Paterson was a romantic. Australians live in the city. Always have. Lawson tells the real story.

The City Bushman now drives an oversized ute with a perversely small tray around the suburbs.

And the city seems to suit you, while you rave about the bush. — Banno

Sounds like the classic "city vs country" type of thing.

The problem is people tend to think it's not a joke, and that somehow they have a clear, complete view of an entire continent. — AmadeusD

So Australia is a continent? I think the continent is Oceania, and Australia is one more country that's a part of the Oceanic continent.

So Australia is a continent? — Arcane Sandwich

You are obsessing over an irrelevance. Time to move on.

At the risk of dragging this thread back on topic, I understand from my sources that the AEC is sounding out staff concerning their availability in April.

I'm betting on the 5th or the 12th.

?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_(continent) and is wrong.

Nevertheless, yes, time to move on.

I support the social media ban in the sense that I think kids shouldn't be privvy to that horseshit, but think it's an utterly ridiculous thing to try to do

I doubt that Labor will be able to gain a majority. So it may well come down to a coalition. Albanese would like to distance himself from the Greens, so he may well be talking to the Teal independents. That would be a move towards the centre.

Unless the Liberal slide to the right reflects the sentiment of the moment. Then ideology will overrule rationality, again. Worst possibility would be an Tampa event.

There's an OP in the SMH admitting that Dutton's nuclear policy is a non-starter but that is irrelevant to it's purpose. By Christopher Pyne.

Albanese would like to distance himself from the Greens, — Banno

Regardless, I noticed last night that Hanson-Young was talking up the necessity of supporting Albanese over the Coalition. The Greens are losing voters in spades, they need to shift more towards the centre. Wouldn't be surprised to see a Labor-Greens-Teal coalition.

Interesting perspective from Pyne, although I think it presumes that Dutton is playing a kind of three-dimensional chess strategy when I'm sure his attitude was a lot more simplistic than that.

I'm betting on the 5th or the 12th.

↪Tom Storm? — Banno

I haven't heard anything yet.

Interesting perspective from Pyne, although I think it presumes that Dutton is playing a kind of three-dimensional chess strategy when I'm sure his attitude was a lot more simplistic than that. — Wayfarer

On a par with the dick-waving appeal of AUKUS? True, but then is it his idea or one from the back room?

well, as I said, more's the pity that nuclear has been made subject to partisan politics. It's too big an issue, but I guess if Dutton looses, that will be the end of debate about it.

I guess if Dutton looses, that will be the end of debate about it. — Wayfarer

I doubt it. They can easily spend twenty or thirty years passing it between states and federation.

more's the pity that nuclear has been made subject to partisan politics. — Wayfarer

Also, yes. I agree. I also think if it were left to the market, investment would flow to green energy projects over nuclear. Indeed, perhaps the fastest way to take it of the table would be to open it up to the markets without government support.

Amazing how a little Spanish can rev up a thread.

Regards The Nuke lee ha "Debate", anyone want to speculate on how well/fast the Ex Policeman from Queensland can backpedal, change lanes and direction if there was another Chernobyl or Fukushima between now and the Fed Election? And how loud the White Rooster from State Housing would crow?
Don't gasp/laugh, "Remember Tampa" and the "Earlier GST Attempt". There will be lots of straw grasping in the coming months. And unkept promises made!
At least, we don't have to elect a king/president every electoral cycle. So far!

Life with politics as a condition.


lopsided smile while riding/pedaling the push bike dynamo, for practice.

And it's all what's her name's fault. You know, the Reserve Bank Governor.

laughing but still pedaling

I understand from my sources that the AEC is sounding out staff concerning their availability in April.

I'm betting on the 5th or the 12th. — Banno

I want to keep learning more about Australian politics: what is the AEC sounding out staff on their availability for? Is it something related to elections?

