Individual,

I would agree that the centre-left is much softer on foreign affairs.

Still, one must live in hope and urge other players to make sure matter does not fade away.

In these times, I hope the Coalition stays in power. That way a tougher stance towards the CCP is likely, including military spending.

I agree that more foreign aid is needed, but Australia cannot compete with the CCP which does what it likes with China's wealth.

Hasbeen, wanem you pela? PNG em i bagarup pinis. Sadly successive Australian governments have used PNG locals as a cheap source of labour whether mining the mainland or constructing & running the Manus Island Detention Centre. Back in the day you may have known a bloke by the name of Colin Jenkinson who ran the copra plantation on Pak Island. As kids we used to visit from Lombrum on school holidays. Uncle Col had been involved in a vehicle accident in Australia before moving to PNG and had a glass eye. On one occasion we kids went out with him inspecting the copra production at various villages around Pak Is. Col took out his glass eye, putting it on a coconut stump, saying to Fly the local head man: "Fly dispela eye lukim you pela behin time, mi stapim here 2 hours..." Off we go to do another trip around the island. Some time later in the day we come back to where Fly is, evidently he had not moved a muscle, transfixed on the glass eye that sat on the stump of a coconut tree. Manus Island itself was and still should be, the jewel in the RAN's Pacific strategic plan, as it was for the Americans during WW2. If a Jindalee Radar Unit had been set up and maintained in a similar fashion to the Colonial Germans who set up one of Marconi's Radio stations at Seeadler Harbour, we would have a distinct edge today regarding Chinese expansion into the Pacific. See: www.aspistrategist.org.au › manus-maketh-man
Sadly, the situation we see today is a populace completely jacked off with The Australian government, Australians and anything to do with us. Lukim you wantok.

Hi Albie

For the benefit of the OLO majority (like me) who are restricted to English, could you please translate your PNG Tok Pisin phrases, above, into English?

:)

Pete

Sure Pete, hope you've been well & yes a bit remiss of me, please accept my apologies OLO'ers. Glad you recognised it as Tok Pisin anyways. It goes something like this... Hasbeen, how are you? PNG is stuffed ! & re; 'Fly'..."Fly I'll keep an eye on you here, I'll be back in 2 hours." Lukim yu..."See you later". Ciao !

Thanks Albie

The only Tok Pisin phrase I know is the one for "helicopter"

= something that spins around up in the Sky (where Jesus lives). Hence "Mixmaster bilong Jesus"

Cheers

Pete