The latest fortnightly Essential Research poll has Labor’s two-party lead at 54-46, up from 53-47 last time. Primary vote numbers will be with us later. Also featured are Essential’s monthly (I think) leadership ratings, and they find Malcolm Turnbull little changed at 41% approval (up two) and 41% disapproval (on one), but Bill Shorten improving to 37% approval (up four) and 44% disapproval (down two). Turnbull’s lead as preferred prime minister is 41-26, compared with 42-25 last time.
Other questions relate to Adani, on which 30% favour the Greens’ position, 26% favour the Coalition’s and 19% favour Labor’s, though it would be important to see the question wording on that one. Other findings related by The Guardian are that 42% support and 39% oppose company tax cuts; that regulating energy prices had 83% support, an “Accord-style partnership” 66% support and boosting Newstart 52% support; and that same-sex marriage is supported by 65% and opposed by 26%. Essential Research’s full report should be with us later in the day.
UPDATE: Full report here. Primary vote gains for the major parties at the expense of other/independent, with the Coalition up one to 36% and Labor up three to 38%, with the Greens down one to 9% and One Nation steady on 8%. The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1025.
I don’t know that much about investing but I know what has worked for me since I retired. And I would think a structure that relies on franking credits for 30 per cent on income is a bit too reliant on the Australian share market.
Labor’s proposed changes will cost me a small amount each year but there is no such thing as free lunch. Free public transport (terms and conditions apply) to the pub though.
The correct response to Russian provocation from an Australian perspective would be:
to promote the strengthening of NATO
to elevate the commitment to the US alliance, and
to seek to deepen defence co-operation with China and our regional powers
We should make our commitment to strategic balance and, within that balance, a peaceful global order, absolutely unambiguous. We should encourage other States to adopt the same posture.
Russia is going rogue. This is very undesirable.
Ante Meridian
I vaguely remember “income splitting” was something for which The Rodent very much aspired to give us.
Conversation
Counterchekist
Counterchekist
@counterchekist
If tRUmp fires anyone at DOJ over the #KremlinGate investigation, it’ll be a move historians will forever remember as “profoundly stupid” and what accelerated his day of legal reckoning.
a r says:
Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 11:24 am
There’s many a slip twixt cup and lip…the system is very prone to rorting.
mikehilliard @ #1894 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:32 am
Certainly sounds like provisional tax. Odd that you would be paying both. I generally only ever paid one or the other. Perhaps one is on your personal income and the other is on your company and/or super fund?
Voice Endeavour @ #1724 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 6:33 am
Doesn’t that depend on who you’ve expelled?
You can expel 76 low level nobodies and have no effect on anyone. OTOH, expel the 23 most senior diplomats in the embassy and you’ll have a big effect on their operations.
Disclosure: I have no idea how many diplomats normally work in an embassy.
AR, I didn’t mention double taxation, you brought that up.
What I am saying the policy is unfair. Some people use the credit to pay their tax liability and are therefore better of. Other who have no tax liability have the credit taken from them.
If you want it to be fair as someone suggested earlier, get rid of the imputation altogether.
Interesting point
Ale Retweeted
Sarah Zhou
Sarah Zhou
@SarahKZhou
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1m
Replying to @aliasvaughn @MichaelAvenatti and @AC360
This is getting very interesting. I find it strange and telling that @realDonaldTrump has always accused other women of being “liars” but he’s NEVER said that about Daniels. She knows things and has evidence. WATCH THIS SPACE!
I added the following comment to the Fairfax (Canberra Times) story of the lady in the unit with Harbour views adversely affected by dividend tax changes:
Probably won’t be published.
TPOF @ #1886 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:26 am
Yes, those left-wing aspirational principles are fine, until they come face to face with self-interest.
As it was he received too much kudos for being sacked by the SMH.
mumbletwits: Dutton can say and do whatever he wants. Turnbull the weakest prime minister … ever? Perhaps comparable to Gillard’s powerlessness in face of foreign minister Kevin behaviour.
As I thought, when the analysis goes beyond hysterical headlines and faux self self serving whingeing, the new Labor policy is seen as overwhelmingly the right thing to be attacking.
http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/baby-boomers-cry-poor-but-labor-gets-it-right-on-dividend-tax-20180314-h0xhfy
P1
Yes, you’re correct. I have my own company.
Ms Daniels was in the movie biz. The technical know how for filming Mr Trump and Ms Daniels shagging would have been to hand.
Not fake news. Fuck news.
Just on the fairness non argument.
