Essential Research: protests, union power and coronavirus policies

Support for anti-racism protests, though perhaps not right now; a mixed bag of outlooks on the trade union movement; and concern that coronavirus support is being withdrawn too early.

As reported by The Guardian, this week’s Essential Research survey focuses on black lives matter protests, union power and the government’s coronavirus policies, producing a mixed bag of results on each:

• Sixty-two per cent felt protesters were “justified in their demands for authorities to address the issue of Indigenous deaths in custody”, but 61% felt “the situation in America is very different to Australia and has no relevance”, and 84% felt protests amid the pandemic put the community at risk.

• Sixty per cent rated unions as very important or quite important for working people, and 74% felt they provided essential services, but 62% thought them too politically biased and 58% agreed that “union protection makes it difficult for employers to discipline, terminate or even promote employees”.

• Sixty-four per cent expressed concern about how the withdrawal of Jobkeeper subsidies “would sit with any second wave of the pandemic”, 53% considered the government had broken a promise by withdrawing payments for childcare workers, 55% thought it too soon to remove support and 43% supported extending free childcare (up seven points on a month ago), but 57% thought the government needed to withdraw help from “some industries”.

The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1087; a full report will be published later today.

UPDATE: Full report here.

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.

1,991 comments on “Essential Research: protests, union power and coronavirus policies”

Comments Page 3 of 40
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  1. Bridget Rollason
    @bridgerollo
    ·
    2m
    The mood is changing in the Labor Party towards
    @MarleneKairouz
    ’s future. First the Treasurer, now
    @LisanevilleMP
    #springst
    Quote Tweet

    Bridget Rollason
    @bridgerollo
    · 3m
    Minister @LisanevilleMP says @MarleneKairouz should consider her future as a Minister & reflect on both her commitment to the Premier & her comments over the last 24 hours. “There is no room in the Labor Party who are more interested in their own power..” @abcmelbourne #springst
    Richard Willingham
    @rwillingham
    ·
    40m
    Moderate Labor MP Tim Richardson says this is a “watershed” moment for the ALP. Says
    @AdemSomyurek
    had to go BUT raises concerns about national security and sovereignty after recordings were made in a federal MPs office. Wants that investigated
    @abcmelbourne

    @abcnews
    #springst

  2. Barney in Tanjung Bunga says:
    Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 9:36 am

    Is that why it’s a National Public Holiday?

    It’s not actually a National PH but the fact that it gets one in some places demonstrates the significance.

  3. Bucephalus

    My only reservation is that MickMack has never said much that I can recall about the value of horse racing to the regions. A bit of publicity about who he met and why would help, too.

  4. Bucephalus @ #98 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 7:38 am

    lizzie says:
    Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 9:32 am

    The system forces all politicians to do this.

    My position remains that senior politicians should attend these types of events- it’s their job.

    If that’s true, then the system should reflect that, but at the moment it doesn’t, so the facade exists.

  5. Olivia Leeming
    @olivialeeming
    ·
    2h
    Former PM Kevin Rudd tells
    @sunriseon7
    the Somyurek scandal highlights “a cancer for the Labor party that needs to be extracted”. Needs to be rooted out from “both sides of politics”

  6. Barney

    The non genuine part refers to the manipulation.

    All parties to represent people have to have authentic beliefs in their party. Otherwise there is no point to the political party.

    This includes the right to expel people who have beliefs very different to that party.

  7. Political Party Branch Stacking
    Both major parties do it and while the language sounds nasty the sad reality is that is how our parties operate internally. They are not for the faint hearted types that think politics is about polite discussion of ideas. How they act in QT is a reflection of how they really act behind closed doors.

  8. Bucephalus @ #102 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 7:41 am

    Barney in Tanjung Bunga says:
    Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 9:36 am

    Is that why it’s a National Public Holiday?

    It’s not actually a National PH but the fact that it gets one in some places demonstrates the significance.

    I know it’s not.

    “some places”???? Victoria 😆 😆

  9. Politics can be fake which we see with how the politicians act when there is a leadership challenge where people that hate one another can then act like they are mates.

  10. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-16/queensland-police-politically-motivated-greens-councillor-sri/12358828

    Queensland police allowing politics to motivate operational decisions, Greens councillor says

    The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has been accused of allowing politics to guide its operational decisions, after a weekend asylum seeker protest that resulted in a Brisbane councillor being charged.

    He said it showed there were “underlying structural problems” within QPS
    Greens councillor Jonathan Sri said he was singled out for arrest at a Brisbane protest on Saturday.

