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Federal Election 2013

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boyo

Mark Ella (57)
I've heard that the missing WA votes are from only two seats, so an election would have to be carried out only in those two seats.
 

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Carr seems to have had no intention of serving if he was elected. He is going to be replaced on the basis of a backroom deal cooked up by the Faceless folk of Sussex Street to reward a party hack that did not put themselves forward before the electorate. That shonky deal is going to be rubber stamped by the NSW State Government.

IIRC the proposed replacement was a person that was rejected by the electorate for a seat in the lower house. How democratic is that?

Blind Freddy could see that ALP were not going to win government this time around. Bob Carr is a clever person, and he would have known that the ALP had Buckley's Chance of winning, yet he continued to remain a candidate despite having zero intention of serving if elected.

If I go to Macdonalds for a feed because I am hungry, and I order a Angus Beef Special Aussie Burger, then do I not have a right to expect to receive one, as opposed to some other burger that Hamburgler the Manager has prepared earlier just because I am at Maccas.

If I exercise my right to go to Maccas to get the Angus Special then I should get the Angus Special not some substitute. If they are unable to provide what I want, then I have the right to select another place to dine rather than be forced to eat a dried up cheeseburger that nobody else wants.

If I knew I was going to be served a "Managers Choice" from Hamburgler, then I probably would have exercised my democratic right to go to Oportos for a Bondi Burger. They're much better anyway.
 

Lindommer

Steve Williams (59)
Staff member
The method.....suggested for resolving the WA senate vote without another poll would be just about the most undemocratic thing possible.

And that's not more undemocratic than the farce Labor are foisting on us NSW voters ATM? The prick, Carr, is resigning BEFORE his next term starts. This allows the Undemocratic Labor Party to allow another hack into the Senate not elected by NSW voters. To rub salt into the wound that prick, Carr, had the hide to recommend external appointments to the Senate to get "talent" into the ministry, a forelock tug to his favourite people, Septics.

I've often remarked to my lovely spare-rib the Labor Party isn't very democratic (Eddie and Joe don't like you so you're out, this seat's the left's so fools like Laurie Ferguson get a gig, the AWU'll be choosing the second spot on the Senate ticket, Bill Ludwig's son must be #1 on the Queensland ticket, etc.); this is typically symptomatic of the complete lack of democracy in the ALP. Until they have the courage to instigate some serious reforms they'll be in opposition in all Australian jurisdictions for some time. They should take a leaf out of Tony Blair's book and break the nexus with the union movement.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Bob Carr was never elected to the federal senate previously. He filled the casual vacancy created when Mark Arbib retired from politics.

By virtue of the senate being a state wide election whereby 6 senators are elected each time for a 6 year term, it isn't feasible to have a by-election when a position requires filling like it is in the House of Reps.

Out of the 1.38 million senate votes Labor received in NSW, less than 15,000 people voted for Bob Carr. 1.36 million people just voted above the line for the Labor Party.

I think a better McDonald's simile would be that if you went and ordered an Angus Beef Special Aussie Burger than that is what you will receive. There might be many Angus Beef Special Aussie Burgers behind the counter and you'll get the one that is first in the queue if you're the first person to order one. If on the way to the counter, the staff member drops that burger on the ground, then you're going to get given a different Angus Beef Special Aussie Burger because that is what you ordered.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
And that's not more undemocratic than the farce Labor are foisting on us NSW voters ATM? The prick, Carr, is resigning BEFORE his next term starts. This allows the Undemocratic Labor Party to allow another hack into the Senate not elected by NSW voters. To rub salt into the wound that prick, Carr, had the hide to recommend external appointments to the Senate to get "talent" into the ministry, a forelock tug to his favourite people, Septics.

I've often remarked to my wife the Labor Party isn't very democratic (Eddie and Joe don't like you so you're out, this seat's the left's so fools like Laurie Ferguson get a gig, the AWU'll be choosing the second spot on the Senate ticket, Bill Ludwig's son must be #1 on the Queensland ticket, etc.); this is typically symptomatic of the complete lack of democracy in the ALP. Until they have the courage to instigate some serious reforms they'll be in opposition in all Australian jurisdictions for some time. They should take a leaf out of Tony Blair's book and break the nexus with the union movement.

When the electorate was asked in 1977:

It is proposed to alter the Constitution to ensure as far as practicable that a casual vacancy in the Senate is filled by a person of the same political party as the Senator chosen by the people and for the balance of his term. Do you approve the proposed law?

73.32% of the electorate voted yes.

That was an entirely democratic process.
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Appreciate the need to maintain the integrity of our democracy, but the job of filling the vacancy for Bob Carr has been delegated to the NSW State Parliament, who will (or have) simply rubber stamped the recommendation of the NSW Labour Party. The constitution allows for this rather efficient, practical and cost effective method of resolving a vacancy in the ranks of the Senate.

The problem seems to be that there are a series of vacancies within the ranks of the senators representing WA in the Federal Parliament. Leave the problem to filling those vacancies up to the WA State Parliament.

There should be sufficient guidance as to the general will of the WA people on the basis of the current make up of the existing democratically elected WA State Parliament, the lower house members from WA Federal Seats, and the "vibe" of the initial votes and preferences from the first go at the WA Senate election.

Think outside the box. WA State Parliament to endorse 3 Coalition Spots, 1 ALP Spot, and the last spot to be rotated for two years each between ALP, PUP, and Greens. That is how you save $10 million and while keeping the integrity of the democratic process alive.

Either that or run the NSW Senate vote again to replace the vacancy caused by Mr Carr as well. His "successful" candidacy appears to have been obtained under false pretenses, and with a condition attached - "If the ALP don't win the Government, regardless of whether I an elected by the people to represent them, I won't serve."

