Australia and Oceania news and discussions

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[Ozzie guy]

It's Australian election time I have broken down how both political parties differ.

The Australian political parties were questioned about their opinions on 30 issues.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/vote-compass

Liberal and Labor are the two major parties and the only relevant questions are those they disagree on because it shows how their opinions differ and how your vote matters these are those questions and their opinions. (note I don't think I did but it is of course possible I made a mistake when copying over their views)

1. How much should Australia do to reduce its carbon emissions?

Liberal = About the same as now
Labor = Somewhat more

2. Cannabis should be legalised for recreational use.

Liberal = Strongly disagree
Labor = Somewhat disagree

3. Australia should cut its ties to the monarchy.

Liberal = Strongly disagree
Labor = Somewhat disagree

4. How much should out-of-work Australians receive in unemployment benefits?

Liberal = About the same as now
Labor = Somewhat more

5. How accessible should abortion services be in Australia?

Liberal = About the same as now
Labor = Somewhat more

6. The Australian government should fund a childcare program for every child in Australia.

Liberal = Somewhat disagree
Labor = Strongly agree

7. Political parties should commit to running at least as many women candidates as they do men.

Liberal = Somewhat agree
Labor = Strongly agree

8. How much should the Australian government spend to subsidise the cost of electricity for consumers?

Liberal = About the same as now
Labor = Somewhat more

9. Transgender women should be able to compete in women’s sporting leagues.

Liberal = Somewhat disagree
Labor = Somewhat agree

10. The Australian government should help university graduates pay off their student loans.

Liberal = Somewhat disagree
Labor = Strongly agree

11 How much power should trade unions have in the workplace?

Liberal = somewhat less
Labor = About the same as now

12 The government should ban the expansion of coal mining operations in Australia.

Liberal = Strongly disagree
Labor = Somewhat disagree

13. Australia should always fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian flag in official settings.

Liberal = Somewhat disagree
Labor = Strongly agree

14. Australia should call for the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state.

Liberal = Strongly disagree
Labor = Somewhat agree

15. There should be a limit on how much landlords can raise the rent they charge tenants.

Liberal =Strongly disagree
Labor = Somewhat agree

16. The Australian government should pay the full cost of family doctor visits.

Liberal = Somewhat agree
Labor = Strongly agree

17. How much tax should large corporations pay?

Liberal = About the same as now
Labor= Somewhat more

18. Employees should have the right to refuse work calls and emails outside of their working hours.

Liberal = Somewhat agree
Labor = Strongly agree

19. Australia should build nuclear power plants to generate electricity.

Liberal = Strongly agree
Labor = Strongly disagree

20. Australia should set up a Truth and Justice Commission to look into how the government has mistreated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Liberal = Strongly disagree
Labor = Somewhat agree

[weatheriscool]

Australia's Labor Party, buoyed by anti-Trump bump, set to win reelection

Source: Washington Post

May 3, 2025 at 7:04 a.m. EDT

SYDNEY — Australia’s center-left government was expected to win reelection Saturday in a remarkable turnaround driven partly by anger over President Donald Trump’s disruptive trade war and its impact on the close U.S. military ally.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was projected to secure a second term, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, completing a stunning comeback for the Labor Party leader, who trailed in the polls two months ago. With about 30 percent of votes counted, however, it was still unclear whether the Labor Party would be able to govern outright or if it would need to partner with a smaller party or independents.

Trump’s tariffs — first 25 percent on Australia’s aluminum and steel, then 10 percent across the board — had driven voters toward the even-keeled incumbent and away from his conservative opponent, Peter Dutton, whose policies and rhetoric have echoed the American president, said Sean Kelly, a political columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Trump has absolutely dominated the trajectory of this election,” Kelly said, adding that the global uncertainty unleashed by Trump had made “Albanese’s boringness quite an appealing commodity.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/20 ... -election/

[Bird]

Australia's Labor Party, buoyed by anti-Trump bump, set to win reelection

Source: Washington Post

May 3, 2025 at 7:04 a.m. EDT

“Trump has absolutely dominated the trajectory of this election,” Kelly said, adding that the global uncertainty unleashed by Trump had made “Albanese’s boringness quite an appealing commodity.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/20 ... -election/

That last sentence couldn't be more accurate.

[wjfox]

This is good news for the climate, too. The Liberal Party is stuffed full of climate deniers. In the Anglosphere, they are perhaps second only to America's GOP in terms of their fossil fuel advocacy. Australia still has a massive coal industry, one of the world's largest, but Labour has made some fairly ambitious climate proposals, e.g. 43% cut in emissions by 2030, compared to the previous target of 26-28%. And a grid target of 82% renewables by 2030. There's huge potential for solar in a country with so much sunshine. And perhaps, with an increased majority, Labour could strengthen protections for the Great Barrier Reef (not just in terms of fossil fuels, but also runoff, overfishing, etc)...

[wjfox]

Another greedy, short-termist decision that ensures more misery and suffering in the long term.

[firestar464]

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

/

[firestar464]

AFAIK this is old news

https://www.aec.gov.au/FADReform/#:~:te ... tion%20cap.

[weatheriscool]

I don't get why such accounts post such without proof. It sucks because it would be big news.

[firestar464]

Welcome to Xitter

[firestar464]

[wjfox]

Great video by friendlyjordies.

[weatheriscool]