Australia, NZ News & Discussion

nrupatunga

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Opening a thread for australia, nz.
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Starting with election results for australia

Australia's conservative opposition wins election with landslide victory
Tony Abbott, confounded critics Saturday by becoming the country's latest prime minister, leading the opposition to a sweeping election victory and ending six years of Labor Party rule.

Abbott, the leader of the conservative Liberal Party-led coalition, rode a wave of public bitterness over a hated carbon emissions tax, worries about a flagging economy and frustration over government infighting to win the election.

The result was a stunning turnaround for Abbott, a 55-year-old former Roman Catholic seminarian and Rhodes scholar who has never been particularly popular and was once dubbed unelectable by opponents and some of his own supporters.
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He emerged victorious thanks, in large part, to the frustration of a country fed up with Labor and its once-popular leader, Kevin Rudd, who had engaged in a years-long power struggle with his former deputy, Julia Gillard. Gillard, who became the nation's first female prime minister after ousting Rudd in a party vote in 2010, ended up losing her job to Rudd three years later in a similar internal party coup.

With more than 90 per cent of votes counted, official figures from the Australian Electoral Commission showed the Liberals ahead 53 per cent to Labor's 47 per cent. The coalition was on track to win 91 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, and Labor 54.

So the conservative party wrest back power from labour party. IIRC kevin rudd was against selling uranium to india, hopefully the new government has more positive appraoch towards india.

Off-topic: Tony blair is now a catholic, australia has elected a catholic now, it seems catholicism is gaining in UK, australia
 

nrupatunga

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Australian election: Ten things
Strangest political parties

Bullet Train for Australia Party is a one-policy party. It wants a high-speed train network and promises to be the least annoying party
WikiLeaks Party - formed to support the bid of Julian Assange for a Senate seat in Victoria state. He recorded this campaign video at his bolthole in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London
Pirate Party Australia has nothing to do with swashbuckling and the high seas, but intellectual property
Australian Sex Party - the Australian Electoral Commission actually had to decide whether its name was obscene. The civil libertarian party's risque campaign ad went viral
Obligatory vote: Every Australian citizen (18 years or older) is required by law to vote. If an enrolled citizen fails to vote and is unable to provide a valid reason, a penalty is imposed. If the penalty is not paid the matter is taken to court, if found guilty a fine of up to A$170 (£100) plus court costs may be imposed.
Gaffes and blips

Mr Abbott has been the prime offender. During a speech to his supporters in Melbourne, he attacked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's reputation for making decisions without consulting colleagues.

He also created a media storm by congratulating one of his candidates on her sex appeal. The same candidate, Fiona Scott, later made a gaffe of her own, saying that asylum seekers were contributing to traffic jams in western Sydney.

Stephanie Banister thought Islam was a country and that Jews followed Jesus Christ. She withdrew as a candidate shortly after the ill-fated interview.
 

drkrn

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[Obligatory vote: Every Australian citizen (18 years or older) is required by law to vote. If an enrolled citizen fails to vote and is unable to provide a valid reason, a penalty is imposed. If the penalty is not paid the matter is taken to court, if found guilty a fine of up to A$170 (£100) plus court costs may be imposed.]

very happy to hear such laws.India too should implement this law to make educated idiots to cast their votes
 

Skippy

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Religion plays no part in Australian culture. As for Aussie finally getting it right is a great achievement for common sense. I voted for Abbott so I have no complaints

I just hope rudd the stud stays out of the way

Worst figures in over 100 years? Lol says it all
 

Skippy

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[Obligatory vote: Every Australian citizen (18 years or older) is required by law to vote. If an enrolled citizen fails to vote and is unable to provide a valid reason, a penalty is imposed. If the penalty is not paid the matter is taken to court, if found guilty a fine of up to A$170 (£100) plus court costs may be imposed.]

very happy to hear such laws.India too should implement this law to make educated idiots to cast their votes
We donkey vote, means put a blank form in the box if we don't like any of them
 

nrupatunga

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Religion plays no part in Australian culture. As for Aussie finally getting it right is a great achievement for common sense. I voted for Abbott so I have no complaints

I just hope rudd the stud stays out of the way

Worst figures in over 100 years? Lol says it all
Though aussies follow uncle sam mainly when it comes to foreign policy, heard that china is making huge inroads by becoming a big trading partner. How is china percieved down under there?? Was china a talking point in elections??
 

