The only federal poll for the week is the regular fortnightly rolling average from Essential Research, and it’s none too eventful: two-party preferred is steady at 51-49 after successive one-point shifts to the Coalition over the previous two weeks, from primary votes of 41% for the Coalition (steady), 39% for Labor (up one), 9% for the Greens (steady) and 4% for Palmer United (down one to its lowest level since April). Further questions:
• Joe Hockey’s net approval rating has plunged since the question was last posed in November, now at 35% approval (down 10%) and 44% disapproval (up 16%). He is nonetheless given a higher rating on trust to handle the economy in comparison with Chris Bowen, at 34% to 23%.
• The government’s plan to require 40 job applications a month from the unemployed has 44% approval and 48% disapproval, which is a poor result as these things go. As if to illustrate that point, 68% are in favour of the unemployed doing up to 25 hours community service a week, with 25% opposed.
• Most respondents would prefer that Federal Police sent to the MH17 crash site be armed, with 64-25 in favour. An unarmed option draws a slightly lower net approval of 51-38.
• Relationships with other countries are deemed to be equally excellent in the case of the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, less good but still strong for Japan, China and India, mediocre with Indonesia, and very poor indeed with Russia.
After a fallow period, I’m resuming my practice of appending these posts with preselection news. The first glimmers of movement have appeared for a federal election still two years away:
• Brad Norington of The Australian reports talk of Barry O’Farrell succeeding Philip Ruddock in his blue-ribbon northern Sydney of Berowra. In a recent interview with the Seven Network, O’Farrell responded to a question about federal political aspirations by saying it was “an option”.
• A nominee for the fraught Liberal state preselection for the Sydney seat of Riverstone, Yvonne Keane, is said by Sean Nicholls of the Sydney Morning Herald to be motivated by a desire to “gain some exposure before a possible tilt at Greenway at the 2016 election”. Greenway has twice stayed in Labor hands at the past two elections thanks in large part to the disastrous candidacy of Jaymes Diaz, whose family dynasty is a principal player in the Riverstone preselection.
Finally, a couple of links worth noting:
• The latest venture of the Poll Bludger’s benefactors at Private Media, The Mandarin, has two items of interest to election watchers – a report on the Australian Electoral Commission’s lack of enthusiasm for a substantial move to electronic voting, and one on the rights of public servants who stand for election.
• Shout out to two very good psephology blogs that took a long time to come to my notice. One is Phantom Trend by Jamie Hall, who “designed quant models for the RBA” and brings to the polling aggregation game superior statistical chops to my own. The other is Infographinomicon by “PsephologyKid”, who is presently on hiatus but has done some fine work on everything from the Tasmanian Legislative Council to the Eurovision song contest.
Rex
[Poor old George really struggled with that David Speers Show interview.]
The triple stutter right from the start gave it away even if you took no notice of what he managed to say.
All ready to put up legislation that he has no idea of the actual implementations of.
Tony Windsor is correct when he says this Govt ‘has nothing to offer’.
It really is a house of cards… pretence wherever you look.
If I buy a tablet without phone capability, set up an email addy of imabaddi dot choose anonymous provider dot bad.
Go to the local Macca’s with free wifi to have a mcmuffin and a general communicate with my baddy buddies. Who would know who I am.
Try to get Brandis DH to answer that one. 😆
For those interested, ASC has just been successful in getting the continuation of the maintenance contract for Collins Class subs. There was quite a (necessary) transformation that took place.
http://www.asc.com.au/en/News-Media/Latest-News/ISSC/
sceptic
Former Iranian president Imadinnerjacket made an excellent point when he asked why the Palestinians should pay for the crimes of Europe.
Brandis should apply for Attorney General with Assad In Syria, they know & appreciate keeping tabs on Social Media
BK@709
Abbott can always plead ignorance – it’s his one defense that no-one would be able to dispute!
[PvO reckons the only person in the government who should be allowed to speak about metadata is Malcolm.]
Yeah, but PvO is a ReTurnbull so I guess he would say that.
poroti
I guess they were trying to hide their anti-semitic tendencies along with their anti-muslim tendencies …. in the same place.
