On failure

A look at efforts to get to the bottom of last year’s federal election pollster failure and the Electoral Commission of Queensland’s recent election night meltdown.

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.

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.

1,379 comments on “On failure”

Comments Page 27 of 28
1 26 27 28
  1. davidwh says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    I thought it was wu flun dung?
    _______
    Honestly what childish racism. How about a rendition of Ching Chong Chinaman? Pathetic.

  2. Mavis Davis:

    Red Ted:

    Re: Your post late last night in which you were critical of Karl Popper. Put simply and succinctly, Popper was a class act, arguing that in order for science to constitute science, the starting point is whether a theory is refutable, the corollary of which is that if there’s no such evidence, then in Popper’s view, that’s science. The alternative is to only search for evidence to support one’s hypothesis. This, in his view, is anathema to the scientific method.

    Thank you for a very concise statement of Popper’s understanding of the scientific method, which is however, still wrong.

  3. “Surely the RFS could accept the money into a separate equipment and injuries account and from its general revenue give the same amount of money to a body or bodies that better align to what Ms Barber’s intention was.”

    BK

    Wasn’t Shorten as one of his policies last year offering to fund the purchase of planes for fire fighting? I’ve often thought this money would be sufficient to go a fair way towards that.

  4. Jonathan Alter@jonathanalter
    ·
    6h
    Let’s see–8 golf dates and 11 rallies in the period when ANY other president would have been replenishing stockpiles, rolling out testing & preparing the country for a crisis. Other world leaders did that, but not Trump, who golfed and rage tweeted while 100,000 American died.

  5. GG:

    I watched that video earlier and thought there seem to be quite a few of these men’s choral type things popping up around the place. We’ve got one here which is very popular at local events.

  6. Confessions @ #1308 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 8:48 pm

    GG:

    I watched that video earlier and thought there seem to be quite a few of these men’s choral type things popping up around the place. We’ve got one here which is very popular at local events.

    There has been a lot of creativity looking for an outlet during the shut down.

    Sarah Cooper has been an absolute fovourite of mine.

  7. s92 challenge per SMH

    [The Queensland legal challenge, yet to be filed, is expected to be led by a NSW silk acting pro bono for Queensland residents.]

    Boohoo, no Anthony Morris QC.

    The silk could be a typo – could still be Peter King

  8. shellbell @ #1315 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 9:09 pm

    s92 challenge per SMH

    [The Queensland legal challenge, yet to be filed, is expected to be led by a NSW silk acting pro bono for Queensland residents.]

    Boohoo, no Anthony Morris QC.

    The silk could be a typo – could still be Peter King

    By the time it reaches the HC, the issue will be gone.

    A complete waste of fucking time designed to enrich the Lawyer Class, again.

  9. Greensborough Growler says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 9:11 pm
    shellbell @ #1315 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 9:09 pm

    s92 challenge per SMH

    [The Queensland legal challenge, yet to be filed, is expected to be led by a NSW silk acting pro bono for Queensland residents.]

    Boohoo, no Anthony Morris QC.

    The silk could be a typo – could still be Peter King
    By the time it reaches the HC, the issue will be gone.

    A complete waste of fucking time designed to enrich the Lawyer Class, again.
    ______________________________
    and blessed are the mortgage brokers for they shall inherit the trailing commissions…..

  10. Greensborough Growler @ #1278 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 8:03 pm

    Pegasus @ #1275 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 8:00 pm

    Andrews is the only state premier to sign up to China’s BRI. He has no choice but to continue supporting it as he is dependent on the money from China to fund his massive infrastructure projects.

    Pegasus @ #1275 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 8:00 pm

    Andrews is the only state premier to sign up to China’s BRI. He has no choice but to continue supporting it as he is dependent on the money from China to fund his massive infrastructure projects.

    That is the plan.

    So?

    Exactly. And the Green grub fails to mention that the federal Coalition government has signed a Belt and Road deal with the Chinese as well.

