The Amazing Life of Australian Politics

At this most intense of moments in Australian politics -- a moment that has become historical and unique -- it is hard not to become completely involved in the state of the nation. In the last few days, I have learned more about the Australian electoral system, the different districts from Western Australia to Tasmania, and about the dark insides of the major parties. Though much of the campain had been vapid, leaving many voters uncertain about how these two parties truly differ, this lack of policy and vision has now been explicitly stated with senior party officials admitting to a 'lack of identity'.

Because voting is compulsory in Australia (with 95% turnout), many voters, uncertain, uninterested, cast an 'informal' vote on Saturday. An informal vote is a blank ballot. In fact, this was recommended by a former Labor Minister, Mark Latham, whose antics have become well-known (and despised by some). Incredibly, a former politician recommended that voters not vote...

The way that the two parties went about campaigning was lacking in insight and ideas. At times, it seemed to me that they did not trust the public enough to express real thoughts, to provide concise and detailed policy. The public responded on election day. They said: we are not as dumb as you think; we can see through the veneer. Every time you do not answer a question, every time you cater to  the 'swing vote', we see through you!

This was most disastrous for the ruling Labor party -- they have lost thirteen seats (according to the latest numbers). And it marks the first time since WWII that a ruling party does not get voted in after its first term in office and the first hung parliament since 1940.

What has happened, it seems to me, is that Labor has been so focused on getting the 'swing vote' that did not appeal to the usual Labor voters and that were too centered around local (mainly Sydney) issues, that they lost a great number of their expected supporters. Many were disenchanted with the way Rudd was ousted back in June, but many  more were disenchanted with Labor's turning back on its key promise: climate change.

A Greens How-to-Vote Guide

This has resulted in incredible success for the Australian Greens. For the first time, a Greens candidate has won a seat in the House of Represenatives, representing Melbourne; and the Greens now have a total of 9 seats in the Senate! This means, among other things, that the Greens will achieve a 'balance of power' and thus no party will be able to pass policy without the approval of the Greens. In general, the Greens have won more than 11% of the popular vote, with places like Sydney and Brisbane voting for the Greens somewhere between 20 and 26%. 

Now with a hung parliament, with no expectation for either of the two major parties to win a majority in the House of Representatives, the eyes are on three independent officials, and the one Greens. Though some may bemoan this, I actually think it is very refreshing -- neither of the two big parties will be able to control politics; or, to put it differently, politics has to become more than party politics. While the three independents come from conservative backgrounds, their interests do not betray an immediate inclination to either party. In fact, some of their views seem left to me -- like helping local farmers, ending the importation of basic goods that abound in Australia (bananas among them), and keeping the broadbandnetwork (NBN) public. These three come from rural areas and are interested in bringing the problems of rural Australia to the center of politics. This, and the fact that they are not servants to any party, has a lot of potential, I think, and can be the first step toward the end of the two-party system here.

One of the biggest issues in this campaign has been the broadband network. It sounds strange, and for me it was very puzzling at first. I had not previously considered the infrastructure of the internet as a political issue at all. It seems that in the US, the broadband was constructed by private companies (AT&T and Bell), thus making little headlines in the political world. These companies accepted that they'd have a loss at first, but expected to make it up quickly. The case is very different in Australia. With a very small population in comparison, and many who live hundreds of miles from any major metropolitan area, "making the investment back quickly" is not at all realistic. In fact, no one may ever make money back on their investment. So it is up to the government to provide this infrastructure. But, should it be a political campaign issue?

This was the question I asked myself throughout, and, I concluded with many others, the reason that it is an issue is because the two parties literally have so little to argue about, they made this into an issue. Labor wants to build it; Liberals do not.

Surely it deserves some serious thinking and is of particular significance for those who do not live in the major cities. Without high-speed internet in places outside of these cities, most people cramp into them. The other night I met someone who works in web-design and would love to move to  country NSW, but worries about whether he'd be able to continue to do his work there. "Without the security of high-speed internet, I will not leave Sydney," he simply told me.

This makes the big cities that are already crowded even more crowded. And, it clearly affects those who live in the rural areas, and their businesses. So it makes sense to create a high-speed broadband network that would cover all of Australia -- but it has a very large price: A$ 43 billion!

Throughout the campaign, I joked that it is telling that the major issue in Australian politics is how fast you can download a movie from the internet (right now, even in Sydney, it takes a few hours; the proposed plan would take 7 seconds). But joking aside, it seems that this issue will be a key factor in the outcomes of this election. The three independents whose choice will be decisive are all deeply invested in bringing technology to rural Australia and in building this infrastructure. Amazing!

a quick update from the election front

Just in: the Melbourne seat went 55% green! The first ever Greens in the House of Representatives in Australia.

And: In Tasmania, another likely win for the Greens!!

The Greens have been doing immensly well. In Sydney 26% of voters voted green. Even here, in the Liberal (right) northern suburbs, the greens have received 16%. Could the greens form a government within the next ten years?

But--not good for Labor in general. Predictions: a Hung Parliament. Very intense.

Waiting for Western Australia, which is three hours behind...

tomorrow is election day

Given the fact that tomorrow is election day, I thought I should share my favorite mock advertisement of the Liberal party candidate, Tony Abbott (mentioned previously for his budgie smuggler). This was made by political comedians, and the first time I saw it, I couldn't stop laughing...

Warm ... Warmer

As we approach election day (tomorrow; Saturday) we quickly approach--and bump into with a jolt--spring.

It's spring in Sydney! And I want to sing with e.e. cummings about the mudlicious world; but it is not mudlicious here and the children have not ceased to play for three or more months of hibernation. There is no cracking and melting snow, no sudden exposure to the forgotten sun, no early blooms. It is a much quieter affair--spring in Sydney--signaled by smaller movements, less evident details.

The days are more dreamy and the sun more striking. The people more bare and more colorful.

Yesterday as I stood on the sidewalk waiting for the light to change, I felt the sun strong on my cheeks and nose. Though the sun never really disappeared in winter, its spring visage is different. It is yellower, starker--I really felt it on my cheeks yesterday, enveloping me in in its warmth. It covered the streets, and washed over the half-bare bodies. People wearing t-shirts and short skirts, sat outside and didn't get cold.

The mood has changed. Though Sydney is by no means a frantic city by world standards, it is still a big city, with traffic jams and anxious people waiting. But this first week of spring issues in a slower, more relaxed pace, a pace that makes place for a moment to stop and take in the warmth of the sun, take off the winter layers, and take a seat outside. Everyone in Sydney, it seems, is on a break. And this break has something large, warm and dreamy about it. It's not only the koalas that dream away perched on the gum trees. The people do too.

At Paddington Market

At Weekly Farmers' Market

So in honor of the relaxed pace of Sydney, I composed a humorous poem about the way that language is used here--requiring the least amount of effort.


When your relatives are 'relos'
And vegetarian friends are 'veggos'
When Salvation Army is 'Salvos'
And avocados are 'avos'

When breakfast is 'brekkie'
And a biscuit a 'bikki'

When prepositions are dispensable
('A week from Thursday' is
'Thursday week')

And you don't need definite articles
('go to the hospital' is
'go to hosiptal')

When the barista is your mate
Or buddy
And you order a 'cap'
Or 'dandy'

You know that you are
Speaking with an
Aussie!!

***

Sydney Uni under Sydney Blue Sky

But it would be wrong to highlight the warmth of the spring and overlook the ever-present warmth of Sydney. Though it is much warmer in its red center, Australia's periphery does not lack in warmth. This is the feeling that has been with me since we arrived. A nurturing enveloping warmth. In turn, the ocean's horizons create an openness, a breathing space for the soul. And with these two senses, I feel both grounded and contemplative at the same time. A steady security that gives way to the aspiration to delve into the significant.

Ruins in Sydney

(More) Europe in Australia

The last few days have witnessed an immensity of thinking and feeling--thinking and feeling my way around this place: Australia, Sydney, the northern beaches...

Being here, in this farthest of European satellites, has lead me to think--over and over again--about Europe. It is strange--I realize this--but I can't help but think about Europe and its immense will to extend its arms and legs as far out as possible, and end up here. It is so clear to me that Sydney is a European city and Australia at large is a European "satellite." [I use this term "satellite" because it seems more appropriate than either "colony" or "country." It is not a European country because it is not in what we call "Europe" geographically, and because Australia is, in some ways, decisively different from Europe. Not all Australians belong to or feel a connection with Europe, and in some ways the Australian out-back  is distinctively Australian. It is not a colony, because, well, it is independent of England, and has its own laws, leaders etc. But it is a European satellite, because it belongs, in a strong way, to the European world, and world-view. Its values are European. It is an implantation of Europe in the far east.]

Last night I read an article in the Australian magazine, The Monthly, that connects the origins of Melbourne University's humanities departments, among them the philosophy department, to recent European immigrants. The first people to really make the University an exciting and intellectually rich place were WWII refugees from Europe. They went on to start important journals, conceive whole departments (Anthropology), and create a strong sense of culture at the University--European culture, of course. But if one thinks only one step further--the very idea of a University and of the various faculties is, well, European (German, to be exact).

In Sydney, I find myself surrounded by Europeans. All of Luke's family are recent immigrants from Europe (post WWII), and their connections to Europe are very strong. His mother and aunt still speak French; his other aunt, German.  Many Friends have European connections--whether they were born in Europe, married to Europeans, or living in Europe. (Yesterday I went for a walk in Manly with a family friend, and we spoke German the whole time... )

All this Europe around me has lead me to think about Europe--surprisingly, for the first time. I had always thought: I am not European, therefore I don't need to concern myself with Europe. This attitude was based on the belief that Europe is for the Europeans, and they should really be thinking about it--I am an outsider.

But here, where Europe has extended itself so clearly "outside" of Europe, the ideas of "inside" and "outside" don't hold. In fact, they are shown to be completely false. We don't have a choice any more--whether or not we are Europeans or live "inside" or "outside" of it--but to think about Europe, because, in fact, every day, we are living with and in Europe.

What does this mean? Well, I write and speak in English. Though it is not my first language, it is the language I am most comfortable in. I study European thought. I read mostly European authors. I lived in "Europe" for many years. I speak German, and French. My home country was deeply influenced by European activity in the region (colonization, etc.). My aunts looked at Europe as setting the standard for fashion. My father studied in European institutions. The list goes on.

But what is remarkable to me, is that in spite of these deep connections to "Europe," it is not until Australia that I begin to become aware of them. Europe, I now realize, is much more than a geographical location.


[Side note: You may think my realization is quite late, and, might wonder, why I didn't consider this question previously, in the US, for example. It is interesting to think about the US and how it differs from Australia in its relation to Europe. I actually think that Australia's connections to Europe are much more present than America's connections to Europe. The European immigrants are more recent, and their connections are therefore stronger. Also, the cities here look more European (think Chicago, LA, Atlanta--they are very "American" cities). Though of course America is an offshoot of Europe and represents the unfolding of some European ideas (capitalism, for example), it has also a very strong and specific identity that makes it more independent of Europe as well.]

What do the Europeans think of this? I would be excited to hear...