The Australian reports the latest Newspoll has Labor down a point on three weeks ago to 29%, its weakest result since the government came to power; the Coalition down a point to 18%, a point higher than its record low in late June; One Nation down a point to 29%; and the Greens up two to 14%. The most substantial change in the poll is an improvement in Angus Taylor’s personal ratings, his approval up four to 34% and disapproval down five to 46%. Only net ratings are provided for Anthony Albanese, who is down from minus 18 to minus 22, and Pauline Hanson, who is down from neutral to minus three. Albanese’s lead over Taylor on preferred prime minister narrows from 44-36 to 44-37, while a three-way question has Anthony Albanese steady on 46%, Pauline Hanson down one to 31% and Angus Taylor up one to 23%. The report also says that some manner of head-to-head result has Albanese leading Hanson 56-44. The poll was conducted Monday to Friday from a sample of 1242.
Shellbellsays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 11:51 am
Paul Gibson was the most ICAC combative person of interest for which he achieved a unique treble:
(a) cleared;
(b) got Commissioner to disqualify himself; and
(c) sued Commissioner for defo and got payout.
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At least it shows that even ICAC is not above the law, which is a good thing.
Anyone criticising ICAC as being a so called “star chamber” can be pointed to this event.
“It was higher pre-Covid, though I’m still comfortable that May 2022 is a reasonable data point to use.”
I’m not, it is highly Covid influenced data point. For the reason I stated in my earlier post on it.
Entropy @ #202 Monday, August 10th, 2026 – 12:07 pm
I addressed your concerns in my comment, and you haven’t responded to any of the substantive points I made. I’ll take that as a concession. Good talk.
Unemployment dropped during covid after borders were closed and jobkeeper and other policies kept people employed.
Charliesays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Entropy @ #202 Monday, August 10th, 2026 – 12:07 pm
“It was higher pre-Covid, though I’m still comfortable that May 2022 is a reasonable data point to use.”
I’m not, it is highly Covid influenced data point. For the reason I stated in my earlier post on it.
I addressed your concerns in my comment, and you haven’t responded to any of the substantive points I made. I’ll take that as a concession. Good talk.
==============================================
You would be delusional to think you had addressed my concerns or that a self proclaimed concession declaration counts as anything . Even LoTY, who rarely agrees with me, can see this concern I raised was not addressed in any meaningful way.
“But the poverty ‘advocates’ simply ignore this. They are completely, one hundred per cent, silent on it.”
Proving the point BW… multiple times.
The governments own HRC notes that welfare payments are far below acceptable levels.
But hey, those damn dirty poors just need to find work.
On a side note, you also support the governments AI program, whose techbro proponents state will also see further unemployment (AI will fizzle out soon, but still worth noting your double standards as usual)
https://humanrights.gov.au/know-your-rights/understanding-human-rights/Australian-Human-Rights-Assessment-2026/social-security-and-poverty
Note the head of the HRC, one President Hugh de Kretser, was appointed by the Albo government.
So BW, did Albo get the appointment wrong, or did albo get it wrong listening to the people he hired?
Mavis
Mr Greenwood seems to be a little less combative after the short break.
The author of the above rubbish is an ABC “journalist” called “Courtney Gould”. She sees fit to include such incisive statements such as this from “Mr 23%”, Angus Taylor, himself:
and his deputy, Jane Hume, herself no slouch in the disappointment stakes:
without once mentioning what was “beneath the office of Prime Minister”, “ignorant”, “hypocritical”, “grubby” and “disappointing” about whatever it was Albanese was supposed to have done, other than that he made “hand gestures in front of his chest” when presented with a melon.
THIS IS NOT JOURNALISM.
It’s cheap trolling by what appears to be a work-experience cadet about an unexplained incident, without any factual background provided, highlighting the (unsurprising) displeasure of two Opposition leaders – (knock me over with a feather!) – regarding something Albo is supposed to have said or done to someone, sometime in relation to a vegetable.
“It’s cheap trolling by what appears to be a work-experience cadet”
Bill, the fuck is that.
Not sure why you wrote “Courtney Gould” like that; shes hardly a “work-experience cadet” given shes been in the game for over 8 years.
You can disagree with the reporting, but thats pretty shitty commentary…
Landlord
Just as well Labor’s creating jobs and helping people get off unemployment, then.
