Comings and goings

More internal party jockeying ahead of a federal election most expect to be held later this year.

Another week’s worth of federal preselection developments. For the latest on the Western Australian election campaign, see the post below.

• Richard Ferguson of The Australian reports there is “speculation” Senator Kristina Keneally might move to the House of Representatives amid a preselection battle with Right faction colleague Deborah O’Neill, in which the winner will get the factionally reserved top position on the ticket while the loser will be relegated to highly loseable third place.

• Nick Champion, who has held the seat of Spence (formerly Wakefield) for Labor since 2007, will move to state politics in the safe seat of Taylor at the next election in March 2022. Champion is aligned with the socially conservative Shop Distributive Allied and Employees Association sub-faction of the Right, and is a member of the pro-coal mining Otis Group. No apparent word on who might be in line to replace him in Spence, which is now a safe seat.

• The Brisbane Times reports the preselection of Graham Perrett, who has held the Brisbane seat of Moreton for Labor since 2007, faces a preselection challenge from state party secretary Julie-Ann Campbell, who among other things has affirmative action considerations in her favour.

• The South Australian Liberals have finalised their Senate ticket, with incumbents Simon Birmingham and Andrew McLachlan taking the top two positions and the third going to Kerrynne Liddle, a factional moderate of indigenous background who works as a staffer to Social Services Minister and SA Senator Anne Ruston. Tom Richardson of InDaily reports Liddle was chosen ahead of state party vice-president Rachel Swift by a margin of 130 to 78.

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.

1,276 comments on “Comings and goings”

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  1. phoenixREDsays: Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 7:40 am

    Former Clinton official lays out roadmap for making Trump accountable for the Capitol riot

    The United States Senate is an inadequate forum to hold Donald Trump accountable, but he can still face justice, former White House press secretary Joe Lockhart argued on Saturday.

    “For everyone disappointed by the lack of witnesses, the truth is going to come out. Our justice system will get to the bottom of this and those who helped incite the insurrection will be investigated, prosecuted and convicted. And juries will pass judgement, not old R Senators,” he wrote.

    “For me, I’d rather have Trump in a real courtroom with a real judge and real jurors facing time in prison for what he did. Calling witnesses in the Senate would not bring justice because the Republican party is so morally bankrupt there is no justice there. See [you] in court Trump,” he explained.

    https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-capitol-insurrection-2650528970/

  7. These are the 7 GOP senators who voted to convict Trump
    3 min ago

    The Senate just voted to acquit former President Trump in his second impeachment trial. The vote was 57-43, with seven Republicans joining the Democrats. Senators needed a two-thirds majority to convict Trump.

    These are the seven Republicans who voted to convict the former President:

    Richard Burr
    Bill Cassidy
    Susan Collins
    Lisa Murkowski
    Mitt Romney
    Ben Sasse
    Pat Toomey

    https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-impeachment-trial-02-13-2021/index.html

  8. If McConnell hadnt publicly said he was voting to acquit and instead actively encouraged a guilty vote… it might have been close.

    Or, more likely, he wind vaned it.

  13. Richard Ferguson of The Australian reports there is “speculation” Senator Kristina Keneally might move to the House of Representatives amid a preselection battle with Right faction colleague Deborah O’Neill, in which the winner will get the factionally reserved top position on the ticket while the loser will be relegated to highly loseable third place.

    It’s already been decided. 🙂

  14. “ Richard Ferguson of The Australian reports there is “speculation” Senator Kristina Keneally might move to the House of Representatives amid a preselection battle with Right faction colleague Deborah O’Neill, in which the winner will get the factionally reserved top position on the ticket while the loser will be relegated to highly loseable third place.

    It’s already been decided. ”

    Which seat will KK contest, comrade? Or will it be O’Neill who attempts to wow the good burghers of Gosford and Wyoming another time?

  15. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    According to James Massola, Labor plans to formally dump the negative gearing and capital gains tax policies, but remains undecided how best to tackle housing affordability.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-dump-bill-shorten-s-negative-gearing-and-capital-gains-policies-20210211-p571qw.html
    Peter Hartcher reckons that this is an IR fight that Scott Morrison can’t win.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/this-is-a-knife-fight-that-scott-morrison-can-t-win-20210211-p571qp.html
    Michelle Grattan writes about the IR issue, how the government will go flat out with a mother of all scare campaigns and she says that Albanese needs to come up with concrete policies on the matter.
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7124596/albanese-is-increasingly-under-pressure-to-produce-policies/?cs=14329
    Michael Pascoe: writes that Scott ‘Stunt’ Morrison says ‘cheese’ while taxpayers pick up the tab for his photo ops. A very good explanation.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2021/02/14/pascoe-morrison-photo-ops/
    Jacqui Maley tells us about Alan Jones’ part in getting Packer’s Sydney casino project rolling.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/packer-wanted-a-new-casino-so-alan-jones-set-up-a-lunch-with-the-premier-the-rest-is-history-20210212-p571zb.html
    Peter FitzSimons unloads on Joh Barilaro attitude to pork barrelling.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/so-many-levels-of-wrongness-john-barilaro-s-politics-as-usual-looks-after-the-big-end-of-town-20210212-p571yw.html
    Daniel Hurdt reveals that Morrison deflected parliamentary questions to other ministers almost 200 times since becoming PM. Not one did Julia Gillard do this.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/14/morrison-deflected-parliamentary-questions-to-other-ministers-almost-200-times-since-becoming-pm
    Greg Jericho accuses the government of being stuck in the fallacy of debt and deficit while ignoring the climate crisis.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/commentisfree/2021/feb/12/the-government-is-stuck-in-the-fallacy-of-debt-and-deficit-while-ignoring-the-climate-crisis
    Dear old Gerard Henderson writes that the sneering critics underestimate ‘Scotty’ at their peril.
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/sneering-critics-underestimate-scotty-at-their-peril/news-story/fc15ada9077ff84f8c88b94fa3f876ec
    Ross Gittins tells us why we’re stuck with low interest rates for a long time.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/why-we-re-stuck-with-low-interest-rates-for-a-long-time-20210211-p571pg.html
    James Massola reports that Greg Hunt has pushed back at a suggestion from Daniel Andrews that Australia should consider cutting its weekly intake from thousands to hundreds.
    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/hunt-rejects-andrews-call-to-slash-number-of-returned-travellers-20210211-p571se.html
    The Age’s editorial says that trust and communication will be key to vaccine rollout success.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/trust-and-communication-key-to-vaccine-rollout-success-20210213-p57270.html
    The Australian has run an article from The economist which says, “The persistence of acute infections and chronic, debilitating ‘long Covid’ means that the next stage of the pandemic sounds grim. Expecting vaccines to see off this virus is mistaken.”
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/the-coronavirus-endemic-endgame-is-nigh/news-story/6e75759d7c6af7a65a2b1b3901d23f1f
    Squabbling governments and evil rulers with mindless minions isn’t just the plot of a TV show but a real-world crisis putting our planet in peril, writes Stephen Fitzgerald.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/real-world-game-of-thrones-is-accelerating-the-climate-crisis,14797
    The AIMN’s Rossleigh looks at the performance of Greg Hunt in his interview by Michael Rowland.
    https://theaimn.com/why-the-public-dont-understand-the-give-and-take-of-political-interviews/
    Caitlin Fitzsimmons writes that Australians went on a shopping spree for consumer goods during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now waiting months for everything from barbecues to bicycles because of a backlog with international manufacturing and shipping.
    https://www.theage.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/consumers-waiting-months-for-deliveries-after-pandemic-shopping-spree-20210211-p571ng.html
    FFS! Two brothers banned from working in the poultry industry after starving more than a million chickens were able to acquire two aged care homes in Melbourne, despite being bankrupt at the time and having no experience.
    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/bankrupt-chicken-farmers-banned-for-cruelty-running-aged-care-homes-20210211-p571lm.html

    Cartoon Corner

    Peter Broelman

    Matt Golding





    Glen Le Lievre

    David Rowe


    Matt Davidson

    Reg Lynch

    John Shakespeare

    From the US






  19. citizen,

    I’m not sure how you can call Grattan increasingly irrelevant. She is the Matriarch of political journalism in Australia.

  21. Andrew_Earlwood @ #14 Sunday, February 14th, 2021 – 8:19 am

    “ Richard Ferguson of The Australian reports there is “speculation” Senator Kristina Keneally might move to the House of Representatives amid a preselection battle with Right faction colleague Deborah O’Neill, in which the winner will get the factionally reserved top position on the ticket while the loser will be relegated to highly loseable third place.

    It’s already been decided. ”

    Which seat will KK contest, comrade?

    My lips are sealed. However, what I will say is there’s more than one way of interpreting it.

  23. Mitch ‘Having It Both Ways’ McConnell:

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said if former President Trump was still in office, “I would have carefully considered whether the House managers proved their specific charge.”

    “But after intense reflection, I believe the best constitutional reading shows that Article II Section 4 exhausts the set of persons who can legitimately be impeached, tried or convicted. It’s the president, it’s the vice president and civil officers. We have no power to convict and disqualify a former office holder who is now a private citizen,” McConnell said.
    “Donald Trump’s no longer the president. Likewise, the provision states that officers subject to impeachment and conviction shall be removed from office if convicted,” he said, emphasizing “from office.”

    McConnell did not count out the possibility of Trump being tried in civil or criminal courts.

    “President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office as an ordinary citizen unless the statute of limitations is run, still liable for everything he did while in office. Didn’t get away with anything yet. Yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one,” he said.

    McConnell said the Senate’s decision to acquit Trump does not condone the violence on Jan. 6.

    “It simply shows that senators did what the former President failed to do. We put our constitutional duty first,” he said.
    (CNN updates)

  24. Bucephalus @ #19 Sunday, February 14th, 2021 – 8:39 am

    citizen,

    I’m not sure how you can call Grattan increasingly irrelevant. She is the Matriarch of political journalism in Australia.

    And?

    If you think we can forget her sessions throwing shade with Fran Kelly when Labor were in power federally, then you’ve got another thing coming.

  27. I feel that trying to impeach Trump was the wrong move, especially since it had almost no chance of passing the Senate. It just turns him into a martyr in the eyes of his nutty supporters at a time when he should have been old news. Stop giving him oxygen!

    Instead, throw the book at those who took part in the riot at the Capitol and make an example out of them. Make it crystal clear that you can’t resort to violence simply because you don’t like the outcome of an election. That isn’t how democracy works. You would think that would be clear already but apparently not.

  30. Moving right along, Michael Pascoe nails Stunt Morrison to the wall:

    Such is the low ebb of critical analysis and the demands of vast expanses of airtime to fill that the (Morrison) spin machine doesn’t even need to provide novel pictures. It’s enough to say at the usual brief prime ministerial that, say, changes will be considered for quarantine arrangements to have uncritical prime time news coverage of the government “considering” doing something.

    What actually happened? Nothing. Was there an actual plan that was being considered? No.

    It was bumph to keep the face in front of people, an illusion of action, an illusion of government. And all at our expense.

  33. Cartoon Gap Tally for today

    Hooray!!!!!

    XI FINALLY GETS HALF A CARTOON!!!!!!!

    Just for balance it has to be shared 50% with Biden…

    The other international cartoons are all Trump, the US, the GOP, the Dems. As usual, the CCP and China’s bad behaviours are ignored.

  35. C@tmomma says:
    Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 8:55 am
    Moving right along, Michael Pascoe nails Stunt Morrison to the wall:

    Such is the low ebb of critical analysis and the demands of vast expanses of airtime to fill that the (Morrison) spin machine doesn’t even need to provide novel pictures. It’s enough to say at the usual brief prime ministerial that, say, changes will be considered for quarantine arrangements to have uncritical prime time news coverage of the government “considering” doing something.

    What actually happened? Nothing. Was there an actual plan that was being considered? No.

    It was bumph to keep the face in front of people, an illusion of action, an illusion of government. And all at our expense.

    Next Saturday Jacinda Ardern will start vaccinating people.

    Meanwhile Scott Morrison will [make a curry or insert other stunt of your choice].

  36. Only 7 Republicans strong enough to stand up to the cult of Trump.

    Senate Republicans voted against convicting Donald Trump Saturday for inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol Jan. 6, bringing a swift end to the former president’s second impeachment trial after Democrats abandoned plans to call witnesses in the face of GOP opposition.

    Seven Republicans joined Democrats in a 57-43 vote in favor of conviction, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Trump in the Senate. Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Patrick Toomey (Pa.) were the Republicans who voted with Democrats.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-acquitted-impeachment-riot/2021/02/13/dbf6b172-6e12-11eb-ba56-d7e2c8defa31_story.html

  41. Pat Karvelas is making a very sane argument.

    We can’t see our mothers because someone in England wants to come home to see their mother.

  42. The Dems are playing for the midterms.

    The political process of a senate impeachment trial is the beginning of the Dem campaign for the midterms. It was never going to convict Trump.

    We’ll now have two years of legal proceedings against Trump in the courts. More negativity for the GOP.

    The GOP is unquestionably now the party of Trump. It will suffer the electoral repercussions, I’m certain.

  43. Morning all. Trump’s acquittal condemns the GOP. McConnell is shameless. The Democrats were still correct to bring the charges because they were true.

    The Democrats now need to really think about judges and the filibuster rule. They must understand that they are up against a completely uncompromising enemy.

  45. Insiders this morning is very much a News Ltd. school reunion. No wonder Dan Andrews is copping it. Although James Campbell’s that children start crying when big bad Dan appears on television should not have gone unchallenged.

  46. My take is, that by voting to convict, many Republicans saw it as equivalent to convicting themselves.

    After all, it was Republicans who selected and backed Trump. Abandoning him would have been tantamount to admitting the last four years was wasted (which they were, but why actually admit it?).

    In one way it’s a blessing for Democrats. Trump, the Great Wrecker, will now be able to go destructively to work on the Republicans again. Ultimately Trumpism is inherently unstable, and can’t last. It’s an essentially negative force. Give it a few months and it has to fall over, at least as a means of making the GOP electable.

    Instead, they just voted for their own suicide.

  48. Having been acquitted and assuming he isn’t dead or in jail, Trump is free to run for office again in 2024. And we know this is a strong possibility for no other reason than that he makes tons of money off campaigns.

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