Paul1405, NONE OF THEM!
BTW, WTF is progressive about these scumbags.
Your blinded by BS, this country IS the MOST REGRESSIVE in the developed world.
You really can't see how we have gone backwards in time.
What's wrong with you?
Tried to buy a house lately, put fuel in your car, paid domestic bills like power, water, shire rates, it's easier to say, everything!
Remember how many pay packets it took to buy a car?
What about how many years income it took to buy a house?
So YES Paul, you can dream and kid yourself as much as you and your followers want, I won't.
I see things for what they are, no emotion just plain clarity of observation.
You are being belligerent, (look it up) and purposely negative and antagonistic in a childish attempt at making a point.
My point is that NO-ONE is qualified or experienced to 'RUN A COUNTRY' and that's why they're doing such a sh!t job.
We don't get any people or groups, physically attacking these con-men, because if they did get attacked on a regular basis, they would hopefully not seek to become a polly.
Then we can push for a party free bunch of independents who actually represented their constituents and THEIR wishes and not along bloody 'party lines'.
Each member would vote according to what we want them to vote, let's not forget, they are OUR representatives in Canberra.
It would be a much better and more equitable and balanced outcome than we have ever had.
Oh BTW Paul, if you think the greens are progressive, you have made my point better than I ever could have.
Thanks.

ALTRAV, its easy to sit on the fence and throw stones (I think). Your understanding of politics is zero. The absurd ideal that say 150 totally independent thinking people could be elected to parliament and would cast their vote based purely on the wishes of their constituents is impossible. Who are their constituents anyway? Those that voted for them, or everyone they supposedly represent, and what do the constituents want on a particularly divisive issue, you don't know. Since the days of the Roman Senate, politics has been the art of the possible. Individuals soon form alliances, horse trading becomes the norm,"I'll support what you want, if .you'll support what I want". Then there is the informal alliances, and groups. before you know it you have these informal alliances and groups of the like minded forming themselves into formal political parties.

You are certainly biased politically, attacking the Greens because their politics don't gel with yours. You are an arch conservative, who claims he is a free thinker, what a load of BS.

Wake up sunshine, you are dreaming.

BTW, don't tell me to look up the meaning of words, you have the pompous audacity to instruct me, I believe you to be an uneducated clown, based on the naive nonsense you post on OLO. But I don't care what you do, or think, or believe, its all just opinion.

Is Mise,

No - the laws of this country are still decided on and made
by our legislative system - but don't take my word for it -
contact the Attorney-General's
Department in Canberra - you can Google the address and
phone number.

And your repeating your opinion does not make it so.
Get the facts to back it up.

Dear Paul,

Horse Trading is probably the best outcome in democracy because it mitigates the tyranny of majorities: this way everyone can get what is most dearly important to them.

For example, you really care for the barrier-reef and I really care about religious freedom, say about being able to have cows freely roaming in my temple.

In my view, the barrier-reef is dispensable: never been there, never will and I wouldn't lose any sleep if it bleaches out, so my vote would be to ignore it.
In your view, cows should not be allowed in buildings with humans, being a "health-and-safety" hazard. You too wouldn't lose any sleep if I were not allowed to perform certain religious rites, so your vote would be to disallow cows in temples.

Now if we are allowed to be truly represented in parliament, then our two representatives can reach an agreement: you can have your barrier-reef and I could observe my religious rites. I only sacrifice a small amount of tax-money and you only sacrifice a small slice of your ambition to modernise the world. None of us is significantly hurt and both of us are happy!

Horse Trading is an official policy of the Flux party:
"Swap away your votes on issues you don't care about, for a credit you can use on issues you do. Our software makes this easy." - http://voteflux.org/about/how

Foxy,

"No - the laws of this country are still decided on and made
by our legislative system "

Customary Laws are not decided by our legislative system, they already exist and are applied in relation to some Indigenous people.
They are not applied to the non-Indigenous, so, clearly, there are two sets of laws operating in this country; and no matter how you try to twist it, it is a fact.

Paul 1405, your blustering and carrying on does you no credit.
I on the other hand have tried to expand YOUR range of thinking from actually believing that a bunch of tree huggers could ever conceivably put together more than one salient point or bill of any real value.
My suggestion at least allows people a chance to get their wishes heard.
It is very possible to implement my form of government.
I don't expect you to understand anything progressive if you follow the fantasy called the greens.
At least with my attitude, we try to make it better.
Your attitude, nothing changes, because you think manure like the greens is a progressive party.
Right!