The latest fortnightly Essential Research poll does not include leader ratings or voting intention, but does have the following:
• The regular question on COVID-19 response finds the federal government’s good rating suffering a seven point dip to 62%, returning it to where it was for several months before an uptick in November, with the poor rating up two to 14%. The small sample results for mainland state governments also record a drop for the Victorian government, whose good rating is down ten to 49%, while the New South Wales government holds steady at 72% and the Queensland government’s drops three to 73%. As ever, particular caution must be taken with the Western Australian and South Australian results given the sample sizes, but they respectively retain the best (down three to 85%) and second best (down one to 78%) results out of the five.
• The poll finds 50% of respondents saying they will get vaccinated as soon as possible, 40% that they will do so but not straight away, and 10% that they will never get vaccinated. Variation by voting intention is within the margin of error. By way of contrast, a US poll conducted by Monmouth University last month produced the same 50% result for the “soon as possible option”, but had “likely will never get the vaccine” markedly higher at 24%. This increased to 42% among Republicans, and doesn’t that just say it all.
• The poll includes a pared back version of the pollster’s semi-regular suite of questions on leaders’ attributes in relation to Scott Morrison, but not Anthony Albanese. The consistent pattern here is that Morrison is a bit less highly rated than he was last May, but substantially stronger than he was during the bushfire crisis in January. However, he has done notably better on “good in a crisis” (from 32% last January to 66% in May to the current 59%) than “out of touch” (from 62% to 47% and now back up to 59%), whereas his gains since January on “more honest than most politicians” (now 50%), “trustworthy” (52%) and “visionary” (41%) are all either 11% or 12%. Two new questions have been thrown into the mix: “in control of their team” and “avoids responsibility”, respectively 56% at 49%.
• Respondents were asked to respond to a series of propositions concerning “the recent allegations of rape and sexual assault from women working in Parliament”, which found 65% agreeing the government has been “more interested in protecting itself than the interests of those who have been assaulted”. Forty-five per cent felt there was “no difference in the way the different political parties treat women”, though the view was notably more prevalent among men (54%) than women (37%), and among those at the conservative end of the voting spectrum (53% among Coalition voters, 41% among Labor voters and 30% among Greens voters).
• A number of questions on tech companies found an appetite for stronger regulation, including 76% support for forcing them to remove misinformation from their platforms.
The poll was conducted Wednesday to Monday from a sample of 1074; full results here.
I have had a few trauma and abuse survivors tell me that the book in question (which I have not yet read and I’m betting the Crikey author hasn’t, either) was very helpful in unpacking their physiological response to assault and in better understanding why the experience was still so viscerally immediate and physically/emotionally destabilizing so many years down the track. There is nothing weird or mysterious about this and the phenomenon of somatic memory and aggravated anxiety thresholds as a component of PTSD is independent of the recovered memories controversy.
Ever lost control of a car on gravel, or tripped unexpectedly on stairs, or had some such experience that still makes you tense when a similar sensation occurs? Dial it up manifold for major trauma.
poroti
That is a brilliant analysis by Dennis Atkins.
Warrigal
I don’t know enough about psychiatry to answer the question myself, but there seem to be two terms being used – ‘repressed memory’ and ‘recovered memory’, with the second being the one relevant to the woman.
Maybe they mean the same thing.
Regardless, every report I’ve read has said that the woman kept records from the time and told her story to people for years, which doesn’t fit the ‘repressed memory’ scenario.
(I also didn’t see any references to expertise in this area when it comes to the Crikey reporter…)
Warrigal
I was standing behind a student once, looking over her shoulder. She didn’t know I was there, and moved her chair back so that the leg was crushing my foot. I was in too much agony to say anything, and other students had to make the situation clear to her.
A few weeks later, I was standing behind another student. He made a very small shuffling movement – and I basically king hit him.
Marched straight up to the principal’s office and said, “I’ve just hit a student, and I have absolutely no excuse.”
It took me a bit longer to work out the connection between the two events.
Porter tried to give the impression that the incident was a “one night stand” that didn’t happen. This was the outcome of coaching from his lawyers, not his own recollection. The suggestion that any punishment will lead to a complete breakdown of the judicial system and the “rule of law” also came from these advisors, I’d say. Such a farce.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/03/05/christian-porter-recovered-memories/
My opinion is that the subject lady may have read a book. Changes nothing.
It certainly seems to me like the gentlemen are fighting back against the cave men. The piece by Peter Hartcher is powerful:
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/liberals-men-in-blue-go-zap-and-hope-we-forget-their-women-problem-20210305-p578am.html
Thank you BK for the extensive Dawn Patrol.
