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<p>JasoT: /* Recent trends */</p> <hr /> <div>{{Country<br /> |name =''Commonwealth of Australia''<br /> |map =Australia rel 1999.jpg<br /> |map2 =Australia location.png<br /> |flag =Flag of Australia.png<br /> |arms =Australia coat-of-arms.jpg<br /> |capital =Canberra<br /> |capital-raw =<br /> |government =Constitutional monarchy<br /> |government-raw =<br /> |language =English <br /> |king =<br /> |queen =Elizabeth II <br /> |monarch-raw =<br /> |president =<br /> |president-raw =<br /> |chancellor =<br /> |chancellor-raw =<br /> |pm =Julia Gillard<br /> |pm-raw =<br /> |area =2,988,888 sq mi<br /> |pop =21.8 million<br /> |pop-basis =2009<br /> |gdp =A$1.17 trillion <br /> |gdp-year =2009<br /> |gdp-pc =A$36,000 <br /> |currency =Australian dollar <br /> |idd =<br /> |tld =<br /> }}<br /> The [[Commonwealth]] of Australia is an independent nation that occupies the continent of Australia, with its west coast on the [[Indian Ocean]], east coast on the [[Pacific Ocean]] facing [[New Zealand]], southern coast on the [[Southern Ocean]] facing [[Antarctica]], and northern coast bordering [[Indonesia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]. Australia is considered geographically as part of [[Oceania]], but has been establishing its place politically and commercially in [[Southeast Asia]]. <br /> <br /> ==Geography==<br /> Australia is the only country to occupy an entire continent&lt;ref&gt;This refers just to the Australian mainland. Some authorities now include [[Papua New Guinea]], [[New Zealand]], and various other [[Pacific Ocean]] islands in the continent of &quot;Oceania&quot;. See [http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/au.htm WorldAtlas.com].&lt;/ref&gt;, the smallest of the planet's seven continents.&lt;ref&gt;Some people count six, combining North and South America or Europe and Asia. See [http://worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/contnent.htm WorldAtlas.com].&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> It is 2,400 miles, (3,860 km) from east to west and 2,000 miles (3,220 km) from north to south, and covers an area of 2,967,877 sq miles (7,686,810 sq km). The Australian coastline is 22,812 miles long (36,735 kilometers), roughly the size as the mainland 48 states of the USA. <br /> <br /> Australia has six states and two internal territories. The states are [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria]], [[Queensland]], [[Western Australia]], [[South Australia]] and [[Tasmania]]. The internal territories are the [[Northern Territory]] (responsible government since 1978) and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] (responsible government since 1988) which is the location of Australia's capital city, [[Canberra]]. External territories include [[Christmas Island]] and the [[Australian Antarctic Territory]].<br /> <br /> ====Low density====<br /> 80% of Australia's population, of just over 20,000,000 people, live on the coast line. It is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries (2.7 people per square kilometre)&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.abs.gov.au ABS]&lt;/ref&gt;. Water is scarce and some cities have some form of water restrictions in place.<br /> <br /> ====Weather====<br /> Weather extremes are common in Australia with temperatures sometimes measured into the high 40s Celsius (45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit). The city of Darwin was heavily damaged by Cyclone Tracy on Dec. 25, 1974, killing 66 people, and destroying 80% of the buildings. Darwin's utilities were knocked out and 35,000 people were evacuated. <br /> <br /> Bush fires often ravage the southern states - one of the worst occurring on Ash Wednesday in 1983 when over 2,000 homes were destroyed and over 70 people lost their lives in Victoria and South Australia. In 2009 severe fires hit much of Victoria, worsened by hot dry winds and a severe drought.<br /> <br /> ====Flora and fauna====<br /> Australia is noted for its unique biodiversity. Many animals are found only in Australia, the most well known examples are the group of marsupials ([[kangaroo]]s, [[wombat]]s, [[wallaby|wallabies]] and [[koala]]s), and the only two [[monotremes]], the [[platypus]] and the [[echidna]]. Examples of plants that are native to Australia are the [[banksia]], [[yellow wattle]] and [[gum tree]]. <br /> <br /> Current evolutionary studies indicate that Australia's unique wildlife is the result of Australia becoming an island, being cut off from the Asian land bridge between 40,000 and 250,000 years ago on the [[Uniformitarianism (science)|uniformitarian timescale]].<br /> <br /> ==People==<br /> ===Aborigines and Torres Straits Islanders===<br /> Australia's indigenous inhabitants, a hunting-gathering people collectively referred to today as Aborigines and Torres Straits Islanders, arrived more than 40,000 years ago. Although their technical culture remained static--depending on wood, bone, and stone tools and weapons--their spiritual and social life was highly complex. Most spoke several languages, and confederacies sometimes linked widely scattered tribal groups. Indigenous population density ranged from one person per square mile along the coasts to one person per 35 square miles in the arid interior. When Captain James Cook claimed Australia for Great Britain in 1770, the native population is estimated to have numbered between 318,000 and 750,000 in as many as 500 tribes speaking many different languages. In 2006 the indigenous population was approximately 517,200, representing about 2.5% of the population. Since the end of World War II, the government and the public have made efforts to be more responsive to aboriginal rights and needs, most recently with Prime Minister Rudd's historic apology to the indigenous people in February 2008.<br /> <br /> ===Immigrants===<br /> Immigration has been vital to Australia's development since the beginning of European settlement in 1788. For generations, most settlers came from the British Isles, and the people of Australia are still predominantly of British or Irish origin, with a culture and outlook similar to those of Americans. a &quot;White Australia&quot; policy operated from 1901 to the 1960s; it encourages immigration by Europeans and blocked almost all other immigration.<br /> <br /> The Chinese who arrived in the late 19th century to work in the gold mines left voluntarily or were expelled. Likewise most of the &quot;Kanakas&quot; --Polynesians--who came to work in the sugar fields were expatriated after 1901. Many Germans settled in South Australia, but those without Australian citizenship were put in camps during World War I and most were sent back to Germany after the war.<br /> ===Recent trends===<br /> Since the end of World War II, Australia's population has more than doubled. <br /> <br /> Non British/Irish immigration has increased significantly since World War II through an extensive, planned immigration program. Since 1945 around 6.6 million migrants have settled in Australia, including 690,000 refugee and humanitarian entrants. About 80% have remained; 24%--almost one in four--of Australians are foreign-born. Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, and the former Yugoslavia were the largest sources of post-war immigration, but New Zealand is closing on Britain as the largest source country for permanent migrants to Australia.<br /> <br /> The barriers against Asians fell in the 1970s and thousands of immigrants from the Chinese diaspora resettled in Australia. Immigrants from India and the Philippines were numerous as well.<br /> <br /> ===Refugees===<br /> Australia's humanitarian and refugee program of about 13,000 per year is in addition to other immigration programs. In recent years, refugees from Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia have comprised the largest element in Australia's refugee program. Although Australia has scarcely more than three people per square kilometer, it is one of the world's most urbanized countries. Less than 2.5% of the population lives in remote or very remote areas.<br /> *Population (2009 est.): 21.8 million.<br /> *Annual population growth rate: 1.7%.<br /> *Ethnic groups: European 92%, Asian 6%, Aboriginal 2%.<br /> *Religions (2006): Catholic 26%, Anglican 19%, other Christian 19%, other non-Christian 1%, Buddhist 2.1%, Islam 1.7%, no religion 19%, and not stated 12%.<br /> *Languages: English.<br /> *Education: Years compulsory--to age 16 in all states and territories except New South Wales and the Northern Territory where it is 15, and Western Australia where it is 17. Literacy--over 99%.<br /> *Health: Infant mortality rate--4.7/1,000. Life expectancy--males 78 yrs., females 83 yrs. <br /> *Work force (10.8 million): Agriculture--3.3%; mining--1.5%; manufacturing--9.8%; retail trade--11.3%; public administration, defense, and safety--6%; construction--9.2%<br /> <br /> ====Religion====<br /> Australia is a [[secular]] nation, in that it has no established religion associated with the Government. <br /> <br /> According to the 2006 census, 64% of citizens consider themselves to be Christian, including 26% Roman Catholic, 19% Anglican, and 19% other Christian. Buddhists constitute 2.1% of the population, Muslims 1.7%, Hindus 0.7%, Jews 0.4%, and all others professing a religion 0.5%. Of Australia's 21 million people, about 1.5 million attend weekly religious services &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?docid=2250&amp;track=82083| National Church Life Survey 2004]; U.S. State Department, &quot;International Religious Freedom Report 2008&quot; [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108400.htm online]&lt;/ref&gt;. <br /> <br /> In 1911, during the first census, 96% identified themselves as Christian. In recent decades traditional Christian denominations have seen their total number and proportion of affiliates stagnate or decrease significantly, although from 2001 to 2006, the total number of Pentecostal and charismatic Christians increased by 12.9%. Over the past decade, increased immigration from Southeast Asia and the Middle East considerably expanded the numbers of citizens who identify themselves as Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims, and increased the ethnic diversity of existing Christian denominations. Between 2001 and 2006, the numbers increased for Buddhists by 17% (to 418,000), Muslims by 21% (to 340,393), Jews by 6% (to 89,000), and Hindus by 55% (to 148,131). In 2006 approximately 18.7% of citizens considered themselves to have no religion, up from 17% in 2001, and 11.2% made no statement regarding religious affiliation. According to a 2002 survey, 23% of adults had participated in church or religious activities during the previous 3 months.<br /> <br /> The Australian public school system is &quot;free, secular and compulsory&quot; with the secular meaning without favour to any particular religion - most primary schools, however, do offer some form of non-compulsory religious education according to the parents' wishes. The state systems of a number of states offer studies in religion at the senior level.<br /> <br /> There is a large Catholic school system in Australia with most parishes having their own primary school and many hundreds of Catholic high schools across the country. There are also a large number of independent schools founded by various religions or denominations of the Christian faith - some hold that religious background to be more important than others. All schools, state or religious, receive government funding, as funding is provided for every student that is an Australian resident. <br /> <br /> At the time of European settlement, aboriginal inhabitants followed religions that were animistic, involving belief in spirits behind the forces of nature and the influence of ancestral spirit beings. According to the 2006 census, 5,206 persons, or less than 0.03% of respondents, reported practicing aboriginal traditional religions, down from 5,244 in 2001. The 2006 census reported that almost 64% of Aborigines identify themselves as Christian and 20% listed no religion.