After ticking in Labor’s favour a fortnight ago, the latest Essential Research poll ticks back with a four point drop to 28% (down a point on two polls ago), while the Coalition recovers the point it lost last time to hit 35%. The Greens are steady on 12%, One Nation is down one to 7%, and undecided component is up one to 6%. The pollster’s 2PP+ measure, which has shown a tight tussle for around a year now, has the Coalition up one to 48% and Labor down three to 46%. The poll also includes the monthly leadership ratings, which give Peter Dutton his best results to date, his approval up three to 45% and disapproval down three to 39%. Anthony Albanese is up two to 44% and up one on disapproval to 48%.
Further questions are inspired by the visit to Australia of King Charles III, including a finding of 50% approval and 26% disapproval of whatever it is that he does. A question on a republic finds a big drop in unsure since January, with support up three to 45% and opposition up four to 39%. A question on the rarely canvassed issue of federalism (at least, that’s how I would interpret it – the question didn’t actually mention the states) finds 61% considering the federal government has about the right amount of power, with 13% saying it should have more and 26% less. The poll was conducted Wednesday to Sunday from a sample of 1140.
The weekly Roy Morgan poll is quite a bit better for Labor, finding their primary vote up two to 32%, the Coalition down one to 36.5%, the Greens down half to 13.5% and One Nation down half to 5.5%. The respondent-allocated two-party measure has Labor leading 52-48, after a tied result last time, while the previous election preferences measure has it at 53-47, out from 51-49. The poll was conducted Monday to Sunday from a sample of 1687.
Rex Douglas @ #1069 Monday, October 28th, 2024 – 8:05 pm
If it looks like a duck … and it quacks like a duck …
It’s giving Eric Adams and Turkish Airlines
mjsays:
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 8:56 pm
gollsays:
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 8:41 pm
mj
[what’s being reported ]
There in is the problem
—–
[He’s not denied it, simply said it’s declared so he’s done nothing wrong legally.]
They’ve all being doing it for years and no political staffer expecting a long successful career would admit not having the skill.
Ask any of the WA politicians frequenting the midnight special to deny it.
I have no problem with all Australians knowing about the toing and froing of the politicians of any persuasion but the reality is simply that the “upgrade art” was perfected by the Liberals, often ministerial or higher and would be going on “ad infinitum” if it wasn’t for the desire of some malicious “little prick(s)” to attempt a “gotcha”, aren’t I a ” clever dick” reporter.
What took the reporter(s) so long to expose this politically shattering news.
(There’s plenty of LNP politicians past and present) hoping this all goes to Copacabana and not their way.
I suppose it would be great if ALL politicians were like Victorian Premier John Cain who refused to accept a freebie from anyone and sacked a Governor who took one from Qantas.
But we live in different times.
Just remember, as somebody may or may not have once said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Quite seriously, what is albo’s legacy going to be?
Aside from the voice failure, what will he be remembered for for his almost 30 years in parliament and counting?
For someone who has risen as high as he has its actually not much. There’s infrastructure Australia from his previous stint as a minister, and he was a very effective manager of government business in the house, but aside from the failure of the voice what will people actually remember?
I mean his government has done things, sure, but nothing that would really qualify as legacy making or very memorable (unless you’re BW of course in which case appointing Nikki Savva to a board will go down in the annals of history)
Shorten will always be remembered for the NDIS, Gillard for her misogyny speech and being the most productive government in our history for legislation, Turnbull has SSM, Rudd had the GFC response
But then we have abbot who will be remembered for knighting prince Phillip and eating onions, Scott Morrison for holidaying in Hawaii while the country burned and misogyny.
It’s starting to feel like Albo might end up in that category of failed PMs like Abbott and Morrison who are mostly/entirely remembered negatively
Stuart
My understanding is that all Federal MPs and Senators are given Chairmans Lounge Membership. From Joe Astons article in the SMH
“And who are these members? They are the board directors, CEOs and senior executives of Australia’s major companies – or any company that spends sufficient millions each year travelling Qantas. They are virtually every member of federal parliament, and state government ministers; they are the secretaries and deputy secretaries of all Commonwealth (and many state) departments, and senior military officers. They are the chairs and CEOs of government agencies, including Qantas’ regulators: the corporate cop, ASIC; the competition cop, the ACCC; and even the safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. All judges of the Federal Court and the High Court are Chairman’s Lounge members, as are newspaper editors, certain commentators and breakfast television hosts, and an assortment of B-list celebrities. And in most cases, their spouses are also members. In 2023, there were about 5000 consecrated primary members of the Chairman’s Lounge – 9000 if you count their approved spouses.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-gravy-plane-how-alan-joyce-cultivated-a-pm-and-ruled-the-skies-20240820-p5k3pj.html”
To my knowledge, Lydia Thorpe was the first person, who on being elected to the Australian Senate, specifically said she was handing back her membership.
Since then a few others – David Pockock(?) have also declined membership.
Weirdly enough, I know member of this exclusive club.
And it is not the “exclusive club” that Joe Aston seems to think. People do come out of the experience able to think for themselves – as Adam Bandt typifies.
So, one of the advantages of being in the Chairmans Lounge Club, is that like QANTAS Platinum One, you automatically get an upgrade to the highest class available – no need to ring Alan Joyce or anyone else.
And I know this because friends and colleagues of mine, who are involved in large international science projects, quickly get enough air miles to become Platinum One status. All done through economy travel.
And this applies right around the world, with every airline – and if you think QANTAS are bad, you should see what the Gulf airlines offer – Ethiad, Emirates, QATAR etc.
So, if you get to Platinum One status on QANTAS, if you DON’T get an upgrade, someone comes to you, in your economy seat, with a glass of champagne, and personally apologises for the fact that no upgrade was available.
So, with the Chairmans Lounger members, it is no different to Platinum One, except that they have first dibs on upgrades.
Even Joe Aston admits that, when talking about Albanese’s upgrades “None of this made Albanese Robinson Crusoe in the parliament – far from it – but neither did that make it right.”
Ok, so who s it only Albanese who is behind the eight ball?
I am genuinely curious.
The “denial of extra QATAR flights” keeps coming up.
What is so special about QATAR, for blokes?
When QATAR asked for the extra slots, circa 2022, I thought “I hope they get them, because it might bring down airfares. But under no circumstances will I travel with them.”
But, of course, as Joe Aston discusses, Government (and therefore University policy) of the cheapest available fair would mean that I would have to travel with them. And then of course I remembered the horrible treatment of the women on the QATAR flight in Doha (2020: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-25/passengers-invasively-searched-qatar-after-report-baby-found/12811716)
I really wonder why the forced vaginal examination of woman on the tarmac in 2020, many of whom were obviously post-menopause, was regarded as trivial by so many frequent flyer men of Australia?
Perhaps men can just not imagine how horrific it would be to be dragged off your commercial flight, and have someone shove their hand, or duckbilled speculum, far up your vagina, to see if your cervix had recently been dilated. It is actually painful!!
What does QATAR offer the men of Australia that they go in to bat for it so hard?
After QATAR was rejected by both the Morrison and Albanese governments (why does everyone forget the Morrison rejection), we then had some other new Arlines flying in the Australia. Turkish Airlines is a new entrant, welcome, and hopefully I can fly with them. There are more flights with Vietnam Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Singapore and various other Chinese airlines.
I stil do not get why QATAR is so special.
Has anyone here flown with them?
Scott Morrison for hellidaying in Hawaii while the country burned and misogyny.
One thing i’ll remember Gillard for:
I learnt how to pronounce misogyny.
D and M
Flown with Qatar a couple of times. Likewise Emirates.
Not sure why one is better regarded than the other.
Had an unfortunate experience with Qatar in Dar Es Salaam when a 45-minute stopover turned into 90 and we were left sitting in a plane with no air conditioning.
People who write about these things and judge awards probably don’t fly economy class like I did.
Off to Asia with Singapore Airlines in December. It is highly rated too. We’ll see
They’ve all being doing it for years and no political staffer expecting a long successful career would admit not having the skill.
Ask any of the WA politicians frequenting the midnight special to deny it.
————
Politicians doing it all for years isn’t a free pass to keep on doing it. Why shouldn’t they be held to the same standards as any other public servant? Actively seeking upgrades on private trips from the Qantas CEO is a form of corruption, it’s using your influential position to seek a private benefit and it should not be considered acceptable behaviour from any politician or government employee. Labor liked to go on about transparency and integrity repeatedly while in opposition, yet despite all the rhetoric little has changed now they are in govt.
mj
Fair enough.
LvT
This is driving me bonkers!!
Which bit do people not get about if you are a member of the QANTAS Chairman’s Club, you DO NOT NEED TO SOLICIT an upgrade – you are first cab off the rank!
Now, if Joe Aston has evidence that Alan Joyce actually told people who had paid for a business class fare that they would have to travel in economy, so Albo could travel business class, then there would be a point to all this.
As I said, I actually know people (alright, one or two) who are members of the QANTAS Chairman’s Club, and more who are Platinum One members. They do not need to solicit upgrades. They are given them!! In actually quite an ordered way.
Because FiFo workers spend a lot of time in aircraft and at airports, some are members of the chairman’s lounge.
