Keeping it holy

Marking the sabbath with a compendium of federal preselection news, the most notable relating to the looming by-election in Groom.

Queensland’s Liberal National Party will take a break from electioneering tomorrow to determine its candidate for Groom,who is all but assured of a quick passage to parliament after the by-election on November 24. This contest has been enlivened by reports that David van Gend, an unsuccessful past nominee with unorthodox views on social issues, has emerged as the front-runner. Van Gend reportedly enjoys well-organised backing from religious conservatives, and Crikey reports he bears endorsement Eric Abetz, Matt Canavan, Miranda Devine and Howard-era Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson. As The Guardian notes, this comes at a time when conservative state MPs are making life difficult for their leadership by conjuring controversies around abortion at the sharp end of an election campaign. The LNP’s deep state would evidently prefer it if locals favoured Toowoomba councillor Rebecca Vonhoff or Australian Lot Feeders president Bryce Camm.

Other preselection news:

• In other Queensland federal preselection news, a gossip column in the Cairns Post reports Cairns regional councillor Brett Olds will seek preselection to succeed Warren Entsch in the far north Queensland seat of Leichhardt, and suggests Olds has the support of Entsch. The 70-year-old Entsch said before the last election that this term would be his last.

• The Western Australian Greens have preselected Dorinda Cox, an anti-domestic violence campaigner and former police office of Yamatji Noongar background, to lead the party’s Senate ticket at the next election, in place of the retiring Rachel Siewert. It is often the practice in the Greens for outgoing Senators to retire before the election and allow their preselected successor to fill their vacancy, but it is unclear if this is the idea on this occasion.

• The Australian Capital Territory election would seem to have been decided with a result of Labor 10 (down two), Liberal nine (down two) and Greens six (up four), which you can read all about 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.

879 comments on “Keeping it holy”

Comments Page 1 of 18
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  3. Quasar, (from the previous thread)
    The Police in the US, aren’t doing themselves any favours, especially in what will likely, hopefully, be a Post Trump America.

