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Welcome to the April AusPol Thread! If you're reading this you are presumably interested in Australian Politics. If you've never given the subject serious thought before, consider Taking a quiz to see where you may fall on the political spectrum. ~Cast of Characters~  Australia's Prime Minister is The Coalition are the group of centre-right parties that hold Government. The main partners are the Liberal Party (the de factor leader) and the National Party (representing Rural voters). Their currently sit at ~43% of the vote. Their greatest enemy is likely to be Tony Abbott's "they're still using my policies" press releases. The Liberal Party believes ... we work towards a lean government that minimises interference in our daily lives; and maximises individual and private sector initiative...In government that nurtures and encourages its citizens through incentive, rather than putting limits on people through the punishing disincentives of burdensome taxes and the stifling structures of Labor's corporate state and bureaucratic red tape. In those most basic freedoms of parliamentary democracy - the freedom of thought, worship, speech and association. In a just and humane society in which the importance of the family and the role of law and justice is maintained. That, wherever possible, government should not compete with an efficient private sector; and that businesses and individuals - not government - are the true creators of wealth and employment. In preserving Australia's natural beauty and the environment for future generations. Like all political parties, how closely their actions align with the above is a matter of debate.  The Australian Labor Party, rumoured to be led by Bill Shorten, is the primary opposition at ~29.5% of the vote. Traditionally backed by unions they stand for We respect the liberalism of a vital democracy and we fight to ensure that freedom is best given expression in equal opportunity, a decent social safety net and the alleviation of poverty wherever we find it. We believe in the fair distribution of wealth and we embrace responsibility for its creation. For Labor, the choice between a strong economy and a fair society is always a false one. We know each is the precondition for the other and each supports the other. We look at the world differently to our opponents: we see it through the eyes of those without privilege, power or title. We celebrate immigration, we cherish the miracle of multiculturalism and we believe in an Australia where migrants, refugees and people of all traditions and faiths, or no faith, are respected, valued, welcome and equal.  The Greens, led by Richard Di Natale support environmentalism and social justice. At ~8% primary vote their support has previously helped minority governments hold office. They Believe: Climate change represents one of the greatest threats to international peace and security... Environmental degradation caused by climate change impacts will increasingly result in the displacement of people, undermining global peace and security. Protecting common interests, including the need to conserve natural resources and public assets for future generations, should take priority where these conflict with private interests. Governments should ensure that corporations reflect and act on the concerns and interests of all stakeholders including citizens of countries in which they operate...we support a transition to a thriving economy based on 100% renewable energy which will create new jobs and improve living standards. Governments have an essential role in regulating markets and ensuring that any externalities are reflected in market prices of goods and services. In a mixed economy, markets that function well and are well informed, fair, efficient and competitive, have an important role in the allocation of resources Growing inequality of wealth is of concern and should be addressed though the tax system. ~Bit Players~ The Liberal Democratic Party have a single Senator, David Leyonhjelm, who was elected by donkey voters and people trying to vote for the Liberal Party. As a Libertarian he supports same-sex marriage, firearms ownership, and small government in general. Palmer United briefly had several senators before imploding into a Democrat-sized void. Ricky Muir, of the Motoring Enthusiast Party, was elected as Senator despite having no prior political experience. Despite earning 0.5% of the primary vote a number of preference-harvesting microparties pushed him to 14.3%. Bullet Train for Australia would like a Bullet Train for Australia. The Issues  Australia may be looking at a Double Dissolution. This is a special Election where both the Senate and the House of Reps are dissolved/re-elected and is intended to resolve deadlocks between the two. This is a risky move as historically it hasn't worked out well for the incumbent government. Refugees Australia is a party to the UN Refugee Convention and is therefore obliged to grant asylum to bona-fie refugees, and may not return refugees to a place where their life or freedom may be threatened. This policy has not been a big hit with the average Australian and successive governments have campaigned on ways to "Stop the Boats".  