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.
Did Craig Emerson really congratulate the Monkey and Robb on the so called trade agreement with Japan?
Vomit!
[Centre
Posted Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 9:21 pm | Permalink
How fuacked are the Labor Party truly when they can’t even clarify their own position on eligibility for memberships?
Laughable, I’ve got to get a new party to support 😯
]
Good to see a win-win solution.
Centre
[
STOP THE GREENS]
There was a party last week with that in their name. They got 0.1/120 of bugger all.
I thought this was an old Australian article retweeted at first.
@benjamincohen: Disappointed that the new Minister for Women opposes women marrying other women http://t.co/a7Dz5s0nXS (via @pinknews)
zoid/tom
I like the name 😐
Better than Labor, who wants hard labour if you vote for them 😛
kevjohnno@1002
I think Centre should join the greens.
What better way to destroy them 👿
[There was a party last week with that in their name. They got 0.1/120 of bugger all.]
It was much higher after rounding.
[Did Craig Emerson really congratulate the Monkey and Robb on the so called trade agreement with Japan?]
Yes, on twitter.
[STOP the Greens}
The problem for the ALP is not the Greens; the problem is that almost no one in Australia knows what the the ALP stands for anymore.
When I grew up the ALP were honest, simple, not rich, dedicated men (and some women) dedicated to equality and wealth re-distribution.
Nowadays the ALP, as a Party, seems to be confused, weak, disorganised and totally unfocussed because it actually believes in very little and many members seem to be capitalist neo-liberals.
I know that Obeid, Bullock, MacDonald, Thomson etc are not representative of ALP but they got their position because of the fertile ground of the ALP.
[It was much higher after rounding]
haha hilarious
guytaur
Carr in 7.30 interview seemed to correct Sarah Ferguson on her use of Jewish lobby with (extreme) right wing Israeli
[I think Centre should join the greens.]
I could get them into government.
You’d need a team of re brainwashing experts, then your in like flin.
For example,
the last. but one. ALP PM opposed gay marriage equality because for one unidentified reason.
One assumes it was because it was, to her, a trivial issue which would consolidate support from right-wing Union Controllers
The last ALP PM, despite being a public Christian and opponent of marriage equality, changed his mind to support equality.
One assumes it was a way of differentiating himself.
Is this accurate or am I wrong in thinking the ALP leadership are always dishonest bastards, like the LNP?
@abcnews: An Army cadets staff member has been accused of ‘unacceptable behaviour’ and has been stood aside during inquiries http://t.co/iV5onryiN3
Seems to be a fair bit of despair on here tonight!
swamprat
Why should the issue of gay marriage be confined to a particular party line?
Surely it should be determined by a conscience vote?
Centre
Why should it? No such option on the other changes to legislation that was put through while Robert McClelland was AG. Much to Labor’s credit.
guytaur,
[@abcnews: An Army cadets staff member has been accused of ‘unacceptable behaviour’ and has been stood aside during inquiries]
What, you mean he was nice to the recruits?
guytaur
I’m sure there are many in the Coalition that support gay marriage and many in the ALP that don’t.
The only fair and logical procedure would be for a conscience vote which Abbott will not allow so shame on him!
[The last ALP PM, despite being a public Christian and opponent of marriage equality, changed his mind to support equality.]
Only once there was no chance Labor would be re-elected, and it was therefore safe for faction leaders to hand him their balls.
[984
WeWantPaul
The share of clean energy sources needs to triple or even quadruple by 2050, relative to 2010, the final draft explains. Delaying emissions reductions beyond 2030 will increase the challenge of bringing down CO2 to a safe level by the end of the century.
In the west the current absurd denial and inaction is simply the greedy and destructive baby boomers again behaving as if they own the whole of the past and future and leaving the mess for those that follow them to pick up.
They will not be a fondly remembered generation.]
I’m a boomer but am neither greedy nor destructive. You’re generalising and probably making it more more difficult to bring about the change you purport to seek.
Centre
You avoided the question. It was about the Labor party not the Liberal party
AC
:lol;
For Labor a conscience vote is a cop out, given the party demands Caucus unity when voting on every other sodding issue.
Just like refusing a conscience vote on an issue to its partyroom is a cop out for the Liberal party.
Guytaur
Why should a standard be different for the Labor Party than the Liberal Party?
It should be a conscience vote – can that be any fairer?
Centre
See post by Confessions. The legislation changes for equality in social security etc had no conscience vote.
Also Centre the day Labor does values as the Liberal party they will be the Liberal party
@GuardianAus: Western Australian senate election is repudiation, not validation, of Abbott’s climate policy | Alexander White http://t.co/ZBsCgO3tCj
Guytaur
Social Security is not gay marriage.
Social Security is social welfare for the safety net of a society funded by the taxpayer.
The day taxpayer funds are a necessary requirement in some way for gay marriage, then you might have an argument, until then you don’t – they’re chalk and cheese!
Centre
There is no gay marriage. There is marriage equality.
Why do you think marriage equality is any less valid than other rights and to be treated differently?
guytaur
You’re shifting goal posts?
The support or non support of same sex marriage should not belong to typical party lines.
As I’ve already said, some in Liberal support it and some in Labor don’t – fact!
