@matildagirl Good morning! Looks like you’re having cool weather. The Guardian had pictures of some of the dawn ceremonies including a didgeridoo player! Love that sound…
The dawn service is also returning to Gallipoli in Turkey as well after the Covid shutdowns
Lest we forget
Wouldn't it be nice if for just a few days, every city in the world could get the weather the land and people really needed most. Like rain in the Southwest U.S. and snow in the Rockies and whatever you are in need of in your part of Australia. Sun where there has been too much rain.
Yep that would be rather cool!
Not really knowing much about your midterms and what is involved with that, wondering any similarities,
We now have all our candidates and it’s a record number running for the House of Representatives. In my electorate I have 11 people running and each is a member of a different political party. They include the sitting Member, plus 2 doctors, Network Engineer, Drafter, Registered Councillor, Bus Driver, Fitter, Fruit & Veg Wholesaler, Senior Planner and a University Lecturer. I need to choose the order in which I want them. There are the Major parties Libs, Labor & Greens plus the rest minor parties. None are specifically an independent they seem to be in political parties at least in my electorate.
Plus also voting for the Senate which we can vote above the line or below. Above you pick parties, below the line you can vote for individual senate members.
Is this anything like how you vote in USA. Or completely foreign.
Regards to all
Good question! There are some differences.
For U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Rep, there is normally a primary to sort out the party candidates a number of months before the November election. Some states allow you to vote for any one candidate regardless of your party affiliation. Other states allow you to only vote for a candidate you are registered with. If you have chosen to be an independent voter, many but not all states will not allow you to vote for any party during the primary.
During the November election, you can choose to vote for for any of the party representatives which won their primary or write in a candidate of your choice. Usually there are the 2 main parties, Republican and Democrat plus some minor parties such as the Green Party and Libertarian party. There might also be an independent candidate.
Hi, we don’t have primaries with the major parties ie LIberals and Labor only actual members of the party at their local branches pick the nominees, unless for some reason the leaders of the party might want to parachute a “special” candidate in or as in this election a committee on the liberal party overrode the local branches and put their picks in as the candidate for several electorates.
Anyone can run for the House of Representatives or the Senate. You have to be at least 18, an Australian citizen, be enrolled on the Commonwealth electoral roll or eligible to be enrolled. You pay a $2000 deposit which will be refunded if you are elected or receive at least 4% of formal first preference votes.
You don’t have to be in a party, we don’t have to register a party when we enrol, a good percentage of us make up our minds when we stand in the booth with our voting paper in front of us.
Only a party can form government which is why it usually is either liberal or labour by gaining a majority of at least 76 seats in a house of 151. If they don’t gain a majority they have to negotiate with the independents and minor parties who will guarantee supply, and will vote with them to have 76.
There is a chance that will happen this time, there are a lot of minor parties and independents running who might take the seat instead of a major party candidate.
Will know on 21st May.
Regards to all
@matildagirl Part of the difference between Australia and the US system is the difference between a Parliamentary form of government where the legislative and executive branches of government work together and the judicial branch works independently, versus the Presidential System where the three branches work independently.
Another big difference is the sheer size difference between the two countries. Australia's population is more like one of our larger states.
It would be great if we could change to a more parliamentary form of government where the legislative and executive branches worked together. But when the US formed, it was a rural country and the only way we could unite against the English monarch was to give the rural states more of a voice or we would not have been able to win our independence.
I am sure we could open a thread here to have a more sophisiticated discussion about what we need to change and whether anyone sees that we will ever do that. My own view is that climate change will cause the big changes in America.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-17/australians-warned-to-brace-for-another-la-nina/14022230
Hi guys
We have had 2 La Niña years in a row which has brought major flooding here especially along the East Coast. They are now saying we will have a 3rd event probably starting in October. It is also looking like the Indian Ocean Diopole is going to cause rain and flooding on the West Coast. Yikes, the driest continent into the world might float away. The ground is so saturated and all the catchments full.
I am on the side of a hill but the water level was so high and the strength of the rain meant it flooded under our house so we just spent thousands having trench’s done under there to funnel the rising water into the storm water pipe. In the 17 years we have been here this only happened in these 2 La Niña events. Hope it works with this 3rd one coming.
So many people haven’t recovered from the first two yet.
I think I saw somewhere Jeanne said the Southern Hemisphere would have flooding.
Oh well
Regards to all
@matildagirl I just saw this today from 3/1/21 RTF
• A lot of rain in Australia. (Bernie) Predicted 3/1/21 for June-December 2022
New Zealand is in the same leaky boat
Regards to all
Hi, just a little update.
The third La Niña is still making its presence felt mainly in Victoria and Tasmania this time with heavy rain and lots of flooding. Today is sunny but the rain is due back from tomorrow I think.
They are saying it might start going away by January 2023. Fingers crossed.
regards to all
Hi
Some positive news, which is nice for a change. The Federal, state and Territory governments are united in implementing a National Plan to end violence against women and children and hope to change attitudes within a generation. Would be good if it can be done.
The Albanese government is setting an ambitious goal to end violence against women and children within one generation, with the release of a new national plan on family violence calling for better crisis housing and assisting men to develop “healthy masculinities”.
The plan calls for better support for men and boys to develop healthy masculinities and positive relationships with peers, challenging homophobic or transphobic views, helping men build skills to be good fathers, and encouraging people – especially men – to better challenge sexism and harassment as bystanders.
https://www.dss.gov.au/ending-violence
The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032
On 17 October 2022, the Australian, state and territory governments released the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan).
The National Plan is the overarching national policy framework that will guide actions towards ending violence against women and children over the next 10 years.
It highlights how all parts of society, including governments, businesses and workplaces, media, schools and educational institutions, the family, domestic and sexual violence sector, communities and all individuals, must work together to achieve the shared vision of ending gender-based violence in one generation.
Getting rid of violence everywhere would be good.
Regards to all
@matildagirl A plan like that would never happen here in the states because the Republicans would vote against it, and if by chance it did pass, they would go to court to have it overturned.
@lenor Hi, various predictions on here say the Republican Party will lose its power so it never hurts to be hopeful. Attitudes are changing all the time, hence in the 60’s you could be beaten and locked up for being a homosexual. Now we dance at their weddings and elect them to Parliament. Change happens and with a bit of luck and a fair wind they can be good changes.
Regards Matildagirl
Hi, well the flooding continues, rural NSW is being hit hard.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-16/nsw-floods-flooding-forbes-eugowra-missing-people/101657664
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7983365/flooded-nsw-in-ruins-bracing-for-more/
Regards to all
Sorry to hear about the flooding and nope, you certainly don't see something like that everyday! I hope things lighten up over there soon.
@matildagirl That flooding is horrific. My family is in New South Wales, Australia right now and have dodged the flooding so far. They are closer to Sydney. Australia has had so much rain this year after years of drought. I hope the flooding stops soon.