Newspoll has given the Coalition its best result since early April, with Labor’s lead at 52-48 from primary votes of 40% for the Coalition (up four), 34% for Labor (down two) and 13% for the Greens (up one). This amounts to a two-point shift to the Coalition’s favour on two-party preferred – although it should be noted that last fortnight’s result was above trend, whereas this one is right on it. Tony Abbott’s 41-37 lead as preferred prime minister puts him ahead of Bill Shorten for the first time since early May, the result a fortnight ago having been 38-38. This reflects a worsening in Shorten’s personal ratings, with approval down two to 36% and disapproval up three to 44%, rather than an improvement in Abbott’s, which are little changed at 36% (steady) and 54% (up one).
Also out today was a result from Roy Morgan that supports the proposition that Newspoll’s fluctuations are largely statistical noise. Both major parties are down fractionally on the primary vote, the Coalition by half a point to 37.5% and Labor by one to 38%, with the Greens and Palmer United both gaining half a point to 11% and 5.5% respectively. An improvement in Labor’s respondent-allocated preferences gives them an impressive headline lead of 56-44 on two-party preferred, up from 54.5-45.5 a fortnight ago, but the two-party result based on preference flows from the previous election is unchanged at 54-46.
UPDATE (Essential Research): Also a quiet result from Essential Research, which has the major parties steady on 41% for the Coalition, 39% for Labor and 51-49 to Labor on two-party preferred. The only change is that the Greens are down a point to 8%, and Palmer United up one to 5%. We also get Essential’s monthly leadership ratings, which are the first to record Tony Abbott’s MH17 bounce – up three on approval to 37% and down four on disapproval to 54%, and back in front on preferred prime minister for the first time since April at 37-36, compared with a 37-34 deficit last time. Bill Shorten’s personal ratings are little changed, his approval down two to 34% and disapproval up one to 40%.
The most interesting finding from the supplementary questions is that 51% oppose the government’s internet surveillance proposals with only 39% in support, while 68% profess little or no trust in the government and ISPs to protect the stored information from abuse. The survey also asked respondents to rank a series of environmental issues as either important or not important, and while all scored strongly, it’s perhaps curious to note that climate change scored lowest at 71% important and 27% not important, with protecting the Great Barrier Reef highest at 91% and 7%. Respondents were also asked to assess the government’s record on asylum seekers according to a range of criteria, with pleasing results for the government in that responsible and fair (along with “too secretive” and “just playing politics”) topped the list at 45%, while “too hard” and “too soft” were bottom at 29% and 26%.
Wakefield
Yes… it is a bit like the Coalition’s budget in that respect. Still, he has the largest single claim which is why he is Acting Prime Minister. There was, I believe, some sort of sharing agreement which involved, for example, Al Maliki’s mob getting to be prime minister and the Kurdish group, for example, getting the job of President.
Still, Al Maliki is as democratic as Iraq got and now that he doesn’t fit with the democracy installers aka Bush, Blair and Howard, he is getting the boot.
How hypocrisyment.
be just over from .
p
… and just over from the Gaza Rune Stone.
GG
Let me guess. Bludger postes beat the sword into the stone using only their eyeballs?
[A point that Corrmann will understand – German/English word same.]
I thought Cormann was from Belgium.
Cormann does drone on. Belgian waffle.
zoomster
[the common experience of the Lithuanian expats my father migrated with in 1947.]
I used to have a neighbour who was born in the Czech Sudetenland. Family origin German.
He had a grey uniform on for 4 years.
He told me that the simple understanding for him was ‘put this on and behave yourself because you’re ‘sus’.
i.e. We can just shoot you instead.
You’re father’s experience may have been different – the fears of the Russians may have been even worse.
Interested, but not wishing to be nosy. So ignore if you want.
Hockey should read this to reduce his level of ignorance. It is a Federal Government document if that counts for anything.
[The relationship between transport and disadvantage in Australia
By Kate Rosier and Myfanwy McDonald
Published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, August 2011, 10 pp. {ISSN 1838-7349}
This Resource Sheet is designed to provide practitioners and policy-makers who plan and/or deliver services to children and families, especially within disadvantaged communities, with an understanding of how transport and disadvantage intersect and why some groups are especially vulnerable to transport disadvantage.
]
http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/rs/rs4.html
BW,
Ye Olde Photoshoppe is what done it!
k
I believe that Cormann was (a) Belgium and that (b) german was his first language.
Belgium has that sort of philological quality about it.
There is the frites test:
‘Frites mit mayo’, ‘frites met mayo’ or ‘frites avec mayo’ soon sorts out who is whom.
Is ‘Myfanwy’ a mispelling of what I think it is?
GG
Chiz.
BW,
Yes and no.
But, not yet!
