Happy new year

Comments return to the Poll Bludger after two weeks of hot-weather hibernation.

Welcome back. While we were away:

• Newspoll published state results for every mainland state except Western Australia, where an election will be held on March 9, the result for which can presumably be expected shortly. There was also Newspoll’s quarterly geographical and demographic aggregate for federal voting intention. Essential Research provided state voting intention results for the three largest states, exclusive to the Poll Bludger. Posts on each of these releases can be found below this one.

• Newspoll also published results from its mid-December poll finding improving confidence for standard of living, with 13% expecting an improvement over the next six months (up one), 58% expecting it to stay the same (up eight) and 27% expecting it to worsen (down nine). GhostWhoVotes also provided Newspoll findings from a mid-year survey into appreciation of the ABC, which was found to be immensely and deservedly greater than anything the organisation’s critics at News Limited could ever dream of.

• A generally commendable discussion paper on electoral reform by the Queensland government caught the attention of the media and the federal government by floating, among many other things, the possibility that compulsory voting might be abolished. In this it was no different from the green paper composed for the Rudd government in 2009 by then Special Minister of State John Faulkner, but such has been the Newman government’s penchant for radicalism that its thought bubbles are being treated with greater than usual seriousness.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

644 comments on “Happy new year”

Comments Page 11 of 13
1 … 10 11 12 13

  1. Interesting argument from Rand Paul

    @HerbKeinon: Paul in J’lem, Israel would have greater sovereignity if gradually weaned from US military aid. #Jpost

  2. Dio – good to hear that you and the family were safe. Any messages left a la Machu Picchu by that troublesome dolphin?

    Shellbell – thanks re Slipper. If he’s a goner for $900 I wonder how many other pollies are quaking in their shoes.

  5. [Hat Tip to AFP for finding the $900 ACT Boundary Breach on Slipper but couldnt find anything with the AWB $290M bribe to Saddam Hussein]

    I seem to remember an AFP bloke recently saying that they were hauled off the case? Strange that they do the LNP bidding at every turn.

  7. Can it be assumed that the AFP have gone through the travel records of Mr Slipper over the years with a fine tooth comb and this is all they could find or could there be more ?

    If this all they have then surely this action sets a precedent for the future. ie any member of Parliament could be referred to the AFP and possibly be charged for any small breach of travel.

    If not surely questions would have to be asked of the AFP and DPP, surely.

    To my untrained eye this whole process opens a dangerous road for the future.

    What about all the MP’s who have in the past simply been asked to repay any monies wrongly claimed. Were they being dishonest ? Why were they not charged ?

  8. Diogenes

    Ah Queenstown. The adrenaline junkie capital of the worlds. Apart from skiing a dash to Fiorland would be well worth it and how about some .. ?

    [Nevis World’s biggest swing]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uefFowLv8a4

    [Shotover river World’s Highest Cliff Jump Oscar nominees ]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9EZNWb4mBc

    [
    Shotover River Jet Boat]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjmZ2cs8nCU
    [ Awesome Foursome package]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUGGoyg_mNY

    [Zorbing]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cCunS4JDSA

  9. Finns

    You are being unfair to the AFP. They found the evidence of the bribes; it just turned out that it wasn’t illegal to bribe Iraq under the UN regulations.

  10. BK, Rummell: message to you from the PMoA:

    @JuliaGillard: A big thanks to all the emergency volunteers for your dedication during these difficult days. JG

  12. Tony Abbott

    [TONY Abbott has backed Peter Slipper’s huge travel bills but has admitted he is not across the detail.

    Mr Abbott yesterday said it was “fair and reasonable” that travel expenses be paid for Mr Slipper’s travel between the Sunshine Coast and Canberra.

    “Members of parliament are entitled to travel from their place of residence to Canberra for sittings of parliament,” Mr Abbott said.

    “I’m satisfied (Mr Slipper) has acted within his entitlements. My understanding is that he’s acted within his entitlements.”]

    http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/abbott-defends-mps-travel-peter-slipper-bills/614236/

  13. Doyley

    It’s yet another example of the process not fitting the (alleged) crime. A huge waste of time and money over a possible $900 wrong doing.

  15. Apart from the AFP how the feck have Howard and his ministers not been for the high jump over the bribery scandal ?

    [Downer given warning about AWB kickbacks

    February 28, 2006 –

    Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has admitted he was warned six years ago that AWB may have been paying bribes to Saddam Hussein’s regime.

    And Australia’s trade commissioner in Washington tried to alert Trade Minister Mark Vaile around the same time that the wheat exporter could be paying kickbacks to the former Iraqi dictator.

    The government has repeatedly denied knowing about the kickbacks before last October]

    http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Vaile-trip-not-a-waste-of-time-Nats/2006/02/28/1141020054423.html

    [Vaile, Downer both warned of AWB activities in 2005]
    http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1586134.htm

    Meanwhile there is a terrible pong coming from these AFP claims.

    [Former Australian Federal Police officer Ross Fusca has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against the AFP under the Fair Work Act. As part of his evidence he alleges he was offered a promotion if he shut down the enquiry into the AWB oil-for-food scandal which he headed up when he was employed at the AFP]
    http://kangaroocourtofaustralia.com/2012/08/08/afp-cover-up-of-the-awbsaddam-hussein-300-million-bribery-to-be-tested-in-the-federal-court-by-whistle-blower/

  17. Diogenes,

    I find the whole thing bizarre.

    After all the rubbish by the OM about Mr Slipper and his so called rorting, all the rubbish from them after the Ashby accusations including pretty much claiming the hire car driver used by Slipper was a out and out crim and invading his privacy and splashing his name across the headlines, this is all the AFP can find.

    $900 from 2010 for driving too far !

    Absolute rubbish.

  19. [If Sydney hits 43 tomorrow, will Alan Jones blame the rotation of the Sun, or perhaps concede the climate is changing?]

    He will no doubt blame ‘Julia’ and her carbon ‘tax’.

  20. [The amount was also greater than that spent by all 17 other members of the two committees on which he serves, including those who fly to Canberra from Western Australia.

    If airfares are stripped out, Mr Slipper spent $43,967.02 on private cars, Com Cars, hire cars, taxis and publications in just six months compared with the $14,948.57 spent by Mr Somlyay, $24,320.33 by Mr Truss and $15,807.54 by Mr Sullivan.

    Mr Slipper also outspent by tens of thousands of dollars every other member of the Public Works and Constitutional and Legal Affairs committees on which he sat, including the chairman of both.

    His $43,967.02 bill for private cars, Com Cars, hire cars, taxis and publications compared with the $11,582.38 spent by Public Works chairwoman, Senator Jan McLucas, and the $12,802.34 spent by Constitutional and Legal Affairs head Mark Dreyfus.

    Mr Slipper has failed to provide detail of the expenses for even small sections of the six-month audit period.

    “With regard to the period in July and early August, although Parliament was not sitting, there was a range of Parliamentary and committee commitments, which necessitated travel to various cities.]

    All this by Slipper while a Liberal member of parliament. Tony Abbott approved.

    http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/abbott-defends-mps-travel-peter-slipper-bills/614236/

  22. Poroti @ 515

    Whatever did happen with the whistleblower case – the AFP AWB one you mentioned. It was set down for hearing on the 16/8/2012 according to the article

    cheers….

  24. Psephos
    Posted Monday, January 7, 2013 at 8:11 pm | Permalink

    *Sighs wearily* Wrong. Once he ratted, he was Labor’s problem.

    ——————————

    Another failure by psephos to put negativity to defend abbott

    He judge rules the lnp/ibs were invovled in a plot to damage slipper

    Slipper has and will always be abbotts problem

  25. [Labor leader Mark McGowan has challenged the Premier to three televised debates in the run-up to the March election, accusing Colin Barnett of hiding behind a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign.

    But the proposition was immediately rejected by Mr Barnett, who is expected to appear in just one face-to-face showdown to be televised by the ABC on February 19.]

    I was sure the federal govt had talked about introducing a debates commission similar to the US model. That would be fantastic if they did, even if it was just for federal elections.

  26. Psephos

    That information is great. As usual, with your election information, you’ve done a very thorough job.

    I was reading in the Huffington Post, after the election, that the Democratic Party polled over 500,000 more votes than the Republicans in the House of Representatives, yet the Republicans gained the most seats.

    Can you comment on whether there might be a touch, just a touch, of gerrymandering in some States?

  27. jeffemu

    Sorry but I cannot find anything about what happened.Perhaps some of our resident legal eagles will know where to look.

  29. feeney@526


    Psephos

    That information is great. As usual, with your election information, you’ve done a very thorough job.

    I was reading in the Huffington Post, after the election, that the Democratic Party polled over 500,000 more votes than the Republicans in the House of Representatives, yet the Republicans gained the most seats.

    Can you comment on whether there might be a touch, just a touch, of gerrymandering in some States?

    Hi feeney, the term gerrymander originated in the US I think from memory named after a Governor Gerry who created an electoral division that was oddly shaped like a salamander. Someone remarked on this and drew the riposte, not salamander, gerrymander. A word was born!

    Now I will look it up and see how good my memory was. 😉

    Electoral divisions are drawn up by partisan politicians so gerrymandering is the norm in the US pseudo-democracy.

  32. I lurve this article’s description of Rieth’s son as being “a pudgy-faced London-based merchant banker ” . I am however very disappointed at being unable to find a photo from the time of said “pudgy” (lard arse ?) repleat with bowler hat, pin striped suit and rolled up umbrella emerging from a London cab.Not even John Cleese in the Ministry of Silly Walks could out cliche Paul Rieth.

    “Back in 1994 Reith gave his son, Paul – now a pudgy-faced London-based merchant banker – his phone card to use, flouting the rule that decrees they can only be used by politicians for work purposes.

    “I did give the card to my son, and I should not have done so,” Reith admitted. But he and his son have maintained that the people who subsequently obtained the card and made 11,000 free phone calls from 900 different locations over a period of five years did so without their knowledge or permission. ”
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/oct/30/worlddispatch.patrickbarkham

  34. So Ashby’s lawyers missed the deadline for appealing Rares’ findings?

    Perhaps Ashby has already been dropped. Will await expert comment from Senator George Brandis SC DH, as I’m sure it will be forthcoming. 😆

  37. Back in the days of the GFC the LNP said we should go austerity rather than stimulus. So how is austerity going over where Tone’s soulmates rule ? Google “Atos disabled deaths” to see the type of people Abbott likes to hang out with.

    [Record numbers of children are likely to be taken away from their families this year as parents struggle to cope with the effects of public-sector cuts and benefits changes, a senior child protection figure has warned.]
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/benefit-cuts-will-see-more-children-taken-into-care-8440235.html

  38. Psephos: Whenever the Left calls Israel a criminal/illegitimate state, you get the feeling that they are still sore over their defeat in the Cold War.

  41. DEE 458

    re abuse
    ___________
    You are quite right .Today I was described as illiterate,ignorant and of course…as anti-semitic..which has become an all-purpose term for the zionists…as in recent days to describe Hagel

    Jimmy Carter was so described for his book which saw Israel as being on the way to being an apartheid state

    I was handed a leaflet at the time in New York by a young zealot entitled”Why Jimmy Carter hates the Jews”

    Interesting now as some evidence suggests that Carter is listened too by Obama ..unlike Clinton who showewd no interest in the various Carter statements.

  42. Dee:

    That’s interesting because January 7 was in the back of my mind for something. I just assumed when I saw ru’s comment that it was Ashby’s appeal, but perhaps not???

    Now I’m not sure.

  43. Re Sydney weather tomorrow
    ______________
    If it peaks at 43 deg. or above ,will this be a record temp for Sydney ?
    My many impressions of Sydney in summer are of hot days often marked by violent storms and downpours…unlike Melbourne in summer when the weather tends to be very hot and dry,as it is now

  45. 538 Peaches H
    ___________
    What a weird statement you make
    What on earth has the collapse of the Soviet Union to do with attitudes to Israel.. on the left

  47. Rummel and BK

    Reiterate, and I say, re reiterate, from Christmas blog.

    Even more so in the face of many dangerous days,weeks,months.

    Applaud your service and to you and your partners in arms, every hope and care that can be expressed.

    I am aware of the SA danger, it seems potentially even worse in other parts of the country.

    All care to you and yours.

  48. Just saw a chart of how much countries put in to bail out their banks, Ireland put in 350 % of GDP !!!! Surely the robbery of the century and the ultimate in privatising the profits and socialising the losses.

  49. [That’s interesting because January 7 was in the back of my mind for something. I just assumed when I saw ru’s comment that it was Ashby’s appeal, but perhaps not???

    Now I’m not sure.]
    January 7th could be correct as I too remember ‘something’ related to this matter for this date.
    I also recal discussions that holidays/closures would not be taken into consideration,however, most of the rags are citing mid January.

Comments Page 11 of 13
1 … 10 11 12 13

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *