Roughly six months out from a likely federal election, a gathering storm of preselection action. (Note also the thread below this one on the Victorian election campaign).
• Phillip Coorey of the Australian Financial Review reports Scott Morrison has sought to save Craig Kelly from a preselection defeat in Hughes, but that moderate backers of challenger Kent Johns are not to be deterred. According to a source identified as one of his conservative allies, Kelly “has been remiss in looking after his branches and would be lucky to have 25 per cent of the vote”. Quoth a moderate: “As far as the moderates are concerned, Malcolm Turnbull saved Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and Angus Taylor and Kelly last time, and look what they did to him.” Among the quandaries this raises are that Kelly may react to his defeat by moving to the cross-benches, further weakening the already shaky position of the government.
• There have been a few suggestions that Barnaby Joyce may fall foul of a new candidate-vetting process the Nationals have introduced, ostensibly to prevent further Section 44 mishaps. Figures in the party appear to have been putting it about that Joyce might face trouble due to the fear that even after the events of the past year, there remain “skeletons in the closet”. However, inquiries by Richard Ferguson of The Australian suggest that “a few members on the NSW Nationals’ 84-people-strong central council do plan to refuse to endorse Mr Joyce but they are in the minority”.
• David Johnston of the Border Mail reports nominees for a Liberal preselection vote for Indi, to be held on December 8, include Steve Martin, project manager for the Mars Petcare Wodonga plant expansion and Seeley International’s relocation from Albury to Wodonga, and Stephen Brooks, a local businessman. Another potential nominee is Greg Mirabella, husband of former member Sophie Mirabella. The seat’s independent member, Cathy McGowan, has not yet committed to seeking another term. The report also raises the possibility that Senator Bridget McKenzie, who is preparing to move her electorate office to Wodonga, might run for the Nationals.
• Christian Knight of the Nambucca Guardian reports the Nationals have preselected Patrick Conaghan, a local solicitor who was formerly a police officer and North Sydney councillor, to succeed the retiring Luke Hartsuyker in Cowper. The other candidates were Chris Genders, a newsagent; Jamie Harrison, former Port Macquarie-Hastings councillor and owner of an electrical business; and Judy Plunkett, a Port Macquarie pharmacist. Conaghan appears to have won over half the vote in the first round.
• Labor has recruited Brian Owler, neurosurgeon and former Australian Medical Association president, as its candidate for Bennelong. The party had initially preselected Lyndal Howison, communications manager at the Whitlam Institute and the party’s candidate in 2016, but she agreed to step aside for Owler.
• Gladys Liu, director of Blue Ribbon Consultancy, has been preselected as the Liberal candidate to succeed Julia Banks in Chisholm, having emerged “the clear winner in the field of eight candidates”, according to Liberal sources cited by Benjamin Preiss of The Age. Other candidates included Theo Zographos, a Monash councillor, and Litsa Pillios, an accountant. James Campbell of the Herald Sun reports Liu had backing from party president Michael Kroger and conservative powerbroker Michael Sukkar.
• David Alexander of the Pine Rivers Press reports the Liberal National Party has preselected local small businessman Terry Young as its candidate for Longman. The party recorded a portentously weak showing in the seat at the Super Saturday by-election on July 28, for which Young was an unsuccessful preselection candidate.
I hope Adrian is watching today’s Insiders.
It must be one of the most consistently swingeing critiques of the Coaltion in any one episode.
Ever.
Lol. Like the RuddBank. MoBank. Or is it FryBank? 🙂
BW
I think we have finally discovered the reason behind your scathing one eyed criticism of the umpires in the 2016 Swans v Bulldogs AFL grand final. 😆
Darn
*laughs*
I have found it challenging to ward off self pity and dread in relation to my eyesight.
Humour helps.
Thank you.
Boerwar
Perhaps just a sign of confidence that they know (for sure) which way the political tide is running ? 😉
“It must be one of the most consistently swingeing critiques of the Coaltion. Ever”
Cassidy and his hack mates must be afraid of the certainty of a Labor government. A bit late though. Sack the lot of ’em.
Lenore Taylor is increasingly exasperated by Andrew Probyn.
p
IMO, it reflects reality.
Shorten and Labor are not putting a foot wrong.
The Coalition provides endless grist to the mill.
I assume they could not find any one on the reactionary side to join this panel.
Belt and braces. It’s what you go for when you keep finding your pants around your ankles in public.
Insiders now doing non psephing analysis of the Victorian state election.
Slightly for a Labor victory.
‘poroti says:
Sunday, November 18, 2018 at 9:51 am
Belt and braces. It’s what you go for when you keep finding your pants around your ankles in public.’
Classic.
poroti @ #957 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 6:51 am
LOL!
‘Proof of Life (political) Hostage Videos’ 😆
That Frydenberg video was an excellent self-parody.
Taylor was spot on when she said everyone is simply mocking and deriding Morrison and his govt.
For psephers the interesting comment was from PvO.
The ever-larger number of pre polls will change election campaigns with things like major announcements happening much earlier in campaigns.
Boerwar @ #936 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 9:31 am
+1
Boerwar @ #965 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 10:02 am
It’s also why it has been a smart move by Labor to continuously feed big policy announcements into the mix and to prime the pump before the election gun goes off.
