The first Newspoll for three weeks lands where it usually does, at 53-47 to Labor, with no change on the previous poll, making it 29 successive losses for Malcolm Turnbull. There’s also all but no change on the primary vote, with Labor up one to 39%, the Coalition steady on 37%, the Greens steady on 9% and One Nation steady on 7%. Malcolm Turnbull’s lead as preferred prime minister shifts from 37-35 to 39-36. On personal ratings, Malcolm Turnbull is down two on approval to 32% and Bill Shorten is one to 34% – we will evidently have to wait for the disapproval numbers (UPDATE: Turnbull’s disapproval rating is down one to 56%, Shorten’s is down two to 54%). Simon Benson’s more than usually idiosyncratic take on the results at The Oz here.
UPDATE: Newspoll also has a question on Labor’s plan to abolish franking credit cash refunds, which makes The Oz’s report less weird than it seemed at first blush. It finds 50% opposed to the idea with only 33% in support, breaking down to 42-36 in favour those aged 18-34, 45-32 against among the 35-49s, 58-30 against among the 50-64s, and 66-25 against among those over 65.
Rex Douglas @ #436 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 2:21 pm
We did not require that further proof that you are an anti-Labor Green idiot, but thanks anyway.
Shorten’s going after war widows now according to Kelly O’D. Hysterical rubbish.
Rex Douglas @ #437 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 2:23 pm
Wot about Adani?
I think we need to wait and see what, if anything, is announced by labor re pensioners. Perhaps they will roll back and exclude pensioners. It would only be a small hit to savings so who knows. It is all just speculation atm driven by some Sky news ” exclusive”
Perhaps labor will start spending the ante from this policy and announce changes that will benefit all pensioners and not just those affected by the policy. Shorten and co have consistently pointed to such a move over the last two weeks. That would create a clear distinction between labor and Turnbull who is pushing tax relief for big business.
Who knows. We just need to wait.
Cheers.
Rex Douglas @ #543 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 1:31 pm
So Ged is a tired old union hack backed by bad Bill, and you’re happy if she wins ?
Shifty Rex flip flops !
Cohen sounds like a low level thug. Perfect lawyer for Orange Crush.
Remeikis
@ VP – I don’t get your confusion.
Rex clearly prefers, in order:
Alex Bathal > Ged Kearney > David Feeny.
Feeny being replaced by Kearney is a good result for someone with such preferences, although Feeny being replaced by Bathal would have been a better result.
Mal seems to be referring to past history a lot today…back to when he was popular, with lots of hair and a leather jacket.
Samantha MaidenVerified account@samanthamaiden
23s23 seconds ago
Liberals will ramp up the “dogs breakfast” and tax policy “custard” attack if Labor proceeds with pensions backflip. Also doesn’t address low income self funded retirees #qt
Mari
That’s ok.
lizzie @ #459 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 2:48 pm
I think the only place Mal would ever be popular is in the bar of the Cayman Island’s Hilton … and even there only if he was buying the drinks.
I also abhor this tactic from the Coalition and Turnbull, as if the past was set in aspic and can thus be referred to in a contemporaneous way, as if relevant to a subject under discussion now:
Confessions @ #460 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 2:48 pm
On fairness, Shifty Bill should exempt LISFR’s, not well-off part pensioners.
Voice Endeavour @ #458 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 2:46 pm
You reckon Vogon is confused?
Who is ‘Heeney’?
On the other hand, perhaps this is an opportunity for Australia to lift the bar and set a good example for the rest of the cricketing world.
At least then we could feel some sort of redemption for this sorry mess.
VE
You’re confused, who were Bathal and Heeney ?
Confessions says: Monday, March 26, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Cohen sounds like a low level thug. Perfect lawyer for Orange Crush.
**********************************************************
Between all his Trump ‘fixer’ dodgy hush money cash deals and his abusive messages to a reporter – Cohen should be disbarred from holding any form of legal licence …….
QT sounds like the usual farce it’s become since the coalition regained office.
No ideas, no policies that work for the country, and no leadership from our federal govt. Nothing changes until Labor is re-elected.
In light of the stormy Daniels saga I found this rather interesting..
