Nothing to relate over the past week in the way of federal polling, but past time nonetheless for a new post. We do have, courtesy of the Macquarie University Housing and Urban Research Centre, a deep dive into attitudes towards housing policy from before the May election, drawn from the Australian Cooperative Election Survey conducted by Accent Research. It finds only 16% were satisfied with the Albanese government’s housing policies, with 34% dissatisfied and 32% neither, although the high level of consistency of these results by age group, housing tenure and property investment status suggests the dissatisfaction takes on a variety of forms. On the causes of the problem, the report offers the perhaps unsurprising finding that “older and right-leaning voters” blame immigration, while “younger and progressive voters identify high interest rates, high prices and low wages”.
DemosAU does have a state poll for Queensland, which comes too soon after last week’s Resolve Strategic and RedBridge Group polls to get its own post (on a semi-related point: still no date for the Hinchinbrook by-election). In contrast to those two, it finds David Crisafulli’s Liberal National Party government well on top, despite a surge to One Nation at the expense of both major parties. The LNP has a two-party lead of 54-46, essentially the same as the 54.2-45.8 election result last year, from primary votes of LNP 37% (down by 4.5%), Labor 29% (down by 3.6%), Greens 12% (up by 2.1%) and One Nation 14% (up by 6.0%). Crisafulli leads Steven Miles 44-23 on preferred premier. Further questions find the government highly rated for handling of the Olympics but rather a lot less so for housing and cost-of-living, which also register as the two most salient issues facing the state. Extensive demographic breakdowns are available in the full report. The poll was conducted October 13 to 20 from a sample of 1006.
UPDATE (Essential Research): Had I held back a few hours I would have had a new poll from Essential Research to lead with: it has Labor up a point to 36% and the Coalition down one to 26%, and the ongoing One Nation surge pushing them well clear of the Greens, respectively up two to 15% and down two to 9%, with a steady 6% undecided. Labor holds a 50-44 lead on the 2PP+ measure, in from 51-44. Anthony Albanese is up a point on approval to 45% and down two on disapproval to 44%, while Sussan Ley is steady on 32% and up two to 43%.
A question on who should lead the Liberal Party produces indecisive results, with 42% professing themselves unsure and 12% favouring “somebody else” over six designated options: 13% for Sussan Ley, 10% for Andrew Hastie, 10% for Jacinta Namatjira Price, 7% for Angus Taylor, 4% for Allegra Spender and 3% for Tim Wilson. Forty-eight per cent felt the party should adopt more progressive positions, 24% more conservative.
Albanese’s meeting with Donald Trump was rated good for Australia’s long-term interests by 37%, bad by 18% and indifferent by 26%. Support for net zero by 2050 is at 44% with 27% opposed, and a monthly national mood reading improves a bit after a sharp downturn last time, with right direction up a point to 35% and wrong track down four to 46%. The poll was conducted Wednesday to Monday from a sample of 1041.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” The U.S. government will also immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump said the U.S. may “very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Confessions says:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 8:05 am
Yet these people couch it in language which tries to portray it as some sort of lifestyle ‘choice’ by the mother,
Yep. Tactics imported from the religious loons in the US.
This is extremely personal for me. I spent the last Trimester of my 2nd child’s gestation in hospital because he had a congenital abnormality and off to the NICU he went for another 3 months after he was born. I was offered a termination but chose instead to carry him to term because I wanted to know if the pregnancy was viable or not. The specialists said it was touch and go but he would probably survive so we made the decision to carry on. And it was the best decision I ever made. He’s the light of my life. But if I had been told that he had <10% chance of survival the decision would probably have been different. And that's a decision only the parents and their doctors should make between them. The decision should never be enshrined in legislation and made for them by religious loons.
Covid,influenza and Jiminflation it’s a jungle out there!
Will the leftie labor cookers give us interest rate increases soon ?
I see someone pulled the saying meaningless words string on the PP puppet fairly early this morning.
c@t: “The PM is religious…”
Is he though? I don’t believe he swears oaths on the Bible, and I’ve never heard about him going to Mass.
I don’t know what PJK believes today, but back when he was PM he seemed to be a reasonably devout Catholic, regularly attending Mass at St Christopher’s in Manuka. But, as was his preference with all aspects of his personal life, he kept this as quiet as he could. And I am told that Rudd and his missus were quite regular attendees at the picturesque St John’s Anglican church in Reid, ACT.
Anyway, I agree that Tony Abbott didn’t do much for the concept of having a devout Christian in the Lodge: in particular, that unlikely combination of a devout Catholic and a fervent monarchist.
