According to The Australian, the Coalition is devoting today to winning the women's vote.1 But does Tony Abbott deserve it? See our latest ad featuring his views on issues important to women, spoken by GetUp members.
Women are being shamefully overlooked in this election by politicians and the media. The turn of female voters away from Tony Abbott is being dismissed as a turn towards Julia Gillard's gender, while Tony Abbott's archaic and indefensible views on issues affecting women go unexamined and unchallenged.
That all ends today. Watch our new video from GetUp women, putting Tony's words on the record for all Australians to see:
Politicians from all sides are mistakenly assuming that women will simply vote along gender lines. It's beyond condescending, but it also misses the point: political leadership is about so much more. It's about where you stand, who you respect, and what you'll do from a position of power.
It's time to get to the truth. Women and men alike will be shocked by the quotes in this video, each and every line expressed by Tony Abbott himself. See for yourself now, and help put the message on air:
This video features GetUp members--women who have dared to speak Mr Abbott's own words back to him for all Australians to see. They're words that many Australians will find deeply disturbing. Even if you think you've seen and heard it all from Mr Abbott: his absolute opposition to abortion, his daring to weigh in on something as personal as a woman's virginity, his opposition to the cervical cancer vaccine, you have to watch this ad - now. Then chip in to ensure every other Australian gets to see it too:
Throughout his political career, Tony Abbott has advocated views more appropriate to 1910 than 2010. Now, as he asks voters to make him the next Prime Minister of our country, we need him to bring his views into the 21st century.
As Mr Abbott reaches a leading position in the polls, we need to know where he stands. Is climate change still "absolute crap"? Is abortion still just a question of a woman's "convenience"? Is it still "folly" to expect women to ever approach equal representation in all areas of public life? Click here to watch the ad, and get the real questions heard and answered this election.
Thank you for changing this election,
The GetUp Team
PS - We want to thank the GetUp members who appeared in this ad. It's not easy to put yourself out there. We admire their courage, respect their views and want to do all we can to make sure their message gets heard. Please join us in supporting them.
I read somewhere that getup also had one of John Howards voter registration laws overturned. It gives people more time to register before an election. It's believed 100,000 people missed out on voting at the last election because of it.
A Family First candidate has come under fire after comparing gay marriage to "legalising child abuse".
Twitter users and gay rights activists are up in arms over the tweet from Wendy Francis, who is running for a Senate seat in Queensland. "Children in homosexual relationships are subject to emotional abuse. Legitimising gay marriage is like legalising child abuse," Ms Francis tweeted yesterday.
The tweet was removed by 10pm last night, but not before thousands had blasted her.
A statement on Ms Francis's personal website detailing why she was calling on Labor and the opposition to put gay marriage "behind them" was also removed.
"Keep up the good work @wendy4senate. It's important all Australians know what Family first (sic) stand 4 – a hateful, out of touch useless minority," Twitter user Emma Thompson in Melbourne replied.
"You are extremely rude and devaluing the lives of gay people and secular society," Brisbane Twitter user Nicholas Perkins tweeted to Ms Francis.
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby said the comments would stigmatise children living in same-sex families.
Within hours of Ms Francis's comments a fake Twitter page, Wendy2theSenate, had been set up and already has more than 200 followers.
Ms Francis has not yet commented on the tweets.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
According to The Australian, the Coalition is devoting today to winning the women's vote.1 But does Tony Abbott deserve it? See our latest ad featuring his views on issues important to women, spoken by GetUp members.
Women are being shamefully overlooked in this election by politicians and the media. The turn of female voters away from Tony Abbott is being dismissed as a turn towards Julia Gillard's gender, while Tony Abbott's archaic and indefensible views on issues affecting women go unexamined and unchallenged.
That all ends today. Watch our new video from GetUp women, putting Tony's words on the record for all Australians to see:
Politicians from all sides are mistakenly assuming that women will simply vote along gender lines. It's beyond condescending, but it also misses the point: political leadership is about so much more. It's about where you stand, who you respect, and what you'll do from a position of power.
