Essential Research has published its final fortnightly poll for the year, which includes its monthly leadership ratings. Scott Morrison is down two on approval to 46% and up two on disapproval to 44%, his weakest numbers since the onset of COVID-19 and a continuation of a downward trend since March. Anthony Albanese is steady on 40% approval and up one on disapproval to 36%. Essential’s numbers for both leaders are consistently more favourable than those for other pollsters. Morrison’s lead on preferred prime minister is down from 44-28 to 42-31, the narrowest it has been all term.
The federal government’s ratings for COVID-19 response have deteriorated after a three-month improving trend, down six on good to 41% and up seven on poor to 32%. The equivalent results for the states record a one point drop in the New South Wales government’s good rating to 54%, an eight point drop in the Victorian government’s rating to 43% and a three point drop for Queensland to 57%. The Western Australian government is up four to 78% and the South Australian government is down three to 57%, with due caution to the tiny sample sizes in these cases.
Respondents were asked about the Coalition’s performance on various matters since it came to power in 2013, and were interestingly given the opportunity to indicate whether the issue was important or unimportant to them in addition to evaluating the government’s performance. Its worst results came for handling sexual assault and misconduct, with 35% from the 50% who rated it poorly considering it an important issue, and handling of corruption allegations, rated likewise by 35% from 49%. However, the government now records neutral ratings on the vaccine rollout and is rated very favourably for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
As it does at the end of each year, the pollster asked if had been a good or a bad year for various actors, with the federal government deemed to have had a good year by 34% and a poor year by 38%. Thirty-eight per cent considered it had been a good year for them and their family compared with 23% for poor; 37% rated their personal financial situation favourably compared with 30% for unfavourably. As usual, large companies and corporations were deemed to have done best of all, at 52% for good and 21% for poor. The poll was conducted Wednesday to Sunday from a sample of around 1000.
Another poll worth noting is a Western Australian survey for Painted Dog Research, published today in The West Australian, which found more respondents considering the state’s recently announced opening up date of February 5 to be too soon (36%) than too late (18%), with 46% deeming it right. Mark McGowan was credited with a 77% approval rating, down from 88% in a previous survey in February. The poll was conducted Monday and Tuesday from a sample of 811.
‘PaulTu says:
Sunday, December 26, 2021 at 9:42 am
Z & BW
There are more than a few “dinosaurs” in senior admin and political roles today.
Reverse anthropomorphism?’
—————–
haha. I was contemplating that very thing. I was trying to remember if there is a reverse word for ‘ reverse anthropomorphism’. I can’t think of one. We know that dogs ascribe canine characteristics to humans. Is there a term for that?
I’m not sure how much I trust the judgement of anyone who considers Twitter an accurate barometer of broader Australian opinion in 2021.
I hope you all had a great Christmas.We have been going between two extended family Christmases in the mountains, and unusually for me, this is the first time I have turned on the computer in 48 hours.
The tone of Morrison’s Tik Tok is very childish. “Buddy has to go and wrap presents now.” Perhaps he’s aiming for the pre-school vote.
________
He’s supposed to be a Prime Minister!!!!!!!
One day he might ACT like one.
A
AI and Big Data don’t really care what individuals think. They run algorithms. Mostly those algorithms have useful predictive power. That is why people who are selling stuff buy the predictions.
What AI and the algos can’t do is judge the impact of events between now and the future.
“came from existing doses on hand”
And will be available in the early New Year
So, given there are 800,000 (at least?) doses “on hand” why the experiences of my wife and me (and many others we know) in booking for the “booster”, unable to access the “booster” as eligible (so when reduced to 5 months and now 4 months)?
Will we receive a call from our GP or Pharmacy saying we can now receive the “booster” forthwith seeing the 800,000 doses from existing supplies are now available?
This is all PR bullshit of the first order to cover yet another “botched” distribution shambles
In panic mode courtesy of the spread in NSW, the State promoted as Gold Standard by the Colossal Fossil
And the sun is not even out!!!
