Another random assortment of polling and preselection news to tide us over until the federal polling season resumes:
• Essential Research has broken the poll drought to the extent of releasing state voting intention results, compiled from the polling it conducted between October and December. The results find Labor ahead in all five states, with Tasmania not covered. This includes a breakthrough 51-49 lead in New South Wales, after they were slightly behind in each quarterly poll going back to April-June 2016; a 51-49 lead in Victoria, after they led either 52-48 or 53-47 going back to October-December 2015; a 52-48 lead in Queensland, from primary vote results well in line with the state election held during the period; and a new peak of 57-43 in Western Australia. In South Australia, Labor is credited with a lead of 51-49, from primary vote numbers which are, typically for Essential Research, less good for Nick Xenophon’s SA Best than Newspoll/Galaxy: Labor 34%, Liberal 31%, SA Best 22%.
• The Age has ReachTEL polls of two Victorian state seats conducted on Friday, prompted by the current hot button issue in the state’s politics, namely “crime and anti-social behaviour”. The poll targeted two Labor-held seats at the opposite ends of outer Melbourne, one safe (Tarneit in the west, margin 14.6%), the other marginal (Cranbourne in the south-east, margin 2.3%). After excluding the higher-than-usual undecided (14.5% in Cranbourne, 15.5% in Tarneit), the primary votes in Cranbourne are Labor 40% (down from 43.4% at the last election), Liberal 40% (down from 41.3%) and Greens 7% (up from 4.2%); in Tarneit, Labor 43% (down from 46.8%), Liberal 36% (up from 26.4%), Greens 10% (up from 9.0%). Substantial majorities in both electorates consider youth crime a worsening problem, believe “the main issues with youth crime concern gangs of African origin”, and rate that they are, indeed, less likely to go out at night than they were twelve months ago. The bad news for the Liberals is that very strong majorities in both seats (74.6-25.4 in Tarneit, 66.5-33.5) feel Daniel Andrews would be more effective than Matthew Guy at dealing with the issue.
• Rachel Baxendale of The Australian reports on the latest flare-up in an ongoing feud between Ian Goodenough, member for the safe Liberal seat of Moore in Perth’s northern suburbs, and party player Simon Ehrenfeld, whose preselection for the corresponding state seat of Hillarys before the last state election was overturned by the party’s state council. The report includes intimations that Goodenough may have a fight of his own in the preselection for the next election, with those ubiquitous “party sources” rating him a “waste of a safe seat“, particularly in light of Christian Porter’s dangerous position in Pearce.
• Not long after Andrew Bartlett replaced Larissa Waters as a Queensland Greens Senator following the latter’s Section 44-related disqualification, the two are set to go head-to-head for preselection at the next election. Sonia Kohlbacher of AAP reports that Ben Pennings, “anti-Adani advocate and former party employee”, has also nominated, although he’s presumably a long shot. The ballot of party members will begin on February 16, with the result to be announced on March 26.
Guytaur
So I am to gather that Turnbull hasnt done a presser yet expressing his concern for the “train crisis” in NSW?!!
P1
I don’t know if you are quoting the whole quote.
I agree with you about BW doing boorish and snide comments.
Maybe you can learn not to do the same yourself with your comments disputing the reality of the death of coal and the transition period for gas has now passed with the Tesla battery proving day after day its worth.
Great Credit to Jay Weatherill for trialling the battery. I see there is less talk about gas now even though South Australia as far as i know has not ditched gas as a power source yet. Gas as transition is not going to be a big thing in future.
Instead we will get a gas reservation policy with Federal Labor to fix the domestic market and the cost of gas for cooking purposes. Gas is still the chef favourite for cooking in Restaurants and in homes. Its just price that is a threat to this choice.
“MeToo is not about two people in a workplace awkwardly exploring their feelings for each other. Anyone in a powerful position in a workplace must be acutely aware of the sensitivities of beginning any sort of relationship with someone in a less powerful position and behave carefully and respectfully – if they are at all crass or careless then they are showing incompetence in holding a powerful role. They deserve to have their career curtailed for these failures if we want to address a myriad of problems caused by abuse of power in the workplace.”
Well agreed by me SK.
In matters like the Don Burke, Craig McLauchlan accusations the underlying pattern is that the accused are in positions of power relative to their accusers at the time of the alleged harassment. The basic threat against the accusers is that they will have their careers impacted unless they comply, and ended if they complain. Now, that same consequence is being applied to the accused.
Innocent until proven guilty i agree with, but i can understand the position of the accusers where they have tried to deal with this and the people (producers, managers) who should have investigated and taken action did not.
The accused do have options to dispute the allegations. They could go defamation action and if in that it was actually found that the allegations were baseless the accusers should be come down on like a ton of bricks. False allegations make it all the more difficult for people with real and substantive ones to get through this kind of thing.
Very fraught issue. But, like it or not a big one at the moment. Lots to be learned in terms of what workplace culture should be.
Victoria
Nope. Nor about the thousands who suffered blackouts due to a storm? Though I must say he at least on the blackouts has the excuse of the media not covering those thousands without power in NSW on the hottest period in recent memory.
P1,
Player One @ #69 Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 – 9:55 am
I merely pointed out that you were the pot calling the kettle black, as I have simply observed over time that you are equally as capable of being snide and boorish in your replies, and offered you the helpful suggestion that if you refrained from doing it your arguments would be a lot more persuasive. 🙂
For all the kilometres of commentary columns about the sex abuse and exploitation – one key component is usually ignored: it is the abuse of power that is sickening and immoral The sexual acts or speech are not significantly worse than non-sexual exploitation.
Another variant of the “rape is a crime of force, not so much about the sex” comment.
But, but, but, it is the sex that sells!
That reminds me of the Drunken Sailor parody:
“What shall we put in the daily paper? (repeat three times)
Early in the morning”
Many verses follow!
Regarding Bannon – Breitbart News is bankrolled by the Mercer family and that may well be where pressure may have come from for him to ‘walk’.
Breitbart/ Mercers also supported/ backed trump – after all who wouldn’t like those tax cuts to continue etc.
As for Bannon’s “spectacular fall {being} complete”.
Maybe. Also maybe he is giving his role in F&F a chance to be overtaken by other fcuk ups?
I don’t know and certainly don’t cheer Bannon, unless he helps bring trump down, then crashes himself.
Bannon goes away for a while, takes a break and then comes back quietly in the run up to the mid terms ? – more likely IMO.
citizen @ #89 Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 – 6:59 am
Very long and very slow but absolutely stunning.
Depending on which train you get on it can be anything from 24 hours to 3+ days.
I’ve only done the section between Hue and Ninh Binh.
It’s a stunning section where the mountains approach the coastline.
It’s lush farmland where the vivid greens of the tropics abound.
They could certainly pick worse routes!! 🙂
The infamous Henk Jongen has actually apologised for a Centrelink stuff up.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/centrelink-tells-woman-samesex-marriage-isnt-recognised-in-australia-20180109-h0fl59.html
That has to a be a first.
test
On the media covering the Metoo issues.
The media is doing this precisely because the problem alleged is that those in power have not acted ethically when receiving reports.
Then people who have been failed by a culture that has seen systemic failure to deal with the issues raised go to the media to seek accountability.
This is just like the cover up for decades of various organisations of child abuse.
You have to root out the culture that sees the lack of action by those in authority who are supposed to deal with the accusations so people don’t have to go to the media.
Its that systemic failure that is the story. Don Burke and McGlachlan guilty or innocent is beside the point. The point is that complaints of alleged misconduct was not investigated and that caused the approach to the media after those complaints fell on deaf ears.
Thats what we should be discussing. Especially now the police are involved in at least the McGlachlan case. Proper process and all that.
Where the media is irresponsible is after raising the issue is pushing witch hunts. Its not being irresponsible in reporting the he said she said back and forth. The media does that all the time with other cases. Until the court case starts or the prosecutors say there is not enough evidence to proceed.
rossmcg @ #109 Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 – 7:26 am
Sometimes reality is too much of an obstacle to deny!!!! 🙂
Out of curiosity, I googled “what shall we put in the daily paper”. It directed me to a 2007 book called “Wordsmiths and Weavers” which looks like a good read. (The verses quoted were much cleaner than I remember from the MUMC songbook! “Duchess poisoned by noxious vapour” instead of “Duchess of 80 chased by raper”
dave says: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 11:22 am
Regarding Bannon – Breitbart News is bankrolled by the Mercer family and that may well be where pressure may have come from for him to ‘walk’.
Breitbart/ Mercers also supported/ backed trump – after all who wouldn’t like those tax cuts to continue etc.
*******************************************************
Also – Breitbart/Mercer/Bannon – are all linked to data mining outfit Cambridge Analytica – whose role in possible collusion/conspiracy with foreign agents/social media sites is under suspicion and its operations are no doubt part of Muellers investigation.
So far in Australia we’ve had the following accused of sexual harassment (these are just the ones I recognise as there have been others)
1. Don Burke
2. Craig McLachlan
3. Robert Doyle
4. Geoffrey Rush
How many are guilty? Will we ever know? Will their punishment (social or criminal) fit the crime, either too much or too little? What will be the effect on the ladies if it fizzles out?
I’m not saying #metoo shouldn’t happen but it’s really complicated and messy.
If organisations had better internal investigations and accountability, it would be greatly preferable to trial by media. But they don’t.
guytaur @ #104 Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 – 11:20 am
But NSW has the largest amount of Coal-fired Power generation in Australia, hence radio silence from Turnbull.
Gladys has accepted the blame for the train delays … sits with anyone other than her.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-10/sydney-trains-issued-with-please-explain-over-network-meltdown/9316860
Please explain?
You scheduled more services, without any new trains, drivers or track.
You got greedy, and thought “oh, this factor of safety that all governments up until this one had in the system to ensure it can survive small upsets? We don’t need that. Lets just get rid of it and hope that everything goes perfectly. We can always blame Sydney trains if something goes wrong”.
Diogenes @ #115 Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 – 7:31 am
I think the messiness comes from the culture that has existed within the industry.
That culture is being torn apart in an unplanned way so there is no neat solution.
C@t
It is fairly obvious that Turnbull only has the courage to speak out against Labor govts.
Diogenes
1. Don Burke. Story has gone cold. Nobody defending Burke. No reports he is taking legal action.
2. Craig McLachlan. Police inquiry.
3. Robert Doyle: Independent inquiry by council appointed QC.
4. Geoffrey Rush: Suing the Daily Telegraph.
As somebody with some experience in the media, the Rush case interests me most.
If he did something he is risking more than reputation in going to court.
If he is the victim of some awful reporting what will we find out about the internal processes at Murdoch’s newspapers, especially since at sister paper the Herald-Sun staff were told not to have anything to do with the story, even link to it or comment on it on social media.
VE
KK did the same and got similar results. Its just a matter of history repeating.
At least Labor had the excuse of being first to do it.
No such excuse for the LNP for ignoring the lessons of history.
Where is the much vaunted frank and fearless advice from the public service and institutional memory it provides to prevent these repeats of history?
Outsourced to consultants as privatisation mania has taken hold.
Two service stations in northern Melbourne were targeted this morning. Masked thieves with hammers stole cigarettes etc. they were of African appearance.
Waiting for Turnbull, Dutton and Matthew Guy to do a joint presser.
rossmcg
I didn’t know that the Herald Sun were directed not to link to the GRush story.
victoria @ #123 Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 – 7:46 am
Mediawatch did a good piece on the story which highlights how it was handled by various outlets.
HamillHimself: I will continue to “like” any #HBD requests I get, but please use these 8 “Just For You” Birthday Pics, so I have more time for posts about cute animals, SW/Joker stuff, food pics & deranged man-babies who have reached the pinnacle of power. ENJOY! #2nd4of8 pic.twitter.com/taVVOgqye8
You will have to check the timeline for the full eight photos. I am not taking all the space up here.
eg Amy Taeuber.
