New results from Newspoll, Essential Research and Morgan has put BludgerTrack back to the position of two-party parity it was at three weeks ago, after which Labor was up to 51.8% and then 50.9%. They have also ironed out the brief slump recorded by the Greens last week, who have progressed from 11.3% to 8.9% to 10.4%. This week’s gain has come entirely at the expense of Labor, with the Coalition vote unchanged. On the seat projection, the Coalition is back in majority government territory, the meter having ticked in their favour by two seats in New South Wales and one each in Queensland and Western Australia. After a quiet spot last week, new leadership figures have emerged from Newspoll and Essential Research, and they find Tony Abbott with a rare lead over Bill Shorten on net approval, although preferred prime minister remains in the stasis it assumed in early December.
Also note that coverage of the Western Australian Senate count is ongoing on the dedicated thread, with a Liberal victory in the final seat looking increasingly likely.
lizzie
[before employers willingly employ anyone over 50. ]
To our detriment – when accrual accounting and the introduction the GST happened here in the APS there was a great shortage of accountants. I needed more than a couple.
The most useful ones were the old buggers.
[victoria
Posted Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 1:46 pm | PERMALINK
bemused
I would love for Hockey to detail the type of work he envisages for 70 year olds]
It will be interesting to see if any of our so called journalists will even think to ask.
Back in the sixties the mantra was all about people retiring at 50 and how the really big existential problem was how post-work people were going to stay sane while doing all that recreation activity.
Now have gluts of teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, farmers, mine workers, transport workers, artists, syphony orchestra musicians, IT workers, economists, ship’s crew, manufacturing workers, public servants, journalists, etc, etc, etc.
The thing about all these people is that they can be taxed before they get hold of their income: most of them are PAYE taxpayers.
We also have gluts of homeless, sick, elderly, jobless and so on and so forth.
The only four things we have a shortage of is a fully democratic government, an equitable distribution of wealth, a sustainable environment, and enough spivs paying their fair share of taxes.
[Doris Pilkington Garimara, author of Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence and reconciliation campaigner, has died aged 76 in Perth.]
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/22604699/author-doris-pilkington-garimara-dies/
I’m friends with her daughter, and knew that they’d taken her back to her country for a final trip a couple of weeks ago once it was clear she wasn’t going to make it. My friend posted on facebook the other day that Doris had passed, but I guess now it’s hit the OM.
RIP Doris.
Boerwar:
I have no intention of working if I ever get to aged 70, and know that there are many people my age who feel the same way.
[I am 66 and quite capable of working as well as I could when I was in my 30s. But my work is not physical and I chose my parents wisely and have good health and no signs of slowing down mentally.]
sorry bemused – but once or twice I think I’ve seen signs of the latter displayed here at PB (mental atrophy, if not actual slowness) with irrational vehemence towards the greens and loyalty to Rudd despite his disloyalty? 🙂 (& I really am attempting friendly joking/stirring banter – please don’t get angry at my lame attempt).
[“The Liberation Of Southeast Ukraine Has Begun” – Crimean Vice Premier
On the day in which “pro-Russian separatists” are again claiming one after another city in east Ukraine, and when Russia has formally warned that any crackdown on protesters is “unacceptable” implicitly threatening retaliation should the promised use of special forces be implemented, moments ago Rustan Temirgaliev, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Miniisters of recently annexed by Russia Crimea, poured some more fuel into the fire and announced on his Facebook page that “the liberation of Southeast Ukraine has begun.” ]
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-12/liberation-southeast-ukraine-has-begun-says-crimea-vice-premier
Bemused
When i studied economic units at Swinburne, the focus was very much on Keynesian economics.
I suspect it is quite possible for my generation and future generations to work until they are 70 although as they are more inclined to be employed in the services sector which is less psychical demanding.
Too often these debates get bogged down on those that who can’t rather than focusing on those that can or would if the opportunity was there.
There is a barrier to older people working which needs to be addressed.
On trickle down economics, the only time it actually seems to work is with immigration as migrants often send money back to their families who spent it in their communities which help improve the wealth of those communities.
