Essential Research: 54-46 to Labor

Most post-budget opinion poll stasis, this time from Essential Research.

No change on voting intention from Essential Research this week, at all – Labor leads 54-46, from primary votes of Coalition 37%, Labor 38%, Greens 10% and One Nation 6%. Nonetheless, there is a net positive response for the budget, which records 41% approval and 33% disapproval, and for each of eight individual measures, ranging from 82-7 in favour of a levy on vacant properties owned by foreign investors to 49-39 for the Medicare levy increase. However, 56% felt the increase should be higher for high income earners, as per Labor policy, with 27% favouring a flat increase (though no allowance was made for those who didn’t think it should happen at all). For all the “Labor lite” talk, the Liberal Party’s reputation dies hard, with the budget rated best for “people who are well off” and “Australian business”, and worst for “you personally” and, suggesting at least some insight as to what the budget specifically contained, university students. On the question of preferred Treasurer, Scott Morrison (26%) and Chris Bowen (22%) ran a distant third behind “don’t know”.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

1,263 comments on “Essential Research: 54-46 to Labor”

Comments Page 3 of 26
1 2 3 4 … 26

  1. And some of those who gave evidence at the Royal Commission against the union etc. have also failed to pay their workers properly and have gone into receivership.

    However, like Kathy the Shill Jackson, they are used like tissues by the Tories. Held up initially as pure and clean and their virtuous acts shouted from the rooftops, up hill and down dale. For as long as it takes to expectorate their phlegmatic bile against Labor or the Union Movement. Then they wipe their secretions off with the tissue and throw it away.

  3. DylanByers: This whole “the leaks are the problem” defense goes over about as well as a cheating spouse who says “you shouldn’t be looking at my phone.”

  4. itzadream @ #50 Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 8:40 am

    For those with insomnia, Melatonin has much to recommend it, without side effects other than drowsiness if taken at the wrong time.
    Melatonin is naturally released from the Pineal Gland in response to the rhythms of day-night / light-dark and is the basis for our natural sleep patterns, constantly under stress from modern habits like looking at bright computer screens getting agitated about energy wars when you should have long retreated into a dark cave by the fading light of a waning fire. It is also the killer in long distance travel and the basis for jet-lag as the Pineal continues to release on its old time cycle until slowly resetting its clock, over several days.
    The good thing about it with jet-lag is that an ‘external’ dose of Melatonin will suppress to some extent the natural release of one’s own, so the new time zone can be managed ‘externally’ until the internal clock resets. I swear by it.
    Anyway, back to sleep disorders – 2mg slow release is the way to go, and a prescription is needed. There’s lower doses and herbally stuff around I think, esp in the States.
    Congrats to anyone getting off tobacco. And global congrats to Labor for setting the world up on plain packaging and restricted marketing, which the Cons opposed vigorously at the time. Nice caring people that they are.

    I endorse 100% what you are saying about Melatonin from personal experience.
    I don’t use it regularly, just occasionally when I have bouts of insomnia.
    I use the 2mg slow release tablets but too expensive on prescription so I buy from US on eBay. Much cheaper.
    And as far as dose goes, half a tablet does the trick with me, or even 1/4 tablet. It seems a general thing with me that I respond well to low doses of medication so it may not work for everyone.

  5. samanthamaiden: Did Trump share intelligence with Russians Five Eyes allies including Australia? WSJ Story here @SkyNewsAust Jackson Williams asking PM now twitter.com/rebeccaballhau…

  6. Bemused,
    To see such a fulsome joy in a person’s grandchildren is well worth reading about. Even on a ‘politics’ blog! 🙂

  10. hughriminton: PM: “We need to proceed (with the bank tax). It is vitally important to return the budget to balance.” #auspol pic.twitter.com/68AoZLTTTe

  11. Sohar
    “Crap. The Israelis and the Saudis helped create ISIS.”

    I thought the Wiggles created ISIS. That’s what Miranda Devine told me.

  12. sohar @ #92 Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 9:49 am

    Yes, Barney. No doubt the BBC and the ABC are playing the same game for their respective political masters, although ultimately they (and the MSM generally) share the same Cayman-related masters.

    I wouldn’t agree with that as a general statement of either the ABC or the BBC.

    My post relates to one journalist and an obvious alignment with the message being pushed by a political Party.

    Having lived in the UK my impression of the BBC is largely similar to that of the ABC that in general they do a very good job of reporting the News and politics.

  13. Taxing the rich more and hitting all Australians with the Medicare levy is the only reliable way the Federal Government will reach its surplus goal, according to Dr Edwards, former Reserve Bank board member and leading economist.

    He also welcomed Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s plan to take the tax rate for those earning more than $180,000 to 49.5 per cent permanently, an idea slammed by Dr Edwards’ former boss Paul Keating, who labelled it a punitive tax gouge.

    I must say it disappoints me greatly to hear Keating coming out with something like that. When the gap between rich and poor has increased so much over the last three decades, courtesy of failed trickle down economics, surely asking the rich to pay a bit more is about fairness rather than inflicting punishment.

    It makes me wonder which side of the aisle Keating is speaking for now.

  14. First Republican Turns On Trump As House Oversight Chair Says Congress Will Get Comey Memos

    House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) says he is ready to use his subpoena power if that is what it takes to get access to James Comey’s memos of his conversations with Donald Trump.

    If Republicans stick with Trump, they are going to go down with the sinking ship. Should the choice become Trump or their own seats, the odds are good that enough Republicans will turn on Trump to make something happen.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/05/16/republican-turns-trump-house-oversight-chair-congress-comey-memos.html

  16. James Comey Gets His Revenge By Releasing Notes Showing Trump Obstructed Justice

    Notes attributed to then FBI Director James Comey show that President Trump asked him to stop investigating General Mike Flynn the day after Flynn was fired.

    Mike Schmidt at the New York Times just published a game changer that came from notes attributed to then FBI Director James Comey claiming that President Trump asked him to stop investigating General Mike Flynn the day after Flynn was fired.

    “President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February, according to a memo that Mr. Comey wrote shortly after the meeting,” Schmidt reports based on notes that Comey’s associates read to him.*

    “I hope you can let this go,” Comey’s note reports Trump saying to him.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/05/16/comey-notes-show-donald-trump-fired-fbi-director.html

  18. LucyMcNallyABC: “We are at a crossroads” MEAA’s Paul Murphy tells the #SenateJournalism inquiry 2500 editorial jobs have been lost since 2011.

  19. Jake Tapper Just Devastated Trump With A Stunning Revelation About His Russia Leak

    CNN’s Jake Tapper revealed that the same information that Trump leaked to Russia that is so sensitive that CNN was warned in march not to report it because it would get people killed.

    Tapper revealed that CNN had learned about the intelligence in March, but had been cautioned by the White House not to report on certain details of the laptop bomb plot because it would get people killed. Tapper said, “By reporting the city’s name Trump administration officials insisted that would tip off American adversaries about sources and methods used to gather the intelligence. It would, they insisted, get people killed. CNN did not report the details. CNN did not report the name of the city.”

    However, Trump did give the name of the city to the Russians.

    Tapper continued, “It’s the same city. It’s the same city that CNN was cautioned not to report.”

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/05/16/jake-tapper-devastated-trump-stunning-revelation-russia-leak.html

  20. KayJay

    Glad to see you here. I feel that the loss of your canine companion has understandably taken the top off your sense of humour and I miss your crazy posts. Please reassure me that you’re OK.

  21. REVEALED: Trump made Sessions and Pence leave room before asking Comey to drop Flynn investigation

    According to CNN’s Jake Tapper, a source revealed President Donald Trump was in a meeting with former FBI director James Comey Feb. 14 when he asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Vice President Mike Pence to leave the room. It was at that time, Trump asked Comey to “let go” of the investigation into retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

    “I hope you can see your way to letting this guy – to letting Flynn go,” the source told Tapper Trump said. “He’s a good guy I hope you can let this go.”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/revealed-trump-made-sessions-and-pence-leave-room-before-asking-comey-to-drop-flynn-investigation/

  22. Seriously. How the fuck is this lunatic still President?

    Former FBI Director James Comey wrote in a memo that President Donald Trump asked him to end the investigation of national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to sources familiar with the matter.

    Comey was so appalled by the request that he wanted to document it, sources said. Comey shared it with FBI senior officials, according to sources.

    “I hope you can let this go,” Comey wrote, quoting the President. CNN has not viewed the memo but sources described it to CNN.

    The memo is the clearest sign yet of potential interference by Trump with the investigation into whether members of his campaign team colluded with Russian officials.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/16/politics/trump-james-comey-memo/index.html

    At this point it must be down to a question of when, not if, Trump will be impeached.

  23. SkyNewsAust: .@billshortenmp says if @TurnbullMalcolm was really tough on banks he would institute a royal commission and not just a levy #Budget2017

  25. ‘Small circle’ of Justice Department officials were aware of Comey’s memos on Trump meetings: report

    As the news cycle remains dominated by the revelation of memos written by fired FBI Director James Comey as part of a “paper trail” of perceived misbehavior by President Donald Trump, we are learning more about who had access to Comey’s cache of memos.

    In the Washington Post‘s report confirming the existence of the Comey memos, sources allege that officials at the Department of Justice had access to the memos.

    According to the Post‘s sources, “details of Comey’s notes were shared with a very small circle of people at the FBI and Justice Department”.

    MSNBC justice and security analyst Matthew Miller aired concerns on Twitter about the possibility that the memos had reached Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — the two officials whose letters to President Trump about Comey were used as initial justifications for the former FBI director’s termination.

    “If Sessions & Rosenstein knew this when they signed off on his firing,” Miller tweeted, “their positions aren’t tenable”.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/small-circle-of-justice-department-officials-were-aware-of-comeys-memos-on-trump-meetings-report/

  26. It would be interesting sitting in the Registry Office of the Privy Council when Mr. Cullerton attempts to file his pleadings …

  27. Watergate’s John Dean: Comey memos are the ‘smoking gun’ that could bring down Trump like Nixon

    Speaking on CNN, former Nixon aide John Dean told host Wolf Blitzer that the existence of fired FBI Director James Comey’s memos of his and President Donald Trump’s conversation is “a direct parallel to what was in the ‘smoking gun tape.’”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/watergates-john-dean-comey-memos-are-the-smoking-gun-that-could-bring-down-trump-like-nixon/

  29. KayJay @ #95 Wednesday, May 17th, 2017 – 10:01 am

    AR
    I have done some testing with Chrome (with Windows 10) and the result is that having CCCP and C+ both enabled causes various problems and therefore one or the other should be removed.

    Thanks, good to know. The two plugins do a lot of the same things (I think), so not surprising that there’s a clash when both try to run at the same time.

  30. CNN’s Borger: Did Trump send Pence and Sessions out of Comey meeting so there would be no witnesses?

    According to Jake Tapper, a source revealed that Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Vice President Mike Pence to leave the room before he asked Comey to drop the investigation into retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

    “The idea, to me, that he asked his attorney general to leave and vice president to leave is quite damaging to him,” Borger closed. “Because if the White House says the president did not do anything wrong, nothing untoward there, he did not ask for any benefit for Flynn, then why did he ask people to leave the room? What was he doing asking them to leave?”

    CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin later said that the fact that Trump asked Pence and Sessions to leave “suggests consciousness of guilt.”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/cnns-borger-did-trump-send-pence-and-sessions-out-of-comey-meeting-so-there-would-be-no-witnesses/

  31. SenatorLudlam: the @withMEAA just put to us that since 2007, fairfax have spent nearly half a billion dollars on redundancies #PIJ

  32. c@tmomma @ #74 Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 9:05 am

    Labor guilty of NDIS hypocrisy
    PAUL KELLY
    If the scheme is ‘fully funded’, why burden the highest taxpayers with an extra levy?
    Actually, and maybe purposefully, Paul Kelly has got it arse-about. It is actually the government who are seeking to impose the extra levy on high income earners, as well as everyone else, to pay for the NDIS, but Labor simply want to take it away from the lowest-waged taxpayers. What’s not to like about that idea?

    IMHO, and I think I am correct, while ever there is a budget deficit NOTHING CAN BE SAID TO BE FULLY FUNDED. To say some programs are and others aren’t is just a thimble and pea trick.
    Why is Labor not making this point and hammering it all the time?
    More to the point, Governments have priorities and a budget is a financial expression of them. If NDIS has a high enough priority, it will be funded, deficit or no deficit.

  33. PhoenixRed

    I have had a look at the Rick Wilson Twitter feed. He has changed his header.
    “Seven days in May” which appears to be from a movie.
    Obviously a clue as to how things are now playing out

  34. gzy_d: MEAA believes that a levy on content aggregators, w money raised spread across old and new media, could help to protect media plurality #PIJ

  35. It seems there may be some momentum for a bank levy to be extended to foreign banks. It would be ironic if labor grabs onto this and puts pressure back on Turnbull. ” Why single out Aussie banks when those pesky foreigners are getting way with murder ? ” type of thing. The whole issue of fairness and competiveness comes into the argument. If Turnbull wants to argue against extending the levy then good luck with that. All of the arguments he has put forward as to why Aussie banks should cop the levy apply directly to foreign banks as well ( rightly or wrongly ).

    All the while labor can sit back and watch Turnbull tie himself in knots trying to defend the foreign banks. All his own mess.

    BTW, labor can count the extra revenue towards budget repair !

    Cheers.

  36. ‘Literally the worst idea I’ve ever heard’: Internet aghast at Trump’s plan to give speech on Islam in Saudi Arabia

    resident Donald Trump is not known for his kindness towards Muslims — so when Twitter users learned that the president was giving a speech on Islam in Saudi Arabia, they were unsurprisingly shocked.

    According to Haaretz, Saudi Arabia is to be the first stop on the president’s “America First” tour, likely due to a reported $100 billion dollar arms deal between the U.S. and the theocratic Arab monarchy

    A tweet in response :

    Trump Islam Speech: “Muslims love me. Islam loves me. I love me. But my base hates you. Bannon wants WW3 w you. Let’s make tall buildings!”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/literally-the-worst-idea-ive-ever-heard-internet-aghast-at-trumps-plan-to-give-speech-on-islam-in-saudi-arabia/

  39. phoenixRED @ #130 Wednesday, May 17th, 2017 – 10:29 am

    CNN’s Borger: Did Trump send Pence and Sessions out of Comey meeting so there would be no witnesses?

    That’s usually why you kick people out of the room. But doesn’t work if you’re taping everything, and then wave the tapes around as a threat against people talking.

    People have talked. Trump needs to release his tapes.

  40. KathrynPowley: “Love is love” & Gay Australians should be able to marry, say #AFL players @AMEquality @rolfep @theheraldsun bit.ly/2ron8dv #idahot pic.twitter.com/JuCnziqVue

    https://twitter.com/kathrynpowley/status/864625996397293568

    This issue just won’t go away much as the bigots want it to.

    ______________________________________________
    Anderson Cooper is about to show the full interview with Sally Yates after the advertisement.

  41. victoria Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 10:32 am

    PhoenixRed

    I have had a look at the Rick Wilson Twitter feed. He has changed his header.
    “Seven days in May” which appears to be from a movie.
    Obviously a clue as to how things are now playing out

    **************************************
    Hi Victoria – onto my 3rd mouse – so much anti-Trump

    Seven Days in May – was a 60’s movie/book about planned Military takeover of the US Government in reaction to the president’s negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union

    Sound vaguely familiar ????

