Morgan: 54-46 to Labor

Morgan finds Labor back up after a weaker result last fortnight, while Essential Research comes through on nuclear submarines and its usual questions on COVID-19 management.

Roy Morgan has unveiled its unpredictably timed fortnightly federal voting intention poll, which on this occasion shows Labor leading 54-46 – up from 52.5-47.5 a fortnight ago, and almost back to the 54.5-45.5 result in the poll before that. Both major parties are on 36% of the primary vote, which entails a three-and-a-half point drop for the Coalition and a one point increase for Labor. With the Greens down half a point to 12.5%, this makes room for an increase in the independents/others category that has been a pattern of recent polling, in this case gaining one-and-a-half points to 12%. One Nation is up half a point to 3.5%.

The state two-party breakdowns show Labor leading 53.5-46.5 in New South Wales, for a swing of 5.3%; 56-44 in Victoria, a swing of 2.9%; 54.5-45.5 in Western Australia, a swing of 10.1%; 58.5-41.5 in South Australia, a swing of 7.8%; and 52-48 in Tasmania, a swing to the Coalition of 4.0%, though here the sample gets very small indeed. The Coalition leads only in Queensland, by 52.5-47.5, a swing to Labor of 5.9%. The poll was conducted over the past two weekends from a sample of 2752.

Also out this week was the regular fortnightly survey from Essential Research, which does not on this occasion feature the monthly leadership ratings (we are also about due for its roughly quarterly dump of voting intention results). The poll tackles the nuclear submarines issue and related matters, finding 45% believe the deal will make Australia more secure, 36% that it will not affect Australia’s security, and 19% that it will make Australia less secure. Further questions find respondents taking a benign view of the issue generally, and also surprisingly (to me at least) towards nuclear power: 50% say they would support it for electricity generation with 32% opposed.

The poll also has the regular fortnightly questions on federal and state government responses to COVID-19 management, which give the federal government its best numbers since July: good up two points to 45%, poor down five to 30%. The good ratings for the state governments, in descending order of reliability due to diminishing sample sizes, are 53% for New South Wales, up seven; 44% for Victoria, down six; 62% for Queensland, down three; 82% for Western Australia, down five; and 55% for South Australia, down twelve. The latter result is that government’s weakest so far, but here the error bars are particularly wide. The poll was conducted Wednesday to Sunday from a sample of 1094.

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.

2,342 comments on “Morgan: 54-46 to Labor”

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  1. Morrison has no fear of baseball bats, cricket bats, Covid bats or even pink batts.
    Morrison has achieved far more as a politician than he was ever hopeful of, has a history of moving on as the difficult moments escalate and would be without fear of a challenge
    The challenge would be for the liberals to find a suitable leader without asking Malcolm to return.
    The liberals are in a pickle with very few positive telltales, not to mentioned being saddled with Barnacles leading the Nationals.
    The Australian voters, lauded by politicians as “not stupid”, find themselves appearing quite stupid at the moment.
    Morrison will maintain his belligerent and unappealing “I’m too busy to worry about leadership speculation”.
    The real worry for Morrison will be when his “regiment” of publically funded advisors get the wobbles and it all goes to “s__t”.
    In the meantime there are bevy of developing political issues to consider and very little upside.
    Opinion will be feral in the foreseeable future.

  2. Mr Albanese is looking very Primeministerial at the moment with the new suits and exuding the newly acquired “Viagra glow”.
    The unknowns hanging over the lucky country will be enough burden for the best of “them”.
    If Barnaby is the best “retail politician” at the moment then ” billy Hughes” Shorten is the ” luckiest politician” going around.
    There is very little low hanging quality fruit to be had in the political grove at the moment.
    It is often said that great leaders emerge in challenging times!

  3. Goll

    Agree and agree.

    Even with the vaccine rollout firmly in motion and Vic and NSW rapidly approaching a return to normality, the polls don’t seem to be showing any signs of improvement for SfM. Of course, I’ll hold my breath until Vic and NSW actually open up, but my gut feel is that he isn’t going to get as much political capital out of the national plan as he expected.

    I, for one, am delighted by the latest Morgan results. Long may they continue and may they be reflected on polling day.

