The BludgerTrack poll aggregate has been yo-yoing from one week to the next recently, and this week it’s the turn of an upswing for the Coalition, whose lead blows out nearly a full point to 54.5-45.5 on the back of a strong result in the ReachTEL poll conducted late last week. However, this only translates into a single gain on the seat projection – in Victoria, where the Coalition is now credited with more seats than Labor for the first time in living memory. Nothing new this week on leadership ratings.
Also:
• Sean Nicholls of the Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australian Workers Union official Misha Zelinsky has abandoned a plan to challenge the Labor preselection of Sharon Bird, member for the Illawarra region seat of Cunningham. The report says Bird had been imperilled by the recently published draft redistribution, which moved into the electorate branches controlled by state Wollongong MP Noreen Hay, a foe of Bird’s. Zelinsky was reportedly persuaded to withdraw by the party’s state secretary, Jamie Clements, acting on the urging of Bill Shorten.
• I had a piece in Crikey today on Labor’s developing preselection imbroglio in the inner northern Melbourne seat of Wills, which will be vacated at the next election by the retirement of Kelvin Thomson. Below is a graphic I prepared for the piece that didn’t get a run.
zoomster @ 100
[Yep, Greens do a deal with the government and it’s justified here as pragmatic and necessary; Labor does the same kind of deal, on the same grounds, and it’s a sell out, there’s no difference between the two parties, Labor has no spine, yadayadayada…]
Agreed. From the summary above it seems that the Greens got little out of the compromise.
zoomster
David Crowe is not a complete partisan hack. So your attempt to paint bias shows its eye of the beholder.
@Kieran_Gilbert: If there was a pragmatic Greens leader like Di Natale a few years ago Aust would probably have a carbon price/ CPRS today #auspol
Senator Di Natalie in his own words.
[News Limited. Glencore. Transfield. Just three of the hundreds of corporations who will now be forced to disclose the taxes they pay in Australia.
Today in the Senate, a Greens amendment will ensure some of the world’s and Australia’s most profitable companies are no longer able to hide.
The Greens have been calling for greater tax transparency for years. These laws have to be passed today. They are crucial for an OECD tax transparency deal that comes into force on 1 January.
Will you help get us share this win for democracy on Facebook and Twitter?
We know that there’s still work to be done here. But here’s a summary of the key wins:
• Forcing Australian private companies worth over $200 million to show how much tax they pay
• Reverse the Coalition’s so-called “kidnap laws”
• Forcing multinational companies with global revenue over $1 billion to disclose their detailed financial accounts to ASIC, not hiding half of their transactions in shady accounts (like Ansett did just before their collapse).
We may be attacked for doing the right thing in negotiating a stronger, better outcome. Will you help get the word out about this important win by sharing this explainer image?
We made a choice today, to engage and govern through amending laws to get the best possible outcome. This is the result of the ever-increasing number and experience of Greens in Parliament – and it’s not possible without every one of us, standing together and demanding the highest standards of our government.
With hope,
Richard Di Natale
Adam Bandt
Peter Whish-Wilson]
Executive Producer @malonetj: The documents we’ll reveal on Sunday are breathtaking. #60mins https://t.co/rj6ioREbqI
[David Crowe is not a complete partisan hack. So your attempt to paint bias shows its eye of the beholder.]
I must be missing something? I don’t see where Z has painted Crowe as biased? The point quite obviously is that the Greens have made the sort of pragmatic political decision that majority of their cheersquad around here would slag off Labor for doing.
From the small amount I’ve looked at it the Greens’ deal seems a reasonable banking of a small win. Labor is of course giving them back a dose of their own medicine with a transparently political show calling them sellouts etc. In this they are doing no more than recycling the scripts the Greens use to attack Labor whenever they pragmatically get a win that doesn’t satisfy every last hope and wish of the far left.
If the Greens under Di Natale are going to get more pragmatic that’s probably a good thing overall. But it will blunt their ‘oh we’re so pure, not like those just the same as the Libs Labor’ bullshit. They might find, much like the Democrats did, that that isn’t necessarily the path to continuing political success for them though.
I’m not really understanding the spat between Labor and the Greens. Don’t they both want stronger measures to stop multinationals avoiding tax? If they have the numbers together and with the crossbenchers to do something stronger than the Greens agreed to, then you’d think the Greens would hold out for more. And if they don’t have the numbers for more. then I don’t know why Labor is objecting.
triton
Exactly. The Greens are not writing the legislation.
triron @ 107:
I’m not really understanding the spat between Labor and the Greens.
It is indeed one of the great mysteries of the universe. I’ve never seen so much hate as between the left of the ALP and the Greens, especially in inner-city electorates. These are people who fundamentally agree on everything.
