Election 2010: Good bye Mr Fielding

The results have come in and Mr Fielding from Family First hasn't made the cut and will be leaving the senate in July next year.

I'm opposed to any religous party. It seems like they would just like us to become a theocracy. I'm much more impressed by Christians who want to influence major parties by joining them and spreading their 'salt' within.

Like Christianity in Australia I think the time of 'Christian' parties are in decline. Who knows what other religious groups will pop up though?

I don't think Family First will be able to make the transition away from 'Christian label', unless it can get its funds from others that aren't wealthy Christians. Thus in the long run I don't think Family First will be viable. Family First may pop up occasionally but I doubt they will have the balance of power like Fielding had.

Election 2010 :: NBN

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If their was one key election issue winner or looser it was the National Broadband.
To be honest I was suprised that Abbott didn't go along with the vision of NBN for Australia's sake. The usual opposition line is.

"...We will honour any previous government commitments..."

Well as time has shown the rural independents have decided the issues with one of their main reasons been the NBN.

The other failure which I think can be seen by Tony Smiths move from the shadow communication portfolio is their inability to actually sell their alternative. The press conference was a joke. Tony Abbott didn't show, Andrew Robb looked like he was running the show and overshadowed Tony Smith the Coalitions expert. 

I don't think the liberals will make the same mistake again. I think Abbott has already reflected upon this with putting Malcolm Turnbull in the shadow minister for communication.

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Election 2010:: I'm the winner

Really interesting post from Garry Morgan via 'The Poll Bludger' on Crikey::

Analysis of ‘past vote’ — how respondents claimed they voted at the recent Federal election shows, ALP (42.5%, 4.5% higher than actual ALP vote recorded at the 2010 Federal election) cf. L-NP (39%, 4.5% lower than the L-NP vote recorded at the 2010 Federal election). “The difference between the reported ‘past vote’ and the actual election result can be due to either — a Labor biased sample, or by an unwillingness of the part of respondents to admit to voting L-NP. This latter problem has been noted in previous polls over many years. Regardless of the reason for the difference, if the Morgan Poll is weighted correctly for ‘past vote,’ the estimate would be 50:50, exactly the same as the special SMS Morgan Poll conducted on Wednesday/Thursday this week.”

It reminded me of the Melbourne Cup: Everyone that you ask has picked the winner. I suppose its human nature for people to want to be on the winning side...

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Election 2010:: Nick Cave PM

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From The Age today regarding Nick Cave as PM::

Alternative rocker Nick Cave has been voted the musician Australians would most like to see installed as prime minister.
The singer behind the bands Grinderman and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fought off competition from Powderfinger's Bernard Fanning and John Butler in the MySpace poll.
On hearing the news, Cave joked: "My first political act will be to introduce legislation forcing all Australians to lower their expectations."

 Its a good first political act! Though I suspect he know the problems of prophets becoming leaders. You just have to look at poor Peter Garret.

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Election 2010:: leaflets

It seems that labor has forgoten us in Flinders::

no leaflets at all from labor in Cowes
1 leaflets from 'The other' Bob Brown, Greens
4 leaflets from Liberal Greg Hunt

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Election 2010:: Broadband policy

Steven Conroy and Tony Smith both debated the broadband policy yesterday. The Transcript can be seen on the ABC.

After reading it all I can write is that I feel sorry for Tony Smith. He's trying to sell a lemon why Conroy has got the juicy juicy mango. Obviously the only thing Smith can say is that it is cheaper.

I got my hands on the Coalitions broadband policy (Thanks to Greg Hunt who got back me, three cheers!) 
My main concern is that I don't actually know how this Coalition policy will affect me.
While in the Labours policy Bass has already been identified and will be one of the first to get in Victoria to get the NBN.

I'm actually not all that concerned by the money. Sometimes I believe the government needs to invest where the private sector wont. I also believe that the government when it get around to selling it will make a handsome profit.

The other thing is that I actually believe that it will benefit Australia having this infrastructure.

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election 2010 :: Tony Abbot IS right

Considering my annoyance with liberal broadband policy I couldn't resist this::

Taken from the ALP site "Tony IS right": Quite a few funny images and ideas!

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Election 2010 :: Greg Hunt, down....

