This week’s Essential Research survey has Labor down a point on the primary vote to 36%, but is otherwise unchanged on last week: the Coalition on 47%, the Greens on 9% and the Coalition leading 53-47 on two-party preferred. With very good timing, it also offers us Essential’s monthly personal ratings, which unlike the voting intention figures are derived entirely from the most recent period of surveying from Wednesday to Sunday. These figures are also of particular interest in the current environment in that they involve a four (strong approval, approval, disapproval, strong disapproval) rather than two point scale. This finds Julia Gillard gaining two points on strong approval since last month to 9%, her best result since February 2011, while also gaining four points on the milder approval measure to 32%. Her combined approval rating of 41% is her highest since May 2011. Her combined disapproval rating is down three points to 51%, also her best since last May, with strong disapproval steady at 27% and the milder disapproval rating down three to 24%. Opinion of Tony Abbott would appear to have polarised even further: he is up three on strong approval to 9% – his best result since December 2010 – but also up two on strong disapproval to a new high of 31%. His overall approval is up five to 37%, and disapproval down one to 54%. Gillard has opened up a seven-point lead as preferred prime minister of 43-36, its highest since February.
The survey also gauges attitudes to the presidential election, finding Barack Obama favoured by 63% to just 9% for Mitt Romney, with Obama leading 53-18 even among Coalition voters. Respondents were found to have an overwhelmingly more favourable view of their own country than the United States with respect to access to health care and jobs, standard of living for ordinary people, and other such. The US obviously rated higher on “international influence”, but even here 17% felt able to conclude Australia’s was “better”. Respondents were also asked about climate change, with much the same result as when the question was last asked a year ago: 48% believe climate change is occurring as a result of human activity, with 39% plumping for “we are witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate”.
frednk
I do not care about who gets where in the Labor union….. In most places unions do a good job, however HSU and alleged apples may have not. Pity HSU is not a business ripping of workers because Labor would be going tropo.
I think it was only the other day when she thought 25,000 was a good number, for example. Then she thought the Things that Batter would make a good leader.
This Katrina Hart? The one who was bimg mentored by Kathy Jackson? The one running for office in HSU?
[You see, Katrina is running a ticket in the HSU elections and has the support of our favourite subject of Victorian Police investigations, Kathy Jackson.
Jackson, despite being under police investigation for allegedly rorting the HSU in Victoria for years, is now looking to quietly infiltrate the NSW HSU, seeing as though Victoria is now a financial basket-case. Katrina Hart, it would seem, is just the ticket!
You see Jackson is unelectable — nobody wants her. This is why many have strong suspicions that either Katrina, or her number 2 on the ticket, Ted Hinge, will step down after 12 months and hand their job over to Jackson. Jackson has never faced an election, she has always stood unopposed.]
http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/jacksonville-25-dont-go-breaking-her-hart/
Judging from her neckwear, Ms Hart is a nice Christian girl who wouldn’t tell a lie.
[You should be tying your flies and heading for the High Country this very evening…
My old bones are telling me that the Oncorhynchus mykiss are going to be on the chew this weekend.]
Love to, but i have a house to clean, washing to do and grass to mow.
The Queanbeyan fire appliance on the way to render succour:
Didn’t Costello’s MYEFO’s always come in better than forecast? Perhaps he thought Aussies deserved some Christmas cheer. Now in Swannie’s case it would likely dampen and Christmas spirit because they are always worse than expected. Best to get them out of the way before the holiday season.
What is Ms Middleton doing in a remote corner of Zambia?
davidwh
You know that doesn’t make political sense.
[ Have a good weekend and hope the weather doesnt mean any fire incidents to deal with down your way.]
Thanks MM.
Had a call last night at 3am to a skip bin alight. It was filled with paint and spray cans which exploded during the fire sending a nice spray of paint around a wide area. The owners shed and car are now a piece of moden art
[What is Ms Middleton doing in a remote corner of Zambia?]
Asking Africans why they voted for Australia?
[Asking Africans why they voted for Australia?]
Cui bono?
Follow the chocolate koalas…
Tom I agree but then I am not the one making a big deal about when MYEFO’s get released. I doubt most ordinary people care all that much.
kezza2@4070,
Aligning the biggest put-down to women trying to breastfeed that their milk is not nourishing with insulting a woman who hasn’t had a child or has a bitter temperament is pretty poor.
Erm, no, actually. This, actually:
Hard faced , bitter and twisted .
A woman who has a nasty personality, usually also rather unattractive.
A sour faced old hag
Derogatory term for a female that is miserable, bitchy.