It's time to get to the truth. Women and men alike will be shocked by the quotes in this video, each and every line expressed by Tony Abbott himself. See for yourself now, and help put the message on air:
This video features GetUp members--women who have dared to speak Mr Abbott's own words back to him for all Australians to see. They're words that many Australians will find deeply disturbing. Even if you think you've seen and heard it all from Mr Abbott: his absolute opposition to abortion, his daring to weigh in on something as personal as a woman's virginity, his opposition to the cervical cancer vaccine, you have to watch this ad - now. Then chip in to ensure every other Australian gets to see it too:
Throughout his political career, Tony Abbott has advocated views more appropriate to 1910 than 2010. Now, as he asks voters to make him the next Prime Minister of our country, we need him to bring his views into the 21st century.
As Mr Abbott reaches a leading position in the polls, we need to know where he stands. Is climate change still "absolute crap"? Is abortion still just a question of a woman's "convenience"? Is it still "folly" to expect women to ever approach equal representation in all areas of public life? Click here to watch the ad, and get the real questions heard and answered this election.
Thank you for changing this election,
The GetUp Team
PS - We want to thank the GetUp members who appeared in this ad. It's not easy to put yourself out there. We admire their courage, respect their views and want to do all we can to make sure their message gets heard. Please join us in supporting them.
I read somewhere that getup also had one of John Howards voter registration laws overturned. It gives people more time to register before an election. It's believed 100,000 people missed out on voting at the last election because of it.
yep thats true.. but i have to wonder why the heck arent people on the electoral roll in the first place?? personally i think in a country where voting is compulsory, registration on the roll should be automatic . so upon ones 18th birthday you recieve a notification.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Abott at least comes across as fair dinkum.
I'm not a labor fan after the shit they have given the local division I reside in.
I am in a labor safe seat, Liberals have never been in power here and my suburb is a dump.
fair dinkum how
he supports things , sniffs the wind of public opinion and then changes his mind. says not to trust him with what he says .
fair dinkum
far from it
A fair dinkum Christian who will turn the poor away who flee persecution in their home land thats so dinkum
he will employ people from Naroo to hide the boat people offshore .
labor at least hires australians to do this , well they did under rudd
but the libs claim they stopped the boats , yep stopped em coming to mainland oz, instead we payed BILLIONS to naroo to house them .
pity most of oz is too stupid and rascist to figure that out.
anyways its really neither here nor there. its her policies that speak for her and as far as im concerned shes lacking in that department. im tired of hearing about making our borders safe knowing what theyre talking about is only applicable to boat people. we all know the majority of people who come here and stay 'illegally' do so via the front door. and any education policy that doesnt increase funding for public schools without increasing funding for private schools is not a real education policy imo. and by funding i mean the provision of resources, not the willy nilly construction of buildings not needed at the expense of much needed concrete resources. and can we please have more incentive for our teachers to go to remote schools.
Shits me to tears at how much the Murdoch media play the "Boat people invasion" to sell news. I guess most Aussies haven't caught on to the fact that this is the same guy that own and runs fox news.
So anyway the reality is that from july 2008 to july 2009, Approximately 158,000 people migrated to Australia. About 12000 of them were Asylum seekers and 1033 of them came by boat :shock:
Can someone please explain to me why this is such a massive issue. Boat people make up less than 9% of asylum seekers and less than 1% of total immigrants in 2008/09.
because a lot of aussies are stupid racsist biggots. facts dont matter just FEAR
scare em, dont give facts
I dont want to go back to Howards Australia. Was glad to see the bigotry end
yep thats true.. but i have to wonder why the heck arent people on the electoral roll in the first place?? personally i think in a country where voting is compulsory, registration on the roll should be automatic . so upon ones 18th birthday you recieve a notification.
Yeah I find that really odd too. Especially if they have a drivers licence and thus a registered address. One of my mates didn't register until he was about 24 yet had a licence since he was 17.
anyways its really neither here nor there. its her policies that speak for her and as far as im concerned shes lacking in that department. im tired of hearing about making our borders safe knowing what theyre talking about is only applicable to boat people. we all know the majority of people who come here and stay 'illegally' do so via the front door. and any education policy that doesnt increase funding for public schools without increasing funding for private schools is not a real education policy imo. and by funding i mean the provision of resources, not the willy nilly construction of buildings not needed at the expense of much needed concrete resources. and can we please have more incentive for our teachers to go to remote schools.
Shits me to tears at how much the Murdoch media play the "Boat people invasion" to sell news. I guess most Aussies haven't caught on to the fact that this is the same guy that own and runs fox news.
