The latest result from Essential Research has both major parties a point down on the primary vote, in both cases from 40% to 39%. This makes room for increases of one point for the Greens and two points to others, both now at 10%, while Palmer United is now at 2%, which I believe to be a new low. Also featured are Essential Research’s regular monthly personal ratings, which offer yet another belting for Tony Abbott, who is down seven points on approval to 32% and up five on disapproval to 55%. Bill Shorten is down two on approval to 35% and up one on disapproval to 39%, and has opened up a 36-31 lead on preferred prime minister after trailing 36-34 last time.
There’s also results on how various politicians have performed over the past year, which are predictable in direction but very interesting in degree. Tony Abbott, Joe Hockey and, more excusably, Christine Milne have equally poor net ratings of minus 22%, minus 24% and minus 23% respectively (Milne having an undecided rating quite a bit higher than the other two). The big eye-openers are Clive Palmer at minus 50% and Julie Bishop at plus 28%. Rather less interestingly, Bill Shorten is at minus 5%.
The poll also finds the issues respondents most want addressed over the coming year are improving the health system and reducing unemployment, with less concern for public transport investment, environmental protection, investment in roads and, in last place, free trade agreements. Respondents also deem it to have been a bad year for pretty much everything, most especially “Australian politics in general” at minus 53% (which is still an improvement on minus 62% last year”), the only exceptions being large companies and corporations (plus 14%) and “you and your family overall” (plus 3%).
A semi-regular question on same-sex marriage records weaker support than the particularly strong showing in June, at 55% (down five) with 32% opposed (up four).
Another great Xmas present for those of us who long to see the back of this embarrassment – One Term Tony.
I could see a zinger coming from that – “if you want to improve Australian politics get rid of Tony Abbott”.
While I still think it is most unlikey can I hope to dream?
Anyone but Abbott 🙂
It will be fun if Dr Glasson ends up campaigning for Labor in Griffith as deductions hit his income.
More confirmation Shorten Doing well in this poll
Was it just me, or was Shorten particularly awkward in that press conference? He did’t seem to speak as well as he has in the past.
Guytaur
Glasson will probably be ok. Ophthalmologists make plenty. His wife though is a GP. maybe she will find it a battle.
In all the discussion about the $7/$5 stuff, the media are missing the bigger issue for the bulk-billing GPs. The biggest purveyors of “six minute medicine” are said to be the big corporations which own multiple multi-doctor practices and are said to often provide strong incentives for their GP employees to maximize throughput (often overseas graduates).
For these places – the bigger issue would be the change from “six minute medicine” to “ten minute medicine”.
Old bulk-bill rebate for 5-?20 or ?25 minutes = $37-05
New bulk-bill rebate for 10-20 minutes = $32-05
Maximum per hour current “6 minute medicine” = 10*37.05 = $370.50
Maximum per hour new charge if same times = 10*32.05 = $320.50
Maximum per hour old charge if new times = 6*37.05 = $222.30
Maximum per hour new charge and new times = 6*32.05 = $192.30
So a bulk-billing corporate practice could lose 13.5% with the new charges, but 40% with the new times, and 48% with the actual proposed outcome of new charge and new times.
Forget solo GPs and family practices, these corporations, faced with a loss of nearly 50% income, are going to go hard at Abbott and Dutton. To paraphrase Keating “Never get between a multipractice medical corporation and a bucket of Medicare money!”
[Was it just me, or was Shorten particularly awkward in that press conference? He did’t seem to speak as well as he has in the past.]
He seemed just as wooden as always to me. Do politicians really think we will respond well to robots?
With a net rating of -50%, what’s the bet Big Clive leaves the reservation in the new year.
Once the innards of his true exploitative plutocratic agenda are laid out in the sun, the angry and disenfranchised mob he fooled into voting for him will turn.
By this time, the rest of his rump litter will have wandered off to sniff-out some other squalid agendas (parents sent to prison for forcing their daughters to wear burqas anyone?).
(Having said that, I have been enjoying Lazarus’s Ben-Barba-try-of-the-season-style PR diatribes.)
guytaur 4 – and he was left out to dry by Julie Bishop becasue he dared to speak the truth about what the Liberals were planning!
They reasoned that his tilt at Griffith was worth less tha preserving their secret lie about the GP tax.
Just read this over at the Guardian. sums it up perfectly
“I work locally in australia as a GP in a bulk billing surgery. I consult and aim to provide a high quality care of treatment to my patients whether they are pension card holders or not, rich or poor. Now the government is saying that they wont pay us the same for consult A vs consult B which seems rather unjust. Please just pay us appropriately , honestly and equally and don’t ask us to determine whether to charge a patient or not.