Luckily there's no constitutional basis for that course.
Pretty soon there'd be no elections people would just go to Canberra because they won an opinion poll.
 

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
It could be said that this is precisely what happens now.

Seen the movie "Idiocracy"? Allegedly considered a satirical science fiction comedy, however the basic premise of a dumbed down dystopian society of personality, consumerism and anti-intellectualism has an element of possibility about it.

They laughed at Leonardo Da Vinci's helicopter designs back in his day.
 

Lindommer

Steve Williams (59)
Staff member
Bh81, most sensible Australians would want to avoid a repetition of the Cleaver Bunton and Albert Field appointments fiasco in 1975, which prompted the referendum you mentioned above, but the cynical abuse of the ensuing power now held by the various political parties is deplorable. Labor aren't the only guilty party abusing Senate replacements: John Herron, a Queensland Liberal, was re-elected at the November 2001 election for a further term commencing in July 2002. Late in 2002, shortly after his six year term commenced, he resigned from the Senate to take up the post of Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See (Herron was a prominent Catholic). It should be pointed out here the casual vacancy leading to Bunton's appointment was the resignation of Lionel Murphy when he was appointed to the High Court, a perfectly reasonable action on Murphy's part. Field's was much more nefarious: Whitlam tried to gain an extra seat in an evenly-balanced but hostile Senate by appointing Vince Gair to the same position Herron took up some 27 years later. The old turd Joh Bjelke-Petersen snookered Whitlam on that occasion by effectively matching one crap action with another.

My point raised earlier about Carr, and reinforced here with Herron, is if these people had no intention of seeing out their six year Senate terms WTF did they stand? The ensuing replacements chosen by the departing senators' political parties rather than the electorate is very undemocratic. Labor are much more guilty of this than any other party.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
My point raised earlier about Carr, and reinforced here with Herron, is if these people had no intention of seeing out their six year Senate terms WTF did they stand? The ensuing replacements chosen by the departing senators' political parties rather than the electorate is very undemocratic. Labor are much more guilty of this than any other party.

I don't disagree with this sentiment at all. I think it is terribly poor form but I think the remedy is reasonable. Trying to change the current system to make it less flexible wouldn't be a good solution in my opinion. In this sitution it might be perfectly reasonable to suggest that the next Labor candidate on the ballot should get the spot, but then that might not be reasonable if the vacancy happens several years down the track and that candidate has moved on or other issues have come into play since.

At least Carr retiring doesn't come at a substantial cost to taxpayers.

I thought Graham Annesley resigning from the state seat of Miranda so soon after the state election was terrible form. Particularly as he was leaving parliament to become the CEO of an NRL club.
 

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
By all accounts, when in politics Carr (and associated snouts) came at a fairly substantial cost to taxpayers.
 

ChargerWA

Mark Loane (55)
So apparently we have to finish this tomorrow.

All you West Aussies don't forget. It has slipped my mind a few times.
 

ChargerWA

Mark Loane (55)
Man, you guys should have seen the media blitz from PUP over here last week. Phenomenal.

I was talking with a few guys who work for me who were going to vote PUP. I asked them why, which if his policies did they like and they couldn't even name one. Neither could they name the candidate in the number one ticket spot for PUP beyond it was a Chinese name.

I am struggling to work out his motivation. If he is as rich as he says he is why would you be fucking about in parliament. Surely the money you could make from focusing on business interests would outstrip the money you could save from influencing public policy, but then again looking at the ICAC hearings going on in NSW, maybe not.

The big question is he just another One Nation who will be a footnote in 6 years time?

I was pleased to see Ludlum get up. The Wikileaks party screwed him over last time and he is a good senator. Though he will have little influence in the coming parliarment with the upper house cross bench being considerably right leaning.
 

GaffaCHinO

Peter Sullivan (51)
I thought I should share my experience yesterday while waiting in line to vote.

A group of 4 young people prob about mid 20s where in front of me in line.

Now I don't live in the most affluent side of town for those of you who know Perth well I'm in gosnells.......anyway they where talking about who they were going to vote for and the 3 guys said they were just getting their named ticked off so they didn't get fined while at the girl said and I quote "it doesn't fucken matter who you vote for, unless you are an illegal immigrant you get jack shit"

I stood there for about 30 second in amazement of what I had just heard then just felt sad for this country with people thinking this way and showing their complete lack of knowledge for the issues and a complete lack of compassion for other people in this world.

I blame Tony Abbott and the liberal party for this situation we as a country find ourself in.


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ChargerWA

Mark Loane (55)
I blame Tony Abbott and the liberal party for this situation we as a country find ourself in.


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Because he personally parented those 4 young adults through their formative years and turned them into little bogans?

Or because the Liberals have been in power their whole formative years and are therefore responsible for their culture?

Society is what we determine it to be as a society. Political opinion follows public opinion, usually not the other way round.
 

GaffaCHinO

Peter Sullivan (51)
Because he personally parented those 4 young adults through their formative years and turned them into little bogans?

Or because the Liberals have been in power their whole formative years and are therefore responsible for their culture?

Society is what we determine it to be as a society. Political opinion follows public opinion, usually not the other way round.
No because of the hate and fear campaign that him and his cronies have been peddling for the last 5 years.


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ChargerWA

Mark Loane (55)
No because of the hate and fear campaign that him and his cronies have been peddling for the last 5 years.


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You know it was Labor who re-implemented offshore processing right? They are as equally guilty in their poor treatment of asylum seekers. To try and pin it solely on the liberals is cherry picking.
 
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