The Australian reports Newspoll has One Nation edging back into the lead on the primary vote, gaining one point on three weeks ago to 30% while Labor holds steady on 29%, with the Coalition up a point to 19% and the Greens down one to 13%. Anthony Albanese was up a point on approval to 38% and steady on 59% disapproval, Angus Taylor was down one to 33% and up four to 50%, and Pauline Hanson was up one to 47% and down one to 48%. Albanese’s lead over Taylor on preferred prime minister was out from 44-37 to 44-35, while a three-way question was entirely unchanged on last time with Albanese on 46%, Taylor on 23% and Pauline Hanson on 31%. The poll also has a question on housing prices which differs from others showing support for a fall in including a “stay about the same” option, which was favoured by 32%, with 30% favouring an increase and 32% a decrease. The poll was conducted Monday to Friday from a sample of 1243.
The latest monthly RedBridge Group/Accent Research poll for the Financial Review has Labor edging back in front of One Nation on the primary vote, holding steady at 29% while One Nation drops three to 28%, with the Coalition steady on 22% and the Greens up two on an unusually weak result last time to 12%. Labor’s two-party lead over One Nation is in from 53-47 to 52-48; the Coalition retains a 52-48 lead over Labor on respondent-allocated preferences (which suggests RedBridge Group is finding more One Nation voters favouring the Coalition than is Roy Morgan), while Labor leads 52-48 on previous election preferences compared with a 50-50 result last time. A three-way preferred prime minister result is little changed, with Anthony Albanese down a point to 31%, Pauline Hanson steady at 24% and Angus Taylor steady at 15%. There are also approval ratings that I will hold back on reporting until I see the full results. The poll was conducted Monday to Friday from a sample of 1006.
US Senate starting to look bad for the much hated incumbent President…
https://ippsr.msu.edu/news/msu-poll-shows-democrats-lead-republicans-coalesce-behind-rogers
B. S. Fairman @ 1715
Regarding the local ON candidate Guy Cooper.
No. I’ve only been in Mildura for just over a year. Speaking with colleagues whom are born and bred into the region they have no idea who this candidate is or their background.
The details on his webpage are very vague in terms of specifics and the ‘Sunraysia’ region is ‘officially’ defined as between the SA / Vic border and Swan Hill and down towards Ouyen so he could effectively be anywhere. I surmise he is a FIFO candidate.
Entropy:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 7:22 pm
He mentioned Melbourne several times, but I couldn’t work out the context. Anyway, even B-grade actors were welcomed in Oz in those days. Our biggest homegrown actor in the ’60s was the rather wooden
Chips Rafferty, who bore a resemblance to Roberts-Smith.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4UfWt-inh8
“As Ava Gardner said, If you are making a movie about the end of the world, Melbourne is the place to be.”
She denied saying that. It was a fiction of a Sydney journalist.
Mavissays:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 7:51 pm
Entropy:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 7:22 pm
‘While Melbourne just relied on high profile Hollywood actors like Peter Lorre talking about visiting there.’
===============================
He mentioned Melbourne several times, but I couldn’t work out the context.
============================
It was a joke, it was from the black comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace” starring Cary Grant with the so called “Melbourne Method” the most brutal of Jonathon Brewster’s (Raymond Massey) murder methods. Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre) was Jonathon Brewster’s plastic surgeon. One of the running jokes was he had just watched a Boris Karloff movie when doing the last lot of plastic surgery on Jonathon’s Brewster’s face.
I hope it does not portend AUKUS but ‘On the Beach’ features… not a US nuclear submarine (as per the novel) but a British submarine, HMS Andrew.
The US authorities wanted nothing to do with a movie about a nuclear end to the world.
Thanks for the clarification, Entropy. My hearing ain’t the best.
Soharsays:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 7:54 pm
“As Ava Gardner said, If you are making a movie about the end of the world, Melbourne is the place to be.”
She denied saying that. It was a fiction of a Sydney journalist.
================================================
I don’t believe it. Sydney journalists don’t have either the wit or imagination to come up with that slur on Melbourne.
The True Story Behind the Quote
The Origin: While filming On the Beach in Melbourne in 1959, Hollywood star Ava Gardner refused to give interviews to the local press.
