By-elections, preselections and Section 44

A round-up of the latest news on by-election and related fronts.

A little extra polling:

• The Australian on Tuesday provided an extra finding from the weekend Newspoll: that opposition to reforming Section 44 has hardened since August, when Barnaby Joyce’s difficulty first emerged. Fifty-one per cent now believe dual citizens should be disqualified from parliament, up seven, with 38% opposed, down five. Forty-six per cent opposed a referendum being held on the matter, with 43% in support.

By-election latest:

• Western Australia’s Darling Range state by-election will be held on June 23. Nathan Hondros of Fairfax reports the Liberal preselection, which will be determined by the party’s state council on Saturday, will be contested by Alyssa Hayden, who unexpectedly lost her upper house seat for East Metropolitan region to One Nation in 2017, and Rob Coales, a police sergeant and Serpentine-Jarrahdale councillor. The early mail was that Coales was favourite, but according to Hondros, it is “understood party powerbrokers are supporting Ms Hayden”.

• David Crowe of Fairfax reports the date for the Super Saturday by-elections could be pushed back to July 7, as the government looks at an Australian Electoral Commission recommendation to implement an online tool for candidates to lodge declarations and supporting documentation, so as to avoid further issues arising from Section 44. This had caused initial plans for a date of June 16 to be scotched, although concerns linger about the electoral impact of an eight-week campaign.

• Speaking of, Michael McKenna of The Australian reports the Liberal National Party preselection for Longman is being held off until next Tuesday to ensure frontrunner Trevor Ruthenberg was able to clear up his own Section 44 issue, arising from his being born in Papua New Guinea.

• Georgia Downer has emerged unopposed for Liberal preselection in Mayo. The Australian reports “ambitious conservative” Michael van Dissel was another potential nominee, but withdrew as it became clear the Right was solid behind Downer. In contrast to the Liberals in WA, Labor will be contested Mayo, despite never having held hte saet before. A Labor source quoted by Philip Coorey said the party believed its preferences could assist Rebekha Sharkie, and that failing to run would suppress the party’s Senate vote at the next election.

• Braddon will again be contested for the Liberals by Brett Whiteley, who held the seat from 2013 until his defeat by Labor’s Justine Keay in 2016, and served in the state seat of Braddon from 2002 until his defeat in 2010. The Burnie Advocate reports former McDonald’s licensee Craig Brakey and Wynyard RSL president Gavin Pearce also contested the state executive vote, but Whiteley was chosen unanimously.

• The Western Australian Liberals’ decision to forfeit the Perth by-election, said to have been instigated by Matthias Cormann, has been widely criticised in the party. Following Tim Hammond’s resignation announcement on May 1, Christian Porter told Sky News Australia the party would “undoubtedly” run, and state Opposition Leader Mike Nahan, who had mocked Labor’s unsurprising decision not to field a candidate in the recent by-election for Colin Barnett’s old seat of Cottesloe, said the by-election was “one we need to contest”.

• The Western Australian Greens have announced their by-elections candidates: Caroline Perks, senior sustainability officer at the City of Perth, in Perth; and Dorinda Cox, domestic violence campaigner and former police officer, in Fremantle.

Other preselection news:

• Jane Prentice’s preselection defeat in her Brisbane seat of Ryan has roused controversy over the lack of gender balance in the Coalition. The winner was Julian Simmonds, a Brisbane councillor who once worked on Prentice’s staff when she herself was on council. Simmons, who is identified with the Right, won a local party ballot by 256 votes to 103 over Prentice, a moderate and early backer of Malcolm Turnbull. Charlie Peel of The Australian reports the vote was “roughly split along traditional party lines, with Nationals backing Ms Prentice”. Critics of the decision include Campbell Newman, Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch and Capricornia MP Michelle Landry.

• Jared Owens of The Australian reports Ian Macdonald and Barry O’Sullivan, who respectively hold Queensland Senate seats for the Liberals and the Nationals, face preselection challenges from Scott Emerson, the former state Shadow Treasurer who lost his seat of Maiwar to the Greens last November, and Susan McDonald, managing director of a chain of butcher’s shops and a member of “one of Queensland’s grazing families”.

• Michael Owen of The Australian reports on a “strong challenge” for Liberal Senate preselection in South Australia from Alex Antic, an Adelaide councillor. This apparently poses a threat to another female Liberal MP, Anne Ruston, who might otherwise be expected to lead the ticket, but not to the mooted number two candidate, David Fawcett. It might also endanger Lucy Gichuhi’s hold on number three, long shot proposition though that may be.