    Just gotta keep attacking the Centre Left party. What a bloody-minded thing to do. Just so The Greens in Victoria might get one more seat, if they’re lucky, at the next Victorian state election. Just shameless.

  11. Legal challenges to border closures ‘have legs’, experts say

    The High Court is very bad, and the current bench has at least two of the worst decisions to its discredit, but surely even this bunch of Morrisons would fall for that. Surely not. Sweet baby cheesus that people are even considering it put the Australian High Court a lot closer to the racist partisan farce that is the US Supreme Court than any credible ultimate court.

  12. C@tmomma @ #1318 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 9:15 pm

    Greensborough Growler @ #1278 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 8:03 pm

    Pegasus @ #1275 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 8:00 pm

    Andrews is the only state premier to sign up to China’s BRI. He has no choice but to continue supporting it as he is dependent on the money from China to fund his massive infrastructure projects.

    Pegasus @ #1275 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 8:00 pm

    Andrews is the only state premier to sign up to China’s BRI. He has no choice but to continue supporting it as he is dependent on the money from China to fund his massive infrastructure projects.

    That is the plan.

    So?

    Exactly. And the Green grub fails to mention that the federal Coalition government has signed a Belt and Road deal with the Chinese as well.

    Just gotta keep attacking the Centre Left party. What a bloody-minded thing to do. Just so The Greens in Victoria might get one more seat, if they’re lucky, at the next Victorian state election. Just shameless.

    Dan ploughs on regardless. He is not interested in Murdoch chiaking or the impotent Greens. It’s so amusing to see their inconsequence written so large.

    Cue, cut and paste.

  13. Just watched 4Corners on the Rubella Princess – thought they went pretty lightly on the appalling lack of duty of care of Carnival.

    And despite what everyone wants to know, absolutely zilch on Border Force. It’s like they didn’t exist.

  14. Pegasus @ #1322 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 9:34 pm

    “And the Green grub fails to mention that the federal Coalition government has signed a Belt and Road deal with the Chinese as well.”

    The federal Coalition has not.

    Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as of March 2020

    https://green-bri.org/countries-of-the-belt-and-road-initiative-bri?cookie-state-change=1590406152073

    So, the Green Grub has owned up to her status and retreats.

    Well done!

  15. Peg, you must have missed this item in the odd cheerleading for the Coalition – what’s happened?

    “In May 2017, then-Trade Minister Steven Ciobo, prior to attending a Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, stated, ‘Australia supports the aims of initiatives such as the Belt and Road that improve infrastructure development and increased opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region’.[4] In August 2018, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull remarked, ‘We look forward to working with China on the Belt and Road Initiative projects…Global infrastructure investment is a good example of where countries should work together’.[5] And in November last year Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Caixin magazine that ‘Australia welcomes the contribution the Belt and Road Initiative can make in meeting the infrastructure needs of the region, and we’re keen to strengthen engagement with China in regional trade and infrastructure developments that align within the international standards of governance and transparency.’[6]

    https://www.australiachinarelations.org/content/australia-and-belt-and-road-initiative

  16. Pegasus says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 9:36 pm
    “Just gotta keep attacking the Centre Left party. ”

    What party would that be? It aint the Labor party.
    _______________________________
    True that Pegasus!

  17. sprocket_ says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 9:40 pm

    _______________________
    What’s Yuhu Group’s view on these important issues Bob?

  18. Lars Von Trier @ #1327 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 9:42 pm

    Pegasus says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 9:36 pm
    “Just gotta keep attacking the Centre Left party. ”

    What party would that be? It aint the Labor party.
    _______________________________
    True that Pegasus!

    You love humiliation, don’t you?