  4. 100 billion dollars on the AUKUS thing and what does he get, at best nothing ( margin of error) or a 1% swing against him (result). Very expensive fizzer that one.

    As to opening up, the worst is yet to come. Climate change, still no policy. Nationals, still all about coal, forget the farmers. Malcolm Turnbull gone, religious right in control. Morrison safe because there is no-one to replace him. Can’t see much upside for the Liberals.

  5. I think it’s still too early to tell right now. Don’t trust the polls.

    BNO Newsroom
    @BNODesk
    ·
    1h
    United Airlines says it will fire about 600 employees in the U.S. who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 – NYT

  6. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/cfmeu-outbreak-president-tests-positive-setka-in-isolation-20210929-p58vp6.html

    A COVID-19 outbreak has hit the Melbourne office of the construction union a week after a violent protest was held there, with several staff infected and those in attendance on that day, including union secretary John Setka, forced into self-isolation.

    CFMEU Victoria and Tasmania president Robert Graauwmans is one of four union workers who have tested positive, with hundreds of others self-isolating for 14 days.

    It remains unclear whether worksites will reopen next week as slated, with negotiations ongoing between the state government and industry.

    A CFMEU statement confirmed its Elizabeth Street headquarters had been listed as a tier-one exposure site.

    The statement said officials and staff were “deeply concerned for the wellbeing of their families and the risk of the infection spreading”.

    Mr Setka said: “This outbreak caused by the disgusting behaviour of selfish and reckless people with no regard to the wellbeing of the thousands of construction workers or their families will not deter our commitment to getting construction back open and all our members back to work.”

  7. Meanwhile Barnaby Joyce, who tipped Michael McCormack out of the leadership by promising to take a tougher stand against Morrison, once occasionally eccentrically illogical, has become almost completely incoherent, unable to stop his party splintering around him.

    Nationals MPs are disturbed by his increasingly bizarre performances, speculating privately about the reasons for it. A few concede it is possible there could be moves against Joyce’s leadership before the election. They bridle at Matt Canavan’s seemingly Svengali-like influence towards him.

    After a texting war on Signal with George Christensen over Christensen’s disgraceful posts on the Victorian anti-lockdown demonstrations, Darren Chester decided to take a break from the Nationals.

    It was the last of many straws for Chester, who was also outraged when in late June Joyce appeared to mock Victorians suffering from the pandemic by saying “you can almost smell the burning flesh from here”. You would think such a remark on the plight of fellow Australians would disqualify a politician from national leadership.

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/wooing-the-hostile-beast-within-20210929-p58vnj.html

    How would you tell what is unusual behaviour for Barnaby?

  8. Its no surprise Newsltd has counted Turnbull’s attack on Morrison , by dragging Turnbull’s arch rival out

    Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the actions of protesters who stormed Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance last week.

  9. Scott @ #9 Thursday, September 30th, 2021 – 6:47 am

    Its no surprise Newsltd has counted Turnbull’s attack on Morrison , by dragging Turnbull’s arch rival out

    Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the actions of protesters who stormed Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance last week.

    This isn’t the first time I’ve seen reporting of people trashing the memorial discussed in a tsk tsk way. Why is it that the “storming of Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance” is considered to be worse behaviour that the illegal mass gathering protest during a highly infectious pandemic emergency?

  10. This is a really heartening poll result, for those who want a change of Federal government. I would have thought the biggest issues since the last poll would have been AUKUS/subs, improving vaccination numbers, the improving Covid situation in NSW, and the deteriorating Covid situation in Victoria. All issues that should favour the LNP, and that seems to be supported by the opinion changes reported by Essential. So why is the ALP still well ahead federally? I still think the federal election is a toss-up, and that Labor’s lead may evaporate when we hit the campaign, but this poll does suggest the current Labor lead is maybe more than temporary annoyance about Covid-related issues.

  11. Parramatta Moderate

    Disagree about the covid situation in NSW ,the infections are still very high and deaths continues each day.
    NSW is a big worry

  12. Wow! Or should that be, WOW! 😀

    I’m not jumping to any long term conclusions though. 😉

    Though I admit I was jolted back to reality yesterday, pleasantly, when a customer in Services NSW had a public tirade against Scott Morrison. And she was agreed with and added to by another customer. That’s baseball bats stuff.

