Ambassade De France En Australie – Service De Presse Et Information Site : Tél

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ambassade De France En Australie – Service De Presse Et Information Site : Tél Online Press review 7 May 2015 The articles in purple are not available online. Please contact the Press and Information Department. FRONT PAGE New Greens leaders seek ‘common ground’ on reform (AUS) Crowe The Greens are promising a fresh look at major budget savings after the sudden installation of Richard Di Natale as the party’s new leader signalled a dramatic shift in power to a new generation but stirred internal rancour. Get over historical indigenous wrongs: Noel Pearson (AUS) Bita Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson has challenged indigenous Australians to get over their traumatic history in the same way that Jews survived the Holocaust. Federal budget 2015: GST on Netflix and more on the way (CAN+SMH) Martin The federal government will move to impose the goods and services tax on services such as Netflix under new rules set to be included in next week's budget. Federal budget 2015: Census saved, $250m investment in Bureau of Statistics (CAN) Martin The census has been saved and the Australian Bureau of Statistics will get a $250 million funding boost as part of the biggest technology upgrade in its 110-year history. DOMESTIC AFFAIRS POLITICS Abbott rejects slur on Paris meeting as Fairfax Media slammed (AUS) Owens Tony Abbott has denied knowing that ambassador Stephen Brady’s male partner had been instructed to leave the tarmac of a Paris airport before the Prime Minister’s arrival on Anzac Day. Smearing Tony Abbott as a homophobe is victory for hatred (AUS/Comment) Kenny Given Tony Abbott has been dubbed a misogynist, Islamophobe and racist, I suppose the - occasional allegation of homophobia shouldn’t be a surprise. Senator Glenn Lazarus to bankroll push north after split with PUP (AUS) Lewis Independent senator Glenn Lazarus will use his $200,000 annual salary to open a second office in Cairns, in a bid to rebadge himself as a voice for regional Queensland. 'Disgraceful': Liberal frontbencher challenges report of PM snub (CAN+SMH) Massola Liberal frontbencher Alan Tudge has leapt to the defence of Tony Abbott, describing as "disgraceful" a report of a bizarre incident that saw the gay partner of Australia's ambassador to France snubbed during a prime ministerial visit. Party divisions stymie national consideration of same-sex marriage (CAN/Opinion) Warhurst Relaxing party discipline and punishment for those who went against policy in a conscience vote would advance Australian democracy. Ambassade de France en Australie – Service de Presse et Information Site : http://www.ambafrance-au.org/ Tél. : 61 (02) 6216 0150 Email : [email protected] THE GREENS CHANGE LEADERS Long road for Richard Di Natale from bottom of garden to The Lodge (AUS/Comment) Shanahan On becoming the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale repeatedly declared that his MPs represented “progressive mainstream Australia”, were a political threat to all the major parties, were not ideologues and were interested in outcomes. Senate success or failure will shape Greens under Di Natale (AUS/Comment) Van Onselen The changing of the guard at the top of the Greens yesterday could have profound implications on the body politic and environmentalism in this country. The Greens in transition as Christine Milne moves on (AUS/Feature) Denholm When Christine Milne took over the leadership of the Greens from Bob Brown, both insisted she was not a transitional leader — a temporary bridge between the Tasmanian eco-warriors and the new Green urbanites in the mainland capitals. Richard Di Natale: opportunity for Abbott, risk for Shorten (AFR/Comment) Tingle As the Abbott government desperately tries to remake its relationship with voters through its second budget, some of its more pragmatic members must have looked wistfully at the Greens leadership transition on Wednesday and wished that such a huge chance for a relatively painless transformation was within its grasp. New Greens leader Richard di Natale flags petrol policy shift (AFR) Coorey New Greens leader Richard di Natale has given the government cause for optimism on the eve of its second budget by opening the door to supporting the indexation of petrol excise. Meet Richard Di Natale: sports fan, doctor and new Greens leader (AFR/Feature) Mather The Australian Greens have elected a sports-loving doctor as their new leader. Christine Milne's departure a win for Tony Abbott (CAN+SMH/Comment) Kenny Even in politics it turns out that good things come to those who wait. Eventually. GST GST windfall for Western Australia angers premiers (AUS) Burrell Tony Abbott has handed Western Australia an extra $500 million to compensate for its falling share of the GST but the move has angered other states who argue the rescue package should have been linked to economic reform. Federal Budget 2015: WA wins $500m handout, promises changes (AFR) Coorey One month after Treasurer Joe Hockey complained his budget was not a "magic pudding", the federal government has given Western Australia a $500 million handout to make up for what the state government has claimed to be an unfair distribution of GST revenue. Prime Minister Tony Abbott in flying visit to Perth to hand over $499m (CAN+SMH) Foster, Nicholson Western Australia has been handed a $500 million windfall from the federal government which appears to be a make good for a drop in its GST allocation as a result of plunging minerals revenue. BUDGET 2015 Science research spared the budget axe (AUS) Martin Science research infrastructure that was threatened by the government’s controversial higher education reforms will receive a $300 million lifeline in next week’s budget. Coalition treading water in efforts to reduce budget deficit (AUS) Uren Joe Hockey goes into the 2015-16 budget having achieved $30 billion worth of savings over the past year, but Senate blockages, abandoned measures and new spending also add up to $30bn. The budget is Joe Hockey’s do or die moment of truth (AUS/Opinion) Savva Two weeks ago Tony Abbott’s new whip, the amiable Queenslander Scott Buchholz, was compelled to deliver a simple, brutal message to the Prime Minister: if the budget tanked, Joe Hockey would have to go. Ambassade de France en Australie – Service de Presse et Information Site : http://www.ambafrance-au.org/ Tél. : 61 (02) 6216 0150 Email : [email protected] Budgets and the art of car maintenance (AUS/Opinion) Uren Joe Hockey is fascinated by the prospect of driverless cars. He sees them as emblematic of the opportunity that technology will bring despite the future challenges of an ageing of the population. A witty journalist asked the Treasurer what would come first, the driverless car or a budget surplus. Tony Abbott needs premier power to save the budget (AUS/Opinion) Johns Live within your means was the first principle of good government enunciated by the National - Commission of Audit. Little sign of many taking Joe Hockey's advice to 'have a go' (AFR/Comment) Hewett An ebullient-sounding Joe Hockey says he wants everyone to "have a go." Of course, the Treasurer has little choice but to happily tell businesses and households to take advantage of low interest rates to borrow and invest. Unhappily, there's little sign of many taking his advice unless it's to invest in property, especially in Sydney. Budget 2015: Deep recession or dazzling rebound? That's the budget question (AFR/Opinion) Anthony We stare down the barrel of a recession in 2016. On budget night the Abbott government must instil confidence by holding the course on fiscal policy towards a credible and sustainable structural budget path over the medium term and demonstrating its preparedness to do the hard yards on microeconomic reform. SECURITY/TERRORISM Don’t leave terror fix to community groups: magistrate (AUS) Akerman The magistrate deciding whether to bail a terror suspect has opened up a debate about who is responsible for ensuring that alleged Islamic extremists don’t seek revenge. CLIMATE CHANGE Diversify now, warns UN climate boss Christiana Figueres (AUS) Maher One of the world’s most powerful climate change officials has urged Australia to work on diversifying its economy as it moves to combat climate change and cuts its national emissions. Australia will have to move away from coal, UN climate head says (SMH) Arup Australia shares a similar challenge in moving away from coal as Saudi Arabia does in reducing its economic dependency on oil, the United Nations' top climate negotiator says. INFRASTRUCTURE East West Link axing cost Victoria more than one major project, says former boss (AFR/Feature) Potter Sacked infrastructure chief executive Ken Mathers says the dumping of the East West Link project was devastating both for his own team and the private sector companies who had bought into his vision. Government rejects calls for delay on light rail contracts (CAN) McIlroy Voters who supported Labor and the Greens at the 2012 territory election understood a light rail line for Canberra was central to both party's policies, Capital Metro Minister Simon Corbell said on Wednesday. EDUCATION/SCIENCE Mining slide takes toll on graduates (AUS) Hare A huge dip in the employment rates of new university graduates is likely to be related to the slowdown in the mining boom, but also reflects a worrying national trend as student numbers escalate but employment prospects decrease. Ambassade de France en Australie – Service de Presse et Information Site : http://www.ambafrance-au.org/ Tél. : 61 (02) 6216 0150 Email : [email protected] FOREIGN AFFAIRS FOREIGN POLICY Fiji’s Bainimarama blasts Australia’s ‘coalition of the selfish’ (AUS) Callick Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has launched a blistering attack on Australia, despite being warmly congratulated on his election last year by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who rapidly restored full relations in two visits to Fiji.
