Good morning all, just a bit of something happy, Australia made it into the final 16 of the World Cup in Qatar. Yay
I have been following it @matildagirl
I am slowly starting to enjoy some of the matches after what seemed a bit of a slow start to the tournament.
I am really pleased Australia are through.
I thought you may be interested in some stories regarding Christmas down under.
Merry Christmas
Regards to all
Just a small thing to get away from unhappy news all the time. After those bad bushfires in 2019/20 and the last couple of years of rain, a bit of a reward.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-12/flannel-flowers-bloom-in-huge-display/101522112
Regards to all
Just in case you are interested the 2023 lamb add has arrived.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bq3UpFAwPbA
Regards to all
This was so much fun to watch. (I also feel that way about lamb!!!)
Thanks for sharing!
NSW in Australia had their state election yesterday and Labor appears to have won and will probably be a majority government. That means as well as Labor being in Federally all the States except Tasmania are now Labor (similar to Democrats).
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-25/nsw-election-labor-predicted-to-beat-coalition/102145470
Chris Minns will become the 47th New South Wales premier after Dominic Perrottet conceded defeat in the state election.
"I take full responsibility for the loss this evening," he said.
He also congratulated Mr Minns on a positive election campaign, that "truly was a race to the top".
"A genuine, battle of ideas, and that is when politics is at its best.
"And that is why I truly believe and have no doubt that he will make a fine 47th premier of New South Wales."
Hopefully more will happen on climate change and hospitals, education etc.
Regards to all
Hi
For some reason I woke in the middle of last night thinking I should explain the differences between our right wing party the Liberal National Party coalition and your Republicans as I have in the past likened them to Republicans and Labor to the Democrats. It’s not really comparing apples with apples.
The LNP is the party that brought in gun control and the gun buyback in the 90’s, they support Medicare, they support 18 weeks paid parental leave (minimum wage $812.60 per week), the disability insurance scheme, 4 weeks annual leave, 10 days sick/carer leave a year, 11% superannuation on top of wages for our personal retirement fund, they brought in the 30% govt subsidy for private health insurance also if you take a pension from your super fund instead of a lump sum the pension is tax free. So since I retired and am living on a pension from my super fund and a part government pension I pay no tax and no longer do a tax return.
So I think the MAGA crowd and republicans would think that’s Communism/Socialism. We consider them right wing because they have gone down that Murdoch/Fox news route with a bit of white supremacy and racism thrown in, they used to be more in the centre, championing the battler, but playing to their fears.
Most of the good things we have have been brought in by Labor and then the LNP get in try and water it down etc. If they try to cancel them, or take away funding or water the legislation down too much they get voted out so hence they support them, perhaps not gracefully.
We tend to think of Labor as the mother and LNP as the father. Labor looks after us LNP look after business and finance. If we have a Federal LNP government we tend to vote in Labor for the states and vice versa. There is also usually a cross bench in the Senate that the government has to negotiate with for legislation to pass. A bit of checks and balances. So far it seems to work.
It’s unusual at the moment that Labor is in government in the states as well as federally (except TAS). It may be because the Coalition had been in for 10 years and were getting very right wing and Morrison was so disliked, also we are in the most debt we have ever been which meant maybe they aren’t the best money managers after all. Dad’s been ostracised and the current opposition aren’t helping themselves as they have decided to campaign for the No Vote in the coming referendum on changing the Constitution to allow an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Referendums very rarely get a YES vote unless both parties are in agreement. They are playing a racism card, somehow thinking going further to the right will get them back in.
Bear in mind these are my thoughts and opinions.
Regards to all.
The resting place of the ship has been found, our worst loss of life at sea.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-22/montevideo-maru-wwii-shipwreck-found/102255384
The ship at the centre of the worst maritime disaster in Australia's history has been discovered more than 4,000 metres beneath the sea, 81 years after it sank.
Japanese transport ship SS Montevideo Maru sank with about 979 Australian troops and civilians on July 1, 1942, off the coast of the Philippines.
It was torpedoed by an American submarine, which did not know it was carrying prisoners of war and civilians captured in Rabaul.
In total, about 1,060 prisoners were lost, including 850 service members and 210 civilians from 14 countries.
The wreckage will not be disturbed, and no human remains or artefacts will be removed.
"We lost nearly twice as many [Australians] as in the whole of the Vietnam War, so it's extraordinarily significant for families and descendants.
Regards to all