The BludgerTrack poll aggregate finds the Coalition retaining last week’s big gain without significantly adding to it, except to the extent of a 0.4% increase on two-party preferred and a gain in New South Wales on the seat projection. Coming after this week’s unexpectedly strong result from Ipsos, Coalition-supporting readers of this blog (I know you’re out there) might have been hoping for more. There are two reasons they don’t have it, the first being that Ipsos has had the Coalition tracking solidly higher than its rivals over its four published federal polls, and a bias adjustment is being applied to account for this. So far as BludgerTrack is presently concerned, the Ipsos poll had Labor on 52.5%, rather than the published 51%. The second factor is this week’s Essential Research result. As is so often the case, Essential’s published fortnightly rolling average recorded no change this week. However, BludgerTrack is privy to Essential’s weekly numbers, and while I ordinarily don’t give anything away about them, dedicated observers of BludgerTrack could ascertain for themselves that a stronger result for Labor was concealed by fortnightly smoothing and possibly a little rounding.
It’s a different story on the leadership ratings, where Ipsos’s numbers have caused a particularly large movement in Tony Abbott’s favour on net approval, albeit from a disastrously low base. There are also two data points now to indicate that things might be going a bit awry for Bill Shorten, who long seemed to be tracking just below parity, but is now approaching minus double figures. Abbott has accordingly made up ground on preferred prime minister, which reflects voting intention in being back to where it was before Australia Day. But so far as net approval is concerned, Abbott remains well south of his previous low point after the budget.
Raaraa@4,
Widoko is rightly being blamed because he is whipping up enthusiasm for the executions, including visiting schools and asking the children to enthusiastically shout out yes when he asks them whether the executions should go ahead. I wonder if the Indonesians realise that once Widoko runs out of drug smugglers to kill in public spectacles that he will need new victims
Perhaps these school children will be only too happy to turn relatives in. I’m just saying…
Raaraa@4,
Widoko is rightly being blamed because he is whipping up enthusiasm for the executions, including visiting schools and asking the children to enthusiastically shout out yes when he asks them whether the executions should go ahead. I wonder if the Indonesians realise that once Widoko runs out of drug smugglers to kill in public spectacles that he will need new victims
Perhaps these school children will be only too happy to turn relatives in. I’m just saying…
@tveedercom: Transcript: Treasurer @JoeHockey’s media conf on release of the intergenerational report #IGReport http://t.co/BN73GfZZuS
guytaur, so a password backup for those too manly to wear gloves. Still problems with fingerprints being the primary security.
Passwords can be changed regularly; to help stop it being compromised and in the advent of it being compromised. As this article says, you cant change your finger….
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-2-big-problems-with-fingerprint-security-109371608679.html
Yea, the LNP event in a mens only club is just like a ‘Rosa Parks moment’.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/lnp-women-at-menonly-club-a-rosa-parks-moment-20150304-13vbmf.html
Its good to take the piss out of women on women’s day isnt it, you immature bunch of loser d*ckheads.
Simon Katich
Passwords are insecure. We know this as lots of people even after al the education still use Admin, password and 1234 or 000 as their password.
William’s comment in the thread header raises a serious question for us lurking coalition supporters – “can you be a coalition supporter while Abbott remains leader of the party?”.
Personally I can’t support the Coalition while Abbott is PM so I’m not sure what I am at present. Confused?
Richo “unplugged’ on Hockey. One of the finest rants ever.
http://www.skynews.com.au/video/program_richo/2015/03/04/richo-s-rant–joe-hockey.html
DWH
For you I would think you are Labor. For others it will be PUP the Greens or Independent.
Maybe the toss of a coin just before setting off to the voting booth.
[117
Simon Katich
Briefly offers some nuance regarding power but I think he is slightly off the mark with reference to blood.]
…well, politicians use death to nourish awe. We can see all the squabbling siblings dining on the cold meat of the dead – awe, subjection, excuse, obedience, indignity, apology, complicity, remorse, triumph, mercy and revenge. At their head is greatness. That’s what these politicians want: Majesté.
