I watched the swearing in this morning of the new
Parliament and it appears that Australia's new Parliament
will be the most diverse Parliament ever - with a record
number of women, Asian and Indigenous law makers, to hold
office.

It does appear that the 47th parliament will be more
reflective of the diversity in the broader population.
We're told that around 30% of Australian residents were
born overseas, with India, China, Philippines, Vietnam,
Malaysia and Sri Lanka among the top 10 countries of birth.

These are exciting times for Australia.

We have now entered a larger world.
There are many people who can speak with authority
about a larger world. SBS Radio broadcasts
in 74 languages, yet despite the language of diversity it is
rare for speakers from most of the different ethnic origins to
be asked into mainstream platforms. It looks like change is
happening.

We may now better begin to
understand the complexity of our own communities and of
the world around us - and come up with policies that are
in our national interest and that of a more just world.

So glad to be witnessing these changes.

Your thoughts please?

No diversity of thought. No diversity of ability. No diversity of experience. We will continue to be at the mercy of a rubbish political class that is far removed us.

ttbn,

The former PM and his Party campaigned
and targeted to a 1950s Australia.

We're told that "Diversity advocates welcome the new
additions to Parliament but they say there's still a
long way before parliament reflects Australian society."

This may well be the case however what is happening is
not a bad thing and a step in the right direction
at last.

"For the first time both Northern Territory Senate spots
will be held by Indigenous women - Labor Malarndirri McCarthy
was re-elected and will be joined by the Country's Liberal
Jacinta Price..."

I won't go into all the details. You can read about them here:

http://theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/24/work-in-progress-australias-new-parliament-the-most-diverse-yet

However, as we can see - progress is being made.

"The former PM and his Party campaigned
and targeted to a 1950s Australia".

Nonsense. But, apart from that, you need to move on. You claim to be "excited" by the new government - to be 'progressive' - but you want to harp on the previous government, grandma. It doesn't matter two hoots what the previous government did; you have your beloved Green Labor in, but you can't help continuing to be a nasty old bat.

ttbn,

Talking about old age - and old bats?

"Let's not take ourselves too seriously.
None of us has a monopoly on wisdom."
(Queen Elizabeth II).

You're welcome.

Dear Foxy,

That is what any truly representative democracy in Australia should look like.

In the last parliament the Libs had half the percentage of women than Labor and the Nats half as much again.

When everything is settled it will be good to see how the numbers have improved.

Oh and I see you are engaging with our resident pest. The only time he comes to my notice is reading your responses to him. I've found it best to leave the irredeemable, craven little fellow to stew in his own toxic juices.

BTW - ttbn,

The entire country has moved on.
It has progressed.

And that's precisely - the reason for this discussion.
Whether you like it or not - diversity is
important. It's been ignored for so long in our
Parliament.

And from your posts it appears that -
you're the one who seems stuck in a bit
of a time-warp.

However, I must Thank You for acknowledging
me a grandmother. That is one of my life's joys.
I'm also a wife, mother, teacher,
story-teller, author, researcher. volunteer,
and frankly quite a nice
person once you get the chance to know me.

But for that you have to open your own mind.
It appears slammed shut at the moment.
Yet - despite all that, I suspect that you're not really
as mean and nasty as you sound. Making uncalled for comments.
I think you're Simply taking out your
frustrations on me. It probably helps you.
So go right
ahead and keep on doing it. I can take it on your behalf.
I'm a generous person. And I believe in kindness.
Plus I think once you take your meds you'll be in a
better mood.

Dear Steele,

Thank You for your kind response.

ttbn's moods fluctuate. It must be frustrating for
him. The world is changing around him and he isn't
coping very well nor does he probably understand it.
There's quite a few like that on this forum and
probably in this country. Change is not always easy
to take. I know - my dad was a man who never really got
over losing his country, his way of life (or his family).

So far for me - the current government has done everything
well. I look forward to more. I love our new PM and the
possibilities that lie ahead of the new Parliament.

