GhostWhoVotes reports that the latest Newspoll has the Coalition in the lead for the first time since late November, their lead of 51-49 comparing with Labor’s 52-48 lead in the poll of a fortnight ago. The primary votes are 43% for the Coalition (up three), 34% for Labor (down two) and 11% for the Greens (down two). More to follow. UPDATE: Tony Abbott’s net approval improves slightly with approval steady on 40% and disapproval down three to 47%, while Bill Shorten is respectively down five to 31% and down one to 42%. There is also a less decisive result on preferred prime minister, with Abbott down two to 41% and Shorten down three to 33%. The Australian’s report here.
Morgan had its fortnightly face-to-face plus SMS poll out today, encompassing 2869 respondents over the past two weekends. It too has Labor losing ground on the previous poll, down from 54-46 ahead on respondent-allocated preferences to 51.5-48.5 (and on previous election preferences, 53.5-46.5 to 52-48), from primary votes of 34.5% for Labor (down four), 38.5% for the Coalition (up half a point), 12% for the Greens (up one point) and 5% for Palmer United (up half).
UPDATE (Essential Research): This week’s Essential Research fortnightly average records very little change, with Labor maintaining its 51-49 lead from primary votes of 43% for the Coalition, 38% for Labor, 9% for the Greens and 3% for Palmer United, the only change there being a one point drop for Labor. Also featured are the monthly leaders ratings, which have Tony Abbott up a point on approval to 41% and steady on disapproval at 47%, Bill Shorten up two to 32% and down one to 38%, and Abbott’s lead as preferred prime minister up from 39-33 to 42-32. Other questions find 25% support for the privatisation of Medibank Private and 46% opposition, 61% expecting it would cause health insurance fees to increase against just 3% who think they would decrease, and 25% approving of the sale of government assets to fund new infrastructure against 58% disapproving. A semi-regular question on climate change finds 56% thinking it caused by human activity, up five on January, with 34% favouring the more skeptical response, down five.
2198 (previous main thread)
Janet Rice is the Greens Senator elect for Victoria.
She will replace Mehmet Tillem who replaced David Feeney when he moved to Batman.
Don`t forget Steven Conroy, Michel Ronaldson and the incoming Ricky Muir (replacing Kroger).
“The Australian” March 31 – Dennis
[Liberals rebound in the West: Newspoll
THE Coalition and the Greens have experienced a dramatic recovery in electoral support in Western Australia at the expense of Labor as all three face a crucial battle in the Senate election.
Support for “others’’ — including the Palmer United Party — has fallen in the first three months of the year, leaving the West Australian Senate re-election even more complicated ahead of Saturday’s poll.]
Oh damn.
Sorry about that – supposed to be the first para only.
Please delete.
Once again, apologies.
fredex
I thought it was “stream of consciousness” poetry by Murdoch
I’ll repost these, since the other thread will be the end of it.
Here we go, it’s ISP’s vs Anti-Piracy groups round 2:
http://www.afr.com/p/technology/isps_line_up_for_fresh_piracy_negotiations_hfKEcCdcgswVVkATTmFxnK
I wonder if Brandis will allow anti-piracy companies a selection of legislation to be removed, just like giving Bolt a free ride to remove 18c?
Vested interests vs People.
Another possible court case with Telstra:
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/542255/telstra_lodges_appeal_over_exchange_underground_duct_access_pricing_dispute/
“However, Telstra has now set a preliminary hearing date of April 30 for its appeal in the NSW Federal Court. “
And TPP News:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/140407/japan-us-resume-working-level-tpp-talks-obama-visit
“A summit between Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 24 in Tokyo is widely seen as an opportunity to narrow gaps over contentious TPP issues and advance toward concluding a deal.”
http://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2014/04/05/abbott-and-abe-influence-us-decision-tpp/1396616400#.U0K3OFfYPSc
“Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz is one critic. “There is a real risk that it will benefit the wealthiest sliver of the American and global elite at the expense of everyone else,” he wrote in The New York Times last week.”
Indeed, that is why companies are involved in these talks, but not normal consumer groups or even a ‘representative’ for citizens are included in the discussions.
[There is a real risk …..]
I would say that is quite untrue. There is absolutely no risk at all.
It is the very aim of the TPP, for God’s sake.
This is a bit of a surprising poll results given the past few weeks of parliament, knights and dames, sidonis, BB as speaker, etc. I wonder if the Bullock factor had a national effect. It’d be interesting to see a state by state breakdown and to look at voter allocated preference.
This will get the OZ in a flurry about ALP leadership.
The May budget will be interesting – my guess the LNP will get a boost for being seen to actually do something – it depends on how Hockey sells the cuts and how sweaty he becomes during delivery – he looks like a dodgy car dealer much of the time. My guess is the cuts will hit those at the bottom of the pile, with a few tax-avoidable ‘cuts’ to the wealthy, with the majority being relatively untouched. Carbon price will be scrapped without funding of direct inaction (PUP will demand this, and the LNP will love it). Tax free threshold to be shifted back a bit and second tier of cuts gone ‘because the carbon price is gone’. Sale of Australia Post and parts of the public health system in lib states. They’ll play from the Howard playbook – hit hard now, blame labor, then throw $$ at sectors of electorate hurting in 2016 before the election, but then take the benefits away after the election if they win and repeat process.
[ The FTA improves our competitive position regardless of the Japanese domestic factors. ]
Remains to be seen at what cost. What are the dispute settlement procedures in this FTA??
Can later Governments withdraw from or re-negotiate FTA’s?
@Swamprat/6
It is related to Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).
Think cigarette packaging can be used to sue the government.
zoidlord
I was commenting on the quote from Stiglitz that there was a risk that the TPP “would benefit the wealthiest sliver of US society….”
I think there is no risk. It is a given.
@swamprat/11
How so? Top shareholders in the companies involved in the TPP Agreement?
And there is always risk.
zoidlord
Of course ISDS is the clever way that big corporations can over ride “democracy”.
It is an important first step for them becoming legally more powerful than nation states. They are already more economically powerful than most nation states.
zoidlord
[@swamprat/11
How so? Top shareholders in the companies involved in the TPP Agreement?]
I do not understand, sorry.
@swamprat/15
How hard is it to understand that Top investors allowed things like ISDS in the discussions?
It’s so that big shareholders in multinationals can start a lawsuit and win.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danikenson/2014/03/04/eight-reasons-to-purge-investor-state-dispute-settlement-from-trade-agreements/
Following on from swamp and zoid
[They are already more economically powerful than most nation states]
Most international trade is within or between international corps and has been decades.
That is, most trade is between, say, BHP in one country and GM in another country or BHP in one country to BHP in another country.
51 of the top 100 economies in the world are transnational corporations [TNCs].
*The top 500 TNCs conduct about 70% of all global trade.*
So when someone says, on teev or in a paper, something like “Australian trade to China [wherever] increased by 3% in 2018 …” whatever, it is essentially misleading male bovine excreta.
Because such trade is not done by or even on behalf of the Australian population,
Its done by TNCs.
When countries, lets take 2 at random, like Australia and Japan, negotiate trade treaties/agreements they are not doing so on the behalf of the citizens of their countries but in the interests of those entities, such as TNCs, that overwhelmingly organize, conduct and profit from such trade.
And the TNCs mainly involved may not even be Australian [ a bit more likely to be Japanese].
Some Republicans under attack in the USA over their anti-war views
_____________________________
The warmongers in the US Rep Party get ready to “take down” those Republicans who are against more wars…
and the zionists under Sheldon Adelson get ready to spend big to destroy Senator Ron Paul who looks like a Presidential contended…who says NO to any more wars in the ME in Israeli interes
Could we ever see so much debate amongst conservatives here on Foreign Policy ?
below from The American Conservative report
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-war-on-antiwar-republicans/
The Newspoll and Morgan shifts will be mostly bounce; both their last polls were a bit kind to Labor.
→ → #Auspol 08/04/2014 —- Nett_NEWS++™ @ http://bit.ly/1aQcqOy Shorten as Bullocky Bill by David Rowe © http://bit.ly/1lL8iIX
I see the Japanese are not calling it a free trade deal, and wow beef tariffs get cut to ~20% in 15 years, we can export more cheese “duty free”.
Rice, pork tough luck guys.
This is a trade agreement, not a free trade agreement (unless you want to buy japanese bicycles).
Rua
I think given the experience of the last seven months it is fair to say that whatever the Tories say about the agreement with japan it will be, at best, a stretch of the truth, or more likely, a lie.
According to Tory cheerleader mark kenny work on this japan trade deal started in earnest in 2007.
So remind me again which party has been in government most since then doing the heavy lifting to allow Abbott and robb to take all the credit with the signing.
Personally, I’d be happy with tariffs on Australian beff of 60%, but of course I would prefer that less land was used to raise cattle and less beef was consumed.
I’d also be happy to replace the tariff on cars with a levy based on the embedded carbon and pollution cost and likely lifetime carbon and other pollutant footprint of the vehicle. The funds so raised ought to be hypothecated to underwrite abatement in Australia or some other place. That on beef tariffs could be used to underwrite humane treatment of animals or land acquisition and rehabilitation.
Oops …
[Personally, I’d be happy with tariffs on Australian {beef} of 60%, but of course I would prefer that less land was used to raise cattle and less beef was consumed.]
Is it April 1st ? I ask because the SMH has this article in it which is apparently meant to be taken as serious analysis. The title “Shorten not the man to reform Labor ” and the author ? Peter Reith. FFS.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
Well, who would have thought?
http://www.smh.com.au/world/schapelle-corby-admitted-her-guilt-says-bali-nine-courier-renae-lawrence-20140407-zqruw.html
Bloody carbon tax!
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fears-of-electric-shock-after-premier-barry-ofarrell-ends-power-price-cap-20140407-3697x.html
Now for Rolf Harris, I suppose.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/robert-hughes-cries-i-am-innocent-20140407-36984.html
Julia Gillard pens a nice piece in The Guardian comparing Game of Thrones to the reality of life as PM.
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/apr/07/game-of-thrones-parallels-prime-minister
A strident case for Australia to become a republic.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/royal-tour-its-time-to-break-the-habit-20140407-zqru3.html
The tangled mess of intertwined tentacles of influence and corruption on display again at ICAC.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/libs-hotels-boss-reject-impropriety-20140407-3695e.html
The wagons circle and the shutters go up.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/07/labor-greens-demand-full-report-into-indonesian-breaches
Here we go! I wonder if the same “logic” will apply to the JSF contract that Howard gifted to the US.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coalition-casts-doubt-on-plan-to-replace-collins-class-submarines-20140407-zqryi.html
Clive Palmer loves to go after Can-Do Newman.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/07/clive-palmer-campbell-newman-resign-call-icac-claim
The difficulties of becoming pregnant while in work.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/workplace-discrimination-begins-at-pregnancy-20140407-zqrpl.html
Section 2 . . .
Bruce Petty on free speech within the government ranks.
Alan Moir’s summary of the WA Senate results.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/alan-moir-20090907-fdxk.html
WOW! Andrew Dyson is rather pointed in this one.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/andrew-dyson-20090819-epqv.html
MUST SEE! Beautiful work by David Pope.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/david-pope-20120214-1t3j0.html
Pat Campbell with Clive Palmer fashioning his own crown.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/pat-campbell-20120213-1t21q.html
Ron Tandberg afflicts Joe Hockey with ICAC disease.
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/ron-tandberg-20090910-fixc.html
David Rowe brings us Bullocky Bill and his “prize” livestock.
http://www.afr.com/p/national/cartoon_gallery_david_rowe_1g8WHy9urgOIQrWQ0IrkdO
And from the Land of the Free –
The weekly upchuck collection.
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2014/04/07/your-weekly-upchucks-the-most-shocking-religion-news-of-last-week/
US gun fetishists are a special breed.
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/04/gun-owners-americas-larry-pratt-agrees
The Repugs are going to LOVE this cover on the New Yorker.
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/04/new-yorker-cover-republicans-are-really
Elizabeth Warren is a really good Democrat who cuts through.
http://crooksandliars.com/cltv/2014/04/elizabeth-warren-rips-paul-ryan-and
Bill Maher’s “New Rules”.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017185558
Cable news coverage of climate change with respect to accuracy. No surprises there.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/07/cable-news-climate-change_n_5093099.html
Morning all. Much as I dislike Abbott and co, I also dislike misleading arguments. An FTA with Japan as announced, that included agriculture and services, would benefit Australia. Hence this is good news.
[The deal will free up exports of dairy, beef, wine, and a range of services, while also making Japanese cars, cameras, televisions and other high-tech goods cheaper in Australia.]
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-secures-best-ever-trade-deal-with-japan-20140407-zqrvo.html#ixzz2yCu64w79
The real benefit to us is getting the added value food products like wine and dairy into Japan, plus services, not just beef. Those could be worth big money, because our quality for each is excellent. Plus they employ far more people than the cattle industry.
The TPP is a different beast, about which Joseph Stiglitz has written with valid concern. See
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/on-the-wrong-side-of-globalization/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
But the two are separate things. Nowhere in the published documentation of the Japan FTA does it suggest it may be conditional on signing up to the TPP.
http://trademinister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2014/ar_mr_140407.aspx
Monimg all
The coalition have been in talks with Cambodia to resettle refugees. Meanwhile academics dont think it is a good idaa
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/cambodia-will-put-refugees-at-risk-academics-20140407-zqrv5.html
ACCI said that some FTAs were so poorly drafted that most Australian firms selling goods to those countries did not even claim preferences to which they were entitled, because of the cost and delays involved. He said the Korean FTA was the worst…
…unless technical elements of the Korean deal are redrafted before it is formally ratified, it will become “unworkable in a commercial sense”, as will the Japanese deal if its compliance clauses are not drafted in a business-friendly way…
In a recent survey, most Australian exporters told the ACCI the technicalities precluded them from understanding Australia’s FTAs to date…
In a different survey of companies Asia-wide cited by the chamber, fewer than 30 per cent of the firms responding used the concessions available to them under FTAs.