Oh, and building homes.
And raising wages.
BK:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:22 pm
He was probably advised during the break to tone it down.
Bushfire Billsays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:24 pm
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A complete beat up. How over woke are they if they have some problem with that?
Anyone can scroll down the ABC link (unfortunately need to scroll awhile) to get a 35sec video of the actual event that occurred. Only Angus, Jane, Rex and TM would find problems with that, probably due to an overactive imagination?
Zoomster
You could also add for Labor:
Cutting tens of billions of unviable projects from the inherited Morrison budget
Getting the budget back in surplus and stopping the debt blowout
Delivering a small tax cut despite the Liberals and One Nation opposing it.
Socratessays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:32 pm
Zoomster
You could also add for Labor:
Cutting tens of billions of unviable projects from the inherited Morrison budget
==================================================
What! “The Gas Lead Recovery” denied, oh no!
“In the US you have Silicon Valley. Here in Australia we are creating our own Hydrogen Valleys”
“no credible energy transition plan for an economy like Australia that does not involve the greater use of gas”.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/17/scott-morrisons-gas-led-recovery-what-is-it-and-will-it-really-make-energy-cheaper
If she’s writing crap like that – unreferenced whingeing about something she doesn’t bother to describe in any kind of detail – she is no better than a work experience cadet.
The ABC is trawling for shit to write up as earth-shattering news a lot lately. Angus Taylor and Jane Hume reckoning Albo is no good at being PM is hardly a surprising or particularly noteworthy situation to highlight without context.
I guess the Newspoll will be added to the system once the Roy Morgan poll comes out this evening.
“If she’s writing crap like that – unreferenced whingeing about something she doesn’t bother to describe in any kind of detail – she is no better than a work experience cadet.”
Your complaining about a liveblog feed having reduced detail?
Thats the entire point.
Also its a reference to comments made by former Australian ambassador Shingo Yamagami; I note that you, Entropy and others have made no comment on the former Ambassador, only the journo reporting on it…
Shoot the messager comes to mind.
Entropy @ #205 Monday, August 10th, 2026 – 12:18 pm
Your concerns about using May 2022 don’t hold water.
It is the most relevant data point because it was the unemployment rate when the current government was elected.
It is reasonable to use despite COVID because international border restrictions had already begun to be substantially lifted months before the election. There was a temporary increase in unemployment around the initial reopening, from 4.6% in August 2021 to 5.2% in October, but it rapidly fell thereafter, reaching 3.9% by May 2022. It then fell further to 3.4% later that year.
It is further reasonable to use because, after the election and with international travel substantially reopened, unemployment continued to fall, reaching 3.4% later in 2022.
It is finally reasonable to use because the government then retained unemployment at historically low levels for roughly another year and a half. It has since risen above the level when Labor took office and is forecast to rise further, approaching pre-COVID levels.
Your concerns are noted, but they aren’t substantiated, and you’ve still failed to respond to any of the points I initially made supporting the use of the figure.
You also create another issue with your argument. If May 2022 unemployment is discounted because COVID created unusual labour shortages, then the 1.2 million jobs figure should also be discounted because COVID created unusual conditions for subsequent employment growth.
“Entropy and others have made no comment on the former Ambassador, only the journo reporting on it…”
=================================================
The Ambassador didn’t sexualise it though. He thought it disrespectful complaining about the gift. Which from seeing the video Albo hardly did that. My complaints were about those trying to sexualise it, which as l listed was Angus, Jane, Rex and TM. I didn’t mention the ABC reporter either.
The criticism by the Ambassador was this (below) he makes no comment that it was sexual innuendo though. That was more perverted minds making that claim:
“A joke by Anthony Albanese about two melons gifted to him by Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi has resurfaced, with a former Japanese ambassador accusing the PM of being “ungracious”.
““So, Prime Minister, please enjoy Japan’s sweet and juicy melons without thinking about a woman’s anatomy, and instead focus on what our two countries must do together.””
“The Ambassador didn’t sexualise it though.”
These 2 comments are not compatable
And he is not alone;
“Japanese journalist Waka Ikeda was also highly critical of the remarks, saying they had undermined Ms Takaichi’s dignity.