<br /> <br /> ====Culture====<br /> [[Image:Sidney opera house.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Sydney Opera House, an iconic symbol of the nation]]<br /> Much of Australia's culture is derived from European roots, but distinctive Australian features have evolved from the environment, [[Indigenous Australians|Aboriginal]] culture, and the influence of Australia's neighbors. The vigor and originality of the arts in Australia--film, opera, music, painting, theater, dance, and crafts--have achieved international recognition.<br /> <br /> Australian actors such as Nicole Kidman, Rachel Griffiths, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Hogan, Hugh Jackman, the late Heath Ledger, and comedian Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) have achieved enormous popularity in the United States. Directors such as Peter Weir, Philip Noyes, and Russell Mulcahy, the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, and singers and musicians such as Olivia Newton-John, Men At Work, The Wiggles, AC/DC, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Nellie Melba, and Kylie Minogue are well known. <br /> <br /> Australian artists with international reputations include Sidney Nolan, Russell Drysdale, Pro Hart, and Arthur Boyd. Writers who have achieved world recognition include Thomas Keneally, Colleen McCullough, Nevil Shute, Morris West, Jill Ker Conway, Peter Carey, Robert Hughes, Germaine Greer, and Nobel Prize winner Patrick White.<br /> <br /> ====Sports====<br /> Australia is known as a sporting nation with success worldwide in [[swimming]], [[tennis]] (Australian Open), [[rugby union]], [[cricket]], [[netball]],and [[basketball]]. Australians are very keen horse racers with the Melbourne Cup &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.melbournecup.com.au| Melbourne Cup]&lt;/ref&gt; attracting up to 120,000 spectators at Flemington Race Course on the first Tuesday in November. There is a public holiday for the cup race in Melbourne, while the remainder of the country virtually pauses during the running. <br /> <br /> Unique to Australia is a game known as [[Australian rules football]] or &quot;Aussie Rules&quot;, which is played on a [[cricket]] oval in winter. Australian rules football is the sport most attended in the states of [[Victoria]], [[South Australia]] and [[Western Australia]], and most attended overall in Australia; in 2006 2.5 million people had attended at least one Aussie Rules game in the preceding 12 months.[http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyCatalogue/1F8FAC9C2C7B1623CA2568A900139417?OpenDocument] Australian Rules Football was written by persons educated at the [[Rugby School]] in England and [[Cambridge University]] before the organisation of uniform football codes. It is not as popular in [[New South Wales]] and [[Queensland]] although premiership teams are based in these two states.<br /> <br /> The other national football code is [[rugby league]]. Rugby league football is the most attended sport in New South Wales and Queensland with its premier club competition being the [[National Rugby League]].<br /> <br /> ====Tourism====<br /> Most tourists visit places such as Sydney Harbour, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Central Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. Other favourite destinations are the wine making areas of South Australia and northern Victoria, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the natural wonders of Tasmania and the huge outback expanses of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Some cattle stations in Australia rival Texas in size and the distance between towns in some areas is enormous.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> Australia became a federated nation on January 1, 1901 under the [[Constitution of Australia]], and all former British colonies became states. The parliament met in Melbourne until the infrastructure was built for the capital city, [[Canberra]]. <br /> <br /> Australia has a [[Parliament|parliamentary system]] of government based on the British system with a [[bicameral]] system meeting as the [[Parliament of Australia]], consisting of the [[Australian House of Representatives]] and the [[Australian Senate]]. Each state and territory also has its own parliament. <br /> <br /> The two other branches of government under the Constitution are the Executive ([[Governor-General of Australia]] taking advice from the Ministers) and the [[High Court of Australia]].<br /> <br /> Australia is a democracy which has allowed men of European descent to vote since federation, with women gaining the vote in 1902 and Aboriginal men and women gaining suffrage in 1962. Voting is compulsory for all citizens who are 18 years old and over (with a few exceptions.)<br /> <br /> Australia's Head of Government is the [[Prime Minister of Australia]]. In June 2010, [[Julia Gillard]] became the first female Prime Minister after she defeated Rudd in a partyroom leadership challenge.&lt;ref&gt;{{cite news|title=Gillard ousts Rudd in bloodless coup |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm|accessdate=24 June 2010|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=24 June 2010}}&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> The Head of State is [[Queen Elizabeth II]], the Queen of Australia (who is the same person, but a different title, as the Queen of Great Britain.) Under the Constitution, and in practice, the authority of the Head of State is vested in the [[Governor-General of Australia]], currently Quentin Bryce AC, Previously Governor of [[Queensland]], who assents to acts of parliament, is the Commander in Chief of the military forces, and appoints all Ministers of the Government; all these various powers are normally exercised on advice from the Prime Minister. <br /> <br /> The Government of Australia is exercised, day-to-day, by the Ministers through their various Departments of State.<br /> <br /> ====Voting====<br /> {{main|Voting in Australia}}<br /> <br /> Australia has [[preferential voting]], and voting is compulsory for adults (18 years and over), unless they have been deemed unfit to vote, either by mental illness or conviction for serious offences. Preferential voting encourages a multiplicity of parties and independent candidates, and counting the votes and allocating preferences can take some time where the results are close.<br /> <br /> ====Terms====<br /> There is no limit on the time a person can be a Member of Parliament (MP) (elected, notionally, for 3 years, but the timing of elections is decided by the Prime Minister) or a Senator (elected for two cycles of the House of representatives.) The Prime Minister is normally a member of the House of Representatives, and the tenure is not limited by statute. Ministers may continue to serve for up to three months when not a Member or Senator, but must in that time be elected in order to continue. ([[John Gorton]] was a Senator when appointed leader of his party after the death of his predecessor. He immediately resigned from the Senate and stood for election to the House of Representatives, while remaining Prime Minister throughout.)<br /> <br /> ====Parliamentary political parties====<br /> Currently, the main political parties in Australia are:<br /> * [[Australian Greens]]<br /> * [[Australian Labor Party]]<br /> * [[Family First Party]]<br /> * [[Liberal Party of Australia]]<br /> * [[National Party of Australia]]<br /> * One Nation Party<br /> <br /> Despite the US connotation associated with the name, the Liberal Party is conservative in political stance. Robert Menzies helped found the Liberal Party in 1944 and was the Prime Minister from 1939 until 1941 and then again from 1949 until 1966.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.liberals.net/liberalpartyhistory.htm History of the Liberal Party in Australia]&lt;/ref&gt; The term &quot;liberal&quot; refers to the party's predominantly-[[free market|free-market]] approach to [[economics|economic management]].<br /> <br /> The party currently in power is the [[Australian Labor Party]]. The Labor Party is also in government in all of the states and territories. The Prime Minister is Kevin Rudd.<br /> <br /> Conservative Queensland polititian and businesswoman, Pauline Hanson formed the One Nation party to give a conservative voice to voters that were not being effectivly represented by the major partys. One Nation has held seats in both the Federal Senate and Lower House, and have been the subject of ridicule by left-leaning media commentators.<br /> <br /> Though the Labor party is &quot;social democratic&quot; and the Liberals are &quot;liberal conservatives&quot;, some of the smaller parties are more left leaning or more conservative than Labor and Liberal respectively.<br /> <br /> ''See also a [[list of Prime Ministers of Australia]].''<br /> <br /> The Prime Minister of Australia is the most senior elected person in the country. The role is normally filled by the parliamentary leader of the party which forms the government.<br /> <br /> ===Principal Government Officials=== <br /> *Governor General--Quentin Bryce<br /> *Prime Minister--Kevin Rudd<br /> *Deputy Prime Minister--Julia Gillard<br /> *Treasurer--Wayne Swan<br /> *Foreign Minister--Stephen Smith<br /> *Defense Minister--John Faulkner<br /> *Trade Minister--Simon Crean<br /> <br /> ===Political Conditions===<br /> Three political parties dominate the center of the Australian political spectrum. The Liberal Party (LP), nominally representing urban business interests, and its smaller coalition partner, The Nationals, nominally representing rural interests, are the more conservative parties. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) nominally represents workers, trade unions, and left-of-center groups. While the ALP, founded by labor unions, traditionally had been moderately socialist in its policies and approaches to social issues, today it is best described as a social democratic party. All political groups are tied by tradition to welfare programs. Over the last decade, Australia has increased welfare payments to families while imposing obligations on those receiving unemployment benefits and disability pensions. There is strong bipartisan sentiment on many international issues, including Australia's commitment to its alliance with the United States.<br /> <br /> The ALP, under the leadership of Kevin Rudd, defeated the Liberal/National coalition, led by then-Prime Minister John Howard, in the November 24, 2007 election. The ALP now holds 83 seats in the House of Representatives, against 64 for the Liberal/National coalition, and 3 independents. The composition of the Senate is 37 seats for the coalition, 32 for the ALP, five seats for the Greens, one for Family First, and one independent.<br /> <br /> Rudd and the ALP won the election with a message promising &quot;new leadership&quot; after 11 years of the Howard government. Rudd portrayed himself as an &quot;economic conservative,&quot; while criticizing unpopular Howard government policies on workplace relations reform, climate change, and the war on Iraq. The Rudd government ratified the Kyoto Protocol and is working with the international community on combating climate change. It is undoing some labor market reforms instituted by the Howard government, such as statutory individual contracts. The Australian government's foreign policy shows strong continuity with that of its predecessors, stressing relations with four key countries: the United States, Japan, China, and Indonesia. The Rudd government strongly supports U.S. engagement in the Asia-Pacific region and increased Australia’s troop contribution in Afghanistan. It withdrew Australia's combat troops from Iraq in 2008; it intends to end its military mission in Iraq on July 31, 2009.