UPDATE (Essential Research and Morgan): Essential Research is still at 50-50, although Labor has been up three points on the primary vote over the past fortnight, the most recent move being one point to 39%. The Coalition, Greens and Palmer United are steady at 43%, 8% and 3%. There are also personal ratings and further questions which you can read about at the bottom of the post. Morgan has the Labor lead narrowing from 53-47 to 52-48 on respondent-allocated preferences, and from 52.5-47.5 to 51-49 on previous election preferences. On the primary vote, the Coalition is up a point to 40.5%, Labor steady on 37%, the Greens down one to 10.5% and Palmer United up 1.5% to 4.5%.
GhostWhoVotes reports the first Newspoll for the year has Labor leading 51-49, compared with 52-48 in the final poll of last year, which was conducted from December 6-8. Labor has dropped three points on the primary vote to 35%, but the slack is taken up by the Greens, who are up three to 12%, with the Coalition up by one point to 41%. The results also support Essential Research’s finding that a good deal of air went out of Bill Shorten’s honeymoon balloon over the break, his approval rating down five points to 35%. More to follow.
UPDATE: James J in comments serves up the personal ratings, which have Tony Abbott perfectly unchanged at 40% approval and 45% disapproval, Bill Shorten respectively down nine to 35% and up eight to 35%, and preferred prime minister effectively unchanged at 41-33 in favour of Abbott, compared with 41-34 last time.
UPDATE 2: Dennis Shanahan’s report on the results for The Oz.
UPDATE 3: Questions on ABC bias produce similar results to the recent ReachTEL poll, with most considering its news “fair and balanced”, but Coalition supporters more likely to feel aggrieved than Labor ones. Eighteen per cent felt the ABC biased to Labor versus 7% biased against, which naturally enough produced a mirror image when the question was framed in terms of Coalition bias (7% biased in favour, 19% biased against). Results for the Greens were hardly different than for Labor, with 15% thinking it biased in favour, 8% biased against, and 48% balanced. Tables showing breakdowns by party support here.
UPDATE 4: Essential Research’s monthly personal ratings have both leaders heading south, with Tony Abbott down six on approval to 41% and up four on disapproval to 47%, and Bill Shorten down five to 30% and up two to 34%. Better prime minister is little changed at 40-30 in favour of Abbott, compared with 42-31 a month ago. As is usually the case when a party’s position improves in the polls, Labor has improved across the board on the question of party most trusted to handle various issues, the biggest changes being a drop in the deficit on “political leadership” from 23% to 13% and economic management from 26% to 19%. A question on various types of industry assistance finds strong support for drought relief, private health rebates and tourism development grants, but strong opposition to fuel rebates for the mining industry. Interestingly, automotive production subsidies score a net rating of minus 11%.
POROTI – Like I said before, the AFR is just a bulletin board of the Institute of Public Affairs. I certainly don’t buy a newspaper so I’ll get assailed by that cash-for-comment machine.
Look out Fiona – The Oz is after you.
[The Australian @australian 7m
Senator’s staff claim turns to junk – ASSISTANT Health Minister Fiona Nash has been forced into an embarrassing…]
Anyone who is going to have meetings with this government should seriously consider minutes and video to protect themselves from misrepresentation and outright bullshit.
k17
[the AFR is just a bulletin board of the Institute of Public Affairs]
What a shame because 20yrs ago you could find (under quirky headlines) something to read most days.
Surely the AFR’s days are numbered. Tiny circulation. No advertising. Can’t even be breaking even. Anyone got any insights.
rua
[ASSISTANT Health Minister Fiona Nash has been forced into an embarrassing]
She’s a National so Tones and the lads couldn’t give a bugger about her.
On her own.
bw
@GuardianAus: Australian hunt for honeybee immune to killer parasite wiping out hives http://t.co/LNk9kweAge
CTar1
And she is a woman…….
rua and Ctar
National and female.
[She’s a National so Tones and the lads couldn’t give a bugger about her.]
She being a she wouldn’t help with that lot either .
Several SNAPs on there 🙂
vic/Guy
I thought the female bit went without saying with this Govt.
With no car industry surely the 5% tariff on imports has to go, the Govt could recoup some of the lost revenue by removing the novated lease rort as once again there is no industry to support.
They could also, remove the restrictions on importation of used cars.
Then watch the arse fall out of the used car market where most cars sold are 5 grand over what they are really worth.
ruawake – the govt’s excuse is that it has to prop up the car industry while the workers reskill/retool, whatever, so they can’t afford to remove these rorts.
And they will never repeal the FBT rort, of course.
ruawake
[They could also, remove the restrictions on importation of used cars. ]
When NZ did that they were able to get some fantastic and amazingly cheap Japanese cars. Apparently the rules over there encourage people to ditch their cars after only a couple or three years or so.
Surely taxpayers would not begrudge drought relief to farmers.
Provided a funded viability review was conducted as a precondition.
Just like the banks would do.
Peter Fitz Simmons is on the Drum panel tonight
David Miles is the right whinger
Has Nash committing a sacking offence viz lying to Parliament?
poroti
[Apparently the rules over there encourage people to ditch their cars after only a couple or three years or so.]
Described to me once by a local as ‘once the first set of tires need replacing registration is difficult’.
UK?
