Two new polls this week from ReachTEL and Essential Research cause the BludgerTrack poll aggregate to tick 0.3% in favour of Labor on two-party preferred, which yields only one gain on the seat projection, that being in Queensland. The leadership ratings have been updated with the results from Morgan’s phone poll, a strikingly good (relatively speaking) result for Tony Abbott that causes the already sharp momentum in his favour to carry him to parity with Bill Shorten on preferred prime minister. Full results as always on the sidebar.
For those wishing to discuss next week’s British election, note that the dedicated post has been bumped up the order and appears below this one (with a new Seat of the Week below that). Home news:
• Cameron Atfield of Fairfax reports the Queensland Senate vacancy created by the resignation of Brett Mason, who has taken up the position of ambassador to the Netherlands, has attracted nine Liberal National Party candidates. They include Nicholas Monsour, managing director of a consultancy firm and brother-in-law of Campbell Newman; Bill Glasson, an ophthalmologist, former Australian Medical Association president and twice candidate for Griffith, firstly against Kevin Rudd at the 2013 election and then at the by-election held the following February after his resignation; Theresa Craig, president of the Agribusiness Association of Australia; Kerri-Anne Dooley, unsuccessful state election candidate for Redcliffe; along with “company director Teresa Harding, project officer Joanna Lindgren, company director Chris Mangan and lawyers Philip Roberts and Andrew Wallace”. The matter will be determined at a meeting of the party’s state council on May 16.
• Matthew Killoran of the Courier-Mail reports that Queensland Labor’s preselection nominations process is approaching its conclusion with no candidates emerging in opposition to Wayne Swan in Lilley, despite earlier talk he might face a challenge, or Milton Dick in Oxley. Dick stands to succeed sitting member Bernie Ripoll, who will retire at the next election after appearing to be headed for defeat at the hands of Dick in any case.
• The Australian Electoral Commission is inviting submissions for the federal redistribution of New South Wales until May 22, and for the Australian Capital Territory redistribution until May 29.
Well the first awards where created 110 years ago in agriculture – given four corners tonight it’s conclusive proof that awards don’t work and ought to be abolished.
victoria:
4Corners expose something for our Freedom Commissioner to tackle, perhaps? Wonder if he will.
Fess
Wont hold my breath
QandA has been all domestic violence so far. No RET discussion. Am not annoyed with this despite importance of RET.
Where?
LOL Tim’s all over it until Abetz puts him back in his box!
As it were
Shorten” and has been boasting the Government could win even if the Coalition started the election campaign four points behind Labor.
Quoting “colleagues”, a “Cabinet minister” and “a bureaucrat involved in the Budget process”, Oakes speculated whether a double dissolution election would be held soon after the anticipated good-news budget, particularly given the Government could hardly afford to deliver another voter-friendly budget (with no spending cuts) before the scheduled election in 2016.
The telltale indication whether this is Oakes idly connecting the dots or a concerted leak from the Government can be found in the words of the quoted Cabinet minister. According to Oakes, the senior minister had “sneered at the idea only a few weeks ago” but has recently said a DD election is “not beyond the realms of possibility”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-04/matthewson-political-leaks-leave-voters-in-the-dark/6441782
From Domestic Violence QandA has moved to altruism.
Not a good night for the LNP
Now a climate change question for Mr Hunt and Mr Butler
So that’s what it’s going to be labelled, the “good news budget”, another 3 word slogan.
Hunt losing badly arguing with Jones ignoring Butler comments
Jones
Hunt is refusing to commit to the 2 degrees target.
Oh oh danger for the LNP Singer is using a birthday cake example
Hunt is wiping the floor with Mark Butler IMO
Happiness
You would say that.
Australia emits more per capita than other countries for a whole range of reasons.
Are you suggesting we ramp up fracking?
Should we implement widespread use of nuclear energy?
Are we expecting a Newspoll? Normally it drops during qanda
Happiness
We had a good solution. Then the wrecker came and wrecked them.
Now under Abbott we are not even going to meet the % target. Thats massive failure
Least she showed us the courtesy of leaving the H out.
“@GhostWhoVotes: #Newspoll Federal 2 Party Preferred: L/NP 48 (-1) ALP 52 (+1) #auspol”
“@GhostWhoVotes: #Newspoll Federal Primary Votes: L/NP 39 (-2) ALP 35 (-1) GRN 12 (+1) #auspol”
Speak of the devil. 52-48
Speak of the devil. 52-48
What good solution? The one the ALP government scrapped when it campaigned on “axe the tax” because (as Rudd put it) the carbon tax was having a negative impact on cost of living for struggling families.
Exactly what is the ALP narrative on this issue?
The last gasp of RupertRooterPoll
This is a few hours older of course
“@GhostWhoVotes: #Morgan Poll Federal 2 Party Preferred: L/NP 46.5 (-0.5) ALP 53.5 (+0.5) #auspol”
“@GhostWhoVotes: #Morgan Poll Federal Primary Votes: L/NP 40 (+1.5) ALP 37.5 (-0.5) GRN 11.5 (-0.5) #auspol”
Happiness
The solution Abbott repealed and called the carbon tax. The one the rest of the world calls a trading system.
Abbott -19 and Shorten -16
Is this good for Abbott or bad for Shorten I wonder?
So it would seem.
New thread.
Happiness
Rudd’s proposal was to move straight to an ETS – which has always been Labor’s end aim, despite various diversions forced upon it along the way.
That’s also the recommendation of virtually every economist who’s examined the issue — and was Turnbull’s preferred option as well.
Only the other day you stated that one of your reasons for supporting Turnbull was that he would take more sensible action on climate change, which suggests (surely) that you don’t think that Hunt’s present actions are ideal.
We should abolish indentures immediately. s.457 workers are indentured. The system means they may come and work but are not free to leave an exploitative situation. Such workers are essentially bonded labour. This was a feature of labour relations in the 19th century…
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/erace-archives-history-south-sea-islanders-australia
Just saw 4 corners over here. Have to admit that one thing i really like about their report tonight was that there was no stuffing around. They named names and made pretty direct claims.
Good on them.
Interesting regarding “law enforcement” / worker exploitation.
Enforcing the laws so that those horrid buyers from overseas can come and buy all our mega expensive property so pushing up prices is a priority for the Govt. They decided to do that all on their own.
Enforcing laws so that people get paid the minimum wage and decent employment conditions?? Maybe not so much the priority….unless of course you want to include stripping penalty rates in the same conversation???
The ATO has just handed over documents to the Senate revealing that price-transfer tax avoidance is estimated to have been well over $100bn in 2013 alone.
At a tax rate of 30%, imagine what the Budget would look like if those companies weren’t rorting the system (or if the Government weren’t letting them)!
What a return for Rio Tinto, which (publicly) shelled out $4.2 million on its misleading attack ads against the MRRT, and (privately) another $4.25 million through assorted fronts. Rio Tinto Australia avoids paying taxes on $719 million through Singapore annually…