I’m afraid I won’t be able to treat you to the normal weekly BludgerTrack poll aggregate update this week, but given the ongoing stability of the polling situation generally, you’re probably not missing much. We do, however, have the first fortnightly rolling average result for the year from Essential Research, last week’s result having been drawn from a single week’s sample. The Coalition’s two-party lead is up from 51-49 to 52-48, but the primary votes are unchanged at 44% for the Coalition, 35% for Labor and 10% for the Greens.
Other results from Essential Research show little change in perceptions of the state of the economy on two such results last year, with 28% rating it as good (up two from September) and 31% poor (down one), while 30% rate the economy as heading in the right direction (down four) versus 38% for wrong direction (down one). Scott Morrison is favoured better to handle the economy by 26% (down one), versus 19% for Chris Bowen (up one). Eighteen per cent favour increasing Australia’s military involvement in Syria and Iraq, with 34% wanting it decreased and 32% favouring no change. Respondents took a favourable view of Australia Day, which 56% rated “a day of national pride” against 22% who opted for two disapproving choices: “a day of reflection on the impact on indigenous people” (14%) and “irrelevant in the 21st century” (8%).
[In the old days, of course, a PM who could not take his party with him on major issues close to his heart would resign. Not sleazy Mal]
Tony would ask for forgiveness not permission. Would have been ok if he wasn’t crazy.
Bemused
…and yet your treacherous hero cravenly gifted the Australia Network to Rupert for favour
The north of Tasmania copping a flogging at the moment. To add to the fires –
[BoM issues flood watch for Tasmania’s north east, with heavy rainfall forecast]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-28/bom-issues-flood-watch-for-tasmanias-north-east-break-o'day/7121518
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/drama/xfiles-reboot-david-duchovny-gillian-anderson-fail-to-impress-critics-20160126-gmdynx.html
I only mention because of this quote:
“Today, the comments section of any website no matter how monstrous or obscure, is its own X-Files,” he writes. “Everyone’s got insane theories they need to share. Everyone believes the worst about what we eat, what we watch, what we read and who we vote for.”
Reminds me of some of the fatuous conspiracy theories mentioned at PB regarding the disappearance of MH370.
Also some of the crap I’ve heard from anti-vaxxers (vaccines contain infectious foetal DNA that cause autism, etc) make some X-files storylines seem sensible by comparison.
Rex Douglas@302
Nope. Never happened.
Bemused, Lieth Van Onselen’s article http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2016/01/the-diminution-of-australian-education-standards/ about the falling ATAR scores highlights his lack of knowledge of tertiary education.
ATAR scores are a political fix,
Medicine at melbourne was always highest ATAR
Melbourne Law was always higher ATAR than Monash
in fact Vet Sci always had the highest cutoff
more than half the students admitted to Melbourne Law did not attain the cutoff
The NSW media is going ballistic over teachers with low ATARs and Victoria is annoyed that VIT hasn’t processed teacher registrations in a timely manner. As there is a glut of qualified teachers in NSW and Victoria those teachers whose principals feel are not up scratch don’t last long. I think this round of teacher bashing is too weaken the union and justify withholding pay rises or erode conditions. Kids grow in the holidays.
A sensible solution would be to stop universities competing against each other and close down courses whose graduates are unlikely to gain employment like La Trobe education faculty.
The VIT should be abolished as its an extra layer of bureaucracy, not only do teachers have to pass their teaching qualification, satisfy their principal and their colleagues that they are capable they also have to write 6 by 10,000 word essays demonstrating what a legend they are in the classroom through team teaching, lesson planning and classroom management
For decades universities have been locked in a counterproductive competition to attract moe students, the course offerings are tweaked to appeal to school leavers and their parents, the course structure is changed to avoid HECS caps.
Make no mistake tertiary education is Australia’s fifth largest export earner and it employs more people than mining
Van Onselen says similar
[ Bemused
…and yet your treacherous hero cravenly gifted the Australia Network to Rupert for favour
Nope. Never happened.]
Didn’t happen but he tried hard to ‘slip’ this past Cabinet.
