The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

Bryce Gaudry. I will try to locate a reference link to give more detailed background, but the upshot is -

He is the sitting Member for Newcastle in the NSW Government and has been for about 15 years. He is old school Labour; a worker, of, for and by the people

As the second biggest city, this is, I would think, a fairly important seat. It is also a fairly safe seat, given the steel works (that used to be here but were sold out from under), coal mines, etc. etc. It is also a very beautiful city.

A couple of years ago the hospital was closed down and the land sold to developers. Yes there is another hospital in the area and, as we all know, we don't need hospitals - especially when they are located high on a bluff overlooking the ocean where the land values sky-rocketed and hotels and huge, expensive apartment blocks have begun to mushroom.

At about the same time, a brilliant plan to stop the railway going into Newcastle was decided upon. The rail line would stop out in one of the suburbs and the line itself from there to the end of track (which just happened to run along one side of the harbour) would be sold to developers so that high rise hotels and luxury apartments could be built along the foreshores.

Smacks of Liberal Party greed and total disregard for the needs of the people, preservation of the beauty, air and light quality, traffic needs, etc etc, doesn't it? Except that it was all the work of Bob Carr's Labour Government in the persona of Michael Costa.

Except it didn't happen. Bryce Gaudry fought tooth and nail to stop the carnage and - surprise, surprise - the people of Newcastle were totally behind him. There was a big back-down and that was that.

At the Labour Conference last week Jodi Mackay, an ex-channel 9 news reader was given pre-selection for the seat and Gaudry was dumped. He will stay in the job until the next election. He has said he will not stand as an Independent because he has always considered himself a Labour man.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20411623-29277,00.html

http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2003/s896127.htm

http://newcastle.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=443770&category=General%20News&m=12&y=2005

http://abc.net.au/news/australia/nsw/summer/200609/s1730482.htm

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/Parlment/Members.nsf/5d65e8c599c38ed4ca256e7c001cd832/2fb1b8ff9d13f926ca256abf0020f1ae!OpenDocument

Gaudry's main complaint is that of the 22 people who decided the pre-selection, 17 have no involvement with the state.

I can remember back in the days before Don Chipp decided to 'keep the bastards honest' the emphasis was on the '36 faceless men' that really ran the Labour Party. I was just a kid and that scared me. Seems 22 of them are still alive and kicking.

Here's one for cogitation.

A country comes out of a war having lost much of the cream of its young, healthy, virile man supply.

Like most animals, this sparks a survival urge in the species and those that came through start breeding rapidly.

Over the next few years you have what comes to be known as a baby boom.

Those in charge know exactly how many of these babies are born, and when, and also when they are going to become dependant upon the country through age, accident, illness, etc. This isn't hard because they have the assistance of census records, statisticians, insurance assessors, etc - a whole host of people whose business is to know and analyse the available data.

Those in charge consist of two groups - a government and an opposition. They are interchangeable and, over the ensuing years, do swap places on occasions. Between them there is also a whole host of people with access to the above.

Sixty years go by.

Though the individuals that make up the "those in charge" groups may change (some DO seem to have been there all that time!) the knowledge gained is kept and expanded upon.

Suddenly they jump up and down, tear out their hair and shout -

"The Baby Boomers are the cause of all our problems! They expect to be looked after in their old age! The rotten sods! Just because they have been paying hefty taxes all their working lives, how dare they live longer than people used to, and expect US to be responsible for them? Where do they think we are going to find the money to fund this Social Security gravy train?"

Wouldn't you think that since, collectively, they've had sixty years to think about it they would have come up with an answer?

but they had better find that money fast - I'm rapidly closing in!

Jeez, that sucks, lezzles!
(I take it that that's your seat?)

The electorate likes & respects him & he gets the boot!

Obviously the NSW Right (how I hate & loath em!) prefer a yes man/woman!

Don't you hate this trend of putting "celebrities" into safe seats?

Do you think there'll be a voter back-lash?

Hope so!

Well, yes, but I suppose it's something that they've actually identified the "problem"?
One thing's for certain, when the stuff-up actually happens, it'll be the previous government's fault! (Which ever party's in power.)
But the baby boomers have taken politicians be surprise time & time again. First they hit primary school & there was enormous surprise that there weren't enough classrooms, or teachers. (Where did all these kids come from? )
Then they hit secondary school & they had to build those "temporary" classrooms (which we still have!) because state governments were so surprised at the sudden, mighty influx of students. And remember the teacher shortage crisis?
The trouble is they've stopped, or drastically cut, training schemes (& govt sponsored scholarships) for plumbers, teachers, electricians, just about anything. (When was the last time you saw a plumber under 50 years of age?)
So there won't be enough reinforcements when the baby boomers try to retire!
So the answer is simple, really: Keep upping the retirement age!
Keep those baby boomers working! (W
Hell, we can't keep poaching skilled workers from Asia indefinitely, can we?)
75 year old plumbers, 80 year old teachers!
Problem solved: we can all die on the job!
No retirement pensions required!

(Just keep on saving for your old age margo! :wink: )

Go, Auntie!:

ABC staff to strike over pay
September 20, 2006 - 7:04PM/SMH

Aunty is going on strike tomorrow.

Live programming on the venerable public broadcaster will be thrown into chaos when ABC staff stop work over wages and conditions, unions say.

...... Wages at the public broadcaster had fallen sharply over the past 10 years compared to the general community, the CPSU said, and staff were deeply concerned about management plans to drastically alter many employment conditions.

CPSU national secretary Stephen Jones said declining wages and underfunding meant the ABC was struggling to attract and retain the quality staff needed to deliver the standard of broadcasting the community expected. ......

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/abc-staff-to-strike-over-pay/2006/09/20/1158431777470.html

The answer's simple. Sack the lot of them at the ABC and the news can come in over the phone from call centres in India.

No to your earlier question, Newcastle is not my seat, but we are on the same tv/radio area network. When my Mum was still alive we lived on Lake Macquarie and used to go into Newcastle often, and would see the changes happening.

Hey, I just moved to the Central Coast a year ago. Prior to that I was in Johnny H's seat - not that that did me any good!

Oh, yes, and if you really want some noid in your para, about that 'keep working till you die' solution - cast your mind back ten years or so ago when the big push was on to legalise voluntary euthanasia. It supposedly was intended to help ease the passing of the terminally ill.

What if the real intention was to start a propaganda campaign to convince Baby Boomers that they really should do the right thing and "step aside" so they wouldn't be a burden on society?

God, I hope Mr Windshuttle & the rest of "the Board" didn't read that, lezzles!
They might think it's a great idea!
(I love my Auntie.)

Oh, that's not a nice thought!
It's kind of believable! <sigh>

It's one of my very favourite conspiracy theories. I remember at the time they were talking about safeguards and it was said that it would require two family members and a doctor to make the decision (if you were unable to make it for yourself) and it started me thinking........

(msolga makes a mental note to keep in the good books of her two remaining family members.)

Here we go: How to make those pesky, hated IR laws more palatable before the next election?:



Howard IR shift will protect sickies
Brad Norington
September 22, 2006/the Australian

JOHN Howard has begun to soften the impact of his new workplace laws before the federal election next year by ensuring employees cannot be penalised when they are sick.

A raft of changes to the Howard Government's Work Choices package also seek to prevent workers being forced into "cashing out" their leave entitlements.

The changes, which take effect from today under amendments to regulations obtained by The Australian, follow a union scare campaign that has damaged the Coalition's standing with voters. .... <cont>

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20455686-601,00.html

Expect more tweaks of IR laws:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20455699-601,00.html

.... Meanwhile, both leaders attempt to outdo each other as the defenders of true blue Aussie values ... :

The whole thing is such a beat up! What are they going to sneak into law while we are watching this stoush?

Of course, in principle, it is only fair to expect someone who intends to call a country 'home' to - a) learn the language, even if only the basics, b) learn a bit about the country and c) agree to abide by its laws.

I cannot see how this could be an onerous burden to anyone. It is only common sense.

So why the brouhaha? It is of course, being fueled by the media with all the inane 'Aussie values' publicity (or should I say 'Ocker values' - I contend there is a huge difference). Divide and conquer.

Make it appear that we want to force Muslems to give up their beliefs. Make it seem we are going to force their poor old grannies to speak English or else we'll kick them out.
Stir up racial troubles by suggesting the only 'history' of the country is post-British settlement.
Create mutual fear and hatred.

Amanda's been monitoring the A2K threads again!!

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20456917-1702,00.html

I think it's more to do with the issue that JH & co. don't want us to focus on .... the first letter starting with "I" .... :wink:

Excellent article from Richard Neville about what ails Oz politics & the JH connection. (Recommended reading.):

Poor, poor pitiful Oz
By Richard Neville
September 23, 2006/the AGE

When the Prime Minister of Hungary, Ferenc Gyurcsany, was caught telling the truth to his party about the lies he had told the electorate, and how he had "screwed up", citizens with flowers and the odd Molotov cocktail rushed to Parliament and state TV. When John Howard was caught lying about refugees who "threw their children overboard", he was voted back into office. ... <cont>

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/poor-poor-pitiful-oz/2006/09/22/1158431894367.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

No argument from me there.

It is tragic that as obvious as all this really is, people would still prefer JH&Co to the alternative.