LIVE Federal Election Coverage 2016

[Slax]

Is it time to consider a maximum age to enter politics?
Hinch is apparently 70 and will sit as a Senator for 3/6 years. (Nothing against Hinch BTW).

Hillary is going to be 69 when the US election is held later this year, if it is ok for the US to elect a President at 69 then I see no issue with a Senator in Australia at 70.

 

[RUNVS]

Basically the right faction of the Liberal Party killed them this election as Turnbull had to run away from all the moderate policies that made him popular. If Turnbull was allowed to have a vote for same sex marriage or he was allowed to admit climate change was real he would have won this election comfortably.

 

[Slax]

The first thing the Libs can do is move the nutjobs away from positions..so out goes Brandis, Abetz....

The younger talent thing could be the go.

Move Sukkar into a more senior role and Tony Smith.
Make Drum Sports Minister.

What happens when you don't have enough sane people in the party so you have to appoint a nutjob?

 

[Forward Press]

What happens when you don't have enough sane people in the party so you have to appoint a nutjob?

There were plenty of sane(r) people in the Liberal Party. The problem is they don't have the influence or the backing of the right.

My local representative is Michael Keenan, it's a safe Lib seat now (he turned it from a marginal a few elections ago), popular local member, Justice Minister and from most reports a level head on his shoulders. However, will probably never get a more senior Cabinet position, much less leadership discussions. But they still insist on Bernardi and Abetz and Cormann to do the talking.

 

[Happy Mastenator]

What happens when you don't have enough sane people in the party so you have to appoint a nutjob?

I'm ready coach, put me in!

 

[Maggie5]

Hillary is going to be 69 when the US election is held later this year, if it is ok for the US to elect a President at 69 then I see no issue with a Senator in Australia at 70.

Forgot about her, but the same question remains, should age be a factor? I suppose it depends on the person as both Derryn and Hilary seem on the ball.
Isn't the view now that 70 is really the old 50 given medical advances?

 

[Demosthenes]

The Coalition won't form government without the cross benches. That means they will need McGowan's vote at some point in time.

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Dunno why people think McGowan is going to be a massive thorn in the side for the government. She's hardly in their pocket, but she does represent a Coalition-leaning electorate and her voting record reflects that.

http://www.cathymcgowan.com.au/cathy_mcgowan_stands_by_voting_record_representing_indi

Voting record – (November 2013-May 2016)
547 bills presented to House of Representatives
475 passed by the House of Representatives
432 occasions voted with Government (on the voices and by division), 32 occasions with Opposition.
9 occasions voted against Government and opposition

 

[ManWithNoName]

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

The right think their policies (as overseen by Howard) delivered success and good times to Australia, when in reality they squandered the unprecedented wealth generated during that time thanks to the mining and housing boom, and selling off of assets, and left us holding the can when the economy turned to shit.

Housing boom was the worst part for me. The Liberals did it because they wanted people to only think about their hip pocket and having a massive mortgage increases the chances of that. But effectively we took 7 years of prosperity and shoved half of it into saying that our houses were worth more on paper.

What a waste.

There were plenty of sane(r) people in the Liberal Party. The problem is they don't have the influence or the backing of the right.

My local representative is Michael Keenan, it's a safe Lib seat now (he turned it from a marginal a few elections ago), popular local member, Justice Minister and from most reports a level head on his shoulders. However, will probably never get a more senior Cabinet position, much less leadership discussions. But they still insist on Bernardi and Abetz and Cormann to do the talking.

Did you see his ridiculous fight with Anne Aly over her Liberal-government-funded deradicalisation work? He is happy to spout stupid rhetoric, like so many Liberals. Sinodinos has a level head, but it far too "allegedly corrupt". Frydenburg seems OK to me, as does Cormann and Marise Payne. There may be a few others on the backbench, but the Liberals seem to be majorly lacking in talent to me.

The Greens cant take it
Danbys preferences went to the Libs on his Card

I took HTV cards for the first time this election just to see what they had to say about all the people in the Senate (given in the past it was just 'put 1 here'). Both Labor and the Greens had 'Science/Cyclists' party in their list which was surprising. Surprisingly the Greens in the HoR didn't recommend anything after putting themselves #1. Lazy Greens.

the ghost of Lyenko Urbanchich still walks the party room

Wow, I'd never heard of him. Gotta love someone who's main defence against being a bit pro-Nazi is the fact they never wore the Uniform.