<br /> <br /> Australia has been an active participant in international affairs since federation in 1901, and Australian forces have fought beside the United States and other Allies in every significant conflict since World War I. On January 8, 1940, the governments of the United States and Australia announced the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations. In 1944, Australia concluded an agreement with New Zealand dealing with the security, welfare, and advancement of the people of the independent territories of the Pacific (the ANZAC pact). After World War II, Australia played a role in the Far Eastern Commission in Japan and supported Indonesian independence during that country's revolt against the Dutch. Australia was one of the founding members of the United Nations, the South Pacific Commission, and the Colombo Plan. In addition to contributing to UN forces in Korea--it was the first country to announce it would do so after the United States--Australia sent troops to assist in putting down the 1948-1960 communist revolt in Malaya and later to combat the 1963-1965 Indonesian-supported invasion of Sarawak. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand signed the ANZUS Treaty in 1951, which remains Australia's pre-eminent formal security treaty alliance. Australia sent troops to assist South Vietnamese and U.S. forces in Vietnam, and joined coalition forces in the Persian Gulf conflict in 1991, in Afghanistan in 2001, and in Iraq in 2003.<br /> <br /> Australia has been active in the Australia-New Zealand-U.K. agreement and the Five-Power Defense Arrangements--successive arrangements with Britain and New Zealand to ensure the security of Singapore and Malaysia.<br /> <br /> One of the drafters of the UN Charter, Australia has given firm support to the United Nations and its specialized agencies. It was last a member of the Security Council in 1985-86, a member of the Economic and Social Council for 1986-89, and a member of the UN Human Rights Commission for 1994-96 and 2003-2005. Australia recently declared its intention to seek a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2013-2014. Australia takes a prominent part in many other UN activities, including peacekeeping, nonproliferation and disarmament negotiations, and narcotics control. Australia also is active in meetings of the Commonwealth Regional Heads of Government and the Pacific Islands Forum, and has been a leader in the Cairns Group--countries pressing for agricultural trade reform in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations--and in founding the APEC forum. In 2002, Australia joined the International Criminal Court.<br /> <br /> Australia has devoted particular attention to relations between developed and developing nations, with emphasis on the ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the island states of the South Pacific. Australia is an active participant in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which promotes regional cooperation on security issues, and has been a member of the East Asia Summit since its inauguration in 2005. In September 1999, acting under a UN Security Council mandate, Australia led an international coalition to restore order in East Timor upon Indonesia's withdrawal from that territory. In 2006, Australia participated in an international peacekeeping operation in Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor). Australia led a regional mission to restore law and order in Solomon Islands in 2003 and again in 2006. Australia is part of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which also includes the United States.<br /> <br /> The government is committed to increasing official development assistance to 0.5% of gross national income by 2015-2016. Australia budgeted A$3.79 billion (U.S. $3.03 billion) for FY 2008-2009 and has budgeted A$3.82 billion (U.S. $3.05 billion) for FY 2009-2010. The Australian aid program is currently concentrated in Southeast Asia (Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are the largest recipients) and the Pacific Islands. Selected aid flows are allocated to Africa, South Asia, and reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq. Contributions to multilateral organizations and other expenses account for about one-third of the foreign assistance budget.<br /> <br /> ===ANZUS and Defense===<br /> The Australia, New Zealand, United States (ANZUS) security treaty was concluded at San Francisco on September 1, 1951, and entered into force on April 29, 1952. The treaty bound the signatories to recognize that an armed attack in the Pacific area on any of them would endanger the peace and safety of the others. It committed them to consult in the event of a threat and, in the event of attack, to meet the common danger in accordance with their respective constitutional processes. The three nations also pledged to maintain and develop individual and collective capabilities to resist attack.<br /> <br /> In 1984, the nature of the ANZUS alliance changed after the Government of New Zealand refused access to its ports by nuclear-weapons-capable and nuclear-powered ships of the U.S. Navy. The United States suspended defense obligations to New Zealand, and annual bilateral meetings between the U.S. Secretary of State and the Australian Foreign Minister replaced annual meetings of the ANZUS Council of Foreign Ministers. The first bilateral meeting was held in Canberra in 1985. At the second, in San Francisco in 1986, the United States and Australia announced that the United States was suspending its treaty security obligations to New Zealand pending the restoration of port access. Since 1985, U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense and the Australian Foreign and Defense Ministers have held 20 Australia-U.S. Ministerial consultations (AUSMIN), alternating between Australia and the United States. The next AUSMIN is scheduled to take place in Australia in 2010.<br /> <br /> The U.S.-Australia alliance under the ANZUS Treaty remains in full force. AUSMIN meetings are supplemented by consultations between the U.S. Combatant Commander, Pacific and the Australian Chief of Defense Force. There also are regular civilian and military consultations between the two governments at lower levels.<br /> <br /> ANZUS has no integrated defense structure or dedicated forces. However, in fulfillment of ANZUS obligations, Australia and the United States conduct a variety of joint activities. These include military exercises ranging from naval and landing exercises at the task-group level to battalion-level special forces training to numerous smaller-scale exercises, assigning officers to each other's armed services, and standardizing, where possible, equipment and operational doctrine. The two countries also operate joint defense facilities in Australia.<br /> <br /> Following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, then-Prime Minister Howard and U.S. President George W. Bush jointly invoked the ANZUS Treaty for the first time on September 14, 2001. Australia was one of the earliest participants in Operation Enduring Freedom. Australian Defense Forces participated in coalition military action against Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Australian combat forces began their withdrawal from Iraq in mid-2008 and forces are to be fully removed by July 2009. Australia has approximately 1,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan and also provides significant development and capacity building assistance to the country. Based on growing defense commitments, Australia decided to increase the Australian Army from 26,000 to 30,000 over the next several years. This will enable the reestablishment of two infantry battalions, as well as enabling troops, such as a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit.<br /> <br /> The Australian Government has stated its intention to maintain its investment in future capability of the Australian Defense Force (ADF). To do so, the government has committed to a 3% annual growth in real defense funding through 2018--and 2.2% annual real growth beyond--to ensure the ADF can continue to meet capability and interoperability goals. The Australian Defense Force numbers about 54,000 active duty personnel, with planned increases to 57,000 within the next decade. The Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) front-line fleet currently includes 12 frigates, including 4 of the Adelaide class and 8 Australian-built ANZAC class. In August 2004, Australia selected the Aegis Combat Control System for its three air warfare destroyers (AWD), which will start coming into service in 2014. The F/A-18 fighter, built in Australia under license from the U.S. manufacturer, is the principal combat aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force, backed by the U.S.-built F-111 strike aircraft. In October 2002, Australia became a Level III partner in the U.S.-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. Additionally, the Australian Government signed the JSF Production, Sustainment and Follow-on Development MOU in 2006. Australia is projected to buy up to 100 JSF aircraft with deliveries starting in 2013 and running through 2020. The F-111 strike aircraft are scheduled to exit service by 2010 and will be replaced by 24 McDonnell Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet fighters as an interim strike capability with deliveries commencing in 2010. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of the last aircraft in its buy of 4 Lockheed C-17 strategic airlift aircraft in 2008. In addition, Boeing will provide the Commonwealth of Australia's RAAF with an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&amp;C) system based on the Next-Generation 737-700 aircraft as the airborne platform. Recent U.S. sales to the Australian Army include the M1A1 AIM tank, as well as Hellfire and JAVELIN munitions. Future opportunities include CH-47 helicopter replacements, navy helicopter replacements, light and medium cargo aircraft replacements and artillery systems.<br /> <br /> In May 2009, the Australian Government released its Defense White Paper, outlining Australia’s long-term strategic outlook. In addition to buying the JSF aircraft, the White Paper proposes to double Australia’s submarine fleet to 12, replace the ANZAC class frigates, and replace the army’s armored personnel carriers.<br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> <br /> For more see: [[Australian economy]]<br /> <br /> Since the 1980s, Australia has undertaken significant structural reform of its economy and has transformed itself from an inward-looking, highly protected, and regulated marketplace to an open, internationally competitive, export-oriented economy. Key economic reforms included unilaterally reducing high tariffs and other protective barriers to free trade, floating the Australian dollar, deregulating the financial services sector, including liberalizing access for foreign banks, increasing flexibility in the labor market, reducing duplication and increasing efficiency between the federal and state branches of government, privatizing many government-owned monopolies, and reforming the taxation system, including introducing a broad-based Goods and Services Tax (GST) and large reductions in income tax rates.<br /> <br /> Australia enjoys a higher standard of living than any G7 country other than the United States. Australia's economic standing in the world is a result of a commitment to best-practice macroeconomic policy settings, including the delegation of the conduct of monetary policy to the independent Reserve Bank of Australia, and a broad acceptance of prudent fiscal policy where the government aims for fiscal balance over the economic cycle. Largely due to the fall in revenue as a result of the global economic downturn, net government debt is projected to reach about A$188 billion (U.S. $150.4 billion) in four years. The previous government, drawing from budget surpluses, created the “Future Fund” to provide for future liabilities resulting from the retirement of civil servants. The Government of Australia is predicting negative 0.5% growth in the 2009-2010 fiscal year; the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted growth to be negative 1.4% for 2009.