I guess that SR has not noticed how our governments have become less competent over the last couple of decades.

What is common among all political parties over that time? More women in parliament. Definitely an example of causation.

God help us with this rash of doctors wives.

Hi Hasbeen,

It's the Coalition who have been in power more often
than Labor for decades. And they have been held
to account this time. The same will be done to Labor
if they don't deliver. But so far so good. Of course
it's only early days yet.

As for doctor's wives?

No - they're actually doctors themselves.
Well educated women.

And remember the old adage -

"Men fight wars.
Women win them! "

Hasbeen

You might be right about more women and the big dip in the quality of government. I don’t believe that women are suited to politics, any more than men are suited to women's occupations. I know that people are brainwashed and bullied into thinking differently, but that doesn't make right what is going on, and what is weakening the system and Western society in general. There will be a price to pay for this woke claptrap, and the wokies themselves will have to pay it too. What we older people think doesn't seem to matter anymore, but we shouldn't allow ourselves to be shut down by the loud-mouthed and ignorant who, one of these days, won't know what hit them. Then, they might remember what we said; but I doubt it, and I don't really care what happens to them. This 'what about future generations' business does not register with me. The young ones don't listen, and they are bringing trouble down on themselves. We won't be here.

Dear Hasbeen,

Which cockups are you talking about? Robodebt for instance? Nope that was all male ministers involved in that one and it is going to cost billions to resolve not to mention the suicides and deep stress caused to innocent people.

"As treasurer and then prime minister, Morrison, along with ministers Tudge, Porter and Robert, oversaw the introduction of the robodebt scheme, the worst and most damaging piece of social policy in Australia in living memory. The Coalition was warned dozens of times that it was likely to be unlawful to levy people with automated and hence potentially incorrect debts, yet it persisted for four years. Tudge went so far as to threaten victims with prison time. It cost the government billions in wasted resources and pay-outs, and the trauma cost lives – the actual number of victims is yet to be determined, but is likely to be in the hundreds. Compare and contrast: in the Netherlands, a similar scandal (involving fewer welfare recipients) recently led to the resignation of the entire Dutch government, including the prime minister. In Australia, there hasn’t been any proper reckoning in the Morrison cabinet about robodebt, or any inclination to investigate how it happened. Because they know how it happened."

If not that then what is an example of a stuff up?

Dear Steele,

Do you think things would have been different for the
Coalition if Julie Bishop would have been voted in as
PM and if the Coalition would have had more women on
their team?

I guess we'll never know? Women can't be blamed for the
failures of the previous government. They didn't have
enough women in their ranks to blame.

Come on Foxy, you don't chose a cloths horse to do something serious.

"Your thoughts please?"

You don't want my opinion.

Hassy and ttbn, believe men should be the decision maker, power elite and the controllers of all wealth, whilst women should be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. The guys have established they are not suited to pregnancy, they tried it and after 2 years of being so they found it didn't work for them so they had that baby elephant aborted.

Foxy, imagine if your husband was a ttbn or a Hassy type, you would have got a new mop and bucket for Mothers Day.

Julie Bishop as PM, on the balance of probabilities, she could not have been worse than Morrison.

Hi Hassie,

Was "Scotty From Marketing" better?

Armchair Critic,

I read your posts and your links.
And they are always welcome.

Hi Paul,

My husband puts up with a great deal from me as my health
is not what it used to be. He's very patient and I need his
help in many areas.

Mother's Day? We took the family our for dinner, including
my daughter-in-law's mum. I received flowers as well.
The down side was hubbie had a fall, tripping over a chair's
leg and ended up with a black eye, swollen nose, and bruised
cheek. My son drove us home. A day none of us will forget.

But all ended well. The cat-scan showed nothing broken.
Hubbie's going to have to be more careful and remember he's
not in his thirties any more.

Hassie,

Julie Bishop is more than just a "clothes horse,"
although I'm glad you noticed her appearance.
She's not only an experienced politician, a
lawyer, and now I believe runs a university.

