The latest Newspoll from The Australian records only minor changes on three weeks ago on voting intention, with Labor’s two-party lead in from 58-42 to 57-43 from primary votes of Labor 37% (up one), Coalition 28% (up one), Greens 12% (down one) and One Nation 11% (up one). Anthony Albanese is up two on approval to 47% and down two on disapproval to 48%, while Sussan Ley is down one to 31% up two to 51%. Albanese’s lead on preferred prime minister is out from 51-31 to 52-30, The poll was conducted Monday to Thursday from a sample of 1264.
If Australia was to quadruple its renewable production we would need to find ways of storing electricity better. In the last week, 52% of the energy produced in the NEM has been from renewables. An additional 9% of potential production has been curtailed because the wind and solar was over generating at the wrong times.
Okay so PHON are the flavour of the month. So can anyone tell me what their economic policies are? Their policy about anything other than ‘the vibe’?
If they want to play with the big boys then it’s way past time the policy wood was put on them so people can find out what they are all about.
They’ve been allowed to skate along picking up disaffected Coalition voters for too long while the Coalition under Sussan Ley has been doing the hard policy yards, at least starting to. And what has PHON been doing instead? Making cartoons.
BSF
Curtailment isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s unrealistic to expect to utilise every MW of wind and solar generation. Most grid planners, model an overbuilt system to minimise the costs of storage and firming.
In the last few weeks, for example, we’ve had a taste of the future when the wind has been curtailed during the day and then ramped up in the evening, displacing the gas peakers. In the last 24h, gas has only contributed 1.1% of generation for that reason.
In any case there’s a heap of batteries in the pipeline.
This article explains it much better than me:
https://openelectricity.org.au/analysis/what-is-spilled-power-and-should-we-be-worried-about-it
Oakeshott Count says Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 2:58 pm
Wasn’t Medicare Gold a Gillard policy? I think she was the Opposition Health shadow at the time.
B S Fairman,
The government are trying to get the storage in place as fast as they can!
Sorry, I was actually hoping to make the point that 4 times 52% + 9% is over 200% of our energy needs, but got lost in my own mumblings. And we won’t need to quadruple are generation if we sort out the storage situation.
“Kevin Bonham: Most Newspolls at 56 2PP or better in a row (includes derived estimates)
10 Labor (Rudd) Jan-Jun 08
6 Coalition (Howard) Mar-May 96
5 Labor (Rudd) Feb-Apr 09
4 Coalition (Howard) Oct-Nov 96
4 Labor (Rudd) July – Sep 08
4 LABOR (Albanese) JULY-OCT 25 ”
The thing I most notice from that list is how bad it is that Rudd and co fucked it up.
Yes, they had nearly the entire mainstream media gunning for them as usual for Labor.
Yes, industry funded a massive campaign against them.
Yes, they expected to be running against Turnbull’s Coalition and their acceptance of climate change existing (as even Howard had grudgingly pretended to do before 07) rather than the whiplash of fighting the deniers again, the same problem that caught out Shorten in 19.
But holy shit they let a position of absolute strength evaporate through a combination of Rudd’s bad person management, being unable to effectively fight the industry/media /Liberal campaign against the mining tax, and absolutely panicking – slash – abusing the opportunity to justify getting rid of the disliked Rudd in the face of the slightest poll adversity.
Thankfully –
– Albo’s polling lead mostly reflects an actual election rather than being mostly post election honeymoon buzz which is more ephemeral.
– I think everyone learned from the shemozzle of RGR.
– The mainstream media stranglehold on the message is pretty shattered by now.
– Hastie and Angus are no Tony Abbott. I dislike Abbott but before becoming leader he’d been an effective attack dog for Howard for ten years (not unbeatable, but effective and capable of working the room and crafting effective messages whenever he didn’t let ideology get the best of him). Angus is best known for well done Angus and Hastie hasn’t done shit in politics.
Still, always worth the occasional wakeup call.
The Reactionaries are doing a very good job of making themselves absolutely irrelevant.
Their campaigns against Net Zero and against immigration are profoundly out of tune with the thinking, the expectancies and the lived experience of the overwhelming majority of Australians.
The Reactionaries are now a fringe party in most contests. They are the temporary occupants of the outskirts of opinion and soon will be among the politically homeless, taking shelter in doorways, under bridges, couch surfing and asking for loose change at traffic lights.
How far they fallen. How much further they still can tumble.
Their leader-aspirant, Hastie, is already defined as Not-a-Lib. In choosing him the Reactionaries will completely reject the Menzies Brand. This can’t come soon enough. They can wallow in their lamentations.
