Australia 2010 Federal Election: Cliffhanger Down Under! Hung parliament? Both parties have promised no new net spending in the campaign

Because of the time difference between Sydney and Miami, plus 14 hours, one more hour than D.C. to Tokyo, http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ this nail-biter of an election is even harder to follow than most because you also have to make mental calculations for each report you see and figure out how many hours ago it was actually reported in Miami time.
(Insert your own joke here!)

In case you didn't know, voting there is compulsory for every citizen over 18.

I am very hopeful to be talking to the Hallandale Beach Blog Australia 'expert' in a few days and will of course report her pithy and insightful comments here as soon as possible.

ten News: It's A Cliffhanger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNyebP_UCwo



Latest ten News video is at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ten

http://www.smh.com.au/

SMH Live Election blog: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/the-pulse

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Christian Science Monitor
Australian election is set to be closest in decades
Australian election analysts are forecasting the closest contest in decades, and say 'grumpy' voters may produce Australia’s first hung parliament since 1940.
By Kathy Marks, Correspondent
August 20, 2010

Sydney
Six months ago, the Australian Labor Party was basking in popularity and Kevin Rudd’s government seemed headed for an easy election win. Now his successor, Julia Gillard, will count herself lucky to scrape back into power with a tiny majority in Saturday’s federal election.

Most recent opinion polls have Labor and the opposition coalition – the conservative Liberal Party and its rural-based ally, the National Party – neck and neck.

Political analysts are forecasting the closest contest in decades, and say there is a real prospect of Australia’s first hung parliament since 1940.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/0820/Australian-election-is-set-to-be-closest-in-decades

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Sydney Morning News
Behind the election stoush, the big issues they quietly agreed on
By Peter Hartcher, SMN Political Editor
August 21, 2010

Elections define nations. This one has already redefined Australia even before the first vote is counted. Indeed, the most important changes could well be the ones that aren't actually on the ballot paper but have already been agreed through political osmosis.

The main political parties entered the campaign with four big, freshly agreed points of concurrence, areas of bipartisan consensus for changes that will shape Australia's destiny for years.

For the first time since 1947, Australia has abandoned its bipartisan consensus in favour of a “big Australia.”

Read the rest of the column at: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/behind-the-election-stoush-the-big-issues-they-quietly-agreed-on-20100820-138v9.html


Reuters, August 21, 2010
Australia faces hung parliament



Christian Science Monitor homepage: http://www.csmonitor.com/