  13. Morrison, Gladys and their respective governments are having a huge gamble on opening up before Christmas in NSW as it is both a political and health outcomes gamble.
    There is very little evidence from elsewhere to suggest that to go early will bring success.
    The damage to business in NSW and particularly Sydney has not yet reverberated throughout the community.
    The elimination of Covid payments will unwrap “a disturbed ant’s nest of pain”.
    The haters from the liberal ranks have been forcefully doing their Hanrahan impersonations at every opportunity which may well prove itself to be accurate.
    However opening up too early may make it all worse.
    Covid doesn’t observe Christmas, stupidity, impatience and certainly not the political calendar and the need for elections.
    Every government throughout the world is under pressure, a secretive, self-interested government looking for miracles is heading for the “trash can”.

  14. The sample size for NSW would be about 880 and have a margin if error of about 3½ %. Samples for the smaller states are very small, Tasmania would be less than 60, for SA less than 200.

  15. A tale of 2 mastheads choosing their preferred diva opinionista

    9fax 2, Murdoch 0

    This weeks episode has Credlin begging Morrison to do something, anything, to restore the domestic policy shambles he oversees..

    ‘PM, time to show us your convictions
    The PM did well on subs but now we need to see what he can deliver in terms of the domestic issues that really worry voters.’

    Savva in the other hand, sinks the Slipper further into the fading marketer….

    ‘ Most Nationals – excluding Pitt, Matt Canavan and George Christensen – are open to supporting a target setting a precondition of no job losses. They wait for Morrison to convince them.

    “At some point Morrison will have to present us with a plan,” another senior National said. As to when that would be or what it might contain, he didn’t have a clue.

    “He is a man of mystery,” he said of the Prime Minister’s modus operandi. “He wants to control everything and cut us out of everything.”

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/wooing-the-hostile-beast-within-20210929-p58vnj.html

  16. A bit more of Savva on Scott…

    ‘Morrison has left it late to confront a much more volatile situation federally. Parliament resumes in two weeks, there is an election on the near horizon, and the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November. Morrison shows how uncertain he is about an outcome by musing he might not go to Glasgow because, he says, his country needs him to stay home to manage the reopening after the bleak winter lockdowns.

    Actually, after a few inevitable miscalculations given the complexities of dealing with the pandemic, Berejiklian, Daniel Andrews and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr coped well enough during Morrison’s absence in the US. They have his number, he is a world-renowned texter and they know he is only one personal contact away.

    Also there is little he can say or do to make WA or Queensland open up any sooner, so other than stand at Hume Highway border crossings with a lollipop sign it’s hard to think what practical physical assistance he could provide if he stayed.

    Anyway as Morrison himself keeps saying, anyone who thinks the prime minister only has one thing at a time to do, clearly isn’t up to the job.’

  17. I would have thought the biggest issues since the last poll would have been AUKUS/subs, improving vaccination numbers, the improving Covid situation in NSW, and the deteriorating Covid situation in Victoria.

    Paramatta Moderate,
    It’s the economy stupid! 😀

    What I’m picking up, on the ground, is that the federal government have stuffed up the payments system that should have seen us all through the pandemic comfortably. All the little people who have cobbled together 2 or 3 casual jobs into a relatively comfortable income have been thrown onto their uppers and they’re not happy, Scott!

    Not to mention that they’re unhappy about Scott Morrison refusing to make the big wealthy individuals and their companies pay back their JobKeeper money, while they hound the little people again. Adding insult to injury this week, Josh Frydenburg stated baldly and blandly that he’s going to do it all over again.

    And they know how COVID-19 got away from the toffy-nosed areas of NSW into the Western and South Western Suburbs and Victoria because Gladys Berejiklian wouldn’t lock them down quickly enough. They don’t believe everything they see and hear that favours the Liberals in the media.

    No amount of happy snaps of Scott Morrison goofing off on the campaign trail is going to change their minds either I think.

    Scott’s ‘Quiet Australians’ are finding their voice.

  18. Unsurprisingly there’s been no poll bounce from the subs’ fiasco, and given Turnbull’s trenchant public criticism of the deal, unequivocally pointing to Morrison’s trustworthiness, there’s unlikely to be one.

    The Tories have 20 seats on a buffer of 6% and under to defend; Labor needs 7 to 8 of them to form government, perhaps inviting one of the cross-benchers to serve as the Speaker. And then they’ll be residual fallout over the vaccine rollout, the threat to withdraw disaster payments to states and territories who don’t follow Morrison’s instruction to open up, not to mention systemic corruption.

  19. Opening up earlier than what is agreed to Berejiklian and Morrison are going rogue against the national cabinet

    According to the Tasmanian liberal party state premier

  20. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the actions of protesters who stormed Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance last week.

    Including urinating on it!?!

  21. According to William’s write-up above, the Coalition primary drops a whopping (and statistically significant) 3.5%, but there is only net 0.5% change for the Centre-Left (Labor + Green). The rest of the Coalition’s loss goes to “someone else”. That to me suggests that the swing away from the Coalition is soft, with ‘lost’ votes likely to return in a real election, directly or via preferences. If Labor’s internal polling says something similar, I hope that they are working hard to persuade these waverers to make the leap.

  22. Yes, Scott Morrison won’t be able to get away with withdrawing Disaster Payments and then promise electorate by electorate gew gaws on the never never this time.

    The former is real and tangible in people’s lives, the latter has been shown to be a confection.

  23. Hat tip Fiona Adorno on Twitter…

    GLADYS: I have inherent faith that the unvaccinated will not enter premises from which they are banned.

    THE UNVACCINATED:

  24. Two years ago Abbott was appointed to the board of the Australian War Memorial. Now it’s been reported that he’s defended the actions of the protesters at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance. The next board meeting should be interesting.
    It’s a repeat of the “shit happens” incident. This man’s judgement is so suspect as to render him unsuited to public life.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv7KjYFqxgA

  25. Hello Scott. I completely agree that we don’t yet know what Covid in NSW is going to look like post-lockdown. But you can’t dispute that daily infections have peaked and are declining-they are down to almost half of what they were on the worst days 2-3 weeks ago, and hospitalisations are trending down now too. Maybe that changes when lockdown ends, but NSW is tracking towards very high vaccination numbers, over 90% of over-16s, and now 12-16s are getting vaccinated too. There aren’t many countries which have got to these very high levels of vaccination. So I don’t think it’s a given that we are going to see a UK-style Covid surge coming out of lockdown. We’ll know soon enough. Reff has been stuck at about 0.85 for a week or so, which is OK, but you’d like to see it keep dropping.

  26. Just imagine Abbott’s mouth-frothing rage had Black Lives Matter protesters behaved the way the free-dumb fighters did at a war memorial. Right-wingers uphold traditional values like reverence for the memory of the war dead until they don’t.

  27. Parramatta Moderate says:
    Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 7:39 am
    Hello Scott. I completely agree that we don’t yet know what Covid in NSW is going to look like post-lockdown. But you can’t dispute that daily infections have peaked and are declining-they are down to almost half of what they were on the worst days 2-3 weeks ago,

    ——————————

    yes that is a good sign , it shows why people need to get vaccinated if they can

  28. Confessions, The shrine has been and is still seen as a place to honour the service and sacrifice of the service men and women who have fought in war. It is meant to be above the day to day political fray and is a place for quiet contemplation. The dismay at the way the covidiots treated the shrine is not new as was shown many years ago when a group of radical feminists protested about rape in war (a worthy cause) on Anzac day which was roundly denounced.

