Newspoll and Essential Research coronavirus polling

Among many other findings relating to COVID-19, the strongest evidence yet that Victorians are unswayed by news media narratives concerning their state government.

The Australian today reports Newspoll findings on COVID-19 and leadership approval from Victoria and Queensland, which were targeted with expanded samples (608 and 603 respectively) in the poll whose main results were published yesterday:

• Daniel Andrews is up five points on approval from late July to 62% and down two on approval to 35%, whereas Scott Morrison is down six on approval to 62% and up seven on disapproval to 33%. Andrews is reckoned to be doing very well in handling COVID-19 by 31% (up four), fairly well by 31% (down three), fairly badly by 13% (down five) and very badly by 22% (up four), while Morrison is on 26% for very well (down five), 45% for fairly well (down one), 15% for fairly badly (up three) and 10% for very badly (up one).

• Annastacia Palaszczuk’s ratings are only modestly changed, with approval down one to 63% and disapproval up four to 33% as compared with the poll in late July, while Scott Morrison is down five to 67% and up four to 28% as compared with the poll in late June. Both leaders’ COVID-19 ratings are a little weaker than they were in late July: Palaszczuk records 32% for very well (down five), 36% for fairly well (down eight), 16% for fairly badly (up eight) and 13% for very badly (up seven), while Morrison has 34% for very well (down six), 43% for fairly well (up three), 13% for fairly badly (up two) and 7% for very badly (up one).

• The national sample was asked about the restrictions in Victoria and Queensland, which naturally required lengthy explanation (the framing of which seems reasonable enough). For Victoria, the results were 25% too strict, 61% about right and 10% too lenient; for Queensland, 37% too strict, 53% about right and 7% too lenient.

• The balance of concern is nonetheless moving away from “moving too quickly to relax restrictions”, down 20 points since mid-July to 56%, to “moving too slowly to relax restrictions and harming economy, jobs and mental wellbeing”, up 19 points to 39%.

Today also brings the fortnightly Essential Research poll, as related by The Guardian with the full report to follow later today:

• Respondents were in favour of both Scott Morrison’s handling of COVID-19 (a 61% approval rating, up two on a fortnight ago) and Queensland state border closures he wants lifted (66% support, including 70% among Queensland respondents). Forty-seven per cent of Victorian respondents approved of the state government’s COVID-19 management, unchanged from a fortnight ago, while the rating for the New South Wales government was up seven to 67%.

• Thirty-three per cent of respondents felt tax cuts for high income earners should be brought forward from 2022, as the government has signalled it will do, while 38% believe they should be scrapped and 29% believe the government should stick to the original timetable. Twenty-one per cent believe they would be an effective economic stimulus, compared with 41% for moderately effective and 38% for not effective.

• Asked which technology they preferred for future energy generation, 70% favoured renewables and 15% gas and coal.

The poll was conducted Wednesday to Sunday from a sample of 1081.

UPDATE: Full Essential Research poll 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.

1,641 comments on “Newspoll and Essential Research coronavirus polling”

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  1. itsthevibe @ #1493 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 5:10 pm

    I can’t recall Rudd doing much screaming in 2007.

    I recall a reasonably high pitch when it came to Workchoices, but this is otherwise true. What Rudd mostly did, and did pretty darn well, was actually bother to push back against the Coalition’s assertions of superior economic management. 2007 – the only election in over 25 years which hasn’t culminated in abject humiliation for the ALP – was also the last campaign in which Labor focused not on culture-war distractions like boats or coal, but on projecting an image of fiscal credibility and tackling head-on the evergreen “They’ll stuff our economy” scare campaign. (Can anybody imagine them running an ad like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gP4nN8jKxU or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU_P_iJNizg these days?)

    I dunno, you guys – coincidence, maybe?

    Good stuff.
    It’s like Kevin read Mundo’s mind.

  2. lizzie @ #1497 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 5:14 pm

    Political Tragic
    @politicaltragic
    ·
    14m
    The docking of plague ship #RubyPrincess and the disembarking of 2700 passengers without health or security checks was the biggest mistake of all, but Berejiklian, her Health Minister, Dutton and Morrison have not been called to account at all. Its scandalous.

    Absolutely. And not just here in Australia. I read an article in the American press (can’t remember which – Washington Post maybe) that the government’s refusal to release the passenger lists to the airlines – who had asked for them, so they could avoid carrying Covid-19 cases as passengers and spreading the disease – led directly to Ruby Princess cases being exported to other countries.

    Australia was identified as the “Typhoid Mary” of Covid-19.

    Just another of those “inexplicables”, I guess. They seem to follow Liberal governments around 🙁

  3. Tricot,
    Scott Morrison is also a weathervane. He’s sooled his junkyard dogs in the media onto Dan Andrews, to no avail, so now he’s making nice. He’s the ultimate political shape shifter.

  4. Oakeshott Country says:
    Friday, September 25, 2020 at 4:52 pm
    This is an enquiry not a trial. I think asking the premier to appraise the situation is entirely appropriate. He more than anyone should know the answers
    …………………………….

    You are missing the point, which has nothing to do with whether it is a trial, an enquiry or a bbq conversation.

    Andrews has consistently said he doesn’t know who decided to engage security guards. In his evidence he made it plain that his not knowing was entirely unacceptable. That is why he set up the enquiry.

    So Andrews would agree with you he should know the answer more than anyone. He doesn’t know -hence the enquiry. He can hardly turn around in the witness box and say ha ha I knew all along.

  5. Windhover:

    The witness was invited to speculate. Andrews sensibly did not vent his speculations which, ordinarily would have been entirely unhelpful to the inquiry in pursuit of its task.

    Ah, but speculation—in all its forms—is so much fun. And profitable too, depending on whom you know!

    Consistent with the tenor of today’s postings, I suggest henceforth you shall be known as “Windhover the Party Pooper”

  6. From what I have made out Andrews has more than once said the buck stops with him. Problem for the Liberals is there is no election for a long time in Victoria. Andrews has infuriated both the media pack and the Liberals by his calm and reasoned approach. The Liberal Opposition in Victoria is divided and weak, as is its leadership…The CV19 numbers are coming down and soon there will be so relaxing of some of the tough current requirements….and not so long ago support for the actions that Andrews has been taken is in the high 60s……….as has been pointed out on this very site……..

  7. Tricotsays:
    Friday, September 25, 2020 at 5:25 pm
    The CV19 numbers are coming down and soon there will be so relaxing of some of the tough current requirements….and not so long ago support for the actions that Andrews has been taken is in the high 60s
    ___________________
    I guess it depends if people are separating support for necessary measures but still want to punish the government for the debacle. Those interstate have no idea the amount of damage to the economy there has been here.

  8. ‘ Those interstate have no idea the amount of damage to the economy there has been here.’

    The latest unemployment figures had Victoria basically on par with the other states, which suggests that the economy is reasonably strong (in the circumstances), largely due to the fact that Victoria is now relatively more decentralised.

  9. …musing about it, in my extended networks, I don’t personally know of anyone who has suffered financially because of the Victorian lockdowns.

    Those I know who have lost work have been supported by JobKeeper, and the rest are working from home.

    One case I know of, the person is on JobKeeper, has enrolled in a TAFE course and has found other employment – she is now working more hours than she did before the lockdown.

    It’s all anecdotal, I know, and I’m sure there are darker experiences out there.

  10. zoomstersays:
    Friday, September 25, 2020 at 5:39 pm
    …musing about it, in my extended networks, I don’t personally know of anyone who has suffered financially because of the Victorian lockdowns.
    ______________________
    I guess you are unfortunate not to know any restaurateurs, publicans or café owners.

  11. Just how are the Vics going to “punish (Andrews/Labor) for the debacle”? What debacle?As I understand it, in political terms, the State election in Victoria is so far over the horizon, and the collective memory of the electorate so short, that come November 2022 is it? all that is happening today will be like last weeks newspaper, good for wrapping the rubbish. What does “increased support for Andrews” (despite media orthodoxy) mean at the header of this current blog then?

  12. Tricotsays:
    Friday, September 25, 2020 at 5:49 pm
    Just how are the Vics going to “punish (Andrews/Labor) for the debacle”? What debacle?
    _____________
    What debacle?

    It’s just a flesh wound!

  13. I just received an ad from a crew called https://bedthreads.com.au/ (which I misread as http://bedspreads.com.au) , who appear to be principally a purveyor of bedroom linen, including bedspreads and pillows.

    Said ad is mainly Amadeo Modigliani’s “Nude on a White Pillow” and noting the merchant’s name I assumed (incorrectly as it turns out*) that it was a bedspread! (my apologies for the extremely dubious pun, which is inadvertent)

    I have… questions.

    1. It would never previously have occurred to me that it would be a good idea to make such a bedspread for sale; who would do this?

    2. Will the recently returned “nath” now claim to be the proud owner of same in his teenage years? Purely as a fan of Modigliani for his writings and other articles**, of course.

    * Actually they have branched out, and also sell coffee table books; in this case “Modigliani (Taschen’s Basic Art Series 2.0) by Doris Krystof”, the relevance being bedthreads’ interest in pillows shared with Modigliani’s “Nude on a White Pillow” on the cover of Doris Krystof’s book!

    ** A female friend perused similar articles and was far more appalled by them than by the pictorial matter for which the journal themcontaining is notorious!

  14. Tricot @ #1514 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 5:49 pm

    Just how are the Vics going to “punish (Andrews/Labor) for the debacle”? What debacle?As I understand it, in political terms, the State election in Victoria is so far over the horizon, and the collective memory of the electorate so short, that come November 2022 is it? all that is happening today will be like last weeks newspaper, good for wrapping the rubbish. What does “increased support for Andrews” (despite media orthodoxy) mean at the header of this current blog then?

    I think Andrews has to take scalps, starting immediately with the Secretary of P&C.

    To not do so would be an affront to Victorians who have largely be incredibly supportive of the lockdowns.

  15. nath

    Which is why I stressed it was anecdotal.

    Although the evidence we do have suggests the Victorian economy is well placed to bounce back – at least, as well as any place in the post COVID world.

  16. Since when has losing money DURING A PANDEMIC become a crime punishable with a political death sentence!?!

    Jeez, better demand Scott Morrison’s resignation and for him to be put into the stocks straight away, nath Michael, because his actions killed grandma! Though it would not surprise me if you were of the Adam Creighton school of valuing money over human life, it certainly sounds that way.

    To which I will only add that anyone who places their financial fortune above the health of the citizenry, is simply a crumb.

  17. Tricot @ #1512 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 5:49 pm

    Just how are the Vics going to “punish (Andrews/Labor) for the debacle”? What debacle?As I understand it, in political terms, the State election in Victoria is so far over the horizon, and the collective memory of the electorate so short, that come November 2022 is it? all that is happening today will be like last weeks newspaper, good for wrapping the rubbish. What does “increased support for Andrews” (despite media orthodoxy) mean at the header of this current blog then?

    If Dan is true to form, he’ll keep calm and carry on. Meanwhile the Media and the Victorian Opposition will flail about, huff and puff and generally present themselves as irrelevant.

  18. gnath:

    zoomstersays:
    Friday, September 25, 2020 at 5:39 pm
    …musing about it, in my extended networks, I don’t personally know of anyone who has suffered financially because of the Victorian lockdowns.
    ______________________
    I guess you are unfortunate not to know any restaurateurs, publicans or café owners.

    It’s all Hooch and Moonshine, up Zoomster’s Way!

    (Actually the Beechworth wineries such as Savaterre and Giaconda are presumbly close, and excellent)

  19. Greensborough Growler @ #1520 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 5:59 pm

    Tricot @ #1512 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 5:49 pm

    Just how are the Vics going to “punish (Andrews/Labor) for the debacle”? What debacle?As I understand it, in political terms, the State election in Victoria is so far over the horizon, and the collective memory of the electorate so short, that come November 2022 is it? all that is happening today will be like last weeks newspaper, good for wrapping the rubbish. What does “increased support for Andrews” (despite media orthodoxy) mean at the header of this current blog then?

    If Dan is true to form, he’ll keep calm and carry on. Meanwhile the Media and the Victorian Opposition will flail about, huff and puff and generally present themselves as irrelevant.

    Jeff Kennett was so arrogant once…

  20. I guess you are unfortunate not to know any restaurateurs, publicans or café owners.

    Otherwise known as Liberal Party members and donors.

  21. E.G. T

    Nonsense. It’s grappa.

    On that note, one of the local wineries has a big Queen’s Birthday sale. This year it went on line. By the actual QB, they’d sold out.

    They don’t do that in normal times!

  22. This is what a Green New Deal for Australia should look like:

    Initiatives the government should pursue:

    1. Fast track the shift to a non-carbon economy – for example, create the Hunter as a Renewable Hub Region and start investing in building that hub, which would span: research and design, innovation, manufacturing, sales, administration, technical support etc. The choice of the Hunter is because it will allow local workers to see there is a pathway out of coal.

    2. Fast track the design and contracts for a fast train from Brisbane to Melbourne – which should have been constructed years ago. Make it a public corporation which does not have to earn profits.

    3. Reassert NBN Co as a public company and abandon its ‘cost recovery’ constraints and offer free services to retailers at fast speeds and regulate low retail charges.

    4. Abandon JobKeeper and instead directly pay wages and salaries of all workers in line with their previous tax statements. Work around the edges for those without a tax record.

    5. Fund TAFE properly to increase its capacity to train apprentices and fund the creation of thousands of apprenticeships across Australia.

    6. Invest in manufacturing capacity to make Australia more self-reliant in a number of areas – health care, transport, renewables, etc.

    7. Increase the funding to universities and regulate the salaries of the managerial class in that sector downwards as a condition for adequate funding of research and teaching. End the trend towards casualisation in the research sector.

    8. Regulate the GIG economy to bring it into line with other labour market segments – that is, ensure full leave and sick entitlements are paid, no ‘independent contractor’ exceptions, superannuation contributions etc.

    9. Require the Fair Work Commission to restore penalty rates to all workers who have lost them.

    10. Introduce a Job Guarantee – an unconditional job offer in the public sector at a socially inclusive minimum wage, with full entitlements (holiday, sick leave, super payments etc) which allows anyone to work and choose their hours, choose training and/or formal education. This is not workfare. Abandon the unemployment benefit system. We need a wide ranging discussion about what constitutes productive work to broaden that concept and include many areas of unmet community and environmental care needs in our employment focus.

    11. Introduce a state-owned bank that can provide competition to the big 4 and bring down charges, gouging etc.

    12. Free child care.

    13. Free public transport.

    14. Enhance the career public sector in several areas – health, education, occupational planning, regional development – and end the trend to rendering the public sector a contract brokerage for outsourced private contracts for public service delivery.

    15. Ensure the CSIRO, the ABC, SBS are adequately funded as public institutions.

    16. Increase foreign aid substantially.

    17. Abandon the Closing the Gap process, and restart it with proper targets that are properly funded – which will include many of the initiatives outlined above.

    18. Stop defunding public education and revise the schooling funding model in favour of public schools.

    19. Invest in 400,000 or more social houses to meet the massive excess demand and make housing affordable for low-paid workers and their families. This will be a big boost to the construction sector.

    20. Retrofit the existing housing stock to make it more carbon neutral. There is a massive amount that can be done in this area to invest in smart housing technology for all families to militate against the climate emergency.

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=45948

  23. E.G.T

    It’s a hellish place to live. My husband’s ‘mature aged’ indoor soccer team (they won the World Championships for walking soccer last year…) includes a winemaker who is so successful that he doesn’t advertise or show, but has his vintages sold out years in advance, a local pub owner and a French chef.

    We also know several winemakers.

    If you know who to ask, homemade salamis are readily available.

  24. Re Nicholas @6:07 PM.

    I don’t necessarily agree with all of many items in that list would be quite good policy for recovery from the Covid Recession. Most of it also goes directly against what the Morrison Government will actually do or try to.

  25. Nicholas @ #1527 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 6:07 pm

    This is what a Green New Deal for Australia should look like:

    … and I think this is why a “Green New Deal” does not get much traction in Australia. The “Green New Deal” is a mish-mash of environmental and socially progressive policies – a mixture which the Greens have already tried (and failed) to prosecute.

    I think that in Australia you can succeed as a Green, and you can succeed as a Social Progressive. But you will likely fail if you try to be both.

    Australians are conservative by nature.

  26. Steve777 @ #1530 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 6:13 pm

    Re Nicholas @6:07 PM.

    I don’t necessarily agree with all of many items in that list would be quite good policy for recovery from the Covid Recession. Most of it also goes directly against what the Morrison Government will actually do or try to.

    Morrison Recession. The economy was headed for recession with or without the plague.
    The recession we were always going to have*
    .
    .
    .
    *TM Mundo 2020

  27. Windhover

    [Andrews was asked by Ellyard if he had a view as to the hq stuff up.

    The witness was invited to speculate. Andrews sensibly did not vent his speculations which, ordinarily would have been entirely unhelpful to the inquiry in pursuit of its task.]

    No. It is reasonable to assume he has a view given the high level of briefing he would expect to receive. Arthur Moses put it to him, later, over objection of the Premier’s counsel, that he was prepared to express views in the media.

    No one is the wiser for all the ministers’ evidence on the key issues which is an indictment.

  28. zoomster @ #1516 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 5:58 pm

    nath

    Which is why I stressed it was anecdotal.

    Although the evidence we do have suggests the Victorian economy is well placed to bounce back – at least, as well as any place in the post COVID world.

    That’s very much the view coming through from the .

    Obviously people involved in travel, food and entertainment are doing it very hard at the minute. But, they tend to be fairly resilient as a cohort.

  29. Adam Schiff not taking Trump’s insinuations about what he’s going to do to the ballots or the election result, should he lose, lying down:

    Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) urged Republicans working in the administration of President Donald Trump to walk away before it’s too late.

    “This is a moment that I would say to any Republican of good conscience working in the administration: It is time for you to resign,” Schiff told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday.

    Earlier in the day, Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the November election, then attacked the voting process.

    “The ballots are a disaster,” Trump said. “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a peaceful … there won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation.”

    Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said it’s clear what anyone with a conscience who works or has worked for Trump must do:

    “If you have been debating about whether you can continue to serve the country by serving this president, you can’t. It is time to resign. And I would say to those who have been on the sidelines maintaining a dignified silence who have served in the administration in the past, you cannot maintain your silence any longer.”

    Schiff also warned them not to wait for Trump to try to “get rid of the ballots” before they act.

    “Because if you do wait, knowing what is to come, you will share some of the burden of responsibility for that chaos that comes,” he said, adding that Trump’s “autocratic intentions are as clear as the writing on the wall.”

    https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/adam-schiff-trump-staff-resign-082916746.html

  30. “which allows anyone to work and choose their hours”

    Is that an unlimited choice?

    In a Job Guarantee the worker should have the right to decide how many hours of work they want to do each week. They can choose to be full-time or any increment thereof. They get paid for the hours that they do. They get paid a socially inclusive minimum wage, which would be higher than the current minimum wage of $19.50 per hour. They have all of the benefits and protections of permanent employment (paid sick leave, paid annual leave etc). They get paid training opportunities if they want them. It is far, far better than being unemployed on a poverty level payment, which is the current policy.

  31. Mavis @ #1537 Friday, September 25th, 2020 – 6:29 pm

    nath,

    Good to see you back posting, apparently free from the shackles formerly imposed.

    Why is it good? He’s already coming as close to his old nasty self as he can get away with. Anyway, it’s not surprising, at all, that you would pop up with words of encouragement for the nasty waste of PB space that calls himself nath.

  32. Dan Andrews taking a hammering on the Drum……
    I’m trying to remember how many times Lord Downer of Bagdad used the the phrase
    ‘I don’t/can’t recall’
    Was it 42 or 47….memory fails….

  33. St Nicholas:

    This is what a Green New Deal for Australia should look like:

    Initiatives the government should pursue:

    1. Fast track the shift to a non-carbon economy – for example, create the Hunter as a Renewable Hub Region and start investing in building that hub, which would span: research and design, innovation, manufacturing, sales, administration, technical support etc. The choice of the Hunter is because it will allow local workers to see there is a pathway out of coal.

    Newcastle as the exemplar is a particular focus of the “Million Jobs Plan” sponsored by Mike Cannnnnon-Broooooookes, inter alia.

    2. Fast track the design and contracts for a fast train from Brisbane to Melbourne – which should have been constructed years ago. Make it a public corporation which does not have to earn profits.

    No – Chewer is right. In the first instance Newcastle-Sydney-Wollongong (plus Melbourne-Geelong and perhaps Brisbane-Gold Coast). This can be justified. It then becomes a matter to grow from there

    3. Reassert NBN Co as a public company and abandon its ‘cost recovery’ constraints and offer free services to retailers at fast speeds and regulate low retail charges.

    First point is correct: Mr Rudd’s “back of the envelope” model for cost recovery bears substantial responsibility for the NBN failure.

    However the focus should not be on retail critical point for NBN is as an enabler of both business and of government service delivery, in particular health including what is now widely known as “hospital in the home”.

    To support product/service design, business and government needs a high fraction (more than 85%) of the populace to meet a world competitive basic standard (and the reliability component is particularly important. e,g. for e-health)

    Reliability means—inter alia—support for redundancy in the active customer premises equipment, as was the case in the original NBN design.

    I note that such redundancy is also pro-competitive, and that should not be a dirty word)

    Given it’s Bilbo, I’m very surprised he did not say free at point of delivery, same as the road network, for the same reasons…

    4. Abandon JobKeeper and instead directly pay wages and salaries of all workers in line with their previous tax statements. Work around the edges for those without a tax record.

    Workers should be paid directly (and this should include super) but should be the fixed amount (with some adjustments for people on less than 0.5 FTE)

    5. Fund TAFE properly to increase its capacity to train apprentices and fund the creation of thousands of apprenticeships across Australia.

    Hospitals etc should be paid to run organic trades departments (as was previously the case) and training should be 50% in these and 50% in TAFE (with current funding for TAFE maintained, thus effectively doubled)

    6. Invest in manufacturing capacity to make Australia more self-reliant in a number of areas – health care, transport, renewables, etc.

    A little national security goes long way…

    As few as ten capabilities having a local manufacturing requirement goes a very long way (steel, batteries, motors, etc.)

    Add health for capabilities like PPE (again about ten such)

    The key is the disciplined imposed by identifying the capabilities. This disciplined approach is much more likely to succeed than is having the government require things, which risks the appearance of being just so someone can feel good about themselves…

    7. Increase the funding to universities and regulate the salaries of the managerial class in that sector downwards as a condition for adequate funding of research and teaching. End the trend towards casualisation in the research sector.

    The Universities are almost certainly now fucked and virtually anything in likely to make things worse.

    The only thing that might work in the process by which the Swiss system (and in particular ETHZ) were brought up to world leadership. That’s very expensive…

    8. Regulate the GIG economy to bring it into line with other labour market segments – that is, ensure full leave and sick entitlements are paid, no ‘independent contractor’ exceptions, superannuation contributions etc.

    The government should tax the employer in cases where leave and sick leave are not contracted for. This would be an extremely bad tax, which would probably not end up being paid very much, if at all.

    The government should also make sick leave portable.

    9. Require the Fair Work Commission to restore penalty rates to all workers who have lost them.

    The inquiry concluded that shift penalties (in particular) are too low and these should be raised.

    Sunday penalty rates are arguably anomalous and if so, either:
    – there should be retroactive “grandfathering” of the lost rates, including back pay;
    – or, there should be funded transition for Sunday work patterns

    Many restaurants just under-pay illegally anyway (no penalty rates at all) and that drives a race to the bottom..

    10. Introduce a Job Guarantee – an unconditional job offer in the public sector at a socially inclusive minimum wage, with full entitlements (holiday, sick leave, super payments etc) which allows anyone to work and choose their hours, choose training and/or formal education. This is not workfare. Abandon the unemployment benefit system. We need a wide ranging discussion about what constitutes productive work to broaden that concept and include many areas of unmet community and environmental care needs in our employment focus.

    Call it a “Workforce Guarantee”: a government service to business whereby a competent workforce is maintained in readiness for their needs.

    11. Introduce a state-owned bank that can provide competition to the big 4 and bring down charges, gouging etc.

    No, being half-pregnant isn’t an option.

    12. Free child care.

    Free at point of delivery, but one must also address the underpayment of child-care workers, and the same in aged care.

    13. Free public transport.

    Probably, perhaps only for outer suburbs

    14. Enhance the career public sector in several areas – health, education, occupational planning, regional development – and end the trend to rendering the public sector a contract brokerage for outsourced private contracts for public service delivery.

    Lack of a precise proposal makes it impossible to respond.

    15. Ensure the CSIRO, the ABC, SBS are adequately funded as public institutions.

    I don’t know about SBS, but ABC and CSIRO are not what they once were (and never the BBC in the case of the former).

    CSIRO should be replaced with a more Fraunhofer-like model.

    16. Increase foreign aid substantially.

    Possibly, but irrelevant to the proposal except to make it look like a shopping list

    17. Abandon the Closing the Gap process, and restart it with proper targets that are properly funded – which will include many of the initiatives outlined above.

    As for 17

    18. Stop defunding public education and revise the schooling funding model in favour of public schools.

    Delivery isn’t the point; single payer is.

    19. Invest in 400,000 or more social houses to meet the massive excess demand and make housing affordable for low-paid workers and their families. This will be a big boost to the construction sector.

    Yes

    20. Retrofit the existing housing stock to make it more carbon neutral. There is a massive amount that can be done in this area to invest in smart housing technology for all families to militate against the climate emergency.

    Should be more general, more principled, and less shopping list

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=45948

    P. S. Mavis Davis – sorry Dear!

  34. One thing not on Nicholas’ list, which should be seriously pursued, is decentralisation.

    As previously noted, this has helped provide a buffer for Victoria, but it still has a long way to go.

    A more fit for purpose NBN, plus better train services, would encourage this.

  35. Shellbell says:
    Friday, September 25, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    No. It is reasonable to assume he has a view given the high level of briefing he would expect to receive. Arthur Moses put it to him, later, over objection of the Premier’s counsel, that he was prepared to express views in the media.

    No one is the wiser for all the ministers’ evidence on the key issues which is an indictment.
    …………………………..l……………………….
    Your conclusion (an indictment) is one Andrews himself agreed with in his evidence – “completely unacceptable”.

    It is not reasonable to assume Andrews has a view that would add anything as evidence. Whatever his view may be will have been based on information provided by interested (biased) participants – like his ministers and senior public servants. This is the very reason he needed to hold an enquiry.

  36. E. G. Theodore:

    Friday, September 25, 2020 at 6:58 pm

    [‘P. S. Mavis Davis – sorry Dear!’]

    You’re forgiven, dear. By the way, I ditched “Davis” a few days ago, now preferring just “Mavis”, just like Cher, Beyonce, et al. That said, I love your thesis.

  37. Worst Govt ever……

    DropletJim Pembroke
    @Jim_Pembroke
    ·
    5h
    Morrison recession strategy so far…
    Sacrifice casual workers, the arts & university sector.
    Force ppl to gut their Super
    Cut #jobkeeper and #jobseeker and drive up poverty
    Encourage unaffordable loans & bank rorting.
    Next?
    Tax cuts for wealthy. Thinking faceFlushed face
    #auspol

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