from Crikey …..

Who do you trust? Not you, Prime Minister

Christian Kerr writes:

Trust John Howard to try the "Who do you trust?" line again. He wheeled it out twice in his speech the weekend before last at the Liberal Party federal council meeting.

And now the answer’s in.

It’s Kevin Rudd, Roy Morgan Research has found .

People no longer see the Prime Minister as "Honest John". That’s why his government is lagging in the polls.

Morgan’s polling gives Labor a 10-point two-party preferred lead.

Far more people rank Kevin Rudd above the Prime Minister in honesty and trustworthiness – 44% of voters, compared to just 29% for John Howard.

In September 2004, Howard was seen as more honest and trustworthy than then ALP Leader Mark Latham, 36 to 33%.

Fifty percent of Australian voters think John Howard would be better at managing Australia's economy, 35% think Kevin Rudd would be better, 6% said "equal or neither" and 9% were undecided.

Similarly, a higher proportion of voters said the PM would be better at minimising tax than Rudd, 42 to 34%.

However, Rudd came out on top on the issues of: managing a fair workplace (59 to 29%); managing a productive workplace (49 to 39%) and looking after families’ needs (50 to 36%).

Significantly, the leaders tied on 41% on the vital question of whom voters trusted more to keep Australia safe and secure. In contrast, back in September 2004, the PM led Latham 56 to 28% on this issue.

Pollster Gary Morgan says:

This latest Morgan Poll shows there are clear differences in the images of John Howard and Kevin Rudd. Howard leads on the issue of 'managing the economy' and 'minimising the tax you pay', while Rudd leads on 'looking after families needs', 'a fairer workplace', 'a productive workplace', and being 'more honest and trustworthy'.

Morgan has a warning for the government: "There has been a significant shift since 2004 on the issue of honesty and trustworthiness."

Polling of federal voting intention taken at the same time put Labor ahead in the two-party preferred 55 to 45%, with Labor recording 46% of the primary vote, the Government 40%, the Greens 7.5% and other parties/Independents 6.5%.

These are the main findings of a Roy Morgan telephone survey conducted on the nights of June 5-7, 2007, with 556 Australian electors.

Govt 'thugging' election watchdog

The Federal Opposition is accusing the Government of intimidating the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) over a function Prime Minister John Howard held at his taxpayer-funded Sydney residence.

The Australian newspaper reports an AEC officer was told to "shut up" after telling the paper that the use of Kirribilli House could be considered to be a "gift in kind" to the Liberal Party.

Deputy Labor leader Julia Gillard says the AEC is independent and should be able to work without the Government standing over it.

"An arrogant Government doesn't address the Government and apologise to the Australian people," she said.

"No, this arrogant Government hauls the Australian electoral commissioner in and then tells the officer who's raised the issue to shut up. They thug the watchdog."

Labor's Anthony Albanese says the situation is extraordinary.

"This is a scandal of the highest order and now we have the Australian Electoral Commission being intimidated - it is our watchdog of our democracy," he said.

"This is outrageous and the Prime Minister must allow the Australian Electoral Commission to act independently."

ALP Senator Penny Wong says Mr Howard should make sure the AEC's work can proceed.

"John Howard needs to ensure that Electoral Commission officials are not bullied," she said.

"John Howard needs to end the cover-up and most of all, John Howard needs to tell the Australian taxpayer just how much money they have donated in kind to the Liberal Party."

AEC clears Howard over Kirribilli function

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has cleared Prime Minister John Howard over the use of his Sydney residence, Kirribilli House, for a function.

The Labor Party has attacked Mr Howard over the event, saying he had used it for Liberal Party fundraising.

The AEC has examined the issue and says that after advice from the Australian Government solicitor it does not believe that the Kirribilli House has been used as a "gift in kind" .

It says that means the Liberal Party is not under an obligation to declare it as a gift.

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Gus:  I guessed (earlier) the AEC would exonerate the PM and his Liberal party mates for having a fundraiser at a Governments house... That goes with the tumble of Ministerial conduct elasticity stretched beyond breaking point.

We, the public at large, can be thankful that Kirribilli House is still in public hands (although we, as the public, cannot have public piss up there) and thankful it has not been "gifted" to the Liberal Party yet ... or given to Johnnee as a gift for his retirement... although... Nah... Not much longer of him, is there?

In one of the letters in the SMH, someone was clever (and brave enough) to refer to our glorious UnAustralian as "the squatter of Kirribilli"... I thought it was accurately cute.

At the moment, it appears that this Rattus squatterii government is in full windmilling mode appropriately making the most of the crook weather, appearing to do all kind of stuff but all ending as grand stuff-ups. Consider the new rules to employers forced to throw confetti in the shape of leaflets explaining workers rights to workers before these same rights are stuffed-up by the new-old Work-non-Choices legislation — now disguised as a trawler for votes till the next election, thereafter to be morphed into what it was always planned to be — slavery for profits. You slave, they profit.

Julie, the minister for educashun is also in full swing, promoting the style of US schools (some under investigation in the US for being non-transparent) that are designed to provide the bland automated fodder needed by industry to create slaves for profits. After her government slashed educashun and training for many years, and making higher educashun unaffordable to most, she now appears to toot apprenticeship as her own invention... Meanwhile, back in the 1950s... or even, back in the 1700...

All this hooplah of course, — including the minority but still major sharholder of Telstra getting in bed with Optus to promote a cheap communicashun erzats that could pass for broadband if you're still on dial-up... — designed to give impression of doing sumpthin... More stzhuff-oops on the horizonational...

Cozy electioneering in full swing of the rattus kind until it slaps you in the face with a wet towel the day after the polls. Meanwhile Rattus is already anchoring his victory marquee at Kirribilli for his non-mates on non-unofficial duty for a non-fund-raising non-event, while dinning with a minister will set you back a few bobs till then... Worth every cents if you like French champagne and pushing a barrow. The non-money non-raised going to non-educashun of course... Non-educashuning of the non-Liberal Youth on the value of Hitlerian behaviour.

And now the whatever farmer bizo organism in Queensland is begging that State's Government to reject the expensive drop the bucket deal that Malcolm the wet-behind the-ear-kid-because-of-water-shortage-before-praying-for-rain has been tooting on behalf of rattus-the-priest-of-squattering.

Squandering of the squillion kind from the squatter of Kirribilli...