  19. The red carpet was being laid out not so long ago to our red comrades. What happened?

    “The United Nations Charter and the basic norms governing international relations should apply to all countries. With that, countries big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are all equal. This means not only equal rights and interests for all countries, but also equality of all countries before international rules.“

    Now, global infrastructure investment is a good example of where countries should work together as we are, for example, in the Asia Development Bank and more recently the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

    As Trade Minister Steven Ciobo observed in Shanghai recently, we look forward to working with China on Belt and Road Initiative projects where, assessing them on their merits, we conclude they’re consistent with our objectives, standards and priorities.

    Generally we welcome more investment in infrastructure in our region. Indeed it would be hard to identify a country in our region more open to foreign investment, including Chinese investment, than is Australia. We want to work with China, the US, Japan and others, in the Pacific to ensure that our respective engagement, including lending, reinforces our common goals of supporting the sustainable economic development, freedom and wellbeing of the people and the nations of the Pacific.

    https://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/speech-at-the-university-of-new-south-wales-sydney-7-august-2018

  20. Pegasus says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 9:49 pm
    GG, Cat, Sprocket

    The Morrison government has not *signed* up to the BRI; it has not *signed* a MoU.

    No matter how you bs, Australia is not listed.

    Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as of March 2020

    https://green-bri.org/countries-of-the-belt-and-road-initiative-bri?cookie-state-change=1590406152073
    ____________________________
    I am sure Bob Sprocket has an appropriate faux Winston Churchill quote for this moment.

  21. Lars Von Trier @ #1332 Monday, May 25th, 2020 – 9:51 pm

    Pegasus says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 9:49 pm
    GG, Cat, Sprocket

    The Morrison government has not *signed* up to the BRI; it has not *signed* a MoU.

    No matter how you bs, Australia is not listed.

    Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as of March 2020

    https://green-bri.org/countries-of-the-belt-and-road-initiative-bri?cookie-state-change=1590406152073
    ____________________________
    I am sure Bob Sprocket has an appropriate faux Winston Churchill quote for this moment.

    Fuck, the infidels!

  22. Sprocket seems to have a problem with reading and reading comprehension. But then he does have a proven track record of dropping ‘porkies’.

  23. poroti:

    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    [‘When it comes to the “scientific method” that particular “alternative” has always been considered as a virtual antonym………………..or so I was taught a life time ago.’]

    That’s no doubt correct, but Popper took a different view, though Red Ted says he didn’t – be that as it may.

    I, like you, left tertiary studies many moons ago but was particularly struck by Karl Popper, principally on the basis that he proposed a new model of scientific investigation that regrettably didn’t result in a Kuhnian-like paradigmatic shift.

  24. PM to outline plan to reset economic growth(headline in Oz)

    Scott Morrison will unveil his path to get “the economy out of the ICU” on Tuesday with a headland National Press Club speech focusing on industrial relations reform, skills and avoiding more debt.

    Him and his dickheads have run down the economy for the last 6 years to put it on life support before this virus. Cant run a bath as somebody said.

  25. Peg, New Zealand has signed a MOU with China on the BRI. No porkie!

    Memorandum of Arrangement
    On Strengthening Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative Between
    The Government of the People’s Republic of China
    And
    The Government of New Zealand
    The Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of New Zealand (hereinafter referred to as “the Participants”), based on the aspiration for jointly strengthening cooperation and exchanges to support the Belt and Road Initiative, and deepening bilateral practical cooperation;

    Paragraph I: Cooperation Objectives
    The Participants will jointly promote cooperation and exchanges to support the Belt and Road Initiative. It is aimed at achieving the goal of common development, translating advantages of close political relations, economic complementarities and cultural exchanges into practical cooperation and sustainable growth, pushing for continued friendly bilateral political ties, stronger economic ties, closer people-to-people relations and greater benefit amongst the two peoples.

    https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/wcm.files/upload/CMSydylyw/201703/201703310337058.pdf

  26. Lars asked about the activities of the Yuhu Group. You’re welcome..

    “A Chinese government-backed propaganda unit and a swag of companies that stand to gain from the China Australia Free Trade Agreement have made more than half a million dollars of political donations in Victoria, raising concerns about the influence of foreign donors.

