Tomorrow’s Courier-Mail carries results of a Galaxy poll of federal voting intention in Queensland, going off the same sample as yesterday’s state poll, and it’s the first of four such polls since the election to show Labor in front. Labor’s 51-49 lead on two-party preferred represents an 8% swing from last year’s federal election, and a three-point shift to Labor from the previous result in February. It also sits well with the current reading from BludgerTrack, suggesting serious problems for the government in what may be the most important state in the country in terms of marginal seats. Primary votes and such to follow shortly. UPDATE: The primary votes are 38% for the Coalition, 36% for Labor, 8% for the Greens and 12% for Palmer United. The poll also finds 36% believe the Abbott government has lived up to expectations, down nine points since February, 56% believe it has performed below them, up nine points, and 4% believe it has been better, down two.
UPDATE (Essential Research): The regular weekly result from Essential Research has both major parties down a point on the primary vote, to 40% for the Coalition and 38% for Labor, and the two main minor parties up one, the Greens to 9% and Palmer United to 6%. Labor gains a point on two-party preferred to lead 52-48. Further questions find a remarkable 43% saying the government should respond to its budget difficulties by calling an election, the breakdowns for party support suggesting this mostly bespeaks a desire to get rid of the government rather than secure the passage of its budget. Thirty-eight per cent say they would rather a new budget be introduced, including a majority among Coalition supporters. I’m not sure if the availability of only two options together with “don’t know” succeeds in capturing the full range of opinion on the subject.
Other questions find opinion on the state of the economy little changed since April, with a good rating of 37% (down one) and a poor rating of 26% (up two), but more thinking it headed in the wrong direction, up seven to 41% with “right direction” down four to 35%. Concern about job losses is up a point to 58%, with the “not at all concerned” response up three to 32%. Twenty-one per cent say the impact of the budget on employment will be good versus 49% for bad. Sixty per cent disapprove of sending troops to Iraq versus 28% who approve, and 36% believe current spending on anti-terrorism measures is about right, compared with 28% who want more and 19% who want less.
newmatilda @newmatilda 1m
Disability Activists Join Forces To Replace ABC-Axed Ramp Up: Australians with disabilities have launched a cr… http://bit.ly/YrClfA
newmatilda @newmatilda 1m
Too Much Stick, Not Enough Carrot in Abbott’s Welfare Changes: The Abbott Government’s proposed changes to wel… http://bit.ly/1rQ68H5
zoomster
The court case Assange went through applied EU law regarding extradition so I don’t know where you are going with this
So now, after Clive’s comments on Q&A, government ministers and 2GB are classing the Chinese government as the “goodies” against big bad Clive.
Are they talking about the same China that was criticised harshly by JBishop in July?
[Australia will stand up to China to defend peace, liberal values and the rule of law, says Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
In the Coalition government’s clearest statement yet on how to handle China, Ms Bishop said it had been a mistake for previous governments to avoid speaking about China for fear of causing offence.
“China doesn’t respect weakness,” Ms Bishop told Fairfax Media, marking a break from the policies of previous governments whose reticence, she said, had only caused confusion.
Ms Bishop said the experience in November of speaking out against China’s unilateral declaration of an Air Defence Information Zone – which led to the Chinese foreign minister famously tearing strips off her in Beijing with cameras rolling – had fortified her view that it was better to be frank than misunderstood.]
On this basis, Abbott & co should be congratulating Palmer for speaking so frankly.
We need a Clive press release supporting the Lambie press release supporting Clive etc
guytaur
[The court case Assange went through applied EU law regarding extradition so I don’t know where you are going with this]
That was for him to be extradited from Britain to Sweden.
If he gets to Sweden and the US want to extradite him from there, Sweden has to go back to the UK to ask for permission.
Thus – if the US wanted him – they would have been better off applying directly to the UK when Assange was under their jurisdisction.
ACOSS @ACOSS 4m
Long term unemployment is associated with poverty, poor health & higher levels of structural unemployment: Peter Davidson #LTU14
ACOSS @ACOSS 3m
Two-thirds of recipients of Newstart Allowance have been unemployed for more than a year: Peter Davidson @LT_Unemployment #LTU14
Abbott got the Team Australia trick out of the New Testament:
‘He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathers not with me scatters.’
It has worked for the popes these last 2,000 years.
Anyone for the The Cult of the Down Under Dear Leader?
[ Australia will stand up to China to defend peace, liberal values and the rule of law, says Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. ]
Bishop is just afraid that Clive Palmer will turn out to be more influential than her “Team Australia” action hero.
How stupid would that make her look?
zoomster
Sweden could have said publicly that law guarantees that and Assange would not have an AS leg to stand on.
So you must be wrong or the government of Ecuador are fools.
