Roy Morgan’s weekly federal poll maintained its volatile form in having Labor up three to 28.5%, after being down two the week before; One Nation down one to 25%; the Coalition up one-and-a-half to 23.5%, reversing its change in the last poll; and the Greens down three after a series of strong results to 12.5%. With the Greens’ loss cancelling out Labor’s gain, Labor’s two-party leads over the Coalition actually narrow slightly, from 52-48 to 51.5-48.5 on previous election preferences and 53-47 to 52-48 on respondent-allocated preferences. Labor’s respondent-allocated two-party lead over One Nation was unchanged at 53-47. The poll was conducted Monday to Sunday from a sample of 1576.
Also of note:
• Chris Gatenby, former state party president and until recently an adviser to Premier Jeremy Rockliff, was sworn in on Monday as the successor to Tasmanian Liberal Senator Wendy Askew. Gatenby will also lead the party’s Senate ticket at the next election, followed by former state government minister Sarah Courtney, who will presumably be filling Jonno Duniam’s vacancy when he follows through on his recently announced retirement. Third on the ticket is Latrobe councillor Jacki Martin.
• Paul Sakkal of Nine Newspapers reports that Nicolle Flint, who held the Adelaide seat of Boothby for the Liberals from 2016 to 2022 and ran unsuccessfully in 2025, is “mulling a preselection challenge” against Tony Pasin, member for the rural seat of Barker. This occurs against a backdrop of discord within the party’s South Australian branch, and its conservative camp in particular, over the bid for the state presidency by Senator Alex Antic, a close ally of Pasin’s and a rival of Flint’s. Mike Smithson at InDaily reports on ongoing speculation as to who might run against Antic when the matter is determined at the branch’s annual general meeting on September 19, one possibility being Flint herself. The meeting will also determine the order of the Senate ticket for the next election, raising the possibility of incumbents Andrew McLachlan, Kerrynne Liddle and Leah Blyth being shunted in favour of a candidate aligned with Antic.
• A by-election will be held for one of the 25 seats in the Northern Territory parliament on September 12 following the resignation of Yiŋiya Mark Guyula, who has held the eastern Arnhem Land seat of Mulka (formerly Nhulunbuy) as an independent since 2016.
zoomster:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 9:14 am
Mavis
From my personal experience, there are some allied health providers who are over-servicing. Podiatry immediately comes to mind.
They are only dodgy deals because all our parties have the maturity and sophistication of a toddler who was left to eat their own weight in fairy floss.
They seem to have total dedication to self interest before faction, faction before party and party so far before state or nation that it isn’t funny.
Add a dash of complete cowardice that would have brave Sir Rodney standing his ground, and you can see why we are cooked.
There were stories of shonks trawling RSL clubs looking for veterans, and offering Wellness Retreats in Bali and beyond. All chargeable to Vets Affairs.
The same crew were doing the same with NDIS recipients with open ended packages.
Letting ‘the market rip’ with misuse of otherwise worth government and societal initiatives has a long history of abuse
Newy boy
Not sure what has transpired.
All the best to you.
That’s nonsense, Sprocket. On what planet do you think that veterans can get paid vacations to Bali funded by DVA?
This sort of disinformation is Keogh’s alternative to putting any effort into gaining community support for his “changes”.
One of HBG troll baits today was Labor leadershit using Butler. He only got one taker which is piss poor form for him. HBG is green on the inside and blue on the inside. HBG is here to try and stir shitfights between Greens and Labor supporters.
Socrates at 8.27
In the 1890s, Sydney’s Cardinal Moran saw that the policies of the nascent ALP were consistent with Catholic values and he assisted the party’s rise.
What Catholic Education did (via its CEO acting under a delegation) was aimed to place persons with a strong Catholic faith in Parliament.
It’s not easy to separate the charitable actions of a charity from political action to further the charitable action. Lobbying is the usual means, but why not promoting electoral success of sympathetic persons?
Victoria – thank you. WB and I just don’t see eye to eye on what’s acceptable to say about that matter. No other issues. He probably has his reasons, but it’s his blog and so he doesn’t need any.
