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Preview Politics in Australia

What are the three key issues of the 2019 Federal Election?

  • The economy

    Votes: 3 27.3%

  • Tax

    Votes: 3 27.3%

  • Government Services

    Votes: 2 18.2%

  • Climate policy

    Votes: 6 54.5%

  • Animal welfare

    Votes: 1 9.1%

  • Environment

    Votes: 3 27.3%

  • Wages

    Votes: 5 45.5%

  • Industrial democracy

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Superannuation

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Housing affordability

    Votes: 6 54.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 2 18.2%
  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .

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I didn’t have to think about this for too long today. I could have posted Abba or Pink Floyd but I chose The Beatles. They seem to have all the issues covered.

An aside. Robbo saw The Beatles at Festival Hall in 1964. My mum decided at the last minute that I could sit with my brother. It wasn’t a waste of money as I was a fan. This video is a good approximation of what I heard that night. Oh for a crowd that could behave itself so I could hear the band.

 
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I’ve added a poll and it’s good that someone has taken the time to answer. I didn’t include national security or immigration policy because both have rated little attention so far.

I’ve added an article by Ross Gittins which I found very informative concerning Australia’s position when compared to other like countries. It follows on from opinion pieces by Michelle Grattan and Annabel Crabb.

‘No one’s more interested in taxation than me, but there’s got to be more to this election campaign than claims about which side is high taxing and which low taxing, and interminable arguments and scare campaigns about franking credits and negative gearing.’

https://www.smh.com.au/business/the...tion-arguments-about-tax-20190416-p51ej6.html
 
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Political fringe groups play a big part in politics but I find this sort of zealotry a turn off. What do you think?

‘GetUp has been forced to amend its instructions to volunteers after the activist group's boss was caught in an embarrassing interview in which he was unable to justify claims Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was "part of the coup" against Malcolm Turnbull.’

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/st...frydenberg-was-part-of-liberal-coup/?cs=14350

‘Coalition candidates are being urged to endorse a conservative manifesto that includes selling the ABC, slashing the company tax rate and pulling out of the Paris agreement on climate change.’

https://www.smh.com.au/federal-elec...t-a-flat-tax-in-ipa-call-20190416-p51enu.html
 
And now this campaign is getting pretty scary. Who threatens to kill a superhero? Whoever it is, it’s clear, the person has no understanding of satire. Rumours of me recently visiting Queensland are not true.

‘The conservative lobby group Advance Australia has made a complaint to Queensland police about a reported death threat made to its "satirical superhero" Captain GetUp.’

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/st...reat-against-unmasked-captain-getup/?cs=14350
 
As the first week draws to a close I can sense this thread is at fever pitch.

Who am I kidding? I’m clearly not a motivator.

AceAndy came and went. He took his mate from the SFA with him. WTF is the SFA? Aph came in and left just as quickly. Dibs MEB and Jeremias. BAT was active early but his enmity towards politics is obvious. Bamboo Harvester only had a look because I tagged with a horse reference.

My remaining rays of hope include BlueGum, Eskie, Bluella, Blues_1864 and Blue and Blue. I hope I haven’t missed anyone.

In finishing, my take on the first week. Politics is no longer the battle for the moral high ground. The vision for the future is not a priority. They’ve just taken the antics of Parliament and the ten second news grab on the road and demonstrated their unwillingness to take notice of what the people want from their politicians. Just over four weeks to remedy this underwhelming start on the hustings.

Will anybody have an epiphany and rise above the political game that I think the electorate has grown tired of.
 
This is a cracker of an article concerning the differences between electorates on the basis of age, wages, migrants, renters, homeowners etc.

It also has an interactive table concerning all the electorates. Find your electorate and see how important your vote will be on May 18.

‘As age, income and other demographic indicators across Australia's electorates diverge, governments will face new political pressures as they attempt to cater for constituencies with increasingly different social and economic profiles.’

https://www.smh.com.au/federal-elec...the-nation-s-electorates-20190417-p51ezi.html
 
The fringe dwellers running for Parliament disconcert me. Anning is clearly a racist with some seriously seedy backers. Palmer has been crooked since the Bjelke-Petersen days.

‘Leaked messages have revealed the Australian alt-right's secret plan to use Queensland senator Fraser Anning to expand its extreme agenda in the Australian Parliament and beyond.’

