More month of May miscellany

Preselection challenges aplenty against federal Liberals from New South Wales; a potential second Labor membership ballot as the party seeks a new leader in New South Wales; and a state by-election looms in Queensland.

There has been an outbreak of preselection challenges against federal Liberal incumbents in New South Wales, which would appear to be the fruit of new preselection rules that put more power in the hands of the party rank-and-file. However, the branch has not been so democratised as to deny the possibility of federal intervention, which Sarah Martin of The Guardian reports is likely to be invoked by the Prime Minister to protect the incumbents.

• Environment Minister Sussan Ley faces a challenge in her rural seat of Farrer from Christian Ellis, whose conservative credentials extend to an effort to expel Malcolm Turnbull from the Liberal Party after he published his autobiography last year. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Ley has complained of “outsiders” descending upon her electorate with “city-based factional branch stacking” and “a toxic culture which isn’t about the policies or the candidate”.

• Further challenges are brewing against two leading factional powerbrokers: Alex Hawke of the centre right, from conservative-aligned army colonel Michael Abrahams; and Trent Zimmerman of the moderate faction, from both Hamish Stitt, a conservative barrister, and Jess Collins, a member of the centre right.

• In the marginal Sydney seat of Reid, moderate-aligned Fiona Martin faces a challenge from sports administrator Natalie Baini. Apparently at an earlier stage of gestation are potential challenges to Bennelong MP John Alexander from Gisele Kapterian, former chief-of-staff to Michaelia Cash; and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, whose Senate seat is reportedly being eyed by conservative colleague Dallas McInerney, chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW.

• One challenge that will not proceed is the one said to have been of “most concern” to senior Liberals in a report by Sarah Martin of The Guardian. Melissa McIntosh, a member of the centre right faction who won the key seat of Lindsay from Labor in 2019, was said to have been under serious pressure from Mark Davies, Penrith councillor and husband of state Mulgoa MP Tanya Davies, having “lost control of her branches to the conservative faction”. However, Clare Armstrong of News.com.au reports the conservatives have “done a deal to drop the challenge”, the terms of which are unclear.

Preselections elsewhere:

• Tom Richardson of InDaily reports that candidates for Labor’s preselection in the Adelaide seat of Spence include Matt Burnell, an official with the Right-aligned Transport Workers Union, and Alice Dawkins, who works with “a consulting firm specialising in Asian strategic engagement” and is the daughter of Keating government Treasurer John Dawkins. The safe Labor seat in northern Adelaide will be vacated at the election by Nick Champion’s move to state politics.

• A Liberal preselection last weekend for the Adelaide seat of Boothby was won by Rachel Swift, moderate-aligned management consultant and medical researcher. Swift was chosen ahead of conservative rival Leah Blythe, who had the backing of outgoing member Nicolle Flint.

• The Tasmanian seat of Lyons will be contested for the Liberals by Susie Bower, Meander Valley councillor and chief executive of the Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone. Bower was a candidate for Lyons at the recent state election, but polled last out of the six Liberal candidates with 3.5% of the vote. Lyons could potentially have joined Bass and Braddon as a Liberal gain at the 2019 election if not for the mid-campaign disendorsement of the party’s candidate, Jessica Whelan.

Other news:

• Jodi McKay’s resignation as New South Wales Labor leader on Friday potentially sets up a second membership ballot for the party to go with the one that will choose Rebecca White’s successor in Tasmania. This depends on whether former leader Michael Daley puts his name forward in opposition to Chris Minns, who would appear to be the clear favourite. Today’s Sun-Herald reports that head office would prefer that Minns take the position unopposed so as to avoid “an expensive ballot of rank-and-file members, which would take weeks”. However, a tweet by Daley yesterday suggested he was not of a mind to oblige them.

• Labor MP Duncan Pegg announced his resignation from the Queensland parliament early this week after a terminal cancer diagnosis. This will lead at some point to a by-election for his southern Brisbane seat of Stretton, which Pegg retained by a margin of 14.8% at the state election last October. Such has been the electoral record of opposition parties recently that one might have thought the Liberal National Party would sit this one out, but they have in fact jumped into the fray with the endorsement of Jim Bellos, a police officer and former Queenslander of the Year. The Courier-Mail reports the front-runner for Labor preselection is James Martin, an electorate officer to Pegg.