[ davidwh
Posted Friday, October 19, 2012 at 4:42 pm | Permalink
..
Best to get them out of the way before the holiday season.
]
You guys really should stop trying to talk down the economy.
http://thedailyderp.net/2012/03/03/australias-great-bisons-updated-3-3-12/
c a tomma what are your talking about
The libbots clearly are in trouble if the best they can do is some bizzare logic around myefo and an implication that things were better under Costello given they have to hint at it and can’t say it out loud – because like it wouldn’t be true
I am bit disappointed that the MSM has, in general, failed to note that the Prime Minister promptly picked herself up and got on with the job.
OTOH, ever since Mr Abbott stumbled on his journey to the Prime Minister he has been on his back, kicking his legs, waving his arms and chucking the longest tantrum in political history.
Patrick Bateman
[Asking Africans why they voted for Australia?
Cui bono?
Follow the chocolate koalas…]
I’m wondering if the chocolate bears story is just cover for our actually deploying Drop Bears 🙂
[Karen Middleton @KarenMMiddleton
Oh dear. RT “@catdownunder: @karenmmiddleton friend in remote corner of Zambia also knows PM fell down! Ouch!” ]
I mentioned this to my sister, and her response was interesting…
[“Yeah,” she said, as if I was some kind of imbecile, “anything she does makes the news after that speech.”
“But…” I choked.
“No ‘buts’ about it.” she yelled back at me. “She’s a ‘Kardashian’ now. Of COURSE they know what she’s doing, even in bloody Zambia! Zambia VOTED for us, didn’t they?”]
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Julia Gillardashian”, famous for just being famous, world celebrity, and Prime Minister, even in Zambia.
No wonder we got such a huge vote. They’d all seen her on the telly.
Iran and Israel voted for Australia?
Halal Koalas and Kosher Koalas?
rummel@4104,
Katrina Hart, a clinical support officer at Prince of Wales and HSU Randwick Campus sub-branch president, called Mr Thomson’s bluff and said: “Craig Thomson, you are a liar, you paid for prostitutes with my money and the money of every other HSU member. You (took) $100,000 from us. I dare you to sue me.”
Katrina Hart is a Kathy Jackson stooge.
This stunt just shows how desperate the Jackson faction are getting.
We have already been told who it was that went to the brothels on the HSU dime by Wixxy.
Don’t forget that the money was paid back to the Union. Not by Craig Thomson though.
I found this on The Drum – introduction to one of the pieces.
[If you’re after independent and fearless coverage of misdemeanours and corruption within racing, look to the news desk, not the sports desk.]
Perhaps, after recent events, we should also say:
“If you’re after independent coverage of politics, look to the sports desk, not the news desk!”
Re. #4170 – I do not regard myself as an imbecile, but my sister has a point.
To win a seat on the UNSC is good, but to trounce the favourite on the first ballot is positively Gillardashian.
[The Finnigans
Posted Friday, October 19, 2012 at 4:38 pm | PERMALINK
The last 3 Costello’s MYEFO was released on 21/12/2004; 15/12/2005 and 20/12/2006. Who read MYEFO one week before Xmas?]
And the msm has been dismantling/demanding the release of MYEFO for what, three months now?
Predictions? Whatever the results, good, bad or indifferent, Surprising I’d say, *just a hunch*
The coalition cast spurious doubt on the timing of the release so they can start the guilt-by-association thing going. If the government is tricky enough to fudge when they release the MYEFO, they’re probably being tricky about the figures in it too!
Discredit anything the MYEFO says without having to read it! Tones was all in for that one – reading, pfah!
frednk the economy and the federal budget are different animals. Related and integrated certainly but not the same thing. You can critique the federal budget without talking down the economy.
[Boerwar
Posted Friday, October 19, 2012 at 4:51 pm | PERMALINK
Iran and Israel voted for Australia?]
Iran! Thats a different.
BW – I’m no dobber. rummel admitted to a small incident on this blog.
rummel
[ pushing it back to dry ground in front of a crowed of 50]
You make it sound like the wet crew made you do this by yourself! (Or did they go off and make a sign that said ‘DRIVER’ and stick it on you before helping?).
CTar1
I have seen some sad fire trucks in my time. They seem to be attracted to trouble.
[The last 3 Costello’s MYEFO was released on 21/12/2004; 15/12/2005 and 20/12/2006. Who read MYEFO one week before Xmas?]
JoeH should be asked why so late. Christmas presents!!
BB
Im not really sure you want to link Gillard as Gillardashian. Im not her fan but Gillard has not set back the human race by 20 years, where there is a strong argument that the Kardashian’s have in many areas.
