How did it all come to this. Libs sticking up for labor voting truck drivers, while labor are sticking up for big business.Every owner driver says that this law that labor brought in and are still pushing for is a bad piece of legislation.
It has been wrapped up under a banner of safety and looking after drivers.Pay them more and drivers wont have to work so hard is ridiculous and will do nothing to alter the road toll. Most of the accidents involving trucks are caused by car drivers doing stupid things and most of the trucks that are involved belong to Non owner drivers that this legislation doesn’t affect.
Safe rates legislation was intended at its start was all about the the big 2 Woolies and Coles demanding set delivery times and then penalising drivers if late.For example say a driver had a load from Sydney to the Brisbane distribution centre at he his set a specific unload time within 30 mins.
That is leave Sydney at 12.00am be in Bris at 11.00pm +-30 mins. Miss that slot and you are put in a holding pattern. ,No excuses. Accidents, road closures floods etc, be there at your allocated time or get put into the pattern. Now for drivers with the major companies they were on a hourly rate and got paid for waiting anyway but subbie Owner drivers are paid to deliver the load ,so if they s miss the slot they have to wait …Depending on how urgent they want the goods on the truck you could be stuck there for anything up to 24 hrs. You can,t leave your truck in case you get called up and all this time is unpaid and the return load that you had lined up has gone to someone else because you are stuck in the line, If you can,t find a return load it becomes a expensive trip home.
So labor came up with safe rates and at first was a pretty good piece of legislation.Make Coles and Woolies pay for the truckies time waiting to be unloaded, and take into account road closures, floods etc. all pretty sensible stuff and supported by most people. I can guarantee you that the distribution centres would operate a lot more efficiently if they had to pay for waiting times.
What has come now is nothing like what was intended. Owner drivers AND ONLY OWNER DRIVERS have to charge so called safe rates determined by the RSRT. They have a neat calculator for you to work out how much you have to charge.
http://www.saferates.com.au/Calculators/TruckOperatingCostCalculator/tabid/535/Default.aspx
I had a little play around with it and If I charged what the calculator tells me to charge I would have gone broke in about a month. There is no allowance for back loads where you just want to cover your fuel expenses to get back to do another full load. Particularity important if you are hauling to north qld were there is a lot of freight going up but not much coming back. I could always rely on the aluminium smelter at Gladstone for a load home as they used Owner drivers all the time to take freight back to Brisbane. I have heard that they will no longer use Owner Drivers because of what they have to charge. Instead the will use toll or one of the other bigger companies that are not affected by safe rates.
And that is the major problem.
Single Owner- Drivers are the only ones affected by this . They have to charge what they are told and if they don,t they face a $52.000 fine.Bigger companies with employed drivers are not affected. They can charge what they want. So Billy Blogs wants someone to take a load from Brisbane to Sydney . He rings a owner driver that he has worked with before and says how much mate? same as last time? Nope says OD will now cost almost double than last time,Billy then rings large company asks how much and is nearly $1000 cheaper. Who do you think will get the job.It is blatantly unfair for owner drivers to be forced to charge exorbitant rates while others are under no such obligation. It will drive single owner operators out of business while increasing business for the others.
Why are only owner drivers being singled out. They have invested heavily in a truck.found work,built up relationships with clients and now they are being forced out of business. This has zero to do with safety and more to do with giving the big boys more work. Owner drivers look after there trucks and take more care of them then payed drivers. If there trucks aren’t working they get no pay while the other drivers just jump in another fleet truck.
As it stands now it looks like the RSRT will be abolished which in my opinion is a good thing. I hope if Labor win the next election that when they get to reintroducing the legislation it is in a vastly different form than what was established . Everyone is concerned about making our roads safer, ,especially the drivers that go out to work every day and night knowing that one mistake can cost them their lives ,but to penalise one section of the industry is not the way to do it.
