It’s been three weeks since Newspoll, which more often than not means another one should be along tonight. On that note, academic Murray Goot writes in Inside Story that there has been an “unreported upheaval” at YouGov’s Australian operation, which conducts the poll, in which “virtually all of those working in the public affairs and polling unit” have left – including Campbell White, who had been its head since it took over Newspoll in the wake of the 2019 election.
Until then, here’s the usual weekly assembly of federally relevant preselection news:
• Paul Karp of The Guardian reports factional conservatives consider their preselection challengers “likely” to defeat Melissa McIntosh in Lindsay and a “good chance” against Sussan Ley in Farrer. Alex Hawke “may require support from moderate Liberals” in Mitchell, and the move against Paul Fletcher in Bradfield is “considered unlikely to succeed”.
• Matthew Denholm of The Australian reports Brendan Blomeley’s bid for the state presidency of the Tasmanian Liberal Party marks part of an effort by Eric Abetz’s conservative faction to gain control of the state executive with a view to placing Blomeley on the Senate ticket at the expense of Richard Colbeck, securing a political comeback for Abetz in state parliament, and potentially undermining the preselection of arch-moderate Bass MP Bridget Archer.
• Eli Greenblat of The Australian reports the front-runners for Liberal preselection in Higgins are William Stoltz, senior manager at cybersecurity firm CyberCX and associate at the Australian National University’s National Security College, and Marcus Pearl, Port Phillip councillor and former mayor and chief executive of financial advisory and consulting services firm QMV. Katie Allen, who lost the seat to Labor’s Michelle Ananda-Rajah last year, is reportedly keen to run again, but faces resistance because she crossed the floor to oppose the Morrison government’s amendments to religious discrimination laws.
• Party sources cited by The Australian’s Feeding the Chooks column report that a disputes committee of the Liberal National Party in Queensland is likely to rule in favour of Senator Gerard Rennick’s challenge to his narrow preselection defeat last month, resulting in the process being repeated.
By-election latest:
• Quicker than I would have expected, the Western Australian Electoral Commission has conducted its full preference count from last Saturday’s Rockingham by-election. This showed Liberal candidate Peter Hudson finished third behind independent Hayley Edwards, the latter overcoming a primary vote deficit of 17.7% to 15.9% on preferences to lead by 22.1% to 21.0% at the final exclusion. Labor’s Magenta Marshall went on to win at the final count with 13,412 votes (61.4%) to Edwards’ 8443 (38.6%).
• While the preference distribution is still to be conducted, the last remaining postal votes have been added for the Fadden by-election, confirming a two-party swing to the LNP of 2.72%. On Thursday, Phillip Coorey of the Financial Review related a bullish take on the result presented to the Coalition party room by Senator James McGrath, which noted an elevated swing of 9% in “booths where there was a high rate of mortgages”. However, this was selectively based on the LNP primary vote in two booths – taking the newly developed Coomera and Pimpama area in total, the two-party swing was 5.5%. Further, the suburbs in question are dominated not so much by mortgage payers (32.8% of private dwellings as of the 2021 census, compared with 35.0% nationwide) as renters (55.5% compared with 30.6%). McGrath also claimed a 3.5% drop in independent Stewart Brooker’s vote was a measure of how much Labor benefited from top position on the ballot paper, which at least triples more judicious estimates of the donkey vote effect. Overlooked was the fact that Brooker was part of a field of thirteen this time and seven last time, and went from being the only independent to one of three.
I’m absolutely all for using public transport over driving whenever possible. Unfortunately, public transport in this country – especially outside of the major urban centres – is so lacking as to make it an unrealistic option for a lot of people.
I spent roughly the first twelve years of my adult life pretty much exclusively using public transport to get around, and while Brisbane’s public transport network is pretty good by Australian standards (you should try catching a bus in Cairns!), I grew to just… detest every aspect of it. Perpetually late busses, disappearing busses, bus-lines where there’s no point even checking the schedule because it’s never going to arrive on time anywhere (the 390 on the northside of Brisbane, the closest line to my house for a long time, was just hopeless with this, it ran on a half-hour schedule and was almost always at least 10-15 mins late), trains being cancelled and replaced by the utterly useless “rail busses” which tend to operate on a schedule of “whenever the fuck the driver feels like it” (I’ve literally spent hours at a time in the dead of night in winter waiting for the fucking things), huge dead-spots where it’s near impossible to get anywhere by bus or train or ferry, your house and employment options being restricted by the vagaries of the network. And this is in a major capital city!