Post from Ronni Salt of The Shot about the Liberal Party conference.
https://theshot.net.au/uncategorized/34-thoughts-i-had-while-watching-the-liberal-party-conference/
I have travelled Qatar several times and they were very good. I have travelled Turkish in Europe and also very good.
Sounds like we should expect a defo suit then, because there is definitely an imputation of improperly using his position for personal gain.
Banquo911 @ #1115 Monday, October 28th, 2024 – 9:47 pm
Probably not, honestly the only defamation cases that seem to be going these days are those done by insecure powerful conservative men, more often than not being represented by Sue “The Suer” Chrysanthou.
Banquo911says:
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 9:47 pm
[Sounds like we should expect a defo suit then, because there is definitely an imputation of improperly using his position for personal gain.]
Albo doesn’t do “a defo suit” thing!
But it will be reported that :- as there isn’t “a defo suit” Albo must be guilty !
Australia must have nothing else to worry about.
Granny Anny, I don’t think you can get Chairman’s Lounge access just by being a very frequent flier. It’s a closely regulated club where each member is supposedly approved by the CEO of Qantas.
I don’t think that Chairman’s Lounge members rub shoulders with folk who wear hi-vis. They are in the ordinary Qantas lounge.
[I have no privileged knowledge on this. I once entered the Brisbane Chairman’s Lounge as the invited guest of the CEO of a major aviation kinda business. Certainly didn’t see any hi-vis there.]
Seeking out private upgrades from the Qantas CEO, while federal transport minister no less, if true, should be deemed a clearly improper use of that office. In the olden days people would resign over things like this. Asking for a “gift” is going one step further than simply accepting one.
John Cain allegedly kept a separate book of stamps for his private correspondence (at the same time that he was bankrupting the state)
mj
[if true]
Nothing more to say.
Is anyone admitting that it is true ?
Goll, I would’ve thought Albo would have come out and told us what was false about any of it by now.
mjsays:
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 10:15 pm
[Goll, I would’ve thought Albo would have come out and told us what was false about any of it by now.]
It’s hard to be believe you’ve said that.
Rossmcg
You are correct about the people who judge the differences between different airlines not actually flying economy.
For me, the worst flying experiences I had were with Emirates, in economy, flying to Europe via Dubai. Being vegetarian was regarded as annoying by the cabin crew.
But colleagues of mine used to love it, because on the stopover in Dubai, if you had QANTAS Club membership, there was a champagne bar.
But with Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific etc., they still treated me like a human being.
I would be really interested to hear what you think about Singapore Airlines.
D&M
Isn’t the accusation that he solicited upgrades for family members?
Just as he got his son into Chairman’s lounge membership
It’s hard to be believe you’ve said that.
———
What’s hard to believe? Joe Aston wrote that “Albanese would liaise with [Alan] Joyce directly about his personal travel”, Albo hasn’t denied that allegation and said it’s all good because he declared all his upgrades.
OC
Apart from his *Really Dumb* request that his son be given access to the Chairmans lounge, no I don’t thinks so. Carmel Tebbutt had access to the QANTAS Chairmans lounge in her own right. She was after all the deputy Premier of NSW.
mjsays:
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 10:25 pm
[What’s hard to believe? Joe Aston wrote that “Albanese would liaise with [Alan] Joyce directly about his personal travel”, Albo hasn’t denied that allegation and said it’s all good because he declared all his upgrades.]
What’s hard to believe?
1 Joe Aston
2 liaise directly
3 hasn’t denied
(Have you denied your last bank Robbery ?)
Singapore Airlines are always excellent from my experience, I think the’re easily the best long haul airline if you’re flying economy and the added bonus is flying through Changi Airport which is like one big airport lounge in itself.
I’ve flown both Emirates and Qatar as well before and they both are fine in flight but nothing special and the transit experience is definitely inferior.
@PageBoi: “Quite seriously, what is albo’s legacy going to be?”
Obviously if Labor loses the 2025 election he isn’t going to be remembered terribly well, although he won’t be remembered as the wrecker that Abbott was or for shit like the multiple ministries, hiding from bushfires in Hawaii, or failing to order vaccines in a pandemic like Morrison. The failure of the Voice would probably be it.
Win the 2025 election and you’re probably remembered at least for guiding Australia through the global inflation crisis despite the best efforts of the media to blame you for what you inherited + global conditions, and then you have a new term in which to do new things.
Legacys are overrated – often just a word for reducing a government or person down to one single issue (for good or bad) and ignoring everything else.
https://www.seatguru.com/
Pick your route, and then the airline offering the most space for your backside.