  29. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    Another Niki Savva classic! She covers a lot of ground, writing in an entertaining style.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/wooing-the-hostile-beast-within-20210929-p58vnj.html
    It is correct, as former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has asserted, that few of the questions raised by the government’s announcement that Australia will acquire nuclear-propelled submarines have been answered, explains the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Marcus Hellyer. He says that submarines that don’t need refuelling still require a nuclear industry
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/submarines-that-don-t-need-refuelling-still-require-a-nuclear-industry-20210929-p58vrw.html
    And in this op-ed Malcolm Turnbull torpedoes Morrison over the submarines fiasco.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-will-have-to-go-nuclear-to-keep-nuclear-subs-running-20210928-p58vf2.html
    Anthony Galloway tells us about Turnbull’s appearance at the NPC yesterday, where he claimed Scott Morrison put Australia’s national security at risk in the way he has handled the decision to dump a $90 billion submarine contract with France and instead build a nuclear-propelled fleet with the United States and Britain.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/subterfuge-and-deceit-turnbull-says-morrison-put-national-security-at-risk-20210929-p58vrv.html
    Essentially agreeing with Turnbull, a disillusioned Greg Sheridan begins this spit with, “As things stand, it is unlikely Australia will ever get a nuclear submarine. All that we have done so far is cancel the French submarine. My guess is this delays any submarine at all by at least 10 years.”
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/yes-weve-cancelled-the-french-but-now-what/news-story/99b43465c2124c01a579672d8ef19349
    And Michelle Grattan describes how Turnbull slammed ‘deceitful’ Morrison for giving Australia a reputation as untrustworthy.
    https://theconversation.com/turnbull-slams-deceitful-morrison-for-giving-australia-a-reputation-as-untrustworthy-168961
    “China is repeatedly accused of coercion. But China is a minor player in the coercion game. The US is the grand master. Now that Australia has forfeited so much sovereignty to the US, expect its coercive diplomacy to play an increasingly prominent and negative role in Australian decision making and affairs”, warns Bruce Haigh.
    https://johnmenadue.com/the-all-american-coercive-diplomacy-bullying-by-any-other-name/
    Paul Keating put it succinctly yesterday in The Sydney Morning Herald that we are selling our country to another power. Or, as former ambassador John McCarthy put it, “we are moving from being a country with the self-respect of true independence”, writes Paul Menadue.
    https://johnmenadue.com/john-menadue-from-deputy-sheriff-to-the-51st-state-of-the-union/
    Malcolm Turnbull will not back Scott Morrison over Anthony Albanese, and has reserved the right to back independents funded by climate change activists over pro-climate action Liberal MPs, including those who backed him in the 2018 leadership coup, writes Phil Coorey.
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/turnbull-reserves-the-right-to-campaign-against-liberal-friends-20210929-p58vma
    Australia’s budget deficit at the time of the Delta outbreak was nearly $80bn less than forecast in the first year of the pandemic, coming in at around $135bn on the back of a sharp recovery in the jobs market and a reduction in welfare payments, reports Simon Benson.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/surge-in-jobs-powering-budgets-80bn-rebound/news-story/456a7e4f445659559724d8b3120d650a
    Here’s Peta Credlin’s weekly effusion if you are inclined to read it.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/scott-morrison-needs-to-show-us-what-his-government-really-stands-for/news-story/364db634cc7b9b54cef2de07bf7b23f4
    Jennifer Duke and Shane Wright report that Sydney and Melbourne home buyers face tougher lending standards within months as house prices in the two largest Australian cities rise hundreds of dollars every day.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/regulators-poised-to-intervene-in-sydney-melbourne-property-boom-20210929-p58vms.html
    Alan Kohler tells us that curbs on risky lending won’t solve the housing affordability crisis.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/09/30/macroprudential-housing-alan-kohler/
    According to Lucy Carroll, the number of biopsies, scans and surgeries in Australia plummeted last year, sparking concerns of up to 20,000 missed cancer cases as extended lockdowns halt check-ups.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/fears-we-will-see-people-too-late-cancer-tests-and-biopsies-plunge-in-lockdown-20210929-p58vr6.html
    These health experts in The Conversation outline all the risks associated with NSW’s opening up. Well worth reading.