I don’t recall ScoMo ever trying to ram religion down Australians’ throats. I thought he made a reasonable effort to keep his religious beliefs separate from his politics. His main problem was that he was a slippery b*****d in general.
I still admire JG for stating boldly that she is an atheist. I remain a fan.
And as for the likes of Hastie and Joyce trying to politicise the issue of third trimester abortions, AFAIAC they can go jump in the lake (and/or trip over a pot plant).
Morning all. Thanks for the roundup HH.
“ Venezuelan president asks Putin for military assistance:”
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/10/31/8005331/
This illustrates the folly of policies of using military force to achieve regime change in other countries. You never know how the other country and its neighbours will respond, both militarily and politically.
I’d say the same even more so on suggestions Trump will foray into Nigeria to protect Christians. There are a thousand ways that could go wrong.
Also, if Trump is now so keen to protect Christians, what about the Palestinian Christian villages being attacked by Jewish settlers in the West Bank? Silence.
“ meher baba says:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 8:46 am
c@t: “The PM is religious…”
Is he though? I don’t believe he swears oaths on the Bible, and I’ve never heard about him going to Mass.”
____
Albo is very Catholic. I’ve personally witnessed him – seen TV footage of him – celebrating mass on numerous occasions. He went to St Mary’s School and in his own words the church forms part of his holy trinity, along with the Labor Party and the Bunnies.
For any Ad-Men or Ad-Girls on Bludger this morning…
So I watch a fair amount of YouTube – politics, music, technology, science, history programs etc – and their much vaunted “algorithm” keeps serving me ads about trail bikes (mini-documentaries these), local pest exterminators, “bearskin” coats, Lego bricks, “miracle” air conditioners, Pay-dot-com-dot-au (and why I’m a fool for not using it), creepy ads urging me to worship gold and what appears to be a Russian Mafia bank called “Revolut”, Sportsbet Weekend Cricket Comp sagas, really annoying diatribes from some moron with a whiney voice who (I think) builds granny flats out of containers, as well as many, many other sub-standard, frankly insultingly unbelievable scam “products” that I would never consider purchasing in a pink fit.
It’s gotten so watching YouTube on our smart TV is virtually impossible as the ads come every two or three minutes and last up to 60 seconds before I can SKIP them. So I do most of my viewing on my phone, where the ad breaks are just as frequent but at least you can SKIP quickly, usually after only 5 seconds.
So here are my questions:
* If I skip instantly, literally as soon as possible, or only permit an ad to play out because I’ve clearly fallen asleep and it’s 3am, how do the geniuses at YouTube get the idea that I’m interested in the crappy products and services their advertisers flog in my direction?
* In any case, where would YouTube ever get the idea in the first place that I am interested in Lego, trail bikes, fake air conditioners, Russian Mafia banks, credit card-based commercial payment systems, container granny flats, and all the rest of the crap they serve up to me?
Thank youse for your attentions to this matter.
After Covid labor has gone big on the population Ponzi scheme that’s driven up house prices and rentals massively,priced younger generation out of a home,increased homelessness and is also increasing inflation.
Then the labor federal government failures as the cherry on top after years of their house building number failures have introduced a 5% home loan to juice a failing housing market even more and to increase inflation even more.
And it looks like the next interest rate moves will be up trapping the 5% home loaners with massive debt with the taxpayer also on the hook.
Meanwhile labor keeps bringing people into Australia in large numbers.Also not booting visa overstayers.
2.9 million non residents in Australia with work rights meanwhile Australia’s unemployment numbers and rate is increasing.
Crisafulli and his Qld government are by default encouraging the transition towards renewables with their restrictive attitude towards renewables.
Households in Qld, particularly rural Qld will discover that becoming self sufficient in energy production will be cheaper than remaining connected to the current grid with its with dependence on coal fired power station which will continue to be expensive to maintain and provide competitive electricity.
Electricity retailers will also be forced to source cheaper electricity from outside of Qld to provide cheaper prices for consumers while maintaining their profit margins.
Electricity from coal is finished thanks to new technology and sensible business decisions.
There’s a couple of stories in the local media today about electricity prices. To put it into perspective, as of 31 March 2025, after eligible concessions and rebates were applied:
– average income households spend 1.0-2.7% and
– low income households spend between 1.8-5.1% of their income on electricity.
