Groom at the top

Eight LNP candidates nominate to fill John McVeigh’s vacancy in the Queensland seat of Groom; and the federal government says it will act to retain the Northern Territory’s two seats in the House of Representatives.

Miscellaneous developments from the past week:

• The Toowoomba Chronicle reports eight candidates have nominated for Liberal National Party preselection for the Groom by-election, of whom the front-runners are Rebecca Vonhoff, a Toowoomba councillor; Garth Hamilton, a businessman; Sara Hales, former general manager of Wellcamp Airport; and Shane Charles, former Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive. Also in the field are “Elders Rural Services’ Andrew Meara … race car driver Daniel Cassidy, Australian Lot Feeders president Bryce Camm and Doctor David van Gend”, the latter being a firebrand social conservative whom the outgoing member, John McVeigh, defeated for preselection when he succeeded Ian Macfarlane in 2016. Notably absent from the list is Senator Matt Canavan, despite a decision by the state executive to leave it to the branch membership whether the seat should go to a Liberal, as it has since 1988, or a National. The date of the by-election is yet to be confirmed.

• Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said on Thursday that the government would introduce a bill that will ensure the Northern Territory retains its two seats in the House of Representatives, though by what mechanism is unclear. A Labor-sponsored bill currently before the Senate provides a crude guarantee of a second Northern Territory seat (without extending the courtesy to the Australian Capital Territory, albeit that its population is such that the question does not arise), but when the same issue emerged before the 2004 election, it was dealt with through a technical tweak to the population statistics used to determine seat entitlements. The bottom line is that the Labor-held seats of Solomon and Lingiari, created when the territory first became entitled to a second seat in 2001 and respectively covering Darwin and the rest of the territory, will continue to exist despite enrolments of less than two-thirds the national norm. It also means the House of Representatives

• The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is conducting an inquiry into the “future conduct of elections operating during times of emergency situations”, encompassing “restrictions arising from a health pandemic”, “access to polling places during times of natural disasters”, “other potential drivers of social restrictions, such as future civil unrest, or international conflict” and “alternative voting methods including early, remote and postal voting”.

• The West Australian has a Painted Dog Research poll of 932 respondents in WA showing 64% want the state’s hard border maintained beyond December, with 36% favouring a resumption of travel with the eastern states.Hou

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.

590 comments on “Groom at the top”

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  1. Late Riser @ #544 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 7:18 pm

    It’s Time,

    I noticed Miles’ public demeanour a while ago and was happy when he was given the health portfolio. Though when Trad vacated the deputy spot I was surprised that Miles got the nod. That spoke to me of Palaszczuk’s instincts. In the meantime of course covid had arrived and Miles had managed things well. And he’s still in that job, which incidentally also sends a message on the importance of the covid response.

    Yes, my local member has been performing well. And if deflate’s Morrison’s inflated ego over border restrictions, all the better.

  3. Sprocket

    “ Albo is a Rabbitohs supporter.. and they have a chance this year. Will this bring the lost Labor people back?”

    Even as a Labor supporter and former member, I think this will not happen unless Labor severs ties with the union movement or the latter seriously reforms. Some unions do good for their members, some do not. If you are in a profession where the latter is the case, it is very hard to convince anyone why they should vote Labor.

    And then there is climate change, where Labor are simply giving a whole generation of potential new young members to the Greens.

    Night all.

  4. I saw a bit of Rudd speaking speaking on his petition re Murdoch on The Project tonight. They included images of Murdoch papers being stridently anti- Labor.

  5. I just read that Deb Frecklington wasn’t even allowed to speak at her own press conference by Morrisson today! To bring back an old saying, what a sexist pig that man is!

  8. Oakeshott Country @ #870 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 7:54 pm

    Mavis
    Just a traditional Labor view
    Roy Masters claims that the current problems for NSW ALP relate to its disengagement from RL and its heartland while the Liberals, particularly Sco Mo have suddenly abandoned the Rah Rah and have a new found interest in the NRL
    (Plus I used to be in a work situation where it was COMPULSORY to pretend an interest in the Shute Shield – go Eastwood!)
    AND it’s a shit game

    The “Plumbers” Guild, OC? I thought it was only compulsory for the medical chippies.

  10. Why do I suspect that James Murdoch ‘leaving the family company’ is some sort of scam to divide and rule?

    Lachlan monopolies the RWNJ, and James the Lefties.

  11. “I would love Channel 10 to show CBS sports instead of needing Fox for American sports and the failure of the free to airs to actually use their extra channels to create subject based networks is one of the biggest failures of the Howard era.”

    Yep.

  12. Late Riser:

    Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    [‘Idle thoughts.. Miles is younger than a lot of them. Perhaps Palaszczuk is mentoring him. Perhaps the LNP see a threat.’]

    I see it that way too. Miles is an impressive media performer. If Palaszczuk was to lose, he’s her heir apparent.

  13. Earlier than the Plumber’s guild
    Before you get to that stage you needed 2 years general surgery when the college really knew how to restrict trade
    The guy who had my balls in his hand was the Wallaby’s doctor

  14. Socrates @ #888 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 8:23 pm

    Rhwombat

    Does Trump’s doctor have any ethical rules he must answer to? HE is either a real doctor or he is not. If not he should be ignored. If he is a real (registered?) doctor he should be professionally accountable. Or is the system in USA that different to here? Is the White House doctor position outside the normal rules?

    In short, is Trump’s white house doctor someone who should be treated as just another political staffer? Or are the ethical standards we are used to in Australian medicine not in force in USA?

    Physician to the President is a political position, not a medical one. Biology trumps Medicine, but not Politics – you can always buy another opinion. Conley’s professional medical career will evaporate after Nov 3, but he will fail upwards like so many in Septic Medicine.

  16. Oakeshott Country @ #901 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 8:42 pm

    Earlier than the Plumber’s guild
    Before you get to that stage you needed 2 years general surgery when the college really knew how to restrict trade
    The guy who had my balls in his hand was the Wallaby’s doctor

    Yes, I gather he was a bit like that. Brian Corrigan was more “cosmopolitan”.

  17. As a resident of NSW I find Miles and AP both turkeys with their attitude to the NSW border.
    I have cancelled my holidays there and won’t be rebooking for a long time.
    It has nothing to do with health and is purely political.
    The Tasmanian premier who can’t pronounce his name is in the same boat.

  18. lizzie @ #485 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 4:25 pm

    Insiders ABC
    @InsidersABC
    · 7h
    “Labor premiers have learned over the last several months, because of the way the C’wealth has rounded on @DanielAndrewsMP, the C’wealth won’t be there backing you in if you’ve implemented their hotspots strategy and it doesn’t work,” says @murpharoo. #insiders #auspol

    And in other news, Morrison enjoyed himself this afternoon driving a tank around.

    I really think Deb Frecklington should pack him off back to Canberra before he does any more damage to her election prospects.

    BOB LYNCH @ #35 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 7:56 pm

    As a resident of NSW I find Miles and AP both turkeys with their attitude to the NSW border.
    I have cancelled my holidays there and won’t be rebooking for a long time.
    It has nothing to do with health and is purely political.
    The Tasmanian premier who can’t pronounce his name is in the same boat.

    Bullshit.

  20. Corrigan was much more interesting – his stories about the 64 olympics and one star in particular were fascinating.
    Not a big fan of the Wallaby’s doctor or his personality but he has a place in RGHC’s history as he helped get the Institute of Sports Medicine there

  21. The quack who was onboard the Voyager in ’64, in ’66 he sent me to Hollywood Hospital (WA) for an appendectomy, following mild pain – it turned out that it wasn’t inflamed though the op proceeded. A few years later, I saw him again for a persistent cough. He recommended the cessation of smoking. All okay, until I returned to get my cap, whereupon he was observed to be taking a big puff – it smelt and looked like a joint. I’m still at odds as to whether doctors are more supercilious than lawyers.

  22. Were the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 and was it the one where Dawn Fraser allegedly stole the Olympic flag? If so I know the truth and it’s connection to the medical fraternity.

  25. BOB LYNCH @ #566 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 7:56 pm

    As a resident of NSW I find Miles and AP both turkeys with their attitude to the NSW border.
    I have cancelled my holidays there and won’t be rebooking for a long time.

    As a resident of NSW you don’t get to vote in the QLD state election. 🙂

    And as a resident of QLD I couldn’t care less about your holidays when there’s a global pandemic on, and certainly won’t be voting on their behalf. We’ve had one quarter the number of infections as NSW, and at least some of that success is due to keeping the borders shut so that irresponsible holidaymakers can’t reintroduce the virus from less-well-managed areas.

    The best way to get your holidays back would be to tell Gladys to get serious about eliminating community transmission in NSW, whatever it takes.

  29. To keep Mavis informed we just returned from Birdsville and Innamincka. Climbed Big Red, visited the Dig Tree, Burke’s grave site and Wills grave site. Epic trip.

  33. BOB LYNCH @ #567 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 7:56 pm

    As a resident of NSW I find Miles and AP both turkeys with their attitude to the NSW border.
    I have cancelled my holidays there and won’t be rebooking for a long time.
    It has nothing to do with health and is purely political.
    The Tasmanian premier who can’t pronounce his name is in the same boat.

    Well take responsibility for yourself and go into quarantine for 2 weeks. BTW, are people from Melbourne allowed into Sydney without quarantine?

  35. BOB LYNCH @ #566 Sunday, October 11th, 2020 – 7:56 pm

    [‘As a resident of NSW I find Miles and AP both turkeys with their attitude to the NSW border. I have cancelled my holidays there and won’t be rebooking for a long time.’]

    Don’t be so disconcerted, you’ll be welcome in our trailer park? Just fill out the disclaimer – that you’re not a Mexican. With only six C.19 deaths up here, and in light of an election, you need to get with the groove!

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