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%.
Mexican – Hockey is a dim bulb. Laissez faire economics suits such people because it gives them an excuse not to think, which they find awfully tiring.
Did anyone see Gittins article about the demise of Toyota. According to him it’s not such a bad thing.
poroti
No! I can think of one case which i have often written about here, in Victoria there is a state government owned business which turns a small profit and Joe would probably thinks should be sold.
A case could be made but knowing the business, it needs a major capital injection to improve customer service standards and i just cannot see a private sector finance company being willing too make such an investment.
Well it’s WRONG!
A government CAN sell government assets and the proceeds from those assets can be used to pay cut down on government debt – BUT NO WAY should those proceeds be included as a surplus in the accounts.
Centre@1754
The proceeds would be on the capital account, not recurrent.
To get rid of deficits they need to get income exceeding expenditure. A sale of an asset is not income.
[deblonay
Posted Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 7:08 pm | PERMALINK
Rupert’s Problems
_________________
A photo of Murdoch stuck in the grand piano would have been a rare treasure
I think I could quite like Wendi Deng if she gave him a shove
and abused him…better though is she had pushed him out of a window]
If she had, the world (especially politics in Australia) would probably be quite different.
From an Accounting process asset sales are to be recorded in the Statement of Cash Flow with a small mention in the balance sheet.
Generally a business that is busy selling its assets is suspected to be close to folding, now we know Canberra can’t go bankrupt as it controls the printer but at some point the structural issues will need addressing.
[BUT NO WAY should those proceeds be included as a surplus in the accounts.]
This was the Costello trick, Telstra was paying an average $3 billion dividend, it was sold for $30 billion. 10 years later we have the money in the FF and no dividend. (I will leave the telecoms mess out)
As part of the $130b asset sale, Abbott & co could privatise themselves. How much would Abbott fetch in an open market?
bemused
[ A sale of an asset is not income.]
Tell that to Howard and Costello. Pointless telling it to HoJo and PMBO.
MARK COLVIN:
[PM has confirmed that the Abbott Government has reversed a Labor aid promise to build a new parliament on the Caribbean Island of Grenada. The project was only weeks away from beginning construction. Jobs have been lost, the island economy of Grenada has taken a significant hit and hard questions are being asked.]
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3943366.htm
Bemused
[The proceeds would be on the capital account, not recurrent.]
Correct.
[To get rid of deficits they need to get income exceeding expenditure. A sale of an asset is not income.]
Correct.
Exactly my point. So proceeds of asset sales should not be accounted for as a surplus.
Centre@1762
And I am not even an accountant. 😉
Although I have studied finance. ;D
citizen@1759
I’ll give you 2 bob for PM Lost jobs, and not a zack more, he aint worth more.
Beemer @ 1757
No, a statement of cash flow does not constitute as a financial statement.
As its name implies, it is purely a statement of the flow of cash of a business.
Did I mention Australia is 2-30 vs the Yaarpies ?
Thanks Centre
As you said above selling an asset is not income and is a one off.
[As part of the $130b asset sale, Abbott & co could privatise themselves. How much would Abbott fetch in an open market?]
He’s not open to selling his arse.
rua
Costello sold all our gold for absolute peanuts.
He’d be sacked if he worked in the private sector. That’s why he couldn’t find a job after politics in the private sector.
God help the future fund 😆
Yesiree, Even at 2 bob, I am scratching my head to think of a use for Abbott. Remember, you’ll have to keep him supplied with bananas and provide somewhere for him to sleep. He could end up being an expensive coat-rack or scarecrow.
mimhoff
[He’s not open to selling his arse.]
Ecktually is was. Problem was there were no buyers.
sohar@1770
I’ll on sell him to the Chinese
Honestly, this is how Abbott could deliver a surplus and work wonders for our economy.
He negotiates a deal on behalf of the taxpayer as a star attraction in the Monkey enclosure in our zoos.
Tourism would explode 😆
Abbott’s zoo revenues would count as a surplus 😆
“….now we know Canberra can’t go bankrupt as it controls the printer…”
Really?
Izzatso?
sohar
[
Yesiree, Even at 2 bob, I am scratching my head to think of a use for Abbott]
John Clark’s fave insult comes to mind . “He’s so useless he couldn’t get a job as a speed hump”
Yesiree,
But would the Chinese want his body parts? Perhaps he could be sat on an exercise bike that is hooked up to a power generator for your home. You’ll still have the issue with the bananas, though.
Speed hump – getting close. Perhaps Tony could be employed as a traffic light – red at the front of his speedos and green at the back. He’d have to be trained when to turn around, though.
sohar@1777
They need a cadaver for scientific experimentation.
[Did I mention Australia is 2-30 vs the Yaarpies ?]
Is there free online streaming somewhere, or is it only on Foxtel?
Sometimes I really do miss my Foxtel.
Woolworths accused of extorting money out of firms supplying its NZ subsidiary, Countdown:
[AUSTRALIAN-OWNED supermarket chain Countdown has been accused in New Zealand’s parliament of demanding money from local suppliers under threat of blacklisting their products.
