BludgerTrack this week splits the difference between two very different poll results – a dire one for the government from Ipsos, and a much better one from Essential Research – to record next to no change on two-party preferred, with Labor maintaining but not significantly improving on their very substantial gains over the last month. However, the state-level results have been favourable to Labor to the extent of adding two to the seat projection, namely one in New South Wales and one in Victoria. While Essential dampened any shift on voting intention this week, only Ipsos provided new numbers for the leadership ratings, which accordingly see a solid lift in Bill Shorten’s position, such that he has overtaken Tony Abbott on both net approval and preferred prime minister.
Fans of new content are advised to look carefully below this post, where they will find a belated account of the latest Tasmanian EMRS state poll, the regular Seat of the Week, and a reupholstered post on the all-important Canning by-election.
Wow – just wow …. Michael Kroger current Lib State Director, alleges former VIC Lib State Director Damian Mantack took $1.5M – on Faine live now. Been referred to VIC Police. Used the cash for his own personal use.
Yep, the same Damian Mantach that Abbott gave a character reference to last year:
However, Mr Abbott said Mr Mantach had his support. ”I know Damien Mantach well. He is a person of integrity. So let’s see where this investigation goes. He has my confidence.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-backs-state-liberal-director-20130308-2fr9c.html#ixzz3jGbXGgmL
“@KJBar: PM Abbott is not commenting on the $2M in Liberal Party campaign funds allegedly stolen: ‘It is just a matter for the Victorian division.’”
Windhover: The amusing thing about your quote is the statement that ‘about’ a precise number of 1,464 jobs will be created. Perhaps it would have been more credible if he stated 1,463.14159265 new full time equivalents will be created. (If the steaming coal price ever gets back to above $US90 per tonne, at which point the mine may become borderline viable, otherwise its pi in the sky).
Is there any chance that TURC might now be required to recall Jackson?
Is an Abbott character reference a kiss of death?
Tony Abbott references:
– Paedophile priest
– Bronwyn Bishop
– Kathy Jackson
– Dyson ‘sure I’d love to speak at your Liberal Party Fundraiser at the same time I run your partisan witch hunt into the Labour movement’ Heydon
– Vic Lib State Director with $1.5mil of fake invoices.
Is there anyone Tony has given a reference to that has turned out to be less than fit for purpose?
TBA at 35
Turnbull is certainly possible but in a Cabinet fraying at the edges & with at least three leadership aspirants, politics being what it is, I’m not so sure that the most obvious is necessarily the most likely.
This is an excerpt from the 1997 evidence given by Australian Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott, when he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, in support of an alleged paedophile priest later forcefully laicized by the Vatican:
Q. You kept up your friendship with the defendant?
A. From time to time, yes.
Q. And you saw him?
A. From time to time, perhaps once or twice every twelve months.
Q. And you’ve kept up that friendship until this day?
A. That’s correct….
Q. First of all, how would you describe him as a man?
A. An extremely upright and virtuous man. I guess one of things that I liked very much about John when I first him, was his maturity, intellectual, social, emotional he was, to that extent I guess, a beacon of humanity at the Seminary
Q. How did he appear to get on with his peers at the at Manly?
A. Obviously we have different relations with different people. John got on extremely well with some, less well with others. I guess one of the things that marked John out from his peers at the seminary was he was a man with high expectations of himself and others and I can recall on occasions being more than a little annoyed with him, because, you know, he would want to bring me up to the mark, bring me back to the path of virtue from time to time and this didn’t always go over too well with me. And I guess it could annoy others as well.
Q. But as far as his own conduct was concerned, did you ever become aware of anything which would in any way question his beliefs and his dedication as a priest?
A. Never.
Q. And you’ve come all the way from Sydney today to give this evidence?
A. I have indeed.
Q. You do have other duties to perform? A. I have an electorate to represent and a ministry to assist.
<NO CROSS-EXAMINATION
http://tl.gd/n_1rjd2n5
victoria @ 30
You need to bear in mind that what excites a court of law is quite different from what excites the public. The commission has said that it will report on the Kathy Jackson issues later and the courts will not go behind the administration of the process by the Commissioner in those circumstances.
My interest is whether, if the matter goes to court, royal commissions will be treated as all of one kind or whether the court will recognise the specific character of this commission. In other words, we all know that the terms of reference were cast broadly enough to enable the leader of the Opposition to be put through the wringer, even though the commission related to conduct of Shorten before he became a politician. Will a court maintain the fiction that the treatment of Shorten was all about the AWU? Or will it recognise for legal purposes what everyone in the community can see – that Shorten the politician is the person in the spotlight? If it is the latter, Heydon will be in a much more difficult position.
There is some interesting law to be made from this exercise.
Rossmore @ 51: There is no reason to doubt that Mr Mantach is indeed a person of integrity, by Mr Abbott’s standards.
I think the answer is that Tony Abbott gives character references to people who share his character traits.
[You guys seem a bit confused.]
Only by troll logic.
Peter Gordon of Slater and Gordon will be representing the ACTU at disqualification application before the Commissh tomorrow.
BCassidy said on ABC radio just now that the ACTU doesnt expect the Commissh to disqualify himself
@YESTERDAYSGUY: 50% #Canning voters have solar panels bad news for LNP. Will send train full of VIC coal to WA! http://t.co/5QKx8LPi27 #wapoll #canningvotes
[You must be a Labor plant as your claims are so easily refuted.]
Conservative stupidity or labor plant?
Hard one to call.
[John Wren
John Wren – @JohnWren1950
You have to laugh at @liberalaus. They run #turc witch-hunt while their own bag-men are stealing from them. #auspol #springst
2:40 PM – 19 Aug 2015]
3
TPOF
Its stupidity. Mirrors public statements by PM and ministers
Dutton presser now
I see Tones is back to death cult.
[However, Mr Abbott said Mr Mantach had his support. ”I know Damien Mantach well. He is a person of integrity.”]
Well Abbott is saying that Dyson Heydon is a person of integrity. Is Heydon happy to be in the same category as Mr Mantach? And wasn’t Kathy Jackson a person of the highest integrity according to Abbott?
I’m glad I haven’t been labelled a person of integrity by Abbott. I’d have to engage high powered lawyers in advance of charges being laid.
Victoria
Peter Gordon left Slater & Gordon a few years ago. I don’t think he has gone back.
Shellbell
Yep formerly of Slater and Gordon. I think he now has a practice called Gordon Legal
[Peter Gordon of Slater and Gordon will be representing the ACTU at disqualification application before the Commissh tomorrow.]
I presume that Gordon would be the instructing solicitor and Newlinds would continue to be retained as the lead barrister. He certainly did an impressive job of standing his ground against a clearly rattled and aggressive Heydon the other day.
TPOF
[ Well Abbott is saying that Dyson Heydon is a person of integrity. Is Heydon happy to be in the same category as Mr Mantach? And wasn’t Kathy Jackson a person of the highest integrity according to Abbott? ]
This is terrible … I’m running out of popcorn!
JGillard worked for Slater and Gordon in the day as well as Adam Bandt
[35
TrueBlueAussie
“In retrospect, its hardly surprising that Abbott’s Cabinet ”
And by Abbotts “Cabinet” you mean Malcolm Turnbull]
It’s heartening to see that members of the coalition are campaigning for Labor, albeit only obliquely, in Canning. Whether it’s from personal ambition or a deep and entirely understandable concern for the future of the country, their political support for Labor is very welcome.
The tide has turned for Abbott. His own senior players are openly batting for Labor. The MSM is sledging him. Business, unions, the academies and social organs generally are on to him. How long can he last? How long before the Liberal organisation itself steps up to help roll the worst imposter ever to put itself forward as PM?
The Oz going after Unions:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/industrial-relations/secret-actu-army-moves-on-tony-abbott/story-fn59noo3-1227490694905
From Vietnam ….
Hotel TV has 100+ channels with 39 in English, so lots of channel surfing required.
Just stumbled on a CNN/BBC World news type program from US when a familiar face popped up in my surfing ……. an advertisement featuring the 3 Star Whatever Angus Campell. It was an advert to ASs not to try to come to Australia blah blah blah.
I kept watching and the screening of the advert was turned out to be part of a news commentary program discussing Australia’s attitude to ASs. They described Australia’s treatment of ASs as cruel and controversial.
This of course disappointed me.
But also that the spokesman for Australia was a weedy, gaunt, unimpressive looking guy in a military uniform painted a picture of our nation as being run like a tin pot, despotic, military controlled, third world joint.
Those who have written here since the election that our OS reputation has been trashed by Abbott’s mob are spot on.
Captain picks continue:
Political Alert @political_alert 2m2 minutes ago
The government has reappointed Robyn Archer as Deputy Chair of the Australia Council Board #auspol
Interesting to see whether Dyson Heydon will ask Newlinds SC whether a High Court judge should disqualify himself or herself from hearing cases involving Govt/Employers/Unions if the judge has a known present or past affiliation with one or the other.
Psyclaw
Hope you are enjoying your time in Vietnam?
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2015/8/17/solar-energy/solar-could-swing-canning-election
[The Australian Solar Council, in industry association which represents solar energy businesses, has said it will be mounting a campaign against the Abbott Government in the forthcoming byelection for the WA seat of Canning.
According to the Council they will be urging voters to put the Liberal Party last because of a series of broken promises affecting the solar industry. These include seeking to cut the Renewable Energy Target and abolish the Australian Renewable Energy Agency as well as pulling back from a promised rebate to drive installation of an additional one million solar systems.
“Tony Abbott’s reputation as the most radical, anti-solar Prime Minister in Australia’s history will not go down well with Canning voters,” said John Grimes, Chief Executive of the Australian Solar Council.
“Half of Canning voters have solar, the other half want to slash their power bills with solar and Tony Abbott continues to attack all these voters,” said Mr Grimes.]
Those monthly electricity bills are now campaigning against Tony Abbott. Excellent.
http://kevinbonham.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/canning-by-election-prospects-and-polls.html
KB has done a beautiful job here
“Good Job”
Dan Smith @0DanSmith 3m3 minutes ago
“I believe very strongly that the Gov of Nauru does a good job running the regional processing centre.” #auspol
Another slogan.
Also Dutton says Citizenship legislation will be 1st week of September.
Shellbell
Can you name a situation where a sitting govt has appointed a retired judge to preside over a case to determine a matter for them?
81
shellbell
[Interesting to see whether Dyson Heydon will ask Newlinds SC whether a High Court judge should disqualify himself or herself from hearing cases involving Govt/Employers/Unions if the judge has a known present or past affiliation with one or the other.]
It will be interesting too to see if Newlinds submits that the standard with respect to apprehended bias that applies to judges also applies to Commissioners.
Dutton spitting the dummy over the waterboarding allegations
zoidlord @ 78
I think the take-out from that article is that the unions are going after Tony Abbott, with a reprise of the ‘your rights at work’ campaign.
Bottom line is that every time Abbott crows about his free trade agreements, the ACTU and specific unions will use that opening to talk about the enhanced access for temporary foreign workers to take Australian jobs.
The only people who will see an explicit benefit from the FTAs are primary producers. Manufacturing workers are being told they will be well off some time in the future – although how is totally unclear -unless lots of jobs is as fungible as lots of money.
The FTAs will kill this government below the visible level. And the more strident and hysterical they sound in trying to defend it, the more people will worry like hell about what they are hiding.
Coalition theme back to terrorism:
Dan Smith @0DanSmith 5m5 minutes ago
“Australians need to understand that the threat from terrorism is at its highest level”: Dutton #auspol
Let me know when Terrorists are higher than say people dying by Drugs or families on domestic violence, ok?
Dutton ignoring reports on abuse:
Dan Smith @0DanSmith 2m2 minutes ago
“The suggestion that people have been tortured is nonsense,” says Dutton #auspol #Nauru
Back to slogans:
Dan Smith @0DanSmith 1m1 minute ago
“I believe that the public sees us as a capable and competent Government when it comes to national security” #auspol
Wow Toolman attacking Dutton
zoidlord
[ “Australians need to understand that the threat from terrorism is at its highest level”: Dutton #auspol ]
This is patently absurd. These clowns have ratcheted up the fear factor till they’ve run out of all credibility. One wonders what they would do if we ever had a real terrorist threat in this country? Presumably, Abbott would jump on a boat back to the UK.
Dan Smith @0DanSmith 2m2 minutes ago
Dutton seems to be saying journalists should pretty much just report Gov press releases re: national security matters #auspol
This is what they are doing duh…….. Dictating the press.
@P1/94
They do absurdness quiet well, I thought you already knew that?
Big Tabacco going after little kids:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/tobacco-company-wants-schools-survey-for-insights-into-children-and-teens-20150819-gj2vto.html
[“Australians need to understand that the threat from terrorism is at its highest level”: Dutton #auspol]
Even technically that is not correct. My recollection is that the highest level is something like ‘expected imminently’, which it is patently not. At the moment it is the second level from memory. And even that has a question mark as to whether it is too high.
I don’t understand why the Press is even reporting any of these staged Press Conference that say nothing- nothing is not news.
Terror alert still at 11 is not news.
Just ignore the attempts at ‘spin and distraction’ until something real is announced.
[Interesting to see whether Dyson Heydon will ask Newlinds SC whether a High Court judge should disqualify himself or herself from hearing cases involving Govt/Employers/Unions if the judge has a known present or past affiliation with one or the other.]
You’d know better than me, but I would have thought Current = yes, past = probably not unless there was some particular statement/position etc that would lead to apprehended bias.
ie if the Judge was currently booked to speak at a Mineral Council event then probably best not to be involved in deciding a Mineral Council case on the constitutionality of a Mining Tax. If the judge had spoken at a Mineral Council event years ago then probably no issue unless the subject of the talk was ‘Why Federal Mining Taxes are Unconstitutional’.