Andrea Dubé
Andrea Dubé
@AndDube
Here’s a story:
On July, 23, 2009, my friend’s car was blown up. On the *SAME NIGHT* my house almost burned down when the gas line mysteriously exploded.
We were both “campaign advisors” on #StormyDaniel’s possible Senate race against David Vitter.
Daniels’ political adviser’s car explodes
http://www.youtube.com
bemused @ #465 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 2:52 pm
A very good footballer for Sydney.
Feeney on the other hand is now but a reminder of Shifty Bills history of backroom factional dealings.
phoenixRed:
More women are speaking out about their experiences with Trump. Meanwhile the comms director for FLOTUS has warned the media that there is a minor in this and his name should be kept out of media reporting where possible.
Vic:
Very interesting. Since the 60mins program there has been an emerging theme of stand-over tactics, threats and violence from Team Trump or persons loosely connected with it.
Turnbull isnt the bully. Turnbull is the guy who sits back and watches others start the beating… he only jumps in and starts kicking when the guy is down.
He did it with Joyce. He did it with Smith. But interestingly, I havent seen him make a comment about Quaedvlieg yet.
Self funded low income doesn’t make sense, if you are self funded you are kind of funding exactly what income you want to self fund. Lets accept the pension is low, and then talk in multiple’s of the pension. And look at assets as well. So self funded x, who has 600 years of pensions in their home and a superfund worth 100 years of pension carefully draws a no tax income of 8 x the pension each year, but sadly can only holiday in Paris for 3 months of the year if the dividend imputation cashback, no one pays any tax, rort is addressed.
Some may like a look at……………
.
Mike Carlton
@MikeCarlton01
1) There is something rotten in the Commonwealth of Australia. A culture of greed, cruelty, and often criminal corruption, is gnawing at the nation’s heart. The cricket cheating scandal is just a symptom of a wider national sickness.
This will be a long thread #rottenOz https://twitter.com/hashtag/rottenOz?src=hash
6:50 AM – Mar 26, 2018
661
381 people are talking about this
Confessions says: Monday, March 26, 2018 at 2:57 pm
phoenixRed:
More women are speaking out about their experiences with Trump. Meanwhile the comms director for FLOTUS has warned the media that there is a minor in this and his name should be kept out of media reporting where possible.
********************************************************
I remain hopeful that Stormy Daniels appearance on 60 minutes will give many other women, who have said that Trump sexually assaulted them, the confidence and inspiration to now publically come forward and tell their story too. There are some who have received all sorts of ‘threats’ to themselves and their families who are too scared to speak out and hope they too will now come forward.
We are not talking about some local sex predator but the supposedly highest office holder in the US – who allegedly has used some sleazebag lawyers in Cohen and Kasowitz to do his dirty work …… and perhaps some thugs to put the ‘frighteners’ on women who have something to say
Former White House Chief-of-Staff Steve Bannon claims the president’s lawyer paid off 100 women he had sexual encounters with, after adult actress was allegedly ‘paid $130,000 hush money over 2006 tryst’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5266313/Steve-Bannon-said-Trumps-lawyer-took-care-100-women.html
Rex Douglas @ #475 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 3:03 pm
If punishment were to be proportionate, they would be facing execution! 😆
fess
agreed. who knows where this all leads……
It could be argued that Shifty Bill’s craven backflip for well-off retiree votes is a waste of time given they’re partisan Liberal voters anyway.
On the pensioner exemptions, if you’re going to do it, I would set on a persons actual income.
Personally I would deal with it through changes to the pension itself.
Dutton gets a bland question on the Visa and goes into a defence of his family and an attack on Labor MPs. Aggressive little potato.
Lizzie
Dutton said the nanny/au paur was not related to his family. That wasnt mentioned in any of the reports. Interesting!
Guy and the Libs out of step with community views again in Victoria. This time in marginal seats they need to win at the State Election.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/pledge-to-ditch-renewables-target-could-cost-guy-in-sandbelt-poll-20180323-p4z5xu.html
Heard Dutton’s response; extremely defensive. Interesting to see where if anywhere this goes.
FWIW we need a complete change to the taxation/pension structure.
I am NOT sure that savings should be taxed at all but that this should be replaced by gift tax and death duties.
I think EVERYONE should get the pension but that pensioner income should be taxed at the same rate as everyone else including dividends etc.
