The recruitment of Peter Beattie to run for Labor in the crucial marginal seat of Forde was without question yesterday’s play of the day. However, Beattie will be far from the only Labor newcomer should his bid succeed, the weeks before the election announcement having seen an avalanche of preselection action as Labor scrambled to cover an exodus of senior figures in safe seats. In turn:
Kingsford Smith: Peter Garrett will be succeeded as Labor’s candidate by Senator Matt Thistlethwaite, who had a 136-105 victory in a local ballot held last month over Tony Bowen, Randwick mayor and son of Hawke-era deputy prime minister Lionel Bowen. Thistlethwaite first aspired to the seat when previous member Laurie Brereton retired at the 2004 election, at which time he was vice-president of the state branch of the Australian Workers Union. However, he was frozen out by then leader Mark Latham’s insistence that the seat go to Garrett. Thistlethwaite went on to serve as the party’s state secretary and convenor of the Right faction from 2008 until he was eased out of both roles with the promise of a Senate berth in 2010, having ruffled feathers by backing then Premier Nathan Rees in his determination to choose his own cabinet (which Rees used to dump Right potentate Joe Tripodi, together with the now notorious Mineral and Forest Resources Minister Ian Macdonald) and throwing his support behind Environment Minister Frank Sartor to replace Rees as Premier rather than Kristina Keneally. His Senate seat was secured in relatively bloodless fashion when incumbent Michael Forshaw chose not to contest the 2010 election, although this resulted in Graeme Wedderburn, who has been Bob Carr’s chief-of-staff both as Premier and Foreign Minister, being denied the seat promised him when he was lured from the private sector to serve as chief-of-staff to Rees.
New South Wales Senate: Matt Thistlethwaite’s Senate vacancy will now go to his successor as state secretary, Sam Dastyari, who today hands over the reins in that position to the erstwhile assistant state secretary, Jamie Clements.
Charlton: Greg Combet’s successor in the Hunter region seat is his deputy chief of staff, former Australian Metal Workers Union official Pat Conroy, who easily won a local preselection ballot with 57 out of 90 votes. Conroy’s path was smoothed by the late withdrawal of Daniel Wallace, a Lake Macquarie councillor and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union organiser said to have had strong support locally. Wallace reportedly faced pressure from factional leaders concerned about his two convictions for assault. An earlier withdrawal had been Sonia Hornery, member for the corresponding state seat of Wallsend. The three unsuccessful candidates who saw out the process were Joshua Brown, a Muswellbrook Council policy officer and former staffer to Combet’s predecessor Kelly Hoare; Marcus Mariani, assistant director at the Department of Defence; and Chris Osborne, a local party activities. Mark Coultan of The Australian reported rumours that “key factional players• wanted the local preselection process to be overridden to impose the party’s assistant national secretary, Nick Martin, a Left faction member who unsuccessfully sought preselection for the ACT seat of Fraser before the 2010 election.
Rankin: In a rebuff to Kevin Rudd, the preselection to replace Craig Emerson was won by Jim Chalmers, former chief-of-staff to Wayne Swan, ahead of his favoured candidate Brett Raguse, who held Forde for Labor from 2007 to 2010. A ballot of local branch members reportedly ended in a 74-74 tie, which rendered decisive a 36-14 majority for Chalmers among the electoral college of union delegates which determined 50% of the final result. The preselection caused a split between the two main right unions, the Australian Workers Union having supported Chalmers and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association backing Raguse, and also within the Left, with the Electrical Trades Union backing Raguse but the rest supporting Chalmers.
Hotham: Simon Crean will be succeeded as Labor candidate in Hotham by Geoff Lake, a Minter Ellison lawyer and former Municipal Association of Victoria president who shares Crean’s association with the National Union Workers. Lake won the preselection ahead of Rosemary Barker, a disability worker with the Office of the Public Advocate, winning firstly the local party ballot 252-117 and then the public office selection committee vote 41-22 (with each accounting for 50% of the final total). Lake’s win was partly down to a split between Right potentates Bill Shorten and Stephen Conroy, who had long been the pillars of a “stability pact” with the Socialist Left from which the NUW had been frozen out. Tensions between Shorten and Conroy emerged during the preselection to replace Nicola Roxon in Gellibrand, in which Conroy failed to support the Shorten-backed Kimberley Kitching, and inflamed considerably when Shorten decisively defected to the Kevin Rudd camp. The Left pleaded that the split made adherence to the stability pact a practical impossibility and abstained from the vote. John Ferguson of The Australian reports that a further layer of complexity was added by the fact that Lake and Barker had respectively had success in courting support from the local Cambodian and Vietnamese communities, in the former case with help from state Clayton MP Hong Lim.
Lalor: The candidate Julia Gillard backed to succeed her in her western Melbourne electorate, Moonee Ponds Primary School principal Joanne Ryan, emerged an easy winner after her stronger opponents fell by the wayside prior to the vote. The Australian reported that factional and gender balance considerations meant the seat was always likely to go to a woman from the Right, early contenders in that mould including Kimberley Kitching and Lisa Clutterham, who respectively had the support of erstwhile allies Bill Shorten and Stephen Conroy. Clutterham withdrew after a disastrous radio interview with the ABC’s Jon Faine, in which she appeared stumped as to how to finesse her obvious lack of connection to the electorate, while Kitching pulled out and threw her support behind Ryan. Kitching had reportedly won support to seek the number three position on the Senate ticket instead, but here too she ended up falling short (more on which below). Yet another withdrawal was Sandra Willis, the daughter of Keating government Treasurer Ralph Willis. Facing only low-key opposition from two local party members, Andrew Crook of Crikey reported that Ryan ended up securing 74 votes out of 88 in the local party ballot and all but one of the 100 votes from the public office seleection committee.
Victorian Senate: The number three candidate on Labor’s Victorian Senate ticket will be Mehmet Tillem, Turkish-born electorate officer to Senator Stephen Conroy, who won 37 votes from the public office selection committee to 25 for the aforementioned Kimberley Kitching, a former Melbourne City councillor, current Health Services Union No. 1 branch acting general manager, and the wife of controversial former VexNews blogger Andrew Landeryou. The result was another rebuff for Kitching and her backer Bill Shorten following unsuccessful tilts at the Gellibrand and Lalor preselections. As had been the case in Hotham, the Socialist Left abstained from the vote on the grounds that the Shorten-Conroy split meant the Right had failed to fill its end of the “stability pact” bargain. Tillem will at the very least serve out the remainder of Feeney’s Senate term, which expires in the middle of next year, although his prospects for extending his tenure beyond that by winning a third Senate seat for Labor at the election appear slim (hence Feeney’s determination to abandon the spot for a move to the lower house).
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/julia-gillard-media-house-purchase
isn’t rheuban in love with his human mum
[Not one word about what they would do.]
http://www.alp.org.au/what_we_re_for
Read and learn. Or ring your excellent local member and ask him.
gawd
how desperate is the pinkbattsgate inquiry?
CTar1
[I would have thought it would be better placed in Islington.]
When it comes to Islington my knowledge extends no further than the board game “Monopoly” . Soooo why would that be so ?
Geoffrey
you made my day
having said that I am rather obsessed with that kiss’
it was worse than lathams hand shake and now we have two of them
gosh I think ms Clarke made a miss calculation tweeting that
some brave soul here please tweet It to the guardian
@KJ/753
It’s simple really,
Newman did the same thing with IBM.
“I don’t oppose Islam as a country, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,” the 27-year-old mother-of-two said.
The candidate for the Queensland seat of Rankin went on to use the word “haram” as a catch-all for every other Islamic term besides “haram,” claim Jews follow Jesus Christ, and wrongly assert that kosher food doesn’t carry a tax where as “haram” food does (in fact, both do).
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national-news/federal-election/stephanie-banister-calls-islam-a-country-immediately-compared-to-sarah-palin/story-fnho52ip-1226694031341#ixzz2bSe6wd32
[Read and learn]
May be someone should tell Penny Wong that she should be selling some of the detail of this stuff – being negative about a negative is not being positive. She sold the CPRS to the Australian public the same way – NOT. In fact, is she even capable of a positive selling message? Methinks not.
[Or ring your excellent local member and ask him]
I think that might be invisible local member or deprived of campaign funds local member. I have in my time called my so called “excellent” local member and never had a call returned.
poroti – Loads more foreigners!
(I’m one of them, of course!)
Leaders daughters will always be hotter under a Coalition Government.
Abbotts daughters a stunner
the focus on the gst is spot on. day in day out relentless focus. gst is in the coalition dna.
@Sean/760
Your very sad person.
[mari
Posted Friday, August 9, 2013 at 6:50 pm | PERMALINK
See Rummel has reverted back again, how surprising and this is the guy who claimed he handed out how to vote cards for ALP in 2007?]
Reverted? this coming from the party of Kevin, Julia and Kevin.
[Leaders daughters will always be hotter under a Coalition Government.]
Or daughters in law if the famous Harold Holt photo was anything to go by.
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Mike Kelly MP @MikeKellyMP 3m
I’ll tell what I’d like 2 c Mr Abbott. I’d like to see a Royal Commission into the Iraq War. Greatest public policy failure in our history.
Retweeted by TheFinnigans天地有道人无道
[how desperate is the pinkbattsgate inquiry?]
Well, Rudd brought it on himself by apologising when he shouldn’t have done and scapegoating Garrett. He should have said, this is an excellent program and its safety record is ten times better than home insulations under Howard, which is true.
bbp – Very naughty!
[Abbotts daughters a stunner]
And far more sensible than you.
[@Sean/760
Your very sad person.]
I’m a red blooded Queensland male… so sue me!
Perhaps when you get your pulse back you’ll appreciate the stunners of the opposite sex
AA @ 757
Old news but still diabolical on a second or third read. She has already been Diogs iDIOt of the day – yesterday or earlier?
760
that’s just the sort of comment I would expect from a male liberal
disgusting
This how much regard Liberals have for honesty and is a display of the lack of integrity the Liberals have
THE WA government reneges on a 10-year undertaking for households that feed-in solar power to the grid.
As part of a raft of concessions and subsidies slashed in the state budget handed down yesterday, the WA government halved the residential solar feed-in tariff rate to save $51 million.
PHEPHOS
I THINK WE CAN DISPENSE WITH THAT AT THIS TIME
LOOSE TWEETS AND SO ON AND LOSE LIPS
Ch10 has offered to host a 2nd leaders debate. The govt has said yes, but so far nothing from the opposition.
My guess is it won’t happen because Team Abbott squib it.
I’m not here to be a Ruddbot, My Say.
Ctar
The photo just goes to show that Mad Men got the look so right.
my say
the kiss is worse than latham moment which i never thought very bad at all
however the sanctimonous church elders of the great australian illiberal party manage to put themselves above self criticism (like the greens) and of course the media currently let them off many hooks as well – but we can assured of one them, they will in the end be hung up to dry
[He should have said, this is an excellent program and its safety record is ten times better than home insulations under Howard, which is true.]
Plus laying the blame where it belonged: with shonky installers who put profit ahead of compliance and worker safety.
I am not surprised at that our has now been locked in to 26 cent kw
they where on for reducing it there was an out cry
don’t forget here though winter does not send much to the grid
but we halved out bills in the last 12 months with 2000 kw
blackburnpseph
Posted Friday, August 9, 2013 at 7:10 pm | Permalink
AA @ 757
Old news but still diabolical on a second or third read. She has already been Diogs iDIOt of the day – yesterday or earlier?
—————————————————–
been on the road for the last 8+hours driving Broome to Karratha to have dinner with my daughter
AA
Drive safely and enjoy your dinner.
bbp –
It’s lucky scandal was averted via a Chinese submarine 😆 .
[I was pretty surprised when Centre said the other night that he is in for K2k and may go in for another K5k depending how the ball bounces.]
I missed all that. Who did he say he is backing and what does K2k stand for?
[It’s lucky scandal was averted via a Chinese submarine]
You heard it here first. They were not his daughters in law – they were the friendly hostesses about to show him to his cabin.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-08/inquest-told-foolproof-insulation-safety-not-viable/4677906Updated Thu Aug 8, 2013 3:55pm AEST
Related Story: Insulation inquest told no training provided
Map: Brisbane 4000
An inquest into the deaths of three Queensland insulation workers killed during the controversial pink batts rollout has been told that to guarantee safety an installation company would have had to give up on making a profit.
The three who died were using metal staples to lay electrically conductive insulation in 2009 and 2010 when the practice was already banned in New Zealand.
One of the companies involved told the inquest it was not made compulsory to turn off power to the residences, because it would have been too costly.
And a State Government electrical safety manager acknowledged his department knew the risks of metal staples but did not issue a warning until after the first death.
confessions
Posted Friday, August 9, 2013 at 7:13 pm | Permalink
He should have said, this is an excellent program and its safety record is ten times better than home insulations under Howard, which is true.
Plus laying the blame where it belonged: with shonky installers who put profit ahead of compliance and worker safety.
———————————————————
It was disgusting what the employers did to the workers.
I find Abbott’s plan for a judicial hearing just as disgusting and is politically motivated. I see it as a vengeful act that will solve nothing and only cause more heartache for the families of the deceased.
[They were not his daughters in law – they were the friendly hostesses about to show him to his cabin.]