I took this picture on the corner of Church St and Thompson Avenue in Cowes. The sign is a picture of Greg Hunt the local liberal representative, fallen down with a bit of excrement on it (Bottom left).

It now blends in well with the empty block of land, fallen, wrecked: that block has been an eye sore for years.

When I first saw it I wondered how long it would be standing, considering it's prominence.

Not that long.

By the way no reply to my email from Greg...

Election 2010: Family First branding

Reading Mark Connor's blog there was an interesting comment by Brent who put forward that 'Family First' did not represent Australian families rather 'Right wing Christians'

- the Bible says to be wary of half truths - like calling Family First "a party with a primary focus on looking out for families".
It is still a party focussed on "right wing Christian" values - not "Australian Family" values.
In Australia, based on 2006 ABS statistics, there are 5,219,165 families - meaning the majority of Australians live in some kind of family community.
So polling of what families want should [generally] reflect what Australians want - you should never see a case where the vast majority of Australians disagree with what "families" want.
If you do see this, you see a party with another agenda.
On abortion - polling shows that the vast majority of Australians (families included) support abortion rights. Family First opposes abortion of all forms. (Polling in support of Family First's policy is as little as 7%!)
On mandatory internet filtering - despite all polling showing the majority of Australians do not support support a filter, plus experts proving that it will not [as Family First claims] improve "child protection" (due to the fact that it will be impossible to effectively and accurately manage censorship of over 10 BILLION webpages and 234 million websites, and the filter will not affect Usenet, BitTorrents, IRC etc)....
...Still, Family First still supports an infeasible, unpopular, unmanageable, expensive (tens-of-millions of dollars) policy.
There are other examples (e.g. Climate Change), but you see my point: Family First is still, fundamentally, a political party representing the Christian "Right" - not putting families first.
It would be nice to have a party supporting family values (one with wider appeal) - but we're still looking at a Christian party in sheep's clothing.

 I think he is right. The majority of policies do not represent the average Australian family. Rather a Christian, Pentecostal-Fundamentalist understanding of family values.

The question for me then is :: Is the name "Family First" misleading and really just a branding ploy? (Pentecostal church love branding "Hillsong, Careforce etc etc) Would it be more honest just to call it "Christian Party" or "Christian Values Party". I also find the "Family" in the name discriminatory. I have just as many friends inside and outside the  Church that are single. How are they represented?

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Election 2010:: An email to Mr Hunt

I sent off an email to Mr Greg Hunt our sitting member for Flinders. Its pretty self explanatory::

Hey Greg,

I don't know if you have read this but this, came from the "Bass Coast", "Coastal winter/spring" from our Council. Page 10.

There has been much talk lately about the Federal Governments National Broadband Network rollout.
Bass Coast was identified as one of six locations Australia wide to receive the first installation of fibre-optic cable under the Regional Backbone Blackspots Program.
A company called Nextgen won the national tender and in conjunction with Visonstream plan to lay the cable in the South-West Gippsland section in the second half of 2010. Most of the cable will be attached to the existing power pole infrastructure.
Cable is currently being laid by a different company along the desalination pipeline route. When joined with the Nextgen cable, this will create a loop throughout south-west Gippsland
A host of other companies called third-party providers, mainly internet service providers (ISPs) and telcos, will sign up individual residential and commercial customers....

Just wondering will these plans be scrapped with the a Coalition government?
Sorry to be a pain on this but I couldn't actually understand how with the Coalitions Communications policy release how it would affect us in Cowes.

All the best

Scott

I'm struggling to believe that the Coalitions Broadband policy is going to work in the country. The main reason is because I really don't see telco's investing in fixed line in the country. Telstra is not making money from it and I doubt they will want to invest in this area. 
The other reason is I dont think the Coalition have explained how in the country area's it will be bring us up to par with our city counter parts. Price, speed and data limits for any population greater than 5000 people in the regionals  should be competitive as it is in the City. (I just want to be on an equal par with our City counterparts. I don't care about who's policy is the fastest etc etc)

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Telstra's share price drop

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Telstra's posted its profit which was not what the market expected and as a result share price drop.

