Three items to get the ball rolling on a new week, all of which happen to be from The Australian:
• The paper reported on Friday that yet another election campaign looks set to be blighted by a Clive Palmer advertising blitz. However, whereas his efforts before the 2019 federal election were directed entirely at Labor, this time Palmer also hopes to settle scores with Peter Dutton in the campaign for his seat of Dickson, after Dutton last week spearheaded a purge of Palmer allies at the top level of the Liberal National Party organisation.
• Plans for a November federal election have been “shelved to get the government’s vaccine rollout back on track”, with the government now “actively considering whether to repeat the 2019 strategy and hold an April budget in the run-up to an electoral showdown with Labor”.
• Also today, focus group research of voters in outer Melbourne by Redbridge has detected a “perceived bias towards NSW” on the part of the Morrison government, together with “a rejuvenation of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ standing”. Redbridge has also detected “voter hesitancy about the Prime Minister” in western Sydney.
On a personal level of disliking the man, I should be delighted to see the back of Peter Dutton in Parliament, but then there is the question of what high paying position he would be gifted and who else might be able to knock Scomo off his pedestal.
More likely plans for a November election have been shelved to get the government’s satisfaction ratings back on track.
Palmer is a liberal party cronie no matter what name he uses , going after Dutton means very little benefit for Australians
With Astra Zeneca being discontinued from October this year ,and delays in the other vaccines coming to Australia .
Morrison and his cronies would be in more trouble next year with the vaccine rollout still being in a mess
What were ‘ Palmer allies at the top level of the Liberal National Party organisation’ doing there in 2021 anyway!?!
Rhetorical question. 🙂
Heres a long shot who might be the Liberal Party leader of the opposition ,when Labor wins government at the upcoming federal election
Nick Coatsworth
Scott:
Modelling indicates we’ll be on track to have the 70% of the adult population fully vaccinated by mid-January 2022. I’m sure the govt has factored this into their election timing calculations.
Covidiot of the Day:
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/man-turned-away-from-protest-tested-positive-for-covid-the-next-day-20210730-p58efc.html
Confessions says:
Monday, August 2, 2021 at 6:59 am
Scott:
Modelling indicates we’ll be on track to have the 70% of the adult population fully vaccinated by mid-January 2022. I’m sure the govt has factored this into their election timing calculations.
—————-
Do you believe that
When the original modelling was up to 90% of the population being vaccinated in October 2021
Scott:
It will depend on the other states/territories. At the moment NSW is going gangbusters with vaccines, for obvious reasons, other states not so much.
And besides, 70% of the adult population represents less than 60% of the total population, so may not be a protective target in terms of providing herd immunity against Covid.
And the government’s fortunes may well depend on how well the vaccination holds up. As we’ve seen elsewhere, Covid is still wreaking havoc in countries high vaccination rates.
The ABC seems to be accepting the phases that will bring us all out of lockdowns without question.
But what’s really changed? Nothing.
Confessions
I will be surprised if Morrison and his cronies incompetence can repair the damage they have caused.
This situation is Qld. is that it needs to lock down hard now….. not tomorrow!
NSW, having already missed the boat, needs to lockdown hard to avoid continuing personal, social and economic hardship.
An election at any time soon, even next year, is now at risk following the complete ineptitude shown by Morrison and his government. Gladys has caused long lasting damage and continues to do so.
Thanks to some leadership, Tassie, Victoria, SA, WA, ACT and NT are still in control.
Morrison is presently governing by decree, the Federal government essentially dissolved, don’t be surprised if this idiot in charge attempts some modern day de facto coup by extending his reign.
We can only hope Morrison gets a better offer and bolts.
Much of the existing Covid damage and the damage already prescribed for the future could have been avoided.
Half a heart Morrison will be scorned for an eternity for his short sighted reluctance to make decisions.
A complete dud!
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Sean Kelly reckons Albanese is proving to be an elusive target for the Coalition’s election playbook.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-proving-an-elusive-target-for-coalition-s-election-playbook-20210801-p58ev8.html
According to David Crowe, Anthony Albanese has vowed to overhaul national cabinet to offer a more “cohesive” approach to the pandemic if he wins power, accusing Prime Minister Scott Morrison of showing favouritism between states when the country needed unity.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/failure-to-lead-albanese-plans-new-approach-for-national-cabinet-20210801-p58esi.html
The Grattan Institute argues that the National Cabinet’s plan out of COVID aims too low on vaccinations and leaves crucial questions unanswered. Quite a concerning discussion.