[Brandis talking is bad enough. But Brandis with a bit of rubbery mucus r’daaanging between his top lip and his bottom lip is far too much.]
John Howard used to have a collection of thick white substance ??in the corners of his mouth. It use to turn my guts, over time, thank dog this was corrected.
‘fess
[PvO reckons the only person in the government who should be allowed to speak about metadata is Malcolm.]
I don’t think Talc is in the mood to be co-operative at the moment.
CTar:
Can’t say I blame him. This govt is like a constantly evolving train wreck.
I thought Rowe’s cartoon either today or yesterday on policy development by this govt perfectly summed everything up.
Clive Palmer @CliveFPalmer Aug 4
Upper House should be brought back in Qld to restore checks & balances & safeguard democracy, freedom & transparency #qldpol @PalmerUtdParty
sceptic
[So where do you get your 1960′s PR bit from.]
Mainly from memory and general knowledge but certainly in 1948 and after the 1967 Six-Day War the UN resolutions mention Arabs and never spoke of “Palestinians”. When Arafat’s Fatah came into being and started attacks on Israel he renamed Fatah the PLO around early 1960s and introduced the word “Palestinian” very successfully into general use to describe the Arabs from the area who are in no way distinctive from any other Arabs of the wider area, not in family ties, religion, culture or language. I could research it more but there are many statements on record from the Arab leaders of the area until the 1960s talking about Pan-Arabism and the Arab nation, never “Palestinians”. Arafat btw was born in Egypt.
But no matter and there is no perfect justice in the world. I don’t have a problem with whatever they want to call themselves and even with allowing yet another “Palestinian” state in addition to Jordan, all carved out from the 1916 mandate area. My main concern is ensuring Israel’s security and the self-determination of the Jewish people. Unlike the Arabs, we’ll never get a second chance, so flooding the Jewish State with millions of Arabs is not an option. Nor was there an option in ensuring that the Hamas & Islamic Jihad terror tunnels got destroyed, albeit at a terrible cost. We learnt something from history about being a helpless minority.
Mick77@764
Mick77, you are obviously utterly ignorant about the history of Palestine. Please do at least a little research before posting such nonsense.
Dutton ploughs on regardless:
[HEALTH Minister Peter Dutton insists the Medicare co-payment is a “sensible change” to the health system which will pass parliament.]
http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/govt-wont-back-down-on-gp-fee/story-e6frfku9-1227015684773
[NSW police have charged a 20-year-old whistleblower in relation to the revelations earlier this year that Frances Abbott was attending the Whitehouse Institute of Design on an unadvertised $60,000 scholarship]
You would think Abbott would want this buried, shows he has lost control of the media cycle – probably for good.
ABC National News did mention Loughnane, minus his relationship to Abbott’s CoS, with a disclaimer that he was not being investigated [or something like that].
Mick77
[We learnt something from history about being a helpless minority.]
Apparently you also learnt something from history about how to monster a helpless minority.
Mick77
It’s easy if to be a little informed ( as opposed to prejudiced ) if you take the time ..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel#Etymology
ruawake – It’s the story that keeps on giving, isn’t it. We’ll even have a martyr who gets slapped on the wrist.
I seriously query though why the police are interested in an alleged computer breach at a business. Ask any business. It’s incredibly hard to get the police interested in doing anything about fraud, theft, etc.
Was just reachtelled about 30 minutes ago re Qld State intentions – twas auto answer.
1 – Who would you vote for if election now – (Lab)
2. – what is most important to you —
there was four or five options… cost of living, job security, health related matters, and a couple of others
3 – your age group,
4. – Who did you vote for last election – (told a porky selected Can’t Do)
5 – When did you make up your mind prior to the last election
well before – during the election campaign – the night of the vote
—————————————————
I had been told by a local chap in the know that Labor internal polling for the seat of Keppel (coast Central Qld) there was a 15% swing back to labor.
Don’t know how fresh this is. But Mike Carlton giving his side of the story. So many newspaper readers hanging on by a thread, and they can their best columnist. Brilliant.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-06/smh-columnist-mike-carlton-resigns-following-gaza-column-furore/5651470
After 10 years and billions of kilometres the European spacecraft Rosetta has arrived.