The myth of right wingers and National Security is a myth that should be able to be easily exploded but probably won’t be. They talk very loudly, but when it comes to actually doing anything? They’d be as competent at handling an actual crisis as they have moved at managing – actual crises – the nations’s worst fires, climate action, a world pandemic. As competent as they have proved at managing our largest ever defence contract.
This from that Dutton Daily Mail puff piece deserves a bit of scrutiny:
“ However moving production to Australia may be inevitable as Mr Dutton said the UK and US had limited spare production capacity to build the Australian submarines.
And he said work was already underway with the international partners on designing local shipyards.
Australia’s current Collins Class submarines (pictured) would need major overhauls to extend their service life beyond 2038.
The new timeframe now matches the original plan for the introduction of the axed French submarines which were due to come into service in 2035.”
The first paragraph tolls the bell doesn’t it? As I’ve been saying for months now, neither America or Britain have the spare production capacity to even START laying down Aussie nuclear subs until 2040 or later: the Americans because they have a full order board to replace dozens of Los Angeles Class subs with evolved Virginias and then start laying down SS(X)N next generation subs; the Brits because they have already started full production of the four boat Dreadnaught class SSBN build, which takes Furness out of the equation until after 2035 (and then they have to rapidly ramp up production of the SS(R)N replacement for the Astutes).
The gap between what we have now – build infrastructure, Human Resources for construction, civilian and military nuclear industries and so on, and with what we actually need to build and put SSNs into service is astonishing: it is by far the single biggest project that Australia has ever contemplated. Ever. So far all we have are puff pieces and brain farts – and from this mob – who are spectacularly bad at governing. Dutton would have us believe that from nowhere, and a standing start, we will be nuclear capable – and in the most complex nuclear industry of the lot – submarines – within 13 years.
Dutton is also fibbing. A 2035 SSN ‘boat in the water’ does not match the Attack class timeframe – even the revised one. By 2035, three out of the first four Attack class boats would be in the water, with the lead boat having down up to three years of sea trials: the 2035 milestone was when the Attack class program was capable having three boats in service (and submarines operate in groups of three). Dutton’s 2035 SSN timeframe – even if you accept it, which I don’t – refers to the first boat being in the water to commence sea trials: the actual capability (three operational subs) would be well into the 2040s (a much longer time frame would be required because of the inherent jump in operational requirements going from SSKs to SSNs, as opposed to going from SSKs to another SSK class that has been purposes designed based on your experience with the older class of boat).
BK
I always thought that Morrison has a dog because it’s part of a “normal” family, but the dog never looks very comfortable in his presence. Perhaps Buddy can sense the underlying bully in the man.
Boerwar @ #2052 Sunday, December 26th, 2021 – 9:45 am
Non-human consciousness is a fascinating but slippery subject – a mental mobius strip.
An algorithm is only as good as the person who devises and maintains it. It also depends whether it incorporates machine learning or not. It is not a magic wand.
HMAS Nothingburger and HMAS Bullshitburger: the only boats in Dutton’s Navy that will actually hit the water.
https://www.pollbludger.net/2021/12/22/essential-research-leadership-ratings-and-end-of-year-review/comment-page-42/#comment-3782887
https://www.openforum.com.au/a-warning-to-the-curious/, yeah I know, WA and Libs lite
C@tmomma @ #2062 Sunday, December 26th, 2021 – 9:54 am
In this case the reporting of a faint hope is just the last paltry shot in a pathetic locker.
NSW has 458 patients in hospital with COVID-19 and 52 in intensive care as the state recorded 6394 new cases.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-records-6394-new-covid-19-cases-458-patients-in-hospital-amid-booster-boost-20211226-p59k65.html
rhw
I have been doing a bit of trawling and cannot find a term for non human species projecting their characteristics on humans.
I am sure they do it. Our dogs have always tried to get us to behave like dogs – with varying degrees of success. But there is no term for that.
