Lockdown miscellany

Top end preselection news, a date set for a Queensland state by-election, and the latest on federal and state redistributions.

As a new financial year dawns, it’s all happening on Poll Bludger — in addition to this post, there is:

• A new post by Adrian Beaumont on Britain’s Batley and Spen by-election, French regional elections and the New York City mayoral election;

• A post on the new draft state redistribution for Victoria, including my calculations of party vote shares for the new boundaries;

• A post on the federal redistribution for Victoria, which has now been finalised, and which likewise comes with an accounting of party vote shares under the new boundaries, and some analysis of how the changes affects the Greens prospects in Macnamara and Higgins; and

• The regular bi-monthly donation drive.

Further developments:

• The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party has preselected Jacinta Price as its Senate candidate at the expense of incumbent Sam McMahon, who came to the position at the 2019 election. Price is the deputy mayor of Alice Springs Council and head of indigenous research at conservative think thank the Centre for Independent Studies, and ran unsuccessfully for the CLP in Lingiari at the 2019 election. McMahon was in the news last week after her unsteadiness while in the Senate chamber prompted allegations she was drunk, although she insisted she had in fact been suffering symptoms of severe hypertension.

• The mayor of Alice Springs, Damien Ryan, has been preselected by the CLP as its new candidate for Lingiari, which will be vacated with the retirement of Labor veteran Warren Snowdon. Labor’s new candidate is Marion Scrymgour, former Deputy Chief Minister and current chief executive of the Northern Land Council.

• Federal parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has published the report from its inquiry on the future conduct of elections operating during times of emergency situations. After considering the recent experiences of Queensland council elections, the Eden-Monaro by-election and general elections in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, it offers fairly modest recommendations: to give the Electoral Commissioner the power to extend pre-polling periods and allow for no-excuse postal and pre-poll voting (which exists de facto in any case) should the circumstances demand it, and to change the Electoral Act to change the date of an election in an emergency, giving better effect to a power that already exists under the Constitution.

• July 24 has been set as the date for Queensland’s Stretton by-election, which will fill the vacancy created by Labor member Duncan Pegg’s resignation after a terminal cancer diagnosis in May, followed weeks later by his death. The by-election will be contested for Labor by James Martin, a former electorate officer to Pegg, and for the Liberal National Party by Jim Bellos, a police officer and former Queenslander of the Year. Labor’s margin in the seat is 14.8%; I’ll be publishing a guide to the by-election soon-ish.

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.

2,534 comments on “Lockdown miscellany”

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  1. How does Gladys expect people to behave when her constant message has been “NSW is not like other states which impose terrible restrictions on your freedoms. You should be free to move around, go interstate if you want and enjoy yourselves.”

    People are just following her advice. What does she expect them to do?

    Meanwhile, she chases headlines – as if she is the only premier wanting a proper vaccine roll out.

    ‘We need timelines’: Berejiklian pushes for 10 million jabs target for NSW

    The NSW Premier wants national cabinet to set a timeline and target for vaccinating the nation. She says NSW should aim for 10 million jabs or 80 per cent of adults vaccinated.
    22 minutes ago (SMH)

  2. Recon

    I’m surprised the upper echelons went along with his seemingly life long appointment.

    Xi had a big crackdown on corruption. Some serious and at times fatal outcomes. A number of the ‘upper echelon’ would have be a little nervous about upsetting him lest he look too closely. So best keep in his good books. Plus a lot of the current upper echelon would owe their position to him.

  3. Simon Katichsays: Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 2:28 pm

    I cut him slack. But if he wants to play at the major tournaments then he has to be fit enough to go as deep as his talent suggests he can go.

    ********************************************

    I wonder in later years if he will ever regret not fully capitalizing on his obvious natural ability and be a Marlon Brando – ‘ I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am ‘

    ( On The Waterfront )

  4. Solo sports are much less forgiving than team sports (although cricket is half way in between). You often see a soccer or AFL champion have a bad game which would equate to losing an early round in a Slam. You’ve always got next week in team sports but not individual sports.

  5. BK

    Simon Birmingham has dismissed criticism of the Coalition’s discredited commuter car park fund, declaring that “the Australian people had their chance and voted the government back in”.

    Trans: If you were fooled by our lies and false promises, that’s entirely your own fault.

    Birmingham pretends to be reasonable but he’s as shifty as all the rest.

  6. BK @ #2299 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 12:35 pm

    Simon Birmingham has dismissed criticism of the Coalition’s discredited commuter car park fund, declaring that “the Australian people had their chance and voted the government back in”.
    _____________
    That has to be one of the most disgusting things ever said by a senior politician.

    It’s actually a pretty honest self appraisal.

    Voters should know that we’re a pack of self serving scum, so …

    You get what you vote for!

  7. Diogenes:

    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    [‘…It’s basically child abuse.’]

