I’ve been a bit lax in keeping up on federal preselection developments of late, which have naturally been gathering pace as the big event gets closer. To keep things manageable, I will focus in this post on developments in New South Wales, which is where most of the action has been.
Things have been particularly lively in the Liberal camp, where Scott Morrison finds himself in the thick of factional warfare between his centre right faction and its principal numbers man, Mitchell MP Alex Hawke, and an alliance of the moderate and the hard right factions. As Mike Steketee at the Saturday Paper relates, the latter have accused the former of obstructing the process so as to avoid rank-and-file ballots that may not go their way, potentially endangering Hawke himself. Steketee reports expectations that the end game will be a deal that leaves all sitting members undisturbed, with ballots to proceed in a number of important seats where it may have been prudent to have had candidates in place quite a bit sooner.
• Jim O’Rourke of the Daily Telegraph reports the failure of Scott Morrison’s seemingly desperate attempt to recruit Gladys Berejiklian in Warringah leaves Jane Buncle, a “high-flying junior barrister who believes in climate change”, as the favourite to run against independent Zali Steggall. However, James Massola of the Sydney Morning Herald reported party polling tested the prospects of Berejiklian, Buncle, former Premier Mike Baird and management consultant Alex Dore (who according to the Telegraph is still considering running), and found only Berejiklian would win the seat.
• In a particularly helpful account of the broader state of play, Linda Silmalis of the Daily Telegraph reports three candidates have nominated in Parramatta, which the party is hopeful of knocking over with the retirement after 17 years of Labor member Julie Owens. These are Maria Kovacic, co-founder of Western Sydney Women; Felicity Findlay, acquisitions manager for property investment firm Merc Capital; and Charles Camenzuli, engineer and unsuccessful candidate for the seat in 2010 and 2019. Silmaris notes the party has extended nominations in the hope that a stronger candidate might come forward. Former Parramatta councillor Martin Zaiter is “being wooed”; efforts to interest Geoff Lee, who holds the state seat of Parramatta, have come to nothing.
• One of the preselection challenges Alex Hawke is keen to head off is that against Environment Minister Sussan Ley in Farrer, where she is threatened by Christian Ellis, a public relations specialist who has made a name locally campaigning for water rights. Linda Silmaris’s report says “Mr Ellis’s supporters believe their candidate has the numbers, triggering panic among those backing Ms Ley”.
• Hawkesbury councillor Sarah Richards has been preselected to run against Labor member Susan Templeman in Macquarie, where she fell short by 371 votes on her first attempt in 2019.
On the other side of the aisle:
• Sarah Martin of The Guardian offers a revealing account of the complex state of play in Labor’s preselection for Parramatta. Local branches are dominated by the soft left faction associated with Laurie Ferguson, which duly favours a rank-and-file ballot. However, the faction is split between supporters Julia Finn, member for the state seat of Granville, and Durga Owen, criminal lawyer and Western Sydney University lecturer, neither of whom are “seen as acceptable to the federal executive”. This would appear to include Anthony Albanese, who may be about to sanction a push for the executive to take matters into its own hands due to familiar concerns about branch stacking. Albanese’s own branch of the Left favours Abha Devasia, legal director of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. However, the Right seemingly wants in as well, demanding compensation for the selection of the unaligned Daniel Repacholi to replace Joel Fitzgibbon in Hunter.
• Also noted in Sarah Martin’s article is that a rank-and-file ballot to choose Sharon Bird’s successor in Cunningham is expected to be won by Alison Byrnes, a staffer to Bird and the wife of state MP Paul Scully.
• Labor’s candidate for Lindsay, which Melissa McIntosh won for the Liberals from Labor in 2019, will be Trevor Ross, a firefighter of 36 years.
I didn’t realize Cleo Smith’s parents were still grieving after she was returned to them safe and sound, which was when McGowan brought the child gifts.
I’ve been interested to read the views of Greens supporters on illegal drugs.
