Australian Federal Election - 2019

Smurf1976 said:

Go and talk to workers in traditionally strong Labor blue collar areas and I think you'll get pretty close to the crux of the problem.

They're still waiting for the "transition" and other things that successive governments of both persuasions have been promising for the last 30 or so years. It ain't happening and they and many others have given up. Given up not on Labor or Liberal but given up on the entire concept that any government is going to do something to help the mainstream. The idea of adding coal miners, retirees and others to the list sends shudders down their spine really.

Listen to Shorten's concession speech and it's more of the same. Lots of stuff about minorities, the odd good idea here and there, but a failure to focus on the mainstream and to fix what needs to be fixed.

There are still children growing up in poverty. There's 20%+ unemployment in some regions. There are still a lot of "real" issues affecting Aboriginal communities. There are people who won't be considered for work simply because they live near the farm or mine. Essential living costs are going up but ordinary workers' wages aren't. And so on. Focus on that sort of stuff, deliver on past promises, and stop worrying about things which appeal to wealthy inner city types.

That's not to say the others have ideas which are actually good but there's no point adding more to the list when there's already a huge backlog of things to be fixed. Last thing anyone needs is more promises. Instead just go back over the old ones and get them done, only once they're all delivered is it time for any "big agenda" type thinking.

The Liberals didn't really have any good ideas but that's precisely the point. There's enough outstanding promises as it is without adding more to the list. Promising nothing whilst doing at least something is thus more credible than adding to the list of things not done.

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basilio said:

This how the Liberals promoted the fake death tax story.

Liberal headquarters insists it played no role in the proliferating social sharing, and senior figures downplay the contribution of fake news to the election result, but the Morrison campaign was clearly happy to amplify the contentions. The Liberals paid for a series of ads running from multiple Facebook accounts from 13 May, all mirroring the death tax messaging.


A Facebook post outlining the supposed detail of Labor’s death tax. Photograph: Facebook
The ads featured a video titled “Why is Bill Shorten so defensive about an inheritance tax?”, which spliced together vision of multiple Labor candidates repeating the words “death tax” and “secret plan for a death tax”. This was the embodiment of Labor’s feared Catch 22: that they would stoke their own fake news problem.

Those ads, which Liberal insiders insist were a minuscule proportion of a campaign advertising buy doubtless running into millions of dollars, ran from the central Facebook accounts of the Liberal party and LNP, as well as from the pages of MPs Peter Dutton, Ross Vasta, Ken O’Dowd and Warren Entsch, among others.

To put the death tax intervention in context, in total the Liberal party posted about 200 videos from mid-April to campaign day on its Facebook page, and made more than 600 posts.

State-based MPs also began paying for Facebook ads to amplify the message. Colin Boyce, a Queensland state MP, used money from his own budget to boost an ad stating: “A Death Tax is a real possibility under a union controlled Labor Government. A families [sic] house in the city or a family’s rural property may have to be sold to pay a Labor Government 40% Death Tax.”

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...tax-lie-infected-australias-election-campaign

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Smurf1976 said:

but a failure to focus on the mainstream and to fix what needs to be fixed.

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SirRumpole said:

But after all that, the Libs had a one seat majority before the election and they still have the same after it, so it's hardly a resounding confirmation or rejection of either side.

Maybe most people just don't care.

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PZ99 said:

There's more to it than that. 12 seats changed hands so there was a shift in the electorate.

There was a redistribution of seats which notionally put Labor at 72 before the election so they really lost a net of 4 seats. Even more tellingly, they've lost some of their senate reps as well.
Their primary vote is now the same as it was in 2013. Everything they've gained they've now lost.

Whichever way you look at it, the ALP copped a hammering. It was a repeat of 2004.

If you want to win an election on a platform of tax increases, you really gotta get your gear together. Bill Shorten was in reverse right from the start of the campaign.

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Humid said:

You know your in bed with the loonies when even after an election defeat they still keep talking about you
How about focusing on your decisions

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moXJO said:

Yes we should be dealing with the victims grief after the election. Now where do I send those tissues hummer?

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IFocus said:

As for victims unfortunately that will be the middle to lower income earners (punters) that will pay for the looming tax cut give away.

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SirRumpole said:

Sad to see that Derryn got dumped from the Senate.

He was one of the few "genuine" independent Senators around.

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drsmith said:

The AFR (Fairfax) is giving Labor a lot of stick over its hesitation on the tax cuts.

Scott Morrison is I would suggest less amenable to bend than Malcolm Turnbull was as PM, especially after the Coalition's unexpected election victory. A divided Labor will buckle first.

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drsmith said:

The AFR (Fairfax) is giving Labor a lot of stick over its hesitation on the tax cuts.

Scott Morrison is I would suggest less amenable to bend than Malcolm Turnbull was as PM, especially after the Coalition's unexpected election victory. A divided Labor will buckle first.

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sptrawler said:

Well nothing much has changed, the opposition tells the Government what to do, I wonder if it will stop the tax cuts altogether?

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...ition-s-full-tax-package-20190624-p520ox.html

Why doesn't Labor just pass them and repeal them if they win the next election?
It could be argued that the third stage cuts, give a degree of certainty and confidence in the economy, if the economy turns down the cuts become unaffordable.
Then they are canned, all this pi$$ing competition stuff needs to be put aside, let the Government Govern and be held responsible for their decisions.
Looks like another 3 years of nonsense, coming up.

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IFocus said:

Giving people money then taking it off them is a sort election winner?

I am not convinced Australia can effort any tax cuts at the present time unless you accept its all going on the credit card

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