THE PUB 
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
You’d have to say they may have been goaded into action – against all their previous principles.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2016-coalition-plans-tougher-crackdown-on-super-to-outflank-labor-20160419-go9u61.html
Ross Gittins tells us that the banks just don’t get it that bad behaviour is not on.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/banks-still-havent-got-the-message-that-bad-behaviour-is-not-on-20160419-go9lfu.html
Heath Aston explains how 76 profitable multinational companies dodged paying us $5.6b in tax.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/how-76-profitable-companies-left-australian-taxpayers-56-billion-out-of-pocket-20160419-goa6o2.html
The effect of low interest rates on retirement plans.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/reserve-bank-governor-glenn-stevens-accept-low-growth-rather-than-low-rates-20160419-goa17j.html
Adele Ferguson says that Turnbull has misread the mood about banks.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/malcolm-turnbull-must-move-with-the-mood-20160419-go9z4k.html
The Fresh Food People!
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/woolworths-withdraws-broccoli-batch-after-reports-of-redback-spiders-20160419-go9ryb.html
The economics of AS detention.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/what-1500-gets-you-a-luxury-hotel-room-in-sydney-and-melbourne–or-a-nights-detention-on-christmas-island-20160419-go9tyb.html
Tony Wright gives us Tony and Bronny – an unfinished opera for the ages.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/bronwyn-and-tony-an-unfinished-opera-for-the-ages-20160418-go9k0t.html
Jeff Kennett says Costello and other Channel 9 heavies must take responsibilities for the Beirut bungle. On for Google.
/news/opinion/peter-costello-and-others-in-authority-at-channel-9-must-take-responsibility-for-beirut-child-caper-bungle/news-story/5a4e342397b094c5b26028c0393a6901
Alan Stokes comes clean and says he was wrong about Turnbull and that Turnbull’s only hope is to have a big win in the DD.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/election-2016-malcolm-turnbull-needs-a-big-win-or-well-all-lose-20160418-go9iwp.html
Lenore Taylor gives us six things to know as Turnbull vs Shorten kicks off.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/19/malcolm-turnbull-v-bill-shorten-six-things-we-know-about-election-campaign
Section 2 . . .
Why Turnbull could become one of Australia’s shortest serving Prime Ministers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/alan-berman/why-turnbull-could-become-one-of-australias-shortest-serving-prime-ministers_b_9724360.html?utm_hp_ref=australia
Stephen Koukoulas summarises government debt for us as the election looms.
http://thekouk.com/blog/election-facts-government-debt.html
The Panama papers have given governments a chance to increase tax transparency.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/panama-papers-give-governments-a-chance-to-boost-tax-transparency-20160419-go9q94.html
Ben Eltham is of the view that Turnbull has no other way to approach this election other than to attack, attack, attack in the same way as Abbott.
https://newmatilda.com/2016/04/19/why-turnbull-will-need-his-red-speedos-to-win-this-marathon-campaign/
Michelle Grattan analyses Turnbull’s language as he oscillates between governing and campaigning. She pays tribute to how far Shorten and Labor have come.
https://theconversation.com/in-election-countdown-turnbull-has-to-juggle-governing-and-campaigning-58076
Is Pope Francis giving Catholics a chance to ditch their guilt?
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/is-pope-francis-joy-of-love-the-end-of-catholic-guilt-20160418-go9kz2.html
Can we do better with Medicare?
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/medicare-we-can-do-better,8897
LNP’s DNA on display here as one of them advises land owners to hang up on government environmental officers.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/20/former-lnp-official-urges-landholders-to-hang-up-on-environment-officers
Paul Krugman puts it forward that monopoly power is blighting the US economy. (Google please).
news/world/north-america/monopoly-power-is-blighting-us-economy-20160419-goa3u9
Laura Tingle says it’s going to feel like an eternity as we go to the budget and the election. (Google).
/news/politics/election/election-2016-malcolm-turnbulls-government-is-an-eternity-from-the-election-20160419-go9xs2
Jonathan Holmes gives Mark Scott his report card as he departs the ABC.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/more-hits-than-misses-for-mark-scotts-abc-20160418-go9ijh.html
The SMH’s editorial looks at the DD.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/malcolm-turnbulls-secondchance-election-20160418-go9itd.html
Section 3 . . . with Cartoon Corner
“View from the Street” reckons the election is firming up along class war lines. He looks at the dubious-looking pressure groups that are lining up to do their bidding and influencing.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/view-from-the-street/view-from-the-street-election-2016-firms-up-along-class-war-lines-20160419-goa0yd.html
So Turnbull will restore the funding that Abbott took from ASIC. The crooked corporate behaviours were going good and strong in the days that it was funded to that level. More is required.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/backbenchers-confront-malcolm-turnbull-over-banks-as-pm-confirms-july-2-election-20160419-go9ro8.html
The Senate isn’t going to go down quietly as they move to prod Arfur’s memory.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/arthur-sinodinos-to-front-senate-inquiry-over-liberal-fundraising-in-nsw-20160419-goac4v.html
I’d much rather have Ricky Muir as a senator than Derryn Hinch.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/federal-election-2016-derryn-hinch-tipped-to-take-ricky-muirs-senate-seat-20160419-goa72c.html
Alan Moir – what goes around comes around.
Mark Knight captures truckie Turnbull setting off on the long haul election campaign.
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/9407bd2ab7736b2675b916680af00d9d?width=1024&api_key=zw4msefggf9wdvqswdfuqnr5
David Rowe with Malcolm and Lucy as they contemplate the near future. Hove a look at the cement mixer!
David Pope compares the protagonists’ leadership styles.
gravel
Open the link I gave you and flip through the pages until you reach page 11. Title is: Life after politics beckons.
I couldn’t copy it. Don’t know why.
Alan Stokes – yet another one.
Rabbiting on and on and on about the popularity figures and ignoring the 2PP.
Sigh.
How much more of this drivel masquerading as ‘political journalism’ do we have to endure? I don’t think I can take another 70-odd days of it.
And to make it just that much more annoying Aston again does the usual and gives his hero lots of advice on what he needs to do to win. Because he has to have a big win, dontcha know, to make his leadership legitimate. (Notice how none of these fools ever use the owrds ‘knife’ and ‘back’ when talking about the way their Adored One became PM?)
Look, Heath, your bloke is all but gone, almost deader than a doornail. How about you stop whining about how you really, really want him to be that fantasy Malcolm you created in your head and start doing your real job. You could have written about last night’s frolics in the senate, and how your somewhat tarnished hero and Brandis walked right into a trap, instead of filling an empty spot on the website with dribble.
It may come as a surprise to you, Alan, but a lot of us are desperately hoping for a Turnbull loss. We know this country will lose if he is returned.
I don’t think a lot of people out there have realised that Turnbull has already failed. With so much talk about Turnbull’s ‘moderate’ positions on many policies and the need for him to impose his political style on his party, what’s getting lost in the chatter is that that’s what he was given the PM-ship to do. The Liberals didn’t install him because they liked him or approved of his messaging. They did it – reluctantly – because his messaging was resonating in the electorate. People saw him as a moderate and expected him to behave that way as PM. Finally, a chance to unwind the nastiness of the Abbott era, starting with SSM and moving to other areas progressively.
But of course, inevitably, the party didn’t let him do that. They were never going to let him. There’s abundant doubt that he even wanted to.
We were given the excuse – implicitly, anyway – that he only bungled the NBN because he was under orders from Abbott. Well, nothing’s improved it in the last six months, so the conclusion has to be that he’s under orders from the party itself. Same with every other policy area. Not only has there been no substantial change from Abbott’s approach, there’s been no change of any sort. This government is no different from the Abbott government, and the inescapable conclusion to draw from it is that Turnbull is no different to Abbott. So why should the electorate treat him any differently to Abbott?
What you’re seeing in the polls is that verdict coming in. There’s no hope that he’ll improve, that he might be able to change things if he only had a big enough electoral victory. That’s an insane assessment. What he’s doing now, that’s what he does, because he’s beholden to his party. And with that realisation, the electorate is free the reject the Liberal Party again.