Tax super on the way in but not on the way out (or vice versa), but only once.
Ban the removal of large lump sums and have all (or almost all) converted to annuities.
No taxes on savings (if placed in designated savings accounts or approved bond schemes).
I say this because we are sending out the wrong signals. To qualify for a part pension people now decide to spend lump sums to keep under the limit ie buy a car bigger than they need or take a holiday. in other words saving is discouraged.
Moreover this is a lifetime problem.
Take two couples of similar age and ability and income (maybe two twin brothers married to two sisters. Both brothers are tradies in the same firm and both wives have the same type of job. They buy houses in the same street and have the same no of kids.
Now couple one is fairly frugal by nature. They do not smoke and they keep a vege patch and chickens. Their holidays are camping and they opt to send their kids to the public school rather than the low cost private nearby. they buy second hand cars, not ancient but say 2 year old ex fleet cars. The other couple smoke, buy new cars and send their kids private. They holiday in a resort once/year. The net result of these small but significant differences is that over 20 years the two otherwise identical couples have a quite different savings profile. One couple is able to put $250,000 aside in a savings account, the other is not.
The net result is that with identical super one couple will get a part pension, the other may not. This is absurd and sends all the wrong signals.
Sounds like Dutton is a bit sensitive about the au pair visa.
Anger management is not his forte.
Might be fun for a while if he replaced Turnbull for a period leading up to the next election. His buttons might be easily pushed
“Over in the Senate, the company tax debate has been placed on hold – which would point to the government not yet having those numbers it needs.” – Guardian live
Tick tock…
Rossmcg @ #488 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 12:29 pm
Its usually pretty easy to push the buttons of someone who is under enormous pressure.
Adolph Kipfler went to town about his family but as Amy noted.
Slimey sod slipped in this though
Going all “my family !” a way to try and deter closer looks at what really happened ? What’s he hiding ?
I wonder if an investigative journalist has been periodically watching Dutton’s home to see the comings and goings of possible hired help.
WeWantPaul @ #475 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 2:03 pm
WWP
I think you do not quite understand. Most self funded retirees will only have their super in whatever form they collected it. Most for example by older type employment schemes eg public service/teachers. They do not really have much of a choice about their income, since Centre link deems an income from super balances. They are self funded because of this but many indeed most are not super rich, but just a bit above the centre link cut offs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-cambridge-analytica-workers-say-firm-sent-foreigners-to-advise-us-campaigns/2018/03/25/6a0d7d90-2fa2-11e8-911f-ca7f68bff0fc_story.html?utm_term=.0b5e1c145832
Or guilty of wrongdoing.
grimace.
Agree. Dutton has been rather erratic of late. Last week we had the “”They’re all dead to me”comment,
Labor look like they have pre-selected a very good female candidate to take him on at the next election and his mate the Quad got sacked the other day. We’ve also had his little journey in to promoting South African Refugees and rumblings that fellow Libs are none too pleased with his intransigence.
If all pensioners and part pensioners are able to access dividend imputation refunds then there will be a greater incentive to organise one’s affairs to get a pension, even if it only $1 per fortnight to access:
– Commonwealth Health Card with drugs costing $6.50 instead of $38.00
– lower car registration
– lower gas, electricity, water charges and lower council rates
– full dividend imputation, could be worth $20,000 to a couple with $800,000 all invested in Commonwealth Bank ie so instead of a pension of $40,000 they would get $40,000 + $20,000
An alternative is to tax all Australians the same way.
taxpayers with income below $18,700 pay $0 tax
currently taxpayers over 65 with income below $37,500 pay $0 tax
currently SMSF’s for beneficiaries over 60 pay 0 tax if the pension is 4% of the assets
retirees with government department pension pays income tax
Ides of March not.logged in @ #484 Monday, March 26th, 2018 – 3:24 pm
And there were 2 of them and they have morphed into Babysitters, not a nanny or an Au Pair. Dutton also admitted it was for his family.
Going all “my family !” a way to try and deter closer looks at what really happened ? What’s he hiding ?
Okay, I’m going all conspiracy theory here. Turnbull has let this story slip out of the Dutton Dirt File to AAP to put a spoke in the wheels of the guy closing in on him after 30 losing Newspolls.