How do you solve a problem like Mathias

Jockeying begins to fill Mathias Cormann’s Senate vacancy, plus a new poll of doubtful utility on the republic question.

No Newspoll this week, a three week schedule clearly being the deal now; presumably Essential Research will be along tomorrow morning, hopefully inclusive of the monthly leadership ratings (voting intention apparently being too much to ask). Beyond that, there is the following to relate:

• Mathias Cormann’s recent announcement that he will quit politics at the end of the year leaves the Western Australian Liberals with a Senate vacancy to fill. The West Australian ($) has identified three potential preselection nominees: Sam Calabrese, the state party director; Joe Francis, a minister in Colin Barnett’s government who lost his seat at the 2017 election; and Sherry Sufi, a party activist whose radicalism caused him to be dumped as candidate for Fremantle in 2016, but apparently times have changed. Also named initially was Paul Everingham, chief executive of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, but he told the paper ($) on the weekend that he had decided not to run.

• The Sunday News Corp tabloids ($) reported on a YouGov poll on republicanism, which I’m guessing was commissioned by the Australian Republican Movement, because it posed the softball question of whether respondents wanted an “Australian as our head of state”. Put thus, the question reliably receives a favourable response, in this case 52% yes, 32% no and 16% don’t know. The poll was conducted from a large sample of “nearly 4500”, on field work dates not identified.

• Below is a podcast from Ben Raue of the Tally Room in which he and I discuss the Eden-Monaro by-election and looming federal redistributions.

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.

833 comments on “How do you solve a problem like Mathias”

Comments Page 12 of 17
1 11 12 13 17
  1. ‘poroti says:
    Monday, July 13, 2020 at 5:23 pm

    boerwar

    Yes,as with the crap The Australian Business Community have pushed for it is the general public who get to pay the price.’

    Yep.

    I could not see any of the peak business bodies being named. They might have been and I would be interested to know if they did.
    Other than that it has about the same status as Morrison’s ‘people’ who told me that JokKeeper recipients would NOT take real jobs.
    Bullshit meet bullshit.

  2. Thanks BW, picked that up.

    But P1 was just confirming your other point.

    I’m sure there is more to come, just in case others have missed it.

  3. PeeBee @ #541 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:21 pm

    Errr you can’t see that pointing out Labor’s problem as slagging Labor.

    So Labor produces a post-election review identifying the problems with their campaign and you think this is ‘slagging Labor’? Huh?

    Keep it up, you are continuously confirming BW’s point.

    And you are continuously confirming a significant dearth of comprehension skills.

  4. There is nothing in the main stream media about Serco guards standing down, but taking it on face value the guards were allegedly off duty and at a work function at Crossroads on July 4/5. None of them are sick or have tested positive but like all of the 1000 people who attended there during the appropriate time they are required to self isolate for 14 days.

    Some of the comments here are approaching the irrational and it’s time for me to have a break. I will be back to see how the Fireman is faring in Fong Lim

  5. C@tmomma @ #536 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:16 pm

    lizzie @ #531 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:12 pm

    Adam Creighton
    @Adam_Creighton
    “Coronavirus is nasty for a very small proportion of people, but it is not Ebola. It badly affects the over-80s with comorbidities, including obesity, yet even of that highest risk group more than nine out of 10 survive.”

    😡

    Absolute crap. Isn’t there anyone in the Nutjobosphere that can pull that fool into line!?!

    With a view to resolving this matter amicably I suggest that we sell a sub or two and buy lots of the pistols shown below. All over 80’s will be issued with one of these pistolas loaded with one round (or maybe nine rounds). The pistol will then be aimed at the dickheads writing about crap as mentioned above and when the subject is satisfied that all appears satisfactory the command “feur”, “fire” or suitable furrin langwidge translation will be given by the aforementioned dickhead.

    Goodnight all. 📺💤💤

  6. ‘Oakeshott Country says:
    Monday, July 13, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    There is nothing in the main stream media about Serco guards standing down, but taking it on face value the guards were allegedly off duty and at a work function at Crossroads on July 4/5. ‘

    Uh huh. I assume you have having a go at me.
    What I was doing was mimicking the hysteria and general bastardry being directed at Andrews et al.

    I have stated that I think the use of private security guards in Victoria to supervise quarantine without adequate training and without adequate supervision will come to be regarded as a serious and very, very costly fail.

    I ask this. How come 30 Serco Guards who are in charge of Villawood got involved in the Crossroads situation AT ALL. Did they participate in the mandated social isolation?
    No-one else seems to have.

  7. ‘C@tmomma says:
    Monday, July 13, 2020 at 5:29 pm

    Have other states done this?’

    The ACT has in some of the very heavily used crossings.

  8. ‘BK says:
    Monday, July 13, 2020 at 5:23 pm

    WWP
    Adam Creighton has no peer in demonstrating his lack of knowledge of matters of which he professes knowledge.’

    I tend to agree. But it is a crowded field.

  9. Thanks, BK. I reckon they should do something similar to lifts in office buildings and residential apartment buildings. Just have them going up and down all day.

  10. Player One

    If your hope is that by frequently posting criticisms of Labor here, you will “wake up” the members in some way, you may be disappointed to find that it is not necessary to be a member of Labor to post on PB. I have no idea how many there are, but I think a lot of your effort is being wasted.

  11. Cat

    I have got spam email from the US trying to sell a device for pushing buttons in public places.

    The solution for that situation you describe is hand sanitizers at every lift lobby.

  12. P1’And you are continuously confirming a significant dearth of comprehension skills.’

    Second BW rule has been achieved.

    Now please provide another post.

    This will be the third rule: always have the last word

    Slag Labor – tick
    Personal abuse – tick
    Have the last post – pending

    Waiting waiting…….

  13. Andrew_Earlwood @ #563 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:35 pm

    Caption competition time:
    ” rel=”nofollow”>

    Quick: hide the koala sushi!

    My guess is the photographer has banged something very loudly and caused the Premier and the woman behind to react as if there is a personal danger situation.

    Low level journalism imho.

  14. lizzie @ #569 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:43 pm

    Player One

    If your hope is that by frequently posting criticisms of Labor here, you will “wake up” the members in some way, you may be disappointed to find that it is not necessary to be a member of Labor to post on PB. I have no idea how many there are, but I think a lot of your effort is being wasted.

    Being logical and reasonable doesn’t work with P1. Nice try though! 🙂

  15. “ Have the last post – pending

    Waiting waiting…….”

    Now you are just inflicting mental torture on poor ole’ P1.

    She wants to. Needs to. But has just enough personal insight to know that she just can’t!

    Oh, the pain. Oh, the humanity!

  16. More truth telling:

    Ella Lee
    @elee_bella

    I’ve been speaking to close friends tonight, we are all nurses across three public hospital campuses in Melbourne. We are all upset and angry about the negative press that is being disseminated by the media, and that it undermines public trust in our healthcare service.

  17. PeeBee

    Great rules for shutting down discussion with Labor can do no wrong.

    A person who is 100% an LNP person and supporter can post something that’s correct if it’s about an issue.

    I am no LNP supporter. Yet on the issue of marriage equality Tim Wilson was right. As was Warren Entsch.

  18. Greensborough Growler @ #572 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:46 pm

    Andrew_Earlwood @ #563 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:35 pm

    Caption competition time:
    <a href="” rel=”nofollow”>” rel=”nofollow”>

    Quick: hide the koala sushi!

    My guess is the photographer has banged something very loudly and caused the Premier and the woman behind to react as if there is a personal danger situation.

    Low level journalism imho.

    That is the NSW Premier, the NSW Health Minister and the NSW CMO, Dr Kerry Chant. Obviously they have been caught by the Sydney Morning Herald photographer having a meeting about COVID-19.

  19. “The lengths the Morrison government appears willing to go to hide embarrassing information knows no boundaries,” he told the Guardian. “First they censored the auditor general in the parliament and now they’re doing everything they can to censor him in the tribunal.”

    Senator Rex Patrick not happy with our Dear Leader

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/13/coalition-trying-to-stop-auditor-general-giving-evidence-on-report-critical-of-arms-deal?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

  20. “ having a meeting about COVID-19.”

    Pretty sure Health Hazzard is on the phone to Hello World booking their next cruise ship adventure whilst Koala Killer has just skoffed a koala souvlaki.

  21. Adam Creighton:

    Australia’s tax system is shockingly tilted in favour of older, wealthier people, with little justification … Labor deserves credit for having the confidence to put plans on the table that will be prove unpopular with certain parts of the community.

  22. GG
    Adam Crighton has pushed for tax reform and the introduction of a land tax.

    The guy is many things but on tax his more willing than many in the media to charge taxes.

  23. C@tmomma says:
    Monday, July 13, 2020 at 5:29 pm
    Have other states done this?

    At some busy crossings the buttons haven’t been connected to the lights for years. Like in a “Candid Camera” reality TV show!

    Pedestrians across Australia are pressing the button at traffic lights for no reason, most days of the week.

    Information from Australia’s state transport authorities reveal that busy pedestrian crossings in our capital cities are so heavily automated that most of the time pressing the button has precisely zero effect.

    In Sydney, pedestrian crossings in the CBD have been automated since 1994, leaving millions of commuters to futilely press placebo buttons for nearly 25 years, as the Sydney Morning Herald reported this week. In these automated systems, the green walk signal works on pre-determined cycles with set times.

    Pedestrian buttons in the Sydney CBD are useless from 7am-7pm Monday to Wednesday, 7am-9pm Thursday and Friday, and 8.30am-9pm on Saturdays.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/09/placebo-buttons-australian-pedestrians-press-for-no-reason-at-traffic-lights

  24. lizzie @ #570 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:43 pm

    If your hope is that by frequently posting criticisms of Labor here, you will “wake up” the members in some way, you may be disappointed to find that it is not necessary to be a member of Labor to post on PB. I have no idea how many there are, but I think a lot of your effort is being wasted.

    It is true I would like to start a discussion on how Labor could fix its current problems (hint: having some policies would probably be a good start!). But I also agree that most Labor people here seem unwilling to engage in such a discussion. If anything, they seem to believe that Labor got it perfectly right last time, and only lost the election because of some imagined technicality – either that or some Machiavellian machination by the Greens – and therefore it should be “full steam ahead” with exactly the same strategy for the next election. If anything, they seem to believe Labor should shift further to the right.

    There is probably no need for me to point out how stupid and self-defeating I think that belief is.

    My other ambition is to make a couple of the more tedious posters here, who monopolize this blog every day with their inane and pointless posts about the Greens, realize just how silly their posts are.

    I have slightly more hope about the second ambition 🙂

  25. Andrew_Earlwood @ #575 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 5:47 pm

    “ Have the last post – pending

    Waiting waiting…….”

    Now you are just inflicting mental torture on poor ole’ P1.

    She wants to. Needs to. But has just enough personal insight to know that she just can’t!

    Oh, the pain. Oh, the humanity!

    What are you on about now?

  26. If all the tax raised from Labor’s plan to make imputation credits non-refundable were going towards cutting the company tax rate, or cutting the marginal income tax rates for ordinary workers, I’d be fully on board.

    Australia’s tax system is shockingly tilted in favour of older, wealthier people, with little justification. Without a proper overhaul, in an era of stagnant wage growth and elevated house prices, that only fuels resentment.

    Alas, it seems the extra $5.6bn Labor expects to generate each year, if it wins the election, will largely be hoarded. That means a looser budget constraint for future governments to mindlessly tip more money — sorry ‘‘invest’’ — into “health” and “education”.

  27. Briefly:

    Damn autocorrect….or sate the undateable

    I think you need to own it; there are worse things to be known for!

  28. P1’hint: having some policies would probably be a good start!’

    Pointless that one has already been ticked off.

    P1’My other ambition is to make a couple of the more tedious posters here, who monopolize this blog every day with their inane and pointless posts about the Greens, realize just how silly their posts are.’

    Also pointless as it has also been ticked off.

    Having the last post – still pending

    Waiting waiting……

  29. Mexicanbeemer @ #588 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 6:02 pm

    GG
    Adam Crighton has pushed for tax reform and the introduction of a land tax.

    The guy is many things but on tax his more willing than many in the media to charge taxes.

    So, it’s always about the package he offers and not the cherry picking that certain individuals need to demonstrate faux balance?

  30. PeeBee @ #595 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 6:11 pm

    P1’hint: having some policies would probably be a good start!’

    Pointless that one has already been ticked off.

    P1’My other ambition is to make a couple of the more tedious posters here, who monopolize this blog every day with their inane and pointless posts about the Greens, realize just how silly their posts are.’

    Also pointless as it has also been ticked off.

    Having the last post – still pending

    Waiting waiting……

    I can’t make head nor tail of either your or A-E’s recent posts. You both seem to simply want the discussion to end without actually having to engage with it.

    Fine – you can both do that by simply ignoring my posts. You won’t offend me by doing so.

  31. P1’My other ambition is to make a couple of the more tedious posters here, who monopolize this blog every day with their inane and pointless posts about the Greens, realize just how silly their posts are.’

    Because The Greens are blameless and should not be commented about!?!

  32. C@tmomma @ #598 Monday, July 13th, 2020 – 6:14 pm

    P1’My other ambition is to make a couple of the more tedious posters here, who monopolize this blog every day with their inane and pointless posts about the Greens, realize just how silly their posts are.’

    Because The Greens are blameless and should not be commented about!?!

    No – because continually blaming the Greens for Labor’s own failings is seriously missing the point 🙁

Comments Page 12 of 17
1 11 12 13 17

Leave a Reply

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