The Association of Market and Social Research Organisations has published a discussion paper for its review into last year’s federal election polling failure. It notes that existing standards set by the Australian Press Council are too lax and readily ignored in any case, and suggests a familiar retinue of suggested new standards including full disclosure of weightings used and detail of how preference flows were determined. While the inquiry’s committee and advisory group are impressively credentialled, it should be noted that most actual pollsters aren’t members of the AMSRO. The recent announcement that YouGov, Essential Research and uComms would establish an Australian Polling Council occurred independently of its process, and is likely to be the more consequential development.
Meanwhile, a parliamentary inquiry has been putting the blowtorch to the Electoral Commission of Queensland over the failure of its results reporting facilities at the local government elections and state by-elections on March 28. Excuses include disruption arising from COVID-19, which extended to “coding resources” being locked down in Wuhan, and the complication of combining elections for two state parliament seats with the statewide council elections. It also appears an American firm contracted to provide a new election management system, Konnech, has found itself bamboozled by what the electoral commissioner described as “the complexity of Queensland electoral law”, which “far exceeded that of any other Konnech customer” (a conclusion it would no doubt have reached in any Australian jurisdiction).
The new results website went belly-up on testing a week out from election day, prompting the ECQ to hurriedly concoct the unfamiliar-looking results website that appeared on the night. Polling booth officials were required to submit results through a shareable spreadsheet application, which threw up formating inconsistencies upon transfer to the ECQ system. The ECQ’s technical staff spent the night dealing with the results website issues, leaving corresponding issues with a horrifyingly complex XML results feed to one side. Consequently, the ABC’s results displays remained stuck on a tiny share of the count all night, and updates remained infrequent beyond election night. It is to be hoped that this will all be sorted out before a state election that will be held on October 31.
”From a biodiversity point of view leaving them as is is almost certainly preferable to filling them with people.”
… who will be in high rise towers.
I’m inclined to agree.
Golf courses are open spaces in the concrete jungles of the city. Many are built on flood plains so you couldn’t build houses there anyway.
Some courses have been sold e.g. Doncaster in Melbourne and the proceeds used to build a course in the outer east with the former course land, that is not flood plain, used for housing.
lizzie @ #1172 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 4:08 pm
I wonder by which faction?
Kirky @ #1199 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 4:44 pm
In what circumstances, over how long of a timeframe, assuming which policy settings and what level of compliance?
And also, for which country? The answer is a lot different if you’re in Australia compared to if you’re in the USA. Though not for long if Australia doesn’t keep the USA on the “no fly” list for a good, long time.
BOB LYNCH
says:
Monday, May 25, 2020 at 4:47 pm
Golf courses are open spaces in the concrete jungles of the city. Many are built on flood plains so you couldn’t build houses there anyway.
Some courses have been sold e.g. Doncaster in Melbourne and the proceeds used to build a course in the outer east with the former course land, that is not flood plain, used for housing.
_____________________
The government should have got involved in the Doncaster site. IMO they should have restricted the development to the area alongside Doncaster road and turned the rear half into a much needed park for that area.
What’s the bet that the LNP fantasy land budget deficits will be many billions of dollars lower than reality outside the bubble world?
“…because of that health miracle…” All those hundreds upon hundreds of people who worked so hard and diligently wasted their time and effort because a magic fairy who lives in the sky waved a wand and caused a miracle to occur no doubt after Scotty from Marketing prayed and prayed and…
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/budget-set-to-improve-but-economists-fear-second-wave-demand-shock-20200525-p54w6g.html
complaining about the abuse of language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o25I2fzFGoY
BobLynch
“Golf courses are open spaces in the concrete jungles of the city. ”
They are not open to everyone, just golfers. I’d prefer they be converted to public parks with native plants and animals.
a r,
I’m only referring to Australia.
Great to see the State Leaders opening the economies. I’ve got more chance being killed in a car accident than die from Covid19.
Looking forward to state borders being reduced on 1st July.
frednk
The caravan situation is interesting. A very large number of Australian caravan parks have been gentrified making their use for addressing homeless more problematic.
