A lot of new data for BludgerTrack to play with this week, with Galaxy conducting its first national poll since the election, ReachTEL turning in its big-sample monthly robopoll for the Seven Network, Essential reliable as ever for its fortnightly rolling average, and Newspoll unloading its quarterly aggregates featuring state breakdowns (although none of this contributes anything new on leaders’ ratings). The Galaxy result was at the high end of the Coalition’s recent form in putting them even with Labor on two-party preferred, which has had the effect of reining in Labor’s lead from 51.8-49.1 to 50.9-49.1, and caused them to lose their majority on the seat projection. Labor is down one seat each in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The big change on the primary vote is that the Greens have taken a hit after steadily inflating to a post-election high in last week’s result, the result of mediocre showings from Galaxy and ReachTEL, which have traditionally been quite strong for them. After applying bias adjustments, these are two of the four worst results for the Greens out of 32 results this year. I would think statistical randomness a more likely explanation for this than genuine responsiveness to anything that’s happened on the political stage of late, and while the high of last week was very probably inflated, it is equally likely that this an over-correction.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/mind-the-gap-benefits-from-free-trade-havent-quite-gone-the-distance-20100302-pg6p.html
[Five years on, it is clear the free trade agreement between Australia and the United States was a dud. Despite the fanfare with which the Howard government introduced it, no tangible benefits have resulted for Australia.]
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/mind-the-gap-benefits-from-free-trade-havent-quite-gone-the-distance-20100302-pg6p.html
[Five years on, it is clear the free trade agreement between Australia and the United States was a dud. Despite the fanfare with which the Howard government introduced it, no tangible benefits have resulted for Australia.]
@DN/2039
Which is why I have not been calling them trade deals.
From everything I’ve read here regarding the Japan FTA it looks as though Abbott rushed in as usual. There had to be good reason for Labor to have not signed off. As other posters have said we need more time to really know.
What have FTAs ever done for this country?
Sweet FTA if you ask me.
Is it the case that a condition of the Japanese FTA that Australia run it’s own car industry into the ground?
Mari
Wireless problems. If you can logon to your modem/router you could try changing the channel. Could be interference from other wireless devices on the channel you use which can degrade the signal. Also on my old Dlink router there is a setting for Antenna transmit power setting.
Yes, very good point Gary and bemused.
We definitely should wait for the detail.
If Abbott has a deal where we have cheaper cars and more exports to Japan, no doubt you will both be effusive with your praise?
Lets wait and see 😀
NFF seems to think Abbott’s FTA is an epic failure.
[roger bottomley
Posted Monday, April 7, 2014 at 9:22 pm | PERMALINK
Is it the case that a condition of the Japanese FTA that Australia run it’s own car industry into the ground?]
How have we run our car industry into the ground?
Do you run an industry into the ground by throwing hundreds of millions of dollars at it?
Sure, Sure, and pixie dust!
Mad Lib@2058
You are a great one for selecting particular metrics and looking at them out of context.
I want to know the full package.
Then there is the reality that many officials have spent years of patient detailed negotiation to get this to where it is. Do they deserve no credit?
There are just too many unknowns at this stage.
haha, this argument about “running our car industry to the ground”.
Umm, Abbott killed it by both killing of a supportive policy and negativity!
Which of the car makers is left standing?
I rest my case.
Actually if you read the entire NFF press release they don’t consider the FTA a failure.
[bemused
….You are a great one for selecting particular metrics and looking at them out of context.]
Not correct.
[I want to know the full package.]
Yes, good idea.
[Then there is the reality that many officials have spent years of patient detailed negotiation to get this to where it is. Do they deserve no credit?]
Good point. They deserve credit too.
[There are just too many unknowns at this stage.]
Yes many unknown unknowns. Good point.
To distill the PB “balanced” assessment:
Abbott is responsible for the failing car industry
Abbott has nothing to do with the new Japanese FTA
I am seeing a recurring theme here @ PB……anyone else?
Nothing in the FTA docs about rice.
I guess that means Australia remains locked out by Japan’s 778% rice import tax?
@davidwh/2065
Of course, it says “falls short”, but you need to look for the entire picture.
““The ultimate objective with any trade agreement is to obtain tangible benefits to farmers. Agreements must be comprehensive. That means, no sector carve-outs and elimination of tariffs. The Japanese agreement falls short of the mark on a number of fronts in this regard,” Mr Finlay said.”