Recommended publications
  • Leadership and the Australian Greens
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Research Online @ ECU Edith Cowan University Research Online ECU Publications Post 2013 1-1-2014 Leadership and the Australian Greens Christine Cunningham Edith Cowan University, [email protected] Stewart Jackson Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013 Part of the Leadership Studies Commons, and the Political Science Commons 10.1177/1742715013498407 This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of: Cunningham, C., & Jackson, S. (2014). Leadership and the Australian Greens. Leadership, 10(4), 496-511. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. Available here. This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/26 Leadership and the Australian Greens Christine Cunningham School of Education, Education and the Arts Faculty, Edith Cowan University, Australia Stewart Jackson Department of Government and International Relations, Faculty of Arts, The University of Sydney, Australia Abstract This paper examines the inherent tension between a Green political party’s genesis and official ideology and the conventional forms and practices of party leadership enacted in the vast bulk of other parties, regardless of their place on the ideological spectrum. A rich picture is painted of this ongoing struggle through a case study of the Australian Greens with vivid descriptions presented on organisational leadership issues by Australian state and federal Green members of parliaments. What emerges from the data is the Australian Green MPs’ conundrum in retaining an egalitarian and participatory democracy ethos while seeking to expand their existing frame of leadership to being both more pragmatic and oriented towards active involvement in government.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise of the Australian Greens
    Parliament of Australia Department of Parliamentary Services Parliamentary Library Information, analysis and advice for the Parliament RESEARCH PAPER www.aph.gov.au/library 22 September 2008, no. 8, 2008–09, ISSN 1834-9854 The rise of the Australian Greens Scott Bennett Politics and Public Administration Section Executive summary The first Australian candidates to contest an election on a clearly-espoused environmental policy were members of the United Tasmania Group in the 1972 Tasmanian election. Concerns for the environment saw the emergence in the 1980s of a number of environmental groups, some contested elections, with successes in Western Australia and Tasmania. An important development was the emergence in the next decade of the Australian Greens as a unified political force, with Franklin Dam activist and Tasmanian MP, Bob Brown, as its nationally-recognised leader. The 2004 and 2007 Commonwealth elections have resulted in five Australian Green Senators in the 42nd Parliament, the best return to date. This paper discusses the electoral support that Australian Greens candidates have developed, including: • the emergence of environmental politics is placed in its historical context • the rise of voter support for environmental candidates • an analysis of Australian Greens voters—who they are, where they live and the motivations they have for casting their votes for this party • an analysis of the difficulties such a party has in winning lower house seats in Australia, which is especially related to the use of Preferential Voting for most elections • the strategic problems that the Australian Greens—and any ‘third force’—have in the Australian political setting • the decline of the Australian Democrats that has aided the Australian Greens upsurge and • the question whether the Australian Greens will ever be more than an important ‘third force’ in Australian politics.
    [Show full text]
  • Christine Milne: Experience Vision Determination Alliance‐Building
    Christine Milne: experience vision determination alliance‐building Christine Milne, Senator for Tasmania and Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens, is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected environmental and community activists, with a career spanning 30 years. After leading a highly successful alliance of farmers, fishers, scientists, environmentalists and concerned community members from Wesley Vale to prevent the construction of a polluting pulp mill, Christine was elected to the Tasmanian parliament in 1989, and became the first woman to lead a political party in Tasmania in 1993. She was elected to the Senate in 2004, and elected Deputy Leader of the Greens by her colleagues in 2008. Christine’s vision, her deep policy knowledge about climate change and her unparalleled experience with power‐sharing minority governments led to the establishment of the Multi‐ Party Climate Change Committee and its successful negotiations to design the Clean Energy Future package which will place innovation, opportunity and clean energy at the forefront of the transformation of the Australian economy for the 21st century. Having grown up on a dairy farm, Christine’s commitment to and understanding of farmers, the needs of regional Australia and the future of the country’s food production is widely appreciated. She is currently overseeing the development of a major local and global food security and sovereignty campaign placing sustainable agriculture, biosecurity, healthy eating, and a fair go for farmers, as priorities in maintaining Australia’s world renowned food industry. When in the Tasmania parliament, Christine constructed a comprehensive plan to transform the state into a “clean, green and clever” economy.