Ray

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I saw an interesting debate on a foreign channel (Can't remember which?) that had a vote.

Surprisingly, the majority was not in favour of any alliance with the US.

Most surprising to say the least.

There was also talk on Reliance and not Alliance!

But with the new Govt, let us see how Australia tilts and what it means for India.

Commentaries indicate the infighting in the Labour is what ruined their chances.
 
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Skippy

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Though aussies follow uncle sam mainly when it comes to foreign policy, heard that china is making huge inroads by becoming a big trading partner. How is china percieved down under there?? Was china a talking point in elections?
?
Aussies don't in general accept Asians. Only rudd in his stupid idea we should become apart of China, our trading ties. Rudd lost leadership in the first place by pushing China. BTW Aussies hate the USA as a rule.
Fact is Australia is the leader of the Asia Pacific rim, but more independent than first thought. We have the only weapons grade uranium. Gives a massive shift of power to Australia. Our military alliance to the USA overs over 150 years so China is aware Australia is like a street whore, will say and smile at anyone but is well owned by the USA as her pimp.
 

nrupatunga

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BTW Aussies hate the USA as a rule. Fact is Australia is the leader of the Asia Pacific rim, but more independent than first thought. We have the only weapons grade uranium. Gives a massive shift of power to Australia. Our military alliance to the USA overs over 150 years so China is aware Australia is like a street whore, will say and smile at anyone but is well owned by the USA as her pimp.
Don't you feel that line in red contradicts the line in blue here???
 

nrupatunga

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This article says the following on tony abott, the new aussie pm.

On foreign policy, Abbott is a strong U.S. alliance man. He is also a believer in the "anglosphere," and was one of the leaders of the monarchist cause when in 1999 Australia had its failed republic referendum. But Abbott's focus will be heavily on Asia. He has said policy should emphasize "Jakarta rather than Geneva" -- a comment not only on the importance to be placed on the region
 

Skippy

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Don't you feel that line in red contradicts the line in blue here???
Lol no. Just because u are an independent nation doesn't mean u can't be sold out by your government for their agenda. Fact is our political leaders are still accountable to the people.
Do we rely on the USA to live? Is no. But we are military allies which we take serious.
trade with China is higher on the economic agenda for us.
but fact is we are able to easily survive without the import or exports from both countries.
But doesn't stop political dumbasses trying to prosecute our resources out for more international influence.
in a nutshell Australia wants world approval where it doesn't need it.
Is that a lil clearer?

And BTW what our political leaders say have lil to nothing to do with the real country.
 

apple

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Opening a thread for australia, nz.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Starting with election results for australia

Australia's conservative opposition wins election with landslide victory



So the conservative party wrest back power from labour party. IIRC kevin rudd was against selling uranium to india, hopefully the new government has more positive appraoch towards india.

Off-topic: Tony blair is now a catholic, australia has elected a catholic now, it seems catholicism is gaining in UK, australia
Roman Catholic has been the largest Christian group for ages now, in Australia. Situation is very different in the UK.

I saw an interesting debate on a foreign channel (Can't remember which?) that had a vote.

Surprisingly, the majority was not in favour of any alliance with the US.

Most surprising to say the least.

There was also talk on Reliance and not Alliance!
This was Australian, the channel you watched? And this was an Australian- US military alliance that the majority wasn't in favour of?

Australia has had also sorts of, very binding, alliances with the USA since forever. If you were watching an Australian show were the majority of the audience was opposed to military alliances with America you must have been watching the "crazy hippy" channel. Particulary, if they started talking about military reliance, not alliance. For the Australian military to be properly self reliant, the military budget would have to be massively increased, which I guess the crazy hippies wouldn't appreciate


Aussies don't in general accept Asians. Only rudd in his stupid idea we should become apart of China, our trading ties. Rudd lost leadership in the first place by pushing China. BTW Aussies hate the USA as a rule.
Fact is Australia is the leader of the Asia Pacific rim, but more independent than first thought. We have the only weapons grade uranium. Gives a massive shift of power to Australia. Our military alliance to the USA overs over 150 years so China is aware Australia is like a street whore, will say and smile at anyone but is well owned by the USA as her pimp.
Where on Earth are you from? You've gotten Australian citizenship with your standard of English? How did you get to vote in NZ?