” This government is no different from the Abbott government, and the inescapable conclusion to draw from it is that Turnbull is no different to Abbott. ”
.
The axing of CSIRO climate research jobs confirmed that beyond any doubt.
Beholden to his party which has its policy dictated to it by the IPA.
Anyone who ever thought Turnbull would bring in different policies is an ignorant fool.
Re: Ricky Muir:
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/federal-election-2016-derryn-hinch-tipped-to-take-ricky-muirs-senate-seat-20160419-goa72c.html
I’m not sure what to make of these two quotes:
–
Sounds to me like Druery’s falling out with Keith Littler was rather a big one, and this article is some kind of payback.
The reason I say that is that everyone who takes in interest in politics knows who Ricky Muir is. Nobody’s going to withdraw their vote for him just because he’s got ‘Motoring Enthusiast Party’ next to his name. Suggesting that he leave his party if he wants to retain his Senate spot sounds a little arch to me.
I recall the kerfuffle around Malcome-and-go when he declared he would retire from politics after the Utegate fiasco and he lost the leadership…but strangely (!) he decided to stay after some “encouragement” from certain quarters…I wonder if those same “Quarters” switched Turnbull for Abbott for the same reason they made the switch last time…;To focus on the person they feel could win the election on the day?
And now we see Abbott almost deciding to leave parliament and then deciding to stay after some “encouragement” from certain quarters…….?
Will we see another post election switcheroo if the LNP. tragically win office?
What unmitigated bullshit!…Give ASIC. the money and clout and they will clean up the (banking) industry…I call bullshit!…They HAD the money and it has degenerated over MANY years…I’d say investigate ASIC. along with the banks!
I can’t help but think of all those Coalition backbenchers who helped install Turnbull last September. They would have been thinking, “Ah Malcolm, he’s not a party man but at least the preening fop will save my job.”
The mood must be murderous back there right now.
The problem is that ASIC and the Banks are both run by chaps.
ASIC are great at sending you invoices for companies registration (and at doubling the fee if you’re even an hour late paying it, no excuses), because that’s all just computer software. It’s automatic. That’s why the prospect of a privatized ASIC was so enchanting to chaps. It was a licence to mint money. Just send a bill, double it if payment is late, triple it if payment is late again, and so on. Easy pickin’s.
But when it comes to investigating chaps in Big Business, it’s a whole other ball game. Chaps just don’t do this. Chaps have to make a quid, after all. and you’ll never know when one chap might need a job, or a favour, from another chap. Best to let things lie, allow Mums and Dads to get ripped off, fine the Bank chaps a pittance, and then have a laugh about it over lunch at the Rockpool afterwards.
Chaps understand these things. You have to keep up appearances, after all.
I remember when That bloke…that ex-banker was in charge..(can’t quite recall his name..Campbell, was it?), talking of rather than using the heavy hand of the law, he would rather go and “have a little chat with the fellows”…Talk about “The Old School tie!!”
The continuing blind faith that Turnbull will pull a rabbit out of his top hat lingers on like the microwave afterglow from the Big Bang. It’s everywhere.
You find it in all the predictable places: Fairfax, the ABC, the odd Eastern Suburbsite.
Malcolm was glorious and popular once. He can be glorious and popular again. It’s just a matter of waiting (Annabel Crabbe’s preferred option… she’s cross that we haven’t given Malcolm enough time). Just youse wait. There IS a Master Plan. Malcolm has been teasing us, wrenching us from one emotional high to the pit of despair, then back up again to the mountain top. It’s a “softening-up” process to get us agile and flexible enough for the Great Excellence when it comes. The true Turnbull Magnificence is yet to be revealed.
Bill Shorten cannot win. Therefore only Malcolm Turnbull CAN win. Its really as simple as that. Don’t worry about the 2PP polling. Look at the Charisma! Regard the Likeability!
When you see things their way, it’s a no-brainer.
Turnbull is about as likeable as that redback in the Woolies broccoli.
The senate certainly was busy last night.
Have a look at the record to see just how much was achieved.
