Taking my cue from Barrington Womble, I'm opening a thread continuing on from the Federal Election thread with regards to the performance of our newly-elected government.  I'm particularly interested in policy and performance of both our new PM and his respective ministers.  As I pointed out in the old thread, I'm fast becoming impressed with Julie Bishop, I think she's already showing herself to be a leading light in the new government; she's showed humility in victory and an understanding of how conduct herself in diplomatic missions in the short time since she took the role of Foreign Minister.

It's really too early to make any other calls; I was disappointed that my local member, Kelly O'Dwyer, didn't get a spot in cabinet.  She's always impressed me whenever I've seen her on the media and I also had some positive contact with her when I met her during the 2010 campaign - she gave me the impression of actually being interested in what I thought anyway!  Possibly she hasn't been there for long enough yet (she was only elected when Costello threw in the towel in 2007).

I will stop the boats.
I will buy the boats.
I will now hide the boats!
Lol

I will stop the boats.
I will buy the boats.
I will now hide the boats!
Lol

Yeah that's the way to do it, buy their boats off them so they got some nice cash to buy better boats that hold more people.

Mr Abbott, your a genius! Lol

Re title:

Trouble is, Australians are meant to elect a prime minister, not a president. But Abbott to us, is getting closer to be a dictator-like day by day. Now the Liberals have to go to him to get media approval.

Perhaps a large picture of him in his "budgie smugglers" put up on the coastline would stop the boats!

A presidential style is something both sides are guilty of - in the last two decades there's been a pronounced shift towards it.  It's very much a double edged sword though, recall the last term of the Howard government when it was obvious that they were out of ideas and nothing Johnny did impressed the punters any longer; there was no-one brave or influential enough in cabinet to point out to him that he was actually part of the problem so he sailed through unchallenged to a big defeat in 2007.  Tony Abbott is trying to replicate the success of Howard with this strategic control of ministers and information but he's also inadvertently making sure that their success or failure will rest almost entirely with him.

Jeff Kennett also went down this path and we all know how that ended.

Re title:

Trouble is, Australians are meant to elect a prime minister, not a president.

No, this is a fundamental of our political system, we elect LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES, they pick their executive and leader. We do not elect Prime Ministers, despite what Kevin thinks when it suits him...

Both sides are guilty of 'Presidential Campaigns' but the cake is taken by none other than your (probably) beloved Kevin Rudd, remember the 'Kevin 07' campaign? Like a president all the way, 2010 and 2013 were no different, the whole election about him alone.

There is no doubt that the Presidential style of campaign started when television really took hold.  Probably the first definite example was when Hawke was leading Labor. The previous leaders, Whitlam and Fraser, were both up there, but not in the way it has been since.
Aaron is, of course, correct in his description of the electoral process, but it's the campaigning that has been twisted. The unfortunate effect, and you'll hear it everywhere, is "I'm voting for Abbott / Rudd."

Mr Abbott, your a genius! Lol

So are you!

There is no doubt that the Presidential style of campaign started when television really took hold.  Probably the first definite example was when Hawke was leading Labor. The previous leaders, Whitlam and Fraser, were both up there, but not in the way it has been since.
Aaron is, of course, correct in his description of the electoral process, but it's the campaigning that has been twisted. The unfortunate effect, and you'll hear it everywhere, is "I'm voting for Abbott / Rudd."

I voted for Catherine King as the local, and made sure that my preferences reflected who I wanted to see in control of the country.

Unfortunately, there were too many lunatic minor parties to wade through who place their preferences with the conservatives. I might be in "tinfoil hat" territory here; but to me they all have a "Trojan Horse" aura to them - that is, smaller parties setup with the purpose of funneling votes away from the two majors, but specifically placing their preferences with a major party. A sneaky way of using the system for more votes/preferences. I also got this feeling with Pauline Hanson's One Nation back in 1998; especially with the involvement of ex-Liberal, David Oldfield. If the preferential voting system were to be abolished, it would be very interesting to see if any of these so-called political parties disappeared into the ether.

Taking my cue from Barrington Womble, I'm opening a thread continuing on from the Federal Election thread with regards to the performance of our newly-elected government.  I'm particularly interested in policy and performance of both our new PM and his respective ministers.  As I pointed out in the old thread, I'm fast becoming impressed with Julie Bishop, I think she's already showing herself to be a leading light in the new government; she's showed humility in victory and an understanding of how conduct herself in diplomatic missions in the short time since she took the role of Foreign Minister.

