Significant electoral developments of the past few days:
• The federal government’s package of four electoral bills, which were explained in this earlier post, whizzed through parliament this week with the support of Labor (UPDATE: It’s been pointed out to me that one of the four, dealing with the threshold for registering as a political campaigner, was in fact not considered). Most contentiously, this will give the Liberal Party exclusive rights to the word “liberal” in their registered party name, with the effect that the Liberal Democrats and the New Liberals will have to change names before the next election. It is unclear what the former plans to do, but Victor Kline, leader and registered officer of the New Liberals, says the party will simply identify itself as TNL.
• The new laws also mean that parties will need to have 1500 members to maintain their registration unless they have a sitting member of parliament, which by the reckoning of Kevin Bonham could affect as many of 24 out of the 45 currently registered parties. Those privy to the sitting member exemption include Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party, thanks to former Liberal MP Craig Kelly’s decision join, along with the Centre Alliance, Jacqui Lambie Network, Katter’s Australian Party and Rex Patrick Team.
• The state redistribution for New South Wales has been finalised, without much change to the draft boundaries that were published last November. Antony Green has a pendulum with estimated margins for the final boundaries.
Two minor by-elections coming up:
• For the Northern Territory parliament: a by-election will be held on September 11 for the Darwin hinterland seat of Daly, where Country Liberal Party member Ian Sloan has retired due to ill health a year after an election at which Labor was returned to power. Sloan held out against Labor by 1.2% at the election, at which he succeeded retiring CLP member Gary Higgins. The CLP’s candidate is Kris Civitarese, a Barkly councillor; Labor’s is Dheran Young, a former advisor to Chief Minister Michael Gunner.
• For the Tasmanian Legislative Council: a by-election will be required for a yet-to-be determined date early next year for the seat of Huon, encompassing the southern edge of Hobart and its hinterland, after Labor member Bastian Seidel announced he would quit parliament at the final sitting for the year in December. Seidel has complained of a “toxic environment” and “obvious problems” in the party, which would appear to refer to the sexual harassment allegations against David O’Byrne, who was compelled to resign as party leader in July after just three weeks in the job and is now facing calls from within the party, including leader Rebecca White, to quit parliament.
The only federal requirement that this quarantine facility fails to meet is for Morrison to cut the ribbon in a massive PR ceremony.
Apparently, The more strident the voices on PB become the more blaze’ Gladys attitude becomes.
”So will be having picnics when the cases are around 3000 / day?”
Well, extrapolating at about 6% per day, yes. That might continue for another couple of weeks but my (inexpert) gut feeling is that something’s got to give. Either the lockdowns plus increased vaccination kick in soon and the numbers start to flatten then turn around. Alternatively, this thing runs away beyond hope of control and Covid eventually infects hundreds of thousands (so far it’s about 19,000 for the current outbreak).
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Hey, Taylormade! How about those NSW numbers, eh!?! Smashing Victoria’s worst day out of the park! I thought you said it would never happen?
Jaeger @ #836 Sunday, August 29th, 2021 – 3:08 pm
Fixed it for you. 😉
Some mothers do have them!
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-freedom-defender-caleb-wallace-dies-covid-20210829-4m7co2w6p5dkje3gh77zx6252a-story.html
Go easy on Taylormade.
His plans for his little holiday jaunt are in tatters.
I’m sure if he had been planning to travel to NSW, he would be just as scathing in his criticism.
GG
That’s the money quote
Big fat George, being an anti-vaxxer, won’t be going to Manila anytime soon. Is he one of the ones bellowing about the injustice of vaccine passports? Even if he doesn’t need one to get out Australia, what would make him think that the PIs would let an unvaccinated or, at best, someone with no proof of vaccination anywhere near their young women? (They would take one look at him at passport control and know what he is there for.)
[‘Newly minted United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly says he makes no apology for sending spam messages to voters urging them to back his anti-lockdown campaign, claiming they should be more concerned about their privacy rights over vaccines.