An interesting sidelight is that many of the 50,000 grey nomads have sold their house and are basically living permanently in their vans.
Some of these grey nomad have chosen poverty traps. People end up living in the caravans because they no longer have alternatives.
Kirky @ #1199 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 4:44 pm
Do we get bonus points for working in a comparison to seasonal flu ?
Leave our golf courses alone.
Golf is hardly elitist in Australia – Yes some of the best courses are expensive and hard to get a round on.
But many if not most golfers are just regular people ruining their good walk, and raising their blood pressure.
And as Bob Lynch points out, they are often built on flood plain and old rubbish dumps which can’t be used for much else and they do have parkland around them. They usually use native trees and shrubs and house reasonable amount of native wildlife.
Kirky @ #1209 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 4:54 pm
Ah, you were asking rhetorically as you already seem to have settled on an answer that you like. Noted.
Thanks to social distancing and other measures to control the virus spread.
About 2000 die on the roads in the UK each year. More than that died in the last week to Covid.
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-25/australia-should-abandon-bullet-train-dream-report-says/12281246
If you want to see a poll which reflects how ignorant some people are, this is it. How can anyone rationalise with a person who believes that coronavirus is a Bill Gates plot to implant microchips in them?
https://news.yahoo.com/new-yahoo-news-you-gov-poll-shows-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories-spreading-on-the-right-may-hamper-vaccine-efforts-152843610.html
Shellbell:
I had understood they were Victorians who were in Doha and flew to Perth from there. If so, it’s a rather long handpass
The report was:
Confessions @ #1218 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 5:28 pm
I’ve never seen Fox News. But I am told you can actually feel your IQ points being sucked into the TV as you watch 🙁
Kirky
“I’ve got more chance being killed in a car accident than die from Covid19.”
True. But you’ll also take precautions to avoid being killed in a car accident (cross roads safely; follow road rules; wear a seat belt; stick to the speed limit; not drink and drive; etc).
‘Kirky
“I’ve got more chance being killed in a car accident than die from Covid19.”’
Stay away from your bloody car and you’ll be right, mate.
” I’ve never seen Fox News. But I am told you can actually feel your IQ points being sucked into the TV as you watch”
I’ve never seen it either. However, the Daily Telegraph and Sydney radio 2GB have a similar effect.
Kirky:
It is non-zero.
This means that the chance of outbreak occurring is non-zero
If an outbreak occurs, then the chance of an individual getting Covid19 rises rapidly, with limited influnce from individual behaviour / protection (except for complete isolation)
This is why Covid19 is a community health problem, not an individual health problem.
“The Cement Industry Federation was part of a consortium of industry groups including the Minerals Council of Australia, Australasian Railway Association, Australian Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturing Australia, the Australian Logistics Council, and Gas Energy Australia that rejected the proposed levy.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-20/biosecurity-levy-axed-designed-protect-farmers-pests-diseases/12267082
In NSW there are a bit under 400 active Covid cases – 1/20000 of the population. Suppose we only know of half the cases, then it’s 1/10000. I don’t now think that there are lots more cases than are known about, unlike prior to shutdown.
The odds that a person serving you in a shop has the Virus is about 1/20000, given that the known cases are in isolation.
But if things are back to near normal, you might be in a food hall, bar, railway carriage or other indoor space with 100 people breathing the same air, touching the same surfaces. The chances of someone in the same space having the Virus is about 1/200.
Nervous nellies. Those fine chaps at the UK paper the Telegraph (aka Torygraph), BoJo’s old workmates, were keen on it. I wonder how many 10’s of thousands more would have died if the “pant wetting” action by the “nervous nellies” did not happen ? Action that even then was waaaay too long in happening.
……………………………………………….
Telegraph as they insisted last week the lockdown was a “pant-wetting” response to the virus from a government of “nervous nellies”.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/09/the-right-cannot-resist-a-culture-war-against-the-liberal-elite-even-now
Doug Cameron is on The Drum.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews standing firm on China amid growing criticism from US, Opposition
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-25/daniel-andrews-victoria-standing-firm-on-belt-and-road-deal/12283520
“To some of Daniel Andrews’ closest supporters, his relationship with China is pragmatic and smart.
