For One Who's Come Across the Seas

I had a rather interesting visitor this past week. My cousin Laura, who has been teaching English in South Korea for the past 5.5 years, paid me a visit. She stayed most of the week in Canberra and I managed to show her around. She seemed rather impressed with Australia and said repeatedly that she plans to return. Her time in Korea runs out in February and after some travelling she'll be taking up some sort of position, teaching again I think, in Pakistan.

Laura arrived last Monday in what turned out to be a very odd week weather-wise. The whole of the week was quite cold and cloudy whereas Canberra usually has at least a few sunny days per week. It was windy, rainy and even had a touch of wet snow. At any event, because of my rather hectic schedule Laura took in many of the sights by herself but made some friends along the way I understand. We did get to see one attraction together and that was Old Parliament House.

Not too far from New Parliament House is the Old, or Provisional, Parliament House. From 1927-1988 this was the seat of Australia's government. Built rather hastily in the art deco style, Old Parliament House was originally supposed to be Parliament's home for a few years until the permanent structure was built. However, the Great Depression and World War Two prevented construction and Old Parliament House served its role until 1988. In 1927 there were 300 people working in the edifice (including politicians, journalists, political staff and building staff) but by 1988 that number had increased to 3 000 and the building simply couldn't cope with the numbers.

Old Parliament House is now the Australian Museum of Democracy and I took Laura there because it wasn't too far away and I'd never been there myself --- and we were both pleasantly surprised. Recently refurbished, the interior, while left mostly in its original state, is now full of interactive displays about the history of Australian democracy. Laura and I wandered through the building which was fairly empty given that it was late afternoon and marvelled at it. The Prime Minister's office I found particularly interesting given the near-street level windows that would now make for a security nightmare and the spy hole that the PM's secretary could use to make sure he was alright. Because Laura and I were more or less the only ones there, we got something of a private tour of a section of Old Parliament House.

The one thing I truly remarked about Old Parliament House was how cozy it felt. Because it was meant to be temporary, it was never built to a grand size, like Canada's Centre Block, which can have a cold sterile feel about it, especially given that it's made of stone. Old Parliament House, on the other hand, has a sort of organic quality and walking through the narrow halls you get a sense of belonging or something. Unfortunately it was too late in the day to thoroughly explore every nook and cranny but I plan to come back once I have more free time to really explore Old Parliament House. Given the history that has been made therein, I think it's one of Canberra's great treasures.

A few days later, Laura left for Sydney on a weekend trip to have a tour of the Opera House and take in a concert. When she got back, she could not help but rave at the experience although she did say that she would prefer to live in a small city like Canberra. Quite early this morning Laura flew out to return to Korea but I imagine that this trip has only whet her appetite for Australia. She would not be alone if that is the case as many have succumbed to the same feeling.

The other news worthy of report is that there is still no decision as to who will form the next government. The Labor Party has 73 seats (thanks to the one Green Party member), the Liberal Party has 73 seats (thanks to its coalition) meaning that the fate of Australia now rests in the hands of 4 independent members. Talks between them and both large factions are currently underway but so far no resolution. Let's hope they sort themselves out soon.

150

For my 150th blog post, I have quite a bit to report on. As it happens, it falls on the night of a very important Australian election and the 150 members of the House of Representatives are seeking office. It's also a test of the Labor Party's policies and the results are very exciting.

First of all, some other news. I read that the US has ended its combat operations in Iraq. We'll see what this means in the future and what the consequences of America's actions will be. After 7.5 years in Iraq, only history will tell what impact the Americans had on the country. Contrary to many predictions, Iraq has not descended into civil war and hopefully it was not only the Americans' presence that prevented it. While there will still be support units in the, Operation Iraqi Freedom (they've got to come up with more imaginative names) has concluded and this chapter of American history closes; let's see what the footnotes will say.

In health news, I got a massage for my stiff iliotibial band at umpire training. Every training session a physiotherapist comes in and offers massages to those who need them. To limber up my iliotibial band, I asked for one and it is an experience unlike any other, and not one which should be repeated. In order to loosen the band, pressure must be applied to it but in its stiff state, that causes considerable discomfort. The physio knew what she was doing and it did help but I really felt the pain. Next time, I think I'll just inject some drugs right into the band.

In lighter news, I got the chance to effect a Scottish accent in my criminal justice class. The lecturer asked for someone to do it to read out a passage by a Scottish author. No one put their hand up so I volunteered and I think I pulled it off. In truth, I did it better than I thought I would. Unfortunately there is no recording of this event.

