@Monorails: I am a bit mystified as to why so many people are so anti-monorail. I guess its a combination of Australia only having only small 'mickey mouse' monorails and that famous Simpson's episode!! Check out the pictures on http://www.newaustralia.net/transport_monorail.html and http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=131473. "Currently, the Tokyo Monorail serves nine stations and handles about 127,000 passengers per day, operating from 5:30 AM to midnight with over 500 trains" (Wikipedia)- Sounds like a commuter transit system to me.

We think monorails are ONE OF the options that should be considered where there is no surface easement.

@Russian Military Stuff: The bottom line is we want to save money on defence and still be able to defend Australia. Right now Australia is planning to spend $100 billion+ to defend ourselves against exactly the Russian hardware we think we should be buying. If the Russian stuff is crap - why are we spending $100 billion defending against it? A Sukhoi Flanker costs about 30% of a JSF. The off-the-shelf Russian subs that the "west" is so worried about cost about 10% of an ASC built sub and they deliver in months not decades. Have a look at the APA site: http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Flanker.html. (APA recommends F-22A, but Obama just canceled that project.)

I used to be a farmer, once upon a time, and the little Jolly Green Grasshopper John Deere tractor, made in the USA was so much better that a UTB or a Belarus made in the Soviet bloc, that it was a choice between going broke, or prospering. I had a Dear John, and in 2000 hours of hard slog, the only thing it ever needed was diesel and oil. A mate got given a UTB on mickey mouse terms, take now pay later, but when he really needed it, it stopped making noise. That is the risk with Soviet bloc engineering. Its okay if you have plenty of spare tractors, but for reliability, stick to a yank.

Likewise with Yankee airplanes. The difference between the Nipponese and Yanks, in WWII was survivability. The Yankee aircraft were more survivable than the Jap. The Zero was fast and deadly, but the Yanks were tougher, and eventually faster and more manoeverable. I don’t think we will be disappointed by the hardware we are buying.

I used also to be a member of Her Majesty’s fighting forces. If a man or woman is asked to put his or her life on the line for our country, we want the best money can buy. It is a bit like the difference between a Caterpillar bulldozer and a Case. A Cat will be pushing up dirt all day every day, while the Case will do a marvelous job, be delightful to drive, be flash and fast, but its hydraulic hoses were four braid instead of twelve. That means more that ten time as vulnerable to breakage. The spare steel in most parts in a Case will be the adequate amount. In the Cat there will be 20% spare capacity. The difference in a year will more than make up for the extra costs. If we are going to send our sons and daughters to fight, we don’t want cheap unreliable hardware.

Better to fix one of the parties we have, than reinvent the wheel. The ALP has potential, just needs a bit of help

NewAustralia, I’m very interested in your views on my previous comments, re: electoral reform, the donations regime and the imperative of achieving a sustainable society.

I heard that Pauline Hanson wants to come
back into politics - call me cynical -
but I'd like to know - is she a member of
your party?

You need 500 members before you can be
registered as a Party - how many have
you got so far?

And if you don't have any set policies as yet
why should we join you? Could you tell us
(give us a name) as to who your founder is?

And to whom will you guys be giving your
preferences - if and when, you do get in?

How can you expect anyone to join - knowing
nothing about who exactly you are - what you
represent - why we should believe anything you say,
merely on a made up 'wish list,' that you want
discussed - and only then you'll formulate your
policies? Gee whiz, why don't you guys have
a 'brain-storming,' session? It sounds like
you need all the help you can get.

Dear examinator,

I may be 'jumping the gun,' here -
as you put it ...
but isn't that better than going
into something blindfolded?

How can I join any political party -
knowing only that they say they're
ex - democrats, ex-greens, with only
their word for it (maybe all this is
a ploy by the Libs - to take away
votes from Labour - I wouldn't put it
passed Turnbull's & Co. - antics).

It pays to question things - especially
when all they give you is a "wish-list."

My gran could do better!

I will support ANY damn Party that will rip a gigantic hole in the ALP/Liberal smug complacency!

The Tweedledum and Tweedledummer (you decide), situation that has allowed a rank stagnating, political scene, needs a nicely aimed kick in its tender parts.