Senate selections

Labor sorts out its Senate ticket for Queensland, while both parties in Tasmania appear loath to learn from the preselection lessons of 2016.

We seem to be going into an ill-timed poll drought, so to keep things ticking over, here’s a post focusing on Senate preselection news. Please note there’s a post below this one on this Saturday’s Wagga Wagga by-election, which is developing into a fairly interesting contest.

• Queensland Labor’s state conference determined its Senate preselection on the weekend, having been hurried along by a national executive concerned the Liberal leadership crisis might bring on an early election. In doing so it bypassed a vote that was granted to the party membership under rule changes in 2013. The top position has gone to Nita Green, a former staffer to Senator Murray Watt and the favoured candidate of the CFMMEU and United Voice. The position is reserved to the Left, and is being vacated with the retirement of Claire Moore.

Green’s ascendancy has been contentious because party rules reserve the position for a regional representative and she lives in Brisbane, though she says she will move if elected. Supporters of rival Left candidate Tania Major, a Cairns-based indigenous youth advocate and protege of Cape York leader Noel Pearson, have further complained of being ambushed by a process for the factional ballot in which a three-day nominations period was followed immediately by the start of voting.

The second place on the ticket, which is reserved to the dominant Labor Forum sub-faction of the Right, has been retained by incumbent Chris Ketter. The cancellation of the party membership vote saw off any threat from rival nominee Pat O’Neill, former army major and candidate for Brisbane in 2016, although he was reportedly unlikely to win in any case. Number three goes to Frank Gilbert, a former Mackay councillor and candidate for Dawson in 2016, and a member of the Old Guard sub-faction of the Right.

• Matthew Denholm of The Australian reports Tasmanian Labor’s union establishment has again lined up against Lisa Singh for Senate preselection, undeterred by the success of a below-the-line voting campaign in overturning her demotion at the 2016 election. Singh will presumably dominate the party member component of the vote, but is reportedly unlikely to do any better than the loseable third position. This is because the dominant Left wants places for an incumbent, Carol Brown, and John Short, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union official for whom Singh was relegated in 2016, while the Right is defending incumbent Catryna Bilyk.

• Tasmania’s Liberals are also conducting their Senate preselection vote on Saturday, and there are suggestions they too may repeat unhappy history from 2016. Richard Colbeck is again under pressure from conservative forces associated with Senator Eric Abetz, despite having almost matched Lisa Singh’s feat after being dumped to number five in 2016. He found his way back in the recount that followed Stephen Parry’s disqualification in November, and was promoted last week to the outer ministry, making him the only Tasmanian at that level of seniority. Brett Worthington at the ABC reports conservatives want the top position to go to Brett Whiteley, veteran of three winning and three losing campaigns at both federal and state level in Braddon, or alternatively to a woman. Further demotion beyond that would be particularly remarkable for Colbeck, as he is the only one of the four Tasmanian Liberal Senators facing re-election, the others having scored six-year terms. The other nominees for the preselection were detailed in an earlier instalment.

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.

4,088 comments on “Senate selections”

Comments Page 2 of 82
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  1. zoid:

    I’ve no doubt they fetch prices on e-bay because of demand. But when that demand is no longer we are still going to have these plastic items unnecessarily going to landfill.

  3. Here is one ‘over the top’ 

    New listing Complete with case Coles Little Shop Miniatures

    Brand new AU $3,000.00

    Time left9d 3h left (‎12‎ ‎09, ‎12‎:‎21‎ ‎PM)

    0 bids

    AU $5,000.00 Buy It Now

    +AU $8.25 postage

  4. Hugh Riminton‏Verified account @hughriminton

    #ScottMorrison says “of course I would” move to deregister the #CFMEU. The CFMEU and ⁦@CFMEUJohnSetka⁩ have acted “like a bunch of thugs.”

    Proof please.

  7. Lizzie@7:03
    Reputation? When Trump! asked MT how is Australia getting away with these concentration camps, we know our reputation is not good. Damn it is Trump who asks that question, Trump!!
    Trump implements that so called policy in US with disastrous consequences for children. So we gave inspiration to people like Trump.
    We are generous to only foreign “au pairs”.

  10. While Murdoch’s Oz and Hun are ranting and raving over “black African youths” in a riot in Melbourne, they seem to have ignored this incident in Sydney where a mob prevented paramedics from treating a person who subsequently died.

    Of course this would have nothing to do with NSW having a L/NP government?

    A 25-YEAR-OLD man has died after a mob of “angry males” swarmed paramedics and stopped them from treating him in Sydney’s south.

    According to the Australian Paramedics Association (APA), emergency services were called to Iris Avenue in Riverwood yesterday morning where the male was suspected of having suffered a drug overdose.
    However, family members of the dying man became “irate” and tried to intervene, the APA alleges.

    Up to 80 “angry males” quickly gathered at the unit and allegedly threatened the health workers and charged at a female paramedic, injuring her shoulder. The four others were “shaken up” by the attack.

    The paramedics union has lashed out at the behaviour of the mob, saying it was an act of “stupidity” which ultimately cost the man’s life.

    https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/irate-mob-of-80-men-stops-paramedics-giving-lifesaving-treatment/news-story/8979c6ba6181671bc5d72837efdacfe6

  13. The desperation is ‘leaking’ out of every LNP pore. Morrison sounding like Trump’s ‘lock her up!’ With his deregistration suggestion about CFMMEU

    What he’s trying to do is bait the union members into doing something violent to justify his screeching.

  14. Confessions says: Monday, September 3, 2018 at 9:14 am

    phoenixRed:

    Who in their right mind would pay $5000 for a heap of plastic gimmicks?!

    *****************************************************

    ………. and they also wanted $ 8.25 postage 🙂

  15. Jenauthor

    And the union would be mighty stupid if they obliged

    One thing the union could do is spruik the wonderful returns CBus is providing its members with.
    Unlike the other supers that have come under scrutiny.

    This would be in response to Morrison and co attempting to harm the reputation of this super fund due to involvement of union body.

  16. ‘What on earth do people do with these things?’ ..When I lived in Singapore McDonalds released a new stuffed Hello Kitty every Friday for a promotion. The whole country came to a standstill. Transport and roads got jammed at 6AM. Shop fronts got smashed. Queues were 4 hours long and business closed. The riot police were mobilised for the first time.

    All very amusing as an ex-pat! Coles mini things is not in that league yet!

  17. Former Turnbull minister and Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has accused Scott Morrison’s backers of plotting for “some time” to have him take over as prime minister.

    In an interview with the ABC’s National Wrap program, Senator Fierravanti-Wells said Mr Morrison’s backers had to explain their actions because she believed they were actively working for his election as leader.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-03/morrison-backers-plotted-for-some-time-fierravanti-wells-says/10193190

  18. Not a word from ScumMo about worker deaths on the job and unsafe working conditions. That’s okay, apparently, but defending those workers isn’t.

    Anyway, at least we are getting to see the Real Scott Morrison now. No more hiding behind other politicians and merely advising them, he owns the show now.

  19. Good Morning

    Two things today.

    Citizen.

    Labor addressed the problem. It cost a lot less and lives not in danger. Safe Injecting Rooms

    On the Unions. Expect agent provocateurs in demonstrations by unions to excuse the thug calling. Note Morrison implied support of terrorism. Its going to be a very ugly election.

  20. I regularly shop at Coles.

    Due to amount I spend, I get approx 5 little shop items at a time.
    I used to refuse them initially, then I discovered a friend of my daughter was collecting them. I have accumulated so many. Switching over to reuseable bags and having this little shop plastic items is beyond a contradiction.

  22. citizen @ #74 Monday, September 3rd, 2018 – 6:29 am

    Former Turnbull minister and Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has accused Scott Morrison’s backers of plotting for “some time” to have him take over as prime minister.