If you consider dividends as the profits of an investment business, which is perfectly reasonable to do, the fairness bs dies in the arse.
For instance. As part of running your investment business you can claim such expenses as travel to investment seminars, cost of specialist advice, management fees, borrowing costs, computer depreciation, etc. This is precisely the same as any other sort of business.
But these deductions are only claimable against tax paid. You obviously don’t get a cash credit for these costs if you are under the tax free threshold.
So Labor’s changes treat company tax as a cost of business for your investment business. It is hardly an unfair treatment. If Howard hadn’t have put the bribe in place NO ONE, would be out there crying that Labor’s original system was unfair because it wasn’t paying cash credits.
To further illustrate the point, I am self employed. Obviously I can deduct my business expenses against my income. But due to health issues I was under the tax free threshold last year. Should I be entitled to have my business costs that I wasn’t able to deduct credited to me in cash by the ATO? Surely it’s not fair that someone conducting an investment business gets their major deductible expense (company tax) credited to them as cash, but me conducting a different type of business can’t.
There’s a simplicity argument for not making the changes. There’s no fairness argument.
J341983 @ #1874 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 7:21 am
I was starting to wonder if everyone had her blocked with the lack of response!
One question.
I’d like to rustle up a batch of this stuff in my backyard.
Any tips on how to best proceed? 🙂
A question for Guytaur and Cameron and many may others
When WWIII happens which regiment will you join? If not you will your kids be joining up?
What plans have you made for survival in a nuclear winter. What about fall out.
How is your cycling, given that petrol will be in short supply. Will you still support closing powers stations or will we need to electricity to run the trams/trains.
How will solar power cope in a nuclear winter.
These are NOT rhetorical questions. Those of you who wave the flag at russia (or China) need to grasp that there is a chance (not certaintly but a good chance) that a real shoting war will follow. It might not go nuclear, but only an idiot would not at least assess this as a possibility.
Let us take the most likely (practically certain) case that there is a shooting match between US and Iran and the other strong probability that it will ALSO stretch to Russia.
These things WILL happen.
1. Firstly Iran will block the straits of Hormuz and will also lob bombs on Saudi oil fields. Russia will cut supplies to Europe. There will be a very limited supply of oil and gas. Australia imports all its oil so there will NOT be supplies for cars etc. probably not even buses. What limited supplies we do have will be needed for the military and maybe shipping.
Australia and SEA will be hard hit because all our supplies come from the Middle east. europe can get stuff from the North sea for a while at least but there will not be enough to ship to Australia. China will get it from Russia so less worried.
2. Now maybe the USA will stop at this. Use the airforce to destroy Iranian infrastructure as in Iraq then make peace and pretend to be nice. However if the Iranians (or Russians) take out a US aircraft carrier, such a limited strike will be impossible and it will escalate to full on war. In this case land invasion of Iran will be the go.
Now a war against Iran (assuming it is NOT nuclear, will be very, very manpower heavy so we will need to supply troops to our gallant allies. Think conscription as in the Vietnam war or even much more. So I assume that you people who are keen to incite war will be happy to join up and to see your sons and daughters join up. because make no mistake, spreading acrimony against Russia IS fanning the flames of potential war and you are morally obliged to take the consequences of such actions before expecting any others to do so.
3. Now assuming that we join with the USA then shipping will be at risk and I think we can safely assume that foreign owned/flagged ships will NOT venture towards Australia at the risk of being sunk by Russian or Iranian forces. Since we really no longer have a merchant navy our imports will slow to trickle. sure the chances of being sunk are pretty low but why should a ship owner take even a small risk (unless the price is very, very good, in which case we will only receive goods at a very high price. None of our gallant allies have merchant navies either,so unless the Chinese bail us out we might lack a few consumer goods.
4. There is always the distinct possibility that china too will be embroiled in this war. in this case were are in deep doodoo.with no exports and no imports or money to buy them with, we ALSO host key military bases here so there will be incentive to take out our shipping and airforce but also to destroy key infrastructure such as the ports at Darwin, Townsville, Gladstone and Brisbane. A cruise misslie at Pine Gap and that base in WA might also be consequences.
5. Finally you have the horror scenario. The losing side uses nukes in a last ditch attempt to save themselves. The consequences are unpredictable, but certainly devastating.
Labor will go to the next election with all sorts of improvements in financial outcomes for those who need it most, having skimmed the lurks of those who need it least.
They will be detailed, costed and budgetted for.
The rich will do what the rich will do.
dtt
You can share my bunker if you like.