Not bad for a clothes horse - ay?

Hassie,

I checked. Julie Bishop is the Chancellor of
ANU (Australian National University) in Canberra.

Julie Bishop is the Chancellor of
ANU (Australian National University) in Canberra.
Foxy,
that explains the standard !

Labor might face being cannibalised by the green Left in the inner cities, a declining union membership and loss of support from the working and lower middle class in the regions and outer suburbs to a hopefully regenerated Liberal Party. The slow death of traditional Labor may be the theme during the next ten years.

The Liberal and National parties are now the parties of the working-class. On current counting the Coalition parties represent 16 of the 20 lowest income electorates but just 5 of the 20 highest income ones.

The Liberal and National parties are now the parties of the working-class.
ttbn,
That trend started when the Goaf initiated the rise of the useless !

The Liberal and Nats are the parties of the working class?
So that's why wages were going backwards and cuts were
being made everywhere?

That explains why they lost the election.

Voters did get it right!

individual,

Talking about the standard at ANU?

The Australian National University and the
University of Melbourne are both considered
among the world's best universities.
Admission to ANU is highly competitive.

Mop and bucket Paul?

What the hell happened to hands & knees?

Hassy, hands and knees would require a scrubbing brush, that's time consuming, the woman would hardly have time to bring in the firewood, make dinner and do the washing, etc etc, might require the use of the whip for that lazy good for nothing, well good for something as most of us know, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. We must think of the best use for our female chattels.

Hey Foxy,
I'm glad you got some flowers for Mum's day.
I got my mum a box of chockies.
I hope your hubby's recovering ok.

The ANU and Melbourne are by both considered to be among the best in the world? Considered by whom? The ABC is supposed to be the most 'trusted' broadcaster; again, by whom? The minority of people who are in thrall to it? It seems to me that the claim cannot be made when the majority of Australians don't adhere to the ABC at all; the trust in the ABC is all ABC propaganda.

Similarly with universities. Numbers of Australians attending universities are about the same as those hanging onto the ABC. And 21st. Century universities have taken a big dive from the centres of learning, wisdom and truth-seeking that they once were. They are more like factories for brainwashing and turning out ignorant idiots.

If the ANU and Melbourne are 'among the best in the world', that's not saying much: very faint praise indeed.

Hi Armchair Critic,

Thank You for asking about my husband.
He's doing fine. Except now he's more
careful when walking. Chocolates are
a great gift at any time. Your mum's
a lucky lady.

ttbn,

The Australian Institute surveyed nationally representative
samples of Australians about the ABC in 2019 and 2020
including asking about trust in the ABC and support for
increasing the ABC's funding.

75% (1 in 3 Australians) strongly support an increase in
funding especially with the ABC's emergency role and the
ABC (and SBS) remain significantly better trusted than
the commercial media.

The ABC remains the most trusted news source in Australia.

As for the Australian National University (ANU) and the
University of Melbourne? The World University Rankings 2022,
cited the ANU and Melbourne University as being among the
world's best universities.

This means you're likely to have a fantastic university
experience no matter which one you pick.

Hi Foxy,

The far right have always opposed institutions of learning, just as they oppose free journalism, its through critical thinking that opposition to their totalitarianism grows. As my Old Man would say; "There are plenty of Hitler's in this world son, but only one got the opportunity to put his beliefs into practice." ttbn is a perfect example, all Nazi like huff and puff but no action. I must admit he did try, in 2019 he joined a far right political party, he was enthusiastically extolling their virtues on this forum, but when they were abject failures, like a rat up a drainpipe, they disappeared up the Fuhrer's arse, poor ttbn was never to see his dosh again. PLEASE don't tell others about poor ttbn and his flirtation with the Aussie Fuhrer, it embarrasses the poor lad. I try to keep it quite on the forum, not saying a word.

I've seen reports the Horrible Hanson is in trouble retaining her Senate seat in Queensland, another blow to poor ttbn.

