With nearly every pollster in the game having pitched in last week, a quiet period looms. The weekly Roy Morgan should be along later today as always, and DemosAU is about due for one of its big-sample MRP projections. On the broader electoral front, there is the following to report:
• The Weekend Australian had the quarterly Newspoll detailed breakdowns from its four polls conducted in April, May and June. The state results show movement towards One Nation and away from Labor clearly evident in Victoria and South Australia, less evident in New South Wales, and not at all evident in Queensland and Western Australia, with Labor gaining three points in the former case. Breakdowns by education are distinctive in that One Nation is up six among those with technical qualifications, but effectively unchanged for everyone else. Voting intention is barely changed among 18-to-34s, whereas One Nation are up significantly among the older cohorts. Presumably inspired by the budget tax measures, the breakdowns now include housing tenure, as commonly featured by other pollsters. To commemorate the occasion, I have added tabs for these results to the BludgerTrack poll data features (keep clicking the “more” tab until you see them).
• The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has published an interim report from its routine inquiry into the last election, which notably focuses on aggressive behaviour at polling booths. The majority report cites data on public complaints received by the AEC, and recommended that “election participants” be required to register and observe a code of conduct. The AEC, whose bailiwick currently ends six metres from the entrance, would enforce this code within a “campaign zone” around the polling place, in which signage limits would also apply. The report argued that much of the offending behaviour “seemed to involve third parties”, and while it didn’t name names, committee chair Jerome Laxale told parliament while tabling the report of “an assault by third parties identified in submissions like the Plymouth Brethren and Advance”.
• Certainly the Plymouth Brethren angle had been divined by the committee’s Coalition members, who headlined their dissenting report “less inquiry, more hyperpartisan witch hunt” – the latter having been directed against “Australians based on their religious faith”. While acknowledging aggressive behaviour was an issue, their own volunteers having been “targets for intimidation by unions and other third party organisations on polling booths for many elections”, the Coalition members forcefully rejected the recommendations as burdensome, open to abuse and possibly unconstitutional. Also in the Coalition report was a call for the early voting period, already truncated from three weeks to two before the 2022 election, to be reduced to one week, and for the AEC to be “more strident on ensuring that people accessing pre-poll are doing so for one of the reasons prescribed in the Act”.
• The official determination of how many seats each state and territory will be entitled to at the next election, which is calculated a year into each parliamentary term, will be made later this month. Antony Green has done their work for them based on the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics population data, and concludes there will be no change from the status quo, Queensland having recorded not quite enough growth to get it over the line for a thirty-first seat. Queensland will nonetheless get a redistribution under the seven-year rule, which is now overdue after being twice delayed: first because of the election, and then because there was no point commencing the process until it was clear how many seats the state would have. Proposed boundaries were published in March for South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, final boundaries for which are expected later this month.
• Wendy Askew has brought forward the retirement she recently announced for the end of her term in mid-2028, now to take effect in a “few weeks”. This means two vacancies are now available for Tasmanian Liberal Senate seats, together with that created by Jonathan Duniam’s surprise retirement announcement last month.
Ven:
This is simply Mike Johnson doing what he can to save the housing legislation. The weirdly named “Senate parliamentarian” will almost certainly reject the bill because it doesn’t qualify as sufficiently budget-related. Then we’ll be back to the GOP Senators being forced to give up the filibuster in order to get it through, which they don’t seem to be prepared to do.
Even if the senators are prepared to take this extraordinary step, the legislation will face all sorts of constitutional challenges. And even the Supreme Court ends up waving it through, implementation is still going to be really tricky.
And, at the end of the day, nobody knows for sure what its impact is going to be at the polling booths. It could end up mobilising more motivated Democrat voters while turning off a lot of Republican voters who are not that excited about some of the things Trump has been doing and won’t feel like going to all of the trouble of getting their documentation together in order to vote (ie, because they don’t have passports and would need to obtain replacement birth certificates).
That’s why only the most MAGA members of the GOP at the Federal and State level are at all keen on this stuff.
I still believe it’s the right way to go in the long term. It seems bizarre to me that – while a clearly grown up person can be required to produce ID to buy a drink – there’s nothing to stop voters in most Western democracies from voting multiple times or impersonating somebody else.
But, when the day comes for such a change (and I think it’s inevitable) it needs to be implemented gradually and sensitively. Which probably wouldn’t be the case in most red states of the US.