<br /> <br /> Over 2008, unemployment has risen to around 5.5% from 4.2%, and the labor market participation has remained at around 65%. Both the federal and state governments have recognized the need to invest heavily in water, transport, ports, telecommunications, and education infrastructure to expand Australia's supply capacity. The largest river system in Australia, the Murray-Darling, and related coastal lakes and wetlands in South Australia are critically threatened and the government has developed a plan to improve irrigation infrastructure and efficiency and buy back unused water allocations along the river.<br /> *GDP (2009-2010 estimate): A$1.17 trillion (U.S. $893.6 billion). <br /> *Inflation rate (year to March 2009): 2.5% per annum.<br /> *Reserve Bank official interest rate (May 2009): 3.00%.<br /> *Trade: Exports ($178.9 billion, 2008 estimate)--coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment. Major markets--Japan, China, South Korea, U.S. ($10.7 billion), and New Zealand. Imports ($187.2 billion, 2008 estimate)--machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products. Major suppliers--China, United States ($23.96 billion), Japan, Singapore, and Germany.<br /> *Exchange rate (2009): U.S. $1 = A$1.25.<br /> <br /> ====Energy====<br /> Australia is rich in natural resources with significant petroleum, natural gas and coal reserves. Australia’s energy consumption is dominated by coal, which fuels most of the country’s power generation. Petroleum accounts for a large share of energy consumption, but due to declining output, Australia is facing a growing dependence on petroleum imports. Over the past two decades, Australia has steadily consumed increasing amounts of natural gas, which is likely to continue over the medium term.&lt;ref&gt; See Energy Information Administration, &quot;Australia&quot; (2009) [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Australia/Background.html online]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Australia is one of the four countries (along with Norway, Canada and Mexico) belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that is a significant net energy exporter. Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter and is the fifth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Australia’s prospects for expanding energy exports in the future are promising as Asian demand for both coal and LNG rises. However, Australia can expect increasing export competition from China (coal) and Indonesia (coal and LNG). <br /> <br /> In July 2005, the Australian government formed the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). The AER is responsible for economic regulation in Australian energy markets. In addition, the AER promotes investment in the energy sector to ensure supply security, while monitoring prices faced by end users. In 2006, Australia’s 13 government bodies transferred energy regulation responsibility to the AER. The AER is seeking $23 billion in infrastructure investments over the next 15 years.<br /> <br /> ====Comparing Australian and U.S. Economic and Health statistics====<br /> Whilst the Australian society is similar in many aspects to those of the U.S., a comparison of key economic (in $U.S.) and health indicators highlights some interesting fundamental differences:<br /> <br /> {| class=&quot;wikitable&quot;<br /> |-<br /> ! !!Australia!!U.S.<br /> |-<br /> | '''GDP Per Capita''' <br /> | $32,900.00<br /> | $43,500.00<br /> |-<br /> | '''Budget Deficit/Surplus'''&lt;br /&gt;Per capita<br /> | $444.00 surplus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;small&gt;Australia has had budget surpluses every year since 2001&lt;/small&gt;<br /> | $841.00 deficit<br /> |-<br /> | '''Public Debt'''<br /> | 14.1% of GDP<br /> | 64.7% of GDP<br /> |-<br /> | '''Military Expenditure'''<br /> | 2.5 % of GDP<br /> | 4.06% of GDP<br /> |-<br /> | '''Life Expectancy at Birth'''&lt;br /&gt;(combined male and female)<br /> | 80.5 years<br /> | 77.85 years<br /> |-<br /> | '''Infant Mortality Rates'''&lt;br /&gt;deaths/1,000 live births<br /> | 4.63<br /> | 6.43<br /> |-<br /> | '''HIV/AIDS Prevalence Rates'''<br /> | 0.1% of population<br /> | 0.6% of population<br /> |}<br /> Australia has a universal health scheme and significant subsidies on most prescription medications.<br /> <br /> == History==<br /> ''see main article [[History of Australia]]''<br /> <br /> Australia was uninhabited until stone-culture peoples arrived, perhaps by boat across the waters separating the island from the Indonesia archipelago more than 40,000 years ago. Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and English explorers observed the island before 1770, when Captain Cook explored the east coast and claimed it for Great Britain. <br /> <br /> On January 26, 1788 (now celebrated as Australia Day), the so-called '''First Fleet''' landed at Sydney and the Colony of New South Wales was established. Many, but by no means all, of the first settlers were convicts, some condemned for offenses that today would often be thought trivial. From the mid-19th century convict transportation to Australia significantly declined; the last ship to arrive was in 1868. Many officers of the Royal Navy received grants and established large farms and ranches. Ranchers who used government lands for their herds of sheep were informally called &quot;squatters&quot;; despite the term, most were wealthy. The discovery of gold in 1851 led to increased immigration, wealth, and trade. A third of the new arrivals were Irish Catholics, and there emerged a political and cultural tension between them and the Protestant British.<br /> <br /> The six colonies that became the states of the Australian Commonwealth were established in the following order: New South Wales, 1788; Tasmania, 1825; Western Australia, 1829; South Australia, 1836; Victoria, 1851; and Queensland, 1859. Settlement preceded these dates in most cases. <br /> <br /> Negotiations between Australians and the government in London led Parliament to create the '''Commonwealth of Australia''' in 1900, effective January 1, 1901. <br /> <br /> Australia came of age in World War I, when it supported the British war effort, and imprisoned German citizens living their. he great defeat at Gallipoli focused Australia's herois self image.<br /> <br /> In May 1927, the seat of government was transferred to Canberra, a planned city designed by American Walter Burley Griffin. Australia passed the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act on October 9, 1942 (with effect as of September 3, 1939), which officially established Australia's complete autonomy in both internal and external affairs and formalized a situation that had existed for years.&lt;ref&gt; The Australia Act (effective March 3, 1986) eliminated almost all remaining vestiges of British legal authority, including the ability to appeal to the British Privy Council.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In World War II Australia again rallied to the British cause, but were left practically undefended when at fall of Singapore in 1942 the Japanese captured much of the Australian army. The rest of the army was rushed back from the Middle East to defend against a possible Japanese invasion. Britain was no help, so Australia turned, permanently, to the United States for its defense. <br /> <br /> In practice the monarch is only symbolic--a symbol especially of ties to the [[british Empire]] that the Irish and new immigrants are unwilling to continue. In 1998,republicans were given a free hand to choose the form of republic they wanted. This was put to a referendum in 1999, and enjoyed strong support among the politicans and in the mainstream media. But a campaign led by a group, [http://www.norepublic.com.au Australians for Constitutional Monarchy ] resulted in the defeat of the referendum in all states and 72% of electorates. Republicans remain unable to agree on how to replace the present system--whether with a powerful elected president responsible directly to the people, or with a weak president chosen by the government (as in Germany), the model which was rejected in 1999 because of distrust of politicians.<br /> <br /> == See also ==<br /> * [[Australian dollar]]<br /> * [[Currency#Australia|Currency: Australia]]<br /> <br /> ==Bibliography==<br /> <br /> ===References===<br /> * Bambrick, Susan ed. ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Australia'' (1994) <br /> * Davison, Graeme, John Hirst, and Stuart Macintyre, eds. ''The Oxford Companion to Australian History'' (2001) online at many academic libraries; also [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Australian-History/dp/019551503X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1209696680&amp;sr=8-6 excerpt and text search]<br /> * O'Shane, Pat et al. ''Australia: The Complete Encyclopedia'' (2001)<br /> * Shaw, John, ed. ''Collins Australian Encyclopedia'' (1984)<br /> * Serle. Percival, ed. ''Dictionary of Australian Biography'' (1949) [http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/00-dict-biogIndex.html online edition]<br /> [[File:Aussie1.jpg|thumb|280px]]<br /> ===Guides===<br /> * ''Australia For Dummies'' by Marc Llewellyn and Lee Mylne. (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Australia-Dummies-Travel-Marc-Llewellyn/dp/0470178345/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1254126338&amp;sr=1-8 excerpt and text search]<br /> * '' Central Australia: Adelaide to Darwin'' by Charles Rawlings-Way and Meg Worby (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Central-Australia-Adelaide-Darwin-Regional/dp/1741046637/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1254126389&amp;sr=1-17 excerpt and text search]<br /> * ''Frommer's Australia 2009'' by Lee Mylne et al. (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Australia-2009-Complete/dp/0470345446/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1254126132&amp;sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> * ''Moon Living Abroad in Australia'' by James M. Lane (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Living-Abroad-Australia-James/dp/1598801392/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1254126389&amp;sr=1-24 excerpt and text search]<br /> * ''The Rough Guide to Australia'' by Margo Daly et al. (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Guide-Australia-Travel-Guides/dp/1848360738/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1254126389&amp;sr=1-13 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Vaisutis, Justine et al. ''Lonely Planet Sydney &amp; New South Wales'' (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Australia-Country-Guide-Justine-Vaisutis/dp/174179160X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1254126132&amp;sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]<br /> <br /> ===Economics and business===<br /> * Kelly, Paul. ''The End of Certainty: Power, Politics and Business in Australia,'' (1994) <br /> * McLean, Ian W. &quot;Consumer Prices and Expenditure Patterns in Australia 1850-1914.&quot; ''Australian Economic History Review''(1999) 39(1): 1-28; includes a consumer price index (CPI) for the period 1850 to 1914. Issn: 0004-8992 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]<br /> * Moran, Anthony. ''Australia: Nation, Belonging, and Globalization'' Routledge, 2004 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=108858937 online edition]<br /> *Robinson GM, Loughran RJ, and Tranter PJ. ''Australia and New Zealand: economy, society and environment''.