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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  2. Rex is on the money. Out there in voter land it will be all politicians are the same.

    Thus those that voted for the LNP after Bronwyn Bishop’s helicopter flight will still vote for the LNP.

    The only way Labor changes that is run an anti corruption election campaign. Start today. Have Albo say the same things as Dreyfus does with Federal ICAC

  5. Why do you assume Labor would do the same when there is no evidence to prove that?

    When your talent pool is light on for effective policy spokespersons, as Labors is, blatant bribery of the electorate is a tempting option.

    This Sports grant rort will now largely result in future bribery efforts being too difficult to get away with.

  6. So what happens next?

    The National Party room has to meet, first thing tomorrow I’d speculate – although they may hold off till the scheduled Tuesday morning meeting. This would give candidates a chance to test the waters.

    Candidates would be Matt Canavan, David LittleProud, Darren Chester, and yes, the BeetRooter.

    And it may not just be the vacant Deputy job up for grabs. Here is the perfect opportunity for MickMack to ‘stand aside for the good of the party’.

    Renée from MurdochLand summed up Rupert’s feeling on Insiders this morning, saying that the Deputy PM did not rise to the occasion when ‘Scott’ was caught short in Hawaii.

  7. Of course, there is still the matter of the huge payments to far less deserving (according to the Sports Australia recommendations) organisations in safe coalition seats that often don’t provide broad community services from their facilities.

  8. The only way Labor changes that is run an anti corruption election campaign.

    They have no option now but to run that line as a policy priority.

  9. guytaur @ #1952 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 5:41 pm

    The only way Labor changes that is run an anti corruption election campaign. Start today. Have Albo say the same things as Dreyfus does with Federal ICAC

    Albo argued against a federal ICAC. Given the division in the party, I reckon it’s odds on that Labor will quickly decide that “now is not the time” to have a policy on a federal ICAC 🙁

  10. Once again Morrison has ignored the lived experience.

    Hundreds of volunteers who spent many many hours and money preparing submissions to Sports Australia and had their applications rejected in favour of clubs etc with much less merit have been told today everything is ok and “they “have nothing to complain about. I am sure “they “ will be very keen to put their case to the Senate enquiry.

    Just as he ignores the lived experience of tens of thousands of fire victims every time he talks about “ the money and support is flowing “.

    Slow burns all over the place.

  12. And who gets Agriculture? Traditionally, the jewel in the Nationals crown of ministries, where their constituents can be duchessed.

    Barnyard would say he did a good (cough) job last time.

    Canavan needs to push the Mineral Council barrow, so unavailable.

    LittleProud is meant to be overseeing Drought and Bushfire relief, along with a grab bag of other roles.

    Darren Chester?

  13. beguiledagain:

    E. G. Theodore:

    Being fake is part of the Presidential job description with very few exceptions. There have been no non-fake presidents since Truman (aptly named). There have been a few non-fakes since the civil war: Lincoln, US Grant, possibly Grover Cleveland, possibly Teddy Roosevelt, and Truman.

    Aren’t you forgetting Jimmy Carter, perhaps the most decent and honorable Presidents of recent times. I can’t imagine what was fake about him.

    A good question.

    Mr Carter is certainly the most decent and honourable man to occupy the office of President for a very long time.

    However, to be a “Fake President” means both being Fake and being a President (and hence a politician, since the office is intrinsically political). Mr. Carter was not the latter; as he as repeatedly acknowledged he should have sent twice as many helicopters (double the number and add a bit to make the numbers easier to work with). Any other President (or candidate) would have done that from basal political instinct, but Mr Carter was such a decent and honourable person that he did not.

  14. Morrison has been so much in the spotlight that the utter failure of McCormack to take over as leader during the Hawaii visit, or to show any initiative over Bridget, has flown under the radar. Are they all scared to criticise him because Barnaby looms so large?

  15. Rex Douglas says:
    Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    …”They have no option now but to run that line as a policy priority”…

    …………………

    Strange that Morrison is the one who just got caught pinching money from the petty cash tin, and yet according to you, it is Labor who have somehow had their options limited.

  16. Rex
    “ blatant bribery of the electorate is a tempting option.”

    So no proof at all. Merely unsubstantiated opinion, based on your own prejudices.

