The first bit of poll news to relate involves YouGov’s rather remarkable result ahead of Saturday’s South Australian state election, which you can read about in the post below. The bad polling news for the conservative side of politics doesn’t end there:
• The West Australian today has seat polls from the Liberals’ four most marginal seats in Western Australia, conducted Friday to Monday from a sample size of 750. Given the fairly small sample size, it would only seem safe to pool the results and tally up the overall swings. Labor holds a lead across the four seats of 54-46 in the poll compared with a post-redistribution average of 56.1-43.9, suggesting Labor would comfortably win Swan (margin 3.3%), Pearce (5.5%) and Hasluck (5.9%), and be in the hunt for Tangney (9.8%). The average primary votes in the poll are Liberal 35.9% (down 10.2%), Labor 42.4% (up 11.8%), Greens 6.5% (down 4.4%), One Nation 4.0% (down 0.5%) and United Australia Party 3.2%. The West Australian’s report does break down the numbers, which for what they’re worth have it at 50-50 in Tangney, with Labor leading 52-48 in Hasluck, 55-45 in Pearce and 59-41 in Swan. Primary votes are also included in the report, if you can access it.
• The West Australian also reported yesterday that a poll commissioned by the Greens in Western Australia and conducted by the Online Research Unit recorded Labor on 42% (up 12.2% on the 2019 election result), the Coalition on 33% (down 12.2%), the Greens on 11% (down 0.6%) and the United Australia Party on 1% (down 1.0%) independents on 9%, leaving 4% to be accounted for by either minor parties or an undecided component. It also had Senate results of Labor 39% (up 11.4%), Coalition 33% (down 9.3%), Greens 12% (down 0.2%), the United Australia Party on 2% (up 0.2%) and independents 11%, leaving 3% unaccounted for. A sample size and field work dates were not provided.
• The Australian yesterday had further results from the weekend Newspoll featuring an occasional exercise measuring respondents’ assessments of the leaders’ characteristics. I tend not to get too excited about these as they generally march in lock-step with the leaders’ overall approval ratings, although there would be some value in assessing the balance of the various results for different leaders over the long term, which is something I never quite find time to do. The latest results find Scott Morrison with a stronger result than Anthony Albanese on “experienced”, which is fairly typical for the incumbent, but losing his advantage on “decisive and strong”, falling further behind on “in touch with the voters” and “likeable”, and continuing to have a problem on “arrogant”.
Those WA poll results are incredible. Tangney FFS!
Morning all. No sign of the narrowing yet! I’m sure they all had a great laugh in Menzies House last night at these SA and WA poll results.
If the Libs lose three seats in WA surely they cannot form majority government? And that is before you factor in the risk to them from Teals in Sydney and Melbourne.
The time for Australia to start building a locally held strategic fuel reserve was three years ago. Engineers have been warning about our lack of local fuel storage for ten years, since the first wave of local refinery closures.
As usual, Scomo did nothing until after the crisis started. Now all he will do is push up prices further.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-15/petrol-prices-to-rise-from-minimum-stockholding-fuel-rules/100910854
Nice. Fingers crossed for a good WA result for Labor.
You can feel it in the wind – a nationwide lifting of the pencil to see what happens with Albo as PM. It’s not just Morrison, the real issue is the “ It’s Time”factor.
This swing in WA will be replicated in every State, with QLD perhaps having a more gentle push away.
The Libs have been in office a lifetime in the minds of voters. They don’t recall Hawke and have long forgotten Kevin and Julia. All they know is it’s worth taking a punt on this new remakes bloke called Albo.
I reckon the ALP will have close to 80 in the new Parliament.
And the Libs will be fighting over leadership for two terms of Albo. It’s what happens in politics these days.
I wish I’d forgotten Kevin.
I reckon the ALP will have close to 80 in the new Parliament.
—————
If these polling figures are anything like in the ballpark, the ALP should easily clear 80. Yes, I know, with all the usual caveats.