““The agreement does not improve—or marginally improves—market access and terms of trade for a number of sectors such as dairy, sugar, grains, pork and rice.”
It practically means the deal is not enough benefits to out-way the negatives, an overall thumbs down.
Didn’t Labor sign FTAs with Korea and… Some SE Asian country just recently?
Not sure they have made much difference either
[2031….Astrobleme]
hmmm…. that did occur to me too …Perth Mod…Curtin…Bishop etc…but in the good old days we would’ve done it anyway 🙂
Mad Lib@2067
Yep!
Abbott demolished the car industry in 6 months.
Abbott presided over the last 6 months of more than 7 years of negotiation. Then there is the question of what, if any, changes he made in that time and were they good or bad?
You see a recurring theme of reality and scepticism of Abbott.
Australia in Japan’s good books with the FTA
Australia in China’s good books with MH370
Australia in Malaysia’s good books with MH370
Yes Abbott is responsible for the failing car industry. It is called “being the Government”.
I also suspect that Abbott’s domestic political need to get a run on the board will mean Australia probably got screwed.
schnappi’s twitter profile says he is ex-military.
Tweets by @Schnappi5
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?’http’:’https’;if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+”://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,”script”,”twitter-wjs”);
It is hard to check on someone without a real name.
Has Newman resigned yet for taking money from AWH in return for political influence?
Tony’s mate Abe (and friends)
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-sinister-efforts-to-minimise-japanese-war-crimes-and-portray-the-empire-as-a-victim-must-be-exposed-9242156.html
Is there a Newspoll tonight?
[roger bottomley
Posted Monday, April 7, 2014 at 9:46 pm | PERMALINK
Yes Abbott is responsible for the failing car industry. It is called “being the Government”.]
….but this doesn’t apply to the FTA?
YIKES!
….the goalposts are flying all around the room tonight! :devil:
and… Australia in Sri Lanka’s good books for torture.
There were rumours around six months before the election that, given the Liberals stance on the car industry, the remaining big car makers were planning to leave if Abbott was elected.
Everything
Australia in Japan’s good books with the FTA
Australia in China’s good books with MH370
Australia in Malaysia’s good books with MH370
U could also add Sri Lanka for the rendition of its Tamil opponents
Isn’t that your real name, Puff?
[2031
Astrobleme….. Perth Mod… It’s a very quiet booth in the most conservative seat in Australia.]
Quiet is an understatement….212 valid votes cast on Saturday, of which 24 were for Labor, 58 for the Liberals and 87 for the Greens, 10 for PUP….and the rest scattered in single figures here or there…
Read the rest of my post. Abbott rushed in where wise men feared to tread.
Actually, Puff.
Someone today pointed to a Guardian article by Julia on Game of Thrones.
She looooves Dragons!
Get in and make a comment.
Generally it’s a good idea to establish where the goal posts are before the event. There’s no point complaining they’ve been moved when you don’t even know where they were to begin with.
Curtin was the lowest vote for labor in the senate rerun. half the Greens vote.
Mad Lib@2080
Only in the hollow of your head.
zoomster:
At one point one could blame the useless Former Member for Indi, except it’s happened anyway without her!
Feeling a little bloodied and battered after watching GoT and the Vikings tonight. Strange how ancient British history is still a compulsive and gripping narrative.
Certainly something has been ‘flying all around’… it certainly not some of us.
As you are struggling to find something to complain about with the Abbott FTA announcement today, let me give you a freebie (pending instructions from Sussex street HQ):
Cheaper cars is bad for the environment!
fess
I’m sure she laid the groundwork!
WA State Labor spend so much of their energy distancing themselves from Federal Labor, they end up as Liberal Light. They won’t support Carbon pricing or the mining tax. Its not surprising that the greens pick up the votes Labor is throwing away.
Another attack on the environment…
zoomster:
Without a doubt. Her bullying of the industry, complete with standover tactics about what would happen when she was minister, are apparently legendary.
Best bit of karma ever was her losing her seat, never attaining a ministry, and being sent to BFE into the bargain.
Zoidlord:
Perhaps you could calculate the accumulated increase in global temperatures from the increase use of cars from the Japanese FTA.
[Game of Thrones has parallels with my time as Australian prime minister]
It was embarrassing tripe. I gather education was her passion, better she contain her exposure to that sort of issue. You can only trade on being a woman, and a victimised woman for so long before it wears thin and people start to see the game.