The bullshit polls and soft touch reviews of Brumby's term running his corrupt circus sideshow never did ring true.

Brumby's on a slide, on the nose.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25856564-2862,00.html

How do you rate the Premier's performance after two years in the job?

Vote and tell us below

Is Brumby looking a tad glassy eyed lately? You do wonder how he will survive wriggle around yet another scandal. This time, once again, relating to 'business' dealings by Labor governments. The Satya deal is the latest to fall.

Brimbank, the brothers Theophanous, North south pipeline, water buybacks, flushing perfectly good recycled water while the state burns, Brimbank, party donations, what next???

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/editorial/complacency-leaves-too-much-room-for-corruption

IN THE world according to Premier John Brumby, revelations of corruption in Queensland have nothing to do with Victoria. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh may have barred ministers and MPs from fund-raisers, but Mr Brumby sees no need to act on the practice of paying for access to the holders of political power.

The Government has belatedly confirmed Mr Brumby will hold private briefings today. So what did he say this week in response to the Queensland reforms? "There is no payment for access. We don't have that in our state. We never have."

Quite apart from that being untrue, the Premier's dismissal of well-placed concerns recalls the "don't you worry about that" attitude that marked Queensland's slide into corruption under Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Mr Fitzgerald said: "Political leaders who gloss over corruption risk being perceived by their colleagues and the electorate as regarding it of little importance. Even if incorrect, this is a disastrous perception."

The Government's attempts to assure Victorians that the risks of corruption are nothing to worry about are not reassuring. The attitude that "it couldn't happen here" is the surest sign that it could.

=http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/brumby-is-putting-on-the-blinkers

FOR John Brumby, the cash-for-access debate is personal. The key to understanding why the Premier has got himself into an embarrassing tangle on this issue is to know that the organisation at the heart of it all is one of Brumby's babies.

Victorian Labor's fund-raising organisation, Progressive Business, sells access to the Premier and his cabinet.

During the dark days of opposition in the 1990s, Brumby as leader and Steve Bracks as frontbencher made it their mission to forge a new Labor Party, one with which business could feel comfortable.

Then, more verbal gymnastics as Brumby defeated his own argument about transparency.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25930354-5006785,00.html

JOHN Brumby has begun to resemble someone playing one of those whack-a-mole arcade games as he maintains his fight against an independent corruption and misconduct commission in Victoria.

But this patchwork quilt of ad hoc solutions to the problem of alleged corruption and misconduct is looking increasingly silly. The proper response is to establish an independent corruption commission.

"low level" corruption -

That's twice now Rick Wallace has called the corruption at Brimbank Council "low level"

Either he is off with the fairies, or one of Murdoch's editors is busy looking after Shorten.

You don't run a council off the rails and infiltrate it with criminal goons if it's "low level".

Who is writing Rick Wallace articles? Silly Billy Shorten new media advisor.

The latest plan for more infill and no plans for supporting civil or social infrastructure enhancements.

What do these dickheads take us for ??

Fools with no street sense? this is electoral suicide the Greens and Libs should start pressing some buttons.

"Capacity for population increases along tram and bus corridors in Melbourne, contained in the Transforming Australian Cities report."
Brimbank Local Government Area Population (approx) 176,000

Net Population Increase

180 people per hectare +28,481 people
400 people/ha +70,253

Net Dwellings Increase

90 dwellings/ha + 14,241
200 dwellings/ha +35,127

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/brumby-feels-the-heat-20090819-eqim.html

The Premier's bushfire kudos may evaporate in the heat of the royal commission.

Brumby had to be pushed to accept that some of the responsibility for what had happened rested with him as Premier. On the day the report was released, he said: "All Victorians feel a responsibility for what occurred."

The failings that occurred on Black Saturday were legion. Many related to funding and policy.

The sobering thought for Labor MPs fearful of losing their seats - even of losing government - at next year's state election is that the royal commission has barely begun.

We all know its all bullshit but you need to kick start a few more high profile iniatives Teddy old son.

Or the next elections will pass the blue rinse set by. And it will be bye bye Libs.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25954955-5013404,00.html



Sorry poll spells crunch for Ted Baillieu

Rick Wallace, Victorian political reporter | August 20, 2009
Article from: The Australian


THE Coalition is failing to close the gap on Victorian Premier John Brumby, with the Labor government retaining a 12-point lead after preferences in the latest Newspoll.

With just 15 months until the state election, the Ted Baillieu-led opposition remains in a worse position than it posted at the last state election against Steve Bracks in 2006.

While Mr Baillieu retains the support of his partyroom for now, the Coalition is fast approaching decision time on his leadership.

Despite soaking up some hits on corruption claims, ALP fundraising issues and internal brawling, primary support for Labor is up one percentage point to 43 per cent, as is support for the Coalition, at 35 per cent.

Support for the Greens fell slightly, to 12 per cent, but the overall situation revealed by today's Newspoll figures -- exclusive to The Australian -- is largely unchanged from May-June, with the ALP leading 56-44 on the two-party-preferred vote.

At the 2006 election, the ALP garnered 54.4 per cent to the Coalition's 45.6 per cent, so on today's results the Coalition is in danger of losing more seats, although the gap usually narrows slightly in an election campaign.

The poll is a boon to Mr Brumby but a bitter blow to Liberal MPs, particularly those in marginal seats, who had been hoping the Coalition's numbers would be trending upwards.

With opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder steadfast in refusing to enter the leadership race and younger rivals unwilling to chance their arm before the election, keeping Mr Baillieu at the helm appears to be the Coalition's only option.

The poll will increase pressure, however, for a reshuffle and for a change to Mr Baillieu's approach of keeping his policy powder dry ahead of the election campaign.

Some Liberals are hoping that their small-l liberal leader starts adopting some more traditionally conservative policy positions to help put them back in the race, even though the Brumby government's broad centre-right positioning stifles the opportunities for differentiation.

The poll will be welcomed with relief in the ALP camp, with the party having taken some hits as it sorted out internal differences over preselections by forcing out ageing warlords George Seitz and Theo Theophanous and veteran backbenchers Craig Langdon and Carlo Carli.

The government has also battled ongoing corruption claims over the Brimbank Council investigation, which unearthed low-level but worrying, misconduct among a bunch of renegade councillors closely linked to some of the state ALP's key players.

It has also been under pressure on branch stacking and has taken the opportunity to clean house at the party's head office with the Premier insisting one of his own -- adviser Nick Reece -- takes over from incumbent state secretary Stephen Newnham.

On the positive side, the government defied critics this month in securing financing for its $3.5billion desalination plant to proceed as a public-private partnership.

Satisfaction with Mr Brumby dropped slightly to 46 per cent of voters while Mr Baillieu's satisfaction rating rose slightly to 35per cent, although his net satisfaction (percentage of voters satisfied with him minus the percentage dissatisfied) remains firmly in the negatives, at -8.

The movements in these numbers were not statistically significant and the situation is probably best assessed by looking at the preferred premier rating, where Mr Brumby remains well ahead, on 51 per cent to 24 per cent, with 25 per cent of voters undecided.

support for Labor up
greens and libs down?

what is happening? My world is falling apart. Brumby is supposed to be on the nose. it's supposed to be bye bye Brumby. not well done, fellah, we gonna re-elect you for a 4th term.

What about all the press releases that are posted on this website? -they paint a different picture. Who should i believe?

There was an old story about a tortoise and a hare...............

The Victorian elections 2010 are a long way off and there is plenty of time for the ALP corruption issues to be exposed on the electoral stage.

Kaboom.

Tortoise wrote:
There was an old story about a tortoise and a hare...............

The Victorian elections 2010 are a long way off and there is plenty of time for the ALP corruption issues to be exposed on the electoral stage.

Kaboom.


And the hare was gone. The tortoise won.

Amen

That bullshit Herald Sun poll of 3 weeks ago never did ring true.

Brumby's on the rise, and here to stay.

I remember when Natalie had more votes than any other council candidate in the 2005 elections.

And look where that went.

This is how it will go from here on in: when you see Brumby on the tv, there will always be a protest group, people protesting everywhere he goes about his stupid decisions.

You will see him on the tv day after day, and people protesting against him.

That will mean Brumby is finished, just like it did for Howard in the months before his final poll.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/spin-army-left-exposed-20090823-ev3n.html

A SENIOR Victorian bureaucrat has blown the whistle on the scale of the State Government's taxpayer-funded media machine, describing its communications unit as a "small army".

Opposition scrutiny of government spokesman David Davis seized on the comments.

"The fact that this Government is boasting of an 'army' of PR spin doctors to conceal their failures is an insult to every Victorian," he said. "Instead of employing more doctors, nurses and police, the Premier has embedded more than a thousand PR operatives."

The State Government would not say how many public relations staff worked for government departments. But according to parliamentary questions, in 2006-07 the Department of Sustainability and Environment had 25 media staff, the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development 27, the Department of Treasury and Finance 10. There are currently 25 media advisers in Premier John Brumby's media unit.

Well they told him, but the prick and his greasy mates wouldn't listen.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/dredging-damage-mocks-premiers-praise-20090825-ey4w.html

DREDGING has caused environmental damage beyond expectation at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay, with scientists reporting a biological shift in marine communities there.

A week after Premier John Brumby feted the dredging project for its "exemplary" environmental performance, a report has shown the impact of loose rockfall at the entrance has been worse than the Port of Melbourne predicted.

Some of the species in the canyon are found nowhere else on Earth, and the canyon's communities were last month listed as ''threatened'' under Victorian law.

Rockfall was within expectations at other sites around the entrance, but the report still painted a graphic picture: "There was considerable impact damage from falling rock slabs, including breakage of shelves and overhangs."

Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Chris Smyth said the report contained "shocking revelations" about the impact of dredging at the entrance.

More spin from the bullshit master wrote:
Well they told him, but the prick and his greasy mates wouldn't listen.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/dredging-damage-mocks-premiers-praise-20090825-ey4w.html

DREDGING has caused environmental damage beyond expectation at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay, with scientists reporting a biological shift in marine communities there.

A week after Premier John Brumby feted the dredging project for its "exemplary" environmental performance, a report has shown the impact of loose rockfall at the entrance has been worse than the Port of Melbourne predicted.

Some of the species in the canyon are found nowhere else on Earth, and the canyon's communities were last month listed as ''threatened'' under Victorian law.

Rockfall was within expectations at other sites around the entrance, but the report still painted a graphic picture: "There was considerable impact damage from falling rock slabs, including breakage of shelves and overhangs."

Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Chris Smyth said the report contained "shocking revelations" about the impact of dredging at the entrance.

Stories coming from the diving community about damage to the entrance to the bay at the heads is really concerning. the daamage to the environment has been massive they say