I see the Liberal Party stuck Morrison far away from South Australia in WA, for the week before the state election? Says it all really.
Confessions @ #1 Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 – 5:20 am
Considering who the MP is, that’s really sending some message! No to Pentecostals in our parliament!
If an incoming Albanese government had, say 79 seats in the new Parliament off a two party preferred of 52-53%, they’d be four seats away from losing majority government in 2025, and that’s not counting defections, resignations and deaths.
They’d also probably be rendered effectively impotent in the Senate with the Coalition and One Nation having a blocking majority.
They’d be a total laughing stock and have about as much potency as a 100-year-old geezer with metastatic prostate cancer. Peter Dutton would thrash them in the next election and usher in a new conservative golden age for the next twenty years.
Sure, I’d prefer that Labor didn’t win this election to start with, and I’d prefer someone more akin to Trump leading the government (please, don’t be silly enough to install RINO Frydenburg except as a sacrificial ram), but it wouldn’t be the end of the world as it is impossible for the country to legislatively deteriorate during Albanese’s one term as nominal puppet PM.**
**Will he even get to serve one term? What are the odds of either Tanya Pliber-Xik or Bill Xiten knifing him beforehand? I’d say 1.35 payout max.
I see we’ve been given Nostradamus’ morning glory spray for the kleptocratic kakistocracy, other wise known as the Coalition. 😀
This possibility will be causing some anxiety in the US. There has been some speculation that part of the fall out of all the sanctions on Russia will be ‘de-dollarisation’ to some extent, possibly big time . So much of the US’s power comes from its $’s defacto position as the global reserve currency. Which at heart came about due to the Saudis deciding to only accept US$s for oil. The other part of the Faustian deal being the US backed the Saudi regime.
The Saudis have been not taking calls from Biden and other rather extraordinary things lately and now this. The $64,000 question is whether that is due to a) There is something they want from the US, something big or b) Just as they hitched their wagon to the US hegemon 50+ years ago they are looking to hitch their wagon to China. Or at least opening the possibility to hedge their bets.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-considers-accepting-yuan-instead-of-dollars-for-chinese-oil-sales-11647351541?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1
David Crowe at Costello’s SMH/Age still banging away at the Labor hypochracy line today with the letters in the SMH giving it a small amount of traction. Problem is that targeting marginal electorates has always been an election tactic but the efforts of the LNP have made it so blatantly corrupt that now they’ve made it their own and no one else can do it without being hypocrites.
All Labor can do is be up-front and deliberate in their messaging about it and no secret deals IMO and frame it back to the LNP by saying this is a levelling up, never miss a chance to show how biased the LNP is.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/charged-up-labor-favours-marginal-seats-in-community-battery-pitch-20220315-p5a4wb.html
A YouGov poll of 15,000 commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Focussed solely on attitudes towards action on Climate Change, with some electorate and State breakdowns. Sadly, no party voting intentions..
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/auscon/pages/20098/attachments/original/1647309859/Climate_Poll_Report_2022.pdf?1647309859
C@t, “I see the Liberal Party stuck Morrison far away from South Australia in WA, for the week before the state election? Says it all really.”
Morrison was there a week or two ago. The most memorable thing I recall from that visit is footage of Morrison ignoring every word Marshall is saying on an a guided tour.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers. It’s a Midweek Monster today!