Poor truffles
[Sky News Australia
Sky News Australia – Verified account @SkyNewsAust
.@corybernardi: A plebiscite is a glorified opinion poll and no government should be bound by that. http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2016/01/28/plebiscite-is-a-glorified-opinion-poll–bernardi.html#sthash.IpDlbXxe.dpuf …]
CTar1@307
And his colleagues, you know, those who later professed not to be able to influence him, put a stop to that particular brain-fart. As they should have.
bemused
[And his colleagues, you know, those who later professed not to be able to influence him, put a stop to that particular brain-fart. As they should have.]
He tried this on when he was FM not PM.
Rudd wanted Rupert on side when he was Foreign Minister in full treason mode and put the Australia Network contract ‘out to tender’…. meaning gifted to Sky News.
Conroy rolled Rudd in cabinet, told Rupert to get stuffed, and gave it to the ABC.
Rupert went troppo with all those Daily Telegraph front pages.
Conroy, despite his weirdness, deserves great respect.
Halleujah! I’ve seen the light shining out of his bum!
There we were, the Grandson and I, at Macca’s Dural in Sydney, about 30 minutes ago. He for a Maccas. Me for a wee.
Who was sitting at an outside table but King Ray Hadley himself, talking to thickset-looking male with one side of his face bandaged.
I don’t know whether Hadley had missed while trying to chew off his ear, or whether his interlocutor’s repaired face was the result of some other adventure in Boofhead Land.
The urge to shout out his name, attract his attention and then mouth the word “Dickhead” was strong, but it was a public place, and even Hadley has a right to his privacy, free from harassment by yobbos taking cheap shots when he’s on his best behaviour, boofheadwize.
Not so the blonde 30-something store manager, who came out with his and his pal’s coffee. She fawned all over him, with a staff member in tow, and Ray obliged by shaking hands with her and the young staffer, and then patting the manager on the backside. What a smooth operator!
Alas, even my grandson went “Yuck!”, unimpressed by the Hadley charm. He couldn’t believe his eyes, or Hadley’s hair gel. It was a rite of passage for him, though, because when he’s in the car with me I force him to listen to Hate Radio, just so he’ll know what the bastards are up to. He thinks Hadley’s funny, when on air, but not so funny in the flesh. He’s going to be a good kid, I think.
SK
[Isnt the Green candidate for Grayndler an ex union heavy with a bit of TV appearance history as a heavy?]
Jim Casey, local firefighter and ex (?)-State Secretary of the NSW FBEU (Fire Brigade Emplyees Union) has been preselected as the Greens candidate.
http://greens.org.au/news/nsw/richard-di-natale-announces-local-firefighter-jim-casey-greens-candidate-grayndler
And the gloves are already off.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/anthony-albanese-to-recontest-grayndler-seat-despite-boundary-change/news-story/6e8ac2af96a1f8a8301fcc71eced7653
[In an appeal to voters who may be tempted to vote Green, Mr Albanese warned the party had been “captured” by socialists who had little interest in the environment.]
There’s that ‘s’ word 😉
Jim Casey responds:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/01/27/albanese-grayndler-social_n_9093700.html
[“I make no apologies for my socialist ideals. It is a bit sad [Albanese] is running away from this; he’s happy to DJ songs by Billy Bragg for his mates but when it comes to a political context he’s channelling Joe McCarthy,” Casey said.
“Albanese is happy to identify as a left-winger when it suits, him, but it’s sad he wants to play this Robert Menzies ‘reds under the bed’ routine. I’m a local firefighter and a family man,” Casey continued.
He said he had hoped for a clean campaign against the Labor party heavyweight, but said Albanese’s comments had put paid to that wish.
“I was hoping for a clean contest but that might be a struggle now. I want to talk about the crisis in housing and public transport that Sydneysiders face, and climate change. As a firefighter, I’ve seen first-hand what climate change means, and it’s not enough to have the mealy-mouthed approach from the major parties,” he said.
“I stand by my record in the local area. I’ve been running into burning buildings as for a decade. [Albanese] has been doing good things, so have I. We want to do a positive campaign, and look at the climate solutions that are possible, sustainable and fair.”]