‘Well I have just informed them they have cancer so I wont bill him’. ‘I’ll bill him this week but not next week’. ‘That patient was rude so he’ll definitely get billed’. Its a ridiculous decision to place on GPs. Should I take a 13% pay cut or have the patient pay the gap. Most GPs will pass on this payment to patients which will ultimately not save the government a dollar. I propose the politicians cut their own wages by 13%, or put$5 in a big jar when they have a stupid idea – It will quickly add up. I hope they enjoy their extended xmas holiday break. I will be working through mine.”
The barnacle-scraping didn’t go down too well today in any of the pressers.
[And here’s the Defence Minister, David Johnston, who believes Australia couldn’t build a canoe, not telling us what he means by his intention to build a “sovereign industry” around submarines.
“…submarines are a vital strategic platform for Australia going forward. What we are seeking to do is to set up the necessary foundations for us to have, as I say, a sovereign industry. Now in the near future there will be further announcements as to exactly the nuts and bolts and mechanics of precisely what we intend for that. But may I say this is a very important, front-of-mind issue for myself and for the government.”
Verbal tics, in short, meaning “wouldn’t have a clue” and “we’ll get back to you”.]
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/when-tumbling-ministers-should-talk-less-and-look-to-cheerleaders-for-backflip-tips-20141209-123dqt.html
[In response to questions from Fairfax Media about any plans Ms Credlin has to enter Parliament next year, a spokeswoman for Mr Abbott replied, “Peta Credlin has no intention of running for Parliament at this time – state or federal, House or Senate”.
“No intention…at this time” is often used in politics to allow for wriggle room if needed in the future. ]
[ Forget solo GPs and family practices, these corporations, faced with a loss of nearly 50% income, are going to go hard at Abbott and Dutton. ]
Interesting figures and perspective RR, thankyou.
Perhaps someone in the possibly mythical Liberal Policy Brains Trust did not really think this one through, or….horror….failed to consult with the industry on this matter?? 🙂
rossmcg – as I pointed out above – soon the writer and others will realsie it could be a 48% pay cut, not 13%.
Watch those “awful union thugs” (the AMA) go ballistic!
The aim is to get as many doctors as possible to stop bulk billing.
But in my area there are so many doctors and medical centres as soon as they stop bulk billing their patients go elsewhere.
Jimmy Doyle
Shorten was going for the serious(not hubris expression)
Probably a trivial and pedantic point but I am curious about the flow of preferences of the Nationals in federal elections.
At one election in one electorate only I noted that over 20% of the nationals preferences ended up with the ALP candidate and I am wondering just how often that occurs over the nation.
I am aware that Nat vs Lib vs ALP contests are infrequent but wonder if they are still frequent enough to consider the preference flow of Nats to ALP.
I mention this because Essential separate the 2 parties and in this poll it came in as Libs 35: Nats 4.
Too trivial to worry about?
[15
imacca
Perhaps someone in the possibly mythical Liberal Policy Brains Trust did not really think this one through, or….horror….failed to consult with the industry on this matter?]
In other words, they’ve been true to form.
What they need is a nice little cartel.
Sooooooo…….according to the ABC:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-09/federal-government-dumps-gp-co-payment/5955012
they are cutting the medicare rebate by $5 and the consultation has to be at least 10 mins for the rebate to be claimable, and the rebate is frozen till 2018.
Who the fwark came up with this bewildering mess and considers it anything remotely akin to actual good policy??
Its the kind of announcement that really annoys people as their bullsh$t detectors peak off-scale.
[ What they need is a nice little cartel.]
They are a long way from that, patients call the shots. So far anyway.
Several medical centres have closed as I said above and others quickly switched back to bulk billing.
I really wonder if something has been stitched up by abbott etc with doctors – or some of them? The doctors are the ones being put on the wrong end of the stick with all of this.
[But in my area there are so many doctors and medical centres as soon as they stop bulk billing their patients go elsewhere.]
Can you put some in a box and mail them to our area?
Abbott and Dutton are sure to be left in a world of pain when the AMA and the big medical corporations (including the pathology companies) get stuck into them.
State and Territory governments of either persuasion will doubtless also take up cudgels.
Ch 7 news preview says $7 tax scrapped but patients still face payment at doctor.
Dave
Where are you? I will move!
It’s a bit of a dilemma with the doctoring. I enjoy good health, touch wood, but at 60 plus I regard having a good relationship with the GP as important even if most of my visits these days are simply for prescription renewals.
