More Monday miscellany

A summary of federal preselection developments, much of it relating to Tasmanian Senate tickets.

We’re in an off-week for federal opinion polling, although we may get geographic and demographic breakdowns from Newspoll – the leadership change had broken up their usual schedule of quarterly publication, and they have already published the results from the end of the Turnbull epoch. So here’s a summary of preselection news. Note the post below on the Wentworth by-election, and the one below that on the US mid-terms, courtesy of Adrian Beaumont.

• After successful lobbying from Scott Morrison, Peter Dutton and Mathias Cormann, Richard Colbeck will head the Tasmanian Liberal Senate ticket. Earlier reports indicated he would again be dumped, as he was in 2016 – initially costing him his seat, before he won it back on the countback that resulted from Stephen Parry’s Section 44-related disqualification. Claire Chandler, a conservative backed by Eric Abetz, is number two, with Hobart councillor Tanya Denison number three. The presence of two women on the ticket makes a change from the usual form of the state party, which last had a woman in federal parliament in 2002. Those who missed out included Brett Whiteley, who held Braddon from 2013 to 2016 and failed to win it back in the Super Saturday by-election, and Wendy Summers, political staffer and the sister of David Bushby.

• Tasmanian Labor, on the other hand, has persisted in dumping Senator Lisa Singh to number four, despite her historic success in having below-the-line voters overturn her demotion in 2016. This reflects the party’s persistence in favouring the claim of John Short, state secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, who will be number three. The top two positions go to incumbents of the Left and Right, Carol Brown and Catryna Bilyk.

• Ann Sudmalis’s retirement in the dicey New South Wales seat of Gilmore leaves in the field her prospective preselection challenger, Grant Schultz, a real estate agent and the son of former Hume MP Alby Schultz. However, Mark Kenny of Fairfax reports “the moderate faction of the Liberal Party believes it can retain its hold on the seat and find a replacement for Ms Sudmalis”.

• Chris O’Keefe of Nine News reports Hughes MP Craig Kelly has been approached to run in the marginal state seat of East Hills, to smooth over his likely preselection defeat in his existing seat at the hands of Kent Johns. Kelly appeared to scupper his chances when he suggested forgiving Russia for the MH17 disaster was “the price we have to pay” for “good relations going forward”.

• Perin Davey, a Riverina water policy specialist, has won preselection to succeed the retiring John “Wacka” Williams as the Nationals’ New South Wales Senate candidate. The existing coalition agreement gives the Nationals the difficult third position on the ticket, but Joe Kelly of The Australian reports the party is considering breaking away to run its own ticket. To this end it has chosen a full slate of four candidates, rounded out by “small business owner Sam Farraway, Gunnedah Mayor Jamie Chaffey and Wagga-based farmer Paul Cocking”.

• Skye Kakoschke-Moore has been confirmed as the lead South Australian Senate candidate for the Centre Alliance, confirming that Nick Xenophon will stand by the pledge he made at the time of his failed run for state parliament that he would not run at the federal election.

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.

2,067 comments on “More Monday miscellany”

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  1. From the previous thread:

    Asha Leu @ #1485 Monday, October 1st, 2018 – 5:13 am

    I appreciate that economic conditions are different now than they were in 2010-13, but I really hope Bowen isn’t going to pull a Wayne Swan and fruitlessly chase a surplus year after year. His repeated promises and failures to deliver on that front did insurmountable damage to the Gillard government’s credibility, in my view. This is one of these areas where under-promising and over-delivering is the wisest political strategy, particularly for a Labor government.

    I agree, Asha.

    Chris Bowen is a much cannier operator than Wayne Swan I believe. Swanny wore his economic heart on his sleeve and thought everyone would understand, especially in the Keynesian sense, that when circumstances change you have to change your mind and your economic projections. However, he was up against Abbott, a master storyteller and hoodwinker.

    Also, Labor have assembled a much more formidable economic team since then. Though I do hope that they are tweaking their policies still. I would imagine they are.

  2. I imagine you have already mentioned NSW Labor’s picks for the Senate but here is the top two for anyone who hasn’t already found out:

    ‘Dr Mary Ross of the Trail Street Medical Centre announces upcoming Senate run with NSW Labor

    DREAM COME TRUE’: Founder of the Trail Street Medical Centre Dr Mary Ross has just announced her upcoming senate run, and she is over the moon.
    A well-known and widely respected Wagga GP has just confirmed her intentions to run for the Australian Senate. ‘

    Also, the National Secretary of the TWU, Tony Sheldon.

