The latest of Essential Research’s fortnightly polls, which continue to limit themselves to issue questions in the wake of the great pollster failure, focuses mostly on the Israel Folau controversy. Respondents registered high levels of recognition of the matter, with 22% saying they had been following it closely, 46% that they had “read or seen some news”, and another 17% saying they were at least “aware”.
Probing further, the poll records very strong support for what seem at first blush to be some rather illiberal propositions, including 64% agreement with the notion that people “should not be allowed to argue religious freedom to abuse others”. However, question wording would seem to be very important here, as other questions find an even split on whether Folau “has the right to voice his religious views, regardless of the hurt it could cause others” (34% agree, 36% disagree), and whether there should be “stronger laws to protect people who express their religious views in public” (38% agree, 38% disagree). Furthermore, 58% agreed that “employers should not have the right to dictate what their employees say outside work”, which would seem to encompass the Folau situation.
Respondents were also asked who would benefit and suffer from the federal government’s policies over the next three years, which, typically for a Coalition government, found large companies and corporations expected to do best (54% good, 11% bad). Other results were fairly evenly balanced, the most negative findings relating to the environment (26% good, 33% bad) and, funnily enough, “older Australians” (26% good, 38% bad). The economy came in at 33% good and 29% bad, and “Australia in general” at 36% good and 27% bad. The poll was conducted last Tuesday to Saturday from a sample of 1099.
Also of note:
• A referendum on indigenous recognition may be held before the next election, after Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt’s announcement on Wednesday that he would pursue a consensus option for a proposal to go before voters “during the current parliamentary term”. It is clear the government would not be willing to countenance anything that went further than recognition, contrary to the Uluru Statement from the Heart’s call for a “First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution” – a notion derided as a “third chamber of parliament” by critics, including Scott Morrison.
• A paper in the University of Western Australia Law Review keeps the Section 44 pot astir by suggesting 26 current members of federal parliament may fall foul by maintaining a “right of abode” in the United Kingdom – a status allowing “practically the same rights” as citizenship even where citizenship has been formally renounced. The status has only been available to British citizens since 1983, but is maintained by citizens of Commonwealth countries who held it before that time, which they could do through marriage or descent. This could potentially be interpreted as among “the rights or privileges of a subject or citizen of a foreign power”, as per the disqualifying clause in Section 44. Anyone concerned by this has until the end of the month to challenge an election result within the 40 day period that began with the return of the writs on June 21. Action beyond that point would require referral by the House of Representatives or the Senate, as appropriate.
Dan G:
Thanks. I didn’t look at the Qanda website, but this is how Toby Ralph is described:
https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/toby-ralph/11288590
He could be a coalition MP!
He could be a coalition MP!
____
Denialist for hire!
“Marketing and political strategist
Toby Ralph is a marketing strategist whose clients include tobacco companies, the nuclear waste industry, live meat exports, Murray Basin irrigators and banks. Described as one of the ‘most powerful spinners and advisers in Australia,’ he has worked on 40 elections around the world, including all of John Howard’s election campaigns, but says he’s more interested in business than politics.
Speaking to The Power Index, Toby confided: “I’ll work for anyone who pays me. I’m a taxi: flag me down and I’ll take you wherever you want to go… I like working for things where people’s first reaction is to say: ‘that’s wrong’.
Toby is a regular guest on Gruen Planet and Radio National, and has appeared on Insight and Q&A. He topped The Power Index’s ‘Five (relatively) unknown people running Australia’, and was included in the inaugural BRW Power List as one of the fifty most influential people in Australian business.
https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/toby-ralph/11288590
He could be a coalition MP!”
He’s certainly a big enough sociopathic twat to be one.
This is another example of ABC’s stockholm syndrome bias – they’ll always give airtime to hard right arseholes such as him to ‘provide balance’ but then never have someone who is as far to the left on the spectrum to actually balance the toxicity of these creeps.
The most left wing people Q&A gets tend to be comedians,actors or musicians, and often the ‘left’ is represented from someone from Labor’s right. I am yet to see a ‘people’s panelist’ who is from the left, but then I rarely watch Q&A – it drives me nuts.