Mr Kelly, who does not believe in the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and has spruiked alternative unproven treatments in contradiction of the Commonwealth’s health advice, dismissed complaints about the unsolicited text messages saying he was “absolutely not” sorry and the practice was “100 per cent legal”.
“If they’re concerned about Australians privacy, they should be standing up and calling for an end to vaccine passports,” Mr Kelly, the member for Hughes in south-west Sydney, said.’]
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/united-australia-party-leader-craig-kelly-defends-spam-messages-20210829-p58mv7.html
When he loses his seat, I guess he could return to selling furniture, though his first attempt didn’t exactly end in success, even denying he was a director:
[‘After finishing high school Kelly worked for his parents as a furniture salesman and “export manager” at their furniture business DV Kelly Pty Ltd. The firm imported Asian furniture and onsold it to retailers such as Harvey Norman, but financial troubles resulted in the Australian Taxation Office issuing wind-up orders in 2012, leaving creditors and employees owed over $4 million. Kelly denied that he was a director of the bankrupt business, despite signing himself as a director in several documents.’] – Wiki
What a charmer!
What the pentecostals are really concerned with in regard to lockdowns is that they stop the weekly vacuuming of their patrons’ wallets and purses. It’s all money all the time.
Mavis
I, and many others, would like to know where they’re getting the numbers from. Legal?
The competition for the Darwin Awards is going to be something horrible this year.
boerwar @ #1364 Sunday, August 29th, 2021 – 1:42 pm
Probably easier to announce a group winner.
Victoria with more vaccinations on Saturday the New South Wales according to the latest Commonwealth figures but those following them closely think this is because the Victorian figures for a few days ago were too low and there’s been some adjustment.
There maybe something also wrong with the New South Wales figure as the Commonwealth says they were 26,000 state vaccines done yesterday but New South Wales says they were 49,000.
Yes, we only have to put up with the Covidiot Kelly until the federal election. I don’t think the Liberals want to let that seat slip through their hands.
BiTJ
LOL.
shellbell @ #1366 Sunday, August 29th, 2021 – 1:48 pm
I’m pretty sure that the Commonwealth and State figures account for different areas of the vaccination programme.
My understanding is that the Commonwealth figures include things like vaccinations done by GPs and aged and disability care.
The State figures are for things like vaccination clinics and hubs, but they may also include the Commonwealth figures to give a total vaccination figure.
lizzie:
Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 3:41 pm
[‘Mavis
I, and many others, would like to know where they’re getting the numbers from. Legal?’]
It would seem to be a case of “smishing”, which I don’t think is illegal as it doesn’t appear to fall into the category of a cybercrime. It’s probably best to follow the advice in the link – that is, file a complaint with ACMA:
https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/smishing/
I wonder what this weird story in Murdoch’s Oz is about?
Don’t know whether this has been raised before, but Perth Now, a metropolitan community Newspaper published by Stokes’ West Australian, published a poll in this week’s edition.
Yes , yes, I know it’s unscientific, the question could be interpreted as loaded, the poll doesn’t meet psephological standards, it was conducted in WA, etc, etc., but still.
In answer to the question “Should Gladys Berejiklian resign?” 5600 people responded.
5200 answered yes. 388 answered no.
I have a feeling the WA cohort of selected respondents to Newspoll tonight will be limited.
UK: A sinister private army of more than 200 ex-servicemen and women is plotting to cause mayhem across Britain with a series of devastating anti-vaccine offensives, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Calling itself Veterans 4 Freedom (V4F) and founded by a former Royal Marine commando, the self-styled paramilitary group is made up of 16 operational ‘cells’ across Britain, linked to a secret leadership command.
Some members appear obsessed with weapons and have discussed violent insurrection, including attacking vaccine centres and targeting employees – what one chillingly termed ‘bringing the fight to the people sticking the needle in’. The group insists all new recruits provide evidence of service in the Armed Forces.