  3. Someone a couple of days back mentioned Jewellery and her, for a change, paying her own way to attend the AFL. Well as a great philosopher once said “Nope nope nope’.

    While Ms Bishop last year famously defended her use of parliamentary travel entitlements to fly to Melbourne for what she dubbed a ”significant international event”, as a backbencher it would have been more difficult to justify billing the taxpayer this year.

    Luckily, the West Coast Eagles were more than happy to foot the bill for their number one ticket holder.

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/julie-bishop-s-first-grand-final-as-a-backbencher-20180929-p506u9.html

  5. Tristo:

    It’ll be bloody difficult, particularly with the bigger quotas from a regular half-senate election, but also rather easier than it would have been back when voters had to number every single candidate below-the-line.

  6. “If the Board doesn’t behave themselves, they can expect more attention from me,” warns the Smirk. Is this a threat or a promise?

    An independent nomination panel is meant to select ABC and SBS board appointments, but their recommendations have been repeatedly ignored by Communications Minister Mitch Fifield.

    Recent government picks include Minerals Council of Australia chairwoman Vanessa Guthrie, Queensland farmer Georgie Somerset, and lawyer Joseph Gersh, who is close to former treasurer Peter Costello. The panel also last year recommended Gilbert + Tobin founder Danny Gilbert for the $160,000-a-year chairman’s role, but former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull overrode that advice and appointed Mr Milne, who was a friend and former business colleague.

    In a letter to Mr Morrison sent Sunday night, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten demanded to be “genuinely consulted, with sufficient notice,” on all new ABC board decisions, including the new chair.

    “Labor is incredibly concerned about the ability of Senator Fifield to make suitable appointments, including for the new ABC chair, given his disregard for the independent nomination panel process,” Mr Shorten wrote. “This approach cannot continue.”

    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/parliament-to-consider-sweeping-changes-to-the-way-abc-board-members-are-picked-20180930-p506xx.html

  7. Despite the Kavanaugh circus business has carried on as usual…….
    .
    .
    With Nation Transfixed By Kavanaugh Monstrosity, House GOP Votes to Give Rich Another $3 Trillion in Tax Cuts

    “This is yet another shameful tax law that would swindle working families and siphon even more funding from the programs that help our communities thrive.”
    ……… Now, middle class families are on the hook for higher healthcare costs, and Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block.”
    —Rep. Richard Neal
    https://www.alternet.org/nation-transfixed-kavanaugh-monstrosity-house-gop-votes-give-rich-another-3-trillion-tax-cuts

