Australia on track to a female PM?

[Bender]

Vote-a-Matic.JPG

Might as well have called it by now; I voted a few weeks ago, so all the important votes are in.

[baloo]

1. Donkey
2. Greens
3. Labor
4. Coalition

In a safe Labor seat. Might as well have called it by now; I voted a few weeks ago, so all the important votes are in.

You never struck me as someone who would listen to Latham and follow his advice......

[Bender]

You never struck me as someone who would listen to Latham and follow his advice......

He's been making a complete ass of himself while working for 9.

[Pinklepurr]

You never struck me as someone who would listen to Latham and follow his advice......

He's been making a complete ass of himself while working for 9.

...and he didn't before that?


I for one am so glad of the media blackout for the next 3 days. I love that they still have that here. I am truly sick of all the anti everything political ads on the radio at the moment. I counted 5 in one ad break alone (basically all but one of the ads). I know listen to the ABC or whatever...well I would if they had Hamish and Andy.

[Tas]

I'm at the point where I'm ready to vote Greens at this point. Even they're more upbeat and positive and normal looking than either of the two main parties.

[Tas]

Hey, I hadn't particularly heard much in the news that the Coalition planned to sell off Medibank Private as a policy . Just noticed - isn't that rather a bit of a big issue not being discussed?

[Burbage]

PLenty of big issues haven't been discussed. Plenty of completely irrelevant issues have hogged the headlines. The thing that amuses me about these morons is that we hear more about what the Liberals are going to do from the Labor Party than we do from the Liberals themselves, and vice versa.

[Bender]

Caution: NSFW



I propose we have a "blackout" on this thread, then (if we really must) start a new one post-election.

[baloo]

cute.

[Morrolan]

if Abbott gets elected I'm leaving...

[daffodil]

Watching Julia speaking live from Gosford and her mantra is "there's a real risk that Mr Abbott will be PM on Sunday". I think she must have said it 7 or 8 times in 3 minutes.

Too close to call, still.

[Burbage]

They used that last time as well. It worked with Howard, so presumably they think it will work again. Perhaps it will, an electorate is not a clever thing.

[baloo]

So it comes down to the greater emotion.

Will the anger towards the ALP be greater than the fear of Abbott ?

Had it been Turnbull or Hockey leading the coalition, they would have got my vote. I'm not sure I could stomach Abbott as PM. If he wins I'll certainly start to understand how many Americans felt when GWB was their President.

[Mr Oz]

if Abbott gets elected I'm leaving...

Got your bags packed yet? Queenslanders are going to put the victorian ranga to the sword. Just watch. Chatter around the water cooler has it not good for labour here. They don't like the budgie smuggler but they definitely despise the ranga.

[Joseph27]

Got a feeling tomorrow night will be a close coalition victory, my ALP preference vote will have meant nothing anyway given its an 8% ALP seat. Honestly it wont make a great difference to Australia's future who is elected - they both believe in the same things, speak the same language, hold the same prejudices; a part of me smiles at the conversations in the ALP room post election if they lose...

[Kooky]

Well it's knicker-wetting time where I work, for sure.

[Fat Bob]

How come? I'm not visiting?

[Mr Oz]

The ranga will lose too many seats in Queensland. Watch Petrie and Bonner either go then red rover all over.

[daffodil]

Battled the crowds to place my vote at The Australian Embassy in Makati - well, sometimes 3 can be a crowd, right ? And yes, I left my gun at the door....

Fingers, toes and all other bits crossed that the Mad Monk stays in Opposiiton.

[baloo]

Hung Parliment and a 20yo MP.

3 Independants and 1 Green MP now hold the balance of power and their decision decides who becomes PM.

Amazing result. It will be interesting to see how this ends up. I'm not sure how long it's been since Australia had a minority government. Not sure it could last very long either.

Not sure I would call it democracy though.

[Tas]

70yrs ago I think is the #floating around if I recall correctly re last hung parliament.

Interesting dynamic with the independents vs coalition - papers keep saying they are natural cohorts for the coalition being ex national - but they hate Barnaby have enjoyed listening to them call a spade a spade on who and how one or the other government didn't support their electorate in 11+years of governence.

Other interesting thing is on JJJ of all places, they've been covering off a number of previous primeministers, didn't realise that at the origins of parliament there were so many different parties, and chopping and changing as - think Billy Hughs was one of the interesting ones. 2 party politics something that's evolved more recently. Think it's a really good shake up.(also Pissed off that the newspapers only start reporting in balanced fashion after election not before. + Laurie Oaks of ch9 clearly hates Labor and soft on the Liberals interviews - can't believe his held up as the bastion of political reporting) Hoping we'll see the evolution of a few more parties by the next election.

[Joseph27]

TAS I was thinking of the same thing - Billy Hughes crossed the floor with a group of fellow minded colleagues and a new govt was born and party formed. If you look across both parties there are a lot of people who could just as easily have joined the other side of the house. Gillard and Abbott are at each others throats of late, but go back a few years and they were happily flirting with one another, and at the end of the day, when important legislation is put forward, the ALP can always count of the Libs to back it and vice versa. This just happened 2 months ago with some welfare reform legislation which would have been blocked by the greens but had bipartisan support from the big 2.

The following is from todays Australian - raises an interesting possibility. A Gillard Govt with a few libs in cabinet or alternatively an Abbott govt with a few ALP... It would be a funny mix but how often in corporate life does a CEO have staff who although philophically opposed on certain issues, stays in job because of their competency to do the role.

Rod Oakeshott urges Gillard and Abbott to start talking James Massola, Joe Kelly From: The Australian August 24, 2010 10:36AM Increase Text SizeDecrease Text SizePrintEmail Share
Add to DiggAdd to del.icio.usAdd to FacebookAdd to KwoffAdd to MyspaceAdd to NewsvineWhat are these?INDEPENDENT MP Rob Oakeshott has urged Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to talk to each other to sort out Australia's hung parliament.
Mr Oakeshott said he had met with Greens MP Adam Bandt for the first time this morning and would sit down with fellow independents Tony Windsor and Bob Katter after lunchtime today.

That meeting could run late into the night, with formal meetings with Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott unlikely to be held until tomorrow.

Continuing his call to reinvent the parliamentary system, Mr Oakeshott said his preference was for a cross-party cabinet and indicated he may not support either side of politics if a cross-party cabinet could not be formed.

When asked if his fellow independents shared his view on “consensus politics” and his example of Kevin Rudd serving as foreign minister in an Abbott government or Malcolm Turnbull serving in a Gillard government - he said he would find out “in detail” today and how hard he would be pushing for the idea.

But Mr Turnbull - asked by The Australian Online if he would serve in a Gillard cabinet or if Kevin Rudd should serve in an Abbott cabinet - seemed momentarily lost for words.

“I don't think either proposition is a realistic one,” he said.

Looking ahead to today's talks, Mr Oakeshott said “if we are just fluffing around, if we are just building a minority government with a bit of plus plus plus from the cross benches I'm not interested”.

“This is about trying to get to at least 76 and yes, if this doesn't happen, if it doesn't fly, if consensus can't be reached we will go back to the position of three [independents] and Adam Bandt as well, making a decision on red team or blue team getting across the line in that context I'm not interested, I'm not going to play,” he said.

However, Mr Oakeshott would not rule out a cabinet position if consensus could be found.

Mr Oakeshott said elevating the role of committees, imposing deadlines on response times to recommendations and allowing private members bills to be brought to vote were critical issues for him.

Mr Oakeshott said he would like to see the committee structure actually getting “back in the game” and said it was “quite often a year before a minister writes a letter back based on a committee report and says we accept one of those 20 recommendations”.

When asked what he meant by getting the committee structure “back in the game” Mr Oakeshott conceded “well, I'm not sure”, suggesting that deadlines be put on response times.

Private members bills should be voted on and added he also wanted to see private members business “having some authority within the parliamentary time table”.

“If there is some sentiment for exploring creative options where this is about not political parties, not a red team or a blue team, this is about 150 members of parliament, building a majority with a focus on being able to get through some of the key national issues in this country, I'd be interested in having a conversation,” he said.

Mr Oakeshott called on the “traditional arch-rivals” to stop “pretending to be fighting to the death over ideology when they are actually more often than not in agreement on most issues”.

“As independents it is an almost a logical argument that political parties don't have a place in a pure model of how a parliament should run. The original concept doesn't have political parties involved in democracy.”

He confirmed the make up of the Senate was a consideration for him in deciding which party he would throw his support behind.

“We need to consider all options and I would hope that not only all 150 lower house members but everyone in the upper house as well should be considered as part of this issue part of the talent pool to get the best result in the national interest stable government for the next three years,” he said.

[Burbage]

So far, the only phrase that springs to mind is: utter shambles.

They've even had the governor general in to make sure she doesn't favour her son in law who is a labor MP. And why, by the way, is a woman called Quentin? Did she have a sex change?

[baloo]

So Bender, what's it like in Canberra this week ?

[Bender]

Quiet. The Administration remains in "caretaker mode" until there's a new Government.

This has industry concerned; "caretaker mode" means that the government continues to avoid:

• making major policy decisions that are likely to commit an incoming government;
• making significant appointments; and
• entering major contracts or undertakings.

An interesting side issue that's come up is that the Governor-General has had to declare a potential conflict of interest; one of the key players in ousting Kevin Rudd, and a bit of a Labor mover and shaker, Bill Shorten (former union boss), is her son-in-law.

It's also cold. Today's one of the warmer days this week (12°), with possible snow in the next few days. I'm over winter.