So. This was probably your face when we were told we had to vote again…
…..Senate Byelections are exciting things.
But seriously. They are!
Tag: Australia
Politics in Kicks meets Director General of ASIO, David Irvine
Pictured: Your Fair Author and Director General of ASIO, David Irvine
When: 6pm, March 4th
Where: St George’s College, UWA
Who: Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation [ASIO], David Irvine
What: Speaking on “Intelligence and National Security in the Democratic State”
**NB: This special event, hosted by the Australian Institute of International Affairs WA was held under Chatham House Rule**
**I took extensive notes throughout his talk, this blog entry is based on them.**
I didn’t know much about ASIO, ASIS, or Secret Services until I attended this talk and had the privilege of meeting David afterwards.
This is what I learned…..
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February In Review: Why voting smarter will help us trust the Government
“[In] Australia increased trust in the institution of government is up 13 percentage points to 56 per cent.
However, three in five Australians (60 per cent) do not trust government leaders to tell the truth regardless of how complex or unpopular it is.
And two in five Australians (40 per cent) do not trust government leaders to make ethical and moral decisions.”
Source: Business Insider
February was a really interesting month — Schapelle released, Ukraine in turmoil, Protests at the Winter Olympics, The USA dodging another fiscal default, Aussie troops coming home from Afghanistan, The violent death of an asylum seeker at Manus Island and GWAR’s decapitation of a Tony Abbott effigy at Soundwave.
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In the “NO” – a brief monthly review of Auspol: Marriage Equality, the Great Barrier Reef, Holden, Indonesia and the death of the Carbon Tax
A brief rundown of the major events in Australia Politics in the last 6 weeks!
There seems to be a lot of “No” lately.
Let’s kick it off with the most recent:
MARRIAGE EQUALITY
No to Gay Marriage.
The Australian High Court (highest in the land) over turned the Australian Capital Territory’s Marriage Equality laws.
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KRudd hits the ‘Game Over’ button, why was he important?
First entry on the road! Currently on the Eastern Seaboard!
Kevin Rudd resigned from Parliament last night.
“Why should I care, PIK? What does it mean? What will it change?!”
Firstly, there will be a By-election in the seat of Griffith, Queensland. A by-election is an out of term (Parliament is elected every 4 years) election for a single, or multiple electorates. Because we live in a Democracy and the institute of Parliament is a pretty important one, KRudd’s seat can’t be left vacant for 4 years. Just because one seat goes to an election doesn’t mean the whole state or country has to — unless you were the Gillard Government of 2010-2013(!)
By-elections are often non-events, they will happen very quietly and we’ll hear in a few weeks who replaces Kevin. The ALP are confident of holding the seat, which is likely. By-elections occur when an MP dies or retires; if electoral boundaries change, then that change usually affects the next election (informed well in advance), but never mid term.
Check out how the electoral boundaries of Griffith have changed!
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Piggy Banks to Power Plays [Part One]: Globalisation and its impact
******Firstly, however, A UPDATE ON MY PREVIOUS ENTRY: “The American Government Shutdown Explained!”*******
The Democrats, [Obama and his Government] have the majority in the Senate, not House of Representatives. The Republicans have the majority in the lower house [the HoR] – but the Democrats have the majority of seats over the total seats in both houses: 332 [to the Republicans 206]. US politics is a very different kettle of fish to Australia. Legislation doesn’t usually originate from the Upper House in a Westminster system [Aus, UK, Canada], but in the case of the US Presidential system, it can. But because the Americans are Bicameral [two houses of Parliament] it needs the approval of the other house, despite where it starts, so Obama is dealing with a hostile [Opposition majority] House of Reps.
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Gen Y: Why we’ve ‘had it’ up to the headphones with Politics..
I initially started out wanting to do an entry on why Gen Y were so disengaged from this election, then came the furor about Tony Abb-…Prime Minster Abbott’s Cabinet. I sent out a survey to some fellow Gen Y-ers, and got some fascinating responses; I have talked to many other people ofdifferent ages and professions, and every generation had a different experience.
I want to explore Gen –Y’s…