    [Show full text]
  • Multiple Sclerosis and the Australian Parliament - Time to Stand up and Be Counted Turnonthe Tap
    Multiple Sclerosis and the Australian Parliament - Time to Stand up and be Counted TurnOnthe Tap Senator Di Natalie 12 March 2016 Party Leader, Australian Greens Parliament House, Canberra (original via email – copies to – see Footnotes) Associated Correspondence http://www.msnetwork.org/bookmarks/advocacy-parliament.htm Dear Richard Clarification of Greens Policy Position Cardiovascular issues and Multiple Sclerosis With the approach of 2016 World Multiple Sclerosis Day with its theme ‘Independence’ we are reminded that it is almost 5 years since the then member for Page, Janelle Saffin first alerted the Australian Parliament (Hansard of 30 May 2011) on behalf of the Australian MS community, that the majority of those living with Multiple Sclerosis are being found to have serious cardiovascular irregularities of a type not previously detected - a condition called Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI). Janelle referenced the experiences of many who found that treatment of this condition via venoplasty, a long standing day surgery cardiovascular procedure, achieved dramatic relief from many of the most common symptoms of MS. Shortly thereafter it was agreed to progress Parliament's role in this matter on a bipartisan basis including priority in fast tracking a related clinical trial being undertaken at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. 5 years down the track and notwithstanding significant advances in understandings, including warnings about the consequences of a failure to identify cardiovascular disorders in pwMS, we hold the view that the Australian Government has not yet honoured its undertakings to assist in fast tracking progress. A recent communication with the Hon Wyatt Roy, (Assistant Minister for Innovations) said “No new medical procedures are involved – it’s all about the rights of people with MS to access long established and proven medical interventions’’ The stakeholders who benefit most are: Polytrak 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Parliamentary Experiences of the Tasmanian Greens: the Politics of the Periphery1
    in Ecopolitics: Thought and Action, Vol 1, No 1, 2000, pp. 53-71. Parliamentary Experiences of the Tasmanian Greens: The Politics of the Periphery1 i Kate Crowley ABSTRACT This paper reflects upon the green political trajectory in Tasmania from the founding in 1972 of the world's first green2 party, the United Tasmania Group, to the recent 'electoral reform’ that in effect disenfranchised most of the Tasmanian parliamentary greens (Crowley, 2000). It argues that green politics, whilst fundamentally transforming the island state of Tasmania in part through its nature conservation successes, has remained a politics at the periphery that is resisted by both the major parties. This peripheralisation is not entirely owed to the green's longstanding pursuit of wilderness preservation, however, but also to their preoccupation both with progressive politics and democratic accountability that has led them into state parliament where they have twice achieved the balance of power (Crowley, 1996; 1999b). This paper recounts familiar terrain with its description of Tasmania as a conservative, economically marginal island state that has pursued a development formula based upon resource exploitation and hydroindustrialisation that went unchallenged until the rise of the greens. It shows how Tasmania's green politics, perhaps unlike green politics in more vital, less marginal contexts, has been a politics of contrast and change, ecocentric to its core, but strategically concerned with broader social reformism. By considering the failure of both green minority governments (Labor-Green 1989-91; and Liberal-Green 1996-8), it further reinforces how much the major parties have resisted green efforts both to share the state political stage and to move more than rhetorically away from resource based developmentalism3.