D&M
In the second half of this, the family and private updates are mentioned
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/strange-arrangements-coalition-to-demand-answers-on-albanese-s-qantas-upgrades-20241028-p5klrs.html
Obviously if Labor loses the 2025 election he isn’t going to be remembered terribly well, although he won’t be remembered as the wrecker that Abbott was or for shit like the multiple ministries, hiding from bushfires in Hawaii, or failing to order vaccines in a pandemic like Morrison. The failure of the Voice would probably be it…
———
Albo is another in a series of accidental PM’s. He’s clearly neither suited nor qualified for the job, he’s been there 30 years but still has the mentality of a student politician. It’s why people are looking for other options.
If Albo was a young lad now he’d join the Greens, maybe he’s a portent of how useless they’ll become?
Douglas and Milko says:
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 9:17 pm
Qatar Airlines did not have anything to do with the searches. It was the Qatari security services that initiated and conducted them.
I’m unclear why you think the Airline is responsible.
Arky @ #1130 Monday, October 28th, 2024 – 10:48 pm
There’s also the fact that the L/NP’s raison d’etre these days is specifically to undo everything they can of the previous Labor government.
So anything Albo has achieved would be eliminated as soon as possible and nobody would care, in fact most would applaud it like they did when Abbott removed the Carbon Price and strangled the NBN.
D and M
Probably be hard to compare. Daytime flight to Vietnam via Singapore.
Cruisy compared to Perth-Europe or Africa via Doha or Dubai. A Sydney friend once said only good thing abt living in Perth was it was five hours (or thereabouts) closer to London!
Another friend just did Perth-London on the Qantas non-stop. Not had a detailed report.
Perth to London is better than stopping over from my experience (but I’m a Perthian), not sure it’s worth the additional cost unless you live in Perth and surrounds or can get a cheap ticket.
As one who had access to the Chairman’s Lounge back in the day because of my employment and the travel involved the membership offered because of my position meant that my time could be effectively used minus any interruptions including not listening to boarding announcements The facilities on offer rivalled my office as did the technology on offer When you travel for business it is for business so you attend to what you have to attend So in these days you are communicating and continuing to make decisions as and when required From the carry on you would think it is all leisure and enjoyment Trust me, it is not In fact noting the reference to beverages, whilst on offer, you rarely drank alcohol In some positions you are available 24/7. There is no down time. The Chairman’s Lounge acknowledges these responsibilities The same as having a driver to transport you – which is also a fact at these levels of employment. Indeed there is a Commonwealth Drivers pool, these drivers parked with private industry drivers to deliver and collect you You note MP’s, High Court judges et al so not Joe Blogs from the burbs – all people with significant responsibilities And in terms of transit you are accompanied from one flight to another because, quite frankly, if you are not accompanied at some of the airports it is a daunting exercise But everything is done for you including having someone to direct you
There’s also the fact that the L/NP’s raison d’etre these days is specifically to undo everything they can of the previous Labor government.
So anything Albo has achieved would be eliminated as soon as possible and nobody would care, in fact most would applaud it like they did when Abbott removed the Carbon Price and strangled the NBN.
———
At least Albo can say he’s done nothing that can be undone and be remembered for that.
The Labor party has nothing to gain being a limp dick centrist feel good party, Liberal leaning centrists will just move to teals, old Labor types will go to the L/NP and leftists to Greens and leave them with an ever declining base. They need to quickly adapt to the current reality if they want to continue as a unitary party of govt.
@mj
I’d agree with you on that to a limited degree. There’s only so much reforms that Albo can pass through parliament at the moment, which includes the Senate, so anything done by his government by the Executive Cabinet alone can easily be undone.
And there’s the general attitude of the Senate for any reforms to be done to be like “Okay, we’ll only agree to this reform to make life a little easier for everyone if you also solve world hunger. What? You can’t do that? Okay, then we’ll vote against it and block it.”
I think we need a new thread with the title “Albos Whingefest” This nation deserves Dutton the way its going.
New thread.
https://chaser.com.au/national/qantas-caught-giving-pm/
Aqualung @ #1043 Monday, October 28th, 2024 – 6:27 pm
I, too renewed my Drivers License at my local Services NSW centre last week. I didn’t expect to ‘walk out with a new license’ because I knew that you no longer have paper licenses that could be printed off for you. I was also told that my current license was still valid and I could keep it until the new one arrived in the mail. When it came there were no identity thieves hanging around my mail box waiting for it to turn up so they could steal it. They would have had to wait there for days because I never knew when it was going to turn up and neither would they have. Nor would they have even known that I had gone to renew my license anyway, so how they would have known to come to my house and hang around there anyway is a mystery to me. 😐
https://newpolitics.com.au/2024/10/21/nacc-disasters-the-voice-one-year-on-and-4-3-million-reasons-to-not-buy-a-house/