(State of the energy market 2025, p. 239)
In GA, Alison Reeve claims that transmission costs are pushing up retail prices. She is correct. transmission costs are increasing from two fifths of bugger all to three fifths of bugger all:
https://reneweconomy.com.au/truths-and-tropes-of-transmission-costs-how-much-are-consumers-really-paying/
Also, Victoria has a new battery discharge record, breaking the 1GW mark for the first time:
https://openelectricity.org.au/records/au.nem.vic1.battery_discharging.power.interval.high?datetime=2025-11-01T18_40_00&offset=10_00&focus=1761986400000
If the Australian Greens party wish to expand their policy platform, they may need to reassess their branding. The Democratic Socialist Party would be appropriate.
Either that or the “Social Democratic Party”. Bound to win them some votes.
@Player One
Bound to win some votes, eh? Just like Xenophon’s party rebranding to Centre Alliance. Just like Family First rebranding to the Australian conservatives. This move would just alienate Greens members and voters and see their vote plunge. It would also be inevitable to see a breakaway group from the membership trying to restart the Greens brand. If you put this to a Greens membership vote, it would be a resounding NO. Not that it would even reach that far, as the party leadership would think flushing over 30 years of branding down the toilet as a terrible move.
The Greens haven’t lasted this far as a minor party by being completely stupid. The Palmer United Party and the Australian Democrats’ own stupidity has seen them virtually extinguished. One Nation has also done its own self-sabotage. While they are still around, the baggage from this is why no one seriously thinks they will do a Reform takeover of conservative politics in Australia.
I often wonder whether Trump, frustrated in his vainglorious quest for a Nobel Peace Prize, has now decided to unleash his inner demon…
… or as Shakespeare put it:
A_E: “Albo is very Catholic. I’ve personally witnessed him – seen TV footage of him – celebrating mass on numerous occasions. He went to St Mary’s School and in his own words the church forms part of his holy trinity, along with the Labor Party and the Bunnies.”
——————————————————————————-
Interesting. I’m not doubting you. He must be doing the PJK thing of keeping his faith out of the limelight as much as he can.
Gotta silence the deplorables hey labor!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15244855/esafety-commissioner-investigation-canavan.html
Bulk-billing rates down 10% over the last 3 years. 87% to 77%.
Let’s see if the new changes reverse the decline but 90% looks a very long way off.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=AAWEB_MRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adelaidenow.com.au%2Fnews%2Fnsw%2Fgp-bulkbilling-rates-plunge-as-labors-85bn-health-reform-starts%2Fnews-story%2Ff891d74e55d7ebd69b20903d384377d0&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-1-NOSCORE&nk=c0ee6f509a4399ff2d4665d7a2b92b92-1762035885
Bushfire,
Meditation and books for you,!
Didn’t Albo change to Anglican fairly recently? Something about his wife?
“Australian Greens” is a brand. Any rebranding would require re-educating the voters as to who they are. The average Green voter is more politically aware than the average voter and would probably follow the change easily. However, the less political aware Green Voters would possibly miss the change and then fail to vote for them in the senate.
Also abandoning the Green name would risk the potential for political name squatting – some other group branding themself as Green or Green like.
Globally, their are many Green parties and they generally follow a similar ethos. I don’t see a reason for a name change.
pied piper
The e-safety commissioner is the former federal lib/nats government captain pick and implementation
The official results in Tanzania had the President winning with 97% of the vote. No wonder why there are riots.
It would be hard to see Waters getting rolled any time soon (especially without facing an election) without some major scandal specific to her, and not just a polling dip from an unpopular policy agreed by the Greens party room.
The Greens aren’t really in a position where they would expect changing leader to make a big difference to their fortunes, since the leader isn’t running for the big chair.
@Arky
Greens have had leadership changes, but they have all been pretty much succession changes. Greens are smart enough to know as a minor party, having continuity in the leadership is a good thing. Unlike the major parties, as a minor party, they don’t have the political capital to have outright open warfare over the leadership. If they do, they will go the way of the Australian Democrats. While voting for the GST was partly responsible for the Australian Democrats’ demise. I really do blame their parliamentarians at the top, who had open warfare and created a merry-go-round on the leadership for their political extinction (Natasha Stott Despoja, Brian Greig, Andrew Bartlett, Lyn Allison etc) .
Political Nightwatchman @ #1513 Sunday, November 2nd, 2025 – 9:16 am
It was a joke, Joyce! 🙂
As far as I am concerned, Hastie is a P.O.S.
It is a tragic day for my family. A granddaughter today will abort a fetus that cannot survive after birth. The termination was recommended by very experienced professionals at King Edward Maternity Hospital. I would take their advice long before I would ever listen to right wing loons (arseholes) like Hastie and Jorce.