Sir sustainable future@1956
Oh dear… here we have a Green obviously mistaking restraint for weakness.
I leave it to Centre to do the heavy lifting on Greens and just have a good laugh. 😆
Yes, I must say it was terribly disloyal of Rudd to attack that knife with his back and then not lie down and die according to the plotters script. 👿
Robyn Oyeniyi @TeamOyeniyi 36m
@randlight @MYGT86 @heatherewart1 Mond you – join my fiction piece – people are linking it. Epsiode 5 http://teamoyeniyi.com/2014/04/13/the-rain-seemed-relentless/ … If anyone has some time please read all the episodes written by this lady who knows what it is all about
SSF
[sorry bemused – but once or twice I think I’ve seen signs of the latter displayed here at PB (mental atrophy, if not actual slowness]
I didn’t mind the bit where they didn’t immediately answer because they wanted to think about it. The key point to me was that they actually read the ‘instructions’, (however derisive the may be about them), and get on with it.
Darn
Posted Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 2:20 pm | PERMALINK
victoria
Posted Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 1:46 pm | PERMALINK
bemused
I would love for Hockey to detail the type of work he envisages for 70 year olds
It will be interesting to see if any of our so called journalists will even think to ask.
The journos won’t but he is being asked on twitter, Joe blocks anyone who upsets him, so I can see some blocking coming up from the glass jaw Joe
The types of work isn’t something which would occur to Joe and the 30YO some-thing advisers.
Most are thinking about their next drink session or holiday.
mari@1963
It will indeed be interesting.
I keep getting back to the underlying problem of real unemployment being at least 15%.
There just aren’t the jobs there for the people of any age wanting work.
And there are sections of the workforce who suffer particular discrimination including mature age workers.
I sought to unemployment proof myself in my early 50s by completing two Masters Degrees. It didn’t work.
mexicanbeemer@1958
When was that? I did some tutoring in Micro-Economics.
Bemused
Sorry i left that off, post GFC.
Can’t recall the Mirco lecturer’s name, the tutor was a younger person maybe 40.
The Macro was taught by two very talented and likable Women
Bemused 1965
Of course Joe won’t reply to anyone, quite amazing to see hi twitter stream from that tweet of his re lefties. Only about 2 in support the rest and a lot of them are not happy tweeters.
I also agree with you re the “real” unemployment, doesn’t Morgan do something on that occasionally?
I am well aware that I was very lucky when I managed to get jobs when I wanted even in Country towns, when we were stationed in them. Had no problems in Sydney
Bemused is right to point out that the real unemployment rate is higher than the official rate, I know one such person who has plenty of high end corporate experience yet because she has been out of work for a few years is finding it very difficult to find employment.
But this government doesn’t seem to have a policy for addressing this and a carbon & mining tax mean nothing to the type of work this person is seeking.
mexicanbeemer@1968
You still haven’t said WHEN it was.
I tutored in the late 70s. It may seem surprising, but I was ‘young’ then. 😛
Bemused
Post-GFC within the last five years.
mari@1969
You agree on “real” unemployment because you are tuned in to reality. Neither side of politics is.
Yes, Morgan comes up with a figure around 20% AFAIR.
I went through previous recessions unscathed but have now had lots of trouble getting work since 2008, despite being more experienced and better qualified than ever before.
Bemused
The Monash Corporate finance was implicitly Freidmanite, and although economic issues was not its focus, most of the assumptions underpinning the course assumed a perfectly free market, quite detached from reality.
I got particularly fed up when they taught us that share markets following en masse UNSUBSTANTIATED rumour about a CEO his wife and the gardener (and similar low level rubbish) was perfectly RATIONAL behavior when clearly it was nutty herd behavior.
It is funny how attitudes change.
When I was young, retiring at 55 was the expectation and indeed to stay on longer was seen as rather selfish and antisocial. In many countries eg Greece and India, retiring at 50 was mandatory in the public sector.
daretotread@1974
OK, point taken, although I don’t really regard that as Macro-Economics. It is just standard market analysis which is a gross over-simplification of reality and makes lots of unrealistic assumptions.