It's really too early to make any other calls; I was disappointed that my local member, Kelly O'Dwyer, didn't get a spot in cabinet.  She's always impressed me whenever I've seen her on the media and I also had some positive contact with her when I met her during the 2010 campaign - she gave me the impression of actually being interested in what I thought anyway!  Possibly she hasn't been there for long enough yet (she was only elected when Costello threw in the towel in 2007).

Build a bloody bridge and get over it for stuff sake.

The election is long past your mob lost quit crying.

I am still waiting for the budget emergancey to happen..........waiting....................waiting...........bugger...........not happing/!



 RAYMOND

I will stop the boats.
I will buy the boats.
I will now hide the boats!
Lol

Love it!

Put an outboard motor on an old bathtub and sell that to Abbott!  With or without oars!




Can you buy my boat please Mr Abbott?

A friend of mine has always referred to Julie Bishop as "The Witch" (for reasons unknown to me). This is the same woman who blasted the previous Government for spending money for the UN Security Council chair - only to take that very chair herself yesterday, looking like she owned it.

Things which are no good when in Opposition, suddenly become beneficial when in Government.

Of course, anything that goes wrong for the next 12 months or so will be blamed on the previous Tenants, before the excuses run out.

I will rest my case for a while before passing judgement on the new Tenants.

Build a bloody bridge and get over it for stuff sake.

The election is long past your mob lost quit crying.

Just a note: the other thread was closed because it had gone beyond it's scope. This thread has been opened for the ongoing discussion of the newly elected government. Providing people remain sensible, there won't be a problem with this thread remaining open.

A friend of mine has always referred to Julie Bishop as "The Witch" (for reasons unknown to me). This is the same woman who blasted the previous Government for spending money for the UN Security Council chair - only to take that very chair herself yesterday, looking like she owned it.

Things which are no good when in Opposition, suddenly become beneficial when in Government.

Of course, anything that goes wrong for the next 12 months or so will be blamed on the previous Tenants, before the excuses run out.

I will rest my case for a while before passing judgement on the new Tenants.

And Julie was going to say, "I didn't agree with this so I won't do it"?   The money had been spent, it was too late to go back.

She should have if you didn't agree with it in the first place, regardless.

Julie Bishop is hardly likely to say no to something that increases her presence on the international stage.  They all change their minds once they're in power, Team Tony is no different in that respect.

Maybe Costello could come back at least it would be a funny show. The Abbott and Costello show.

Maybe Costello could come back at least it would be a funny show. The Abbott and Costello show.

Except neither of those blokes are particularly funny!  In fact I can't think of any politicians that are particularly funny... maybe Paul Keating or Alexander Downer?

I must say it was a bad look for Tony Abbott to march away from those journalists this morning without commenting on the boat-people drownings; he should have at least said "Can't comment at this time; not enough information" or something similar but just refusing to speak was not dignified, like a dodgy landlord on A Current Affair.  It also guaranteed that all the networks would run with the footage of his mute silence.  I sure hope his advisors counsel against that behaviour in the future.

Tony Abbott. =AA
Anthony Albanese =AA
Coincidence?
Could be WS...
Might as well bet on Manly to win the grand final.

Maybe Costello could come back at least it would be a funny show. The Abbott and Costello show.

I often wondered that no journo, cartoonist or satirist ever picked up on that when they were both ministers in the Howard Garv Mint....

I often wondered that no journo, cartoonist or satirist ever picked up on that when they were both ministers in the Howard Garv Mint....

What country were you in at the time?  It certainly got mileage in the Melbourne media.

I often wondered that no journo, cartoonist or satirist ever picked up on that when they were both ministers in the Howard Garv Mint....

It got some mileage in Adelaide Media as well.

I note advertising for solar power has dwindled. Those unemployed people must of got jobs driving trucks along with insulation installers on the new Abbott highways.
Only complaint I got about roads now is they are safer but boring to drive on. Might as well take the train and have a kip.

I note advertising for solar power has dwindled. Those unemployed people must of got jobs driving trucks along with insulation installers on the new Abbott highways.
Only complaint I got about roads now is they are safer but boring to drive on. Might as well take the train and have a kip.

On the topic of the Abbott highways, I'm in two minds about the whole thing but on the whole I think public transport improvements, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, should have been a more urgent priority.  My argument is basically that improved P/T particularly around areas of increasing density should help to mitigate traffic so that it flows better.  International experience tends to suggest that you can't build more roads as a way out of traffic congestion; however given that we're likely to get the new toll-ways anyway they should at least consider a concurrent investment in P/T as a dual strategy to tackle congestion.

It's unfortunate that Abbott is so ideologically opposed to P/T as another poster pointed out; he discusses it at length in his book.  He likes the idea that ordinary people feel like they're king of their domain in their vehicles as opposed to having very little control over their actual lives in other situations.