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_arrives_at_comet_destination
1974: ALP Govt: Starts Medibank.
2014: 40 years: Lib Govt: Still trying to wreck
AussieAchmed@775
The US has a healthcare industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars every year … and the worst health outcomes in the developed world for its citizens.
That’s why the LNP hates Medicare.
The US has a healthcare industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars every year … and the worst health outcomes in the developed world for its citizens.
with millions of those billions lining right wing pockets instead of providing medical care
[ HEALTH Minister Peter Dutton insists the Medicare co-payment is a “sensible change” to the health system which will pass parliament. ]
a 20 billion dollar “medical fund” would need to employ lots of well paid people and who better than ex senators who helped create it?
In Spain last year photo ID was required to buy a phone or tablet sim card – i gather a consequence of the Madrid bombing. Wouldn’t be surprised if this will be on the agenda here soon….
Took me three hours to get a sim card in Barcelona ….
“At a time when we are feeling the love of the homeland with all our might, the land of our forefathers, we are forgetting that the people who live there now also have a sensitive heart and a loving soul. The Arab, like any man, has a strong bond with his homeland”
“But let us leave justice and sensitivity aside for a moment and look at the question only from the point of view of feasibility. Let us assume that in the land of our forefathers we don’t have to care about others and we are allowed – perhaps even obligated – to purchase all the lands obtainable. Can this type of land acquisition continue? Will those who are dispossessed remain silent and accept what is being done to them? In the end, they will wake up and return to us in blows what we have looted from them with our gold! They will seek legal redress against the foreigners who have torn them from their lands.”
Yitzhak Epstein at the Seventh Zionist Congress in Basel 1905
The US has a healthcare industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars every year … and the worst health outcomes in the developed world for its citizens.
Maybe it has the best outcomes for medical specialists and shareholders in private hospitals and private health insurers.
Maybe that’s why the LNP hates Medicare. Not that they would ever tell the punters that before the election.
If the Liberals stay in power Medicare will be gone within a few years. Malcolm Fraser took 6 years, this lot will be quicker.
[Wouldn’t be surprised if this will be on the agenda here soon….]
Had to produce photo ID when I moved onto a new mobile phone plan with Telstra last year. And they didn’t just look at it, they took a copy of my licence.
And yeah, time the guy took to sign me up, transfer contacts, photos etc from my old phone to the new one, I was in that shop for a long time.
Rossmore,
Can you reccomend a sim in Barcelona?
Only really after data.
Sceptic & Player One & J Wagg
I know that most of us, particularly when it comes to the ME have entrenched views, and don’t want to deviate from our understanding of the truth. There is nothing inaccurate in what I’ve written today, certainly nothing that you have pointed out, and sweeping it away with one-liners or a link is not a counter argument. Up to that point, sceptic, you stayed on message.
As I emphasised earlier, there is no perfect justice in the world, certainly not retrospective, not for Jews, Arabs, Aborigines or anyone else. There are many solutions for the Arabs’ future however there is only one solution for the Jews’ future namely a secure Jewish State of Israel.
That is fantastic news about Rosetta’s rendezvous with the comet. Nett speed difference is 1km/hour… less than walking pace.
Meanwhile back on Earth, Tony Abbott is collecting bus tickets to claim on expenses from Pollie-Pedal.
[Mick77
“We learnt something from history about being a helpless minority.”
Apparently you also learnt something from history about how to monster a helpless minority.]
Its a bit unreasonable to recognise the truth in one of those comments without recognising the truth of the other one.
Personally I’m appalled at the actions of the State of Israel – how can a nation formed as a direct response to one of the worst crimes against humanity ever behave with such brutality and lack of compassion? Tho I do kind of understand why they wouldn’t give a fuck what the rest of the world thinks after some 2000 years of oppression by Europeans and the very real fear Israelis must feel about being surrounded by people who hate them.