Confessions @ #1551 Monday, July 15th, 2019 – 5:56 pm
Yikes! That’s an unholy quintet if ever there was one.
BK:
He’s prepared to shill for everything that is the antithesis of this country’s interests. The photo Qanda supplied shows him clean shaven, suggesting he has no problems looking into a mirror every morning.
Dan G:
The only thing missing from his resume is the coal and oil industries.
sustainable future
Are there that many real hard core left wing people for the ABC to choose from, I get the impression that to be left in Australia means you focus on social issues and non-commercial stuff. There seems to be more well known reactionaries and conservatives.
I was on The Drum with Toby Ralph once. Nice bloke.
William Bowe @ #1558 Monday, July 15th, 2019 – 6:14 pm
A certain Austrian corporal had the ability to charm the pants off those he encountered as well.
I have used Toby Ralph as an expert witness.
He knows his stuff.
Toby Ralph was always a pretty good guest on Gruen.
Labor should hire Ralph now.
shellbell
Any view on the possible implications of the delay in handing down a judgement on Pell’s appeal?
Live from Stockholm…
Tonight, we are all Toby Ralph
Good to see PB achieving the balance to which the ABC merely aspires (“knows his stuff”, “pretty good guest on Gruen”, versus “sociopathic twat”, “right-wing arsehole”, “worse than Hitler”).
never heard of Toby Ralph
“Thanks. I didn’t look at the Qanda website, but this is how Toby Ralph is described:…”
Looks like he’s an advocate for all the bad guys…
I prefer Ralph Toby.
Toby R
William Bowe says:
Monday, July 15, 2019 at 8:14 pm
Shame on you William, basing your opinion on more than a quick Google¿ 😆
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/author.asp?id=7151
The above is a pretty good summary of the “new” global world, by Toby Ralph.
IMHO it is pretty accurate, and an interesting read. One major theme is the paradox of the “evaporation of average”, how it occurred and the implications. (An example in the car industry, high end “expensive” car companies, and low end “cheap-car” companies are doing well, but middle priced ones are not)
It was written just before Trump was elected.
It will be quite interesting to see what he says on Qanda. Judging by the article, Ralph is a pretty good thinker, and at least in the article there is no sign that he is conservo agent.
Elsewhere on the www he is described as one of Australia’s 50 most powerful people.
Ralph got in trouble for describing the live export industry as a dead man walking while he was working for them.
Comments by Toby Ralph in AFR article – Truth and lies in federal politics: has Donald Trump changed everything?
https://www.afr.com/news/politics/truth-and-lies-in-federal-politics-has-donald-trump-changed-everything-20181219-h19awc
“Ralph was a key player in John Howard’s four election wins. He believes outright lies, along with white lies, inaccurate simplifications, obfuscations, bribery, deceptions and downright misrepresentations have always plagued politics.
“Parliaments are their factories,” he says.
The 24-hour news cycle doesn’t make getting away with them easier, but the demise of the professional news gathering industry does.”
Politics is hugely complex, but when it’s boiled down to a 10-second soundbite by media minders, larger truths can be sacrificed to pragmatism: think [Bob Hawke’s claim] ‘No child shall live in poverty’.”
“But there’s no shortage of what seem to be pure and simple whoppers, designed to gain or maintain power.
“Were a royal commission held into political lies, it would make bankers look saintly. Were politicians accountable in the same way that directors are under the Corporations Act, corporate constitutions and shareholder agreements we’d see pollies shamed, dismissed, impoverished, banned or jailed for breaches.”
I know people who have met Tony Abbott socially outside of the political scene and who are from the Left of politics and they swear he’s a really nice bloke. Make of that what you will.
First question on deeming and no govt representative to field it.
Yikes!
William Bowe
says:
Monday, July 15, 2019 at 8:40 pm
Good to see PB achieving the balance to which the ABC merely aspires (“knows his stuff”, “pretty good guest on Gruen”, versus “sociopathic twat”, “right-wing arsehole”, “worse than Hitler”).
_______________________________
Once you vouched for him William. It was only a matter of time until…..
@MB
It’s not illegal to seek refuge to another country because Origin of country is X reason.
Bit early BW to draw conclusions although a very rough rule is the longer the delay the less likely the appeal will succeed.
