Australian Election!

[pevergreen]

Labour wins!

Labour needed at least 16 extra seats, as of now, they have at least 23.

Mr. Howard just gave his speech.

Its been a long time Mr. Howard.

[sapi]

11 years too long, Mr Howard

[KukriKhan]

Perhaps, the Backroom for this item? Or do you Aussies intend to cover the topic like a sporting event (therefore: Frontroom material)?

[macsen rufus]

Well, it's the far side of the world and all that, but even from this perspective I could see that Mr Howard was about the most poisonous thing about Oz, after spiders in the dunny, and Fosters. Good luck with the new team, may they live up to your hopes

[CountArach]

Perhaps, the Backroom for this item? Or do you Aussies intend to cover the topic like a sporting event (therefore: Frontroom material)?

Backroom sounds good.

Damn you pever! it's Labor, not Labour! Get the name of your new ruling party correct!

But yes, I am so glad the Labor won, however the Senate results are disappointing because in order to get anything through Labor will have to get the Greens, Nick Xenophon and Family First to agree on anything, unless someone in the Coalition abstains, which seems unlikely. Alternately, Barnaby Joyce may defect on some things. Also one of the few moderates may support Kyoto or something.

[naut]

Kukri they way most people here went about voting, this topic could potentialy stay here. They did it on who was the sexiest candidate.

I like some of the Labor policy and other policies like mandatory internet filters I don't like, on the principle that its undemocratic; they should be a option for those who feel they need them. Plus they're looking to waste a lot of money.

[CountArach]

I read more into the mandatory filters and I believe that it is actually just going to be a requirement for the ISPs to provide one as an option. Also, what money are they going to waste, apart from the Tax Cuts?

[Warluster]

Ah well, I don't see anything wrong with Rudd.

Though I don't get why people would want Howard gone for when he's done so much for Australia. I don't see anything wrong with him going, but I wish he had've retired, not forced out. He's been a very good PM, and with the consequence of the second ever PM forced out of politics. (First was in '29 I think.)

I think Howard should've retired before the Election and left it to Costello.

[CountArach]

Though I don't get why people would want Howard gone for when he's done so much for Australia.

Name 3 major pieces of Infrastructure Howard has built. Go on, I challenge you.

[sapi]

Though I don't get why people would want Howard gone for when he's done so much for Australia. I don't see anything wrong with him going, but I wish he had've retired, not forced out.

If he didn't want to be forced out, he could have passed the leadership to Costello before the election and resigned with his reputation intact ...

[naut]

Also, what money are they going to waste, apart from the Tax Cuts?

$2 Billion on hybrid cars.

[InsaneApache]

What does Labor mean? Is it like manual work without you doing it?

[Papewaio]

Though I don't get why people would want Howard gone for when he's done so much for Australia.

The spot price for metals is what has made the Australian economy boom in the last ten years. Check out the wages for mines, the rise in the cost of prices in Perth, WA is on the boom cycle of the boom-bust mining cycle. And this time its on all minerals not just a couple and gas as well. So we are getting 2 or more times as much money per tonne of raw materials we sell overseas... so profit margins are up from 10% to over 100%. The tax cuts have all been funded by the mineral boom.

I don't think it is a sustainable way to manage an economy by riding on the coat-tails of China's rise. We still are little more then a primary industry economy.

[KukriKhan]

We still are little more then a primary industry economy.

Maybe diversify into more Beer-Slammer Tourism businesses. *hiccup*

It certainly has my interest piqued. :)

[naut]

I don't think it is a sustainable way to manage an economy by riding on the coat-tails of China's rise. We still are little more then a primary industry economy.

Excellent point.

[Ignoramus]

So what was Kevin Rudd doing differently than Howard on the economy?

Nothing.

[sapi]

http://www.domain.com.au/Public/Prop...did=2006832414

[Vladimir]

Name 3 major pieces of Infrastructure Howard has built. Go on, I challenge you.

That's how you measure success? Or saying a good economy doesn't matter because of the market? How many people has Australia landed on the moon? That's a much better metric. Tell me, what does it mean to be a socialist and economic conservative?

Definitely backroom material.

[Odin]

Hats off to Australlia, now there can be a complete shift on the Iraq policy, something several Australlian forum members have been very vocal about.

Now there are no excuses, Mr Howard is gone.

[InsaneApache]

I hear that madge might be getting her marching orders. Any truth in this?

[Papewaio]

That's how you measure success? Or saying a good economy doesn't matter because of the market? How many people has Australia landed on the moon? That's a much better metric. Tell me, what does it mean to be a socialist and economic conservative?

Definitely backroom material.

It is rather easy to balance the books in the short term by selling assets. Telstra was one of the most profitable companies in Australia and it was sold off. So not hard to make a short term gain. The problem is over the long term, once we have sold off all our production capacity and have not as a nation invested in infrastructure we will be rather worse off.

It's a classic case of selling off the Golden Goose.

[Tribesman]

I hear that madge might be getting her marching orders. Any truth in this?

Are you trying to confuse some people , it might be hard enough to grasp that the Liberals were to the right without bringing in that the new leftist fellow is a republican .

Now there are no excuses, Mr Howard is gone.

Well the last excuse had already gone when the Japanese pulled out .

[pevergreen]

Labor/Labour i see it spelt both ways...

The new DFO that opened in Brisbane (a few hundred metres from my house ) Had pro-labor graffiti on it: Ratify Kyoto, stop global warming - vote alp

My intent for this thread was a topic letting everyone know the outcome.
Not backroom discussion.

Mr. Howard is very close to losing his seat, he may already have.
So much for the "safe seat"

[Odin]

Well the last excuse had already gone when the Japanese pulled out .

Logisitically yes, but ideologically no. This guy Howard was in on it from the start with Mr Bush, guess he wanted to be a bigger fish in a bigger pond.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Ah, there's something fitting about Oz being the one place whose elections can be covered in the Frontroom.

The Lucky Country indeed.
"In tonight's news: Koala hurts paw!"

Labor/Labour i see it spelt both ways...

UK: labour, US: labor, Oz: labor/labour?

Look, as my linguistic overlords at least make your mind up, eh!?

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Wow, I was slow off the mark on this one. To the backroom!

[Papewaio]

The party is capitalised in the American form, whilst that of the action of work is spelled in the British form.

So you can be a labourer who labours and a member of a union that supports the Labor Party.

[Ignoramus]

Bennelong wasn't a "safe" seat. Due to redistributions, it picked up more of the western suburbs, which generally vote Labor.

[sapi]

What's most interesting about this whole election, of course, is that the deputy leader of the losing Liberal party, Peter Costello, has declined the leadership (despite an endorsement from the outgoing Howard); and at the same time, Mark Vaile, the head of the National party (junior coalition partner) has resigned.

The senior coalition member in public office right now, around the country, is Campbell Newman, the mayor of Brisbane

[Papewaio]

Is Brisbane big enough to have a mayor?