Asha Kylie Minogue is not the guilty party in this situation.
100%
Kylie’s last Number 1 single in the UK was 6 months ago…
I dont have words
——-
Nine newspapers report that police are investigating if cannibalism was involved in the child’s death.
The boy’s body was found alone inside the home in Wyong, on the NSW Central Coast, on Saturday afternoon.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/crime-news/2026/07/06/woman-accused-of-preschooler-murder
Morning all. Thanks for the International roundup HH. Trump’s interference in the world cup US player send off is typical. The send off was a terrible decision, but it is unprecedented for a political leader to interfere in football decisions.
Closer to home Albo is in Fiji, presumably for another treaty announcement which should benefit Australia’s security.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-arrives-in-fiji-to-start-three-day-pacific-blitz-20260705-p60cqf.html
Hopefully that will distract from the news about his silly remarks on Kylie Minogue. Is he chasing the ON bloke vote?
Ven
Yes, but most married men who hold public office keep those fantasies private. It was extremely undisciplined of Albo. He took his eye off the ball, and now must be feeling pretty embarrassed about it.
Socrates
There are so many decisions being made in the World Cup that are wrong.
Imagine if every leader of each country got involved in their respective countries.
It is beyond farcical.
Albo should be embarrassed.
Victoria
Exactly. If politicians keep interfering like that international sport will be ruined.
But don’t worry. Trump isn’t fascist 😐
Just back from a Services Australia event.
The service quality and the efficiency were both excellent.
Hard Being Green
A better answer could have been to say date and would spend the night talking about the health of Aussie music and the arts since that is topical ATM.
Here are the key provisions of the new alliance signed with Australia and Fiji today:
In brief, Australia and Fiji have made similar commitments to the ones Australia and PNG made in the landmark Pukpuk treaty signed last year and which will come into force Wednesday.
The document also makes it clear that this new alliance is open to other Pacific nations — although the ABC has been told only Pacific nations with standing militaries could be included (Tonga, New Zealand and Fiji). (ABC Live)
With the focus now, finally, turning to the outcome from the Howard government policies and their impact on not only house prices (no one complains to me about their house prices going up) but also cost of living pressures:-
The RBA once issued 10 Year data (so of consequence)
In 1990, what households owed our financial institutions was $118 Billion.
In 2000, that figure was at $355 Billion.
In 2010, that figure was at $1.226 TRILLION (and that was just household debt, overall debt $1.923 Trillion!!!)
The figure for Investors went from $10 Billion to $84 Billion to $324 Billion across the same dates.
This household debt needs to be serviced, including on a Principal PLUS Interest basis because home loans are lent over 25/30 years (to full repayment).
THIS is the impact of residential residences becoming investment ownerships, where people have gone to a lender saying “Buy me a house so I can get rich, serviced also by a reduction in taxation AND where the full borrowing on an interest only basis is secured by the equity I have in my home, so where I live”
Where the data was in 2020 I do not know, but would confidently predict that this alarming trend has continued hence the escalating pressure on households.
Bear in mind that that $1.226 TRILLION in 2010 was also equal to the size of the Australian economy.
And in regard cost of living pressures we have had the privatisation of public assets, with a transition of wealth to the Corporate sector and far exceeding the growth in individual wealth.
We were fed that competition courtesy of privatisation would see better services at a more competitive price due to that competition
And what is productive about sites such as Compare, adding layers to those earning an income from the provision of electricity, gas, health costs?
So every man and his dog feeding off yours and my pockets and for services which are essential.
And the media trot out their headlines which do not address the core of the problem – because of their affiliation with the promoters of privatisation and the destruction of public assets (see the girl leading the Liberals in Victoria reference to government spending on roads, rail, hospitals and schools, which she attacked, so the IPA saying that if you can not afford it you do not get it = small government and tax cuts for business which drives the economy)
The fix after near 30 years of this disaster is near impossible.
What is required is a stabilisation in the growth of private debt (so the figures above) AND that wages continue to increase (and the unemployment figure stays low, so full employment), noting the Coalition parties oppose wage increases by never presenting at FWA.
Wages ALSO service this sheer mountain of private debt.
The correction is starting courtesy of the first tranche of legislation passing the parliament – but given the time span identified by the 10 Year data we are decades off a sustainable and fair society
And, into all of this, was the debt taken on to purchase former public assets and utilities sold by Howard (Telstra, anyone?)