    In an interview with the ABC’s National Wrap program, Senator Fierravanti-Wells said Mr Morrison’s backers had to explain their actions because she believed they were actively working for his election as leader.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-03/morrison-backers-plotted-for-some-time-fierravanti-wells-says/10193190

    As opposed to the RWFWs that she associates with.

    Actually they probably want tips on how to do it because they’re too thick to work it out themselves. 🙂

  24. Psephos‏ @PsephosArchive · 20h20 hours ago

    Australia readers: Who is ready for the federal election? In the 20 most marginal Coalition seats, there are 20 endorsed Labor candidates. In the 20 most marginal Labor seats, there is one endorsed Coalition candidate (in Herbert).

  26. Lizzie

    Psephos is right on the numbers so the post is worth it.

    I would just remind Labor people that Psephos thinks human rights takes second place to winning elections.

  27. @JohnWren1950 · 9m9 minutes ago

    For those of you interstate reading Murdoch’s press about the “200 wild youths violently rioting in Collingwood” on the weekend. The facts of the matter were it was 15 youths in a pub brawl, everyone else was just standing around watching. Don’t believe Rupert’s bullshit. #auspol

  29. Axios gets another scoop.

    Omarosa taped nearly every conversation she had while working in the White House, including ones with “all of the Trumps,” a source who watched her make many of the tapes tells Axios. Omarosa did this with a personal phone, almost always on record mode.

    Why it matters: Omarosa is far from the only White House staffer to exploit lax internal oversight and loose loyalties to collect damaging info on Trump and others. And we know of several staffers who took careful notes for future deployment.

    https://www.axios.com/omarosa-secret-tapes-record-phone-7ca4d160-4033-4acd-a035-45f3625315d4.html

  31. dtt

    My point here is ….

    To sledge Labor.

    You do not have a point. All you’ve done is to denounce Labor candidates, giving you a pretext to pose as a G.

  32. Hugh Riminton‏Verified account @hughriminton

    #BillShorten is “union-bred, union-fed and union-led” says #ScottMorrison.

    Bee‏ @BelindaJones68 · 2h2 hours ago

    And equally, Morrison is ‘church-bred, church-fed and church-led’, perhaps Alan Jones should suggest Morrison taxes the churches.

    How about that!!

    Ironically, Stuart Robert is also Pentecostal. (Robert was just elevated to Cabinet by Morrison after losing his former front bench seat due to lots of dodgy behaviour involving gold Rolexes & a Chinese businessman with links to the ruling Communist Party)

  34. So, the Liberal Party in Victoria eats it’s own over the last few weeks and Murdoch’s mudrakers think a few drunken yoof pulling on a stoush is the go for ‘news’ reporting?

    Actually the harder ScumMo goes federally, the better it is to let Victorians know what his Mini Me in Matthew Guy is going to be like.

  35. Barney

    Its relevant because it shows standing up for human rights is a vote winner. We have a government that is attacking unions and part of that is by attacking the human right of association.

    Thus Morrison’s thug speech. Its relevant because Labor people need to uphold human rights first.
    They do this and they stop being wedged on immigration issues.

    Stop listening to the likes of Psephos who advocate the drowning at sea narrative Morrison uses and the scrapping of the Refugee Treaty. Psephos is part of Labor’s problem. Edit: As long as Labor listens to views like his

  36. In Melbourne we get our daily fill of crime, crime and more crime from Murdoch and the Costello Phoenix 9

    The 9 “News” Service is back to back items on crime and the promotion of Guy and his Liberal types attacking any government decision then their policies shutting down injecting rooms and the remainder of the Bastiaan/Sukkar far right religious agenda where God dictates

    9 “News” should be renamed because an informative News Service it is not

    Then again when your financial circumstances have seen you lose the cricket (and take the tennis instead) plus be outbid on AFL and the Spring Carnival reliance falls back to people providing vision from their mobile phones of any incident – free to air on the cheap

    But they do provide a job for Costello’s son

  37. guytaur @ #92 Monday, September 3rd, 2018 – 6:51 am

    Barney

    Its relevant because it shows standing up for human rights is a vote winner. We have a government that is attacking unions and part of that is by attacking the human right of association.