ACCI said that some FTAs were so poorly drafted that most Australian firms selling goods to those countries did not even claim preferences to which they were entitled, because of the cost and delays involved. He said the Korean FTA was the worst…
…unless technical elements of the Korean deal are redrafted before it is formally ratified, it will become “unworkable in a commercial sense”, as will the Japanese deal if its compliance clauses are not drafted in a business-friendly way…
In a recent survey, most Australian exporters told the ACCI the technicalities precluded them from understanding Australia’s FTAs to date…
In a different survey of companies Asia-wide cited by the chamber, fewer than 30 per cent of the firms responding used the concessions available to them under FTAs.
BK I share your shock at Saint Schapelle turning out to be guilty!
The news about further corrupt Lib links at ICAC restores my sense of balance. 🙂
Have a good day all.
National Parks will be encouraged to “pay their way”.
Hungry Jacks Uluru? MacDonalds Great Barrier Reef? The Zoom Zoom Mazda Gippsland Lakes?
Asked by an interviewer whether education funding should be cut at a time when the government is spending more than $3 billion on the Elizabeth Quay and Perth Arena developments, Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett’s response was as contemptuous as it was dismissive:
“What I’d say to you and people listening [is] get a life.”
In Abbott speak;
Malaysia bad
Cambodia good
Meanwhile academics don’t think it is a good idea
Academics will be joining the scientists on the Abbott list of people not to listen to.
They will end up with their funding cut, like CSIRO etc and there will be no Minister for Academia.
[Everything
Posted Friday, April 4, 2014 at 5:55 pm | PERMALINK
Is LNP 3 ALP 1 PUP 1 GRN 1 possible?
555
Everything
Posted Friday, April 4, 2014 at 5:55 pm | PERMALINK
…as in a reasonable possibility (of course, anything is possible)]
How good was this question???? :devil:
[As Prime Minister Tony Abbott flies from Tokyo to Seoul on Tuesday and then on to China, a series of formal and informal talks in Tokyo have yielded several material developments both countries are lauding as the fruits of a deepening and broadening of the relationship.
But other powers in the region have taken a dim view of recent increases in Japanese defence spending and are unlikely to welcome Australia’s active participation.
Canberra officials played down the defence deal, claiming it was merely an incremental advance on previous Japan-Australia military to military co-operation.
But that may not be how it is seen in the region.
Winding up his three-day state visit, Mr Abbott and his counterpart, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, agreed to start the ball rolling on the defence technology arrangement, effectively giving Tokyo Australia’s imprimatur to continue along the controversial path of building its military capacity from officially pacifist to something more assertive.
While Mr Abbott’s advisers were happier to talk about the Economic Partnership Agreement reached on Sunday, a senior official confirmed the defence partnership is of major significance in Japan.
The source said having a regional player with global credibility backing Japan’s re-emergence as a strategic power validated the idea of Tokyo providing a counterweight to Beijing.]
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-agrees-to-provocative-defence-technology-partnership-with-japan-20140408-zqrze.html#ixzz2yF3COfb5
My iPhone leaves the Internet when I go into the cartoons linked by BK. Anyone else experience this?
Re AA@37 – The Government will say that Cambodia is suitable because it is a signatory to the Refugee Convention, while Malaysia is not, the latter being the ostensible reason for the Coalition’s rejection of the ‘Malaysia solution’.
http://unhcr.org.au/unhcr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=58
Of course, that wasn’t a problem in 2001 when asylum seekers were sent to a non-signatory country, Nauru (Nauru signed up in 2011).
The real reasons: 2011 – the Coalition didn’t want the boats to stop; 2014 – they do now.
Lucky guess ML, if it proves to be correct.
Gary
Happens to me as welll. No idea why
Bullock is so caring and sharing
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/joe-bullock-holds-out-hope-for-running-mate-louise-pratt-in-wa-election-20140407-zqru7.html
Thanks Vic.
Using an iphone to post comments is a pain in the A.
Mine takes me back to the beginning of the thread every time I post.
Of course, that wasn’t a problem in 2001 when asylum seekers were sent to a non-signatory country, Nauru (Nauru signed up in 2011).
And Nauru not being a signatory wasn’t a problem during the years of Labor Govt when the Liberal Opposition (lead by Abbott) was continuously and constantly endorsing Nauru and ranting that Labor should send refugees to Nauru.
I raised this many times – the hypocrisy of the Liberals/Abbott over Nauru.
That hypocrisy has now extended to many issues.
Free speech, but only for Abbott elite
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/-zqrqv.html …
[Craig Emerson @DrCraigEmerson 6m
.@woolkebb From what I understand of it, the trade deal with Japan is the best Australia could have achieved. Well done A Robb and PM.]