[knighthawk]

Ping

[corkoman]

Maybe they can put a picture of Mao on the Aussie dollar?

[DoughtyOne]

During the campaign Mr Rudd, who speaks fluent Mandarin and has lived in China...

Oh wonderful.

[cripplecreek]

Australia has a queen?

[Ingtar]

So long Australia.

[RightWhale]

Can we run this through Babelfish so the political terms are in proper American? Republican seems to have a different connotation than we can adapt to even with Republicans acting like spend-crazy Democrats.

[SevenofNine]

Hey Aussie Freepers is this true???

[yoe]

He said yesterday that he would withdraw Australian troops from Iraq and ratify the Kyoto pact on climate change.

Hang onto your seats Mates, your grand/proud country is in for a helluvaride.

[Barney Gumble]

Australia will keep the monarchy until at least the Queen dies. She is still liked there by many. It will be a voter turnout problem for the republicans. There is also some benefits of being in the Commonwealth that the Aussies won’t want to readily give up.

[Old Sarge]

Is this Oz, or Looking-Glass Land?

[Brilliant]

I suspect that Rudd will get the rug pulled out from under him. He comes in at a time when the economy is booming. He’s got no where to go but down.

[Red_Devil 232]

What in the world were they thinking when they voted for this guy?

Oooops ... I bet they asked the same question when we elected Clinton I. I hope they are dissapointed when we reject Clinton II!

[DoughtyOne]

I would hope the good people of Australia would blanch at this separation from the queen notion. The day will come in the not too distant future when Australia had better have solid ties to Britain and the U.S. Unless Australia wants to become China’s upcoming satellite, it better pull it’s head out.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Those pesky republicans!

[unixfox]

After they banned guns what else did they expect?

[rocksblues]

Mr Rudd has three children and is independently wealthy because of the business success of his wife, Therese Rein, the founder of the Ingeus empire which bids for contracts to assist disabled people back into work.

JFnK jr?

PS First with it's Bush's fault!

[Gay State Conservative]

Sounds like Australians have elected their own Dennis Kucinich.

[Cacique]

I have never believed in MONARCHIES. They are rarefied welfare recipients on the permanent dole at the expense of the taxpayer. They have no place in the 21st century. I might also add that we as Americans and especially conservative “republicans” with a small “r” should begin in earnest to export the ideology and principles of our founding fathers. For far too long we have imported the failed ideas of others. It’s time to fight back, the cultural and ideological war is just as important as the one we fight with bullets and bombs. We cannot afford to win on one front and yet lose on the other.

[Constitution Day]

[GreenLanternCorps]

To amend the Australian constitution to make Australian a republic, the measure must:

1. Pass a majority of States (4 out of 6)

2. Pass a majority of the whole number of voters nationwide.

Here are the votes in 2000:

States, must win 4

New South Wales - 46.43%

Victoria - 49.84%

Queensland - 37.44%

Western Australia - 41.48%

South Australia - 43.57%

Tasmania - 40.37%

Territories, national vote only:

Australian Capital Territory - 63.27%

Northern Territory - 48.77%

National total - 45.13%

The republicans “might” be able to get a nationwide majority if they run up the numbers in Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory. (Canberra, whose votes only count in the nationwide vote, not the state vote.)

The question is can the republicans get four states? In 1999 they didn’t top 50% in any of them.

I’m wondering in 2010 if they will do much better?