Arky – Launching the children’s book about his dog instead of calling an election in Jan 2010 was Rudd’s major error.
In the last couple of days, Minister Watt has approved a couple of new projects. A huge wind farm (247 turbine, 1.3 GW) in SW NSW:
https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/watt/media-releases/new-riverina-wind-farm-power-nearly-600000-homes
And a 141 MW solar farm with a 480 MWh BESS near Forbes:
https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/watt/media-releases/fast-approval-nsw-solar-farm-shows-site-selection-matters
This solar farm only took 19 days to approve. He makes the point:
“By choosing to build this facility on disturbed agricultural land with little native vegetation, the proponent set themselves up for success.”
Other developers should take note. He also can’t help himself wrt to the opposition:
“While the Coalition continues to debate whether climate change is real, their own communities are getting on with the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”
Arkysays:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:29 pm
The thing I most notice from that list is how bad it is that Rudd and co fucked it up.
_______________________
A lot of them are still there. Wong, Albanese, Burke, Bowen, Farrell.
FMD What a game
BC
I think Carmen Lawrence was the brains behind Medicare Gold. It was just about locked in by February 2004 but for some reason hidden from the public until the policy speech. It had some complexity and needed months of exposure to get the public and commentariate on side.
So all the winter silverware in Queensland. NRL. AFL and State or Origin.
Today marking the return of the odious Daylight Saving is a fitting example of what happens with Parasitic Upper Houses and weak will on Local Government reforms.
Today Queensland has shown the Commonwealth what true reforms started over a century ago can deliver for its citizens.
Now being the end of Buddhist Lent I have imbued in a fine Dom Perignon and 2006 Penfolds 389. Not having drunk for some months it’s enough with my grilled water rat sticky rice and condiments.
Life truly is good.
For the People, Religion and the Monarchy. Long Live Siam.
Taylormade says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:36 pm
Arkysays:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:29 pm
The thing I most notice from that list is how bad it is that Rudd and co fucked it up.
_______________________
A lot of them are still there. Wong, Albanese, Burke, Bowen, Farrell.
___________________________________________________________
It’s good to have people running the government who are capable of learning from experience. On your side are dopes who think that doubling down on the policies that were most rejected by the electorate at the last election are going to win the next.
Upnorth
You left out NRLW but the State Cup went to NZ
@Hard Being Green “Larissa did pretty well on Insiders, including condemning the attack in London”
Classic inside the Greens bubble view, this.
Mate, if Albo went on TV and blamed the Greens for encouraging the Manchester attacks (say, by appearing to suggest that attacks on Jews around the world are justified by Israel’s actions) you would go ballistic and rightly so, but you can’t see how tacky and stupid it is for Waters to go on TV and blame Albo. For an attack in the UK that involves no Australians.
Remembering that if the Greens intend to do any constructive negotiations in this term, maybe gratuitously blaming Albo for deaths he has nothing to do with is not smart politics quite apart from being gross.
And that’s without getting to Waters giving more fuel to the view of the Greens being anti-Semites who will defend any minority from the slightest microaggression except for Jews, then oh well, Jews were murdered BUT….
You see, when you condemn the attack and then go BUT…. nobody thinks the condemnation is sincere.
Bandt and now Waters can’t seem to understand this.
You have to condemn something and let that sit there, not immediately try to turn the condemnation into a justification or an attack on someone else. The Greens get this wrong a lot and then wonder why people don’t believe they’ve condemned Hamas, condemned terror attacks etc. It’s because they keep doing condemnations in this insincere way where they cannot wait to flip from the condemnation back to attacking their target.
Oakeshott Country says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:36 pm
FMD What a game
BC
I think Carmen Lawrence was the brains behind Medicare Gold. It was just about locked in by February 2004 but for some reason hidden from the public until the policy speech. It had some complexity and needed months of exposure to get the public and commentariate on side.
中华人民共和国
OC. I would like to drink with you (tea if so be it) and talk Labor History, Rugby League et al. Though your beloved Panfers didn’t make it top game on ABC Radio. Reece Walsh what can I say?
Thel C says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 7:12 pm
Sorry, are you seriously saying the Liberal vote will be around 12% by years end.
I certainly hope the Liberal vote continues to fall. They could become politically extinct for all I care. They have consistently betrayed this country for many years. They have lied. They have deflected. They have tricked. They have surrendered to phobia, to reaction, to cowardice.
They have no reason to exist. They know it too.
@Taylormade – “A lot of them are still there. Wong, Albanese, Burke, Bowen, Farrell.”
As TPOF pointed out, they learned from mistakes (including the further mistakes of 2019) and it made them better. That’s a good thing. If they didn’t learn, believe me I would want them all gone faster than you.
