The second and third federal polls for the year have been published over the last few days, the more recent being a Roy Morgan result that has Labor down two on last month to 30%, the Coalition up four to 30.5%, One Nation down half to 15% (a distinctly different result from the other two recent polls) and the Greens steady on 13.5%. Whereas Morgan’s practice since the May election has been to publish large-sample monthly results compiled from its regular surveying, this result is limited to a 1676 sample over a one-week period from January 5 to 11, the former date marking the resumption of its surveying after a break that began in mid-December. Labor is credited with a 52-48 two-party lead using both respondent-allocated preferences and previous election preference flows, compared with respective leads of 55-45 and 55.5-44.5 last month.
The other comes from Fox & Hedgehog, a new outfit founded by former Peter Dutton staffer Michael Horner, and has Labor leading 53-47 from primary votes of Labor 29%, Coalition 25%, One Nation 21% and Greens 14%. Also featured are further two-party preferred match-ups showing Labor leading One Nation 56-44 and the Coalition leading One Nation 63-37, and a “three-party preferred” result with Labor on 46%, the Coalition on 29% and One Nation on 25%. Together with Anthony Albanese (33% approval and 48% disapproval) and Sussan Ley (19% approval and 32% disapproval), personal ratings were included for six further politicians, with Pauline Hanson scoring 38% approval and 41% disapproval. Albanese leads Ley 39-31 on preferred prime minister.
As well as extensive breakdowns on voting intention, the poll further offers the striking findings that 51% consider the Australian political system “fundamentally broken”, with only 22% disagreeing, and 55% in favour of “a pause to all migration to Australia other than tourists”, with only 22% disagreeing. Twenty-eight per cent favoured the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with 32% opposed. The poll was conducted January 5 and 6 from a sample of 1608.
Ghost Of Whitlamsays:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:41 pm
They are not “Conservatives”.
Right wing reactionaries is more accurate.
Victoriasays:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:43 pm
How did Melbourne become the most affordable city to rent a house
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-did-australias-most-liveable-city-become-the-most-affordable-to-rent-a-house/hw9jrpncd
=============================================
The landlord LNP party would never had let this happen.
I don’t think BW will enjoy reading this article – summarising the latest ABS tourism statistics. Inbound and outbound.
Spoiler: Australians overseas travel up 9%. However, visits to USA down 2.3%.
https://thepoint.com.au/off-the-charts/260118-i-like-to-be-in-america-new-travel-figures-suggest-otherwise
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/westminster-woes-deepen-for-uk-labour-sussan-ley-should-take-note-20260118-p5nuuk.html
This is part of a longer article. Having been a former High Commissioner to the UK, Brandis has a very good understanding of UK politics & he writes clearly. Earlier in the article, in relation to the ten Tory defections to Reform UK, some with ministerial experience, he argues that Farage committed a mistake by saying he welcomed these defections as his party has no members with ministerial experience. I wouldn’t write Labour off just yet. If it elected a leader with at least a smidgeon of charismatic authority (in my view, Starmer is bereft of it), it could again become competitive.
Jumbuck
Totally disagree with your support for guns.
Owning one has nothing to do with a “right” and gun owners are not some hard done by minority group.
Guns are a weapon – not the crap you were spouting yesterday about “cars” and “alcohol” being killers.
Guns are for the purpose injuring/killing – that they are used in clubs to shoot at targets merely shows the owners secretly or otherwise – wish to improve their efficiency while operating a gun.
And before you drop some stupid comment about ” not understanding guns” I have done my share in uniform using said weapons.
When I fired an SLR back in the day, the bullet could almost penetrate a steel plate.
“Spoiler: Australians overseas travel up 9%. However, visits to USA down 2.3%.”
—————————–
2.3% seems quite low, have people discovered an effective method of scrubbing their social media history before going?
I have switched off from here because this whole destructive presentation of one side versus the other is frustrating in the extreme – and demeaning of those contributing
I read the excerpts from the SA Premier’s letter, published by the Guardian
It is very difficult to argue with the position he puts
Simply, in this dispute there are no winners – only losers because both sides are wrong
And with the World Cup, hopefully the outcome is the same as Writers Week at the Adelaide Festival
It is cancelled
2.3% seems quite low, have people discovered an effective method of scrubbing their social media history before going?
I’ve seen the odd article or two explaining how you can do it. 🙂
Victoriasays:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:43 pm
How did Melbourne become the most affordable city to rent a house.