@Health_Jobs_UK: News Update| Fiona Nash says staffer’s interest in wife’s lobbying firm poses ‘no conflict’ http://t.co/Ti0g24cGG8
poroti
My Brother in Law used to run the largest car dealership in Hastings, he sold NZ new cars. His other business in Taupo was importing second hand Japanese cars, the seat belts needed to be replaced and bingo.
He made more money selling the second hand Jap cars. (Mercedes Finance bankrupted him during the GFC).
BK
[
Surely taxpayers would not begrudge drought relief to farmers.]
For those in the MD Basin , just so long as they agree to reduce water “extraction” to environmentally sustainable levels. Won’t agree? Tough Tortillas then.
1665
Japan has a low proportion of cars over 6 years old because the triennial rod worthiness test is so tough that people tend to just get a new car rather than risk failing. That would stimulate their car industry (almost all cars in Japan are Japanese).
guy
[Peter Fitz Simmons is on the Drum panel tonight]
I haven’t watched the ‘Dumb’ in a very long while. I’d rather watch endless replays of Kevin Mcleod.
[Provided a funded viability review was conducted as a precondition.
Just like the banks would do.]
ABARE has done the sums for Qld, average debt $650,000 average income $26,000.
Something doesn’t add up sadly.
Ctar
I do not blame you. Still worth letting people know who want to be masochistic
rua
What will be the circuit breaker?
@DigitalMediaBoy: Schapelles’s first time through Coles self-service area may be a bit traumatic http://t.co/8fR3pK14Fu
[There was a developing view at the highest level of government late on Wednesday that Mr Furnival’s position was increasingly untenable, with government sources admitting the chief of staff was being given time and space to consider resigning, rather than forcing Senator Nash to fire him.
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Tony Abbott said all ministerial staff were required to abide by the Statement of Standards for ministerial staff and she directed Fairfax Media to Senator Nash’s statement in Parliament.]
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/fiona-nash-chief-of-staff-alastair-furnival-under-pressure-to-resign-over-food-ratings-website-20140212-32i4n.html#ixzz2t5cXPfza
“@DigitalMediaBoy: Schapelles’s first time through Coles self-service area may be a bit traumatic” – yes, especially if she got a stash of dope in her shopping bag. “Coles, the Fresh Dope People!”
So Hockey’s just going to sell everything off
[THE government is preparing for a $130 billion sell-off of assets ranging from Medibank Private to electricity poles in its quest for much-needed cash.
Treasurer Joe Hockey today told the Wall Street Journal he would reach agreements with premiers on what to sell and how in a wideranging privatisation program.]
ruawake
Ah the Art Deco world centre . After the rules were relaxed my parents bought a second hand Toyota fresh from Tokyo for about NZ $5,000 . They reckoned it the best buy they’d ever made.
Diogenes
He had the brain wave after listening to The Kouk at that senate committee. Kouk said of Howie’s regime “Anyone can produce a surplus if you stop spending on infrastructure ,increase taxes and sell off everything.”
Are there no Coalition members who feel ashamed at the lying, blustering bullies of their cabinet?
[Stephen Jones MP @StephenJonesMP 6m
It would appear a Lib MP has crossed the floor and is voting with the ALP. I’m not sure he meant to.]
Oops
“Are there no Coalition members who feel ashamed at the lying, blustering bullies of their cabinet?”
Apparently not.
[Mr Furnival’s position was increasingly untenable]
Why just him and not Ass. Minister Nash as well?
For lying to Parliament.
Nash told Parliament via MSM:
[“There is no connection, whatsoever, between my chief of staff and the company Australian Public Affairs,” Senator Nash said.”]
There is – a connection that is.
Therefore ….?
lizzie
It’s item one on their job description.
Furnival desperately needs to be sacked.
[But the Assistant Health Minister also confirmed Mr Furnival did not reveal during a meeting held late last year to discuss the health star ratings that he had a conflict of interest, despite any potential conflicts being an agenda item on the meeting.]
fredex
She corrected the record so she doesn’t get the sack.
But at the next reshuffle there will be some winners and losers…..
Nash’s COS will walk the plank. She will say she knew nothing.
From Sprocket’s link
[There was a developing view at the highest level of government late on Wednesday that Mr Furnival’s position was increasingly untenable, with government sources admitting the chief of staff was being given time and space to consider resigning, rather than forcing Senator Nash to fire him.’
Why just him and not Nash as well?
She told Parliament:
[“There is no connection, whatsoever, between my chief of staff and the company Australian Public Affairs,” Senator Nash said.”]
That was, and still is, not true.
I thought lying to Parliament, or at least being caught doing so by the Opposition and the media, was a big no-no.
ross, she’s already says she knows/knew.
After transferring my parents bank account into my Mother’s name the Commonwealth Bank sent the new transaction card to my mother with my dead fathers name only on the card. Imbeciles. 🙁
Tanya Plibersek in the house now, giving a speech on Labor’s achievements. Give the lady some support.
Sorry Dio, cross posted.
Your observation does not alter 2 facts:
1. She lied to parliament
2. She only did so because others [eg media] revealed the truth
Display name
I thought she was saying she found out later.
fredex
You are allowed to correct the record if you make an erroneous statement. Labor need to prove she lied, whoch I doubt she did.
I think she’s just grossly incompetent.
#2 above #1696 should include:
2. She only ‘corrected’ [partly] the record because etc.
rua
“Little” mistakes like that can cause more sorrow than they know.