subject: 2010 Australian Federal Elections In A Nutshell [print this page] For those closely observing Australia, current events items will probably center the most one the upcoming federal elections. And with the Australian public heading to the polling precincts on Aug. 21, the scene will likely be closely monitored more in the coming weeks. However, even at this point in time, a lot of people in and out of the country are still a bit confused as to whats really going on with regards to the elections.
And so, for those who want to know more, heres quick look at the upcoming elections and all the issues that surround it. For starters, the election was called for by current Prime Minister Julia Gillard last July 17. Further back, Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister last June. It should be noted that, since Australia has a parliamentary form of government, the Prime Minister has the power to call for election anytime that he or she feels the need for it.
So why is Gillard calling this one so early on her administration? While there are many reasons being posited by a lot of election experts, there is one in particular that is considered to be the topmost. According to several political analysts, Gillard intends to capitalize on her, and the Labor Partys, current popularity in the opinion polls. It should be noted that Gillard challenged Rudd to a confidence vote within the party earlier. However, Rudd decided to step down instead after seeing his declining popularity on the polls. Rudd was supposed to be the one running for the coming election.
On the other hand, Tony Abbott and the and the Liberal Party intends to use to opportunity to get hold of the government once again. The last time the Liberal Party (or the Coalition, as it is often referred to)was the ruling party was under the leadership of John Howard. The Howard administration was a rather lengthy one, running from 1996 to 2007.
With the elections heating up, there are several issues that have become central points of discussion between the contending parties. One of the biggest here is with regards to health issues. Both parties have presented their proposals in dealing with the countrys health issues and are hoping that these will give them the leverage that they will need for the election.
Another big issue that the two groups are hotly debating on is with regards to immigration. Gillard seeks to introduce a so called sustainable population policy. On the other hand, Abbott intends to pursue a significant reduction in the immigration numbers. He also want to implement stricter means to control the flow of asylum seekers into the country,
Though these are still pretty much campaign platforms, these will likely affect the decision of many in the elections. And this is the one a lot of people will be closely watching.