Amazing how a little Spanish can rev up a thread. — kazan

Don't ever underestimate the power of the Spanish language as well as the Labour-Greens-Teal coalition in the eventual AU politics, as explained. :wink:

Perhaps the admins were Finns and were disgusted about the idea that Sweden would have more heavy metal bands than Finland. :wink:

Well, I guess there ought to be at least someone else wanting that, and still my English is better than my Swedish. So thank you, but hold on still. :up:

Most Australians tend to see themselves as sophisticated city folk, urban hipsters, etc, emulating New York and London rather than any hic desert state. — Tom Storm

I think the stereotype of laid back friendly Australians is quite accurate. It's even more accurate when one compares Australians to the other down under people, the uptight old-school English colonists, that are said to be New Zealanders. (And no, I'm not talking about the Maori's.)

what is the AEC sounding out staff on their availability for? Is it something related to elections? — javi2541997

that's right - all the folks who man the voting booths and conduct the ballot, many of them volunteers. The latest it can be is May 2025 but it could be April or any time before then.

what is the AEC sounding out staff on their availability for? — javi2541997

, yep.

So, that the AEC are checking availability for April indicates that they have some expectation to be running the election. The date for Australian federal elections is decided by the PM telling the Governor General his intent. Unlike the US, the rules are the same for the whole country, and run by the one organisation.

Thanks. :up:
It is interesting that many of the folks are volunteers. I mean, that's positive. It increases the participation of the people in politics (in my opinion).

:up: We have similar rules regarding the schedule of the election day. Also, it is run by only one organisation, and the rules apply to all the Peninsula. We have some similarities; interesting indeed.

Both Parliamentary systems with ceremonial presidents - we call our "president" the Governor General. We have one representative for each division, you seem to have multiple reps.

Yes.

Our President is the head of the government; thus, what you call Governor General.

Our King is the head of the state. A symbolic non-political figure.

Also, we have 17 representatives for each region. Thus, what you refer to as "division," I guess.

Unless as "divisions" you might refer to the seats of the Parliament. Represented by the folks who won the district. In this case, yes we have multiple reps.

@javi2541997 Let's conquer Australia and let's decide their politics for them. We'll play AC/DC so that they don't resist our conquest of their country.

I know I would sound like an alcoholic, but the first Australian thing that comes to my mind is Foster's beer, not AC/DC.

Nope. I would not conquer Australia. I am fond of the country and Aussie people, and they are clearly a rightful and straight country. They do not do weird things; either they aren't a threat to the rest of the world. I can't ask them anything but learning from them.

The ambassador to Spain is Rosemary Morris-Castico, and she holds a bachelor of arts. Probably, she is more qualified to do politics in my territory than any other mate with a suit in Congress. I think the appointment of Rosemary was a great decision done by the AU government. Look she does great things—as an artist she is—like visiting the Royal Tapestry Factory: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCEqhNPi3iL/?img_index=1

There are more chances of my country being conquered by the European Central Bank, honestly.

I know I would sound like an alcoholic, but the first Australian thing that comes to my mind is Foster's beer, not AC/DC. — javi2541997

This is a Thread about Australian politics, I don't think that anyone minds if someone sound like an alcoholic.

(Hey, Craig Jones gets away with jokes about "nose beer" on public television, you folks gotta let me get away with a joke about alcohol).

Nope. I would not conquer Australia — javi2541997

I would. Why not? Australians "conquered" part of Paraguay. Their descendants are Australian Paraguayans.

I am fond of the country and Aussie people, and they are clearly a rightful and straight country. They do not do weird things; either they aren't a threat to the rest of the world. I can't ask them anything but learning from them. — javi2541997

I've been told that they're urban, sophisticated, hip people. They like coffee, they're civilized, they think highly of Henry Lawson, and they're somewhat critical of Banjo Paterson. In short, they're not hicks living in the bush, as if Australia were really British Texas. That's an inaccurate portrayal of what Australians are like. They're more like Londoners, not Dubliners. And, in the coastal cities, they have that Californian, Red Hot Chilli Pepers / Surf Rock Revival vibe going on. Or maybe I'm just saying a few accurate and a lot of inaccurate things about @Banno. I can't exactly make an accurate generalization about Australians on the basis of my ignorant beliefs and limited interactions with them. Though I would love to visit Australia, that's for sure. How could I not? I grew up surrounded by Eucalyptus trees. No roos, though. Not even a few joeys. Though I suppose that I could order one by mail, right? The problem is, where do I keep it once it grows up? Maybe a zoo, but that's cruel, so no. I'm against zoos. I'm against the very concept of a zoo, no matter how well-intended such a concept might be.

