The diversion of the South Australian election caused this site to take its eye off the ball during a highly eventful period for federal preselections, which it now endeavours to make good. We start in Victoria, where Labor’s process for the Senate is finally coming to a head. In common with the rest of Labor’s Victorian preselections, the matter has been in the hands of the party’s national executive, which asserted control in response to the branch-stacking scandal surrounding Victorian MLC Adem Somyurek. An already fraught situation was gravely complicated by the sudden death of Kimberley Kitching a fortnight ago, whose hold on the Right-mandated position at the top end of the ticket has since been a matter of fierce dispute.
• Kitching’s vacancy will be filled by Jana Stewart, a Muthi Muthi and Wamba Wamba woman and until recently the deputy secretary at the Victorian Department of Justice, who had previously been lined up to run in the safe seat of Pascoe Vale at the Victorian state election in November. Stewart will serve out the remaining months of Kitching’s term and take the one of the two seemingly unloseable positions on the Senate ticket, in an order to be determined. Tom Minear of the Herald Sun reported Stewart had backing from the Transport Workers Union and Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, the chief Right faction parties to a pact with the Socialist Left that has frozen out the Right forces associated with Bill Shorten. The Shorten forces reportedly favoured Natalie Hutchins, the state Corrections Minister and member for Sydenham. Minear further reported that Fiona McLeod, a barrister who performed creditably as the candidate for Higgins in 2019, was “another name in the mix”.
• Following Kim Carr’s retirement announcement on Sunday, the Left-mandated position at the top of the ticket will be filled by Linda White, retired former assistant national secretary of the Australian Services Union. Carr cited health concerns in bringing down the curtain on a Senate career going back to 1993, but it was widely expected he would lose preselection in any case, most likely to White. There were widespread earlier reports that the position was also being pursued by Ryan Batchelor, executive director of the McKell Institute, but both Stewart and White have in fact emerged unopposed.
• A contest has also been avoided in the south-eastern Melbourne seat of Holt, to be vacated with the retirement of Anthony Byrne, with Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association organiser Cassandra Fernando emerging as the sole nominee. The seat will thus remain with the Right, despite what Tom Minear of the Herald Sun described as “a small push from the Left to claim the seat”. The faction’s favoured nominee appeared to be Jo Briskey, political co-ordinator of the United Workers Union.
In New South Wales, the Liberal Party’s long-delayed preselections for Warringah, Hughes, Parramatta and Eden-Monaro and Greenway are to be determined by a three-person committee consisting of Scott Morrison, Dominic Perrottet and state party president Christine McDiven, following an intervention by the party’s federal executive. Here too legal action is afoot, with earlier federal executive intervention being contested in the New South Wales Supreme Court by conservative activist Matt Camenzuli. The party’s conservative forces stand to benefit from party reforms to increase the power and the rank and file, which Scott Morrison and his centre-right factional ally Alex Hawke have been seeking to circumvent.
• The intervention entails the cancellation of a rank-and-file ballot to choose a candidate for Hughes, held by the once Liberal and now United Australia Party member Craig Kelly. Where previously it was thought an intervention would rubber-stamp the preselection of Alex Dore, a management consultant who lives in Manly, Murray Trembath of the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader reports there is “now speculation war widow Gwen Cherne, who was the inaugural Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner on the Repatriation Commission, is being considered”. The acknowledged front-runners for the now-cancelled rank-and-file ballot were state Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons and local lawyer Jenny Ware.
• Anne Davies of The Guardian reports that David Elliott, state Transport Minister and centre-right factional ally of Scott Morrison, is considering putting his name forward in Parramatta or Greenway. Elliott’s federal ambitions may be complicated by his recent efforts as minister, which placed him at the centre of a shutdown of Sydney’s public transport network last month.
• One rank-and-file ballot that was allowed to proceed was that to replace John Alexander in Bennelong, which was won by Simon Kennedy, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey. Anne Davies of The Guardian reports that Kennedy, a factional conservative, emerged an unexpected winner in a rank-and-file ballot over moderate-aligned Gisele Kapterian, former chief-of-staff to Michaelia Cash, by 148 votes to 95.
• A weekend meeting of the party’s state council determined that incumbents Marise Payne and Jim Molan will respectively fill the first and third positions on the Coalition Senate ticket, the second being mandated to the Nationals. This amounts to defeat for the third incumbent, Connie Fierravanti-Wells, who has compared her situation to that of Kimberley Kitching. Another unsuccessful nominee was Mary-Lou Jarvis, a lawyer and Woollahra councillor.
