Uncertainty in the Land of Oz
Leaders of both Australia’s ruling Labor Party and the opposition Liberal Party are meeting behind closed doors with the 4 Independent Members of the House of Representatives hoping to strike a deal to form a coalition government. Aussie voters on Saturday rejected the policies of their current Labor government as preliminary results show the Liberals (don’t let the name mislead you--they’re conservative) winning the largest number of Parliament seats in the election—probably a final tally of 73 to Labor’s 72. Neither received a majority (76) so, the result is a hung parliament.
It is still unclear which party will be awarded the task of forming a government. Apparently the person who decides that—the Governor General has a son-in-law in the Labor party who helped engineer the ouster of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. That resulted in the ascension of the more voter-friendly Julia Gillard as P.M. less than two months before the federal election.
One political analyst-- Norman Abjorensen, of Australian National University says an unstable minority government led by the Liberal Party’s Tony Abbott and supported by the three independents is the most likely outcome.
This was the closest election in Australia in nearly 50-years and the first minority government since World War II. Many Aussie Christians supported Abbot (a Christian) against the acknowledged atheist Prime Minister Gillard. They are now asking believers around the world to pray for Australia at this key time in its political history.
On a lighter note—this somewhat humorous You Tube video was passed on by a friend from the Land of Oz. You’ll have to be Aussie or quite knowledgeable of Oz politics to understand some of the jokes. It’s an edited version of a Hitler Australia election video parody and can be viewed here:
It is still unclear which party will be awarded the task of forming a government. Apparently the person who decides that—the Governor General has a son-in-law in the Labor party who helped engineer the ouster of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. That resulted in the ascension of the more voter-friendly Julia Gillard as P.M. less than two months before the federal election.
One political analyst-- Norman Abjorensen, of Australian National University says an unstable minority government led by the Liberal Party’s Tony Abbott and supported by the three independents is the most likely outcome.
This was the closest election in Australia in nearly 50-years and the first minority government since World War II. Many Aussie Christians supported Abbot (a Christian) against the acknowledged atheist Prime Minister Gillard. They are now asking believers around the world to pray for Australia at this key time in its political history.
On a lighter note—this somewhat humorous You Tube video was passed on by a friend from the Land of Oz. You’ll have to be Aussie or quite knowledgeable of Oz politics to understand some of the jokes. It’s an edited version of a Hitler Australia election video parody and can be viewed here:
About The Author
Gary
Lane
Mr. Lane currently serves as International News Director and Senior International Correspondent for CBN News. He has traveled to more than 120 countries—many of them restricted nations or areas hostile to Christianity and other minority faiths where he has interviewed persecution victims and has provided video reports and analysis for CBN News. Also, he has provided written stories and has served as a consultant for the Voice of the Martyrs. Gary joined The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1984 as the first full-time Middle East Correspondent for CBN News. Based in Jerusalem, Gary produced