Hi Paul,

I will never forget how hard my dad worked to pay
for my university fees. I felt privileged to be
given the opportunity. University opened up a whole
new world for me. It also made me realize how little
I knew and how much I had to learn - it made me realize
that learning is a life-time experience.

Foxy,

Ah well, there you go. That explains why less than a third of Australians ever switch the ABC on.

As for university rankings, what were the criteria for judging?

A 'fantastic experience'? That doesn't sound very academic or useful to society. But, you carry on believing whatever you want to believe in your own fantasty - oops! - fantastic life. It won't make a damn of difference. When a party can win government with only 32% of the vote - two thirds of voters wanting someone else - our opinions are worth diddly squat.

ttbn,

You're still banging on about the ABC and universities?

You seem to have a problem for every solution.
Life may have given you a cactus, but you don't have
to sit on it!

Take care.

As Labor cannot achieve the most competent ministry it has settled for virtue signalling.

Is this the first snowflake cabinet?

ttbn said-

The Liberal and National parties are now the parties of the working-class. On current counting the Coalition parties represent 16 of the 20 lowest income electorates but just 5 of the 20 highest income ones.

Answer- Interesting information- Kudos.
________

Paul1405 said-

"Hassy and ttbn, believe men should be the decision maker, power elite and the controllers of all wealth, whilst women should be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen."

Answer- Paul1405 seems to think that pregnancy and kitchen work is degrading. That seems very elitist.

________

Paul1405 said-

"The far right have always opposed institutions of learning, just as they oppose free journalism, its through critical thinking that opposition to their totalitarianism grows. As my Old Man would say; "There are plenty of Hitler's in this world son, but only one got the opportunity to put his beliefs into practice." ttbn is a perfect example, all Nazi like huff and puff but no action. I must admit he did try, in 2019 he joined a far right political party"

Answer-

Communists and Socialists claim anti-totalitarism under cover of their totalitarianism. It's a lot of a stretch to characterize the ABC as free journalism. But I suppose that Paul1405 being apparently a Green's Voter would defend the ABC given that ABC journalists apparently vote 50% Greens and 20% Labor.

Paul; "Go away I am not the messiah!"
CM; "Only the true messiah would deny his divinity"
Crowd; "HE IS THE MESSIAH!"
Paul; "Well then I am the messiah"
Crowd; "HE IS THE MESSIAH!"

CM, that is the tactic you use all the time to claim something is fact. Example you said; "Communists and Socialists claim anti-totalitarism (sic anti-totalitarianism) under cover of their totalitarianism" That is a sweeping statement by you, its not a fact but a generalised thought bubble you try to portray as established fact. I can't speak for Communists, as I've never met a true one yet, but as for Progressive Socialists (Greens) that I do know well, they are happy to work within democratic principles to achieve their objectives. I can not say they same for those you support, such as One Nation, as they are completely untested in the field of democracy.

I have to say that it's good to see Albanese and Wong are off to Indonesia to "re-establish" the connection. The Coalition was remiss in that area. Lot of talk, not much do, particularly in light of the increasing menace of the CCP. Given the decades of neglect of defence by both parties, it's time we had a government that actually showed its interest, and told us where we stand NOW. If we had looked behind the Morrison rhetoric, as Greg Sheridan did, we would have known that Morrison was all about Aukus and nuclear-powered submarines, stuff not worth a hill of beans in the here and now. The man who should have been leading the Coalition is not much use to us now; we are in Labor’s hands.