Elsewhere:
• Andrew Charlton, economist and former adviser to Kevin Rudd, is expected to be imposed by Labor’s national executive as its candidate for Parramatta, where the Liberals are hopeful of overhauling a 3.5% margin with the retirement of Julie Owens, the Labor member since 2004. Michael McGowan of The Guardian reports Labor “spent weeks shopping for a celebrity candidate in a bid to railroad a local rank-and-file ballot”, with targets including former state Granville MP David Borger and Sydney barrister Cameron Murphy. A rank-and-file ballot would likely have yielded Durga Owen, a former staffer to Owens, who seemingly was not favoured by Anthony Albanese. Other prospective candidates for a rank-and-file ballot were Alan Mascarenhas, a former Sydney Morning Herald journalist, and Abha Devasia, a Left-aligned lawyer. All three are of of Indian background, and thus representative of a demographic with a strong presence in the electorate. The move to install Charlton, who lives in Bellevue Hill in the eastern suburbs, has predictably “infuriated local branch members”, and drawn criticism from Owens.
• Nick Xenophon announced last week he will seek to return to his earlier vocation at the election as Senator for South Australia, a position he held from 2008 until his ill-fated bid to gatecrash the 2018 state election. He has since maintained a profile as a partner of law firm Xenophon Davis. Rex Patrick, who filled Xenophon’s Senate vacancy in 2017 and later abandoned his Centre Alliance party, appears to have recognised that Xenophon’s return has ended whatever chance he had of being re-elected to the Senate, and is reportedly contemplating a run for the lower house seat of Grey.
• Joe Spagnolo of the Sunday Times reports the Nationals will field candidates in lower house seats in Western Australia against the wishes of Mia Davies, the party’s state leader and, thanks to the extraordinary result of the March 2021 election, the state’s Opposition Leader (a nicety that eluded Scott Morrison during his trip to the state a fortnight ago). The party’s strongest seats in the state are Durack and O’Connor, respectively held for the Liberals by Melissa Price and Rick Wilson.
Aaron newton @ #30 Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 – 8:05 am
lukitmoi luk etmee lookat me sed thi kwitebrite but reely erutatingkid up thu bak ufthu rheum hoo nowshow to speland punktuatebut cantbbugerd.
“WeWantPaul
How’s Bandt going with his costings for increasing everyone’s wages, building a million houses and giving everyone free health care, free education and free dental care, closing down the uranium industry, cotton industry, irrigation industry, native forestry industry, feedlot industry, rodeos, defence industry, etc. etc. etc?”
Well there is very little you post I agree with, but you seem at least to be aware that not only will the greens not form government they either lack the ability or desire to get a vote much above that 10 – 13% window they are stuck in. In circumstances where they have climate catastrophe tipping the board firmly in their direction. So given you are aware of that you know what a stupid, pointless trolly question that was. Why don’t you go back to cutting and pasting mindless Murdoch China hate, you seem better at that.
The word ‘presstitutes’ comes readily to mind.
Although having said that I got to watch Senator Jordon Steele-John and his drinking companion for the evening, for a few hours in a pub last week. Based on what I saw and heard I’d still pick him for defence Minister over the warmongers here, you know aware of how limited the Greens policies are in an implementation sense, you know given the choice to make. At least it would take a few weeks for him to be completely captured and corrupted by the US military industrial complex and their toys for evil boys.
“In phone calls on Monday evening with Fiji and Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will ask the two Pacific nations to help convince the Solomon Islands to abandon its security deal with China.”
Pulling out the big influencers eh? Stop it my sides are splitting.
I imagine the commuters who live in Parramatta will remember that David Elliott cancelled trains at no notice on a Monday morning 3 weeks ago
Perhaps a bit of flooding has armed the voters with cricket bats for any LNP candidate
David Crowe is a ____ (edited)
Sorry. But FFS. There he was dredging up Kitching A G A I N – this time bemoaning leaving preselections to run too long – putting too much stress on people to know if they will have a job.
Not one pause for the hundreds of thousands of people who, every friggin day, dont know if they will have a job tomorrow. Or all the public servants who got pushed out of permanent work and into rolling contracts that they have to reapply to every year (or less). How the F some like Crowe can sit there bemoaning how tough a Senator has it, presumably in an effort to keep the Kitching ball rolling a little longer, and not stop for a second and think about all these people under far more stress. And how the F can an ABC radio presenter fail to pick up on it.
No amount of caffeine will fix my mood on this. What a disgraceful piece of faux journalism by both guest and presenter and the whole sh!t show they dance to. It is a bubble more obnoxious and certainly more damaging to society than the mega rich and famous actors we saw prancing around yesterday.