We know that dogs ascribe canine characteristics to humans. Is there a term for that?
Maybe we have a scholar in ancient Greek here who could suggest something. Skylosomorphic? Cynodomorphic?
rhwombat @ #1943 Sunday, December 26th, 2021 – 9:56 am
Yep. Funny how he pops up just as Albanese is gaining momentum against Morrison, in a wan attempt to puncture his bubble.
Speaking of which, we are babysitting a dog.
It has just indicated to me that the pack needs to patrol our territory and drip some urine at the boundary markers.
One final point on defense and the subs contract. With the USN and RN working with the RAN it is now entirely possible the SSN project will be a success. I am already aware of significant work being done in UK and USA to assist us with a local build.
But it would be outrageous for any LNP minister to claim “credit” for this idea. The truth is the Australian Chief of Navy was so concerned about the delays in the submarine replacement contract he spoke to the RN First Sea Lord on his own and asked for help. He probably risked his career in doing so. Fortunately for Australia the RN did agree to help and talked to the USN.
This deal was organised by the defense professionals who saw there was a serious problem. Dressing it up as Aukus and claiming credit was the LNP’s sole contribution. The politicians’ responsibility was to square things away with the French, and we know how badly that was done.
Trump’s MAGA Christmas message falls flat as critics remind him he’s no longer the president
Unwilling to let a day go by without reminding Americans of his existence, former President Donald Trump issued an official statement early Saturday morning wishing a “Merry Christmas to all,” before adding, “We will Make America Great Again!”
Signing his brief greeting, “President Donald J. Trump,” the twice-impeached former president was reminded by his critics on Twitter that he was a one-termer who has been out of office for a year now.
“We will Make America Great Again!”
CHARTRUCE POWELL @Shapeshifter187
We already did. YOU GOT FIRED
Boerwar @ #2015 Sunday, December 26th, 2021 – 6:07 am
What map are you looking at?
drip some urine at the boundary markers
———————————
It doesnt want to risk claims of canine terra nullius.
After receiving a concession from Telstra that they had been overcharging me for four years (and eventually a $1850 refund cheque) I vowed I’d go over to iinet.
My vow to change ISPs became even more determined when, after a recent local day-long planned power outage (network maintenance) our modem didn’t wake up.
We have also been having a lot of trouble in the past year with slow internet speeds at times, buffering and poor streaming image quality. The dead modem was the last straw… or so I thought.
After spending an hour on the phone, I finally convinced the almost unintelligible lady at the Telstra (Bangalore branch) call centre that nothing was getting through to my modem: no “LINE” light, nor “PHONE”, nor “LINK” lights. Nothing, except a “POWER” light. Either it was broken, or the cable to it was.
Two days later a brand new (free) modem arrived. I grudgingly thought, “Hmmm… not bad service, for Telstra.”
But the new modem didn’t work, either. So a line problem looked a good bet.
Another hour-long phone conversation with another almost unintelligible lady from Bangalore followed. I finally convinced her to schedule a tech to investigate the problem, but resigned myself to having to wait until well after Christmas, perhaps even after New Year.
So imagine my delight when the lady rang me back (as she had promised she would) to tell me that there was an NBN tech scheduled for Snoozeville the very next day, and would it be convenient if he was able to squeeze me into his already busy schedule between 1am and 5pm?
“Would it EVER? Gosh! Thanks! He can come at midnight if he likes!” I replied, forgetting momentarily that I was supposed to be cranky with Telstra.
Next day at 2pm I received a courtesy call from Sanjev, the tech. He was about half an hour out from my place. Was this time convenient? “You bet!” I sputtered, overcome with shame at ever doubting that wonderful company, Telstra.
When he arrived he immediately diagnosed that there was a break in the line 100 metres distant (so I wouldn’t have to pay a sparkie to fix internal house wiring). We found the likely spot to be a junction box 6 metres up a telegraph pole on a blind corner about… yep… 100 metres away.