  17. Just wait until the back-room deals behind the Wuhan Coronavirus issue come out!

    The Chinese business lobby, Tourism industry donors, Gladys Liu’s role, ignored emails from the CMO urging a shutdown of flights BEFORE Lunar New Year.

    Youse know it makes sense.

  18. Strange that Morrison is the one who just got caught pinching money from the petty cash tin, and yet according to you, it is Labor who have somehow had their options limited.

    _____________________________________

    For some posters here, when they have identified the nail, everything looks like a hammer

  19. Anthony Albanese
    @AlboMP
    · 39m
    It also begs the question:

    How does Angus Taylor remain in Cabinet while Bridget McKenzie does not?

  23. E. G. Theodore @ #1963 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 5:51 pm

    beguiledagain:

    E. G. Theodore:

    Being fake is part of the Presidential job description with very few exceptions. There have been no non-fake presidents since Truman (aptly named). There have been a few non-fakes since the civil war: Lincoln, US Grant, possibly Grover Cleveland, possibly Teddy Roosevelt, and Truman.

    Aren’t you forgetting Jimmy Carter, perhaps the most decent and honorable Presidents of recent times. I can’t imagine what was fake about him.

    A good question.

    Mr Carter is certainly the most decent and honourable man to occupy the office of President for a very long time.

    However, to be a “Fake President” means both being Fake and being a President (and hence a politician, since the office is intrinsically political). Mr. Carter was not the latter; as he as repeatedly acknowledged he should have sent twice as many helicopters (double the number and add a bit to make the numbers easier to work with). Any other President (or candidate) would have done that from basal political instinct, but Mr Carter was such a decent and honourable person that he did not.

    That’s quite a Trumpian piece of logic. President Carter was indeed President Carter.

  27. “Albo
    How does Angus Taylor remain in Cabinet while Bridget McKenzie does not?“

    V.good question. Does Angus have dirt on Scomo? Was he one of his backers in the coup vote?

  28. Seriously, it’s such a relief to see a photo of McKenzie straight-faced, rather than those grimace shots where she looks like she’s got more teeth than Freddie Mercury.

  30. ‘Rakali says:
    Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    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. ‘

    I make no value judgements in these matters.

  32. Player One:

    E. G. Theodore @ #1696 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 12:53 pm

    The forces of darkness have managed to turn Adani (Galilee Basin) into Stalingrad.

    It is Labor that has managed to turn Adani into a totemic issue. Plus their enablers and apologists on places like PB, of course. The Greens can only wedge you because your posture on Adani is so illogical and indefensible. It is no coincidence that instead of trying to defend such an illogical policy, Labor now have simply abandoned the field.

    Madam – you are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts.

    The facts include the rule that causality runs forward in time, and even a cursory analysis of the timing unconditionally precludes your argument.

    The facts also include that I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the Labor party! You are not entitled to base an argument on the incorrect fact that I am some sort of “Labor” (as you did in the rest of your response, not quoted). Any argument so based is fundamentally fallacious and not salvageable.

  33. @JoshBBornstein
    ·
    4m
    Has anyone checked whether government financial support for those affected by bushfires is being handed out on a similar basis to sports rorts? How are folks in Kooyong & Mosman faring?

  34. The House QT will be as dead as a door nail.
    They always are.
    Every Opposition question will be answered with a Rexian/P1 diatribe about how bad Labor is and how good the Coalition is.
    Smith has been tamed.
    Expect nothing and you will not be disappointed.

    But the Senate Inquiry may be interesting…

  35. Peter van Onselen
    @vanOnselenP
    · 18m
    So the PM ignores the findings of the report by the auditor re sports rorts (don’t stress, all projects were eligible), gets in former political chief of staff to do a report which offloads her for other reasons, then won’t even release that report. But crows about high standards

  41. The fake wokeness contest between GG and Nath as to who is the biggest “homophobe” is amongst the most stupid things yet seen on PB, whilst also being highly amusing (presumably the point).

    Keep it going team!

  42. Itza

    Alcohol is the Christian drug. It got a divine stamp of approval some 2000 odd years ago. I give you the Irish. And Barnaby Joyce.

    Some days I do suffer from Irish Melancholy. Red, red wine, peat whisky, wiessbier. Accompanied by the fellow drugs of fermented and aged cheese, and my personal nemesis, air-dried Mediterranean ham or ripe salami.