The big news in Australia is, of course, the general election and what a night it has been. The final result is too close to call and will likely not be known for some weeks as there will be recounts and challenges. However, for the first time since World War 2, Australia will have a "hung" parliament, which means that no party has won a majority of seats. In my opinion, a better solution would be a hanged parliament. The predicted final tally in the House is the Liberal/National Party, 73 seats, the Labor Party, 72 seats, the Green Party, 1 seat and independents, 4 seats. This mess will take some time to sort out but until then, Julia Gillard will continue as Prime Minister. As you can see, the formation of the government will depend on how the independents and the Green Party members align themselves. An even more curious result would be a 75-75 split which would really liven things up.

This result has come about due to poor performance by the Labor Party in the 4-week election. Apparently they had a pretty disastrous 2nd and 3rd weeks and so that has hurt them. The Labor Party has lost something like 15 seats! The Labor Party was already in trouble due to declining polls, the ousting of PM Kevin Rudd, the mining supertax and the failure of the Emissions Trading Scheme (whatever that was). Also, it seems that they underestimated Tony Abbott, the Liberal/National Party leader, who was able to run a fairly effective campaign. I think the Labor Party could have secured a better result if they'd stuck to pointing out that they managed to keep Australia out of recession with their stimulus package and Australia has one of the best performing economies in the industrialized world.

This election has been remarkable for other reasons. The first Green Party member was elected for the district of Melbourne. A 20-year old from Queensland in poised to become the youngest ever MP. Also from Queensland, voters elected the first indigenous Australian Member of the House of Representatives. In general, there has also been a strong showing for the Green Party nation-wide and they will now hold the balance of power in the Senate, and to some extent in the House as well.

A few words, or as few as can reasonably be uttered, about the Australian electoral process. Australia's election system is nothing if not entertaining. In Australia, voting is compulsory and done on a preference system. On the ballot page you mark in order from 1-whatever the candidates whom you wish to elect. In other words, your first choice you mark "1", your second, "2", and so on, though you don't have to exhaust your choices. First, the 1 votes are counted and if no candidate has 50%+1 of the votes, then the 2 votes are counted and so on until a candidate has achieved a majority. While creative and, I think worthwhile, this system is very confusing to an outsider, as Bill Bryson noted. The analysis speaks of things like "1st Party Preference, "2 Party Preference" and the "swing". The swing is the easiest concept, it's the percentage change from the last election so that a swing of 5.8% to the Liberal/National Party (as happened in Queensland overall), means 5.8% more people voted for that party than the previous election. Still, if you're not in tune, Australian election banter quickly degenerates into what sounds like meaningless drivel, although it may actually be very astute observation. I'm ineligible to vote so, luckily, I don't have to know any of this.

Another peculiarity of the Australian election system is that all constituencies have proper names, and not just descriptive ones like Ottawa-South or Toronto-East. For example, I live in the electoral district of Fraser, and around the country there are Fraser, Bennelong, Sturt, Eden-Monaro, O'Connor, Durack, Lingiari, Werriwa and countless others. I think this is very clever on the part of Australians. Although perfectly functional, Canadian riding names are rather bland but Australians have spiced theirs up. I think Canada should seriously consider following the Australian example.

There is also the nerve-center of reporting, called the Tally Room. This is where all the results are sent through more or less as soon as their known. I'm not sure if there's something exactly similar in Canada although I do know that news agencies report the results and that individual political parties have something like it at their respective headquarters. I've been told that it can be quite the experience and I may have gone had I not been assigned a take-home exam on the subject of fiduciaries. If this is a hung parliament, then the next election might not be too far away anyway and I can visit the Tally Room then.

So who's going to be the Prime Minister? No one can as yet say. What is certain is that the Labor Party has been dealt a significant blow but, for the time being they remain in power. We'll see what happens over the coming weeks if a changing of the guard will be in order.

Moving on Up

I had a rather important day last Sunday --- I was appointed to umpire my first Division 2 game. In the ACTAFL there are several divisions, though we only umpire the 5 most senior ones. The division are, in increasing order of "importance", Division 4, Division 3, Under-18s, Division 2 and Division 1. The appointment is important for me because I am 1 step closer to umpiring at the AFL level. In Canberra, between Division 2 and the AFL there is only Division 1, although there may be other intermediary leagues. I don't know if I'll ever get to the highest level, though I would certainly like to try, but it is a good step. I'll have to see how I go in the playoffs to see if maybe next year I'll get a crack at Division 1.

