First Newspoll of 2019 doesn't end Morrison Government's losing streak

SBS News, 29 January 2018:

The coalition's primary vote has risen in the first Newspoll of 2019, but Labor remains in front.

Support for Scott Morrison's government increased by two points, according the poll published by The Australian on Monday night.

The Newspoll shows Labor ahead in the two-party preferred vote 53-47.

The poll was conducted between January 24-27 and based on a survey of 1634 voters across Australia.

Graphics on Twitter, 29 January 2019

Scott Morrison remains preferred prime minister at 43 to Shorten’s 36 per cent in this latest Newspoll.

The last time the Coalition were ahead on a Newspoll Two Party Preferred (TPP) basis was on 2 July 2016 when the Turnbull Government stood at 50.5 per cent on the day of the 2016 federal election.

That represents a 30 month long losing streak for the Liberal-Nationals Coalition to date.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/newspoll

While the Coalition's easy dominance of the Newspoll Primary Vote had ended within five months of the last federal election and disappeared completely by 26 August 2018.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/newspoll

Tweet of the Week

It's all about power #InsidersExtra #Insiders @barriecassidy #auspol pic.twitter.com/eW2BhoKJHM

— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) August 31, 2018

What voters think of the main political parties in Australia

ABC News, 30 August 2018:

When asked by Essential to say which common statements fit the two major parties, the Liberals outranked Labor on almost every negative statement and were behind Labor on every positive statement…..

What voters think of the Liberals and Labor

Divided

Liberal

79%

Labor

46%

Too close to the big corporate and financial interests

Liberal

67%

Labor

36%

Out of touch with ordinary people

Liberal

69%

Labor

51%

Looks after the interests of working people

Liberal

32%

Labor

55%

Clear about what they stand for

Liberal

33%

Labor

47%

Has a good team of leaders

Liberal

31%

Labor

39%

Understands the problems facing Australia

Liberal

40%

Labor

48%

Have a vision for the future

Liberal

43%

Labor

48%

Extreme

Liberal

40%

Labor

36%

Trustworthy

Liberal

30%

Labor

34%

Have good policies

Liberal

40%

Labor

43%

Will promise to do anything to win votes

Liberal

68%

Labor

70%

Moderate

Liberal

48%

Labor

50%

Keeps its promises

Liberal

28%

Labor

30%

The survey was conducted online from 24th to 26th August 2018 and is based on 1,035 respondents.

Source: Essential Media  Get the data

Essential Report, 28 August 2018:

Political Cartoons of the Week

Cathy Wilcox

Marc Murphy

Fiona Katauskas

Quote of the Week

“This country would throw itself in the sea if it wasn't already girt by it.”  [Freelance journalist Andrew Stafford’s 17 August 2018 tweeted response to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s removal of a climate change target from the National Energy Guarantee,

"sitting on the lap of the member for Warringah [Abbott] like a really scary wooden puppet come to life. With the hand of the member for Warringah up his... back. Like Chucky."  [Labor MP for Sydney & Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tanya Plibersek on the subject of Liberal MP for Dickson Peter Dutton, Twitter,  21 August 2018]

Is Philip Gaetjens the consummate public servant or in 2018 has he devolved into a right-wing ideological warrior?

On 31 July 2018 Philip Gaetjens will become Secretary to the Australian Treasury reporting to the Australian Treasurer.

Now from 2011 to 2015 he was head of the NSW Treasury under a Baird Coalition Government and before that did a stint at the SA Treasury in 1995 to 1997 spanning the terms of two Liberal premiers, so he will bring some experience to the position.

However, he has also been both chief of staff to former federal treasurer and Liberal MP Peter Costello during the Howard Coalition Government and chief of staff to current federal treasurer and Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison in the Turnbull Coalition Government.

There is a question this curriculum vitae raises – “Is Philip Gaetjens the consummate public servant or in 2018 has he devolved into a right-wing ideological warrior?”

Will treasury advice still be seen as authoritative during his tenure?

With Treasury already gaining a reputation as an enabler of Scott Morrison’s worst partisan public pronouncements in election years will Gaetjens make the situation even more difficult for ordinary voters trying to decipher truth in the midst of relentless political spin?

In August Gaetjens will be joined in Treasury by Liberal Senator and Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann's chief of staff Simon Atkinson as Deputy Secretary of the Fiscal Group.