So anyway the reality is that from july 2008 to july 2009, Approximately 158,000 people migrated to Australia. About 12000 of them were Asylum seekers and 1033 of them came by boat :shock:
Can someone please explain to me why this is such a massive issue. Boat people make up less than 9% of asylum seekers and less than 1% of total immigrants in 2008/09.
because a lot of aussies are stupid racsist biggots. facts dont matter just FEAR
scare em, dont give facts
I dont want to go back to Howards Australia. Was glad to see the bigotry end
it hasnt really ended. do you forget that julia wanted to process asylum seekers in timor leste. last time i checked that country wasnt a part of ours.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
yep thats true.. but i have to wonder why the heck arent people on the electoral roll in the first place?? personally i think in a country where voting is compulsory, registration on the roll should be automatic . so upon ones 18th birthday you recieve a notification.
Yeah I find that really odd too. Especially if they have a drivers licence and thus a registered address. One of my mates didn't register until he was about 24 yet had a licence since he was 17.
but its typically australian dont you think???
the first thing i did when my two eldest came of age was hand them an electoral roll application.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
it hasnt really ended. do you forget that julia wanted to process asylum seekers in timor leste. last time i checked that country wasnt a part of ours.
Yeah but this was announced with the intention of establishing a Pacific Forum. Perhaps it is not the perfect solution but Julia has got to be elected and if she says we will process them in Australia.... in the red neck climate of the moment ... she will not get elected. It is easy to say what politicians should do but rememer that they have to get elected so they must to some extent toe the populus line. People complain about the ALP's alighment with the unions but I cannot fathom why it is ok for the Libs to align with big business and mining companies. I for one am scared that we will go back to a pre Rudd Howard, workchoices like Australia. I am terrified that things could be potentially worse (than Howard) under Abbott ... listen to some of the things that he has said when he was not on the election campaign........ scary stuff!!!
“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Mark Twain
it hasnt really ended. do you forget that julia wanted to process asylum seekers in timor leste. last time i checked that country wasnt a part of ours.
Yeah but this was announced with the intention of establishing a Pacific Forum. Perhaps it is not the perfect solution but Julia has got to be elected and if she says we will process them in Australia.... in the red neck climate of the moment ... she will not get elected. It is easy to say what politicians should do but rememer that they have to get elected so they must to some extent toe the populus line. People complain about the ALP's alighment with the unions but I cannot fathom why it is ok for the Libs to align with big business and mining companies. I for one am scared that we will go back to a pre Rudd Howard, workchoices like Australia. I am terrified that things could be potentially worse (than Howard) under Abbott ... listen to some of the things that he has said when he was not on the election campaign........ scary stuff!!!
pacific forum?? thats a nice inclusive term dont you think??
i dont care if they have to get elected. i want actions not words. and neither julia gillard nor tony abbott has done anything positive for this country... though getting rid of rudd is a start.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
it hasnt really ended. do you forget that julia wanted to process asylum seekers in timor leste. last time i checked that country wasnt a part of ours.
Yeah but this was announced with the intention of establishing a Pacific Forum. Perhaps it is not the perfect solution but Julia has got to be elected and if she says we will process them in Australia.... in the red neck climate of the moment ... she will not get elected. It is easy to say what politicians should do but rememer that they have to get elected so they must to some extent toe the populus line. People complain about the ALP's alighment with the unions but I cannot fathom why it is ok for the Libs to align with big business and mining companies. I for one am scared that we will go back to a pre Rudd Howard, workchoices like Australia. I am terrified that things could be potentially worse (than Howard) under Abbott ... listen to some of the things that he has said when he was not on the election campaign........ scary stuff!!!
your right it is a race to the bottom on both sides
what I laugh at is that they keep on saying they will stop the boats. neither have stopped the boats. the libs just sent them elsewhere, used our navy to heard them to Naroo. most were then given visas anyways
a pacific solution may work . under the guidance and include in the UN asylum frame work.
all I want is to treat these people fairly.
My wife has said in the past- They all play the exact same game, they just wear different jerseys.