    “It’s very clear that the Queensland Police Service is making political decisions about what kinds of issues they investigate and prioritise resources towards,” Cr Sri said.

    In a written statement, Cr Sri said: “Out of the hundreds of people who participated in the authorised peaceful assembly, I was the only one to be charged with an offence on Saturday.”

    “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I was singled out.

    “Police were using violent force in a manner that escalated rather than defused the situation.

    “My firm view is that the police presence on the ground actually increased the danger to members of the public.”
    :::
    He said he complied with police direction to leave the roadway during the protest and was confused when later arrested.

    “We were preparing to leave the area when an angry and aggressive officer singled me out and arrested me without further warning,” Cr Sri said.

    “The police have clearly used this bail condition to prevent me from attending and supporting protests calling for the refugees to be freed.

    “I intend to fight this charge, and the undemocratic bail conditions on human rights grounds, not simply for my own sake, but because these attacks on the right to peacefully gather in public spaces must be stopped.”

  11. guytaur @ #106 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 7:43 am

    Barney

    The non genuine part refers to the manipulation.

    All parties to represent people have to have authentic beliefs in their party. Otherwise there is no point to the political party.

    This includes the right to expel people who have beliefs very different to that party.

    So if a number of rural environmentalist tried to join and they were kicked out, you’d be fine with that?

  12. Mexican

    Yes. Thats whats wrong with politics from little social clubs all the way to Federal Parliament.

    Self interested ambition can take hold. Its always a balance of being genuine representation and self interest. The good politicians are those that can combine both. Conflicts of interest are the easiest way to subvert representation of people.

    Its why we should have checks and balances for accountability to keep the balance on the side of representation and not self interest.

    Trying to eliminate self interest is a futile effort.

  13. Fallout after removal of foul-mouthed Labor power broker Adem Somyurek set to linger

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-16/analysis-adem-somyurek-scandal-victorian-government/12357760

    As far as political executions go, this was swift and well-orchestrated.
    :::
    Many in Labor believe this was a hitjob by party insiders, one so brutally pulled off it left Somyurek floored.
    :::
    The spread of a factional operation usually goes well beyond just two men. Questions will continue to be levelled at another of Somyurek’s Cabinet allies, Marlene Kairouz, who has assured the Premier she has done nothing wrong.

    Despite what his critics said, Somyurek was an influential member of the ALP.

    He had successfully overseen a redrawing of factional alliances and amassed significant internal political numbers.

    After being sacked from Cabinet in 2015 over allegations of misconduct with his female chief of staff, he had a Lazarus-like recovery to rejoin Cabinet in 2018 after Labor’s election win.

    Andrews, an experienced backroom operator himself, knew the lay of the land. Under Labor’s system, Somyurek’s sway warranted a spot in the ministry.

    Somyurek was powerful. And he knew it.
    :::
    So, is this the time Labor will look at it properly?

  14. Bucephalus @ #89 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 9:28 am

    High ranking members of the Government and the Opposition should be attending globally and nationally significant events like the Melbourne Cup. It’s their job.

    Is not. And extremely debatable whether the Melbourne Cup is a “globally significant event”. I’m sure 99% of the U.S. population has never heard of it.

    If you had them attending international events, with international leaders accompanying them, then maybe. Just hanging out and being seen at a national event isn’t part of any politician’s job. It’s recreation for them, just as it is for everyone else in attendance.

  15. Confessions @ #25 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 8:01 am

    Thanks BK. This whole affair reminds me of that trio of federal Labor so-called powerbrokers who were instrumental in mobilising the partyroom to get rid of Rudd. I can’t remember their names now, and certainly had never heard of them before that time. This guy in Victoria is the same.

    NSW is much the same. If I mentioned the names of the people who actually run NSW Labor, you would never have heard of most of them – their names generally only appear publicly on various court records. They are not elected, they are “made”.

  17. Barney

    If those rural environmentalists had radically different values to the Greens then yes.

    The Greens are a political party with a set of values already in place. Genuine attempts at change is fine but manipulation to change a parties direction in radically different ways are not fine.

    Those values are always debatable and can be changed but a small group of people coming in to manipulate party processes to subvert the party is not fine. Edit: Sorry excise small.

  19. Guytaur
    Its not possible to regulate behavior. People will naturally form relationships with colleagues or develop a disliking for colleagues. The real solution is to increase political party membership but that will still see groups based on tastes, likes and values.

