Federal Election 2007

[Mr White]

copied from a email that was sent

 

(edited same day 2.43pm) Not saying im not going to vote for them or that i dont like unions. Just an extract of what was sent too me in an email. Just clarifing.

(edit 18.10.07 to make quote clearer)

 

 

Quote Start

 

Now here is something very sobering to consider. Sometimes in Australia's presidential-style politics, all the emphasis is on the leader.... If you're considering voting for Kevin Rudd, perhaps you should consider who would sit around a Rudd Cabinet table!!!

Prime Minister: Kevin Rudd

Deputy prime Minister and Minister for Industrial relations: Julia Gillard, former student radical and AUS president

Treasurer: Wayne Swan, former ALP state secretary

Attorney general: Joe Ludwig, former AWU official

Minister for Homeland security: Arch Bevis, former organiser Queensland Teachers' Union

Minister for Trade: Simon Crean, former president, ACTU

Minister for Transport and Tourism: Martin Ferguson, former president, ACTU

Minister for Finance: Lindsay Tanner, former state secretary, Federated Clerk's Union

Minister for Environment and the Arts: Peter Garrett, lifelong anti-everything activist

Minister for Infrastructure and Water: Anthony Albanese. former assistant general secretary, NSW ALP

Minister for Human Services: Tanya Plibersek, former student union official, UTS

Minister for Immigration: Tony Burke, former official Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union

Minister for Resources: Chris Evans, former official Miscellaneous Workers' Union

Minister for Veterans' Affairs: Alan Griffin, former official Federated Clerks Union

Minister for Primary Industry: Kerry O'Brien, former official Miscellaneous Workers' Union

Minister for Superannuation: Nick Sherry (O'Possum), former state secretary, Federated Liquor and Allied Trades Union

Minister for Sport: Kate Lundy, former official CFMEU

 

And if that isn't RED enough, waiting in the wings are:

 

Greg Combet, candidate for Charlton and former ACTU president

Doug Cameron, NSW Senate candidate and secretary of Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union

Bill Shorten: candidate for Maribyrnong and national secretary, Australian Workers' Union

Richard Marles: candidate for Corio and former assistant secretary, Transport Workers Union

A cross-section of the Australian electorate… I don’t think so!!!

 

 

Quote end

 

 

 

 

 

Mr White

[freddie]

I'm proud to have been a member of a number of unions. All the heavily influenced union work sites had the best pay and conditions. Unions exist to stop big business from screwing you. Howard governments work choices gives you zero bargaining power and when the economy takes a nosedive that will be further eroded. Unions are there to give you a fair go. I'm happy with Rudds cabinet. Might still vote green though.

[Guest niall]

Here's an interesting mob - Senator Online:

 

http://senatoronline.com.au/

 

"

Senator On-Line (‘SOL’) is a truly democratic party which will allow everyone on the Australian Electoral roll who has access to the internet to vote on every Bill put to Parliament and have its Senators vote in accordance with a clear majority view.

We will be running candidates for the upcoming federal Upper House (Senate) elections.

When a SOL senator is elected a web site will be developed which will provide:

Accurate information and balanced argument on each Bill and important issues

The vast majority of those registered on the Australian Electoral roll the chance to have their say by voting on bills and issues facing our country

A tally of all votes which will then count in Parliament

Each person on the Australian Electoral roll will be entitled to one vote and only be allowed to vote once on each bill or issue.

SOL senators will have committed in writing to voting in line with the clear majority view of the SOL on-line voters.

Senator On-Line will enable broader community involvement in the political process and the shaping of our country.

"

[WantDaChronic]

i said to my mrs a few months back a system like the senator online thing would be needed to get the public's opinion on stuff instead of having politicians believing their opinions are the right ones for the nation because they were elected when in reality they were chosen because they seemed like the lesser of 2 evils at the time

 

freddy, your post is 100% accurate. unions are there to protect workers from getting screwed over by businesses and the 1% of the population rich enough to hire people to work for them... I think that Kevin Rudd and his cronies should use the anti union stance howard and his cronies against them by stating they are proud to be in a union and recommend every Australian worker to join one. all kevin would have to do is keep saying unions are there to protect workers from being screwed over and that without them the average australian wage would be marginly better than that of a child working in a chinese sweat shop which seems to be the direction howard wants australia to go in. saying something like that would piss many people off, probably all of china , but it would at the very least put a thorn in howard's work choices bullshit scheme as tens of thousands of people would sign up with a union and chances are howard would be forced to stop using the union scare tactic his whole campaign is based upon

[67Special]

A cross-section of the Australian electorate… I don’t think so!!!

 

Well, I DO think so!

 

There are about 10 different unions represented in that list, with the 2 largest having about 150000 and 120000 members respectively.

The union movement provided millions of Australian workers with the great working conditions that we've enjoyed and become so complacent about until Howards attack on workplace relations and safety.