Opposition Labour MP Shane Jones said he had been contacted by a number of firms upset at the Woolworths-owned company and been told about what he described as “the Countdown shakedown”.]
http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/aus-owned-nz-store-accused-of-fascism/story-e6frfkui-1226824872274
“They need a cadaver for scientific experimentation.” – I hope they don’t expect to get one with a brain.
Also, I think that Telstra as a government owned entity was sensationally under valued in government accounts.
That’s why Cossie was able to use proceeds from the Telsta floats as a surplus.
Trick OR misleading accounting on behalf of the Libs.
What’s new?
sohar@1782
lol
Perhaps Bludger should start a competition “101 Uses for a Tony”.
citizen
[Woolworths accused of extorting money out of firms supplying its NZ subsidiary, Countdown]
There is a backlash brewing over the Tasman. A few days before this story was plastered everywhere in NZ.
[Australian supermarkets are dropping New Zealand-made products even if an alternative cannot be sourced locally, producers say, as concerns increase about whether the patriotic shut-out on foreign goods could expand to more product lines.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to intervene in the supermarket shut-out after Prime Minister John Key raised the issue in a high-level meeting in Sydney yesterday..
Mr Key said the bans on New Zealand products appeared to breach the spirit, if not the terms of the trans-tasman Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement.]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11198193
What a pathetic excuse for a vote buying exercise:
[THE Queensland premier says he’s not buying votes by offering $90,000 to a community organisation in the lead-up to the Redcliffe by-election.
The government received the money from fines paid by disgraced former Redcliffe MP Scott Driscoll.
Parliament last year fined Mr Driscoll $90,000 for 49 counts of contempt for deliberately misleading parliament and hiding his personal income and business dealings.
Campbell Newman said he, Speaker Fiona Simpson and Treasurer Tim Nicholls decided the money should go to a worthy organisation in Redcliffe, given that was the electorate Mr Driscoll hurt with his actions.
On Thursday, Ms Simpson handed an oversize cheque to workers from Redcliffe Youth Space, an organisation that helps young people in the community deal with any problems they might face.]
http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/redcliffe-deserves-mps-fine-money-newman/story-e6frfku9-1226824742241
sohar
😆 An image from a 101 Uses For a Dead Cat may inspire 🙂
Yes, Poroti, now we are getting somewhere. Tony might be of use after all.
What a surprise about Fatty O’Barrell’s mates.
[Six horses have been found shot in the head days after state forests were reopened to hunters.]
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/brumbies-shot-dead-in-newnes-state-forest-20140212-32ic4.html
[Australian supermarkets are dropping New Zealand-made products even if an alternative cannot be sourced locally, producers say, as concerns increase about whether the patriotic shut-out on foreign goods could expand to more product lines.]
What are Woolworths (and Coles?) on about? A lot of their house brands are imported from various countries including food from China. Under the new FTAs that we are not allowed to see, bigger countries than Australia will not meekly accept a “patriotic shut-out on foreign goods”.
It all gets down to kicking those who are smaller than you are. That fits perfectly into the Abbott mould.
101 Uses for an Abbott.
1. To revive the historical operatic role of Castrato.
citizen
Abbott from the day he was born has been a kiss up kick down kind of wimp.
RottNess Monster captured on radar off the Perth coast.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=649593178415231&set=a.571370716237478.1073741935.269003509807535&type=1&theater
Driscoll and his wife are under investiagtion for allegedly defrauding community groups in Redcliffe for hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus will Newman refund the $50,000 donation Driscoll made to the LNP.
confessions
A great story of how the Rottnest swim started in 1956.
[An Aussie and a German walk into a bar.
A “pretty tiddly” Gerd von Dincklage had no idea he would inspire the Rottnest Channel Swim, to be held again on Saturday week, when he bellowed through beer bravado to his friend, the late WA journalist Hugh Schmidt, that he could swim back from the Quokka Arms to Cottesloe……
Nine hours and 45 minutes of mainly breaststroke later, plus a brush with a big stingray, a tradition was born and the first official race was held that year.
“There was no joy in the beer because my mouth was affected by the salt, but I remember one well-known drinker up there – a big, typically beer-bellied Aussie – and he said, ‘You must be gamer than Ned Kelly, mate’.
“It was a wonderful compliment. It doesn’t get much better than that in Australia.”]
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/21413797/bar-boast-led-to-rotto-swim/
Puff, “1. To revive the historical operatic role of Castrato.” – but will they find anything?
Every time the issue of supporting farmers comes up I think of the National Farmers Federation, Chris Corrigan & Peter Reith and wonder my money should go to people who attack workers rights.
I normally recover from these fits of rage in time to remember most farmers I actually know, including a couple of rellies, are pretty normal hard working types who deserve a hand every now and then when times are tough.
poroti:
That is a good yarn!
kevjohnno
[
Every time the issue of supporting farmers comes up I think of the National Farmers Federation, Chris Corrigan & Peter Reith and wonder my money should go to people who attack workers rights]
Easy up on the condemnation. Richard Court’s bro was the head of a farmers mob in W.A. during the wharfies dispute. He and his organisation came out in support of the wharfies. So much so there were t-shirts on the picket line showing solidarity between the wharfies and the farmers.