Today’s Courier-Mail brings a Galaxy poll of federal voting intention in Queensland, encompassing 800 respondents and presumably conducted over the past few days. The primary vote numbers are 44% for the Coalition, 36% for Labor, 10% for the Greens and 2% for Palmer United, compared with respective results at the 2013 election of 45.7%, 29.8%, 6.2% and 11.0%. This converts into a Coalition two-party lead of 51-49, a swing to Labor of 6% from the 2013 result.
A fair bit happening lately on the federal preselection front:
• Joanna Lindgren will fill the Queensland Senate vacancy created by Brett Mason’s appointment as ambassador to the Netherlands, after prevailing in a preselection ballot over seven rival candidates. Her win was achieved despite Tony Abbott, John Howard and Julie Bishop having backed Bill Glasson, an opthamologist, former Australian Medical Association president and twice-unsuccessful candidate for Griffith, firstly against Kevin Rudd in 2013 and again at the by-election held to replace him the following February. Lindgren has been described as a “project officer”, and is apparently the great-niece of former Liberal Senator Neville Bonner, Australia’s first indigenous parliamentarian.
• The Queensland ALP wrapped up preselection in nearly every seat that matters on Wednesday. Cameron Atfield of the Sydney Morning Herald reports the candidate for Forde in Brisbane’s outer south is Des Hardman, who made way for Peter Beattie’s unsuccessful bid for the seat in 2013. Laura Fraser Hardy, a lawyer, will make her second successive run against Liberal incumbent Ross Vasta in the bayside marginal seat of Bonner. The preselection of five out of Labor’s six lower house incumbents was also confirmed, including that of Wayne Swan in Lilley. The exception is Bernie Ripoll in Oxley, who will make way for Brisbane City Council opposition leader Milton Dick.
• A Liberal National Party preselection held this morning for Clive Palmer’s seat of Fairfax was won by Ted O’Brien, managing director of government relations firm Barton Deakin and the unsuccessful candidate in 2013. Others in the field were Peter Duffy, a construction manager; Don Jamieson, a banking manager; Chloe Kopilovic, a solicitor; Adrian McCallum, an engineering lecturer at the University of Sunshine Coast; and Mark Somlyay, an accountant and son of former member Alex Somlyay. Labor has preselected Scott Anderson, an IT consultant.
• Heath Aston of the Sydney Morning Herald reports that NSW Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon’s bid for another term is meeting resistance from no fewer than 16 rival preselection nominees. Among them are several colleagues of Rhiannon’s in the “hard left” faction, including Jim Casey, the state secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees Union, together with “James Ryan, Amanda Findley, Jane Oakley and Ben Hammond”. Also in the field are Cate Faerhrmann, who filled Rhiannon’s state upper house vacancy when she moved to the Senate in 2010, before abandoning it for an unsuccessful Senate bid in 2013; and Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, who held a state upper house seat for the Australian Democrats from 1998 to 2007.
• Sean Ford of the Burnie Advocate reports that Labor’s preselection candidates for the north-western Tasmanian seat of Braddon include Justine Keay, a Devonport alderman and electorate officer to Tasmanian Opposition Leader Bryan Green, and Themba Bulle, a Burnie general practitioner. The current Liberal member, Brett Whiteley, won the seat from Labor’s Sid Sidebottom in 2013.
• Labor’s candidate to run against Adam Bandt in Melbourne is Sophie Ismail, a Victorian Education Department lawyer and member of the Socialist Left faction.
Bilson sounds like a yes vote for SSM
I don’t think so, its a no to SSM, but a yes to “committed long-term relationship”
Then Bilson contradicts himself saying No.
Billson sure knows how to talk around an answer. Barrie is trying to get him to say yes or no. hopeless waffle – no, not hopeless – spinning.
Happiness
Committed Long Term Relationship is formalised by Marriage in this country so Mr Bilson has stated tow opposing positions on the same issue in one interview.
“@CompleetTweet: Bill Billson demonstrates the art of snake oil depreciation #insiders”
Billson defending wealthy people’s Super investments – need certainty. But this morning I hear they’re going to hire an AFP type to check up on pensioners’ investments. Always true to their ideology 🙁
No he hasn’t. In fact he has articulated my position.