Bemused 1973
Age factor? or over qualified another one?I have friends who tell me that is what is “given” to them as excuses now days. THAT is if they even get to the interview stage.
How about contract work? When my OH and I took early retirement,(after pretty high power jobs) I was not quite ready to give it all up and managed to get a position 2 days a week here, is an area with high unemployment. Reason given to me was I am a left hander and 2 of the 3 owners were left handed. 😀 Worked very happily for about 4 years until business sold. Offered other jobs but was ready to hit the “travel” scene. Did like having a “house” husband though 🙂
Best wishes to you to get the position you want.
bemused
[It may seem surprising, but I was ‘young’ then. ]
That you’re an old fart is not surprising.
http://demise-of-tony-abbott.blogspot.com.au/
Think a lot of Tony Abbott’s bullshit is exposed in this humorous blog
Dave re Ukraine’s
______________ eastern areas
………..
The Age today reports that the Ukr.PM has signified that he is now coming around to the Russian idea that the Ukraine should be”neutralised” and that it should have a federal constitution which would allow the Russian-speakers in the east a large degree of autonomy
The new regimke in Kiev earlyier set put to hit the Russian and the use of their a language,and closing down Russian TV channels etc..and other such provocative measures
Last week the BBC had a program made in those areas and wages and pensions are less than half of those which can be earned across the border in Russia,and it’s the heartland of Ukrainian industry
So the Russian there have many grievences
Kissinger of all people has just stated that the Russian calls for “Federalisation” are reasonable
BTY the program said that the last thing Russia would want is to do is to annex the Ukrain… with 45 million and a bankrupt economy in ruins…indeed Putin’s clever strategy is to let the Euros and the USA find great heaps of money to pay the Ukrainian state debts…Ukraine is a bastket case and will trouble the Euros mightily in the mointh ahead. as it will default..Greece looks like Switzerland by contrast
Only a kind of madness among the Wadshington neo-cons would have got them involved in the coup there,, but then the US has a terrible recent histiry of policy failures, and they will now have to pay the bills tha’s now their problem…and the gas bills must be paid or the Russians plan to turn off the taps
Putin will visit China in May and sign a massive deal for a Trllion $s worth of gas ,,,so the Euro markets seem less important for Russia…which has all the trump cards…oil and gas are better than armies these days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVaeZDNnD2c&feature=youtu.be
sent to me by one of my followers who are the group recording
mari@1977
Yes, I have had the “over qualified” line used, along with a few other idiotic lines.
I am seeking contract or permanent work.
There’s a great book entitled “Why Economists Disagree” that provides a fantastic summary of history and philosophy of economics and does a vivisection of neo-liberal orthodoxy. Most who’ve gone through economics or commerce degrees at the major universities since the late 1980s seem to not even been taught that there are different schools of economics to that of Friedman and Hayek. I chaffed against very neo-liberal orthodox anti-interventionist resource economics at when at uni in the mid 1980s, but at least had older texts that provided overviews of Keynesian economics and Nugget Combs, and later did environmental economics and history and philosophy of economic.
Within state and federal treasury, finance and premiers/PM departments there are few if any who understand the world outside of the neo-liberal world view – they just were never taught that there are alternatives ways of viewing things.
Labor governments have been remiss in not bringing in some modern day Nugget Combs types or allowing thought from outside this orthodoxy (to be fair, they have a few progressive economists among their ministries). Here in Vic, Brumby as treasurer kept all of Stockdale’s people and pursued the same policies – I saw them frustrate many progressive policies because their models bounded to not include social or environmental benefits said they’d slow economic growth by a week or so over a decade,
The fact that any social and environmentally progressive policy gets through in Australia is a miracle and is always done despite the urgings and tut-tuntting of the dry as dust text-book neo-classic economists who run those departments. Not enough credit is given to Rudd, Swan and Henry for getting the stimulus packages up, although there was a Keynesian resurgence during the GFC to keep the whole ponzi scheme that is the stock market economy going.
Abbott and Hockey would have crashed us into a recession and used it as a way to lower wages and working conditions. they well still might.
