Essential Research: leadership ratings and COVID management

Downward motion for Anthony Albanese and the Berejiklian goverment in the latest Essential poll.

First up, note that below this post is a review of recent happenings in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany by Adrian Beaumont.

Now to the fortnightly Essential Research poll, which includes the pollster’s monthly leadership ratings. Scott Morrison’s position has not further declined since last month, with his approval down one to 50% and disapproval steady on 40%. However, Anthony Albanese, who has long done relatively well out of this pollster in consistently recording net positive ratings, has taken a seven-point tumble on approval to 34%, while his disapproval is up three to 38%. The change on preferred prime minister is more modest, with Morrison’s lead out from 46-28 to 45-26. The effects of all this on the BludgerTrack trends can be observed here.

The stabilisation in Morrison’s personal ratings are not matched in the regular question on the government’s response to COVID-19, which has approached net negative territory for the first time with an eight-point drop in good to 38% and a four-point rise in poor to 35%. The Berejiklian government’s good rating of 47% is down seven points on what was already its worst result last month; the Victorian government is up five to 54%; and the Queensland government is down two to 60%. The Western Australian and South Australian ratings of 82% and 73% are off unreliably small samples, but both are well in line with their long-term averages.

Respondents in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia were asked about the lockdowns in their states, the survey period having begun before the Queensland lockdown. Fifty per cent of New South Wales respondents felt the government had not locked down hard enough, compared with 11% for too hard and 39% for about right. By contrast, 71% of Victorian and 85% of South Australian respondents felt their governments had it about right. However, there is some evidence of a shift in attitudes in Victoria in that more felt the lockdown too harsh (23%) than not harsh enough (6%). The respective results in South Australia were 6% and 9%, a difference well within the margin of error.

The poll sample had two bob each way on lockdown support: 47% believed the federal government was doing enough compared with 37% for not enough and 6% for too much, yet 66% supported the return of JobKeeper with only 11% opposed. The lockdown protests of the weekend before last had 18% support with 67% opposed (which is at least more favourable than the numbers reported from New South Wales by Utting Research). The poll was conducted Wednesday to Sunday from a sample of 1057.

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.

1,202 comments on “Essential Research: leadership ratings and COVID management”

Comments Page 1 of 25
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  1. There has been discussion that NSW wants to only track Covid hospital stays. I found this on Twitter from @atthehip

    Where we live in BC Canada they only count folks hospitalized and ICU for as long as they are infectious. So the numbers are not even close to reality for the many suffering for months in hospital before they ultimately recover or die. Antivax tout low hospitalizations.

  2. Fifty per cent of New South Wales respondents felt the government had not locked down hard enough, compared with 11% for too hard and 39% for about right. By contrast, 71% of Victorian and 85% of South Australian respondents felt their governments had it about right.

    And further evidence that voters support the go early, go hard approach to Covid management, particularly when they can see that it works with minimal disruption to their lives.

    The NSW government is too beholden to vested interests and their lobbyists, clearly the reason they were opposed (and still are!) to using lockdowns to control the spread of infection.

  3. Scotty has been pretty much out of site, but Albo hasn’t.

    https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/08/delta-arrives-in-wuhan-after-covid-free-year-city-to-test-12m-residents/

    After going a full year without any locally spread cases of COVID-19, the city where the coronavirus pandemic first began has now detected its first cases involving the delta variant.

    Officials in Wuhan, China, on Monday confirmed three delta cases, prompting them to order coronavirus testing for all 12 million or so of the city’s residents.

    “To ensure that everyone in the city is safe, city-wide nucleic acid testing will be quickly launched for all people to fully screen out positive results and asymptomatic infections,” Wuhan official Li Qiang said at a news briefing, according to the Associated Press.

    In addition to the massive testing campaign, officials sealed off parts of the city and restricted some domestic travel.

    The last locally spread cases of COVID-19 in the city were detected in May of 2020, following intense lockdowns to try to control the spread.

    Since then, China as a whole has been relatively successful at keeping the coronavirus at bay. On Tuesday, China’s National Health Commission reported 90 new cases among the country’s roughly 1.4 billion people.