Meme of the Week

via Twitter

Quote of the Week

“The media’s main concern is to sell us politics as entertainment – “Oh, the pollies had a terrible set-to this week; the side that’s ahead the polls had a bad week, while the losers had a good one, it’s getting sooo exciting” – not to hold politicians to account when they make wrong or dubious claims. The media’s main concern is to sell us politics as entertainment – “Oh, the pollies had a terrible set-to this week; the side that’s ahead the polls had a bad week, while the losers had a good one, it’s getting sooo exciting” – not to hold politicians to account when they make wrong or dubious claims.”  [SMH economics editor Ross Gittens, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 July 2018]

Life After Politics: where are they now?

Before Nicola Roxon’s resignation as attorney-general for family reasons in 2013, there were a record eight women in the Gillard Government ministry and five in the cabinet.

L–R: Penny Wong, Tanya Plibersek, Jenny Macklin, Julia Gillard, Kate Lundy, Kate Ellis, Julie Collins. 

© Tim Bauer

So what are they doing now?

THE FEMALE CABINET MEMBERS

Former Australian Prime Minister, Hon. Julia Eileen Gillard AC

Honorary Professor University of Adelaide, guest lecturer in Department of History and Politics

Chair, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, King’s College London

Board Chair, Global Partnership for Education

Distinguished Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Center for Universal Education

Chair of beyondblue

Patron of Camfed, the Campaign for Female Education.

Patron the Layne Beachley Foundation

Former Minister for Sport and Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Hon. Kate Alexandra Lundy

Director, NRMA Group

Director, Electro Optic Systems Holdings Pty Limited

Director, Australian Grand Prix

Director, Australian Sports Technology Network

ACT Defence Industry Advocate 

Consultant, Technology Innovation Partners Pty Ltd

Former Australian Attorney-General, Hon. Nicola Louise Roxon

Now a professional company director.

Incoming chair of healthcare services provider Bupa Australia and New Zealand.

Roxon’s boards range from the Accounting and Ethical and Professional Standards Board (APESB) and Cancer Council Australia to ASX-listed Dexus Funds Management, and Lifestyle Communities, an affordable housing provider.

Patron of the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library, Perth.

Those that stayed on in the parliament…..

Former Minister for Employment Participation and Minister for Early Childhood, Childcare and Youth, Hon. Katherine Margaret “Kate” Ellis

Still the Federal Labor MP for Adelaide - now a backbench.

Leaving politics at next election to raise her young children.

Former Minister for Community Services, Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development , Minister for the Status of Women and Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Hon. Julie Collins MP

Still the Federal Labor MP for Franklin.

Currently Shadow Minister for Ageing and Mental Health.

Former Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Minister for Disability Reform , Hon. Jenny Macklin MP

Still the Federal Labor Member for JagaJaga – now on the back bench/

Committee member Joint Standing Committee: National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Former Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Hon. Penelope Ying-Yen “Penny” Wong, Senator

Still in the Senate.

Currently Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs

Former Minister for Health and Medical Research, Hon. Tanya Joan Plibersek MP

Still the Federal Labor MP for Sydney.

Currently Shadow Minister for Women and Shadow Minister for Education and Training. 

Liberals, Nationals and Labor all agree they would rather chill political activism to the point of hypothermia

At both state and federal level Australian citizens are finding their right o speak truth to power is being seriously eroded.

This is just the lastest move.....

Bills passed by the Australian Parliament 28 June 2018:

National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage And Foreign Interference) Bill 2017

Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Bill 2018

The Guardian, 26 June 2018:

The espionage bill could criminalise protests and communication of opinions harmful to the Australian government, representing a threat to the limited protections on freedom of speech, according to legal advice produced for the activist group GetUp.

The advice comes after deals between the Coalition and Labor on the espionage bill and the foreign transparency register…..

Although the shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has rejected GetUp’s claims that peaceful protests could be criminalised, his view has been contradicted by both the founder of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, Kate Eastman SC, and the advice for GetUp by Wentworth Selborne chambers.

The advice to GetUp said that sabotage offences could cover “a wide range of protest activity” because the “damage to public infrastructure” element includes merely limiting or preventing access to it.

