The West Australian today reports that Human Services Minister Michael Keenan will be joining the exodus at the election, creating a vacancy in his northern suburbs Perth seat of Stirling. The seat was long highly marginal, but Keenan has held it on mostly comfortable margins since he gained the seat from Labor in 2004.
There is also a uComms/ReachTEL poll in The Australian from the scene of the week’s other big retirement announcements, the Melbourne seat of Higgins. Conducted on Thursday from a sample of 860 for interests who wish to bring about the return of Peter Costello, the poll finds Labor with a two-party lead of 52-48. This compares with a 10.7% margin for retiring Liberal member Kelly O’Dwyer in Liberals-versus-Labor terms, although it’s perfectly in line with how the electorate voted at the election. It was in fact the Greens who finished second in 2016, but the poll suggests that is unlikely to be repeated this time: after exclusion of the 8.4% undecided, the primary votes are Liberal 40.3%, Labor 27.1% and Greens 19.3%.
Someone please do something about Nath and his Bill Shorten obsession.
I am merely a daily reader/lurker (my preference) but I am utterly fucking sick of the nath’s Bill Shorten rubbish and I know several other readers/lurkers who feel the same and are close to stopping visiting the site for the, otherwise, more useful debates and info. We just get sick of scrolling past it all day every day. It’s even more of a pain in the arse doing it on an iPhone screen.
It’s your site William but, seriously, Nath brings nothing useful to it. If it was my site I’d be running it like a benevolent dictatorship and nuking him. I don’t think anyone would argue with you if you did.
Labor have a very smart dude running in Aston, PhD in international relations, masters in International Human Rights Law, seems like a very useful person to have in government.
https://www.alp.org.au/our-people/our-people/kadira-pethiyagoda/
Picking Kimberley Kitching was an inspired move by Shorten. Her first initiative:
that Senator Kimberley Kitching is attempting to launch a cross-party “Defence of Democratic Institutions” Parliamentary Friendship Group to champion “Judeo-Christian, liberal-democratic values.
I know Pauline Hanson likes this kind of stuff and so does Eric Abetz, right up his alley.
nath says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:03 pm
Actually, there is some use out of having regional ALP members and candidates, it makes money for the party due to federal funding, and of course it aids in Senate contests. Those are the only reasons they even bother with them.
———————————————
The Labor Party was born in the Bush – it’s in our DNA. That’s why the ALP has far more regional state seats in QLD than the Tories.
Regional Queensland sustains the Labor Party.
Kimberly Kitching is a pedestrian thinker who got a gig under the mates’ act.
A very minor role on Senate Estimates asking unthreatening questions is as far as she will go.
Recalling how a quality candidate like Tanya Plibersek got pre-selection for Sydney back in the day, you see there ‘was no time to branch stack’. Good for her.
the ALP preselectors in the safe federal electorate of Sydney were due to choose their candidate to replace sitting member Peter Baldwin. Baldwin, who’d been a minister in the Keating government, had thrown NSW Labor into a tailspin a few months earlier by announcing he would not re-contest the seat.
“Had it all, Sydney did,” recalls a Labor Party official who was in the thick of it. The lack of notice, the absence of a succession plan, the strict continuity rules of party membership governing eligibility to vote all combined to ensure this rare rank-and-file preselection contest was wide open. “There was no time to branch stack,” says one of the numbers men. In the end there were nine candidates, eight women and a man in a wheelchair who, in the words of one of the operatives, “made merry of the fact that the ALP had affirmative action for women but not for disabled people”.
A safe federal seat like Sydney is a valuable political prize, well worth fighting for.
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/tanya-plibersek-cool-calm-elected-20120921-26bh9.html
bug1
Pretty bloody impressive.
..
..
After migrating from Sri Lanka at age one, his family lived in flats and units in a working class area in Melbourne’s south-east. After passing the entry exam to Melbourne High, Kadira decided he preferred to return to his local public school due to a strong connection to the community he grew up in
His expertise also stems from having specialised on foreign policy as a visiting scholar at Oxford University and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. Kadira has a PhD in International Relations which was co-supervised by former Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans.
From a few years ago now, Stan Grant in a debate about racism in Australia. Still relevant today, and arguably even more pertinent a debate on Australia Day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEOssW1rw0I
Upnorth
says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:48 pm
nath says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:03 pm
Actually, there is some use out of having regional ALP members and candidates, it makes money for the party due to federal funding, and of course it aids in Senate contests. Those are the only reasons they even bother with them.
———————————————
The Labor Party was born in the Bush – it’s in our DNA. That’s why the ALP has far more regional state seats in QLD than the Tories.
