AK's Australian Election Series - 1988 (Includes Referendum)
       |           

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 07:12:56 PM
News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more

  Talk Elections
  General Politics
  Individual Politics (Moderator: The Dowager Mod)
  AK's Australian Election Series - 1988 (Includes Referendum)
« previous next »
Pages: [1]
Poll
Question: Go!
#1
Progress
 
#2
National Country
 
#3
Labor
 
#4
Australia Party
 
#5
Communist
 
#6
Natural Law
 
#7
Patriotic Front
 
#8
Referendum - YES
 
#9
Referendum - NO
 
Show Pie Chart
Partisan results

Total Voters: 32

Calculate results by number of options selected
Author Topic: AK's Australian Election Series - 1988 (Includes Referendum)  (Read 1142 times)
Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends
Anton Kreitzer
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,167
Australia


Political Matrix
E: 8.00, S: 3.11

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« on: October 31, 2014, 11:12:44 AM »

With more than 7 out of 10 Australian voters backing self-government for the ACT, including a large portion of Progress and NCP voters, PM Singleton was somewhat embarrassed by the result, although addressed the nation with “The people of Australia have spoken, and residents of our nation’s capital territory will now be granted additional self-governing powers". The first ACT Assembly elections were due within one year, and the method of election was a modified d'Hondt method of proportional representation. Eventually, an election was held in August of 1986, and Labor's Rosemary Follett became the first Chief Minister of the ACT.

With this blunder, PM Singleton called a party meeting on the 4th of December 1985 – he stated he would resign as PM on Australia Day 1986, although not his seat, to "avoid the expense and inconvenience of an unnecessary by-election", in his own words. Soon enough, the quest for a new leader, and thus PM, began. Contenders included Treasurer John Hyde from Western Australia, Foreign Minister Andrew Peacock, from Victoria and Employment Minister, Victoria's Peter  Reith. The vote proved to be divisive - Peacock missed out on finishing in the top two, and Reith prevailed in the runoff against Hyde. A day later, NCP leader Doug Anthony announced he was resigning as leader, effective Australia Day 1986, citing "a need for generational change, and it's time for a new bearer of rural Australian values". The NCP leadership election was much smoother, despite a threat from Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen to run. Defence Minister Ian Sinclair won the leadership contest against Ralph Hunt.

After the "changing of the guard", as the media referred to it, new PM Peter Reith and Deputy PM Ian Sinclair were ready to enter 1986 with more reforms - the sale of both QANTAS and Telecom, more tax reductions, and a proposal for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, to be put to the people at the next election in a referendum. The last of these policies was inspired by UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a strong ideological colleague of both PM Reith and his predecessor, John Singleton.

Although new Deputy PM Sinclair was very much an outspoken social conservative, this was not enough to satisfy the likes of Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and many in the Queensland branch of the NCP. On the 6th of June, 1986, the anniversary of the founding of Queensland as a colony, Bjelke-Petersen announced the creation of a new far-right party, called the Patriotic Front, or Joh's Patriotic Front for campaign purposes. Bjelke-Petersen, at the party's launch stated that "anyone who truly cares about Australia's future should join this new force".

The QANTAS privatisation bill passed the House of Representatives easily, and ended up passing the Senate following the approval of three Australia Party Senators. Telecom's privatisation proposal called for splitting it amongst different shareholders, to turn it into multiple companies, and thus serve the people better, as PM Reith put it. This was one of the most divisive privatisation proposals yet in any government since 1976, many in the NCP opposed it, citing it would "ruin telecommunications in rural Australia". As a compromise, it was decided to deregulate the telecommunications market, so private companies could better compete alongside Telecom for customers and cable alike.

By the end of 1986, inflation was a low 1%, and unemployment was still around 4%. Australia was seemingly reaping the benefits of the 1980s global economic boom, and early 1987 saw a major international sporting setback for Australia, when the US took back the America's Cup, which Australia won back in 1983. Most of the remainder of 1987, aside from a well overdue Welcome Home parade for Australians who served in Vietnam during the 1964-70 period, was rather ordinary politically. Also, a nasty massacre, which saw a 19-year-old former Army cadet, Julian Wright, kill seven and injure 19, occurred in August of 1987.

October the 21st, 1987 would forever be known as Black Monday to all shareholders in Australia. Australian stocks declined by a massive 40% by the end of the month. Treasurer John Hyde, along with economists and treasures from many nations, convened in Washington DC in December of 1987 to discuss what to do. Ultimately, interest rates were raised in Australia and other nations, in a squeeze to get the economy back on track. While unemployment went up slightly, employment and inflation were not terribly affected, although purchasing power of the dollar was down significantly, one Australian dollar only bough 57 US cents, as opposed to 79 cents back in September of 1987.

1988 witnessed Australia's bicentennial celebrations kick off right from Day One - TV special Australia Live saw the nation into its third century, Australia Day witnessed a reenactment of the First Fleet arriving into Sydney Harbour, and Brisbane held World Expo 88 in April, helping to display Australia to the world in a big way. Although there were some indigenous protests against the First Fleet reenactment, and a land rights march, where 40,000 people, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike took to the streets of Sydney, the Bicentenary celebrations were warmly received by the majority of Australians, and the new Sydney Football Stadium and Darling Harbour were also completed in 1988, and major upgrades to the nation's highways began to take place.

An election and a  referendum question have been called for the 7th of May, 1988.

Party platforms at this election:

Progress Party – Prime Minister Peter Reith and the Progress Party are running on their record over the past few years, all the way back to the election of the Fraser Government in 1976, and their methods of keeping Australia afloat since the 1987 stock market crash, without the excessive stimuli that Labor are proposing. The Progress Party’s 1988 slogan is “Australia - The New Land of Opportunity”.

National Country Party – Deputy Prime Minister Ian Sinclair and the National Country Party are campaigning on their track record of government, traditional NCP-style social conservatism and their proof that they can govern and still be independent, particularly over the privatisation of Telecom. The NCP's 1988 slogan is "Representing Australia's Cornerstone".

Labor Party – Opposition Leader Bob Hawke and Labor are continuing to call for the creation of a National Disaster Fund, and are also running on the abolition of the Australian Privy Council, a commitment to keeping Telecom publicly owned, higher taxes on wealthy Australians, more funding for health, higher family benefits for the working classes, stimulus to aid the aftermath of the 1987 Black Tuesday crash, and more assistance to the handicapped. Labor’s slogan for 1988 is “Give Your Neighbour a Helping Hand”.

Australia Party – Don Chipp and the Australia Party are running once again as a centrist alternative, and their moderation of the government's agenda, namely on taxes and Telecom. In response to Joh's Patriotic Front, Chipp has stated that "a true Australian patriot would not vote for such a backwards, racist, authoritarian thug such as Bjelke-Petersen", and went on to point out that there is room in Australia for intellectualism in politics. The Australia Party's 1988 slogan is " A Rational Party for Rational People".

Communist Party – Eric Aarons and the Communists, while still running very much on a communist platform, appear to have adopted some of Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika, at least in their method of advertising. Aarons has stated that should the party's vote dip below their 1985 result of 3.7%, he will resign as leader. The Communist slogan for 1988 is "Perestroika for Australia".

Natural Law Party - Bob Brown and the Natural Law Party are continuing to  campaigni on an immediate reversal of the decision to build nuclear power plants, halting all privatisations, raising taxes on petrol, blocking developments on the Great Barrier Reef, reforming the voting system for Commonwealth politics, nationwide recognition of homosexuality, and a gradual phasing out of logging.The Natural Law Party's 1988 slogan is "A Greener Future".

