Charles Richardson
Psephologist and writer
Charles Richardson has contributed to Crikey since 2002, and was a ministerial adviser in the Kennett government and a former editorial manager at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney.
Whoever wins the marginal seats in this year's Victorian election, such as McEwen and Deakin, could find that the boundary commissioners will have a big influence on their tenure.
The two noteworthy things in the latest polls from Tasmania are an apparent surge in the Greens vote and the near certainty of a hung parliament. But these two things are not as closely connected as one might think.
Many MPs are steeped in Melbourne's music culture, but others instead listen to the bureaucrats who hate its disorderliness, to branch members from the pre-rock era, or to foreign ideologies that see rock as the voice of the devil.
Rudd is a natural conservative, a low-risk player, and early elections are a risky strategy. If Rudd decides that the advantages of boosting the minor party strength in the Senate outweigh the disadvantages, he can do it.
The federal seat of Melbourne also covers the territory of the Greens' strongest state seats in Victoria, effectively making the federal and state polls one campaign. They could make ground.
If you ever wanted to be a Liberal MP, this is probably a good time to be putting your hand up, says Charles Richardson. The Victorian Liberal Party still has a lot of "help wanted" signs up around the state.
The Altona result, coming on top of a good opinion poll and poor publicity for the Government, presents Ted Baillieu with a real opportunity to change the political narrative and present November's election as challenging but winnable.
Charlie Wilson, former US congressman, died overnight. His name would hardly ring a bell if it not for the 2007 film Charlie Wilson's War, which dramatised his role in promoting US support for the anti-Soviet resistance in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Victoria's opposition leader Ted Baillieu has accused the Brumby government of being "in denial" over violence against Indians in Melbourne. It's garnered him some headlines, but how will it play with the electorate?
Victorian Opposition leader Ted Baillieu has finally received some good news in the form of the latest Nielsen poll, which might finally see voters start taking the Vic Liberals seriously.