Sanjev, ever cheerful, got his ladder off the rack on his truck, erected a barrier on that blind corner, put his harness on and climbed up all the way to just underneath the humming Essential Energy wires. It took him an hour, but he fixed it. Water corrosion. He was cheerful and friendly the whole time,. I had to ask him not to keep calling me “Sir”, though.
By now privately begging forgiveness of Telstra and the NBN for ever doubting them, I thanked Sanjev profusely, and got even more fulsome when we discovered together that we were getting a solid 30 megabits, a figure we had never achieved before at Château Bushfire, and five megabits over what we were actually paying for, and over what was supposed to be possible, given our 1km distance from the local node.
Poor Sanjev had three more jobs in Snoozeville that afternoon. He told me our job was one of the easy ones, so God only knows how long the other three were going to take him. He left with a wave and a smile of flashingly white teeth, after I forced him to drink a cool lemonade, and had promised to give him high mark’s when the NBN post-service survey inevitably arrived (it still hasn’t, but I look every day).
Ever since, our Telstra NBN service has been functioning flawlessly: fast, quick to handshake, no buffering and no dropouts. Thank youse unintelligible Bangalore babes. Thank you Telstra. Thank you NBN. And thank you Sanjev, you pole-climbing mountaineer, you.
As for iinet? Who are they? They can’t even spell. We’re “Telstra” here, all the way.
I’ve got to go out and wait in line for a Covid test today. I was pinged by NSW Health as having been in a Spotlight shop before Xmas when a case was also there. 🙁
I had a mask on but you can’t be too sure.
The past week of NSW positivity of NSW covid tests:
26 Dec 21 6,394 109,545 5.84%
25 Dec 21 6,288 149,261 4.21%
24 Dec 21 5,612 164,144 3.42%
23 Dec 21 5,715 160,471 3.56%
22 Dec 21 3,763 151,443 2.48%
21 Dec 21 3,057 136,972 2.23%
20 Dec 21 2,501 144,368 1.73%
Victoria:
26 Dec 21 1,608 72,519 2.22%
25 Dec 21 2,108 83,456 2.53%
24 Dec 21 2,095 81,565 2.57%
23 Dec 21 2,005 85,112 2.36%
22 Dec 21 1,503 92,262 1.63%
21 Dec 21 1,245 66,888 1.86%
20 Dec 21 1,302 71,491 1.82%
_____________________________________________________
I wonder if we are seeing the results of keeping masks on here in Victoria.
I would love to see the numbers keep tipping down if they are the result of strengthening the mask usage.
The case numbers in the Northern Hemisphere make a big case for pre-emptive measures throughout Southern Australia for the up-coming winter. I wonder if there will be any such movement. My bet is that NZ will think to do so…
“ But it would be outrageous for any LNP minister to claim “credit” for this idea. The truth is the Australian Chief of Navy was so concerned about the delays in the submarine replacement contract he spoke to the RN First Sea Lord on his own and asked for help. He probably risked his career in doing so. Fortunately for Australia the RN did agree to help and talked to the USN.
This deal was organised by the defense professionals who saw there was a serious problem. Dressing it up as Aukus and claiming credit was the LNP’s sole contribution. The politicians’ responsibility was to square things away with the French, and we know how badly that was done.”
I call shenanigans on a lot of that. V-A Michael Noonan was fibbing outrageously to the Joint Standing Committee on shipbuilding in October and November. I simply don’t trust a word he says. My read on him is that he simply has a murder bonner for nuclear subs and a blind love for the American alliance, and has shaped his ‘advice’ accordingly.
he was also the inaugural commandant of Border Protection Command under Operation Sovereign Borders back in 2013. Like many within the public service, his rise to the top has been in parallel to that of the Menacing Wallpaper.
Paul Karp, Guardian reporter..
Hazzard: “Everyone in Australia will get omicron”.
Me: SPEAK FOR YOURSELF
Plenty of potential here for Morrison to tell the nation how, “as a father”, he is gutted every time he hears of tragedies like this.