Boerwar
We’ll have our very own Bludger Stonehenge.
p
It needs work. So far we hardly have enough to structure a full moon event.
[Shorten pointed out that three or four Coalition people have, in the space of just 24 hours, made statements that were inconsistent with each other in relation to our on- again off- again crusade to resubjugate the Middle East for the West and teach Putin a LESSON.]
He’s already tried to get armed troops into the Ukraine. He succeeded in getting only AFP wallahs, an I don’t know in all the confusion over “missions” and international jet-setting whether they were armed or not.
Leaving Afghnistan left a large hole in the Libs… no wars to fight, no coffins to welcome home, no strutting at the UN.
Abbott’s absolutely itching for the smell of cordite and the resulting body bags to come winging his way so that he can carve a couple more KIAs into his belt.
The Punters just lerve WAR! headlines… as long as it’s not them fighting the war, so it’s double-plus-good for Tony if he can swing it.
Only problem is that the Yanks and the Poms don’t want to send in any troops. They know their people would not stand for the irony (forget about the bloodshed for the moment) of sending in troops to Iraw again to fight a fight they cannot possibly win. It’s crazy. It’s stupid. But that suits Abbott down to the ground.
I saw a doco about the Sudeten region after the fall of the Wall. It involved german shoppers descending in droves upon the Czech Republic (not sure if the Slovaks had already departed).
Anyway, all these solid old Sudeten german houses (such as were not flattened during WW2) were being lived in by their new Czech owners and the documentary focussed on german previous owners returning to visit the houses that had once been their homes. There was a fair bit of pain involved and a certain Czech politeness but stiffness as might be expected.
It was a good documentary, IMHO.
CTar1
the Lithuanian army surrendered to the Germans and sort of automatically became part of the German army.
Dad managed to not only fight for at least two countries (I think I’m missing one) but he was interned by both the Germans and the Americans.
He was courtmartialled by the Germans for stealing several hundred boxes of cigars and sent to Flosenberg concentration camp, where he worked in the kitchens.
He was captured by the Americans towards the end of the war and interned by them, before escaping and ending up in a camp for displaced persons.
BB @ 765
At the risk of William’s Wroth: plus one.
This famous WWI poster is pertinent in the current atmosphere of Tory jingoism.
Zoomster
[He was courtmartialled by the Germans for stealing several hundred boxes of cigars…]
I have to ask, was his first name ‘Joe’?
That asked I have listened first-hand to so many harum scarum stories from WW2 survivors that I have come to the conclusion that (a) I am absolutely no position to judge any of them for anything they did, (b) I am in awe of the pure luck, awesome determination, and great skills exemplified by many, many survivors.
Your fathers seems to fit this bill rather well.
z
whoops your ‘father’, not ‘fathers’.
b
nice
More reports bagging former CEO of NBN Co and Previous management:
Retweeted by Josh Taylor
zdnetaustralia @zdnetaustralia 1m
NBN Co board ‘lacked dirt under the fingernails’: KordaMentha. http://www.zdnet.com/nbn-co-board-lacked-dirt-under-the-fingernails-kordamentha-7000032575/ …
The old political saying, reviews telling what you want to hear, as long as you have a bag of coin to go along with it.
Considering that KordaMetha is only reviewing previous not current, it’s very biased, that Bill Morrow previous two managements are not much better in terms of “lacked dirt under the finger nails”.
poroti
[Which would just over from the Assange obelisk .]
Not on the Washington Mall or Whitehall.
Does Ecuador have a spot for ‘Julian’? I doubt it!
[The Abbott government will include Syrian and Iraqi Christians fleeing slaughter by Islamic State terrorists among 4000 refugees it will take a year under its humanitarian intake.]
But it will send those on Nauru and Manus back. 🙁
From Keane of Crikey:
[Thus, “Dr” Eric Abetz came down hard yesterday, issuing this terse statement:
“The claim today that the Government has any plans to change the way penalty rates are determined is false.
“There will be no change to the way penalty rates are set.
“The role of determining minimum wages and conditions, including penalty rates, will remain with the Fair Work Commission.”
Bang.]
Comrades, it’s a truk.
755 & 759
He is a Belgian from the small German speaking region that Belgium got in the Treaty of Versailles.
[ruawake
Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 5:31 pm | Permalink
The Abbott government will include Syrian and Iraqi Christians fleeing slaughter by Islamic State terrorists among 4000 refugees it will take a year under its humanitarian intake.]
However, if they arrive by boat they will be sent back to be crucified by ISIS, whatever.
Perhaps Uncle Joe is modelling himself on Uncle Joe?
kakuru
Native language in eastern Belgium is German. They can also do French and Dutch. Some Flemish around but not generally admitted.