As a teenager growing up in Bankstown in the 70’s I got exposed to grass and hash and also other drugs, like most teens in those days. I won’t bore people with details, but after some initial fun, I (and many of my then mates) developed a lifestyle based around scraping together some money somehow and then trying to score a deal somewhere, then getting stoned for days on end. I dropped out of uni, drifted away from family, and basically completely wasted 2 years of my life. I shudder when I reflect on those 2 years.
I got out of it-I cut right back on the dope, I got back into uni, I met a girl, graduated, got a good job. Not all of my friends from those years were so lucky.
I don’t doubt that there are many people who can flirt with illegal drugs, be it dope or ice or ecstasy or whatever, with only minor damage to their health or other aspects of their lives. But there are also many people who can’t. I’m all for pill testing, when combined with professional advice on why you shouldn’t be taking them. I’m fine with marijuana use for medicinal purposes. I’m fine with treating end-use of illegal drugs as a heath problem. But anyone involved in manufacture, import or distribution of illegal drugs should be treated as criminal. If use of illegal drugs in Australia could be minimised or even stamped out completely, that would be a wonderful thing, just as it is that we have reduced smoking so much.
So a question to Greens supporters. How would you feel about your own teenage children smoking dope or using ice or ecstasy? Would you shrug your shoulders and say so what? Or cheer them on for being socially enlightened? Maybe have a few bongs together with them at home, so they could be introduced to drugs under parental supervision? Or would you leave that in the hands of some guy they met at the pub?
Why are we engaging in a comparison between McGowan and The Liar when it should be between McGowan and Gutwein?
Oh, that’s right. It was S@#thead who set the red herring in motion.
There was a time when a personal call fro the PM or Premier would have been enough.
Now it requires a visit, gifts and an entourage of staff, the local MP and photographers.
If I was in crisis, that’s the last thing I’d want.
Lizzie, if you are in crisis, it’s not about you.
It’s all about the political mileage a ratbag politician can make out of your crisis.
Morrison’s office said this morning that he was going to meet the families of the five children today. Hopefully this never occurred, and never will. I’ve only seen a photo of him at the school.
C@t,
What a mental image.
As a Gen-X’er I find that very frightening.
How quickly we forget and move on. Cleo, not Chloe. 😳
bakunin @ #1256 Saturday, December 18th, 2021 – 4:05 pm
You know what’s more frightening? If there were votes in it, Scott Morrison would do it.
I strongly recommend anyone interested in the topic of preferences and preference leakage read the article Kevin Bonham posted a few pages back. Really interesting stuff, and debunks some of the claims that get thrown about here from time to time.
Asha says:
Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 3:00 pm
Daniel Andrews has just overtaken Jeff Kennet to become the seventh longest-serving premier of Victoria:
——————
Interesting. Barring unforeseen events he should pass Bracksy before the 2022 election, and should he be re-elected and stay on, pass John Cain Jr to become the longest serving ALP Premier of Victoria.
It partly explains why Andrews drives the right wing media and establishment nuts. Labor governments, by their very nature, lack legitimacy but are sometimes tolerated as transient, if unpleasant, phenomena between long interludes of conservative rule. Authoritative and confident progressive leaders who entrench their influence in the institutions of a State are a clear and present danger.
“Birds sing when they are in the sky, they sing: “Peace, Peace, Peace””
https://youtu.be/COR3lMXKAfg
https://www.thestrad.com/playing/pablo-casals-performs-the-song-of-the-birds/10365.article
More on Casals
https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/12/03/pablo-casals-work-age/?mc_cid=ce14b328be&mc_eid=89da0d505a
D @ #1131 Saturday, December 18th, 2021 – 11:55 am
As I have commented before, this is mainly due to the fact that local lymph nodes are where most of the cellular activity of immune response to vaccines take place. Typically at least half of breast lymphatic drainage is via the axillary (armpit) nodes. This matters in both breast abscesses and metastasis of malignacy. It is usually not much fun.
