A matter of time

An early federal election either likely or not likely, depending on which papers you read.

Writing in InQueensland, press gallery veteran Dennis Atkins lays out the case for a November 27 election, observing that the imminent passage of technical electoral law legislation will “put the final duck in place for Morrison to call an election from the next weekend, with an announcement on either Saturday, October 23 or the following day”. With New South Wales’ super Saturday of state by-elections sure to be set for December 4, this would be the only feasible date for an election this year, at a time when “the balance of risk tilts further and further towards a poll in 2021” – at least in Atkins’ assessment.

Conversely, James Morrow of the Daily Telegraph reckons the by-elections have “dramatically shrank (sic) the chances of an early federal election”. Unspecified “insiders” point to the risks of “election fatigue”, together with the hope that the government’s stocks might be boosted by the opening of national borders early next year and summer weather keeping case numbers within acceptable limits.

Other news:

• As noted in the post below, Andrew Constance will resign from his state seat of Bega to contest preselection for the corresponding federal seat of Gilmore, which Fiona Phillips gained for Labor in 2019 by a 2.6% margin after a 3.3% swing against the trend. Constance is particularly helpful for the Liberals in this seat due to the sympathetic media attention he received after nearly losing his Malua Bay house in the 2019/20 bushfires, which devolved into a public relations disaster for Scott Morrison. However, he will first have to face a local preselection ballot, which the state party is loath to deny its members after imposing Warren Mundine on them in 2019, only for him to lose the seat. He has a rival contender lined up in Paul Ell, an associate with law firm RMB Lawyers. The Guardian reports Ell has “strong support of moderates in the branch”, such that “some senior party sources say an intervention will be needed to ensure Constance is preselected”.

• There has been much speculation that Gladys Berejiklian could line up as the Liberal candidate for Warringah, which Tony Abbott lost to independent Zali Steggall in 2019. However, David Crowe of the Sydney Morning Herald reports a consensus that this will not be feasible until the Independent Commission Against Corruption brings down the findings of investigation into her, presumably under the assumption that such findings would be favourable, which it is not likely to do for several months. The Daily Telegraph reports the preselection front-runner is Jane Buncle, a Manly barrister and factional moderate who is “understood to believe climate change is real”, although a number of others are named as potentially competitive starters.

The West Australian reports Liberal MP Melissa Price had no trouble seeing off a preselection challenge for her seat of Durack from Busselton councillor Jo Barrett-Lennard, winning the party ballot by 47 votes to three.

• Karen Grogan, national political coordinator with the United Workers Union and Left faction convener, has been officially confirmed to fill the South Australian Labor Senate vacancy caused by the death of Alex Gallacher on August 29.

• The Age/Herald have published Newspoll-style quarterly breakdowns of federal voting intention by state from their regular monthly Resolve Strategic polling. This might have been interesting if they had included results from the smaller states, but they are in fact only provided for New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, breakdowns for which are already provided in the regular monthly release.

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.

2,582 comments on “A matter of time”

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  1. @Lee_Tennant tweets

    I’ve long said the neoliberal concept of ‘freedom’ is the freedom to die poor, alone and sick on the street.

  2. Steve777
    ” “That applies to just about anything health related – obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, illegal drugs, voting Greens – the list goes on.”

    None of those are highly contagious.”

    I’ve already been vaccinated against ‘voting Greens’. It’s called ‘reality’.

  3. Kakaru

    A Labor person jumping on an LNP bandwagon. Hazardous to your political health. Ten years of opposition so far. Does seem contagious.

  4. The negative comments from all the scolds on Albo’s Tweet about having a beer is exactly why the ALP and Greens shouldn’t be allowed to govern- the inner city and Green-left types are so detached from the average Australians as to almost be in another Country.

  5. Back in the 70’s and early 80’s when I used to see adults spearing kegs, I can someone saying to never lean over the keg when spearing it, in case the spear (or whatever it was called) came flying out and impaled you. That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the picture of Perrottet.

  6. bc says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    Happy to be corrected but pretty sure that the type of keg he was connecting isn’t the old style spear type.

  7. Mexicanbeemer says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:23 pm

    Bucephalus
    Inner city types love a drink but many greens wouldn’t be out of place in the temperance society.
    ____________
    Yeah kinda true. Strong divide in the Greens is the pro-marijuana/craft beer cohort and the vegan temperance sub committee.

  8. Buce
    It is not so much that Albo had a beer it is the ‘me too’ look. There are only two places in the photo op game. First and last. Besides , he went for an ‘inner city craft beered’ beer. Wot’s wrong with a bog standard Toohey’s New ? 😆

  9. Victorian Supreme Court decision as reported by Lawyerly

    “Banksia class action lawyers face criminal probe as group members win $11.7M
    Lawyers running the scandal-ridden Banksia class action have been struck from the roll of practitioners, will face investigation by the Director of Public Prosecutions and must pay group members $11.7 million in damages.”

  10. Zak Kirkup – I had too look him up, he’s not well known on this side of the continent. I was assuming that he was a cartoon or comic book character or similar, but it turns out he was the Liberal leader in this year’s election wipeout in WA.