Now – the CPG don’t care whether you’re interested in KK or not (they’re not).
But it’s interesting Fairfax has now dropped it (mostly) Also suggests the Government doesn’t think the Budget is going to do much if they’re wasting time chasing that rabbit.
Well I’m out to go help the world pay the exact right amount of tax, but on my way out the door if you aren’t listening to American Prestige:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/american-prestige/id1574741668
You are doing it wrong. I particularly enjoyed episode 36 on the history of NATO expansion, although the warmongers should avoid it, it includes historic facts and thoughtful analysis (some of which I even agree with) and distinctly lacks bloodlust and fails entirely to glorify war as humanities greatest achievement. You warmongers wouldn’t like it at all.
Sandman
Re Mitchell
Buy that man a room full of mirrors.
ltep,
I guess Labor have decided they want to win the Election and are prepared to do all that is necessary to secure victory. If that means being prepared to pre-select an outstanding candidate to run in Parramatta, then that is the price the Party will pay and damn the consequences.
WeWantPaul
When was it otherwise?
As for Parramatta, it is a funny old thing. It spans both low and high SEC. Ethnically diverse areas and very monochromatic patches to the north. The State Liberals pat themselves on the back when they carved a lot of the lower SES section off in the creation of Cumberland LGA.
“I guess Labor have decided they want to win the Election and are prepared to do all that is necessary to secure victory. If that means being prepared to pre-select an outstanding candidate to run in Parramatta, then that is the price the Party will pay and damn the consequences.”
Outstanding in what way? He is better than the people of Paramatta? Is it his wealth you are venerating?
And how exactly does being like the liberals and being willing to f*ck over every and anything or person to win make Labor better?
FMD cult members have higher standards for their leaders than you lot.
Yes C@t you have a very salient point
in my lived experience in the labour market, Phil Coorey’s phrase “A fall in unemployment to the lowest rate since 1974” is codswallop
And when are people going to talk about the quality of the job rather than just silly raw numbers?
In 1974 ABS only counted people in full time employment ie 35 or 40 hours per week and the “unemployed” were the number of people receiving unemployment benefits
in the 1980s “employed” became defined as “an hour of work, paid or UNPAID in the survey period” as the ABS moved to calculating the unemployment rate by surveying a sample of the population every month.
As every amateur statistician can tell you the skill in getting low unemployment numbers is through careful selection of the sample cohort
In the 1970s people didn’t think that waitering, chefing, baristas was a full time job. These days every wanna be millionaire has a coffee shop with a business model of underpaying its workforce.
In 1974 IBM sales people were shocked to realise that 7/11 business model was only viable if workers were underpaid. Probably why they are majority Indian owned
I notice Frydenberg is spouting the strongest employment figures since 1974. That didn’t save Whitlam at the following Election in 75.
“When was it otherwise?”
It probably wasn’t, and like all the other times almost everyone believes they live in an age of unchallengeable and unsurpassable wisdom, freedom and greatness, while dwelling in a sewer. But as Wilde suggested there is nothing stopping us from living in the sewer while looking to the stars, or you know wtte.
WeWantPaul says:
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 8:59 am
“WeWantPaul
How’s Bandt going with his costings for increasing everyone’s wages, building a million houses and giving everyone free health care, free education and free dental care, closing down the uranium industry, cotton industry, irrigation industry, native forestry industry, feedlot industry, rodeos, defence industry, etc. etc. etc?”
Did I leave cancelling student debt and free child care from the Greens’ uncosted policies?
C@tmomma @ #16 Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 – 7:31 am
Did you watch 4 corners last night? If not, I suggest you watch it on iview – the reality of what’s happening – and what’s coming – will surprise and shock you. Despite our recent fires and floods, Australians still seem to be living in a bubble of self-imposed ignorance, and the rest of the world is becoming aware of it and is not happy about it.
WeWantPaul
If that idiot Zelensky had only listened to the Ukrainian Greens and halved the size of the Ukrainian Army Putin’s War would be over by now.
“Did I leave cancelling student debt and free child care from the Greens’ uncosted policies?’
If a tree falls in the forest?
Have a great day Boerwar.
on Charlton: Labor is obviously not just after a ‘star’ candidate, but also someone who has such merit he could end up a Labor PM one day. Unlike the Libs/Nats, candidates with merit appear to rate highly with the inner circle of ALP. There is always a tension between “representation” and “expertise” … in ALP while LNP that tension is always between donors and mates (in Scotty’s case, his religious buddies).
