This week should see the fortnightly federal voting intention poll from Roy Morgan, the regular fortnightly Essential Research poll which is scheduled to feature neither voting intention numbers nor leadership ratings, and possibly the more-or-less monthly Resolve Strategic poll from the Age/Herald. Until then:
• Tom McIlroy of the Financial Review reports the Centre Alliance will push for an inquiry into the government’s voter identification bill when it comes before the Senate, to which it will presumably progress swiftly after coming before the House of Representatives today. Three further electoral bills come before the House on Tuesday: to reduce the thresholds beyond which those who spend money on their own election campaigning are required to lodge annual disclosures; to provide for measures deemed desirable under emergency conditions such as pandemics, including greater flexibility with postal and pre-poll voting; and to require security assessments and such like for the computer systems and software used to conduct the Senate count. Two notable bits of detail include bringing forward the deadline for receipt of postal vote applications from the Wednesday before the election to the Tuesday, and requiring the Australian Electoral Commission to publish the Senate vote data files within seven days of the return of the writs, having presumably been allowed to play it by ear in the past.
• A preselection vote on Saturday to determine the successor to Victorian Liberal Senator Scott Ryan, both in respect to the vacancy arising from his imminent retirement and the third position on the Coalition ticket at the election, was won by Greg Mirabella, Wangaratta farmer and husband of Sophie Mirabella. James Campbell of the Herald Sun reports Mirabella won the final round by 165 votes to 141 over Simon Frost, staffer to Josh Frydenberg and former state party director. Incumbent Sarah Henderson comfortably won the ballot for the top position, with the second reserved for Bridget Mackenzie of the Nationals. Other unsuccessful candidates were Emanuele Cicchiello, former Knox mayor and deputy principal at Lighthouse Christian College, and Ranjana Srivastava, an oncologist who also contested the preselection for Casey.
• A dispute within the New South Wales Liberal Party affecting preselections for Warringah, Hughes, Gilmore, Eden-Monaro, Dobell and Parramatta reached a new pitch at a meeting of its state executive on Friday night, which resolved to close nominations on December 3 with plebiscites likely to follow in February. However, James Massola of the Sydney Morning Herald reports the issue could be settled next week by a deal between Scott Morrison and Dominic Perrottet, potentially through the federal executive choosing candidates with plebiscites. Broadly speaking, the dispute pits centre right powerbroker Alex Hawke against the combined forces of the moderates and the hard right, with the former wanting candidates to be promptly installed by the state council and the latter wanting party plebiscites at the cost of delaying the process until February. One aspect of this is that Scott Morrison, who is close to Hawke, is backing state MPs (specifically Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons run in Hughes and Parramatta MP Geoff Lee’s for the federal seat of the same name) for preselection in federal seats while Dominic Perrottet, from the hard right, would sooner avoid the resulting state by-elections.
• Dominic Perrottet’s concerns apparently do not extend to the done deal of Bega MP Andrew Constance contesting preselection for Gilmore. However, Constance’s field of competition has now expanded to include Jemma Tribe, a charity operator and former Shoalhaven councillor, and Stephen Hayes, a former RAAF officer and staffer to Christopher Pyne. They join Shoalhaven Heads lawyer Paul Ell, who by all accounts has strong support in local branches, while Constance is favoured by Alex Hawke and the centre right.
• Sharon Bird, who has held the Illawarra seat of Cunningham for Labor since 2004, has announced she will retire at the election. With the seat seemingly the preserve of the Right faction, candidates to succeed her reportedly include Misha Zelinsky, Fulbright scholar and assistant national secretary of the Right faction Australian Workers Union, who aborted a planned challenge to Bird’s preselection before the 2016 election; Alison Byrnes, an adviser to Bird; and Tania Brown, Wollongong councillor and an administrator at the University of Wollongong.
• Labor’s candidate for north coast New South Wales seat of Page, which was held by Labor through the Rudd-Gillard period but now has a Nationals margin of 9.4%, is Patrick Deegan, who works for a domestic violence support service and also ran in 2019.
Cud Chewer @ #145 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:26 pm
Yep. So much for independent medical advice. Though I’m glad she didn’t because we would have gotten that doctor with her inappropriate smiling a lot sooner.
Itza
“It shouldn’t be difficult once they’re approved. How much $ remains to be seen.”
The approvals bodies require evidence. Evidence requires controlled studies. Plus you saw how long it took to get approval for PrEP for HIV even though the anecdotal evidence had been around for years and it was known to be relatively safe. As I said, if there were money in it, you’d be expecting Pfizer to have already launched a study. It’d have to be a big and long one to pick up enough data.
”
Victoriasays:
Monday, November 22, 2021 at 11:48 am
#Breaking Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP has rejected a Senate bid to give Parliament more say over emergency pandemic decisions such as the closure of the international border, even as he tells voters he wants the government to get out of their lives | @CroweDM #auspol
”
That was because Victoria Laboris government was deeply unpopular and the preference deal done by Graham Richardson with Greens
A pretty accurate comment reflects my thoughts.
The pandemic of the people will endure long after the actual virus.
I have written off quite a few people in my sphere.
