Yuyutsu,

"What, in your view, exempts the British 18th century claim over Australia from this description?"

Primarily the fact that Cook did not claim the whole of Australia

"Lieutenant James Cook’s journal, 22 August 1770:

Notwithstand[ing] I had in the Name of his Majesty taken posession of several places upon this coast I now once more hoisted English Coulers and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took posession of the whole Eastern Coast from … Latitude [38° South] down to this place by the Name of New South Wales together with all the Bays, Harbours Rivers and Islands situate upon the said coast after which we fired three Volleys of small Arms which were Answerd by the like number from the Ship."

Capt. Cook, bye the way, didn't have binoculars.

Exposing my political system ignorance for all to see but why is it that elected people to a particular party can jump ship & board another party ?
They should not be allowed to do that & should resign & then stand again at the next election.
They, like everyone else has to, can start anew.

Dear Is Mise,

Thank you for correcting me.

In light of the better information, do you consider Cook's firing of three Volleys of small Arms (and replying to them from a ship) as sufficient and legitimate grounds for claiming such a large territory?

If you tell me where you live, then I could come there with a sling (rather than small arms - this is to represent the proportionality between the area of your house relative to the area of the east coast of Australia), fling a small rock in the air, have my friend fling another small rock in reply, back in the other direction, then I would have a claim over the territory of your home, right?

Indi, under our Constitution, we elect the individual, not you, other individuals. An elected person has no duty of care concerning any political party, even the one he/she is a member of. Political parties have no recognition under the Constitution.

//They should not be allowed to do that & should resign & then stand again at the next election.// That would require constitutional change, and its not going to happen in our lifetime.

Paul1405,
cheers for that explanation. And here I was believing the Constitution was above leaving loopholes for a...holes to exploit so callously.

Yuyuitsu,

Under the prevailing rules formulated by the then World Powers Cook had every right to claim the East coast of Australia for his King.

Get over it.