Posted on 07/15/2010 8:18:28 PM PDT by naturalman1975
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard is expected to call an election within 24 hours.
The ABC reports that Labor sources have revealed Ms Gillard will visit Governor General Quentin Bryce in Canberra tomorrow morning to set the election for August 28.
The election campaign will be six weeks long.
The news comes as the Opposition accused Ms Gillard of trying "airbrush" the past by refusing to reveal whether she had reneged on a deal with Kevin Rudd.
Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said today the Prime Minister should have been “honest” and “open” about what happened on the night before Mr Rudd was rolled, claiming it reflected badly on her character, The Australian reports.
“... Labor is so engrossed in its own activities it has lost focus on the important issues for Australia,” Mr Hockey told ABC radio.
“And I think secondly it says a lot about Julia Gillard's character that she wouldn't answer and provide the details, be open about what happened. So I think she's trying to airbrush things she's done in the past.”
Ms Gillard was asked by journalist Laurie Oakes at her National Press Club address yesterday about whether she reneged on a pact made with Mr Rudd late on June 23, the night his leadership was challenged.
Under the deal - confirmed by the former leader's adviser Lachlan Harris - Mr Rudd would have hands the reins to Ms Gillard before an October election if polling revealed he was an impediment to the Government's re-election.
But Ms Gillard refused to answer Oakes' question, saying it was a confidential discussion.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
She’s trying to get to the polls before Australians realise what she is really like, and if she doesn’t go by tomorrow, logistically, she can’t really go for at least another month (because of the football, you really don’t want an election in September).
OK help us Yanks out here.
PM is the head leader in Australia, right?
And she is calling an election for what?
The Prime Minister is Australia’s Head of Government (technically the Governor General and Queen rank above the Prime Minister, but they don’t run the government).
Australia’s system is based on Britain’s - elections must be held within a particular period (about three years for Australia) but the Prime Minister may call one earlier. In this case, the three years expires early next year. If an election is called, all Members of the lower House of Parliament run for election - similar to a Congressional election in the US. The party (or parties in coalition) that win the most seats hold government and their leader is the Prime Minister.
So this election will determine which party governs Australia, and who the Prime Minister is.
That was quick.
Seems like she is rushing it a bit, why not enjoy the newly acquired reign a bit?? Wasn’t Rudd from a different party? How did the PM party switch happen - seems like the lower House of Parliament would have to change hands first?
Rudd was the same party - Julia Gillard was his Deputy Prime Minister. About a month ago, they realised he wasn’t popular so his party dumped him and replaced him.
There was no need for a vote if the House because Labor controls the House, and they’d elected a new leader. It’s happened before - though never so early in a term. Parties can replace their leader, and if they are in government, that leader becomes the new Prime Minister.
By going to the polls tomorrow (if she does) Gillard is hoping to be reelected for three more years. She has to go fairly soon anyway, and at the moment she still has some electoral goodwill she may lose if she waits.
What would be the best possible election results for conservatism in Australia?
The Liberal-Democratic Party to take the balance of power position in the Senate
Election of a Liberal/National Coalition government under current Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott.
Despite it’s name, the Liberal Party is Australia’s main conservative party - the National Party has broadly similar policies but while the Liberal Party tends to represent city and suburban areas, the National Party focus on the rural areas (they do not normally run candidates against each other). They nearly always operate in coalition in government with the Liberals providing the Prime Minister, the Nationals the Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet divided in line with their respective representation in the house.
Tony Abbott who was the Health Minister under Prime Minister John Howard is a genuine conservative, as well as being a genuine Christian (he was, for a time, studying for the Catholic Priesthood). Whether he can win government is difficult to say - a lot of anti-conservative and anti-Christian groups are running a scare campaign about him.
Maybe in twenty years.
So did Gillard ‘usurp’ the position from KRudd? Maybe that’s why she didn’t boot him out of the lodge- just started acting like she was running the ship and KRudd meekly looked at the toes of his shoes? Heard she’s made ‘too many deals’ on the way up and is looked at with skepticism?
Bet she’s got more goods on him with that Chinese diplomat with the shady business deals. [At least that’s how backroom deals might work over here, especially if a Clinton was anywhere nearby. Their ‘contacts’ tended to go for drives in Fort Marcy park]
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