    I think the likes of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray might take umbrage with that comment, though I guess it may have currency with a few players whose fathers were trying to live their lives through their children – eg, Graff, Dokic.

  8. Barney in Tanjung Bunga @ #2307 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 2:40 pm

    BK @ #2299 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 12:35 pm

    Simon Birmingham has dismissed criticism of the Coalition’s discredited commuter car park fund, declaring that “the Australian people had their chance and voted the government back in”.
    _____________
    That has to be one of the most disgusting things ever said by a senior politician.

    It’s actually a pretty honest self appraisal.

    Voters should know that we’re a pack of self serving scum, so …

    You get what you vote for!

    Birmingham like Jewelry Bishop comes in a smart clean, polite package which masks their black Liberal hearts. Truly contemptible ratbags of the highest order.
    From time to time Mrs Mundo likes to say why do hate, Mundo? It’s so childish.
    Try not hating, I say. Hate is earned.
    As I’ve said before; what the fuck is the point of the Liberal party.
    There is a point to pond scum.

  9. Barney in Tanjung Bunga @ #2307 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 2:40 pm

    BK @ #2299 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 12:35 pm

    Simon Birmingham has dismissed criticism of the Coalition’s discredited commuter car park fund, declaring that “the Australian people had their chance and voted the government back in”.
    _____________
    That has to be one of the most disgusting things ever said by a senior politician.

    It’s actually a pretty honest self appraisal.

    Voters should know that we’re a pack of self serving scum, so …

    You get what you vote for!

    If this sort of contempt doesn’t really fire Labor up, I don’t know what will.

  10. guytaur @ #2276 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 2:09 pm

    Mavis

    It’s his life. He has made a choice.
    He can live off tennis without being in the spotlight.
    Since he publicly made his announcement his on court behaviour has improved markedly.

    There is no point for him if he doesn’t enjoy the game. So I support his decision and admire his courage in finally standing up to the demands made on him by others.

    He’s a multi-millionaire.
    Talk about something else.

  11. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/02/australia-virus-delta-borders-lockdown

    “Only about 6 percent of Australia’s population is fully vaccinated, the lowest rate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

    One factor in the slow rollout is that Australian officials advised against using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in anyone under 60 because of the remote risk of blood clots.

    Sufficient supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna [and Novavax and UN’s Covax facility] vaccines to complete the rollout aren’t due to arrive until later in the year.“

  12. He therefore at least owes these two benefactors, and the Australian public, a return on their investment.
    —————-
    That is not how it works. But even if it did, Kyrgios has delivered to some extent. Highest ranking of 13. Beaten Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Performed well in Davis cup. Seems supportive of the next gen.

  13. poroti says:
    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    Recon

    I’m surprised the upper echelons went along with his seemingly life long appointment.

    Xi had a big crackdown on corruption. Some serious and at times fatal outcomes. A number of the ‘upper echelon’ would have be a little nervous about upsetting him lest he look too closely. So best keep in his good books. Plus a lot of the current upper echelon would owe their position to him.
    ______________________________
    Xi’s crackdown on corruption is selective. There was a high correlation between corrupt cadres and Xi’s political enemies.
    China executes around 5,000 people a year – how many is yet another example of the secrecy which cloaks the despotism.
    Families get to pay for the bullet.
    Xi himself is supposed to be worth north of a billion. Not bad on a salary of around 25,000.
    The National People’s Congress has more billionaires in it than ALL of the rest of the world’s representative bodies put together.
    Want a corrupt comrade billionaire? Take your pick.

  14. I didn’t watch it, but reports on the NSW/Gladys presser are saying that Gladys appeared stressed and impatient for it to be over. Did she sound confident?

  15. Barney in Tanjung Bunga:

    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    [‘If they’re not happy, maybe they should look at their vetting process.’]

    Perhaps yes. The powers that be think when one is given a hand up in life, there’s an expectation on the giftees to perform to the best of their ability. Phillipousous, Kyrgrios & Tomic are three who haven’t, opting in lieu for the high life. I recall Harry Hopman’s coaching techniques, which although appear over the top today, produced a string of champions – eg, Sedgman, Hoad, Laver, Rosewall, Fraser, Emerson, Newcombe & Roche.

  16. We got jab 2 of AZ today. The peeps attending this jabfest seemed on average to be younger than the peeps at our last jabfest. This would not be a difficult ask.
    Our jabber suggested that our Mrna booster could well come as a 2-in-1 with our next season’s flu shot.

  17. Diogenes:

    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    [‘Mavis

    The successful players would disagree it’s child abuse. The 99% who didn’t make it might not.’]

    Yes, that’s a reasonable angle to come from.

  18. Has anybody read what the CCP did to Xi’s family when he was young? I’m sure a few relatives of those who persecuted them got caught up in the corruption crackdown.

  19. Mundo

    One aspect of what Kyrios is doing is turning his back on chasing after ever more money.