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/chamber/journals/a86894bf-cbd4-4e70-bfd8-59ba83555758/toc_pdf/sen-jn.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf
As well as getting that inquiry into donations in NSW (Come on down Uncle Arfur) the senate also demanded all documents relating to the activities of Broadspectrum (formerly Transfield) and Wilson Security on Nauru and Manus Island be on the desk of ‘the Minister representing the Prime Minister’ by 9.30 am tomorrow. But wait, there’s more
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/apr/20/coalition-strengthens-corporate-regulator-to-head-off-calls-for-a-banking-royal-commission-politics-live
A long list of old bills were restored to the notice paper.
And the senate decided only the Budget Estimates Committee will have to turn up for work on 5 May, everyone else can have the day off. That should put a hole in Waffles’ plans to have the supply part of the budget passed by 11 May.
Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party is a one-issue party. His policy seems to be based on his own numerous convictions and gaol sentences. His main concern is paedophiles. He wants a national register.
Which is all a bit odd, considering Hinch himself was once a bit of a paedophile. He admits to having sex with a fifteen year old girl, back in his thirties. She was a ‘lingerie model’ he met at a party at Molly Meldrum’s home. His excuse was he thought she was 25. Later he claimed the woman had contacted him and told him she was 17 or 18 at the time of the ‘relationship’. Some might believe that.
Will he be appearing on his own register?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derryn_Hinch
http://phorums.com.au/archive/index.php/t-100980.html
A new $30 million ad campaign aimed at addressing domestic violence, but still no money to replace all the funding taken away from on-the-ground services by Abbott, let alone provide the extra funding this sector desperately needs. The $100 million Waffles threw around last year did not replace even half the $300 million that was taken away.
http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/item/5226-rosie-batty-calls-on-tony-abbott-to-reverse-cuts-to-domestic-violence-services
Why don’t we refer to ‘domestic abuse’? Not all abuse is violent, domestic abuse takes many forms.
Why give ASIC more money when it’s already perfect?
Waffles has been well and truly snookered by Bank Bill.
Of course, as BB and others have said, the money will make no difference to the Old Boys except, perhaps, for more expensive Chap Chats over some fine dining.
The financing arrangements for ASIC just announced by Morrison seem to say that it’s only the banks who are going to be under the purview of ASIC. If not, why won’t the likes of AMP and all the other financial planning outfits going to to be hit up for a levy?
Looking forward to a “forward-leaning ASIC”.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/apr/20/coalition-strengthens-corporate-regulator-to-head-off-calls-for-a-banking-royal-commission-politics-live
Better a leaner than a lifter, eh?
Lean too far forward and you fall flat on your face ……
Snot’s quals for treasurer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Morrison_(politician)
And for his work on the ‘So where the bloody hell are you’ campaign he was sacked.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/25/1153816182544.html
Morrison didn’t exactly cover himself with glory in New Zealand either.
Lots of interesting stuff on Morrison here that you definitely won’t find in Wikipedia, and lots of lovely links to even more dirt.
The Public Life of Scott Morrison
https://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/the-public-life-of-scott-morrison/
I don’t want them supportive: I want them kicking and screaming.
The whole nation is now on hold, waiting on Malcolm Turnbull to decide when is the best time for HIM to go to an election.
Parliament is reduced to the equivalent of listlessly playing solitaire on a PC screen, the economy is stagnant, and instead we are treated to an unbecoming display of Turnbull wandering around in a hard-hat with a grimacing Michaelia Cash standing behind him, nodding and fawning. The place is slowly grinding to a halt. Exciting times indeed.
We have 10 weeks of frustration before we can cast a vote. During that time we will see Turnbull’s popularity plummet and the Coalition’s vote reduced to where it should be after three years of doing eff-all. We will witness the Fairfax fanboiz and girlz lament at what might have been (I wonder when they’ll give up the Turnbull Inevitability, and taken on the Shorten Sure Thing?).