They are prepared to instal death in their apartments in order to flatter themselves – so that we might better revere them.
Android and Windows will not be far behind. So thankfully passwords demise is in sight
Other way around guytaur (Apple is catching up)- I have had a fingerprint scanner for access to my Windows notebook for about 5 years (Asus). With that experience, I am not sure the current increased interest in this form of id is warranted as they can be tricked. Random passwords are the best method, the problem being how people store them.
Douglas and Milko
I am with you!
This appears to be almost like a game of bravado.
Like Phillip Ruddock I am a member of Amnesty International and executions are beyond my comprehension.
If ever there was a statement of utter bias & utter rubbish , this is it…
This Intergenerational Report is a perfectly respectable policy document with a compelling story to tell about where the country is headed over the next 40 years.
Chris Ullhman doesn’t have a clue he is just a Neoliberalism mouth piece.
Totally uncritical is n any analysis he has ever attempted
Luckily Radio National had an much more insightful look at it
davidwh@157
Perhaps you are having an epiphany?
I hope so.
The IG has forecasts and comparisons of deficits under Labor’s old policy settings with the Coalition’s current policy settings, 40 years hence. We could play that game with any past government. We could even play it with the current government.
Governments adjust their policies to suit conditions. If things deterioriate even past where they are now, projections of deficits for their own current settings will compare unfavourably to their own future settings.
sceptic, for a second there I read the second paragraph as yours :P.
nappin
Sorry I was talking about business and consumers taking it up.
Windows had tablets for ten years before Apple too.
Apple with its software hardware integration along with market share does get to push the technology take up a bit.
Hockey is waiting for the tech fix for Climate Change
Is that like a hip replacement old comrade?
davidwh@169
The body part affected is the mind.
davidwh
There are many NSW Labor voters who struggled with a similar thing after the Obeid scandal. How could one support a party that allowed that to happen?
My concern for you is that your issue with the Liberal pArty goes deeper than just the leader. When you are ready, we progressive bleeding hearts will welcome you with open arms, a chardy and a latte.
DN
Will use quotes in future
Full IGR report available here
http://treasury.gov.au/Policy-Topics/PeopleAndSociety/Intergenerational-Report
http://www.afr.com/p/national/politics/intergenerational_report_not_so_aszDbdzUjnM7daWQEogIlL
[Laura Tingle
Intergenerational report: not so scary after all
PUBLISHED: 0 hour 22 MINUTES AGO | UPDATE: 0 hour 0 MINUTES AGO
The intergenerational report as a stimulus for economic policy debate has now been with us for 13 years.
Perhaps it should be called the Hanrahan report, as it has been used fairly constantly to try to alarm people about how we all face ruin if “something” isn’t done about profligate government spending.
That is of course, except where it has been used to show that ‘the government is in control’ of stopping us all being ruined.]
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/intergenerational-report-implausible-spending-projections-defy-belief-20150305-13vt44.html
[Intergenerational Report: implausible spending projections defy belief
March 5, 2015 – 12:13PM
Peter Martin
Economics Editor, The Age]
In regards to the principled stand against the death penalty: When will we see politicians of all parties unite against China’s judicial killing of over 1,000 people each year, often after the trials had their outcomes dictated in advance?
Or is only Indonesia (which executed 5 people in 2013) to feel our ire at the use of the death penalty?
Bowen presser now
Sounds tempting Simon, thanks 🙂
Joe Hockey was asked where the scary numbers are in the Report so he naturally decided to contradict himself.
“. Look, if you portray any number as scary I think you’re on the wrong track. I think we should celebrate that we are living longer. I mean we are the envy of our great-grandparents and beyond, really are. We’ve got a better healthcare, we’ve got better quality of life, it’s. Blah blah etc etc”
[Q: Would you say to Australians out there working now that if all your budget agenda was passed that you could return bracket creep to them and they could get that tax break?
Hockey: Yes, of course, of course. I mean that’s self-evident.]
Oh, gosh.