Judean People’s Front vs The People’s Front of Judea.
Perhaps the rusted on ALP and Green voters here can explain?
Guytaur – We don’t know, do we, what the AFP seized during their various searches. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ashby was taping various conversations. Would he be stupid enough to keep them at home? Mmmm.
[The ATO can now add multinationals to the types of companies it can pursue under the existing General Anti Avoidance provisions so that if a company has entered into a transaction for the purpose of avoiding tax, the ATO will now be able to prosecute them.]
This is already the case and has been for years.
Oh, I guess it’s because stronger measures wouldn’t pass the Reps, so it was this or nothing. In that case, something is better than nothing, although maybe Labor/Greens could have tried harder. The public wants multinationals to cough up more tax, so it wouldn’t have looked good for the Libs to do nothing rather than accept stronger measures than the Greens agreed to.
“@joeobrien24: Major media conf on US shooting due in 15mins – watch live on @abcnews24”
Chainsaw defecting to the Nats is an interesting one. Barnyard not confident of his numbers? I wonder what McFarlane is looking to get out of it? Back to the ministry I suspect, but that might piss off a few Nats.
And what would be to stop a few more LNP members pulling the same stunt? Especially if they were of the more nutjobby variety and had been overlooked for promotion?
GUYTAUR – Amazing that the Australian is finally reporting some bad news about the NBN. My head is spinning. What on earth is going on?
K17
Thats the RC into Child abuse about Pell.
However your statement regarding Ashby could well be correct
triton,
As you’ve noted, it’s about what you can force the Libs to accept that in the end matters. The Greens and Labor and a few of the cross bench combined to knock out the ‘kidnap clause’ crap, but the Government just said nope and re-passed the original bill in the Reps.
The Greens have negotiated a deal. That’s fine for them, but seeing as they’ve never been backward in smearing Labor any time Labor does the same thing for the same political reasons, so they can enjoy Labor calling them out in the same terms.
The only danger for the Greens in that is if enough of their supporters who have come to them because they are so pure and don’t make dirty political deals work out that they are just another political party doing politics and so go looking for an alternative.
Great article from Rod Tucker about how Labor can still salvage something from the NBN.
http://johnmenadue.com/blog/?p=5098
ratsak @ 117
That pretty much gets it.
If the Greens negotiate a deal with the Coalition, it is principled compromise; if it is Labor, it is a sleazy backroom deal.
guytaur
Your post relating to 60 minutes and their documentation. It concerns Cardinal Pell
WWP
[ This is already the case and has been for years. ]
But first the ATO has to know about them, not just suspect. That’s one of the main uses of tax havens – companies who use them are not obliged to disclose anything.
The Lorax
Like you I have no idea either it is a puzzle.
My second preference always goes to the Greens and the Libs last.
The Borax
[ These are people who fundamentally agree on everything. ]
It only looks that way to you because you are viewing them from so far to the right. Also because you’re not very bright.
K17
[ Great article from Rod Tucker about how Labor can still salvage something from the NBN. ]
Tonnes of copper?
Don’t get too excited about The Australian… apart from one negative article on the NBN not exactly being a summer, there’s always the “Get Turnbull” angle that News Corp seems to like.
How long until Malcolm is connected with the NBN-lite in an explicit manner?
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-mp-ian-macfarlane-defects-to-nationals-in-shock-move-against-malcolm-turnbull-20151203-gle6rd.html
Player One @ 123:
It only looks that way to you because you are viewing them from so far to the right.
Funny. Never voted LNP in my life, and only once preferenced the LNP ahead of the ALP and that was the 2011 NSW state election. The LNP did not get my first preference on that occasion either.
TBH, I’m probably well left of the ALP on social and environmental issues, perhaps less so on economic issues.
Just because I think the ALP is poorly led at the moment, doesn’t mean I’m right wing. Perhaps my concern that the ALP will get thumped next year is genuine. Is that so hard to comprehend?
Sorry I do not understand. Labor and the Greens both want more transparency in taxation paid by large multinationals. The Libs would not come to the party on a really good deal, so the greens opted for something is better than nothing. This is not a backroom or sleazy deal, just common sense.
By contrast when the Greens were all holier than thou over the ETS, stuffing up the chance for a decent scheme, they were rightly criticised by Labor. It seems as if De Natali has learned from that mistake and has opted for something is better than nothing, which Brown and Milne should have done in 2010.
A day or so ago I mentioned driection and passion, as key elements in politics. If you actually know where you are headed ie where you want to be, you can make pragmatic compromises, PROVIDED they are in the direction you are headed. Where it is wrong is where you trade off something that you value.
