---

@katydidthat wrote:
The thing that many of ARE being swamped by is the rhetoric from the major political parties. I can't work out if it's a conspiracy or a competition.

---

That's it, sadly.

We have become a bunch of nasty people thanks to the shock jocks, in media and parliament.

---

@freakiness wrote:

The point is we are not getting swamped.

All the people that arrived by boat since Labor have been in office would not fill the MCG seats.

 

We are not being over run or swamped by refugees.

---

No we are not (although Hanson would tell us so).

 

We have but a trickle compared to the rest of the world.  There are some countries (Italy?) which have 10,000 per week crossing their borders.

 

Freaki, I agree. When I moved to Australia, Fraser was PM and he was seen as rather right wing ... now, he's supporting the Greens. I guess that shows how far right BOTH the major political parties have moved.

Allie, I think Hanson is sooooooo responsible for the swing to the right. When I arrived here, it seemed to me like Australia really wanted to overcome the racial issues of the past. Then Hanson showed that racist attitudes won elections ... Howard bought into that instead of opposing her views ... now the ALP is, too.

Breaks my heart.

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

 

But I agree about Hanson Young. Actually the Greens have lost the plot since the brilliant Bob Brown left.

---

I like Peter Whish Wilson who took over Bob Brown's Senate Spot.

Christine Milne is not so good at selling policies.

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

 

But I agree about Hanson Young. Actually the Greens have lost the plot since the brilliant Bob Brown left.

---

I like Peter Whish Wilson who took over Bob Brown's Senate Spot.

Christine Milne is not so good at selling policies.

I think Bob Brown was one of those incredibly talented politicians (like Paul Keating or Bob Hawke), he had the knack of saying something that sounded like plain common sense.

---

@katydidthat wrote:
I think Bob Brown was one of those incredibly talented politicians (like Paul Keating or Bob Hawke), he had the knack of saying something that sounded like plain common sense.

---

Yes, but he was getting a bit out of touch. 

I prefer PWW aka Senator Surfer and I do get to vote for him.

Surfer? I thought he was a country boy?

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

Surfer? I thought he was a country boy?

---

http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F07...

 

As a passionate surfer, my deepest and most enduring bond is with the ocean. We are truly a nation girt by sea. I love our Australian and wild Tasmanian coastlines and I have been fortunate enough to have visited and surfed most of the world’s oceans. I feel happiest when I am in the sea. It is also a place that I have been humbled, stared down my deepest fears, and where I feel my strongest connection with the forces and majesty of nature. Many surfers, divers, and fishermen share that same connection. In fact, we all share an important bond with the ocean. It is integral to sustaining life on this planet. And the ocean keeps giving, and we keep taking.

 

 

The link is to his maiden speech. It's a good read.

We don't have a trickle when compared to Japan