  20. Bridget Rollason
    @bridgerollo
    ·
    7m
    Minister
    @MarleneKairouz
    has resigned from the Ministry. Labor has lost three ministers in 24 hours
    @abcmelbourne
    #springst

  21. Richard Willingham
    @rwillingham
    ·
    4m
    GOOOOOOOORN. 3/12 on Day 2.
    @MarleneKairouz quits says she doesn’t want be a distraction for the government. Looks forward to clearing her name. She notes allegations aren’t about criminality
    @abcmelbourne
    #springst

  24. mexican

    You better tell the lawyers that. They do regulation all the time precisely on behaviour.

    Eg. Drink driving laws.

  25. The G

    The Andrews government has lost a third minister – Marlene Kairouz has announced she is resigning from the ministry, but will stay on in parliament as a Labor MP

  29. Guytaur
    You cannot regulate whether colleagues get along or not, you cannot compel people to like one another and to be nice to one another at all times or to not say nasty things about others.

  31. Mexican

    You can regulate civilised behaviour. Thats why we have assault laws.
    Ditto Bullying.

    Thats not saying you have to go to dinner with people in your person private time.
    There is a balance to all things. So yes you can regulate behaviour. Exactly as Labor has done ruling misogyny and homophobia is grounds to expel from the party.

  32. guytaur @ #117 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 7:59 am

    Barney

    If those rural environmentalists had radically different values to the Greens then yes.

    The Greens are a political party with a set of values already in place. Genuine attempts at change is fine but manipulation to change a parties direction in radically different ways are not fine.

    Those values are always debatable and can be changed but a small group of people coming in to manipulate party processes to subvert the party is not fine.

    No I was suggesting that they join the Nats.

  35. Barney

    If those rural environmentalists have the same values as the Nationals then yes its fine.

    If the Nationals want to represent coal miners then there might be a problem of course. It will be interesting to see how that conflict of interest falls out.

    Note thats a genuine cause not hiding what they are about. That is genuine people.

  36. Vic Labor is apparently taking an opportunity to clean house. This is good news for Vic Labor, since it means they believe they can do so without impacting on the outcome of the next state election. I hope the other Labor parties (state and federal) take this lesson to heart (especially NSW!) – you don’t have to put up with corruption, you just have to carefully select when to do something about it. You do it either when you are far in front, or far behind.

  37. Mexican

    No you are truing to pretend they are separate. Bullying is dominance in a relationship. Regulated human behaviour.

    Its just more extreme than you want to address. Instead you want to make excuses for bullying by saying relationships cannot be regulated.

  38. guytaur @ #135 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 8:19 am

    Barney

    If those rural environmentalists have the same values as the Nationals then yes its fine.

    If the Nationals want to represent coal miners then there might be a problem of course. It will be interesting to see how that conflict of interest falls out.

    Note thats a genuine cause not hiding what they are about. That is genuine people.

    Ah!! the arbitrator of all that’s genuine!!!!

    What if they did hide it?

  39. It was obvious yesterday morning to one of my offspring who is not that politically engaged, that this was a political inside job.
    Dont know why it’s taking so long from some on this blog to get with the program.

  42. Player One @ #136 Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 – 10:21 am

    This is good news for Vic Labor, since it means they believe they can do so without impacting on the outcome of the next state election.

    However “Labor” being “Labor”, the next state election is actually in Qld. I can see the current Vic drama having an impact there.

    The Qld Labor government has already been under fire from the media for basically everything. Mining stuff, C19 stuff, rural/farming/land-management stuff, ignoring the regions stuff, economy stuff, etc.. The last thing they need is “Labor is full of corrupt thugs” stuff on top of it.

  43. Guytaur
    Now you are starting to jump at shadows. I simply pointed out that humans cannot be forced to like their colleagues or to always be nice to their colleagues.

  45. Bucephalus

    He’s referred it for investigation. LNP are always very quick to say no comment, it’s under investigation. Why can’t Andrews say it too?

  48. Buce

    Andrews has referred the matter to IBAC for determination
    Remember Somyurek is gone at this point due to behaviour rather than any criminal conduct.

  49. Victoria says:
    Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 10:23 am
    “It was obvious yesterday morning to one of my offspring who is not that politically, that this was a political inside job.
    Dont know why it’s taking so long from some on this blog to get with the program.“

    One faction has taken out the boss of another faction. But there’s no problem with the factions? Or are there good and bad factions? Reverse branch stacking about to occur benefitting another faction?

    And then the ALP are going to get ALP members who are members of factions to investigate the factions because they will be unbiased.

  50. Vic,

    In QLD the LNP Leader is telling all that will listen that she’s not going to be bullied by her Party atm and despite the incessant undermining she’s going to continue as Leader.

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