This is not just an entertainment industry problem and as mentioned by phylactella not just a sexual harassment/abuse and gender problem. This is exploitation by the powerful. Many (most?) corporations are not well placed to confront and rectify this.
With unionism on the decline I have often wondered if super funds (especially industry ones) should be offering workplace protection insurance that offer advice, resources and legal representation in protecting workplace rights along with income protection if their whistleblowing puts them out of a job.
JoshStein_: BREAKING: The three judge panel in the NC Congressional partisan gerrymandering case (Common Cause/LWV v. Rucho) just issued a ruling unanimously concluding that the congressional maps constitute an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.
BiGD
I obviously missed that segment! Thanks
Victoria
Herald-sun attitude to Rush story was reported on Mediawatch. With memo from editor describing story as defamatory.
edit: too quick Barney.
rossmcg
For once the Herald Sun were right!
MJack50269588: WTF? The prices that are charged should GUARANTEE 100% supply particularly as Ausgrid was gold plated… twitter.com/deniseshrivell…
deniseshrivell: ‘A day after 31,000 properties across NSW lost power in searing heat, energy provider @Ausgrid says it is “never going to be able” to supply all of its customers all of the time due to how much it would cost’. #auspol
sbs.com.au/news/ausgrid-c…
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/ausgrid-can-t-power-all-nsw-all-the-time
‘Diogenes says:
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 11:31 am
So far in Australia we’ve had the following accused of sexual harassment (these are just the ones I recognise as there have been others)
1. Don Burke
2. Craig McLachlan
3. Robert Doyle
4. Geoffrey Rush
How many are guilty? Will we ever know? Will their punishment (social or criminal) fit the crime, either too much or too little? What will be the effect on the ladies if it fizzles out?
I’m not saying #metoo shouldn’t happen but it’s really complicated and messy.
If organisations had better internal investigations and accountability, it would be greatly preferable to trial by media. But they don’t.’
You can add Bill Shorten to that list.
The folk who investigated and ultimately published the Burke allegations have promised that there will be more to come this year and that they will include politicians on both sides.
https://newmatilda.com/2018/01/09/unmasking-malcolm-the-big-5-policy-failures-of-2017/
Apparently around three million Sydneysiders have decided to share a certain nuclear-powered eco-bunker.
The big drawcard is guilt-free double-headed fish fingers.
Boewar
Yes I think we will see more. One person involved in the inquiry (can’t recall who) said after the Burke revelations there were plenty more.
It is interesting to follow the timeline in the McLachlan case.
It would appear that the women’s lawyer wrote to the production company some time ago. The response was a threat to sue.
The women have then gone to the police.
The story has then appeared.
I wonder if the Fairfax and the ABC have decided on this approach as a cover for the usual cries of “why wasn’t it reported” and “why didn’t the women go to the police”?
I reckon that when you send a letter to the employer outlining the complaint and the answer is “eff off or we’ll sue you to death” the gloves are off.
Correct me im wrong but I believe Ausgrid is one of the three energy distributors in NSW. It just happens to cover Wollongong, Newcastle and most of Sydney. Endeavour and another do the rest. Hardly surprising Ausgrid cant supply all of NSW.
It’s also important to note: if – regardless of which person we’re discussing – the very first complaint against them had been taken seriously, and they had been consistently told that such behaviour was unacceptable, then the behaviour would probably have never been repeated.
Being allowed to get away with it, for whatever reason, normalises the behaviour. The person comes to see it as OK and thus that there is something wrong with anyone who objects to it.
BW
My understanding is that the future outing of politicians you refer to will be by Tracey Spicer. The hope is that there will be strong journalistic rigor applied and only certain names (that have had allegations cross checked with independent sources and give the accused prior opportunity to challenge) are released.
I hope (and believe) that Tracey Spicer realises that her cause is not well served by a scatter gun of accusations approach.
IOM
Ausgrid is the wholesale level. Not the retail level. So yes it covers all of NSW.
Zoomster
Exactly.
Several women have said they complained. The company says it has no record of complaints, ie they were never made.
No. Having no record of complaints says to me they were never recorded (how convenient), much less passed on to the alleged offender.
Simon Katich
Spicer was the person I alluded to above.
The implications of getting this wrong will not be lost on anybody and there will be many checks.
A lot of evidence will essentially be hearsay. Going through the process of proving it up will take time.
That’s why I think the Rush case is worth watching. He is suing. Others have not.
rossmcg
I don’t know the details in this case.
IMO most of these sorts of problems start and end with management failure.
If there is ethics framework, no code of conduct, no published standards, no induction process, no processes and no accountability then management is, IMO, culpably negligent when something does go wrong.
If management’s initial responses are to ignore, deny, obfuscate and then to threaten, then the initial management failures are magnified.
I can’t see the Coalition being too fussed.
As for the Murdoch rags, they have started squealing about ‘virtue signalling’.
They have not wrapped their brains around the notion that Jesus was the first and biggest virtue signaller in Judeo-Christian history.
‘Simon Katich says:
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 12:14 pm
BW
My understanding is that the future outing of politicians you refer to will be by Tracey Spicer. The hope is that there will be strong journalistic rigor applied and only certain names (that have had allegations cross checked with independent sources and give the accused prior opportunity to challenge) are released.
I hope (and believe) that Tracey Spicer realises that her cause is not well served by a scatter gun of accusations approach.’
My view is that the last lot of allegations seem to have been handled in line with generally accepted journalist standards.
GT
Ausgrid only supplies Newcastle, Central Coast, and most of Sydney.
It is one of three network operators in NSW along with Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy
IOM
Sorry my bad. Still the article refers to the coverage area of Ausgrid in NSW.
https://www.ausgrid.com.au/network_area
As such the failure to be able to guarantee power supply after all the gold plating and power price rises is all the worse the less area it covers.
It’s hard to imagine anything more gormless than the Minister for International Development and the Pacific (huh?) berating naughty China for its choice of development funding, like PNG and Fiji, where we have been such exemplars of ever increasing neglect. Except for those useful detention centres.
China’s playing a long game and we are the absolute epitome of abrasive inadequacy.
I’m curious as to what she would consider “some sort of health benefit” might be, because she sounds like she can’t think of any.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-10/australia-hits-out-at-chinese-aid-to-pacific/9316732
It is interesting that the responses of Rush and McLachlan have been quite different.
Rush has stated flat out that he is innocent, his reputation and his career have been damaged, and he is seeking legal redress. He was straight out of the gates with this stuff.
McLachlan has, if I have it right, used wtte:
1. I am in a long and stable and happy relationship.
2. There was a culture on and off the stage that reflected the nature of the show.
3. The women are doing it for money.
4. The women are doing it for notoriety.
The two allegations that most disturbed me were the allegations relating to what McLachlan was supposed to have done under the covers while the Show was on, and the allegations of verbal and physical threats. The reason is that these allegations do not allow the 50 shades of grey interpretations. Either they happened or they did not.
We will see if any RW tabloids try again to piggy back off her work without the accepted standards. Geoffrey Rush going in with both barrels against the Daily Terror is a nice lesson for them.
I’m not sure why #metoo seems to be mainly the entertainment industry. I suppose they have high profiles and are always newsworthy but it seems the industry as a whole has erupted.
There are a few cases of politicians, like Doyle and Moore, but it’s entertainment way out of proportion. You’d think the sports industry would have similar problems (I suppose AFL House was one) but the wildfire hasn’t really spread out of entertainment.
Train Journeys on TV?
The Xian to Almaty one would be pretty good.
Boewar
I agree management failure seems to be part of the focus in the McLachlan case.
As mentioned the company received a formal complaint from lawyers acting for the women.
Did they write back saying there would be an immediate investigation?
No, they wrote back and threatened to sue.
Dumb as.
You wonder if anybody has learnt anything from the child abuse royal commission. Manning the barricades and doing nothing is no longer acceptable.
Contrast with Robert Doyle. Almost within a day of allegations emerging he is on leave and inquiry started.
Smart move.