  11. poroti says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:27 pm

    Buce
    It is not so much that Albo had a beer it is the ‘me too’ look. There are only two places in the photo op game. First and last. Besides , he went for an ‘inner city craft beered’ beer. Wot’s wrong with a bog standard Toohey’s New ?
    _________________
    First and foremost Albo has to hold Grayndler!

  12. I’m wondering if the vaccine passports could have a digital signature embedded in a QR Code? A QR code can contain 2953 bytes. That should be enough to contain a copy of the vaccination details, person’s name, DOB and the signature.

    The QR code could be read and verified by a phone app. This system should work even when offline.

    Such a system, together with ID check, should be proof against most forgeries (name and DOB collisions are an exception).

  13. bc @ #2365 Monday, October 11th, 2021 – 4:19 pm

    Torchbearer says Monday, October 11, 2021 at 4:00 pm

    Cant they just scan the 5G BIll Gates microchip we all got when we were vaccinated?

    You might like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKZ4SdgfE-U
    You might want to start at the 17:40 mark.

    I haven’t listened to all of it, but your guy loves his embedded chip. He says it’s “Pretty cool.” What it tells me is that you must never give your phone to a stranger, and always keep your NFC things in a faraday cage, the problem of course being that you then can never use them.

  14. Bucephalus says Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    Happy to be corrected but pretty sure that the type of keg he was connecting isn’t the old style spear type.

    I’m sure it wasn’t.

  15. poroti says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:36 pm

    Lurker
    For sure Willie The Boatman Albo Corn Ale is perfect for Grayndler but does it sell outside the ‘burb’ ?
    ______________
    Craft beer is spreading to the outer suburbs. But I’m sure they will just be happy he’s drinking beer tbh.

  16. Late Riser says Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:32 pm

    I haven’t listened to all of it, but your guy loves his embedded chip. He says it’s “Pretty cool.” What it tells me is that you must never give your phone to a stranger, and always keep your NFC things in a faraday cage, the problem of course being that you then can never use them.

    I only shared it for the Bill Gates/hairdresser/conspiracy story.

    At the start he talks about how insecure the RFID based security systems on most offices are. Basically, they’re just a number, no encryption or authentication, and are very easily copied. They’re not going to stop a sophisticated attacker, but most attackers aren’t.

  17. Greensborough Growler says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:41 pm

    nath,

    Sock puppets are worth zilch.
    ________________
    I don’t get it.

  18. bc @ #2375 Monday, October 11th, 2021 – 4:32 pm

    I’m wondering if the vaccine passports could have a digital signature embedded in a QR Code? A QR code can contain 2953 bytes. That should be enough to contain a copy of the vaccination details, person’s name, DOB and the signature.

    The QR code could be read and verified by a phone app. This system should work even when offline.

    Such a system, together with ID check, should be proof against most forgeries (name and DOB collisions are an exception).

    From our very own Prime Minister:

    MEDIA RELEASE
    01 Oct 2021
    Australians who want to travel overseas once restrictions are removed will be able to access an internationally recognised proof of vaccination document in the coming weeks to prove their vaccination status abroad. The proof of vaccination for international travel will include a QR code that is readable globally, and will comply with the standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
    https://www.pm.gov.au/media/next-steps-reopen-world

    But can I print it in A4 size?

  19. I believe someone earlier was dismissing ‘long covid’ as some sort of fake news trivial non event. Given the guy in the following article is deep blue Tory they may need to reconsider that opinion.

    Revealed – Health secretary’s private alarm at ‘huge’ and growing problem of long Covid

    There are around 6,000 people being referred to Long Covid clinics every month

    Health secretary Sajid Javid has expressed alarm at the rising numbers of people suffering long Covid symptoms, telling a private meeting of health officials that the problem was “huge” and “getting bigger”.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/sajid-javid-long-covid-nhs-b1934861.html

  20. ‘poroti says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    I believe someone earlier was dismissing ‘long covid’ as some sort of fake news trivial non event. Given the guy in the following article is deep blue Tory they may need to reconsider that opinion.

    Revealed – Health secretary’s private alarm at ‘huge’ and growing problem of long Covid
    …’
    ————————————
    Buce reckons that Long Covid is a nothingburger. But then he roots for the most corrupt and incompetent federal government since Federation.

  21. Greensborough Growler says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    nath,

    Every one knows that!

    That’s why you post so much bitter and twisted rubbish
    ______________
    I hardly ever post bitter and twisted rubbish. In fact, I venture to say that you would be posting much more of that kind of material than me. By a substantial margin.

  22. poroti says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:27 pm

    I like a Corona but apparently, despite its global commercial success, it isn’t very cool to drink that. Don’t mind a Carlton Draught if we are doing rounds.

    I have yet to drink a Craft Beer that I actually wanted a second one of.

  23. Boerwar says:
    Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5:48 pm

    If there’s strong evidence that it’s a problem then I’m happy to accept it but everything I’ve seen to date has been anecdotal.

  24. Anything has to be better than Victoria Bitter. Which is what I was forced to endure as a teenager seeing that there were many chipping into buy a slab.

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