EC Australia Coming Apart At The Seams

With the huge spotlight on Europe, Greece, the US Dollar, Canada, Switzerland, and China, it’s easy to lose track of major things outside of mainstream attention.

Like what? Like Australia.

Australian Government on Brink of Collapse 

Conservatives swept into power into Australia in September of 2013 in the biggest Labour rout in history. In December of 2013 I wrote Australia’s Alleged Conservatives Surrender to Unions; Currency Madness Everywhere.

Shockingly, Australian conservatives may not last even one full term. Three days ago The Australian reported Queensland election 2015: Labor on brink of forming government. 

My friend Brisbane Bear, from down under reported … 

 Hey Mish,
We have experienced the biggest political earthquake I have ever seen in my home state of Queensland. The government has lost power after one term. The Queensland Premier lost his seat. This after winning the biggest landslide win in history with a mandate to fix the financial mess created by Labor. They held 79 seats to 7. And now they lost. This sort of volatility is now the norm.

People hate austerity. People know the party is over and are very surly and angry.
These are good elections to lose as there are no easy answers, only very hard, unpopular decisions. We are in for one hell of a ride.

Regards
Brisbane Bear

I asked BB what this all meant. He replied …

Massive impact! Federal election is just under 2 years away. The Prime Minister Tony Abbott is in serious trouble and will battle to hold the top job. A leadership spill is rumored.

Meaning of Liberal

What follows may not make much sense unless one understands the meaning of “Liberal” in Australian politics. 

 Liberals Believe:

In the inalienable rights and freedoms of all peoples; and we work towards a lean government that minimises interference in our daily lives; and maximises individual and private sector initiative

In government that nurtures and encourages its citizens through incentive, rather than putting limits on people through the punishing disincentives of burdensome taxes and the stifling structures of Labor’s corporate state and bureaucratic red tape.

In those most basic freedoms of parliamentary democracy – the freedom of thought, worship, speech and association. 

In short, we simply believe in individual freedom and free enterprise; and if you share this belief, then ours is the Party for you.

Simply put, liberal means conservative to US readers. With that in mind, let’s continue.

Prime Minister Leadership is Terminal

Please consider Tony Abbott Leadership Now ‘Terminal’. 

 Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has unloaded on Tony Abbott’s “terminal” leadership, saying he must be dumped “as quickly as possible” or risk destroying the Coalition government.

Liberal MPs Dennis Jensen and Warren Entsch last night publicly declared that the Prime Minister no longer had their support, while former Howard government cabinet minister Mal Brough vouched only “qualified support” for Mr Abbott and demanded he scrap the proposed $5 Medicare co-payment.

Mr Kennett, who led Victoria between 1992 and 1999, said Mr Abbott had lost the support of both the Liberal Party base and the broader public.

“I think sadly the realisation has dawned on most politicians that where the leadership of the party is now terminal. It needs to be resolved as quickly as possible so that the party can move on,” Mr Kennett told ABC Radio.

“Now I say that sadly. I feel very sorry for Tony. He’s a man of very good values. But most of where we are at the moment as a government is self-inflicted. We are 12 weeks away from the 2015 budget and we haven’t passed the 2014 budget.