    https://theconversation.com/relying-only-on-vaccination-in-nsw-from-december-1-isnt-enough-heres-what-we-need-for-sustained-freedom-168833
    YouTube will block all anti-vaccine content, moving beyond its ban on false information about COVID-19 vaccines to include content that contains misinformation about other approved vaccines, it said in a blog post. And about time too!
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/youtube-blocks-all-anti-vaccine-content-20210930-p58vww.html
    More than one million NSW workers will, within weeks, lose the federal disaster payments that have been sustaining them through the three months of lockdown and for many it will be a trying time, says the SMH’s editorial.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/nsw-faces-a-shock-when-covid-19-disaster-payments-are-cut-20210929-p58vtd.html
    Melbourne’s building industry is set to reopen on Tuesday after a two-week hiatus, despite a growing COVID-19 outbreak at the construction union headquarters. The cluster has infected four CFMEU officials and forced hundreds of people into self-isolation, including union leader John Setka, reports The Age.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/big-test-awaits-as-construction-industry-prepares-to-reopen-20210929-p58vsy.html
    Michael Pascoe looks at some of the hidden perils and effects of the nearly two year pandemic.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2021/09/29/michael-pascoe-covid-fails/
    Victorian businesses have been short-changed up to $1.01 million each compared with those in NSW, under the different business support schemes, the Tax Institute has found.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/victorian-business-shortchanged-by-up-to-1m-each-20210929-p58voa
    Rob Harris tells us that Angus Taylor will press the world’s leading nations to improve their climate emissions reporting ahead of a global summit, arguing that all countries need to be held accountable for their targets. Angus Taylor calling for accountability and transparency? That’s one for the ages!
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/taylor-challenges-leading-economies-for-more-transparency-on-climate-targets-20210929-p58vum.html
    Nick Toscano and Mike Foley say that Australia’s clean energy transition is tipped to accelerate to the point that most homes will have solar panels paired with batteries by 2030 and the nation could have the highest penetration of renewable energy per-capita of anywhere in the world.
    https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/renewables-tipped-to-overtake-fossil-fuels-by-2030-20210929-p58voo.html
    Australian states could deliver at least a 34% cut in national greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 based on existing pledges, prompting calls for the Morrison government to lift its climate goals. New South Wales on Wednesday became the third state to set a target of cutting emissions roughly in half by the end of the decade compared with 2005 levels, in line with what scientists say is necessary for the developed world to live up to the goals of the Paris agreement.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/30/emission-pledges-by-states-put-extra-pressure-on-scott-morrison-to-lift-national-climate-goals
    With just weeks to go to the key climate conference in Glasgow, the government has announced no target or policy, but it does have an ad campaign, writes Graham Readfern.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/30/scott-morrisons-marketing-suggests-australia-has-a-strong-track-record-on-emissions
    Australia should not be a climate laggard at Glasgow. We should be leading the world and encouraging every other country to increase their climate ambitions, urges NSW energy and environment minister Matt Kean.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2021/sep/29/the-climate-crisis-has-sparked-an-economic-arms-race-and-australia-cannot-afford-to-stay-idle
    Paul Karp reports that the UK’s high commissioner to Australia has warned it will be “very disappointed” if Scott Morrison doesn’t attend climate talks in Glasgow, as pressure mounts to lift emissions reduction ambitions.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/29/uk-will-be-very-disappointed-if-scott-morrison-not-at-cop26-climate-talks
    “On a matter as important as climate change, shouldn’t the Prime Minister attend the Glasgow conference?”, writes John Lord.
    https://theaimn.com/on-a-matter-as-important-as-climate-change-shouldnt-the-prime-minister-attend-the-glasgow-conference/
    ‘Green growth’ doesn’t exist – less of everything is the only way to avert catastrophe, opines George Monbiot.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/29/green-growth-economic-activity-environment
    Victoria’s anti-corruption commission will call former Andrews government minister and Labor factional strongman Adem Somyurek to public hearings in the next fortnight to probe allegations he misused public money to build his power in the party.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/anti-corruption-commission-launches-public-hearings-into-adem-somyurek-20210929-p58vt3.html
