William Bowe
Editor of The Poll Bludger @PollBludger
William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, is one of the most heavily trafficked forums for online discussion of Australian politics, and joined the Crikey stable in 2008.
Despite the best efforts of a tax forum and media tail-chasing about the Labor leadership, this has been an unusually sedate week in federal politics.
In the eyes of some, the emergence of Bob Katter's Australian Party has the potential to shake up what had loomed as a predictable Queensland state election, due around March.
The latest weekly Essential Research survey offers more evidence of gloom about the economy, with 58% expecting conditions in Australia to worsen over the next 12 months. However, the pessimism is not quite as bad as first appears
For all the convulsions it has faced on the political front, in one respect the Gillard government has presented a model of stability in recent months: its opinion poll ratings, as measured by the weekly Essential Research report, have been set in stone since the middle of June.
The latest Galaxy federal poll echoes other recent polling, with the Coalition leading 56-44 in the two-party preferred. Meanwhile, only 37% support a carbon tax, writes William Bowe.
The spectacle of Australia's longest-serving Premier announcing his retirement after a tap on the shoulder from a little-known union official has excited much comparison with Labor’s recent leadership shenanigans federally and in New South Wales
SA Premier Mike Rann has announced he will stand down and hand the reins to Education Minister Jay Weatherill after months of poor polling. William Bowe compares Rann's polling to other premiers.
Two pollsters have lowered their colours in recent days with poorly framed questions on the carbon tax.
Two pollsters -- Roy Morgan and Galaxy -- have lowered their colours in recent days with poorly framed questions on the carbon tax, writes William Bowe.
The latest Roy Morgan face-to-face poll shows little change on the previous result from a fortnight ago. But preselection news for the next electoral cycle heats up, reports William Bowe.