 

...or am I to believe that a bunch of arrogant lawyers and economists are a better representation of the Australian people than former union officials

 

[Indycar]

When Liberals took office some 11 years back, our national debt was roughly 20billion, since their time in office it has blown out to 120billion dollars. The libs have done a great job of fudging figures. I did the maths some months back 'n as it turned out, each 'n every aussie owes something like $160,000 each. That was if we all had to chip in to pay it off.

 

Now, im' not saying labour will do a betta job. Just pointing out what labour will inherit if they take office. So basically, we've been operating on a false economy for quite some time now. So whoever ends up at the helm, they taking over control of a sinking ship.

 

Keep that in mind when voting.

 

Personally, i don't really care which way it goes, just as long a lil johnny is ousted. The turd of thing has done a great job of destroying aussie culture i grew up in by giving government departments more power to screw you the way they see fit.

 

Haabeb anyone?

[pipeman]

67 what makes you think Labour won't abolish Work Choices?

 

I've recently heard Mr. Rudd say that this is exactly what he'll do as Prime Minister in no uncertain terms. I find it hard to believe Rudd would be making such blunt statements if it wasn't his real intention.

[postman]

Hmm, i recall John Howard saying he would never introduce a goods and services tax.

 

Shit..its an election they will say anything.

Edited October 17, 2007 by postman

[Luke Skywalker]

I think he means they're not going to implement a system which dismantles all of the things the new Work Chances will do. Gillard and Rudd have said they're going to create a "Fair Work Australia" system I think, but a lot of the preceeding governments industrial relations reforms will remain in place, not only from work choices, but from the previous waves of "reform".

 

One thing that pisses me off is conservatives who claim the howard government has reduced tax, (highest take in australian history), reduced red tape, (tax system regulations are completely unintelligble to the average person, and even taxation specialists get tripped up by its intricacy) and is in favour of small government (massive blowout in public sector numbers). They've done nothing of the sort and have simply made things more complex and difficult to understand.

 

The recently proposed tax cuts by the coalition(34 BILLION dollars over 4 years) won't spectacularly help standard of living and have blown the once in a generation tax take bonanza that has come through corporate tax and mining boom effects. We have a miserable dental subsidy for a first world nation, waste spectacular amounts of money subsidising private schools and private health which has done little but make it worse for everyone but the rich and could certainly do with a big infrastructure overhaul and upgrade. Australia needs a different direction if it wants to survive as a viable nation and not a world joke in the next century. We're a small country, thankfully technically advanced (for how long though) and our population base is rapidly changing demographics. More of the same won't help us to adapt to a rapidly changing environmental and political world.

 

I'll be voting Greens 1 and Labor 2nd. If all the people who claim "oh I can't make a difference and so won't vote" voted for an independent, Green or Democrat member in their elections you'd see a very different parliament. We each only get one vote. Not casting it is irresponsible and IMHO automatically disqualifies you from bitching about the government or their policies.

 

Voting isn't a right and it's not a privilege. It is a responsibility. As a citizen of this nation you're being asked who you think should be representing you in your area and in your state for the senate. If you choose to either not vote, or to vote illegitimately, you're saying that you can't be stuffed with being represented and heard. Some say that there aren't any parties or people that represent your views. You could always run as an independent yourself, but most wouldn't follow that path if they're already apathetic about the system. Vote independent. Vote Green. Vote One Nation for gods sake. There's a pretty big political landscape out there and you can undoubtedly find a party that at the very least takes seriously your views on some subjects. Being apathetic about the way you're represented in a democracy says more about yourself than the political system. It says "I don't give a shit about what happens to me."

 

Casting a vote for a minor party or independent isn't throwing away a vote either. It's getting 2, or 3, or 4 for one. With preferential voting you can vote for an independent, who most closely represents you, and then should they not get into the next round of preferences they'll be distributed to the next candidate you vote for. Perhaps they're not exactly what you wanted, but they're better than not getting a say and having a first past the post system which can result in a very, very small vote electing someone who most didn't even think were a better alternative than the other guy.

 

I would encourage everyone on this site to consider whether they're happy with the present legal status of cannabis and other drugs, and if not, to look into who's offering policies which closest reflect your own views. It might not, and probably shouldn't, be the only reason you vote for someone, but at the moment the Greens, and to a lesser degree the Democrats, are calling for changes to the way we deal with drugs in society, and the two major parties aren't. Those major parties might, however, be strongly influenced by the amount of representation of these policies in parliamentary and senate seats, and if there is a balance of power in the senate, with the Greens/Democrats on the cross benches, then it could mean the difference between at least a small change to policy and no change or even harsher laws for all.

 

The only way to change the country is to vote. Not voting doesn't change shit, not the other way around.

 

(And could people please remember, it's very deliberately not Australian LABOUR Party, it's LABOR.)

 

There's my 5c (inflation adjusted).

[bufo marinus]

When is it?