I look at the libs and labs sort of like parents
The libs being the father ( or the worrier) busily saving moneys fo a rainy day. who cares that the kids shoes are getting a bit ratty.
the labs are the mothers. when they get in they like to spend that moneys that were saved
Sure the libs put us in good stead with their savings. it gave the labs a chance to spend it on handouts and schemes when we had the GFC
and to state the only reason we survived the GFC was because of china is a bit off. our orders from china completely dropped off at the start of gfc.
labs handouts and the schemes such as bats an school hall programs kept our economy above water untill china bounced back, and the yes they quickly saved us with heaps of resource orders .
funny about the recourse tax's . didnt Rio have a 125 0ercent increase in the 2nd qurtere this year. we could have had some of that if julia had some balls
yep thats true.. but i have to wonder why the heck arent people on the electoral roll in the first place?? personally i think in a country where voting is compulsory, registration on the roll should be automatic . so upon ones 18th birthday you recieve a notification.
Yeah I find that really odd too. Especially if they have a drivers licence and thus a registered address. One of my mates didn't register until he was about 24 yet had a licence since he was 17.
funny you guys should mention that.. i remember over 10 yrs ago i'd just moved house to a rental. i've always commented how quickly the AEC found me - eventhough i'd spelled my new address incorrectly on my drivers license! :P
Yeh I've seen Pearl Jam, too. But I can't remember the dates.
please dont vote for the mad monk.........he scares me
please dont vote for the left wing whiny BER scheme loser. she scares me.
see how silly it sounds? vote for a party, not a spokesperson.
Abbotts got a pretty big ego and he pushes it on to the public
i dont like hes view on woman and what they do with there bodies, work choices and religion
The one reason I wont be voting for Abbott - Work Choices!
Hand on heart, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised sceptical Sydney commuters they will see a major rail line directly linking suburbs in the west and north, as she made an election pitch to disaffected NSW voters.
Ms Gillard on Wednesday ended speculation she was avoiding NSW Premier Kristina Keneally during the election campaign as the pair jointly announced a $2.6 billion plan to build the previously abandoned Parramatta to Epping rail link.
The prime minister faced inevitable questions about whether the project would actually go ahead, particularly given NSW's poor record when it comes to delivering transport projects.
The announcement is part of federal Labor's pitch to marginal electorates in Sydney's outer-western suburbs, and Bennelong in the north, which are crucial to a government victory at the federal poll on August 21.
Ms Gillard faces a battle to win over Sydney voters already cynical about unfulfilled state transport projects.
The NSW government scrapped the Parramatta to Epping rail link in 2003, breaking a 1998 promise to build it.
Asked if she could guarantee commuters the project would see the light of day, Ms Gillard said: "I certainly can."
"What we will do is enter an intergovernmental agreement signed by both of us to deliver this project," she told reporters at Parramatta railway station.
"We will ensure that our experts at Infrastructure Australia work with the NSW government on the planning and delivery of the project.
"From the Commonwealth's point of view, money will be made available when we reach milestones in the rollout of this new link.
"We are determined to build this project, the premier is determined."
The federal investment of $2.1 billion, which will be taken out of already earmarked infrastructure funding, will account for 80 per cent of the anticipated total construction cost of the 14km line, with the NSW government covering the remaining $520 million.
Federal funding towards the construction work will come from the National Building Program Two, commencing in 2014/15.
NSW's contribution will begin in 2011, with the state responsible for the design and taking it through the necessary planning and environmental assessments.
The whole process will be overseen by Infrastructure Australia.
During a short news conference, both Ms Gillard and Ms Keneally talked up the strength of the partnership between the two Labor governments, which had frayed under former prime minister Kevin Rudd.
"I want to say right up front that this is a prime minister who gets the needs of the families of western Sydney," Ms Keneally said.
"This is a prime minister who understands the need to build a sustainable city here in Sydney."
But both the federal and state oppositions dismissed the announcement as "pie-in-the-sky".
Since 1995, the NSW Labor government has promised $28 billion for rail projects that never started and the same would happen with the latest project, federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said.
"This is straight from the NSW Labor playbook," Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio.
"You make a big promise before the election and it becomes a broken promise after the election - all that gets delivered is the glossy brochure."
John Alexander, Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Bennelong - held by Labor's Maxine McKew - said only the very naive would believe the federal government's promise.
"There's an old saying - if you con me once, shame on you, if you con me twice, shame on me," he said.
State opposition transport spokeswoman Gladys Berejiklian described the plan as "pie-in-the-sky" and a "gimmick".
But lobby groups such as the Property Council of Australia, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and the NSW Business Chamber welcomed the announcement.