Once ‘vetted’ they are given access to a channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app used by extremists and criminals due to its high security levels. Over the past few weeks the group has quietly recruited and hopes to garner public support with a peaceful march on Parliament on September 8 during which the ex-servicemen will wear ‘headdress’.
I’ve finally been blocked by Greg Kelly Twitter acc, I managed to get a few horse deworming shots in before it happened.
We seem to have gone from treating infected horses to treating donkeys with the same product.
“All eyes are on Pauline Hanson as she sweeps into the restaurant maskless,”
If the doGs above were kind then Hanson will get Covid and go through the experience of seeking help for it. 🙁
Police respond to an anti-lockdown protest in Coolangatta on the NSW-Queensland border. Photograph: Jason O’Brien/AAP
There’s a Vet around the corner ready to jab him in the arse..
Bullshit abounds and pathetic journalism abounds:
1. Canberrans are the lifeblood of the South Coast economy. There were no NSW restrictions when Canberrans travelled down to the South Coast.
2. The Canberra outbreak is part of Berejiklian’s outbreak, not a different outbreak.
3. There is not a skerrick of scientific evidence that the fragments are connected with Canberrans rather than with Sydneysiders.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-29/double-detection-of-covid-19fragments-in-cooma-merimbula/100416406
Get vaccinated folks!
casey briggs
@CaseyBriggs
Of the 126 people in NSW intensive care units:
113 not vaccinated
12 single dosed
1 double dosed
Have faith in Pfizer. They make viagra. If they can raise the dead, they can save the living.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/medical/why-did-i-get-so-ill-with-covid-even-though-i-ve-had-both-jabs/ar-AANQLLp?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531
A story of a family who had been double vaxxed in the UK
Some members appear obsessed with weapons and have discussed violent insurrection, including attacking vaccine centres and targeting employees
Do they have a cell in Western Sydney?
boerwar says:
Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 4:37 pm
Have faith in Pfizer. They make viagra. If they can raise the dead, they can save the living.
I have NRL on in the background.. on ground Ads for Zrytec.. given the player / supporter profile of NRL Vigra Ads would be a better bet
Sceptic
The NRL? Anything is possible but some things are more likely than others.
Afternoon bludgers. As Gladys’ campaign to infect the rest of Australia kicks into high gear, it looks like SA and WA have been a little more exposed by those truck drivers than was first claimed. Great!
I can understand the reluctance to name the drivers since it is stigmatising and there is no evidence they disobeyed instructions. But why can’t the company be named? There is no general right to privacy for trucks. Who organised this high risk jaunt? They are the real culprits. Does anyone know?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-29/new-covid19-exposure-sites-on-nullarbor-ceduna-port-augusta/100416240
Gladys might not be Besties with Scotty, but she has certainly absorbed the mushroom theory for her state’s residents.
I’m trying not to let my imagination take over, here.
Lizzie:
LMAO!
Jesus freaking Christ! I have just heard on the 5pm Channel 7 News that Fundamentalist Churches in Remote WA are spreading an Anti Vaccination message in Remote Indigenous communities!
Cannot anything be done about these dangerous religious nutjobs!?!
Disabled left behind yet again:
Children with disabilities have bookings for jabs cancelled in Sydney
“The message to us is that people with disabilities are down the bottom of the pile,” said one parent whose son’s appointment was cancelled
Good clip of Dan raining on Gladys’s picnic..
“Not a national plan for picnics, just quietly, the notion of giving up vaccines so Victorians could go and have picnics … no that’s not what we are doing.”
https://twitter.com/SquizzSTK/status/1431795063948922884?s=20
C@tmomma @ #1395 Sunday, August 29th, 2021 – 5:10 pm
Given the Prime Minister is a dangerous, religious nutjob, I’d say no.
Bush football at its best. Grand final Chidlow vs Pickering Brook at Gidgegannup. Large very vocal crowd. Second quarter Ch 7.8, PB 2.4.
Granny Anny at 5:19 pm
I see you are still suffering in the cave aka WA hellhole. 🙂