Annabel Crabbe complains that the Australian people are just too impatient regarding Turnbull. This implies that she is prepared to forgive the Coalition for their first two years of chaos, farce and inactivity (unless you call just being in office “activity”). Well, sorry Annabel: the Australian people voted this mob in to DO SOMETHING, and they bloody-well didn’t do it. Except they broke almost every single promise they made, and only kept the ones that – with today’s climate news (hint: we’re already there, Climate Change has already happened, records are being broken everywhere you look, worldwide), and the farce of the broken NBN – make Australia not only a laughing stock, but close to a pariah in the congress of nations.
Instead we’ve had it decided for us that reining in the CFMEU via a Star Chamber ABCC will be the solution to all our problems. That, and allowing truckies to continue cutting their own financial throats in the pursuit of their dream. There is also something in the air about a Superannuation crack down in the Budget, as if it matters. Labor will most likely cheerfully match Turnbull’s offer, or (better still) meet it 3/4 of the way along and tell everyone that going the whole Malcolm Hog would be too disruptive. It only means collecting more revenue, to go some of the way to supplanting the billions lost by the excision of the Carbon Tax.
Kick this mob out. Kick them out comprehensively and conclusively. Teach them the lesson that Being Malcolm Turnbull will never be enough justification to be leader of a nation. Teach them the lesson they should have learned in 2007: that to be a proper government, you have to do your penance; that no one his a right to be in power forever, or even for a day, if they can’t organize themselves, and if they go against everything they preach in public when it comes to feathering their own nests they deserve everything bad that comes their way.
U.S. Primary held today: Clinton and Trump have scored easy wins in New York
The banks will pay over $120 million to strengthen ASIC – and of course they will put up fees, charges and probably interest rates to claw that back from us mug taxpayers. Scrott says he will be ‘furious’ if that happens, but he’s not going to do anything to stop it happening.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/apr/20/coalition-strengthens-corporate-regulator-to-head-off-calls-for-a-banking-royal-commission-politics-live#comments
I heard O’Dwyer say similar words.
Remember this?
Low-income earners hit hardest by Abbott super changes
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/lowincome-earners-hit-hardest-by-abbott-super-changes-20140903-10by18.html#ixzz46KSjk9pI
Turnbull’s leaked superannuation policies include this –
http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2016/04/20/turnbull-superannuation-overhaul-plan-exposed.html#sthash.y9220hRP.dpuf
So he’s going to put back some of the Abbott cuts, or promise to, but after the election who knows what will happen if the bastard gets another term.
I see a theme developing over the last few days. Turnbull is reversing Abbott/Hockey cuts, but not fully reversing them, and he is copying Labor policies, but in a half-hearted way. There’s nothing new. No new thinking, no big ideas, just pea and thimble tricks with old funding cuts. Anyone falling for this rubbish is a goose.
Meet the voters
These are white as snow and innocent.
Came home to find everyone at The Pub are all fired up and roaring to go. Excellent comments from everyone today, well every day, but today seems to be even more excellent.
I wonder if the CMEFU or some kind sole is going to dob in MT, Cash and hanger ons to OHS after going past a hard sign when they were at Grocon construction site. They were on the construction site with no hiviz jackets, no steel cap boots and no hard hats. Could be embarrassing.
The first sentence of BB’s post just there goes to something I should have trouble getting my head around.
The entire electoral year is being framed around maximising the chances of a Turnbull re election. It’s obvious. To anyone who bothers to look. And it’s just not mentioned. At all.
Crikey, and Katharine, have picked up on the no requirement to have public servants in ASIC.
So let’s not mention the gigantic conflict of interest created by outsourcing ASIC to the banks ………
Van Badham
✔
@vanbadham
.@MarkDiStef We counted all the trucks that came to support Turnbull yesterday.
There were a total of 32.#RSRT #saferates #auspol
2:17 PM – 19 Apr 2016 · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
LOL! According to today’s Courier Mail, there was 200 trucks there.
Yeah! I know! Murdoch owns it. 😉
Bernard Keane has summed up Day 1 of the campaign very nicely.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2016/04/20/election-day-1-disaster-inexplicably-unprepared-turnbull/
My goodness, isn’t Bernard having a go!
