There were two polls this week, one a little better for the Coalition than usual (52-48 from ReachTEL), one a little worse (54-46 from Essential Research). These add up to not much change on the BludgerTrack poll aggregate, albeit that the Coalition are up one on the seat aggregates for Victoria and Western Australia. No new numbers this week for the leadership ratings.
Latest developments on the ever-changing face of the Senate:
• South Australian Senator Lucy Gichuhi has subtly improved the government’s position in the Senate by joining the Liberal Party. Gichuhi was the second candidate on the Family First ticket at the 2016 election, which unexpectedly earned her a place in the Senate in April last year in place of Bob Day. The High Court had ruled that Day had been ineligible to run at the election by virtue of a pecuniary interest in an agreement with the Commonwealth, and that the votes should be recounted as if Day were absent from the ballot paper. However, this coincided with Family First’s absorption within Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives start-up, which Gichuhi was not willing to join. She has since sat as an independent, albeit one that has usually voted with the government. Her move to the Liberals neatly brings the South Australian Senate contingent into line with the party configuration that emerged from the election, a situation that was disturbed when Cory Bernardi quit the Liberal Party.
• Kristina Keneally will take Sam Dastyari’s place in the Senate after winning the decisive endorsement of the NSW Right without opposition, seeing off suggestions that she might face a challenge from Transport Workers Union state secretary Tony Sheldon or United Voice official Tara Moriarty. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald suggests Sheldon might have been able to take the position if he had pressed the issue, with the support of the Australian Workers Union, Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association and Transport Workers Union, but favoured seeking a position at the next election as it would give him a full six-year term.
Miscellaneous miscellany:
• Barrie Cassidy makes a case for a federal election being held later this year.
• The Australian reports that Michael Danby’s potential successors in Melbourne Ports include Josh Burns, a senior adviser to Daniel Andrews, and Mary Delahunty, a Glen Eira councillor and former mayor (not the former state MP). However, it is not yet clear that Danby will retire, or be forced out if he chooses to stay, with a Labor source quoted in an earlier report from The Australian saying Danby had 80% support in local branches. Linfox executive Ari Suss and Labor historian Nick Dyrenfurth, who were mentioned earlier, have apparently ruled themselves out.
• Lyle Shelton, who gained a high profile as managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby during the same-sex marriage referendum, has resigned his position ahead of a run for federal parliament, which will apparently be with the Australian Conservatives in Queensland — presumably as its lead Senate candidate.
• According to Sheradyn Holderhead of The Advertiser, Robert Simms, who held a Senate seat from September 2015 to July 2016, would “likely have the numbers” to take top spot on the Greens’ South Australian Senate ticket if he challenged Sarah Hanson-Young.
• The ABC reports a small sample YouGov Galaxy poll of 350 respondents suggested Nick Xenophon Team member Rebekha Sharkie would retain her seat of Mayo at a by-election if disqualified on grounds of dual British citizenship. The poll had Sharkie with a 59-41 two-party lead over the Liberals, from primary votes of 37% for Sharkie, 33% for the Liberals and 18% for Labor.
• Fairfax reports a ReachTEL poll of 3312 respondents for the Stop Adani Alliance found 65.1% opposed to Adani’s coal mine proposal in Queensland, up from 51.9% in March 2017. It also found 73.5% support for ending the expansion of coal mining and accelerating solar power construction and storage.
guytaur @ #246 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:06 pm
A scheme to financially advantage the Teal Bourgeois of Batman?
Not really a Labor policy. Perhaps if it was income capped it would be OK.
poroti
Baron BiC most likely needs one.
DTT
The GOP memo itself says the inquiry was kicked off due to Papalopous.
Not just the Alexander Downer tip off either.
There is NOTHING in the memo to justify Trump claims. Its the opposite.