Oakeshott Country says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:43 pm
Upnorth
You left out NRLW but the State Cup went to NZ
中华人民共和国
Yes yes. This is true. Australian Women doing very well in the Women’s Cricket World Cup.
If I had a spare Zak I’d should you a ticket to Blighty for the RL Ashes later this month. You interest me good sir, in a philosophical way of course.
Apologies to Nath but OC is the one I would like to such the marrow of knowledge from.
Oakeshott Countrysays:
I think Carmen Lawrence was the brains behind Medicare Gold. It was just about locked in by February 2004 but for some reason hidden from the public until the policy speech. It had some complexity and needed months of exposure to get the public and commentariate on side.
__________________________
It was something about giving old people free hospital care right? But don’t they get that anyway?
2004: Mark Latham has made a bold election overture to the elderly – the Coalition’s core constituency – promising to end waiting lists and take over all public and private hospital costs for the 1.2 million people aged 75 and over. Launching Labor’s election campaign in Brisbane, Mr Latham unveiled measures targeting the elderly and costing $1.7 billion over four years after taking offsetting savings into account.
I envy your 2006 Penfolds 389
Certainly one of the best GFs I’ve seen, even Channel 9 couldn’t destroy it.
As Roy and HG say: Luck’s a fortune- the ‘Riff were contenders but their luck ran out after 4 years. Well done Broncos holding the line despite having 2 players knocked senseless and one severe hamstring.
Taylormade. What a joke. His team can’t win “football” his party can’t win elections and now he has daylight saving.
I mean why does he even wake up in the morning?
Upnorthsays:
Apologies to Nath but OC is the one I would like to such the marrow of knowledge from.
______________________
If you wanna suck on either of us, ask first.
Young Entropy where art thou?
nath says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:54 pm
Upnorthsays:
Apologies to Nath but OC is the one I would like to such the marrow of knowledge from.
______________________
If you wanna suck on either of us, ask first.
中华人民共和国
Nah. I’m from Queensland and I’m here to help!
UPnorth, if you had to have dinner with either Mark Latham or Erin Patterson which would you choose?
SL says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:35 pm
In the last couple of days, Minister Watt has approved a couple of new projects. A huge wind farm (247 turbine, 1.3 GW) in SW NSW:
https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/watt/media-releases/new-riverina-wind-farm-power-nearly-600000-homes
And a 141 MW solar farm with a 480 MWh BESS near Forbes:
https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/watt/media-releases/fast-approval-nsw-solar-farm-shows-site-selection-matters
This solar farm only took 19 days to approve. He makes the point:
“By choosing to build this facility on disturbed agricultural land with little native vegetation, the proponent set themselves up for success.”
Other developers should take note. He also can’t help himself wrt to the opposition:
“While the Coalition continues to debate whether climate change is real, their own communities are getting on with the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”
_____________________________________
Thanks for sharing.
A parallel comment for any Labor party folk – if you have a chance to talk to Watt, mention that his press release team is getting lazy, because on the second consecutive “wind farm weekend” we are getting some repeating material.
From today’s 2nd last para:
https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/watt/media-releases/new-riverina-wind-farm-power-nearly-600000-homes
“While the Coalition continues to debate whether climate change is real, their own communities are getting on with the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”
And last weekend 2nd last para:
https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/watt/media-releases/central-west-wind-farm-power-nearly-half-million-homes
“While the Coalition continues to debate whether climate change is real, their own communities are getting on with the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”
Though in addition to the Coalition line, I feel like the opening (“The Albanese Government has approved another new wind farm”) is in itself designed for maximum trolling to a range of oppositional voices.
nath says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 10:03 pm
UPnorth, if you had to have dinner with either Mark Latham or Erin Patterson which would you choose?
中华人民共和国
It’s like the old story. If you have a Greek or Lion coming towards you and you have a gun with one bullet, who do you shoot? The Greek of course because you know what the Lion will do (apologies to all my Greek mates and those of Greek Descent). So my a pick is Erin Patterson. You know what she is going to do.
Aah! Thank goodness daylight saving is back. Lovely long evenings to spend with the grandkids down at the beach. No more wasted daylight on pre-work and pre school stuff, for a few months. Luxuriating in pathetic whinges from expat cane toads, that aren’t even affected. What’s not to like?
Yeah I’d choose the mushroom lady too. Provided she’s not cooking, and I’ll just back myself in to spot her slipping anything into my food.
Packed lunch. Job done 🙂
Oakeshott Country,
It was a calf injury to Adam Reynolds. Not his hamstring again.
Nath
Much more than that.