  8. Good morning Dan Patrollers.

    Sean Kelly looks at the culture of “maaates”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/three-words-with-more-influence-over-our-national-life-than-any-others-20180929-p506uk.html
    Michael Kirby wonders whether or not Morrison loves gays. He is concerned bout what might be proposed after Ruddock’s report in to religious freedom is considered. He makes some very good points.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/jury-still-out-does-scott-morrison-love-gays-20180930-p506x8.html
    The SMH editorial says that the federal government’s announcement of new recycling labelling on packaging is a welcome addition to the response by lawmakers, consumers and industry to the collapse in the international recycling market precipitated by China’s unheralded exit as the biggest importer of waste.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/don-t-trash-chance-for-a-waste-revolution-20180930-p506zm.html
    NSW is over-funding private schools by $160 million, with some receiving almost $3 million more than they need from state coffers this year while public schools remain under-paid by almost half a billion dollars, a new report has found. WTF?
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-government-over-funding-private-schools-by-160-million-20180928-p506r3.html
    Meanwhile Chris Bowen says Coalition is breaking its own budget rule by not offsetting $4.6bn Catholic schools peace deal with new savings. He accuses the government of trowing money at its political problems.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/sep/30/labor-accuses-coalition-of-throwing-money-at-their-political-problems
    Bevan Shields examines the ample evidence of the failures of the ABC board that he posits will prove to be fatal.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-abc-board-s-inability-to-deal-with-two-issues-at-the-same-time-will-prove-fatal-20180930-p506z1.html
    And in a sign Prime Minister Scott Morrison is keen to move swiftly after a turbulent week for the public broadcaster, government sources say former Nine Entertainment Co chief executive David Gyngell was sounded out about the appointment late last-week but was not interested in the role.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/government-begins-search-for-abc-chairman-after-firestorm-week-20180930-p506z3.html
    Urban Wronski chimes in with a piece on the ABC.
    https://urbanwronski.com/2018/09/30/lose-our-democracy-its-as-easy-as-abc/
    Shields reports that influential crossbencher Tim Storer will exploit the Morrison government’s slim grip on power in Parliament to float a radical overhaul of the ABC board selection process, including establishing US Senate-style confirmation hearings. (I do like Storer’s work since he entered the Senate).
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/parliament-to-consider-sweeping-changes-to-the-way-abc-board-members-are-picked-20180930-p506xx.html
    Eryk Bagshaw writes that a push to get banks to fund legal aid for banking disputes is gaining momentum, as Coalition MPs listen to the pleas of victims of financial misconduct in the wake of a scathing interim report from the banking royal commission.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/calls-grow-for-banks-to-fund-legal-aid-in-cases-of-customer-disputes-20180930-p506xm.html
    Macquarie Bank has been more than a bit naughty in Germany.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/game-over-macquarie-s-german-tax-scandal-20180928-p506n3.html
    Cole Latimer reports that researchers from Curtin University’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences have created a lower-cost and less toxic method of developing hydrogen fuel from solar energy, paving the way for the growth of a hydrogen industry in Australia.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/sun-shines-on-csiro-s-cheap-hydrogen-industry-20180928-p506px.html
    Deep divisions over Brexit overshadowed the opening day of the Conservative party conference on Sunday as Theresa May attempted to wrestle back the focus on to her domestic agenda.
    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/30/may-fights-to-assert-authority-at-tory-conference-as-brexit-divisions-erupt
    According to the AFR’s John Kehoe Frydenberg will not rush to impose heavy-handed regulation on financial companies despite the royal commission’s scathing assessment, saying he is conscious ill-considered rules could constrict lending and hurt the economy.
    https://www.outline.com/9r923W
    The major banks will be forced to consider getting rid of sales-based incentives for all staff, with the Finance Sector Union calling for banker pay to be based only on customer service and compliance, after the royal commission’s interim report found remuneration incentives were at the heart of every scandal it uncovered.
    https://www.outline.com/HRAVyC
    Jennifer Hewett writes that the interim report of the Hayne royal commission demonstrates the importance of applying a very traditional concept in understanding motive and result. Follow the money.
    https://www.outline.com/RHejtd
    And Adele Ferguson says Kenneth Hayne looks open to banning grandfathered commissions and the separation of banks and wealth. He should also consider a new licensing regime for advisers.
    https://outline.com/jaZgec
    Labor is demanding that Prime Minister Scott Morrison extend the banking royal commission, after it handed down a scathing report that slammed the big banks for their greed.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/09/30/banking-royal-commission-more-time/
    Mark Jennings asks, “What is Pentecostalism, and how might it influence Scott Morrison’s politics?”
    https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-pentecostalism-and-how-might-it-influence-scott-morrisons-politics-103530
    The FBI will not interview Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, according to multiple reports and Republican senator Lindsey Graham, highlighting the narrow scope of the agency’s supplemental investigation into Donald Trump’s supreme court nominee.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/30/fbi-investigation-brett-kavanaugh-julie-swetnick-kellyanne-conway
    Walter Shapiro explains what delaying Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote means politically,
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/30/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-nominee-fbi-investigation-
    Scott Morrison has taken responsibility for the Coalition’s controversial $443.3 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation while launching a staunch ­defence of the one-off payment, declaring it made “financial sense”. We’ll see about that!
    https://outline.com/XcSJsR
    According to this researcher the NDIS is delivering ‘reasonable and necessary’ supports for some, but others are missing out.
    https://theconversation.com/the-ndis-is-delivering-reasonable-and-necessary-supports-for-some-but-others-are-missing-out-97922
    Are Australians aware of the mess that is Australian innovation policy, asks Rachel French.
    https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/future-of-innovation-in-australia-uncertain-after-latest-libspill,11941
    The Morrison government should use its regional clout to demand a peacekeeping mission and war crimes tribunal in response to humanitarian crimes in Myanmar, says a top Australian investigator.
    https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/australia-must-demand-myanmar-war-crimes-tribunal-says-investigator-20180928-p506lk.html
    The Australian reports that Australia may be forced to refit its entire fleet of Collins-class submarines and operate them for ­another 30 years because long ­delays in beginning construction of the navy’s 12 new subs risks eroding the nation’s strategic military edge in the region. What a cock up!
    https://outline.com/MkWUru
    The Federal Government is trying to insert amendments to planned foreign donation laws to undermine more stringent state regulations, reports Noely Neate.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/who-knew-the-states-of-australia-were-dangerous-foreign-actors,11948
    A clear winner for today’s “Arsehole of the Week” nomination.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/unlicensed-driver-charged-over-fatal-crash-that-killed-pregnant-newlywed-20180930-p506wi.html

    Cartoon Corner.

