The week’s Essential finds Labor copping a forceful backlash from the carbon tax, with the two-party vote flipping from 51-49 in favour of Labor to 52-48 in favour of the Coalition, writes William Bowe.
Coalition
Broken promises and price rises
Welcome back to the politics of climate change, Australian style, which wrecks leaderships, sunders parties and induces bizarre alliances as a matter of course.
Morgan: 53-47 to Coalition phone poll; 51-49 to Labor face-to-face
Roy Morgan has published two sets of poll results, one a face-to-face poll combining a fortnight’s worth of its regular weekend polling, the other a small sample phone poll targeting 519 respondents, writes William Bowe.
NSW Libs: this century’s most soporific election launch
Tony Abbott summed up the state Liberal campaign in a sentence; Barry O’Farrell, the King of the small targets, will Get Things Done.
Essential: Labor only facing disaster, not apocalypse, in NSW
Labor’s vote is worsening in NSW, according to Essential Research’s new poll, although it’s only facing a shattering defeat, not the annihilation suggested by other polls.
Menzies House withdraws attack on Hockey by “senior Coalition staffer”
Conservative thinktank Menzies House has withdrawn a swingeing attack on Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey by a “senior Coalition staffer” that was published on its website last night.
How shit happened for Tony Abbott
Seven had given Abbott’s office two-and-a-half hours notice of the story’s angle, including the “shit happens” remark in relation to the death of Australian soldier Jared MacKinney, and Abbott’s office had agreed to the interview.
Crikey Says: Crikey says: once more, with feeling
“What we really want to see in our leaders is sincerity and conviction. We want to be able to trust them.”
Miners big on donations, but not on disclosure
Several companies and individuals have been identified in Liberal and Labor documents as making donations, but were not recorded on the AEC website as having made any returns, as they’re required to do.
Mayne on donations: Vic Libs still richest political division in the country
The Victorian Liberals clearly remain the richest political division in the country. No one else can claim to own $50 million worth of shares.
My School, your ABC, whose opinion?
An apparently obvious headline on ABC online earlier this week read “UK study backs websites like My School.” How odd, then, that the story focused on the Coalition’s criticism of the My School project, writes Dave Gaukroger.
Essential: Coalition extends lead, and on whom do we rely for news?
The Coalition has extended its 2PP lead in the latest Essential Report poll. And we don’t trust blogs when it comes to news — or newspapers.
‘Bizarre’ and ‘unworkable’ — Morrison’s plan for asylum seekers
Opposition immigration spokesperson Scott Morrison’s plan to send Afghan asylum seekers — who arrive in boats — back to camps in countries such as Pakistan and Iran is doomed to fail, say asylum seeker advocates.
Essential: 51-49 to Coalition
The latest Essential poll has the Coalition maintaining its 51-49 lead for a third week running, down a point on the primary vote to 44 per cent with Labor steady on 38 and the Greens up one to 11, writes William Bowe.
Victorians heed the NSW and Qld experience, reject a fourth-term govt
Rather than let the rot set in as it did in NSW and Queensland, Victorian voters have opted for a continuation of the same sort of government under new leadership.
So, what does the Coalition stand for?
All the focus has been on what Labor stands for. Yesterday it looked a lot like it was the Coalition that was adrift and lacking policy.
Herald Sun caught trying to entrap Victorian MPs
The Herald Sun has been caught red-handed trying to entrap Victorian MPs in an unethical and possibly illegal sting operation just days before the state election.
Rundle: Planet Janet accidentally gets to the heart of political change
This week’s contribution from Janet Albrechtsen is a way into the heart of political change in Australia, albeit in ways she couldn’t possibly understand.
Country Alliance and Labor strike up an unlikely friendship
Hunting and fishing aficionados the Country Alliance will preference the Labor Party in 10 lower house seats in exchange for Labor preferences in the upper house regions of Northern and Eastern Victoria.
The Greens are here to stay
For thirty years our politics has focused on economic management and reform. But voters appear to want something more, and they’re not getting it from the major parties.
Benson: Hockey is arguing like Labor a decade ago
Joe Hockey might not have perfectly articulated his attack on the banks last week, but Labor has no reason not to agree with him. Nearly ten years ago Stephen Conroy and Wayne Swan were arguing for the same thing - but more so, writes Simon Bensen.
McGorry: doesn’t the Left care about mental health?
The ALP and Greens created barriers where there were none and as a result found themselves this week voting against providing services that they genuinely believe are vital to our young people., writes Professor Patrick McGorry, the Australian of the Year.
Newspoll: 52-48 to Coalition
The latest Newspoll has the Coalition opening a 52-48 lead, with Labor’s primary vote down to a new low of 33 percent. There is speculation the fall has been driven by the Murray-Darling Basin report, writes William Bowe.
Did Turnbull stay on because Howard urged him to?
Since 2007 John Howard has largely disappeared from the media spotlight, but revelations that he urged Malcolm Turnbull to reconsider his decision to retire in April provides further evidence that the former PM continues to play a significant role in Liberal party politics.
Climate committee is better without the Coalition
The Climate Committee announced by the Government yesterday will benefit from the absence of a disruptive and untrustworthy Opposition.