  4. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    Jacqui Maley compares Morrison’s public attitude to Australia Post largesse to how he is handling all of the other much more outrageous issues floating around.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/cartier-watches-may-outrage-the-pm-but-he-should-clock-these-scandals-for-true-shock-value-20201023-p5681g.html
    Jack Waterford concludes this excellent contribution by saying, “It’s not my point here that the notion of agents of influence is a joke. There are all sort of agents working on the minds of this government, seeking, sometimes buying, favours for themselves, dispensations, public money and public rights. Their influence is too pervasive. No one is watching to prevent plunder of the public purse. That plunder is happening.”
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6981520/our-corrupted-system-does-far-more-damage-than-any-foreign-agent/?cs=14350
    Isabelle Lane is less than impressed with Morrison’s tough talk on Australia Post being at odds with the government’s record.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/10/25/australia-post-watches-saga/
    The Coalition is spooked by Australia’s credit rating when it should be scared of recession opines Greg Jericho. He says any government worth its salt should tell Standard & Poor’s to take its warning about stimulus spending and shove it
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2020/oct/25/the-coalition-is-spooked-by-australias-credit-rating-when-it-should-be-scared-of-recession
    The SMH editorial says that as Victoria moves out of crisis mode, with infection numbers dropping to single digits, the focus shifts to the long term – how we, as a nation, live with this virus for possibly years to come.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/as-victoria-s-covid-crisis-nears-its-end-we-must-look-to-long-term-20201023-p56843.html
    Matt Wade posits that adjustments made to sustain the economy during the pandemic have altered the behaviour of businesses, workers and consumers – forever.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/the-90-per-cent-economy-post-pandemic-it-will-never-be-the-same-20201023-p567xr.html
    Michael Koziol tells us that ABC news boss Gaven Morris told staff they were too focused on the interests of “inner city left-wing elites” and linked his concerns about editorial coverage to the national broadcaster’s ongoing funding from taxpayers.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/abc-news-boss-warns-staff-against-focus-on-inner-city-left-wing-elites-20201023-p56849.html
    Peter FitzSimons urges Berejiklian to pick a story; ideally one that’s real! He also follows through on his call last week for a federal ICAC.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/time-for-the-premier-to-pick-a-story-ideally-one-that-s-real-20201023-p5681w.html
    Michelle Pini writes that in a recent ABC piece, Insiders host David Speers opined that, while the details may differ, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews were somehow facing similar crises of confidence.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/gladys-berejiklian-and-dan-andrews-spot-the-difference,14436
    The role of think tanks and lobby groups in the political landscape is one of the most underestimated in shaping the decision making of leaders and the wider population, explains Tim Crnwall.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/how-think-tanks-and-the-media-shape-australias-foreign-policy-,14445
    Gay Alcorn writes that this has been the year when our states have reasserted their importance to the federation.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-rise-of-the-states-20201023-p56859.html
    Crown profits from the hardship of problem gamblers, the banks refuse to stop credit cards for problem gamblers. Helen Coonan is chair of both Crown and bank ombudsman AFCA (Australian Financial Complaints Authority). It is a conflict which makes her position untenable writes Elizabeth Minter.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/coonan-draft-conflict-of-interest/
    Michael Koziol examines the developers’ gold mine on Sydney’s fringe.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-york-london-paris-badgerys-creek-the-developers-gold-mine-on-sydney-s-fringe-20201021-p567cz.html
    Eryk Bagshaw writes that Liberal and Labor MPs have condemned the corporate rewards culture and service failure at two of the government’s top agencies after Australia Post and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission became mired in scandal over executive bonuses and concessions.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/time-for-a-clean-out-asic-and-australia-post-scandals-rock-public-executives-20201024-p5687g.html
    This is an interesting thing that Cait Kelly. She tells us that many fit Aussies are finding it difficult to land jobs as farmhands because they are not as exploitable as foreign workers.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/10/25/farm-jobs-shortage-australia/
    Anthony Galloway looks at what divisions stances on China are causing within the major political parties.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/seeing-red-labor-s-china-problem-20201023-p567wx.html
    Peter Hannam reports that the cost of raising the wall of Sydney’s biggest dam will triple to more than $2 billion unless the Berejiklian government can avoid paying for environment damage in the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains area.
    https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/offsets-could-triple-cost-of-raising-warragamba-dam-wall-to-2-billion-20201023-p5683m.html
    Caitlin Fitzsimmons says that, depending on your point of view, Mark Latham’s Parental Rights Education Bill is either plain common sense or an extreme attack on the transgender community that will endanger vulnerable children.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/latham-s-education-bill-stirs-debate-about-transgender-issues-in-schools-20201022-p567oi.html
    South Australia’s top law maker has called for calm over abortion reform debate as the battle for the conscience vote of local MPs starts to intensify.
    https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/chapman-calls-for-calm-as-catholic-bishops-warn-bill-allows-infanticide/news-story/7fb2889d5dc2b8965758c6093b420f13
    The Pope is understood to have believed in Cardinal George Pell’s innocence of child sexual abuse charges. But their different visions of the Catholic church puts a limit of their alliance, writes Andrew West.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/25/the-pope-and-pell-one-of-the-most-fascinating-relationships-in-rome
    Helen Pitt uses her time in the US to express her disdain for the US gun culture.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/shooting-for-the-women-s-vote-the-smoking-gun-in-the-trump-campaign-20201022-p567sm.html
    The final stretch of the US election campaign is colliding with a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalisations, even as President Donald Trump insists the country is “rounding the corner” on the virus, writes Matthew Knott.
    https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/surging-covid-19-cases-plague-us-election-s-final-countdown-20201024-p5685s.html

    Cartoon Corner

    Reg Lynch

    Peter Broelman

    Mark David



    Matt Golding



    Glen Le Lievre

    Mark Knight

    From the US




  6. ABC news boss Gaven Morris told staff they were too focused on the interests of “inner city left-wing elites” and linked his concerns about editorial coverage to the national broadcaster’s ongoing funding from taxpayers.

    In remarks made during staff briefings last week Mr Morris warned it would not bode well for the ABC’s funding “if we’re seen to be representing inner city elite interests”, according to three people who were present.

    The sources said Mr Morris disparaged “inner city left-wing elites” numerous times, telling staff he would be “happier if we spent less time on the concerns of the inner city elites and more time on the things that matter to central Queensland”.

    Mr Morris told The Sun-Herald his remarks referred to the public’s perception of the ABC and it was wrong for anyone to infer that he was suggesting government funding could be under threat if news coverage did not change.

    “It’s a value proposition back to taxpayers, back to Australians,” he said. “If there is a perception in the community that we are more interested in the concerns and lives of inner city elites, then we need to work harder to make sure we are as relevant to people in central Queensland as we are to people in inner Sydney.”

    The broadcaster has made no secret it is focused on growing its audience in the outer suburbs and regions, which is an explicit goal of the news division’s editorial strategy “More Relevant to More Australians”.

  8. This Deb Frecklington person is on record as an admirer of Campbell Newman. Where the hell did they find her? She’s lethal.