Regional Queensland sustains the Labor Party.
______________________________________
And yet when was the last time the ALP held a Federal regional seat in QLD? Rob Hulls was it, 1990-1993?
Labor has held, and continues to hold, seats in regional Qld since then, such as Capricornia, Dawson, Leichhardt, Longman, Herbert etc.
nath says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:19 pm
The fact is that every safe and fairly safe ALP seat is subject to branch stacks to determine pre-selection and even some marginal seats too.
….
Based on personal experience; the fact is; you don’t have a clue.
But that aside; the Labor process is actually selecting some talent; the same cannot be said for the Liberals.
There has been two things that have struck me; one is the talent Labor attract, and two, what I call the gap. There seems to be a lot of members in the 60+ and a lot of members in their 20s. And I mean a lot, I suspect the 60+ are now well outnumbered. There seems to be a gap of people in their 30s or 40s.
I wonder if the 30s and 40s had nothing to fight for. The causes are pretty obvious today; it was SSM and now it is climate change.
What have the Liberals got; a lump of coal and a dry river.
nath says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:56 pm
Upnorth
says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:48 pm
nath says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:03 pm
Actually, there is some use out of having regional ALP members and candidates, it makes money for the party due to federal funding, and of course it aids in Senate contests. Those are the only reasons they even bother with them.
———————————————
The Labor Party was born in the Bush – it’s in our DNA. That’s why the ALP has far more regional state seats in QLD than the Tories.
Regional Queensland sustains the Labor Party.
______________________________________
And yet when was the last time the ALP held a Federal regional seat in QLD? Rob Hulls was it, 1990-1993?
———————————————
Nath must think Regional QLD ends at Noosa and his lack of knowledge makes him look like a fool.
Herbert, Dawson, Flynn, Leichhardt, Hinkler, Capricornia have be n held by Labor since Hulls held Kennedy.
So if $550,000 is 15% of Mundine’s show’s budget on Sky, then total production cost is $3.7 million.
Why is the federal govt paying for this?
WTF?
In my assessment of seats to fall. Aston is amongst them. Tudge, Hunt, Sukkar and GMO are gorn!
“I wonder if the 30s and 40s had nothing to fight for. The causes are pretty obvious today; it was SSM and now it is climate change.”
Actually, I think that the 30s and 40s would be mostly focused on bread and butter issues – jobs, bills, mortgages, kids.
Bushfire Bill @ #1408 Sunday, January 27th, 2019 – 6:08 pm
Payment for services rendered?
Upnorth says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 9:08 pm
nath says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 8:56 pm
Upnorth
says:
Nath must think Regional QLD ends at Noosa and his lack of knowledge makes him look like a fool.
Herbert, Dawson, Flynn, Leichhardt, Hinkler, Capricornia have be n held by Labor since Hulls held Kennedy.
____________________________________
They’ve done a bit better than I thought, but apart from Capricornia they have only held those seats occasionally. Queensland is a black hole for the ALP and has been for 50 years. I don’t mind being wrong about things in Queensland, that humid, fetid joint should be excised from the Commonwealth.
Steve777 says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 9:11 pm
“I wonder if the 30s and 40s had nothing to fight for. The causes are pretty obvious today; it was SSM and now it is climate change.”
Actually, I think that the 30s and 40s would be mostly focused on bread and butter issues – jobs, bills, mortgages, kids.
Yes there is that; a distant memory. But I have kids in that age group; not interested.
nath says:
…
They’ve done a bit better than I thought
Your problem is; basically; you don’t have a clue. You need to get better notes from your minder.
frednk
You sound a bit out of touch saying something like that.
Steve777 understands.
53:47
frednk says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 9:18 pm
nath says:
…
They’ve done a bit better than I thought
Your problem is; basically; you don’t have a clue. You need to get better notes from your minder.
______________________________
As a former member of the Young Liberals, which ALP Prime Ministers did you campaign against? Was Gough too red for you and you were a Fraser supporter? Was Hawke a union heavy and you backed Howard? Having a go at me is a poor way to shore up your ALP credentials.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/labor-confident-of-landing-five-liberal-seats-at-election-20190127-p50tyo.html
I think the ALP will go close to getting Flinders on Green prefs. Just a feeling I have. MT was pretty popular down at the Portsea and Sorrento end of the electorate. That part of the electorate is like a mini Wentworth in some respects.
#weatheronPB. Sydney is beset by a swarm of storm cells.
I liked Chris Bowen turn of phrase in a recent AFR Interview –
https://www.afr.com/news/politics/national/this-is-how-chris-bowen-plans-to-emulate-hero-keating-as-a-reformist-treasurer-20190124-h1aglr
Josh Spiegel, Labor candidate for Higgins, would be a tad disappointed with base funding from ALP HO, I imagine.
