adamantium|wang posted:

adamantium|wang posted:

adamantium|wang posted:

Vladimir Poutine posted:

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.pyne/posts/655645897822625

Vladimir Poutine posted:

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.pyne/posts/655645897822625

adamantium|wang posted:

Captain Pissweak posted:

Using a phone while driving is an offence.

adamantium|wang posted:

Captain Pissweak posted:

Using a phone while driving is an offence.

Goodpart posted:

I swear to christ that sounds like a Clark and Dawe sketch. They could read that word for word.

quote:

ALP (57.5%) increases lead over L-NP (42.5%) as new Senate prepares to sit for first time

June 30 2014 Finding No. 5659 Topic: Federal Poll Public Opinion

Finding No. 5659 – This multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention was conducted via SMS and face-to-face interviewing over the last two weekends of June 21/22 & 28/29, 2014 with an Australia-wide cross-section of 2,797 Australian electors aged 18+, of all electors surveyed 2.5% did not name a party.

If a Federal Election were held today the ALP would win in a landslide (57.5%, up 2%) cf. L-NP (42.5%, down 2%) on a two-party preferred basis according to today’s multi-mode Morgan Poll conducted the last two weekends – June 21/22 & 28/29, 2014.

This Morgan Poll on voting intention was with an Australia-wide cross-section of 2,797 Australian electors aged 18+. Primary support for both major parties is down with the ALP primary vote at 36.5% (down 1.5% from the last released Morgan Poll a fortnight ago) whilst the L-NP primary vote is 35% (down 1.5%).

Among the minor parties Greens support is 12% (unchanged), support for the Palmer United Party (PUP) is 7% (up 1.5%) and support for Independents/Others is 9.5% (up 1.5%).

Support for the Palmer United Party increased noticeably on the second weekend following Palmer’s joint announcement on climate change with former US Vice-President Al Gore and is now highest in the two mining States which elected PUP Senators: Palmer’s home State of Queensland (13%) and Western Australia (10%). Support for PUP is significantly lower in New South Wales (5.5%), Victoria (4.5%), Tasmania (4%) and South Australia (3%).

Analysis by Gender

Analysis by Gender shows that ALP support remains strongest amongst women with the ALP 61.5% well ahead of the L-NP 38.5% on a two-party preferred basis. Support amongst men is closer with the ALP 53.5% still ahead of the L-NP on 46.5%.

Analysis by States

The ALP maintains a strong two-party preferred lead in all six Australian States. New South Wales: ALP 57.5% cf. L-NP 42.5%, Victoria: ALP 58.5% cf. L-NP 41.5%, Queensland: ALP 54% cf. L-NP 46%, Western Australia: ALP 54.5% cf. L-NP 45.5%, South Australia: ALP 59.5% cf. L-NP 40.5% and Tasmania: ALP 64% cf. L-NP 36%.

Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating

The Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen to 95.5 this week (down 2.5pts over the past fortnight). Now 39.5% (down 2%) of Australians say Australia is ‘heading in the right direction’ and 44% (up 0.5%) say Australia is ‘heading in the wrong direction’.

The Morgan Poll surveys a larger sample (including people who only use a mobile phone) than any other public opinion poll.

Gary Morgan says:

“The ALP (57.5%, up 2% in a fortnight) has a very strong lead over the L-NP (42.5%) on a two-party preferred basis as the new Senate prepares to sit for the first time next week. The most surprising announcement last week was Palmer United Party Leader Clive Palmer declaring at a joint press conference with former US Vice-President, and renowned global warming campaigner, Al Gore, that he now supports initiatives to combat global warming and climate change. Support for PUP increased to 7% (up 1.5%) following the announcement.

“Palmer announced that PUP will support the abolition of the Carbon Tax, but only on the condition that Australia implements a Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in its place to operate in line with Australia’s major trading partners. Palmer also announced PUP will oppose the abolition of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Renewable Energy Target and the Climate Change Authority. Apart from the abolition of the Carbon Tax, all of these policies are currently opposed by the Abbott Government.”

Electors were asked: “If an election for the House of Representatives were held today – which party will receive your first preference?” Visit the Roy Morgan Online Store to browse our range of Voter Profiles by electorate, detailed Voting Intention Demographics Reports and Most important Political Issue Reports (all 150 electorates ranked by an issue).

Finding No. 5659 – This multi-mode Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention was conducted via SMS and face-to-face interviewing over the last two weekends of June 21/22 & 28/29, 2014 with an Australia-wide cross-section of 2,797 Australian electors aged 18+, of all electors surveyed 2.5% did not name a party

Cleretic posted:

Most of the Liberal frontbench reads like various types of political comedy from around the world. Morrison's a Clark and Dawe sketch, Hockey is post-Thatcher British, Abbott's Bush-era American...

