Australian state politics

[Sits]

There may be a thread, but I can’t find one. With the federal government having abandoned any premise of leadership over bushfires, climate and COVID during the tenure of Scott Morrison, the country’s focus has been more skewed to state politics lately than ever before. On the whole the state premiers have managed COVID reasonably, albeit hampered by ScoMo’s failure to make safe the quarantine situation in any way or secure adequate supplies of vaccine soon enough. There have been some interstate squabbles, mostly over whose border is closed to whom and for how long, whose fault an outbreak was* and whether a particular state’s lockdown has been tough enough/too tough etc.

But the reason for this post is that the premier of New South Wales - our state - Gladys Berjiklian (Liberal i.e. Tory) resigned yesterday after ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) announced an enquiry into alleged favours to a former boyfriend. We were discussing this amomgst colleagues yesterday and on checking it was discovered that the last NSW premier to complete a full term was Bob Carr (Labor) who was in office when we arrived in 1998. At that time Queensland and WA probably had had the most notoriously corrupt past leadership, but Sydney’s state has been something of a cesspool since then.

*for the third/Delta wave it’s NSW, but really it’s Morrison for the reasons above.

[ursus arctos]

So NSW has become the Illinois of Oz. Who knew?

Are premiers directly elected as such, or are they simply the leaders of the largest party in the state parliament?

[Sits]

The latter, so we now have a grubby scramble for the vacant premier’s job.

[NHH]

NSW Labor politics are particularly bent out of shape by big men and fiefdoms, but to be fair, 3 of the NSW Premiers have failed to serve a full term because they were dumped in a spill halfway through a term, 1 resigned seemingly because he wanted to spend more time in the private sector, leaving 2 resignations for being bent, those being 2 of the 3 Liberals who have held the post since 2014.

[Lang Spoon]

Does Sydney vote to the right, or is it the periphery that keeps delivering Liberals?

[Sits]

NSW is pretty balanced state-wise, as are most of the states, with the current picture like this:

NSW: Liberal/National
VIC: Labor
QLD: Labor
ACT: Labor
TAS: Liberal/National
SA: Liberal/National
WA: Labor
NT: Labor

[Lang Spoon]

Yeah but is there an urban/rural spilt Labour/Lib? Or is suburban Sydney evil enough to deliver Liberal State Governments without the help of the hayseeds?

[Sits]

Yeah but is there an urban/rural spilt Labour/Lib? Or is suburban Sydney evil enough to deliver Liberal State Governments without the help of the hayseeds?

They are in pretty permanent coalition with the Nationals (formerly known as the Country Party). Rural very much equals National but state seats are population based. The nutjobs really show up in federal senate which is done geographically. That’s where Pauline Hanson lurks.

As for suburban Sydney, depends which bit but ultimately money talks.

[DCI Harry Batt]

So Dominic Perrottet then...

[Uncle Ethan]

Opus Dei dickhead. Pro-abortion*, anti-gay, climate change sceptic. NSW deputy premier has also quit today, so has another Minister. We are pondering at work if we'll have a Federal election called for mid-November. Scott Morrison has been lauding NSW leadership in recent months so he'll want to go the polls before any ICAC revelations. It also gives him the chance to cry Freedom and get re-elected before the consequences become clear.

not pro, anti.

[ursus arctos]

Opus Dei and pro-abortion is quite unconventional

[ursus arctos]

This is instructive

https://twitter.com/riskybusiness/status/1444839892266012688?s=21

[Uncle Ethan]

Opus Dei and pro-abortion is quite unconventional

Yes, my error..

[Sits]

Item no. 1 (background: John Barilaro is the former Coalition Deputy Premier of NSW):

https://twitter.com/marquelawyers/status/1537715935766753283?s=21

[Sits]

Item no. 2:

https://twitter.com/justinrfield/status/1537735870769692672?s=21

So why does a state need a trade attaché in New York when Australia doubtless has its own?

[Sits]

More on the Barilaro story. Turns out someone had already been informally confirmed for the job. Someone with the relevant qualifications no less.

[ursus arctos]

They really aren't very good at this.

[Sits]

No, they could learn a lot from some of "your" more imaginative states.

[Sits]

Oh dear, how sad, never mind. They (we) better not pay him a cent compensation; he’s walked.

[Sits]

Get the fuck in. Labor have won NSW for the first time in twelve years and ousted the Opus Dei premier.

[Sits]

[Sits]

She copped unholy flak for protecting her electorate - maintaining a tight interstate lockdown when both federal and some state governments were clamouring for everyone to open up. Along with the NT, Queensland is typically viewed as the most right-leaning of the states and territories which makes her tenure all the more impressive.

Far from perfect it needs to be said, but far from the worst.