The biggest electoral news of the week was probably the annual release of electoral donations disclosures, which has been widely covered elsewhere. From the more narrow concerns of this site, there is the following:
• Ben Small, who served in the Senate from November 2020 to June 2022, has emerged as the only nominee for Liberal preselection in the regional Western Australian seat of Forrest. The seat will be vacated at the next election with the retirement of Nola Marino, who has held it safely for the Liberals since 2007. The West Australian also reports Mark Wales, an SAS veteran, Survivor winner and former McKinsey consultant, plans to nominate for Tangney, a normally comfortable Liberal seat that fell to Labor in 2022. Others known to be interested are Canning mayor Patrick Hall and IT consultant Harold Ong.
• The Liberal National Party has chosen its candidates for the looming Queensland state by-elections for the safe Labor seats of Inala and Ipswich West, respectively being vacated by Annastacia Palaszczuk and Jim Madden: Trang Yen, a 28-year-old public servant in the Department of State Development, and Darren Zanow, president of the Ipswich Show Society. The by-elections will be held concurrently with local government elections on March 16.
• With former South Australian Premier Steven Marshall saying he will formally resign from parliament “in the coming months”, the Liberals have preselected lawyer and former ministerial adviser Anna Finizio for the looming by-election for his seat of Dunstan, which once had the more instructive name of Norwood. Labor is again running with its candidate from March 2023, Cressida O’Hanlon, a family dispute resolution practitioner.
leftieBrawler: I have no desire to antagonise someone whom I suspect might be a fellow supporter of the lamented Bears.
But might I tentatively suggest that it might be a good idea for you to pull back a bit on your tendency to provide a continuing critique of the quality/behaviour/attitudes of other posters? Perhaps redirect some of that intellectual energy into comments on issues? You’re coming across as being a bit too inclined to argue ad hominem rather than on the basis of the evidence.
Cheers
MB
Oliver Sutton says:
Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 5:11 pm
“Some hacks on twitter are trying to claim a leak suggesting a labor 2pp with ‘two fives in it’”
50.5?
______________
Is your name Roland? 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU9mHegkTc4
Hi Meher,
I’m not at the levels of a Ross Pitman but firmly within his Den true supporters grouping. I attend the games I can at the oval and a few years ago I served as barney the bear for a season. It’s like putting on a mobile sauna, torturous gig is barney!
Re Albo’s comments re the need to demilitarise any future Palestinian state.
The concept might appear unjust to some, but good luck getting the Israelis ever to agree to a Palestinian state with the military power to attack them.
I’m not sure that a genuine two state solution can ever be achieved, particularly given that only a minority of Israelis support the concept and virtually no Palestinians appear to do so: apart from a small group of lethargically corrupt politicians in Ramallah.
But, if such a solution is to be achieved, then it will require a demilitarised Palestine, whose defence will come from a group of other states (Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and, ideally, Iran) that will also be parties to the two state agreement.
But it all seems like a pipe dream to me at the moment. I think Australian Labor and the British Government and others are dreaming in suggesting the concept of somehow imposing a two state solution without the full support of Israel. I reckon it’s all about politics: ie, pacifying the strong pro-Palestine sentiment in many Western countries ATM.
LB: “I’m not at the levels of a Ross Pitman but firmly within his Den true supporters grouping. I attend the games I can at the oval and a few years ago I served as barney the bear for a season. It’s like putting on a mobile sauna, torturous gig is barney!”
Alas, being exiled like Prospero to an enchanted island (in my case Tasmania) I am reduced to watching the occasional Bears game on Kayo. Until I left Sydney in the mid-1980s, I was a regular attendee at North Sydney Oval and was a massive fan of Mark Graham. And I still hanker for the near-glory days of the team under coaches Steve Martin and Peter Louis.
My life as a football fan has been pretty tragic. I grew up in the North Sydney area, so I’ve always supported the Bears. And I have a family connection to St Kilda in the AFL, so I’ve always supported them too. Between them, the two teams have achieved one premiership in my lifetime (the Saints in 1966, when I was too young to remember).
Character building, as they say.
MB,
My guess is that Australia is actively standing still.
There’s no push for us to do anything more.
Albo seems intent on keeping Australia out of the shooting part of this conflict.
Most Australians would support that (I believe).
Sure there’s an aggressive pro-Palestinan campaign being fueled by the MSM and the usual suspects.
50,00o protestors means there is about 26 million Aussies who are largely indifferent.
These groups have been fighting for thousands of years. I don’t see it stopping soon.
Maybe 52.5?
That would work for me!
Meher funny you mention Tasmania!
Our family holiday this January gone was a 10 night Winnebago tour of the state.