CLP government announces $1 billion plus privately owned & run prison while Royal Darwin Hospital Has Code Yellow emergency for weeks. Patients sleeping in beds and corridors & likely being sent home before recovery to free up beds. Sure to be an issue in imminent Mulka by election.
Luigi
This from the RSL itself..
https://www.rslaustralia.org/latest-news/rsl-supports-crackdown-on-unethical-veteran-claims-practices-and-accreditation-of-advocates
Rafiki
The very big difference back then is that Catholic Education was not receiving billions per year of Federal education funding on the assumption that it was an apolitical charity focused on education. Nor were they running multi million dollar businesses like the Exclusive Brethren.
The concern is the abuse of public money and charitable status, not having a political view per se.
Though if they wish to act on a political view they should be transparent about it and tell all their members too. The Liberal infiltration of Catholic Education was not open.
And Luigi, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be treating our Vets as good as possible.
And yes, there are legit accredited Bali programs for Vets funded by DVA.. not sure why facts shouldn’t matter in these emotive discussions.
https://seasonsbali.org/veterans-first-responders-program/
What’s with the confected outrage about so-called “dodgy deals” to get things through parliament? Surely deal-making reflects how parliament is supposed to work – the government of the day negotiates with the parliament it has to get its agenda through the legislature, and whether a Labor government comes to an arrangement with the main Opposition party or minor parties in the Senate depends on the issue at hand. Quite why a particular arrangement might be characterised as “dodgy” seems to depend on the ideological position of the person making the critique.
At icac David Elliot is a change from the one or two word answers we used to.
Encyclopaedic memory of his early life and career.
“I hadn’t seen you as a Republican supporter.”
Oh the projection 🙂
David Elliot about to go the big dump on Opus Dei faction of the NSW Liberal Party..
https://www.icac.nsw.gov.au/investigations/live-streaming-of-public-inquiries/operation-rosny-live-stream/operation-rosny-live-stream
Sprocket, an “advocate” is a person who acts for a veteran claimant to DVA. For decades, the RSL has provided that service as a free service. More recently, some people – mostly veterans themselves – started claiming costs for the service that they offered to less skilled form-filling veterans. This then caused sharks to establish high-fee businesses doing the job of advocacy. It was fertile ground due to the inordinate delays in veterans getting their claims looked at and (hopefully) approved by DVA.
That’s what the RSL is rightly drawing attention to. It has nothing whatsoever to do with allied health services funded by DVA or mythical DVA funded Bali vacations.
Thank you for your disinformation.
The Cult was one of the names of the Opus Dei faction –
No California Democrat is ever going to be President, so common sense should tell them to strike two from that list before the primaries even begin.
Common sense isn’t necessarily that common though, and Harris did such an exceptional job against Trumpie last time around, maybe she should get a second crack at preventing him from winning a third term?
It isn’t as though stopping Trump from usurping democracy is vital to the future of humanity, or anything like that. He is, after all, a quite benign and moderate leader of the free World.
https://kevinbonham.blogspot.com/2026/08/four-year-terms-fixed-terms-fixed-four.html
Four Year Terms? Fixed Terms? Fixed Four Year Terms? Part One – Polling
https://www.sacurrent.com/news/elon-musk-expected-to-give-paxton-much-needed-cash-injection/
Could be good for Talarico then, taking $200 million from “Space Karen” could be radioactive for Paxton.
Musk tried the same in April last year for a Wisconsin court seat and lost.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Ghostrider. “Accidental”? My are on a band box it was fracking “accidental”!!
Revolutionary Quisling says:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 7:07 am
Not a bad defence and explanation of Super.
Australia accidentally built one of the world’s great pools of patient capital, tied to worker retirement and national stability.
_______
I recall fighting for compulsory superannuation benefits for contract couriers in 1997 (BTW we – the NSW TWU – won, a world first for non ‘employees’).