Fess
All sound and fury by Trump. You know things are bad for him when Trey Gowdy who was his number one sycophant and co author of memo, says that this memo has no effect on the Trump Russia probe. He knows more than anyone what is really going on. As I say. Trump is f@@ked
I’m actually amazed that Elon Musk is here in Australia considering he could be anywhere in the world spruiking his business interests.
Bemused
I said for Victoria. Exactly as South Australia is doing it.
For what you call the teal greens the feel good contributing donations via taxes is enough.
Plus captures Labor base.
Win win for Labor putting in place a Labor policy from another state.
Fess
This is what Gowdy has stated. Me thinks he knows very well how this shit show is gonna end.
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, tells CBS News the memo he co-authored with Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, and GOP staffers will not have “any impact on the Russia probe.”
Gowdy spoke with Margaret Brennan, CBS News White House and Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on Face the Nation. The interview is his first since announcing he would not be seeking re-election in 2018.
Brennan asked Gowdy to respond to President Trump’s claim Saturday that the memo “totally vindicates” him in the Russia investigation.
“I was pretty integrally involved in the drafting of [the memo],” Gowdy said, “There is a Russia investigation without a dossier. So to the extent the memo deals with the dossier and the FISA process, the dossier has nothing to do with the meeting at Trump Tower. The dossier has nothing to do with an email sent by Cambridge Analytica. The dossier really has nothing to do with George Papadopoulos’ meeting in Great Britain.”
Vic:
Yep. But I do think they are going to escalate their attacks on Mueller, the DoJ and FBI in order to stop the investigation. They may even succeed, who knows.
sd
Maybe Musk is practising for the US market in defeating coal denialists in our small market first.
Less money to lose for him as a result as our population is lower.
Vic:
Yes, Gowdy tweeted the same yesterday which I saw.
Where is Paul Ryan in all this? Apart from getting caught up in a tweet-storm over someone getting an extra $1.50 in her paycheck, he’s been MIA.
Testing
So Weatherill is lying when he says they will eliminate power bills for these people?
The power company will only be accessing surplus capacity. As the Tesla battery has shown, there are huge opportunities to make money if you have access to 50000 domestic batteries in real time.
guytaur @ #256 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:14 pm
So you favour a welfare measure for the Teal Green bourgeois who will then preference the Libs?
I would prefer it for those who need it rather than a bunch of fake progressives.
lizzie:
Whish-Wilson a Liberal in Greens clothing?
Fess
A lot of what is playing out feels like one big kabuki act. Trump and his cronies are stuffed
Bemused
Read the ABC article. Read the conditions Jay Weatherill has put on the deal.
I said exactly the same deal for all of Victoria.
Stop making crap up to talk about teal greens.
Confessions @ #233 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 10:47 am
Actually it’s cold today.
11:30 and I’ve still got my jumper on, only 26C. 🙂
Fess
Paul Ryan is hugely compromised. That is what is going on with him.
You only need to observe the body language of all these people. They see the writing on the wall
adrian @ #226 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 1:40 pm
Barney:
It’s also 11:30 here and also 26 degrees, but I’m sat in t-shirt and and shorts and have all the doors and windows shut against the warmth outside.
guytaur @ #266 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:22 pm
Do you deny the existence of Teal Greens? 😮
bemused
ABC TV had a 1/2 hour doco on them about 3 weeks ago.
guytaur @ #266 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:22 pm
Get used to the Labor partisans focusing their attack on the Greens rather than the Libs. It’s just the natural progression given Labors move to the right.
Bemused
What have you got against Labor Victoria adopting a Labor South Australia policy?
Victoria @ #265 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:21 pm
Trump is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
I’m amazed at the gullibility of Americans. They obviously don’t know their arse from a hole in the ground because they just believe. They believe everything Trump says as the gospel truth!
Fess
Looks like it. Ex Howard voter. Could be some doubt that he supports penalty rates, too.
Obviously a “teal”?