    —————————————

    This shows that even the slightest sniff – shit can go wrong, and the case to vaccinate and vaccinate.

  4. This sounds like a cop-out to me. How hard is it to employ a security guard to stand at the front of the shop ensuring people are scanning or signing in when they enter? The Woollies I go to has been doing this for weeks now.

    Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci said QR check-ins were a “tricky issue for supermarkets”.

    He said the onus shouldn’t be on supermarkets to enforce the law because it would put workers at risk.

    “We encourage and prompt customers to check in but we do not enforce it and that is because we cannot put our team at risk in those scenarios,” Mr Banducci said.

    “We’ve got to encourage and prompt but we don’t enforce, so if any customers sees someone without a mask, please don’t take it out on one of our team.

    “That is not their role. That is the role of the police.”

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-03/supermarkets-told-to-hire-guards-to-check-qr-codes/100344928

  5. Australians will use a QR-code vaccine certificate for international travel under a multimillion-dollar federal government plan to reopen the borders, but the Coalition is in disagreement over whether to extend the requirement to domestic travel.

    The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal the government’s expenditure review committee of cabinet last week backed a proposal for vaccination certificates, which would lead to quarantine-free international travel. It would involve linking people’s vaccination status on their MyGov accounts – a secure online portal that stores Australians’ personal information – with new digital vaccination certificates and border declarations.
    Australians will have a vaccine certificate for international travel, but the Coalition is split on whether to use it for domestic travel too.

    Australians will have a vaccine certificate for international travel, but the Coalition is split on whether to use it for domestic travel too.Credit:Shutterstock

    Prime Minister Scott Morrison is pushing for the use of the certificates domestically on the basis it will encourage more Australians to get vaccinated faster under national cabinet’s planned four-phase reopening of the country. Mr Morrison on Tuesday released new Doherty Institute modelling that supported an end to lockdowns once national vaccine rates hit 80 per cent of the eligible population.

    But the issue remains contentious within the Coalition party room, with several MPs from within its conservative ranks voicing their opposition against any mandatory system. Several more MPs are prepared to support the system for both international and domestic travel but want it ruled out for supermarkets and other essential activities.

  6. Peter Martin, notoriously hard to please, thinks Albanese’s $300 vaccination incentive is a good idea:

    Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese wants to pay $300 to every Australian resident who is fully vaccinated by December. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the idea is “all bubble, no thought”. But similar tactics have certainly worked elsewhere.

    The cost would work out at $6 billion. But given that newly released government modelling puts the cost of Australia-wide lockdowns at $3.2 billion per week, it would be money well spent.

    As I outline in a review of the research, small incentive payments can have a big effect. A few hundred dollars paid to someone to stop smoking is microscopic compared with the financial benefits of not smoking, but it can make all the difference.

    In the United States people are given all sorts of incentives to get vaccinated, such as beer, donuts, cannabis and lottery tickets. Australians love lotteries. In a cheaper version of Albanese’s plan, the Grattan Institute has proposed a lottery, handing out $10 million per week, open to Australians who’ve had at least the first jab.

    https://theconversation.com/paying-australians-300-to-get-fully-vaccinated-would-be-value-for-money-165520

    And ‘Value for Money’ is exactly the 3 word slogan ( 🙂 ) that Labor should use.

  7. The richest people in the world right now, bar 1 or 2, have something in common:

    Just two years ago, there were only three “centibillionaires,” or people with a fortune of over $100 billion, in the world. A global pandemic later, that number has grown to 10, thanks to a booming stock market during the otherwise most tumultuous period of modern history.

    They are:

    1. Elon Musk: $193 billion

    2. Jeff Bezos: $193 billion

    3. Bernard Arnault: $177 billion

    4. Bill Gates: $151 billion

    5. Mark Zuckerberg: $131 billion

    6. Larry Page: $121 billion

    7. Sergey Brin: $117 billion

    8. Steve Ballmer: $102 billion

    9. Larry Ellison: $101 billion

    10. Warren Buffett: $101 billion

  13. Live near a NSW vaccination hub at Belmont….a regional area..
    People having vax appt cancelled because vaccine being redirected to Sydney.
    Talking to group of over 70’s. All absolutely furious.
    Anyone know of other regional parts of NSW who are having supplies diverted?