But for others, the Victorian Premier is playing a troubling game with the emerging superpower, a totalitarian country they warn, that bullies its way to its objectives.
China is the state’s biggest trading partner and the potential source of major investment for the big projects on Mr Andrews’ election-winning agenda.
Some inside the ranks of Victorian Labor warn there is “confusion and concern” among Caucus and the community about Mr Andrews’ deals with China, especially the decision for Victoria to take the unusual step of signing up to the Belt and Road Initiative.
The framework agreement signed in October is a not legally binding but includes a commitment to working together on infrastructure.
It is a deal criticised by the Morrison Government and analysts for undermining Australian foreign policy.”
The concerning thing with the relaxing of restrictions is the pace it is happening at.
They are announcing new relaxations before they are fully aware of the impact of previous ones.
If outbreaks occur there will be uncertainty as to what measure was effectively keeping it in check, so do they back track on all restrictions or have guess and hope?
China’s belt and road initiative: what is it and why is Victoria under fire for its involvement?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/25/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-what-is-it-and-why-is-victoria-under-fire-for-its-involvement
Link to RFS, Celeste Barber judgment
https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1723490a44616db38c818cbe
Key things to note is that the recipient of the donations was not the RFS itself but the New South Wales Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund, a charitable trust. The fund’s trustees were seeking advice on how it might be able to apply $51 million and whether it could do so more broadly without being in breach of the trust.
Well Newcastle to Sydney fast train is on the agenda. The head of the Hairdressing council waxed lyrical over the concept on The Drum.
That’s Sandy Chong.
Shellbell,
Looks like NSW Parliament will have to act. They should. Interested to see if the go with the Greens Private Members Bill or do it another way.
Don’t you just love the way some numpties make out like they will never get the Coronavirus (wrong), so everyone else should just throw caution to the wind? 🙄
guytaur @ #1233 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 6:18 pm
Oh, very good!
Although why do you need a hairdresser if your head is waxed? 🙂
Kirky
“I’ve got more chance being killed in a car accident than die from Covid19.”
And to get to that point many billions have been spent and people like you want to throw it away.
Planting trees is what you do when you have totally buggered an ecosystem. It is the Hail Mary pass.
An ecosystem usually has hundreds of species of vascular plants, only a few of which are trees (tropics excepted) and bryophytes, dozens of vertebrates, thousands of insects and thousands more of other invertebrates, and 90% of its biodiversity is underground.
To ‘fix’ an ecosystem requires vastly more effort than ‘planting trees’.
If the aim it to maintain biodiversity then the solution is to keep it in the first place. Getting it back is enormously expensive.
The fact that the ‘green’ in the ACT Greens electioneering material refers solely to planting trees tells you everything you need to know about their lack of concern about, or understanding of, biodiversity.
Not.A.Clue.
When it comes to the Anthropocene Extinction, the ACT Greens, with their 20,000 additional people in the Lower Molongolo, are part of the problem.
The Coalition has been screwing Victorians on infrastructure funding for eight years.
The right is trying to talk casual flexible. Doug Cameron has thrown WorkChoices in their face.
The ACT Greens. In Government with Labor.
————————————————
Edit: At this point I recommend watching the Drum. Now some good stuff on fires and climate change science from a firefighter.
Bludgers will be pleased to hear I have finished my renovation, rewiring and painting project.
And a mighty fine effort it is too. Move over Michelangelo. After our downstairs transmogrification, your Sistine Chapel is so “16th century”. Hey, Buckingham palace! Tell Her Majesty she now has choices. The Taj Mahal? Just a gaudy marble pissoir.
Cut-ins so sharp you could shave with ’em. Skirting boards so shiny you’ll never need a mirror again. Walls so perfectly re-plastered and rolled an Egyptian grave robber couldn’t find a way in. And ceilings to die for: so flat and featureless (NB: a good thing with ceilings) they veritably define Infinity.
Her Indoors’ reaction?
“Beautiful darling! Does this mean now you can fix the laundry tap?”
She has no sense of proportion in such matters.