The Advertiser-YouGov poll has delivered a devastating result for Marshall’s Liberals. It shows Labor trouncing the Liberals on two-party preferred support, 56 per cent to 44 per cent.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/state-election/advertiseryougov-poll-delivers-devastating-result-for-marshalls-liberals/news-story/089a891f7feb27b1ce2f77929d1ccede?amp
Not being Scott Morrison gets better by the day for Anthony Albanese, opines Paul Bongiorno. He says the latest Newspoll is merely confirmation of the feedback Coalition MPs are getting in their electorates, best summed up by the comment “Morrison’s lost the mob. They have given up listening to him”.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2022/03/15/paul-bongiorno-anthony-albanese-scott-morrison/
Eryk Bagshaw reports that the war on Ukraine threatens to draw Australia into economic sanctions on China after the US briefed allies that Beijing was willing to supply arms to Russia.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/australia-backs-us-warning-of-consequences-for-china-if-they-send-arms-to-russia-20220315-p5a4ta.html
Matt Wade describes how the pandemic and war are delivering a devastating food price shock.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/ring-of-fire-pandemic-and-war-deliver-devastating-food-price-shock-20220314-p5a4mm.html
And small businesses and retailers are warning consumers to expect higher prices across the board as companies across all industries struggle to absorb mounting fuel, shipping and packaging costs.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/from-perfect-storm-to-tsunami-no-sector-spared-as-inflation-sweeps-across-economy-20220315-p5a4rx.html
Inflation is here, and the RBA fears we could talk prices up even further, says Shane Wight.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/inflation-is-here-the-rba-fears-we-could-talk-prices-up-even-further-20220314-p5a4ko.html
Time is rapidly running out for the Morrison government to cut through to a grumpy electorate, so the temptation to cut fuel excise must be immense. Chris Uhlmann says it would be a bad idea which won’t stem the international forces of supply and demand, but desperation routinely trumps reason. In political terms, it would look like an answer and keeping up appearances often matters more than it should.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/excise-matters-but-politicians-can-pay-a-price-for-market-meddling-20220314-p5a4mj.html
Western policymakers are glued to the screens showing the price of oil — they should focus instead on diesel. If anything is going to break soon in the petroleum market, diesel is the most likely candidate, explains Bloomberg’s Javier Blas.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/the-oil-price-surge-is-bad-the-diesel-crisis-is-worse-20220315-p5a4ne.html
The Ukraine war is going to rewrite the rules of the global economy, and Western consumers – enthusiastic backers of the campaign to isolate and cripple Vladimir Putin’s Russia – will pay a high and chaotic price for the cause of freedom, writes Paul Kelly.
https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/energy-costs-blowback-to-hit-the-west-hard/news-story/8a32e61a2fcfef652fa8f827f0cd2b1c
Shane Wright and Rachel Clun tell us that business leaders are warning Josh Frydenberg against a cash-splash heavy budget that will add to inflation pressures, with fresh signs the rental market is the next part of the economy to be hit by cost of living stresses.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/don-t-splash-cash-in-federal-budget-business-warns-as-rents-spike-20220315-p5a4q6.html
National residential property rental vacancy rates slid to just 1.2 per cent in February – the lowest since April 2006. The tight market has seen rents soar as much as 10 per cent, further hitting household budgets at a time when other non-discretionary spending on things such as petrol and food are surging, writes John Collette.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/vacancies-hit-16-year-low-in-rental-crisis-20220313-p5a47i.html
Natthew Knott writes that Scott Morrison has tried to weaponise Anthony Albanese’s weight loss against him, citing it as evidence his Labor opponent is an inauthentic shape-shifter who cannot be trusted. It’s backfiring.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-gets-personal-as-he-puts-down-the-albanese-glow-up-20220315-p5a4t7.html
Dave Sharma, the current Federal Member for Wentworth, got himself into a “blue” last week about his newsletter to constituents, says Kerryn Phelps.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/kerryn-phelps-dave-sharma-turns-his-back-on-blue,16153
Gareth Parker reckons Morrison’s preferred election battlefield is favoured by our turbulent times.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/morrison-s-preferred-election-battlefield-favoured-by-our-turbulent-times-20220315-p5a4yq.html
“If Anthony Albanese hasn’t made a case for change, Scott Morrison certainly has.”, says John Lord.