    Victoria’s Health Department has been charged over last year’s mistakes in hotel quarantine that drove the state’s deadly second wave of COVID-19. WorkSafe has charged the Department of Health with 58 breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, alleging the department failed to provide a safe workplace for its employees and failed to ensure people were not exposed to risks to their health and safety, reports Tammy Mills.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/worksafe-charges-victorian-health-department-over-hotel-quarantine-program-20210929-p58vr3.html
    Anthony Galloway writes that new laws will be urgently passed to help Australian businesses fend off major cyber-attacks in a range of new sectors including banking, groceries and universities, while businesses continue to express serious concerns about the government’s proposed overhaul of the critical infrastructure regime.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/emergency-laws-to-be-passed-to-fend-off-major-cyber-attacks-20210929-p58vp0.html
    The global COVID-19 recovery is driving hot demand for Australian coal, but threats loom for the fossil fuel as decarbonisation goals accelerate, says Nick Toscano.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/coal-prices-are-roaring-back-amid-a-global-energy-crunch-20210929-p58vox.html
    Our political leaders will do anything to stay in positions of power, including deceiving the voting public on urgent matters of climate change, writes Sue Arnold.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/governments-climate-change-web-of-lies,15569
    Professor of Law, Joellen Riley Munton, examines vaccination and the law. She does not have good news for those who refuse vaccination.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/you-vaccination-and-the-law-20210929-p58vos.html
    “Just who will draw the short straw on policing the line between the vaxxed and the unvaxxed when states open is emerging as the decade’s vexed demarcation dispute”, asks Elizabeth Knight. She says the question is “political kryptonite”.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/retail-fight-who-body-blocks-the-unvaccinated-from-coming-through-the-shop-door-20210929-p58vsk.html
    The AFR says that soaring prices for gas and coal look set to drive Australian resources exports to a record $349 billion as big economies such as China and Europe battle energy supply crises and the Morrison government faces an internal stoush over whether to adopt stronger emissions reduction targets.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/world-energy-crisis-offers-australia-a-349b-opportunity-20210929-p58vsi
    Alexandra Smith describes the conundrum over voluntary assisted dying that is facing Berejiklian. It one of her own making after she said after a bruising abortion debate, that there would be no more conscience votes in this term of government.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/premier-s-conundrum-over-assisted-dying-bill-20210929-p58vpx.html
    “The Victorian government’s decision to legislate to stop religious schools having control over who they employ illustrates how religious freedom is being undermined in Australia. Such a law will force faith-based schools to employ staff whose beliefs and actions are inimical to the religious tenets such schools embody”, whines tha Australian Catholic University’s Kevin Donnelly.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/when-the-state-denies-religious-rights-we-all-lose/news-story/aa06bb484ba2e832cffc038f6d98dfc7
    Panic petrol buying, soaring gas prices, a truck driver shortage, a labour market squeeze – there’s a perfect inflationary storm brewing in Britain, explains Hans van Leeuwen.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/britain-s-petrol-station-queues-stoke-inflation-fears-20210925-p58uo3
    “No, Barnaby. The UK energy crisis has nothing to do with its net-zero target, and to suggest otherwise is outrageous”, say these two academics in their contribution to The Conversation.
    https://theconversation.com/no-barnaby-the-uk-energy-crisis-has-nothing-to-do-with-its-net-zero-target-and-to-suggest-otherwise-is-outrageous-168869
    The Chinese Government is making progress in achieving a reduction in carbon emissions through its technology and energy sectors, writes Professor John Quiggin.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/china-makes-progress-in-fight-against-climate-change,15566
    Following on from yesterday’s “Arseholes of the Week” nomination, West Australian Police Minister Paul Papalia says the actions of two Melbourne Demons fans who allegedly sneaked into the state to attend the AFL grand final were “despicable” and called for the pair to face jail time.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/western-australia/despicable-wa-police-minister-wants-book-thrown-at-demons-fans-who-breached-border-20210929-p58vna.html

