Australian federal election: 7 September

[cobl04]

Originally Posted by Kieran McConville

Probably, if we are going to talk personality, she was most obviously herself on the floor of the house, where she basically owned Abbott, and not just that day.

From what I saw of QT, this is very true. But I don't think she came off as good as that to the general public, which was certainly not entirely her fault.

[Kieran McConville]

That's the thing, yes.

[Kieran McConville]

Also I 100 per cent disagree with Gillard on the new leadershit election rules, whatever the wacky circumstances of their introduction. Neither Rudd nor Gillard have any say in that now, it's done.

Evolve and let the chips fall where they may.

[cobl04]

New cabinet. No minister for science. One woman.

Tony Abbott's first Ministry

[Axver]

I think you guys have largely covered my thoughts on Gillard's article. I know a lot of people who loved it - I liked it, but with some qualifications, and it would've been nice if she'd pursued some of the attitudes in that article whilst in power (don't we always say that about ex-leaders?).

As for the new cabinet:

No Minister for Science, for the first time in eighty years.
No Minister for Climate Change.
No Minister for Energy.
No Minister for Youth.
No Minister for Higher Education.
No Minister for Workplace Relations.
No Minister for the Disabled.
No Minister for Early Childhood.
No Minister for the Status of Women.
No Minister for Aged Care.
No Minister for Energy.

BUT!!!

There's a Minister for Sport!
There's a Minister and an Assistant Minister for Border Protection!
AAAND there's a "Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC"!

What a winner.

Welcome to Abbott's Australia, everybody.

[Axver]

I realise I repeated Energy. Replace that second one with no Minister for Water, because there's certainly no ministry for that either. Because managing water in this arid, dry, harsh continent is definitely not an increasingly pressing issue requiring federal co-ordination. River catchments acknowledge state borders, don't they? Don't they?!

[Kieran McConville]

A deeply unserious government.

The optimistic assessment might be that they're there now and everyone can just relax and go to sleep for three years (ie. them, the ones warming the benches). I doubt we'll be so lucky.

[cobl04]

Well I guess the counter argument is that it's a more streamlined cabinet, with several of those titles to fall under others like Environment, Health, etc. But yeah, it's a bit harrowing to see the portfolios that have been dumped. There was one for Mental Health with ALP.

 

I get all rage-y when people start belittling sport on a national, governmental level, so I won't start that argument.

[Axver]

Streamlining cabinet is one thing. Cutting a ministry for science is quite another. I don't see how cutting the Treasurer or the Minister for Defence would be any less absurd. A number of other missing ministries I named are also national priorities and/or their exclusion reflects a callous indifference to the poor, the marginalised, or the future in light of what industries have survived the "streamlining".

As for the sport matter, I mean not to belittle it - rather that promoting it to a ministry of its own when it has sat quite comfortably within other ministries, while turfing out issues relevant to the long-term sustainability of Australian society and economy, is a blatant example of misplaced priorities. This is especially the case when the government is meant to be the national leader in the promotion and implementation of science, while it does not and should not have that role in sport.

[Kieran McConville]

Good work keeping this the no. 1 FYM thread btw, guys. With your help, we can make this the best Kony 2013 ever!

[intedomine]

It is a shameful cabinet. The rest of the world should be pointing at us and laughing. No Aged Care or Workplace Relations is a joke. Science has been belittled as a minor component within Industry.

I really wish the Immigration Minister was titled Minster for Stopping the Boats. That is what we voted for right?? Boat stopping.

[cobl04]

How the fuck does it take more than a fortnight to count votes?

[Kieran McConville]

So, culture wars right off the bat. This will be an interesting few years.

[Vlad n U 2]

Portfolio details spell out Tony Abbott's role as women's minister | World news | theguardian.com

Tony knows what's best for women.

[bans women from voting]

[Axver]

Originally Posted by cobl04

How the fuck does it take more than a fortnight to count votes?

The House gets priority, so that's why the Senate is slow, if that's what you're getting at.

If it's Indi or Fairfax, it's because there's a fuckload of votes and the counting process is quite rigorous to avoid errors.

Originally Posted by Vlad n U 2

Portfolio details spell out Tony Abbott's role as women's minister | World news | theguardian.com

Tony knows what's best for women.

[bans women from voting]

I hope every woman in Australia has no aspiration beyond about year ten, because that's Tone's Straya.

[The Sad Punk]

The first two or so weeks of living in Tonetown and it all hasn't really sank in for me yet. I mean, I guess in the back of my mind I kept thinking "hey, I'm not in Syria".

But then I look at the new cabinet and I start to genuinely worry about my own future, and the future of a lot of people I care about. I'm worried about this whole damn country.

KTony 2014, anyone?

[Axver]

Yeah, I was shitting enough bricks about my career before the Calamity of Seventh September, y'know?

Not that this is about me, but it's safe to say a lot of people working in tertiary education have spent the last eleven days soiling themselves repeatedly. Especially those of us who have the misfortune to be in the humanities and are wondering how bad the History Wars v2.0 could be.

[Kieran McConville]

Though, reeling ourselves back to earth for a minute... what are the specifics of what he and his cabinet can get up to without

a. going to parliament

b. securing majority support in both houses of said parliament?

The answer, I'm sure, is not 'nothing', as we've seen already. But how much?

[Axver]

A fair point, though a hard one to answer with the Senate count still ongoing. Looks like Tassie and WA in particular could go down to the wire, and the third Liberal spot in NSW is still not entirely secure. Some of these minor party types are complete unknowns, and it's safe to say the Liberal Democrat nutjob possesses the most extreme economic views of anybody ever elected to the Australian parliament. Can the Coalition get a workable majority in the Senate by doing deals with minor party individuals, especially those inexperienced in negotiations? That's what I fear.

[Kieran McConville]

Yes, and it's a valid fear.

The 'Liberal Democratic' candidate is as extreme as it gets really, more alarming than the various recreational parties in some respects. Probably a default Coalition vote (though maybe not on everything; I doubt the Coalition are Randian and individualist enough for them).

Still, hard to gauge until the numbers are settled. And - cold comfort perhaps - there's 9 months or so until those personnel take their places.