(2000)<br /> <br /> ===Environment and Geography===<br /> * Appleton, Richard, and Barbara Appleton. ''The Cambridge Dictionary of Australian Places'' (1993) <br /> * Dovers, Stephen. ''Australian Environmental History: Essays &amp; Cases'' (1995) [http://www.amazon.com/Australian-Environmental-History-Essays-Cases/dp/0195534824/ref=sr_1_8/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1193540375&amp;sr=1-8 excerpt and text search] <br /> * Garden, Don. ''Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific: An Environmental Hisory.'' ABC-CLIO, 2005. 398 pp. <br /> * Hutton, Drew, and Libby Connors. ''History of the Australian Environment Movement'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/History-Australian-Environment-Movement-Hutton/dp/052145686X/ref=sr_1_4/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1193540375&amp;sr=1-4 excerpt and text search] <br /> * Lines, William. ''Taming the Great South Land: A History of the Conquest of Nature in Australia'' (1992)<br /> *Powell JM . ''An Historical Geography of Modern Australia: The Restive Fringe''. (1988)<br /> *Robinson GM, Loughran RJ, and Tranter PJ. ''Australia and New Zealand: economy, society and environment''.(2000) <br /> <br /> <br /> ===History===<br /> see [[History of Australia]] for more detaile guide<br /> * Atkinson, Alan. ''The Europeans in Australia: A History. Vol. 2: Democracy.'' (2005). 440 pp. <br /> * Barker, Anthony. ''What Happened When: A Chronology of Australia from 1788.'' Allen &amp; Unwin. 2000. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=108433410 online edition]<br /> * Basset, Jan. ''The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary of Australian History'' (1998) <br /> * Bolton, Geoffrey. ''The Oxford History of Australia: Volume 5: 1942-1995. The Middle Way'' (2005)<br /> * Clarke, Frank G. ''The History of Australia'' (2002). [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=101344125 online edition]<br /> * Davison, Graeme, John Hirst, and Stuart Macintyre, eds. ''The Oxford Companion to Australian History'' (2001) online at many academic libraries; also [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Australian-History/dp/019551503X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1209696680&amp;sr=8-6 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Day, David. ''Claiming a Continent: A New History of Australia'' (2001); <br /> * Edwards, John. ''Curtin's Gift: Reinterpreting Australia's Greatest Prime Minister,'' (2005) [http://www.questia.com/read/108661368 online edition]<br /> * Hughes, Robert. ''The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia’s Founding'' (1988). [http://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Shore-Robert-Hughes/dp/0099448548/ref=pd_bbs_3/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1193540375&amp;sr=1-3 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Kemp, Rod, and Marion Stanton, eds. ''Speaking for Australia: Parliamentary Speeches That Shaped Our Nation'' Allen &amp; Unwin, 2004 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=110168653 online edition]<br /> * Kingston, Beverley. ''The Oxford History of Australia: Volume 3: 1860-1900 Glad, Confident Morning'' (1993) <br /> * Kociumbas, Jan. ''The Oxford History of Australia: Volume 2: 1770-1860 Possessions'' (1995) <br /> * Macintyre, Stuart. ''The Oxford History of Australia: Volume 4: 1901-42, the Succeeding Age'' (1993) <br /> * Macintyre, Stuart. ''A Concise History of Australia'' (2nd. ed. 2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Concise-History-Australia-Cambridge-Histories/dp/0521735939/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1254126389&amp;sr=1-14 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Martin, A. W. ''Robert Menzies: A Life'' (2 vol 1993-99), online at ACLS e-books <br /> * Megalogenis, George. ''The Longest Decade'' (2nd ed. 2009), politics 1990-2008<br /> * Schreuder, Deryck, and Stuart Ward, eds. ''Australia's Empire'' (Oxford History of the British Empire Companion Series) (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Australias-Empire-History-British-Companion/dp/0199273731/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1226788019&amp;sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Serle. Percival, ed. ''Dictionary of Australian Biography'' (1949)[http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/00-dict-biogIndex.html online edition]<br /> * Taylor, Peter. ''The Atlas of Australian History'' (1991)<br /> * Welsh, Frank. ;;Australia: A New History of the Great Southern Land'' (2008)<br /> <br /> ===International Relations and Military===<br /> * Bridge, Carl ed., ''Munich to Vietnam: Australia's Relations with Britain and the United States since the 1930s,'' Melbourne University Press 1991<br /> * Dennis, Peter, Jeffrey Grey, Ewan Morris, and Robin Prior. ''The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History.'' 1996) <br /> * Firth, Stewart. ''Australia in International Politics: An Introduction to Australian Foreign Policy'' (2005) [http://www.questia.com/read/108662470 online edition] <br /> * Grant, Ian. ''A Dictionary of Australian Military History - from Colonial Times to the Gulf War'' (1992) <br /> * Lee, David. ''Search for Security: The Political Economy of Australia's Postwar Foreign and Defence Policy'' (1995)<br /> * McLean, David. &quot;From British Colony to American Satellite? Australia and the USA during the Cold War,&quot; ''Australian Journal of Politics &amp; History&quot; (2006) 52 (1), 64–79. Rejects satellite model. [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8497.2006.00408a.x online at Blackwell-Synergy]<br /> * McLean, David. &quot;Australia in the Cold War: a Historiographical Review.&quot; ''International History Review'' (2001) 23(2): 299-321. Issn: 0707-5332 <br /> * Murphy, John. ''Harvest of Fear: A History of Australia's Vietnam War'' (1993)<br /> * Watt, Alan. ''The Evolution of Australian Foreign Policy 1938–1965,'' Cambridge University Press, 1967<br /> <br /> ===Culture and society===<br /> * Bebbington, Warren. ''A Dictionary of Australian Music'' (1999) <br /> * Bennett, Bruce et al. ''The Oxford Literary History of Australia'' (1999) <br /> * Bennett, Tony, and David Carter. ''Culture in Australia: Policies, Publics and Programs'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Australia-Reshaping-Australian-Institutions/dp/0521004039/ref=sr_1_47/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1193533775&amp;sr=8-47 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Breward, Ian. ''A History of the Churches in Australasia.'' (2002). 474 pp. <br /> * Carey, Hilary. ''Believing in Australia: A Cultural History of Religions'' (1996)<br /> * Horton, David. ''The Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History, Society and Culture'' (2001) <br /> * Huggan Graham. ''Postcolonialism, Racism, Transnationalism'' (Oxford Studies in Postcolonial Literatures) (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Australian-Literature-Postcolonialism-Transnationalism-Postcolonial/dp/0199274622/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1209696680&amp;sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Jupp, James, ed. ''The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, its People and their Origins'' (2nd ed. 2002) 960pp [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0521807891/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-4827826-5463040#reader-link excerpt and text search]<br /> * Jupp, James. ''The English in Australia'' (2004) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0521542952/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-4827826-5463040#reader-link excerpt and text search] <br /> * Kleinert, Sylvia. and Margo Neale. ''The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture'' (2001) <br /> * Leitner, Gerhard. ''Australia's Many Voices: Australian English--the National Language'' (2004) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/3110181940/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-4827826-5463040#reader-link excerpt and text search]<br /> * Love, J.W. ed. ''Australia and the Pacific Islands'' (Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 9) (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Australia-Pacific-Islands-Garland-Encyclopedia/dp/0824060385/ref=sr_1_14/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1193533487&amp;sr=8-14 excerpt and text search]<br /> * McAllister, Ian, Steve Dowrick, Riaz Hassan; ''The Cambridge Handbook of the Social Sciences in Australia'' Cambridge University Press, 2003 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=108131347 online edition]<br /> * McCulloch, Alan. ''Encyclopedia of Australian Art'' 2 vol (1984) <br /> * McDonald, John. ''Federation: Australian Art and Society, 1901-2001. Natl. Gallery of Australia, 2002. 264 pp. <br /> * Moran, Albert. ''Historical Dictionary of Australian Radio and Television'' (2007) <br /> * Nile, Richard. ''The Making of the Australian Literary Imagination.'' (2002). 315 pp. <br /> * Rickard, John, ''Australia: A Cultural History'' (1988)<br /> * Webby, Elizabeth. ''The Cambridge Companion to Australian Literature'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Companion-Australian-Literature-Companions/dp/0521658438/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1209696680&amp;sr=8-7 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Wilde, William H. et al eds. ''The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature'' (1995) online at [[OUP]] [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Australian-Literature/dp/019553381X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1209696680&amp;sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]<br /> * ''The Oxford Literary History of Australia.'' <br /> * Samuels, Selina, ed. ''Australian Writers, 1915-50.'' (2002). 510 pp.<br /> * Sayers, Andrew. ''Australian Art'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Australian-Art-Oxford-History/dp/0192842145/ref=sr_1_7/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1193540375&amp;sr=1-7 excerpt and text search] <br /> * Webby, Elizabeth, ed. ''The Cambridge Companion to Australian Literature'' (2006)<br /> * Wannan, Bill. ''A Dictionary of Australian Folklore: Lore, Legends, Myths and Traditions'' (1988)<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Primary sources==<br /> * [http://samizdat.stores.yahoo.net/auslitandhis.html Australia: Literature and History 136 e-books]<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> * [http://www.fed.gov.au Australian Government portal]<br /> * [http://www.aph.gov.au Australian Parliament House (Reps &amp; Senate) portal]<br /> * [http://www.gg.gov.au Governor-General of Australia]<br /> *[http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/oceania.htm Australia and Oceania]<br /> * [http://www.norepublic.com.au Australians for Constitutional Monarchy]<br /> * [http://www.crownedrepublic.com.au The Crowned Republic ]<br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|2}}<br /> <br /> {| style=&quot;width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;1&quot;<br /> !colspan=2 style=&quot;width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; &quot;|'''Copyright Details'''<br /> |-<br /> !style=&quot;background-color: #000088; color:white;&quot;|License:<br /> |style=&quot; background-color: none;&quot;| &lt;small&gt;Some of the text for this article is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code&lt;/small&gt;<br /> |-<br /> !style=&quot; background-color: #000088; color:white;&quot;|Source:<br /> |style=&quot;background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black&quot;| &lt;small&gt;File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2698.htm]&lt;/small&gt;}}}. <br /> |}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Oceanian Countries]]<br /> [[Category:Continents]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]<br /> [[Category:British Empire]]<br /> [[Category:Bibliographies]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Melbourne&diff=813286 2010-08-25T04:04:35Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>''' Melbourne''' is [[Australia]]'s second largest city and the capital of the state of [[Victoria]]. Melbourne is the collective name for the City of Melbourne and greater suburban area and is home to 4 million people.