https://theaimn.com/if-anthony-albanese-hasnt-made-a-case-for-change-scott-morrison-certainly-has/
The SMH editorial demands that Australians deserve to know how we will descend our mountain of debt. It says that, for all the Coalition’s purported fiscal rectitude and disciplined economic management, the nation is at a juncture in terms of where the budgetary agenda should go from here.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australians-deserve-to-know-how-we-will-descend-our-mountain-of-debt-20220315-p5a4vh.html
Sussan Ley’s appeal hasn’t overturned the facts in climate case, argues environmental lawyer Elaine Johnson.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/sussan-ley-s-appeal-hasn-t-overturned-the-facts-in-climate-case-20220315-p5a4wd.html
And though the children lost their climate case, the war has just begun, declares Nick O’Malley.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/though-the-children-lost-their-climate-case-the-war-has-just-begun-20220315-p5a4vl.html
Australian consumers having turned from confident to apprehensive in the space of a week and rapidly increasing prices at the bowser is the culprit, writes Elizabth Knight who says these increases are “messing with our heads”.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/petrol-heads-rising-fuel-prices-are-messing-with-our-minds-20220315-p5a4to.html
The American experience is why we should be so concerned that the latest Australian wages figures show real earnings have fallen. And it’s not a new problem, writes Andrew Leigh in this op-ed in the Australian.
https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/us-lesson-in-why-workers-need-a-boost-in-real-wages/news-story/650bb054bbadac77f6171823c30f37ea
While Energy Minister Angus Taylor and Shadow Energy Minister Chris Bowen quibble over the brass tacks, the states are getting on with the job of energy transition, writes Callum Foote, and in a mostly bipartisan way.
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/states-leave-feds-in-the-dust-as-taylor-and-bowen-play-politics-on-energy-transition/
According to the AFR, China has placed more than 50 million people under lockdown as it struggles to battle multiple outbreaks of the “stealth” Omicron sub-variant, raising concerns about the stability of the world’s second-largest economy and triggering a sell-off on commodity and equity markets.
https://www.afr.com/world/asia/investors-bail-as-china-s-covid-cases-double-20220315-p5a4ue
A long-running stoush between the corporate regulator and Andrew Bragg has worsened after the Liberal senator wrote to Australian Securities & Investments Commission chairman Joe Longo on Tuesday, warning that misleading parliament was a “very serious matter”.
https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/business/superannuation-stoush-heats-up-between-asic-senator-andrew-bragg/news-story/17aabd5a6972f448a58cd3c9e5e12534
Two directors of Victoria’s powerful police union allegedly plotted to sabotage an internal corruption investigation by undermining potential witnesses, and one of them, Sergeant Mark Sims, now faces criminal charges for threatening a fellow police officer, reports Nick McKenzie.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/police-union-figures-charged-with-corruption-influencing-witnesses-20220315-p5a4pk.html
Australia’s hardline COVID isolation policies have dragged down the nation’s international standing in the past year. According to the annual Brand Finance’s 2022 Global Soft Power Index, government decisions that stranded citizens and foreigners overseas for more than two years knocked Australia and New Zealand out of the top 10 and 20 countries, respectively.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/australia-dives-in-global-soft-power-index-as-fortress-australia-takes-its-toll-20220315-p5a4n5.html
The Victorian government said it would aim to lure 1000 foreign healthcare workers to ease a dire shortage. It didn’t come close, says The Age.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-s-fails-in-drive-to-attract-foreign-healthcare-workers-20220310-p5a3nk.html
Michaela Whitbourn reports that a former elite soldier has given emotional evidence about a former comrade who was allegedly directed by war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith to shoot an unarmed Afghan prisoner, telling the Federal Court that the effect on his friend’s life was “heartbreaking”. Can it get any worse for Roberts-Smith in this court case?