Superior courts quiten a little bit in July while overseas travel etc beckons.
Zoidlord says:
Monday, July 15, 2019 at 10:04 pm
@MB
It’s not illegal to seek refuge to another country because Origin of country is X reason.
————————–
I didn’t say it was, I simply pointed out that many of the immigrants crossing the U.S border are not claiming to be refugees.
Toby is a taxi he says, for any concern. Prostitute of the road.
ItzaDream @ #1507 Monday, July 15th, 2019 – 6:08 pm
Come again? I never said that thing you’re attributing to me.
a.r
I noticed that but thought maybe there was a typo.
@Mexicanbeemer
You don’t state evidence just hearsay.
I expect that the Government’s reaction to this would be to nobble Medicare to benefit private health insurers: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-16/report-warns-australian-private-healthcare-struggling-to-cope/11311746
William Bowe says:
Monday, July 15, 2019 at 6:53 pm
The Oz reports Newspoll will be back “very shortly”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/angry-ita-retires-from-talk/news-story/17494670c7508819992cff5a47e5c9b7
I have my dart board ready.
Polls are waste of time they are fake.
Zoidlord @ #1588 Tuesday, July 16th, 2019 – 6:52 am
Are you sure this is the right place for you?
Good Morning
William
The problem is not Ralph or even a succession of guests from the right. With a couple of extreme exceptions.
The problem is reasonable sane conservative voices get drowned out by the neoliberal ideology. Thus making people like Hewson look left wing. Then reasonable sane voices from the left are seen as extreme.
The Yasmin effect
William Bowe @ #1540 Monday, July 15th, 2019 – 6:53 pm
Was this in the Fake News section?
Meanwhile TheRacist in the White House is showing why you have to stand for principles and not follow the LNP and Labor in putting politics above principle on immigration. All that purity Labor people castigate the Greens for.
Edit: it became indefinite detention under Labor by refusal to put a time limit.
New Social Services minister getting off to a great start with her “pension is generous” statement.
Prompted a pensioner organisation to weigh in with a report on pension adequacy from a few years ago and for good measure to urge the increase of Newstart and rent allowance because of increasing numbers of people reaching pension age with no money after being unemployed for the past few years.
Looks like this B team formed out of Howard’s B team is finding this “governing’ thing a bit more challenging than they thought.
Just saw vision of Freudenberg on TV and he looked even more like a rabbit in the headlights than usual.
Who needs Newspoll when you can use……………….
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tiptoeing-around-trumps-racism-is-a-betrayal-of-journalistic-truth-telling/2019/07/15/61b5bbea-a705-11e9-9214-246e594de5d5_story.html?utm_term=.e44c38968d3b
“Was this in the Fake News section?”
The Australian doesn’t have a separate section for fake news. It’s easier to treat it as all fake.
‘The Australian’ features an article blaming ‘stubborn’ staff for wage stagnation. It turns out that if they weren’t so frightened of shifting they could increase their pay in a more productive company.
Terror of precarious employment is not mentioned.
I assume that ‘The Australian’s’ jounos will now resign en masse in order to increase their pay elsewhere.
Steve777 @ #1596 Tuesday, July 16th, 2019 – 7:55 am
True dat.
So exactly what are we to make of the poll when it does come out? I know I will be sceptical for one because how can Newspoll guarantee that it has polled enough low interest/low information voters to make it a valid sample?
And I will be especially suspicious if Labor are leading in the poll. Though I imagine Morrison has done enough to convince the politically-engaged conservatives that he is doing a good job.
Bob Brown is receiving the expected pizzling from Lloyd over in the Oz.
‘We will not be silenced’: Young women of color in The Squad refuse to back down in the face of Trump’s racism
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) promised on Monday that the young women in Congress known as “The Squad” would not back down in the face of racist attacks from President Donald Trump.
Pressley spoke at a press conference with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
“I also would like to just underscore the fact that despite the occupant of the White House’s attempts to marginalize us and to silence us, please know that we are more than four people. We ran on a mandate to advocate for and represent those ignored, left out and left out and left behind,” Pressley said.
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/we-will-not-be-silenced-young-women-of-color-in-the-squad-refuse-to-back-down-in-the-face-of-trumps-racism/