<br /> [[Image:Melbourne tram 250.jpg|thumb|A Melbourne tram.]]<br /> The City of Melbourne is located on the banks of the [[Yarra River]] and is renowned for its parks and gardens. The Victorian state parliament is located in the inner city. The Greater Melbourne area has an extensive system of street [[tram]]s and suburban [[railway]] lines.<br /> <br /> The Greater Melbourne area surrounds Port Phillip Bay. Due to a rapid increase in population and a consequent increase in land and house values the metropolitan area now extends almost to the tip of the Mornington Peninsula and the City of [[Geelong]].<br /> <br /> Melbourne is famous for being the home of the Australian Football League and for its large [[Greece|Greek]] community.<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Between 1837 and 1840 (prior to the Federation), several treaties signed between the southern territory jurisdiction and the Indigenous people.<br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> Industrial development and the rise of manufacturing caused the population to shift gradually from rural areas to cities during the early 1920s&lt;ref&gt;Goodman, R. (1999). &quot;Industrialisation in Australia&quot;. Prenwell Press&lt;/ref&gt;. In addition, farming remained prevalent. The economy was hard-hit by the [[Great Depression]], resulting in lower prices for farmers, layoffs among iron miners, and industrial unrest. Compounding the adversity, the Northern region were hit by a severe drought. The [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] and other programs around the state established some jobs for Indians on their reservations, and the [[Indian Reorganization Act]] of 1934 provided the tribes with a mechanism of self-government. This measures assisted the Indigenous population, giving them a greater voice within the state, and promoted more respect for tribal customs because religious ceremonies and [[native language]]s were no longer suppressed.<br /> <br /> == Transport ==<br /> Melbourne has a reasonably extensive [[freeway]] network, as well as a large suburban railway system and one of the largest tram systems in the world.<br /> <br /> Earlier freeways radiated out from the fringes of the inner city, but in more recent times a freeway has been built connecting three of these radial freeways through the inner city, and a ring road has been constructed around the outer suburbs to the west and north.<br /> A freeway running north-south through the eastern suburbs is currently (2007) under construction.<br /> The inner city connecting freeway and the north-south freeway under construction are both electronically [[toll]]ed.<br /> <br /> The railway system is broad gauge (5' 3&quot;) and electrified at 1500 volts D.C. on overhead wires.<br /> It is a radial system based on the inner city, with [[underground]] lines around the central business district allowing services from most lines to serve all the CBD's five [[station]]s.<br /> Services operate seven days a week, from around 5 a.m. to midnight on most days, and generally with 15 or 20-minute frequencies in off-peak times, and more frequently in peak times.<br /> <br /> Melbourne's tram system is standard gauge (4' 8&amp;frac12;&quot;) and electrified at 600 volts D.C. on overhead wires.<br /> Although it is mostly a radial system, there are several cross-suburban lines.<br /> <br /> Melbourne's public transport (suburban railway, tram system, and buses) are privately operated under contract to the State Government and share a common time-based fare and ticketing system.<br /> <br /> A feature of Melbourne's tram system is trams converted to operating restaurants that take diners on a tour of the city.<br /> <br /> == Facts about Melbourne ==<br /> * Melbourne was the temporary capital of Australia from Federation in 1901 to the transfer of the government to [[Canberra]] in 1927.&lt;ref name=&quot;MelbOrg&quot; /&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/capital/v.htm Melbourne, Victoria] (Australian Government, Geoscience Australia)&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Melbourne's Greek community is reputed to be the second largest in the world.&lt;ref name=&quot;MelbOrg&quot;&gt;[http://www.melbourneaustralia.org/melbourne.html Melbourne, Victoria, Australia], Melbourne Travel Guide.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Melbourne's Italian community is reputed to be the largest outside [[Italy]].&lt;ref name=&quot;MelbOrg&quot; /&gt;<br /> * Melbourne's tram system is the largest in an English-speaking country, the largest in the southern hemisphere, and one of the largest in the world.<br /> * Melbourne was the site of the 1956 [[Olympic Games]] and the 2006 [[Commonwealth Games]].<br /> * Melbourne was portrayed in the 1959 [[Stanley Kramer]] movie ''On the Beach'' (starring [[Ava Gardner]]) as the last pocket of civilisation following a global nuclear war.&lt;ref&gt;[http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0053137/ On the Beach] (Internet Movie Database)&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Melbourne is the most southerly city in the world with a population of over 1,000,000 people.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108743/Melbourne#361049.hook Melbourne] Encyclopedia Britannica.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *The Australian Open is held annually at Melbourne Park.<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Melbourne Australia Temple]]<br /> <br /> ==For further reading==<br /> * [http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ City of Melbourne official site]<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> {{reflist|2}} <br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Norfolk_Island&diff=812672 2010-08-24T04:24:47Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Norfolk Island''' is a small populated island in the [[Pacific Ocean]], east of [[Australia]], North West of [[New Zealand]]. Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia. The island's current population averages about 2,000 people. An interesting fact is that only three surnames are used by most residents. Norfolk Island occupies a significant portion of costal region east of the Victoria. The administrative divisions is separated into 3 main jurisdictions, consisting of 7 main towns. <br /> <br /> ==Discovery==<br /> Norfolk Island was discovered by the great British navigator, CAPT [[James Cook]] in 1774. Cook was impressed with the size of the native pine trees, subsequently named Norfolk Pines. Indeed, it was these pines that constituted one of the reasons for settling nearby Australia. <br /> <br /> ==Early years==<br /> In 1788 those convicts who behaved well in the New South Wales penal settlement were sent to Norfolk Island to a separate colony primarily to protect the island from French settlement. This settlement was closed in 1814 and the prisoners returned to New South Wales. The second settlement (from 1825) was also a prison colony, but for the worst repeat offenders from the New South Wales and Tasmanian prison colonies.<br /> <br /> The prison colony also closed (in 1855), and the island was used to move the thriving population of descendants of the [[Bounty]] mutineers from the much smaller [[Pitcairn Island]] in 1856. This small group is the reason for the small number of surnames.<br /> <br /> In 1914, 15 local representatives of the area met with Daniel Iswick, whose family was one of the original settlers. Discussion of future governance let to a formal agreement in 1936. <br /> <br /> ==Recent history==<br /> An airstrip was built on the island during World War II, and it was a staging and refuelling point for aircraft flying from New Zealand and Australia to the Pacific Theatre. The major industry is tourism, with regular flights to both Australia and New Zealand.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Islands]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Geography]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Norfolk_Island&diff=812671 2010-08-24T04:22:12Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Norfolk Island''' is a small populated island in the [[Pacific Ocean]], east of [[Australia]], North West of [[New Zealand]]. Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia. The island's current population averages about 2,000 people. An interesting fact is that only three surnames are used by most residents.<br /> <br /> ==Discovery==<br /> Norfolk Island was discovered by the great British navigator, CAPT [[James Cook]] in 1774. Cook was impressed with the size of the native pine trees, subsequently named Norfolk Pines. Indeed, it was these pines that constituted one of the reasons for settling nearby Australia. <br /> <br /> ==Early years==<br /> In 1788 those convicts who behaved well in the New South Wales penal settlement were sent to Norfolk Island to a separate colony primarily to protect the island from French settlement. This settlement was closed in 1814 and the prisoners returned to New South Wales. The second settlement (from 1825) was also a prison colony, but for the worst repeat offenders from the New South Wales and Tasmanian prison colonies.<br /> <br /> The prison colony also closed (in 1855), and the island was used to move the thriving population of descendants of the [[Bounty]] mutineers from the much smaller [[Pitcairn Island]] in 1856. This small group is the reason for the small number of surnames.<br /> <br /> In 1914, 15 local representatives of the area met with Daniel Iswick, whose family was one of the original settlers. Discussion of future governance let to a formal agreement in 1936. <br /> <br /> ==Recent history==<br /> An airstrip was built on the island during World War II, and it was a staging and refuelling point for aircraft flying from New Zealand and Australia to the Pacific Theatre. The major industry is tourism, with regular flights to both Australia and New Zealand.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Islands]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Geography]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Norfolk_Island&diff=812670 2010-08-24T04:21:27Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Norfolk Island''' is a small populated island in the [[Pacific Ocean]], east of [[Australia]], North West of [[New Zealand]]. Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia. The island's current population averages about 2,000 people. An interesting fact is that only three surnames are used by most residents.<br /> <br /> ==Discovery==<br /> Norfolk Island was discovered by the great British navigator, CAPT [[James Cook]] in 1774. Cook was impressed with the size of the native pine trees, subsequently named Norfolk Pines. Indeed, it was these pines that constituted one of the reasons for settling nearby Australia. <br /> <br /> ==Early years==<br /> In 1788 those convicts who behaved well in the New South Wales penal settlement were sent to Norfolk Island to a separate colony primarily to protect the island from French settlement. This settlement was closed in 1814 and the prisoners returned to New South Wales. The second settlement (from 1825) was also a prison colony, but for the worst repeat offenders from the New South Wales and Tasmanian prison colonies.<br /> <br /> The prison colony also closed (in 1855), and the island was used to move the thriving population of descendants of the [[Bounty]] mutineers from the much smaller [[Pitcairn Island]] in 1856. This small group is the reason for the small number of surnames.