““On recent evidence, a woman may run the world’s fourth-largest economy, stare down Beijing’s threats and still be reduced, by an allied prime minister, to two melons on a podcast,” she said.
“The joke was beneath him and beneath Australia, a long-time ally and friend of Japan. The silence that followed was beneath everyone.””
Again, the idea that this sexualisation is simply a few aussies stirring the pot isnt backed up by reading the comments…
Charliesays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:40 pm
Entropy @ #205 Monday, August 10th, 2026 – 12:18 pm
You would be delusional to think you had addressed my concerns or that a self proclaimed concession declaration counts as anything . Even LoTY, who rarely agrees with me, can see this concern I raised was not addressed in any meaningful way.
========================================
Your concerns about using May 2022 don’t hold water.
—————————————————
Then we should agree to differ and not claim some faux argument victory. In my opinion the population anomaly caused by Covid was still greatly affecting the economy at that time. With a large proportion of the immigration and work visa’s that had been issued by the Morrison Government from 2020 to 2022 yet to have been used. Thus the population catch up from this event was only in progress and far from completion at that time. As a result the unemployment number for this time would still be suffering from Covid anomalies.
Regarding the ABC News Dept…
First they whinged about “first home buyers” being gazumped at auctions, the “Housing Crisis”, and “underlying poverty” due to low wages every single fucking night on their boring, unwatchable, sanitized 7.30 TV News bulletin.
Then, when house prices came down, they whinged about the beleagured investor class, deprived of their 14th property or whatever, crying poor because they didn’t get their tax breaks anymore. When wages went up, the ABC was in the nearest coffee shop to the Ultimo HQ interviewing the whingeing employers of the whingeing waiters, waitresses and barristas they had been interviewing the week before.
We are also solemnly warned that following news segments “may refer to someone who has died”, “contain references to crime”, ” mental illness”, “domestic abuse” and anything else that might, just possibly, trigger someone into a one-in-a-million meltdown as a result of watching it. I’m waiting for a news item on a music festival coming with a warning about “flashing lights”, or an interview with Richard Marles alerting us to its depiction of “someone who stutters and stammers”.
This is the same organisation who unfairly dismissed a radio presenter for quoting an actual ABC news item that reported worldwide disgust with what was happening in Gaza.
The ABC should really take a good hard look at itself, with Courtney Gould first cab off the rank.
VicLib rubbish policy!
Opposition leader, Jess Wilson, says: Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week.
MelonGate is old news rehashed this morning. The main take from the incident is that Albanese should act his age and never appear on those social media podcasts.
People are overlooking perhaps the most significant part of the whole shag Kylie, melons podcast palaver. Which is why on earth did the Prime Minister do it. The reason is obvious from the polling, the ALP primary has collapsed amongst women. At the last election, the female ALP primary was 5 points higher than the blokes. It’s currently 5 points below the male vote, which is highly unusual for a left-leaning government. In fact, on some figures nearly the entire fall in the ALP vote is due to the fall in the women’s vote.
Albanese did the interview to try to address this fall in support from women. Why is the ALP female primary falling?
Miskalsays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:51 pm
=========================================
Have you watched the 35 sec video of what happened in the ABC link provided earlier?
Are you truly claiming what is shown there at all matches the claims made by Angus and others?
“This is the same organisation who unfairly dismissed a radio presenter for quoting an actual ABC news item that reported worldwide disgust with what was happening in Gaza.
The ABC should really take a good hard look at itself, with Courtney Gould first cab off the rank.
Not sure youll find Lattouf backing your targetting of female journos for the actions and directions of the ABC nearly as much as you think…
Especially since your talking shit about trigger warnings, which Lattouf and Fran are hardly going to argue against.
And the cherry on top is that by your own logic you must agree with Lattoufs and Frans criticisms of Albos previous comments on women!
Golly gosh.
Red bin collection drives the Liberal policy reform agenda.
Gasp.
Miskal rides to the rescue of an organization that has turned anti-Labor slagging into an abusive art form.
Why am I shocked at this latest sally by the Greens anti-Labor slagger co-operative?
Actually Entropy im reading from the origional article here.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_RED&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Fanthony-albanese-denies-he-made-a-crude-joke-out-of-japanese-prime-minister-sanae-takaichis-melons%2Fnews-story%2F5f12baf6694d5c20c7a5ce482073d986&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPB-Segment-2-NOSCORE
The quotes iv provided earlier are from the article, which make it very clear that, again, this isnt just an australian lense on Albos melon comments.