    Cartoon Corner

    David Rowe!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    David Pope

    John Shakespeare

    Andrew Dyson

    Cathy Wilcox

    Warren Brown

    Leak

    From the US










  30. Abbott is an end justifies the means kind of person. If he agrees with your end, then its easy for him to justify your means.

    Or if you’re (predetermined) the “good guys” then eveything you do is “good” or at the very least can be excused, as opposed to having to do good things to be judged good.

  31. Morning all. This is a nice consistent poll, with no hint of a bounce for Morrison. Many people I have spoken to seem to see the sub decision as a reasonable one on its merits (French contract flawed; China threat growing) but handled terribly badly, and insultingly to the French.

    The secret sub contract cancellation reinforced the impression of Morrison as a liar and a bully. Having a second major nation angry against us also puts paid to any suggest of international diplomatic skill in this government. And having Biden forget his name showed that internationally Morrison is still nobody.

  32. I find myself looking more kindly on Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.

    The government says the changes are designed to reinforce trust and confidence in the sector and “ensure registered charities do not engage in or actively promote unlawful activity”.

    But Fierravanti-Wells wrote to the assistant treasurer, Michael Sukkar, on behalf of the committee in July, expressing concern and saying it was unclear which offences could lead to charity deregistration.

    “The committee concerns are particularly amplified noting that the discretionary powers to be exercised by the commissioner may relate to the determination of whether a criminal law has been breached,” Fierravanti-Wells wrote at the time.

    Sukkar was asked to give greater clarity to charities. But the committee said on Wednesday that it was not reassured by his response, including on the potential limits to freedom of speech.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/30/coalitions-planned-crackdown-on-charities-should-be-scrapped-liberal-led-committee-finds

  33. In the post-lock down world, NSW will likely face a Delta resurgence if multiple restrictions are simultaneously relaxed, as we have seen in countries overseas.

    Dropping most restrictions is also likely to result in repeated stop-start lockdown cycles, prompted by health system strain when cases surge.

    Only layered, combined protections will provide a chance of safer and sustainable re-opening until we await the promise of second generation vaccines, boosters and smarter vaccine strategies.

    https://theconversation.com/relying-only-on-vaccination-in-nsw-from-december-1-isnt-enough-heres-what-we-need-for-sustained-freedom-168833?

  34. When talking about Shrines of Wars does that include ones like ‘Yasukuni Shrine‘?

    And also likes of United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) etc

  35. @Vic_Rollison
    5m
    I’m sorry Gladys, but if you think anti-vaxxers are going to do the right thing by staying away from businesses and venues which require vaccine passports just out of the kindness of their hearts, you live in an alternative reality.

    Gladys has always held the view that her citizens will “do the right thing”, which is why she has never felt the need to make the rules too harsh.

  36. Socrates says:
    Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 7:56 am
    Morning all. This is a nice consistent poll, with no hint of a bounce for Morrison. Many people I have spoken to seem to see the sub decision as a reasonable one on its merits——————————-

    My instinct is that AUKUS/subs aren’t the types of issues that are likely to affect voting decisions generally – and in the electorally important suburbs and regional cities in particular. (Adelaide might be an obvious exception in the case of subs.). On the downside for Morrison, the mishandling of the subs decision and the ongoing commentary about it, might contribute to a general impression of the Federal government’s incompetence and shallowness.

  37. OK, so the nuclear subs didn’t buy a swing.
    Stand by for a nuclear powered and armed aircraft carrier-purchased defence alliance with New Zealand.
    Whatever it takes.

  38. My simple take on ‘COVID’ relief payments by the coalition…they pumped say 100 billion into the economy and magically property prices have risen 100 Billion…. so I suspect I know where the money finally ended up in the wash, and it wasnt helping battlers.

  39. My simple take on ‘COVID’ relief payments by the coalition…they pumped say 100 billion into the economy and magically property prices have risen 100 Billion…. so I suspect I know where the money finally ended up in the wash, and it wasnt helping battlers.

  40. lizzie says:
    Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 7:58 am
    I find myself looking more kindly on Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
    ————————————
    She has been a positive force on multicultural issues and she does deserve credit for that. On the other hand she is very, very conservative- as in being a Peter Dutton supporter and an opponent of marriage equality. She once attended a community event that I was at. As an individual she was friendly and engaging enough.

  41. Socrates @ #36 Thursday, September 30th, 2021 – 7:56 am

    Morning all. This is a nice consistent poll, with no hint of a bounce for Morrison. Many people I have spoken to seem to see the sub decision as a reasonable one on its merits (French contract flawed; China threat growing) but handled terribly badly, and insultingly to the French.

    The secret sub contract cancellation reinforced the impression of Morrison as a liar and a bully. Having a second major nation angry against us also puts paid to any suggest of international diplomatic skill in this government. And having Biden forget his name showed that internationally Morrison is still nobody.

    Thank you, Soc, for this sober and even-handed assessment. 🙂

  42. On the WA poll result I have some anecdotal evidence that confirms it. Recently I had to do a work trip to Perth (first in two years due to covid!) for a workshop.

    At the workshop while explaining I was from SA the topic of covid and border controls came up. The mood in the room (20-25 people, all professionals or involved in development) was very strongly pro WAs current controls and McGowan’s leadership. Opponents of the current policy were described with words like “insane” and “traitor”.

    I didn’t think too much about this till I realised while writing up notes that the workshop was held in the State seat of Churchlands, which is very strongly Liberal. If that was the mood in a group of people in Churchlands, it doesn’t bode well for Scomo or Christian Porter.

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