During a visit to the huon pine shop in straughn it was cold enough for me to wear my 92′ retro jersey. While in the gallery I bumped into a random who said he has lived in tassie for 20 years and mine the first bears jersey he has ever seen since his move!
e.g.w.says:
Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 10:39 am
Actually, I think you will find that both Blair (Shayne Neumann) and Oxley (Milton Dick) are Federal Seats held by the Labor Party.
Pauline Hanson was elected to the seat of Oxley before the distribution which split most of Ipswich off into the seat of Blair. Although now within the electorate of Blair, at the time Redbank Plains was part of Oxley. So the comment about it being at her doorstep isn’t too far off the mark.
Two fives?
55/45.
#vehicle emissions standards. Labor. Tick.
Mac-glad you like that little nugget from LVT- when I saw him employ it here yesterday I was instantly taken with it.
So when you hear MAGA Dutton and Littleproud peddling nuclear, don’t fall for their deceit.
Rex Douglassays:
Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 6:33 pm
Already 35C in Melbourne on the way to a forecast 38C. Adelaide already at 38C. But thanks to abundant wind and solar energy, wholesale power prices are both strongly negative in the middle of the day… (via @reddolphinsys ) pic.twitter.com/vy2VFaiS5y— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) February 4, 2024
=================================================
Those two states in green in your diagram. Are dragging on the rest of us though. Time they got their act together.
Rexxy,
Where have you been. Temperature peaked in Greensy at 39 about 2 hours ago.
Melbourne had their Summer today.
Cool change is coming, apparently.
If this keeps going maybe we will have minus $100 roasts plus utes that can tow passenger aircraft while giving us extra weekends?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvk4fNxF0l4
Dunkley?
Dutton’s sitting at a railway station, got a ticket to his destination…
…home is where he wants to be.
Will Kirrily merrily barge south enough for us to get a drenching?
Hope so!
Re Nath @10:28.
”Classic pie worthy stoogedom.”
”Pie worthy” an odd expression. Not familiar with it.
Also, the word is “stoogery”.
BW,
Dutton is obviously enthralled by the Seekers.
He’s bound for Mornington,
Many miles away.
”Pie worthy” an odd expression. Not familiar with it.
Greensborough Growlersays:
Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 6:44 pm
BW,
Dutton is obviously enthralled by the Seekers.
He’s bound for Mornington,
Many miles away.
============================================
Unfortunately for Dutton “The Carnival is Over” will be playing soon.
Entropy,
So, you don’t see him as a “Rubber Ball” bouncing back again?
Devastated.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-04/celebrated-indigenous-leader-dies-aged-91/102277300
Caught the replay of Insiders on ABC NewsRadio while driving to the Central Coast (~100 km). David Speers was like a dog with a bone on the “word in my bond” thing wasn’t he – in a way I don’t recall him ever being with Scott Morrison. Fortunately Albo was able avoid the attempted wedge. He even seems to have mastered the Liberals’ “circular breathing” technique.
those of us here with an eye for detail and subtlety such as yours truly will notice that William appears to be cleaning up this thread, deleting the conga line of baited smear designed to entice people such as myself into being triggered into reprisal returns of serve.
This should be taken as a fair and subtle warning from the man with the big stick to play the ball, not the man.
I for one welcome this intervention and will adhere to it. If all people have to offer is the continued referencing of the historical and isolated indiscretions or misunderstandings committed by others for cheap hits then I welcome the prompt deleting of them.
fess,
91 is a good innings and she had a life well lived.
Vale
GG:
Indeed. I met her when I lived in Darwin, and was impressed by her quiet authority.
RIP Lowitja O’Donoghue. She was a true giant of her time. A long and well lived life and a true force for Good over Evil.
GG: ‘Dutton is obviously enthralled by the Seekers. He’s bound for Mornington, Many miles away.’
And we know that you’ll find
There’ll be police in mind
When we live in a world of his own
steve,
This is another one of the media driven tropes that the ABC loves to use to fill space on their various platforms.
Remember their focus on “Albo made a gaffe” during the last Election? Went on for a week or so. But, in the end did not matter a deena to the outcome.
The talking heads need something to talk about. They are too busy on bootstrapping controversy rather than looking at the real issues.
Christ on a bike.
“… the conga line of baited smear designed to entice people such as myself into being triggered into reprisal returns of serve.“
Trans: “Look what you made me do!”
It’s entirely your choice. Accept responsibility for your actions.
“Two fives?
55/45.”
That’s three.
Greensborough Growler says:
Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 6:09 pm
MB,
My guess is that Australia is actively standing still.
There’s no push for us to do anything more.
Albo seems intent on keeping Australia out of the shooting part of this conflict.
Most Australians would support that (I believe).
—————-
Wrong. We are right in it. On the TV News tonight. Always there to help the US.