If you want to complain about the incestuous nature of Australian media reporting on itself, im right with you.
But to claim that these comments are being sexualised only by the usual suspects in Australia, and not Japan, is patently incorrect…
Well I guess red bin collection is safer politics than Japanese melons. 🙂
The Wombatsays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Albanese did the interview to try to address this fall in support from women.
=================================================
So what if he did?
Seems a reasonable thing for any political leader to do. Though appealing to woman is a good idea independent of whether that demographic is strong or weak for you I suspect.
Entropy @ #221 Monday, August 10th, 2026 – 12:55 pm
I claimed your concession in an effort to get you to engage with the substance of my argument. If you just say “you’re wrong” without elaborating then yeah, you’ve conceded the argument.
Either way, your argument cuts both ways. May ’22 is a useful data point because it’s the actual data point when the government was elected, or it isn’t. If it isn’t then the 1.2m jobs created are as a result of the unusual labour conditions caused by COVID and aren’t reasonably attributed to actions taken by the government.
I watched the episode and there is nothing wrong with the Melon question and answer. The pun part was minor, a light hearted aside, and started by the questioner about how the melons got through customs. Albanese was simply saying that the melon was an odd gift that turned out to be wonderful. FMD. The ‘Get Albo’ campaign will criticise his choice of Tshirts next.
Plenty of scope to criticise the PM. Focus on them. This effort, like BB says, is absurd and the ABC shouldn’t be giving them the time of day.
I note that the Japanese are famous for being highly sensitive about relatively mundane misunderstandings, employing elaborate and ritualistic politeness when doing just about anything, except when they are murdering Allied POWs and indigenous workers in their hundreds of thousands on the Burma Railway.
They make bloody good cameras but have a long way to go telling other countries’ leaders how to behave.
Miskalsays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 1:04 pm
Actually Entropy im reading from the origional article here.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_RED&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Fanthony-albanese-denies-he-made-a-crude-joke-out-of-japanese-prime-minister-sanae-takaichis-melons%2Fnews-story%2F5f12baf6694d5c20c7a5ce482073d986&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPB-Segment-2-NOSCORE
The quotes iv provided earlier are from the article, which make it very clear that, again, this isnt just an australian lense on Albos melon comments.
If you want to complain about the incestuous nature of Australian media reporting on itself, im right with you.
But to claim that these comments are being sexualised only by the usual suspects in Australia, and not Japan, is patently incorrect…
===================================================
I’m unaware of timeline. So are comments from Angus and Jane on sexualisation before or after Japanese comments on sexualisation?
So are some people in Japan going along with what people like Angus and Jane claimed or are Angus and Jane going along with their comments?
Though I still haven’t got your opinion of it, after watching the 35 sec ABC linked video
“I note that the Japanese are famous for being highly sensitive about relatively mundane misunderstandings, employing elaborate and ritualistic politeness when doing just about anything, except when they are murdering Allied POWs and indigenous workers in their hundreds of thousands on the Burma Railway.
They make bloody good cameras but have a long way to go telling other countries’ leaders how to behave.”
Ah yes, now instead of the Japanese not being aware of the sexualisation, they are actually now TOO sensitive!
How dare they tell albo not to sexualise presitage diplomatic gifts!
FMD…
The reality of that interview, if you can call it that, is that she was leading Albanese down a path in relation to Kylie and the melons and Albanese should never have allowed himself to be led. It was dumb politics from our PM and he just has to wear the commentary.
“I claimed your concession in an effort to get you to engage with the substance of my argument.”
Your subsequent post never addressed any of my argument. I just did the same.
“I’m unaware of timeline. So are comments from Angus and Jane on sexualisation before or after Japanese comments on sexualisation?
So are some people in Japan going along with what people like Angus and Jane claimed or are Angus and Jane going along with their comments?”
Does this matter?
Unless your implying theres some grand conspiracy between the LNP, an ex ambassador and members of the Japanese media to go after Albo, then the idea that one led to the other is questionable.
Do I think the libs give an honest shit? Absolutely not; and boy do they have their own history of even worse comments (the sinking islands comes to mind).
