The usual weekly Essential Research coronavirus poll finds “only a quarter” of respondents now consider it too soon to be easing coronavirus restrictions, down from a peak of 49% in mid-April. There was also strong support for a range of fresh restrictions being imposed if there is a new surge of cases, but not for making the coronavirus app compulsory, which only 38% supported. Only 45% were confident the government would be able to adequately protect data from the app, and 44% were confident the government itself would not misuse it. Kristina Keneally’s call for a reduction in temporary migration after the pandemic had the support of 67% of respondents. All this detail is derived from The Guardian, which also tells us that the number of respondents who are “quite concerned” about the virus is up three points since last week to 49%, but without the “very concerned” figure it’s hard to know what if anything to make of that. The full report from the pollster should be published later today.
UPDATE: Full report here. The government reaches new heights on the eighth weekly iteration of the question as to how well it is handling the crisis, with good up five points to 71% and poor down one to 13%. The goodwill extends to state governments, who are collectively up three on good to 73% and steady on poor at 12%. The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1067.
This is Morrison’s generosity on show.
‘Mr Albanese repeated his party’s criticism that many casual workers are ineligible for the JobKeeper wage subsidy, calling on the federal government to announce what would happen when the scheme reaches its six-month expiration date.
“We thought this week … we would see a response from Josh Frydenberg of [their] subsequent stance,” Mr Albanese said.’
It’s real folks!
I think Albo has been reading Mundo’s posts!
Trouble in the non-Labor, non-Greens left.
Socialist Alliance withdraws from Victorian Socialists
https://socialist-alliance.org/news/socialist-alliance-withdraws-victorian-socialists
The Victorian Socialists (commonly shortened to as Vic Socialists, VicSocs or VS) is a democratic socialist political party based in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in February 2018, it is an electoral alliance of various socialist parties, organisations, community groups and trade unionists.
The party initially comprised members of Socialist Alternative, Socialist Alliance, as well as non-aligned socialists. However, Socialist Alliance withdrew from the grouping in May 2020, citing Socialist Alternative’s “preparedness to use its numbers to restrict the democratic participation of independents” and its inability to “move beyond electoral politics”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Socialists
Bugger.
Mundo left off the killer line from Albo…
‘”What we got was a speech out of Seinfeld. A speech about nothing … which will only be remembered for Josh Frydenberg’s coughing fit.”
Yeah baby!
C@tmomma @ #1502 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 1:58 pm
Debasing the AFP has been one of the biggest acts of bastardry of successive Coalition governments. It is akin to the Republicans continually subverting the Supreme Court in the US.
So as not to let the myth of the Libs being out-of-the-ordinary infrastructure get too advanced, for those with long memories in WA, old Charlie Court, bastion of the Free Enterprise System, came within an ace of closing down the Perth-Fremantle line -with more to go.
It was the Bolte government in Victoria which came within an ace of closing down the Melbourne tramway system.
The failure to build the Ellenbook line was a straight-forward broken election promise by the Liberal premier of the day…………………
In fact, have the Libs ever built any railway anywhere other than the show-piece line between Alice Springs and Darwin?
Let me say, the completion of the line between AS and Darwin was a sensible strategic exercise, but it had nothing at all to do with “business plan”, “break-even analysis” and “money” which the Libs are keen to throw at Labor in their pretence that Liberal Debt is “Good”————Labor Debt…………Bad!!!!! Bad!!!!
lizzie @ #1594 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 2:56 pm
Scrott wouldn’t recognise sweet baby jeebus if he turned up in swaddling clothes in a manger on his front door step.
Be fair, he isnt saying that. He is just saying the Coalition are only as bad as his authoritative assessment of past the ALP governments. How could you have the audacity to doubt the impartial judgement of a climate change denying RW footsoldier?
An ICAC would be full of lefties. The only trusted source of posttruth is News Corp. Perhaps we need to put their journos as adjudicators on ICAC? And the I can stand for Inquisition.
guytaur @ #1592 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 2:55 pm
Not pandering to the demands of their business “mates” would amount to political suicide by the Coalition.
Seems the ROC is reviving it’s investigation into the AWU and Bill Shorten’s use of union funds. Let’s hope they find something big.
You wouldn’t need to read more than five of mundo’s posts to know what he’s about. Time to change the stylus, dear.
Amy
Steve777 says:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 1:09 pm
Re Frednk @11:38.
I haven’t had a chance to watch the video but another factor is the marked shift of formerly centre-right parties to the Right, at least in what one might call the “Murdochian Anglosphere” (ANZUK). The Liberal Party has virtually abandoned the Centre since the early 90s, leaving it free for Labor or an effective centrist grouping.
My own view was communism did capitalism a favor; it provided a constraint. Once that constraint was removed Marx would prove correct, again. Unconstrained capitalism self destroys.