_______________________
Maybe it’s because it is a shithouse place to live.
Many are moving to Geelong and the surf coast to get away from the rat race.
C@tmomma says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 12:11 pm
I found out the other day from Jeffrey Toobin that John Roberts is a Unitary Power in the Presidency guy.
So don’t expect enlightened rulings from him.
Taylormadesays:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Victoriasays:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:43 pm
How did Melbourne become the most affordable city to rent a house.
_______________________
Maybe it’s because it is a shithouse place to live.
Many are moving to Geelong and the surf coast to get away from the rat race.
——————————————-
Yet the rental prices in Geelong are lower than the Melbourne average.
Don’t forget Canada and Mexico are also hosting the World Cup.
74% of insulin that Americans use comes from Denmark.
8.4 million Americans are using insulin daily for survival.
Any action against Greenland and Denmark could trigger a massive health crisis.
Also 15% America’s container trade travels on Danish ships…..
Banning hate groups. Constitutionally fraught.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYn59UqReDE
A discussion with Sen Adam Schiff about the Democrats’ upcoming prospects in the Senate:
https://youtu.be/CdlJi-vvf3c?si=sE2ux7XldanIt6uz
Dio, that is a very strongly worded letter. It’s a warning. The way he put it in that first radio interview was that he was asked for and gave an opinion. This goes way beyond that. He was obviously well briefed by someone with a pre existing opinion and sought no counter view.
No mention of the Palestinian community and what they must be going through and how cancelling a Palestinian writer may affect them. I don’t know how you can make repeated calls to decency and such without mentioning that – other than a passing, almost blaze reference to a conflict between Palestine and Israel.
If he had any dreams of a bigger political career – I think he can shelve it.
Listening to Anne Twomey; Victoria’s invocation of 1984 seems pretty close to the mark. The definitions are so vague, it’s also hard to see how Likud’s activities against Australian Palestinians wouldn’t get swept up in it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYn59UqReDE
Diogenes @ #2260 Sunday, January 18th, 2026 – 2:58 pm
I don’t think Canada and Mexico on their own could host the World Cup. Not enough stadiums. Mexico hosted the 1970 cup. Without checking, I think that only had 12 or 16 teams.
This one has 48.
If only there was another country nearby that had recently held that competition with 32 teams and had plenty of modern stadiums. Nah, can’t think, tip of tongue
74% of insulin that Americans use comes from Denmark.
8.4 million Americans are using insulin daily for survival.
Any action against Greenland and Denmark could trigger a massive health crisis.
Also 15% America’s container trade travels on Danish ships…..
_____________
I’m sure Trump would have deeply thought this all through before his announcement.
Victoria,
Cohen, after denying many times that he had anything to do with Epstein while working for Trump, has now been forced to admit that he DID at least try to contact one of the complainants “Katie Johnson” (her video “deposition” here)
https://youtu.be/Qk38JAwEUOg?si=rGnNQZ5icEz4FuDe
“Johnson” claimed to have been raped by Trump at age 13, but later withdrew the claim and disappeared from public view..
Here is Cohen’s admission that he contacted or tried to contact “Johnson”:
https://youtu.be/igAy544qG0k?si=al1FIp0tLAqTPDCt
Apparently Cohen has also issued a substack post in recent hours claiming that he lied under oath, or misled the jury in the NY Trump “Stormy Daniels” case after coercion from Letitia James and Melvyn Bragg to testify against Trump.
Cohen has, in recent hours, allegedly contacted the White House seeking a pre-emptive pardon for his involvement in the “Katie Johnson” part of the Epstein case (he is apparently expecting to be subpoenaed on it soon), offering to retract his testimony in the “Stormy Daniels” case as a quid pro quo.
Meidas Touch was contacted during the podcast linked below and later severed connection with Cohen as you have reported.
https://youtu.be/0OoMt_QlcOs?si=2qtMJnQ_9KnVOk9H
Caveats:
So far it’s nearly all single source (except the confession by Cohen that he was involved with “Katie Johnson”, which was a public confession). Lev Parnas is involved in sourcing some of the above info, so be aware of that too.
It is very difficult to argue with the position he puts
———————————
I’m not that interested in how good his argument is. I am interested in how he went about it.
It seems clear he didn’t seek a counter argument before he wrote that letter and the Doctor herself has since given a very eloquent retort as has the Director of AWW. Not did he foresee what would eventuate.