[22.WWP
This is already the case and has been for years.
But first the ATO has to know about them, not just suspect. That’s one of the main uses of tax havens – companies who use them are not obliged to disclose anything.
]
Australian companies and branches are already obliged to disclose effectively anything the ATO wants excluding privileged documents.
The Lorax
I suggest you take your concerns directly to the ALP
Labor is really pummelling the Greens in the Senate as I write. One aspect on which they claim the Greens have been hoodwinked is that some of the responsibility for investigating companies has been moved from the ATO to ASIC, and they say that ASIC doesn’t have the resources to do it. On ASIC’s past performance, I think they might have a point.
[@davrosz
Ashbygate author Ross Jones discusses Brough on ABC 7.30 (2/12/15) https://youtu.be/1ixTbtM1iUw via @YouTube]
[Just because I think the ALP is poorly led at the moment, doesn’t mean I’m right wing. Perhaps my concern that the ALP will get thumped next year is genuine. Is that so hard to comprehend?]
Comprehending is easy pal, but believing is another, you might be genuine but all the evidence we have points the other way.
“@SkyNewsAust: #BREAKING: Sky News understands some government MPs are pushing for Mal Brough to be dumped in a frontbench reshuffle.”
The Borax
[ Perhaps my concern that the ALP will get thumped next year is genuine. Is that so hard to comprehend? ]
Your ‘concern’ is only too evident.
Lorax
Hatred between the 2 parties is really not all that strong but Greens and ALP are in competition for left of centre voters. Most supporters of both parties just grumble about the other but happily give their preferences to them reserving their worst feelings for the coalition. Inner city seats are where Greens have chance of taking traditional Labor seats so competition is much fiercer and feelings are much stronger especially for party members. This is hardly surprising.
triton
[On ASIC’s past performance, I think they might have a point.]
ASIC notoriously timid.
Earth to fiscal flat-earthers: the problem is not enough government spending to permit the private sector to buy the output it is capable of producing. That is why unemployment and under-employment is so high. Raising tax paid by MNCs is an equity issue rather than something that would help the government to do the spending it needs to do.
[“@SkyNewsAust: #BREAKING: Sky News understands some government MPs are pushing for Mal Brough to be dumped in a frontbench reshuffle.”]
Topic of discussion at the Monkey Pod lunch.
@MarkDiStef: .@latingle on the next problem for Malcolm Turnbull… Wyatt Roy https://t.co/DU0ZCbWrKB https://t.co/39sU43Mlhp
“@EVERALDATLARGE: #Nationals will prosper by making @IanMacfarlaneMP their leader. He has vast experience of #Rural Australia. His talent wasted on backbench”
[ ASIC notoriously timid. ]
Appears almost ‘captured’ at times.
‘ We made a choice today, to engage and govern through amending laws to get the best possible outcome.’
So The Greens are in a formal alliance with the Coalition Government now?
Bless their little green cotton socks! They say ‘govern’, I say ‘delusions of grandeur’. 🙂
So the idea is that MacFarlane will lead the Nats when Truss retires? He’d be a damned better leader than Barnaby for heaven’s sake.
Sharon Bird is an ex-Teacher. 🙂
[So the idea is that MacFarlane will lead the Nats when Truss retires? He’d be a damned better leader than Barnaby for heaven’s sake.]
Trouble brewing with Barnarby, I think… and let us not forget that MacFarlane was the guy who negotiated the CPRS deal, so he might not be too averse to Climate matters.
For those down South, movement of Mcfarlane betwwn parties makes little difference. The two paries are MERGED in Qld. All McFarlane is doing is deciding which caucus room he will sit in. He does not need to resign from the Libs or anything.
Mind you the Brough matter may be related – not sure. Brough is a Liberal, and opposed the LNP merger. Dutton was in favour. I imagine for McFarlane a country guy, a merger made sense 9but not sure).
They live in hope. From the Guardian…
[Australian authorities believe they are searching in the right place for the missing airliner MH370, which disappeared on 8 March last year.
Three quarters of a “hot spot” area within the search zone had been scoured, deputy prime minister Warren Truss told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.]
If it’s true that Windsor is going to re-contest New England at the next election then it might make things very interesting for Barnaby Joyce.
That might have influenced MacFarlane’s thinking as well…
Another grubby deal by Turnbull starting to fall apart.
When will Malcolm ever learn?
* Packer,
* HIH,
* Solomon Islands,
* the Republic,
* Grech,
* NBN
* And those other islands, in the Caribbean.
Once Turnbull becomes fair game for a lazy, gotcha-obsessed Press Gallery, who knows WHAT they will go after?
and now we have:
* Brough, Roy and (let us hope) Chris Pyne.