    However, a younger generation rightly want their drug of choice respected: Marijuana.

    Unlike wine, you can grow it organically at home, or if you are lucky enough to be in Vienna, you can go to a shop that specialises in different blends, with tasting notes, and the amount of THC and CBD in each boutique product.

    And with vaporiser technology, you do not even need to burn it to enjoy, thus avoiding all those nasty, lung-destroying combustion byproducts that many of us in Australia have been (forcibly) partaking of recently.

  43. E. G. Theodore @ #1987 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 6:14 pm

    The fake wokeness contest between GG and Nath as to who is the biggest “homophobe” is amongst the most stupid things yet seen on PB, whilst also being highly amusing (presumably the point).

    Keep it going team!

    You’re the sort of guy that goes to a car racing event and watches the accident horror through finger splayed hands.

  44. E. G. Theodore @ #1981 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 6:03 pm

    The facts also include that I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the Labor party! You are not entitled to base an argument on the incorrect fact that I am some sort of “Labor” (as you did in the rest of your response, not quoted). Any argument so based is fundamentally fallacious and not salvageable.

    Well, I can certainly understand why you would want to distance yourself from the Labor party … but this actually has little to do with the discussion.

    If you want to argue the issues go right ahead. If you just want to avoid the issues by raising pointless irrelevancies, then I think we can all understand that as well.

  46. Guytaur:

    EGT

    HECS was a mistake. It restricts students going to university and changes it from education for itself into education to get a job.

    A pure neo liberal ideology and not a central political idea.

    HECS at 26% deferred and with low repayment cap was a success (for much the same reasons that Norway’s private health is about 20%). There was a (serious) political failure to explain why it needed to remain in the range of 20-30% (and without fiddling the other parameters), perhaps because it was at that time so obviously successful.

    Remember that the “Whitlam Freeloaders” include such luminaries as Messrs. Peter Costello and Tony Abbott.

    At the time a student activist confronted Mr Dawkins with the assertion that students paying so much for their education was unfair. Mr Dawkins asked the activist how much would be fair, and the activist
    said 50%. Mr Dawkins said that 50% was far too high and that the HECS rate was 20 something. That terminated the argument by embarrassment, but failed to seize the opportunity to explain why 20 something is the correct rate for such things.

  48. Player One @ #1990 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 6:26 pm

    E. G. Theodore @ #1981 Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 – 6:03 pm

    The facts also include that I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the Labor party! You are not entitled to base an argument on the incorrect fact that I am some sort of “Labor” (as you did in the rest of your response, not quoted). Any argument so based is fundamentally fallacious and not salvageable.

    Well, I can certainly understand why you would want to distance yourself from the Labor party … but this actually has little to do with the discussion.

    If you want to argue the issues go right ahead. If you just want to avoid the issues by raising pointless irrelevancies, then I think we can all understand that as well.

    P1 went to an ALP meeting once.

    Didn’t like it.

    Apparently, no one had any interest in wha she had to say.

    A bit like PB, really!

  49. I suppose that Bridget will now get some special treatment for taking the fall for Morrison.

    Jane INGLIS
    @JaneINGLIS8
    ·
    23m

    The Governor General should dismiss the whole bloody lot!

    Although it was predictable; to decide against the findings of an actual INDEPENDENT auditor is absolutely criminal!

    There has never been a cohort as arrogant, evasive, sneaky, indifferent and heartless as this mob!

  50. Seven and a half months of the Morrison PMship since the miracle election, hardly more than a few sitting days since the election, stumbling, secretive, dishonest, evasive, confusing and lawbreaking.
    Seemingly incapable of performing under pressure, Morrison PM has become unsure of his own policy direction, seemingly unable to adequately communicate with his own ministers and displaying a deficit of confidence.
    Morrison is attempting to bluff, but the credibility has evaporated. Morrison’s immediate dilemmas show no sign of settling down and parliament is sitting this week.
    Journalists have rediscovered some bravery, this wil be tested in the coming week.
    The overwhelming numbers of politically disengaged Australians are beginning to take notice.
    It will take a May budget of miraculous intervention to reverse the fortunes of the economy, the budget and the Morrison PMship.
    Perhaps someone within his own party and possessing some of the renown mordern loyalty to each other, put us out of our misery and provide another option.

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