I am also of the view we are approaching the end game; what comes next, another war? The total destruction of the assets the 1% have been collecting? It is effectively what we saw last time this happened.
That’s funny:
This gets posted:
“Continually Insufferablesays:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 2:45 pm
Nepotism is a Lib specialty.”
and Fitzgibbon’s name pops up in the thread.
Didn’t even have to try.
Trade tensions escalate: China threatens to stop buying Australian politicians
(The Chaser 🙂
frednksays:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:09 pm
“Unconstrained capitalism self destroys.”
I’m interested to know where you think that this exists because I can’t see it anywhere in developed western nations.
Have you seen how big our Tax Act is?
In the US there are so many laws that it doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it, you are likely in contravention of something.
Rakalisays:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:12 pm
Trade tensions escalate: China threatens to stop buying Australian politicians
(The Chaser
Shopping bag manufacturers distraught.
Fitzgibbon and Katter should take the hint and just quietly depart politics.
Democracy returns with new parliamentary sittings: https://twitter.com/AmyRemeikis/status/1260798818854952960
lizzie @ #1601 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:00 pm
We’ve been trying to apply for JobSeeker for weeks now, since we don’t qualify for JobKeeper, because our business is a partnership, not a company.
Filling out the application took 3 days full-time, with assistance from an accountant, and the uploading of 14 supporting documents. Centrelink then took two weeks to decide to demand more documents, which we uploaded yesterday. Today they rejected our application, but won’t tell us why – they say they will “send us a letter”. Getting a physical letter delivered here has been known to take up to a month. And recently, the service has been worse than usual. Centrelink won’t speak to us on the phone, email us, or send us the letter via “MyGov” (which is how we had to apply).
This system is deliberately designed to break people. And it is working precisely as designed.
Greens reaffirm their anti-Democratic tendencies.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/greens-vote-to-give-members-voice-in-leadership-election-falls-short-20200513-p54snf.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
nath @ #1611 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:08 pm
It will have to be big as he will have to be blasted out of politics.
Labor partisans can’t seem to accept that his departure would actually benefit their electoral fortunes.
That evil slug Alan Jones gets the comic treatment: https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2020/may/14/david-squires-on-bidding-farewell-to-a-stubborn-virus
Tricotsays:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:04 pm
If you are going to sledge at least get your facts right – The Perth-Fremantle line actually was closed. It was subsequently reopened.
I don’t understand why the whole line hasn’t been put into a dig and fill tunnel and the land over it sold off to pay for it. And they should have built the new stadium at Subiaco Oval instead of building Optus (which is magnificent).
Player One @ #1618 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:17 pm
‘This system is deliberately designed to break people. And it is working precisely as designed.’ Mr Chalmers said.
More App Stuff
MIT (MIT Tech Review) is “Tracking the [COVID19] Tracers”:
– https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ATalASO8KtZMx__zJREoOvFh0nmB-sAqJ1-CjVRSCOw/edit#gid=0
Note there has been a fight going on and this is alluded to in this spreadsheet. However, the “decentralised privacy preserving” approaches have probably won the fight (and this is reflected in the use of those approaches in the spreadsheet)
Iceland probably has the highest penetration in the world, and they currently don’t think it helps much over and above manual tracing:
– https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/05/11/1001541/iceland-rakning-c19-covid-contact-tracing/
However, rather than give up, one should note:
– Iceland is wealthy, low population density and Nordic, so manual tracing should be (and is) very good, setting a very high bar
– Due to really knowing what they are doing, they ran into lots of technical problems first (I would say that the technical problems are thus shown to be important, but I would say that wouldn’t I!)
– They are like AUS and NZ in a fortunate situation with low case rates (and hence manual tracing can keep up anyway)
– My guess is that automatic tracing is more important in the second phase (coming out of lockdown safely)
The last is the most important point by far (but also the most uncertain…)
I had previously said that BlueTooth distance measurement wasn’t a big issue if one reframed it as “unsafe proximity” (perhaps based on distance estimation) rather than distance. However it emerges from the RF engineers that BlueTooth is pathologically bad at distance measurement, and so this is probably more of a concern than first thought.
Bucephalus says:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:14 pm
frednksays:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:09 pm
“Unconstrained capitalism self destroys.”
I’m interested to know where you think that this exists because I can’t see it anywhere in developed western nations.
Bucephalus do you want me to point out the history or the current situation:
It’s only 16 minutes. Please comment on this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ7LzE3u7Bw
Player One
This system is deliberately designed to break people. And it is working precisely as designed.
————-
When I was young the Liberal Party used to have a fair proportion of decent civilised members. They current gang seems almost uniformly cruel and nasty. You would invite none of them home to meet your Mother.
For example they have spent how many years and nearly $30 million torturing that Biloela family.
Australia used not to be like that.
Greensborough Growler @ #1622 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:18 pm
I believe that vote was democratically resolved.
