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Gippsland By-Election 2008

The meaning of Gippsland

Monday, 30 June 2008 - Back in 1983 the new Hawke team also enjoyed a lengthy opinion poll honeymoon but there were swings against it in five of the six polls. As the biggest of those swings was 5.0% to the Coalition we can say that there is nothing in the Gippsland result for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to be happy about. more

Obituaries premature

Monday, 30 June 2008 - One thing the Gippsland by election result proves is that the obituaries for the National Party after the last federal election were premature. The Nationals vote on Saturday was solid and taking the Coalition as a team, there does not seem to have been any major problem caused by the Liberals standing as well. The combined primary vote for the Nationals plus Liberals of 60.5 per cent is the highest since the election of 1996

A by-election coming on

Wednesday, 4 June 2008 - Just in case anyone had forgotten, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke reminded us yesterday that there's a by-election coming on. There is going to be, you see, an independent audit (that's right – add another inquiry to the Labor Government's growing list) looking specifically at the treatment of Bass Strait scallop fishers by the former Liberal-National government. And where might those good fisher folk be? Why, down at the Lakes Entrance Fishermen's Cooperative, of course, right slap bang in the middle of the electorate of Gippsland. more

Federal elections