[EFFECTIVE and inspirational leaders tend to lead from the front. When the call echoes out to go over the top, they take their troops with them, rather than waving a pistol from the safety of a fortified bunker while shouting admonitions that their charges must fight harder; must sacrifice themselves for the greater good.]
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-entitlement-only-applies-to-most-needy-in-society-not-the-exclusive-public-trough/story-fnihsr9v-1227028474688?sv=68416823c64fb98ebe0a4fb873f209ec
It is good to see that Palmer has realized that when he said ‘the chinese’ gramatically it means ‘all chinese’ and that he has subsequently clarified what was essentially a rather nasty racist statement into a non-racist statement, wtte, some chinese are such and such, or such and such chinese organisation is such and such…
Now remind me again… what are the antecedants of one of the PuP senators?
If Dio Wang, born in Nanjin, decides to take umbrage at being labelled publicly a ‘mongrel’ and a ‘bastard’ by his boss, and walks, then (a) Palmer becomes irrelevant and (b) Abbott&Co can get on with their extreme makeover of Australia.
PO
[Australia will stand up to China to defend peace, liberal values and the rule of law, says Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.]
Does ‘stand up to’ mean:
(1) loud-mouthed posturing for domestic xenophobes
(2) diplomatic moral suasion
(3) non-trade sanctions
(4) trade sanctions
(5) limited war
(6) war to the death.
Some enterprising journalist should ask Bishop exactly what she means by ‘stand up to’. After all, if she stuffs this one up badly enough, we could disappear as a nation.
Apparently Abbott told the Muslim Community he met with this week that they should be part of “Team Australia” of course they think they already are if they are citizens.
Now some of them are offside.
How did Abbott ever get a Rhodes Scholarship? I thought they were for clever students.
guytaur
Assange doesn’t have a leg to stand on regardless.
Read this
http://www.newstatesman.com/david-allen-green/2012/08/legal-myths-about-assange-extradition
and start getting educated, rather than letting a conman play you for a fool.
@wikileaks: UK extradition act modified to ban extradition without charge and to force investigators to come to the UK http://t.co/TrOskc547e
zoomster
Ecuador says you are wrong
Jacqui Lambie:
[Today China is controlled by an aggressive, anti democratic, totalatarian government. We need to double the size and capacity of our military right now.]
This would be worth 3/5ths of 5/8ths of fu#k all in the very, very unlikely even.
With a ‘t’ on the end.
ACOSS @ACOSS 7m
Peter Davidson presents evidence from UK showing ‘Work for the Dole’ has almost no impact on unemployment @LT_Unemployment #LTU14
ACOSS @ACOSS 3m
So why are we investing so much in a failed ‘work for the dole’ scheme & little on what we know is effective? @LT_Unemployment #LTU14
zoomster
[and start getting educated, rather than letting a conman play you for a fool.]
Is that comment necessary?
I don’t recall who posted this earlier, but I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone who wants to get a broad understanding of current economic issues.
https://theconversation.com/why-treasurers-should-go-back-to-economics-school-29851
Joe Hockey would benefit from reading it over and over (probably about 100 times) until he got a glimmer of understanding.
It even has a lot for Wayne Swan to learn and Swan should recognise his errors which just made life harder for the Gillard Govt in particular, with his repeated empty promises of a surplus when it was neither achievable in the short term nor necessary.
Bowen presser
“@ABCNews24: Watch LIVE: The Shadow Treasurer @Bowenchris is speaking in Sydney http://t.co/FlRWJArtyW #auspol #abcnews24”
“@political_alert: Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Richard Marles, will hold a press conference in Melbourne, 2:15pm #auspol”
“@ABCNews24: Chris Bowen: The Treasurer just doesn’t get the impact of his own policies on Australian families #auspol #budget2014”
[Jacqui Lambie:
Today China is controlled by an aggressive, anti democratic, totalatarian government. We need to double the size and capacity of our military right now.]
We do of course have the green army now. They could go into battle with pitchforks and chainsaws blazing.
[ lizzie
Posted Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at 10:49 am | Permalink
Warren Truss – Not so pleasant. I have seen him in QT being vicious and mocking as he repeated “Labor’s debt and deficit disaster. He also droned on through all TJ’s attempts to shut him up, repeating all the Coalition “policy” that we know is faulty. ]
Yes – Agree with this. The Nats are just as bad or worse then the libs.
Utter nut cases like joyce as well.
‘Some’ people think because they are occasionally polite they are ‘different’.
This is just not the case. They are happy to screw even their own constituency when it suits, in favour of mining interests.
No wonder Rob Oakeshott left them quicktime – he has said he coped racial abuse directed at this wife and children from Nats.
Yet Oakeshott is just the sort of person who should have been included in the Nats future.
@citizen/125
Don’t give them the idea, it might come into force.
vic
[Bowen presser]
Has he got up to the ‘we need Kevin back’ bit yet?