Well done Boerwar highlighting the massive range of issues that are damaging our environment currently. All parties need to be paying attention but as you point out in some cases it is disappointing that the Greens, who should have a handle on all these issues, have policies or lack of policies, that are a fair way off the mark. Population policy being one.
Well look here. Private unis now eligible for Jobkeeper, but not public universities.
Australia: looks upon how this government rates your children studying in public universities (a mere 36 of the 39 institutions).
https://www.afr.com/policy/health-and-education/private-unis-get-reprieve-on-jobkeeper-eligibility-20200524-p54vul
Spence says:
Monday, May 25, 2020 at 6:43 pm
Well done Boerwar highlighting the massive range of issues that are damaging our environment currently. All parties need to be paying attention but as you point out in some cases it is disappointing that the Greens, who should have a handle on all these issues, have policies or lack of policies, that are a fair way off the mark. Population policy being one.
_____
Spence you absolute gentleman. The most polite take on ‘shut the fuck up’ I’ve encountered in a while.
BB
You turned your downstairs into a cat!
1st dog nails it: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/25/some-whinypants-say-the-60bn-jobkeeper-bungle-is-truly-the-biggest-bungle-in-the-history-of-bungles
ACT Greens – Protecting our Canberra Environment
https://greens.org.au/act/assembly/environment
We must look after Canberra’s diverse natural heritage and better protect our wild places and threatened species.
We must reduce our waste footprint, by ensuring that we’re making the best use of recycled goods and living as sustainably as we can.
But our environment is under threat like never before.
The threat of climate change requires urgent action to ensure our environment survives and flourishes for future generations to enjoy.
The Greens recognise that good economic management means taking care of our environment. Our future will only be a prosperous one if we build our economy on the principles of long-term sustainability and science, rather than short-term self-interest and political point-scoring.
That’s why we are:
Constructing wetlands across Canberra to improve water quality and protect against increasing urban heat;
Protecting our precious biodiversity;
Reducing waste by banning thin single-use plastic bags, introducing a container deposit scheme, and expanding public recycling options;
Protecting Canberra’s air quality by improving regulations around wood heaters and pushing for more electric vehicles, including buses and light rail.
The Greens have a plan to build a future where our environment, our wildlife and our future generations thrive.
The ACT Greens believe that we must protect our ecosystem and the native wildlife that we’re so lucky to have here in Canberra. We’ve called on the Government to restore Canberra’s tree canopy – home to bird species such as the ACT threatened Brown Treecreeper. We’ve demanded the protection of key threatened species habitats such as the yellow-box red-gum woodlands and grasslands at Kinlyside and Throsby.
We’re also fighting to prevent the endless expansion of Canberra’s suburbs into sensitive ecological areas. By building a more compact city we can help protect the valuable biodiversity around Canberra.
——-
Putting Our Climate First:
https://greens.org.au/act/assembly/climateaction
The Greens have also committed the Government to:
Plant hundreds of thousands of new trees and other ‘green infrastructure’ as part of a new 30% tree canopy cover target to help keep our city cool
Deliver more battery storage for homes and small businesses
‘Future-proof’ our city to encourage more developers to build more all-electric and zero emissions suburbs, reducing our emissions and cutting energy bills for Canberra residents
Require more climate-wise buildings for the Canberra of the future, not the past
Prioritise investments in sustainable transport, like light rail, buses and active transport, including adopting leading infrastructure standards
Improve energy efficiency options for Canberra homes, small businesses and schools
Deliver new programs that will reduce energy use, cut energy bills and improve comfort for renters and home owners
Legislate to guarantee that our 100% renewable electricity target will always be maintained, once achieved by 2020
Divert more waste from landfill, including green bins that can take organic wast that can take organic waste from households, programs to recycle commercial organics, and new facilities to recycle organics sustainably
Do more for climate justice, ensuring that vulnerable and low-income Canberrans are supported in the clean energy and renewables transition.
Bushfire Bill
Well, can you ? 😉
Interesting – Australian Defence Intelligence (I know, I know) is looking for analysists who will specialise in nuclear warfare.