Australians, especially Canberrans, have had a lot to cheer about recently. There has been quite a substantial amount of rain throughout the country easing the drought. While no one dares say that the drought is over, Canberra's water reservoir levels have surpassed 60%, which is a big deal in Canberra. Some analysts are optimistically predicting reservoir levels of 70-80% by year's end which would be amazing. This is as a result of increased rainfall combined with better water management techniques. As Amanda Marshall sang, "Let it rain!"

Also, my primary means of conveyance, my bicycle, is undergoing repairs at the moment. A few months back I had a bit of a spill in wet weather and I think it may have bent my rear wheel and hanger. At first the problem wasn't to bad but over the course of a few months the bend has just become too pronounced. The bent wheel also wore away the rear brakes which also have to be replaced. I think the hanger also became bent in that spill. There's not much that can be done other than getting those items repaired/replaced and just hoping that it doesn't happen again. I should get it back tomorrow good as new. I hope it doesn't need repairs for a while at least.

A Spot of Culture

About the only thing of interest that happened this week was the annual ANU Law Revue. This is a show put on by ANU law students that satirizes just about anything topical. Perennial favourites are impressions of professors and politicians, however anything particularly topical will also find its way into the Law Revue. I missed last year's and I was determined not to miss this year's and I'm glad I didn't. The Revue was exceedingly funny especially when it came to professors and politicians. I don't think I've ever seen a professor at the Revue but I think they should go. It's meant to be good humour and it really is. Some of the segments were a very funny video lampooning our Vice-Chancellor's decision to cut humanities programs, a simulated election rap-off, professors lamenting while singing that teaching students is too complicated (to Avril Lavigne's Complicated), Survivor: Christmas Island (where refugees are housed while being processed and a song about never being able to escape Canberra. I laughed very heartily as did the rest of the audience.

One thing the Law Revue must be substantially commended for is their inclusion of a High Court decision handed down just that day. As this was the second show, it means that the directors had to quickly come up with something and they did. It was really just a mention but well done nonetheless.

This particular High Court decision comes from something called the GetUp! Case. As I understand it, GetUp! is a citizen's group devoted to electoral awareness. In Australia being enrolled as an elector and voting and compulsory and it used to be the case that once the election was called, you had 7 days to enter yourself on the electoral roll. A few years ago, the Howard government changed the rules so that the electoral roll closed on the day the election was called. Why that was I'm not sure but this rule survived. However, some time ago GetUp! mounted a challenge to that law and the High Court agreed with them that it was unconstitutional. I haven't read the decision but it means that something like 100 000 voters are now eligible to enroll and vote. The analysis is that this may help the Labor and Green Parties but we'll have to see how it plays out.

Come to think of it, the election is only 2 weeks away. As of right now, I still think Julia Gillard will win but 2 weeks is a very long time in politics and in this war, there are no holds barred.

Legal Aid

The first 2 weeks of semester have gone by and I can't say that there is much to report. Tutorials begin Week 3 and run to the end of semester but so far there have been no assignments due and nothing will be due until mid-August which is when I have 1 or 2 mid-semester exams. It's just the slow process of learning.

I did meet with the person who's going to be my research supervisor at ACT Legal Aid, Matt O'Brien. He's a rather pleasant criminal attorney. We had a discussion about possible topics and he indicated that I should come back in a few days to sort everything out. This is part of the legal internship program which is essentially a research task. While I probably will have a work space at Legal Aid, it's not compulsory, but at least it will give me some experience in the field. Matt has also said that if I want to go to court I can, including observing interviews with clients and heading down to the cells. We'll see where this goes but I'm looking forward to working with some real lawyers.

Last Sunday I attended the final functions of the Landmark Country Football Carnival. The first was the Grand Final at Manuka Oval. Being an umpire, I had a free pass. The game was of high quality but Victoria Major was far too good for South Australia. I was hoping for a close game but it was a pretty wide margin. After the game, there was a function at the Ainslie Football Club where trophies were handed out. I went for a final get-together with my fellow umpires and for the free food. The carnival was really exciting and I enjoyed umpiring at a reasonably high level. It's just unfortunate that my tendon wouldn't let me finish off my last game, but I think it's paid off; next week I've been appointed to my first Division 2 game.

Lastly, on Sunday Fenner also had its annual Bush Week trivia night. I was in charge of 2 rounds --- the first consisted of 3 short questions for the leading team and the second was a full round of lateral thinking questions. I think I made them too easy since most of the teams got most of them; 1 team even got all 10. Unfortunately my team didn't win so we couldn't get any extra money for floor events, but we gave it a good try.

That's it.