  42. Bowen will argue today that the NDIS is funded and that the increase for the top two incomes brackets is all to do with budget repair.

    He will point out that those earning $ 87000 plus received a tax cut in last years budget and the last time those earning less received a cut was under the Zgillard government. So, with wages stagnating why is it fair to ask those earning $30000, $40000 etc cop another tax rise to help with budget repair ( not NDIS ) while those earning $180000 plus get a tax cut and while those on $87000 plus received a tax cut last budget ?

    As well, Bowen will commit to reviewing the tax rates once the budget returns to balance not before.

    Cheers.

  43. It is my understanding The Act of Australia 1986 removed a number of vestiges of the British Crown, including appeals to the Privy Council. Ie Culleton can not appeal to the Privy Council.

  45. lizzie @ #120 Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 10:23 am

    KayJay
    Glad to see you here. I feel that the loss of your canine companion has understandably taken the top off your sense of humour and I miss your crazy posts. Please reassure me that you’re OK.

    Thanks Lizzie.
    I am sort of OK.
    I have some stories I would like to tell and will eventually get around to that.
    The lunacy of what passes for leadership (of the people, for the people etc) is so mad that I am finding parallels in the leadup to the English Civil war.
    I do hope that Mr. Turnbull 🎩 (here I would like imagined a respectful emoji) does not try to introduce a new prayer book and insist that the faithful (us) read from that.
    So, yes Lizzie I’m as well as can be expected although Brown Bear is not quite up to the standard of the regimental dog.
    Regimental dog title came from a long running and loving series of conversations with my best friend now in heaven. Everything was “the regimental” at that time.
    I suppose our government (lower case) could be the regimental government and we could march them up to the top of the hill, and so on.
    Bye for now, I am almost ready to reinstall my Windows 10 and assorted programs.

  46. joncoopertweets: White House sources say Trump is cursing up a storm – ranting and raving. Yelling at staffers & using the “F” word. He’s losing it tonight.

  47. JohnBarronUSA: We’re off to the races folks. twitter.com/timkmak/status…

    timkmak: McCain just said at a dinner honoring him that the Trump scandals have reached a “Watergate size and scale” — wow

  49. c@tmomma @ #27 Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 7:55 am

    Don,
    However, if you want instead to discuss fad diets, what film star shares your birthday, and cute kittens, go ahead.
    You can bet your freaking life we will! This ‘politics blog’ isn’t what you or anyone else think it should be, and I know it may sound hypocritical of me to say that, but, at it’s core it is a meeting place and virtual town square where all sorts of thing organically come up and are discussed.

    That is exactly my point. I was replying to someone who wanted to shut down discussion on something people wanted to discuss.

    That can be grand daughters or birds or trees or what the cat dragged home or whatever, so far as I am concerned.

    This is a village, I enjoy reading what others post on a very wide range of subjects, often nothing ostensibly to do with politics.

    I note, however, that you would apparently like less discussion on energy. That is your right, and that is what your scroll wheel is for.

    If someone is discussing to the point of exhaustion, on and on and on and on the minutiae of Queensland or WA or NSW politics and it either does not affect me or is of no interest, I scroll on by. Not an issue.

    That is what I think everybody should do, and quit whinging.

  50. a r Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 10:23 am
    Seriously. How the fuck is this lunatic still President?

    *********************************************

    Like he boasted A R – he could shoot someone dead in broad daylight on 5th Avenue and it would not cost him one vote – that seems to be applicable to not only ordinary votes but also the spineless bastards in the GOP who could vote him out in an impeachment – the same shameful GOP who are seeing everything America has ever stood for – and promotes itself to the world as – disintegrating on a daily bases …….

Comments Page 3 of 26
1 2 3 4 … 26

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *