Miscellany: leadership approval and JSCEM (open thread)

Stable personal ratings for Anthony Albanese; election staffing concerns at the AEC; and a call for more territory Senators.

The flood of polling in the week after the budget is inevitably followed in the week after that. Here’s all I have:

• The tracking poll of Anthony Albanese’s personal ratings maintained by US pollster Morning Consult records no significant change, with Albanese starting November on 57% approval and 30% disapproval, down one and up two from the start of October.

• As reported by Anna Macdonald at The Mandarin, Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told the Joint Standing Committe on Electoral Matters the commission was struggling to attract staff at election time due to low pay and “bizarre behaviour” at polling places. Specifically, Rogers said the May federal election was marked by “people coming into the polling place and recording interactions with our staff, shouting at our staff, and some fairly bizarre behaviour that we haven’t seen previously”.

• Independent ACT Senator David Pocock has made a submission to the inquiry calling for the two territories to have six Senators serving six-year terms on the same staggered cycle that applies to the rest of the Senate, as distinct from the current situation where they have two Senators each whose terms are tied to the House.

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.

2,077 comments on “Miscellany: leadership approval and JSCEM (open thread)”

Comments Page 39 of 42
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  1. Membership of The Queensland Legislative Council was by lifetime appointment by the Governor. A formula for patronage and conservatism but also its downfall. Red Ted Theodore was able to get the governor to appoint a suicide squad who voted it out of existence.

    The situation was the same in NSW but Lang’s suicide squad, when it arrived, thought life wasn’t so bad after all (it was called the best gentlemen’s club in Sydney) and voted for its preservation

  2. Socrates

    And with the bridges blown by the withdrawing Russians, if large numbers were left behind in Kherson then it’ll send a terrible message to the rest about their unimportance to Putin and his generals. You can lie to soldiers (not recommended) but you can’t fool them.

  3. Well lookie loo – AFR actually running a Robodebt article by one of its own journos –

    Secretary in charge of robodebt admits ‘significant failure’

    The key official who led the implementation of the robodebt program, former Human Services secretary Katherine Campbell, has admitted the scheme was a significant failure of public administration.

    Ms Campbell’s comments to the royal commission investigating the automated debt recovery program on Friday came as ambiguity over which federal department was responsible for ensuring the lawfulness of the program has emerged as a key reason for the scheme being rolled out, despite earlier advice it would need legislative change.

    Most of the focus of the royal commission over the previous week had been on the lack of legality of the scheme, after it emerged the Social Services department in 2014 had been given legal advice two times, which said the use of annual income data to automatically raise a welfare debt notice was unlawful.

    More –
    https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/robo-debt-a-significant-fail-campbell-admits-20221111-p5bxfj

  4. Oakeshott Country says:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 2:56 pm

    Membership of The Queensland Legislative Council was by lifetime appointment by the Governor. A formula for patronage and conservatism but also its downfall. Red Ted Theodore was able to get the governor to appoint a suicide squad who voted it out of existence.

    The situation was the same in NSW but Lang’s suicide squad, when it arrived, thought life wasn’t so bad after all (it was called the best gentlemen’s club in Sydney) and voted for its preservation

    中华人民共和国
    That’s true OC. In Queensland it took a former Labor MP, William Lennon, who was acting Governor, to appoint the “Suicide Squad”. When the President of the Council, William Hamilton died in July 1920, Lennon appointed himself, not only to be Hamilton’s replacement in the Council, but to the role of President as well and the rest as they say is history!

  5. Themunz @ #1904 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 3:03 pm

    How long will Mitch McConnell last. Evil personified.

    Well this is a start –

    Angry Republicans mounted public challenges to their leaders in both chambers Friday as they confronted the possibility of falling short of the majority, eager to drag Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) down from their top posts as consequence.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/11/senate-republicans-mcconnell-midterms/

  6. Upnorth – Be Proud of your Pragmatism says:
    At the next Queensland State Election (2024) Labor will have been in power for 69 years of the last 106 years (Tories 37).

    In Victoria, Labor (assuming they win in 2 weeks), will have held Government for only 42 of the last 108 years (1914-2026).
    _______________________
    I’ not sure how having an Upper House impacts upon who forms government and for how long in the Lower House, but there’s no doubt for most of its history the Vic Upper House was a retardant blanket for progressivism. I’m glad we have one now, although it could be reformed to a higher standard.

  7. From this morning: “Five years after the vote on gay marriage, Michael Koziol writes about the unfinished business of a religious discrimination bill.”

    The only unfinished business is that this garbage we all have to endure be dead and buried forever…

    tell the doG botherers to spin on it… we’ll legislate for their bigotry the day they stop their ‘holy people’
    f#$%ing the kiddly winks… i.e. when hell freezes over.

  8. nath says:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:16 pm

    Upnorth – Be Proud of your Pragmatism says:
    At the next Queensland State Election (2024) Labor will have been in power for 69 years of the last 106 years (Tories 37).

    In Victoria, Labor (assuming they win in 2 weeks), will have held Government for only 42 of the last 108 years (1914-2026).
    _______________________
    I’ not sure how having an Upper House impacts upon who forms government and for how long in the Lower House, but there’s no doubt for most of its history the Vic Upper House was a retardant blanket for progressivism. I’m glad we have one now, although it could be reformed to a higher standard.
    中华人民共和国
    The Late “Sainted” Gough may disagree with your first comment. Good luck with your Upper House though cobber and IMHO stay away from the “Angry Victorians Party” party!

  9. @yabba:

    “ There are six first grade Rugby League teams in Samoa, all confined to Apia. By contrast there are 23,000 plus registered Rugby Union Players (that’s enough for around 1,150 teams). Rugby Union is the national sport, and has been since the 1920’s. Rugby League started in 1984.”

    ___

    yes. yes. Rah. Rah.

    But … League is just … better … it is good to see folk around the world coming to their senses.

    of course, THIS is the greatest game of them all:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugger

  10. AFR, per dave:
    “former Human Services secretary Katherine [sic] Campbell, has admitted the scheme was a significant failure of public administration.”

    Senior Counsel Assisting dragged that reluctant concession out of Kathryn Campbell, after persistent attempts to get her to agree that it was a “massive failure”.

  11. dave @ #1906 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 3:09 pm

    Themunz @ #1904 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 3:03 pm

    How long will Mitch McConnell last. Evil personified.

    Well this is a start –

    Angry Republicans mounted public challenges to their leaders in both chambers Friday as they confronted the possibility of falling short of the majority, eager to drag Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) down from their top posts as consequence.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/11/senate-republicans-mcconnell-midterms/

    Mitch McConnell was the only thing that saved the Republicans from further embarrassing themselves with looney tunes picks to run for the Senate flaming out. He put 10s of Millions of $$ into their races from his Super PAC fund.

  12. Griff at 2.26 pm

    Probably more to do with lassitude than latitude. The actual per capita death rate from Covid in PNG is most likely to be worse than Victoria (884), which is now over 100 worse than Norway (762). Rate in Sweden (2013) is nearly 3 times Norway.

    Media organisations have contributed to the current malaise, apart from the awful examples in Victoria, by failing to report basic comparative figures since July.

  13. Hailing now.

    I have been informed that SA power networks have put out a Facebook post asking all customers to turn off their solar panels as they are having problems regulating the states power due to a fault in the VIC interconnector.

    Gold plated humour?

  14. Cronus @ #1902 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 2:58 pm

    Socrates

    And with the bridges blown by the withdrawing Russians, if large numbers were left behind in Kherson then it’ll send a terrible message to the rest about their unimportance to Putin and his generals. You can lie to soldiers (not recommended) but you can’t fool them.

    Cronus,
    Do you think the Ukrainians have calculated that the Russians were expecting an attack from the right bank of the Dnieper towards them on the left bank? Instead the Ukrainians have gone to the far left Kinburns’ka Spit. Then to attack from the side towards areas that would probably be unfortified?

  15. C@tmommasays:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    I just wonder if the SCOTUS could have been so screwed up if McConnell had not been there.

  16. Themunz @ #1919 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 3:55 pm

    C@tmommasays:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    I just wonder if the SCOTUS could have been so screwed up if McConnell had not been there.

    Definitely not. Be careful what you wish for and all that. However, Trump, in order to maintain the support of the Evangelicals, despite his unchristian behaviour, was also very much to blame.

  17. And having lost to Italy overnight, Australian Rugby Union has likely achieved its nadir, how embarrassment was that?

    Now, let me get my reasoning in a yabba mode here, Cronus… So, because the #1 game in Italy is soccer, why do the Italians bother playing Rugby Union? But they beat Australia anyway. 😀

  18. Ron DeSantis has seven-point lead over Donald Trump among Republican and Republican-leaning voters for presidential nomination, according to YouGov poll.

  19. Rugby Union would have to be the fourth biggest football code in Australia, after AFL, League and soccer, so the code punches above its weight most of the time. Rugby in NZ is the equivalent of AFL in The Australian southern states, so you’d expect the ABs to dominate.

  20. Dr Doolittle @ Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:48 pm
    “Griff at 2.26 pm

    Probably more to do with lassitude than latitude. The actual per capita death rate from Covid in PNG is most likely to be worse than Victoria (884), which is now over 100 worse than Norway (762). Rate in Sweden (2013) is nearly 3 times Norway.

    Media organisations have contributed to the current malaise, apart from the awful examples in Victoria, by failing to report basic comparative figures since July.”

    PNG is subject to lack of data. Sweden is subject to the their initial failure in public health prior to vaccinations. Better to look at the cumulative per capita death rate post vaccination e.g. last 12 months. Sweden (548) and Norway (614) are closer.

    That said, I am in complete agreement that our public health response could be improved. But one should not downplay the effect of latitude. See:

    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81419-w

    Potentially due to UV, ideally with high humidity. See below for some interesting modelling:

    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94417-9

  21. Upnorth – Be Proud of your Pragmatism says:
    Good luck with your Upper House though cobber and IMHO stay away from the “Angry Victorians Party” party!
    _______
    I am not an angry Victorian, sometimes disappointed, sometimes a smug Victorian, cos of our tram network and the fact we wear pants.

  22. The Age 13/11
    Phnom Penh: Anthony Albanese has met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the highest level face-to-face encounter between an Australian prime minister and Chinese leader for three years.

    Albanese spoke to Li, who is second in command in the Communist Party of China’s leadership hierarchy, for approximately four minutes via interpreters.
    _____________________
    4 minutes. I bet that achieved a lot. Someone must have had the stopwatch on him.

  23. Something from Credlin to entice the Dan Haters:

    Peta Credlin discusses new documentary ‘The Cult of Daniel Andrews’
    4 minutes ago
    Sky News host Peta Credlin says she’s “gobsmacked” at the state of justice and democracy in Victoria, given Premier Daniel Andrews has survived a range of incidents which would have “knocked off another government”.

    Peta Credlin investigates the motivations behind the Victorian Premier’s rise to power and his leadership of the state in ‘The Cult of Daniel Andrews’, premiering this Wednesday at 7:30pm on Sky News. (Hun)

  24. Australian Rugby suffers from the dominant gene pool that play it, despite a significant input from the Pacific Nations. The Private School cohort , coupled with the influence of business people will ensure we play badly for generations to come, and be badly administered to boot.

  25. Fred nk

    You don’t need to run away from me. The assumptions should be drilled into young Engineers, as the network becomes increasingly non linear it becomes increasingly important that the limits of our very wonderful tools are understood.

    Complex and distributed systems – power networks will need to become like the Internet (but at 400v*), fun times but we know what needs to be done…

    *I think we’re now 230/400 rather than old hat 240/415, but not really sure why

  26. Taylormade says:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:30 pm
    The Age 13/11
    Phnom Penh: Anthony Albanese has met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the highest level face-to-face encounter between an Australian prime minister and Chinese leader for three years.

    Albanese spoke to Li, who is second in command in the Communist Party of China’s leadership hierarchy, for approximately four minutes via interpreters.
    _____________________
    4 minutes. I bet that achieved a lot. Someone must have had the stopwatch on him.

    ———————————————
    LOL Taylormade

    4 mins more than Morrison and his cronies ever got , and 4 mins more than Dutton and his cronies

  27. Herald Sun 12/11
    Liberal supporters were met with protesters dressed in lobster suits and a giant inflatable crayfish at the party’s official election campaign launch on Sunday.
    _____________________
    Here we go again. They would be on double time for any Sunday work. A nice little earner.
    I wonder which area of the public service they got them from this time.

  28. How does it go?

    Soccer is a game for gentlemen played by hooligans,
    Rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen,
    League is a game for hooligans played by hooligans,
    AFL…?

  29. Scott, further to your Albo getting more time with the Chinese Premier than either the Liar from the Shire, or Dutton could ever get, note that it was reported that the Chinese Premier “sought out” Albo.

    What’s Morrison’s claim to fame? One international friend – Trump.

    The current, rational POTUS didn’t even bother to learn Morrison’s name.

    Put that in your pipe and smoke it Taylormade.

  30. Scott says:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:47 pm

    Taylormade says:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:30 pm
    The Age 13/11
    Phnom Penh: Anthony Albanese has met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the highest level face-to-face encounter between an Australian prime minister and Chinese leader for three years.

    Albanese spoke to Li, who is second in command in the Communist Party of China’s leadership hierarchy, for approximately four minutes via interpreters.
    _____________________
    4 minutes. I bet that achieved a lot. Someone must have had the stopwatch on him.
    ———————————————
    LOL Taylormade

    4 mins more than Morrison and his cronies ever got , and 4 mins more than Dutton and his cronies
    中华人民共和国
    LOL Taylormade – I reckon you’ll last 30 seconds on election night!

  31. Taylormade @ #1928 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 4:30 pm

    The Age 13/11
    Phnom Penh: Anthony Albanese has met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the highest level face-to-face encounter between an Australian prime minister and Chinese leader for three years.

    Albanese spoke to Li, who is second in command in the Communist Party of China’s leadership hierarchy, for approximately four minutes via interpreters.
    _____________________
    4 minutes. I bet that achieved a lot. Someone must have had the stopwatch on him.

    It’s 4 million % more than Scotty from Marketing got. 😆

  32. Glenn Maxwell is set to miss months of cricket after breaking his leg in a “freak accident”, Cricket Australia said on Sunday. The all-rounder underwent surgery in Melbourne on Saturday to repair a fractured left fibula.

    A statement did not confirm how the injury was suffered, but The Age reports that it was due to an accident at a friend’s 50th birthday. According to the publication, Maxwell was running around a tennis court with his friend when the pair tripped and fell, and the cricketer’s leg became trapped.

  33. @ Steve777 @ #1934 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 4:52 pm

    How does it go?

    Soccer is a game for gentlemen played by hooligans,
    Rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen,
    League is a game for hooligans played by hooligans,
    AFL…?

    __________

    LMFTFY:

    Soccer is a game for gentlemen played by hooligans,
    Rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen,
    League is a game for the working class played by heroes,
    AFF is a game for wankers played by wankers.

  34. nath says:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:23 pm

    Upnorth – Be Proud of your Pragmatism says:
    Good luck with your Upper House though cobber and IMHO stay away from the “Angry Victorians Party” party!
    _______
    I am not an angry Victorian, sometimes disappointed, sometimes a smug Victorian, cos of our tram network and the fact we wear pants.
    中华人共和国
    I wore pants and closed in shoes last week to a do. Didn’t wear any undies though! Free grog and horses douvers on offer.

  35. its “warren pease” all over again. looook : russia abandoned its capital back in 1812 and two years later held a victory parade on the main drag of its enemy’s capital.

    the supply and defence of kherson is a problematic proposition for either side. but since the completion of russia’s planned and orderly withdrawal, it has become ukraine’s problem.

    consider : a nato-grade light infantry force of 30,000 requires 4,100 tons of supplies *per day* : ammo, food, fuel, spare parts, and blood (u.s army logistics manual, “executive summary”, yes i *perused it* earlier this year).

    like prices at coles, trains in ukraine are down & staying down. that leaves air and road to supply kherson : helicopters and trucks. so, 4,100 tons per day by air is not on, that leaves trucks.

    according google street atlas, kherson is 94.2 km (2 hours 5 minutes) from mykolaiv, the nearest other big smoke. every day 4,100 tons of materiel will have to be brought to an assembly point somewhere in or around mykolaiv, then loaded onto vehicles, then driven to kherson, then unloaded, then stored. every stage of this process can be attacked by artillery, rockets, drones and other assets, every day. kinda like dien bien phu? anyway, i digress.

    the terrain from mykolaiv to kherson is flat steppe, there is no cover from tree foliage at this time of year, the ground is deep mud all round, the road(s) is(are) interdicted by russian artillery, rockets, drones and other assets. almost like “they drive at night” with ida lupino and bogart, except its not days and nights on a long and winding road/ mountain track, with a load of nitro, but its two hours on a pot-holed country road, always subject to fire attack at any time, carrying say a load of himars shells in the back. but i digress. i saw video on telegram of an m-777 self-propelled artillery piece (and crew) trundling along at speed on a country road and suddenly without warning all taken out by one artillery shell, they are that accurate. do a thought experiment multiply by 4,100 tons per day on umpteen trucks on a two hour trip.

    a dicey proposition however you look at it. russia in the meantime has withdrawn a force of 30,000 in good order with its gear & vehicles, a force mobile and not tied down. they fell back through three sets of defensive works constructed over the last two weeks. i’ve viewed numerous videos on telegram over the last two or so weeks showing russian trench digging machines at work in the kherson area. general milley addressing the economic club of new york said russia would be at it for 2 to 3 weeks, they finished in 3 days. the russians have been working out the logistics of this withdrawal since general surovkin took over and declared tough decisions were in the offing.

    the russians have weeks ago evacuated all civilians who wanted to leave, they have withdrawn the cultural assets, the monuments, even the zoo animals, to safe places. there is nothing holding them back from attacking with standoff weapons and other assets any ukrainian forces in the city. and their supply lines. the civilians remaining are ukraine’s responsibility. if the ukrainian state had any gumption it would evacuate those people immediately, there is no place for civilians in a city about to become a battlefield.

    no one was left behind. the ukrainians, like russian t.v. journalists and french military intelligence didn’t believe it eas happening/ would happen.

    https://bigserge.substack.com/p/surovkins-difficult-choice

    https://thesaker.is/a-few-week-end-musings-on-the-role-of-ignorant-useful-idiots-in-modern-warfare/

  36. Have only watched the highlights but loved seeing the Red Roses (does that mean there are no Yorkshire players?) forwards and the New Zealand forwards rolling down between the tramlines.

    Rugby’s mistake was allowing forwards to be standing out in the backline making it like league.

  37. E. G. Theodore says:
    Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 5:12 pm

    Upnorth

    Total agreement with you there cobber. That’s why we got rid of our Upper House in 1922!

    You’re welcome!
    中华人共和国
    Thank you Red Ted! You are a real hero.

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