Vic:
I’ve can’t remember it and didn’t bookmark it but I wish I still had that article that showed all the links to sitting members and their involvement in the imbroglio.
CTar1 @ #272 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:26 pm
Must check to see if it is on iView. I know that stretch of coast fairly well and it would be interesting to actually see their route.
The radio program was only 30 min. Maybe the audio from the TV docco?
23C here and I’m in a cardigan and t-shirt and skirt, feeling very relaxed and comfortable indeed. 🙂
#weatherandattireonPB
Fess
I do recall the article. Hence why so many GOP members are resigning at next election
Oh gawd!
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/feb/04/lyle-shelton-joins-cory-bernardis-australian-conservatives?CMP=soc_568
guytaur @ #274 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:26 pm
Nothing. If it implements Labor values and is not rushed out as a transparent effort to win Batman and favours the assorted Teal Green bourgeois, Yuppies, Trendies and other fakes.
davidwh
The press seem to run 2 or 3 articles on his sister’s wedding each week.
I think they’ve well and truly had the chance to make their point and should leave him alone on this.
I do hope that the Batmanites are not Bhathalled by by Greens bullthit.
Bemused
Victoria can rush ahead in getting a deal done. South Australia has set the blueprint.
They only have to announce deal done before election day.
Voters will believe them because of the hard work done by South Australia.
Every Labor state should be doing similar schemes. The more electricity bills eliminated by such deals the more votes Labor will win.
Edit. Except Tasmania. Hydro bills have to be paid.
guytaur @ #245 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:03 pm
As I pointed out, the article says the system is free. It does not say your power is. You presumably still have to pay for that. Otherwise the economics simply don’t add up.
It does say participating households may get a 30% reduction in power costs. But if you think about that, it becomes clear that if you installed a system like this privately, you would be expecting to get much more benefit than that – so you must still be paying near grid price for the bulk of your power.
So on the detail we have (which admittedly isn’t much) it would seem that, yes, participating households are being given a small subsidy – but given that SA has the most expensive electricity in Australia, which has the most expensive electricity in the world, it is not really much.
guytaur @ #285 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:36 pm
Teal Greens and others will take the benefit and again vote for the Libs.
steve davis @ #255 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:13 pm
Australia looks like being very profitable for him.
P1
If it benefits the public I’m all for it.
P1
Its amazing how you turn a Labor Premiers promise of give and free to a cost.
Any costs will be for all of taxpayers not just those receiving the gift. The recipients won’t get revenue until the costs are paid for.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-04/elon-musk-tesla-to-give-solar-panels-batteries-to-sa-homes/9394352
lizzie @ #281 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:30 pm
This is news!?! I would have thought it was entirely predictable.
Guytaur,
The last thing any government or opposition should do is promise ” no power bills “.
Under promise and over achieve is the better tactic re any policy announcement. Keep expectations under control.
Cheers.
Trog Sorrenson @ #262 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:19 pm
As usual, it seems you did not bother to read beyond the headline …
steve davis @ #289 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:40 pm
P1s test for public benefit is how much gas it will burn. 😛
guytaur @ #290 Sunday, February 4th, 2018 – 2:41 pm
Read the article.
C@t
I think it was predicted, but Shelton will be Cory’s ‘Communications Director’ outside Parly. I assume that means a salaried post and licence to ‘speak out’. That’s the “gawd” bit.
😆
Re Lyle and Cory. A belated gold Koala stamp for BK’s Dawn Patrol intro on the article , the news was a case of “….Same sect marriage” . 😀
Shelton has not got a prayer.
Steve Davis I too wonder why Elon Musk has chosen South Australia
“With all the gin joints in the world, why did you chose this one?”
In South Australia he can provide proof of concept
in a remotish area where he can control communication
where there are conducive climatic conditions
the population is the right size to demonstrate scalability
a government desperately looking for cheaper more reliable electricity
South Australia is Elon Musk’s advertisement to the world