 

[nobbyiscool]

In all seriousness, the Liberals are so divided does anyone think they really want to be in power? One third of them - at least - are programmed to criticise and they can do it up hill and down dale in Opposition without having to worry about the fact they've got few ideas to effectively improve Australian policy.

Shorten is of Labor Right and Albanese Labor Left. The reason, I think, that Shorten got so much of the caucus vote last Labor election was because Gillard was of the left and MPs thought it was either the right's turn or else that Gillard's time in charge was evidence that the left aren't quite economically sharp enough. The departure of Lindsay Tanner I think was a big blow in that respect.

I'm sure some of the left thought as you do (that Shorten would get them part of the way and then it would be the left's turn again), but there's no way that was Labor's overall plan. The Labor Right is Hawke and Keating's patch - their most electable version. The left are emboldened after all the economic ****-ups we've had recently have shown the general public that economic liberalism has major problems, but the population hasn't shifted far enough to make it an electable option (see Corbyn and Sanders overseas).

Albanese was never a hope of taking over. Labor's stability means people are taking them seriously and looking at their policies. Policy is where Labor has done better than the Libs for almost a decade and so long as people look at that, they should romp it in IMO. No first term government has been dumped since 1931 or something. There's still a decent chance that may happen. Kim Carr, of Labor's left, 8pm on election night, was singing to the hills about how well Shorten had done. Those on the left may have been thinking they could challenge if the result was bad, but it was good. That's democracy.

Traditionally, the Labor leader in the lower house is of the right faction, with the Senate leader coming from the left. Rudd was the exception to the norm, as he was unaffiliated - Gillard was historically and notionally of the left, but she obtained the Prime Ministership through the support of the right.

Shorten didn't win leadership cos it was the rights "turn". He won it because, while more Labor members identify with the left (as the member vote showed), the largest union bases (namely the AWU and the Shoppies) are of the right, which gives the right more pre-selection power.


To watch the Libs tearing each other apart, they are either really confident in winning a majority... or they're idiots. I've done a 180 on NXT supporting whoever wins the most seats - I can't see them backing this rabble given all the talk of "stability." I'm becoming more and more convinced that we'll be voting for the lower house again in September.

 

[Chameleon75]

Forgot about her, but the same question remains, should age be a factor? I suppose it depends on the person as both Derryn and Hilary seem on the ball.
Isn't the view now that 70 is really the old 50 given medical advances?

judges are required to retire at 70

 

[Juddism]

How does Simon Birmingham figure the LNP won government when the AEC hasn't even finished counting?

 

[RUNVS]

When does counting resume?

 

[Happy Mastenator]

How does Simon Birmingham figure the LNP won government when the AEC hasn't even finished counting?

Politician calls close election for his party. Breaking news at 8.

 

[sverik25]

When does counting resume?

I'm fairly sure it resumed an hour or so ago, some new results are starting to file through I believe, although not in any of the seats in doubt.

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

The LNP's only hope if they do get a majority (most likely with Katter's help) is to go Nationals. Ship out ScoMo and Malcolm and give Barnaby the top job.

Cormann and Frydenberg can remain in Treasury, elevated a bit, and chuck Chester or Birmingham in to help them out. Birmingham seems a bit of a lefty, although I don't know what the links with the Aus Hotels Association mean. I know they're big-time lobbyists and if they're like the licensing and liquor body in NSW then they should be kept away from real power, but a National in charge of Education should give Gonski a proper look in.

Meanwhile, the Liberals can finally give Bishop their top job. They need her there to distract everyone from the lack of women in their party (it looks like lip service to women if she never gets the full chance, and they can make Marise Payne deputy leader to double-down on that), and given Bishop has been a perpetual deputy it will put all the Liberals in the right frame of mind to spend the next 5-10 years working out what they want their party to actually be.

Who knows how the Nationals will perform, but it will be a distinctly different voice so that people can think of it as a circuit-breaker, and it will at least give more than lip service to the Nationals' role in the Coalition, while undoubtedly curbing their natural instincts to be protectionist (presumably).

I'm only quarter joking.

 

[Maggie5]

The LNP's only hope if they do get a majority (most likely with Katter's help) is to go Nationals. Ship out ScoMo and Malcolm and give Barnaby the top job.