    Thus Morrison’s thug speech. Its relevant because Labor people need to uphold human rights first.
    They do this and they stop being wedged on immigration issues.

    Stop listening to the likes of Psephos who advocate the drawing at sea narrative Morrison uses and the scrapping of the Refugee Treaty. Psephos is part of Labor’s problem.

    You really are developing a love of illogical tangents.

    Nothing you wrote is remotely relevant to the post.

    It was a simple statement about pre-selection, comparing the major Parties preparedness for an election. 🙂

  39. I think that Concerta FW yesterday was pretty significant. The Abbott forces are gunning for Morrison and like Bull terriers will not let go. This will not end well fro Scummo.

  40. Someone should start digging into the tenets of the Pentecostals and ask ScumMo if he subscribes to them?

    As I understand it, in America at least, Pentecostals believe in Paddling children. Does he also believe in Gay Conversion Therapy?
    That sort of thing. 🙂

  41. “dtt

    My point here is ….

    To sledge Labor.

    You do not have a point. All you’ve done is to denounce Labor candidates, giving you a pretext to pose as a G.”

    It is hard to work out whether these Green political party apologists here are so lacking in self awareness they have entered the realms of self parody….or whether they just trolls (of some subtlety and skill it must be acknowledged)

    Anyway, I’ll continue to call the Greens Political Party out for what it is and sure as hell won’t be deterred by that kind of risible hypocricy

  43. C@tmomma @ #90 Monday, September 3rd, 2018 – 9:56 am

    Someone should start digging into the tenets of the Pentecostals and ask ScumMo if he subscribes to them?

    As I understand it, in America at least, Pentecostals believe in Paddling children. Does he also believe in Gay Conversion Therapy?
    That sort of thing. 🙂

    Cat

    Simpler

    Ask Scummo when the earth was created
    Does he believe in evolution

  44. What can one say?

    Scott Morrison sends his daughters to an independent Baptist school and rather than the local public school because he doesn’t want the “values of others” imposed on his children.

    The new prime minister was on Monday asked about his stance on the controversial Safe Schools program, aimed at stamping out bullying and discrimination based on sexual orientation.

    “I don’t want the values of others being imposed on my children in my school, and I don’t think that should be happening in a public school or a private school,” he told Sydney radio 2GB.

    https://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/i-dont-want-values-imposed-on-my-kids-pm/news-story/44006f4d7b488fe2e1b4a80eb3c5eb67

  45. Barney

    I made it clear in my post my comment was not relevant to the post. That was the first thing I posted.

    Your defence is interesting. Are you a supporter of scrapping the Refugee Treaty because it’s politically expedient too?

    Or do you think like me that approach is appeasement to the right and a sell out of Labor values and will lose more votes than it gains?

    The relevance to election outcomes is simple. Dutton has been screaming BOATS BOATS BOATS!!!!!

    Its not working.

  46. So, the Greens have 100 votes.
    They go to preferences.
    20% of the preferences go to the Right side (think Abbott, Dutton…)
    These 20% Right preferences offset the next 20% of Left preferences.
    Net value of the Greens vote to the Left?
    60%.
    And that is only where preferences are compulsory.
    And that is only where Greens manage their preferences to around 20% bleed to the Right.
    Often it is much worse.
    Add to that the incessant wedging and Kill Bill and policy histrionics and the Greens are a Gift to Dutton and Abbott and nice people just like that.

  50. According to Karen Middleton in the Saturday Paper, Photios was running Sco-Mo’s leadership campaign. Maybe a lobbyist is now our real PM.

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