He is all over the place with calls to some higher plane of emotions and what’s right – like he is the judge of those things. No. He got lobbied, hit the deck and ran with it, intervened where he probably shouldn’t have (or at least done it more diplomatically) then expected everyone to praise him and it all to quickly go away – and got teary when they and it didn’t.
He made something that is grey into what he decided was black and white. Went all in with that, then when it collapsed, didn’t manage the fallout. It is a poor outcome that he can’t easily blame anyone else for. And this pleading of ‘but, but, I’m a good guy trying to do the right thing’ is making him look amateurish.
Victoria says Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:43 pm
Will the Hun be blaming this on Dictator Dan?
frednk says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3:12 pm
it’s also hard to see how Likud’s activities against Australian Palestinians wouldn’t get swept up in it all.
___________________________
Lol some are a bit slow on the uptake, why did you thing some of us so vocally supported the laws?
bcsays:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3:23 pm
Victoria says Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:43 pm
How did Melbourne become the most affordable city to rent a house
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-did-australias-most-liveable-city-become-the-most-affordable-to-rent-a-house/hw9jrpncd
———————————–
Will the Hun be blaming this on Dictator Dan?
——————————————–
Dan fell down the steps of his holiday rent. Causing people to lose faith in rental properties?
themunzsays:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:38 pm
Anti renewable Trump policy starting to bite!
A quick scan of the comments seems to indicate that many believe that it is renewables pushing up prices!
Hard to see anything positive ever happening with this lot.
Tony Seba, an American, must despair as the US falls further and further behind his prediction of energy abundance from solar, wind and batteries.
https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/soaring-electricity-costs-are-now-a-hot-political-issue-d0319a1d?st=d48Kvs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
______________________________________________
As you’d expect, Trump’s idea to stabilise power prices isn’t genius:
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/data-centers/trump-pjm-governors-agreement-energy-costs
Meanwhile, Bill McKibben reckons midterm candidates should be making power prices an issue. This is part of his advice:
If you want your voters to understand what they’re missing, you need to point to Australia. a country of 40 million people who—beginning in June, right at the start of the general election season—will be getting three free hours of electricity every afternoon. There is not a voter in America who can’t understand three free hours of electricity a day—time to run your washing machine, cool your house with the AC, fill your storage battery. “Friends, if we had leadership like Australia’s, we’d be getting free power. Instead, you get to give the fossil fuel industry a big gift. When I’m elected that will end.”
https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/pretend-youre-running-for-congress
(Yes, I know he got our population wrong, but most Americans won’t notice).
Forgot Mexico held the 1986 World Cup with 24 teams but they don’t have enough stadiums to co host with Canada for 48 teams.
A weasel who is trying to crawl back up the arse of the orange monstrosity.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-reacts-michael-cohen-alvin-bragg-letitia-james-11375836
Shockingly enough, reports into unprecedented electoral thrashings don’t tend to be particularly flattering about those responsible for said thrashings.
Mavis says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:46 pm
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/westminster-woes-deepen-for-uk-labour-sussan-ley-should-take-note-20260118-p5nuuk.html
__________________________
Reform UK is doing the thing that I warn ON (under Barnaby) could do to make it truly dangerous – recruit a high profile brown skinned person and lean into “we have a black friend, we’re not racist!” angle.
If ON could nab Jacinta Price, and say Danny Nalliah from Rise Up Australia, they’d be dangerously looking more diverse than either the LNP or Greens.
Peter Dutton, not a hard man but a snowflake. 😆
Jolly Jumbuck,
Get someone to shoot you in the eyes with a gel gun “toy” then tell us that it’s still harmless.
Bizzcan says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3:26 pm
frednk says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3:12 pm
it’s also hard to see how Likud’s activities against Australian Palestinians wouldn’t get swept up in it all.
___________________________
Lol some are a bit slow on the uptake, why did you thing some of us so vocally supported the laws?
I wish you guys would stop playing 4 dimensional chess. I will give it to you, I did not keep up.
Dark Woke is a podcast which I haven’t heard but apparently is very popular. Very interesting interview. Take home message.
Corporate demarcates are in trouble.
Need to be honest, Benjamin Netanyahu, is a war criminal.
There is a genocide in Gaza.
More indication that Likud is in trouble.
etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGPYXF7y9o0
Dan probably can take a fair bit of the blame/credit ( depending on your point of view) for the rental price situation described in Melbourne. Land tax, vacant property penalties, compulsory standards for rental homes etc, were designed to stop land banking and force empty properties to be either let out or sold (and raise cash). They would appear to have had some effect.