https://www.theage.com.au/national/heartbreaking-ex-sas-soldier-gives-emotional-evidence-in-roberts-smith-case-20220315-p5a4r4.html
Julie Szego pays tribute to Kimberley Kitching, the senator who bore the cost of challenging the prevailing view.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-senator-who-bore-the-cost-of-challenging-the-prevailing-view-20220315-p5a4nz.html
Labor is loading up on community battery projects in marginal seats, especially in electorates the party needs to hold in order to win government, writes David Crowe.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/charged-up-labor-favours-marginal-seats-in-community-battery-pitch-20220315-p5a4wb.html
Katina Curtis tells us that Police have charged two people with threatening Kristina Keneally via social media messages.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/police-charge-two-people-for-online-threats-against-labor-senator-20220315-p5a4v5.html
More than half of the sickest patients clogging some of Sydney’s major emergency departments are not being treated on time as critical staff shortages and patients’ complex medical needs intensify demand on NSW hospitals, explain Lucy Carroll and Mary Ward.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/emergency-wait-times-blow-out-almost-11-000-patients-overdue-for-elective-surgery-20220315-p5a4pt.html
The Liberal party’s infighting over preselecting federal candidates is heading back to the supreme court after a member of the NSW state executive began fresh legal action on Tuesday, challenging the federal party’s intervention to save two ministers and a sitting MP, reports Anne Davies.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/15/fresh-court-challenge-filed-in-liberal-partys-nsw-preselection-stoush
In a stunning rebuke to the Prime Minister’s authority, a Supreme Court challenge has been launched against his attempt to lead a takeover of the New South Wales Liberals and secure preselections for three MPs.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2022/03/15/morrison-court-takeover-challenge/
More than 330 Western companies have announced plans to exit or suspend their operations in Russia or stop investing in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The Russians aren’t amused, says Stephen Bartholomeusz.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/russia-threatens-to-strike-back-as-western-companies-flee-20220315-p5a4p1.html
Simon Jackson writes that America is more divided than at any time since civil war and he says this has serious potential ramifications for Australia.
https://amp.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/america-more-divided-than-at-any-time-since-civil-war/news-story/14c16212119c0cecf7feb25ae517e7b8
Former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller did not engage in misconduct when he part-owned two racehorses with people who had been investigated for criminal offences, the independent law enforcement watchdog has found.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/mick-fuller-did-not-engage-in-misconduct-and-may-have-been-targeted-by-disaffected-officers-lecc-finds-20220315-p5a4s5.html
Michael Lawler, a former vice-president of the Fair Work Commission (And Kathy Jackson’s squeeze), is suing the ABC for deceit after a reporter allegedly misled him about the nature of a television program in which he participated, leading to a decline in his mental health.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/ex-fair-work-vice-president-michael-lawler-sues-abc-over-four-corners-deceit-20220315-p5a4w1.html
Paul Karp reveals that State Emergency Service units in some of the hardest-hit flood areas in northern New South Wales had warned the closure of regional offices in 2020 would reduce their ability to respond to natural disasters.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/16/ses-units-in-flood-hit-nsw-raised-alarm-in-2020-that-restructure-threatened-future-of-the-service
Revelly Robinson reviews Firestorm, a book by Greg Mullins detailing the Government’s inaction on climate change from a frontline perspective.
https://independentaustralia.net/life/art-display/ia-book-club-firestorm-by-greg-mullins,16152
ADF deserves better leadership in disasters, especially from politicians, writes Jack Waterford.
https://johnmenadue.com/adf-deserves-better-leadership-in-disasters-especially-from-politicians/
The floods prove volunteers can only do so much when the government goes AWOL, writes a NSW Rural Fire Service Volunteer.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2022/mar/15/the-floods-prove-volunteers-can-only-do-so-much-when-the-government-goes-awol
“Is battling back-to-back disasters distracting us from fighting the climate crisis?”, asks Jeff Sparrow.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/15/is-battling-back-to-back-disasters-distracting-us-from-fighting-the-climate-crisis
While the invasion of Ukraine is fundamentally strategic, religion, faith and history also play a major part, explains Paul Collins.
https://johnmenadue.com/putin-the-pope-and-the-patriarch/
One of Australia’s top defamation barristers has lambasted the federal government’s proposed anti-trolling legislation as a “violent assault” on the law of defamation that risked leaving victims worse off, explains Lisa Visentin.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/top-silk-slams-violent-assault-on-defamation-laws-20220315-p5a4ou.html
China is unlikely to become the world’s dominant economic force this century, suggests a new analysis showing a demographic crunch and slowing productivity growth will leave it a middle-income nation well behind competitors such as the United States. This is consistent with the video of a US briefing I posted yesterday.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/china-population-pressures-to-slow-its-economy-20220314-p5a4k9.html
Cartoon Corner
Peter Broelman
David Rowe
John Shakespeare
Cathy Wilcox
Andrew Dyson
Fiona Katauskas
Simon Letch
Mark Knight
Spooner
From the US
Thanks BK! It is indeed a bumper edition this morning!
