Essential Research: sports rorts, ICAC, Australia Day

The latest from Essential finds majority support for removing Bridget McKenzie, but with a third saying they haven’t been following the issue.

Essential Research has not allowed the long weekend to interrupt the fortnightly schedule of its polling, which continues to be limited to attitudinal questions. Conducted last Tuesday to this Monday from a sample of 1080, the most interesting question from the latest poll relates to Bridget McKenzie, whom 51% felt should have been stood down by the Prime Minister. Only 15% felt he was right not to do so, while a further 34% said they had not been following the issue. The question included an explanation of what the issue involved, which is always best avoided, but the wording was suitably neutral (“it is claimed she allocated $100million to sporting organisations in marginal seats to favour the Coalition”).

The poll also finds overwhelming support for the establishment of a federal ICAC – or to be precise, of “an independent federal corruption body to monitor the behaviour of our politicians and public servants”. Fully 80% of respondents were in favour, including 49% strongly in favour, which is five points higher than when Angus Taylor’s troubles prompted the same question to be asked in December. Also featured are yet more findings on Australia Day, for which Essential accentuates the positive by framing the question around “a separate national day to recognise indigenous Australians”. Fifty per cent were in favour of such a thing, down two on last year, but only 18% of these believed it should be in place of, rather than supplementary to, Australia Day. Forty per cent did not support such a day at all, unchanged on last year.

Note that there are two threads below this one of hopefully ongoing interest: the latest guest post from Adrian Beaumont on Monday’s Democratic caucuses in Iowa, and other international concerns; and my review of looming elections in Queensland, where the Liberal National Party has now chosen its candidate for the looming Currumbin by-election, who has not proved to the liking of retiring member Jann Stuckey.

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.

2,092 comments on “Essential Research: sports rorts, ICAC, Australia Day”

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  1. All about the membership of a gun club; it was more than that but that is all that Scotty from marketing will acknowledge.

    Nothing else.

  2. Gaetjens went to the statistics in making his decision wrt the political nature of the targeting of seats. As per the analysis of Mr Bowe.

  3. I wonder if the flagrant nature of these grants had something to do with the fact that the government assumed they were getting turfed out and now it has come back to bite.

  4. C@tmomma
    ‘Ministerial Discretion’ is all well and good according to Morrison.

    As if he and the rest of Cabinet weren’t complicit to their eyeballs in approving and organising this rort!

    As far as Morrison is concerned, McKenzie’s only crime will have been in getting caught.

  5. Sports rorts will have lasting damage for the LNP. Howecer it’s all politicians that are damaged. No matter how good they are.

    Labor and Greens are right. Federal ICAC now!

  6. Dutton gave Mckenzie the kiss of death earlier by backing her.

    Shes just a scapegoat anyway. They were all up to their necks in this shit.

  7. nath

    So just between you and I ,are you one of those “krypto Muskovites masquerading as Melbournians in turtle neck jumpers” 🙂

  8. poroti
    says:
    Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 5:14 pm
    nath
    So just between you and I ,are you one of those “krypto Muskovites masquerading as Melbournians in turtle neck jumpers”
    ___________________
    I tend not to wear turtlenecks as they annoy me…..but yes.

  9. “Just when you thought that the silly names people attach to the Prime Minister couldn’t get any more juvenile…”

    Can we stick to #ScottyFromMarketing. It works, for so many reasons.

  10. BK:

    Craig Kelly and Matt Canavan – two mental giants!

    Mr. Canavan is wrong, Mr. Kelly is not even wrong. Completely different.

    Moreover, Mr. Kelly is a man whose voice does fit his face: he has the face of a furniture salesman and the voice of a furniture salesman (cf. Failed SA Liberal Premier John Olsen who had “the face of a Roman Emperor but the voice of a furniture salesman”)

  11. I imagine that Mackenzie has simply been put in the naughty corner. Morrison keeps talking about the lack of transparency being the major problem and not obeying the rules of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

  12. “Just when you thought that the silly names people attach to the Prime Minister couldn’t get any more juvenile…”
    It’s less juvenile than watching nath and GG spatting like nasty little teenagers.

  13. This is actually a terrible outcome for Labor as they will now find it extremely difficult to bribe voters in the outer urbs with their own lashings of pork.

  14. @christianlexus
    · 11m

    “I don’t accept the characterisation of the Auditor General’s report.”

    A direct quote from Scott Morrison less that one minute ago.

    How little does he think of the public interest? He can simply dismiss the findings of a commission because they don’t serve his interests?

  15. How dumb are the CPG? The obvious question was:

    “What involvement did your office have on the round 3 grant allocation?”

    Let him deny it again and again.

  16. Smokocchio for me as christened by the ABC. Always lying.

    Pinocchio(Noun) One who lies often; a liar. Pinocchio(Noun) One who has difficulty hiding lies.

  17. Morrison quoted twice:

    32% for marginal and targeted seats
    36% for others

    Accross the 3 rounds (that came later)

    I’m guessing the remaining 32% went to national organisations?

  18. Once again Morrison has gone for the quick fix bandaid over the bleeding wound response.

    If anything he has only made the whole issue worse.

    Huge difference between the findings of the independent Audit office and the findings of the partisan ex Morrison COS.