P.S. Get well wishes from myself, Muriel and Brown Bear. 👴👩🐻
Are there two Australia’s. Why do the majority of Australian women support Morrison?
I just checked the online headlines for the Herald Sun, the Daily Telegraph and the Courier Mail. There are one or two articles on Porter, well buried.
MOFO
Has anyone seen Steven Marshall and Jimmy Fallon in the same room?
I have a sneaking suspicion that might be a racist comment…. That all dark haired white people with squinty sleepy eyes and very high eyebrows look alike to me.
boerwar
Their front page shows it is back to Sydney’s fave obsessions time.
Trioli. Once again, Morrison kicks a problem into the never never with another review.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-06/anger-turns-to-sadness-for-australias-fed-up-women/13217688
Bipartisan senators introduce bill to strip Biden of war powers
Sens. Tim Kaine and Todd Young on Wednesday introduced bipartisan legislation that would repeal decades-old authorizations for the use of military force in the Middle East, amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the region.
Kaine (D-Va.) and Young (R-Ind.) unveiled the measure as lawmakers have expressed frustration with President Joe Biden’s decision to launch airstrikes in Syria last week without first seeking congressional approval. It also comes just hours after an Iraqi military base housing U.S. troops and civilian contractors was hit by rocket attacks.
The bill would repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations that cleared the way for a prolonged military conflict in Iraq, culminating in calls from Democrats and Republicans alike to end the so-called “forever wars” in the region.
“Last week’s airstrikes in Syria show that the executive branch, regardless of party, will continue to stretch its war powers,” Kaine said. “Congress has a responsibility to not only vote to authorize new military action, but to repeal old authorizations that are no longer necessary.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/03/bipartisan-bill-strip-biden-war-powers-473312
Airstrikes in Syria kill 22 in Joe Biden’s first military act as president
Joe Biden has carried out his first military action as president, with airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed fighters in Syria, in what the Pentagon said was retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition troops.
The overnight strikes killed 22 people after hitting three trucks loaded with munitions near the border town of Abu Kamal, a war monitor said on Friday. Border posts used by Iranian militia groups were also destroyed, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/25/us-airstrike-syria-iran-militia
Gee, I didn’t see that one coming! That doesn’t sound like our Joe at all!
Good article by Murphy. But…..
No, the Gillard speech was not a deliberate distraction. She snapped after years of low jibes from a morality free LNP and co. The press, even when saying they now get they went missing on the importance of her speech, still don’t get it.
And…. saying Morrison doesn’t realise the country is at a crossroads… BS. He knows it and he is determined to take us back to the 50’s where his true sensibilities are. Morrison is also about shoring up the entrenched powers that shore up his power – be they sexist, racist, threats to democracy or dangers to the planets climate.
Murphy hasn’t yet got there.
“In a practical sense, a Minister may resign, not as an admission of culpability, but rather to remove pressure from the Government while serious criticisms of his or her capacity or integrity are properly and dispassionately assessed. Alternatively, a Minister may be given leave from ministerial duties for the same purpose (see p. 67).
When responsibility for a serious matter can be clearly attached to a particular Minister personally, it is of fundamental importance to the effective operation of responsible government that he or she adhere to the convention of individual responsibility. However, the prime consideration in determining whether a Minister should resign or be dismissed has sometimes been the assessment of the likely political repercussions on the Government.31”
The above is from the APH website discussing ministerial responsibility.
One of the drivers for calls for an independent enquiry is because Morrison and the government lack the decency to uphold the proper processes expected of our Parliament and ministers.
We are well past the criminal investigation aspect of this matter, and people should stop hiding behind that excuse as an argument that this matter is now dead and buried. It is not, and it should not.
What we have here are untested allegations against the most senior law officer of the land. The allegations go to his fitness to be a minister in the Australian government.
Because Morrison is wilfully blind to this, he will not do the sort of enquiry (or undertake the process of reflection or judgement) that PMs of the past would have had the decency to undertake.
Therefore, the need for another type of enquiry arises; one that needs to be forced upon the government because the government won’t act.
Insiders Sunday, 7 March
David Speers joins Annabel Crabb, Peter van Onselen & Katharine Murphy to discuss the historical rape allegation against Christian Porter, treatment of sexual assault allegations, review into workplace culture and aged care.
Guest : Kate Jenkins – Sex Discrimination Commissioner
Tingle
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-06/christian-porter-scott-morrison/13220556
Lynchpin
Reminds me of Howard’s Code of Ministerial Responsibility, which had to be dropped because none of his Ministers appeared able to live up to it.