The damage of Howard was not only social and racism, elitism and sexism.
It was also economic impacting our future generations.
The figures do not lie – and why media no longer report them.
I also note the Greens do not address these issues, being economically incompetent in line with Hanson – and a further threat to Australians.
Holdenhillbilly, Monday, July 6, 2026 at 8:12 am:
Absolute bullshit. FIFA so brazenly confirming its corruption.
Of course not. (Well, perhaps for her crimes against music and acting, but not for this kerfuffle.)
It was a stupid thing for Albo to say, and he has rightfully apologised. He really needs to stay away from these dumbass light entertainment shows, as they do bring out the worst in him.
But I don’t think it’s that big a deal.
davidwhsays:
Monday, July 6, 2026 at 10:34 am
Asha Kylie Minogue is not the guilty party in this situation.
_______________________
That’s what stooges do.
It’s all Kylie’s fault.
Everyone knows fifa is corrupt but if you ever needed proof, the overturning of a complete and utterly correct red car for the yanks confirms it.
Studs dragging down the calf and standing on a players ankle that could have broken it. The laws are clear. Intent is irrelevant.
And Norway. 🙂
Red card not red car.
Chalk and cheese.
Albanese is the first prime minister to seriously work at electrifying australia. Morrison delayed it for five years.
Albanese has lifted real wages and lowered taxes for australia’s lowest paid workers.
Morrison spent five years trying to suppress wage growth and conditions.
Albanese has expanded paid parental leave. Morrison did not really like women at all.
Albanese has expanded child care payments. Morrison did not.
Albanese has vastly increased spending on aged care. Morrison did not.
Albanese has vastly increased spending on housing. Morrison did not.
Trump a world class cheat?
Tell me it ain’t so!
Newy Boy – FIFA is corrupt. In other news, water is wet.
Taylormade, considering your constant sexist attacks against Labor’s “mean girls” – including genuinely accusing them of being responsible for a person’s death – and previous catty remarks on the clothing choices of people like Jodie Haylen and Georgie Purcell, I’m not sure you are one to talk on that front.
Not saying I’m perfect or anything. I will admit my own dislike of everything Kylie represents in regards to music and culture in general has probably prevented me from assessing this situation correctly.
Ignorance and hate are a devastating combination.
Yes, politically it was a stupid thing for Albo to say. But it’s just a storm in a teacup. Some people just need to get a sense of bloody humour.
Hard Being Green says:
Monday, July 6, 2026 at 7:43 am
The media is going to have fun with this one
A more switched on PM would have laughed off the question rather than answer it but such is life. Hardly a hanging offence to say he’d sleep with, date and marry Kylie although his wife might have a bit of fun with it next time he asks for a little bit of action…
——————————————————–
The biggest thing is how weak as piss he is and today is grovelling an apology over what exactly?
It shows how weak and pathetic he really is. He is really like a bully and only attacks those who are weaker then him like farmers and small business. You know the people who create wealth. While he sucks up to those who would tear down and destroy our society.
Bystander:
Agree.
Brilliant 4D chess from Albo to discombobulate the likes of ‘Jumbuck’
What are we talking about?
Too hard for Hanson. Too hard for Canavan. Too hard for Taylor.
The Troika of Climate Fools.
The future of Thwaites Glacier and why it matters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5wB2ur1S2w
“ Albo should be embarrassed.”
He certainly will be next time he meets her.
Our nurses were playing that game. I remember thinking that if a bunch of male surgeons were doing we’d look pretty bad b
jolly jumbuck
Albanese is a stale pale male but no one is trying to tear down and destroy our society.
Remember when Tony Abbott made a speech to the Big Brother house about how hot his own daughters were and then won an election in a landslide less than a week later?
Saying you’d be willing to get it on with an obscenely wealthy and successful woman who is nearly 60 seems rather small fry in comparison. Jodie Haylen may well have good cause to be pissed at her husband for those comments, but I dunno about the rest of us.
Kylie-gate is yet another mask-off moment for the ostensibly ‘anti-woke’ consevative pollies and their media lackies, who are dutifully piling on the PM for a pretty mild remark by any objective standard.
Expect a Dennis Shanahan article titled “He can’t keep getting away with this!” once it’s all blown over and/or backfired in a few days.