What do you mean by "don't accept Asians"? There were more than one reason why Rudd was sacked, and I wouldn't say China was particularly important in regards to "Kevin707" losing the PM-ship. Is massively incorrect to say "Aussies hate the USA".

Australia is not the leader of the Asia- Pacific Rim. That would be the USA or Japan. If "Asia Pacific Rim" was actually a meaningful concept, China, S. Korea and Russia would be higher in the leadership stakes than OZ.

Australia, USA, Russia and China all have weapons grades uranium, which is a totally irrelevant point to Australia as we don't use nuclear weapons or power.

As to the whores and pimps... Are you Hello10? That would make sense.
 

Skippy

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"Apple what you smoking? Catholics are not dominant Christian, last study should Aussies say no religion.
Rudd sold us out to the Chinese hence why he could not kept leadership
And u can't understand Aussie? Really with username of apple? Your Chinese.
As u know Australia leads China follows.
Most Aussies are racist. Last study showed 8 out of 10 Australians are racist.
As for the natural resources here....hellloooo!
Really come on lmao!
 

Skippy

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OK Hmm can't edit my post but apple really wtf? All Aussies vote even if we are Expats. Its the law! We put in an international postal vote or vote via ec website ....
 

nrupatunga

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Australia's refugee stance sets 'alarming global precedent'
Australia is engaging in "unlawful and increasingly punitive" treatment of asylum seekers, an Australian legal group will tell the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

In a scathing statement to be read out to the UN's premier human rights body on Tuesday night, the Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Centre will call on the council to condemn the "alarming global precedent" set by Australia's stance towards refugees who arrive by boat.

The HRLC will highlight how asylum seekers are being "subjected to arbitrary, indefinite detention" in inadequate conditions on Nauru and Manus Island based on their mode of arrival, contrary to the Refugee Convention, of which Australia is a signatory.

The statement also criticises the new Coalition government's policies of towing back boats to their origin, abolishing the right to appeal negative refugee assessments to an independent tribunal and the withdrawal of publicly-funded legal assistance for asylum seekers.
 

nrupatunga

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Boom and bust in Australia's coal country
Falling resource prices have seen thousands of workers laid off in Australia, and towns like Mackay, at the heart of the coal mining region on the east coast of Queensland, have suffered more than most.

When Scott Gralow bought Mackay Motorcycles in 2007 the shop had just had its best year. They had sold 150 Harley-Davidsons, not bad for a town of just over 100,000 people. Then, two years later, he sold 210 of them.

"It went from boom to 'boom boom'," he tells me. Those numbers made him one of the biggest regional Harley dealers in Australia. "They were basically miners," Scott says of the customers who drove his record sales. "The price was not an issue, they just wanted them."
China needed coal and steel to power its growth and build its cities, and Australia has them in abundance.

The global financial crisis barely registered here as resource prices rose, investment flooded in and fortunes were made, and not just at what Australians call the "top end of town".

Cooks and construction workers, truck drivers and mechanics, there were stories of high school drop-outs making up to $200,000 (£128,000) a year.
But like all parties, eventually the music stops and the lights come on.

Resource prices have fallen substantially and mining companies have slashed their costs - in Queensland more than 8,000 coal mining jobs have gone in the past 18 months.

"Boom boom" has gone from Mackay, but as I leave Mackay Motorcycles Scott points out one growth area - the local second-hand classified magazine.
There will be many more like him around Australia - people whose jobs and businesses are going or gone. When you are riding a Harley, you are king of the road. But when you fall off, you get hurt just like everyone else.
 

apple

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"Apple what you smoking? Catholics are not dominant Christian, last study should Aussies say no religion.
Rudd sold us out to the Chinese hence why he could not kept leadership
And u can't understand Aussie? Really with username of apple? Your Chinese.
As u know Australia leads China follows.
Most Aussies are racist. Last study showed 8 out of 10 Australians are racist.
As for the natural resources here....hellloooo!
Really come on lmao!
2011 census reported that a quarter of Australians considered themselves Roman Catholic, while 22% stated they had no religion. While it's, perhaps, useful to describe Australians as having no religion, to foreigners, as it plays (comparitively) little part in our society compared to other parts of the world, it's not the whole truth. Particularly in regards to politics. Abbott must the first Catholic to be the leader of the Liberal Party... coincidence?

Australian English is my first language, it annoys me to see a (alledged) Australian citizen screw it up. But, congratulations on this post, it's not so incorrect as your earlier posts.

And no, I'm not Chinese. What is it with you and the Chinese. Saw your post on NZ saying Chinese exchange students are prostitutes...

China's not leading Australia, they pay cash for our goods.

Which study showed 8/10 Australia's being racist? A study by the Islamic, disabled, Aboriginal, lesbian Socialist Collective?

OK Hmm can't edit my post but apple really wtf? All Aussies vote even if we are Expats. Its the law! We put in an international postal vote or vote via ec website ....
That's been changed then. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and wont claim you're lying. Last time I tried to vote overseas, I had to provide a witness, who was an Australian citizen, who had personally known me for over five years for my vote to be eligible.

Find it very difficult to believe (actually, I will claim you lying about this part) that you can "vote via ec website" sic.

That's the way selling resources go. Didn't know they were mining coal in Mackay, which is quite a big town, nor that the price of coal had gone down. But, when the mine shuts, the coal stays in the ground to be sold at a later date. Most mines are located in the middle of no where, so the boom/ bust cycle doesn't really affect the local community as there is no (or very little of a) local community to affect.
 

nrupatunga

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Dump middle-power tag - Australia carries bigger stick than that
This week Prime Minister Tony Abbott attended APEC and is at the East Asia Summit (EAS) on Thursday. Next month we'll host the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC) in Perth.

Any self-respecting foreign affairs analyst has to get their head around an alphabet soup of acronyms. Now there's another one.

MIKTA was launched on the sidelines of 68th session of the UN General Assembly last month by foreign ministers of so-called ''middle-power'' countries.

It's an informal collaboration platform between the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey and Australia. MIKTA is the combined first letters of the names of the participating countries. All five countries are members of the G20.

At their meeting, the five foreign ministers shared the view that middle-power countries need to create a co-operation mechanism to address global issues. They agreed to meet on a regular basis.

Do we really need to belong to such a bizarre group whose members have limited interests in common and that doesn't include obvious members such as Brazil, South Africa and Canada?

After all, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, we've got no shortage of states now wanting to talk to us.

We're already valued by the US, China, Japan, the EU, south Asia, and increasingly in Africa and the Middle East, as a real player with real interests. But Australia has traditionally been a ''joiner'' when it comes to international affairs: having a large Rolodex with lots of overseas numbers to call is generally a good thing.

It is useful for Australia to be in clubs, but only if they help us get what we want. Persuading others to advance our interest by joining with them and developing ideas and links makes sense. Even in the South Pacific, where we're the big boy on the block, we don't always get what we want and have to work with others, particularly the Pacific Islands Forum and New Zealand.

But putting the middle-power label to the forefront through MIKTA isn't helpful. It's not just about size but more about how you get want you want: Indonesia's influence in international affairs has operated way below its size and Singapore has operated way beyond its size.

To the extent that size matters when it comes to our influence, the middle-power label is misleading. In the South Pacific we're a superpower. In the Indian Ocean (where we've got the largest area of maritime jurisdiction) and in south-east Asia we're a major player. We're a top-tier power in the southern hemisphere.

Some years ago Alexander Downer suggested we aren't a small or medium country. He described Australia as a ''considerable'' power and a ''significant'' country.

The former foreign minister is right. When Australia's claim to the Antarctic landmass is included, it becomes the country with the largest jurisdictional claim to an area of the earth's surface, about 27.2 million square kilometres, of which about half is over ocean or sea. We're the 12th largest economy (in GDP terms), the fifth wealthiest nation (GDP per capita in US dollars) and 51st (out of 214) in population. We've got the 12th largest defence budget.

During the election Abbott said we're a ''significant middle power''. But if the Coalition wished to differentiate its foreign policy from Labor's, then it would be better dropping the middle power badging. We shouldn't exhibit a middle child syndrome that suggests we feel left out.

A better label might be pivotal. Our strategic location, size of population, economic potential, policy preferences and political weighting are destined to shape the contours of geopolitics in key regions.

As a pivotal power strategically located at the hinge of the Indo-Pacific, and a member of some important international groupings already, we should think big when it comes to our place in the world.
 

IBSA

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Country flag
Lamb Island residents see chance of nationhood arrive
Barton and Margaret Bulwinkel could be monarchs, as island of 400 inhabitants off Brisbane votes on secession from Australia
Paul Farrell
theguardian.com, Friday 18 October 2013 08.00 BST




Starting a new country is no easy feat, but this Saturday a small Australian island will take a vote that may change the course of its future.

The residents of Lamb Island, which sits off the coast of Brisbane, will on Saturday take a vote to decide whether or not they will secede from Australia and become an independent constitutional monarchy called Independent Republic of Nguduroodistan, the name of the island in native language.

"It started out as a sitting on a deck with a friend of mine and just having a general gripe about lack of provision of services and then I thought, 'why don't we secede?'" says Tony Gilson, the Lamb Island resident who initiated the vote and runs the island's convenience store.

Gilson says the main reasons for taking the vote are slow police response times and a sense that the local council, Redlands City, has not paid enough attention to the island, which has a population of just over 400.

"Lamb Island is a fantastic community and the residents here should all be proud of themselves," he says.

If successful, the new monarchs will be King Barton Bulwinkel, 89, and Queen Margaret Bulwinkel, 86, the island's longest-term residents, who have lived there for 53 years. A new currency will also be created and a subsequent plebiscite will be called to decide on the exact form of the constitution.

Gilson wants to stress that while the issues the island has faced are real, the vote is also about having fun and will not jeopardise the island's residents. The new state's relationship with Australia will remain amicable and will not affect residents access to pensions and other provisions.

If they become a republic they will need to nominate official and secondary languages, and Klingon and Elvish have been flagged as possibilities.

Gilson has also been lobbying hard to try and gain support overseas to help the fledgling nation. He emailed George Takei to invite him to hold Star Trek conventions on the island if it becomes a successful republic, although Takei has not responded. He also tried to contact Angelina Jolie to see if she would stop by while she was in Australia for her latest film.

There are also positive plans for government on Lamb Island that Gilson says could be an example for the prime minister, Tony Abbott's leadership. There will be portfolios for social justice and equity, climate change, and a minister for women.

"I even sent out a message to Kevin Rudd saying foreign affairs was available if he wanted it," he says.

And as an island nation in control of their own borders, Gilson says they will not be turning or towing back any boats that land on their shores.

"We're a very diverse community, very tolerant and we pride ourselves on inclusiveness," he says.

If Lamb Island decides to secede, it will become the latest of a number of principalities that have decided to break away from the mainland.

The Principality of Hutt River located within Western Australia was established on 21 April 1972. It briefly declared war on Australia in 1977 after repeated requests from the Australian Tax Office to pay taxes, but the crisis was resolved and the war ended bloodlessly shortly after.

The Principality of Wy is in Mosman, Sydney and is led by Prince Paul Delprat, who seceded after a local council dispute on 15 November 2004.

Gilson says he is hopeful that the Lamb Island vote will also succeed. The vote is scheduled for this Saturday between 10am and 2pm, to coincide with the island's bowls and recreation club Oktoberfest celebrations.

Lamb Island residents see chance of nationhood arrive | World news | theguardian.com
 

drkrn

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what is happening.

scotland wants secession.now some islands from australia.???
why are the developed countries breaking apart??
 

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