The background was that, despite what you read here, the private hospital industry was accidentally saved in the early 1990s by that exemplary socialist, John Faulkner.
As minister for Veterans Affairs, he had the task of dismantling the Repatriation hospital system. He gave the hospitals in Qld and WA to Paul Ramsey but more importantly, to keep the RSL on side, all veterans became private patients and were issued with Gold Cards.
10 years later the number of veterans was falling and the private hospitals were again in trouble so Medicare Gold was to make all people over 75 private patients.
This would reduce the inequity between the two hospital systems but, and this is the exciting thing, it would also destroy the monopoly of the state governments in providing public hospital services. It would eventually separate the purchaser from the provider of services, one of the major inefficiencies of Medicare. Lawrence knew the implications of the policy but I don’t think Latham had the intelligence to get it.
Geez it’s hard to type this stuff when you are half cut.
Go the Souths former captain and coach!
Re Arky @9:29 PM.
Good summary, although you leave out “boats”, which was such a big issue from 2009-13. Now I don’t understand the hatred that so many Australians have for asylum seekers, but it’s something shared by about 60% of Australians. The Opposition worked with NewsCorp to gee up moral panic over the issue.
In retrospect, the Oceanic Viking affair (asylum boat) in October – November 2009 marked a turning point, then Abbott taking the Liberal leadership and reneging on the deal regarding the CPRS, then the Greens joining the Opposition in the Senate to sink the CPRS, Kevin Rudd not calling a Double Dissolution over the issue before industry, the media and the Opposition could get their act together.
And the rest is history.
”Geez it’s hard to type this stuff when you are half cut.”
…in a temporary state of reduced sobriety.
yabba:
Aah! Thank goodness daylight saving is back.
I concur. Daylight is wasted in the morning. Who needs it?
BTW was there a game on tonight? It is so quiet here in Sydney I can hear the flying foxes burping in the trees.
Does anyone know how The Australian is spinning the Newspoll? Is Simon Benson even there anymore?
Steve777 says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 10:15 pm
”Geez it’s hard to type this stuff when you are half cut.”
…in a temporary state of reduced sobriety.
中华人民共和国
That’s GOLD. Stealing it cobber. And quote of the day to boot. Muchly appreciated.
I sure as hell appreciate not having the sun break through the curtains at 4am in the bloody morning in Summer!
Daylight Saving FTW!
Upnorth
I am now an old man and i was in school the last time the Chums won the Ashes Cup.
I like the idea of the Kangaroos touring the old enemy but the real excitement in International rugby league is the emergence of the Pacific. Tonga vs Samoa at Lang Park is apparently close to sell out and should be a ripper.
B. S. Fairman says:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 8:57 pm
If Australia was to quadruple its renewable production we would need to find ways of storing electricity better. In the last week, 52% of the energy produced in the NEM has been from renewables. An additional 9% of potential production has been curtailed because the wind and solar was over generating at the wrong times.
MORE BATTERIES & get TALCOMN s HYDRO STORAGE UP & RUNNING .
Ps we are likely to have AUKUS subs before that hydro storage kicks in
Cheers OC.
”
SLsays:
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 9:13 pm
BSF
Curtailment isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s unrealistic to expect to utilise every MW of wind and solar generation. Most grid planners, model an overbuilt system to minimise the costs of storage and firming.
In the last few weeks, for example, we’ve had a taste of the future when the wind has been curtailed during the day and then ramped up in the evening, displacing the gas peakers. In the last 24h, gas has only contributed 1.1% of generation for that reason.
In any case there’s a heap of batteries in the pipeline.
This article explains it much better than me:
https://openelectricity.org.au/analysis/what-is-spilled-power-and-should-we-be-worried-about-it
”
SL
You have brought real depth and sanity into the discussions of Climate change policy and actions rather than doom and gloom regarding their by many Greens and you-know-who Labor supporter all the time. You are a breadth of fresh air (pun intended)
Thank you for your contributions.
Re C@t @10:18 “Does anyone know how The Australian is spinning the Newspoll“. Can’t read the paywalled article, however, but that probably gives the gist – well down on the left column of the landing page of the National Rupert:
” EXCLUSIVE
Newspoll: One Nation up, Labor on a high as Ley sinks
Support for One Nation has surged to its highest level since 2017, as Sussan Ley’s approval rating plunges and Labor records its strongest primary vote in 28 months.”
I’d suggest people watch the Insiders interview and make their own mind up rather than just accept the take provided by the MSM and some on here
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-05/interview-with-larissa-waters/105853528
John Nicholls Medal
1. George Hewett
2. Jacob Weitering
3. Adam Cerra
Cheers, Ven.