What is Digg?329 Comments
- sassbunny, on 11/24/2007, -15/+151Hahahahahahahaha. So much drinking to be had tonight. Hey USA now you have to get rid of your crap government.
- NeoRicen, on 11/24/2007, -6/+138Americans will find this interesting as Australia will likely begin slowly withdrawing from Iraq and sign Kyoto.
- omenmedia, on 11/24/2007, -6/+118I say it's about bloody time we had a change. Howard was in for over 11 years, and that's just far too long for one leader if you ask me. I voted for Rudd but he still has to prove to me that he will adhere to the plans and policies outlined during his campaign.
Howard and the Liberals may have helped to create a strong economy, sure, but where does it pay off for your average citizen? Housing affordability is worse than ever, there is a rental crisis, and some families struggle to make ends meet. Then for him to make a statement of "Australian families have never been better off" is just so out of touch with reality it's mindboggling.
Strengthen the economy, but at what cost? Fewer rights for employees, more power for employers. Howard has always been about helping the rich and tossing crumbs to the working class. Need I mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars he put into private schools while leaving the public school system to squander? Hospitals are in crisis, understaffed and crowded. He provided strong tax benefits for those on six figure incomes. No matter what he says about the economy, he has *never* been a PM for the working class.
Rudd will actually stay at the Lodge in Canberra, the proper PM residence that has been sitting unused but paid for upkeep in tax payer dollars for a decade while Howard stayed at Kirribilli House in Sydney. Plus, we'll get our troops home out of this ridiculous quagmire that is the Iraq war, and finally Kyoto will be ratified after all this time.
As I said, Rudd has some work to do and I hope he lives up to his promises, but his outlook is much more positive and appealing to me, and I for one am glad, at least for now, that he was elected. I truly hope he can prove himself and take this country in the right direction. - alphgeek, on 11/24/2007, -24/+119Three words: Good ***** riddance.
- DangerCollie, on 11/24/2007, -4/+65We're working on it.
- DangerCollie, on 11/24/2007, -5/+64Another Bush supporter goes down like a drunken prom date.
- lionslair, on 11/24/2007, -8/+53I don't think it is so much the party that Australia has voted for rather than the people want Howard out of office. The only way to make him leave has been at the cost of the party. This was always coming. the new government has a lot to live up to though.
- aussieNickuss, on 11/24/2007, -9/+49Today has been a great day in Australian politics!!
- mpineiro, on 11/24/2007, -7/+42A big congratulations from this American. I hope we will soon vote for change as well.
- jazstaR, on 11/24/2007, -0/+30gimme my unlimited broadband!
- Cheeseness, on 11/24/2007, -8/+36This has been a long, long time in coming.
I just hope it doesn't take another 11 years to bring Australia back to where it was.
Once upon a time, we had the best industrial relations laws in the world. We also had amongst the best welfare and health systems in the world as well as one of the highest regarded education systems. We had more public services, more racial/cultural tolerance (remember when 'multicultural' was the buzzword and not 'unification'?), and (I like to think) politicians who were more interested in representing the people than themselves or businesses.
I don't really care what the Coalition has done for the economy. I'll happily take a few hits to the dollar if it means my kids (and everyone else's of course) can grow up with a local swimming pool, well funded public hospitals, get the same or better educational facilities at a public school than they'd get at a private one and never have to live in a country where people are discriminated based on their ethnic background or their ability to speak English (which is *certainly* not this land's native tongue - and as a second generation Australian, it sickens me to the core to think that we, the settlers, can tell others that they can't come and share in the things we've found here because they don't speak 'our' language).
So here's to what will hopefully signify a move towards a culturally and socially better Australia. - stolenisotope1, on 11/24/2007, -0/+27Hard to get rid of anything when the competition is rigged. Electronic Voting FTL. In Australia, we keep every single vote for 6 months just incase a political party brings up legal action, and the votes need to be recounted.
- betterth, on 11/24/2007, -6/+29Unfortunately our crap government and crap media has setup two crap candidates to continue their crap. Unlike your country, our elections are basically rigged by the media and the current government. Even if we do "vote", they get to tell us exactly "who" we can vote for.
- Dragoslav, on 11/24/2007, -4/+25What do you know about the economy?
Australia's economic prosperity is the result of the resource boom a.k.a. China is buying everything we can dig out of the ground - onggie, on 11/24/2007, -20/+41Nah Nah Nah Nah, Nah Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey Hey Good Bye!
- SirCrumpet, on 11/24/2007, -2/+22A much better link would have been to http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/ rather than just the page for Bennelong.
- Bigheadaus, on 11/24/2007, -3/+20Mate, You could not have said that any better. I am hoping that Maxine will take Bennelong, should be interesting. I actually just got back from the Tally Room before, bloody insane down there. As far as I am concerned, I think Kevin will make a fantastic Prime Minister. Julia Gillard is great too.
- Cheeseness, on 11/24/2007, -1/+18I have no idea what you've been fed, but I'm pretty certain that you don't need to worry about the Chinese annexing Australia. And I don't think Rudd is about to piss off the US to the extent that they'll cease trade with them (especially since we just got a free trade agreement up and running). Besides, if we spend the resources we currently spend on offshore military activities on consolidating a literal defence force, we'd be doing alright. Even if we cut all diplomatic ties with the United States of America, China would not (even hypothetically) attack Australia (only third world/middle eastern countries are fair game these days - the superpowers aren't willing to shift the balance of power whilst they're close to the top), and even if it did (and for some reason our other allies weren't interested in helping out and our own much touted Best Trained Military In The Entire World was somehow incapacitated) the US wouldn't let such a resource rich asset fall into the hands of other of the other superpowers.
I think it's prudent to put the wellbeing of the Australian people before the wellbeing of the Australian economy. Losing out in lucrative trade deals doesn't mean quite so much when Australia can, say for example, produce enough food to feed its population, or keep its people healthy, or guarantee safe and happy working conditions for all citizens (as opposed to what we've got now). - shabumike, on 11/24/2007, -4/+20"the new government has a lot to live up to though." Like dealing with massive national water shortages and maintaining ***** relations with Aboriginals. Howard sacrificed the future for the present, he's a shortsighted little ass kissin' *****. Good riddance! and lets get the ***** out of Iraq!
- DirtySnachez, on 11/24/2007, -1/+17As long as we can make the US pull it out of our ass, we'll be fine.
- LimonHead, on 11/24/2007, -2/+17Hurray!!! Less one Bush kiss-ass prime minister in the world!
- aussieNickuss, on 11/24/2007, -1/+16The states rely on a healthy flow of money coming from the federal government to be able to resource schools properly. They weren't getting that from the libs.
- TLAKABM, on 11/24/2007, -2/+16Oh? You think they wanted Costello as Prime Minister?
- TLAKABM, on 11/24/2007, -2/+15But Howard said it was because of him!
/sarcasm - sassbunny, on 11/24/2007, -3/+14He lost his seat anyways. Oh and the Liberals got flogged in the seat of Lindsay, guess the residents there didn't find that flyer as amusing as Jackie Kelly.
- evilish, on 11/24/2007, -2/+13Couldn't agree with you more mate.
A lot of Australian families are struggling. The housing price crisis seems to be getting worse and for howard to say we've never had it better, is total bs.
I voted for Rudd and I hope he follows through with his promises. He seems to have a lot of potential. - dapbot, on 11/24/2007, -3/+14Since the commencement of my political awareness (let's say at age 15), I've been under Howard government. It's about *$&%ing time someone realizes that our hospitals are in ruins, our education system is failing, our broadband is not up to date, and that tax cuts just aren't appropriate when all these problems exist.
Even if he is John Howard, Mark II. - lcarsdeveloper, on 11/24/2007, -0/+10She's not just a newsreader, there's more to her job than just reading something that someone else wrote. She's won a Logie and a Walkley award for doing a good job as a journalist.
- dapbot, on 11/24/2007, -1/+11Dude, medicare is a federal government health initiative? You can't deny cross governance between state and federation.
I can't believe someone who says '*****' votes. Thank god you lost. - jamesmcv, on 11/24/2007, -4/+14Public schools and hospitals are the responsibility of state governments, and the 07/08 budget offered greater tax cuts to lower/middle income earners. Don't take this as anti-Rudd though, I'm sure he'll do a fine job.
- Dragoslav, on 11/24/2007, -1/+10You guys need 'Preferential Voting', then the Republicans are screwed
- thomasprebble, on 11/24/2007, -6/+15Maybe working Australians will get a fair deal now. Work choices SUCKS! Bigtime!
- Cheeseness, on 11/24/2007, -0/+9It's not as bad here. There's a lot of impartial information available everywhere. The ABC has (equal?) time available for politicians to state their policies. The AEC web site contains information on candidates. Providing you're not getting everything from one source (like a single newspaper or a tv station), you're likely to get a pretty good look at the full spectrum.
Over there it's a lot worse. - Cheeseness, on 11/24/2007, -1/+10Since it seems like it'd make you happy to feel you intimidate me, I'll refrain from telling you how the the State Governments get the money to fund facilities and services (and also ignore the fact that I was talking about a lot more than just pools and hospitals), and mention instead that I think you've lost sight of the fact that attitudes and policies that are set at the Federal level permeate our society to a very high degree. When we have a head of state who can't say sorry because he believes it's an admonition of guilt (one wonders what he says at funerals), who actively promotes racism and bigotry, who champions businesses over the people, who does everything in his power to widen the class divide (which Australia isn't even meant to have!), who pushes for private health care and medical facilities, and who blatantly, again and again, shows an incredible amount of disrespect for the people he is meant to be representing, it has a very, very big impact on what other politicians, both within his party and without, at all levels of government feel is acceptable behaviour.
Also, there's no need to call me God. - inactive, on 11/24/2007, -9/+17As a first generation Australian of Italian decent and an observer of Australian culture, I must say that Aussies are worst that ostriches with their head buried in the grown. Most Aussies care more about their can of beer than politics, otherwise the country would not be in such a mess.
20 years ago my house and land package cost $65,000. Now it is ten times that figure. Wages in twenty years have not increased 10 times. The have doubled. Interest rates were in double figures during my mortgage years. 13.5%pa of $35,000, I borrowed to build the house is $4,725. The average house loan is $300,00. 7.5%pa of $300,000 is $22,500. I did it on one income. The current generation requires two incomes to service the loan and it will take 30 to 50 years to pay it off.
Johnny fingered the working class in the first term in office, and they still voted for him for two more terms. The voting swing this time was from the first time 18 to 21yo voters who realised that the Aussie dream of home ownership is now just a dream. At least they had the common sense and the intelligence to kick out Johnny out before the AWA's screwed their wages into a USA wages system.
Don't expect smiling Kevin to turn the interest rates and housing prices around. Aussies you are stuck with Johnny's good for the country financial policies until you die. Don't expect a housing crash like in the USA. We operate on a different financial system.
One good thing about Australia, we are not in the financial mess the USA is in; we do have a booming resources economy in the West which may finance fixing the hospitals and education mess.
For the USA readers, take heed what happened in Australia; if you don't change your dictator and his henchmen you will be working for $5 per hour just like your illegal immigrants. Australian AWA's were just that. - Viva43, on 11/24/2007, -1/+9At least shes not a former Austrian bodybuilder turned actor/terminator...
- PurpleSfinx, on 11/24/2007, -2/+10I didn't vote for him (as a first preference) but I'm glad he beat Howard.
- aussieNickuss, on 11/24/2007, -2/+10You're an idiot. Maxine is an intelligent person and makes a perfect addition to the Australian parliament.
- Sketchcast, on 11/24/2007, -1/+9Stephen Harper, you're next!
- TLAKABM, on 11/24/2007, -0/+8This blame shifting ***** is why it's in such bad shape.
- Cheeseness, on 11/24/2007, -3/+11So what about those of us who have full time jobs, and are in comfortable financial situations? I think you're having trouble understanding that someone could vote so that others are better off. It's called being socially responsible.
I can believe someone like *you* votes - the past 11 years is evidence enough of that. - stillasleep00, on 11/24/2007, -2/+10When I went to Australia, someone told me they called him "Banzai," because he was a little Bush
- inactive, on 11/24/2007, -4/+12Rudd's withdrawal plan is about as solid as Hilary's. "Staged limited withdrawal of non-combat troops" *****.
- lcarsdeveloper, on 11/24/2007, -3/+10You're from "Spain", what the hell would you know?
Anyway..."If Labor won office, it would look at buying hybrid vehicles for the entire government fleet, Mr Rudd said."
"Mr Rudd said he had a water tank at home and had installed energy-efficient light bulbs."
"Prime Minister John Howard travels in a bullet- and bomb-proof V8 Holden Statesman limousine."
"Mr Rudd has called for a 60 per cent cut in greenhouse emissions by 2050, and wants to sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change if he wins office. He has also proposed a $500 million "green car innovation fund", to help develop an Australian-made hybrid car." - stolenisotope1, on 11/24/2007, -2/+9"STATE ISSUES NOT FEDERAL YOU *****"
Guess who's really the *****? How can the state government fund anything when the Federal govt doesnt give that much to the states to spend?! - Cheeseness, on 11/24/2007, -1/+8Since sienfeldking seems to think I'm one, you're welcome.
But seriously, thank yourself and the 13.6 million other people went to the booths today to make this a democratic win. - IceX, on 11/24/2007, -0/+7Tthe Rudd-led Labor Government will be sucking up to china big time.
- Rammsteined, on 11/24/2007, -0/+7The privatization of Telstra isn't a state issue...
- dattaway, on 11/24/2007, -1/+8Even though you live in Australia, you may be able to vote here in the USA. Boycott. Send money elsewhere. We vote with money over here. Paper elections all went to the wallet. A person with money has power here like nothing else. Money will buy you out of prison, buy you more money, and people who have money. Vote with your money. We have little choice over here as its hard not to spend money to survive. You may be our only hope.
- lcarsdeveloper, on 11/24/2007, -0/+7I could be wrong, I mean 2004 was so long ago and my memory of those months and months of the political campaign are a bit fuzzy...but wasn't it "Latham"?
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