CTar1@128
guytaur
Ah, so you didn’t bother to read the link, I take it.
If you want to let people pull the wool over your eyes, rather than learn to make judgements based on fact, that’s your issue.
Citizen
[We do of course have the green army now. They could go into battle with pitchforks and chainsaws blazing.]
You’re right 😀
They could invade China and solve their air pollution problems.
It’s a threat!
So just what is the Abbott government’s attitude towards China?
Is it the JBishop tirade criticising China in July.
Is it Abbott very publicly supporting Japan as our very best friend in Asia?
Or is it the desperate hopes to have a China/Oz trade deal finalised as soon as possible?
CTar1@128
You can send him your suggestion 😉
CTar1
Nah. Bowen doesnt want Kev back. Bowen fancies himself for the top job next time around
bemused, I thought I’d just said exactly that.
No need to propagate.
zoomster
Its a fact Ecuador has given Assange asylum in their emnassy for two years.
They disagree with you.
vic
[ancies himself for the top job]
He’s dreaming or totally out of his gourd.
emnassy=embassy
Ecuador is a massively corrupt joke.
There are two separate questions. whether Julian should face the prosecution for the alleged criminal matters and whether the USA wants to or tries to extradite him for offences.
He should definitely go to Sweden. I assume there was a warrant issued for his arrest would the UK pursue him for absconding? I hope they do.
This is the UK response to the Assange situation.
@wikileaks: UK extradition act modified to ban extradition without charge and to force investigators to come to the UK http://t.co/TrOskc547e
119
zoidlord
Got a link?
@Just Me/141
No, unfortunately.
guytaur
and now, like everyone else who have been sucked in by Assange’s sob stories in the past, they’re booting him out.
Seriously, you think Ecuador being on someone’s side is an ENDORSEMENT?
[After being re-elected to a third term in February 2013, President Rafael Correa promulgated a sweeping new Communications Law in June regulating broadcast and print media, which undercuts press freedom. The Correa government continues to subject members of the media to public recrimination. Prosecutors use overly broad counterterrorism and sabotage offences against government critics who engage in public protests. Other ongoing problems include vaguely worded restrictions affecting civil society organizations, and asylum application procedures that do not provide rigorous safeguards that international standards require.]
http://www.hrw.org/americas/ecuador
Krugman –
[Once upon a time wars were fought for fun and profit; when Rome overran Asia Minor or Spain conquered Peru, it was all about the gold and silver. And that kind of thing still happens. In influential research sponsored by the World Bank, the Oxford economist Paul Collier has shown that the best predictor of civil war, which is all too common in poor countries, is the availability of lootable resources like diamonds. Whatever other reasons rebels cite for their actions seem to be mainly after-the-fact rationalizations. War in the preindustrial world was and still is more like a contest among crime families over who gets to control the rackets than a fight over principles.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/opinion/paul-krugman-why-we-fight.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
Maybe the government’s “be nice to China” routine today is also influenced by casino moguls such as james Packer:
[Australians once rioted against Chinese migrants attracted by a 19th-century gold rush. Sydney’s sole casino now depends on the city’s Asian ties for high-rollers who provide almost a third of its sales.
Echo Entertainment Group Ltd. is considering buying a golf course for a resort south of Brisbane, Chief Executive Officer Matt Bekier said in a phone interview, to entice Chinese gamblers who’ve driven a fourfold jump in Macau’s casino revenue over the last six years. Billionaire James Packer’s Crown Resorts Ltd. has spent $100 million upgrading its fleet of private jets for the same reason.
Australian companies are looking to tap rising Chinese consumer spending as Beijing winds down an investment boom that spurred a surge in commodity exports following the 2008 financial crisis. China’s shift towards consumption offers new opportunities for Australia to benefit from its biggest trading partner, Trade Minister Andrew Robb said in March.]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-19/golf-private-jets-how-australia-s-casinos-woo-chinese.html
zoom
Ecuador’s only interest in Jules is giving the US the finger.
AussieAchmed
If the “Team Australia” Mantra was coming from Gillard or Rudd, would the people commenting on that other site pledge allegiance to that “Team Australia”?
It seems like an attempt to polarise views, not sure if it was intentional or not.
lizzie
I stand corrected on my views on him though I do agree with Corio that his attacks are not as vile and vicious as those coming from some of his coalition colleagues.
zoomster
Look at the UK Parliament making itself clear.
As for Ecuador I said they disagree with you as they think Assange has a case. I said they are not fools.
I also said that Sweden could just say no extradition if no extradition.
None of which you have answered.
Why is Sweden so quiet on extradition if its not happening?
137
CTar1
[Posted Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at 12:46 pm | PERMALINK
vic
ancies himself for the top job
He’s dreaming or totally out of his gourd.]
He figures that if Abbott can become PM, so can he!
guytaur
[I said they are not fools.]
Proof of that?
😆 😆