The News Limited tabloids bring a Galaxy poll, conducted between Tuesday to Thursday from 1000 respondents, which has the Coalition’s leading 55-45 from primary votes of 32% for Labor, 48% for the Coalition and 11% for the Greens. On the question of the Labor leadership, 32% believed the party should stick with Julia Gillard, 26% believed she should be replaced with Kevin Rudd, and 33% opted for “a fresh face such as Bill Shorten or Greg Combet”. Worryingly for the goverment, 59% nominated that the Coalition “would be ready” to govern against 36% who thought otherwise.
UPDATE (11/3): Essential Research provides further evidence that Labor’s slump has bottomed out and perhaps even reversed slightly. Labor is up two points on the primary vote to 34% with both the Coalition and the Greens down a point, to 48% and 9%, with the Coalition two-party lead back to 55-45 after two weeks at 56-44. Monthly personal ratings find Julia Gillard essentially unchanged after copping a hit last month, her approval steady at 36% and disapproval up one to 56%, while Tony Abbott is respectively up one to 37% and down two to 51%. Abbott has pulled level on preferred prime minister, which is at 39-39, after trailing 39-37 last time.
Essential has also performed one of its occasional experiments where it divides its sample in two and asks each differently worded questions, in this case relating to immigration. The money finding here is that 38% deem boat arrivals most important from a list of issues against 20% who nominate 457 visa, but this changes to 33% and 31% if the numbers involved (15,000 boat arrivals and 150,000 457 visas) are provided. Further questions find 22% broadly in favour of privatisation and 58% broadly against, with respondents also given a list of services and asked which should be run by the government and which privately. The evenly divided “Telecommunications (including broadband services)” was the only one for which being run by the government wasn’t heavily favoured.
With 66.2% counted in Kimberley, does that mean turnout was higher than in 2008? Wikipedia says that turnout was 62%? Or have I read the WAEC wrong and confusing two concepts?
zoomster
[We have ‘Labor should be more progressive’ …contradicted in this case by the polls, which suggest that the progressive vote is shrinking.]
This new term “progressive” to describe the former left is confusing and misleading.
I have very anti-labor friends (a married couple around 60 in age) who think this anti-gay marriage thing absurd.
Are these people “progressive”?
Maybe because I grew up in Queensland where “progress” was the one thing in whose way you could not stand, I do not trust the word.
I think “progressive” is a wishy-washy wanky word for right-wingers who have gay friends and are just a little bit trendy.
@MrDenmore: There is a role for expert journalists in specialist areas to be outspoken. Their role is not he said-she said. Quite right @jonaholmesMW
There’s another one p against the wall, come the Revolution: Jon Holmes.
swamprat
You have not been listening to the Greens. It goes something like this: only 100% pure progressive policies are any good. The only party that is committed to 100% pure progressive policies is the Greens. The Greens will never form government so you are guaranteed that will stay committed to 100% Greens policies. The Greens’ biggest enemies who vaguely look a bit committed to progressive policies because they are trying to make the bloody things work and stay in Government at the same time.
That is why the Greens save special bile for Labor.
Hey #Mediawatch @jonaholmesMW – who in ABC is going to have a little “chat” with @CUhlmann ?
Gonski panel member question. I am impressed QandA
Boerwar
I did vote Green for a recent decade but not recently.
I do not consider myself “progressive” but an old fashioned fabian socialist lol.
Who should I vote for?
“@z3n_digital: RT: Regarding the ‘new Tony Abbott’…I’ve said it before,but I’ll say it again…you can’t change a turd into a chocolate eclair. #auspol”
Before they depart into the night, I do wish the current Parliament would introduce honest PPR into the HofR. It would transform things and would make Parliament more representative.
It would allow more voices to be heard.
“@born_a_pom: #qanda the time has come to say fairs fair, to implement #gonski and give all a fair share”
In a way I think the 4 corners report was too light on the ALP on the question of “why didn’t anyone do anything?”
But, yeah, overall it seemed fair. I would have liked to hear from some of the other players – Iemma has been putting out statements in response so it sounds like he would have been willing to be interviewed, and KK has kept up her public profile of late and hasn’t been a shrinking violet in making comment on what the ALP is doing wrong.
Hard to imagine that Richo or Costa wouldn’t have wanted to get their mugs on TV again.
Some of the other ministers would have been interesting to talk to as well – Carmel Tebbutt or Frank Sartor or John Della Bosca.
[Who should I vote for?]
old fashioned fabian socialist will always be happier under a liberal government. You can complain without a tinge of guilt.
swamprat
“Labor isn’t progressive’ is a bit like “Labor has lurched to the right” – sort of a code for “Labor doesn’t do what I want it to, therefore it must be wrong.”
The ‘lurch to the Right’ thing is something I started hearing when I first started being even vaguely interested in politics, something like thirty years ago.
I’m not sure a party which started out supporting a White Australia had any right to lurch to!
As I said earlier, I don’t believe Labor has ever been a progressive party as such; it has taken on some progressive positions where these either overlapped with what objectively needed to be done (just as one can argue that JWH was forced to be progressive when it came to gun control), aligned with the interests of workers or with Labor’s long time support for the less fortunate in society.
BB
“There’s another one p against the wall, come the Revolution: Jon Holmes.”
What?
Richo thrashing of Labor Brand in full flight – http://t.co/qEye8Xew04
Stephen Koukoulas @TheKouk
Pyne has been ejected from the House of Reps more times for poor behaviour than he’s asked questions of Education Minister Garrett. #qanda
Compct Crank
[How do you fix the fact that the Unions represent less than 20% of employees and a significantly smaller fraction of private sector employees yet wants to win public support?
How do you get past the fact that the Unions pay the bills and therefore expect a return on investment – decision making on preselection and policy?]
Well, the same might be said of the LNP: claims to represent small business and a market economy but in fact doesnt – its main stock in trade is handing out sweet deals to vested interests and big business, buying off the middle class with welfare, and selling out rural & regional Australia using the dumbassed Nats as a foil, and its own leadershit was sorted by 1 vite (Tony’s own! LOL).
Im surprised the ALP hasnt made more of that – Tony got up on his own vote.
Anyway, point is, Crisis all round. But the ALPs is worse as its in govt, and its supposed to stand for reform, not lazy minded pigtroughing in good times, which is about what the LNP amounts to.
Poor twit Pyne has to read his policy out of their policy pamphlet to remind himself what it is.
Man is a fool.
BW shows a very ALP turn of phrase:
[who vaguely look a bit committed to progressive policies …]
A bit, but not extremely committed, just the right amount for the occasion, if people don’t object, maybe or maybe not …
Gonski’s major failure point is Wayne Swan.
zoomster,
My point is I do not understand what “progressive” means? I am not interested in progressive parties. Margaret Thatcher, I suppose for some people, was “progressive”. She smashed the unions and gave Capital a big leg-up.
It is a bloody meaningless term.
The left should always support equality of opportunity and fairness. It is not about being “progressive”.
rummel,
Watching your Pyne losing it?
Had to be said:
jaundiced view @JaundicedV
Melodious Bob is coming through like a dissembling weasel. #4Corners
“@guytaur: Pyne not doing well. Undermined by facts resented by #Gonski panel member #qanada #auspol”
Pyne is doing well.
[rummel
Posted Monday, March 11, 2013 at 9:51 pm | Permalink
Pyne is doing well]
Pyne is a pain in the ass so I am not watching and will never know.
presented sorry p dropped off
rummel,
I know you do irony well.
@GrogsGamut: Pyne criticises the debate being “all about funding” when he has just spent the past 20 minutes talking about funding! #qanda
zoomster
I just caught up with the link you provided and did not find anything equivocal in Anthony’s comments.
However that was a couple of years ago now and what we have to do is concentrate on the future.
I am not in any way wanting a change Leaders necessarily.
I would like to see a reconciliation between Gillard and Rudd where both are happy to compromise a bit and strike a deal with a third party facilitating for the good of the Party.
If we don’t do something like that I think we are gone Federally and not just for one term.
That would be a disaster!
Laura Tingle @latingle
Hearing Newspoll has Labor primary vote at 34 per cent…
Pyne talks meaningless waffle, no sense whatsoever.
Rummel
If you were stuck somewhere for a weekend and you had to spend the time with either Minster Garrett or Shadow Minister Pyne, I assume you would much prefer the Shadow Minister??? 🙂
That’s an increase right Kevin?! Gulp!
‘fess
[What chance Pell could be left at the vatican never to grace these shores again?]
80:1 according to Paddypower (generous IMO)
“@latingle: That wd be a 3 percentage pt lift. Tpp 52/48. JG back ahead of TA as pref leader”
“@GrogsGamut: Aha so now we know @latingle is @GhostWhoVotes!! :-)”
[What chance Pell could be left at the vatican never to grace these shores again?]
Absolutely bloody impossible, unless God has a really nasty streak.
If that’s true guytaur I will do cartwheels…
[2284
swamprat
Posted Monday, March 11, 2013 at 9:57 pm | PERMALINK
Rummel
If you were stuck somewhere for a weekend and you had to spend the time with either Minster Garrett or Shadow Minister Pyne, I assume you would much prefer the Shadow Minister??? ]
I would. I hear he likes to have a few beers.
If Laura is a ghost I want haunting!
@greencate: Dear peeps, if you vote Libs or Nats at the federal election Christopher Pyne will be the Education Minister. #qanda #rememberthat
Pyne would be a pimms and lemonade man surely…
It looks like a good #Newspoll:
Laura Tingle @latingle
That wd be a 3 percentage pt lift. Tpp 52/48. JG back ahead of TA as pref leader
I want to see Pyne on laced OJ.
Rummel
I hear its not all he likes!
@guytaur/2287
That would explain the hidden poll and why we haven’t seen it yet.
“@sspencer_63: Entire edition of The Australian being pulped. RT @latingle: Hearing Newspoll has Labor primary vote at 34 per cent…””
swamprat
‘Boerwar
I did vote Green for a recent decade but not recently.
I do not consider myself “progressive” but an old fashioned fabian socialist lol.’
The closest would be the Nationals, I imagine.
Who should I vote for