Player Onesays:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:17 pm
I find it surprising that the correspondence won’t be loaded onto the MyGov Portal given that it is their preferred method of providing correspondence.
Buce, says, “If you are going to sledge at least get your facts right”.
This is thee guy who earlier crticicised Labor for the “red shorts” scandal.
I continue to be confused by the support of Tamil Tiger terrorists. You wouldn’t support Khmer Rouge so why support Tamil Tigers?
Rex Douglas
says:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:19 pm
nath @ #1611 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:08 pm
Seems the ROC is reviving it’s investigation into the AWU and Bill Shorten’s use of union funds. Let’s hope they find something big.
It will have to be big as he will have to be blasted out of politics.
Labor partisans can’t seem to accept that his departure would actually benefit their electoral fortunes.
_________________________________
Exactly. Shorten has said he wants to stay another 2o years. Of course he’s virtually unemployable elsewhere. It would do Labor the world of good to replace him with another prospect.
Greensborough Growlersays:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:24 pm
Refresh your page – I fixed that typo in about 5 seconds.
I know. So unwieldy and complicated… almost seems deliberately designed so that only immensely wealthy can minimise their tax liabilities or escape them altogether.
nath
“Seems the ROC is reviving it’s investigation into the AWU and Bill Shorten’s use of union funds. Let’s hope they find something big.”
Ooooh…. let’s hope so!! Like you, I have an utterly miserable existence -so watching Bill Shorten suffer is the only fun I have! Bring on the LNP witch hunt!
nath @ #1634 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:27 pm
Labor has a genuine self-harm issue they need to address.
Bucephalus @ #1630 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:24 pm
Be surprised. All we got via MyGov is a message telling us that we had been rejected and that they are sending us a physical letter. Which is odd, because I recall that we had some time previously been offered the chance to receive all future correspondence via MyGov, and had accepted.
I am half expecting the letter will arrive in the hands of an AFP officer.
Typical Greens, scream constantly about democrcacy and grass roots involvement. But fall at the first hurdle of introducing these same standards for their Membership .
Greens are once again out of touch with community standards.
Buce,
So you admit you got your facts wrong!
Greensborough Growler @ #1639 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:31 pm
Given how long it took Labor to introduce membership ballots – and the reasons they ultimately decided to do so – I would hardly be screaming about the Greens being undemocratic 🙁
Reviving that shit would be crazy brave, even by the standards of this inept Liberal mob.
Player One
Talking of cruel and nasty. I received a telephone call one Thursday evening last year with No Caller ID. The voice was a strongly accented Afrikaner.
It began by asking me for my tax information. I refused. He he was from a Company called Probe who was chasing up debts owed to the ATO.
He was very aggressive and rude. He then said i had until Monday to resolve this mysterious infraction otherwise severe penalties could result!
Suffering as i do from anxiety and other things i spent a sleepless night and called the ATO first thing next morning. It turns out i did not put in a Tax Return 10 years ago the year after i retired. The public servants at the ATO were very helpful.
They told me i had no debt, in fact it turned out the ATO owed me over $10,000.
But i had to ring this private profiteering company regularly while they would ludicrously give me a new invented deadline though they performed no other function in the process!
Just useless private sector parasites that added no value, apart from nastiness.
Such behaviour is the culture of the modern Liberal Party.
Kakuru
says:
Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 3:28 pm
nath
“Seems the ROC is reviving it’s investigation into the AWU and Bill Shorten’s use of union funds. Let’s hope they find something big.”
Ooooh…. let’s hope so!! Like you, I have an utterly miserable existence -so watching Bill Shorten suffer is the only fun I have! Bring on the LNP witch hunt!
______________
I’m glad we’ve finally seen eye to eye friend.
Labor’s enlightened rules around selecting their Leader is clearly a standard that the Greens cannot meet and tells you everything about their lack of commitment to modern democratic principles.
KK’s wording is indeed problematic.
Rakali @ #1643 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:36 pm
Yup. They are waging a war on good government, in addition to their war on civil rights, and of course their war on science.
There is nothing they are not willing to subvert in the name of profit.
Greensborough Growler @ #1645 Thursday, May 14th, 2020 – 3:39 pm
Funniest post of the day! 🙂
I’ve been thinking about this too
Claude Taylor Retweeted
Kevin Roose
@kevinroose
·
14h
Wrote about a morbid thought I’ve been having lately, watching the spread of anti-vaxx propaganda like Plandemic. What if we develop a successful Covid-19 vaccine and a huge chunk of the population just…refuses to take it?
Get Ready for a Vaccine Information War
Social media is already filling up with misinformation about a Covid-19 vaccine, months or years before one even exists
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/technology/coronavirus-vaccine-disinformation.html#click=https://t.co/Y61AlsJGVv
Victoria
What if we develop a successful Covid-19 vaccine and a huge chunk of the population just…refuses to take it?
—————
Wont that be a self-correcting problem?