They are not worth my time or energy.
C@t
I was hoping Kerry would find a way to leak.
woopsy with the apostrophe which I can’t correct
doctor’s = doctors
Vic,
Yep. When you see the amount of effort the police are going to in order to try and find one child, William Tyrell, you’d think the police would be mighty concerned to put in the massive effort required to bust a paedo ring for satanic Adrenochrome extraction, wouldn’t you?
Were you referring to my post cud chewer? Did skeptic post on the Chant story as well?
In any case, I was not assured that Chant provided such advice until the story today. I still think in her position, she should be able to transparently and openly table the advice, that the government can then decide on. This would prevent such a situation and demonstrate it is the Government of the Day that is making the decision. And now we see why Hazzard simply had to accompany her to the Upper House oversight committee and prevent Chant from answering.
Edit – spelling
Mavis @ #81 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 10:31 am
History teaches us otherwise. The Gillard government, backed by Independents, had one of the most successful records of getting legislation enacted.
A shame we didn’t stick with them.
Vote Independent. We know it works.
ItzaDream @ #149 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:28 pm
Chant could have answered the questions re her advice at the time rather than protect the Premier.
C@t
Precisely the point we were making as a family the other day.
I am utterly exhausted with the sheer stupidity of these idiots who are ruining the city every single weekend.
They should all f.@@k off and go and live in a commune in the middle of nowhere and leave the rest of us to get on with it.
ItzaDream @ #157 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:31 pm
I can edit again! Bert told me how to do it. It’s a bit of a to do but it works!
You go to C+
Press on the C+ icon
Uncheck ‘Override HTML comments’
Save
Refresh the page
Then you will see your comment with the ability to edit it
Save
Go back to C+
Check the box again
Refresh the page again.
🙂
Disagree with Tony Windsor because if public servants quit everytime the minister rejected their advice there wouldn’t be many public servants left because the idea that politicians must follow advice is an idealistic fantasy.
Cud Chewer @ #152 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:29 pm
I think approval will come sooner rather than later on initial data. The UK have approved Molnupiravir.
Yes, I know about studies, generally, and specifically:
Bennelong Lurker @ Monday, November 22, 2021 at 12:26 pm
Thanks! An interesting read.
Griff
You both posted. I was replying to Sceptic. The thing about Kerry was that there were things where you just had to wonder, but there were also moments in time when you could see the look on her face and tell that she’d been advising something else.
Itza
There’s a difference between approval for treatment and approval for prophylaxis. I want to see a prophylaxis but I’m not holding my breath.
Cud Chewer @ #144 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 9:26 am
Why?
Her job was to provide advice, which she did.
The emails being quoted suggests she did that and was ignored.
If she resigned, then the Government potentially appoint someone with less integrity.
Because she didn’t it is plain to see that the Government was letting other considerations outweigh the health advice.
The emails suggest that she acted with integrity which you questioned many times.
C@tmomma @ #163 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:35 pm
I’m exhausted just reading that. I can comment, but it throws up my penultimate post, not the one I want to edit.
lizzie @ #128 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 11:49 am
The spread of improper pronunciation and grammar is enough to make you gropeable. Morrison is effluent enough to know better.
Kevin Bonham
Victoria has also seen some high-flying governments crash, though not as heavily: the Brumby government was 57-43 up in late 2009 and lost 48.4-51.6 in late 2010.
_____________________
Thanks Kevin. Had forgotten all about Brumby.
Andrews needs to take note. It can all turn to shit very quickly.
Btw I had a conversation with my own doctor a couple of months ago where I asked if he felt it was in my own best medical interest to get a booster (this is before the booster regime became official). What I got was strange – it was the moral argument about denying vaccines to other countries.
Fast forward to last week. Same doctor appeared on television complaining that he was throwing out doses of Pfizer. Those doses aren’t saving lives overseas. They’re simply going to waste.
lizzie1 at 12:19 pm
He was educated by Homer Simpson.
Victoria
A relative of mine, who was saved from a massive bleed into the brain cavity by medical specialists in Melbourne, has been fighting with all medical advice ever since, and now says she is giving up on “Western medicine” and turning to Ayerdevic methods. I don’t think it’s the recent brain damage, she’s always favoured alternatives. Naturally she won’t accept the vaccines!
Rex Douglas @ #161 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:33 pm
A very difficult position to be in. But in her defence, her job was provide the government with the advice, which the government was at liberty to misrepresent, at its own peril. I believe it would have been to our detriment for her to quit, or provide the seeds for public conflict, which would have achieved what exactly?
Morrison’s new slogan a bit wordy…
“So this national plan enables governments to step back and Australians to step forward so they can look forward.”
Wasn’t Binchook heavily into telling people at every presser , often several times, that she was following the medical advice ?
ItzaDream
The penultimate post appearing for edits is the same for me. Very irritating.
Re Chant.
We can now see why the Victorian Legislation is better. The health advise must be published.
(Griff’s comment noted and corrected)
I think we’re on the same page Barney.
frednk @ Monday, November 22, 2021 at 12:47 pm
Punished? Freudian slip? 🙂
nath @ #150 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:28 pm
Incandescent or LED. It makes a difference.