People decry that some choices are unrepresentational … but I want a parliament that is, above all, full of real expertise, real merit. There are times when ideals need to take 2nd place to the overall good of the country.
We whine about the incompetence of the current govt — part of that is because they shun actual expertise.
Lets have a capable govt instead, eh? Our current situation, as a country, demands that as a minimum.
‘WeWantPaul says:
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 9:21 am
“Did I leave cancelling student debt and free child care from the Greens’ uncosted policies?’
If a tree falls in the forest?
Have a great day Boerwar.’
——————————-
Are the Greens still bragging about doing fully costed policies? Or is that particular Greens lie past its use-by date?
Jess Irvine is having her fantasies and putting them down on paper:
https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/my-fantasy-budget-speech-if-the-treasurer-was-otherwise-occupied-20220328-p5a8gk.html
To save you the Trouble:
1. Free Childcare.
2. Tax cuts that automatically apply at July 1 to match average wage increases thus eliminating bracket creep
3. Replacing Stamp Duty with Land Tax.
WWP,
You seem to revel in losing causes. A real glass completely empty sort of guy.
Stick with the Greens and that will last forever. Bliss, no doubt.
Cheers.
“WeWantPaul
If that idiot Zelensky had only listened to the Ukrainian Greens and halved the size of the Ukrainian Army Putin’s War would be over by now.’
So your guide to global politics is a party in the Ukraine that in n the 2020 Ukrainian local elections the party gained 24 deputies (0.06% of all available mandates). So a party significantly less significant than the Australian Greens in Australia and that is all you consider.
You should seek a job with the US state department, you must come close to ticking all their boxes. Have a great day.
William thanks for the rundown on the pre-selections. Not much to delay the starting gun now.
Correct me if I am wrong but it looks as though we have federal intervention to prevent branch stacking in Vic Labor and federal intervention to enable branchstacking in NSW Liberals. Some will say that makes them equal.
Another way to think of the seat of Parramatta is that it straddles the so-called “latte line” in Sydney.
“WWP,
You seem to revel in losing causes. A real glass completely empty sort of guy.
Stick with the Greens and that will last forever. Bliss, no doubt.
Cheers.’
Just because I’m not out in the front line of cheering the emperor with no clothes at all, and can see the stars so I don’t have to pretend the shit in the gutter is stars, well perhaps that does make me the glass of shit in the gutter is completely empty but for the shit type of guy.
I am much more a labor guy than a green guy, so it would be hard to stick with the greens. Have a great day enjoy the parade and the fine robes your imagination gives your emperor.
Or should we call it the Democracy sausage line? Close, but some of the Shire didn’t play along in 2019.
https://www.tallyroom.com.au/38033
UK Cartoons – todays lots from the USA were suprisingly good! Thanks once again BK.
BK thanks for the rundown on the morning news. Some good run downs on the budget, with the cartoons saying it best.
Consider how miserable the economic management it:
– the budget has been in deficit throughout Morrison’s time in office
– this year the budget deficit is despite high resource prices and revenue
– the deficit is being used to fund a cash splash; no long term reforms
– despite that, real incomes are going backwards, thanks to high prices and terrible policy in housing, transport and energy.
Josh and Scomo welcome you to the banana republic.
WWP,
The only reason you’re not the Emperor out there in new clothes is that there’d be nothing to see.
I love people proclaiming their loyalty to Labor and then spend every waking moment bagging the Party, policies and people. Makes me think you are just another depressive concern troll lacking in ideas and character destined to be marooned in their own personal sewer.
Can’t wait to see what Ukrainian artists do with all the destroyed Russian tanks. Every major city in the world should have a ‘tank’ installation by a Ukrainian artist.
JenAuthor @ #71 Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 – 9:21 am
Exactly. In all the ‘star candidate from the Eastern Suburbs’ tosh, people fail every time to mention that Andrew Charlton is a ‘star candidate’ for a very good reason. He’s supremely talented. Also, that he does actually come from the electorate, Dundas, but has been so talented that he ended up far away from it. Isn’t that just the sort of success story we should be encouraging for our federal representatives? Especially for the Labor Party. Someone who got where he is with true merit, not just a network.
WWP
Just to help you and Bandt with the Greens bullshit promises, one million houses will cost, say, 1000000 times $400000. That is $400 billion.
The thing is that you come on here and chuck yonnies. But you live in a glass house.
Victoria :
There have been another five COVID-19 deaths in Victoria.
There are 284 cases in hospital, with 33 of them in intensive care, and six requiring ventilation.