He barged in on the William Tyrell case, and they didn’t even find the poor little guy’s body. They have one here, and it’s in a marginal seat.
Go for it Scotty! Or are you waiting for a quaddie?
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/boy-3-drowns-at-nsw-holiday-spot-on-christmas-day-20211226-p59k5u.html
Some extended Brad ‘Health’ Hazzard…
NSW Health Minister @BradHazzard just now:
“Everybody in New South Wales at some point will get
Omicron, we’re all going to get Omicron, and if we’re all going to get Omicron, the best way to face it is when we have full vaccination including our booster.”
Via @tveedercom
It seems iinet’s email service has been off since yesterday.
Like all tech companies iinet cops its share.
But I have to say as a customer since they were not much more than the company started by two blokes in the garage 20 years ago I have always found the service excellent.
I’m no power user so my requirements are modest and I’ve found their support staff helpful and patient as we have worked through the issues that rarely occurred.
Early this year there was a problem with my internet connection and it was fairly quickly established the fault was with the NBN aside of things.
The iiNet person organised it all and an NBN tech was on-site first thing next morning and had it fixed in an hour or so.
Maybe I’ve been lucky.
Boerwar at 9:55 am
Not to worry, by then the need of China for , as China says, “escaping from Malacca” will be far less any way. Something they are busily working on. One of the latest moves is the little reported bigly huge Power of Siberia 2 pipeline agreement which goes through Mongolia.
Had a look at this today after looking up Where is Webb, which by the way is cruisin fine. 🙂
day 3-9 are going to be nail biters as the sunshield deploys then.
Anyway, talking robust engineering…
https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Overview
Ingenuity, that little helicopter drone on Mars is still doing flights after starting tests in April 2021. 🙂
Happy thoughts. 🙂
‘poroti says:
Sunday, December 26, 2021 at 10:53 am
Boerwar at 9:55 am
HMAS Nothingburger and HMAS Bullshitburger: the only boats in Dutton’s Navy that will actually hit the water.
Not to worry, by then the need of China for , as China says, “escaping from Malacca” will be far less any way. Something they are busily working on. One of the latest moves is the little reported bigly huge Power of Siberia 2 pipeline agreement which goes through Mongolia.’
————————————-
Yep.
imacca
Still have my fingers crossed for the Webb deployment.
Was that a roar of boos at the Indigenous Welcome to Country?
And here we go! Boxing Day test – the best day of the year.
sprocket_ @ #2016 Sunday, December 26th, 2021 – 9:11 am
Pedant (sort of) alert!
The Victorian Government lists two “lives lost”. Perhaps in the hope they might be found again. And that is at least worth pondering. But, when did people stop “dying”. Nothing grates on me more than hearing that someone “passed”. Which is what I do on the highway. Is the word, not to mention the thing itself, that fearful that it becomes the word that can’t be said.
Hmmmm…..on subs just who the fwark knows anymore. Dutton got the story out a few days ago that the US was eager to “fast track” the acquisition as much as possible?? So media release done and that is probably the actual mission. 🙁 Who to believe?
Its a fwark up setting up for rolling fwark ups down the track. 🙁
Shorter Brad Hazzard 🙂
ItzaDream,
I pointedly refer to people having died. Just to rub it in the noses of those who want to use that Americanism of ‘Passed’. Also, I refuse to use the American term, ‘Shooter’ when referring to a crazed mass murderer with a gun.
ItzaDream
I second the motion. Perhaps we could change it to ‘Passed their expiration date’ as per food/medication ?
Wicket. 🙂 Hameed gorn. 🙂
Er, Brad, mate, what if something even more transmissible and something more virulent than Omicron pops up?
Asking for a friend.
Bushfire Bill @ #1962 Sunday, December 26th, 2021 – 10:36 am
I thought we were supposed to be getting a break from the bastard because he was on holidays!?!
“Nothing grates on me more than hearing that someone “passed”. ”
i dislike it intensely.