Transitions

This week marks our 8th month in Perth. We celebrated by purchasing a car and getting Australian Driver's licenses. Not exactly, but we did recently become the proud owners of a gray 2008 Ford Fiesta complete with automatic transmission, in mint condition, and low mileage. Ignoring the fact that all the kids now drive nicer cars than we do, Vince especially likes that the turn signals are on the left side of the steering column, just like in the states. No more windshield wipers going when he's trying to make a turn!

The car purchase is necessary because we are about to switch from expat status to the local payroll, which is bringing about all kinds of changes. We're giving up some benefits in exchange for others, so we had to give up the Hyundai i30. I'm happy to say that in the Ford Fiesta I have not bumped into a single post, nor have I ever scraped the car while parking. Some interesting facts about driving and car insurance in Western Australia.

• Australia has compulsory third party insurance which you must pay to the government when you register your car.
• If you have an accident and you are found to have been drinking alcohol, your insurance company will not pay damages for you or the other party.
• The same thing applies if you have been "driving recklessly," e.g. texting or talking on a cell phone, etc.
• Police can (and frequently do) conduct random breathalyser tests on any driver they suspect of "drink driving." If you refuse, you go to jail.

Strict stuff, but there are a lot fewer accidents here than in Texas and California. Maybe they should try it in the U.S. too.
 
It's taking a while to furnish the apartment. IKEA has become my new best friend, although I laughed the first time friends suggested it. Furniture, like many things, is outrageously expensive here. We've found some bargains though, mostly from departing expat families who either have too much furniture to ship to their new destination or don't want to take it home with them.  We now have a proper computer desk and a very cool wall shelving unit full of large cubes which hold baskets and other neat storage containers. This is the stuff that blows my hair back -- finding a place for everything and everything in its place. My boxes of scrapbook stuff now have proper homes and I might actually finish a few of them this year :-)

And the weather is changing a bit. It's getting a little warmer, the days are getting a little longer and to Vince's great joy, the first blueberries have appeared in supermarkets. It has been one of the dryest winters Western Australia has seen in some years, and folks are worried about the crops, but there are 2 months left of rainy season, so sit may work out. Encouraged by the sunny days, I am already thinking about what to do in warm weather. On my list are sailing lessons, tennis, and having "shrimp on the barbie."

Australian Politics

Australia is having a General (national) Election in two weeks. The campaigning period has been short and it's a close race. I'm not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed to learn that Australian politics can be just as confusing, underhanded and interesting as the American version.

In early May the Labor government introduced a 40% "supertax" on the profits of mining companies, which angered executives and unions across the country, but especially those in Western Australia where there's an enormous mining boom going on. WA residents are none too happy about paying out the bulk of the $12 Billion this tax would generate. In response to this action, mining industry folks aired some very clever TV and radio commercials featuring average Aussies. They're worried about a potential  mining industry collapse, job losses and mining customers going to other countries because Australian goods would become too expensive.  Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister and head of the Labor Party wouldn't budge on the tax, and the party's popularity plummeted. Panicked Labor Party leaders met in secret to figure out how to fix the problem. On June 24th Australia awoke to headlines that Kevin Rudd had been ousted in a coup and that Deputy Leader Julia Gillard had become Australia's first female Prime Minister. The vote took place very late the night before, surprising everyone, including Kevin Rudd. It worked. Julia Gillard immediately spoke of compromise with the miners and the poll numbers picked up again. After only 3 weeks in office, Julia Gillard called a General Election, to take advantage of the honeymoon period and the improved opinion of the Labor Party.


However... the opposition leads by a small margin, which they have held onto for most of the campaign. There has much talk but no action on reducing the Supertax, which is not impressing the mining industry who are traditional Labor supporters. We've seen the usual finger pointing, charges of dirty tricks, the debates, and promises of good things to come if so-and-so is elected. Individual races for MP (Member of Parliament) are especially important because Australians do not elect a President. The leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament becomes the Prime Minister. So... depending on how the election goes, Julia Gillard could become Australia's first elected female Prime Minister or the shortest-tenured one, and the Liberal Party could win back the leadership they lost in 2007, making their leader Tony Abbott the next Prime Minister.

Keeping facts straight is a bit of a challenge because Party names don't mean the same here as they do in the US. The Labor party is the left-leaning one, and the Liberals are more to the right. Julia Gillard has crafted an image of a centrist moderate, but she's an atheist (wouldn't put her hand on the Bible for her swearing-in oath), unmarried (lives with her "partner") and has no children. She was once secretary of the group Socialist Forum, and a helped found Emily's List, a group which raises money to help elect pro-choice women to Parliament. Not so average or moderate, actually. Tony Abbott, leader of the oppostion Liberal party, isn't liberal at all. He is a Roman Catholic and once studied for the priesthood (his political enemies called him "the mad monk") and is now married with 3 children. He holds degrees in Law (as does Gillard) and Economics, and began his career as a journalist.

I have the luxury of being entertained by all this because I cannot vote and our stay here is temporary. Still, if the supertax goes through there will be economic repercussions which could negatively impact the oil and gas industry, which is a bit worrisome.Here are some interesting facts about the Australian voting system.

--> Government is dominated by two main parties: Labour and Liberal. Labour is liberal and Liberal is conservative. The Liberal party is also known as The Coalition because it incorporates some other parties which have fewer than 5 members.
--> The Green party is the largest "minor" party. Minority parties often hold the balance of power in Parliament.
--> Although Australia is an independent nation, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is also formally Queen of Australia. 
--> Elections are frequent. They must be held within 3 years of the first meeting of a new Parliament.
-->  All citizens over the age of 18 must vote in both federal and state government elections. Failure to do so may result in a fine or prosecution. (What a great idea!)

The election will be held on Saturday, August 21st. One way or another, history will be made that day.