    Morrison refuses to release the report. Huge on going speculation etc etc etc.

    Senate enquiry to come.

  19. “This is actually a terrible outcome for Labor as they will now find it extremely difficult to bribe voters in the outer urbs with their own lashings of pork.”

    This is actually a terrible comment from Rex, who (not for the first time) totally missed the point.

  20. nath says:
    Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    …”I wonder if the flagrant nature of these grants had something to do with the fact that the government assumed they were getting turfed out and now it has come back to bite”…

    ………………………..

    More likely, they got a sense that they were in with a slim chance and decided to do whatever it took, legal or otherwise.

  21. BK

    Surely the media won’t accept that shit!

    Ho ho ho 😆 If the journo’s owner says shit is ambrosia the presstitutes will say it is so.

  22. @DougCameron51
    ·
    2m
    If this is the standard for “no fault” under the Morrison government then the “anything goes” principle is alive and well in the Coalition.

  23. sprocket_

    Astonishingly, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, visitors to the capitol building are banned from entering with umbrellas or sticks that are used for protest signs because they can be “used as weapons,” but guns and rifles are permitted.

    Use disabled firearms with umbrella bayonets and protest sign mounts (i.e. barrels).

  24. Presumably the next step in sports rorts will be paying hush money (taxpayers’ money) to the more vocal clubs that missed out.

    It’s hard to believe McKenzie resigned without some incentive being offered by Morrison.

  25. Did anyone else notice how Morrison appeared short of breath, and slurred his words by speaking/reading too fast?

    Not quite Trumpian, but Morrison does not need this distraction of being caught red-handed showering pork on the marginals – bushfires/climate change and 2019-nCov/China entry ban leading to possible economic collapse, should be enough for him to show leadership.

  26. citizen @ #1937 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 5:28 pm

    Presumably the next step in sports rorts will be paying hush money (taxpayers’ money) to the more vocal clubs that missed out.

    It’s hard to believe McKenzie resigned without some incentive being offered by Morrison.

    Just guessing, but I would think the “incentive” was that he wouldn’t release the report if she resigned.

  27. sprocket_ @ #1936 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 5:29 pm

    Did anyone else notice how Morrison appeared short of breath, and slurred his words by speaking/reading too fast?

    Not quite Trumpian, but Morrison does not need this distraction of being caught red-handed showering pork on the marginals – bushfires/climate change and 2019-nCov/China entry ban leading to possible economic collapse, should be enough for him to show leadership.

    On that performance, Morrison is looking to spend more time with his family.

  28. As we work our way past Greens campaigns, Greens calling for this or that, Greens demanding something else, Greens excoriating everyone else for everything else, and Greens doing thought leadership, all of which have possibly added to the sum total of CO2 emissions, we should to go to the fine detail of a zero lifestyle as per the Greens New Deal CO2 Emissions Strike Pledge.

    ‘But using the ASU study, they calculated the Jack Russell emits 600 kg, the Labrador 1.6 metric tons and the St. Bernard 2.3 tons.’

    Greens emissions fighters would generally know that the worst thing that a human can do when a human eats, is to eat meat. Scads of CO2 emissions. Scads of water. I can just hear Di Natale making a statement that this is just not on. I know this might upset a few Greens Bludgers, but I am going to have to put euthanazing dogs and cats into the Greens New Dealt CO2 Emissions Strike Pledge.

    Now, it might be argued that the Greens cannot possibly make a difference here. After all, there are perhaps only a million Greens dogs. But it is a thought leadership thing. There are around 900 million pet dogs in the world. One paw at a time!

    My main point is this: if the Greens walk the talk then they are in a credible position to get the other 900 million dog owners to bite the climate fight bullet. The old routine of ‘You kill your dogs first and then I’ll kill mine dogs.’ just does not cut the mustard.

    What’s more, the Greens don’t have to wait until the Coalition or the Labor Government bans cats and dogs because cats and dogs are gross CO2 polluters. A million Greens dogs less would make quite a significant difference.

    The Greens can combine searing thought leadership and personal action right now!

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2017/08/02/whats-your-dogs-carbon-pawprint/#79fb27b013a6

    For people who still need companion animals there will always be other humans whose affections have been displaced by the ban on cats and dogs.

  29. I gather from Murphy’s report that Bridget still hasn’t faced the media but left it to Morrison, who is far more practised at avoiding the truth.

  30. Rex
    “This is actually a terrible outcome for Labor as they will now find it extremely difficult to bribe voters in the outer urbs with their own lashings of pork.”

    What part of the auditor-general’s report or Professor Twomey’s analysis suggested Labor was in any way responsible for this? What past inquiry showed that even the Ros Kelly whiteboard affair was anywhere near as blatant or in conflict with the rules?

    Kelly acted unwisely but there were no undeclared conflicts or ineligible grants. Why do you assume Labor would do the same when there is no evidence to prove that?

  31. Boerwar

    But using the ASU study, they calculated the Jack Russell emits 600 kg, the Labrador 1.6 metric tons and the St. Bernard 2.3 tons.’
    ——————
    Each human emits vastly more CO2 than any dog. I would prefer severe human “culling” over dogs thank you. 🙂

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