Australian Federal Election 2022

[willedoo]

14 hours ago, spacesailor said:

(  perhaps putting each party on a rotation  government would rid the coruption  ).

Not a bad idea spacey. Make it a four year term then swap over. They'd get a lot more work done without all the BS that goes into trying to convince the punters to stick with them.

[onetrack]

One of the the biggest single problems we face today is a massive shortfall in the labour force. You're struggling to find tradespeople, companies are struggling to find employees to fill vacancies, truck drivers are sought everywhere, trying to find workers in agricultural areas is a nightmare, as evidenced by the massive shortage of fruit and vegetable industry workers. The ones working are putting in enormous hours, it's not unusual to find people working 12 hr shifts and longer.

 

My stepdaughters partner is a train controller for the PTA (Perth Public Transport Authority). He was a former train driver and got promoted. He says they can't find or even keep train drivers.

Any they train are immediately snapped up by Rio Tinto to drive ore trains at much higher salaries. Rio Tinto have even been allowed to place recruiting flyers for train drivers at the entrance to the PTA workplace!

There's a major upgrade planned by way of grade crossings on the South-Eastern passenger rail line from Perth to Armadale. So, thanks to the massive shortage of train drivers, the W.A. Govt has decided to close the Armadale line - for 18 months! - while the grade crossing upgrades are carried out! They're all obviously hoping that the employee availability situation will change in that time, for the better.

I can pretty well guarantee it won't - unless Rio Tinto's iron ore orders shrink to 10% of the current level. That's about as likely to happen as flying pigs, or a politician keeping a promise.

 

Some of the problems are that training levels have lagged badly, the younger generation don't want to leave the city for work, and wages are not keeping up - even though I've seen signs outside trucking companies, offering $45 an hour for truck drivers.

In many cases, infrastructure projects are falling behind, simply because they can't find the workers to actually do the work.

Something has to give eventually - either a major slowdown in economic activity (I can't see that happening), a big increase in wages that entices people to take on jobs they're rejecting now - or a major increase in automation.

I can see a big move to driverless trains, and even the iron ore companies are starting to trial this level of automation. Dump trucks and excavators are already becoming automated on a sizeable scale, and the automation of plant certainly pays off for the companies involved.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by onetrack

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, onetrack said:

the the biggest single problems we face today is a massive shortfall in the labour force

It's not "one of", it is the problem.

[nomadpete]

Do we need more poverty, to motivate people to do lower paid jobs?

[Marty_d]

I thought the almighty market was supposed to take care of that.  Supply and demand?  If there's a shortage, the price should go up.  So if there's not enough workers to fill positions, shouldn't salaries be going up?

[kgwilson]

According to Scomo unemployment is 4% & Albo won't forget that after today. But they don't like to publish the "under employment" figure because a large percentage of the workforce only works part time & anyone working 2 hours or more per week is considered employed. Underemployment includes anyone working less than 35 hours a week & that is about 32% of the total workforce.

 

The supply & demand theory usually works in the employment market but with Covid & lack of immigration & seasonal workers etc which should do this, it hasn't. I did read the NZ news the other day & they are paying up to $60.00 an hour over there for people to pick kiwifruit which seems ridiculous.

[old man emu]

1 minute ago, kgwilson said:

According to Scomo unemployment is 4% & Albo won't forget that after today.

John Howard pulled the rug out from under ScoMo trying to score points from Albo's error. Howard was asked about the error and replied, "So what?" Obviously Howard didn't think that the error had a jot of political value in it. 

[kgwilson]

The Press has had a field day with it though. I did hear a political commentator on the drive home this afternoon saying he was not sure either so had to check. It will be forgotten in a day or 2 unless the Libs decide to use it in their negative advertsing.

[nomadpete]

Trust me, they will. We will be bombarded with it in weeks to come.

[old man emu]

How many of us would know the current interest rate

 

Statement by Philip Lowe, Governor: Monetary Policy Decision on 5th May 2022: "At its meeting today, the Board decided to maintain the cash rate target at 10 basis points and the interest rate on Exchange Settlement balances at zero per cent." That's 0.1%

 

But what is the current mortgage rate? What about the personal loan rate, or credit card rate? Who knows that off the top of their head? The majority of us just cop it sweet since we have absolutely no control over interest rates.

[willedoo]

I think the reality is that most pollies wouldn't know exact statistics off the top of their head. They would have a general idea, but would rely on advisor briefings before press conferences or public appearances. Their back room people would hand them a list of possible curly questions that could be encountered, and the politician would then memorise the figures parrot fashion.

 

Albo's team failed to brief him properly. Scummo would be able to quote the unemployment figure off the top of his head because he's made a few speeches recently bragging about the low unemployment rate. If there wasn't an election looming and he hadn't been talking about unemployment figures in the preceding days, he probably wouldn't have the exact figure in his head. It's still slack of Albo though, to be that unprepared on a topic that will no doubt figure in the election campaign.

[Yenn]

Notice how scumbag is trying to deflect the voters away from him and to push his government as being the important thing. He knows that he has a poor reputation, as do all the members of the LNP. If they ant to win they should have dumped him six months ago. Now is too late and it will become apparent that he is nothing but a liability, because he cannot tell the truth or be trusted.

[onetrack]

Despite the reporter probably intending to trip up Albo with a trick question, the simple problem remains that Albo's performance, trying to offer himself as an alternative PM, is pretty uninspiring.

I find it hard to believe that he's the best that Labor can offer by way of a leader.

[old man emu]

Recent polling indicates that at the start of the campaign, it's three horses starting from scratch. Figures seem to be LNP 33%; Labor 33% and the Dark Horses 33%. Once again bit the major parties will be trying to saddle and bridle the Dark Horses. I can't see the result being clear cut on polling night. There will be challenges galore in the tight seats. Perhaps in those seats which are known before the election to be close the AEC should sit a representative from both the major parties at a table together and make them scrutinize and count each ballot paper.

[willedoo]

At this early stage of the campaign, that seems to be the way it will go. Despite some earlier polls, there doesn't seem to be any landslide about to happen. It's a big job for Labor. They have to hold all seats and win something like seven to win. Given that both sides will win and lose seats, Labor will need to win a lot more than seven to counteract losses. But I guess the government is in the same boat there.

 

I get a big kick out of election nights. Put the telly on, sit back and watch the show unfold. The ABC has a good coverage, but I usually do a bit of channel surfing to listen to the different panels. Last election was a definite lack of entertainment; it was all over within an hour of counting. I remember seeing the Labor camp popping the champagne before the close of polls. Three quarters of an hour later, they all looked a bit solemn. They counted their chickens before they hatched.

[Old Koreelah]

2 hours ago, onetrack said:

Despite the reporter probably intending to trip up Albo with a trick question, the simple problem remains that Albo's performance, trying to offer himself as an alternative PM, is pretty uninspiring.

I find it hard to believe that he's the best that Labor can offer by way of a leader.

He’s not, but the new process of replacing a leader takes so long; who would be game to start a weeks-long battle when Scomo could call an election sooner?

[pmccarthy]

Unfortunately when Albo speaks he comes over as a boofhead. When Scomo speaks he comes over as a bull artist. How do you choose?

[Jerry_Atrick]

I cannot believe that there isn't anyone better either major party could proffer, but these days, why get ahead by  sticking your head above the parapet when all you have to do is anonymously make some donations to whoever is in charge?

 

The press will make a big deal of Albo missing the numbers, as they are probably the two numbers a PM candidate should know and keep on top iof going into an election, regardless of the value of them knowing the precise numbers.

 

Of course, the ALP could spin it around by saying something like the shadow treasurer has the numbers at hand, but at least Albo knows how much a loaf of bread or litre of milk costs, and that is what is important to most people.. (and then he bleedin' well better make sure he knows what they are in Coles and Woolies at least by saying HE actually does buy the stuff).

 

If this half true, it makes very sombre reading: https://www.michaelwest.com.au/the-dirty-election-how-the-cards-are-stacked-in-favour-of-scott-morrison/

 

And drives home the point, the ALP need to find real charismatic talent.

 

 

 

 

[willedoo]

2 hours ago, pmccarthy said:

Unfortunately when Albo speaks he comes over as a boofhead. When Scomo speaks he comes over as a bull artist. How do you choose?

I'd choose boofhead over bull artist any day.

[old man emu]

There are white lies, bold-faced lies and whoppers. Similarly, there are promises. There are solemn promises, such as marriage vows or military oaths and are conventions. There are legal contracts, enforceable by law. Or, there are fairy tale promises, regrettable and problematic at the time, they must be honoured. And lastly, there are election promises, commitments that most people realize will later be shaped by politics and compromise.

 

So in this election, do we take the uttered promises of the candidates as solemn, fairy tale or lies?

[kgwilson]

I just noticed from the ABC news that employment is now classified if you work only 1 hour a week not two as it used to be and that it includes people who did no work at all because there was no work for them. So when Albo fumbled around with the figures he was technically more correct that Morrison.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-13/australias-unemployment-rate-4-per-cent-better-by-election/100985844

[Yenn]

The government realized the unemployment figures mean very little when they promised handouts to all those people who are doing it so hard.

Why would they have needed the handouts with so many people being employed. They wanted to have it both ways and both Albo and the journalists didn't see it.

[Marty_d]

I see the Murdoch sites are their usual unbiased selves.  Hatchet jobs on Albo, railing at ABC journalists who dare to give Morrison a hard time... nothing like a free & fair press.

[Jerry_Atrick]

While the incumbents are in power, there is little chance of a press council with teeth to hold them to account.

[facthunter]

The Press Council is like an Incestuous family. Stifled Gene Pool with it's own protection  racket and pecking order. Nev