It’s funny how Morrison parallels Kevin Rudd in the dying days of the Labor government as he went around making big military and other announcements and no one was listening or cared.
Sohar @ #15 Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 – 7:41 am
Yes, but my point is that in the last week, with a popular national leader of the same stripe, a political party usually brings the national leader in to boost the campaign and give it momentum. Not this time.
BK
Re the US ‘briefing’ video + China. I feel some Mandy Rice-Davies coming on and “Well they would say that, wouldn’t they ?” .
Morrison is still in W.A , it will not help the liberal party
C@t, I think after Morrison’s effort in SA last time, Marshall told him to never come back.
Sohar @ #22 Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 – 8:10 am
I think so too. 😀
”
C@tmommasays:
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 7:29 am
I see we’ve been given Nostradamus’ morning glory spray for the kleptocratic kakistocracy, other wise known as the Coalition.
”
It is frightening how the IPA apparatchiks think. They just don’t care an iota for this country. It appears ‘Loot, loot and loot’ is what they think.
Western Australia is really the wrong demographic for Morrison to do more of his campaigning.
He should be looking at socially conservative, outer suburban, working-class electorates that historically voted Labor. Western Sydney will be solidly Liberal in a couple of decades. He should be aiming to improve the immigrant vote there just like Trump improved his standing amongst ethnic minorities. He should also be looking to mop up the remaining few Labor rump seats in Queensland such as Blair, Griffith and Lilley.
I’m not too worried about WA and SA, realistically only Swan, Pearce and Boothby are in play and even if the government lost all three they still wouldn’t lose government. The key is to make a net gain in the eastern states, through seats such as Macquarie, Gilmore, Corangamite, Dunkley and the aforementioned seats in Queensland. Some of the southeastern Melbourne seats such as Isaacs and Bruce should be also high on the list. Even Julia Dullard’s old seat of Lalor should be considered for a future Liberal gain.
Ven @ #24 Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 – 8:28 am
It’s the Lib/Np way.
“Julie Szego pays tribute to Kimberley Kitching, the senator who bore the cost of challenging the prevailing view.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-senator-who-bore-the-cost-of-challenging-the-prevailing-view-20220315-p5a4nz.html”
This attempted anti labor smudge masquerading as hagiography bordering on call for the bestowing of Sainthhood on the late Senator Kitchings demonstrates precisely what a low rent piece of work Szego is. As is typical of the 9/Faix stable of paranoid xenophobes these days.
Kitchings was not, as claimed, a champion of universal human rights: she was a champion of weaponising human rights as a tool for US Foreign Policy: a classic RWNJ technique of ‘owning the left’ by turning its causes to ulterior purposes.
If anyone can point me to a public statement of the late Senator where the late Senator criticised or called for Magnitsky Act type sanctions to be imposed against The Crown Prince, Hun Sen, President el-Sisi, any of the state terrorists that routinely run amok within the Israeli Government or any of the other various ‘creatures’ that are either owned by America or who at least America is happy to business with, no questions asked – then I’d be prepared to reverse my opinion.
A_E
Such subtle messaging is ubiquitous in the media.
Yes, Morrison made a brief appearance in SA on week one of the campaign probably just to make the token effort (and try and squash any discussion that the state Liberal Government is distancing itself from Morrison or that Morrison doesn’t care etc.) It was really more for the party faithful than the general voter. And yes, it was absolutely embarrassing how low-key it was and how much Morrison just ignored Marshall like he wasn’t even there.