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04...t-right-staff-have-secret-plan-nazis/11025260

‘Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer has abandoned his plans to contest the country's most marginal seat, instead throwing himself into the race for the Senate.’

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04...nate-drafts-greg-dowling-for-herbert/11028116
 

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Robbo's my hero said:
As the first week draws to a close I can sense this thread is at fever pitch.

Who am I kidding? I’m clearly not a motivator.

AceAndy came and went. He took his mate from the SFA with him. WTF is the SFA? Aph came in and left just as quickly. Dibs MEB and Jeremias. BAT was active early but his enmity towards politics is obvious. Bamboo Harvester only had a look because I tagged with a horse reference.

My remaining rays of hope include BlueGum, Eskie, Bluella, Blues_1864 and Blue and Blue. I hope I haven’t missed anyone.

In finishing, my take on the first week. Politics is no longer the battle for the moral high ground. The vision for the future is not a priority. They’ve just taken the antics of Parliament and the ten second news grab on the road and demonstrated their unwillingness to take notice of what the people want from their politicians. Just over four weeks to remedy this underwhelming start on the hustings.

Will anybody have an epiphany and rise above the political game that I think the electorate has grown tired of.
Click to expand...
Ha - I'm still here! :)

Thanks for keeping this thread going, love the poll. I have been reading it even if I haven't been so good with the posting.

Someone asked me an interesting question this week, about who would be the minister to take over a particular portfolio if Labor gets up (not a superhero pun, I promise). I'm not overly familiar with the shadow ministry other than Bowen (Treasury? I think) and Rowland (Communications). I assume they would get the same portfolios if they were in government.
 
Bluella said:
Ha - I'm still here! :)

Thanks for keeping this thread going, love the poll. I have been reading it even if I haven't been so good with the posting.

Someone asked me an interesting question this week, about who would be the minister to take over a particular portfolio if Labor gets up (not a superhero pun, I promise). I'm not overly familiar with the shadow ministry other than Bowen (Treasury? I think) and Rowland (Communications). I assume they would get the same portfolios if they were in government.
Click to expand...
I think the Caucus votes for the people they would like in the Ministry. Then it’s up to Shorten to distribute the ministries. You would assume that the high profile MPs would keep their portfolios.

It is difficult to keep a track of who is responsible for which ministries.

Penny Wong: Foreign Affairs
Tanya Plibersek: Education
Jim Chambers: Finance
Chris Bowen: Treasury
Tony Burke: Environment
Mark Dreyfus: Attorney General
Anthony Albanese: Infrastructure

I’d have to start with google now. Immigaration and Health are important portfolios but I’m not sure who the shadow ministers are.

It’s interesting that Shorten appeared to make a captain’s call this week when he said he wanted Pat Dodson looking after Aboriginal Affairs.

Also interesting that opposition hasn’t had a home affairs shadow minister.
 

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Too cynical to believe in change; too idealistic to abandon the concept as anything other than a conceit. Heady thoughts for a Friday night.

Don't trust segments of people; trust titanic groups implicitly, when provided all the information, to do the right thing. That's the kicker for me, though. Got to have all the information, and you've got to be able to find just enough of a link within it to make the subject personal. That was Howard's genius; he made politics sufficiently impersonal and boring that the electorate disengaged just enough to give him four terms. 'Don't worry about it', his government's mantra.

Now, politicians Australia wide are all 'Look at me, look at me!'. Aussies don't want that. They want politicians to do their jobs; if they're honest - when they're not advocating the further decimation of the public service - if you asked someone exactly what they wanted from government it would resemble the job criteria from an impartial civic servant rather than a party apparatchik.

Don't trust the media, whose corporate and stability bias override their mandate to inform or educate. Don't trust the unions to do what's best for their members outside of a few, and how can you trust the Labor party if that's the case? Definitely don't trust the Libs not to shamelessly place people in positions - see the ABC board for examples, and has anyone heard of Paladin - as repayment for campaign donations, and don't trust them not to exploit the system frightfully by gutting services to the most vulnerable. Don't think the Greens are a good idea, either; good on environmental issues, but they're like the Joker's quote about the dog with a bone; they wouldn't know what to do with an economy if they got a hold of it. And they're not a possible chance.

Don't like the Westminister system of government, wanted a republic for years.

I can't joke too much about this, I'm a pretty serious cookie most of the time.
 
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