Please forgive this post. It is about me. The tragedy in Devonport once again triggered memories of when I witnessed a girl in our class killed crossing the road after school. It was in fifth class in 1957. Some others saw it happen. I was waiting for a train along with a couple of classmates looking back towards the main shopping street across an empty area (about 30 metres according to Google maps and now with buildings). One classmate was closer standing on the footpath.
Obviously other students who witnessed the accident (10/11yo) have had their own ways of dealing with it in their minds. For my part I have been unable to speak about it to anyone until this post (and that is anonymously). It took several hours after arriving home to tell my parents.
In those days there was no ‘trauma counselling’ so after a school assembly the next day there was no further mention. I know that our teacher was sort of blaming herself because she had detained the poor victim for a short while and she was hurrying to catch the train.
From anyone who knows about PTSD or whatever, is my reaction in not discussing the accident normal or is it abnormal? I really would appreciate any comments.
One further thing – I lost any faith in what the newspapers write. The Daily Telegraph (or Daily Mirror) had a small article with several facts incorrect, such as location.
I certainly hope that the children who witnessed the tragedy are helped to deal with it and do not end up like myself.
C@t,
Absolutely.
This is probably more on a “hands in the air” tip, that might suit the churchy vibe ScoMo projects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz1xMiyrfsw
Mind you the vocals are a little subversive, despite the references to angels…
https://www.welovewhq.com/what-we-reckon/stuff-we-like/the-promised-land-by-joe-smooth
“The soulful, unifying sentiment of the lyric made this a massive underground dancefloor hit with the ecstasy generation of the late 80’s & early 90’s. There isn’t a single one of us who were there then, back in the day (at the birth of modern Clubbing scene you all know today), who doesn’t love this record & we all sing every single word of it, whenever it’s dropped at weekends in the Club.
Name any type of liberation & it is nailed by Promised Land, Black, Female, Gay, every box is ticked & rarely has the truly unifying power of House music been so clearly demonstrated. The lyrics (which appear below the Youtube clip further down the page) are really simple, heartfelt & open, so they can be bonded to almost any situation that involves human beings struggling.
…
Promised land epitomises the absolute heyday of modern Black music, a time when producers from Joe Smooth & Marshall Jefferson, right through to the Bomb Squad & Public Enemy were all sending positive, unifying messages to the world via music. A time before daft gangster rap, misogynistic twaddle & the disappearance of musical instruments, became the norm in Black Music & also society.
You can draw a clear line from Promised Land, straight back to Dr. King’s epic speeches of the 1960’s. As such, it’s a piece of music that has major significance in all modern human culture.”
Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, even Black Eyed Peas. 🙂
It’s Saturday 🙂
https://youtu.be/_Tu-qDHSSZo
Time for Root to show us he has some imagination and courage as a captain. He should step up the run rate, get beyond the follow on and declare in the final session of the day – for broad and Anderson to rip thru the top order.
#WeatheronPB. It was the hottest day since January in much of Sydney, reaching 38° at Olympic Park and points further West. The first really hot day in what has so far been a fairly cool Summer.
citizen @ #1264 Saturday, December 18th, 2021 – 4:37 pm
I am a professional in the counselling field. There is no normal or abnormal in PTSD. Recent event triggered a deep hidden experience. Go to your GP and get a referral to a PTSD counsellor. You may only need 1 or 2 sessions because speaking it out to a person face to face may be enough to break the dam of grief you experienced and re-experienced over the years. Nuff said.
C@t,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr4O3dJcWm0
Morrison’s team must be pretty satisfied with today’s efforts. He has dominated news with his visit to Tassie, plus his advice on “living with the virus”, following his Plan.
Citizen – feel free to share more. Or not. I don’t think there is a rule book. I know two people who long ago tragically witnessed the death of their child – one joined groups and talked it out with people who had similar experiences. The other bottled it. Both are permanently damaged by it but both still live their lives.
Find your way citizen. And good luck.
Or for England to bat through until an hour after tea tomorrow and then unleash Anderson and Broad.
Both scenarios equally unlikely I think.
