A big day in the High Court today, with two decisions set to cause waves. Both are potentially politically unpalatable decisions for Prime Minister Julia Gillard and South Australian Premier Mike Rann.
Mike Rann
Crikey Says: Abbott’s judiciary thought bubble
Lance Armstrong: ‘dancing on the pedals*’ all the way to the bank — again
Over the years the speculation over how much Lance Armstrong has been paid for each visit to ride here varies between $1.5 million and $3 million … but the SA government is being shy about saying.
Mungo MacCallum: Health debate shows up unfinished job of federation
The Great Health and Hospitals War has been a pretty unedifying affair. But it has had one useful outcome: even the staunchest conservatives are now having second thoughts on reserving so much power for the states.
The Barnaby conundrum
Barnaby Joyce tells it like it is. Except when he can’t remember his billions and millions. But he’s great with the media. Apart from when he’s embarrassing. Dumping Joyce was a good move by Abbott. But why was he there in the first place?
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Less than 50 ain’t a fail
Crikey readers weigh in on Mike Rann’s personal approval rating, Guy Rundle’s fact checking and whether Nick Minchin is retiring due to family reasons or cash.
The spin continues into SA Labor’s new term
Premier Mike Rann’s personal approval rating is now below 50%, and everyone who’s sat an exam knows bitterly that less than half marks is a fail, writes Hendrik Gout.
Crikey Says: Time to get SA out of smarm’s way
Yesterday, Mike Rann described his government’s likely narrow election win as “the sweetest victory of all.” Um, really?
Don’t underestimate how screwed-up SA Labor is
The swing against Labor in SA may have been smaller than in Tasmania, but the latter was just the rotting corpse of the “old” ALP further decomposing. More troubling for Rudd is how weak the “new” ALP has proven in SA, says The Piping Shrike.
SA election: skew not skewered
The SA election had something you don’t see very often in Australian elections: a major skew in the swing. The safer the government seat, the larger the swing against the government. Possum Comitatus has the numbers.
How Hawker pulled it off in SA
Peter van Onselen has a blow-by-blow account of how ALP strategist Bruce Hawker engineered Mike Rann’s unlikely victory in SA. And if that’s what he did for an unpopular leader, think about what he can do for Rudd.
SA election a vote on hubris, trust, crushed cars and friends with yachts
The single most memorable image of the South Australian campaign, the one that sums it all up? Mike Rann and his Attorney-General, the certifiably wonderful Michael Atkinson, standing on top of a crushed car, writes Hendrik Gout.
Poll Bludger: SA Labor holding on by skin of their teeth
However, the trend to the Liberals which began when Isobel Redmond became leader last July has continued to gather pace, to the extent that Labor now hopes for little more than to hang on as a minority government.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: The patron saints of Parliament
Crikey readers suggest their choices for patron saints of Parliament. Will it be St Anthony of Egypt, Blessed Julia of Gillard or Saint Barnaby of Joyce?
SA election preview: a hot day in Adelaide, and Rann is feeling the heat
A year ago, they were cruising in the political equivalent of air-conditioned comfort. Now, Mike Rann and Labor hope for nothing more than to hang on, writes Michael Jacobs from Adelaide.
Political snippets: Why the hang up on hung parliaments?
The Labor Party has effectively been in a minority whenever it has been in government. Plus, Mike Rann to scramble home as the underdog, Crikey election indicators and other political snippets.
Grattan: Yes we can’t compare state and federal elections, but we will anyway
The soon-to-be-held Tassie and SA elections will have major implications for the upcoming federal election. Like, how will it impact Rudd’s negotiations with the states over hospitals? asks Michelle Grattan
Inside SA Labor’s last supper
Michael Owen reports on the somber and pessimistic mood of ALP politicians at the big media and pollie schmooze at the V8 Clipsal motor race as they digest the idea of a hung parliament.
Penberthy: How SA got its groove back (but Rann lost his)
South Australia is booming, says David Penberthy: property prices are up, the resource industry is going strong and there are more cultural festivals than you can poke a stick at. Yet Mike Rann has still managed to bugger it up.
Crikey Says: Nepotism may come back to bite Brumby on the bum
Sometimes, as South Australian Premier Mike Rann is discovering to his great dismay, it’s the nasty little personal matters that create the biggest negative impact.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Rudd & Abbott should be more like Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Crikey readers weigh in on the visit from Indonesia’s president, clarifying yesterday’s tips about the NSW public service changes and the attempt by journos to discredit Mike Rann.
SA: raining votes but trust looks like an also-Rann
Water is one of the big issues in SA and every little nuance, even a raindrop, is calculated by each party in electoral terms. This is especially true because yesterday’s Newspoll puts both sides neck and neck, writes Hendrik Gout.
Revealed! The most dangerous man in South Australia
Michelle Chantelois’ ex-partner tells of the day he went after the SA Premier with a rolled up magazine: “the injury to his face was because I missed.”
Rann’s approval takes a caning as Libs firm in SA election market
As the South Australian election campaign enters its final fortnight, a complacent betting market continues to rate the Liberals a $3.60 long shot — but that should change following today’s Newspoll.
Newspoll: Bad news for SA ALP — worse for Rann
The latest Newspoll results in South Australia — a 50-50 TPP — shows voters are growing tired of Rann, and the fresh face of Isobel Redmond is starting to look very appealing in comparison, writes David Nason.
A dead heat in SA
With less than a fortnight until election day, Newspoll has released a poll of South Australian state voting intention: a two-party preferred of 50-50, with the Libs leading on the primaries and Rann’s disapproval rating surging past his approval.