<br /> <br /> In 1914, 15 local representatives of the area met with Daniel Iswick, whose family was one of the original settlers. Discussion of future governance let to a formal agreement in 1936. <br /> <br /> ==Recent history==<br /> An airstrip was built on the island during World War II, and it was a staging and refuelling point for aircraft flying from New Zealand and Australia to the Pacific Theatre. The major industry is tourism, with regular flights to both Australia and New Zealand.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Islands]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Norfolk_Island&diff=812668 2010-08-24T04:17:10Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Norfolk Island''' is a small populated island in the [[Pacific Ocean]], east of [[Australia]], North West of [[New Zealand]]. Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia. The island's current population averages about 2,000 people. An interesting fact is that only three surnames are used by most residents.<br /> <br /> ==Discovery==<br /> Norfolk Island was discovered by the great British navigator, CAPT James Cook in 1774. Cook was impressed with the size of the native pine trees, subsequently named Norfolk Pines. Indeed, it was these pines that constituted one of the reasons for settling nearby Australia. <br /> <br /> ==Early years==<br /> In 1788 those convicts who behaved well in the New South Wales penal settlement were sent to Norfolk Island to a separate colony primarily to protect the island from French settlement. This settlement was closed in 1814 and the prisoners returned to New South Wales. The second settlement (from 1825) was also a prison colony, but for the worst repeat offenders from the New South Wales and Tasmanian prison colonies.<br /> <br /> The prison colony also closed (in 1855), and the island was used to move the thriving population of descendants of the [[Bounty]] mutineers from the much smaller [[Pitcairn Island]] in 1856. This small group is the reason for the small number of surnames.<br /> <br /> In 1914, 15 local representatives of the area met with Daniel Iswick, whose family was one of the original settlers. Discussion of future governance let to a formal agreement in 1936. <br /> <br /> ==Recent history==<br /> An airstrip was built on the island during World War II, and it was a staging and refuelling point for aircraft flying from New Zealand and Australia to the Pacific Theatre. The major industry is tourism, with regular flights to both Australia and New Zealand.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Islands]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Franz_Ferdinand&diff=807438 2010-08-19T00:45:59Z

<p>JasoT: remove content about the band with the same name</p> <hr /> <div>'''Franz Ferdinand''', born on December 18 1863, was the [[archduke]] of [[Austria]] and heir to the Imperial crown of Austria-Hungary.On June 28, 1914 he was assassinated in Sarajevo, capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], by [[Gavrilo Princip]], a member of the Black Hand organisation, a [[Serbia|Serbian]] ultra-nationalist group. His death led to an outbreak of hostilities between countries in [[Europe]] and the start of [[World War I]].<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand, Franz}}<br /> [[Category:International Political Figures]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Auckland&diff=807418 2010-08-19T00:22:35Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Auckland - New Zealand.jpg|thumb|The city and harbor]]<br /> '''Auckland''' (Maori: Tāmaki-makau-rau) is the largest city in [[New Zealand]], located on the North Island. It is a city of 1.3 million people. It is colloquially known as the &quot;City of Sails&quot; due to the high number of yachts and its favorable conditions for sailing. It hosted the [[America's Cup]] in 2000 and 2004. Auckland has the largest population of Polynesian people in the world. It is located on an isthmus between two harbors, the Manukau and Waitemata. Due to it's significant urban sprawl, Auckland encompasses has four administrative regions; Auckland city, Waitakere city, Manukau city and North Shore city. Auckland is situated in an area with many extinct volcanoes. This resulted in heavy indigenous inhabitation, as the volcanoes produced fertile land and easily defensible terrain. St Vincent's church was built in the metropolitan area between 1907 and 1909, and marked the strength of the Roman Catholic faith to Auckland. In addition, it was also the site of the death of the Catholic missionary to England in the 19th century who received Edward Newman into the Catholic faith.<br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> In the mid 20th century, Auckland was also center of iron making industry, manufacturing much bog iron from the numerous swamps in the surrounding area. The iron industry in Auckland produced a variety of goods including stoves tacks (Field Tack Company) and machinery. Founded by Thomas Pearce which produced machinery for the textile industry, as well as steam locomotives. The Auckland locomotive region also operated in the city during this time.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:New Zealand Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Auckland&diff=807415 2010-08-19T00:20:21Z

<p>JasoT: expand</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Auckland - New Zealand.jpg|thumb|The city and harbor]]<br /> '''Auckland''' (Maori: Tāmaki-makau-rau) is the largest city in [[New Zealand]], located on the North Island. It is a city of 1.3 million people. It is colloquially known as the &quot;City of Sails&quot; due to the high number of yachts and its favorable conditions for sailing. It hosted the [[America's Cup]] in 2000 and 2004. Auckland has the largest population of Polynesian people in the world. It is located on an isthmus between two harbors, the Manukau and Waitemata. Due to it's significant urban sprawl, Auckland encompasses has four administrative regions; Auckland city, Waitakere city, Manukau city and North Shore city. Auckland is situated in an area with many extinct volcanoes. This resulted in heavy indigenous inhabitation, as the volcanoes produced fertile land and easily defensible terrain. <br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> In the mid 20th century, Auckland was also center of iron making industry, manufacturing much bog iron from the numerous swamps in the surrounding area. The iron industry in Auckland produced a variety of goods including stoves tacks (Field Tack Company) and machinery. Founded by Thomas Pearce which produced machinery for the textile industry, as well as steam locomotives. The Auckland locomotive region also operated in the city during this time.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:New Zealand Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Malcolm_Turnbull&diff=806879 2010-08-18T02:14:20Z

<p>JasoT: expand</p> <hr /> <div>'''Malcolm Turnbull''' is an [[Australia|Australian]] politician who was formerly the elected Federal leader of the [[Liberal Party of Australia]], and the Federal [[Leader of the Opposition]], on 16th September 2008. On December 1 2009, he lost a leadership vote to [[Tony Abbott]] due to disagreements regarding emissions trading and retired to the Liberal &quot;back benches&quot; due to him not representing the majority of Liberal members thoughts and for being '[[Moderate|soft]]' on issues such as Climate Change, same sex marriage and republicanism (all of which are against the Liberal parties principles) <br /> <br /> He has previously served as Environment Minister in the [[government]] of [[John Howard]] and after Howard's 2007 election loss as Shadow Federal Treasurer under then Opposition Leader [[Brendan Nelson]].<br /> <br /> Turnbull represents the wealthy [[Sydney]] seat of Wentworth in Federal Parliament. Wentworth has a socially liberal population, and Turnbull's stated views reflect this. In 2005, Turnbull found the electorate of Sedgefield a notionally safe Labour seat near where he had grown up in Iserham. The branch had not made a nomination, and Blair visited them. Several sitting MPs. With the support of John Howard, Turnbull won their endorsement and he was added to the short list and won the selection over Judith Daniels. He later became Abbott's agent. <br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Turnbull, Malcolm}}<br /> [[Category:International Political Figures]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Politics]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_Party_of_Australia&diff=806461 2010-08-17T04:21:26Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_articletitle = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_logo = [[Image:Lpa.jpg|200px|&quot;The Liberal Party of Australia logo&quot;]]<br /> | website = [http://www.liberal.org.au/ www.liberal.org.au/]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = [[Alan Stockdale]] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Tony Abbott]] <br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = [[moderate|Centrism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Conservative|Conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Fiscal Conservative|Fiscal conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Liberal conservatism]]<br /> | fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market]]<br /> | socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]<br /> | international = [[International Democrat Union]] <br /> | colors = [[Blue]] (unofficial)<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> <br /> The '''Liberal Party of Australia''' is the main [[conservative]] political party based in the Commonwealth of [[Australia]]. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 by [[Robert Menzies|Sir Robert Menzies]]. Robert Menzies kept the Liberal Party in power during much of the post-war boom. As with many other Western democracies the winds of change swept through Australia and the Liberal Party was ousted from power by [[Gough Whitlam]] and the [[Australian Labor Party]] in 1972. <br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The Liberals in general believe in low levels of government interference in the economy and are understood to be more socially conservative than their more left wing political opposition, the [[Australian Labor Party]]. Thus in this sense, the term &quot;liberal&quot; refers to neo-liberal economics rather than the social liberalism that is implied in the American context. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Until the 1970s the Liberal Party occupied the centre of Australian politics. However, the breakway of left-wing groups meant that the Liberals have moved to the right of politics with the Labor Party occupying the centre-left.<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is divided into state-based divisions. The Liberals contest both state and federal elections, but do not officially contest local government elections. However many party members stand for local council elections in their own right.<br /> <br /> The current leader of the Liberal Party is [[Tony Abbott]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/01/2758221.htm&lt;/ref&gt;, while Julie Bishop serves as deputy leader.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is one of the two main parties of government at both state and federal level. Although it was the principal government party at federal level from 1996 to 2007, by the end of that period it had lost power to the Labor Party in every state and territory. Its low point arrived in November 2007 when it lost the federal election, leaving itself out of power nationwide. However since Labor took office federally, the Liberals have returned to power in the state of [[Western Australia]].<br /> <br /> ==Possible Merger==<br /> In March 2008, the then leader of the federal Liberal Party, [[Brendan Nelson]], indicated that he was in favour of a merger between his party and the [[National Party of Australia|National Party]]. &lt;ref&gt;http://news.theage.com.au/nelson-stakes-leadership-on-merger/20080309-1y5t.