OK, OK. I got it wrong. Cormann would have grown up saying,
‘Französisch frites mit mayo’.
Fixed.
Flaamse.
So we’ll keep going backwards unless the dropping of the “toxic tax” causes a price fall. We’re screwed.
[AUSTRALIAN workers’ living standards went backwards last year and will continue to stagnate this year unless the abolition of the carbon tax causes prices to fall.. ]
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/economics/cost-of-wages-rises-less-than-forecast/story-e6frg926-1227022840554
TTFAB
The Dutch got a german town or two after WW2 but their heart was not in it and said towns have since been handed back.
One of the better lines from the Dutch to abbott was –
“Why are you here?”
Stuff that isn’t being asked here by the media.
[Hockey is becoming a real millstone around the Abbott Govt’s neck. It seems every day he makes a blunder, tries to say he was misquoted or misunderstood, he has been meeting with the x bench Senators and briefing the media the outcomes, only for the Senators to tell him to nick off.
He has Cormann saying the ALP has passed all of the Budget and Sloppy saying his Budget must be passed.
What a schemozzle.]
Yes, my understanding was that Ruddock would soon be retired to provide a safe Northern Sydney seat for Barry O’Farrell. Once confirmed in the eventual by-election, he could then be parachuted into Cabinet and take over the Treasury portfolio.
This would help sure up the Liberals support in NSW while also providing a semblance of competence and some air between the worst excesses of some of the proposed budget measures.
Hockey ought to keep a close watch on Ruddock in the coming months, IMHO.
Malcolm Farr (along with many others) has a go at Hockey over fuel excise and the poor. However Hockey has repeated his statement this afternoon.
[The comment could also rattle some of his own MPs in western Sydney and other outer suburban and rural areas where many low income households don’t have the public transport options to replace a family car.
However Mr Hockey stood by it this afternoon, telling reporters in Perth there is “clear evidence…the higher the income, the more the fuel taxes are paid by those households”.]
http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/treasurer-joe-hockey-tells-low-income-households-they-would-not-be-bothered-by-petrol-excise-rises-because-rich-will-pay-them/story-fn84fgcm-1227023274589
Who will challenge Hockey to provide his ‘evidence’?
How will the 4,000 Iraqi and Syrian refugees get to Australia? The refugees from Kosovo were airlifted out, has Abbott got helicopters to the Mount?
[sure up]
Or is it shore up? I am never sure with this!
BB
Will Abbott saddle us with a poll driven deployment of forces to Iraq?
Bill Shorten not holding back.
[“Joe Hockey just doesn’t get how rotten his budget is,” he said.
“Are you serious Joe Hockey? Are you really the cigar-chomping, Foghorn Leghorn of Australian politics where you’re saying that poor people don’t drive cars?
“It is almost though as if the Treasurer believes that poor people should be sleeping in their cars, not driving their cars.”]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-13/shorten-seizes-on-hockeys-poor-people-dont-have-cars-comment/5668468
Richard Chirgwin @R_Chirgwin 51s
“Joe Hockey is standing by his comments”. Because once you’ve had your brains sucked out by the aliens, you just repeat yourself forever.
All over the place. Playing “Shit Happens” with our troops –
[ Defence Minister David Johnston backs away from talk of Australia sending troops to Iraq ]
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/defence-minister-david-johnston-backs-away-from-talk-of-australia-sending-troops-to-iraq-20140813-3dmpk.html
and
[ Defence minister makes no ‘rule-in rule-out guarantee’ on troops to Iraq ]
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/defence-minister-makes-no-rule-in-rule-out-guarantee-on-troops-to-iraq
Hockey doesn’t get the whole ” proportion of income spent on essentials”, in terms of low income earners.
It is like him saying putting the GST on food would cost him and Palmer more because they are high income earners consuming vast quantities of food.
DL:
[Hockey doesn’t get the whole ” proportion of income spent on essentials”, in terms of low income earners.]
The boor (Hockey) will always be with us.
@Darren/794
Like most politicians (if not all of them) and those businessmen come from the private sector, do not understand what is like to live on a couple hundred a week, vs a few thousand a week.
[Hockey doesn’t get the whole ” proportion of income spent on essentials”]
If Hockey is seriously as socially stupid as that, he is not fit to be a Minister, much less a Treasurer.
If Hockey wants to blame someone for fuel excise indexation he should start with John Howard and Peter Costello.
It was removed, by a Liberal Govt, to solve a political problem. So copping the flak to resume it should be sold as fixing an error of the past. But Howard is GOD in Liberal land, it would be like attacking profit.
“Standing by”??
More like Joe Hockey’s chauffeur is driving by his comments, leaving them as yet another a stinker for the unwashed…
Budget?
Sorry, Joe. No cigar.