Our application to the NSW IRC for the insertion of this industrial right into the relevant industrial instrument (called a ‘contract determination’, akin for an award for employees) would have front and centre in its grounds and reasons the point that compulsory superannuation adds to the pool of national savings in a profound way over time. ‘some folk’ are just now waking up to the fact that industry super is working in EXACTLY the way that Keating intended when he created it.
Luigi,
Maybe the RSL should stick to helping veterans rather than running poker machines
AOC doing more poorly than Kamala seems unfair to me.
——————————————-
To me, that AOC is only 2 pts behind Vance, is extraordinary. The majority of press coverage that independent, wavering Republicans, “corporate” Democrats and disengaged voters would see of her is biased in the negative (or worse). Given a campaign, where voters will be more tuned in to what she says and how she says it, she would overcome some of that.
She is indeed a very good performer, especially put on the spot and unscripted. She is better in that regard to Harris who plays to too many demographics at once, often (not always) to the point of incoherence.
I remember sitting in a car with a Labor MP excitedly outlining the benefits of compulsory super.
The main one being a national pool of savings.
Confessions and Kirsdarke – cheers to both of you as well. 🙂
Hard Being Greensays:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 7:45 am
I didn’t see it, maybe no one else did either, but apparently Albanese was on 730 last night saying it was mistake to go on Bush Deep
==================================================
Nikki Osborne’s humour does appear a little to risqué for some. Possibly it was a mistake to go on her show. Yet her humour was far less lewd then some others have posted on here. This for example (below) goes further than what Nikki Osbourne went and was not posted by a woman but probably a creepy old man.
“I wonder if the Swans players were inspired by Albo and asked for dancers with big melons?”
The Cook Political Report on Thursday reclassified the Paxton-Talarico race as a “toss up” after considering it a “leans Republican” contest.
——————————————————
From Nate Silver;
“In our Deluxe model, that change shifted the Texas Senate race from Toss-up to Lean D — although the actual change in Democratic win probability was relatively minor: 59 percent —> 60 percent.”
Socrates at 8.27am.
” I am not a lawyer but I question the legality of this. Is it time for somebody in government to remind both organisations of the law?”
I agree. The Catholic thing is a recent revelation, but the brethren have been at it at least since the time of Howard with news reports suggesting that as time goes by, they are becoming for aggressive.
Don Farrell is responsible for the AEC. I have just sent this Email.
Senator Farrell,
I am making contact as you are the minister responsible for the Australian Electoral Commission.
For many years the Plymouth Brethren has been supporting the conservative side of politics with news reports suggesting that they are becoming more aggressive in how they do that.
Now we have revelations from the NSW ICAC about people close to government supported Catholic schools also interfering in politics.
Religious institutions don’t pay tax.
I think it is time for a law update that specifies that if an institution wants to engage directly in political campaigns, they should lose their tax-free status.
Taylormadesays:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 8:02 am
Live
National News Live
‘Clearly, that was an error’: PM wouldn’t do podcast if he had his time again
_______________________
Well there you go.
He’s made fools of Plibersek, Gallagher and Rishworth.
And at a local level Entropy and Boerwar.
I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory.
===================================================
Show me a post where I said it was a good idea he go on a risqué show like that of Nikki Osborne’s?
Though I have no interest in being schooled on misogyny by Mr Misogyny himself. If you think Albo going along with Nikki Osborne’s risqué melon comments was bad. How much worse must you now feel about all your past extreme misogynistic posts on here? Oh wait, I forgot, you don’t do self-reflection.
Mostly Interested says:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 8:53 am
“It cant be said enough how important super has become in terms of re-investing back into Australia.”
This type of opinion/attitude is one of the major problems with the Superannuation system – it is a target for those who want to use it for their own political purposes.
Trustees are bound by the Sole Purpose Test. To summarise: The superannuation Sole Purpose Test is a legal requirement under Section 62 of the SIS Act 1993 stating that a regulated super fund must be maintained solely to provide retirement benefits for members, or death benefits for their dependents. Every investment and business decision must strictly align with this objective.
“Re-investing back into Australia” is not an allowable objective. Funding renewable energy or major infrastructure as Nation Building policy is not an allowable objective. To restate the law – investment decisions should only take into account the goal to provide retirement benefits for members or death benefits – that is a focus on investment returns. That’s it. Nothing else.
This is the reason why SMSF cannot display Art that is invested in by the fund. It must be locked away and it can’t be kept in a private residence, because the personal enjoyment from viewing it is classed as not being in alignment with the requirement of the Sole Purpose Test.
Trustees have to invest in accordance with the Investment Strategy of the Fund, which has to align with the Sole Purpose Test and target the risk-reward of the beneficiaries. I continue to be surprised why investment funds that focus on social and environmental issues are allowed to be included in regulated fund portfolios.
The Union backed “Industry” funds have been criticised for their spending on social engineering causes. The Trustees have, so far, avoided being pinged for breach of the Sole Purpose Test because they have funded those activities from the management fees they are paid and not used the money when it was inside the trusts. Hopefully, one day, a Judge or Judges, will look through the strategy and kill it off and force Trustees to stick to their sole purpose. Hopefully this would also encompass their advertising activities. I won’t start on the bullshit about using returns as an advertising hook and then discreetly adding the warning that past performance id no guarantee of future performance (so, logically why are they referring to it?). And I won’t start on the use of revaluing unlisted assets to boost returns – but to uncover that would require the powers of a Royal Commission.
And the first one has fallen with respect to NSW ICAC: Catholic Schools NSW sacks Dallas McInerney. The factory reset of the phone and iPad whilst sworn in as a witness stinks.
Out of interest, if you are factory reseting two devices in the Apple ecosystem, that suggests that iCloud storage of messages was enabled. I wonder if that was wiped as well?
agitpropsays:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 3:15 am
If only you would enforce forbidding the flying horsie from posting their cretinous screeds this blog would be a trillion times more readable…
================================================
Everyone stop speaking a MAGA free speech warrior has just mounted his high horse.
Socrates
I’m not speaking of the Brethern here. (I have an interesting story of their behaviour at the Bowral PS booth in the last election, where I HTV’d, but that’s beside the point here.)
I think it highly likely that Liberal power-brokers were aware of what Catholic Ed was up to, but in any event I don’t follow why they had to make it public.
The issue is whether Catholic Ed acted legitimately according to law. I have no expertise here. My point is that charitable activity is commonly inextricably mixed with political activity.
I have to leave off now. No insult intended.
FUBAR says:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 10:50 am
Quatsch! I am doing just dandy in my industry super fund. And benefiting from their superior past rates of return 🙂
I noticed a trend in the polls for the last couple of months.
Smaller sample sizes tend to benefit Labor, and larger sample sizes tend to favour the 2 conservative parties.
That is extremely evident in the fact that the last 2 MRPs pumped up One Nation’s seat count way more than can be reasonably expected (60 seats compared to ~32 seats with simulating voting intention polls with the same numbers).
Rafiki at 9.58am.
“It’s not easy to separate the charitable actions of a charity from political action to further the charitable action. Lobbying is the usual means, but why not promoting electoral success of sympathetic persons?”
What the brethren have been doing, and branch stacking by the catholics are hardly charitable activities.
If organisations like these want to lobby politicians, they should do it openly.
Bizzcan says:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 7:40 am
________
This. And that is why it must be attacked.
FUBAR, all that might be true, but treating “investing in Australia” and “maximising member returns” as if they’re mutually exclusive objectives isnt a particularly strong platform to stand on. In many cases they’re not mutually exclusive objectives.
And because of that my point stands, that with the $4.5t held in super being used to re-invest in Australia we are better off for it.
Zwaktyld says:
“Maybe the RSL should stick to helping veterans rather than running poker machines.”
—————–
I don’t disagree with that, Zwaktyld.
But I think you’ll find that the mega clubs that run on pokie profits are not actually part of the RSL. The mega clubs all sprouted from the original RSAILA, as does the existing RSL, but were required to separate from it in order to hold gambling and liquor licenses. The mega clubs are very significant benefactors of veteran services and the RSL and are the active community repository of “remembrance” in our society. All credit to them.