"Federal involvement in Sydney infrastructure funding is long overdue and I hope this marks the beginning of a long partnership to deliver Sydney's missing transport links," NSW Business Chamber executive director Patricia Forsythe said.
this proposed rail link will, if built, run through the seats of bennelong and parramatta. bennelong was famously lost in 2007 to maxine mckew by john howard, then the incumbent prime minister. maxine is up against tennis legend john alexander who has extensive business interests in the community. labors hold on this seat is tenuous. parramatta on the other hand tends to be passed between both major parties.
personally if built, this rail link will provide me with another (indirect) route into the city. for those who work in the northern suburbs hub of chatswood whilst living in the western suburbs, it will mean not having to travel through the central railway hub or the CBD.
it must be pointed out that maxine mckew is, among other things, the parliamentary secretary for infrastructure and transport. she is also holding onto her seat by a margin of 1.4%. coincidence???? what do you think voters? this link has also been proposed on and off for at least 12 years and why is the federal govt getting involved in what is essentially a state govt issue
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Anyone looking forward to the polling booth Sausage sizzle?
Sydney 11/02/2003
Sydney 14/02/2003
Sydney 07/11/2006
Sydney 18/11/2006
Sydney 22/11/2009
EV Sydney 18/03/2011
EV Sydney 19/03/2011
EV Sydney 20/03/2011
Melbourne 24/01/2014
Sydney 26/01/2014
EV Sydney 13/02/2014
Anyone looking forward to the polling booth Sausage sizzle?
Nah what im looking fwd to is fighting through all the dingbats out the front trying to hand me shite.
how many trees get pulped at election time
How to vote .
I KNOW HOW TO VOTE, been doing it for over 20 bloody years.
Heard a funny one this morn at work. Somebody swears that if you follow Mark Lathams suggestion to only get your name ticked off and not actually vote. well this guy reckons if you do that, your vote automatically goes to Labor as the incumbant party in office.
he reckons its a con by Mark Latham and the Labor party to get your vote.
I voted this morning. I was lining up and up comes the local liberal candidate Paul Fletcher. I'm in a liberal strong seat, and I tell ya, he just seemed so slimy.
'Hi sir, I'm Paul Fletcher liberal candidate for Bradfield nice to meet you, thanks for coming out and voting today'
Um, onya bike.
Sydney 11/02/2003
Sydney 14/02/2003
Sydney 07/11/2006
Sydney 18/11/2006
Sydney 22/11/2009
EV Sydney 18/03/2011
EV Sydney 19/03/2011
EV Sydney 20/03/2011
Melbourne 24/01/2014
Sydney 26/01/2014
EV Sydney 13/02/2014
Comments
A Family First candidate has come under fire after comparing gay marriage to "legalising child abuse".
Twitter users and gay rights activists are up in arms over the tweet from Wendy Francis, who is running for a Senate seat in Queensland. "Children in homosexual relationships are subject to emotional abuse. Legitimising gay marriage is like legalising child abuse," Ms Francis tweeted yesterday.
The tweet was removed by 10pm last night, but not before thousands had blasted her.
A statement on Ms Francis's personal website detailing why she was calling on Labor and the opposition to put gay marriage "behind them" was also removed.
"Keep up the good work @wendy4senate. It's important all Australians know what Family first (sic) stand 4 – a hateful, out of touch useless minority," Twitter user Emma Thompson in Melbourne replied.
"You are extremely rude and devaluing the lives of gay people and secular society," Brisbane Twitter user Nicholas Perkins tweeted to Ms Francis.
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby said the comments would stigmatise children living in same-sex families.
Within hours of Ms Francis's comments a fake Twitter page, Wendy2theSenate, had been set up and already has more than 200 followers.
