Oz Election Thread #4 - Gillard's Labor

Arbib is minister for employment - but is a lever puller for the labor right. Much more tied up with internal politics than his portfolio. And his stance on indigenous employment is naive at best. Psychophantic, ignorant, media massaging at worst. Clare works with Arbib as parliamentary secretary. A smooth operator, driven, but a prima donna. Comes across as much more concerned with his career than his constituents, obviously he's not Robinson Crusoe in politics but if you can't fake sincerity....

People I like in the ALP include Brendan O'Connor, Penny Wong, Jenny Macklin, Nicola Roxon, Julia, Stephen Smith. Will miss Tanner. Tony Burke came across quite well on Insiders last week.

I reckon the only job Rudd would take at the UN is Ban Ki Moon's - and I think he's had his eye on it a long time.

KEVIN Rudd is in line for a plum job as a United Nations climate change adviser.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is considering a dedicated role for the dumped former prime minister as a top-level adviser, according to a diplomatic source with direct knowledge of the plan.

The Courier-Mail learned of Mr Rudd's career prospects in New York on the same day he belatedly entered the campaign to retain his safe Brisbane seat. Mr Rudd, through his office, did not guarantee he would serve a full term as the member for Griffith, saying only: "If elected, Mr Rudd intends to serve a full term.''

The former Labor leader, who met with Mr Ban last week in New York, could be made a special envoy or an ambassador reporting directly to the Secretary-General.

"With his background, he'd want something more political than administrative, so they are leaning that way,'' the source said. ...<cont>

Immigrants 'scapegoated' in election debate
By online political correspondent Emma Rodgers
Posted 48 minutes ago


Cities under strain: A Sydney traffic jam and a Brisbane suburb

One of Australia's leading demographers says the political debate over population is in danger of scapegoating migrants to cover up for a lack of adequate government planning.

Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute head Peter McDonald says he does not think Australia's immigration levels will drop off, because demand for workers is too strong.

And he says political leaders should stop talking about population predictions for 2050 and instead focus on the next 10 years.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has focused heavily on the pressures facing big cities as Australia's population grows and has declared that she does not believe in a "big" Australia.

But the debate over size has become increasingly linked to the country's immigration numbers and the arrival of asylum seekers by boat.

As the outer suburbs of cities such as Melbourne and Brisbane struggle to deal with traffic and congestion problems, Professor McDonald has told Radio National that the debate is unfairly targeting migrants.

"I think there is a bit of a danger that we'll be scapegoating migrants for what is essentially the planning phase of government," he said.

Professor McDonald says migrants will be needed to fill jobs as the mining boom continues and baby boomers retire.

"That makes immigration inevitable as a way of meeting labour demand," he said.

"The issue then becomes better management of population growth. You can't run away from the issue of planning in our big cities. What we really need to be dealing with is the next decade."

He also says that most people coming into the country now are temporary workers, not permanent residents, and overseas students are also counted in population numbers.

When asked yesterday if the country's immigration intake had to be reduced as a way of controlling population numbers Ms Gillard replied: "I don't think this is a immigration debate."

"I think it's bringing into play issues about water, about soil, about city planning, about infrastructure and services, about getting skilled people where we need them."

The Opposition has seized on her comments today.

"If it's not about immigration, what is it about?", Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne told AM.

"Is she seriously suggesting that we are going to have a one-child policy in Australia to reduce the population, or is she planning on handing around condoms to make people reduce our population naturally?"

Rudd confirms talks with UN
Posted 16 minutes ago

Kevin Rudd has confirmed he has been sounded out about the possibility of a job with the United Nations, but says he is still committed to serving a full term if re-elected as MP for the Brisbane seat of Griffith.

Rudd sucking oxygen from Gillard's campaign
July 22, 2010 - 12:44PM

The constant focus on Mr Rudd - and chatter over his future as a diplomat - is of deep concern inside Labor, whose strategists fear he is costing them votes....<cont>

Quote:

Gillard to ask the people on climate change
Updated 10 hours 37 minutes ago

A re-elected Labor government would ask a new "citizens' assembly" for climate change advice, under a key part of the ALP's new climate change policy set to be launched by Prime Minister Julia Gillard today.

The ABC understands Ms Gillard will outline plans to set up a committee of scientists to advise the Government on climate change.

The committee will be paired with a citizens' assembly, consisting of 100-200 volunteers who will gauge feeling of the community on its attitude towards putting a price on carbon, and feed it back to the Government.