    David Rowe gets down and dirty on Kavanaugh.

    Paul Zanetti with the government’s ABC troubles.

    Alan Moir and the awakening ABC.

    Jon Kudelka with Morrison’s budget rules.
    https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/fd185f8a1a466ec13a8e475a9a87edc3
    Just a few more in here.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/best-of-fairfax-cartoons-october-1-2018-20180930-h1628c.html

  9. Some sad news for the UK brethren of our ‘Tories’ 🙂

    Conservatives could ‘go out of business’ …………….”We’ve gone between 2015 to 2017 from neck-and-neck [with Labour] among 40-somethings to five points behind, from two points ahead among 30-somethings to 26 points behind and from four points behind 18 to 29-year-olds to 40 points behind them.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservative-conference-latest-young-voters-ethnic-minorities-labour-youth-vote-a8562011.html

  11. Thanks BK and morning everyone.

    James Comey writes that even in a week and with a nobbled scope, the FBI can get to the bottom of the Kavanaugh allegations.

    Although the process is deeply flawed, and apparently designed to thwart the fact-gathering process, the F.B.I. is up for this. It’s not as hard as Republicans hope it will be.

    F.B.I. agents are experts at interviewing people and quickly dispatching leads to their colleagues around the world to follow with additional interviews. Unless limited in some way by the Trump administration, they can speak to scores of people in a few days, if necessary.

    They will confront people with testimony and other accounts, testing them and pushing them in a professional way. Agents have much better nonsense detectors than partisans, because they aren’t starting with a conclusion.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/opinion/james-comey-fbi-kavanaugh-investigation.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

  13. Morning all. Thanks BK.

    Poroti
    “Luckily, the West Coast Eagles were more than happy to foot the bill for their number one ticket holder.”

    Sickening. Has any politician attended a football final while paying for a ticket in the last decade? I think when the Liberals said they were ending the age of entitlement they only meant entitlement to public health and schools.

  15. Reading William’s intro and noting that is is a non-polling weekend, ScumMo’s tactics are becoming painfully obvious. He has no leadership skills other than sacking people, and no policy skills other than arm twisting. Instead he will rely on “media skills”.

    And what are his media skills? Charisma? Wit? Eloquence? Nope. Avoiding media scrutiny. He releases both the latest emission figures and the RC report on a public holiday weekend with grand finals and no opinion polls. The timing is carefully designed to minimise comment on two areas of massive policy failure. Lets hope ABC staff now understand what will happen to them if ScumMo is reelected.

  16. Hi Soc,
    Did you catch up with the great deal for Retail Workers’ Penalty Rates that the SDA negotiated through the FWA last week? 🙂

  17. Cat
    I agree with the earlier comments by yourself and Asher about Swan and not chasing surpluses.

    I respect Swan and thought he did a good job in the GFC. But later in 2012/2013 he desperately wanted to be seen to deliver a surplus and cut government spending too sharply. This happened right as the mining boom was coming to an end and the effect was job losses. More people lost their jobs in consulting firms here in the Adelaide cbd in 2013/14 than the total workforce in the Holden plant. I am sure it cost Labor electorally too.

    Bowen should talk about balancing budgets in the long term only. When times are good, save. When times are tough, spend. It is that simple. Labor must never put people out of a job for the sake of economic ideology.

  19. Cat
    Seriously no I did not. If the SDA are now working to raise members’ wages that is a big improvement. Do you have a link?

  20. Socrates @ #15 Monday, October 1st, 2018 – 8:20 am

    Reading William’s intro and noting that is is a non-polling weekend, ScumMo’s tactics are becoming painfully obvious. He has no leadership skills other than sacking people, and no policy skills other than arm twisting. Instead he will rely on “media skills”.