Ms Francis has not yet commented on the tweets.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
yep thats true.. but i have to wonder why the heck arent people on the electoral roll in the first place?? personally i think in a country where voting is compulsory, registration on the roll should be automatic . so upon ones 18th birthday you recieve a notification.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
he supports things , sniffs the wind of public opinion and then changes his mind. says not to trust him with what he says .
fair dinkum
far from it
A fair dinkum Christian who will turn the poor away who flee persecution in their home land thats so dinkum
he will employ people from Naroo to hide the boat people offshore .
labor at least hires australians to do this , well they did under rudd
but the libs claim they stopped the boats , yep stopped em coming to mainland oz, instead we payed BILLIONS to naroo to house them .
pity most of oz is too stupid and rascist to figure that out.
because a lot of aussies are stupid racsist biggots. facts dont matter just FEAR
scare em, dont give facts
I dont want to go back to Howards Australia. Was glad to see the bigotry end
Yeah I find that really odd too. Especially if they have a drivers licence and thus a registered address. One of my mates didn't register until he was about 24 yet had a licence since he was 17.
it hasnt really ended. do you forget that julia wanted to process asylum seekers in timor leste. last time i checked that country wasnt a part of ours.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
but its typically australian dont you think???
the first thing i did when my two eldest came of age was hand them an electoral roll application.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Yeah but this was announced with the intention of establishing a Pacific Forum. Perhaps it is not the perfect solution but Julia has got to be elected and if she says we will process them in Australia.... in the red neck climate of the moment ... she will not get elected. It is easy to say what politicians should do but rememer that they have to get elected so they must to some extent toe the populus line. People complain about the ALP's alighment with the unions but I cannot fathom why it is ok for the Libs to align with big business and mining companies. I for one am scared that we will go back to a pre Rudd Howard, workchoices like Australia. I am terrified that things could be potentially worse (than Howard) under Abbott ... listen to some of the things that he has said when he was not on the election campaign........ scary stuff!!!
pacific forum?? thats a nice inclusive term dont you think??
i dont care if they have to get elected. i want actions not words. and neither julia gillard nor tony abbott has done anything positive for this country... though getting rid of rudd is a start.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
what I laugh at is that they keep on saying they will stop the boats. neither have stopped the boats. the libs just sent them elsewhere, used our navy to heard them to Naroo. most were then given visas anyways
a pacific solution may work . under the guidance and include in the UN asylum frame work.
all I want is to treat these people fairly.
My wife has said in the past- They all play the exact same game, they just wear different jerseys.
I look at the libs and labs sort of like parents
The libs being the father ( or the worrier) busily saving moneys fo a rainy day. who cares that the kids shoes are getting a bit ratty.
the labs are the mothers. when they get in they like to spend that moneys that were saved
Sure the libs put us in good stead with their savings. it gave the labs a chance to spend it on handouts and schemes when we had the GFC
and to state the only reason we survived the GFC was because of china is a bit off. our orders from china completely dropped off at the start of gfc.
labs handouts and the schemes such as bats an school hall programs kept our economy above water untill china bounced back, and the yes they quickly saved us with heaps of resource orders .
funny about the recourse tax's . didnt Rio have a 125 0ercent increase in the 2nd qurtere this year. we could have had some of that if julia had some balls
funny you guys should mention that.. i remember over 10 yrs ago i'd just moved house to a rental. i've always commented how quickly the AEC found me - eventhough i'd spelled my new address incorrectly on my drivers license! :P
The one reason I wont be voting for Abbott - Work Choices!
I agree!...It's either Labor or Liberal who's going to get in...and they BOTH know this... :roll:
That's just Cruel!...lol
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Hand on heart, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised sceptical Sydney commuters they will see a major rail line directly linking suburbs in the west and north, as she made an election pitch to disaffected NSW voters.
Ms Gillard on Wednesday ended speculation she was avoiding NSW Premier Kristina Keneally during the election campaign as the pair jointly announced a $2.6 billion plan to build the previously abandoned Parramatta to Epping rail link.
The prime minister faced inevitable questions about whether the project would actually go ahead, particularly given NSW's poor record when it comes to delivering transport projects.
The announcement is part of federal Labor's pitch to marginal electorates in Sydney's outer-western suburbs, and Bennelong in the north, which are crucial to a government victory at the federal poll on August 21.
Ms Gillard faces a battle to win over Sydney voters already cynical about unfulfilled state transport projects.
The NSW government scrapped the Parramatta to Epping rail link in 2003, breaking a 1998 promise to build it.
Asked if she could guarantee commuters the project would see the light of day, Ms Gillard said: "I certainly can."
"What we will do is enter an intergovernmental agreement signed by both of us to deliver this project," she told reporters at Parramatta railway station.
"We will ensure that our experts at Infrastructure Australia work with the NSW government on the planning and delivery of the project.
