# Australian Federal Election: 7th September \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 30, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772 "2013-01-30T03:13:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/101 "2013-08-24T10:08:37Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > So… No-one’s got any thoughts on the election, which is now in a fortnight? Well firstly it going to be closer than if Gillard hadn’t been rolled. So the Labor hardnuts will think they are ahead. The initial bump that Ruddster got was (IMHO) largely due to two factors. There was lingering sentiment about him getting the rough end of the pineapple last time and secondly it was the return of the Rudd that the long country swooned over when he was initially given the keys to the Lodge. Then they started to remember how that sound masked an absence of substance and disfunction. So the wire brush we were going to take to his government last election has been dusted off and is ready for redeployment. There is now a second poll putting him in danger of losing his seat of Griffith (which is Labor’s safest seat). Now that be hog heaven for the Labor hardnuts, though it would be a tad unfortunate for Labor’s heir apparent Bill Shorten (whose 11th hour flip to Rudd was the death knell for Gillard). Provided the Abbott keeps his head down and his mouth shut he’ll win in a canter.Even if he doesn’t he’ll win. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/102 "2013-08-24T10:14:01Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Kevin Rudd is simply too stupid to be allowed to hold power. He announced a new tax on bank deposits to create a nest egg to pay for any future bank bailout - a nest egg that would take eighty years just to pay for the damage caused by the announcement. Could you elaborate? I Googled “Rudd bank eighty” and found nothing relevant. I’d like to read a more detailed analysis. Do you have a link? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/103 "2013-08-24T11:13:11Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > Could you elaborate? I Googled “Rudd bank eighty” and found nothing relevant. I’d like to read a more detailed analysis. Do you have a link? [This](http://www.afr.com/p/national/bank_deposits_taxed_for_bailout_AKvDLh8Z36mmzu3VQ2lhVJ) is what I’m talking about. Rudd wants a 0.05% tax on all bank deposits, to set aside half a billion dollars per year in case the banks need a bailout. The announcement made the banks’ shares drop in value by forty billion. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/104 "2013-08-24T11:42:57Z")
There was a 1.5% drop in the big 4’s share prices upon the announcement, which doesn’t seem to have had an ongoing impact. NAB and Westpac are both above their pre-announcement value, Commbank has been but has dipped below again, and is currently on an upward trend. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/105 "2013-08-24T12:39:48Z")
But may their shares have rebounded because it appears that Kevin Rudd will not be PM anyway? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/106 "2013-08-24T12:42:18Z")
In fact may not even be a member of parliament. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/107 "2013-08-24T13:06:57Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > In fact may not even be a member of parliament. True, but that’s become more obvious this week, not at the start of the month when the share prices began regaining their briefly lost ground. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/108 "2013-08-24T13:17:40Z")
And the answer to the previous, non-joke, post? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/109 "2013-08-25T07:51:19Z")
Have Labor said who’s going to be PM in the event they win the election but not Rudd’s seat? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/110 "2013-08-25T11:15:20Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Have Labor said who’s going to be PM in the event they win the election but not Rudd’s seat? Have they said who’s going to be PM if they win the election and Rudd holds his seat? I’m pretty sure that, since many of the current members hate Rudd and only reinstalled him to protect their seats, even if he wins there will be a concerted move to knife him. Of course there is no precedent for such an event is there? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/111 "2013-08-25T16:46:31Z")
Discussions of Australian politics these days seem to use the word “unprecedented” a lot. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/112 "2013-08-25T19:14:30Z")
I thought the unprecedented happened back in 1975 when the Governor-General Sir John Kerr removed the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party. What more “unprecedented” things happened since then? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/113 "2013-08-25T21:28:51Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Have Labor said who’s going to be PM in the event they win the election but not Rudd’s seat? Normally when that happens in a Westminster system a backbencher in a safe seat resigns ASAP; in the interim the PM governs from outside Parliament. Of course that’s assuming the PM can retain control of his party. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/114 "2013-08-25T23:08:01Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Normally when that happens in a Westminster system a backbencher in a safe seat resigns ASAP; in the interim the PM governs from outside Parliament. Of course that’s assuming the PM can retain control of his party. Australia has a time limit for governing from outside Parliament. Ministerial appointments expire after three months if the minister doesn’t find a way in. The government also seems to have no direct control over by-election scheduling, but I don’t know if that would usually happen within three months anyways or not. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/115 "2013-08-25T23:28:16Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I’m pretty sure that, since many of the current members hate Rudd and only reinstalled him to protect their seats, even if he wins there will be a concerted move to knife him. Alas, the “Rudd as leader for life” amendment requiring a caucus super-majority of 75% to trigger a future leadership spill would probably put the kybosh on that. It’s be a ball tearer though, what!!! As to a Labor PM in the case of a electoral win with a Rudd loss, you could follow the trail of footprints in blood to Bill Shorten’s office. > [@](#): > > I thought the unprecedented happened back in 1975 when the Governor-General Sir John Kerr removed the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam Even a cursory review of the public record will show there has been more than one unprecedented event in a century of national determination, and equally it’s not as if vice-regal intervention was unprecedented when Kerr acted. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/116 "2013-08-26T03:59:12Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Rudd wants a 0.05% tax on all bank deposits, to set aside half a billion dollars per year in case the banks need a bailout. The announcement made the banks’ shares drop in value by forty billion. This is just silly. Publically traded shares lose value in the very short term if the chairman sneezes. Extrapolating from that to a statement that certain “damage” has been caused that will have to be paid for is a bad joke. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/117 "2013-08-27T06:41:17Z")
Looks like I’ll be supporting Rudd and the Labour Party in this election. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/118 "2013-08-27T07:23:03Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Looks like I’ll be supporting Rudd and the Labour Party in this election. My understanding is that you’re not an Australian citizen or even resident, and not old enough to vote even if you were, though? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/119 "2013-08-27T09:28:25Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Alas, the “Rudd as leader for life” amendment requiring a caucus super-majority of 75% to trigger a future leadership spill would probably put the kybosh on that. It’s be a ball tearer though, what!!! Ah no, they are smarter than that. The Labor Caucus “approved” Rudd’s amendments and they will become effective, but only after the ALP national conference, expected to be convened in 2014, actually votes on them. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772/120 "2013-08-27T12:48:47Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Looks like I’ll be supporting Rudd and the Labour Party in this election. How about trying out the Australian [Vote Compass](http://www.abc.net.au/votecompass/) before applying preconcieved notions? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-federal-election-7th-september-edited-title/648772.md?page=7)