    There are quite a few billionaires that could learn from this.

  20. Last night, at about 9.30 pm, my partner read a tweet from a woman in Sydney saying that she just tested positive, and that her father who is in a nursing home is also positive. Will it be reported?

    Structurally (if not ‘post structurally’, whatever that is) that’s very poor quality information.

    The only thing that is potentially significant is that the path for information from nursing homes is unlikely to be the same as for the community; the information would have better value if nursing homes were reported separately, but that runs against various interests

  21. Recon says:
    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 3:06 pm
    Has anybody read what the CCP did to Xi’s family when he was young? I’m sure a few relatives of those who persecuted them got caught up in the corruption crackdown.
    ____________________________________
    Payback is a biatch!

  22. Mavis @ #2318 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 1:02 pm

    Barney in Tanjung Bunga:

    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    [‘If they’re not happy, maybe they should look at their vetting process.’]

    Perhaps yes. The powers that be think when one is given a hand up in life, there’s an expectation on the giftees to perform to the best of their ability. Phillipousous, Kyrgrios & Tomic are three who haven’t, opting in lieu for the high life. I recall Harry Hopman’s coaching techniques, which although appear over the top today, produced a string of champions – eg, Sedgman, Hoad, Laver, Rosewall, Fraser, Emerson, Newcombe & Roach.

    You’ve got the rose coloured glasses on today.

    Your talk about past champions neglects the fact that much of the world wasn’t playing tennis at an elite level at that time.

    I would suggest that the motivation for supporting the development of sportspeople is more about appeasing the public’s and politicians’ desire to bath in any achieved glory.

  23. David O’Byrne has resigned as Tasmanian Labor leader over allegations he sexually harassed a junior union employee more than a decade ago.

  24. I have been wondering what proportion of aged care workers would be younger than sixty. If they are required to be vaccinated by September is there sufficient Pfizer vaccine available to ensure they all can get it if they wish, or will they be compelled to have AZ whether or not they want it.

  25. Holdenhillbilly says:
    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 3:19 pm
    David O’Byrne has resigned as Tasmanian Labor leader over allegations he sexually harassed a junior union employee more than a decade ago.
    _________________________
    They may need to import a hack from Melbourne. Maybe Littlefinger could go down and have his own kingdom to run?

  26. boerwar

    Xi himself is supposed to be worth north of a billion.

    Surely it must be eleventy billion by now ? It’s how our ‘baddies’ ‘supposed’ wealth claims go. Bad Vlad went from ‘supposed’ single digit billions then up and up and up to a ‘supposed’ $200,000,000,000 in a few short years.

  27. Bennelong Lurker @ #2330 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 1:22 pm

    I have been wondering what proportion of aged care workers would be younger than sixty. If they are required to be vaccinated by September is there sufficient Pfizer vaccine available to ensure they all can get it if they wish, or will they be compelled to have AZ whether or not they want it.

    Well they’re supposed to be about 2.5 million Pfizer vaccines coming in each month, so they should be able to put a few aside and finally get high risk and essential workers vaccinated.

  28. Boerwar & Recon:

    Last week’s “Foreign Correspondent” is worth a look on ABC iview, and Tuesday’s is the second part. It concerns Xi Jinping’s formative years.

  29. David O’Byrne has resigned as Tasmanian Labor leader over allegations he sexually harassed a junior union employee more than a decade ago.

    That was quick. Geez, how often do you see a leadership tenure that is not measured in years or months but days?

    EDIT: I mean an elected leader, not someone serving in an interim capacity.

  30. I’m in Tassie – about to head out for a family dinner where the topic will be what a mess Labor are in the State.

    Frustrates the beejesus out of me that we no longer discuss policy or what each Party wants to achieve (or not) but it is all about the latest scandal.

    I am sure O’byrne will not get a second chance like Joyce or Porter etc

  31. Aged care workers were supposed to be in Category 1A. Not sure why there would still be in-vaccinated people.

  32. Tomorrow night’s 4 Corners could be a good one.
    “How the casino regulator failed to stop crime at Crown. Industry insiders speak for the first time about how the regulator allowed crime to flourish under its nose and how Crown is not the only one that needs to accountable.”

  33. davidwh @ #2342 Sunday, July 4th, 2021 – 1:35 pm

    Aged care workers were supposed to be in Category 1A. Not sure why there would still be in-vaccinated people.

    You haven’t been paying much attention to the issue then.

    There are a lot of people from that category who haven’t been vaccinated yet.

  34. boerwar:

    Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 3:34 pm

    [‘Mavis
    Thank you.
    Does it say when he swam across the Yangtse?’]

    Not yet. But it does look at how his family was affected by the purge(s) and provides background as to why China’s now so bellicose. It’s a tad hagiographic at times but well worth a look. It was
    Sun Tzu who coined the phrase “know thy enemy.”

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