Luckily we have a progressive government in WA and my granddaughter could take maternity leave. She would prefer to get her life back to normal and return to work ASAP.
MB
that unlikely combination of a devout Catholic and a fervent monarchist.
Abbott would be classed as an English Catholic rather than an Irish Catholic, so perhaps monarchism is not that odd.
(It would be interesting if he has considered coming to the Jacobite restoration and, in the future, pledge to be the liege man of Josef Wenzel)
(Sorry Nath and AE)
The key to Albo’s Catholicism is how he marries.
Automatic excommunication if he does not marry before a priest.
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/anticop-on-why-young-people-should-not-consider-a-career-in-the-nsw-police-force/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=week-45
I encouraged a nephew of mine to join the QPS – big mistake. Over a ten-year period, he became a shell of his former self, developing PTSD after witnessing some horrific incidents, resulting in his resignation a year ago. He told his superiors that he wasn’t travelling too well, but they basically told him to grow a pair, which was about as useful as a screen door on a submarine; the upshot of which is that he has lodged a personal injury claim against the QPS. He’s also now on psychotropic medications.
Family farm in Idaho faces worker shortage as Trump administration immigration raids escalate
https://abcnews.go.com/US/family-farm-idaho-faces-worker-shortage-trump-administration/story?id=126542964
So much winning
That Daily Mail article on Inman-Grant is just part of a smear campaign from Big Tech against her. Stanford Uni is hardly a revolutionary agency.
“That unlikely combination of a devout Catholic and a fervent monarchist”: Tony Abbott
GrannyAnny:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 9:50 am
Additionally, I think he has ruined any chance of getting the top job. Politically, he’s quite naive, seemingly having chosen Abbott as his role model. Abortion in this country is settled, as should be allied matters, such as the one under discussion.
In Nigeria as in Venezuela, Trump’s only interested in protecting all that Christian oil. As he loses his mind
BB at 9.06am.
“How do the geniuses at YouTube get the idea that I’m interested in the crappy products and services their advertisers flog in my direction?”
What gets me is that if you look for a product and then buy it, for weeks after you get bombarded with ads for something you no longer want.
Advertisers pay billions for this. They are being scammed more than we are.
Commiserations, GrannyAnny.
YouTube Premium is the way to go. No ads, unless they’re embedded, which can be fast-forwarded.
I would agree with Granny Anny and others that Hastie trying to politicise abortion is a cheap political stunt and regrettable for the pain it will cause some families.
Xanthippe works at the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Late term abortions are only done based on medical advice considering the welfare of all. This is a sensitive area of medical practice and not a political football.
Mavis at 10.16am.
“YouTube Premium is the way to go. No ads”
Trouble is Mavis, I’m a leftie and don’t want to pay the billionaires to look at their crap.
Just in time for Chrissie another piece of Anzackary from FitzSimmons. This time the victim is Weary Dunlop.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/you-re-going-to-die-like-a-yellow-rat-the-moment-war-hero-weary-dunlop-snapped-20251010-p5n1p1.html
(For a balanced view of Dunlop, I strongly recommend “Keep the Men Alive” by Rosalind Hearder)
For Mavis. Richard Glover in the SMH also has a problem with “bonus” interest accounts:
Interest deals from the big banks. Oh, it’s a good rate, for sure. It’s 4.25 per cent as opposed to the usual 0 per cent. And all you have to do is meet the “bonus interest criteria” – which is to remember to transfer $5 every full moon, add $10 on the day before Julius Caesar’s birthday, and make 14 retail transactions, at least 10 of which must be at a business specialising in the sale of antique pottery. Otherwise, the interest rate that month goes back to the “normal rate”. Which is 0 per cent. Actually, I exaggerate; it’s 0.25 per cent. All the same, have they ever had a customer who managed to qualify?
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/say-cheese-am-i-dressing-up-for-the-supermarket-security-camera-20251028-p5n5t7.html
GrannyAnny:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 10:18 am
Mavis at 10.16am.
“YouTube Premium is the way to go. No ads”
For $17 a month, I think it’s good value to watch YouTube without the ads, especially if one watches it a lot. Other than sport & some ABC programs, I now rarely view free-to-air TV.
Thanks, D & M. I’m as mad as hell about forfeiting a month’s interest. I’m going to sort it out tomorrow. I’ll be making them an offer too good for them to refuse.
https://www.pollbludger.net/2025/10/29/miscellany-housing-and-queensland-polls-open-thread/comment-page-31/#comment-4618699
Sorry to hear an educated person such as you is triggered by …
Freedom from rather than of religion!
