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ozanzac

Australian Federal Election 2004

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The Prime Minister has set the Federal Election Date of November 10, and this, will be the first election I'll be allowed to vote in.

At the momment, I have no preferences, nor do I particularly have any real grudges against either of the two main partys or many minor partys. I'm still undecided, as even though the Howard government has trodden on alot of peoples toes, including my own recently, I can't deny the fact that the economy has been steadily growing and life in general has improved.

Nevertheless, the opinions of the people on this forum are rather important to me, and will most likely be influencial in the way that I vote. Therefore, I'm asking you, the international members of this forum, of what your opinions are towards Australia over the past 8 or so years during the time that the Howard government has reigned. Especially post the 'Tampa refugee' incident.

smile_o.gif

__

As a side note, I am a betting man (not so much so with politics), & this article from our cousins across the ditch in New Zealand took my fancy.

I expect the Howard government will win, but the marginal distance is still too close to call.

  [b said:
Quote[/b] ]Australian election set to be its biggest gamble CANBERRA: Australians are set to gamble millions of dollars on an October 9 election, but while the conservative government is odds-on favourite some sports-mad punters can smell an upset opposition Labour victory.

Online bookmaker Centrebet said yesterday Australians would gamble more than $A2 million ($NZ2.18 million) on the outcome of the election, with more than $A400,000 wagered since the agency started taking bets a year ago.

Of that figure, $A100,000 was staked last week – the first week of the six-week campaign, including three bets of $A10,000 each and a single bet of $A30,000 on a Liberal/National coalition government victory.

However, Gerard Daffy, Centrebet's sports betting manager, said 60 per cent of the punters were putting their money on centre-left Labour ousting the eight-year-old government, which is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office.

"There's little doubt given the closeness of it and the length of the campaign that betting will probably get beyond $A2 million, which will make it the single biggest event that Australians bet on with Centrebet this year," Daffy said.

Daffy said Centrebet would take more money on the election than on the Australian Football League and National Rugby League grand finals – quite a feat in sports-mad Australia.

Australians have the highest rate of gambling in the world, a passion dating back to when the first convict settlers, shipped from Britain in 1788, bet on cards and dice.

By the early 1800s, horse racing was the rage but this has now been overtaken by slot or poker machines that line the walls of almost every pub, hotel and casino.

More than 20 per cent of the world's poker machines are in Australia, about five times as many as in the United States on a per capita basis.

National gambling statistics released late last year showed Australians gambled away a record $A15 billion in the year to June 30, 2002 – nearly two per cent of gross domestic product and slightly more than the nation's defence budget.

"We all have to vote so why not turn that into some dollars. . . The betting is running along the same lines as the last election. If John Howard doesn't put his foot in it the odds for the government can only get shorter," Daffy said.

"Mark Latham needs to start pulling rabbits out of hats," he said, referring to the Labour leader.

Centrebet will pay out $A1.47 for a dollar bet on a government win and $A2.50 for a dollar placed on a Labour victory.

Few Australians balk at betting. The nation grinds to a standstill every year for the Melbourne Cup horse race and the nation's richest man, Kerry Packer, is an avid gambler, known for spending millions at the baccarat table.

Australia's economy, one of the world's strongest, remains the biggest issue in the campaign, along with the government's support for the US-led Iraq war and national security.

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Hi, I’m sorry if this is totally off topic. But I'm supposed to write a paper about Australia in English. The topic should be about something that I find interesting in Australia. Since my knowledge is limited to armadillos and kangaroos I figured out that I might ask it here.

So do you have any strange/interesting things over there?

smile_o.gif

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just a question, why would you want input on who to vote for from foreigner? i mean i could understand if this question was directed towards your countrymen, but as much as i dislike President Bush and sure as hell not going to vote for him (even if it means Billybob will loose his ever precious post count), i wouldn't listen to somebody lecture me on why i shouldn't vote for him if i wanted to because they don't like him. my stance is, if some foreigner wants a certian leader out of office, than he or she can become a citizen and cast a vote infavor of who ever they favor.

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Well I think it might be interesting to know what other people think or know about your countries political system and its elections. Sure the US one draws all the attention but that doesn't make it the only interesting one. I for one would be quite interested in what the politcal parties in .AU are and how they are devided about the political spectrum and what influence, for instance, the aboriginals have on the political system and wether they are taken in to account smile_o.gif

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I didn't know Australia had armadillos, thought that was only texas, sence I see them squashed on the road all the time...

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  (Red Oct @ Sep. 08 2004,10:29) said:
just a question, why would you want input on who to vote for from foreigner? i mean i could understand if this question was directed towards your countrymen, but as much as i dislike President Bush and sure as hell not going to vote for him (even if it means Billybob will loose his ever precious post count), i wouldn't listen to somebody lecture me on why i shouldn't vote for him if i wanted to because they don't like him.  my stance is, if some foreigner wants a certian leader out of office, than he or she can become a citizen and cast a vote infavor of who ever they favor.

Well, I want to see if our international reputation overseas has been damaged as a result of some of the decisions the Howard Government has made over the past 8 years, such as the 'Tampa Refugee' situation, the harsh policies on asylum seekers, as well as our involvement in the Iraq war.

If the reputation of this nation has been damaged too far (In my and your Opinion), then it will give me a very clear conscience as to why I should put the Howard Government last on my preferences, despite the fact the economy has only grown, even in times of regional recession.

I simply don't want this otherwise great, peace loving country of ours to gain the attention of the ' *<Insert Country Name Here>* Bashers' and the reputations that are generally made gained before those ‘country bashers’ come along.

The difference between me and most electors, is that I'm open minded about politics and this election, even at such a late stage, and I’m willing to listen to the opinions of those who have them.

This may be in part due to the fact Australia is the only country in the world where everyone who is considered an adult and mentally capable of voting, must vote, but is mainly to help form opinions of my own leading up to the election, rather than ticking whatever box at random.

At this stage in my life, the only thing that connects me directly to the government is the way the government handles tertiary education. If I 'lived in a small world' where only the opinions of me matter, I'd boot the current government because I've had to pay slightly more for my tertiary education, but in the big picture of things, I'd rather an economy where there's a job likely to be waiting for me at the end of my education.

This is why I'm asking for the opinion of foreigners, because if Australia's reputation on the world stage has been damaged too much, I'd rather go for the big, big picture, as in punish the current government for making me feel ashamed for being Australian during the Tampa crisis and the general treatment of Asylum seekers.

Either way, I have no choice. I must vote. By discussing Australia's relationships to the rest of the world, the decision will be made a little easier for me. smile_o.gif

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@Speedy Donkey-

  [b said:
Quote[/b] ]So do you have any strange/interesting things over there?

Do it on Me tounge_o.gif Could do it on the Eureka Stockade.

@Blackdog-

  [b said:
Quote[/b] ]I'd vote whichever one looked most like a koala.?
That be Mr Howard

Me I dont care much about Australian Politics. Just Mr Howard looks like the guy off the Mr Sheen cleaning liquid bottle

KMS400.JPG

johnhwrd.jpg

:

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  (somebloke @ Sep. 08 2004,20:25) said:
Vote Steve Irwin.

if he ever becomes Prime minister. I will go on a shooting rage and move to Germany tounge_o.gif

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  (SpeedyDonkey @ Sep. 07 2004,19:57) said:
Since my knowledge is limited to armadillos and kangaroos I figured out that I might ask it here.

So do you have any strange/interesting things over there?

smile_o.gif

1. We don't have armadillos. No idea where you got that from.

2. No. It's all completely normal here. Nothing to see. Keep moving along thank you  wink_o.gif

I'm voting Labour as I always do. However I suspect the Libs might get in again, especially after this:

  [b said:
Quote[/b] ]Parties suspend campaigning after blast

September 9, 2004 - 8:59PM

The federal election campaign will be effectively suspended as a mark of respect for the victims of the bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

Opposition Leader Mark Latham said he would suspend all ALP campaigning activities because of the bombing which has killed at least eight people and injured 160.

Prime Minister John Howard has also dumped plans to hit the hustings. Instead he'll return to Canberra for official briefings from Australian security personnel.

Mr Latham, in the far north Queensland city of Cairns, had already planned to abandon the campaign trail on September 11 to mark the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

He said in light of the bombings it was the right thing to do, to suspend campaigning.

"We were suspending the normal campaign activities to pay respects on Saturday, the 11th of September, and it's appropriate to do that in these shocking circumstances for our nation, the attack on the Australian embassy, an attack on our nation in Jakarta," he said.

Mr Howard was due to campaign in Melbourne but will instead return to Canberra. A planned address to the Queensland Liberal Party in Brisbane also has been dumped.

Their decisions mean Friday's release by Treasury and the Department of Finance of its updated forecasts for the next four years under the Charter of Budget honesty will lose a little of its political impact.

I rather painfully suspect it will be milked for all the political value possible, in the manner of the children-overboard scam last election. There isn't as much money in politics as there is in the US, but it's just as dirty.

Whoever wins...we lose. As usual (me? a cynic?)

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  (somebloke @ Sep. 08 2004,04:25) said:
Vote Steve Irwin.

Crikey

The only man on american telivision channels measuring in kilograms :P

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  (ozanzac @ Sep. 07 2004,19:12) said:
Therefore, I'm asking you, the international members of this forum, of what your opinions are towards Australia over the past 8 or so years during the time that the Howard government has reigned.

Howard. Iraq war. Bad.

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