Australian Federal Election thread - 2010 edition.

[pj1351]

Julia Gillard wants climate change action linked to summit of 'ordinary Aussies'

150 random idiots picked off the street to help decide Australia's future on climate change. Brilliant.

[Gandalf]

Julia Gillard wants climate change action linked to summit of 'ordinary Aussies'

150 random idiots picked off the street to help decide Australia's future on climate change. Brilliant.

That boggled my mind when I heard that.

How did that idea get out of the brainstorming room?

[pj1351]

Julia Gillard wants climate change action linked to summit of 'ordinary Aussies'

150 random idiots picked off the street to help decide Australia's future on climate change. Brilliant.

That boggled my mind when I heard that.

How did that idea get out of the brainstorming room?

Probably the same way the 2020 Summit did.

[Archaic`]

News for you Gillard, we already have a citizens assembly, selected from people across all of Australia from all walks of life. It meets in Canberra. Goes by the name of "Parliament". Perhaps you've heard it?

Seriously, this is just a policy to put things off...again. *facepalm* I guess she's trying to drop the Rudd image of micromanaging and not allowing others to make decisions....by going too far in the other direction.

[thejester]

Fucking unbelievable. Does she not understand that Rudd's popularity crashed because he wimped out on climate change? Take a fucking stand!

This election is blown. Both parties need to understand that balancing the budget isn't a policy, it's a basic expectation. Outline a vision FFS! At least Krudd had a 'big Australia', an idea of what we could be. Gillard and Abbott don't even have the balls to take on fucking Matt Preston, let alone the challenges faced by the nation.

[weemadando]

Julia Gillard wants climate change action linked to summit of 'ordinary Aussies'

150 random idiots picked off the street to help decide Australia's future on climate change. Brilliant.

You expect them to be random? You're fucking optimistic.

I expect that they'll mostly be from marginal electorates, and probably mostly involved in the [coal] mining industry and paid up CFMEU members..

[tim31]

This thread is exciting me more than any campaign coverage I've seen so far.

Gillard's House 'o Commons will wind up the same way SDN's did.

[adam_grif]

No Minister: 90% of web snoop document censored to stop "premature, unnecessary debate".

Also known as "we don't want this turning into another net filter debacle".

[weemadando]

What are you talking about Comrade. 90% of that document was child porn. That's the only reason it was censored.

[GuppyShark]

I'm starting to worry that NBN is just a Trojan horse...

[hongi]

I thought the debate was something of a damp squib. Abbott, much to my distaste, came off looking the better.

Also, if Masterchef had been on at the same time, half the nation would have been watching channel 10.

[weemadando]

The debate was hilarious. The main point to dwell on:

Apparently the biggest issue facing our nation is that people want to live here. And Australia just cannot take any more immigrants. The Welshwoman and the Englishman both agree on that.

[adam_grif]

Weemando, have you seen the size of our country? There's a whole twenty million people that have to squeeze into something with the approximate area of the United States. I sometimes have trouble breathing.

Maybe the immigration department can take a page out of the nightclub bouncer handbook and tell immigrants they can't come in because they don't like their shoes.

[weemadando]

I actually agree that Australia is already at an unsustainable size (edit - for our current set up of water usage, lifestyle, power generation and agriculture). But as I've said before - I'd rather have 100 asylum seekers who are seeking a better life for them and their families than 1 white trash drain on society who thinks that having a Southern Cross tattoo is edgy and cool and who's greatest ambition in life is to be a "coupla fousandaire" (actual quote from bogan school child).

[Losonti Tokash]

The debate was hilarious. The main point to dwell on:

Apparently the biggest issue facing our nation is that people want to live here. And Australia just cannot take any more immigrants. The Welshwoman and the Englishman both agree on that.

This is...encouraging, considering my interest in immigrating coupled with what is apparently a severe lack of professionals in my field.

[mr friendly guy]

Liberals play the religion bigotry card, what a shock

Lib says Gillard's godlessness a vote loser
NICK BUTTERLY, The West Australian July 26, 2010, 2:06 pm

Religion has raised its head as an election issue with WA Liberal Don Randall claiming the Labor vote in his Canning electorate will fall flat because Prime Minister Julia Gillard does not believe in God.

Mr Randall's comments came as the Liberal Party was forced to dump its candidate in the NSW seat of Chifley after he attacked his Labor opponent for being a Muslim and warned that Ms Gillard should not be running the country because she is an atheist.

Speaking at the WA State Liberal conference in Perth at the weekend, Mr Randall said there was a big Christian vote in his seat and he claimed many constituents would vote against Labor because Ms Gillard had admitted she was "godless".