The whole thought of such is seeming a bit Austin Powers …
I see channel 7 doing a great puff piece on what a you beaut great bloke that Tony is…..
4 more weeks of this shit.
Can’t we just let them have him now and get on with whatever it is he has in store for us.
Australia deserves him.
Psephos
The truly gob smacking thing is that the Lib’s call for personal apologies to the parents of a guy who was reported after the coroner’s report as
1) His company provided safety training
2) Told their workers not to use metal staples
3) Provided their workers with plastic staples
4) Provided Staple guns for plastic staples.
5) The worker purchases and used metal staple and staple gun because they were quicker.
All without mentioning that OHS is a state issue and it ain’t no coincidence that 75% of the deaths were in Qld.
AussieAchmed
Posted Friday, August 9, 2013 at 7:13 pm | Permalink
look after yourself we need your great lines and refreshing tales,,,drive saftley
‘Mike Kelly MP @MikeKellyMP 3m
I’ll tell what I’d like 2 c Mr Abbott. I’d like to see a Royal Commission into the Iraq War. Greatest public policy failure in our history.’
A bit late Mike isn’t it?
You had the chance.
What about the wheat for weapons inquiry?
Oh well.
We’ll get those tories next time.
AA:
The inquiry pledge is pure politics. Liberals continue to demonstrate whenever they are in govt that they don’t give two hoots about employees.
[The truly gob smacking thing is that the Lib’s call for personal apologies to the parents of a guy who was reported after the coroner’s report as ]
Yes but Rudd surrendered all these arguments by admitting responsibility and apologising. It’s too late to walk that back now.
ROSEMOUR
U ARE WASTING YOUR TIME POSTING WELL I DONT READ
you have given your self a reputation of making every on depressed
so until I am told different I scroll by
there are couple more on that list also
black spur don’t tell me u will still be voting for tony
an educated good aussie like you
Has anyone seen that ALP ad that has Abbott saying how you can’t believe what he says unless it’s carefully scripted, written down and signed by him?
It’s a killer ad.
Oh…..wait..they haven’t made it yet.
Or the one that has Howard saying interest rates will always be lower under a coalition government and then the big red stamp comes down kathump that says WRONG and then the voice over that says you just can’t trust the Liberals.
I’m sure the ALP want to win.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if Tom Watson was a panelist on Q&A (along side anyone else they care to invite) to speak about Murdoch’s media interests in Australia and the UK with emphasis on findings of the Leveson Inquiry?
Watson says
[“I’m coming out there to ask some serious questions about whether Rupert Murdoch has learned the lesson of the Leveson inquiry in the United Kingdom.
“Looking at the headlines in some of his newspapers, it seems to me he has learned nothing from the scandal.”
Watson plans to fly out some time in the next fortnight and said he did not have a schedule, although he has had offers and is hoping to give speeches and hold community meetings while in the country.
“One of the things that the public [Leveson] inquiry focused on was how newspapers in the UK tended to deliberately mix editorial with news and I saw those two editions of the Daily Telegraph and thought, ‘Oh no, that poor editor of the Daily Telegraph is obviously working under orders from New York during the election,’” he said.
“I thought those days were over, and you should be calling him [Murdoch] out on those things.”]
Would the ABC have the guts to invite him?
No, thought not.
The WA Budget Debt under Mr Barnett was predicted to grow 770 per cent since he first came into office in 2008.
The Budget shows that State debt could hit $28.6 billion by 2016/17.
When Colon was first elected the debt was $3.8 billion
Yep, those Libs have fiscal responsibility in their DNA – shame its from the shallow end of the gene pool
My Say
If you scroll by why are you cranky with me?
Are you reading this?
One knock for yes. Two for no.
phes please we have heard it all before
lose lips
but actually I don’t think he did it was the media who twisted to sound like that
but that’s in the past we are NOW WHERE WE ARE NOW
TAKE NOTE OF WHAT MIKE KELLY JUST SAID’
WE would of liked an enquiry at the Iraq
and we dam well should of ask for it
but too late now
so lets deal with what we have now”
getting rid of the evil out of our country
Holy mackeral! How about that ALP ad that has Abbott saying how you can’t believe what he says unless it’s carefully scripted, written down and signed by him?
It’s a killer ad.
Oh…..wait..they haven’t made it yet.
Or the one that has Howard saying interest rates will always be lower under a coalition government and then the big red stamp comes down kathump that says WRONG and then the voice over that says you just can’t trust the Liberals.
I’m sure the ALP want to win.