“For example, a person who intentionally blockaded the entry to a coalmine ... with the ultimate intention of ending the sale of coal by Australia to another country ... could be charged with an offence of this kind,” it said.

The advice suggested the significant penalties of up to 20 years prison “is likely to have a chilling effect on protest activity” such as blockading a farm to stop the sale of live animals to another country.

The advice to GetUp suggests that espionage offences in the Coalition bill may breach the implied freedom of political communication because of broad definitions in offences that criminalise dealing with information that may harm national security.

It warned that the definition of harm to national security did not distinguish between harm to Australia and to its government, meaning “espionage offences [appear] broad enough to capture reputational damage and loss of confidence in an Australian government.”

The bill could criminalise publication of information, including opinions or reports of conversations, to international organisations “which may pose little or no threat to Australia’s national security or sovereignty,” it said.

That could include information and opinions about food security, energy security, climate security, economic conditions, migration and refugee policies because these may affect Australia’s “political, military or economic relations with another country”.

Eastman told Guardian Australia those concepts “could cover almost anything” that embarrasses Australia in the eyes of another country.

Eastman cited examples of reporting that Australia spied on the Indonesian president and his wife, spied on Timor L’Este, criticism of Australia’s human rights record connected to its role on the United Nations Human Rights Council, or its treatment of foreign investment and major projects such as the Adani Carmichael coalmine.

Even dealing with the “substance, effect or description” of certain information is banned, a further bar to reporting.

How the media sees denizens of Parliament Drive, Canberra

One Nation’s lifetime president summed up in ten sentences

The Saturday Paper Editorial excerpt, 2 June 2018:

Despite what she says, Hanson is a politician. She’s just not a very good one. Burston’s defection is the end of her balance of power in this senate. The relief at this is great.

To see One Nation break apart again is to be reminded of the brokenness of racism. Hers is a dried-out vision of Australia, mean and unimaginative. It is a pleasure to see it fail. It is like watching a dirt clod give in to rain.

Hers is a country of racist privilege, of conspiracy theories and clapped-out ideology. It is a godsend to see it founder.

Hanson arrived in this parliament with a party of Brits and car thieves. Scandal has claimed member after member. Those who are left, she cannot hold together. And it is good.

Barnaby Joyce’s death is announced

The Australian via outline.com, 1 June 2018:

The implosion of Barnaby Joyce — personally and professionally — in and of itself risks bringing down the Turnbull government. In fact, it puts the political potency of the Coalition at risk well beyond the Turnbull era.

The man once described by former prime minister Tony Abbott as Australia’s best retail politician has become a dead weight around the necks of his Liberal and Nationals colleagues.

The way Joyce has conducted himself generally, the contradictions in his calls for privacy versus selling his story to the highest bidder and some of the specifics (for example, blaming his partner for taking the cash or earlier suggesting the child might not even be his) have put Joyce’s retail days behind him. We’re not supposed to talk about this now that he’s on personal leave but not dwelling on it is perhaps the more realistic refrain.

There is no coming back politically from the way Joyce’s soap opera has played out in public. Anyone in the Nationals hoping for a return of the man who helped the party retain all its seats at the 2016 election, even picking one up from the Liberals, and saving the Turnbull government in the process are kidding themselves. Not now, not ever.

If the best interests of the Nationals are the only thing to consider, Joyce will quietly announce his intention not to contest the next election. He may yet do that. Let’s hope it doesn’t involve another paid interview.

Michaelia the Screecher in a nut shell

The Canberra Times, 1 June 2018:

The Liberal Party's loudest voice speaking up in defence of all the wrong things, while taking zero responsibility for what happens in her office. Who could possibly forget the way she dragged the Leader of the Opposition's female staffers through the sleaze earlier this year? Now she's been subpoenaed to appear before the Federal Court, which is examining last year's raids on the Australian Workers' Union. She's been moaning that it's all a union plot while appearing to forget the Federal Court doesn't get bullied into doing anything.

Liberal MP for almost 17 years and Federal Minister for over 4 years, Greg Hunt, reveals skills acquired as former Captain of Australian Universities Debating Team

Brisbane Times, 31 May 2018:

“He relocated his chair, pointing towards me and said 'you need to f***ing get over it, you need to f***ing make Senator Scullion your best friend'," Alderman Miller told ABC TV.