The main cause of worry for share owners is the drop in fixed line. As reported from the ABC ::

Telstra's chief executive David Thodey says the carrier's main problem is its failure to retain customers when they move from fixed-line to mobile services.
He says now is a transitional time for the company, during which it will embark on a new suite of strategies to stop the company from losing more market share.
"Today the greatest asset that Telstra has is our customer base, and we have been losing too many customers and we cannot allow it, in fact I am not going to allow it to continue," he said.
He says that might mean sacrificing some profits in the short-term.
"Do we maximise short-term cash returns, by reducing costs and losing market share, or do we bite the bullet and invest for longer-term growth?" Mr Thodey asked rhetorically.

Some good and bad news I think for consumers.
The good news and I think we are already seeing this is Telstra is going to be more competitive.
The bad news especially if the Coalition gets in. Telstra sees no profit in investing in infrastructure especially fixed line. Translated: no faster broadband in  country areas.

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Election 2010 :: Abbott out of puff?

Has Tony Abbot run our of puff? Personally there have been quite a few negatives for the Coalition this week.

The first was the actual Coalitions 'Election launch'. The whole thing seemed to be going back to the 'Good old days' with John Howard given a huge prominence. There seemed to be no vision, no really policy that was innovative.

The second was the communications launch. This one I was really holding my breath on. What I judge this one on is the Crappy service we get on Phillip Island.

Mobile broadband = Crap, as soon as the weekend comes or public holidays the speed goes to a crawl
Fixed line = Telstra. Telstra has the monopoly, no choice. Telstra gets my money for line rental no matter what.

As far as I could understand this is not going to change under the Coalition. That even if it does they have done a poor job explaining it to me how it will.

While the Labor party their is hope with the National broad band. The important thing is I can understand how it will happen.

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Election 2010:: Christian responces

Two interesting Christian responces to the Election. 

First from 'Cardinal' Pell who according to the ABC online

' labelled the Greens "anti-Christian" and "sweet-camouflaged poison". Cardinal Pell also claimed the Greens policies are expensive and will not help poor people.'

It is strange that the Pell actually gave an opinion usually mainstream churches are neutral.  If they do have an opinion it is usually to do with social justice or morality. Pell is commenting more on funding of policy than the policy itself.

A much better response is by Mark Connors from City Life church in Melbourne::

'...our approach as a church at CityLife is to be politically neutral, in that we don't tell people who or what party to vote for. We encourage prayerful and diligent research, so that followers of Christ make intelligent use of their privilege as an Australian citizen to vote for those who will govern us. So, never have I said and never will say, "Vote for Julia Gillard" ... or anyone else for that matter.

I think Mark has hit upon the Christian position. It's a shame about Pell, he has in his writing decreased the standing of the Catholic Church.

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Election 2010:: Family First's candidate in Flinders

Antony Greens blog from on the ABC has a bit more information about candidates from the electorate in Flinders.

Its good to see that Family First's candidate is a local, with experience in local government as well as environmental issues in the community.

Smith was raised on the Mornington Peninsula and joined the Victoria Police Force in 1989. During his ten years of service he was stationed in the local area and achieved the rank of Senior Constable. A Tyabb resident, Smith has served as a Counciloor on Mornington Peninsula Shire for the past eight years and works as supervisor in the Security Industry and as a Project Manager for Community Development Projects. He also works casually in the Film and Television Industry and is involved in local environment groups.

After a bit of snooping around I also found that Mr Smith attended an opening of a Buddist centre in the capacity of a councillor.

We were also very happy to be joined by Councillor Reade Smith (Mt Eliza Shire) 

A bit of a suprise considering family first is associated with been a 'Christian Party' whose roots are Pentecostal/Fundementalist.
Good on him. My respect for him has gone up a notch. 

Election 2010 :: Labor in Flinders; Oh dear....

From the Frankston Independent::

Mr Gagliano-Ventura, 21, who lists his address as Southbank, appeared to struggle when asked what he thought were the important issues for Flinders electorate.
He said the Hastings pier obviously needed some work, at which point Cr Reade Smith, who is running for Family First, pointed out the pier was being renovated by Parks Victoria.
Mr Gagliano-Ventura said there was "a footpath in Rye" that he would lobby to have built, although he could not say where in Rye it was. He said he had been involved in politics since he was a toddler, going to meetings with his mother, a single parent.

I can't help but think 'Francis' our Labor candidate has been set up. Not living in the electorate, not knowing local issues. Its a real shame. You can't help think that the Labor party couldn't give a stuff in Flinders.   

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Warming....