https://theconversation.com/national-cabinets-plan-out-of-covid-aims-too-low-on-vaccinations-and-leaves-crucial-questions-unanswered-165447
“Is dysfunction too embedded in this government?”, wonders a critical Nicholas Stuart. He says that Kathryn Campbell’s appointment to head up DFAT is simply another small marker of the continuing disintegration of the public service from professionals capable of providing independent advice and its transformation into a collective of functionaries.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7366120/is-dysfunction-too-embedded-in-this-government/?cs=14264
Michael Keating in the first of two articles looks at what Labor has to offer in the forthcoming election. Today, he discusses the impact on equity and inequality, while Part 2, tomorrow will discuss the implications for the ability of a Labor Government to pay for the services that we need and want.
https://johnmenadue.com/what-does-labor-offer-part-1/
The Australia Institute’s Allan Behm sets out to explain why Australia’s public policy management is being militarised.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/operation-khaki-creep-why-public-policy-management-is-being-militarised-20210801-p58ern.html
Australia’s top economists have overwhelmingly rejected cuts to either permanent or temporary migration as a means of restoring lost wage growth, writes Peter Martin.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2021/08/02/migration-wage-growth-economy/
John Kehoe reports that Josh Frydenberg has failed to set up a Treasury-recommended independent review of the $90 billion wages subsidy program, after $25 billion was paid to firms that did not record the predicted revenue falls. Shameless!
https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/treasurer-dodges-review-of-jobkeeper-waste-20210730-p58ecu
Anna Patty tells us that Uber drivers in Sydney and Melbourne have launched legal action in the Federal Court of Australia to determine if they and thousands of other gig workers are employees rather than individual contractors. This will be a pivotal IR case.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/uber-drivers-launch-test-case-in-federal-court-20210801-p58es8.html
YouTube has suspended Sky News Australia from uploading content onto its website after the video and live-streaming platform said the News Corp-controlled media company had breached its COVID-19 misinformation standards.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/sky-news-australia-suspended-and-handed-a-strike-from-youtube-20210801-p58ev1.html
The ABC has recruited University of Sydney Professor Rodney Tiffen and award-winning journalist Chris Masters to conduct an investigation into its series on the Luna Park fire tragedy after complaints were made about the way NSW Premier Neville Wran was characterised in the program.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/abc-recruits-rodney-tiffen-chris-masters-to-review-four-corners-ghost-train-series-20210801-p58eua.html
Restrictions on pandemic-fatigued Australians may start to be eased as early as mid-November under a national cabinet road map but it hinges on young men getting their jabs and laggard states that are struggling to get their residents vaccinated, explain Shane Wright and Katina Curtis.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/freedom-from-lockdowns-in-november-hinges-on-the-nation-s-young-men-20210801-p58eu5.html
Residents in Gippsland emerge as least vaccinated at state immunisation centres, but the federal government has refused to release data showing if poorer suburbs falling behind. So much for transparency!
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/fears-over-areas-left-behind-in-vaccine-rollout-as-federal-government-refuses-to-release-data-20210730-p58ekv.html
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rate for adults should reach 77 per cent without great difficulty but pushing it above that to the ultimate target range of 80 per cent will be tougher, according to federal government research, write Phil Coorey and Tom Burton.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/more-effort-will-be-needed-to-hit-80pc-vaccine-target-20210730-p58ee6
Sociology professor, Andrew Jakubowicz, describes in some detail a tale of two cities in the same pandemic.
Nearly 15,000 visas have been granted to foreign millionaires since the start of the pandemic under a scheme that has been criticised for allowing people to buy their way into Australia, writes Caitlin Fitzsimmons.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/15-000-rich-foreigners-given-visas-to-australia-during-the-pandemic-20210721-p58bky.html
More from Fitsimmons who reports that more than 500,000 people in NSW are now fully vaccinated, but they are unlikely to be given greater freedom of movement.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/why-nsw-won-t-give-special-privileges-to-the-fully-vaccinated-any-time-soon-20210729-p58e8c.html
In common with the thugs who invaded the US Capitol on January 6, the Australian protesters against lockdown measures on July 24 displayed extremism which threatens the civility of democracy and thereby others’ freedoms, opines Stuart Rees.
https://johnmenadue.com/covid-fuelled-violence-threatens-civility-and-democracy/
Monash University has set out to objectively evaluate who were Australia’s best Prime Ministers.