@Rummel/4182
So you agree Tony Abbott will set the human race back 20 years then?
I reckon Ms O’Dwyer and Mr Hockey have been swapping notes on the timing of the release of teh MYEFO.
Remember on Q&A that Ms Dwyer thought that MYEFO would be released around about the middle of the calendar year? She was put in her ignorant place by, I seem to recall, Ms Plibersek.
So, Mr Costello released his MYEFOs in December? That was bizarre. It was Machiavellian. They must have been trying to hide something. It was a plot. Just before xmas? Stinks to high heaven.
How Hockeyment.
my say,
kezza2 was just objecting to my calling, humorously, Julie Bishop, ‘old vinegar tits’, due to some spurious reasoning on her part. I was just putting my side of the argument. 🙂
[I am bit disappointed that the MSM has, in general, failed to note that the Prime Minister promptly picked herself up and got on with the job.
OTOH, ever since Mr Abbott stumbled on his journey to the Prime Minister he has been on his back, kicking his legs, waving his arms and chucking the longest tantrum in political history.]
That’d be too much context. 😉 The Indian media on the other hand did notice what you point out.
[Gillard herself has become a celebrity of sorts in India. Her fall on her face was praised in sections of the Indian media for her ability to bounce back immediately while her speech in Parliament attacking Tony Abbott as sexist has be frequently raised with her.
As one Indian women told a youth forum: “Women like me are getting inspired by you…the way you spoke in the Parliament]
http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/lets-make-friends-with-another-billion-people/
[Karen Middleton @KarenMMiddleton
Oh dear. RT “@catdownunder: @karenmmiddleton friend in remote corner of Zambia also knows PM fell down! Ouch!”]
Said remote friend has probably learnt Gillard’s Gillarding of That’s Just Tone as well. Can’t remember Karen tweeting that wee fact.
Yes, yes, I know she’s just having a giggle.
[Didn’t Costello’s MYEFO’s always come in better than forecast? ]
davidwh – with all those lovely structural deficits that Mega writes about.
rummel that is one hard core modern art operator I dont think even Jackson Pollock set fire to his home to see where the paint explosions went …
[You make it sound like the wet crew made you do this by yourself! (Or did they go off and make a sign that said ‘DRIVER’ and stick it on you before helping?).]
No, we made our new passenger we picked up from the middle of the river (was a road but underwater due to flood) steer while me and my mate got out to push. Once we hit dry ground our two passengers did a runner without even a thanks. Im not sure if this was because of their embarrassment or mine 🙂
Gasp! Arctic sea ice is re-freezing at the fastest rate since satellite records began in 1979 – if you calculate it as a percentage of the record low base.
OTOH, if you calculate it by the extent of re-frozen ice, then there are several previous years which had faster rates of re-freezing.
Which method to cherry pick?
BH true but Swan has turned them into real deficits.
[zoidlord
Posted Friday, October 19, 2012 at 5:00 pm | PERMALINK
@Rummel/4182
So you agree Tony Abbott will set the human race back 20 years then?]
Only in the good parts
Yet another very tough day in the office for FXJ shares, down 4% today to a new record low of $0.36
Ouch.
And speaking of our media friends, this is how the ABC has the UN news on the front page:
[Thanks Kevin
Julia Gillard praises Kevin Rudd for his foresight in guiding Australia to a return to the UN Security Council.]
Yes, let’s only give Rudd the credit for everything!
Thinking that I would add some policy gravitas to the discussion about Ms Bishop, I just Googled ‘curdled breast milk.’
I do wish I had not.
C@tmomma
[C@tmomma
Posted Friday, October 19, 2012 at 4:46 pm | PERMALINK
Erm, no, actually. This, actually:
Hard faced , bitter and twisted .
A woman who has a nasty personality, usually also rather unattractive.
A sour faced old hag
Derogatory term for a female that is miserable, bitchy.]
I asked a question of you, not a definition of “vinegar tits”.
I sorta knew that. And, I know the ‘definition’ that passes between breastfeeders and bottlefeeders – that’s rather bitchy too.
Still, it sounds as if you were admitting you made that remark, which is what I was asking, and I’m surprised that you would, given it is so fkn sexist.
rishane
While over at the OO it is “Gillard thanks Rudd for UN foresight”
This discussion has become very misogynistic.
BB
[Yeah,” she said, as if I was some kind of imbecile, “anything she does makes the news after that speech.”]
I think this is right. JG is on the list of networks like AJ and, even, BBC as an interesting person.
Coverage of her ‘doings’ since the ‘speech’ have been frequent and they don’t now even mention the speech – they consider JG as ‘known’.