  9. Quasar,
    Going by your comment on the previous thread I thought you might be interested in this article as well:

    This president regularly retweets white supremacists. He called Black nations “shithole countries,” told American congresswomen of color to go back to their countries, and is currently urging his racist followers to monitor Black folks as they vote—the list, as you well know, could go on forever. It’s a reaffirmation of the low opinion that he holds of Black folks, of how genuinely stupid and desperate and easily fooled he considers us, that he still tries these deflections and distractions on anyone beyond the BLEXIT crowd. It’s actually insulting.

    So was Trump’s repeated insistence that he was the “least racist person” in a room he was sharing with a Black woman moderator. Trump also claimed, and not for the first time, that “nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump… with the exception of Abraham Lincoln.” Aside from simply not being true, it’s a tone-deaf and cringeworthy statement that tells us everything about this president and how he sees Black folks—feckless and needy. “I basically freed you people” isn’t being received by Black people the way he thinks it is.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/even-when-hes-courting-us-trump-keeps-insulting-black-folks

  10. From previous thread…
    Anyone interested in US politics might be interested in T.Greg Doucette twitter account where he documents videos of police brutality . Today’s was one of Police confiscating masks from a polling station!! (Sorry, lack the skill to transfer clip)
    Where the US goes, Oz follows?

  11. An example of Morrison gov’s back of the envelope idea of employment planning.

    Mining giant BHP abandoned a proposed multibillion-dollar expansion at the mine last week after deciding it did not make economic sense. It came four months after prime minister Scott Morrison declared it a major project of national economic significance that would be fast-tracked.

    The company learned its expansion was on the major project list – one of 15 projects the government earmarked for rapid approval – when Morrison made the announcement in a speech to the Committee for the Economic Development on 15 June.

    Dave Sweeney, a campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation, said it raised questions about how and why the 15 shortlisted projects had been selected, and whether they could deliver the $72bn in investment and more than 66,000 jobs the government claimed they would.

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/25/coalition-accused-of-ideological-wishlisting-after-bhp-pulls-out-of-multi-billion-dollar-project?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

  12. Thanks BK for the Holy Sunday Dawn Patrol.

    Lucky me. The following lobbed onto my mini tablet this morning.

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-tory-mps-reject-bid-22884654

    Tory MPs have defeated a bid to extend free school meals for hungry children over the school holidays.

    In shameful scenes, Conservatives voted down a Labour motion to feed more than 1.4 million children during school breaks until Easter next year.

    The motion was defeated by 322 votes to 261.

    “Suffer the children”. Government policy.

    and

    Caitlin Fitzsimmons says that, depending on your point of view, Mark Latham’s Parental Rights Education Bill is either plain common sense or an extreme attack on the transgender community that will endanger vulnerable children.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/latham-s-education-bill-stirs-debate-about-transgender-issues-in-schools-20201022-p567oi.html

    May not play well with inner city trendy lefties would may possible get a round of applause from Central Queensland.

    Why not simply change the date to 1953 and the RW arseholes may just go away.😮

  15. ‘RIP, GOP’: New York Times writes obituary for Republican Party ‘destroyed’ by Trump

    In every way, the board wrote, Trump has reshaped and corrupted the GOP’s stated belief system.

    “Having long preached ‘character’ and ‘family values,’ Republicans have given a pass to Mr. Trump’s personal degeneracy. The affairs, the hush money, the multiple accusations of assault and harassment, the gross boasts of grabbing unsuspecting women — none of it matters,” wrote the board. “For all their talk about revering the Constitution, Republicans have stood by, slack-jawed, in the face of the president’s assault on checks and balances.” And, “Despite fetishizing ‘law and order,’ Republicans have shrugged as Mr. Trump has maligned and politicized federal law enforcement, occasionally lending a hand.”

    “The scars of Mr. Trump’s presidency will linger long after he leaves office,” concluded the board. “Some Republicans believe that, if those scars run only four years deep, rather than eight, their party can be nursed back to health. Others question whether there is anything left worth saving. Mr. Stevens’s prescription: ‘Burn it to the ground, and start over.’”

    https://www.rawstory.com/2020/10/rip-gop-new-york-times-writes-obituary-for-republican-party-destroyed-by-trump/

  17. Thanks, C@t.
    It’s so blatant and have even seen photos of groups of cops doing the Q sign.
    They obviously don’t fear accountability.
    When does a country qualify as a ‘police state’ ? As in untrammelled police powers?
    Am still upset about the way the BLM protest marchers were funnelled in Sydney….and whatever happened to that arrest ?