    Companies linked to Chinese conglomerate Yuhu Group made a donation to then trade minister Andrew Robb’s fundraising entity the day the trade deal was clinched.

    Chinese money has become so important to Australian political parties that, at a recent glitzy fundraiser, Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger made sure there was an interpreter to translate the auction.

    Bayside Forum, which supports the federal Liberal candidate in the seat of Goldstein (where Mr Robb is set to be succeeded by former Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson at the July 2 federal election), accepted $100,000 in donations from executives of Chinese agriculture, property development and infrastructure company Yuhu Group.

    At the time, Mr Robb was negotiating both ChAFTA and the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership.

    Mr Robb has a long relationship with Yuhu and its chief Xiangmo Huang. He met with Mr Huang and other senior company executives in Hong Kong in March 2014 to discuss trade and economic co-operation, and to hear Mr Huang’s view on the obstacles to Chinese enterprises in Australia, such as working visas and foreign investment restrictions.

    Mr Robb also endorsed Yuhu’s $2 billion investment in Australian agriculture in a joint-venture with a Chinese state-owned enterprise at its launch on September 15, 2014.

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/chinese-interests-play-an-increasing-role-in-australian-and-political-donations-20160518-goxl8b.html

  27. Mr Morrison also signalled in that exclusive interview that he is willing to mandate policy reform, but hoped to find common ground on reviving economic growth.

    The Australian understands he will not promise the big spending, government led economic recovery being advocated by Labor and the trade unions, warning Australians will ultimately pay.

    “We must not borrow from future generations that we cannot return to them in higher standards of living,” he will say.

    Government sources say skills and industrial relations reform will be central to Mr Morrison’s speech, but he will also touch on tax reform, deregulation, energy and the federation.

    SAME OLD TRICKLEDOWN LIBERAL SHITE AS USUAL. They know nothing else.

  28. Sprocket

    I understand why you are now pivoting to NZ when the discussion has been about whether the federal government has signed a MoU with China’s BRI or not.

    But do go on with irrelevancies.

  29. poroti says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 9:56 pm
    LVT
    How about ““It is no part of my case that I am always right.” for Bob ?
    ___________________________
    More pertinently in Bob’s case, that famous Marxist quote ” I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member”

  30. SfM doesn’t mind stealing from future generations via hopeless inaction on environmental protections, structural tax reforms, but ‘borrowing’ to build for the future, to make sure that another million Australians are not benched and stuck in long term – perhaps lifelong – unemployment and underemployment, is verboten.

    Tax cuts for ‘wealth creators’ and austerity for the rest of the herd are the order of the day.

    He’ll likely get away with it, given he has the three biggest media conglomerates (each representing a faction of the Liberal Party) in the country united to campaign for him and the LNP. Even their ABC would rather go after Labor (for balance ya know) than really scrutinise this mob of pirates.

  31. It may very well be nath.

    Sprocket was shaky for a long time after the third day of fundamental injustice 12 months ago.

  32. I remember fondly Sprockets reckless abandon in early May 2019 reeling off the prospective victories.

    At one stage he was convinced all of Bennelong, Reid and Banks where heading back to Sussex Street. Such cruel fate!

  33. Lars Von Trier
    says:
    Monday, May 25, 2020 at 10:32 pm
    I remember fondly Sprockets reckless abandon in early May 2019 reeling off the prospective victories.
    At one stage he was convinced all of Bennelong, Reid and Banks where heading back to Sussex Street. Such cruel fate!
    __________
    What about this one: Labor member Grimace wanted LNP electorates to burn to pay for the 3rd day of fundamental injustice during the bushfires. These people had stymied this vision:

    grimace
    says:
    Friday, May 19, 2017 at 6:19 pm
    Shorten is on track to win 100+ seats in the HOR, and will get very close to control of the Senate. He’ll be as close as you can get to Labor leader for life with that achievement.

Comments Page 27 of 28
1 26 27 28

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *