The NEXT coming Oz election thread!

Er .... you don't think you're getting a wee bit over-excited, Deb? :wink:

Sounds interesting & certainly quite different to your current existence, hinge. Good luck! Hope you get it!

I'm finding all the ALP "future directions" stuff really interesting. So far Barry Jones has made the most sense to me. And Robert Manne's distress about left intellectuals & a totally disinterested & unresponsive broad Oz community was spot on, too .... though I disagreed with his conclusions.

... and the divisions begin.
It's really good to see these Coalition women standing up to those fundamentalist blokes! :

Coalition MPs in split over abortion
Patricia Karvelas/the Australian
November 03, 2004

A FEDERAL minister, a parliamentary secretary and a newly elected senator are part of a group of conservative women standing up to the anti-abortion push of their Coalition colleagues.

Aged Care Minister Julie Bishop and parliamentary secretary for finance and administration Sharman Stone defended women's right to choose, telling The Australian they would resist any anti-abortion push in their party. And NSW Nationals senator-elect Fiona Nash declared herself pro-choice, saying it was wrong to link the sale of Telstra with the sensitive issue of abortion.

Ms Nash's comments followed those of Queensland National Barnaby Joyce, who helped secure the Coalition majority in the Senate, who said his support for government policy depended on crucial issues such as restricted Medicare-funded abortions.

Ms Bishop said the country had struck a balance and there was no public interest in having a debate. "I haven't seen any public outcry over the issue," she said. "In a pluralist society these are matters of personal morality, particularly where there's no public consensus."

Ms Bishop said the law provided an appropriate framework for late-term abortions. "The banning of terminations would be a very retrograde step. We don't want to return to the pre-regulation days."

She said the proposal for a ban on late-term terminations was not practicable.

"It would put doctors in an unconscionable position of having to essentially be unable to make decisions about the health of their patient."

Dr Stone said the issue of abortion had already been resolved. "It's a private issue between a woman and her doctor. Our current system is both compassionate and medically sound, and an outstanding model of appropriate practice in the developed world," she said.

"It was a debate heard and settled during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and it's not one of the issues that's top-of-mind in my electorate, which is outspoken on so many issues.

"I don't believe Australians want to re-debate these issues, because they are the private issues of women and the fathers of their children, and no decision about a termination is ever taken lightly."

Dr Stone, who has a PhD, said issues such as euthanasia and terminations belonged in the private sphere.

She said the Australian model was the best because it gave rich and poor, rural and metropolitan women equal access to good medical advice, or terminations if necessary for the health and wellbeing of the mother and child.

Ms Nash said she would be pushing against abortion becoming a trading ground for other Nationals' demands. "I'm actually pro-choice. We want to make sure there are as few abortions as possible but, having said that, I believe it is the right of a woman to make her own choice," she told The Australian.

"There's a lot of reasons why people can end up in that situation and I believe it's up to the woman, her own conscience ... to make that choice.

"While I respect Barnaby's opinion, my view is that Telstra is an issue on its own that we need to deal with, and abortion is a separate issue."

I think 'wrong' is to soft a word, I would have said 'symptomatic of an unhinged mind' (pun intended)

Yeah, that was pretty rich, wasn't it? Made himself look a wee bit transparent!

Democrats swap seats:

The Australians Democrats are to elect a new leader after Andrew Bartlett decided against seeking re-election.

Senator Bartlett and his colleague, Lyn Allison, have decided to swap party roles.

At the close of nominations this afternoon, Senator Bartlett is standing for the position of deputy leader, leaving Senator Allison to nominate unopposed as leader.

What a disaster! Meet Steve Fielding of Family First, newest member of the Senate, from Victoria, having gained 1.9% of the primary vote. Thanks Labor, for giving him the preferences which gave him the job!
And his first pronouncements?:

Family First seeks abortion review
November 3, 2004 - 4:34PM

Federal parliament's first senator from the fledgling Family First Party flagged a review of publicly funded abortions as he claimed an historic election victory.

Steve Fielding has been declared the winner of the sixth and final Victorian Senate spot by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), after the final round of counting and distribution of preferences.

As had been widely predicted since election day on October 9, he outpolled the Greens' David Risstrom on the back of preferences from Labor's Jacinta Collins.

..The Greens outpolled Family First by almost five-to-one, with Mr Fielding's party gaining just 1.9 per cent of the primary vote.

But in the final round of counting, Mr Fielding picked up 220,216 preferences from Senator Collins, to finish with 540,012 votes to Mr Risstrom's 314,729.

.."I think the majority of people, many more people, wanted the Greens in parliament than Family First," Mr Risstrom said.

"I think the majority of people, many more people, wanted the Greens in parliament than Family First," Mr Risstrom said.

"The Labor Party failed to tell voters and booth helpers and the electorate that they had a sneaky deal with Family First."

(complete article):
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Family-First-seeks-abortion-review/2004/11/03/1099362206934.html

What a stuff-up! I hope a few Labor heads have rolled over this one!

By the way, I voted for David Risstrom, so I feel doubly p'd off!

I'm wondering, though, if we're in for a full-on gender war in federal parliament, over the push from these extreme men to push the anti-abortion line? I can see women from both major parties joining forces to oppose them. Looks like a torrid time coming up!

I am wondering where the next war will be when the next elections approach

Not a good Tuesday - Bush is winning, Howard has already won. Can Blair be far behind ?

Oh, G, what a rotten, rotten day! It's like we're all living in the 1950s again! I'm wondering if the Brit voters would be as foolish, though .... Blair appears to be in seriously hot water, following Iraq.

Oh my god! Say it isn't so! :

US to test bombs in Australia
November 5, 2004 - 12:49PM/the AGE

The United States is preparing to test new-generation weapons, including smart bombs, on Australian territory under an agreement currently under negotiation.

Brisbane's Courier-Mail newspaper revealed Canberra and Washington were currently hammering out a new defence training agreement which included multi-million upgrades to Queensland's Shoalwater Bay facility and the Northern Territory's Bradshaw training area and the Delamere Air Weapons Range.

Former ANZUS treaty adviser Ross Babbage, who has just returned from defence briefings in the US, revealed that tactics and cutting-edge communications would also be tested under the proposals, bringing the two nations closer together.

Professor Babbage said there would be experimentation with self-guided smart bombs and live or "dummy" bombing raids into Australia from US aircraft carriers.

He said smaller versions of smart bombs, which could pinpoint hinges on tanks, would also be experimented with, while Bradshaw would host extensive special operations, ground forces and surveillance training.

A joint training centre would be built to link Australian and US forces and provide real-time battlefield assessments.

Prof Babbage said the public had not yet been told the significance and benefit of the training to Australian forces.

"What I can see happening is rather more than what has been revealed," Prof Babbage told the newspaper.

"There will be things that will be learned together, they will try completely new things."

Prof Babbage said the deal would send a strong message to the region of US support for Australia.

© 2004 AAP

Last Update: Friday, November 5, 2004. 4:46pm (AEDT)
ABC news

Defence says no deal signed on weapons testing

The Defence Department says nothing has been finalised in regard to allowing the US to test new-generation weapons in Australia.

Australian defence expert Ross Babbage has revealed the plan, saying the US military could be testing its new smart bombs in Queensland and the Northern Territory within three years.

The department says that under a training concept announced in July, Australia and the US will maintain a mutually beneficial program of joint exercises in Australia.

It says negotiations over the details are at an early stage and no agreement for the testing of next-generation 'smart' bombs has been signed.

The department says talks will continue over coming months and it will consult state and local governments, as well as local communities.

Professor Babbage has recently been involved in high-level talks in Washington.

He says up to 20,000 United States troops will descend on Queensland's Shoalwater Bay, north of Rockhampton, in 2007 to participate in new warfare training and experimentation exercises


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1235755.htm

Last Update: Friday, November 5, 2004. 4:37pm (AEDT)
ABC news

'Smart' bombs unwelcome in 'smart' state

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says he has reservations about plans to allow the US to test 'smart' bombs in Queensland.

The Defence Department is seeking discussions with Queensland and the Northern Territory over testing of the US's new generation weaponry ahead of joint military exercises to be held in 2007.

Mr Beattie says such weaponry is not welcome in Queensland "because I think that makes us a target".

"The United States has got a lot of areas where they can do that testing themselves," he said.
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Queensland Premier has reservations? Uh-huh... he should!

Can the US and Australian governments force this upon Australia?

If it was the UK, the public would certainly never get a say in the matter. I hope that the Aussie people are able to vote on this.

I wonder Duke...

Certainly Maralinga is a scar on our sovereignity. But that's a long time ago. Menzies was prime minister, Australia was archly conservative and in thrall to it's more powerful allies... oh sh1t!

I hear ARM are making noises again about a referendum on becoming a republic. I wonder if little Johnny has changed his mind now that his mouth is firmly attached to the Shrub's nether regions, surely he wouldn't want to offend by actively campaigning against republics?

He's not silly! :wink:

Strange, but nothing in the papers about it at all, today. Methinks someone opened their mouth a little too soon!

The thing is Piff, the Oz government would most likely agree to anything Bush wants! It's that sort of relationship! But, IF they do agree, prepare for a back-lash!