Cormann and Frydenberg can remain in Treasury, elevated a bit, and chuck Chester or Birmingham in to help them out. Birmingham seems a bit of a lefty, although I don't know what the links with the Aus Hotels Association mean. I know they're big-time lobbyists and if they're like the licensing and liquor body in NSW then they should be kept away from real power, but a National in charge of Education should give Gonski a proper look in.

Meanwhile, the Liberals can finally give Bishop the top job. They need her there to distract everyone from the lack of women in their party (make Marise Payne deputy leader to double-down on that), and given Bishop has been a perpetual deputy it will put all the Liberals in the right frame of mind to spend the next 5-10 years working out what they want their party to actually be.

Who knows how the Nationals will perform, but it will be a distinctly different voice so that people can think of it as a circuit-breaker, and it will at least give more than lip service to the Nationals role in the Coalition, while undoubtedly curbing their natural instincts to be protectionist (presumably).

I'm only quarter joking.

Actually you just jogged my memory, if there is one person that I don't mind on the Libs side that is Marise Payne.
Seems like a straight shooter when I have heard her speak.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Traditionally, the Labor leader in the lower house is of the right faction, with the Senate leader coming from the left. Rudd was the exception to the norm, as he was unaffiliated - Gillard was historically and notionally of the left, but she obtained the Prime Ministership through the support of the right.

I remain convinced that was the reason she didn't touch gay marriage. Her 'change of opinion' post-politics didn't fool me.

 

[Mateyman]

Dunno why people think McGowan is going to be a massive thorn in the side for the government. She's hardly in their pocket, but she does represent a Coalition-leaning electorate and her voting record reflects that.

http://www.cathymcgowan.com.au/cathy_mcgowan_stands_by_voting_record_representing_indi

Those records are hugely inflated by the amount of legislation that gets passed without anyone even debating it

 

[Demosthenes]

As long as the Libs hang their hat on Howard they can't move forward as they need to. History will be far kinder to the Rudd/Gillard government, even Paul Kelly admitted it was a success, than the Howard years. It's taken less than ten years to see Howard's alleged legacy to be pulled to pieces.

Not sure this is true, especially the last sentence. Essential polls the best PMs every couple of years, and last year when they did it Howard was still rated top.

Not saying I actually believe Howard was the best PM by any stretch, but to say the gloss has come off his tenure is far from the truth.

Rudd and Gillard will struggle legacy-wise because a lot of what they did was unwound pretty much immediately. Perhaps they will get credit for being ahead of their time if their policies experience a resurgence down the line.

 

[GreyCrow]

One off cull of everyone above 65 would solve a lot of the worlds problems....

I can see euthanasia as a Bill in this Parliament

 

[BIRDBRAIN]

Any updates on who's calling who bedwetters?

 

[Mateyman]

Not sure this is true, especially the last sentence. Essential polls the best PMs every couple of years, and last year when they did it Howard was still rated top.

Not saying I actually believe Howard was the best PM by any stretch, but to say the gloss has come off his tenure is far from the truth.

Rudd and Gillard will struggle legacy-wise because a lot of what they did was unwound pretty much immediately. Perhaps they will get credit for being ahead of their time if their policies experience a resurgence down the line.

This was the poll where they asked who was the best prime minister and then compared Howard to about 5 Labor PMs (who naturally took votes from each other) and then made out that it was surprising that Howard got the highest overall vote in that scenario?

 

[GreyCrow]

Forgot about her, but the same question remains, should age be a factor? I suppose it depends on the person as both Derryn and Hilary seem on the ball.
Isn't the view now that 70 is really the old 50 given medical advances?

Yeah but his liver is only 4 so he will be good

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

I remain convinced that was the reason she didn't touch gay marriage. Her 'change of opinion' post-politics didn't fool me.

Gillard never got married herself. I think she's of that old school feminist mold that says marriage came out of a paternalistic concept of owning women, so why would a modern woman take part in it?

There's similar thinking from some gay writers. Given marriage for so long has been associated with religion and religions in the past weren't very nice to gay people, then some people think gay people shouldn't want to get married. I'd have to look at her comments more closely, but she was openly atheist and I wonder if her comments about tradition could have slyly said that she was listening to those opinions, without really endorsing the conservative schools of thought.

Of course in both cases the far more popular opinion is to say that marriage is about official commitment to loving one other, and a lot of people love the feeling of stability it gives - especially when they're setting off on the long-term project of building a family.