Griff, our local Supermarket still has the QR codes and I made a point of telling a staff member to pass on my thanks to the manager. About a quarter of customers not wearing masks but I make a point by wearing a N95, (probably lost on them!!) which is what my doctor wears.
We are meeting a couple for a Thai tonight and we go early and sit near the open windows, with my OH (masked unless eating) sitting furthest away from others. Our friends have agreed that this is the best seating arrangement. Otherwise my OH stays at home …just not worth the risk!!
Citizen
It’s not unusual to bury shocking experiences, but if the memory is now surfacing so strongly that it is triggering an emotional reaction, insomnia, or nightmares, it’s probably time to talk it out with someone.
I did think there was somewhat of a convention that the GG would generally be the one to act as the public face of the Nation in times of tragedy. That has the major benefit of at least nominally taking the politics out of it.
We should go back to doing that.
citizen,
I’m just happy you trusted us enough to share. We are here for you. 🙂
bakunin,
What I loved about hip hop (and I still listen to the local hip hop radio station, Raw fm, in my car), is how it was so multicultural and its language spanned the globe:
https://youtu.be/ymNFyxvIdaM
Jackol @ #1275 Saturday, December 18th, 2021 – 5:25 pm
For example, Sir William Dean at Thredbo.
As a young child I was in the passenger seat when my mother hit an older schoolgirl who was running across the road. I remember seeing hair, lots of hair. The girl survived and was expected to have a full recovery. Her father called my mother to both give her the good news and explain that all witnesses said it was completely the girls fault and they wanted my mother to know their thoughts were with her too.
So a good ending. But a memory never forgotten.
I also remember as a young teenager running to catch a train at Niagara Park station to get to cricket practice. It started to pull out as I ran down the steps toward the platform. Doors stayed open back then.
My mate on the stairs (seeing me off) said ‘don’t do it!’. I threw the kit in and I jumped. Crashed into the edge of the opening I slipped down between the train and the platform – my grip on the handrail tenuous. I heard a lady on the platform say “he’s gone”. Matty Buttersworth, the teams fast bowler, was on the carriage, he grabbed my shoulder and dragged me into the train – knees bloodied, but otherwise ok.
Life is more about riding your luck, and rolling with the punches when your luck runs out (living with your damage) than a carefully planned and crafted journey from A to B.
How quickly Taylormade forgets:
When Dan Andrews won the 2014 election, he did so on the promise to end the Napthine govt’s East-West link project which was very unpopular with the electorate. Napthine tried to sabotage the electorate’s wishes by signing a contract, just prior to the election, with which, to preserve their promise to the electorate, would cost the incoming Labor govt $1.1 billion.
Labor didn’t flinch. They cancelled, and paid out the contract (approx. A$339m). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_West_Link_(Melbourne)
Oh how the Libs laughed (after they’d gotten over their stinging defeat) – to know that they’d blown a $1.1 billion hole in Labor’s budget, from the get-go. They couldn’t wait to see Labor go under. They didn’t give a shit about the state’s finances; their whole raise d’etre was to see Labor fail.
But, Labor didn’t fail. After a raft of kept promises, at the 2018 election Labor picked up eight seats, to the chagrin of Matthew “Lobster the Mobster” Guy, and the Feds.
2019: ENTER THE FEDS. By this time the Federal Liberal National Party had had enough. What had happened to the jewel in the LNP Crown? They decided to intervene in Vic State politics. Yeah, they thought, we know how to do this, we’re going to resurrect a dead duck. We’re going to offer Victoria something they can’t refuse; $4 billion to build the East West Link.
See: Why Dan Andrews turned down $4b from Scott Morrison: https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/why-dan-andrews-has-turned-down-4b-for-the-east-west-link-20190521-p51pk8
If you read the body of the above article, even then the Libs didn’t do their homework. Bloody useless bunch.
But Mr Andrews insisted on Tuesday he would not take the money or build the road he claims would cost more than $11 billion.
“I’ve congratulated Scott Morrison on a win but the notion that I’m going to break my promises so he can keep his – no, that’s not going to happen,” he said.