There were 10,916 new cases today.
……………………………………………………………………………
NSW :
The state has recorded nine more COVID-19 deaths.
There are 1,283 cases in hospital, 53 of those are in intensive care.
There were 21,494 new cases announced today.
Gotta hand it to you SK. That sure was a powerful post. Puts the whole thing into perspective really.
The year 1974 marked the end of the postwar boom. From 1945-74, unemployment was very low. Governments worried when it headed towards 2%. From mid 1974 unemployment quickly climbed above 5% as the delayed effects of the first oil shock hit. It’s stayed above 5% ever since apart from a couple of brief excursions below. I think it likely that it’s temporarily low at the moment as a result of Covid recovery following two years in which immigration has been mostly suspended.
How’s the covid recovery coming along GG? Making good progress I hope.
Boerwar is just upset with the Greens because their doctrine of a ‘Light Mobile Force’ has beaten the Russian ‘Heavy’ force. The Greens military knowledge is clearly more advanced than many thought.
Vic Opposition Leader Matthew Guy is isolating because one of his children has tested positive for Covid. So, that’s the Premier and the OL out of action for the next week or so.
GG
In the lead up to the coup* on Nov 11 1975 the news was full of Khemlani, an Iranian who promised to lend Australia money. Nugan Hand a covert CIA operation was in the shadows.
* UK and USA believe that CIA engineered the coup against Whitlam
Bystander,
A bit of a roller coaster. Lots of aches and pains, sniffles still and I tend to get very tired very quickly.
It’s nearly two weeks since I was diagnosed and it is certainly lingering.
Thank goodness I was triple vaxxed.
@Boerwar – that’s not how government budgets work.
Buying land and building a house on it costs government $0. You incur an expense and create a capital asset.
You only gain or lose money on capital assets over time, as the asset depreciates, appreciates, earns revenue or requires maintenance.
The land will appreciate.
The government will earn rent from the public housing.
The houses will depreciate and/or require maintenance.
steve davis says:
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 3:26 am
Over 100mm of rain in Lismore in the last 24 hrs.
310mm on the Goldy (Southport seaway gauge) in the last 24hrs.
Player One
“ Did you watch 4 corners last night? If not, I suggest you watch it on iview – the reality of what’s happening – and what’s coming – will surprise and shock you. Despite our recent fires and floods, Australians still seem to be living in a bubble of self-imposed ignorance, and the rest of the world is becoming aware of it and is not happy about it.”
Agreed, the ambivalence to this issue in Australia is proof of both a broken system and a broken people, incapable or unwilling to genuinely address what may well be the most dangerous and most expensive threat to our way of life. When it occurs, as it has begun to in parts of our nation, folk will be genuinely shocked that it really was going to be as bad as many scientists said it would. We really are sleepwalking into disaster.
billie,
All that is true. But, Frydenberg is putting a lot of store in employment figures and they didn’t save the Whitlam Government or overcome the other issues of the time.
I suspect that the accumulated sins of the Morrison Government are going to play more on the voters mind this time as well.
Steve
Another huge factor is that the baby boomers are in the process of retiring. Without immigration several states loose more workers each year than they gain.
So low unemployment now is not an achievement. The real measure of failed policy is falling real wages despite high Labor demand. We have inflation going up despite low wage growth. This is called “Joshflation”.
Have a good day all.
GG
They are both going to miss Warne’s memorial tmrw evening.
Covid cases are creeping up again. Not surprising. Events and sport back in full swing as well as people returned to office.
rhwombat
Thanks for going to the trouble of calling out Aaron Newton.
Whoever this person is, they are going to a lot of trouble to write words that seem like gibberish, but can be understood by readers of English. There is an algorithm for generating such words, but why anyone would use this algorithm to make a post on a psephology website is almost unknowable.
I say almost, but you have cracked the code to understanding why this person make these posts: “Look at me, look at meee!!!!!
See eg.
and
https://www.sciencealert.com/word-jumble-meme-first-last-letters-cambridge-typoglycaemia
In summary, you need to go to a lot of effort to construct the sort of stuff Aaron Newton posts.
Buggered if I can figure out why they bother, and what their aim is.
I guess it wold be too much to ask, Aaron Newton, for an explanation from you as to why you are posting in this way?
Also, are you constructing the text yourself, or do you use an algorithm to generate it?
If you are doing it all yourself, that is impressive.
Also, were you fluent in pig latin as a kid?
My kids were -reading too many Famous Five novels or some such.
Although I knew the algorithm for pig latin, by the time I had translated it in my head, the kids were long gone to the park.