Affairs of state

One finely crafted electoral news item for every state (and territory) that is or might ever conceivably have been part of our great nation.

A bone for every dog in the federation kennel:

New South Wales

Gladys Berejiklian has backed a move for the Liberal Party to desist from endorsing or financially supporting candidates in local government elections, reportedly to distance the state government from adverse findings arising from Independent Commission Against Corruption investigations into a number of councils. Many in the party are displeased with the idea, including a source cited by Linda Silmalis of the Daily Telegraph, who predicted “world war three” because many MPs relied on councillors to organise their numbers at preselections.

Victoria

The second biggest story in the politics of Victoria over the past fortnight has been the expose of the activities of Liberal Party operator Marcus Bastiaan by the Nine newspaper-and-television news complex, a neat counterpoint to its similar revelations involving Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek in June. The revelations have been embarrassing or worse for federal MPs Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews, with the former appearing to have directed the latter’s electorate office staff to spend work time on party factional activities.

Together with then state party president Michael Kroger, Bastiaan was instrumental in establishing a conservative ascendancy with help from Bastiaan’s recruitment of members from Mormon churches and the Indian community. Having installed ally Nick Demiris as campaign director, Bastiaan’s fingerprints were on the party’s stridently conservative campaign at the 2018 state election, which yielded the loss of 11 lower house Coalition seats. Religious conservatives led by Karina Okotel, now a federal party vice-president, then split from the Bastiaan network, complaining their numbers had been used to buttress more secular conservatives.

The Age’s report noted that “in the days leading up to the publication of this investigation, News Corporation mastheads have run stories attacking factional opponents of Mr Bastiaan and Mr Sukkar”. Presumably related to this was a report on Okotel’s own party activities in The Australian last weekend, which was long on emotive adjectives but short on tangible allegations of wrongdoing, beyond her having formed an alliance with factional moderates after the split.

Queensland

There are now less than two months to go until the October 31 election, which is already awash with Clive Palmer’s trademark yellow advertising targeting Labor. Thanks the state’s commendable law requiring that donations be publicly disclosed within seven days (or 24 hours in the last week of an election campaign), as compared with over a year after the election at federal level (where only donations upwards of $14,000 need to be disclosed at all, compared with $1000 in Queensland), we are aware that Palmer’s companies have donated more than $80,000 to his United Australia Party. Liberal National Party sources cited by The Guardian say a preference deal has already been struck with Palmer’s outfit, although others in the party are said to be “furious” and “concerned” at the prospect of being tarred with Palmer’s brush.

Western Australia

I have nothing to relate here, which is worth noting in and itself, because the near total absence of voting intention polling from the state since Mark McGowan’s government came to power in 2017 is without modern historical precedent. This reflects the demise of the aggregated state polling that Newspoll used to provide on a quarterly basis in the smaller states (bi-monthly in the larger ones), and an apparent lack of interest in voting intention polling on behalf of the local monopoly newspaper, which offers only attitudinal polling from local market research outfit Painted Dog Research.

The one and only media poll of the term was this one from YouGov Galaxy in the Sunday Times in mid-2018, showing Labor with a lead of 54-46, slightly below the 55.5-44.5 blowout it recorded in 2017. With Newspoll having recorded Mark McGowan’s approval rating at 88% in late June, it can be stated with confidence that the gap would be quite a bit wider than that if a poll were conducted now. The West Australian reported in late July that Utting Research, which has conducted much of Labor’s internal polling over the years, had Labor leading 66-34, which would not sound too far-fetched to anyone in tune with the public mood at present. The next election is to be held on March 13.

South Australia

I have been delinquent in not covering the publication of the state’s draft redistribution a fortnight ago, but Ben Raue at The Tally Room has it covered here and here, complete with easily navigable maps.

These are the first boundaries drawn since the commissioners were liberated from the “fairness provision” which directed them to shoot for boundaries that would deliver a majority to the party with the largest two-party vote. This proved easier said than done, with three of Labor’s four election wins from 2002 and 2014 being achieved without it. The commissioners used the wriggle room allowed them in the legislation to essentially not even try in 2014, before bending other backwards to tilt the playing field to the Liberals in 2018, who duly won a modest majority from 51.9%.

By the Boundaries Commission’s own reckoning, there would have been no difference to the outcome of the 2018 election if it had held under the proposed new boundaries. Nonetheless, the Liberals have weakened in three seats where they are left with new margins of inside 1%: Elder, where their margin is slashed from 4.5% to 0.1%; Newland, down from 2.1% to 0.4%; and Adelaide, down from 1.1% to 0.7%. Their only notable compensation is an increase in their margin in King from 0.8% to 1.5%, and a cut in Labor’s margin in Badcoe from 5.6% to 2.0%.

Tasmania

Local pollster EMRS has published its quarterly state voting intention poll, which reflects Newspoll in finding voters to be over the moon with Premier Peter Gutwein, who came to the job just in time for COVID-19 to hit the fan when Will Hodgman retired in January. Over three polls, the Liberal vote has progressed from 43% to 52% to 54%; Labor has gone from 34% to 28% to 24%; and the Greens have gone from 12% to 10% and back again. Gutwein now leads Labor’s Rebecca White by 70% to 23% as preferred premier, out from 63-26 last time (and 41-39 to White on Gutwein’s debut in March). The poll was conducted by phone from August 18 to 24.

Northern Territory

With the last dregs of counting being conducted from now through Friday, fully our of the 25 seats in the Northern Territory remain in doubt following the election the Saturday before last, with current margins ranging from seven to 18 votes. However, the actual election result is well and truly done and dusted, with Labor having 13 seats in the bag. You can follow the action on my dedicated post, which includes live updating of results.

Australian Capital Territory

Not that I have anything particular to say about it at this point, but the Australian Capital Territory is the next cab off the election rank with polling day on October 17, a fortnight before Queensland.

New Zealand

Do Kiwi nationalists complain of being treated like the seventh state in Australia? Well, they can now, as I have a new Roy Morgan poll to relate ahead of their election which will, like that of the ACT, be held on October 17, with the originally anticipated date of September 19 being pushed back due to its recent COVID-19 flare-up. If this poll is any guide, this may have knocked a coat of paint off Labour without in any way endangering Jacinda Ardern’s government.

Labour is now at 48%, down from 53.5% last month, with National up two to 28.5%. The Greens are up from 8% to 11.5%, and do notably better out of this poll series than rivals Colmar Brunton and Reid Research, which show them struggling to keep their head above the 5% threshold that guarantees them seats in parliment under the country’s mixed-member proportional representation system. New Zealand First remain well below it at 2.5%, albeit that this is up a point on last month, while the free-market liberal ACT New Zealand party is clear of it on 6%, down half a point. The poll was conducted by phone from a sample of 897 “during August”.

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.

1,590 comments on “Affairs of state”

Comments Page 23 of 32
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  2. Beemer – Nicholas is cult fodder. At the moment it’s the MMT cult. It could just as easily been the Branch Dividians 30 years ago. One could even envisage propellor cap boy ladling out the Kool-aid in a Guyanese jungle back in 78’.

    For acolytes, there only one ‘true’ word. Hence the lack of originality in their prose.

  3. Here come the members of the establishment flock to team up on Nicholas for thinking differently. How dare he go against the narrative! His individualism and free-thinking intimidates them, so they repeatedly resort to attacking his character in an attempt to beat him down and silence him. Never mind that he is the one arguing for an improvement to human life, they’ll try and make out as if he is somehow the evil one for trying to do the right thing by the world. This is purely a self defense mechanism to make themselves feel better about supporting the evil that is the establishment. You will note how they do this repeatedly, as if trying to convince themselves of their own deeply flawed arguments in an attempt to sleep better at night. It’s not working, is it.

    Just remember, Nicholas, up to two and a half million people died in the Iraq War which Biden voted for. But we are the evil ones for supporting Sanders. What a sick joke.

  5. Firefox
    My message to Nicholas and while not rating Howard but he was right when he use to say its better to get 80% of what you want than nothing. I don’t rate Biden but it isn’t my choice to make.

  6. “Firefox,
    You are not evil for supporting Sanders but you are stupid for preferring Trump to Biden.”

    ***

    I don’t. I have repeatedly stated that I hope Trump loses the election. That doesn’t mean I can’t be honest about Biden though. I do not support either of them. As an Australian, I don’t have to. Neither of them should be anywhere near public office, let alone the presidency.

  7. https://www.pollbludger.net/2020/09/02/affairs-of-state/comment-page-23/#comment-3475049

    Most of the American left would, I suspect, be very pleasantly very surprised if they got 80% of what they wanted from Biden. Biden is from the centrist wing of the party and inclined to get in the way many things the left wants. In the more unlikely than not event he ran for a second term I think it more likely than not that there would be a primary challenge from the left wing of the Democrats.

  10. Firefoxsays:
    Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 11:05 pm
    Firefox : i have no doubt that Nicolas is sincere in his convictions. and while i don’t share at this time the conclusion he draws from them, the reaction to it is intriguing. i won’t soon forget the invasion of iraq by the coalition of the willing. -regards, a.v.

  11. a.v.
    I was totally opposed to the second Iraq war and Biden did support it but i don’t hold that against him because he wasn’t the one sitting in the White House making the decisions to invade.

  12. FF and Nicholas are using the US Presidential election to attack their local political targets…as a pretext for their staple agenda, which is to promote their fake lefty shtick.

  13. https://www.pollbludger.net/2020/09/02/affairs-of-state/comment-page-23/#comment-3475057

    The US involvement in Iraq War required Senate authorisation and Biden was a Senator. The Senate could have and should have blocked it. All Senators who voted for it deserve some of the blame. If All the Democrats had voted against, it would have been blocked (at least until the Senate changeover in 2003). Claiming senators were not involved in the decision is inaccurate and anti-accountability.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorization_for_Use_of_Military_Force_Against_Iraq_Resolution_of_2002

  14. Tom the first and best says:
    Friday, September 4, 2020 at 12:09 am
    https://www.pollbludger.net/2020/09/02/affairs-of-state/comment-page-23/#comment-3475057

    The US involvement in Iraq War required Senate authorisation and Biden was a Senator. The Senate could have and should have blocked it. All Senators who voted for it deserve some of the blame. If All the Democrats had voted against, it would have been blocked (at least until the Senate changeover in 2003). Claiming senators were not involved in the decision is inaccurate and anti-accountability.

    Yadayadayada…..this is pure Green Herring. The Greens are equipping each other with an alibi. Their self-righteousness is unsurpassed.

  15. “Goodo…so presumably you think people should vote for Biden rather than Hawkins.”

    ***

    Well, no, they should all vote for Hawkins instead of Biden, then he would defeat Trump and become president, thus solving both problems at once! No Trump or Biden! Nicholas is a genius!

    It won’t happen, but it seriously should. He is a better option and he isn’t responsible for two and a half million deaths. Why won’t it happen you ask? I could spend all night answering that but I’ll shorten it to three words: establishment, capitalism and media.

    Deep down you all know Biden shouldn’t be the candidate and that this situation is so messed up. I know you do. Nothing excuses Iraq. A good man with decent policies was
    deliberately overlooked for someone who allowed Bush to slaughter millions. It’s wrong and you all know it. Maybe you didn’t before but you do now.

    What I really don’t get though is, as Australians, you actually don’t have to support Biden at all! Why support someone who is so terribly flawed when you don’t need to? We have the luxury of being able to wash our hands of this right wing mess! Just hope Trump loses and prepare to hold Biden accountable – that’s what I’m doing.

  20. The Greens are Trumpy. So that’s the diet…Green Herring with Trump sauce. Just as they facilitate Lib rule here, they promote far right dominance in the US and congratulate themselves at the same time. What a stupid joke they are.

  22. https://www.pollbludger.net/2020/09/02/affairs-of-state/comment-page-23/#comment-3475067

    Your cultist devotion to smothering all criticism, automatically claiming inaccuracy and disingenuousness regardless of the facts, of the most centrist of the centre-left is of no credit to you. We live in a democracy where we have the right to criticise those with power, indeed when they mess up it is our democratic duty to do so. The most centrist of the centre left do not have a monopoly on opposition to the right and nor should they.

  23. Just out of interest, does anyone remember the fact that Labor, under eternal party hero Simon Crean, opposed the Iraq war? I genuinely wonder what to make of the fact that you can go years if not decades without ever hearing that mentioned.

  24. https://www.pollbludger.net/2020/09/02/affairs-of-state/comment-page-23/#comment-3475070

    The ALP did oppose the Iraq War, which was the correct thing to do (and I had remembered). Had Australia required Parliamentary Authorisation for the overseas use of our military (and the ALP position been the same), we would not have been involved. The ALP has consistently opposed giving parliament power over where the military can be deployed.

  25. Abbott going down well in the UK:

    Mr Abbott’s imminent ­appointment has upset many across both sides of politics. Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, who chairs the women and equalities select committee, said: “He’s a misogynist, he’s got very poor views on LGBTQ rights and I just don’t think this is a man who should be anywhere near our Board of Trade.”

    Labour trade spokeswoman Emily Thornberry said Mr ­Abbott was an “offensive, leering, cantankerous, climate-change-denying, Trump-worshipping misogynist’’.

    Mr Abbott this week told a Westminster foreign affairs committee: “Yes, I’ve had some discussions with members of the British government and I’m more than happy to help but there’s nothing official just yet.

    They can have him.We dont want him back.

  28. I do remember Simon Cream’s opposition to the invasion of Iraq and Australia’s commitment to it. I was among those who protested against the war, which was launched on the pretext of disarming Iraq in the aftermath of 9/11. I recall as well the many years of sanctions imposed on Iraq after the first war, also called Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991).

    Labor was against that war. Kevin Rudd terminated Australian involvement in Iraq and Tony Abbott later revived it as a part of the operations against ISIS. Now we hope that Trump will be ejected from power. There’s a thread of consistency there.

    Perversely, the Greens are using the war as a pretext of their own – as an excuse for agitating for the re-election of the idiotic Trump, who has been playing his own war games in the Gulf and the Levant. The misuse of the people of Iraq continues, currently at the hands of the fraudulent fake left.

  29. steve davis says:
    Friday, September 4, 2020 at 3:22 am
    The Australian public should be ashamed of themselves voting a clown like Abbott to be PM.

    The initial rise of Abbott occurred in the context of the defeat of Rudd’s CPRS, partly at the hands of Bob Brown. Abbott’s subsequent electoral successes are attributable to the adoption by Labor/Gillard of Green tokens in relation to climate change. Labor pinned Green badges on their chest and immediately lost a huge chunk of their PV to the LNP and ON. This was a terrible mistake by Gillard. It will contribute to the exclusion of Labor from office for many years.

    The Greens gave us Tony Abbott.

    There’s no point blaming the voters for Abbott. He would have come to nothing were it not for the Greens and Labor’s own errors. The results include the abysmal recurring failures in energy/environment policy and politics ever since.

  30. I happen to have some Iraqi friends…Kurds. They know all there is to know about sacrifice and betrayal. They would take great exception to the Green attempts to cleanse Trump and dress him up for re-election.

  31. Tom the first and best says:
    Friday, September 4, 2020 at 1:40 am
    https://www.pollbludger.net/2020/09/02/affairs-of-state/comment-page-23/#comment-3475070

    The ALP did oppose the Iraq War, which was the correct thing to do (and I had remembered). Had Australia required Parliamentary Authorisation for the overseas use of our military (and the ALP position been the same), we would not have been involved. The ALP has consistently opposed giving parliament power over where the military can be deployed.

    This is a furphy. The Parliament is sovereign in all things, including military commitments. Executive authority/discretion is always limited by the political balance in the legislature. The Greens want some additional power. They want the power without having the numbers to claim it. The Greens routinely misuse the leverage they already have. Fuck the Greens.

  32. Good morning Dawn Patrollers. An early edition today as I have developed a heavy cold and couldn’t get back to sleep. Off to Mount Barker Hospital a little later do the right thing and have a Covid-19 test.

    Rob Harris reports that today Scott Morrison will push state and territory leaders to urgently fix border restriction to ensure sick Australians in regional communities can access health services.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-to-urge-state-leaders-to-sort-out-border-health-restrictions-20200903-p55s6y.html
    Meanwhile NSW says it may never reach the threshold set by Queensland to reopen its borders, with Gladys Berejiklian warning that 28 days of no community transmission is not feasible.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/a-tall-order-nsw-says-it-may-never-meet-queensland-s-threshold-to-reopen-the-border-20200903-p55s76.html
    Shane Wright tells us that some of the nation’s top economists say tax cuts for middle- and high-income earners should be brought forward to support the economy, but warn the Morrison government would have to go much further to get Australia out of its deepest recession since the 1930s.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/tax-cuts-and-more-economists-warn-tax-alone-won-t-save-country-20200903-p55s1u.html
    According to Josh Butler, the inequality grenade tax cuts for COVID recovery are an economic fantasy.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/09/03/inequality-grenade-tax-cuts-for-covid-recovery-an-economic-fantasy/
    David Crowe explains how the road out of the recession remains unclear.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-road-out-of-the-recession-remains-unclear-20200903-p55s4b.html
    And the editorial in the SMH says that the nation needs creative thinking to get through this crisis.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/nation-needs-creative-thinking-to-get-through-this-crisis-20200903-p55s5u.html
    The editorial in the AFR urges the National cabinet to rise above state populism.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/national-cabinet-must-rise-above-state-populism-20200902-p55rt0
    Phil Coorey thinks this pandemic is bigger than politics, but politics is failing to cope with it.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/leaders-of-a-nation-wrestle-against-power-of-parochialism-20200903-p55rwr
    The Conversation provides us with four perspectives on how Victoria should exit its stage 4 lockdown.
    https://theconversation.com/4-perspectives-on-how-victoria-should-exit-stage-4-lockdown-145448
    The Senate has given the government until 6 October to explain the legal advice it received over its automated welfare recovery scheme. No doubt the usual stonewalling will occur.
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6909452/senate-demands-feds-robodebt-legal-advice/?cs=14350
    Charities dwarf mining and agriculture in our economy, but many face ruin, explains Andrew Leigh in an op-ed.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/charities-dwarf-mining-and-agriculture-in-our-economy-but-many-face-ruin-20200902-p55rm5.html
    Persistently high COVID-19 rates among Victorian healthcare workers could endanger the move to ease restrictions, as one report calls for a longer lockdown to eliminate the virus.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/healthcare-worker-infections-putting-recovery-at-risk-experts-warn-20200903-p55s2a.html
    Healthcare capacity and the economic ramifications should be considered when making choices on localised or state-based lockdowns, writes Katarina Milovanovic, Dr Shannen Higginson and Dr Francesco Paolucci.
    https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/second-wave-lockdowns-with-risk-targeted-policy-responses,14268
    John Quiggin examines the impact of working from home on productivity.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2020/09/03/working-from-home-john-quiggin-2/
    Nick Bonyhady tells us that Victoria’s workplace cop is ready to prosecute companies under the new wage theft laws.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-s-workplace-cop-ready-to-prosecute-under-new-wage-theft-laws-20200903-p55s24.html
    Dana McCauley writes that Morrison has defended his government’s record on aged care after the Senate formally censured Richard Colbeck over his performance, with the support of every crossbencher.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-defends-aged-care-minister-after-being-censured-by-the-senate-20200903-p55s49.html
    Greg Barns reckons that the Victorian police treatment of the Covid-19 lockdown protest promoter has lost them the PR war.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/police-treatment-of-protest-promoter-has-lost-them-the-pr-war-20200903-p55s5n.html
    Following the release of the final submissions from the Gobbo royal commission, John Faine opines that Victoria Police must now have its ranks purged for a fresh start.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-police-must-now-have-its-ranks-purged-for-a-fresh-start-20200902-p55rnj.html
    Despite branch stacking allegations, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar has avoided Labor’s wrath as they focus on a bigger target — the PM, writes Mungo MacCallum.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/mungo-maccallum-sukkar-catches-an-even-break,14269
    Malicious cyber attacks against Australian businesses and government agencies from a state-based actor, believed to be China, have increased over the past two months, as the nation’s cyber security centre is receiving reports every 10 minutes. Writes Anthony Galloway.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/cyber-attacks-from-state-based-actor-increasing-20200903-p55s0g.html
    Wherever he goes and whatever he does, Tony Abbott causes problems.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/he-s-also-an-expert-in-trade-hancock-defends-abbott-s-british-role-20200903-p55s77.html
    Boris Johnson is not hiring Tony Abbott for his trade expertise, writes Larry Elliott.
    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/03/boris-johnson-tony-abbott-trade-expertise
    Former PM Tony Abbott believes it’s okay to just let people die from the pandemic because, wait for it, the economy comes first. Michelle Pini considers his latest “expert” musings.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/pro-lifer-turned-end-of-lifer-tony-abbott-ac-ipa-rc-pe-gwpf-wtf,14271
    The Australian reports that environmental water buybacks will be axed and the Murray-­Darling Basin Authority will be stripped of its enforcement role in the biggest shake-up of the river system’s management in a ­decade. Under the plan, to be ­announced by Water Minister Keith Pitt today, efforts to save water by upgrading infrastructure for irrigators will be ramped up to compensate for the end of the water buyback scheme. (No doubt there will be no problems with rorting, will there?)
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/water-buybacks-axed-in-murraydarling-basin-overhaul/news-story/34a85affe8a87fb42f9ed594f1147eba
    Paul Karp writes that Labor has accused Scott Morrison of being “up to his neck” in the sports grants controversy after fresh revelations of deliberate government funding to projects in marginal and target seats.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/03/labor-accuses-scott-morrison-of-being-up-to-his-neck-in-sports-grants-scandal
    Lisa Cox reports that legislation to change Australia’s environmental laws has been rammed through the lower house by the Morrison government prompting outrage from Labor, the Greens and the crossbench.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/03/australian-government-gags-debate-to-ram-environmental-law-changes-through-lower-house
    Richard Denniss posits that phasing out gas would benefit Australian manufacturers and households.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/03/phasing-out-gas-would-benefit-australian-manufacturers-and-households
    According to Jennifer Duke, insolvency firms are preparing for a spike in the number of companies going broke at the end of the month, when safe harbour rules introduced in March to help businesses hibernate through coronavirus lockdowns are due to end.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/thousands-of-businesses-to-hit-the-wall-unless-insolvency-supports-extended-20200903-p55s13.html
    The post-pandemic world looks set to be littered with zombie companies, zombie markets and zombie economies, kept on life support in response to COVID-19 explains Stephen Bartholomeusz.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/living-dead-the-post-pandemic-world-will-be-full-of-zombies-20200903-p55s11.html
    Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and the union representing the bulk of workers at the collapsed airline are backing Bain Capital’s $3.5 billion offer for Virgin.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/bain-capital-wins-support-from-key-players-ahead-of-meeting-20200903-p55s4n.html
    Facebook is trying just two months before the US election to better police political misinformation on its platform, a tacit acknowledgement that the social network is rife with falsehoods that could sway the vote.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/facebook-to-ban-new-political-ads-in-week-before-us-election-20200904-p55s9j.html
    Idiot Trump has suggested people in North Carolina stress-test the security of their election systems by voting twice – an act that constitutes the kind of voter fraud the President has railed against.
    https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/trump-is-telling-people-to-vote-twice-that-s-illegal-20200903-p55s16.html
    The Hungry Jack’s chain controlled by billionaire Jack Cowin is in a legal pickle – on a sesame seed bun – after rival burger group McDonald’s accused it of ripping off the famous Big Mac.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/03/legal-bunfight-mcdonalds-accuses-hungry-jacks-of-ripping-off-big-mac
    An easy choice today for “Arsehole of the Week” nomination.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/alleged-drunk-driver-expected-to-plead-guilty-to-manslaughter-of-four-children-in-oatlands-20200903-p55s2j.html

    Cartoon Corner

    David Pope

    Cathy Wilcox
    https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_828/t_resize_width/q_86%2Cf_auto/c275a24995dc93d0d75c324544f1385dc902e757
    John Shakespeare


    Matt Golding





    Johannes Leak

    Mark David

    Mark Knight

    Andrew Dyson

    Simon Letch

    Jim Pavlidis

    From the US








  34. Nicola Sturgeon, FM of Scotland may not be a fan of Tony Abbott‘s appointment. 🙂

    “ The First Minister did not hold back in her response, branding Abbott a “sexist, misogynist, climate change denier”

    She told the programme: “Well I’ll take the Health Secretary’s word for that. But trade is not separate from the values and the reputation that a country wants to project internationally.

    “Trade in many respects should reflect these values – there should be ethics attached to any country’s trading profile.

    “You cannot simply say well he’s good at trade so it doesn’t matter that he’s a sexist, misogynist, climate change denier. I think having somebody with those views representing the UK probably doesn’t help us boost trade, it might actually hinder that.”

    Yesterday Tory chairwoman of the Women and Equalities Committee, Caroline Nokes, said on Politics Live that Abbott should not be “anywhere near our Board of Trade”.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/18694379.nicola-sturgeon-rips-apart-hancocks-ridiculous/

  35. Newcastle – currently 20℃ with a projected to of 25℃
    Wind NNW 10 – 20 km/h

    ♪ When its spring ♫ again I’ll bring ♪ again – tulips ♫ from —–

    I have just a few tulips in pots – a couple are a wonderful mauve colour. 🌷

  42. Jaeger,
    I heard that the SA border closure is the toughest on the mainland. You can’t even get back into SA if you live there and went outside the borders!

  45. I’m loving the post Covid work world. It’s now politically incorrect to come into the office with a cough or sniffles, whereas previously it was regarded as a sign of commitment to work that you’d ‘soldier on’ with a cold. Now with people staying home with their colds instead of coming in and infecting everyone else, the rate of staff absenteeism from sick leave is way down this year, and (touch wood) this is the first year in I can’t remember how long that I haven’t had a cold or the flu!

  46. steve davis says: Friday, September 4, 2020 at 3:22 am
    The Australian public should be ashamed of themselves voting a clown like Abbott to be PM.

    The public does not vote for who should be PM that’s purely a party decision. Can you imagine if they could vote for national leader? Think of it, a Labor PM (just as an example) with a LNP gubmint. Oh, the fun that would ensue as the LNP scramble to completely gut any power the PM would have and crying that democracy and civilisation would go down in flames. The Murdoch…well we know what his sleaze media would as well.

  48. William Bowesays:
    Friday, September 4, 2020 at 1:11 am

    Just out of interest, does anyone remember the fact that Labor, under eternal party hero Simon Crean, opposed the Iraq war? I genuinely wonder what to make of the fact that you can go years if not decades without ever hearing that mentioned.

    Look People :- MEMORY ! -a.v.

  49. Greg Barns (congratulations on taking silk) is right about the arrest of the woman yesterday being unnecessary let alone the handcuffing.

    Arrest is meant to be a last resort. Absent that it is unlawful.

    They should have executed the warrant and issued the summons or court notice all of which could have been done without arrest.

  50. alfred venison @ #1148 Friday, September 4th, 2020 – 7:04 am

    William Bowesays:
    Friday, September 4, 2020 at 1:11 am

    Just out of interest, does anyone remember the fact that Labor, under eternal party hero Simon Crean, opposed the Iraq war? I genuinely wonder what to make of the fact that you can go years if not decades without ever hearing that mentioned.

    Look People :- MEMORY ! -a.v.

    It’s the Labor way, set and forget.

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