and the Greens on 10%. Also featured are rank ordering of most important election issues (political leadership up seven points since December to 25%, while controlling interest rates has steadily declined from 15% to 9% since the start of 2010), productivity (Australian workers generally seen as “quite productive”), industrial relations (believed on balance to slightly favour workers over employers), the Gonski report recommendations (65% support, 14% oppose), and respondents’ experiences of workplace bullying.
UPDATE 2: Nielsen further finds 52% backing a leadership change from Julia Gillard to Kevin Rudd against 42% opposed, and Kevin Rudd leading Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister 57-36.
House preselection news:
Fisher (Qld, LNP 4.1%): Howard government minister and former Longman MP Mal Brough had a clear win in yesterday’s long-awaited LNP preselection ballot, scoring the support of more than half of the 350 preselectors in the first round. According to Michael McKenna of The Australian, Brough’s much-touted rival James McGrath, who went into the vote with endorsement from Malcolm Turnbull, Joe Hockey and Julie Bishop, came third behind local employment agency director Peta Simpson. The also-rans were Richard Bruinsma, Andrew Wallace, Graeme Mickelberg, Daniel Purdie and Stephen Ainscough.
Lilley (Qld, Labor 3.2%): As anticipated, the LNP has preselected Rod McGarvie to run against Wayne Swan. McGarvie is a former soldier and United Nations peacekeeper, and was also the candidate in 2010. Also in the field were John Cotter, Bill Gollan and Karryn Fletcher
Scullin (Vic, Labor 20.6%): Twenty-six years after he succeeded his father Harry Jenkins Sr as member, Harry Jenkins Jr has announced he will not contest the next election. Andrew Crook of Crikey reports that Andrew Giles, a Slater & Gordon lawyer, former adviser to state MPs Gavin Jennings and Lily D’Ambrosio and factional secretary of the Socialist Left, is his likely successor as Labor candidate.
Denison (Tas, Independent 1.2% versus Labor): The Greens have preselected Anne Reynolds, an adviser to Christine Milne, to run against Andrew Wilkie.
Senate preselection news:
• Labor’s member for the state seat of Bassendean, Martin Whitely, has announced he will seek preselection for the WA Labor Senate ticket in a pre-emptive bid to thwart the presumed designs of Joe Bullock, powerful state secretary of the Right faction Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union. At this stage Bullock will merely say that he is “interested” in running, and that Whitely – whose decision not to re-contest his state seat was seen to reflect the certainty that LHMWU state secretary Dave Kelly would defeat him for preselection – would get “zero” votes if he nominated. The two Labor Senators up for re-election are noted Kevin Rudd backer Mark Bishop, another former SDA secretary who would presumably be making way for Bullock, and Louise Pratt of the Left. Labor is thought to be doing so badly in WA that it is at risk of winning only one Senate seat at the next election.
• The South Australian Liberals have preselected moderate candidate Anne Ruston to fill Mary Jo Fisher’s casual Senate vacancy. Ben Hyde of The Advertiser reports Ruston won with “more than 50% of the vote”, from a field that also included Kate Raggatt, state party director Bev Barker, farmer Gary Burgess and Campbelltown councillor Marijka Ryan. A moderate source quoted by Daniel Wills of The Australian before the event said Ruston could be in trouble if she failed to achieve 50% in the first round, as Right support would then have consolidated behind whoever performed better out of Barker and Raggatt.
A small 40% swing to Labor Showy!
[it’s Ok, he’s German born & learning English]
Unfortunately, their defence raises another question as to why he’s racing for Team GB.
ed Friday, August 3, 2012 at 4:09 pm | Permalink
Guytaur
What is MMM
[A small 40% swing to Labor Showy!]
Sadly Gusface’s polls have a margin of error of + or – 200%.
gigi,
“I blame Google Translate. My German is limited to “keine Hexerei nur Behändigkeit
🙂
This is pretty funny
http://www.vexnews.com/2012/08/minister-vindicated-microwaved-pies-slammed-as-unacceptable-by-local-connoisseurs/
[MINISTER VINDICATED: Microwaved pies slammed as “unacceptable” by local connoisseurs
By VEXNEWS ⋅ August 3, 2012
n light of claims by Carlton North shopkeeper Annie Wong that Workplace Relations minister and notorious Pies supporter Bill Shorten had firmly rejected her offer of a microwaved gourmet pie, subsequent Rudd-style confusion about her expression of confidence in the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the subsequent release by Ms Wong of vision of the Minister entering her fine establishment, VEXNEWS investigators went in search of the whole story.]
my say
It is an FM radio Station
Was he really talking about that book
Im shocked.
my say
That is FM radio for you.
Good article
http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/08/03/the-fair-work-myths-come-tumbling-down/
[Friday, 3 August 2012
The Fair Work myths come tumbling down
by Bernard Keane
One by one, the myths were knocked off. All of the major claims made by business and their media cheerleaders against the Fair Work Act were examined and found to be wanting by an independent review.]
http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/08/03/packer-packs-a-punch-with-fawning-media/
[ Friday, 3 August 2012 / 8 comments
Packer packs a punch with fawning media
by Andrew Crook
Once upon a time, perhaps when James Packer’s disastrous Las Vegas casino play was tanking, a journo trying to squeeze a word out of his mouth would have hit a permanently engaged signal. Apart from the occasional Australian Financial Review drop, hacks were limited to door-stopping the gambling king at public events and most came away with angry mutterings.]
@tom_watson: You have to be of a certain age to understand just immensely chuffed I am to appear in a Fighting Fantasy novel: http://t.co/z6uz8tFA
Newman puts horses before sick people. And he is proud of it. Disgusting piece of work.
Well i object to microwave pies , there awful
Guytuar
I am shocked he is talking about it
my say
No the flagelletion fits in with the Catholic sect from what I understand that Abbott was involved in as noted by a few here before.
Tones hair looked a shade or two darker today.
Must of been the lighting in the Press Conference.
Tone on foreign investment has a “policy direction”.
Over under sideways down?
Provocation has to go.
@crimlawnsw: Judgment in Won provocation case http://t.co/fef0UHza degree of provocation not enough to lower sentence
Showy, like Bilbo said, be a man, come to twitter, stop hiding behind Bilbo’s skirt
It makes me feel sick
Lord Coe described the badminton players’ behaviour as “depressing” . My Lord, what about the British Rider that crashed deliberately?
Latika, according to ABC95, is now a “political reporter”. Someone needs to tell her.
Im speechless
This man wants to be pm
How can this be happening
Finns,
Showy would do foetal position after five minutes.
ABC95 now doing #PieGate.
Why is it that when ever the coalition what to score cheap political points they resort to racism. If it is not boats and those evil foreign queue jumpers who want to steal your jobs, houses, govt handouts, you name it; it is now those evil foreign companies / countries that want to steal the food off your table.
If there is to be one foreign company and owner that this country should be rid of it should be mordock and his nefarious crew.
Pie vex story is very funny,
Indeed,
How much do good headlines cost? A friend sent me this today, don’t know where he got it from so cannot provide link, sorry. But what cost democracy?
Once upon a time, perhaps when James Packer’s disastrous Las Vegas casino play was tanking, a journo trying to squeeze a word out of his mouth would have hit a permanently engaged signal. Apart from the occasional Australian Financial Review drop, hacks were limited to door-stopping the gambling king at public events and most came away with angry mutterings.
When Today Tonight and The Daily Telegraph opened fire, Packer stewed in private. But no longer. Now, the billionaire scion, with the assistance of NSW right glimmer twins Karl Bitar and Mark Arbib — and Jamie’s constantly bleeping smart phone — is out and proud, safe in the knowledge the nation’s fearless editors will shunt him the front page and as many full-page colour ads he wants to pay for.
His two major announcements this week — a $500 million pledge for some new spiv digs at his Burswood complex and a hotel and (hopefully) casino at Sydney’s Barangaroo — have been met with the kind of meta adulation reminiscent of the vibrant scribes of Tajikistan.
Crikey counted 18 pricy full-page ads planted yesterday and today in the dead tree media — in the Herald Sun (three), Daily Telegraph (three), The Australian (three) Australian Financial Review (three), Courier Mail (three) and The West Australian (three), leaving the Adelaide Advertiser and the Hobart Mercury as the only News titles not to be drenched in Packer’s largesse.
Yesterday, there was Packer holding forth on what Perth “deserves”, which mightn’t bode well for denizens concerned about that city’s dwindling cultural credibility.
[Showy would do foetal position after five minutes.]
Ducky, minced meat
Citzen
Next time your in a que turn them up side down 🙂 🙂
HaveAchat – see my post at 5061
[Finns
I think you woke Latika up.
@latikambourke: OMG What? Australia’s largest Beef Producer ‘jokes’ PM Gillard’s an ‘unproductive old cow?’ http://t.co/jniwEU8u%5D
Disgusting.
Latika should publish the remark and then harshly criticise it. The remark is neither better nor worse than, say, calling Julie Bishop “vinegar tits”.
In public discourse both remarks are totally unacceptable.
BK
Hope vinegar Look , is ok
Political commentary has sunk to new depths
Very apt cartoon
George Bludger@GeorgeBludger
David Farley? The cows pass final verdict: http://tinyurl.com/c2blulg
First dump at sea, then burn to death, shot at, smash with baseball bat, kick to death, fed to the shark, lay down & die, crucified by #MSM everyday now to be minced at the abattoir like an old cow. Charming way for a PM to die
@JenRedding64: If we are More Outraged about a Microwave Pie story and not murderous statements made to the PM.we are BADLY off track http://t.co/XrGgRYp5
PM will not lay down and die, so gets called a cow, hoping she will trot off, only ones with the trots , were abbott/pyne and entsch
george,
Too bloody right!
(aside) nice cutlets!
The Greens have been keeping secret the costings requests they have submitted to Treasury.
This sits a bit at odds with their policy measure:
[increase parliamentary and public scrutiny of government funding programs to enhance transparency and accountability.]
TheFinnigans天地有道人无道 @Thefinnigans
Seebohm curses social media fixation after falling for own hype – http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/olympics/swimming-london-2012/seebohm-curses-social-media-fixation-after-falling-for-own-hype-20120731-23boi.html – yes, big ego is too heavy for the next 0.01 sec
Leroy @5082
I apologise for double post, just caught up with the site and found you had posted a snippet of the article and the source.
NZ pimp does well.
http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/off-the-field/from-a-brothel-to-the-olympics-a-kiwi-athletes-journey-20120803-23kcb.html
The Newman Hospital fiasco is really about keeping 5 paediatric specialists scratching their bums for 8 weeks.
They guys and gals are as scarce as rocking horse poo, I wonder if they now have a backlog of appointments that they will never catch up?
@drkerrynphelps: Does anyone know if athletes are obliged to give interviews after their events? Who is preparing/protecting the minors? @AUSOlympicTeam
Oh and the ramping death at Nambour Hospital was under The Borg as Health Minister, not as stated earlier.
The silence of the British Press is deafening:
[France fume after Hindes’ comments mar Hoy gold – However, questions were raised over the legitimacy of Britain’s success after Hindes, who replaced Jamie Staff in the team that won team gold in Beijing, admitted crashing on purpose after getting off to a poor start during the first heat.
“We were saying if we have a bad start we need to crash to get a restart,” Hindes said in the post-race interview with the BBC. “I just crashed; I did it on purpose to get a restart, just to have the fastest ride. I did it. So it was all planned.”]
Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/london-olympics-2012/sport/story/163413.html#3TYvlkzqjXiavpYW.99
Seems like a good appointment. Watch for the Libs to go feral.