Albanese has already visited SA since but I suggest he pop down to Adelaide some time in the next couple of days to appear with Malinauskas. It would be good optics for both: Malinauskas can show that he has a good relationship with the guy who might be the next PM and also maybe add another dash of federal Liberal drag to the formula, and Albanese can be seen with another successful Labor leader (if polls are to be believed) cementing the image that he’s a winner also (“Peter now, me next.”)
Taylor Made
Vic not the only place with issues with their ambulances
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/16/worst-ever-sharp-increase-in-wait-times-for-nsw-ambulances-during-covid-report-finds
Also NSW has had to add 10,000 positive cases today due to a ‘data processing error’.
Maybe some planning ahead, winter settings?
The combination of covid, flooding events, thr Ukraine conflict is focussing the mind of the electorate.
Cost of living pressures, the instability around the world and the pandemic is not giving people confidence to vote for Morrison and co. again.
I guess he is waiting to announce all the supposed goodies in the budget and thereafter announce the election,
I didn’t see this one in BK’s links:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-15/federal-court-judgement-on-climate-change-government-doc/100909214
… or …
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-15/climate-change-case-overturned-as-federal-court/13796878
The written article is a bit thin – you need to listen to the radio interview to get some of the details.
The court has determined that the environment minister has no duty of care to look after people under 18 (i.e. if you don’t vote you don’t count), climate change is not the responsibility of the department of the environment, human health is not an environmental issue, government policy is not subject to court decision even when it is clearly going to kill people, and burning Australian coal somehow does not contribute to climate change.
Astounding, isn’t it? But somehow, not surprising.
Laughtong
Nearly every state is having issues with the Ambulance service.
The covid pandemic hasn’t helped one little bit.
It was good to see the Nurses and midwifery association respond to Matthew Guys op Ed in the Age which was as per usual full of bullshit.
Alpha zero
I’m suprised that NSW is lagging other states with respect to the third booster shot.
Nostradamus @ Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 8:32 am
“Western Sydney will be solidly Liberal in a couple of decades.” That was laugh out loud funny for me. I love the smell of roasted troll in the morning.
Oh, I see you couldn’t help talking about Shorten again 😉
I’m not Victoria.
Over here, people seem to think you can simply stare the virus down, as the ass wipe Perrottet repeats time and time again.
[Astounding, isn’t it?]
No. The way Justice Bromberg framed the duty by reference to people’s age at the time the court application was filed (ie if you are aged 18 and 1 day at that time, you miss out) and “ordinary residence” demonstrated what an artifice it was.
Matthew Guy and the Vic fiberals are next to useless.
But I do see an opening for them at next election in November.
If Labor win federally, there is a tendency for the opposition party to garner support on a state basis.
Victoria @ Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 9:20 am
Not that surprising to me. The change in NSW leadership resulted in a significant change in messaging, both in what and who was doing the messaging. It really is a strong factor.
This is a nice overview of the behavioural factors involved in COVID vaccination: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/coronavirus-information-councils/covid-19-service-information/covid-19-vaccinations/behavioural-insights/resources/3Cmodel-vaccine-hesitancy
Mr mysterious
Cases are also rising in Victoria
In my view Mask mandates should still be in place.
UK Cartoons:
”
that business leaders are warning Josh Frydenberg against a cash-splash heavy budget that will add to inflation pressures, with fresh signs the rental market is the next part of the economy to be hit by cost of living stresses.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/don-t-splash-cash-in-federal-budget-business-warns-as-rents-spike-20220315-p5a4q6.html
”
Could Frydenburg be thinking: ‘Inflation’ or ‘deflation’ or whatever, Who cares! Our re-election/ electoral survival is at stake. I will splash as much cash as I can. That got me elected last time
Remember the construction of 4 carports promised in my electorate.