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.

1,071 comments on “By-elections, preselections and Section 44”

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  1. It is said* that, by joining a blog community, we may seek out intelligent company with whom to engage in learned discourse, and thus raise ourselves above the savage and closer to the divine.

    Or we could join this particular blog and witness childish bozos endlessly throw schoolyard insults at each other.

    * By me, just now.

  2. guytaur

    So you’re gay.
    You are also incredibly sensitive about it and very, very boring.
    We all know that, because you shove it in our faces all the time.
    I don’t care. You’re just another poster to me.

  4. I don’t “have” to accept anything from you.

    You appear to be a professional homosexual, of the sub-variety that sees homophobia everywhere and on everyone. Which is convenient, because it allows you to play the permanent victim.

    You don’t seem to be able to conceive of the notion that someone can be heterosexual without being homophobic. Did that thought ever enter your One Track Mind?

    That said, it seems that the more the heterosexual professes their indifference to your self-inflicted victimhood, the more you arrogate to yourself the right to judge them morally.

    Walking away from the argument does no good. All that entails is you standing in the middle of the room claiming victory, and the right to judge others in the monstrous way that you habitually do.

    If you were witty, or could otherwise express yourself entertainingly, that might be a Saving Grace. But you suffer from the classic curse of the fanatic and the self-possessed: the droning seriousness with which you take yourself.

    Couple that with a total lack of embarrassment at appointing yourself the judge and jury of others, and we truly have a recipe for boredom that would try the patience a saint.

  5. lizzie @ #102 Friday, May 18th, 2018 – 10:52 am

    guytaur

    So you’re gay.
    You are also incredibly sensitive about it and very, very boring.
    We all know that, because you shove it in our faces all the time.
    I don’t care. You’re just another poster to me.

    Hear, hear!
    I did not dare to put it quite so strongly, knowing the likely reaction.

  6. FFS this blog has descended into something that is like being surrounded by a mob of squabbling 6 year olds only in text form, but he said, she said , he called me a…… I think you’re a…… FEK ME parliament QT is more orderly than this place at times.

  7. lizzie

    Nope you are just not use to someone talking about gay sexuality. I never say woman are boring talking about their issues. Or that Aboriginal people are boring talking about theirs.

    Get used to it. I am gay I am not going to go invisible so you can avoid being bored.

  8. Bushfire Bill @ #104 Friday, May 18th, 2018 – 10:55 am

    I don’t “have” to accept anything from you.

    You appear to be a professional homosexual, of the sub-variety that sees homophobia everywhere and on everyone. Which is convenient, because it allows you to play the permanent victim.

    You don’t seems to be able to conceive of the notion that someone it can be is heterosexual without being homophobic. That said, it seems that the more the heterosexual professes their indifference to your self-inflicted victimhood, the more you arrogate to yourself the right to judge them morally.

    Walking away from the argument does no good. All that entails is you standing in the middle of the room claiming victory, and the right to judge others in the monstrous way that you habitually do.

    If you were witty, or could otherwise express yourself entertainingly, that might be a Saving Grace. But you suffer from the classic curse of the fanatic and the self-possessed: the droning seriousness with which you take yourself.

    Couple that with a total lack of embarrassment at appointing yourself the judge and jury of others, and we truly have a recipe for boredom that would try the patience a saint.

    Well put.

  9. BB

    What the hell is a professional homosexual? Senator Penny Wong?

    I don’t see her not talking about sexuality when the issue arises. I do not see her being invisible.

    If I Posted every day on just homosexuality you might have a case. In fact most of the time I don’t mention my sexuality at all.

    You mention yours far more taking about your wife and children innumerable times in your posts.

    Get over yourself

  10. this blog has descended into something that is like being surrounded by a mob of squabbling 6 year olds

    I often find myself with a mob of 6yo’s. At school drop off, ballet, birthday parties…
    And I can assure you that is a most unfair comment on them. They do not squabble. They actually have very interesting and polite discussions. Girls more so than boys but even the boys rarely squabble.

  12. guytaur

    How dare you preach to me one my attitude to sexuality of any kind. After three husbands and a number of lovers (one of whom was bisexual) I think I can claim to be pretty open-minded. As Bushfire says, you just want to be a perpetual victim.

  13. Guytaur is one of the more reasonable commenters on this blog. I’ve never noticed him abusing the fact that he is gay. Perhaps those that attack him should look at their own motives for doing so.

  17. Oh, well!

    I tried, luckily I have some chores that I have been delaying so it seems like a good day for it! 🙂

  18. Lizzie

    I will not be invisible.

    Not talking about my sexuality would make me invisible. You just talked about yours again.

    I am not even posting about my personal life most of the time.

    I am just making some uncomfortable pointing out an alternative view and pointing out when someone like Bemused is being homophobic.
    I will not stop doing this.

    You just notice when I say something because its not your usual discussion.

    Go back look at all my posts. You will see most of them are not about my sexuality at all.

    The exception was of course the equal marriage debate. Surprise that was a political issue.

  19. jenauthor @ #98 Friday, May 18th, 2018 – 10:49 am

    Bemused, whether you say so or not – you ALWAYS need to get the last word. That means every time someone says something you don’t like, you turn it into a spat that, as BB has said, goes on forever.

    I’m over it as well.

    Me three. If it wasn’t for BK’s morning links…

  20. In parting, a very important case coming before the HC about safe zones around abortion clinics.

    ‘Safe zones’ around abortion clinics don’t threaten free speech, Victoria says

    State government tells high court that anti-abortion protesters are not engaged in public debate but are targeting women for their medical choices

    I hope their argument is successful.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/18/safe-zones-around-abortion-clinics-dont-threaten-free-speech-victoria-says

  25. Lizzie

    Do you wonder why Mardi Gras Pride and IDAHOT day have come about.

    Its because gay people will not be invisible. Its because we will get in your face when you tell us to shut up sit down and be invisible.

    I am not paranoid. I know when I am being attacked even if in your heterosexual privilege you would never see it.

    Society is changing and equality means I get to talk about LGBTI issues. I will bring that perspective to a discussion about masculinity and its role in society.

    Its not like I was talking in a vacuum over the last few days.

    The only real problem came when bemused stared his ridicule. Again.

  26. Our constitution was written before globalisation and modern methods of travel.

    Prof. Peter Doherty‏ @ProfPCDoherty · 2h2 hours ago

    In an economically “globalized” world that’s still organized around Nation States excluding people with dual citizenship is a good way of keeping a lot of able people out of politics. Citizenship imbroglio http://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-fixing-citizenship-imbroglio-is-not-just-a-matter-of-better-paperwork-96819?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterbutton … via @ConversationEDU

  30. I am not paranoid. I know when I am being attacked even if in your heterosexual privilege you would never see it.

    Q.E.D.

  32. BB

    Yeah so easy a put down isn’t it for the bully mindset with the majority power

    This is what you are doing by saying shut up be invisible we think your boring for being visible.

    Thats not paranoia thats recognising when you are being attacked for being yourself.

  33. I’m another who can’t make Outline work on the Abbott/Bishop thingy. I’m wondering if it depends on the browser I’m using (Chrome).

  39. Since BB wants to ban excessive discussion of sexuality we can demand he not talk about anything that mentions heterosexuality.

    This means we will be seeing a lot less posts from him

  40. With regard to the royal wedding (and this just shows how desperate I am for a change of subject), I’m old enough to remember the nuptials of Charlie and Di, and the hoopla surrounding the forthcoming event (as well as the one before it, involving the current groom’s brother) is as weak as urine by comparison. Any young ‘uns complaining it’s all too in your face doesn’t know how lucky they are.

  44. I find Craig Laund(R)y a parody of a thinking rational being. Where’s his support for freedom of speech? Or care for workers in dangerous workplaces?

    The decision to drop blackmail charges against militant construction union boss John Setka and his deputy Shaun Reardon has emboldened the union movement’s “most renegade bunch of lawbreakers”, Workplace Minister Craig Laundy has warned.

    In the wake of the major setback in the Coalition’s battle against the union, Mr Laundy said it was now paramount for the Senate to pass the government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill which would expand grounds for disqualifying union officials and cancelling union registration.

    https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/cleared-militant-unionists-simply-emboldened-20180517-p4zfxy.html

  46. lizzie

    Hmm. Worked on home computer ( Chrome) but Chrome at work does not open it using either method.

    Update. Using the ‘Google trick” I could open it in an Incognito window.

    /news/politics/tony-abbott-julie-bishop-and-the-great-betrayal-20180508-h0zsbs

  48. AM
    So far this my fave Royal Wedding: father on the make; half brother writing to say don’t do it; half sister in car prang while evading papparazzi. The marriage itself is bound to outdo Fergie’s toe sucker…

  49. Shorter Laundy – If what unions do is not illegal we will make it illegal and then you will see what law breakers they are.

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