They should have had a photo of a homeless person unable to afford accommodation at all and juxtaposed it with that lady sipping tea and looking out over the harbour and asked, who would you rather taxpayers support?
grimace @ #1905 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:38 am
Boerwar @ #1913 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:44 am
Where does being spanked by a copy of Forbes magazine fit?
Jackol @ #1842 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 10:52 am
Sorry. On rereading your original comment I’m agreeing with you. my post went through the wash several times, probably for profane reasons rather than paranoid.
How will solar power cope in a nuclear winter.
I have read, ‘On the Beach’, I don’t think I want to live through a Nuclear Winter, let alone worry about bleeding Solar Power!
Vogon Poet @ #1885 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 10:29 am
No Vogon but I am happy to suggest Pompeo. Get with the flow baby. Hillary is yesterday.
Actually I think it is all the work of Boris and the now very lack lustre MI6.
Look it may give you a warm inner glow to accuse me of being paranoid, but that does not make you any less stupid.
C@tmomma @ #1799 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 7:26 am
This is a direct benefit of doing dozens of Town Halls and other such events.
Puts the Liberals in a very difficult position to replicate the strategy as the media will juxtapose the performance of Trumble against Shorten in this environment, and the comparison will not be flattering.
Cat
If there is a nuclear war don’t worry we will be wiped out in the first strike. An advantage of living in and near Sydney. First Strike zone. All the capital cities are.
Nothing to worry about 🙂
Poroti,
You refuse to admit that you claimed the Skripal attack ‘might have been done by the west’. You have been sprung as a disingenuous liar.
ShoebridgeMLC: We just won the vote to establish an accountability oversight committee in the #nswpol upper house. Some light will follow.
guytaur @ #1910 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:43 am
Yep. Dutton = Putin
Turnbull = Medvedev
Zoom
Pursuant to our brief discussion yesterday, two points:
1. I did not address the issue of stalking, just bullying.
2. I fully support the right of EVERYONE here to challenge behaviours they find unacceptable and encourage them to do so. I just don’t think they are correct in labelling it bullying.
It’s worth noting too, I think, that some of the stuff that is flung around here by those alleging bullying by others is no less offensive than the behaviour they are addressing. One person in particular (no names, no pack drill) is just breathtaking in their hypocrisy.
As I said the other day, I would be all in favour of a blanket ban on ALL abusive behaviour on PB, no exceptions, backed up by appropriate penalties, but no-one else seems to want that. So the circus goes on.
guytaur @ #1925 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:53 am
Thank goodness! Imagine being left hanging around here with dtt saying, ‘I told you so!’ 😀
Have a look at SourceBottle.com (or @SourceBottle); some of the requests for “ordinary people” are very specific.
“Have you ever wondered how ordinary people get quoted in the media? Do you often think they’re the journalist’s cousin or best friend? They probably are sometimes, but a lot of the time, ordinary people are found and quoted as sources in the media, through sites like this one – Source Bottle.”
https://themarketroll.com.au/blog/source-bottle-do-you-have-a-market-coming-up/
WW3 is not about to erupt
daretotread. @ #1923 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:52 am
Maybe it was just a dodgy curry afterall.
Cameron
Hi Joe.Your maths is a bit rusty so a refresher for you. 99.9% is less than 100% . So of bloody course that means I thought there was a chance that it was not the Russians. Secret Squirrel world is a place where they like things to seem not as they are.
poroti @ #1751 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 5:50 am
Hardly likely as this will mean they will lose their tax funded all expenses paid holiday to watch the soccer.
That’s punishing themselves, not Russia! 🙂
adrian says:
Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 11:03 am
lizzie @ #1759 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 9:57 am
I can see why I have never understood the tax system. The happiest day of recent years was when I was told that we no longer earned enough to send in a tax return.
I’ve always thought that the system was deliberately complex so that only those who could afford expensive professional advice could take advantage of it.
Not any more. It takes only an hour or two to fill in these days online. If you earn money outside the system as part of an independent self managed business, (walking dogs, tutoring, whatever) then you need to declare that, obviously.
They know all your other investments and bank accounts, foreign pensions, share dividends, etc.
All you do is tick and flick.
C@tmomma: “They should have had a photo of a homeless person unable to afford accommodation at all and juxtaposed it with that lady sipping tea and looking out over the harbour and asked, who would you rather taxpayers support?”