  15. Guardian blog..
    I’ve lost count of what version of the plan we are up to, but Sarah Martin has you covered:

    Australia could fully vaccinate 80% of its adult population by December under a “vision” outlined by Operation Covid Shield, with the federal government calling for an unprecedented level of collaboration across the country to accelerate the rollout.

    An update to the national vaccine campaign program being spearheaded by Lt Gen John Frewen, released on Tuesday, states that 80% of the eligible population could “potentially” have received both doses of a vaccine by December, with a 70% vaccination rate achieved by November.

    That’s the problem with over the horizon operations… you can never see what’s coming next

  16. I’m sure I heard Morrison deny yesterday that any vaccines were being diverted to Sydney. He insisted they were coming out of stock. Hope someone follows up this lie.

    (And thank you PB for logging me out after I had typed my post. This seems to happen at the beginning of every new thread.)

  17. UK Cartoons:
    Patrick Blower on #BorisJohnson #KeirStarmer #BillyBunter
    Is it a bowl of thin gruel that Nicola has?

    Ben Jennings on Boris Johnson’s travel watchlist chaos #BorisJohnson #RishiSunak

    Dave Brown’s @Independent cartoon… #BorisJohnson #RishiSunak #SteveBaker #GrantShapps #PollRatings #ToryRebels #Olympics

    Christian Adams on #RishiSunack #BorisJohnson #Olympics #OlympicGames

    Peter Schrank on #Holidays #Afghanistan #Taliban

    PAUL THOMAS on the Toyko Olympics

    Martin Rowson on the rebellion Boris Johnson faces over Treasury spending

    Patrick Blower on #BorisJohnson #CovidJabs

  19. I note the UK new cases are down, but the testing is down, however their positivity rate there is down from about 4% to around 3.5%. Deaths however are going up (possibly lagging behind the previous new case peak) and 138 were recorded yesterday over there.

  20. NSW Health added a record 174 new venues of concern to its Covid exposure site list last night, sparking concerns today’s case numbers could be set to soar again.

    In another troubling sign, the sites were spread across the city, with venues on the list spanning 80 suburbs.

    They include popular retail stores including 20 Woolies supermarkets, five Coles and three Bunnings.

    And in a sign of just how many venues were on the grim list, NSW Health broke with tradition and directed residents to visit the state government’s website to view all venues, rather than listing them in a release as usual.

  21. So…… 50% of NSW, in the depths of an extended lockdown, prefer for Sydney to be locked down for the foreseeable future rather than have had a short sharp and early lockdown.

    You can take a horse to water…..
    You can rub the muddy banks into its face….. but so many still rather the Berejiklian/Murdoch koolaid.

  23. NY-Gov: Pres. Biden Calls For Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) Resignation Amid Sexual Harassment Report
    Hello Cuomosexuals! During the height of Pandemic in NY I read stories in 2020 where people said that they got peace of mind watching and listening Cuomo press conferences.
    Also, NY Senators, Mayor Di Blasio called for his resignation
    I read

    https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2043674

  25. Victoria hits doughnut day as it records zero new local COVID cases

    Victoria has recorded its first day without a new locally acquired case of COVID-19 in almost a month.

    The last time the state recorded a day without a local case was on July 11.

    The zero day was detected from 30,117 test results processed on Tuesday.

    There are now 99 active cases of coronavirus in the state, including those in hotel quarantine.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/victoria-covid-19-cases-restrictions-and-updates/100348032

  27. I will enjoy the doughnut day for my home state!
    Who knows when the next leakage will occur and the lockdown merry go round will start again.

  29. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    David Crowe looks at the growing animosity between Albanese and Morrison.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/things-get-personal-and-political-between-morrison-and-albanese-20210803-p58fk8.html
    Anthony Albanese’s cash-for-jabs proposal has galvanised talk-back radio and put the government on the defensive about inadequately robust vaccination rates, as it was intended to do, writes Julie Szego.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/vaccine-race-goes-around-in-circles-20210803-p58fds.html
    Gareth Parker thinks that cash incentives not a bad idea to avoid an Australia divided by vaccine status and at least it gets the debate rolling to achieving important shared national objectives.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/cash-incentives-not-a-bad-idea-to-avoid-an-australia-divided-by-vaccine-status-20210803-p58fld.html
    And Peter Martin reckons paying Australians $300 to get fully vaccinated would be value for money.
    https://theconversation.com/paying-australians-300-to-get-fully-vaccinated-would-be-value-for-money-165520
    Federal Labor has become as timid about reform — particularly in the “big” Commonwealth fields such as the economy, or taxation, and tertiary education — as is the conservative government. It doesn’t dare say anything on defence and foreign affairs — or social justice — for fear of being wedged writes Jack Waterford.
    https://johnmenadue.com/commonwealth-timidity-on-the-big-issues/
    Scott Morrison needed a national road map with targets and that road map has already changed the politics. The new metric by which the Prime Minister will be judged a success or failure is the 70 per cent adult vaccination rate before the end of this year to enable a national transition to stage two of the plan, opines Paul Kelly.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/big-shift-coming-in-vaccine-politics/news-story/f13856537a09b06cb24aca5ead0d43b8
    The Doherty Institute modelling is important, but the PM’s presentation was likely incomprehensible to anxious Australians watching at home, writes Katherine Murphy who says politics is riding roughshod over substance as Scott Morrison tries to spin his way out of Covid corner.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/03/politics-rides-roughshod-over-substance-as-scott-morrison-tries-to-spin-his-way-out-of-covid-corner
    Michelle Grattan says that the government is set to tweak its vaccination timetable to accelerate jabs for those aged 30 to 39, after Doherty Institute modelling showing it is vital to get younger adults quickly vaccinated, because they are high COVID transmitters.
    https://theconversation.com/accelerated-jabs-for-younger-people-after-doherty-modelling-shows-its-vital-to-vaccinate-them-quickly-165555
    Paul Bongiorno says the PM is missing the podium with his ‘going for gold’ pandemic rallying call.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/08/03/scott-morrison-vaccination-rallying/
    Lucy Morris-Marr reckons Australia has moved from victory to calamity in the pandemic battle.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/health-and-education/australia-has-moved-from-victory-to-calamity-in-pandemic-battle-20210803-p58fbn
    “OK boomers, Australia needs you. Toughen up and take your AstraZeneca”, declares Peter Lewis.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/03/ok-boomers-australia-needs-you-toughen-up-and-take-your-astrazeneca
    The Australian reports that Australia’s counter-terrorism chief has vowed to crack down on activists who incite violent resistance to vaccination and lockdowns, amid a surge of online death threats against political leaders and chief health officers.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/antijab-violence-cops-vow-no-mercy/news-story/d6bc3aa36e7aa971da8daf9b922d0fed
    A mostly vaccinated Australian society must learn to live with people being hospitalised and dying from COVID-19 at levels equivalent to a flu outbreak, all while resisting severe lockdowns and border closures, writes Phil Coorey about the Doherty modelling.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/deaths-hospitalisations-part-of-living-with-covid-19-20210803-p58fba
    The incapacity of NSW Premier Gladys Berejklian’s “gold standard” Government to contain the latest outbreak of COVID-19 has become a political liability for Prime Minister Scott Morrison. So, as has become standard in such situations, Morrison called in the army, offering 300 troops for what was described as a “crackdown” on compliance with COVID-19 regulations, opines John Quiggin.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/government-reliance-on-army-for-lockdowns-a-weak-move,15365
    Typhoid Mary, Gladys, no longer PM’s poster girl, gets the Delta blues, writes David Tyler in a long exposition.
    https://theaimn.com/typhoid-mary-gladys-no-longer-pms-poster-girl-gladys-gets-the-delta-blues/
    More than 400 health workers are among thousands currently in isolation in Queensland, placing pressure on hospitals as the state’s Covid-19 outbreak grows.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/03/queensland-covid-update-more-than-400-health-staff-in-isolation-as-16-new-local-cases-recorded
    Medical researchers and scientists have been lobbying the Morrison government for almost a year about the need to develop an mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity in Australia, but action was delayed until a few months ago, report Farrah Tomalin and Clay Lucas.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/morrison-told-months-ago-of-need-for-locally-made-pfizer-style-vaccines-20210802-p58f2d.html
    In a very similar situation to Sydney, Melbourne’s west has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Victoria with many of the suburbs hardest hit by last year’s coronavirus outbreak recording vaccination uptake rates well below the national average.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/most-vulnerable-least-protected-city-s-west-lags-in-jabs-race-20210803-p58fih.html
    A disillusioned Grace Tume writes that Porter’s elevation betrays PM’s chilling apathy towards survivors.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/porter-s-elevation-betrays-pm-s-chilling-apathy-towards-survivors-20210803-p58feo.html
    The Australian Government may be right to express concerns about China’s recent domestic and international behaviour under President Xi Jinping. But claims of having superior democratic values might have more credibility if the Government understood and genuinely upheld them, laments Andrew Podger.
    https://johnmenadue.com/andrew-podger-our-democracy-needs-serious-reform/
    Australia’s proposed path out of harsh restrictions depends on optimal quarantine systems, contact tracing and social distancing – and lockdowns will probably still be needed, explains Rachel Clun. There is still a lot more work to do.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/path-from-lockdowns-hinges-on-testing-tracing-and-quarantine-measures-20210803-p58fib.html
    Bill Bowtell explains why the price of ‘living with COVID’ must be understood before its paid. He says that opening our borders before all are vaccinated will exact a disproportionately high price on poor, vulnerable and remote Australians.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/price-of-living-with-covid-must-be-understood-before-its-paid-20210802-p58f1w.html
    Australians will use a QR code vaccine certificate for international travel under a multimillion-dollar plan to reopen the borders, but the Coalition can’t agree on using it for domestic travel.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/cabinet-backs-qr-code-vaccine-certificates-for-travel-amid-party-room-disagreement-20210803-p58fda.html
    Vaccine trials are shorter than you might think but time and time again, they produce safe and effective jabs, so it’s a fair bet we’re not going to start turning into horrifying lizard creatures, writes Liam Mannix.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-do-we-know-vaccines-won-t-have-long-term-safety-risks-20210803-p58fc7.html
    The Government department which covered up the security report into the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins is also the department found to have a culture of bullying and is also the department whose staffer is threatening multiple legal actions against small publishers and other Australians. What is going on at Parliament House? Michael West investigates the Department of Parliamentary Services.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/department-of-cover-ups/
    Privatising assets without allowing for competition or regulation creates private monopolies that raise prices, reduce efficiency and harm the economy, writes John Menadue who says Australia should privatise for efficiency, or not at all.