A report from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has concluded that the world is warming. From the ABC::

"Each of the last three decades has been substantially warmer than the decade before it," he said.

"On a decade scale, that is very clear. The 1980s was the warmest decade on record as of December 31, 1989, but every single year in the 90s was warmer than that decade's average temperature."

Peter Thorne, of the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, says the scientists were not swayed by the debate over climate data and whether it had previously been manipulated.

"What this data is doing is screaming that the world is warming, and that cannot be driven by any single individual or even a small set of groups, because the evidence is there to see - there are lots of groups doing this stuff," Mr Thorne said.

The scientists say the warming is due to greenhouse gases and while there were signs of human fingerprints, the report was not designed to attribute blame.

I think all Australians have in recent years have felt the effects of extreme weather, which I believe is connected with  green house gasses. Future generations will depend on what action we take now...

So far both Liberal and Labor political parties in the 2010 election, have been a joke with their sence of urgency with the situation at hand.


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Election 2010 :: electionleaflet

Great tip for the upcoming election from Antony Green on the ABC::

Electionleaflets.org.au

Leaflets from electorates are uploaded so you can get a bit of a glimps at what the candidates and parties are up to, as well for a historical record.

For my electorate of Flinders ::

Greg Hunt is the only person with any material

"Working hard for our coasts"
and
"Greg Hunt MP"

Good to see local issues are addressed :: Hospital at Phillip Island, aquatic center at Phillip Island, and the Car Ferry at Cowes front beach.

Now where are the Greens or Labor's local policies???

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Election 2010 :: Flinders Crash!

I was suprised to read that Adrian Schonfelder the Labour Candidate for Flinders was involved in a car crash and now the party has endorsed Francis Ventura!

From the ABC::

Earlier this week Mr Schonfelder was forced to withdraw comments he made linking Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's policies to people committing suicide.
He apologised for saying Mr Abbott's conservative religious views were "influencing people to take their own lives".
Prime Minister Julia Gillard was then urged to disendorse the candidate.

The Car crash unfortunately has made it easier for Juila...

election 2010:: Things that matter

Living in Phillip Island their are certain things which I belive the are important and should be addressed by the political powers that be.

Greg Hunt sitting liberal member is off and running. He has sent through some stuff in the mail
Adrian Schonfelder for Labour, heard nothing
Robert Brown for the Greens, heard nothing

Here is my selfish list for the election

Health:: Phillip Island. A population that fluctuate between 7-60k people. It needs some sort of 24hr medical emergency centre. Good health care for all.
Telecomunication:: Only one way to get fixed broad band, Telstra. This is not good enough.
Education:: Closest public secondary school is Wonthagi rumours of somthing at Anderson.
Environment:: As a person who is interested in getting Solar it will be interesting what the policys will be. It ranks pretty highly for me. Protecting our environment for generations to come. I also believe that Australian reliance on foreign domestic oil should be curbed for of a more green alternative.
Roads:: The Car ferry is a big issue here. I don't think the majority object to the idea. Just the current location it is planned for.
Foreign affairs :: Need to get out of Afghanistan.
Good financial management:: enough said, keep interest rates low, I've got a mortgage.

Closer to the election I'll see how the candidates line up with me election wish list.

Election 2010

"Game On", as Julia whispered to Tony Abbot, in the last sitting parliament

Well I'll go with the polls and predict this one early and give it to Julia. There have been few good political poles which have not predicted the outcome of elections in the last decade.

But I'll follow along closely. My source like '07 Antony Green on the ABC::

Now what I've found interesting is the electorate which I'm in Flinders and the canditidates. Again from the ABC

The sitting member is Liberal, Mr Greg Hunt

He has been the Opposition spokesman on Climate Change since 2007, a position he is well qualified for, having completed a thesis on whether greenhouse gases are best reduced by taxes, trading rights or regulation.

It would be interesting what he really thought about the 'Carbon Tax' would he have voted for the the tax under the liberal last leader Mr Turnbull.... At this stage I think he would just say the party line. Politician talk.

Adrian Schonfelder for Labour

He was a member of the Liberal Party before joining Labor in 2003.

Interesting!

And the Greens, Robert Brown

...his credits include co-writing 'Give Me a Home Among the Gumtrees' with John Williamson.

 What more credentials do you need, perfect.