actual Australian Government Pamphlet Australia detains people in a variety of camps while they "undergo an assessment process, including security and health checking, to establish if they have a legitimate reason for staying in Australia". To date there have been 38 deaths in custody including 18 confirmed or suspected suicides. North Queensland Independence A number of MPs have proposed a separate state of North Queensland. The resulting state would have more people than Tasmania, and would not be governed by a premier focused on South-East Qld. Tax System Overhaul After the idea of raising the GST was floating and squashed, the government has proposed letting States set their own Income Tax. Same-sex Marriage Polls show people support it. Should we spend a few hundred million dollars running a plebiscite, just to make sure?  Some Light Reading Why you Can't "Waste Your Vote" in Australia. Go ahead and vote for the microparty of your dreams. New Matilda! Catallaxy! Green Left Weekly! the IPA! RedFlag! Things Auspol Cares about If you are new to the thread and bored, consider opening a discussion on *Is Nuclear Power the best way to reduce greenhouse emissions? Is it safe? *Mandatory Bicycle Helmets: Essential safety device or nanny-state gone mad? *Bottled Water, should it be legal? *Is it OK to decorate buses with Christmas decorations given Australia isn't a Christian country? *Unlawful vs Illegal - Is there a difference? *How can we revive the Australian Democrats? Finally, a Friendly Reminder Auspol can get pretty depressing at times, but we still live in one of the best countries in the world. Many people would kill for our leave entitlements, penalty rates, health system and economy. It isn't all bad (yet).
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Mar 30, 2016 15:34
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 15:33 |
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First for Australia is bad e: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/03/30/melbourne-attack-muslim-girls-disturbing-and-brazen-islamophia-register quote:Melbourne attack on Muslim girls 'disturbing and brazen': Islamophia Register Read the rest of the story on SBS, you fucks Recoome fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Mar 30, 2016 |
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Mar 30, 2016 21:18
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its a lovely land
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Mar 30, 2016 22:21
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Federal Liberals can't balance a budget to help themselves. Morrison is toothless as treasurer as Turnbull wants to be the one pulling the levers, even to the point of changing the night of the budget. Turnbull is too busy pandering to the right wing of his party to notice that the majority of Australians do not share their views. And soon we'll have an election, hopefully Abbott won't heed the advice he has been given by ex-Liberals and does do his "Caravan of Courage" tour.
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Mar 30, 2016 22:41
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Returning to invasion/settlement semantics chat: "invasion" sort of sits wrong with me. "Invasion" to me means Germany invading France or the US invading Iraq - a modern, wholescale, fully intended attempt to overthrow a government or a society. Whereas the British coming to Australia was a process that took place over a century, with differing aims all along the way, and one which was a lot closer to a first contact event; a hugely powerful and technologically advanced society encountering a Stone Age one, something that was not even remotely on a level playing field. "Colonisation" sounds a lot better to me and I don't think that's euphemising it; "colonialism" is a dirty word these days and rightfully so. Also I don't know why the gently caress this sort of thing would rock the boat now, I was in high school in the early 2000s and distinctly remember showing things from the Aboriginal point of view to be a huge part of the history curriculum - let alone at a university in 2016.
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Mar 30, 2016 23:41
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You Am I posted:Federal Liberals can't balance a budget to help themselves. They had to move up the budget announcement to leave room for a double dissolution. Antony Green's got a blog post that explains it.
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Mar 30, 2016 23:52
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I took a quiz
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Mar 30, 2016 23:54
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A Good Username posted:They had to move up the budget announcement to leave room for a double dissolution. Yes, but Turnbull didn't tell Morrison that. Morrison had repeatedly told the media that the Budget Night would not be changed
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Mar 31, 2016 00:11
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RE Indigenous issues, misuse of terminology seems quite common. The National Indigenous Radio Service opens their daily show by acknowledging the "continuing Sovereignty of all First Nations". I'm sorry, but since not a single "First Nation" can pass their own law and have it enforced without the help of the Australian Government none can be said to retain their Sovereignty.