The thing that eventually made me completely snap and buy a car was when the bus stop near Alderley train station (at that point my work commute involved a train from Mitchelton to Alderley followed by a bus to Aspley) was shifted over about 300 metres during some roadworks. They moved the stop first, but the chair and – more importantly – the shelter wasn’t moved over for at least another month. This was in the middle of summer, in the horrendous concrete heat sink that is the streets around Alderley station, when I would typically be there around midday or 1pm. At least I didn’t have to deal with that when I was coming home late at night, although one did have to be wary of the terrifying people who tended to frequent Alderley past 10pm.
If we want more cars off of the road, we need to put money into seriously improving our public transport infrastructure across the country.
DBCooper: “Obvious solution – mass suicide of the entire human race to save the planet!”
Start with the oldies and then work your way back year by year until the problem goes away. Logans Run FTW.
It’s just logic.
Indeed, the Camino de Santiago is increasingly popular.
My niece did it but had someone drive her supplies to the next station.
Maybe going back to a simpler time than the box ticking that is common in current international travel.
If global warming reduces the human population by a couple of billion would that count as mass suicide?
Asha
“ If we want more cars off of the road, we need to put money into seriously improving our public transport infrastructure across the country.”
Sadly true. I have yet to see any Australian government make the policy changes needed. In Qld Beatty tried, but then Newman reversed everything and cut funding to Translink.
Without bipartisan support, systems that need long term action to improve, like public transport, are always tough.
‘Oakeshott Country says:
Monday, August 7, 2023 at 8:00 pm
Indeed, the Camino de Santiago is increasingly popular.
My niece did it but had someone drive her supplies to the next station.
Maybe going back to a simpler time than the box ticking that is common in current international travel.’
———————————————-
The building of the Brisbane to Tweed Heads line resulted in the erection of mass temporary tentage near the beach during holiday periods in the 19 oughties. As the trains arrived the tent pole sellers, the butchers, the bakers greeted the crowds. During the week the miners all went back to Ipswich while the families stayed by the sea.
There were complaints about the smell of the pigs that were trained in live for local slaughter.
In terms of CO2 consumption a much, much lower rate per holiday per capita than today.
The line was closed in the sixties because it was losing money.
A fortune is now being spent on the goldie to tweed light rail.
Socrates:
Cheers.
Agree totally about both walking and the need for more bike paths.
There are enormous stretches in Brisbane where it is impossible for cyclists to get around without risking their life on a busy highway. I don’t know how people do it. The very idea of riding about on a push-bike on the same road as actual cars bloody terrifies me.
I believe we are in the process of electrifying the bus network here in Brisbane, though I confess I don’t know the details of how far along it all is.
I just saw the promo for Mother & Son.
Its obviously been endorsed by the ABC’s Diversity Department
I hope it has all the success it deserves
Asha @ #757 Monday, August 7th, 2023 – 8:05 pm
Aim is for all NEW buses in SE Qld to be electric by 2025, so that’s reasonably ambitious.
Travel is obviously a major component of tourism CO2 emissions.
But… most of the people I know who do a lot of tourism usually leave their houses empty when they go away.
So a serious component of tourism CO2 emissions is the duplication of housing.
BK: “Albrechtsen”
Albrechtsen is the reason I stopped reading The Australian over 20 years ago. I’ve never read it even once since.
Not even close. Oops
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
‘Boerwar says:
Monday, August 7, 2023 at 8:12 pm
Travel is obviously a major component of tourism CO2 emissions.
But… most of the people I know who do a lot of tourism usually leave their houses empty when they go away.
So a serious component of tourism CO2 emissions is the duplication of housing.
Click to Edit –
Click to Edit – 5 minutes and 57 seconds’
————————–
Rough sleeping in Sydney and Melbourne disappeared overnight during Covid lockdowns when tourism buildings were used to house them.
Seconded on the whole expansion of public transport. It’s ridiculously underfunded in this country both in metro and regional areas. Here in SA, it was looking like the government was finally getting that point under Rann and, more so, Weatherill, with some serious investment and expansion. Then, when Marshall took over, funding got cut, the focus moved to privatisation of services (thankfully any meaningful privatisation was stopped) and the new boss’s government is as myopic and conservative as a Labor government can be (even for a state branch that’s basically run by SDA termites.)
On a related note:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/glacial-break-causes-major-flooding-alaska-destroys-structures/story?id=102056193
Hmmmm….
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/07/victoria-mushroom-poisoning-deaths-investigation-south-gippsland
England leading Nigeria 2-0 in penalties
Now 3-1
3-2
4-2
Engerland dodge a Nigerian bullet
4-2
Ha, ha. England play for over 35 minutes with a player short and still beat Nigeria, who beat Australia comfortably. Suck it up Borewar and Team Katich.
‘clem attlee says:
Monday, August 7, 2023 at 8:25 pm
Ha, ha. England play for over 35 minutes with a player short and still beat Nigeria, who beat Australia comfortably. Suck it up Borewar and Team Katich.’
