• I failed to mention it at the time, but followers of this site no doubt picked up on the poll of Sydney and Melbourne voters conducted by Nexus Research over the weekend. Well, bless their cotton socks, for they have published their data in a form that allows cross-tabulation of responses to the various questions asked, including age, occupational status and vote at the 2004 election.
• After a nudge from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the Australian Electoral Commission has ruled it will be business as usual this year for the National Tally Room in Canberra. This now performs a basically ceremonial role, and there have been frequent suggestions it might be scrapped. JSCEM argues that the tally room presents a “visible symbolism of transparency in the election process” (UPDATE: Seems I’m a bit slow here).
• Greg Kelton of The Advertiser speaks of a 64-page report which translates last year’s South Australian state election results into federal outcomes, compiled by state parliamentary librarian Jenni Newton-Farrelly. I have not been able to locate the report, but it shows Labor gaining Sturt, Boothby, Makin, Wakefield and Kingston, with the Liberals dropping a Senate seat to “either the Democrats, Family First or the Greens”.
• Imre Salusinszky of The Australian reports “evidence of a groundswell of support for Maxine McKew” among voters in Bennelong‘s conspicuous Chinese community.
• Andrew Fraser of The Australian reports that the much-touted plebiscites on Queensland council amalgamations will be conducted by postal ballot after the federal election, as the Australian Electoral Commission does not wish for confusion to arise over postal election votes.
• Speaking of which, the Sydney Morning Herald reports the number of postal, pre-poll and absentee votes is expected to top 20 per cent at this election, due to the active promotion of postal voting by the major parties. This increases the chance that the result will still be up in the air when counting closes on election night.
• Greg Roberts of The Australian reports that registration of Pauline Hanson’s United Australia Party will not be cleared in time for the election if it is called in the next few days. This would result in her list again appearing under an anonymous group name, which was deemed to have cost her votes in 2004.
• Anyone speak Portuguese?
Glen, weren’t you the one that went ga ga over Rudd’s visit to a strip club? I’m sure I could find quotes to the effect that you thought he was finished. This gaff will be gone tomorrow. Get over it.
Poor Howard is whinging 🙂
They were the same mistake, by the leaders of both respective parties. The fact that you can’t see that says a lot more about you, than it does about either of them.
Keep diggin Glen… or have you given up on the tact a few minutes ago, of blaming the back-firing and ballsed up sleaze-unit tactics of the liberals, on the ALP?
Hmm, if EVERY ALP member was suspended, would this result in Parlaiment would not have a Quorum and therefore could not sit ?
Howard’s taking Glen’s line of argument. The leak came from Rudd apparently… tee hee
Is it just my bias or does David Speers on Sky News favour the coalition?
I have tried mozilla,internet explorer, netscape and the parliamentary question time wont play ;[
Costello’s goof about the size of tax cuts was before Rudd’s. Maybe the coalition dirt unit went off early to bury his error.
Shot themselves in the foot 🙂
[Howard’s taking Glen’s line of argument. The leak came from Rudd apparently… tee hee]
He just said as much 🙂
Bye, bye John.
Glen: [‘after all Howard knows more about the economy than Rudd’]
That’s not what Costello thinks.
http://truepolitik.blogspot.com/2007/07/howard-costello-relationship.html
[‘In the book current Treasurer Peter Costello:
is critical of John Howard’s election spending ($6 BILLION, during the election campaign in 2004)
lets it be known that he and his wife have never been invited to a private dinner with the Howards, at either the Lodge (Canberra), or Kirribilli House (Sydney). Early in his Prime Ministership John Howard decided he would not reside at the official residence in Canberra, but at Kirribilli House, restored in the 1950s for visiting dignitaries of the Commonwealth.
that a memo from Shane Stone, then Liberal Party President, that criticised Peter Costello was leaked from John Howard’s office, because that is the only place it was sent.
is critical of John Howard as Treasurer (when Malcolm Fraser was PM), saying he did nothing for economic reform as Treasurer; and oversaw high (11%+) interest rates’]
#506 Gary Bruce Says:September 20th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Isn’t that a requirement for the job? They do, after all, work for Rupert Murdoch.
Oh no – the aph website says:
The Commonwealth Parliament makes the broadcast material available on the following condition :
The material shall not be used for:
– political party advertising or election campaigning
– satire or ridicule
Christ, suspending standing orders so that Howard can rant and rave about whatever he wants. He is actually trying to spin it that the ALP leaked the story themselves. What a desperate, sad little man.
“We have never been interested in smearing the leader of the opposition”.
now its OH NO UNIONS RUN!
[The material shall not be used for:
– political party advertising or election campaigning]
Methinks Keith Scott is going to get a call from Tim Gartrell asking him to revoice this speech 🙂
Pi the Labor Party is a pathetic a weak political party that will do anything say anything to win…that’s why they are throwing mud at the Libs…they have no proof the Liberals are responsible for this leak…the ALP are just muckraking they have (Rudd’s PR) deliberately leaked this story why on earth would the Liberals spike their own story…
Pi it makes no sense to smear him like that when they had him by the balls over his tax gaff and they deliberately brought this out to cover up his inexperience…shows how low the ALP will go…the ALP are a disgusting pathetic and slanderous party…to smear your own leader to make up for a gaff shows what a bunch of cowards the ALP are.
Ha, ha, ha. A comedy routine to end parliament.
hahahaha… ha… ha… hahahahaha.
Or perhaps he wasn’t informed? Or perhaps he’s working on the best available evidence he has right now?
Howard just called Janet Albrechtson a ‘journalist’. Has he gone mad?
Glen: [‘Pi the Labor Party is a pathetic a weak political party that will do anything say anything to win…’]
That is the most hypocritical comment made today. Congratulations.
now the skanky ho?
how sad
“Is it just my bias or does David Speers on Sky News favour the coalition?”
I guess he does, if he wants to keep his job.
“Howard’s taking Glen’s line of argument.”
Now why does that not surpise? But we have the most irresponsible PM in history.
re Glen, Replace ALP with LIberal Party, and you are describing this stupid pathetic speech.
The sad thing is Glen I think you believe what you are saying.
The 41st parliament goes out with a bang.
Another Division.
This is an absolute joke.
well that was pathetic
But alas, they did it anyway, now didn’t they?
Pretty bloody stupid if you ask me. But the breathtaking way in which the liberals have imploded this year can only be described as that… breathtaking. The mud they used to sling doesn’t stick. Now all they know is how to sling mud… and they’re getting very dirty because of it.
You should have a chat with Tony Abbott some time about what the liberal party will and wont do with regard to sleaze units.
Ah, Agenda will be on soon. Another chance for David to talk up the Liberals.
Damn all of you guys who have access to a TV or radio !!
At least I have the internet. Thanks for the commentary guys. Please keep it coming. This could be the beginning of the end of this government, if I am hearing correctly.
Glen, sorry, you seem to think that the Libs smear unit is actually competent. Look at their work this year – every attempt they’ve made has backfired on them grotesquely. Why on earth would you think otherwise?
On the other hand, Howard’s desperate ranting shows that they’ve realised just how far over the line the smearing has gone.
Would be simple to say that it is Abbot and Costello, the traditional comedy team, but this looks more like the 3 stooges. Slapstick comedy ;-D
Faced with almost certain defeat, the Liberals have to fall back on the politics of smear and innuendo. Very pathetic!
I’ve worked it out, Glen is really a staffer in Howard’s office.
The sad thing is Gary your party is led by Unions and has a leader who doesnt understand basic economics…
The left and the ALP are a bunch of sad no hopers and completely gutless.
Gary Bruce its a shame you will vote for someone who doesnt understand economics that is sad really really sad and someone who supports a party who has wayne swan as the alternate treasurer that is sad…
I think its say that you believe anything Rudd and Labor tells you.
I must say i feel sorry for the left wingers…but not always.
Let us not forget that the ALP are the kings of smear…Keating took a cheap shot at Downer’s father he said he was an appeaser in the 1930s when he was in a POW camp on the Thai-Burma Railway for 4 years…
You’d never mistake Alexander for someone who’d been on the Thai-Burma railway. Oh yes, the man sure enjoys the fruits of power.
Glen, there is no need to repeat Howard’s rant, I heard it the first time.
Pi, obviously no-one informed him about the dirt unit. He wasn’t in the office that day. The dog ate the memo.
After the recent explosions with channel 7’s use of footballers medical records, you’d think that they’d know better. I guess they’ve tried everything else.
Glen:
[‘The sad thing is Gary your party is led by Unions and has a leader who doesnt understand basic economics…’]
Yet Howard believes he has the power to keep interest rates at record lows and doesn’t know tax thresholds and was considered by Costello to be economically incompetent.
Who doesn’t understand basic economics?
David Spears is one of the Rodent’s favourite journos: enough said.
The sad thing is that the liberal party is run by lawyers, and has a leader that will lie again and again and again in order to hang on to power. They’ll think nothing about the demonization of helpless people to hang on to power. And so now all they represent is hate, division, smear and disinformation.
At least the opposition treasurer has an economics degree.
Costello is the first treasurer I have seen who can turn purple.
Rudd is on 🙂
“Parliamentry Protection Order” 🙂
If Rudd wins how long will it be before Tanner is in as Treasurer…
You’d have to be crazy to have Wayne Swan…seriously id be ashamed of him as a minister as i was of Tuckey or Patterson or Reith when they were ministers for the Liberals…
Someone who needs to lip sync with his staffer during media interviews should be the Treasurer…nuff said…
As usual Costello is going over the top. We saw what that did for Rudd the last time that happened.
“Costello is the first treasurer I have seen who can turn purple.”
People who can remember 1950’s pop parades will be eagerly waiting for “the Purple people eater”
ooohhhh No Point of Order for Abbott 🙂
Abbott has lost his SECOND point of order. Rudd is really hitting back at Costello etc 🙂
Oh dear, the conspiracy theory collapses. Sorry Glen, you’ll have to try again.
Rudd is killin em.
Its called what actually happened.
Interesting tactic 😉
oh dear Rudd just decided to leak it beforehand because the polls looked like tightening further…but if it was the Liberals where is the proof??
Rudd is gutless!
Rudd is gutless because he wont say if Oakes said it was the Liberals…typical gutless Rudd and no wonder Oakes made the interview after his gaff because he votes Labor…
Anti-Labor sources ‘outside’ parliament cannot mean the Liberal Party.