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Mar 31, 2016 00:13
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If you don't think it was an invasion, I've got news for you son. Australia was formed down the barrel of a gun
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Mar 31, 2016 00:22
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The point they're trying to make there should be pretty obvious. They never gave up their sovereignty voluntarily and they don't accept the legitimacy of the Australian government.
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Mar 31, 2016 00:22
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Ban OP; gas thread. Has everyone forgotten about the Northern special development zone? http://www.australianmining.com.au/news/abbott-s-plans-for-northern-economic-zone (Source deliberate). quote:Abbott's plans for Northern Economic Zone 7 February, 2013 Cole Latimer 3 comments The State Income Tax thing is being slammed as a ridiculous brain fart almost universally. The only places giving it any real legs are The Arsetralian and the rest of New Corpse. Even Ray Hadley called it idiotic and the Tas Lib Premier has come out swinging against it. Does Malformed Turdball want to lose? -/- The indigenous 'nations' actually have stronger grounds than you may imagine. Only NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia ever directly claimed sovereignty via England. The rest of Australia was administered as a protectorate. It wasn't until federation that a vague claim for sovereignty was made over the entire country. This claim wasn't ever fought over and has no legitimacy beyond what can be enforced through the courts.
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Mar 31, 2016 00:31
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The whole debate against calling it an invasion boils down to some pretty exquisite 18th/19th century ethnocentrism, where we didn't consider that "Australia" was legitimately occupied because the people who lived here didn't conform to European ideas of sovereignty and nationhood. It's also pretty clear that a large proportion of Australians still possess this ethnocentrism so it's actually quite delicious that you have the ignorant people speaking out against it, because it highlights exactly the problem we are having.
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Mar 31, 2016 00:31
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Cartoon posted:The State Income Tax thing is being slammed as a ridiculous brain fart almost universally. The only places giving it any real legs are The Arsetralian and the rest of New Corpse. Even Ray Hadley called it idiotic and the Tas Lib Premier has come out swinging against it. Does Malformed Turdball want to lose? Tasmania wouldn't have enough money to buy their own apples under that system, so it's no surprise the premier came out swinging, Turnbull doesn't vote for him. Turnbull appears to be doubling down though, now he's talking about removing federal funding and oversight for the public school sector (while of course maintaining funding for the private sector).
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Mar 31, 2016 00:36
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I guess the 31st doesn't exist for March anymore.
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Mar 31, 2016 01:07
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Hey hey HEY HEY it's not April yet get the gently caress back in the other thread
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Mar 31, 2016 01:09
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AgentF posted:Thanks for the links. Not sure if this is the award or not. She's in the hospital now and recovering so I'll try to hold back with questions until she's on her feet again. Make sure shes a paid up member, or you personally pay her dues for her. If she's not a member, sign her up and let her union rep help. Document every time they've hosed her over. Hopefully there is emails or sms messages? If not, get her to do a statuary declaration Having 1) your contract 2) your award 3) documents proving they've hosed her over will make the reps life much easier and justice faster
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Mar 31, 2016 01:22
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MysticalMachineGun posted:Hey hey HEY HEY it's not April yet get the gently caress back in the other thread
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Mar 31, 2016 01:38
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Mar 31, 2016 03:27
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Solemn Sloth posted:Tasmania wouldn't have enough money to buy their own apples under that system, so it's no surprise the premier came out swinging, Turnbull doesn't vote for him. It's really strange because traditionally hasn't the Federal government been trying to take responsibilities away from the states? It's like he's just throwing things in the too hard basket. "Can't get the right and the hard right in the party to agree on something? Throw it to the states. Unpopular policy decision needs to be made? Make the states do it". What do they actually want to govern?