The only exception is Pyne, and he's literally a Monty Python sketch anyway so he gets in on a technicality.

deathofmusic posted:

If this isn't enough for you feel free to read a dozen more answers exactly the same: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/sm/2014/sm215867.htm

adamantium|wang posted:

It'd be hilarious if it weren't people's lives.

Vladimir Poutine posted:

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.pyne/posts/655645897822625

Vladimir Poutine posted:

TAX ON FUN
The comments under their Facebook posts are often >90% left wing trolls (particularly in Pyne's case) though so it's not so bad. It is a little terrifying that we're the only state without an LNP government right now.

Gough Suppressant posted:

If whoever the leader of the opposition is in Victoria doesn't win the election in November I'm heading across the border. At least I'd get to follow a proper footy team!

Gough Suppressant posted:

If whoever the leader of the opposition is in Victoria doesn't win the election in November I'm heading across the border. At least I'd get to follow a proper footy team!

Haters Objector posted:

I've got a scarf you can borrow

Ler posted:

Someone just tweeted this and it's spreading pretty fast, anyone know if its true?

Kevin Andrews [on 7:30 Report] saying people with episodic mental illness can find work in sync with their episodes/non-episodes

Ler posted:

Someone just tweeted this and it's spreading pretty fast, anyone know if its true?

Kevin Andrews [on 7:30 Report] saying people with episodic mental illness can find work in sync with their episodes/non-episodes

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/30/extreme-weather-official-advice-rewritten-to-remove-climate-change-link posted:

The government has been accused of significantly watering down its official advice on extreme weather after removing mention of links between climate change and events such as bushfires and heatwaves.

A document on the Department of Environment’s website, aimed at informing the public on how climate change is influencing dangerous weather, has removed an explicit reference linking the two.

A previous version of the document opened with the statement: “There is a growing and robust body of evidence that climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

“Australia has experienced an increasing number and intensity of heatwaves, bushfires, flooding and droughts in recent decades.”

An amendment to the page removes these lines in favour of a general explanation of what extreme weather is.

The page goes on to acknowledge that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is “changing” and that “some studies” show a link to climate change, but stresses that it is “difficult to isolate the role of climate change in any given event”.

As Guardian Australia reported in October, the previous version of the departmental advice contradicted Tony Abbott’s view that any link between bushfires and climate change was “complete hogwash”.

The prime minister, speaking in the wake of the widespread New South Wales bushfires last year, also said Christiana Figueres, the UN’s climate chief, was “talking out of her hat” for linking rising temperatures to increased bushfires.

Amanda McKenzie, a former government official and now chief executive of the Climate Council, told Guardian Australia the amendment had led to “softer language” on the link between climate change and extreme weather.

“Lives and communities are at risk from bushfires so it’s very important that communities and firefighting services are prepared for changes that we are already seeing,” she said.

“There is a common misconception that Australia has always had extreme weather so we should not be concerned now, but we are already seeing more forceful, extreme weather. Bushfires have increased in south-east Australia in the past 30 years, and we’ve just had our hottest 12 months on record.

“The evidence is absolutely unequivocal on the link. We know bushfire conditions are getting worse. We have to take the government on its word that it takes climate change seriously but there have been inaccurate statements made around extreme weather and it’s critical the public is provided the right information on these matters.”

Asked why the advice was changed, an environment department spokeswoman said: “During the past few months, we have been finalising the transition of content from the former climate change website to environment.gov.au.

“The Department of the Environment’s website is constantly updated. The change you identified was made by the department to ensure the website information remained consistent with the approach taken by the IPCC in its fifth assessment report.”

The IPCC assessment, released in March, stated there was a “medium to high confidence” that extreme weather events are “projected to increase in many locations” in Australia.

Australia is at risk from “increased damage to ecosystems and settlements, economic losses and risks to human life from wildfires in most of southern Australia”, according to the IPCC report.

In addition, “projected increases in heatwaves will increase heat-related deaths and hospitalisations, especially among the elderly”, while coastal areas will be at risk from erosion, landslides and flooding, owing to weather pattern changes and sea level rises.

Kellie Caught, climate change campaigner at WWF, said: "The link between global warming and extreme weather events is clear. In fact, the IPCC fifth assessment report strengthened its assessment on the link between some extreme weather events and global warming.

"It’s important that the Australian public are informed on the science of global warming and climate change from the leading experts such as the IPCC, especially given global warming poses a risk to society, our economy and environment.”

The Greens leader, Christine Milne, said: “Regardless of whether Tony Abbott’s global warming denial is filtering top-down through the public service, the clear link between climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is undeniable.

“The link is the global scientific consensus. No amount of watering down of language or silencing the public service will change the urgency of strong and sustained action to reduce greenhouse pollution.”