    [Show full text]
  • We the People Program 292 May 7, 2018 We the People 292 the Smoking Gun
    We The People Program 292 May 7, 2018 We the People 292 The Smoking Gun Good Day to you. In 1992 The Australian Greens were formed and are now commonly just called, 'the Greens'. Theirs' is an interesting political history and set of goals with their four main pillars of....... ecological sustainability, social justice, grass-roots democracy and peace through non-violence. These are worthy ideals and as one who recognises the absolute importance of the environment and animal rights, I was delighted with their arrival into Australian politics. I voted for them a couple of times and partly because I believed it would send a message to the major parties who had lost their way and that's still the case. The Greens' entourage includes the perpetually unhappy Sarah Hanson-Young and in fact it appears to me that this unpleasant woman has grafted her unfortunate philosophical DNA onto the Greens at great cost to them. It is also the case that the now defunct Democrats founded by Don Chipp has been opportunistically instrumental in establishing the Green's political agenda. One thing is for sure, the rough mantra from Don Chipp.... "to keep the bastards honest" resonated then and still does today. The Greens' leaders have been a mixed lot from Bob Brown and his unique lifestyle to Christine Milne and now Richard Di Natale and his 'smoking gun' which is what I've called this narrative. Now at least in the view of this commentator, Di Natale is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Apart from a list of facts to support that, I just don't like the man or the 'cut of his jib' and I trust my own intuition.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Balancing Act: the Australian Greens 2008-2011
    Parliament of Australia Department of Parliamentary Services RESEARCH PAPER NO. 7, 2011–12 8 February 2012 Balancing act: the Australian Greens 2008–2011 Dr Joy McCann Politics and Public Administration Section Executive summary • In 2008 the Parliamentary Library published The rise of the Australian Greens which discussed the emergence of environmental politics in Australia, analysed the characteristics of Greens’ voters, and speculated as to whether the Australian Greens party would ever be more than ‘positioned on the edge’ of mainstream politics. • In the 2010 federal election, the Australian Greens emerged with the balance of power in the Senate and shared balance of power in the House of Representatives in the first hung federal parliament in Australia for 70 years. As a result, the ALP entered into an agreement with the Greens in order to secure the party’s commitment to a stable government during the 43rd Commonwealth Parliament. • The increased visibility of the Australian Greens at a national level has generated greater public scrutiny and debate about the implications of the Greens’ policy agenda for Australia, and exposed a lingering confusion about the true ideological nature of the party. • The party has a distinctive political culture and values with a ‘grassroots’ organisational structure reflecting its origins in social and environmental movements and citizen-led activism. • The party’s federal electoral success has also highlighted the way in which the Greens are engaged in a ‘balancing act’, both externally, as a coalition partner with the Labor government and as the balance-of-power party in the Senate, and internally, between the pragmatists and idealists within its membership.
    [Show full text]
  • Let's Get Ready!
    Grassroots orGanisinG wins campaiGns a CARING SOCIEtY DEMANDs a STRONGEr MINING TAX sUPPORTING SINGLE PARENTS ELECTIon LEt’s GEt rEaDY! GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNING: EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS donations clever campaigning votes candidates elected As we stAnd on the brink of the 2013 federal while we will invest heavily in mass advertising we election, now is an excellent time to say thank you also need to invest in the grassroots campaigning to all of our donors. that our candidates and volunteers do so well. we started officially fundraising for this election there are teams all across the country who are last year. thanks to the generosity of all our scraping together budgets, working out if they donors, we have been able to plan, with confidence, have enough money to have posters printed, stalls a professional and strategic campaign that has hired and leaflets ready for doorknocking. the potential to reach every electorate across the Your donation today can help enormously. did you country. know, for example, that it costs approximately $15 we know that the old parties will be slinging mud to produce a candidate poster? or that sweat-shop at each other like never before, and we know that free t-shirts for our volunteers to wear on polling the Australian people are tired of it. they want an day will put a budget back around $20 per shirt? alternative. even the most basic of campaign materials cost we must convey the message to voters everywhere money, and while our hard working teams do their that we stand on principal – you know what you very best with what they have – a little bit more get when you vote Green.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greens Campaign
    13. The 2013 Federal Election: The Greens campaign Andrew Bartlett For a political party with a relatively short history, all elections can seem historic. However, the 2013 federal election was ground-breaking for the Greens in both positive and negative ways. For those who closely follow the fortunes of minor or ‘third’ parties, there were some noteworthy firsts. The 2013 election saw a minor party (excluding the National/Country Party) retain a lower house seat for the first time, with Adam Bandt holding on to the seat of Melbourne with a swing of more than 7 per cent towards the Greens, taking his primary vote to 42.62 per cent. Senators Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania) and Sarah Hanson-Young (South Australia) were returned and Janet Rice was elected from Victoria. While Scott Ludlam was also deemed to be re- elected following the recount of the Western Australian Senate vote, this entire Senate contest was subsequently voided by a High Court judge sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns. Ultimately, Ludlam was successful again at the re- running of the Western Australian Senate contest and the Greens now hold 10 Senate seats. This is not only the Greens’ highest ever number of seats held, but the highest ever for any minor party, beating the nine seats the Democrats held following the 1998 federal election. Measuring political success by that base indicator—representation in parliament—in 2013 the Greens did well, at the very least holding their ground in an electoral environment far less favourable than that faced three years earlier. New leadership for the Greens It was widely noted that this was the first election for the Australian Greens without former senator Bob Brown as parliamentary leader,1 a position he had held since first entering the Senate in 1996.