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Mar 31, 2016 03:55
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MysticalMachineGun posted:Hey hey HEY HEY it's not April yet get the gently caress back in the other thread You're living in the past, stop living in the past.
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Mar 31, 2016 04:00
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First post. Not as bad of an OP as I expected from you, not too bad mr Cat.
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Mar 31, 2016 04:49
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gay picnic defence posted:It's really strange because traditionally hasn't the Federal government been trying to take responsibilities away from the states? It's like he's just throwing things in the too hard basket. "Can't get the right and the hard right in the party to agree on something? Throw it to the states. Unpopular policy decision needs to be made? Make the states do it". It's pretty much a political move to make Turnbull look good. He would cut federal income tax and sit back and be like hehe mission accomplished over to you states. He's a fraud with no good ideas basically.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:01
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Farmers have welcomed a new national standard for free-range egg production, saying it is a win for common sense, consumers, farmers and chickens. 1 out of 4 aint bad (arguably 0)
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Mar 31, 2016 05:04
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The national definition of "free range" will require that hens have "meaningful and regular" access to the outdoors, and that the density of chickens outdoors must be no more than one hen per square metre (10,000 hens per hectare).
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Mar 31, 2016 05:06
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Lid posted:The national definition of "free range" will require that hens have "meaningful and regular" access to the outdoors, and that the density of chickens outdoors must be no more than one hen per square metre (10,000 hens per hectare). I mean apart from the manufacturing of animals for our consumption
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Mar 31, 2016 05:14
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is 10,000 hens per hectare meant to sound more cramped than 1 per square metre? Everyone's reporting on it that way.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:24
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open24hours posted:is 10,000 hens per hectare meant to sound more cramped than 1 per square metre? Everyone's reporting on it that way. Average Joe won't have a clue what a hectare looks like, so I would think it's just meant to sound more vague.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:26
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please only express areas in football fields, none of this hectares business
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Mar 31, 2016 05:28
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bowmore posted:That seems pretty good to me Thats nowhere near enough space for a chicken to scratch around in, and you can bet that the definition of "meaningful access" is going to be abused.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:29
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Mr Chips posted:please only express areas in football fields, none of this hectares business Olympic swimming pools are also acceptable.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:36
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The CSIRO's published standards for density are 1500 per hectare.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:38
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Frogmanv2 posted:Thats nowhere near enough space for a chicken to scratch around in, and you can bet that the definition of "meaningful access" is going to be abused.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:40
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Our cage for our parrot would be larger than a cubic meter, and he also gets to spend most of the time we are at home outside the cage having the run of the house. And a parrot is much smaller than a chicken.
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Mar 31, 2016 05:49
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Aren't free range chickens still allowed to be de-beaked as well?
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Mar 31, 2016 06:02
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Mr Chips posted:please only express areas in football fields, none of this hectares business two football fields?
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Mar 31, 2016 06:08
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GoldStandardConure posted:And a parrot is much smaller than a chicken. Just dont tell him that.
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Mar 31, 2016 06:13
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I've spent pretty much all day trying to get my head around how this state tax proposal would work and I can't make it work. No matter how I carve it up, so long as Turnbull's plan is for the ATO to collect everything so as to reduce compliance costs, I can't see it being constitutional for a federal body to collect state taxes. Either the states can't authorise it (the autocthonous expedient invests state with federal, not vice versa), or there could be a preference between states which the ATO couldn't be shanghaied into enforcing. The alternative is for each state to pass assessing acts with collection by their state revenue authorities, but even if the acts are identical to what exists now I can't see people swallowing two separate returns each year given the trouble they have with filling in one.
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Mar 31, 2016 06:34
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screaden posted:Aren't free range chickens still allowed to be de-beaked as well? yeah and they still grind up alive any male chicks born when breeding egg layers.
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Mar 31, 2016 06:47
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 15:33 |
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What it means is 8 new tax offices.
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Mar 31, 2016 06:49
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