• Occasional Poll Bludger contributor Adrian Beaumont has a piece in The Conversation on the apparent trend of non-university educated whites abandoning parties of the centre left in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

• Sarah Martin of The Guardian reports the Liberal party room was told this week that the election would be held next year.

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.

2,927 comments on “More month of May miscellany”

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  1. Simon Katich:

    And yes, there are distinct cultural differences that still exist. It took the Washington Consensus decades to realise that you couldnt blue print Torrens Title and stick it into every country and every culture and expect the same benefit it delivers in Australia. For example, Customary Title is a pretty new concept to Lands Titles Offices yet it comprises 97% of PNG and now fundamental in many places around the world. Yet the PNG people rioted when the World Bank even tried to register those titles. And, in I think the Philippines, the effort to register land was given a huge boost by simply training each community how to use hand help GPS devices to “survey” their boundaries. No dodgy white fella descending on the village to tell people where their boundaries were, no Hugh Grant to go up an hill and down a mountain and then marry the local bar tart. Instead, the community owned it. Then valued it.

    The Cape Colony parliament prior to the Cecil Rhodes era both enfranchised all property owning adult males regardless of race and just as importantly did so in a way that recognised the communal property rights model of the Xhosa.

    Something went badly wrong in Britain and the British empire in the 1880s when the idea of “white supremacy” and indeed the idea of a “white race” was largely invented.

  4. “he would seek an injunction, attempt to sue her and take steps to undo a property settlement between them.”

    If there is a done property settlement then how is this not a threat or at least an attempt at coercion against a potential witness ??

  5. “But you’re OK with the sledging of Mrs Morrison?”

    No one sledged her. You were merely asked to compare what she has done with regard to the person you gratuitously insulted. Simply leaving out text that doesn’t suit you in no way lessens your pig behaviour in demeaning a woman who achieved way more than anyone here, least of all you, will ever manage.

  7. By the way, General, name one Prime Minister’s wife who needed to be subsidised by the taxpayer to be kept company other than the current one. Liberal or Labor. You’ve got 120 years worth to choose from. Just the one will do.

  8. If this isn’t sledging Mrs Morrison then I’m a Green Lesbian:

    “C@tmomma says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 5:13 pm
    Roy Orbison @ #2714 Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 – 5:11 pm

    “Did the Whitlam government have empathy coaches?”

    Did Margaret have a tax-payer funded friend to keep her company during those long lonely days at the Lodge?
    … Who fed her with doolally conspiracy theories she got from her husband, the Doolally Conspiracy Theory chief peddlar?”

    What’s this bullshit about a subsidised friend?

  10. @susie_dent tweets

    Word of the day is ‘spuddle’ (17th century): to work ineffectively; to be extremely busy whilst achieving absolutely nothing.

  11. Not to mention that Margaret Whitlam copped criticism on the chin in a good-humoured fashion.

    Jenny Morrison is a protected species, otoh.

  13. Roy Orbison at 8:50 pm

    By the way, General, name one Prime Minister’s wife who needed to be subsidised by the taxpayer to be kept company

    Reading that it made me wonder why. Is it because Morrison wants to ensure she stays home and if going out has a ‘minder’ ? Them thar Evangelicals can be a bit ‘traditional’ and ‘biblical’ when it comes to helpmates aka wives. If she had interests and activities outside the home then it would y unlikely she’d need paid company.

  16. Mrs Morrison has been personally attacked on this site for her looks, unproven assumptions about her religious beliefs, supposedly making secret hand signals and some utter bullshit about a paid friend.

    And now you get your knickers in a knot over a very common joke of the time when trying to compare her to Mrs Whitlam.

    You really are pathetic.

  18. “What’s this bullshit about a subsidised friend?”