ANU..among the world's best universities.
Foxy,
So, does that indicate that none of Australia's politicians & legislators/bureaudroids have attended ANU ?

individual,

As Scott Morrison would say: "Google it mate!

individual,

Here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_National_University_people

Foxy,
thank you, a most interesting & eye-opening link particularly in regard to the mass of of ANU graduates who ended up sucking on the public funding teat rather than employ their merits !
I tried to Google the usefulness & benefits of these people in return for the Billions of Dollars but couldn't find anything !
You have a link for that ?

individual,

Patrick Moray Weller's books may be of interest
to you. You can Google his background for yourself.
His book "Learning to be a Minister," may be useful.

http://aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/pops/pop56/c06

Foxy,
Did he ever employ people & run an enterprise successfully enough to pay his employees fairly ? All I see is University & Public Service stuff etc. which leads me to assume dependency of public funding throughout !

individual,

You have to do some of your own research.
Good luck!

Good luck!
Foxy,
thank you, your wishes worked, you have no answer !

individual,

I actually have a variety of answers but I've
strayed enough from the subject under discussion
here and we should return to it. Also - I've
pointed you in the right direction where you
can glean the information for yourself which is
or should be more rewarding for you. So as I
politely tried to tell you - you'll learn more
if you seek the information for yourself rather
than waiting to be spoon-fed by me.

_________________________________________________________________

Now any thoughts on Peter Dutton's new Cabinet?

Duttons outfit won't succeed because people are too insipid to recognise merit !

Paul1405- Do you believe as you seem to imply that "that pregnancy and kitchen work is degrading."?

Interesting that your father tried to join what you considered to be a far-right party- I'd be interested to know what his reason was for making that decision? The why being often more than the what

Yes more diverse, & I expect more divisive.

Diversity/ inclusive/ anti-racist is dog whistling for anti-white.

No CM, but it is what people like you would have women limited to. For you it's all about power and control, and you want that to be strickly a male (males like you) domain.

What's this about my Father and him trying to join a political party? Get off the drugs.

individual,

Politics has changed and we will watch it unfold.
Peter Dutton's Cabinet has its work cut out for it.
Whether anything was learned from this last election we
shall have to wait and see. I personally am very
hopeful for this country's future. It appears that the
new government is off to a good start and the Opposition
is also trying its best to be competitive and will
undoubtedly hold the government to account.

Dutton's Cabinet is at least trying to get the balance
of representation right. Which is a good thing for
the communities and voters that they represent. It
makes people even prouder to call themselves true-blue
if they see themselves represented in the country's
parliamejnt.

Hi Paul,

It seems that we are making progress as a
nation from all sides of politics and
finally beginning to recognize the reality
of the diverse mix that exists in our society.

After all the story of Australia is the story
of the Australian people. And Australians certainly
come in all shapes and sizes and from all backgrounds.
They come from every state, from the city, from the
country, and often from different countries.

Over the course of its history Australians have
become titans of business, legends of sport, giants of
science, colossi of philanthrophy and pygmies of
politics (joke).

Australians have led the world
in their professions in a myriad ways. Males and females
together. Whether generating wealth, inspiring youth, opening
up the vistas of human potential, saving lives, we have
done it all in a particularly Australian way with a swagger
and style that marks a person out as an inhabitant of the
scientifically determined greatest country on earth.

Voters during this last election have sent a clear and strong
message and it is now up to the politicians to listen. To
ignore the message they do so at their own peril.

They need to learn from the message so that we can all become
the Australians we aspire to be, and more importantly, create
the Australia we aspire to live in.

But even as we do so, let's remember the words of a great
Australian - "There's never been a more exciting time to
be Australian ... than right now!"

Small children can now thrill to the delights of diversity even before they get to learn about it in kindergarten: transgender Barbie dolls are now available. No genitalia worry about.

ttbn, does your collection of Barbie and Ken dolls have genitalia?

Hi Foxy,

Imagine if the Old Fart Party were to ever take office in Australia, there PM Methuselah would introduce his geriatric cabinet of conservative gentlemen all aged over 85. Old Tom aged 97 would be the new Minister for Youth. Dear old Grumpy Fred aged 93, would be the new Minister for Women. And that young whipper snapper the octogenarian Bill Oldfella would be the new minister for Progress, charged with the task of winding Australia back to 1952. Bill's first task would be getting every one back into spatts and straw hats!

ttbn,

My grand-daughter is more into Lego than Barbie.