https://theconversation.com/who-were-australias-best-prime-ministers-we-asked-the-experts-165302
Lisa Cox reports that federal environmental department officials questioned the credibility of a government plan to use heritage-listed land it already owned as the main environmental offset for the western Sydney airport.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/02/environment-officials-questioned-use-of-heritage-listed-land-as-offset-for-western-sydney-airport
Shane Wright and Jennifer Duke write that economists are warning the 2032 Brisbane Olympics could deliver gold medals to athletes but leave the economy in last place, saying the claimed financial windfall from the event are over-blown while dragging money away from necessary community investments.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/gold-medal-brisbane-will-20210801-p58erd.html
Anthony Fauci has predicted that the number of cases and hospitalisations in the United States “will get worse” but that measures seen in the early days of the pandemic, such as closing businesses, were unlikely to return.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/anthony-fauci-predicts-covid-cases-to-rise-in-us-but-more-lockdowns-are-unlikely-20210802-p58exn.html
The Tokyo Olympics has been a winner for Channel 7 in its first week and has been declared the “biggest digital event in Australian history”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/tokyo-olympics-attract-largest-streaming-audiences-in-australias-history/news-story/08b4d6711652ccea20faf83c84f75a12
Cartoon Corner
David Rowe










Peter Broelman
Joe Benke
Matt Golding
Michael Leunig
Glen Le Lievre
Mark Knight
https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/83858c2aab7f10ea316b003b9df38505#image’jpg
Leak
From the US
Morrison and his cronies can still not fix up the covid safe app debacle
Thanks BK. As always your morning efforts are appreciated!
This is a comment I just wrote to the David Crowe article:
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/failure-to-lead-albanese-plans-new-approach-for-national-cabinet-20210801-p58esi.html#comments
Wow, I didn’t know this about Rohan browning, our young Aussie 100M sprint star. He’s the son on former ABC journalist, Liz Jackson and a NSW ICAC investigator:
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/the-schoolboy-moment-that-launched-browning-s-career-20210801-p58et8.html
Anyway just hope the states/territories do not allow Morrison and his cronies take the credit , whenever the target is reach
Modelling indicates we’ll be on track to have the 70% of the adult population fully vaccinated by mid-January 2022
So that would mean that after 11 months only 56% of the population is fully vaccinated – a pathetic effort. Herd immunity would still be several months off.
“Modelling indicates we’ll be on track to have the 70% of the adult population fully vaccinated by mid-January 2022”
That is about 28 million vaccines so 16 million more than currently done – over 25 weeks = 640,000 per week when we are doing 1.1 million a week and NSW will hopefully drive that figure up.
The 70% will only happen if people choose not to have the vaccine. At an individual level, we will need to decide how we deal with those around us who make that election.
April gives Morrison a full 9 months to stuff something else up.
Has this Olympics been one of the best ever, 7+ App / streaming means you can watch to your taste with no ( virtually non) Ads & no inane 7 commentary … Australian jingoism rate declining is a bonus.
GB are coming to get us.
Hopefully Hoy and the Event team will get a silver in the horsey stuff today.
UK Cartoons:





Brian Adcock: Coercive tactics from tory tool, Boris Johnson. #coercivecontrol #COVID #BorisJohnson #FreePizza
Ben Jennings on Latin and vaccines
Patrick Blower on #BorisJohnson #FreePizza #CovidJabs
Mac on #Holidays #CovidRestrictions #HolidayRestrictions
Peter Schrank on #GlobalWarming #BorisJohnson #TokyoOlympics
BK forgot the big news overnight:

Shane Warne is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 along with another unnamed member of the London Spirit backroom staff.
WB: Redbridge has also detected “voter hesitancy about the Prime Minister” in western Sydney.
What do you expect otherwise when the PM of this country criminalised the travel ban from only one foreign country (although COVID was rampant in various parts of the world at various times) and unleashes the Military on Western Sydney.
Maybe he was not the “PM of NSW” as Andrews pointed but the PM of certain parts of NSW.
Victoria records two new local COVID cases, tracking ‘really well’ to ease restrictions
Victoria has recorded two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, both of which are linked to the current outbreak and were quarantined while infectious.
The cases were detected from among 21,417 test results processed yesterday.
On Sunday, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the state was “tracking really well” for the anticipated easing of restrictions next Wednesday.
Professor Sutton also highlighted that recent cases who were fully vaccinated experienced mild symptoms at worst, underscoring the protection offered by both AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-02/victoria-new-covid-cases-delta-outbreak/100341804
”
Scottsays:
Monday, August 2, 2021 at 6:39 am
Palmer is a liberal party cronie no matter what name he uses , going after Dutton means very little benefit for Australians
”
How much difference did it make by just defeating Abbott in 2019?
Morning all. Thanks for the coverage BK. A curious assortment of political messages.
Messages aside, and agreeing Sydney desperately needs to mass vaccinate, I just don’t see how vaccination alone will get Sydney out of the need for a tougher lockdown. Even at 500,000 jabs a week, it will take 16 weeks to give everyone in Sydney 2 jabs. Four months! In the mean time there will be a lot of deaths.
Alpha Zero
I did see it but did not link it. Warne is quite dumb in many ways and this is one of them.
Sceptic @ #23 Monday, August 2nd, 2021 – 8:12 am
Exactly. And it will be available for 5 months more. 🙂
C@t
Moir is right on the job there!
Ven says:
Monday, August 2, 2021 at 8:24 am
How much difference did it make by just defeating Abbott in 2019?
—————-
Not much at all , the government did not change
Australia is no better
”
Sean Kelly reckons Albanese is proving to be an elusive target for the Coalition’s election playbook.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-proving-an-elusive-target-for-coalition-s-election-playbook-20210801-p58ev8.html
”
I don’t know about that. One thing LNP proved that they are very good at is to throw political dirt and mud at ALP leader and make it stick.
Even if Dutton is replaced and the Lib/nats are in opposition , The likely new member would be lib/nats leaning
I’m hoping Palmer’s latest run is more a QLD 2020 affair rather than Fed 2019, but I am getting a bit nervous about it. If he is able to get the likes of Newman, Kelly, etc, on board, it could build up a niche but substantial following.
It’s unlikely it would do well enough to win a Senate quota (at least in Queensland’s crowded field of right-wing minors), let alone a house seat. However, it could prove very successful in funneling preferences from anti-lockdown and anti-vax types (and you might be surprised at how many in this crowd are either working class or old-school hippies) back to the Coalition.
Won’t matter if Labor’s well ahead, but in a close election it could make all the difference.
I heard on RN this morning some strong advocacy for AstraZeneca. If what was said was true, why then has the government decided to discontinue its use in October? Surely, this is a decision which will only exacerbate a possible shortage of vaccines.
I was never able to get much satisfaction out of Abbott’s defeat. Had Labor won office, it would have been an extra sweetener, but ultimately all it did was rid Morrison of a leadership rival.
Asha Leu,
I’m pretty sure that the now, known quantity, that is Clive Palmer, will have been war-gamed by Labor. Plus, the electorate aren’t stupid, as I think it was Sean Kelly said it today, they are smarter than politicians give them credit for, and they, too, have seen Clive Palmer up close and personal over the last 3 years and would be pretty hip to his antics and modus operandi. Plus, Campbell Newman is running for the Liberal democrats, not the UAP. Which also highlights the continued fracturing on the Right. I guess they can all direct their preferences to the LNP/Coalition but it also means they can’t all win crucial Senate seats.
Apparently the virus has emotions and knows if you are vaccinated or not, according to the man who is the prime minister
“The virus doesn’t care what your political views are, Scott Morrison says.
It just cares whether you are vaccinated.”
—————–
C@tmomma:
I hope you’re right.
Newman hasn’t made any decision yet on what party he’s running for. One might think he’d have more sense than to put his lot in with Palmer, but the promise of millions in campaign funding can affect one’s judgement.
Asha @ #38 Monday, August 2nd, 2021 – 8:40 am
Labor was well ahead last time.
It does matter.
In the end all elections are close.
Even when the incumbent is a complete dropkickingfuckwit.
”
Alpha Zerosays:
Monday, August 2, 2021 at 8:18 am
BK forgot the big news overnight:
Shane Warne is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 along with another unnamed member of the London Spirit backroom staff.
”
Is Warne vaccinated?
Sceptic @ #23 Monday, August 2nd, 2021 – 8:12 am
I agree. However, the commentary on the athletics stream that I watched before and after the men’s 100 metres was vomit inducing – how many meaningless platitudes can you fit into one sentence. It was as if he’d won the Nobel Peace Prize, a Victoria Cross and found a cure for cancer.
Asha @ #43 Monday, August 2nd, 2021 – 8:51 am
Thanks for that, I didn’t know Newman hadn’t made a decision yet. Still, who does he think he is? Lazarus with a triple bypass? 😀
How anyone could be so possessed of self-belief to think they could resurrect their political career after one of THE most catastrophic failures to govern well in modern Australian political history, is beyond my comprehension.
”
BKsays:
Monday, August 2, 2021 at 8:27 am
Alpha Zero
I did see it but did not link it. Warne is quite dumb in many ways and this is one of them.
”
But a genius at one act. 🙂
Asha,
There’s also the point that Palmer’s multi million dollar state election campaign, from this distance, appeared to have failed to resonate with Queenslanders. So have we come to the point where flooding the field with advertising isn’t the magic bullet it once was in politics?
Ballantyne says:
Monday, August 2, 2021 at 8:54 am
Sceptic @ #23 Monday, August 2nd, 2021 – 8:12 am
Haven’t watch yet…when I do it will be sound OFF
Was it the one & only mansplaining specialist Bruce McAvaney?