    If you don’t know about the subsidised friend then you’re being wilfully ignorant. It’s been in the public domain for years. She’s actually the wife of Tim Stewart, the “leader” of QANON in Australia. Read about it here:
    https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/further-questions-emerge-over-pm-s-friend-and-qanon-conspiracy
    and get back to us when you’ve eaten some of that bullshit yourself. And while you’re defending Morrison, how is it that Donald Trump, of all people, thought it necessary to bar Morrison’s pentacostal pal with the paedo connections from the White House. Brian Houston. You can dig up the link yourself.

    Still going to make kick starting jumbo jet jokes? You haven’t got a leg to stand on. Although, given your connections, you’ve probably got one to drink out of.

  19. ” If she had interests and activities outside the home then it would y unlikely she’d need paid company.”

    And yet there she is. Paid for by you and me.

  23. This sounds like a tremendous boondoggle at taxpayers’ expense.

    A global consulting firm was paid $660,000 by the Health Department as part of the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine strategy, but a departmental official has revealed that it did not provide “specific advice”.

    The only document the department could produce from the four-week consulting contract was an eight-page summary of publicly available vaccine data.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-03/federal-government-mckinsey-covid-vaccine-strategy-advice/100185786

  24. Roy Orbison says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 9:09 pm

    That article doesn’t prove anything. There’s no evidence to support the ridiculous claim of a subsidised friend. People employ people they know – that doesn’t mean that they aren’t doing paid work.

    You need some actual evidence – not just spurious make believe bullshit.

  25. And how isn’t this a sledge?

    “Roy Orbison says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 9:11 pm
    ” If she had interests and activities outside the home then it would y unlikely she’d need paid company.”

    And yet there she is. Paid for by you and me.”

    You have no idea what her interests and activities are. I know enough about having two kids and a house to run that she would be busy enough with that but I doubt that’s all she does – but don’t you change your petty little distorted views that you believe in your made up world of how the Morrison’s live.

    I was considering making a contribution to William but given he’s quite happy to tolerate this crap I’ve decided not to.

    He used to cut off the untrue allegations about the Abbotts’ marriage. Be nice if he did that here too.

  27. I see. So a direct quote from the direct secretary isn’t enough for you.

    “The department’s deputy secretary, Stephanie Foster, defended the appointment to Kirribilli House of Mr Stewart’s wife — a close friend of Mr Morrison’s wife”

    You’d have to assume that if it was wrong, then there would be all sorts of defamation actions. But there haven’t been. So it’s just you in your war room, with your fingers in your ears, pretending everything you don’t want to know about is bullshit.

    You’ve made a complete fool of yourself. Again. Go to bed.

  28. Bushfire Bill says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 9:34 pm

    You’re one of the saner posters here but you need to put up or shut up on this one.

  31. What is it with this idiot copying and pasting other people’s comments and making them look like someone else’s? But he’s right in one thing. I have no idea about what her interests are and as such made no comment about them. I commented on the fact that she has a publicly subsidised friend on the payroll and while that person may have been checked it certainly wasn’t a properly tendered arrangement. Quelle surprise.
    And as for the claim that poor widdle Jenny “has a house to run”, are we talking about the Lodge or Kirribilli House? Is anyone seriously suggesting that she “runs” anything at all to do with those houses (personal matters aside)?

  32. Quasar says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    That doesn’t prove that the employed person isn’t doing the job that they are paid to do.

  34. Becephalus,

    You are very funny. You could even be a caricature on Micallef.

    Gosh I miss The Late Show. Champagne Comedy!

  35. Griff says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 9:51 pm

    The mud slinging against the Prime Minister’s wife who had done nothing to deserve it is disgraceful.

    Just remember it when the next ALP PM’s partner is copping it.

  37. Bucephalus (apologies for the misspelling previous),

    I agree that personal insults are not ideal. Sadly they are part and parcel of modern political engagement. I especially dislike referral to physical attributes, positive or negative.

    The question of financial subsidy of the PM’s close family, be it parents lodging in Kirribilli, or a taxpayer-paid job that is not openly advertised to provide support to the PM’s spouse, should be open to taxpayer scrutiny.

    Do you agree with the current arrangement?

  38. The mud slinging against the Prime Minister’s wife who had done nothing to deserve it is disgraceful.

    Indeed not. It appears she gave her palsy-walsy bridesmaid a gig at Kirribilli House, without tendering or advertising the position.