Debate about policy – nope. Just the same old personality politics and attempts at smearing driven by fear from members of the political duopoly.
billie, you need to a lot more research re: ATARs and Teachers. There is a lot being enforced now that’s relevant to ATARs that will still allow students with low or no ATAR into teaching.
In some respects you are correct about unis becoming degree factories and competing against each other, but in this respect, the destruction of the education system by the Libs is the major reason with daylight second.
Tom.
CTar1@310
My mistake. 😳
BB
Bloody hell, BB, you do get some shit luck at times.
I’m running behind. Power off again today.
BH
[SimonK – Spot on, but what on earth possessed Marles to be chosen. Pyne will walk over him. Jim Chalmers would have been better. He’s quick witted, cluey and tough when it’s needed.
Marles is so wishy washy. Crikey!!!]
That was my first thought. Pyne will squawk over the top of him. I suspect Marles has an ego greater than his ability.
[Albanese, the member for Grayndler, on Thursday announced he would renominate for the seat. In speaking to media at Balmain’s Unity Hall Hotel, known as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party, Albanese spent almost as much time talking up his track record as he did rubbishing the resume of Jim Casey, his Greens opponent and former secretary of the NSW Fire Brigade Employees Union.]
No wonder politicians are held in such low regard.
Negative personality politics is so inspiring 😉
Bw
[Bloody hell, BB, you do get some shit luck at times.]
A glutton for punishment I think.
[BB
Bloody hell, BB, you do get some shit luck at times.]
It was like the radio set in the car had come alive. I told the Grandson, “See? There really IS a Ray Hadley!”.
I think he lives out that way somewhere.
Tom@314
From personal observation, the Universities are not really interested in preventing cheating and enforcing standards. Unless it gets so blatant they are forced to act.
Sorry billie, I meant the journalist – but being a pollbludger you would already know that 🙂
Tom.
Pegasus@318
Yes, I am tired of your ceaseless negativity about the Labor Party.
bemused, not from my perspective. This is a problem at the individual lecturer level when it occurs, not the uni level.
Tom.
BB
[The urge to shout out his name, attract his attention and then mouth the word “Dickhead” was strong, but it was a public place, and even Hadley has a right to his privacy, free from harassment by yobbos taking cheap shots when he’s on his best behaviour, boofheadwize.]
If only Hadley could return the favour, and not use his radio show to take cheap shots at members of the public that he disapproves of.
bemused,
lol I am not tired of your ceaseless derision of the Greens Party. It reflects badly on you.
Shoot the messenger is always the go on PB 😉
[Real net disposable income – a key measure of living standards – has fallen for six consecutive quarters and has put considerable pressure on household budgets and consumer spending.]
I would like, as part of my unreasonable economic blueprint some serious plans to address this.
the Greens party has been captured by political oppurtunists who have little interest in the environment.
Tom@324
No, it goes higher. They just did not want to know.
Pegasus@326
The best way of deriding the Greens is to expose their ideas.
[Emphasising his environmental credentials as the original author of Labor’s renewable energy targets and emissions trading scheme, Mr Albanese signalled a knockdown battle in the electorate with a savage attack on his Greens rival, Jim Casey, whom he targeted without uttering Mr Casey’s name.
Mr Albanese’s decision to recontest Grayndler averts what might have been the need for a complex factional deal if he had moved to the now notionally Labor right-wing adjoining seat of Barton.]
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/anthony-albanese-to-recontest-grayndler-launching-fierce-attack-on-greens-rival-20160128-gmfrls.html#ixzz3yW3XvffT
[Poor truffles]
My heart is bleeding for the poor fraud. You’d think the RWNJs would stick to going to war with him on things he changes, but no dice. They’re going to go him for the things he has given in to them on as well. They have him by the short and curlies and his heart and mind are following (and don’t they know it).
ratsak
As zoomster said earlier, this is a perfect opportunity for Turnbull to assert his authority. Lol!
Bemused, I wasn’t aware that you work in all universities…
Tom.
Tom@334
I don’t and there may be exceptions.
But such attitudes tend to spread.
