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Offline xasop

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2016 Australian federal election
« on: May 29, 2016, 10:26:01 AM »
tl;dr: Australia is fucked.

After the thoroughly underwhelming performance of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister for the past year, we now have a choice between him and the most underwhelming Opposition Leader we've had in the past decade, Bill Shorten. They're both by and large in agreement on all their worst policies, and where they differ, they prefer to fling shit at the other guy's policies rather than back up their own with anything substantial.

What's more, the Greens -- who I have severe disagreements with as well, but they look like angels compared to the two big parties -- have gotten into bed with Turnbull to cement the major parties' power in the Senate with some half-baked voting reforms. Now Turnbull has called a double dissolution to get rid of minor party Senators, and it's doubtful whether a single one will be able to scrape up enough votes to return.

The only possible outcome of this election that won't be catastrophic is a hung Parliament. The less the circlejerk of powermongers that is Capital Hill can accomplish, the less they can fuck up.

Here you can see the two candidates for Prime Minister flinging shit at each other while failing to convince anyone why they should be in Parliament, let alone running the country:

http://livenews.abc.net.au/Event/Politics_live_May_29
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Offline Lord Dave

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2016, 10:48:56 AM »
So Austrailia is just like America?
If you are going to DebOOonK an expert then you have to at least provide a source with credentials of equal or greater relevance. Even then, it merely shows that some experts disagree with each other.

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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2016, 01:57:34 PM »
So Austrailia is just like America?

I would still take our political system over America's. While the outcome is the same, the reason for America having to pick between two shitty options is intrinsic to their system, while the reason for it being the case here is because voters are morons.

At least we have the potential to change if enough people get better educated. America can't change without some serious reforms.
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Offline Luke 22:35-38

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2016, 07:38:41 PM »
Australia has elections?!?!?  :o :o ;D
Isaiah 40:22 "It is he that sitteth upon the CIRCLE of the earth"

Scripture, science, facts, stats, and logic is how I argue

Evolutionism is a religion. Can dumb luck create a smart brain?

Please PM me to explain sunsets.

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2016, 09:27:54 AM »
Is there anywhere is known as Australioua?  ??? 

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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2016, 01:24:28 PM »


This is what passes for political campaigning in Australia in the 21st century.
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Offline beardo

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2016, 01:46:31 PM »
Surely it can't be worse than still having Abbott?
The Mastery.

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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2016, 02:14:13 PM »
Surely it can't be worse than still having Abbott?

You would think so, but Turnbull has proven himself to be but a prettier face on the same old.
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2016, 12:48:39 PM »
1 week to go until we hit the polls!

All of the candidates for the House of Representatives in my electorate suck. I'll probably vote for the three Independents, then Labor, and then the even worse three (CDP, Liberal and Greens, probably in that order).

Fortunately, the Senate is less bleak. I'll be voting to re-elect this guy:

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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2016, 02:47:33 AM »
It's voting day! I'm going to spend a little bit of time reading about the options in the Senate (I already know more or less how I'm going to vote, just need to sort out my preference order) and then take a walk to the polling booth.

Wish us as a nation luck! We're going to need it...
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2016, 04:51:59 AM »
I have compiled a list of 21 parties to preference in the Senate (Australia uses STV for our Senate), consisting of 20 minor parties and Labor. The idea is that my vote won't go to Labor unless any of the minor parties I like don't get it (and that would be a shitty outcome, but less shitty than it going to Liberal or the Greens).

Time to go and do my democratic duty!
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #11 on: July 02, 2016, 05:48:19 AM »
I have voted.

In the House of Representatives, my vote will make no difference, as I live in a very safe Liberal electorate. It will still be interesting to see where my vote ends up after preference redistribution. If the two-party preferred is Liberal/Labor, then my vote will go to Labor; but if the two-party preferred is Liberal-Greens, my vote will go to Liberal (I preferenced Greens last).

In the Senate, things are spicier. I gave my first preference to Liberal Democratic Party (whence comes David Leyonhjelm in the video I posted before), and various other liberty- and democracy-promoting parties in the next 15 preferences. I only realised after voting that I forgot to include the Secular Party, but I can't do anything about that now.

My last 5 preferences are a few minor parties I would hate less than the major parties, and Labor, a major party which will swallow up my vote if none of my other preferences get elected.
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #12 on: July 02, 2016, 06:52:21 AM »
I'll be following the ABC's live election coverage tonight:

http://livenews.abc.net.au/Event/Election_day_14

The first results should start rolling in in about 2 hours. Polling is very close to 50-50, so we might not know who the next PM will be until after midnight, or even next week if there's a hung parliament.
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2016, 08:25:16 AM »
Counting is underway in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT. Polling booths in SA and NT will close in about 5 minutes (they're 30 minutes behind us civilised folk), which just leaves WA still voting for the next hour and a half.
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #14 on: July 02, 2016, 08:36:16 AM »
Aside from the ABC link above, I'll be following the counting using AEC's own website.

House of Representatives summary (the bit that's important for electing the new government):
http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDefault-20499.htm

My electorate:
http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-20499-132.htm

NSW senators (results tonight will only be provisional, as stated on the page):
http://vtr.aec.gov.au/SenateStatePage-20499-NSW.htm
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #15 on: July 02, 2016, 10:23:59 AM »
Things are almost neck and neck. The Coalition have 62 seats so far, Labor have 58. 76 required to form government.

It's a bit early to call, but it looks as though we may get a hung parliament, which is the best outcome we could have hoped for.
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #16 on: July 02, 2016, 11:27:10 AM »
Still running extremely close. This is like 2010 all over again. Much better than the landslide 2013 election that brought us Tony "Stop the Boats" Abbott.
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #17 on: July 02, 2016, 12:10:53 PM »
So, it now looks very likely that the Coalition will get at least 75 seats. They need 76 to form government by themselves, but there are sufficiently many seats in doubt that it's impossible to call whether they'll make it. We likely won't know for sure until tomorrow.
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #18 on: July 02, 2016, 02:20:43 PM »
The election isn't even over yet, and there are calls for Malcolm Turnbull to resign. Also, for some reason Bill Shorten is celebrating victory despite not actually having won the election. His purported "victory" is simply the Liberals also not winning.

What the hell is going on?
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Offline xasop

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Re: 2016 Australian federal election
« Reply #19 on: July 02, 2016, 02:45:39 PM »
Now Malcolm Turnbull is claiming victory prematurely too. "The election is over, only the counting remains." What a smug little prick.
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