Besides, "roo jokes" are really stupid, at least by the humoristic standards of 2025. And I think that most Australians would agree with me on that. Maybe those jokes were funny in like, I don't know, the 1980's. It's been almost fifty years since. Like, tourists are really stupid in that regard, and they make us, non-Australians, look bad. A friend of mine travelled to Australia a few months ago. I told him, in a very serious tone: whatever you do, do not make jokes about kangaroos. Australians are going to think that you're stupid if you make a kangaroo joke. Like, put yourself in their shoes, for a moment. Can you imagine how many times a clueless foreigner just happily drops the "kangaroo thing" in the middle of a casual conversation, as if kangaroos were something to just talk about? Why would you, a foreigner, assume that some random local would have any interest, let alone any knowledge, about the local fauna? Yes, marsupials are fascinating, we all get that. If it's marsupials that you want to talk about with random Australians, maybe you'd get a better reaction if you asked them about the Drop Bear.

Or, you know, just talk to them like a normal person. Try to see if they let you get away with some inappropriate jokes. Don't do that with Swedes though, they'll get angry at you.

EDIT: :

Trouble is, The Liberal Party of Australia is not. — Banno

As von Clausewitz noted : “War is a continuation of politics by other means”. But its corollary might be : "Politics is war by other means". And war tends to go to extremes : e.g. from a traditional shooting war toward "war to end all war" : the nuclear option.

In the US, gentlemanly democratic politics has devolved toward the "final option". As an us-vs-them political war escalates, each side pushes the other toward an extreme position. In the US, Liberals tend toward Communism, and Conservatives trend toward Fascism. The January 6 "insurrection" probably only stopped short of a declaration of civil war, because both sides know from recent history how "open" (unrestrained) violence can devastate both sides.

Wikipedia says that Australia has a "mild" two party system. Like the US, third parties haven't had much success. Possibly, because the Three Body Problem is too confusing for the hoi polloi of a dumbed-down democracy. In theory, a multi-party system might dilute the polarization of politics . . . . or might make it even more perplexing.

Since I'm a philosophical pacifist, I agree with Shakespeare's Mercutio : "a pox on both your houses". :joke:

but the first Australian thing that comes to my mind is Foster's beer, not AC/DC. — javi2541997

I don't think anyone here drinks Fosters. Most Australians I know drink imported beers like Asahi or Corona. Different in the country I'd imagine. ACDC? The US and Europe are their biggest markets. As I understand it, only one of the band was born in Australia, the rest are from the British Isles. :wink:

Lawson and Patterson are historical relics of a bygone day. Most Australians under 50 would probably not have heard of them. I have never heard a kangaroo joke in my life. Australians of my generation generally ignored their own culture and embraced overseas books, films and food. When Crocodile Dundee came out, many of my friends initially refused to see it as it was dealing in lazy cliches about the bush held mainly by American tourists. We saw Paul Hogan as pandering to that demographic to make a quick buck. Which he proceeded to do. Many bucks indeed.

We saw Paul Hogan as pandering to that demographic to make a quick buck. Which he proceeded to do. Many bucks indeed. — Tom Storm

I think that Crocodile Dundee created the stereotype, the one we're jokingly talking about, at least. Or at the very least, it reinforced it.

I prefer to resort to other cinematographic sources for my mistaken beliefs about Australia. Mad Max, in particular.

I think that Crocodile Dundee created the stereotype, — Arcane Sandwich

No. The stereotype was decades old. Which is why we resented its use.

I see.