Federal preselection and electoral law developments

Federal preselection news from New South Wales, not all of it about the Liberals, plus plans to lower the voting age to 16 in the ACT and much else.

The mercurial Roy Morgan organisation put out a newsletter this week saying its fortnightly poll had Labor leading 56.5-43.5 and would be published in full within 48 hours, but nothing more was heard. However, there is no shortage of other electoral news to relate, even without getting too deep into the developing situation of the New South Wales Liberals’ federal preselection tangle, which was covered in depth here. Note that I also have a separate post dealing with the imminent Super Saturday of four New South Wales state by-elections.

• The Liberals in New South Wales have at least resolved their dispute to the extent of proceeding with plans for a preselection ballot for Bennelong, which David Crowe of The Age reports is likely to be held in March. The candidates are Gisele Kapterian, former chief-of-staff to Michaelia Cash and current executive at software company Salesforce; Craig Chung, a City of Sydney councillor; and Simon Kennedy, a former partner at McKinsey.

• Labor also has a few loose ends in New South Wales, having yet to choose candidates to succeed retiring members Sharon Bird and Julie Ovens in Cunningham and Parramatta. A membership ballot for Cunningham will be held on February 19 between Misha Zelinsky, Australian Workers Union assistant national secretary and former criminal defence lawyer, and Alison Byrnes-Scully, staffer to Sharon Bird (and wife of state Wollongong MP Paul Scully). Zelinsky has been in the news over social media posts and an e-book he co-authored nearly a decade ago which featured jokes denigrating women. The Guardian reports that Labor is struggling to find a candidate in Parramatta that the party hierarchy considers up to standard, having lately been rebuffed by Cameron Murphy, prominent barrister and son of Lionel Murphy.

• Northern Territory Senator Sam McMahon, a Country Liberals member who sat with the Nationals in Canberra, resigned from the party last week and is leaving open the possibility of contesting the election either for a different party or as an independent. McMahon lost her preselection last June to Alice Springs deputy mayor and conservative media identity Jacinta Price.

Noteworthy matters of electoral law and administration at state and territory level:

• A headache looms in South Australia ahead of its March 19 state election, with no contingency in place for voters put in COVID-19 isolation who are unable to meet the deadline for a postal vote application. A bill to allow for voting to be conducted over the phone in this circumstance was passed by the lower house and amended in the upper, and the lower house had not considered the amendments when it rose in early December. The Advertiser reports that Labor says it would be a simple matter for the house to reconvene and agree to the amended bill, but Premier Steven Marshall says there is not enough time to pass legislation before the government enters caretaker mode ahead of the election. Marshall blames Labor for supporting the amendments, but it appears to me that the government chose to sit on the bill for the last three days of the session.

• The Canberra Times reports Labor has “indicated a willingness” to support a Greens bill to make voting compulsory for 16 and 17 year olds in ACT elections, notwithstanding the local electoral commission’s evident horror at the resulting administrative burden.

• Remy Varga of The Australian reports the Victorian government is taking a stand against the pernicious practice of political parties handling postal vote applications so they can harvest data from them.

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.

1,236 comments on “Federal preselection and electoral law developments”

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  1. It’s not too late for SfM to get a Tattoo.

    Edit: has anyone come across the escape clauses in the ABC Funding announcement that will see that it doesn’t have to be paid? Perhaps something to do with making Leigh Sales the boss?

  2. Establishing a federal anti-corruption commission in this term of government was a key pledge made by the prime minister before the last election, with a draft of the bill released in November 2020.

    But with just seven parliamentary sitting days before the budget, the attorney general Michaelia Cash indicated in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, that the government would not have enough time to fulfil the election pledge.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/07/michaelia-cash-shelves-pledge-on-federal-icac-as-liberal-mp-urges-debate

    ‘No time to implement something we promised to implement in this term of government’.

    Not good enough. SfM will blame Covid. Or Labor. There’s always someone else to blame for his failures.

  6. “Latest RM poll is dire for LNP(not that NSW isn’t too). 11% swings in WA + SA, 10% in QLD, 5% in NSW, VIC and Tas”

    In view of these polls, I am still waiting for a cogent explanation as to why the NSW LNP has such high hopes for gaining Eden-Monaro, Gilmore, Dobell, Macquarie, Hunter and Parramatta against this apparent tsunami. Maybe they know something pollsters don’t because the ABC has helpfully decided that the ALP seats of Parramatta, Cowan and Corangamite are also marginal. technically, that might be correct but in today’s polling environment?