    [Show full text]
  • Inaugural Speech – Felix Ashton Ellis MP
    Cassy O’Connor MP House of Assembly Date: 22 July 2008 Electorate: Denison Election of Ms Cassy O'Connor Motion by Mr McKim proposed: That the House note the election of Ms Cassy O'Connor. Ms O'CONNOR (Denison - Inaugural) - Mr Speaker, for many thousands of years before the European invasion, the Palawa tribes - the Letteremairrener, the Tyerrenotepanner and the Panninher people - lived and roamed across this land we occupy today. The Tamar Valley was their home. The original and traditional owners of this land hunted and gathered along the banks of the South Esk and Tamar rivers. They danced and sang their storyline at places like Cataract Gorge, Corra Linn and the hills around Launceston. Their connection to the land was deep and strong. For the Aboriginal people of Tasmania it remains so to this day. I wish to pay my deepest respect to those who have passed before us and those descendants who are now the custodians of this land. I also express my sorrow for all that was taken from them and all the indigenous peoples of Australia. May these continue to be healing times. I thank all members, my new colleagues, for their presence in the Chamber to hear my inaugural speech. I warmly return that respect and extend it equally to members of the audience. It is great to see you here. To my family, dear friends and colleagues who have made the journey to Launceston from as far away as Sydney and Queensland, thank you, and thank you again for coming. You give me strength, as do all my friends who are here in my thoughts.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloadable Formatted Program Is Here
    KEYNOTE SPEAKERS 2017 marks 25 years since the of a radical and popular green politics federation of the Australian Greens – looks like – a politics which can actually DR MARY GRAHAM a quarter century in which the party has address the huge crises we face, and University of Queensland gone from being a fringe movement to be popular enough to win. Dr Graham is Associate Adjunct Professor of the School an established political force making The conference brings together invited substantial impacts on the course of of Political Science and International Studies. She is a keynote speakers, academics, artists, as Kombumerri person (Gold Coast) through her father’s Australian history, improving people’s well as activists, members, supporters, lives, and protecting the planet. heritage and affiliated with Wakka Wakka (South Burnett) and interested parties to discuss these through her mother’s people. Mary has lectured nationally 2017 also marks an extraordinary vital questions, particular through the on Aboriginal history, politics and comparative philosophy. moment in history, as the political theme of connection – to each other, certainties, realities and possibilities to politics, and to nature. PROFESSOR BRENDAN MACKEY Griffith University which the party and the great majority The key theme of the conference – con- Professor Mackey is the Director of the Griffith Climate of its members and supporters grew nection to each other, to politics, and to Change Response Program and specialises in the up in begin to melt into air. nature – is informed and driven by what interactions between climate change, biodiversity and The arrival of the climate crisis, sharply we believe to be the unique insight of deepening inequality, the rise of the Green politics, the idea that sets our land use, sustainable development and the science and extreme right, and massively acceler- politics apart from all others: ecology.
    [Show full text]
  • Campaigns and Coalitions
    The Otemon Journal of Australian Studies, vol.40, pp.63−82, 2014 63 Campaigns and Coalitions: The Australian 2013 Election Anika Gauja, Ariadne Vromen Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Abstract This article provides an analysis of the 2013 Australian federal election-examining the campaign and its consequences, which continue to highlight the distinctive nature of majoritarian government in Australia. We consider two main questions: how competitive was the election campaign, and has the changing composition of parliament created a new political stability? Situating the Coalition’s victory in the context of the previous minority government (2010−2013), we examine the main campaign issues and events, media polling and election results, the new parliamentary parties elected, the first Abbott ministry and the Liberal-National dynamic, and the emerging legislative dynamics of the new Australian Senate. Theories of stable government suggest (Lijphart 2001) liberal democracy and majoritarianism have traditionally been strong political and rhetorical traditions in Australia, favouring stable majority governments. Theories of representative government imply that competitive elections are necessary for the performance of democracy (Norris 2014). However, the everyday realities of governing have seen a stronger role played by the Senate in determining policy agendas, as well as the emergence and consolidation of minor parties, such as The Australian Greens. While Australia is still thought of as a two party system, like the USA, it is now moving closer to a UK-style three party system, with the additional revolving door of micro parties. The role of the Senate in Australia as a legislative House of Review is much stronger than in the similar Westminster countries, UK and Canada.
    [Show full text]