I was with one guy for quite a few years as he moved around when the practices he worked out were taken over by the corporates and he ended up at a place where they don’t bulk bill. A visit costs $75 and if it is a prescription renewal referred to is usually over in less than five minutes.
He moved interstate and his replacement is someone I feel comfortable with. So I pay up for the quality of care. the idea that I need a “price signal” to keep me from frivolous visits to the doctor is a nonsense
victoria @ 18 – I’m not sure it worked though :/
rossmcg – North Sydney.
Jimmy Doyle
Shorten does not want to be the story at this stage. His job was to deliver a rebuttal. This purpose was served
LNP reboot: Be more sneaky. Increase deceit. Lie more often, and if needed, lie again.
Dave
Bit far …
Riley on Ch 7 news reckons every doctors surgery in the country could become an anti government focal point.
victoria – I guess that’s fair enough. Thanks victoria.
Abbott said he put this barnacle to the Cabinet and wtte “they loved it”. I wonder how many of them understood what it really meant? Can’t see Dutton or Abbott making it clear. They just wanted to believe.
Gecko
[LNP reboot:]
It consists of changing their kicking boot from hobnail to steel cap .
And I do wish the govt would stop pushing the furphy of “continous consultation”. That has been exposed as a fib several times.
continuous
When Abbott was talking of the people on the streets all calling out for a ‘price signal’ I had to call BS. No normal person would talk of a ‘price signal’.
Chinese Stockmarket hit by the energy & related sectors sell off today and ended down 5.4%.
Up until COB yesterday however, the Shanghai market had increased more than 1% on 9 of the previous 12 trading days for an increase of almost 21% in 12 days. The only down day in that period was a -0.1% day.
The Shanghai financial index was up just under 58% since late October as of COB yesterday.
All Ords here down 1.7% today.
Jimmy Doyle
Having said that, I do understand your concerns with Shorten at this presser. But i guess he wants to play safe for now
Meanwhile back at headquarters:
Geppetto (alias Peta) works through the night to fix Pinocchio’s growing ears.
[ Gecko
Posted Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 6:02 pm | Permalink
LNP reboot: Be more sneaky. Increase deceit. Lie more often, and if needed, lie again. ]
Amazing that they think they will get away with lying, lying about lying and then being sneaking like this when they cannot get it passed in the senate.
41
Gecko
Posted Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 6:15 pm | PERMALINK
[Meanwhile back at headquarters:
Geppetto (alias Peta) works through the night to fix Pinocchio’s growing ears.]
😀
JulieB is not fighting for the GBReef, she’s fighting to destroy it. Can’t trust any of them. And the little Hunt is as big a liar as his boss.
[Day said a commitment from Greg Hunt, the environment minister, to ban the dumping of newly dredged spoil was a “furphy” because it relates to the reef’s marine park, not its larger world heritage area that includes port zones.
Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, said Bishop was guilty of “wishful thinking” over the reef’s condition.
“Her claims are contradicted by her own government’s reports, which couldn’t be more clear that the reef is deteriorating,” he told Guardian Australia.
“On one hand the commonwealth government is saying the reef is in poor condition and getting worse and on the other they are saying it’s the best-managed coral ecosystem in the world. Well, clearly it isn’t.”
The government’s lobbying efforts over the reef have gone on for several months, with Hunt and Andrew Powell, the Queensland environment minister, reportedly travelling to Europe to explain why the in-danger listing should be avoided.]
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/09/julie-bishop-lobbying-stop-great-barrier-reef-listed-in-danger
Gecko @ 41 – very witty!
[ LNP reboot: Be more sneaky. Increase deceit. Lie more often, and if needed, lie again. ]
That’s what is called a “bootloop”. 🙂
Well known to those of us who change the OS on their phones often (just because we can ), and considered a major pain in the bum.
Just got home from my GP, his whole medical centre is hopping mad. They only bulk bill concession card holders and kids under 16 anyway.
3 of the 5 doctors have closed books and are not accepting new patients. Want to see any of these book 3 weeks in advance.
The way the practice manager thinks they will recoup money is via Foreign Tourists. (they are in Noosa).
Oh and I have a new auto immune disease – Transverse Myelitis. Lucky I got the MRI and Lumbar Puncture done before Tony dumped the $7 😆
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/pm-scrapes-off-policy-barnacles/story-fn3dxiwe-1227150296710
The Govt Gazette not really being very helpful publishing this stuff are they?? 🙂
Today I saw Pyne’ s advert on a bus shelter in Canberra. With “$0 upfront” it looks like one of those Harvey Norman adverts. Definitely need to read the (tiny) fine print for the nasties.
Rua
That diagnosis doesn’t sound very good. Best of luck with it.