February 4, 2024. Joint statement from Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States on additional strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. From the Hon Richard Marles.
https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/statements/2024-02-04/joint-statement-australia-bahrain-denmark-canada-netherlands-new-zealand-united-kingdom-and-united-states-additional-strikes-against-houthis-yemen#:~:text=Today%2C%20at%20the%20direction%20of,targets%20across%2013%20locations%20in
‘Today, at the direction of their respective governments, the militaries of the United States and United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand conducted an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes against 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea…..’
Pretty much.
D&M @5:01pm
“I do not know if chemists still use this, but I was appalled in First Year chemistry that the rounded up if the last digit was odd, and down if it was even (or vise – versa) .”
There is a saying that
-physics is incompetently applied mathematics
-chemistry is incompetently applied physics
-biology is incompetently applied chemistry
-psychology is incompetently applied biology
Irene,
It’s only words,
And words are all I have
To take my laugh away!
In the Murdoch SmearStralian, so probably AI invented clickbait..
NRL expansion bombshell: V’landys wants to bring back the Bears
In a stunning expansion development, ARLC chair Peter V’landys tells Phil Rothfield why he wants to bring the North Sydney Bears back to the NRL.
Speaking of Playing the ball,
William, would the small professional team of pollsters similar to you that compile and generate the newspoll data be allowed the professional integrity of non-interference from the higher ups before each commissioning is signed off on? Or would they be forced to leak it early to the wider news corp teams so they can get a headstart on the narratives ?
I once found myself in an elevator with Lowitja O’Donaghue when I was staying at the *Wentworth Hotel in Sydney.
I was too starstruck to say anything but we did the eye contact thing that says “I know you know who I am”.
*Adjacent to JWH’s office, the hotel had a special rate for government employees. Being a university academic was close enough. I once arrived the Sunday after the 2007 election to find the hotel still full of sore heads, so my wife and I were upgraded to their top suite.
Eston:
I met her once maybe 20 years ago at a health conference. She was a keynote speaker and I got introduced to her as one of the other speakers. She was so nice and so encouraging and there was me rendered mute and not knowing what to say. Mortifying!
sporket,
V’landys has a rotating line of shock and awe sound bites he uses to ensure he is never far away from page 3. The Bears bid is just one such vehicle
To the extent that the questions make sense to me, I do not know the answers.
The RBA may soften its tone on the need for another interest rate rise at its first two-day policy meeting starting Monday, amid rising geopolitical risks from the escalating Middle East conflict, economists say.
Australian shares are set to start the week lower, and oil prices are poised to bounce on disruption fears after the United States and Britain launched weekend airstrikes in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen against Iran-linked targets in retaliation for a deadly attack on American troops.
“Developments in the Middle East will have people worrying about energy prices,” said Barrenjoey chief economist Jo Masters. The RBA is expected to keep the cash rate on hold at 4.35 per cent on Tuesday after official inflation data last week showed the economy slowing faster than expected.
But markets will focus on the tone of the policy statement, particularly whether the RBA keeps a reference that more tightening may be necessary to return inflation to its target, of between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, in a reasonable timeframe. “We think the RBA will most likely remove its mild tightening stance,” said a Nomura rate strategist, Andrew Ticehurst.
https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/rba-expected-to-soften-tone-on-rate-rises-amid-mid-east-crisis-20240204-p5f27b
Not content with aping Abbott’s “No to everything”, it appears Dutton’s crew are intent on reduxing ScoMo’s lie-a-thon…
However, the opposition has revived memories of the Morrison government’s 2022 election campaign claim that federal Labor’s policies to promote electric vehicle sales would “end the weekend”.
Opposition climate change and energy spokesman Ted O’Brien and opposition Transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie said on Sunday that the government’s policies to limit cumulative vehicle emissions could raise the cost of utes so high that they would be unaffordable.
“Fears from industry representatives today that the government’s heavy-handed approach will drive utes off Australian roads is of deep concern,” they said in a statement.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pollution-cuts-for-cars-to-save-motorists-1000-drive-ev-sales-government-says-20240204-p5f28h.html
Confessions, yes that’s exactly how it was.
I had a particular interest in indigenous affairs at the time, and her advocacy in particular, after working on the Ten Canoes film (I’m in the credits) and spending some time on the land around Ramingining with the local community.
HH,
And there is this POV.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-04/a-rate-cut-in-may-is-not-only-possible-it-may-prove-necessary/103420714
Sprocket into his 13th hour. Incredible stamina in the service of the course.
Speaking of the RBA, tomorrow is the first meeting under the new Jim Chalmers regulations. Amongst other things:
8 board meetings a year rather than 11
2 x half days, rather than one session
News conference after release of the results by the Governor
I don’t think the separate rate setting committee filled with economists is up and running as yet. And the target range of 2-3% also remains in place.