    And what are his media skills? Charisma? Wit? Eloquence? Nope. Avoiding media scrutiny. He releases both the latest emission figures and the RC report on a public holiday weekend with grand finals and no opinion polls. The timing is carefully designed to minimise comment on two areas of massive policy failure. Lets hope ABC staff now understand what will happen to them if ScumMo is reelected.

    The best comparison for Morrison is “The Great Oz” who had a booming microphone, a smoke machine and hid behind a curtain. He was found to be a fraud too.

  21. [Bowen should talk about balancing budgets in the long term only. When times are good, save. When times are tough, spend. It is that simple. Labor must never put people out of a job for the sake of economic ideology.]

    Of the few sticks left for the LNP is no budget surplus under ALP since circa 1990.

    Some vague statement about long term surpluses looks weak.

    Promoting a surplus based on NG, CGT reform and differential tax reform leadership to a surplus sounds more persuasive.

  24. GG
    Yes a very apt title for ScumMo. If only we had Keating back, who would roast ScumMo.

    I try to imagine what Keating would say of ScumMo?

    “Go back to your mansion and take your religious dark age with you”
    “Spend more time answering questions and less sacking journalists”
    “Saying a mate to bankers is now the worker’s mate is fake news.”

  26. Socrates ” I think when the Liberals said they were ending the age of entitlement they only meant entitlement to public health and schools.”

    They meant that the Age of Entitlement had ended for the Great Unentitled. That’s everyone except themselves and their mates.

  27. “The best comparison for Morrison is “The Great Oz” who had a booming microphone, a smoke machine and hid behind a curtain. He was found to be a fraud too.”

    He was doing the whole “i say it so it must be true move on or i will RAMP UP THE VOLUME…….Maaaaaate” thing on Insiders yesterday. Interesting that on ABC this morning Frytheplanet was doing much the same thing with out the aggressive shoutieness on a “where is the money coming from” question.

    The best skill the coalition are bringing to their re-election campaign is not allowing themselves to be pinned down. Policy, governance, economics………they are strictly NFI.

  30. poroti:

    The last chapter of “My Brilliant Career” is in the process of being rewritten as we speak, due for release before the election.

  31. Good Morning

    On delivering a surplus. Labor should define what it means by a surplus. Labor should make it clear that means you properly fund services like Medicare, Education etc not cut funding to them and declare voila we got a surplus

    _____________________________________________________

    News 24 just played Malcolm Turnbull commenting on politics. Joe O Brien highlighted the comment about Kevin Rudd being a miserable ghost.

  33. Another signs of the desperation of the LNP is that they have revived the redistribute the GST.

    Did not even wait for the General Election to surprise Labor with the last minute revival.

    Or maybe Morrison is just a fan of revivals and my reading of the politics is totally wrong. 🙂

  35. “On delivering a surplus. Labor should define what it means by a surplus. ”

    From what i have heard of the ALP on this, they will run a surplus when they can and a deficit when they need too. Proper funding as much as possible of basic, on the ground services that matter to peoples daily lives looks like the priority.

    They have certainly shown an interest in looking at BOTH the revenue and expenditure aspects of the Budget which as far as i am concerned puts them streets ahead of the Coalition on matters economic regardless of how they do their exact mix between those.

  36. Good Morning.

    The former PM says he doesn’t believe in hanging around like a ghost … but will he be honest at estimates when called upon?

  38. imacca

    Yes I agree. I just think they need to publicly define this so people get that claiming a surplus as the LNP and media are doing now is not the “economic good management” they are propagandising.

    Its a very hard thing to do as Wayne Swan has shown with the GFC. When we are in the post Shorten era when next a conservative government is in power they will use the rose coloured glasses praising what an excellent treasurer Swan was just as they do today with Keating.

    This cycle needs to be broken or Labor will never shift the “LNP are the best economic managers” narrative.

  39. Mark Dreyfus tweets

    An important contribution to this debate from Michael Kirby. Time for Scott Morrison to release the religious freedom report his government has been sitting on for the past five months and tell Australians what his plans are #auspol https://twitter.com/markdreyfusQCMP/status/1046539268972109824/photo/1

    (See BK’s link or follow the photo link for the article.)

    Its good to see Labor gets it with Wentworth on why this is important to talk about now 🙂

  40. A near inch-perfect post from the NYT:

    [‘Clarence Thomas played the “race card” in his angry diatribe claiming martyrdom, against his claimed Democratic plotters and a dignified woman accuser, and succeeded in grabbing his judgeship. Seemingly, Kavanaugh had seen his saintly choirboy persona act was now failing, and decided to use the Thomas playbook, and played the “white bro card”, in an angry diatribe claiming martyrdom, against his claimed Democratic plotters and a dignified woman accuser. Sadly, this probably will work again, even with all his perjuries to boot!