So, in exchange for dishing out more money for my children’s education, supporting them whilst their looking for work, paying more every time I access a medical service, topping up my mother’s pension, and paying more in insurance because we’re not tackling climate change, I’d get a small tax cut.
Well worth it, then.
[
psyclaw
my point is that the death penalty shouldn’t be on anyone’s books.]
That being the case lets pressure China and the USA massively when there are no Australian lives at stake and when those two countries discontinue entirely we can move to pressuring Indonesia and Saudi Arabia Etc
They execute people in the US and Japan too!
Briefly 160
I understand the your argument. Just not convinced it has a role with the example of Widodo.
Matt
I may be wrong but I do not think there have been Australian citizens on death row in the US China other countries recently.
Remember this is a recent change with Indonesia. The Barlow’s got the they knew what they were doing kind of approach from my memory/
Things started to change with the Malaysian case.
WWP
Yes, let’s.
guytaur
the nationality of people on death row should have nothing to do with our opposition to the death penalty.
zoomster
Yes of course. I was outlining public opinion. This case has been the most united against the death penalty in an overseas country.
Thats not country specific its a rise of awareness and rejection over time.
Chris Bowen:
[The previous policy that this document refers to is not the policy of the previous Labor government. The previous policy in this document is from the mid year economic forecast (Myefo) which the treasurer himself brought down, including $14bn of extra spending, including $9bn to the Reserve Bank, the doubling of the deficit.]
Senator Milne
[The IGR is spin political spin and utter rubbish]
z,
This IGR report is being mocked already. Does not auger well for it being accepted as a serious document and acted upon.
Meanwhile the Age reports the big news of the day…
Will KISS be part of the 2015 AFL grand final entertainment?
Senator Milne
[Evidence Free Zone that is the Liberal Party]
Two books in my current pile of reading:
“Chasing the Scream” by Johann Hari. A history of 100 years of banning drugs. Who gained power by making drugs illegal. How it has done all the wrong things: increased corruption, put the powerless into jail – or executed them. How it has increased the extent of drug use many times over. How it has made many crooks on both sides of the law wealthy. How drug laws never deter. (Ignore the past sins of the author)
“Empathy. a handbook for revolution” by Roman Krznaric. How you can work on increasing your own powers of empathy. “Empathists of the World Unite!”. Make the world a better place for us all
Or is empathy a disqualification for gaining political power?
@johndory49: Milne: They’ve not only ignored climate change’s impact BUT ALSO #closethegap reduced to ONE paragraph! #IGR #auspol http://t.co/bLIcb1560H
GG @ 188
I certainly hope so. It would be a nice surprise to have my pessimism ruined ;).
DN,
My bet is we’ll be talking about who is playing at the AFL Grand Final by weeks end.
Oh, I see we already are.
“@BernardKeane: Hockey’s 1700 word ministerial statement on “A compact between the generations” doesn’t mention climate change once.”
Do political journalists ever talk to their colleagues in other areas of expertise?
phylactella
I’d say empathy is essential for good policy development (and thus good politics). If you can’t understand how something has impacted on someone else’s life, finding ways to stop the same thing happening to someone else is almost impossible.
[“The LNP pushed through TPVs by blackmailing the Senate and Pyne now hopes to do the same with University deregulation.”]
The Coalition took TPV’s to an election and won in a landslide.
Labor subsequently refused to accept the mandate and as a result children have been locked in detention longer than needed to be. Thanks Labor.
And in the end what happened? TPV’s were introduced anyway. So Labor did nothing other than keep people locked up longer than required for… NOTHING.
[174
Matt
…is only Indonesia (which executed 5 people in 2013) to feel our ire at the use of the death penalty?]
Matt, you miss the point. Widodo does note fell our “ire”. On the contrary, he sees our protests as something to be exploited. This is repeated in every society where the death penalty is applied. It is not there to serve justice. It employed to flatter power. It is a means by which the the powerless may be made to serve the interests of the powerful.
Its use is inherently arbitrary and iniquitous, and defiles all of us.
@SwannyQLD: Hockey’s only plan for tomorrow is to demonise his political opponents today #NoPlanJustPropaganda #IGR #auspol