I see this in terms of these principles:
1. The state should have nothing to do with marriage
2. The state only needs to know who switches off the ventilator if you are in a coma and who gets the house/super etc etc……its those specific logistical matters.
Given gay people want equality (I agree) and religious folk don’t want their “marriage” word contaminated in any way (don’t agree but have a solution anyway) why not remove marriage from the statutes entirely.
Then gay people can have a committed relationship, the state recognises it.
Religious people can have a committed relationship, the state recognises it and the church gives it a name called “marriage” (whatever, says the state, nothing to do with us, you do whatever weird religious ceremony you like, it has nothing to do with us).
Carey M:
Undoubtedly not all SDA affiliated people are dinosaurs, but I was referring to the current leadership in the form of de Bruyn. And he certainly is.
Germany got nul points
Julia Zemiro is a brilliant host. She is underutilized on SBS
….and of course if a church wants to give their “marriage” ceremony to a man marrying a man, thats up to them….nothing to do with the state.
You are on the mark, Happiness.
Insulate the relationships from the influences of religion.
Pollbludger and William mentioned on Insiders!!!!!
🙂
lizzie
[But this morning I hear they’re going to hire an AFP type to check up on pensioners’ investments. Always true to their ideology]
Scotty loves people in uniform.
ML:
Yes, I’ve always thought that was the most sensible way through this.
Happiness
Not when you vote against one option to continue inequality its not the one position.
Those that believe the State should not be involved with marriage can argue to heterosexuals as well why their marriage is not going to have state recognition.
That argument has nothing to do with giving the same choice SSM couples as to OSM couples. Its a smokescreen argument designed to justify a no vote.
[Possum @Pollytics · 9h 9 hours ago
What’s the actual interesting part of Qld state polling is how Palmers vote has collapsed,but ended up transferring more to the ALP than LNP]
State polling, but still Wonder if the same flow will be seen federally.
I am saying that the state is only recognising a committed relationship for the purposes of managing issues that relate to the state. So if a man and a woman marry in a Catholic service, that has nothing to do with the state. The state just records that the Mr John Smith entity is linked to the Mrs Mary Jones entity for the purposes of the state.
So, yes, I am arguing that the word “marriage” – which appears to hold so much sentimental value to religious folk, despite being a relatively recent phenomenon (at least in monogamous form)- is removed from every law.
Happiness
Argue that as much as you like on its merits. There are some good arguments.
However doing such an argument to say vote no is to say you think heterosexuals should have more choices than gay people. Its that simple.
Happiness
The only things that should matter are the legal documents regarding the partnerships.
The rest is all fluff.
A meteor has just hit the sun. I agree with Happiness on something 😉
From tveeder.com and Insiders
The iron ore price, as it’s gone down, has actually tracking with the Coalition 2-party preferred in WA. It’s work that was commission ed done by Pole Bludger’s William Beau. It’s Fascinating. In some ways it’s obvious because in WA iron ore is so critical and it become a de facto measure of confidence.
Andrew Probyn speaking.
I thought you were anti-mandatory detention lizzie? ….or am I mistaken?
We have agreed every now and then you know!!!! :devil:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/liberal-senator-calls-for-gay-referendum/story-fn3dxiwe-1227367062874
Happ
No, I agree with a limited period of mandatory detention for security and assessment. But LIMITED.
“@stephenfry: The Irish people spoke. And the words they spoke were Respect, Dignity and, loudest of all, Love. The sanctity of marriage has been upheld.”
Well, we are pretty much in synch then.
“sanctity of marriage” Piffle
As BK said
[The only things that should matter are the legal documents regarding the partnerships. The rest is all fluff.]
Phil Vee:
Fascinating. I wonder if William will have a post about it.
I hasten to add. If people want to indulge in all the extra fluff and religiosity, that’s fine by me. It’s just not necessary for a true partnership.
lizzie
Ague the merits of that after equality is achieved. If the arguments are so good (I think they are) then do so for those already in marriage not when some are advocating to get the choice that has been denied them.