BB
[It was a rite of passage for him, though, because when he’s in the car with me I force him to listen to Hate Radio]
I am reporting you to DOCS (or whatever they call it now). Fair cop, listening to that will damage him forever and no amount of PG (or BBG in your case) can overcome such spite.
Is the Unity Hall Hotel now in Grayndler? It used to be in Sydney
Ray Hadley was part of the reason I stopped following Rugby League. That, and all the dog rooting going on.
Mind you, so long as its consensual, with no power imbalance and both parties are fulfilled… who am i to judge?
SKatich
[Ray Hadley was part of the reason I stopped following Rugby League. ]
Yip, me too. For me the other part of the reason was when the NRL commentators dogpiled on Wilkie and Gillard for daring to take on the pokie lobby.
SK – I think it’s true to say that dogs aren’t fussy
[when the NRL commentators dogpiled on Wilkie and Gillard for daring to take on the pokie lobby]
I was long gone by then. Changing the name of my team didnt help. And bulldozing one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in NSW to accommodate a made up team was the end.
bemused
[From personal observation, the Universities are not really interested in preventing cheating and enforcing standards. Unless it gets so blatant they are forced to act.]
As someone who currently works within the university system, I’m forced to agree.
Pegasus,
You sledge all the time and pretend you don’t. Quite pathetic really. The Greens have been shooting messengers all their existence.
Poor old Mr Casey will get his arse kicked till his nose bleeds taking on Albo. I’m sure the public want to know all about his extreme left wing tendencies.
CNN Politics @CNNPolitics 10m10 minutes ago
.@rupertmurdoch nudges @MikeBloomberg to run for president http://cnn.it/1UqC9nC via @DavidWright_CNN
Tom , I am not sure that all teachers need to have high ATARs. I think principals prefer to hire education graduates from Melbourne, Monash and Deakin in that order- and they do have high ATARs.
Yes I want my English teacher to be able to spell and teach students how to write clearly
Yes I want my Maths teacher to be numerate and competent with the high school syllabus
But won’t the boofhead students relate better to less academic teachers teaching the less academic subjects?
When I said that university competition for students was unproductive I was repeating the view of the author of a review of the Australian education system a decade ago
Rex,
The question is whether Bloomberg can carry the Republican party. He’s a social Liberal and would cop a pounding from the Tea Party.
Not sure Clinton would be overly concerned.
Trump would probably run as a Independent if Bloomberg were drafted which would split the Conservative vote.
Rugby League is a game in which pokie palaces (which harvest money from problem gamblers) send out working class kids to bash the crap out of each other and risk brain injury in return for capped salaries. What’s right about it?
I could play the devil’s advocate and say that copying is a learning strategy
I could remind you that in Confucian education you pupil repeats the views of the teacher
Many a marker rewards the student who repeats the teachers views with a higher mark than those students who argue against the teachers point of view
I know that essay marking has been standardised over the years but there is still subjectivity exercised in marking
When its important that students don’t copy they should be assessed via exams
K17
[I think it’s true to say that dogs aren’t fussy]
Thats very derogatory towards Eastern Suburbs girls. They can be fussy when they want to be. Especially if you are trying to hit on them and they find out you are actually hockey player and not a rugby league player.
kakuru
Not sure this is a modern phenomena. I was aware of mass cheating when I was a student – in one case, a librarian turned up at the examination centre to chase an overdue book and found that, instead of the girl she was expecting to talk to, there was a young man taking her exam for her. When they looked back at the young woman’s past exams, not one was in the same handwriting.
Similarly, I knew an art student (not an Arts one) who submitted an essay on the same topic several times before finally his lecturer decided one was up to standard. He hadn’t written one of them, and this must have been glaringly obvious, but hey.
And, of course, there was the legend around Melbourne Uni that students from the Engineering Department had managed to get a fictitious student all the way through to graduation…
If anything, universities seem far more stringent (looking at my sons’ experiences). Essays, for example, have to be run through programs before submission to check that they haven’t been plagiarised. If they fail this process, the student doesn’t even get to submit the essay, but has to go back and rewrite it.