Patriotic Front - Former Premier of Queensland Joh Bjelke-Petersen and his new party are running on a far-right platform, including a halt to immigration in Australia, until the "numbers are suitably controlled", a nationwide ban on homosexuality, re-institution of the death penalty, a return to more protectionism, particularly in manufacturing and agriculture, while retaining some of the more pro-business elements instituted under Fraser, Singleton and Reith, a complete ban of trade unions, and repeal of all land rights legislation. Joh's Patriotic Front's inaugural slogan is "Save Australia Before It's Too Late".

Referendum question:

"Do you support the proposed amendment to the Constitution, which would commit the Government to spend no more than it raises in revenue?"

Voting is open for 72 hours as per usual.

Me: Progress and YES.
Logged
Cassius
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,591


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2014, 12:08:53 PM »

Joh for Canberra!
Logged
TNF
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 13,440


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2014, 12:13:29 PM »

Communist / No
Logged
Cranberry
TheCranberry
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,501
Austria


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2014, 12:40:04 PM »

Great this is back! Smiley

Naturally Natural Law Wink
No
Logged
H. Ross Peron
General Mung Beans
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 9,406
Korea, Republic of


Political Matrix
E: -6.58, S: -1.91

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2014, 12:53:52 PM »

Labour/No
Logged
ElectionsGuy
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 21,107
United States


Political Matrix
E: 7.10, S: -7.65

P P
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2014, 03:09:31 PM »

Progress and Yes
Logged
Goldwater
Republitarian
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 18,063
United States


Political Matrix
E: 1.55, S: -4.52

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2014, 03:20:47 PM »

Logged
BaconBacon96
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 2,678
Ireland, Republic of


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2014, 03:26:41 PM »

Australia Party and No.
Logged
RogueBeaver
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 20,058
Canada
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2014, 03:26:46 PM »

Logged
Atlas Has Shrugged
ChairmanSanchez
Atlas Superstar
*****
Posts: 38,096
United States


Political Matrix
E: 5.29, S: -5.04


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2014, 03:29:43 PM »

Logged
PPT Spiral
Spiral
Atlas Politician
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,522
Bosnia and Herzegovina


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2014, 04:19:57 PM »

Logged
Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends
Anton Kreitzer
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,167
Australia


Political Matrix
E: 8.00, S: 3.11

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2014, 06:26:24 PM »


I'm guessing you voted Patriotic Front?


I'm glad it's back too, and to think we're almost into the 1990s in this series!
Logged
Cranberry
TheCranberry
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,501
Austria


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #12 on: November 01, 2014, 04:01:48 AM »


I'm glad it's back too, and to think we're almost into the 1990s in this series!

You surely did a great job!
Logged
Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends
Anton Kreitzer
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,167
Australia


Political Matrix
E: 8.00, S: 3.11

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #13 on: November 01, 2014, 04:15:20 AM »


I'm glad it's back too, and to think we're almost into the 1990s in this series!

You surely did a great job!

Thank you! Smiley
Logged
Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends
Anton Kreitzer
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,167
Australia


Political Matrix
E: 8.00, S: 3.11

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #14 on: November 02, 2014, 09:42:18 AM »

Bumping, with a reminder that voting closes in 25 hours and 18 minutes.
Logged
Supersonic
SupersonicVenue
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,162
United Kingdom


Political Matrix
E: 4.90, S: 0.35

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #15 on: November 02, 2014, 09:55:46 AM »

Progress and No
Logged
Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends
Anton Kreitzer
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,167
Australia


Political Matrix
E: 8.00, S: 3.11

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #16 on: November 03, 2014, 07:34:05 AM »

Only a few more hours until polls close!
Logged
Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends
Anton Kreitzer
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,167
Australia


Political Matrix
E: 8.00, S: 3.11

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #17 on: November 03, 2014, 11:00:20 AM »

Voting is now closed, thank you all for your participation.
Logged
Pages: [1]  
« previous next »
Jump to:  


Login with username, password and session length

Terms of Service - DMCA Agent and Policy - Privacy Policy and Cookies

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Page created in 0.058 seconds with 14 queries.