"There is a big Christian vote in the electorate of Canning, there's no doubt about that," he said. "The whole range of religions have made contact with my office to say they are very concerned about the stance of the Prime Minister, basically being anti-God. They don't like the fact we have got a godless Prime Minister."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he wasn't aware of Mr Randall's comments, but warned he would not tolerate any of his colleagues attacking their Labor opponents on the basis of religion.

"I just want to make it very clear that attacks on people based on their religion have no place in this election campaign and will not be made by me," he said.

A WestPoll published in _The West Australian _on Saturday showed Mr Randall was trailing Labor opponent Alannah MacTiernan 51-49 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. Mr Randall holds the seat by a margin of 4.3 per cent.

Yesterday, Liberal David Barker refused to back away from his claims that Labor was moving the nation closer to being a Muslim country.

Mr Barker has been disendorsed as the Liberal candidate for the Labor-held seat of Chifley for attacking his Labor opponent Ed Husic for being a Muslim. He reportedly posted anti-Islamic entries on Facebook and wrote to church leaders asking for their support against his Muslim Labor opponent.

Mr Barker was forced by party officials to close his Facebook account.

"He's gone, he's finished," Mr Abbott said when asked about Mr Barker.

Interviewed after being punted from the Liberal ballot, Mr Barker continued to argue that a Muslim should not be allowed into Parliament and that Ms Gillard could not govern because of her lack of faith.

"I'm not anti-Muslim, I believe everyone should have their own beliefs," he said.
"But I don't know if we want at this stage in Australian politics a Muslim in the Parliament and an atheist running the government."

I knew some Liberal supporters were stupid, that someone Gillard being an atheist = muslims taking over even though those philosophies are idealogically different and not compatible, but this is the first time the liberals themselves actually sprouted this shit.

Looking at Mr Barker's pictures in todays West, he seems like a fat piece of shit with a BMI easily in the obese if not morbidly obese category. Clearly he is unfit to represent us as he is unhealthy and with the health system understrain as it is, its just not appropriate. Now I have nothing against fat people but I just think they should have less rights then thin people, namely they can't represent us. The blatant double talk is so obvious, except to Liberals and their supporters and apologists. I bet you if they read my piece they will be too god damn stupid to realise its a parody and satire of his "serious" statements.

I sure hope Don Randal loses his seat in my state. He needs to get into Doctor Who's TARDIS and be taken back to an era where he fits right in. The dark ages. He is running against a Labor "star recruit", Alannah McTeirnan recruited from state Labor, and while I don't consider her particularly striking in vote winning ability the ALPs strategist certainly think so, so who knows.

Its shit like this that makes it easy for me to choose Labor, ie the ALP being clearly the lesser of the two evils.

[hongi]

I've read some of Barker's facebook posts and it's clear he's not one of those average Evangelicals that you may have in your workplace or family, he's an actual fundy. With terrible spelling.

What was going through the Liberal's minds when they nominated this guy?

[weemadando]

I'm pretty sure that it's just the usual internal party politics. They let him run against a safe Labor candidate in the knowledge that there's almost no chance for him to get elected, then get to go: "Oh, that's too bad, well you had your shot. Now get back to raising all that MAAAAD money from your crazy religious buddies, we'll try a different tack at the next election. ... Oh yes, yes, we'll definitely pass your policy ideas up the line."

[Ford Prefect]

This is...encouraging, considering my interest in immigrating coupled with what is apparently a severe lack of professionals in my field.

You're not brown, and you won't be coming in a leaky boat. Instant pass, broheim.

[thejester]

I actually agree that Australia is already at an unsustainable size (edit - for our current set up of water usage, lifestyle, power generation and agriculture). But as I've said before - I'd rather have 100 asylum seekers who are seeking a better life for them and their families than 1 white trash drain on society who thinks that having a Southern Cross tattoo is edgy and cool and who's greatest ambition in life is to be a "coupla fousandaire" (actual quote from bogan school child).

Bogans are people too Ando

This is...encouraging, considering my interest in immigrating coupled with what is apparently a severe lack of professionals in my field.

That's been Australian immigration policy for the better part of 15 years. Try and get a job before you come here though, just to be on the safe side.

[mr friendly guy]

linky

Family First 'sought' preference deal with Australian Sex Party

CONSERVATIVE "family values" party Family First has approached the Australian Sex Party - which advocates gay marriage, prostitution and abortion - for a preference deal in the federal election.

Launching the Australian Sex Party's South Australian campaign in Adelaide yesterday, president Fiona Patten said she was stunned when an adviser to Family First's leader, Senator Steve Fielding, phoned her and made the proposal.

Ms Patten said her party was not interested in dealing with Family First, which she said represented the worst aspects of conservative Australia.

Founded by South Australian Pentecostal minister Andrew Evans, Family First touts itself as a pro-family party.

It is opposed to gay marriage and gay civil unions as well as abortion, prostitution and pornography.

It also supported the Government's controversial internet-filtering policy.

The Australian Sex Party is at the other end of the political spectrum, supporting gay marriage, euthanasia and abortion. It also wants to remove religion from Australian politics.

Ms Patten said Family First's proposition for the two parties to preference each other above the major parties was laughable and had been knocked back.

"I don't believe we have a single common place to go to on anything," she said.

"It was really just them trying to grasp at what they thought was possibly a strong vote for us and hypocritically get in on our coat-tails. Frankly we just couldn't go there.

"Being a new party, we were trying not to start off quite that cynical."

A spokesman for Family First confirmed it had spoken to the Australian Sex Party, but said there had been no deal on preferences.

"We were talking with them (the Australian Sex Party) about the election ... and we came to an arrangement not to do an arrangement with them," the spokesman said.

"We talked to all of the parties, from the Greens through to the Liberals, about the election, that's just part of preparing for an election."

The spokesman said Family First would preference the Greens last on their Senate ticket, but the Australian Sex Party was "not far behind".

Family First's candidate for the Senate in SA, Bob Day, said he was not aware of the deal.

"I don't know anything about the conversation and whether it took place or not," he said.

SA Senator Nick Xenophon, who has yet to endorse a Senate candidate in this year's campaign, said the two parties were "strange bedfellows".

"I think Family First will have a bit of explaining to do to their constituents about this one," he said.

"It's a case of not being desperate and dateless, but desperate and preferenceless.

"This preference deal is not something that genuine Family First supporters should take lying down."

At yesterday's campaign launch, Ms Patten also took a swipe at gay SA Labor Senator Penny Wong for failing to speak against the Government's opposition to gay marriage.

Ms Wong, who is Australia's first openly gay Cabinet minister, said this week that a "cultural, religious and historical view" on opposition to same-sex marriage had to be respected.

Conservatives being hypocrites, say it ain't so brother. At least the Sex party stuck to their beliefs.

I wonder if the Sex party are running a candidate in the Senate in WA? The party that supports gay marriage, euthanasia and abortion, sounds like my kind of party. Plus they have the integrity to say a big fuck you to Family First. And yes I realise the pun.

[weemadando]

The Sex Party have amazingly sound policies on social issues. There's a reason that they are going to get REALLY high preferences in the Senate from me.

Plus they have ads like this



http://www.sexparty.org.au/gallery/main ... alNumber=2

[Twoyboy]

linky

Family First 'sought' preference deal with Australian Sex Party

<snip>

Conservatives being hypocrites, say it ain't so brother. At least the Sex party stuck to their beliefs.

I wonder if the Sex party are running a candidate in the Senate in WA? The party that supports gay marriage, euthanasia and abortion, sounds like my kind of party. Plus they have the integrity to say a big fuck you to Family First. And yes I realise the pun.

Last election FF made a preference deal with the Liberty and Democracy party. They're the closet thing we have to anarchists. Anyone who takes Family First even mildly seriously must be fucking blind.

[mr friendly guy]

Last election FF made a preference deal with the Liberty and Democracy party. They're the closet thing we have to anarchists. Anyone who takes Family First even mildly seriously must be fucking blind.

Well when their only senator can't tell the difference between PHYSICAL and FISCAL policy (which of course he spells fisKal) its pretty obvious that the party and their supporters are a bunch of fucking idiots. Not to mention homophobes and religious nutjobs.

[Lusankya]

So, the ballot paper lists are up. The Victorian paper is not a pretty looking one. Family First is third on the paper, making Fielding the first of the incumbents, and the DLP is ahead of the ALP, which historically has boosted their vote as people are morons get the two confused are morons and get the two confused. When they're placed ahead of the ALP, their vote tends to go from 1 to 2% of the vote. CDP is also above Labor, who are pretty low down. This means that there's a good chance of a high Fundy vote in Victoria again. I think the best case scenario for Victoria then, would be for the Liberals to get three full quotas, which would result in fewer Liberal preferences flowing down to that mob and possibly getting another Fielding (or equivalent) voted in.

On a personal note, I am also quite pleased that the SA ballot seems to only have 40-something names on it.

And on a more sombre note, the latest poll:

Nielsen: Coalition leads 52-48

July 30th, 2010 by Mark Bahnisch | Published in Polls, federal election 2010 | 26 Comments

Both Kim and I have made the point in recent days that the polls are narrowing for Labor, and that the election is a real contest.

Now, news comes in of the latest Nielsen poll which has the Coalition ahead on the 2PP by 52-48.

Primaries are 45% to the Coalition, 36% to Labor, and 13% to The Greens.

Update: If replicated on August 21, and assuming a uniform swing, this poll would indicate the Coalition winning 86 seats and Labor 61.

It's not a commanding lead for the Liberals, and there is a margin of error of about 3%, but it's not a happy sign.