"From the Commonwealth's point of view, money will be made available when we reach milestones in the rollout of this new link.
"We are determined to build this project, the premier is determined."
The federal investment of $2.1 billion, which will be taken out of already earmarked infrastructure funding, will account for 80 per cent of the anticipated total construction cost of the 14km line, with the NSW government covering the remaining $520 million.
Federal funding towards the construction work will come from the National Building Program Two, commencing in 2014/15.
NSW's contribution will begin in 2011, with the state responsible for the design and taking it through the necessary planning and environmental assessments.
The whole process will be overseen by Infrastructure Australia.
During a short news conference, both Ms Gillard and Ms Keneally talked up the strength of the partnership between the two Labor governments, which had frayed under former prime minister Kevin Rudd.
"I want to say right up front that this is a prime minister who gets the needs of the families of western Sydney," Ms Keneally said.
"This is a prime minister who understands the need to build a sustainable city here in Sydney."
But both the federal and state oppositions dismissed the announcement as "pie-in-the-sky".
Since 1995, the NSW Labor government has promised $28 billion for rail projects that never started and the same would happen with the latest project, federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said.
"This is straight from the NSW Labor playbook," Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio.
"You make a big promise before the election and it becomes a broken promise after the election - all that gets delivered is the glossy brochure."
John Alexander, Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Bennelong - held by Labor's Maxine McKew - said only the very naive would believe the federal government's promise.
"There's an old saying - if you con me once, shame on you, if you con me twice, shame on me," he said.
State opposition transport spokeswoman Gladys Berejiklian described the plan as "pie-in-the-sky" and a "gimmick".
But lobby groups such as the Property Council of Australia, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and the NSW Business Chamber welcomed the announcement.
"Federal involvement in Sydney infrastructure funding is long overdue and I hope this marks the beginning of a long partnership to deliver Sydney's missing transport links," NSW Business Chamber executive director Patricia Forsythe said.
this proposed rail link will, if built, run through the seats of bennelong and parramatta. bennelong was famously lost in 2007 to maxine mckew by john howard, then the incumbent prime minister. maxine is up against tennis legend john alexander who has extensive business interests in the community. labors hold on this seat is tenuous. parramatta on the other hand tends to be passed between both major parties.
personally if built, this rail link will provide me with another (indirect) route into the city. for those who work in the northern suburbs hub of chatswood whilst living in the western suburbs, it will mean not having to travel through the central railway hub or the CBD.
it must be pointed out that maxine mckew is, among other things, the parliamentary secretary for infrastructure and transport. she is also holding onto her seat by a margin of 1.4%. coincidence???? what do you think voters? this link has also been proposed on and off for at least 12 years and why is the federal govt getting involved in what is essentially a state govt issue
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Classic!!
I wave to all my Friends... Yeah!
2 more sleeps !!! 2 more sleeps!!!
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
I wave to all my Friends... Yeah!
devolution... if you can believe thats possible on this instance.
VOTE GREEN
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Sydney 14/02/2003
Sydney 07/11/2006
Sydney 18/11/2006
Sydney 22/11/2009
EV Sydney 18/03/2011
EV Sydney 19/03/2011
EV Sydney 20/03/2011
Melbourne 24/01/2014
Sydney 26/01/2014
EV Sydney 13/02/2014
im a vegeatarian... i hope they have a nice falafel alternative.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Nah what im looking fwd to is fighting through all the dingbats out the front trying to hand me shite.
how many trees get pulped at election time
How to vote .
I KNOW HOW TO VOTE, been doing it for over 20 bloody years.
Heard a funny one this morn at work. Somebody swears that if you follow Mark Lathams suggestion to only get your name ticked off and not actually vote. well this guy reckons if you do that, your vote automatically goes to Labor as the incumbant party in office.
he reckons its a con by Mark Latham and the Labor party to get your vote.
well it is the race to the bottom
my guessis we are there
'Hi sir, I'm Paul Fletcher liberal candidate for Bradfield nice to meet you, thanks for coming out and voting today'
Um, onya bike.
Sydney 14/02/2003
Sydney 07/11/2006
Sydney 18/11/2006
Sydney 22/11/2009
EV Sydney 18/03/2011
EV Sydney 19/03/2011
EV Sydney 20/03/2011
Melbourne 24/01/2014
Sydney 26/01/2014
EV Sydney 13/02/2014
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say