And, to be truly fair, a photo of someone (former politician, public servant, academic, etc) sitting happily overlooking the harbour who is on a large defined benefit pension (which unlike the retirement savings of the lady with shares, was almost entirely paid for by employer contributions) and who is at zero risk of an incoming Labor Government doing anything whatsoever to cramp their tax free lifestyle.
briefly @ #1180 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:02 am
No, but Haley’s days as UN Ambassador are likely numbered now that she’s openly condemned Russia about something. She’ll get her
walking papersdismissal Tweet from Trump soon enough, just like Tillerson after his Russia comments.C@tmomma @ #1930 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:59 am
Don’t worry – she’ll be in the bunker with Boerwar. Hopefully no-one will ever bother telling them the war is over 🙂
GT:
https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-apartment-nsw-rozelle-125683618
Absolute Waterfront Two Bedroom + Study Apartment with Sublime Northerly Harbour Views
Taking in unobstructed harbour views and overlooking the beautiful manicured gardens this recently updated lavish two bedroom apartment features an additional study/ home office with large open plan living & dining that flows onto a large sun-filled north facing balcony.
Positioned on the absolute waterfront of the tightly held ‘Balmain Cove’ resort like complex this stunning property offers a lifestyle opportunity second to none. Residents can enjoy use of two swimming pools, a well equipped gymnasium with an opportunity for the boating enthusiast to lease or purchase a deep water marina berth.
This may look familiar
___________________________–
Good sleuthing!
Russia is run by the military – and in particular by the secret police.
The regime really does not have civil legitimacy
poroti, you initially claimed it might have been the West but then you moved the goalposts and agreed it was the Russians. Good on you for seeing reason.
c@tmomma: “I have read, ‘On the Beach’, I don’t think I want to live through a Nuclear Winter, let alone worry about bleeding Solar Power!”
At the end of ‘On the Beach’, Tasmania was more or less the last place on earth that was still going strong. I’m not sure if that’s something that should comfort me or concern me.
Barney in Go Dau @ #1915 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 11:46 am
Ask Aum Shinrikyo – and buy a really good CBR suit and some remote property with unwary wildlife. I believe the Beetrooter has some mongrel country he might want to sell.
Barney in Go Dau @ #1912 Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – 10:46 am
Hey Barney what sor of a batch do you plan to make. Chemicals require a lab but i always query the whole chemicals weapons investigation stuff, because I sort of think you could make this sort of stuff in quite small secret labs. Maybe not industrial scale agents like gases but smaller more lethal stuff.
Much the same goes for SOME biologics. Surely it would be relatively easy for any small country/government/private body to make botulinum toxin on a military scale. After all Grandma can accidentally make it in her preserved plums so it should not be too difficult to up scale, even in tiny labs.
For those wanting to try you need:
1.Lots of cattle dung, fish gut and soil samples.
2.Lots and lots of agar plates (these might be obvious but probably some secret medium like beef stock spread over gelatin might work too if not as easily
3. Several microscopes
4. test tubes
5. Reagents for testing – I have the list in some text books.
Once you have isolated some clostridium boltulinum which should be found somewhre in the samples collected then
6.Lots of airtight jars (Moccona jars ideal)
7. More beef stock
8. Lots of plastic or thick gardening gloves
9. An old copper for sterilizing
10.Candles for assuring that all oxygen is removed from jars
11. Now this is the harder bit. The right sort of reagents and chromatography for separating the botulinum toxins from the rest of the muck growing in the airtight jars..
For what it is worth every single microbiologist knows this stuff (or did in my day).
What I find hard to understand is why anyone would think that vast labs were needed. Any hospital, pathology lab, brewery, cannery etc would have on hand all the equipment needed to scale up quickly. May be I am missing something, but i just cannot but assume that every agency who wants to does have access to this poison. (Not to mention stealing supplies from beauty therapists).
Now I have ONLY mentioned this one because it is easy to find in nature and with care just about anyone with basic lab skills could safely handle it. When it comes to other biologics then you need air tight rooms, gas masks etc so it is not so easy.
Ebola on the other hand (Ha ha) could potentially be handled in small backyard labs, given that to the best of our knowledge it is not air born – yes I am having a bit of a lend of you on this one.
.
Ciobo just on talking about rape and murder of white farmers.
Another racist, sectarian arsehole!
The rates of land theft, rape, and murder of Rohingya were all far, far worse than what is happening to white farmers in South Africa.
Turnbull needs to step in and show some ethical leadereship here.
dtt
Sorry. You are no longer invited into my bunker.
You can’t respond to dtt. If you disagree with her, then you’ve self identified as a naive brainless idiot. If you agree with her, there’s no point.
(Of course, you could go with disagreeing with her on some points and not on others, but I think that still leaves you in the naive brainless idiot camp).