Hi Paul,

I wonder what the outcomes for some of our politicians
will be once the integrity commission is going to get
under way. Interesting times ahead.

With over 29 million population it’s time to limit the number of times a person can be elected to the various Parliaments, once would be enough, it’s time to give the vast pool of talent a fairer chance.
No Parliamentary pensions of course and the same salary as they were earning before election.

The terms of senators and members of the House of
Representatives are set by the Constitution.

Section 7 gives state senators 6 year terms (with half
of the number of senators up for election every 3 years)
and Section 28 sees members have terms of a maximum of
3 years.

The difference between the terms of Senators and Members of
the House of Representatives reflects the differences between
them.

Senators represent the whole of the State a much larger number
of people than members of the House of Representative.

A six year term gives them more time to work for the people
they represent.

Great Idea Issy, after about 20 terms the Shooters and Hooters Party with their less than 0.1% of the popular vote will get their turn to introduce new gun laws, like the firearms for five year olds, and the hand grenades for the blind program.

I kind ye not, Issy's mates from the Shooters and Hooters Party did score less than 0.1% of the popular vote at the 2022 Federal election. Even their "claimed" million members didn't vote for those nut jobs.

Nationally, the GREENS scored 12.2% of the popular vote, about 1.8 million votes. The GREENS scored more votes than Horrible Hanson and Crazy Cive combined by a wide margin. The GREENS outscored The Shooters And Hooters popular vote by 100 to 1. Me thinks the Shooters And Hooters hold their party meetings in a phonebox, but it would be impossible to squeeze party leader Elephant Bob in, all 300kgs of him.

Paul,
Good post, illustrates perfectly that some voters are nuts.
Who is this Elephant Bob who weighs 300 kilos?
Another figment of your immagination?

Nah Issy,

Elephant Bob once was known as Robert Borsak he is Shooters and Hooters leader in the NSW LC. I believe Bob was a 37kg weakling, wring wet, until he went off to Africa and shot a poor defenseless elephant. When questioned what happened with the poor dead beast, Bob claimed he ate it, you do recall. As you would know eating a whole elephant is likely to put on the pounds, not to mention the cholesterol count. Some observers estimate the now named Elephant Bob's weight at 300kg, but without a pair of those scales used to weigh slaughtered cattle, we can't actually verify Elephant Bobs true weight, it could be 400kg or 500Kg for all we know. Can you gives us an answer to Bob's weight?

Paul,
Bob Borzak is a slim fit bloke,doubt if he weighs more than about 9stone 7 pounds.

As a conservationist he shot an elephant that needed to be culled and provided the local villiagers with some much needed and appreciated meat.
As an act of courtesy he joined them in a meal.
But you know all this and like Dr Goebbels you repeat lies hoping that eventually some gullible person will believe you.
You and the Nazi liar make a good pair, if you (pl.) were counterfeit coinage you'd be a double header

Paul1405 said- "No CM, but it is what people like you would have women limited to. For you it's all about power and control, and you want that to be strickly a male (males like you) domain."

Answer- I wonder where Paul1405 got that idea from? I may have said that males and females are different and have different strengths and weaknesses- an interesting "whataboutery". I wonder if Paul1405 believes that power and control is important- and would you believe him if he said that it wasn't

Hi Paul,

Australia has come a long way these past 250-odd years.
From its humble-beginnings it has become a thriving, wealthy
modern nation. Back in 1788, the ancestors of modern Australia
knew nothing of globalisation, but they had one thing in common
with the average Aussie of today, a restless pioneer energy;
the pulsing determination to make the world a better place
that drove explorers over mountains and across deserts, that
pushed soldiers into the midst of enemy fires, that convinced
young men and women of humble origins that they could be
prime minister and the list goes on.

We only need to look at our history, to learn something about
ourselves. And the roles that people have played from Weary
Dunlop, Vincent Lingiari, to Caroline Chisholm and all their
historical kin. To Julia Gillard, Julie Bishop, Courtney Bryce,
Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, and many others.

Whatever happens to Australia the country, we can be sure of one
thing: Australia's history, rich and colourful and filled with
heroism and drama, by both men and women, will live on into
infinity for future generations to learn from and inspire
others.

Hi Paul,

Please excuse my mistake. I meant to type -
Quentin Bryce instead of Courtney Bryce.
I'm very tired this morning. Didn't sleep
well last night.

CM,

You posted; "Interesting that your father tried to join what you considered to be a far-right party. I'd be interested to know what his reason was for making that decision? The why being often more than the what"

I asked you to explain that, you scuttle away and avid explanation. I can't recall every posting that my Father was ever joining a far right political party. Otherwise retract that slur on my now long deceased father.

Paul1405 said-

"As my Old Man would say; "There are plenty of Hitler's in this world son, but only one got the opportunity to put his beliefs into practice." ttbn is a perfect example, all Nazi like huff and puff but no action. I must admit he did try, in 2019 he joined a far right political party..."

Then Paul1405 said-

"You posted; "Interesting that your father tried to join what you considered to be a far-right party. I'd be interested to know what his reason was for making that decision? The why being often more than the what". I asked you to explain that, you scuttle away and avid explanation. I can't recall every posting that my Father was ever joining a far right political party. Otherwise retract that slur on my now long deceased father."

Answer-

Maybe I misunderstood and you didn't say "As my Old Man would say; "There are plenty of Hitler's in this world son, but only one got the opportunity to put his beliefs into practice."... I must admit he did try, in 2019 he joined a far right political party".

I "admit" that I do struggle with your apparently "avid" misspellings and "run-on" and disjointed sentences as well as the abusive ad hominem clauses.

Primates do take a while to learn language- at times I can be included in that group too

Talking about primates?

As Prince Charles said:

"I learned the way a monkey learns - by
watching its parents ! "

Well then I'm in good company.

Some might say:

"You are mistaken.
That's not good company.
That is the worst!"

While others instead of preferring good company -
prefer the best !

Hi Foxy,

Like rejects from the Addams Family they'll all in that echo chamber, be careful of entering, its dangerous territory, but it can be fun.

Hi Paul,

I was raised to celebrate diversity of thought.
By sharing unique experiences and offering varying
viewpoints I was taught that it only strengthens
a society more.

Pauliar,

Yup the pedogreens are Adam Bandit's family of rejects.

It is an exciting time that we currently live in.
Politics has changed and we are watching it unfold.
The new government appears to be fostering consultation
and negotiation which surely is a good thing. Tolerance
should be encouraged. It can be taught from Parliament
to playground. It can and must be learned.

> No diversity of thought. No diversity of ability. No diversity of experience.

But the BEAUTY of it is that they'll ALL argue like BUQQERY about NOTHING AT ALL! Question time will be full of argy-bargy nonsense.

Meanwhile, the TransNational Corporations get on with running the cuntry however they want.

THAT'S the whole purpose of having a "Parliament" of "diverse" suburban housewives.

Dear Banjo,

I'll repeat what I posted earlier.

The newly elected PM has appointed the country's
first ever "minister for the republic" but that
doesn't mean that constitutional change on the
republican front is anywhere near the top of the
PM's agenda.

The new ministerial position as assistant minister
is a comparatively minor one and its role will be
limited at least for the near term, mostly to
conversation starts, and weather vane.

As the White Queen tells Alice, "Jam tomorrow and
jam yesterday - but no jam today!"

The new assistant minister is a way of testing the
waters. He's got 3 years to see what sort of
enthusiasm there would be for a change.

The Labor Party has made it clear it will not seek
a constitutional revision to make Australia a
republic during its first term which means that
change is unlikely before 2025 at the earliest.
The party has lots of other challenges to deal with
in the meantime.

Oooops. Wrong thread.

Hi Zbygnyu,

Ever watched Question Time in the past?