Morrison hasn’t got a lot of talent to work with; he can’t afford to hold anyone accountable because he has no one to replace them with.
Which is, of course, why Reynolds is still there.
Stelter: Murdoch finally admits what Fox News is all about
Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch says that Fox News ratings will come back because they will be the opposition to President Joe Biden.
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/media/2021/03/05/lachlan-murdoch-fox-news-biden-opposition-stelter-nr-vpx-sot.cnn/video/playlists/business-media/
Couple of posters made PB their ‘play thing’ over night. Have just read over the posts from over night and have to say the righteousness is off putting to say the least.
Of course the government won’t act. They don’t have to. They have confidence in their rusted ons and a favourable media environment to help perfume their BS. Their bases are covered. They reckon they can ride out anything – like they did with the leadership changes. What is electoral poison for others is a mozzie bite to them.
doing the right thing doesn’t enter into the equation.
lizzie @ #2203 Saturday, March 6th, 2021 – 8:23 am
Which is why, when the AG didn’t step down voluntarily, Shirko should have immediately stood him down.
Not trying to downplay the rape allegation itself, but it is the potential conflict of interest that is why both Porter and Morrison are unfit to stay in their respective roles. They don’t even pretend to uphold the feeble standards they drafted for themselves.
It’s as if they can’t even see a blatant conflict of interest any more. Or else they think we can’t.
SK,
Murphy did make one astounding admission. That CPG journos are focused, not on the bigger picture of political actions but on the political game.
So the greater import of Julia Gillard’s Misogyny Speech went right over their heads, in one ear and out the other, because all they were concerned about was grading her on a scale of how much it would serve as a distraction from the Peter Slipper affair.
Oi vey!
One can only hope that CPG journos now try and see the bigger picture.
Leeser, LNP pollie on ABC still sticking with the furphy about the “rule of law”.
This is the way to vote ‘Nay’ in the US Senate – Senator Sinema from Arizona not agreeing with the $15 minimum wage..
https://mobile.twitter.com/hjessy_/status/1367877190847709191/photo/1
Geoffrey Watson SC explains the ‘rule of law’…
‘When the Prime Minister blurted “rule of law” he might as well have added that it was an “on-water matter”. So much for accountability.
Finally, I was especially surprised at the Attorney-General’s claim that if he stood aside the rule of law would be destroyed.
Sorry to be the one to tell you Mr Porter, but the rule of law was functioning pretty well before you ever came along, and I am confident that it will be able to survive your departure.’
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2021/03/06/christian-porter-rule-of-law/
zoomster @ #2219 Saturday, March 6th, 2021 – 9:11 am
There is also the headache of State balance in the Cabinet that Morrison does not want to deal with. Losing 2 Ministers from WA would destabilise that delicate balance. Sure he could bring Andrew Hastie in to replace Linda Reynolds, but then, what does that do to the number of females in Cabinet? He could make Michaelia Cash AG but who else could he bring through from WA? Ben Morton doesn’t seem smart enough and Celia Hammond just got there. Also I imagine Ken Wyatt is happy in Indigenous Affairs.
That only leaves Pentecostal chucklenuts, Ian Goodenough, doesn’t it? Someone who hasn’t exactly set the place on fire.
C@t
The cpg have been excusing and enabling the Coalition’s thuggish attitude, language and behaviour for decades. Now it’s clear why. It’s all just political theatre to them, mere strategy and tactics.
Trump gives the same excuse.
Zoomster: agreed. The Crikey report reads like a poor summary.
Disclosure: I have some professional knowledge of mental health and this is not good reportage from that perspective.
KayJay: My opinion is that the subject lady may have read a book. Changes nothing.
As ever you are on the money.
Simon Katich @ #1706 Saturday, March 6th, 2021 – 9:21 am
Bingo!
Display Name,
The scales need to fall from these reporters eyes. We look to them for cogent analysis, not horse race calling.
The conservatives are not going to change things – even for the better. This mob govern by ideology, self preservation, power consolidation and bowing to benefactors.
Way too many people vote Liberal either blindly or in some hope they will come around. Or because the ALP brand is so repulsive to them. They need to realise that if you want change through meaningful policy and legislation and leadership, vote accordingly.
For months we have been waiting with bated breath for the moment when the MSM might see through the spin and start to criticise the Morrison government. Perhaps next week?
Odd way to vote nah. I would have thought it was a tough and complicated decision for Sinema.
lizzie @ #2235 Saturday, March 6th, 2021 – 9:39 am
More likely just after the next election. For about a week.
lizzie @ #2238 Saturday, March 6th, 2021 – 9:43 am
*cough* Chris Uhlmann
On Thursday, the former Liberal deputy leader Julie Bishop said the events in federal politics of the past few weeks made her feel “very empty” as an important opportunity for Canberra to reinvent itself was lost.
“If Canberra is where the laws are made, surely Parliament House should be the model workplace and clearly it is not,” she reportedly said.
“If we don’t change as a result of the last few weeks … then what will it take?”’
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/05/two-cabinet-ministers-attended-event-at-which-woman-alleged-christian-porter-raped-her
BK. Have you been out to Lobethal Bushland Park recently? The regrowth is amazing. Candlebark, tea tree, acacia seedlings everywhere. Iirc, the area was struggling before the fires with dieback.
The seedlings are out competing the weeds atm. Some native grasses and smaller ground covers too. Great opportunity – if Council could find some funds for a ‘green army’ to give the grasses etc a chance.
Waiting for the MSM or Godot?
Sophisticated British criminals exploited vulnerabilities in Australia’s search engine and cryptocurrency infrastructure to dupe small investors, lured by the promise of high-yield funds badged by some of the finance world’s most trusted brands.
The complex scheme involved stolen identities and fraudulent prospectuses that claimed to represent high-yield investment funds run by global managers Citibank, Nomura, and IFM Investors. It has ensnared millions from unsuspecting victims who sought better returns as interest rates collapsed during the COVID-19 crisis.
Now anti-money laundering regulator AUSTRAC and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission will attempt to mop up the mess that has upstart Australian payments companies and crypto-firms facing collateral damage after being used to siphon funds for crooks armed with hijacked identities.
An investigation by AFR Weekend has discovered a series of fake investment comparison websites that act as a front door to shunt prospective investors into fraudulent products through fintech payment companies.
These sites have exploited the powerful reach of search engines, allowing the scammers to commit identity theft on an industrial scale. Financial crime experts now fear those stolen identities will be used multiple times to establish fake banking and trading accounts around the world.
The scammers have also adopted the names and identities of real-life investment bank staff, only for the funds – in parcels as high as $200,000 – to disappear through the cryptocurrency ecosystem and be sent offshore.
BK. Have you been out to Lobethal Bushland Park recently? The regrowth is amazing. Candlebark, tea tree, acacia seedlings everywhere. Iirc, the area was struggling before the fires with dieback.
The seedlings are out competing the weeds atm. Some native grasses and smaller ground covers too. Great opportunity – if Council could find some funds for a ‘green army’ to give the grasses etc a chance.
____
No SK, I haven’t. I’ll take my grandson for a look there some.
BK deserves to be South Australian of the Year. He has done so much for his State.
lizzie
Reminds me of when Mirabella lost her seat.
She was Shadow Industry Minister.
For months, the msm reported, straight faced, that the Liberal government didn’t have an industry policy because Mirabella had lost her seat.
They used it to excuse the Minister concerned – “poor X, of course it will take him a while to work things out, they don’t have an industry policy.”
No questions as to why Mirabella wouldn’t just hand over what she had*, or even a mild surprise that – somehow – the Liberals had gone to an election without an industry policy.
*Of course, Mirabella hadn’t put a policy together. I knew that.
The media should not have taken any part in covering up the laziness of an ex-MP.
“If we don’t change as a result of the last few weeks … then what will it take?”’
—————
Ahhhh, Bishop might want to consider the possibility of an ALP government. Ha! Nah, that’s just silly. Can’t have that. Far better to try and drag a reluctant conservative government into doing some window dressing.
No SK, I haven’t. I’ll take my grandson for a look there some.
—————
Take your rod. But look out for snakes.
Rockets hit Iraqi base with US troops less than a week after Biden officials said Syria strikes would ‘de-escalate’ tensions in the region
…
The Pentagon said that the strikes killed one fighter in an Iranian-backed militia, while wounding two others. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, said that at least 22 Iranian-backed militia members were killed in the strikes, which marked the first major military action of Biden’s presidency.
“We have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement on the February 25 strikes.
But the attack on Wednesday could suggest that Biden’s Syria strikes did anything but “de-escalate,” though it remains unclear who’s responsible.
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/us-troops-iraq-biden-admin-said-syria-strikes-deescalate-2021-3?r=US&IR=T
Because nothing de-escalates tensions like calling in an airstrike…
Seriously, you’d have to be so fricking gullible to believe the nonsense propaganda that the political establishment puts out there sometimes.