Do I think Albo keeps making stupid comments on podcasts relating to women? Yes.
Again, between the difficult GRace Tame comment, the fuck marry kill comment, and now the melons of the Japanese PM, i find it odd we arnt seeing similar comments about men…
And as anecdotal as the following is, my friend group (predominatly millenials and zoomers) finds it eye rollingly cringe at best.
So, how is Albo going to reverse the collapse in his approval rating ?
RE: The ABC’s trumpeting of anti-ALP talking points on housing. I did notice on Breakfast telly the other day they dragged out a stat which showed that property prices in Australia were declining for higher value properties but were still going up at the lower end of the market. And the argument they put forward was that this suggested that the Gov’s changes weren’t helping first home buyers yet
Which I thought was an interesting observation to make given that for the last several months the main whine from the Libs has been that a reduction in house prices combined with low deposit schemes meant that recent first home buyers could be in negative equity
I guess there’s a BS and non-substantive argument to spin whatever happens
Entropy @ #239 Monday, August 10th, 2026 – 1:15 pm
I did address your argument. I explained why I think May ’22 remains a reasonable baseline despite the residual effects of COVID. You’ve simply reiterated that you think those effects make it unreasonable without addressing those points.
And you’ve still not addressed the obvious double standard in your position.
“The reality of that interview, if you can call it that, is that she was leading Albanese down a path in relation to Kylie and the melons and Albanese should never have allowed himself to be led. It was dumb politics from our PM and he just has to wear the commentary.”
This.
He shouldnt step down, Labor shouldnt give the LNP power etc etc, but he should also just apologize and move on/learn from this.
It seems to me that mainstream media (suprisingly including the ABC now) are trying to push a “get Albo” narrative because 1.) Labor won the 2025 election in a landslide (the media always like to whinge about an incumbent government after a big result as there attempt to “hold the government to account”) and 2.) They’re not use to a truly centre-left government and what it entails.
“Do I think Albo keeps making stupid comments on podcasts relating to women? Yes.”
Do you think there is anything wrong with the gestures and statements he made in the 35 sec video in the ABC link in question though?
That is the issue at hand.
“She brought 2, as you do”
The podcaster responses “came here like Pamela Anderson”
No push back from Albo.
Yes, what ever can we infer from this.
Not to mention the origional point made by BB and others was that the sexualisation was only in the eyes of the Australian media and shit stirrers, which has been shown over, and over, and over again, to be wrong.
Hell now BB is saying that the Japanese should stick to camera manufacuring because they are too sensitive.
Hollow try Rex, but no cigar.
Charliesays:
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Entropy @ #239 Monday, August 10th, 2026 – 1:15 pm
“I claimed your concession in an effort to get you to engage with the substance of my argument.”
Your subsequent post never addressed any of my argument. I just did the same.
I did address your argument. I explained why I think May ’22 remains a reasonable baseline despite the residual effects of COVID. You’ve simply reiterated that you think those effects make it unreasonable without addressing those points.
And you’ve still not addressed the obvious double standard in your position.
========================================
I explained that work Visa’s and immigration from the 2020 to 2022 Covid period had not caught up. Thus the unemployment figures are still Covid effected. You need to provide population data or immigration data that shows I’m wrong on this, if you want to make your case valid, in my opinion you have not. Though I’m not going to spell this out again as it has become boring. If you want consider this a concession, knock yourself out.
Miskal explains:
Anyone who quotes an opinionated story on a Labor PM out of The Australian as proof of, or support for any argument whatsoever, has lost the plot.
The point about the Burma Railway reference is that the Japanese government has never apologized for it, and countless other atrocities. They should not be demanding apologies from anyone about a joke made in a media interview that some people – principally habitual and institutional enemies of that PM – reckon could have been in better taste.
I still have little idea as to what the joke was, as I am not a subscriber to The Australian (and thus can’t read the rubbish they print), and the journalist who referred to it declined to describe it.
It seems we are all supposed to be aware of what the joke was, and why it was allegedly in bad taste (even if only by the ABC’s notoriously, and increasingly “woke” standards).
That we, and (I am confident) the Australian voting public at large are not aware perhaps explains why nobody could really give a stuff about Albo’s opinion of Takaichi’s melons, whether from a left or right point of view.