The policy launch comes two-and-a-half months after the Federal Government decided to shelve its emissions trading scheme.

Ms Gillard has signalled climate change as one of the key issues for the Government to address during the election campaign.

The decision to delay the ETS until 2013 is thought to be the main reason behind former prime minister Kevin Rudd's slide in the polls, which led to him being dumped by the party.

Ms Gillard is also expected to unveil a boost to efficiency and renewable energy programs. ....

Cabinet claims show 'contempt for national security'
Updated 8 hours 26 minutes ago

Commitment questioned: Mr Rudd is accused of treating high-level security meetings with disdain.

There are fresh questions about Labor's commitment to national security after it emerged Kevin Rudd sent his chief of staff in his place to high-level security meetings. ... <cont>

Back Gillard or lose ministry, Rudd told
July 23, 2010/Sydney Morning Herald

KEVIN RUDD'S prospects of becoming foreign affairs minister if Labor wins the election would be boosted if the former prime minister could bring himself to support Julia Gillard publicly, his colleagues say. ...<cont>

Rudd attended 'critical' NSC meetings

KEVIN Rudd has angrily rejected claims he "disregarded" Australia's national security interests while he was prime minister. ..<cont>

Twiggy leads miners' rebellion against Gillard
July 22, 2010the AGE

Small and medium miners, including Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group, are considering restarting the advertising campaign against the government's mining tax.

Mr Forrest, the chief executive of Fortescue, has told a teleconference in Perth this morning that his company and its counterparts not only remained opposed to the tax, but they now held grave fears because the Greens might win the balance of power in the Senate.

The Greens leader, Bob Brown, said yesterday that if his party did win Senate control, it would push the government to strengthen the tax which is slated to make $10.5 billion in revenue in its first two years.

After Julia Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister, she defused the issue by striking deal with the big three minerals giants, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata.

The smaller miners believe they have been dudded by the deal. ...<cont>

Julie Gillard accused of failure of leadership on climate change policy

THE Coalition, Greens and a chorus of economists and environmental groups have condemned Labor's new climate change policy.

Critics, which also included Reserve Bank board member Warwick McKibbin and the Australian Conservation Foundation, labelled today's announcement as, variously, a “policy failure”, a “leadership failure” and a “delay to make it appear that action is being taken”. ...<cont>

I will be next PM: Abbott
Updated Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:14pm AEST

... "Yes, I think that there will be a change of government and yes, I think that I will be the next prime minister of Australia," he said. ..<cont>

Quote:

New poll shows Labor edging Coalition
Updated 1 hour 9 minutes ago

The latest Nielsen poll in Fairfax newspapers (AGE/SMH) shows Labor has an election-winning lead over the Coalition.

The poll has the Government leading the Opposition by 8 points on a two-party preferred basis, at 54 per cent to 46 per cent.

On the primary vote, Labor has nudged ahead to 42 per cent, while the Coalition is on 41 per cent.

The poll found Ms Gillard has a clear lead over Mr Abbott as preferred prime minister.

There is also a strong view that if Ms Gillard wins, she should make Kevin Rudd foreign minister.

The poll finds 68 percent of people say she should give him the job. ...<cont>

Women rally to Gillard as ALP leads poll
MICHELLE GRATTAN
July 24, 2010

WOMEN voters have continued to embrace Julia Gillard, providing Labor with a strong 54-46 per cent two-party lead in the Age-Nielsen poll, but the government still faces a struggle in electorally strategic Queensland.

As the two leaders prepare to face-off in tomorrow night's crucial debate - the only one in the five-week campaign - Ms Gillard has an unchanged preferred PM lead of 21 points over Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

Labor's two-party vote is up two points in a fortnight, while its primary vote, on 42 per cent, has risen three points, to move ahead of the opposition. The Coalition primary vote is down one point to 41 per cent.

In a big gender gap, Labor leads 58-42 per cent among women, but the vote is tied 50-50 among men.

Ms Gillard has a 28-point lead as preferred PM among women, but a 14-point lead among men. Approval of Ms Gillard is 59 per cent among women and 53 per cent among men.

But in Queensland, where the government is defending 10 marginal seats, and Western Australia, Labor is trailing 46-54 per cent on the two-party vote. On the figures in recent Nielsen polls, the government could lose most or all of its Queensland marginals. But it could also pick up seats in other states.

The poll will buoy Labor, which yesterday came under sharp criticism for its climate change policy, announced in Brisbane by Ms Gillard, who faced noisy demonstrators. ...<cont>