William Bowe
“It was much higher after rounding.”
I find most jokes at Centre’s expense to be rather hilarious, but this was particularly good.
Yeah Twaddle even I liked it!
Centre
Stop talking about the Liberal party when talking about the Labor party. The Liberal party is NOT the Labor party.
Fact!
guytaur
“Why do you think marriage equality is any less valid than other rights and to be treated differently?”
Because Centre is a reactionary tosser. Duh.
Guytaur
Oh, so you think issues that do not belong to typical party lines should not be determined democratically if it applies to the Labor Party?
OK!
twaddle
out of the school yard and back in detention for you 😯
Centre
Look at National Conference policy as democratically put as the Labor party gets.
Thats a fail by you on that one.
guytaur
Labor supports a conscience vote on same sex marriage, the Libs don’t.
Take your frustrations on Abbott.
The Greens support SSM as a ONE so stick with them!
Jewish Lobby response to Carr on Lateline tonight
[1024
confessions
For Labor a conscience vote is a cop out, given the party demands Caucus unity when voting on every other sodding issue.]
The unions – who collectively own and operate the ALP – need to undertake their own processes of cultural change and renewal. At the same time they need to find ways to share their institutional power with ordinary members of the ALP and to increase their interactions with the wider community as well.
It is just bizarre that a union as large and powerful as the SDA could be run on theocratic lines. Their rights inside the ALP should be suspended until they modernise.
Centre
That is not what Nation Conference says.
You have not justified why the Labor party is treating this issue differently to others.
You have certainly not done so by pointing to the Liberal party
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/09/bill-shorten-labor-party-reform
Simon Crean on Labor party reform:
[Simon Crean, who staked his leadership of the Labor party on a series of party reforms in 2002, said logic and dire necessity required Shorten to back much more ambitious changes – including rank and file pre-selections for the upper house.]
Requirement to be a union member:
[Most inside Labor see that idea as symbolically important but in practical terms meaningless, given that the rule is seldom enforced.]
Rank-and-file involvement in pre-selections:
[During the campaign in which he beat the leftwing candidate Anthony Albanese, Shorten did not match Albanese’s commitment to introduce rank and file pre-selections.]
Right versus left factions:
[But rightwing MP Joel Fitzgibbon betrayed one of the concerns held by the party’s right wing about opening up decision making to the rank and file – the move usually favours the left.
Fitzgibbon told Sky News that he backed reform, “but the party also has to be ready for the challenges that will bring…. I mean the leadership ballot showed that those coming to the party are of the progressive left and the party needs to ensure that it doesn’t creep too far from the center because it needs to remain electable..”]
I thought breaching cabinet solidarity was a criminal offense. Obviously not for some!
[Banana Supply Seen by UN’s FAO at Risk as Disease Spreads
A disease damaging banana crops in Southeast Asia has spread to the Middle East and Africa, posing risks to world supply and trade totaling $8.9 billion, according to the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization.
The TR4 strain of Panama disease, a soil-born fungus that attacks plant roots, is deadly for the Cavendish banana that makes up about 95 percent of supplies to importers, including North America and Europe, Fazil Dusunceli, an agriculture officer at the FAO, said by phone yesterday from Rome. While the disease hasn’t reached top Latin America exporters such as Ecuador, Costa Rica or Colombia, TR4 was discovered in Jordan and Mozambique, indicating it moved beyond Asia, he said.]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-09/banana-supplies-seen-by-un-s-fao-at-risk-after-disease-spreads.html
Just for those not following WA developments closely, the Libs have just got a whopping jump on the first batches of postals which are running over ten points higher for them than the booth votes in the same electorates, and doing so with little variation between very different electorate types.
An increase in the % counted of 0.41% put the Liberals’ effective position up by c. 1000 votes.
There’s a lot more of this stuff to come. Looking very likely it will be 3-1-1-1.
briefly:
Agree re the SDA.
@Jackthelad1947: One Question for #Climate deniers: Are you prepared to argue science with Steven Hawking? #climatechange http://t.co/beXClGJRCO” #Auspol
[But rightwing MP Joel Fitzgibbon betrayed one of the concerns held by the party’s right wing about opening up decision making to the rank and file – the move usually favours the left.
Fitzgibbon told Sky News that he backed reform, “but the party also has to be ready for the challenges that will bring…. I mean the leadership ballot showed that those coming to the party are of the progressive left and the party needs to ensure that it doesn’t creep too far from the center because it needs to remain electable..”
He said Labor’s lead candidate in the WA poll, rightwing union leader Joe Bullock “has come into some criticism in recent days, but the Joe Bullocks of the world – the conservatives in the party and I might describe myself as a conservative in the party – do put some ballast in the party and do help to keep the party electable.”]
Fitzgibbon is seriously deluded if he thinks the Joe Bullocks of the world help to keep Labor ‘electable’. They make Labor look utterly ridiculous. They are cultural and political relics, in the same way as Tony Abbott’s knights and dames are relics.
Pegasus
Joel Fitzgibbon is correct. The party needs to ensure that it does not move too far from the centre because it must remain electable.
Spot on!
*crash
[1045…Kevin Bonham]
Thanks KB