He was an excellent student, he studied so hard, it was as if he had a future
I get some seriously weird emails…
[We have passed the halfway mark! With 55 days still remaining in our 90 day 1000 Members Campaign, over 500 people who believe in freedom, free enterprise and good government have expressed interest in joining the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division).
This is an exciting year in the life of the Liberal Party. Not only are we celebrating our 70th anniversary, but 2014 is a State Election year. This provides a great opportunity for you to become involved in helping to re-elect the Napthine Government.
As a member, you can contribute to shaping the Party’s direction through involvement with:
State and Federal Electorate Conferences
Party Branches
The Young Liberal Movement
The Liberal Women’s Council
Policy Forums
Further benefits of being a Liberal Party member include:
Putting your values into action
Selecting Liberal Candidates
Running for Parliament
Campaigning
Join us today and become part of the team working to improve the lives of all Victorians
Visit https://join.vic.liberal.org.au
Text JOIN to 0447 VIC LIB and we will call you
You can also help us grow by spreading the word to friends and family alike:
Forward to a friend
(For the opportunity to attend our Enterprise 500 Victoria Annual Dinner, supporting the 2014 State Election Campaign, with The Hon Denis Napthine MLA, Premier of Victoria)
Share on Twitter and Facebook
Download a membership form and letterbox your local neighbourhood
If you have any questions about membership, please give our team a call on 1800 759 586.
Yours sincerely,
DAMIEN MANTACH
State Director]
Mick77@784
You should educate yourself before you start lecturing others.
On the other hand, if all you want to do is promulgate propaganda, then feel free to carry on.
Just don’t expect anyone here to take you seriously.
@774
[Europe’s Rosetta is now the first spacecraft in history to rendezvous with a comet, a major highlight in exploring our origins. Discoveries can start.]
Uproar at the Rooty Hill RSL – NOT.
Thanks poroti for the link, despite Abbott we are not alone.
[ however there is only one solution for the Jews’ future namely a secure Jewish State of Israel. ]
Which will never happen without a settlement that BOTH the Arabs in the region and Israel can live with.
We will all know when Israel is actually serious about its future security. They will stop all further settlement in the West Bank and get rid of some of the smaller ones.
Until then they have to accept that they will suffer occasional attacks and periodically they will lash out for political purposes in their current pointless and disproportionate fashion and kill lots of Arab civilians.
I think Israelis are being very badly served by their current political leadership.
Puffy
Thanks to you and Danny for attending CW funeral, and also for representing PB.
She will be sadly missed……
mikehilliard
Looking forward to the probe it is sending that will land on the comet. Not a bad bit of driving by the Europeans, several billion kilometers to meet a little speck doing 55,000 km/h then parking it a few km away. All done without the scientific expertise of Jones , Bolt and Abbott.
This is priceless. Gorgeous George trying to explain meta-data. What a tool. So reassuring to know that a Queensland politician is protecting my civil liberties.
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/george-brandis-in-car-crash-interview-over-controversial-data-retention-regime-20140806-101849.html
[Puffy
Thanks to you and Danny for attending CW funeral, and also for representing PB.
She will be sadly missed……]
+ 1 from me also. I’d forgotten her send off was today.
K17:
If that’s a link to the Sky-Speers interview then it was a train wreck.
Brandis clearly has no idea about the very laws he’s trying to sell us.
confessions
[… it was a train wreck]
Upgraded from “car crash” I see 🙂
Wow, this lot keep going, we won’t need a double-dissolution. There will be a people’s revolt (complete with pitchforks)that will turf them out of office. This has got to be a huge vote-loser.
paaptsef
Posted Wednesday, August 6, 2014 at 8:17 pm | Permalink
HEALTH Minister Peter Dutton insists the Medicare co-payment is a “sensible change” to the health system which will pass parliament.
a 20 billion dollar “medical fund” would need to employ lots of well paid people and who better than ex senators who helped create it?
They already have a company to contribute to, the one that sponsors Abbott on his charity bike rides.
Honestly the IPA/Catallaxy nutters breaking from the Liberal teat into complete and utter irrelevancy would do wonders for Australia in the long run.
Another great big new tax, a tax on the internet LOL
What will this useless Abbott government surprise us with next?