With respect to the conversation around Labor’s upcoming Energy policy announcement, I found this article today, VERY interesting. In summary, it basically says that the cost of Solar, Wind + Battery Storage is coming down so fast that the best course of action is to retire all Coal-Fired Power Plants and bypass completely Gas-Fired Power Plant building!
https://thinkprogress.org/forget-coal-both-solar-and-wind-are-now-cheaper-than-new-natural-gas-plants-e281f5485e5f/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tp-letters
The best of the last 12 months from our cartoonist.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/gallery/2018/nov/18/best-australian-political-cartoons-of-the-year-in-pictures
Whilst elections will increasingly see early voting Wentworth proved you can still lose an election in the last week of a campaign.
Lucky for FauxMo, that’s not a problem he needs to worry about at the next election.
Abbott is actually losing money by remaining a MP; if he quit he’d get his PM pension which is more than a backbenchers salary. But then he’d give up his chance to be PM again….
No surprises to see David Rowe feature several times. He’s easily Australia’s best political cartoonist in my view.
Dio:
Here’s hoping voters in Warringah make the decision for him.
The best thing about the Australian media is the cartoons.
Another NeoCon has his two bob’s worth:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/assistant-minister-for-treasury-and-finance-zed-seselja-favourably-disposed-towards-israel-embassy-move/news-story/8693bfce59641b6537d9f3a7f96a3839
Diogenes says:
Also not being totally irrelevant and unemployable. Priceless.
If Birmingham’s a guide, running off at the mouth is not confined to FauxMo. Cassidy could not get a word in edgeways.
Abbott is criss crossing Australia on the taxpayer, annoying one Indigenous community after another.
He has extra staffing resources. He has extra Envoy pay.
His living away from home allowances while on the road would keep ten Newstarters in clover.
He gets to inflict punishment on anyone to the left of Pauline Hanson.
He gets his pain massaged.
And, best of all, he gets to delay real climate action in Australia.
What could be more meaningful?
The Liberals and Labor right won’t be happy with Daniel Andrews’ latest socialist policy of subsidised dental care for Victorian Govt school kids.
I think Lenore thinks Andrew is a bit of a mouth.
I think Lenore gets frustrated when the kids don’t do their homework
Rex Douglas @ #979 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 6:48 am
Why would Labor have a problem with it, you idiot?
Probyn is your typical neo-lib centrist establishment type. Understandable that Lenore may roll her eyes.
What a mental giant!
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-18/camp-fire-teams-search-for-1000-missing-in-california-paradise/10508382
Dio
Abbott is actually losing money by remaining a MP; if he quit he’d get his PM pension which is more than a backbenchers salary.
__________________________________
Don’t forget the humungous travel allowance he still gets for travelling around the country on his caring and sharing stunts.
Rex Douglas:
[‘Probyn is your typical neo-lib centrist establishment type.’]
Ah, so that’s why Milne wanted to get rid of him.
Mavis Smith @ #984 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 10:57 am
Milne wanted to get rid of everyone !
Dio: “The best thing about the Australian media is the cartoons”
Agreed, Dio. However, I’d say it is its only positive feature. The rest is appalling.
Pater Abbott seen annoying Aboriginal children.
I have no source for this. Surely it’s a joke? But Barnaby…
lizzie:
Who is that tweet from?
Victorian Greens election platform includes: Community health by and for communities: working with and in communities to boost access to health and dental services:
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/agv/pages/18664/attachments/original/1542162919/AGV_Community_health_and_dental.pdf?1542162919
Andrews is continuing to put out policies in areas the Greens Party has long campaigned on, in efforts to sway inner city electorates where Labor is under threat from the Greens.
That’s a good thing. It validates my position for supporting a third party advocating for inclusive and progressive policies.
Pegasus @ #989 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 11:05 am
Quite right, Peg.
Trump thinks the solution to the fire problem is to ‘clean out the forest floor’.
“We’re all committed…it’s going to work out well.”
https://twitter.com/i/status/1063913436214685697
Fess
I said “I have no source for this.”
lizzie:
But where did you copy the tweet from?
From last month
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources approving an extension to the development of the carp herpes virus.
Plans to eradicate carp numbers in Australia have been put on hold for at least a year
Carp can grow to monstrous sizes in rivers and creeks
More research will be done to research potential immunity to the virus in carp
The extension will allow time for researchers to look into the current knowledge gaps and speak with more stakeholders.
It will also prevent the Government — which dubbed the plan ‘Carpageddon’ — from taking a gamble on current research.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-12/carp-herpes-virus-plans-put-on-hold/10370836
lizzie @ #991 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 11:11 am
How many wildlife species would he wipeout doing that ?
C@tmomma @ #968 Sunday, November 18th, 2018 – 10:08 am
Sorry, C@tmomma. This would be good news if it were true. But it just isn’t – not yet.
I know I sound like a broken record on this topic, but it is too important to get this wrong. It would lead to dangerously poor policy outcomes.
As usual with articles of this type, they consider only the cost of the energy generation, and do not include the cost of “firming”, which requires either storage or some other complementary form of generation. The source article (Lazard) specifically excludes consideration of storage. It says …
It also warns …
I.e. the costs quoted do not include the cost of either storage, or other firming to make the power generated “dispatchable”.
In particular, on batteries, this article itself concedes …
“Beginning”, maybe (although they provide no evidence of this!). But we are not there yet.
However, I certainly agree that the best thing we can do is to retire coal as fast as possible. And for those countries like Australia that have foregone nuclear, the fastest way to do that is by using as much renewables as possible (and wind is by far the cheapest, not solar, and also requires less firming), plus gas as a transition fuel (for firming only, itself to be eliminated as fast as possible) while we build the necessary storage (which would mostly be hydro, not batteries).
But even so, the picture is looking increasingly grim …
We cannot afford to make any more mistakes. They would not only be costly, they would be deadly.