    The bridesmaid’s hubby is reportedly one of Morrison’s best mates. He is also rolled gold Q-Anon.

    Where I come from those kinds of coincidences stink to High Heaven.

    “Once is happenstance. Twice… co-incidence. But three times? Three times is enemy action.”

  39. Roy Orbison @ #2876 Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 – 9:46 pm

    What is it with this idiot copying and pasting other people’s comments and making them look like someone else’s? But he’s right in one thing. I have no idea about what her interests are and as such made no comment about them. I commented on the fact that she has a publicly subsidised friend on the payroll and while that person may have been checked it certainly wasn’t a properly tendered arrangement. Quelle surprise.
    And as for the claim that poor widdle Jenny “has a house to run”, are we talking about the Lodge or Kirribilli House? Is anyone seriously suggesting that she “runs” anything at all to do with those houses (personal matters aside)?

    They have servants.

  40. Just remember it when the next ALP PM’s partner is copping it.

    I remember the way Therese Rein was treated.

    I remember the way Tim Mathieson was lampooned as an obvious homosexual, and on At Home With Julia.

    Don’t worry, Bukey Boy, we will remember.

  41. I hope the ABC and the rest of the loony left keep picking on the PM’s wife only helps the liberal party just ask Magda. The punters hate bullies get into Morrison he is the PM, all is fair…, but leave the innocent parties out of it. God I hope the run with it, gonna back fire big.

  42. Griff says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    “a taxpayer-paid job that is not openly advertised to provide support to the PM’s spouse”

    Is that the job description? Any evidence to support that?

  43. Steelydan,

    I agree with your last comment.

    Much bigger fish to fry right now. The vaccination imbroglio is the size of a game fish!

  44. The punters hate bullies get into Morrison he is the PM, all is fair…, but leave the innocent parties out of it.

    God I hope the run with it, gonna back fire big.

    When the PM’s wife appoints her bridesmaid and BFF to an undefined position with Top Secret clearance level, at taxpayer expense, a woman whose husband believes that a secret cabal of Hollywood and monied elites are harvesting the adrenalin from children that they keep captive in dungeons located underneath Washington pizza parlours, and that Trump will be reinstated as President in Ausugst this year, yeah, it’s time to raise eyebrows.

  45. Eh I see someone brings up ALP people and their family being slurred, but that’s nothing new, News Corp does it all the time and the Liberals would join in.
    We even had a royal commission that looked into Gillards boyfriend from like 30 years ago or something. Actually question her about it….
    Abbott actually ran with it as opposition, much of the media were ok with it too.

  46. Bushfire Bill says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    “I remember the way Therese Rein was treated.”

    I don’t remember anything negative about Ms Rein except some exposure of the wealth she built through government contracts.

    “I remember the way Tim Mathieson was lampooned as an obvious homosexual, and on At Home With Julia.”

    Tim “don’t you know who I am” Mathieson was a hairdresser so the ABC Comedy guys, who generally give the Left & Greens a free pass went for the stereotype.

    Did Gillard and he seperate as soon as she was stabbed by Rudd?

  47. Bucephalus
    No one gives a rats about Jenny.. but please offer a job description any job description that a life long friend would qualify for & still pass the pub test.

    Chief silver polisher isn’t one of them.
    Scott wouldn’t know probity if it bit him on the arse.

  48. The Age 03/06
    Teacher Ms Parker said schools had been “blindsided” by the state government’s decision to extend lockdown but send all regional students and Melbourne VCE students back to face-to-face teaching. Schools were previously open only to vulnerable students and children of essential workers.

    “There was a lot of shock. We were not expecting at all for year 11 and 12 to go back and a lot of people are feeling like we’re sacrificial lambs,” she said.
    _______________
    Ms Parker might be receiving a call from the AEU tomorrow.

  50. Sceptic says:
    Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    I have a lifelong friend who is one of Australia’s top colorectal surgeons. I asked him to operate on me when I had bowel cancer. The government paid him tens of thousands for the work. I’m waiting for you to accuse me of corruption.

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