Nath
You’re an artist!
I see that Poll Bludger After Dark is in full swing, but where’s Clem? It’s like Rowan Dean taking the night off from SkyNoos.
SkyFoxNews After Dark giving some advice to Scotty….
.@chriskkenny: ‘Scott Morrison could put Tony Abbott back into cabinet. We all know Tony Abbott’s long and devoted attention to Indigenous Affairs … Why not put him into cabinet, he could have Nigel Scallion’s portfolio.’
MORE: bit.ly/2HkWSO1 #kennyonsunday
Steve777 @ #1420 Sunday, January 27th, 2019 – 6:29 pm
Yikes! As much as I wish we’d get some rain here, I’m loving the current temp of 19 with light breezes and clear skies, which means a good night’s sleep 🙂
sprocket_ @ #1424 Sunday, January 27th, 2019 – 9:39 pm
The more the better on the bridge of RMS Liberal Titanic.
briefly says:
Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 1:26 pm
Very plainly, the voters of Warringah want to dump Abbott. 300 volunteers to the first campaign event…impressive…
***************
We’ll see how they go with the hard yards of campaigning.
sprocket_ @ #1425 Sunday, January 27th, 2019 – 6:39 pm
Translation: Abbott could do with the profile boost of a cabinet position now that he has a genuine challenger in his electorate.
Hmm but what to call Tones’ position ? Chief Protector of Aborigines or should Scrott go for Commissioner for Native Affairs ?
learnings.. ewww
nath says:
…
As a former member of the Young Liberals, which ALP Prime Ministers did you campaign against? Was Gough too red for you and you were a Fraser supporter? Was Hawke a union heavy and you backed Howard?
Nath I have no problem with who I am.
It was children overboard that was one step too far for me; and they have just got worse.
It was Paul Keating that convinced me that Labor were actually the better economic managers. He basically fixed Howard’s mess.
Up until then I believed we needed Labor for social change and the Liberals for economic management. If the Liberals can’t even run the joint ( absolute proof this time) of what value are they.
I was a Fraser supporter. Fraser resigned from the Liberal party for good reasons.
Before that it really was a tribal thing; brought up in a Liberal family.
Having said that, 40 years ago the young liberals was a different beast. It was a great social club, not a bunch of drunken loutes.
I think it was Peacock I campaigned for.
Never mind Raffa, there’s always a 12th French title.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6636207/Im-Celebs-Jacqui-Lambie-rushed-hospital.html
Jacqui Lambie will be rushed to hospital during Sunday night’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
On Sunday morning, the show’s official Instagram page shared a teaser clip of the 47-year-old suffering a head injury in the South African jungle.
The Noisy Minors of Labor, appearing so thin skinned and glass jawwed, they need to spend yet another whole day pumping their BS all over the place. After a few fun facts and questions are put to them. Rather than address obvious issues. Pathetic pieces of shit think that ganging up on random posters online is the peak of Labor qualities. Anything to try and keep themselves and their bedfellows the LNP in bed together as the true rulers of the Australian people. In their own minds.
AE
We all have our favourites, don’t we?
As ‘I can’t stop thinking of you’.
Sting – lyrics
I can’t stop thinking about you
I can’t stop wanting you this way
I can’t face dreaming without you
That’s why I’m searching night and day…
I have a friend who works professionally with indigenous people in the Kimberleys.
She tells me the aborigines in her neck of the woods hate Tony Abbott with a passion.
For all the good it would do, appointing Abbott as minister for a month or so, then losing office… yeah, nah.
Kenny seems to have forgotten the bit where Scullion remains indigenous affairs minister until the election.
Quoll says:
..About 100 words of abuse..
????? which argument did you lose?????
frednk
According to Cat those who change ships are the worst zealots or wtte.
Apparentlybin her mind that applies to me because I jumped ship from Labor to the Greens.
No doubt, you jumping ship from Libs to Lab is a-okay.
Henry:
Good point.
frednk
says:
Nath I have no problem with who I am.
_______________________________
And yet here I am, someone who has never sent a vote to the conservative side, and whose family have voted for the ALP since 1900 berated by you for not being sufficiently pro-ALP. Funny stuff hey?
William’s putting on a great light show in Sydney Tonight 😀 #weatheronPB
Pegasus
I am tolerated.
I Joined because shorten was trying to expend the membership base. I think that is a good thing.
I have a lot of respect for Cat she got it right first time.
Newspoll 55/45 *crosses fingers*