Politics in Australia

[Davo]

I'm 18 and eligable to vote but every political party in Australia completely sucks. Our nation needs a new party, based on civil liberties, industrial devolopment and scientific research. As a Tasmanian I have grown up to despise the Greens and equally the ALP for constantly selling out to them. Whilst wanting to be a Liberal supporter, I have come to distrust them for raping us of our civil liberties and sucking up to Dubya.

We need a party, similar to the Libertarian party in the USA to reperesent people like us. Would any forum members be interested in establishing a party to run for federal election and possibly state elections in the near future?

[Davo]

I'm 18 and eligable to vote but every political party in Australia completely sucks. Our nation needs a new party, based on civil liberties, industrial devolopment and scientific research. As a Tasmanian I have grown up to despise the Greens and equally the ALP for constantly selling out to them. Whilst wanting to be a Liberal supporter, I have come to distrust them for raping us of our civil liberties and sucking up to Dubya.

We need a party, similar to the Libertarian party in the USA to reperesent people like us. Would any forum members be interested in establishing a party to run for federal election and possibly state elections in the near future?

[Davo]

I'm 18 and eligable to vote but every political party in Australia completely sucks. Our nation needs a new party, based on civil liberties, industrial devolopment and scientific research. As a Tasmanian I have grown up to despise the Greens and equally the ALP for constantly selling out to them. Whilst wanting to be a Liberal supporter, I have come to distrust them for raping us of our civil liberties and sucking up to Dubya.

We need a party, similar to the Libertarian party in the USA to reperesent people like us. Would any forum members be interested in establishing a party to run for federal election and possibly state elections in the near future?

[neo-crossbow]

Try the Australia First Party, they are going to be running again and are chasing members to be re-registered. From what I have read in your thread they would be most appropriate for you. One of thier 8 Key policies is fire-arms availability for honest citizens.
http://www.australiafirstparty.com.au/ is thier web page and they are in most states and areas.

Good luck

[Bugger]

Wanting to be a so-called Liberal supporter, Davo in Australia? There is NOTHING "liberal" about the so-called Liberal Party in Australia. Along with the so-called "Liberal" parties in Japan and Russia, it is really a Bu$h-worshipping Fascist party, committed only to obtaining the best rigged election results that unearned/inherited wealth can buy, through whatever means e.g. by manipulation of news about 9-11 and the Tampa incident, in concert with their friends who own the major news media. They also want to bring about a Bu$h-style police state - they recently introduced a new law to allow detention by the Australian Secret Political Police (ASIO) without charge or trial, and incommunicado and without anyone else or lawyers being told, for 14 days renewable. There is no similarity to the British Liberal Democrats, or to Liberal partes elsewhere in the E.U., or to that in Canada. Its grossly inappropriate name was chosen by Menzies as a vote-catching ploy, to snare unwary voters.

I am a Green Party supporter in New Zealand. I am surprised that you think that the Australian Greens have "sold out" - they should be the party least likely to do so.

"Australia First Party", Neo-Crossbow? I have never heard of that one. There is a centrist New Zealand First Party here, which is presently in a coalition arrangement with the Labor Government. In New Zealand, we have mixed-member proportional representation, not the preferential first-past-the-post system which, in Australia as elsewhere, makes it very hard for a new party to ever get off the ground.

BTW Noting you say you are 18, I am supporting a movement, started by the N.Z. Greens, to do away with the minimum age of 18 for voting, either abolishing it altogether (possibly replacing it with a signed declaration of knowledge of the political scene and intention to vote), or reducing it to 14 so as to be in line with the age of criminal liability. If someone can be charged with a criminal offense at that age (14), it is only fair that one should also be able to vote at that age on the legislators who make the laws under which one can be charged.

[Hobbit Porn]

or reducing it to 14 so as to be in line with the age of criminal liability. If someone can be charged with a criminal offense at that age (14), it is only fair that one should also be able to vote at that age on the legislators who make the laws under which one can be charged.


I agree that if you can be charged for a criminal offense, you should also be able to vote on the legislators who make the laws.

However, In Australia, you don't get charged as an adult until you are 17. I didn't know the age was 14 in NZ.

[Bugger]

Oh yes. In New Zealand, 14-year-olds can be charged with even murder and manslaughter, and are therefore legally presumed to know the criminal law. (However, in such cases, if found or pleading guilty, their age may be taken into account in sentencing and setting non-parole periods). That being the case, they should also be presumed to be competent to vote. Also, we have here the N.Z. Bill Of Rights Act 1990, which overrules all other laws, and among other things enjoins organs of the state from all types of "discrimination", meaning that the age-18 restriction for voting in the Electoral Act is already illegal, although this has not yet been tested in Court.

[nbk2000]

Any nation that allows 14 year olds to vote deserves what government they get. :p

Frankly, I feel that no one under 35 and with an income/savings of under $30,000 deserves the privilege of voting.

Otherwise, you have easily swayed youngsters with no life experience voting on issues they know nothing about. The income/savings requirement is to prevent welfare slobs from voting for any pol who'll give them yet MORE money for nothing. :mad:

America was at its best when rich white men were the only ones who could vote. Now that any welfare nigger bitch can vote, we're descending into a kakistocracy.

[FUTI]

Well put NBK although with little exageration I think. I think that age limit Scandinavian countries used in the old times about 25 years age limit for be concerned adult (so you can choose yourself who you will marriage, when you will have the access to the money/property you inherited etc.) by law is much more balanced then your proposal.

At least this gives the guy/girl the chance to finish his education (I mean university) and start working, so he won't be prompted to choose which ass will give me more "free" money, but who will make more job positions!

[nbk2000]

25 year olds of a century ago were the maturity equivalent of a 35 year old today.

A culture that worships the X-box, perpetual adolescence, and instant gratification is one where maturity is lacking. It's not until middle-age or later that (some) men start getting some mental maturity.

[knowledgehungry]

I believe the qualifier for voting should be being off of one's parents drawstrings. The reason for the lack of maturity is that parents enable there children, a 27 year old living at home(except in special circumstances) is merely an older child.

Learning to take care of yourself is a skill parents should start teaching as soon as you learn to walk, the main purpose of parenting is to raise children who become competent adults, not to be their kids friend, buddy or bank account.

I personally think everyone should take a year off between High School and college to work, nothing makes a man grow up like being forced to bust your ass for someone who doesn't give a damn about you.

Just my $0.02.

[Chris The Great]

Screw age, give them a skill test. NBK makes very solid points of why many people that age should NOT vote, but there are many who are very young and have a good deal of maturity, while others gain it very late or not at all. A skill test would allow the early-maturers (such as the active membership of this forum) to vote, while keeping the idiots from voting.

[Hobbit Porn]

If a skill test were used, it should have to be re-sat after a certain age to weed out the older citizens who start to go a bit soft in the head and are just as easily swayed as the naive 18 year olds.

[cutefix]

The wisdom that accompanies with age is becoming cynical to reality.....

[Davo]

There are some very good points; today there's alot of people (18-25y/o's) who are more concerned with what Paris Hilton had in her mouth last week than the future of their people and country. Democratic representation in Britain started as a rich white man's club and deliberately sought to avoid "government by the incompetent" however it expanded into something ugly. British parliament is now a hostage to multiculturalism... the ever increasing swarms of turd worlders override the original constituents.

IMHO one should be able to operate independently of government welfare before being able to vote. This will rule out alot of muds, retards and bludgers