”
Australians deserve to know how we will descend our mountain of debt. It says that, for all the Coalition’s purported fiscal rectitude and disciplined economic management, the nation is at a juncture in terms of where the budgetary agenda should go from here.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australians-deserve-to-know-how-we-will-descend-our-mountain-of-debt-20220315-p5a4vh.html
”
SMH,
The horse called ‘ Fiscal discipline’ has bolted the Treasury stables long time ago when you put your bets on LNP. So no point in lecturing/ pontificating now.
Whether you believe the polls Utting research or Greens ‘Online research ‘, one thing is common feature, which is striking and remarkable’, in both the polls. The PV of ALP and LNP is 42 and 36 (so called marginals)/33 % respectively
Ven,
I am expecting a cash splash as a last minute bribe to the voters. But voters seem sceptical and cynical about anything Morrison and his Government are doing atm. So, I am not sure it will work.
The tardy and indifferent reaction to the floods and the revenge of the lockdown States is going to do the Libs in.
Reading Jack Waterford’s article, it could be fairly paraphrased as “The problem with modern Australian disaster response is that Morrison wants to be seen to be in charge, and until that time nothing is allowed to happen. Then he stuffs it up anyway.”
There’s another element to it that Waterford missed, however. If anyone makes an even halfway decent suggestion (especially publicly) to Morrison, it’s doomed. He wants to be seen as “a manager” who has all the good ideas. Ergo, anybody else’s ideas can’t be any good and are thus ignored, sometimes permanently, or at least until matters can be arranged to make it seem Morrison actually thought of it first.
It’s Morrison who’s the bottleneck, by wanting to be seen to be “in charge”, but being so awful at it.
We all know the “manager” type. They’re in love with “being a manager”. They know all the jargon (eg. Morrison’s legendary attraction to pseudo-military acronyms, even “ScoMo” is one). They effect an air of being curtly and dismissively in charge, not suffering fools gladly – ie. anyone else with an idea or a query… journalists, experts, opposition MPs etc. – as if anybody who questions their decisions or their thinking is mentally retarded. They revel in “mates” networks (as long as they are at the head of them). They like to dispense largesse, often to unknowns they have elevated from relative obscurity to prominence (all the better to be owed favours by them).
But when it comes down to actual performance, they’re too busy trying to grab the glory (and shed the blame) to actually manage. They’ve read the textbook, but they just can’t cut it when it comes to doing the actual job.
Ask anyone who’s had to sack Morrison in the past.
”
Australia’s hardline COVID isolation policies have dragged down the nation’s international standing in the past year. According to the annual Brand Finance’s 2022 Global Soft Power Index, government decisions that stranded citizens and foreigners overseas for more than two years knocked Australia and New Zealand out of the top 10 and 20 countries, respectively.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/australia-dives-in-global-soft-power-index-as-fortress-australia-takes-its-toll-20220315-p5a4n5.html
”
But didn’t our Tourism Minister said a couple of days ago that our International standing is not affected and hence Tourism numbers will not decrease.
C@T
“It’s funny how Morrison parallels Kevin Rudd in the dying days of the Labor government as he went around making big military and other announcements and no one was listening or cared.”
The similarities are unnerving but very encouraging.
Speaking of COVID, we are starting to get the research on the long-term cognitive effects.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2789919?utm_campaign=articlePDF&utm_medium=articlePDFlink&utm_source=articlePDF&utm_content=jamaneurol.2022.0461
Summary: In a 1438 participant (>60 years) cohort study in China, 12.45% of participants exhibited at least mild cognitive impairment a year post-infection. This proportion was doubled if COVID was severe. When adjusting for risk factors, mild COVID did not demonstrate increased risk, but severe infection demonstrated about 9 times the odds of mild cognitive impairment (OR, 9.10; 95% CI, 5.61-14.75).
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-022-11047-5
Shorter summary: In 49 participants, it was noted that about half had neurological/psychological/cognitive symptoms post-infection. Just over a third reported symptoms 10 months later. This was associated with changes in brain wave activity. Interestingly, the change in taste/smell was identified as a potential predictor for other neurological deficits. But small numbers in this study.