  20. Quasar @ #17 Sunday, October 25th, 2020 – 8:03 am

    Thanks, C@t.
    It’s so blatant and have even seen photos of groups of cops doing the Q sign.
    They obviously don’t fear accountability.
    When does a country qualify as a ‘police state’ ? As in untrammelled police powers?
    Am still upset about the way the BLM protest marchers were funnelled in Sydney….and whatever happened to that arrest ?

    ‘They obviously don’t fear accountability.’
    .
    Just like Scrooter and the LNP.

  23. I really don’t understand the management of AusPost. When we were all locked away from shopping centres and other retail outlets, we turned to the mail. This could have been treated as a unique business opportunity for expansion, but has instead become a complete disaster with shocking service and stressed staff. Their reputation is now shredded.

    What the hell happened?

  27. lizzie @ #23 Sunday, October 25th, 2020 – 8:10 am

    I really don’t understand the management of AusPost. When we were all locked away from shopping centres and other retail outlets, we turned to the mail. This could have been treated as a unique business opportunity for expansion, but has instead become a complete disaster with shocking service and stressed staff. Their reputation is now shredded.

    What the hell happened?

    The Libs is what happened, but that was rhetorical, I know.

  29. How’s the traveller?

    It’s hard keeping up with him! 😆

    He’s weighing up whether to buy a mooring and a House Boat on the Thames.

    He’s been introduced to the architecture of Gaudi by moi and so he now wants to go and see it for himself.

    Also, as a Catholic in the ‘local area’, he wants to go to Israel/Jerisalem at Christmas time.

    Not to mention that he is writing a book.

    Phew!

    Or, in other words, he’s having a fine old time. 🙂

  30. From the German’s have a word for everything file……

    Drachenfutter. Dragon Food…………used to describe the chocolate, flowers, or other treats that one might pick up on the way home from the bar when he or she starts to feel guilty about the one beer with friends that turned into an entire night out. The Drachenfutter is a treat meant to mitigate the angry reaction from your dragon, er, beloved.

    Schokolade ist bei weitem das beste Drachenfutter.

    Chocolate is by far the best dragon food.

    https://www.thelocal.de/20200130/german-word-of-the-day-das-drachenfutter

  32. I am offended that ABC News director has turned his back on inner city elites in favour of central Queensland

    Facts
    1. Inner city elites have supported ABC for generations, now leaving in droves
    2. Central Queensland is 1 federal electorate
    3. 75 Inner city electorates

  33. C@tmomma @ #29 Sunday, October 25th, 2020 – 8:19 am

    How’s the traveller?

    It’s hard keeping up with him! 😆

    He’s weighing up whether to buy a mooring and a House Boat on the Thames.

    He’s been introduced to the architecture of Gaidi by moi and so he now wants to go and see it for himself.

    Also, as a Catholic in the ‘local area’, he wants to go to Israel/Jerisalem at Christmas time.

    Not to mention that he is writing a book.

    Phew!

    Or, in other words, he’s having a fine old time. 🙂

    wow. The Thames? or Little Venice? – there’s a canal near Paddington Station with a house boat scene, evolving into Regent’s Canal, along which you can walk (under Edgeware Rd) to Regents Park, for me the loveliest of all London Parks.

  34. Billie @ #32 Sunday, October 25th, 2020 – 8:25 am

    I am offended that ABC News director has turned his back on inner city elites in favour of central Queensland

    Facts
    1. Inner city elites have supported ABC for generations, now leaving in droves
    2. Central Queensland is 1 federal electorate
    3. 75 Inner city electorates

    I’m offended at the adoption of the pejorative “elites”.

  35. The SMH reported on Wednesday (21/10/20):

    The investigation is looking into why the Australian Border Force, in late 2015 and early 2016, disregarded internal advice that it should not pay Austal part of a $44.6 million success fee for delivering patrol boats used to target people and contraband smugglers and illegal fishing.

    The fee was meant to be paid only if Austal met key milestones to deliver eight problem-free patrol boats. The boats were delivered but the Border Force advice stated the ASX200 company had failed to reach the milestones because the boats were plagued with problems.

    However, after intense lobbying by Austal, Border Force paid out $39 million, with the first $31 million handed over two days before Christmas in 2015. A further $8 million was paid in June 2016, according to Border Force records.

    In the 2015-16 year, donations records reveal Austal donated $60,000 to the Liberal Party, including $20,000 to the party’s West Australian branch. It donated $1500 that same year to the ALP.
    …
    The SMH did some great reporting and the links above to the full stories are well worth clicking on but the elephant in the room is that they don’t mention Peter Dutton who was in charge of Border Force in 2015 and 2016 when the corrupt $39 million payment was made. He is now the Minister for Home Affairs which has become a super ministry and now also has responsibility for Border Force.