“It may not be popular. I’m not going to delay or put off projects I’ve committed to build in order to build projects I said I wouldn’t build.”
Now, getting to today: And Tim Pallas. And putting out the garbage on a Friday.
According to Simon Love, Tim Pallas has this to say (yesterday):
Simon Love
@SimoLove
Treasurer
@timpallas
was already preparing the budget for this
@WestGateTunnel
outcome!
“..costs incorporated have already been acquitted, contained on contingencies in last budget
No impact on debt and deficit, I’ve already provisioned for it.”
@10NewsFirstMelb
#springst
9:46 AM · Dec 17, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
https://twitter.com/SimoLove/status/1471612793262460928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1471612793262460928%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Faustralia-news%2Flive%2F2021%2Fdec%2F17%2Faustralia-news-updates-tasmania-jumping-castle-covid-coronavirus-omicron-scott-morrison-nsw-victoria-weather%3FfilterKeyEvents%3Dfalsepage%3Dwith3Ablock-61bbc8a18f080842de5fb095
Thank you to those who have replied to my post. Fortunately I am not really affected by sleep problems for example but at the moment feel very strongly for those students who witnessed what happened.
And I am probably a bit over protective where children may face danger, whether crossing the road or confronting another potential hazard such as electricity.
Good one, Bodgie.
Just received a notification that I may have encountered a covid + person at my local Coles on Tuesday.
Not much useful information with it.
I was in there for 8 minutes and was wearing a mask.
I’m glad we don’t need qr codes any more.
C@tmomma,
You mentioned Sir William Deane. He was the most compassionate governor general that I can remember. And he is still with us as at the age of 90.
They have an elevator now at Niagara Park, SK. Though it’s true to say that if you miss a train that you still have to wait an half an hour for another one. 🙂
EB. not sure if you read my reply this morning. Hatton & Laws chemist (Charles St, Launceston) for Moderna booster
citizen,
Can you imagine the tawdry, mawkish display of ott sympathy Scott Morrison would engage in if any of those incidents occurred today? There isn’t one occasion while Scott Morrison has been PM and where the GG would have been formerly and formally expected to be the national Mourner-In-Chief, that hasn’t been usurped by that man.
‘ItzaDream says:
Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 4:27 pm
“Birds sing when they are in the sky, they sing: “Peace, Peace, Peace””
….’
—————————
Um, not really. A lot of bird song is advertising territory and advising would-be interlopers that they are in for a fight if they try and intrude.
C@T
I don’t think Albert and Don were related and they were very different people but Sir Albert Dunstan remained in power with ALP support and was a country centric premier and that one of the reasons why Henry Bolte hated the Country Party.
Morrison is just another insincere moirologist -paid for in votes.
If Morrison turned up with a camera crew to our place in the event of a tragic event the camera crew would get a lot more footage than Morrison would have hoped for.
MB:
IIRC, the United Australia Party and the Country Party had been governing with the usual coalition arrangement that persists to this day, with Dunstan as Deputy Premier, and they had recently won a landslide victory that left Labor with less seats then either the UAP or Country party.
It was John Wren who then encouraged (I’m sure through totally ethically means) Dunstan and the ALP to form a coalition and oust the UAP from office.
I don’t hold must respect for ScoMo but him turning up to Davenport is harmless.
Taz @ #1288 Saturday, December 18th, 2021 – 5:55 pm
thanx Taz
Looks like many people are interpreting “freedom” differently to Morrison and Perrottet.
Ch 7 news (Sydney edition) reckons overseas travel has just about collapsed and interstate travel is wobbly. Says it is good for travel within NSW but some people interviewed want to stay even closer to home.
Mexicanbeemer @ #1291 Saturday, December 18th, 2021 – 6:05 pm
Thanks, MB. I just thought Don may have been the black sheep of the family. We have one in federal Labor right now, I believe. Isn’t Mark Butler a direct descendent of an SA Liberal Premier?
I knew someone would miss the point.
MB,
We’re just saying that the Governor General would have been a more appropriate conveyor of national grief.