The Australian reports the latest Newspoll has the Coalition’s lead at 51-49, unchanged on three weeks ago. On the primary vote, the Coalition is steady at 42%, Labor up a point to 35%, the Greens down one to 11% and One Nation down one to 3%. Scott Morrison records another personal best on leader ratings, his approval up two to 68% and disapproval down two to 27%, while Anthony Albanese is now at 42% on both approval and disapproval, which are respectively up by one and two. Morrison’s lead as preferred prime minister is at 58-26, out from 56-26. The poll was conducted Wednesday to Saturday from a sample of 1521.
With the attacks on Labor , why isn’t the coalition further again
I’m wondering whether we can maintain a sustainable downward trajectory on unemployment numbers if we just replace those inbound migrants who used to do the crap jobs, otherwise known as the American model, with people who are already here, out of work, and willing to do anything to bring in a wage again, likely at the Minimum Wage?
Scott @ #51 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 7:07 am
WorkChoices.
I think that, while the Labor Party suffers from the ingrained belief that the Coalition are the better economic managers, the Coalition themselves suffer from the ingrained fear of Workchoices 2.0 and another ‘Horror Budget’, so people keep backing Labor to keep them honest.
But they do like a guy who can act Prime Ministerial. And that’s how Scott Morrison started out in life, as a child actor and then went down the path of Marketing from there. He is an expert in Faking it until you make it, then just keep it up.
It defies belief that there are 3% of Australian voters who would Vote 1: One Nation after the crap Pauline Hanson continues to offer up. Surely after all the last 4 years people can recognise the fraud she is!
C@tmomma says:
Monday, June 29, 2020 at 7:13 am
WorkChoices.
————————————–
Good point , Labor needs to keep being consistent attacking this not allowing it to be forgotten .
The term ‘super spreader’ has sometimes been used when a large number of people are infected with covid19 at a place. This place must have had a super duper spreader at work.
https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-06-27-20-intl/h_fbab72fe0305455af18e426e9b9a3fbc
@Peter_Fox59
1984 Dyson Hayden wrote
‘Children sometimes behave in a way evil beyond their years. They may consent to sexual offences against themselves & then deny consent. They may completely deny sexual offences.’
This was reported in 2003 yet John Howard still appointed him to High Court twitter.com/Milliganreport…
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Jennifer Duke writes that the federal government has been accused of “keeping Australians in the dark” over its new plan for the stimulus scheme that has helped keep about 3 million people in work.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/jobkeeper-plan-to-be-kept-secret-until-after-eden-monaro-byelection-20200628-p556z1.html
Shaun Carney reckons we could do with more straight talk on the economy. He says the pandemic is not a six months passing phase and there will be no “snap back”.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-could-do-with-more-straight-talk-on-the-economy-20200626-p556op.html
With Qantas laying off 6000 workers last week and Deloitte cutting 700 jobs, the Grattan Institute weighs in, saying that unless governments act, there’s going to be a lot more of this. It says Australian governments must urgently develop an economic transition plan for the next six to 12 months.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/government-must-spend-more-to-support-recovery-20200628-p556zq.html
Ross Gittins thinks Morrison is in for a rude shock on post-pandemic economics.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/morrison-in-for-a-rude-shock-on-post-pandemic-economics-20200628-p556xy.html
Peter Martin writes that there will be no big bounce. He outlines a 2020-21 economic survey pointing to a weak recovery getting weaker, amid declining living standards
https://theconversation.com/no-big-bounce-2020-21-economic-survey-points-to-a-weak-recovery-getting-weaker-amid-declining-living-standards-141184
John Kehoe tells us that the federal government is actively considering making permanent some coronavirus “regulatory shields” for businesses to cut red tape and attract investment in the economic recovery.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/regulation-shields-could-be-made-permanent-20200619-p554al
Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be created in Australia by hurrying the shift to zero greenhouse gas emissions, a study backed by business and investment leaders has found. Adam Morton explains how decarbonising the economy by investing in renewable energy, clean buildings, clean transport and manufacturing could help fight the recession
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/29/australia-could-create-hundreds-of-thousands-of-jobs-by-accelerating-shift-to-zero-emissions-report
The AFR’s Sarah Turner explains how Australia’s leading economists believe the pandemic-triggered JobKeeper program could hamper the recovery if it remains in place for too long
https://www.afr.com/markets/currencies/jobkeeper-too-costly-to-keep-say-top-economists-20200624-p555jr
Shane Wright writes that young Australians entering the workforce in the nation’s worst recession will take a decade-long $32,000 hit to their incomes, with calls growing for the Morrison government to develop a new $30 billion stimulus package to avoid an even deeper downturn.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/young-workers-face-32-000-income-hit-as-calls-grow-for-more-stimulus-20200626-p556gc.html
Hooray! Fergus Hunter reports that Morrison has threatened the charity status and government funding of organisations that refuse to sign up to the child sexual abuse redress scheme by the tomorrow’s deadline. I’ll believe this when it actually happens.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-threatens-charity-status-of-organisations-refusing-to-join-abuse-redress-scheme-20200628-p556z8.html
Doug Dingwall reports that the federal Attorney-General’s Department has drawn criticism from the ANAO for its handling of efforts to raise awareness of regulations safeguarding government decision-making from undue influence by lobbyists.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6808836/attorney-generals-department-blasted-over-handling-of-lobbyist-regulations/?cs=14350#gsc.tab=0
The owners of 130 buildings in inner Sydney have been told to replace flammable cladding or reveal more details about the composition of materials used, leaving individual apartment owners facing bills running into the tens of thousands of dollars. So the spivs win again?
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/it-s-not-fair-sydney-cladding-crisis-threatens-to-crush-families-financially-20200622-p554z8.html
Slowly it comes out. The senior army officer in charge of Australia’s special forces admitted during an extraordinary confidential briefing to dozens of troops at SAS headquarters that some elite soldiers had committed war crimes in Afghanistan. He used the term “poor moral leadership”.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/special-forces-chief-acknowledges-war-crimes-blames-poor-moral-leadership-20200628-p556z6.html
Julie Szego tries to make sense of the government’s war on arts degrees.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/making-sense-of-the-government-s-war-on-arts-degrees-20200626-p556jc.html
Karen Maley thinks it’s time for ASIC to concede defeat in the ‘wagyu and shiraz’ case.
https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/time-for-asic-to-concede-defeat-in-the-wagyu-and-shiraz-case-20200628-p556x3
This anonymous contributor writes that she was a sexually harassed judge’s associate, but at last she’s being heard.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/i-m-a-sexually-harassed-judge-s-associate-but-at-last-i-m-being-heard-20200626-p556oo.html
In a good contribution Amanda Vanstone asks the key question of who knew about Heydon’s behaviour and who turned a blind eye.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/dyson-heydon-who-knew-and-turned-a-blind-eye-20200626-p556jo.html
Meanwhile The federal attorney general says his department will investigate allegations that the former high court judge Dyson Heydon sexually harassed a former staffer of the trade union royal commission.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/28/dyson-heydon-sexual-harassment-allegations-to-be-investigated-by-attorney-general
From his personal experience Andrew Leigh writes about the risks and rewards of being a High Court associate. This is an excellent read.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6809514/the-risks-and-rewards-of-being-a-high-court-associate/?cs=14258#gsc.tab=0
The SMH editorial brands the CovidSafe app as a terrible failure.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/much-hyped-contact-tracing-app-a-terrible-failure-20200628-p5570h.html
Caitlin Fitsimmons tells us that families who use au pairs are scrambling for alternative childcare as about 10,000 backpackers leave Australia every month.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/take-action-now-call-to-open-borders-to-au-pairs-20200626-p556qx.html
Members of the Australian Defence Force have been testing hundreds of Victorians for the coronavirus.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/everyone-has-their-part-to-play-military-on-the-front-line-of-virus-testing-20200628-p5571j.html
Zac Hope reports that unemployed and career-nervous Australians are turning to the Defence Force in droves through the COVID-19 pandemic, with year-on-year applications up close to 40 per cent in April alone.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/defence-force-applications-through-the-roof-as-job-market-crumbles-20200627-p556rv.html
A division has opened up among the nation’s biggest power companies after a second electricity supplier slammed a decision by its peak body to endorse a 2050 net zero emissions target writes Perry Williams in The Australian.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/carbon-target-power-struggle/news-story/3af941bf64e771fc2fc6125607000542
News that iconic objects in the Powerhouse Museum could be shipped off to regional museums have alarmed critics, including a former NSW premier.
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/powerhouse-collection-to-be-scattered-across-nsw-plans-reveal-20200624-p555sq.html
Six months into his tenure, NAB boss Ross McEwan is warning shareholders to brace for modest dividends even when the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/i-don-t-think-they-will-return-nab-s-mcewan-warns-15pc-returns-are-gone-20200625-p5565k.html
Daniel Hurst reports that more than 100 regional newspaper publishers and broadcasters across Australia are set to gain funding through a federal government scheme to help media deal with “catastrophic” declines in advertising revenue.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jun/29/australian-regional-media-to-gain-funding-after-catastrophic-ad-revenue-fall
Kevin Rudd has called on the Australian government to condemn Israel’s proposed annexation of large parts of the West Bank, which he says would undermine the shared goal of a two-state solution and violate international law.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/kevin-rudd-urges-government-to-stand-up-to-israel-over-west-bank-annexation-plan-20200628-p55712.html
Simon Tisdall says everyone loses from Netanyahu’s territorial ambitions.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/28/everyone-loses-from-netanyahus-territorial-ambitions
Dana McCauley tells us that health insurers are calling for rule changes to make their products more appealing to young Australians, whose exodus from funds has accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic as unemployment soars.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/private-health-insurers-want-rule-changes-to-entice-younger-members-20200623-p5559j.html
Putin is up to no good. But Johnson needs little help in creating chaos writes Nick Cohen.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/27/putin-is-up-to-no-good-but-johnson-needs-little-help-in-creating-chaos
US health secretary Alex Azar has warned that “the window is closing” on the country’s chance to take action to effectively curb the coronavirus, as the number of confirmed cases surpassed 2.5m. Nice work from the Idiot-in-Chief!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/28/us-health-secretary-window-closing-stop-coronavirus-cases-pass-25m
Yesterday Trump retweeted a video showing one of his supporters chanting “white power,” a racist slogan associated with white supremacists. It’s now deleted and the White House has gone into damage control.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/indefensible-trump-retweets-supporter-s-call-for-white-power-20200629-p5572s.html
The Rolling Stones have threatened Trump with a law suit for using their music at his rallies.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/rolling-stones-lawsuit-seeks-to-stop-donald-trump-using-songs-20200628-p556yb.html
Trump is struggling against two invisible enemies: the coronavirus and Joe Biden writes Senior Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy, David Smith.
https://theconversation.com/trump-is-struggling-against-two-invisible-enemies-the-coronavirus-and-joe-biden-139667
Robert Reich outlines Trump’s 25-point plan to keep the presidency.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/28/donald-trump-re-election-playbook-25-lies-cheats-and-steals
Cartoon Corner
Peter Broelman
David Rowe
Jim Pavlidis
Matt Golding
Mark David
Michael Leunig
https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_828/t_resize_width/q_86%2Cf_auto/26914cacc886864619574d25c9d511f7ff60ab6e,jpg
Johannes Leak
From the US
Republicans demand answers from Trump on the Russian bounty on American soldiers
President Donald Trump said that neither he nor Vice President Mike Pence knew about the information, despite multiple intelligence briefings over the past six months.
Top Republican Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) tweeted that if Trump’s claims were true, Americans deserve an explanation of “who did know and when,” and asked if information had been contained in the Presidential Daily Briefing.
If reporting about Russian bounties on US forces is true, the White House must explain:
1. Why weren’t the president or vice president briefed? Was the info in the PDB?
2. Who did know and when?
3. What has been done in response to protect our forces & hold Putin accountable?
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) June 28, 2020
Trump doesn’t do the “Presidential Daily Briefing” because he doesn’t find it interesting. Instead, he generally gets a briefing book that he only glances at it. There have also been reports that the president has a difficult time paying attention and that some briefers must find ways of keeping his attention. It’s unknown if the president was briefed and simply doesn’t remember it or wasn’t paying close enough attention.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/06/republicans-demand-answers-from-trump-on-the-russian-bounty-on-american-soldiers/
Rick Wilson @TheRickWilson
Spies and Commandos Warned Months Ago of Russian Bounties on U.S. Troops
Dennis Herring @dcherring
“United States intelligence officers and Special Operations forces in Afghanistan alerted their superiors as early as January…”
and no one told Trump. huh.
Bruce Cohen @brucecohenride
Couldn’t be, but… 3 options. He was told and did nothing. BAD. He was not told. BAD. He knows now and is doing nothing. BAD. Could anyone be more inept/corrupt?
Norman is so much better than Fran. Less words but more clarity.
Interesting day coming up in parliament tomorrow. Talk about Spiv Central!
The videoconference schedule is as follows:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Economics/FourMajorBanksFinancialInstitutions
The Victorian local council elections scheduled for October should be delayed pending a full review of the reforms made by Somyurek.
Good Morning
Cat
I agree with your analysis about why the LNP are ahead.
This is why Labor should be loud in talking about how bad austerity is. Attack the ideology.
A good start has been made with the arts and universities. Labor can get cut through talking about free universities. We have seen the Democrats succeed at this talking about no student debt.
Its another reason Labor can be very strong on the environment and talk about renewables to a maximum extent. That means ditching coal and gas and letting the LNP have the promotion of that all to themselves.
Doing so you wedge the Nationals.
The economics are going to fix themselves as the Austerity ideology of neoliberalism sees the LNP crash on the unemployment rate and resulting horrors of poverty and homelessness. With all that goes along with it.
Labor being out there talking about job intensive renewables instead of job scarcity fossil fuel jobs is the way to go. Plus it means Labor is future focused and looking at how we can maximise renewables and its technology to create export markets to replace the inevitable loss of our coal exports.
Its not long and we will have President Biden with his Green New Deal in place. That is going to dramatically change the debate on the environment as the world takes action and Australia will be one of the outlier dinosaur governments opposing action along with Saudi Arabia and the like.
We will be embarrassed by Morrison just as Trump embarrasses the Americans.
We will want action to be taken. We will want massive spending on infrastructure so fast trains and renewables are going to be big.
Labor should get on the train not try and stop it.
Is there a subject that Bushfire Bill doesn’t know more about than someone who has committed their life to the study of?
Or have they simply tuned out of ‘politics’ – too many other things to worry about?
@guardian tweets
Poland election: Duda forced to second round, exit poll suggests https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/28/poland-election-duda-forced-to-second-round-exit-poll-suggests?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_b-gdnnews&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1593374378
phoenixRED,
Trump could claim plausible deniability. He never listens to the President’s Daily Briefing and forgets all about it immediately even if he has been told. 🙂
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-campaign-scrambling-to-revive-the-presidents-imperiled-reelection-bid/2020/06/28/5cc9a300-b715-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html
A failed real estate spiv who is owned by the Russian oligarchs is only interested in returning himself to economic prosperity. He doesn’t give a crap about the country.
Barney in Tanjung Bunga @ #65 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 8:24 am
It’s an opinion blog. Whether you agree with him or not, at least he makes his arguments.
For those that missed it. I did.
@MakMayek tweeted two days ago
Peta Credlin is a disgrace. The report on her show about South Sudanese being responsible for 14 cases of COVID-19 in Melbourne is nothing but Fake News. Facts: we don’t live in Coburg; Muslims? Hardly have any (with respect and love). 14 cases? All of us would know.
…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-29/queensland-homebuilder-hold-up-no-timeline-for-federal-scheme/12394130
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/us/politics/russian-bounties-warnings-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
‘fess,
Um, who got the country into the mess it’s in now? Oh, that guy. And I see that Ronna McDaniel and the RNC aren’t making a point of how Trump didn’t have to ‘build’ his initial wealth. At all. Nor any of the multifarious failures throughout his life, nor failures towards those people he employed to build his wealth.
Greensborough Growler @ #70 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 6:29 am
No problem with expressing an opinion, it’s the way he discounts those with more knowledge in a subject if it doesn’t fit his opinion.
Barney in Tanjung Bunga @ #75 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 8:36 am
As do a hell of a lot of other people on this blog.
The LNP simply does not understand the concept of “a service to all Australians” in any part of their administration, not just the ABC. Fletcher’s comparing ABC with commercial media organisations was dishonest.
A 51-49 TPP is actually a small swing to Labor since the last election. Interesting that there hasn’t been much of a shift in voting intention in Australia during this whole rally-around-the-flag/cash splash period, whereas governments in Canada & NZ got a huge boost to their votes (not just leadership approval).
C@tmommasays: Monday, June 29, 2020 at 8:27 am
phoenixRED,
Trump could claim plausible deniability. He never listens to the President’s Daily Briefing and forgets all about it immediately even if he has been told.
***********************************************************
Maybe his security advisers in their presentation to him did not draw the stick figures clearly enough for him to understand what was going on ????
C@t:
Trump swamped the drain, not drained the swamp. Still, there are plenty of people who will believe that his prior ‘experience’ equips him well to lead some kind of economic recovery.
I had to laugh at the bit in the article that said Team Trump’s attacks on Biden’s mental acuity are alienating seniors. Karma!
Barney in Tanjung Bunga @ #75 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 8:36 am
So what? There’s no rule that he or any one else must meet your personal guidelines in arguing his case.
@senthorun tweets
“I am the nation’s first openly gay, Indigenous parliamentarian … I am eternally proud of who I am and where I come from, I own and wear it with pride.”
Congratulations on your new role, @CPaech.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-25/nt-mla-chansey-paech-elected-first-indigenous-speaker/12387438
some guy @ #78 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 8:40 am
Confirming that most people are focussed on more important things at the moment than partisan political posturing.
Barney
TBH, I enjoy BB’s use of language and pass over much of the arguments. I’m just a dilettante!
Australia, much more than other advanced economies, has been econd, Australia, much more than other advanced economies, has been reliant for much of its economic growth on population growth. But, thanks to the travel bans, Morrison is expecting net overseas migration to fall by a third in the financial year just ending, and by 85 per cent in 2020-21.
Now, unlike most economists, I’m yet to be convinced immigration does anything much to lift our standard of living. And I’m not a believer in growth for growth’s sake.
——————
1. I’m shocked. I thought the only value economists had was “growth for growths sake”!
2. How would our lazy, over privileged and unenlightened politicians “manage” an economy without the ponzi scheme of massive population growth?
Oops, that was a quote from Ross Gittins Morrison in for a Rude Shock on Post Pandemic economics
lizzie
I am with Barney on BB’s approach to debate.
lizzie
I am with Barney on BB’s approach to debate.
lizzie @ #84 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 6:43 am
That’s a good observation,
too often he’s style over substance.
@MehreenFaruqi tweets
Join the campaign against these cuts and fee hikes: https://greens.org.au/campaigns/uni-fees
Cat
Oh dear the Greens are already on the attack on education. How is Labor going to cope with Green allies?
Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra still ‘the ground zero for First Nations people’ nearly 50 years on
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-29/aboriginal-tent-embassy-a-protest-which-is-always-open/12397696
The G
Of the 114,000 or so voters in Eden-Monaro, about 16,000 have already lodged their vote.
Barney in Tanjung Bunga @ #89 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 8:48 am
Whereas for you, it’s snark over substance.
@KarenAttiah tweets
I’m a nice person named Karen.
I’m fine. More worried about white people calling the police on my friends and family for no reason and getting them arrested or killed ♀️
#FirstWorldProblems https://twitter.com/kendavi91325018/status/1277338076038168577
The lies & tears of White women hath wrought:
-The 1921 Tulsa Massacre
-Murder of Emmet Till
-Exclusion of Black women from feminist movements
-53% of white women voting for Trump.
White women are lucky that we are just calling them “Karen’s”.
And not calling for revenge.
Greensborough Growler @ #93 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 8:53 am
I thought that was Pegasus? 😆
Makes you wonder how many of our then government agreed with this and saw no problem with it. We think we don’t make advances in our social judgements, but we’ve really come a long way, in spite of the old conservatives.
Greensborough Growler @ #93 Monday, June 29th, 2020 – 6:53 am
Says the king!
Greensborough Growler
Fair point, but presumably people in Canada and NZ are also worried about more important things. Didn’t stop the polls shifting there.
@glaad tweets
On the anniversary of the start of the Stonewall riots, the NYPD is attacking LGBTQ people who are marching for Pride. Let that sink in. https://twitter.com/elielcruz/status/1277346244952817669
I see that Eden-Monaro voters are being ‘advised’ that they must vote LNP if they want to receive post-bushfire assistance. Can’t see what difference that would make!