    Peter Dutton’s fingers are in numerous suspicious government spending scandals. Peter Dutton and his wife have made $millions from childcare businesses and property.

    ***

    As well as removing Mr Hyde and Ms Tang in April, Ms Hinchcliffe also scrapped Mr Griffin’s planned public coercive hearings into corruption allegations surrounding gaming giant Crown Resorts. She removed Sydney barrister David McLure, SC, and his colleague Shipra Chordia as counsel assisting that inquiry, and instead released a limited report. That found Home Affairs gave preferential visa treatment to Crown Resorts’ high-roller gamblers, including people who had initially been refused entry on character grounds, but it made no finding of corruption.

    The Crown Resorts investigation would have been, at the very least, embarrassing for Peter Dutton and it was also scrapped by Ms Hinchcliffe which means she has saved Peter Dutton twice. Why?
    Jaala Hinchcliffe was appointed Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) in February by Attorney-General Christian Porter. The ACLEI is meant to investigate corruption in the federal law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Police and Border Force. But it looks like Ms Hinchcliffe is a patsy for the Liberal Party covering-up government corruption.

    https://kangaroocourtofaustralia.com/2020/10/24/federal-mp-peter-dutton-covers-up-39-million-fraud-and-theft-at-the-australian-border-force/

  38. I noticed that there will be 5+ different parcel post deliveries to my 150 neighbour from Star Track or Australia Post contractors a day

    As a casual observation I can say that letters are being managed out of existence and parcel deliveries are uncontrolled because AusPost unwilling to invest in parcel warehouses and efficient distribution systems

  39. Spot. On.

    Lincoln’s Bible
    @LincolnsBible

    When you realize that herd immunity IS Jared’s plan, then it makes sense. “Rounding the turn” = crossing the point of no return for unstoppable mass death.

  40. Thousands of retail and hospitality business owners will be among the Victorians tuning in to the Premier’s daily coronavirus press conference today, in the hope they’ll get the green light to begin reopening from early next week.

    But Daniel Andrews flagged on Saturday that after days of the state being “well placed” to take a big step towards COVID normal, several outbreaks across Melbourne’s north may have thrown a spanner in the works.

    Two schools have been closed and hundreds of people are in quarantine as either close contacts or secondary contacts, as authorities partner with community leaders to run a testing blitz across the affected communities.

    Overnight and into this morning, the public health team has been poring over the latest batch of test results, in a bid to understand whether previously undetected chains of transmission across the city’s north pose a threat to reopening.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-25/daniel-andrews-set-to-reveal-next-steps-out-of-covid-lockdown/12804904

    Fingers crossed for Victoria. 🙂

  43. “The sources said Mr Morris disparaged “inner city left-wing elites” numerous times, telling staff he would be “happier if we spent less time on concerns of the inner city elites & more time on the things that matter to central Qld”.”

    Where is central Qld? Is that Bjelke-Petersen country? Is that Morrison’s happy place?

  44. I suppose one needs to have an appreciation of AFL Culture to understand Matt Golding’s 4th and 5th cartoons. The first is obvious, the second and third I can work out.

  45. This government’s attacks on the ABC (and attitude to the media in general) are downright Trumpian. They just want the media to be pro-government propaganda.

  47. Billie @ #32 Sunday, October 25th, 2020 – 8:25 am

    I am offended that ABC News director has turned his back on inner city elites in favour of central Queensland

    Facts
    1. Inner city elites have supported ABC for generations, now leaving in droves
    2. Central Queensland is 1 federal electorate
    3. 75 Inner city electorates

    Decisions to locate their staff in Taj Mahals in the Cities.
    Reduce local people and services to local communities.
    Manage regional areas by remote control.

    These are all decisions of Senior Management.

  48. I could almost cop the ‘we reflect the values of inner city elites’ and their wealth/property/ connections to big business and fossil fuels/ tax breaks etc if he then said ‘we will start reflecting the values and concerns of the people in Mt Druitt, Dandenong, Elizabeth etc….

    No, straight to the poor old forgotten Central QLDers….

  49. Funny how many of these supposedly “anti inner city elite” right wingers live in the affluent inner suburbs of Sydney.

  50. Quoted by Lizzie @7:49

    Dave Sweeney, a campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation, said it raised questions about how and why the 15 shortlisted projects had been selected, and whether they could deliver the $72bn in investment and more than 66,000 jobs the government claimed they would.

    I think that the rule of thumb regarding the number of jobs to be created by projects that the Government wants to push is to take any estimate of jobs the Government gives and divide by 10. Maybe then halve for good measure. Works for Adani.

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