    https://johnmenadue.com/rod-sims-privatise-for-efficiency-or-not-at-all/
    Anthony Galloway reports that Defence is quietly releasing its war crimes inquiry response plan. He says Defence has not to release any public statement or inform media about its publication. So Duttonesque!
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/serious-failings-defence-quietly-releases-war-crimes-inquiry-response-plan-20210803-p58ffk.html
    “If Defence is determined to learn the lessons of the past, why isn’t it being upfront with the public on its response to the Brereton war crimes inquiry?”, asks The Australian’s Ben Packham.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/defence-is-avoiding-scrutiny-on-its-longawaited-response-to-the-brereton-inquiry/news-story/8e50f6456728e5f1fa35eab8183c3d62
    The Afterpay deal with Jack Dorsey’s Square is great news for Australia’s booming fintech sector but points to large regulatory holes in the payments system, writes Jennifer Hewett.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/the-hidden-cost-in-afterpay-s-mega-deal-20210803-p58fi0
    Disputes – whether they are between residents or a resident and a village operator – can come at high price both financially and emotionally, explains Rachel Lane.
    https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/retirement-village-disputes-can-be-tough-to-solve-20210802-p58f7f.html
    Organised crime haven Crown Resorts or corporate welfare champion Lendlease? Who will win? Michael West reports on the new game show, The Biggest Robber.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/the-biggest-robber-crown-caught-and-confessed-as-cagey-lendlease-covers-up/
    And it’s goodbye Helen Coonan!
    https://www.afr.com/companies/games-and-wagering/coonan-to-exit-by-month-s-end-as-crown-pushes-to-retain-licence-20210803-p58fbt
    Andy Slavitt, who served as Joe Biden’s senior pandemic adviser, warns that governments must now vaccinate far more people to stave off the Delta variant.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/delta-has-moved-the-needle-vaccine-mandates-more-useful-than-cash-20210803-p58fdd.html
    A nephew of drug kingpin Michael Ibrahim has been charged for his handling of $1.37 million in an alleged fraud and money laundering scheme led by construction boss George Alex. Has to be worth a nomination for “Arsehole of the Week”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nephew-allegedly-distributed-1-3-million-in-fraud-proceeds-for-michael-ibrahim-20210803-p58fgq.html

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  30. ”
    Confessionssays:
    Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 5:33 am
    Fifty per cent of New South Wales respondents felt the government had not locked down hard enough, compared with 11% for too hard and 39% for about right. By contrast, 71% of Victorian and 85% of South Australian respondents felt their governments had it about right.

    And further evidence that voters support the go early, go hard approach to Covid management, particularly when they can see that it works with minimal disruption to their lives.

    The NSW government is too beholden to vested interests and their lobbyists, clearly the reason they were opposed (and still are!) to using lockdowns to control the spread of infection.
    ”

    That is the reason why Morrison advocated for ‘go hard go early lockdowns’ as reiterated by treasurer Frydenburg in Yesterday’s press conference. 🙂

  31. boerwar says:
    Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 8:38 am

    ‘sprocket_ says:
    Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 9:44 pm

    Meanwhile in the Greek Islands…’
    ______________________________
    FMD.
    Click to Edit – 9 minutes and 10 seconds
    boerwar says:
    Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 8:38 am

    Morrison+Berejiklian=CovidKeeper
    Click to Edit – 9 minutes and 35 seconds

  32. This is Coorey giving us Morrison’s message word for word. Morrison wants to accept the lowest level of vaccinations as ‘victory’ before an election. He didn’t have to do this.

    A mostly vaccinated Australian society must learn to live with people being hospitalised and dying from COVID-19 at levels equivalent to a flu outbreak, all while resisting severe lockdowns and border closures, writes Phil Coorey about the Doherty modelling.

  33. A German court has convicted an 84-year-old man of illegal weapons possession for having a personal arsenal that included a Panther tank, a flak cannon and multiple other items of World War II military equipment.

    The state district in the northern city of Kiel handed the man a suspended prison sentence of 14 months and ordered him to pay a fine of 250,000 euros ($400,000), German news agency dpa reported.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/german-court-convicts-pensioner-for-owning-tank/100347980

  34. ”
    Victoriasays:
    Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 8:26 am
    I will enjoy the doughnut day for my home state!
    Who knows when the next leakage will occur and the lockdown merry go round will start again.
    ”

    With a doughnut? 🙂

  35. ”
    Federal Labor has become as timid about reform — particularly in the “big” Commonwealth fields such as the economy, or taxation, and tertiary education — as is the conservative government. It doesn’t dare say anything on defence and foreign affairs — or social justice — for fear of being wedged writes Jack Waterford.
    https://johnmenadue.com/commonw
    ”
    Was Billy McMahon government as timid as current government?

  37. “Pfizer vaccines for year 12 students in south west and western Sydney
    28 July 2021
    Pfizer doses are being redistributed to south west and western Sydney due to the need to vaccinate Year 12 students in the LGAs most affected by the current COVID-19 outbreak and reduce the risk of the virus escaping into the regions from one of their household contacts, such as an authorised worker.

    Up to 40,000 Pfizer doses will be allocated from NSW Health’s rural and regional supply of COVID-19 vaccine to help Year 12 students in south west and western Sydney get back to school for face-to-face learning on 16 August.

    The Pfizer doses will be sourced from supplies across rural and regional NSW to ensure no one area is impacted.”

    https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20210728_03.aspx

  39. Ven @ #35 Wednesday, August 4th, 2021 – 8:52 am

    ”
    Federal Labor has become as timid about reform — particularly in the “big” Commonwealth fields such as the economy, or taxation, and tertiary education — as is the conservative government. It doesn’t dare say anything on defence and foreign affairs — or social justice — for fear of being wedged writes Jack Waterford.
    https://johnmenadue.com/commonw
    ”
    Was Billy McMahon government as timid as current government?

    Labor is simply playing within its limits.

    Albanese knows they don’t have the communication skills to sell detailed progressive policy. This was highlighted at the last two elections.

    ALP head office has to address the lack of political talent coming out of the unions and must change its power structure to be more inclusive of non-union personnel.

  41. Scott @ #18 Wednesday, August 4th, 2021 – 8:02 am

    Morrison is done like a dinner , if he decides to copy Albanese $300 , or better it by offering more cash .

    In a perfect world that would be true.
    In Australia, not so sure.
    Encouraged to hear Albo give the idea some context by reminding/telling people that Scotty dismissed the wage subsidy idea as well.
    Repeat it at every opportunity.

  42. What NSW had chosen to do with the benefit of hindsight, is a dereliction of duty.

    It is all well and good to now focus on getting a great deal of the population vaccinated, but in light of the slow rollout, this strategy would have been much better without a wave occurring at the same time.

  43. Rnm1953 – safe ALP seats mate. Two Warners Bay relatives had their first shots at Belmont cancelled this week. I read somewhere the Hunter has one of the lowest vacinnation rates in the country. I only had my first az shot (Maitland) in July while relatives in Eden-Monaro (marginal seat) had theirs in April.

  44. Is GladysB going to be honest at her next presser

    Andrew Clennell
    @aclennell
    ·
    20h
    This Doherty Institute modelling effectively slaps down suggestions from Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday you can open up at 50 per cent vaccine coverage. National cabinet was shown this modelling on Friday. Berejiklian has since said it is also about case numbers

  47. Doherty modelling available here: https://www.doherty.edu.au/uploads/content_doc/DohertyModelling_NationalPlan_including_adendmum.pdf

    At first glance they have only modelled out to 180 days. Not a year. This becomes important when modelling at higher percentages of vaccination as the mortality curves have yet to peak i.e. are still rising at 180 days. Take a look at Figure 3.3. Daily death rate at 70% vaccination (all adults strategy) is still rising at 180 days. The 80% vaccination curve is not presented, although tabulated (Table 5.2) for 180 days.

    The key question for me is how can these numbers be compared to historical annual death rates due to influenza, as per the press briefing?

  48. Guardian blog has good summary of over the horizon chief not answering clearly..

    Frewen told the ABC:

    We are still seeking to have the opportunity for every person in Australia who wants to have a vaccine to be able to do so this year, but if all goes well, we have got the supply coming, we have got the distribution mode set up. If people keep coming forward, then we would hope to got high levels of vaccination achieved by the end of the year …

    I am very confident that everyone who wants a first dose will be able to get a dose, but with the supply that we have and the distribution network we are setting up, if people in Australia keep coming forward for vaccination as they are then I think we can get a good portion of the population fully vaccinated this year.

    Clear as mud.. so is it fully vaccinated or first dose.?

  49. “We are still seeking to have the opportunity for every person in Australia who wants to have a vaccine to be able to do so this year… ”

    What a set of weasel words.

  50. “Essential Research: leadership ratings”…

    A message to the voters: Given your personal experience since Abbott, then Turnbull and now the pathetic ScuMo have been PM, surely you are now convinced that the leader is irrelevant, what matters is the Party, its Ideology and how bad their policies in government have been for you….

    Back to the polls’ 2PP……

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