Dave re Ukrainian crisis
__________
The usually reliable”American Conservative “Mag has a good article saying in effect much that I quoted from the BBNC re Ukraine..and it’s immese problem for the US and the EU
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/ukraine-learns-the-problem-with-revolutions/
CTar1@1978
Well, better than being a “young fogey” and there are plenty of them around. 😛
I am trying to implement Billy Connolly’s advice to “grow old disgracefully”. I take your post as evidence I am succeeding. 😉
deb – Make sure that child not only does Mandarin talk but can do text as well.
Dexterity. Come on down.
Sir S F, 1983
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The Abbott/ Hockey policies will be of the kind that Naomi Wolff in Canade calls”disaster capitalism” or sometimes “Vulture capitalism”…. where they use a “crisis” to make savage cuts aimed at the middle and lower classes.. but .never the wealthy
does that surprise you??
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/12/capitalism-isnt-working-thomas-piketty
Another critique of Piketty and capitalism’s inequality.
The Irishman in charge of Qantas springs to mind.
[The process is made worse by inheritance and, in the US and UK, by the rise of extravagantly paid “super managers”. High executive pay has nothing to do with real merit, writes Piketty – it is much lower, for example, in mainland Europe and Japan. Rather, it has become an Anglo-Saxon social norm permitted by the ideology of “meritocratic extremism”, in essence, self-serving greed to keep up with the other rich. This is an important element in Piketty’s thinking: rising inequality of wealth is not immutable. Societies can indulge it or they can challenge it.]
bemused
A sides ways.
Connolly’s wife’s parents live/d in Canberra.
He used to stay in a particular Canberra Hotel and was a medium proficient pool player. Always game.
Swapped some Schooners with him.
I remember chipping him once because he tried a Pommie coin in the queue.
CTar1@1990
I imagine you had a most amusing time with him.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie “The Man Who Sued God”.
OMG the Newman govt’s latest contribution to muscular Abbott style rhetoric: http://strongchoices.qld.gov.au/
Suffice to say that twitter has responded appropriately. 😀
bemused
Sometime glum and sometimes fun. It was nothing I’ve ever thought about other than the obvious.
The the guy liked to have a casual drink and play some not great pool.
He was a worthy competitor.
An interesting pre-selection looms in my State Electorate.
There are two candidates. One is a woman of Chinese background and the other a man of Indian / Irish background.
So whoever wins we will have an “ethnic” candidate.
I am currently leaning toward the woman as she sent out an excellent letter with a profile on the back. The profile concluded:
[“Real life experience… Professionally, Jennifer has worked as an IT Engineer. She has masters degrees in Applied Information Technology and Science (Earth Science – Geophysics) and bachelor degrees in Science (Earth Science – Geophysics) and Business (Accounting). Her background sets her apart from the usual political staffers, union officials and lawyers who dominate the state and federal parliaments.”]
That last sentence just about settles it. 😀
On the downside, she has not been a party member for very long, having only joined this year.
You have to be persistent if you find yourself unemployed at 50+. I was made redundant at 54 and it took me the best part of six months to get what has turned out the best job I have ever had. In the meantime I just did whatever work was available, not great but enough to get by.
The presenter on ABC 24, Nick Dole, looks like an intern or student doing work experience.
The ALP should recruit him as our answer to Wyatt Roy. 😛
davidwh@1995
You were indeed lucky.
There are many highly skilled professionals who have been unemployed over 12 months in Melbourne. Some much longer.
There were many applications and disappointments along the journey Bemused.
Happy to work till I’m 70. Having a ball at moment. Made redundant at 48 contracted for 12 months. Now full time.
Re over 50 unemployment for women
___________________
I have a family member in her mid-50ies…lost her job when Bailleau “pruned ” the Public service ,where she had a lifetime of experience
She’s found no job opportunities in her line of work…has managed on her redundancy pay and soon her super will,come on Line and she’s then be OK,as her husband is still working…
.if she was single it would be a real life crisis
but she found jobs in her line to be
non-existant ..and even low paid unskilled jobs want young kids not older women