This is why you don’t go on these stupid shows. You either look humorless or get sucked into their lowbrow games. Not the first time Albo has come a cropper on one.
Anyway.
The funny thing with the Balogun red card is when it happened the zeitgeist seemed to be that it was a harsh red (probably was) and should be overturned but there wasn’t scope in the rules at this World Cup for the usual appeals. I always thought Fifa would find a way for the host nation even without Trump getting involved. But Trump gets involved and people are suddenly “corruption!”, it’s very funny.
They also found a way for Ronaldo to not be suspended coming into the tournament.
It’s like the AFL managing to not suspend star players for the Grand Final. Happens all the time.
If we had a shot at the World Cup and had a star player get suspended for an iffy red I too would expect some lobbying of Fifa from our government. World Cup is once every four years.
Probably the most popular thing Trump will do this year tbh.
Well I may be an old useless Boomer but if we accept that so called game and what our PM did as ok then we haven’t evolved much in my 76 years when it comes to not sexualising females.
No different to what those high school kids did when they rated female classmates and got in heaps of trouble over.
Bystander:
Monday, July 6, 2026 at 11:08 am
Agree, and he apologised. It will be forgotten in 24 hours.
_______________________________________
England v Mexico: 2-1.
Not a single vote will be lost over Kylie-gate. Who exactly is offended here, and will it change the way they vote?
GovNerd
It’s a mask off moment for Albanese, every so often we see his ugly side.
The women at ette media nailed Albo months ago, he just says what he thinks the room wants to hear, it is quite pathetic, but not quite as pathetic as those who are determined to overlook a very serious weakness / gap in leadership.
Like his nasty unnecessary comments about Grace Tame and his ridiculous lies afterwards. Like his Trumpesque lie about not falling off the stage.
None of them extraordinarily terrible, but a pattern that a leader shouldn’t have.
I didn’t think the game was ‘shag, marry, date’. because, obviously if one of the three alternatives was Kylie Minogue, then Albo answered correctly.
I thought the drinking games was actually ‘f@#k, marry, kill’ and the ‘contestant’ was given three people to match against each of those alternatives. … and a contestant was forced to answer regardless of gender or sexuality. … and THEN explain their choices.
So, for example Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Joesph Stalin: F@#k, marry, kill.
That being said, Albo should not have been lured into this shitstorm, even if Bush Barbie can be persuasive. So there is that.
You’re on the money today Dwh.
Lots of stoogery on display today sadly.
England may yet be the dark horse of this world cup
“ B. S. Fairman says:
Monday, July 6, 2026 at 11:46 am
Not a single vote will be lost over Kylie-gate. Who exactly is offended here, and will it change the way they vote?”
______
Judging by my social media feed, ‘the outrage’ seems to be being generated mainly by folk who – surprisingly – have had a long social media history grinding axes against Albo! Shocking, I know.
The folk that seem to be hitting this the hardest this morning are those paragons of moral virtue – real estate speculators and developers. We should always look to the real estate industry for moral guidance, IMO.
The news this morning about the big money donors in Victoria to One Nation is going to start ripping the lid off this shit the way it is catching up with Farage in the UK.
These populist right parties are creatures of big money who want to rip up regulations, drive down wages etc and are paying for it.
Farage is owned by crypto billionaires. Besides the well known Gina Rinehart connection, One Nation is similarly being supported by every shonky property developer, crypto bro and big polluter out there who are relying on them in return to repeal taxes on their profits, repeal regulations that keep the rest of us safe, and slash services and wages. Nothing to do with immigration. Everything to do with money.
B. S. Fairman: The fact that One Nation wouldn’t take the bait when asked for comment this morning tells you everything you need to know about the politics. For all their sins, they have better political sense than their compadres in the Coaltion.
LoTY – indeed, just like the Joy Division t-shirt fiasco?
B.S. Fairman
It won’t change any votes but it’s funny watching him stumbling over something Labor would attack Morrison had he said it.
GovNerd
No, Joy Division were a band in Albanese’s favourite period.
Britain might not be very happy about it. That is where the vast majority of Kylie’s fanbase is located, after all.
stooge this, stooge that
lame lame lame
What red blooded male wouldn’t want to both shag and marry Kylie, you’d have to be a lot odd not too
Makes me want to vote for Albo more…
WOOF!