It’s the actual RSL that provides advocacy services; not the mega clubs.
And, yes, it’s probably deliberately difficult to see the distinction between them.
I was in Mount Isa recently. The mega club there is called Buffs – an offshoot of the RAOB – the Royal and Ancient Order of Buffalos. I didn’t see a buffalo there and I don’t think there’s a connection any more, despite the name. It’s now just a name.
“I won’t start on the bullshit about using returns as an advertising hook”
Yes, because nobody is interested in returns in their super. We all want to be in the super with highest management fees instead. If private enterprise isn’t ripping off the worker we can hardly consider ourselves a capitalist nation. So give a cheer to unbridled capitalism, where the only victims are those that don’t count, the masses.
I think as far as important news is concerned, the Bush Deep interview is up there with how awful Season 4 of Ted Lasso is.
But yeah, Albanese was an idiot to admit error on it. Just let it blow over you wishy washy fool. It was mostly harmless fun.
zoomster says:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 9:14 am
“Mavis
Calling it a cap is a little misleading.
It’s simply the point where you stop getting the service no questions asked and have to prove that you need it.”
No questions asked? They are entitlements based on medical records from your career, discharge medicals and subsequent claims process through DVA, which has often been a frustrating and difficult experience.
I have a recognised back injury claim that states “degradation and narrowing of facet joints”. It is getting worse overtime but is intermittent based on a range of factors. I have gone for periods of years with no treatment and then required periods on intense treatment. When it does require intense treatment are they going to suddenly cut off treatment and then require a new assessment of my already recognised condition? How long will that take? How many months of debilitation pain will I have to suffer waiting for appointments, scans, reviews etc?
They have really screwed the pooch in this one.
I tried season one after people kept recommending it to me. It’s not for me, the gormless American fish out of water shtick but who wins everyone over with his homebred charm is not funny anymore, and probably hasnt been for 30 or more years.
Griffsays:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 10:58 am
FUBAR says:
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 10:50 am
Quatsch! I am doing just dandy in my industry super fund. And benefiting from their superior past rates of return
==============================================
Will someone please think of private enterprise, who is not profiting by your behaviour. Is it to much to ask that they get to profit at your expense? Shame on you.
Newy boy.
Understood.
@Foodbar:
“ Re-investing back into Australia” is not an allowable objective.”
_____
You blockhead.
Conflating the obligations of trustees with the overall purpose of the entire scheme. It is simply because industry super exists, as the size that it does, that achieves the first objective. The veritable 500 pound gorilla in the room. To ensure that it doesn’t go tits up, the second legislated objective exists.
FUBAR
So your intense period would see the $5000 automatically kick in. Which gives you plenty of time to register that you’ll need to exceed that.
I was born and raised as a deeply religious catholic. I see absolutely nothing consistent with catholic values in the behaviours of the ‘Reformers’ or of their paymasters.
“Newish” Federal Poll & Pollster
Pollster: Agenda C Synesis
Poll Period : 21-24 July (So, 4 weeks old now)
Sample: 1035
{Comparison with their late May poll}
* ALP 32 (+3)
* ON 26 (+2)
* LNP 19 (+1)
* GRN 12 (+2)
* Ind/Oth 11 (-8) Seems a bit odd
Source Report –
Link: https://combatantisemitism.org/cam-news/more-than-half-of-australians-no-longer-confident-all-faiths-can-live-safely-in-country-post-bondi-new-cam-survey-finds/
Actual Poll Document (which can be accessed via the source report)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ox6sut57rof9b94aqj94u/Combat-Antisemitism-Movement-Research.pdf?rlkey=wtshg8yp407loqfvk9e2w42o6&st=ric61al6&e=3&dl=0
(Primaries are on page 13)
I think this poll may have got a partial run on the site a week ago, but probably because full primary details weren’t provided it didn’t make the cut on bludgertrack.
Anyway, full report above with meth statement.
They refer to a wave 2 sample too, so I guess they may drop a future federal poll.