This is only raised now to blunt momentum for equality
I should hasten to add lookout who raised it. Bilson. Which way is he voting? It seems no to SSM from that Insiders interview
guytaur
I’m trying to concentrate on Insiders atm.
Same old cheap jokes, gaffe obsessions, party lines, stereotypes and tired commentary.
The thing that strikes you about Insiders is that you never hear anything original from any of the mouths on the show. Not a breath of air escapes their lips that hasn’t been ground through the Press Gallery mill. It’s a digest of the previous week’s groupthink, spiced with a few unfunny jokes and inane observations.
Philosophical one-woman think tank, Kath Murphy, this morning reverted directly to type, descending into spot-the-gaffe mode, and has hardly left it. Andrew Probyn, will forgive complete about faces by the government (say, on the Iron Ore Inquiry) as minor blemishes that put unnecessary pebbles in the Abbott’s boots as he marches back from the wilderness. Brian Toohey seems to believe that if we make 50c a tonne on iron ore then we should be grateful, when what the inquiry as supposed to be about was why we are not making more (and paying more tax). Barrie Cassidy couldn’t ask an original question if you doubled his salary.
A hopeless program.
[ A meteor has just hit the sun. I agree with Happiness on something ]
Me also! Who would have thought it?
I think our self-delusion as a socially progressive country, (with a few honourable exceptions such as plain paper wrapping for cigs – and that bitterly fought by Big Tobacco and their LNP friends) has taken yet another kicking.
We could have been leaders in the humane treatment of refugees from boats – and this does not mean open slather.
We could have been leaders in recognising the wishes of some to determine their own way to end their lives when pain and suffer deem it so.
We could give more than a pittance to foreign aid – even if it is used predominantly in the Asia-Pacific region.
But no. We get “Nope, Nope, Nope” and the exhumation of knighthoods from this retrogressive party now in power
Everyday I thank my lucky stars that I do not have to find reasons to support a conservative party which is bereft of any social welfare policy of note, and despite all the hype, is not as good as it thinks it is in running the economy.
Well done to the Irish – though it must be noted, all political parties support the Yes vote. Not such action here and we know why.
[I’m trying to concentrate on Insiders atm.]
Just read the Daily Telegraph.
One of the fairest things government can do is to stop subsidising mining companies. They do not need taxpayers dollars.
Their profits attest to that.
[Tricot
….We could give more than a pittance to foreign aid – even if it is used predominantly in the Asia-Pacific region.]
If we doubled out foreign aid budget, added another 10% and then rounded to the nearest whole number………it would be 0%
“@political_alert: Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten and Shadow Minister for Health, Catherine King, will hold a doorstop in Ballarat, 2.30pm #auspol”
“@sarahinthesen8: Greens will push for a vote on #marriageeqaulity in the Senate before the year is out. Time for the parliament to catchup with the people”
barrie Cassidy should give it away and give someone fresh a go
Christian Porter might be Prime Minister one day
Christian Porter prefers a party room process rather than a plebiscite for marriage equality as it is a better way to work through the implications of any legislative change (a plebiscite being an abstract question not a specific outcome issue).
My view is that you ask the people what you want, then the party room works out how to implement that “mandate”
Happiness
Porter is right. The High Court made plain Federal Parliament can resolve the issue.
No excuse for the LNP here. They have to decide their values.
In reply to Happinesss again, she still can’t comprehend that 100% of Labor backbenchers gave the Budget 0/10.
Yawn!
Interesting piece on Ukraine’s intention to quit their WTO suit against Australia for our plain package tobacco laws.
There is no point in having a plebiscite on gay marriage until both major political parties agree to support it – and then there would be no need for one.
Pity Happiness won’t (not “can’t) do a comprehensive expose like her #158 about this shambolic government she defends daily.
And follow it up by refraining from being the first to defend their constant fark ups.
psyclaw:
In reply to Happiness again, psyclaw still can’t comprehend that the point was around whether there would be another spill motion against Abbott’s leadership.
I was pointing out it is looking unlikely given the MP’s score (as a leader of the spill movement)
You seem incapable of following this quite simple point.