————————
haha. Just try and keep the english team out of english beaches.
The Danes will be a vastly superior kettle of fish to the Canadians.
Go Matilda’s!
Pi
“ BK: “Albrechtsen”
Albrechtsen is the reason I stopped reading The Australian over 20 years ago. I’ve never read it even once since.”
Why damage braincells needlessly?
Wat Tyler
I understand that SA Transport are now looking at PT improvements in Adelaide including electric buses. However they are making up lost time after things stalled under Marshall. It might take another year before we see any detailed plans.
not sure whiy Barr appointed sofrinoff he knew Albretson was lehrmans chief media backer lehrmann worked as a advisor to george brandis all drumgold achieved was what he claimed to avoid higgins reputationed and lehrman effecgtively cleared the excuse he gave abbout letting him off due to higgins mental health seems not credable how is his mental health inproved buy lehrmann effectively cleared plus the jurey evidence just when it looked like lehrmann was not credable seems suspicous
all this has dun is confirm whiy its not worth going to the authorities the woman is mostly portrayed as unreliable sofrinoff seems to have been out to get drumgold and higgins from the start even the reporting this inquiry will let renyolds restore her reputation seems like he had his mind up from the start
WTF? “Borewar wrote, haha. Just try and keep the english team out of english beaches.”
On the piss again Bore?
Socrates, I hope so. Transport infrastructure is important, and PT is a very important part of that. Especially if you want the city and state to be economically viable and to not dwindle into further social and economic irrelevance.
Foord! Goal!
Aus 1 Den 0
They’ll need to watch Harden. She’s bloody fast
Wat Tyler
Agreed. This is where national policy matters though and we still don’t really have any national policy on focusing transport investment on PT.
Federal leadership matters in transport. Most states can’t afford to fund large PT projects without federal assistance. Andrews gets blamed for borrowing to fund Melbourne rail upgrades, but if not they would not have happened.
At present most Federal funding goes to road projects. In urban areas that ought to stop. Funding is not unlimited. What we spend on urban freeways does not get spent on urban rail, light rail or electric buses. We ought to limit urban funding to road safety works, walking and cycling and public transport. Otherwise we will never afford the latter.
Great goal Caitlin Foord!
Australia Denmark is quite engrossing, the two teams using contrasting tactics and structures.
Mavis
Please stop being ageist, the most certifed element of discrimination.
Umm… huh… what?
Shogun wrote, “But I agree – there is a great deal of dross on the ABC these days. I cannot abide that Marta Dusseldorp debacle (cannot recall the title).”
She is another member of the ABC sheltered work shop. If there is a drama, she gets cast in it. a real acting cockroach that one.
Before indulging in bread & circus, I’ve observed that both Wat’s and Asha’s paras are too long – limit them to around 259 words.
7.30 reporter, Adam Harvey, did a lengthy analysis, with expert interviews, of major urban engineering infrastructure projects tonight, if anyone’s interested.
Mavis:
Mea culpa. This won’t affect my final grade, will it?
Carn the Matildas!
Of course the real issue is funding. The ABC has no money with which to commission quality drama or comedy. For the latter, they were reduced to trawling through Youtube in an attempt to identify ’emerging talent.’ That is where that god awful Get Krackin rubbish emerged from.
Player One at 3.02 pm
Murray Gleeson used both the arguments you find hard to combine, or hard to believe that others can accept together, in his essay expressing support for the proposed Voice 4 years ago. Have a read:
https://insidestory.org.au/why-i-support-a-voice-to-parliament/
I don’t know but I presume that Gleeson has often been a Liberal voter. He would be ashamed of them.
Just back to the Matildas for a moment. That through ball from Fowler was all class and completely split the Danish defence. Foord’s finish was perfect!
It always seems to me like the same four or five actors are in every Aussie drama. Claudia Karvan, Vince Colosimo, the lady from Offspring, that slightly pudgy and balding true-blue-Aussie guy from “Love My Way”, at least one of the sons from The Castle, and an obligatory appearance by Deborah Mailman as the only indigenous person in Australia.
J j Hall
It was indeed all class
Dodgy Dutton
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-bypassed-indigenous-crime-prevention-for-safety-grants-in-coalition-seats-20230806-p5du9d.html
It used to be compulsory to have Bill Hunter in every Australian movie but sadly he’s no longer with us…
Cat
“ 7.30 reporter, Adam Harvey, did a lengthy analysis, with expert interviews, of major urban engineering infrastructure projects tonight, if anyone’s interested.”
Thanks, I’ll have a look.
RASO!!!
Raso!
Aus 2 Den 0
Two goals started by lovely through balls from Mary Fowler.
Agreed BK