    Republicans should be deeply ashamed of having foisted both a credibly accused sexual harasser, and now a credibly accused sex assaulter to serve on the Supreme Court at the same time! Is this the best you got?’]

    Whether or not the FBI discovers a smoking gun, Kavanaugh’s reputation is in shatters. While having empathy for his family, I have none for him personally.

  41. guytaur:

    For reasons that are obvious, there’s no way Morrison will release the Ruddock Review before the Wentworth byelection.

  43. ‘Also, Labor have assembled a much more formidable economic team since then.’
    If only this could be communicated to the punters.

  45. Truffles claiming that his government was only 51-49 behind in the published polls when he got the chop (I thought Essential at least, maybe another had the 2PP coming back up to 52-48 to Labor, but anyways) AND 4 points ahead in private tracking polling of 40 marginal seats. Hmmmn. … I wonder whether that tracking polling was provided by the same outfit that was advising Lucien that Longman and Braddon would be a true test of leadership and the pressure was on Bill Shorten?

  46. News 24 just played Malcolm Turnbull commenting on politics. Joe O Brien highlighted the comment about Kevin Rudd being a miserable ghost.
    O’brien is one of the worst tory toadies on their ABC.
    A real prick of a man.

  47. ”
    C@tmomma says:
    Monday, October 1, 2018 at 6:50 am
    I imagine you have already mentioned NSW Labor’s picks for the Senate but here is the top two for anyone who hasn’t already found out:

    ‘Dr Mary Ross of the Trail Street Medical Centre announces upcoming Senate run with NSW Labor

    DREAM COME TRUE’: Founder of the Trail Street Medical Centre Dr Mary Ross has just announced her upcoming senate run, and she is over the moon.

    Also, the National Secretary of the TWU, Tony Sheldon.
    ”
    C@tmomma
    Not selecting Lisa Singh on winnable 3 rd Tasmanian seat after she won the Senate seat on her own in 2016 is not right and downright stupid. They are doing Emma Husar to Lisa Singh in Tasmanian ALP way.

  48. It’s about time the Democrats in America grew a pair: when they next secure the House, the Senate and the Whitehouse the incoming democrat president and congress should immediately appoint another 6 progressive judges to the Supreme Court and then go hard as possible in ramming through all the reforms – universal health care, massive crack down on tax loopholes, lifting the rates of tax from most egregious of the Trump tax cuts, a ‘Working Nation’ style job guarantee targeting the permanent underclass, gun control, prohibitions on voter de registration campaigns and gerrymandering, compulsory preferential voting, campaign finance reforms etc etc – that America needs to function as a civil society in the 21st century.

    – all in the first 18 months after Madam President assumes office. Sure, the democrats may lose the House in the following mid terms, but with those reforms in place and a pro democrat Supreme Court blocking legal challenges, the reforms will take root and prove nearly impossible for future republic#nt administrations to unwind – even if they counter stack the Supreme Court.

  49. Andrew_Earlwood

    I am 100% with you on that. I hope that attitude is with the Labor party too 🙂

    Stuff the Tories make them eat humble pie as their fantasy of neoliberalism is obliterated for all time. Along with the toxic culture wars.

  50. Ven @ #48 Monday, October 1st, 2018 – 6:40 am

    ”
    C@tmomma says:
    Monday, October 1, 2018 at 6:50 am
    I imagine you have already mentioned NSW Labor’s picks for the Senate but here is the top two for anyone who hasn’t already found out:

    ‘Dr Mary Ross of the Trail Street Medical Centre announces upcoming Senate run with NSW Labor

    DREAM COME TRUE’: Founder of the Trail Street Medical Centre Dr Mary Ross has just announced her upcoming senate run, and she is over the moon.

    Also, the National Secretary of the TWU, Tony Sheldon.
    ”
    C@tmomma
    Not selecting Lisa Singh on winnable 3 rd Tasmanian seat after she won the Senate seat on her own in 2016 is not right and downright stupid. They are doing Emma Husar to Lisa Singh in Tasmanian ALP way.

    I agree, not selecting Singh again for a winnable position seems stupid, but fail to see any connection with Husar. 🙂

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