The Joke: Frustrated by the lack of access, cadet journalist Neil Jillett wrote a tongue-in-cheek, satirical piece for The Sydney Morning Herald (or The Sun-Herald).
*The Twist: He included a line stating he could not confirm a rumor that Gardner would have considered saying the movie was about the end of the world and Melbourne was the right place to film it.
The Myth: Newspapers printed the unconfirmed rumor as a real, direct quote.
The Aftermath
The Denial: Gardner repeatedly denied ever making the remark and blamed the media for putting words in her mouth.
The Legacy: Despite her denials, the witty jab stuck in the public imagination and became a permanent part of Melbourne folklore. [1,
Here is Tom Cruise mentioning Melbourne in SF’s favourite movie.
Melbourne mentioned at 8:24 in clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtnYuTZ-CZo
UK Voting Intention Via @YouGov , 30-31 Aug. Changes w/ 23-24 Aug.:
LAB: 23% (+1)
RFM: 23% (=)
CON: 20% (=)
GRN: 13% (=)
LDM: 12% (-1)
SNP: 3% (=)
RES: 3% (=)
You mean Guy Coooper?
For those of you interested in what happens to the world, and particularly us, in the event of a major nuclear exchange, here’s a couple of interesting reads, the first of which links to all the recent literature especially with respect to climate impacts.
https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14072
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3155983
But the only country ever to use Nuclear weapon against another country.
As usual projection by US authorities, whoever they were.
Thanks. Interesting.
EVC sales numbers are in:
https://thedriven.io/2026/09/02/tesla-posts-another-near-record-sales-month-in-august-pointing-to-structural-shift-in-australias-ev-market/
More ass than class?
AI chatbots being used as supplements rather than the main game… thus far.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/02/macquarie-university-using-ai-chatbot-tutorials
SL says:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 8:56 pm
It’s remarkable how well Tesla EV sales have done since boy genius Musk has shut the fuck up… maybe his other board members & major investors told him to pull his head in.
It seems that the Tories love transmission lines:
https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/press-releases/north-west-transmission-developments-to-start-construction/
Also in Qld: https://esdnews.com.au/powerlink-awards-second-contract-for-cq-transmission-line/
Even Well Done is a fan:
https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/taylor/media-releases/delivering-cheap-and-reliable-energy-victoria
…. at least he was when he was the minister.
Luigi Smith says:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 5:59 pm
I will revise how I am stating the US Involvement in Harold E Holt.
There are no longer US Navy Personnel there permanently. They do visit occasionally. There are contractors there.
The communications set up so that the US can transmit with zero Australian access or involvement.
[AI chatbots being used as supplements rather than the main game… thus far.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/02/macquarie-university-using-ai-chatbot-tutorials%5D
Christ almighty. Do they not have human beings that can do this?
Was it ICACs intention that Charles Perrottet would spend 3&1/2 in the witness box, what more is to come?
Steven
Most of the ON candidates are FIFO candidates.
Asha @ #1171 Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026 – 9:15 pm
Seems an AI bot ate your link.
Revised Operation Rosny witness list:
Perrottet, C is listed as a witness on Thursday & Friday; Greenwood next Monday & Tuesday; Maheswaran (Nassif’s solicitor) on Wednesday & Thursday; and Blackmore* (a former mayor of Strathfield) on Friday. The list is subject to change.
*
– ICAC
Maybe they could not find any or the tutorial candidates were unwilling to work for the rates they wanted them to be hired.
You realise that
1. Tutorials are mostly conducted by temporary students
2. They just want to use AI for tutoring and save money.
Sunraysia is around Horsham, both Mildura and Swan Hill are in the Mallee.
Mildura should be a National Party hold, Jade Bademan seems likeable making her popular.
Yeah, no shit.
I understand why they are outsourcing teaching their students to an LMM, I just think its a terrible idea. Maybe they could, I don’t know, pay decent wages to their tutorers instead rather than charging students a fortune to get the same education they could get from turning on their phone and entering some prompts into ChatGPT or Gemini.
But, hey, its not like its anything important, all they are doing is educating the next generation of Australians.
Oh, yes, and being that it is a costcutting measure, they are almost certainly going to do the same thing as every other business that foists their horrible AI chat assistant onto you, and use some cheap and shitty years-out-of-date model, because that’s the only way it can actually be economical.
“Adelaide seems more eerie by the minute…Adelaide is an ideal setting for a Stephen King novel, or horror film. You know why those films and books are always set in sleepy, conservative towns? Because sleepy, conservative towns are where those things happen. Exorcisms, omens, shinings, poltergeists. Adelaide is Amityville, or Salem, and things here go bump in the night.”
Asha
Uni is increasingly irrelevant.
Diogenes:
And it will be even moreso if other universities follow this trend. I’m sure students will love paying Christ-knows-how-much just to communicate with some vibe coded AI app that breaks down or starts hallucinating every fifteen minutes because they people who made it were too cheap to use the most recent language model or to hire actual programmers.
High schools and primary schools and institutions like TAFE will likely be next. Are they irrevelent?
To give clarity to the interest rate movements, the Japanese 10 Year Bond Yield above 3% represents the highest quote since the mid 1990’s
Yes, the 1990’s, so over 3 decades ago
Whist Markets are showing resilience this does not transcribe to an absence of elevated risk – globally because no one is spared from the volatility we now see
There are very selective buying opportunities still present, the emphasis being on very selective
Whilst the media here in Australia are on the attack in support of the Liberal Party, this is a global event Australia is caught up in
The 30 Year Bond Rate which is the home loan mortgage rate in the USA is at decades high and continuing to rise so pushing the price down in search of purchasers
One factor not mentioned is that during the pandemic Central Banks injected liquidity by purchasing their own paper
And that money is still out there looking for a home which returns on investment- presently hard to find
In these times the GDP numbers released today are at and above expectations with the caveat that wages growth is languishing needing to slightly increase at above the GDP
This government will no doubt continue to present to FWA supporting that outcome for our lowest paid – to the chagrin of the business lobby groups, the media and the Liberal Party
Noting inflation will remain elevated which will also be taken into account
As we sit here now as observers, when and how are these conflicts introducing inflation going to resolve?
And we return to an orderly world with order
The November elections in the USA and Israel may instruct – but don’t hold your breath
Those I speak to from New York tell me the mood is against Trump
And in New York you can purchase a 1 bedroom apartment for AUD700,000- or a larger apartment for AUD30 Million
That is their real estate market, noting the 30 Year Bond Yield and its continuing movement’s upward
And in regards Adelaide (from scrolling), since Dunstan who has formed governments and continue to do so?
Landlord of the Yearsays:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 9:56 pm
Sunraysia is around Horsham, both Mildura and Swan Hill are in the Mallee.
Mildura should be a National Party hold, Jade Bademan seems likeable making her popular.
===============================================
Horsham is in the Wimmera. While Sunraysia is the area of Victoria and NSW centred around Mildura, as Steven from Mildura said. Google it if you don’t believe me or him. The northern most section of Victoria’s mallee region is considered part of the Sunraysia district. To put in another way Sunraysia is around the Murray and Darling rivers convergence region. While Horsham is along way further south on the Wimmera River.
Entropy
Thanks, Horsham and Mildura are in separate National Party seats ON is targeting, Nats should hold both.
The Wombat
https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14072
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3155983
Thanks and interesting. I note the study of survivability for island nations in a nuclear war includes AUKUS as reducing Australia’s chances of survival since it makes us more of a target.
Landlord of the Yearsays:
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 10:29 pm
Entropy
Thanks, Horsham and Mildura are in separate National Party seats ON is targeting, Nat’s should hold both.
===========================================
While both Horsham and Mildura are in the Federal seat of Mallee. Mildura is in the state seat of Mildura while Horsham is in the state seat of Lowan. A lowan is in fact a mallee fowl, just in case anyone wanted be even more confused by use of the term mallee. Which are in fact a term used for relatively low height group of Eucalypt species from dry areas with lignotubers (mallee roots) and multi-stems.
They thought like that during Trump 1st term and even thought he won’t come back after 1st term after Jan 6 atrocities. But he came back with vengeance (literally) and wrecking havoc not only on US but also on the world.
Mavis
You’d probably recall that in those days, the first thing a VIP would be asked by the assembled media was, “What do you think of Australia?”
Equally prominent Australians flying out of the country got to experience Australian journalism’s finest.
In 1963 Cardinal Gilroy was asked why he was going to Rome.
His answer “Did you hear that the Pope has died?”
Asha
Lots of studies show apps can help learning often more than a crappy tutor. It’s the other students who are important and with uni going to online, eventually you might as well get your degree from MIT or Oxford.
Ven:
Australia is not the US. We have more checks and balances, and our politicians are afforded less power. We also are blessed with a culture where we have very little respect for our leaders, and tend to loathe them once they’ve been in long enough.
A government absolutely could slide us into fascism if they wished to do so so, but it would take much longer than a single parliamentary term to erode the fetters we have in place.
I do think One Nation, with their flirtations with election denial and veneration of Trump, is definitely more of a risk on this front then pretty much any other alternate government in living memory, and there are a few ways they could subvert the electoral process in their favour like reintroducing rural malapportionment… but (and maybe I’m being naive here) I think that any attempt to do so would see their popularity plummet so low it wouldn’t matter.
Diogenes:
Well designed apps that have been made by skilled educators and programmers and have then been rigorously tested can, sure.
I’m not so confident in the teaching abilities of the sort of vibe coded slop we increasingly see corporations forcing people to engage with. How do we even know its not just feeding them hallucinated bullshit?
New thread.
Socrates @ 1.43pm
Of course, worker productivity is down.
It has been falling for years.
This morning, after an appointment, I went to purchase a few items at Coles.
There were three of us waiting in the check-out queue, at the only check-out which was manned.
A Coles employee walked over and suggested that we could walk down to the self-service check-out and transact our purchase more quickly.
I courteously replied that Coles would have better staff / customer relationships if she, herself, was manning another check out.
I also explained that I prefer to wait and be served by a human because it is keeping more people employed.
The other two waiting customers in our queue, agreed with my sentiments.
This is but one example as to why worker productivity is falling.
I would also suggest that home building productivity could be greatly improved by reducing the size of the Mac Mansions which predominate through out suburban Australia.
A return to the Housing Commission developments of the 60s / 70s, with a central core of 2 -4 bedrooms, Kitchen/dining room, lounge room and a single bathroom using a modular / kit framework would be more affordable and be more quickly built and suitable for first home buyers and their families.
My wife and I built our home.
It had a simple, split level (we are on a sloping block) floor plan.
Upper level two bedrooms and bathroom.
The lower level was an open plan design of kitchen/ dining, lounge room and a laundry.
Over time we have extended the house and built a third level, below the original house.
Productivity isn’t a simple unit to measure and I doubt, from my professional experience, that Australians aren’t working harder now than they ever did in the past.
BW
How do you think Charles is going today? I’ve only been able to see snatches of the hearing .
Davis Chandler should be premier of NSW….
David Chandler is an Australian construction-industry leader and former NSW Building Commissioner.
Role: Appointed NSW Building Commissioner in 2019; he served until 2024.
Experience: More than 40 years in the construction and infrastructure sector across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
Major projects: Worked on projects including Australia’s new Parliament House in Canberra and Sydney’s Quay Apartments.
Education: Graduated in Building Science from the University of New South Wales.
Academic work: Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University and founder of its Centre for Smart Modern Construction.
Public-sector work: Served as deputy chair of the Building Education Revolution implementation review.
Commissioner’s focus: Improving building quality, strengthening compliance, increasing transparency, and protecting apartment owners and consumers from construction defects.
Honours: Received an OAM in 1989 for services to the construction industry and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2026 Australia Day Honours.
His background combines construction project management, industry reform, regulation, education, and public-sector leadership.
Far more qualified than previous undertaker, treasurer & Liberal Premier .. Dominic Perrottet.
BK says:
Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 3:46 pm
He’s in a dark cupboard on his knees whispering his sins to some old fool the other side of a metal screen
davidwh and Socrates
MAGIC!!!
You know what I mean.
Couldn’t have happened to better team.
I know nothing is done till it is done.
But Brisbane got what they wanted, they said i.e. to play Sydney in qualifying final.
And way more qualified and experienced than Jean Nassif, Charles and Jean-Claud Perrottete