Yeah, secular it should be.
Indeed, where do these people get off on, especially so much org religion biz, who seem to pay no tax, split them into biz and charity, and if caught in clusters of abuse, grab their properties and turn them into low cost housing, and/ or community use.
And their beliefs, based on the greatest story ever told, well it really doesn’t enhance the credibility of any ‘arguments’.
Clearly much more to be done to advance/ progress human rights …, though perhaps before the law the regular threats of damnation might have worked, even bring about some morals, justice, ethics, or merely bring on donations.
GrannyAnnie
Sending supportive thoughts your way. The parents never really get over this situation. We have been through it in our family.
And, Hastie is a nasty, misogynist evangelical POS. I was really angry at him (and others) hijacking a bipartisan move to get some compassion for parents who lose children before or near birth.
Jacqueline Maley in the SMH is not impressed:
Baby Priya brought compassion to the parliament. Then four men hijacked the debate
The bill had bipartisan support, but several male MPs used the debate about this sensitive issue to shoehorn in their objections to late-term abortion ….
……
But four Coalition MPs were more qualified in their support for the bill. They were conservative MPs Andrew Hastie, Barnaby Joyce, Henry Pike and Tony Pasin.
They didn’t have to speak during the debate. But as men who feel strongly that women shouldn’t be allowed to have late-term abortions – incredibly rare events which occur only for the most extreme of medical and psychological reasons – they felt they must speak up.
They were concerned that the bill would allow women who have had late-term medical abortions to claim parental leave from their employers. They argued the bill should be worded so it cannot be applied to late-term pregnancy terminations.
…………….
It is always remarkable (and for many women, offensive) to witness the spectacle of men attempting to police matters that are the business of women, their partners, and their doctors.
But here we have something even more insidious. It is the implication, however deeply buried in parliamentary rhetoric, that these women, who have had late-term abortions, might try to cheat the system. They might have just endured a physical and psychological ordeal unique to their sex, but they are not truly bereaved because they didn’t want their babies anyway. And yet, it is implied that they would be taking an employee entitlement intended for the legitimately bereaved.
Health Minister Mark Butler noted that no female Coalition MP spoke out against the wording of the bill. The gender voting patterns of the last decade had already made it pretty clear. Then, the results of the last election put it up in blinding lights: the Coalition has a major problem with the female vote.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/baby-priya-brought-compassion-to-the-parliament-then-four-men-hijacked-the-debate-20251031-p5n6s7.html
109 countries involving 80 percent of the World’s emissions have signed up for Net Zero…and we are getting carried away about an Australian political party (in opposition) that gets 4 percent of the vote dumping Net Zero.
They are beyond irrelevant.
GrannyAnny:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 9:50 am
Additionally, I think he has ruined any chance of getting the top job. Politically, he’s quite naive, seemingly having chosen Abbott as his role model. Abortion in this country is settled, as should be allied matters, such as the one under discussion.
@Mavis
Agreed. Andrew Hastie should have read the room. The political games he’s playing to undermine Sussan Ley are just not fashionable with the public anymore after the previous revolving door of Prime Ministerships. I do wonder the number of times he’s going to the media is about staying relevant after he painted himself in a corner by resigning to the backbench.
When Sussan Ley’s leadership falls over the Liberals will go with Angus Taylor. Hastie had the upper hand as the unknown quantity after Taylor, as the former shadow treasurer, is tied to Peter Dutton’s failed election campaign. Hastie is now just viewed as over overambitious opportunist playing the MAGA card. He’s blown it.
Torchbearer @ #1545 Sunday, November 2nd, 2025 – 10:44 am
They are indeed. But they are also distracting us from the real problem, which is that the party that is actually in government is also still addicted to fossil fuels.
This seems like an opportune time to post this …
https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/phase-out-fossil-fuels
Bushfire Bill says:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 9:06 am
For any Ad-Men or Ad-Girls on Bludger this morning…
…
Pay the 17 bucks.
Mavissays:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 10:16 am
YouTube Premium is the way to go. No ads, unless they’re embedded, which can be fast-forwarded.
__________________
Seconded. More content than the free version as well.
Easily the best streaming service, IMHO.
Douglas and Milko says:
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 10:43 am
GrannyAnnie
Sending supportive thoughts your way. The parents never really get over this situation. We have been through it in our family.
…..
Yes. The religious nutters are assholes.