“they’d (ON) be dangerously looking more diverse than either the LNP or Greens.”
I think they’re already level. Ralph Babet was born in Africa and the only non-white person the Greens have in Parliament is Mehreen Faruqi.
One non-white person would make them completely level, and two would make them more diverse than the Greens.
Out of all the Greens Federal and State reps they only have three non-white people. Out of ~40 members.
frednk says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3:56 pm
Bizzcan says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3:26 pm
frednk says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 3:12 pm
it’s also hard to see how Likud’s activities against Australian Palestinians wouldn’t get swept up in it all.
___________________________
Lol some are a bit slow on the uptake, why did you thing some of us so vocally supported the laws?
I wish you guys would stop playing 4 dimensional chess. I will give it to you, I did not keep up.
___________________________
I wasn’t trying to be tricky. I believe my stated positions were either:
– Free speech and everyone sucks it up with “cancelling” prohibited (symbolically commenced by having Thomas Friedman and Randa Abdel-Fattah share a panel at the next writers festival), or
– ban all hate speech hard.
And while I never agreed with the premise that the proposed laws banned protests, I also wouldn’t have consider a maximalist outcome that bans both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel lobbying and publicity to be a bad thing.
Danny Naliah is genuinely insane, to the point where he is probably much too cooked for even One Nation to want anything to do with him. Even Family First ended up kicking him out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Nalliah
C@tmomma @ #2191 Sunday, January 18th, 2026 – 10:45 am
The Greens did not “side with the Coalition”, they were against the bill for different reasons.
It would probably help if you opened both eyes before posting.
Ghost Of Whitlam says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 4:12 pm
“they’d (ON) be dangerously looking more diverse than either the LNP or Greens.”
I think they’re already level. Ralph Babet was born in Africa and the only non-white person the Greens have in Parliament is Mehreen Faruqi.
One non-white person would make them completely level, and two would make them more diverse than the Greens.
Out of all the Greens Federal and State reps they only have three non-white people. Out of ~40 members.
___________
And the double-barreled name count? 🙂
But seriously, The Greens aren’t as diverse as they purport to be. That carries through to their party officials as well.
Player One says:
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 4:29 pm
C@tmomma @ #2191 Sunday, January 18th, 2026 – 10:45 am
“But then Labor is far closer to the Liberals than the Greens are.
“The Greens siding with the Coalition to block the Hate Speech Bill puts the lie to that stupid assertion right away.””
The Greens did not “side with the Coalition”, they were against the bill for different reasons.
It would probably help if you opened both eyes before posting.
__________
The Greens were thinking purer thoughts as they performed the same action, obviously 🙂
Wouldn’t it be far easier if God spoke in less mysterious ways than murdering 173 people, burning down 2,000 houses, and causing catastrophic Queensland floods?
Is this fair dinkum?
Entropy;
LOL, one can only laugh at the stupidity of someone who actually believes this to be true.
This was Jolly Jumbuck trying to pull the wool over your eyes. I expect him to be quite sheepish after being caught out in a lie. What a dag! The shear audacity of this guy.
By what standards would $575 per week for a two bedroom flat be considered affordable.
Bushfire Bill:
Wouldn’t it be far easier if God spoke in less mysterious ways than murdering 173 people, burning down 2,000 houses, and causing catastrophic Queensland floods?
He has form. Something to do with an ark, and two of every animal. Except the dinosaurs.
TK
Yes it’s a bit disingenuous of him to say they just asked his opinion out of respect.
He was well and truly sending a message.
There is still talk of him moving to Fed. I’m sure Farrell could fix it.
Bushfire Bill:
Ah, but you see, its all part of the divine plan:
https://youtu.be/R-VoHAGvacE?si=S3btcS3KghXFmNfw
Shogun:
God is basically just an asshole, really.
https://youtu.be/vgk7MXWQOAM?si=qzsYCuMgCWR2PvLo
yabba
It has shown over the internet for months. It’s completely illogical but perhaps she is stupid.
Ashasays:
Shockingly enough, reports into unprecedented electoral thrashings don’t tend to be particularly flattering about those responsible for said thrashings.
______________________________
Particularly when the Prime Ministerial candidate’s campaign strategy was to appear at around 20 petrol stations and be photographed filling up a car.
You’d think with all that ambition Dutton had been carrying for years he’d be able to come up with something not so pathetic.