BK
Labor should win in a landslide but with an electorate that voted in the Abbott Govt, I’m not so
confident. How are the prospects looking for Labor in SA? How big a factor will Team X play in
HoR seats there?
I have met some ex LNP. ,then switched to PUP. and now intend to go for Mr. X…it seems these coountry folk, lacking a Nats’ party in SA. will vote anything but Labor…They still think a vote for ALP. is a vote for communism!
Lapdog central
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/apr/20/coalition-strengthens-corporate-regulator-to-head-off-calls-for-a-banking-royal-commission-politics-live#comment-72700680
Cringe!
Sydney Airport refuses Labor billboard attacking corporate tax dodgers
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/sydney-airport-refuses-labor-billboard-attacking-corporate-tax-dodgers-20150415-1mll9j.html#ixzz46KrxBgM5
Definite candidates for first against the wall.
Max the Axe is still on the job!
Another cunning stunt –
Scott Morrison delays foreign sale of S Kidman & Co until after election
Treasurer will consider if Australian bids had every chance to buy company, set to be majority Chinese-owned
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/20/scott-morrison-delays-foreign-sale-of-s-kidman-co-until-after-election
Just wait for “What would you do, Mr Shorten?”
So now we’re doing subs announcements.
I thought those little things that float were the big item. You know, the ones they were on about on Monday?
This is big news.
Blood test to detect Parkinson’s disease could lead to earlier treatment
Australian researchers hope discovery can be used to diagnose disorder – now done through process of elimination
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/20/blood-test-to-detect-parkinsons-disease-could-lead-to-earlier-treatment
It also ties in with the Abbott/Turnbull government decision to make us all pay for blood tests. This is very stupid and very short-sighted. Early diagnosis is the key to preventing serious health problems. Tanya Plibersek has been on about it today.
I can’t say I ‘love’ Shorten, but the rest is so apt.
Embrasse-moi.
Sorry no translation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECJWMewJFW4
Fact Check zombie: Julie Bishop’s record debt and deficit claim wrong again
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-20/julie-bishop-zombie-wrong-debt-and-deficit/7338956
Now for some fact-checking on Turnbull’s lies about 100 CFMEU members being before the courts, and just about everything that Michaelia Cash says
The depth and breath of the falsehoods and outright lying that this mob of LNP. bastards will go to is certainly unprecedented. I cannot recall a political collective that was in more need of cleansing from office…surely only an insane or most vicious person could even come to vote this mob back in?
It is extraordinary, jaycee. Even harmless tossers like Truss and Robb were quite happy to repeat the lies about debt and deficit reaching Greece-like levels. While they were just echoing Abbott Hockey porkies, even they wouldn’t have been dumb enough to believe them.
It troubled me at the time that these deliberate attempts to undermine public confidence did not lead to a bank run or worse. In an odd part of cognitive dissonance, the public never seriously believed this dangerous bullshit while also half-accepting the coalition-News Ltd lies that we were being ruled by economic incompetents.
In truth the key ministers Gillard, Swan, Wong, Emerson, Plibersek, Combet, Roxon, Smith and Shorten were a gulf ahead of any of the current ministry.
It doesn’t instill confidence in the voting public , D….
gigi
I understand just enough words to get the lyrics.
But there’s no doubt about the sentiment.
gigi
Wiki says “He has been dubbed France’s Frank Sinatra”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Aznavour
That’s about as direct an insult as I’ve ever sean.
I don’t see it as an insult as I like them equally. They are different though. Both were very talented. Aznavour was a poet, A great sentimental singer and writer. Frankie’s songs were more jazzy. He was also a fine actor.
I’m going Irish (again it seems this arvo).
No need to be sheepish, C.
jaycee
No doubt I grabbed one to crawl out of the bog.
Further to my comments on the Ricky Muir article this morning, there’s this:
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/20/derryn-hinch-to-beat-ricky-muir-to-senate-seat-not-likely-say-analysts
Most seem to think Druery is talking rubbish. They also think neither Hinch nor Muir will win that 12th spot.
In similar territory: I’ve been reading about, and the opinion of of most poll-watchers is that the Coalition are in an election-winning position, despite polls being where they are right now. They base this on two things:
1. Historically, incumbent parties (especially RW incumbents) tend to have a swing toward them in election campaigns. They feel the ALP would need to be at least 52-48 across the board in order to be hopeful of winning from here.
2. They expect preference flows to be a little better for the Coalition this time in comparison to 2013.
My opinion on that is that a lot of election speculation these days has gone astray through citing precedents. The landscape has changed markedly over the past decade. Social media has changed the way we all perceive politics, even those who don’t bother with social media. News outlets are finding they can’t just fall in behind spurious Liberal claims the way they used to without drawing a lot of scepticism, so they have to be more circumspect in the way they present information. It’s resulted in some sections of the media becoming more rabid (and commensurately less trustworthy) and others getting a bit schizophrenic as they scramble to get on top of public sentiment – sentiment which tends these days to head in ways the political media can’t predict.
What that means is that, more and more as time goes on, trends are trends. If the polls start slipping, they don’t just ‘right’ themselves naturally with a bit of media massage, they tend to gain momentum as the public gets behind them.
Political journalists at the moment seem to be thinking both that Turnbull has been cornered, outwitted and flummoxed AND that he’ll be right, he’ll sort it all out before the election. But this isn’t like Howard turning the tables on Latham in 2004, there’s no “who do you trust” moment ahead of us. Because the public were already wary of Abbott, Abbott did nothing to allay those concerns, and Turnbull has delivered disappointment upon disappointment throughout his PM-ship. He has no store of trustworthiness to fall back on, he’s gambled all of that away already. And there are no ‘achievements’ he can parade before the electorate either. What on earth is he going to talk about?
I just don’t think that fabled swing back is going to happen. it didn’t happen in the Victorian or Queensland state elections, and there’s no reason to think it’ll happen here either.
Kevin Bonham did a good piece today. It pretty much went along with the conventional wisdom. Currently he gives it to the coalition on a likely 77 seats to ALP 69 by aggregating and averaging the current polls.
His information, I think, is based on uniform swings. It’s led to a few odd results as I’d see it like Eden-Monaro, Dobell and Page staying with LNP (just) at present. I’d see them as very good ALP prospects based on some local conditions regardless of the general swing.
He does make the important qualifier that it is much too far out to predict a 2 July outcome. I think that is important because the momentum and the swing is gradually with Labor, as disillusion with Turnbull sets in. I’d expect it, like Leone says, to be at least 52 ALP before election day.
http://kevinbonham.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/poll-roundup-and-seat-betting-watch_20.html?spref=tw
Aguirre,
I support most of your analysis. The point I would add is that the L-NP have proved remarkably inept at managing the message. I expected their hopelessness on policy – not just that they would attempt things which I didn’t like – but because of Howard’s success in sounding persuasive even when doing 180 degree turns, I imagined that the controllers would still be able to make even Abbott, and certainly Turnbull, sound plausible.
This leads me to conclude that they have little prospect of reversing the trend, because it’s about the voting public gradually waking up to their incompetence at even simulating an effective Government. Where their true colours appear, as in squibbing proper action against the banks, they are spectacularly unpopular.
My slight hesitation is that we (Pub patrons and social media collectives) are talking to each other, and that is a reinforcing circle of optimism. Yet on balance, I just see the MSM unable to see through their perception of Malcolm’s genius, and so the only reason that the election still seems in the balance is some residual sense that the Government can’t be as hopeless as they evidently are.
“They feel the ALP would need to be at least 52-48 across the board in order to be hopeful of winning from here.”
The ALP is already at 51/49 in a couple of polls and we won’t be into an election campaign for three weeks, maybe more if Mal’s senate plans don’t work out
.
By the time Mal gets around to visiting the GG and setting an election date the ALP will be at that figure, and will probably have exceeded it, given the way the polls have been changing over the last few weeks.