Australia will go past 200,000 covid cases tomorrow 8 weeks after going past 100,000.
Dr Chant’s role in slowing cases down in NSW such that about 20,000 of the last 100,000 nationwide are from NSW, while opening up, would be without parallel in most places in the world.
ItzaDream @ #178 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 9:47 am
100% 🙂
Mexicanbeemer says:
Monday, November 22, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Disagree with Tony Windsor because if public servants quit everytime the minister rejected their advice there wouldn’t be many public servants left because the idea that politicians must follow advice is an idealistic fantasy.
__________________________________
There is a huge difference between a politician receiving advice and then choosing not to follow it. That’s the whole point of public servants being advisors, not decision-makers. That said, a public servant may be a lot more comfortable walking away from a decision they disagree with, but that is their call.
But when a politician claims that a decision was made because that was the advice received, it’s a different story. In that case, the issue is whether a politician is misleading the public or outright lying.
The challenges for a public servant in responding to this sort of situation are much more problematic because the public servant is being set up as the scapegoat if the decision goes wrong or even if there is a backlash.
Ideally, it would be nice for them to call out the politician for their lies (which would mean resigning or being fired). But this means they could suddenly lose their income, which is very difficult for most people with commitments.
There is also the issue of whether they believe that resigning means they would lose what influence they had. An example is Dr Fauci in the USA, who stuck as long as possible as an advisor on COVID under the most outrageous pressure because he believed his expertise was too valuable to throw away on a principle.
I think Windsor is wrong in this case, but don’t confuse the issue of a government not accepting advice, which is what you are talking about, with standing by while your advice is grossly misrepresented for political reasons, which is what Windsor is talking about.
Cud Chewer @ #168 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:38 pm
Don’t hold your breath. You’ll go blue. But that’s not really how it works. I get Tamiflu, and I take it when I want, rightly or wrongly, probably the latter. My sister in law just got a booster 6 weeks early because she’s flying to the States tomorrow. It will depend of your doctor and the criteria he uses for writing a script. Or which pharmacist you know.
sprocket_ @ #5 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:45 pm
Labor should have fun with that.
Hopefully.
Sounds like something from the Rocky Horror Show.
It’s just a step to the back
And then a step to the for-or-or-or-orward
Put your hands on your hips..
sprocket_ @ #177 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:45 pm
… while the government looks back.
A lot of us might say “amen” to this.
lizzie @ #187 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 9:52 am
Why did she have it there then?
Was she trying to drum up more business?
ItzaDream @ #142 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:25 pm
Having seen the adverse effects of the early protease inhibitors (PI) on many of my HIV patients back in the day, there is no way I’m going to use one (like molnupiravir or the Pfizer PI – which contains ritonavir for pharmacokinetic “boosting”) for prophylaxis of a respiratory virus like COVID. I used to try taking the HIV drugs, just to see what I was putting my patients through, but stopped after experience with ritonavir. We don’t even use HIV PIs for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP), and only if we suspect resistance do we use it for post-exposure prophylaxis. The COVID PIs are for stopping progression of COVID disease, not prophylaxis or prevention of transmission.
BiTB
Why did she have there then?
Was she trying to drum up more business?
____________________________________
I suspect the tweeter brought it with him/her from reading the tweet.
What next for the Colossal Fossil?
Anti masks?
Anti physical distancing?
Anti washing hands?
Anti hard hats?
Anti high viz jackets?
And did his “God” speak to him yesterday – in tongues of course
Hence anti mandatory vaccinations today
Perhaps his “God” wants more passing by him into the ever life hence has a vested interest in disease and death – waving their hands, shouting and jumping up and down as they go thru the Pearly Gates of course
Given the unvaccinated should be free to move among us with no restrictions, why did we get vaccinated in the first place?
The 90% plus of us that is
This Pentecostal with the glass jaw is a buffoon of the first order
“Get out from under the doona and learn to live with the virus so we can grow the economy”
We have vaccines which are mitigating against the impacts of this virus hence we are now “getting out from under the doona” you embarrassing fool
Look at the NT
Look at Europe
Look elsewhere around the World
We live in times of a Pandemic
rhwombat @ #192 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:55 pm
Oh dear you’ve ruined my day. And my trip. Bastard.
Barney
Rev Avers had taken the book in with her. She is an avid reader, that’s all.
Itza @ 12.51:
You are right about access to an early booster depending on a particular GP.
A relative (aged 76) is flying to France next week. Had his second AZ vaccination in mid-latish July. Last week GP told him he didn’t need/qualify for a booster because of date of second jab.
“Rev Avers” is a very interesting person. He/she is a trans Uniting Church Minister, which is why I follow her tweets. Definitely not a fan of the present government.
I could be wrong, but I think Nath’s point was that there isn’t enough brain activity in that group to power a light bulb.
Bennelong Lurker @ #197 Monday, November 22nd, 2021 – 12:58 pm
My sister-in-law is a rather forceful person, who states her case with the firm conviction of one expecting it to be met. Anyway, it was hunky dory at a big eastern suburbs practice.