On the Brisbane City Council election

The recent Brisbane City Council election result reminds me of Sally-Anne Atkinson’s win in 1988, although I think that Sally-Anne did slightly better.

In 1988, Sally-Anne received about 2/3 of the vote, and the Liberal Party won 17 of the 26 wards.  The Labor Party won 9 wards: essentially it’s then-stronger wards of Deagon, Eagle Farm (similar to Northgate), Spring Hill (covering a large part of the existing Central), Paddington, The Gabba, Doboy, Wynnum-Manly, Inala and Enoggera. 

Australian ISP filtering plan

While checking up on the Australian news, I came across this story on the SMH on the new federal government’s plan to introduce an opt-in scheme for people to access ”adult” websites. The plan is that the default would be that people are prevented from accessing p0rnographic material or child-unfriendly material (via a list of websites drawn up by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)) and that a person wishing to access any website on the list would have the inform their ISP.

Before discussing the merits of the scheme, the story quotes the Minister for Communications, Senator Stephen Conroy, as follows:

“Labor makes no apologies to those who argue that any regulation of the internet is like going down the Chinese road,” Mr Conroy said yesterday. “If people equate freedom of speech with watching child p0rnography, then the Rudd Labor Government is going to disagree.”

I havn’t heard anyone equate freedom of speech with watching child p0rnography before now. Certainly it’s a very poor defence for their policy. (I redefine freedom of speech to be X which no-one can disagree with, and thus our policy follows.) But enough semantics.

The CDP’s (Christian Democratic Party’s) policy - “Immediate Suspension of Islamic Immigration”

Yes, I came across a CDP election leaflet on the ground this morning. For some reason, the CDP appears to have leafletted Kings Cross, and has put up a number of posters along William St, advertising it’s black tie clad Senate candidate.

I’m not surprised I didn’t receive the leaflet in my unit block as I can imagine residents throwing it in the bin. The leaflet’s headline is

AUSSIE VALUES

and opening up the leaflet reveals the CDP’s policies, of which the first is:

Immediate Suspension of Islamic Immigration

  

A Liberal Party candidate’s view on science and sexual orientation

I just came across an interesting story at The Age’s website: Homosexuality a perversion, says Lib candidate, which details some of the views of the Liberal Party’s candidate for Lalor, Pastor Peter Curtis. To my mind, the best part of the story is at its end:

He (Peter Curtis) said that, if elected, he would be urging the Liberal Party to introduce intelligent design to state school science classes. Intelligent design is an assertion that certain features of the universe and living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, and not by natural selection.

“I would be very much in favour of intelligent design being taught in public schools,” Mr Curtis said. “Just as the theory of evolution is taught as well — in my view regrettably taught in science classes, because I think it’s a theory and not a science.”

What an insight into the scientific method. And this man wants to help create Commonwealth law. While the Liberal Party would probably be happy for anyone to run in Lalor or other safe ALP seats in the upcoming election, you’d hope they could choose reasonable candidates.

Government advertising…

Now that a federal election for Nov 24 has been called, I wonder how long it will be before the “educational” government advertising will cease? Opening up yahoo.com.au a moment ago, I was confronted with yet another workchoices job which popped up at me.

Letter to the Sydney Star Observer

Today I wrote the following letter to the Sydney Star Observer in response to a number of letters in the current edition praising Malcolm Turnbull, the current federal Liberal MP for Wentworth.

Possum Comitatus’ analysis of the Crosby Textor report

Every political junkie should read Possum Comitatus’ post on the Crosby Textor report.

Internet voting in federal, state and local elections?

Recently, I received an e-mail alerting me this year’s elections to the American Mathematical Society Committee and reminding me that I can vote by postal ballot or over the internet. I vote in these elections each year and voted over the internet in their elections in 2006 for the first time. 

I suspect that many organisations allow their members to vote over the internet in their internal elections and I wonder whether voting over the internet will become an option in Australian federal, state and local elections and referenda in the near future?

Kevin Andrews’ suspicions

On ABC radio a few days ago I heard this story that I just had to write about - let me quote the juiciest part of it:

Mr Andrews said Dr Haneef still failed the character test under which the visa was originally cancelled.

“The basis upon which Dr Haneef’s visa was cancelled remains vaild,” he told Channel Seven on Sunday morning.

“His lawyers indicated to my department … that he wanted to get out of Australia as soon as possible. If anything that rather heightens, rather than lessens, my suspicions.”

How fortunate that most of us aren’t subject to Andrews’ suspicions! 

Kevin Andrews: “I have formed a reasonable suspicion…”

The Immigration Minister is currently being interviewed on Lateline, and he is saying that Dr Haneef fails the character test as he (the Minister) has formed “a reasonable suspicion”.

From today’s SMH story:

“The whole circumstances surrounding Haneef’s attempted hasty departure from Australia, including chat room conversations, when viewed against his clear prior association with the Ahmed brothers, led me to form a reasonable suspicion as required by the migration legislation,” Mr Andrews said.

Isn’t it great that this is all it takes - the minister to form “a reasonable suspicion”?