2007 Federal Election - Coalition or Labor/Howard or Rudd? (4 Viewers)

[Raginsheep]

Isn't accomodation in Paris pretty expensive? Aren't they sort of "forced" there due to their lack of economic means?

 

[Sparcod]

Off topic here for a second here, but how the fuck is French migrants relevant to the Commonwealth Election?

Perhaps they're saying how politically different France is compared to Australia.
Who cares about French politics anyway.

 

[frog12986]

The betting markets have firmed with the ALP at around $1.70 - $1.75, the Coalition out to $2 at most agencies, which would seem to confirm confidence in the predictions of the opinion polls.

I have rejected my non-gambling ways with a $100 on Labor at $1.75. Not a bad return for an investment of 4 months or so. Definitely leaves the banks for dead

 

[onebytwo]

Party brawling raises PM's ire

Phillip Coorey Chief Political Correspondent
May 24, 2007



TWO Liberal MPs have verbally attacked each other in Parliament a day after John Howard warned that the Coalition faced annihilation at this year's election. The damaging public display came as Mr Howard was forced to downplay renewed speculation about his leadership caused by his admission that his longevity was contributing to the Coalition's poor poll results.
The Workplace Relations Minister, Joe Hockey, caused more controversy when he said Labor was polling better on industrial relations because he was "not as pretty" as his Opposition counterpart, Julia Gillard.
Meanwhile, federal police confirmed last night that they had car ried out another raid in Brisbane as part of an investigation involving three Liberal MPs, Andrew Laming, Gary Hardgrave and Ross Vasta, who are being investigated after claims their allowances were used to prop up the state party's election campaign.
In an exchange which angered Mr Howard, the Liberal MP Judi Moylan accused her fellow Western Australian MP, Wilson Tuckey, of defaming her in a newspaper article by claiming she supported corrupt behaviour.
As an unimpressed Mr Howard left the chamber, Mr Tuckey rose to his feet and stood by his claim.
The exchange was branded unedifying, unnecessary and unhelpful by one senior minister when the Government was struggling to pare back Labor's crushing poll lead.
Mr Tuckey, who supports a free market approach to wheat exports, had accused Ms Moylan of being "up to her eyeballs in protecting AWB Limited, the corrupt company".
Ms Moylan, who had defended rank-and-file AWB staff with no role in the oil-for-food scandal, said: "I believe I've been personally misrepresented and defamed."
While the Labor leader, Kevin Rudd, and his shadow treasurer, Wayne Swan, left Canberra to watch last night's State of Origin match in Brisbane, sources said Mr Howard was "shaking his head" over the antics of Ms Moylan and Mr Tuckey.
The former ministers have safe seats and Mr Howard has long been urging MPs with such an advantage to consider their colleagues in marginal electorates before mouthing off in public.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Tuckey stirred trouble by saying it was not too late for Mr Howard to step down as Prime Minister.
"Some people say you can't do things late. Well, Labor couldn't have done it any later than they did with Bob Hawke," Mr Tuckey said of the 1983 ALP leadership change, which occurred on the cusp of the election campaign.


When Mr Howard declared that the Coalition faced annihilation, he said one problem was his longevity as leader, and the unbroken tenures of Peter Costello as Treasurer and Alexander Downer as Foreign Minister.
Mr Howard insisted yesterday he was not sending covert signals that he would stand aside if the polls did not improve.
"Will I fight to retain Government? You bet. Am I still optimistic about our prospects? Of course I am," he said.
"But it will need a mammoth effort by me and my colleagues and it will need the total focus on the economic risk to this country of a change of government."
Some in the Coalition said the risk of growing stale was the reason there had been a push for a leadership change to Mr Costello last year.
Several MPs said any change would require Mr Howard to walk voluntarily.
"We feel like we're on the death star at the moment," one backbencher said.
The Government has been under pressure over the amount of money it is spending on advertising, including another $4.1 million to promote its 'fairness test" to make Work Choices more politically palatable.
The Labor Party will release a radio ad today to the tune of What Do We Do With A Drunken Sailor, berating the Government's advertising binge. The voice-over says it was not funded by taxpayers.
Ms Gillard said Mr Hockey's "not as pretty" joke showed he was arrogantly dismissing the concerns of working families who disliked Work Choices.
"Australian families have spoken loud and clear on Work Choices," she said. "For Mr Hockey not to hear that voice is to treat Australian working families with arrogance and contempt."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/party-brawl-raises-pms-ire/2007/05/23/1179601494632.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

 

[Triangulum]

Rudd says wife sought to fix 'honest mistake'

Federal Labor leader, Kevin Rudd, says his wife was told that a company she bought last year was paying all its staff properly.

News Limited newspapers have reported today that a company owned by Mr Rudd's wife Therese Rein had stripped some workers on common law contracts of penalty rates, overtime and allowances in return for an extra 45 cents an hour.

Mr Rudd says his wife bought the company, WorkDirections Australia, last year and it later emerged that 58 staff members had been underpaid by a total of $70,000.

He says the underpayment problem was discovered because of his wife's efforts to check.

"This was obviously an honest mistake and she sought to rectify this as soon as she had [information] available to her," Mr Rudd said.

"I'd be dishonest with you if I said it's not embarrassing that these sort of things happen, of course it's embarrassing."

He says he and his wife will keep talking about her business affairs if he becomes prime minister.

WorkDirections Australia says current staff who had been underpaid have been compensated along with former employees.

A statement released this afternoon also says that common law agreements offered to workers were equitable to previous terms of employment.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1932439.htm

I wonder if the government will accept that or try to make it into a scandal.

 

[Sparcod]

Musk- I wouldn't be surprised if John Howard beats up a taxi driver and a cameraman if he loses the next election.

I'm glad that Kevin Rudd does speak out and admits his mistakes. His wife is even trying to compensate those workers for their past.

 

[frog12986]

I'm glad that Kevin Rudd does speak out and admits his mistakes. His wife is even trying to compensate those workers for their past.

How many times does he have to 'admit his mistake' before it is looked upon unfavourably. If he was legitimately concerned about it, he, or his wife for that matter, would have disclosed the situation earlier.

IF anything this will increase his popularity, as Australia's first patron saint, is such an 'honest, and forthcoming' man..

 

[Triangulum]

If he was legitimately concerned about it, he, or his wife for that matter, would have disclosed the situation earlier.

Didn't he (and wife) not know about the situation earlier? That was the impression I got.

 

[frog12986]

Didn't he (and wife) not know about the situation earlier? That was the impression I got.

I don't see honesty as a key issue, rather the rank hypocrisy that seems to have enveloped the ALP. The government has remained fairly muted about Ms Reins business until the full detail was released about the contracts. In contrast, the ALP singled out (and publicly denigrated) the Lilac Motor Inn without seeking any explanation or detail about the specifics of the AWA's. Subsequently, it has been revealed that employees are happy with the arrangements and they get paid much more than the minimum wage as was alleged..

As Tony Abbott said:

"(Ms Rein) was given every opportunity to explain her situation yesterday, but the previous day a newspaper report alleging that some company had done the wrong thing by its workers was leapt on by Julia,"

The same type of hypocrisy flows with the criticism of government advertising, particularly on Workplace Reform. This criticism exists in the face of ads by the NSW Government prior to the NSW Election, and an advertising campaign to be paid for by the Victorian Government attacking the Workplace reforms in the months leading up to the election. Accountability is essential, however one should not throw stones from glass houses..

As for their 'separate lives' I find it hard to believe that with Workplace Relations as such a pivotal issue, that Ms Rein would fail to inform her husband and alternative Prime Minister after finding out about the issue earlier this year.

The substance isn't the issue, rather its the fact the if Ms Rein had've been any other employer, Labor would have disregarded due process and explanation, and merely toted it as another 'failure of the new system'..

 

[Sparcod]

At least the Rudds are trying to correct themselves. Don't you love an honest, self-correcting man?

The same type of hypocrisy flows with the criticism of government advertising, particularly on Workplace Reform. This criticism exists in the face of ads by the NSW Government prior to the NSW Election, and an advertising campaign to be paid for by the Victorian Government attacking the Workplace reforms in the months leading up to the election. Accountability is essential, however one should not throw stones from glass houses..

Let's take a trip down memory lane.

Morris Iemma's Election Victory Speech
Now tonight's result is a message for me, there's also a message for someone else, and that is John Howard. Add that is this - the people of NSW tonight in this election have rejected WorkChoices, this victory is a victory for workers and their families and a rejection of WorkChoices and the Prime Minister ignores that message at his peril.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

What I particularly enjoy, is that the Coalition is attempting to take the moral high ground on this matter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it a tad...dumb to be taking the moral high ground when your own party made these laws legal?

 

[volition]

What I particularly enjoy, is that the Coalition is attempting to take the moral high ground on this matter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it a tad...dumb to be taking the moral high ground when your own party made these laws legal?

I think it's more a case of inconsistent beliefs rather than 'moral high ground'.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

in that case, i'll present the coalitions brilliant backflip on the IR policy. Either way, the "Rudd's" come out the winners.

 

[volition]

in that case, i'll present the coalitions brilliant backflip on the IR policy. Either way, the "Rudd's" come out the winners.

I think that's true to some extent, but you can't really say it's hypocritical to change your position on something after some time, while you can say it's hypocritical to be holding two inconsistent beliefs at the same time.

I personally think the whole thing is a bit of a non-issue anyway.

 

[Sparcod]

I think that's true to some extent, but you can't really say it's hypocritical to change your position on something after some time, while you can say it's hypocritical to be holding two inconsistent beliefs at the same time.

The business is run by his wife, not him.

 

[jb_nc]

Re: 2007 Federal Election - Coalition or Labor/Howard or Beazley?

in that case, i'll present the coalitions brilliant backflip on the IR policy. Either way, the "Rudd's" come out the winners.

lol you've seriously convinced yourself kruddy comes out looking like a winner

both him and the union look like huge hypocrites. when some other business underpays their employees that is very evil, gillard had no problem attacking some random motel just by looking the AWA. yet when mr rudds wife underpays her workers $70 000 it it's an "honest mistake" (rudd) and "deserves understanding" (ACTU president).

i cannot see how rudd can come off looking like any better than before. if he cant keep his wife in check how can he keep australia in check.

 

[volition]

The business is run by his wife, not him.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1932940.htm
""If I don't make gratuitous comments about his wife - and I won't do that - I don't want him making gratuitous comments about other people's businesses," Mr Howard said."

Howard's issue here is the comments made about a particular business: "During Question Time on Wednesday, Ms Gillard attacked a New South Wales motel which asked new employees to sign an AWA linked to a staff handbook which said it was unacceptable for staff to rub their noses, clean their eyes, yawn or push their hair behind their ears at work."

 

[Iron]

votes for women step-in-time

 

[Sparcod]

Rudd's wife to sell $170m empire
So Ms Rein is done with her business? In my opinion, she and Kevin deserve thumbs up for admitting that there was some mistreatment of workers and for apoligizing.

This is the part that I found most interesting from the article.

...her company had relied on legal advice at the time of the acquisition and had not intended to underpay staff.

I can tell you that this business coming under fire will hit Rudd badly in the opinion polls.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

That doesn't surprise anyone though.