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Bad move by the Australian public imo.
In an unsurprising but still massive landslide of 24 seats (150 total in the house), the Australian Labor Party (ALP), basically equivalent to your Democratic party, has defeated the Liberal-National coalition, ending John Howard's 11 years as Prime Minister.
The election was won by Labor mainly because people wanted a change, and because they were pissed off by Work Choices, IR reform which handed too much power from employees to business.
Now that Labor have the reigns, I just hope they don't screw it up. The Australian economy has been booming for 4 years straight on the back of global economic growth, but with the US economy headed for recession, things could get ugly across the globe.
Interesting times.
PS My prediction - everything stays pretty much the same.
Bad move by the Australian public imo.
"Work Choices", "IR" reform?
What are those?
From what I remember and have researched, the unions have lost a lot of their influence. Could they be making a comeback?
And will this have an influence on the support of the war in Iraq/Afghanistan? I know Howard was a pretty big supporter of Australian troops in the area.
Not that this really has any effect on me, whatsoever...the only other thing I know about Australia is that one of my favorite movies/books is Looking for Alibrandi.
Nice job Australia.
I pray this country doesn't make the same mistake next November.
I was watching the history channel and it was a show on cash, I did not know Australia cash was plastic. they showed a quick clip of them and they look kinda hard to fold, do they tear or crack in a wallet?
I heard from a friend that studied abroad that you can wash their money and it won't tear/rip/get ruined. I thought that was pretty bad ass. The toilets going backwards is still probably the freakiest of them all (even though it's probably a myth.)
It's not a myth. It is the southern hemisphere.
For them it doesn't flush backwards. That was the point I was getting at.
I believe Kevin Rudd has said he wants to pull Australia's combat troops out of Iraq, but possibly replace them with various, not-as-combaty(?) troops. No changes in Afghanistan that I know of.
1369 - the IR reform basically amounted to reducing the 12 basic "award" conditions in employment contracts down to 4, thus allowing businesses to remove penalties, breaks and other conditions previously guaranteed to workers. It was necessary reform that went too far, cost people money that simply shifted to their employer's balance sheet, and that was why the Labor party won. The reform also largely emasculated unions, which are less powerful today than 20-30 years ago but still have an important role in protecting worker's rights and safety (only about 25% of people now belong to unions in Aust).
tlong - why?
T Park - I thought you were a died-in-the-wool Republican? We voted for the other side this time.
ashbeigh - As for troops, our combat contribution to Iraq is set to go but I think reconstruction aid will continue, as will a presence in Afghanistan.
And our money IS PLASTIC, extremely flexible and durable plastic, multicoloured like monopoly money so you always know which note you are handing over. Best note construction in the world:
http://www.thirteenmonths.com/pictur.../auA/auA49.htm
Your money makes better gangster rolls though!
That's just badass. That also makes it 10X harder to duplicate, so forgery rates must be pretty low over there.1369 - the IR reform basically amounted to reducing the 12 basic "award" conditions in employment contracts down to 4, thus allowing businesses to remove penalties, breaks and other conditions previously guaranteed to workers. It was necessary reform that went too far, cost people money that simply shifted to their employer's balance sheet, and that was why the Labor party won. The reform also largely emasculated unions, which are less powerful today than 20-30 years ago but still have an important role in protecting worker's rights and safety (only about 25% of people now belong to unions in Aust).
tlong - why?
T Park - I thought you were a died-in-the-wool Republican? We voted for the other side this time.
ashbeigh - As for troops, our combat contribution to Iraq is set to go but I think reconstruction aid will continue, as will a presence in Afghanistan.
And our money IS PLASTIC, extremely flexible and durable plastic, multicoloured like monopoly money so you always know which note you are handing over. Best note construction in the world:
http://www.thirteenmonths.com/pictur.../auA/auA49.htm
Your money makes better gangster rolls though!
The question is, since it's made of PP, does it shrink when heat is applied?
Because you're heading down the same socialistic path that many European countries have already been on. It doesn't work.1369 - the IR reform basically amounted to reducing the 12 basic "award" conditions in employment contracts down to 4, thus allowing businesses to remove penalties, breaks and other conditions previously guaranteed to workers. It was necessary reform that went too far, cost people money that simply shifted to their employer's balance sheet, and that was why the Labor party won. The reform also largely emasculated unions, which are less powerful today than 20-30 years ago but still have an important role in protecting worker's rights and safety (only about 25% of people now belong to unions in Aust).
tlong - why?
T Park - I thought you were a died-in-the-wool Republican? We voted for the other side this time.
ashbeigh - As for troops, our combat contribution to Iraq is set to go but I think reconstruction aid will continue, as will a presence in Afghanistan.
And our money IS PLASTIC, extremely flexible and durable plastic, multicoloured like monopoly money so you always know which note you are handing over. Best note construction in the world:
http://www.thirteenmonths.com/pictur.../auA/auA49.htm
Your money makes better gangster rolls though!
As opposed to the "give big business everything it wants and bankrupt the country, both morally and fiscally" approach being tried here?
Could you please name a few so I can understand what you mean?
Well I know one thing about your new PM you are1369 - the IR reform basically amounted to reducing the 12 basic "award" conditions in employment contracts down to 4, thus allowing businesses to remove penalties, breaks and other conditions previously guaranteed to workers. It was necessary reform that went too far, cost people money that simply shifted to their employer's balance sheet, and that was why the Labor party won. The reform also largely emasculated unions, which are less powerful today than 20-30 years ago but still have an important role in protecting worker's rights and safety (only about 25% of people now belong to unions in Aust).
tlong - why?
T Park - I thought you were a died-in-the-wool Republican? We voted for the other side this time.
ashbeigh - As for troops, our combat contribution to Iraq is set to go but I think reconstruction aid will continue, as will a presence in Afghanistan.
And our money IS PLASTIC, extremely flexible and durable plastic, multicoloured like monopoly money so you always know which note you are handing over. Best note construction in the world:
http://www.thirteenmonths.com/pictur.../auA/auA49.htm
Your money makes better gangster rolls though!
ecstatic about. He is real believer in the Global Warming
thingy and said he will sign the Kyoto accords
immediately.
Hooray for Hollywood and Al Gore. And of course you
RNR.........Congratulations on the new government.
I guess me moving to New Zealand once America turns to complete is becoming questionable.
Giving business perks is not bankrupting the government whatsoever here.
Sweden
France
Norway
That's a start.
Hey Ruff
the only reason why i didnt vote for the liberals or the coalition 2 party:
John howard wasnt going to stay the full term,
Peter costello the australian public doesnt like him
the leadership challenge fiasco between the two, you gotto earn it, you cant expect to have the leadership handed to you
the way the liberals were handling the country was moving towards the american way, GST, IR LAWS, there involvement in the war on terror, immigration issues....there was many issues internally that was needed to be resolve and immediate attention.
and they were as arrogant
Reason why i chose RUDD:
we needed a change
he may not have the experience for the top job, but howard never had experience for the top job and he still got selected base on the libs policies and the economy was in the red domestically and internationally when labor was in govt....
PS: interest rates, the govt doesnt have much control over it, if you study economics, you know what i mean, there are measures in place thats needed to cool down/sustain the economic activity during peaks or booms....fiscal and monetary policys...
Sorry tlong, but you don't have a clue if you think "socialists" could come to power in Australia. The Labor Party is not "socialist", they are more like New Labor under Blair in Britain - pretty much the same as the Liberal Party, but more willing to spend on things like health, education and environment. Oh, and we do have a social welfare network (under any government), and I'm glad because by in large it works well.
Politics across the world has been dominated by the right for the last decade, but the swing to the left started in South America a few years ago and is now spreading to the developed world, and a good thing too. Moderate "left" does not mean "socialist/communist", it means recognition of the fact that there is a triple bottom line - social, environmental and economic - not just $$$$.
Oh, and I didn't vote Labor, I voted Green. Looks like they will own the balance of power in the Senate, a good thing, since the Liberals have done some horrible stuff with power over both Houses of Parliament.
Last edited by RuffnReadyOzStyle; 11-25-2007 at 07:17 PM.
only reason why u voted greens, there was this hot chick on the ballot yeh
Ah, no, I voted Greens because I want them to control the balance of power in the Senate and prevent the abuse of power we see when one of the big parties owns both houses. Unfortunately, it looks like the balance of power in the Senate will go to an independent and Family First...
Shouldn't this be in the Politic forum?????????????????
Yeah, sorry, didn't even think about that because I don't go there any more, and this thread is more about information than political debate, but feel free to move it.
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