  9. Sprocket:

    From the Labor Party meeting today

    Albanese said Labor still doesn’t know what’s in the religious discrimination bill, and the shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus similarly gave a report that the party can’t determine its final position until it’s seen amendments.

    Dreyfus said the government was “not being bipartisan” in the way it has consulted. No questions were asked – a sign of Labor being determined to keep the focus on the government

    Hmm, that is quite different from how their position was reported by the Guardian. Seems I may have overreacted a little.

    Wait and see, I guess.

  10. @Roy – the LNP really doesn’t have high hopes in any of those seats. It’s more desperation of where they could possibly gain based on the margins and what happened last time.

    If they really had a prayer of gaining they’d be putting resources into Eden-Monaro – given the margin is pretty small. But … nope. Gilmore is relying entirely on Constance’s name – even that may not be enough.

    On the ABC’s choices – they can’t exactly say “based on current polling…”

    But equally it’s Morgan, so I wouldn’t be putting great stock into them.

  13. has anyone here read the full text of the china russia joint statement ?

    Joint statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership for collaboration in the new era

    take your pick :-
    https://www.bilaterals.org/?joint-statement-of-the-people-s

    http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5770

    https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CASI/documents/Translations/2022-02-04%20China%20Russia%20joint%20statement%20International%20Relations%20Entering%20a%20New%20Era.pdf

    unpacking the russian-chinese joint statement (caution : biased (!) 😉
    https://thesaker.is/unpacking-the-russian-chinese-joint-statement/

  15. So, anyone prepared to place a bet on how long nath will be ‘gone’ for this time? I bet the first begging email to be let back in has been written and sent already. The first of many.

  19. ‘BK says:
    Monday, February 7, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    This morning, attorney-general Michaelia Cash indicated in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, that the government would not have enough time to fulfil the election pledge before the election.
    _____
    No Michaelia, you just didn’t want any worthwhile commission!’
    ==================================
    This afternoon her prime minister contradicted his Cabinet Minister by opining that there might still be enough time.


  20. Asha says:
    Monday, February 7, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    Sprocket:

    From the Labor Party meeting today

    Albanese said Labor still doesn’t know what’s in the religious discrimination bill, and the shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus similarly gave a report that the party can’t determine its final position until it’s seen amendments.

    Dreyfus said the government was “not being bipartisan” in the way it has consulted. No questions were asked – a sign of Labor being determined to keep the focus on the government

    Hmm, that is quite different from how their position was reported by the Guardian. Seems I may have overreacted a little.

    Wait and see, I guess.

    My reaction was the same and then I read the Guardian article with care and came away with the impression the headline was miss leading and that Labor are working hard to have the Greens and the Liberals wedging themselves.

    The Greens have already set themselves up. Poor old Adam could not help himself.

  21. It looks like Qanda is dropping the talking heads spiced with controversial deadbeats and dominating presenters like Stan ‘the hog’ Grant – and going with this new format..

  24. How are you feeling today? Would you like me to prepare the Dawn Patrol again tomorrow?
    _____
    C@t
    I’m still quite drained, so if you wouldn’t mind.
    Thanks

  26. One thing I can say with confidence about China, they have the best man-made snow. The ground around the ski slope can be absolutely bare but there will always be snow on the competition slope. All day, every day.

  27. It looks like Qanda is dropping the talking heads spiced with controversial deadbeats and dominating presenters like Stan ‘the hog’ Grant – and going with this new format..
    _____
    sprocket_
    I wonder if the government will serve up anyone for this format.

  33. BK, rest easy.

    Confessions @ Monday, February 7, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    Thank you for the latest Rowe. No compunction in drawing a likeness of Colonel Mustard with a smartphone. They look familiar 🙂

  35. Late Riser says:
    Monday, February 7, 2022 at 7:03 pm

    For no reason in particular, this image appear in my twitter feed and I thought to share.

    (apologies)

    Good grief.Looks like either a porn star or hit man.

  37. So, anyone prepared to place a bet on how long nath will be ‘gone’ for this time?

    Who can tell? It’s sock puppets all the way down.

  39. LR @7:03

    – the Dutton makeover makes him look like a villain in Cardinal Richelieu’s guard in a Four Musketeers adaptation.

    Rakishly evil.

    It might actually work for him …

  46. Socrates,

    It’s easy.

    1. See the ? about 20 characters from the end?
    2. Delete everything from there till the end (including the ?)
    3. Substitute “.jpg”

    Done.

  47. Just saw an anti Labor/anti Albo advert. The first I’ve come across so far. It was on the Bolt show on Skye. Looks like the government’s been stung into action.

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