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Electoral histroy==<br /> {| Style=&quot;float:left;padding:1px 3px;margin:0 8px 5px 0;Background:#eee;Border:2px outset #AAA; -moz-border-radius:15px&quot;<br /> |-<br /> |<br /> '''Election Results&lt;br /&gt;<br /> Senate + National&lt;ref&gt;Nethercote, J. (2001),'' Liberalism and the Australian Federation'', Federation Press, Annandale, New South Wales.&lt;/ref&gt;'''<br /> &lt;CENTER&gt;<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1977|1977]]: 31.1%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1980|1980]]: 39.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1983|1983]]: 39.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1984|1984]]: 37.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1987|1987]]: 38.5%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1990|1990]]: 42.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1993|1993]]: 45.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1996|1996]]: 54.8%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1998|1998]]: 52.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 2001|2001]]: 51.5%<br /> |}<br /> <br /> ==Key members==<br /> * Tony Abbott<br /> * Julie Bishop<br /> * Peter Costello<br /> * Karen Darlington<br /> * Eva Terris<br /> * Nathaniel Wey<br /> <br /> == Reference ==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_Party_of_Australia&diff=806458 2010-08-17T04:19:59Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_articletitle = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_logo = [[Image:Lpa.jpg|200px|&quot;The Liberal Party of Australia logo&quot;]]<br /> | website = [http://www.liberal.org.au/ www.liberal.org.au/]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = [[Alan Stockdale]] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Tony Abbott]] <br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = [[moderate|Centrism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Conservative|Conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Fiscal Conservative|Fiscal conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Liberal conservatism]]<br /> | fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market]]<br /> | socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]<br /> | international = [[International Democrat Union]] <br /> | colors = [[Blue]] (unofficial)<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> <br /> The '''Liberal Party of Australia''' is the main [[conservative]] political party based in the Commonwealth of [[Australia]]. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 by [[Robert Menzies|Sir Robert Menzies]]. Robert Menzies kept the Liberal Party in power during much of the post-war boom. As with many other Western democracies the winds of change swept through Australia and the Liberal Party was ousted from power by [[Gough Whitlam]] and the [[Australian Labor Party]] in 1972. <br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The Liberals in general believe in low levels of government interference in the economy and are understood to be more socially conservative than their more left wing political opposition, the [[Australian Labor Party]]. Thus in this sense, the term &quot;liberal&quot; refers to neo-liberal economics rather than the social liberalism that is implied in the American context. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Until the 1970s the Liberal Party occupied the centre of Australian politics. However, the breakway of left-wing groups meant that the Liberals have moved to the right of politics with the Labor Party occupying the centre-left.<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is divided into state-based divisions. The Liberals contest both state and federal elections, but do not officially contest local government elections. However many party members stand for local council elections in their own right.<br /> <br /> The current leader of the Liberal Party is [[Tony Abbott]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/01/2758221.htm&lt;/ref&gt;, while Julie Bishop serves as deputy leader.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is one of the two main parties of government at both state and federal level. Although it was the principal government party at federal level from 1996 to 2007, by the end of that period it had lost power to the Labor Party in every state and territory. Its low point arrived in November 2007 when it lost the federal election, leaving itself out of power nationwide. However since Labor took office federally, the Liberals have returned to power in the state of [[Western Australia]].<br /> <br /> ==Possible Merger==<br /> In March 2008, the then leader of the federal Liberal Party, [[Brendan Nelson]], indicated that he was in favour of a merger between his party and the [[National Party of Australia|National Party]]. &lt;ref&gt;http://news.theage.com.au/nelson-stakes-leadership-on-merger/20080309-1y5t.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Electoral histroy==<br /> {| Style=&quot;float:left;padding:1px 3px;margin:0 8px 5px 0;Background:#eee;Border:2px outset #AAA; -moz-border-radius:15px&quot;<br /> |-<br /> |<br /> '''Election Results&lt;br /&gt;<br /> Senate + National&lt;ref&gt;Nethercote, J. (2001),'' Liberalism and the Australian Federation'', Federation Press, Annandale, New South Wales.&lt;/ref&gt;'''<br /> &lt;CENTER&gt;<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1977|1977]]: 31.1%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1980|1980]]: 39.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1983|1983]]: 39.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1984|1984]]: 37.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1987|1987]]: 38.5%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1990|1990]]: 42.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1993|1993]]: 45.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1996|1996]]: 54.8%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1998|1998]]: 52.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 2001|2001]]: 51.5%<br /> |}<br /> == Reference ==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Hobart&diff=806449 2010-08-17T04:08:41Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Hobart''' is the capital of the [[Australian]] [[island]] state of [[Tasmania]]. It was founded in 1804 and named in honour of Robert Hobart, Earl of [[Buckinghamshire]], the [[British]] Secretary of State for the Colonies and War.<br /> ==Climate==<br /> Situated in the south of the country, Hobart is the warmest city in Australia, with a mean annual temperature of 36.2-38&amp;nbsp;°C. The city is partially sheltered by the Tenderson Hills, but exposed to the estuary and southern channel. The annual rainfall is similar to the national average, at approximately 441-1,060&amp;nbsp;mm Rain falls all year round, but autumn and winter are the wettest seasons. The Atlantic strongly influences the regional weather, maintaining average temperatures above freezing throughout the year, although cold spells in winter often bring frosts and snow. <br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Hobart&diff=806448 2010-08-17T04:07:34Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Hobart''' is the capital of the [[Australian]] [[island]] state of [[Tasmania]]. It was founded in 1804 and named in honour of Robert Hobart, Earl of [[Buckinghamshire]], the [[British]] Secretary of State for the Colonies and War.<br /> ==Climate==<br /> Situated in the south of the country, Hobart is the warmest city in Australia, with a mean annual temperature of 36.2-38&amp;nbsp;°C. The city is partially sheltered by the Tenderson Hills, but exposed to the estuary and southern channel. The annual rainfall is similar to the national average, at approximately 441-1,060&amp;nbsp;mm Rain falls all year round, but autumn and winter are the wettest seasons. The Atlantic strongly influences the regional weather, maintaining average temperatures above freezing throughout the year, although cold spells in winter often bring frosts and snow. <br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Hobart&diff=806447 2010-08-17T04:07:03Z

<p>JasoT: expand</p> <hr /> <div>'''Hobart''' is the capital of the [[Australian]] [[island]] state of [[Tasmania]]. It was founded in 1804 and named in honour of Robert Hobart, Earl of [[Buckinghamshire]], the [[British]] Secretary of State for the Colonies and War.<br /> ==Climate==<br /> Situated in the south of the country, Hobart is the warmest cities in Australia, with a mean annual temperature of 36.2-38&amp;nbsp;°C. The city is partially sheltered by the Tenderson Hills, but exposed to the estuary and southern channel. The annual rainfall is similar to the national average, at approximately 441-1,060&amp;nbsp;mm Rain falls all year round, but autumn and winter are the wettest seasons. The Atlantic strongly influences the regional weather, maintaining average temperatures above freezing throughout the year, although cold spells in winter often bring frosts and snow. <br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Tasmania&diff=806444 2010-08-17T03:59:13Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Tasmania''' is an [[island]] [[state]] of [[Australia]]. Its population is approximately half a million&lt;ref&gt;Australian Bureau of Statistics, [http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0e5fa1cc95cd093c4a2568110007852b/b75088348a68bb6cca256ec2007f5e6e!OpenDocument Population by Age and Sex, Tasmania], 2005.&lt;/ref&gt; and its capital, [[Hobart]], has a population of around 200,000.&lt;ref&gt;Geoscience Australia, [http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/capital/t.htm Hobart, Tasmania] quoting the 1996 census.&lt;/ref&gt;. The metropolitan area has a significantly high seismic activity with a fault line running through the outer regions of Hobart.<br /> ==History==<br /> ===Early===<br /> Prior to contact from [[Europe]], Tasmania was home to a number of Indigenous groups. It is estimated that when Europeans arrived in Tasmania there were between 4000 and 10,000 [[Tasmanian Aborigines]], in 9 tribes.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/f6fa372655dcc15fca256c3200241893?OpenDocument 1384.6 - Statistics - Tasmania, 2005 &gt;&gt; History &gt;&gt; Aboriginal occupation] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Accessed 21 March 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; Most of these were systematically killed by the White colonists in the first 50 years of colonisation.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/0D3893BEE905CA98CA256C3200241894?opendocument 1384.6 - Statistics - Tasmania, 2005 &gt;&gt; History &gt;&gt; 1803-1850s, British outpost] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Accessed 21 March 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===European Colonisation===<br /> Tasmania was first discovered by [[Holland|Dutch]] explorer [[Abel Tasman]]. It wasn't claimed until Captain [[James Cook]] of [[Great Britain]] explored the coast of Australia. It was settled as Australia's second [[penal colony]]. The colony of Tasmania declined further shipments of [[convict]]s after 1853. <br /> <br /> ===Contemporary===<br /> Tasmania joined the Australian [[federation]] at its inception in 1901, a move that was not supported by a significant minority of the voting population. <br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> Tasmania's unemployment rate stood at 9.7 in December 2009, adding 13,000 new jobs that month&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/LookupFiles/Long-Term-Unemployment-in-Tasmania.pdf/$file/Long-Term-Unemployment-in-Tasmania.pdf&lt;/ref&gt;. The average per capita income is $29,874&lt;ref&gt;Johnson, R.T (2005) &quot;Australia Economy Progress&quot;&lt;/ref&gt;. The main ecnomic sectors are in coal mining and horticulture. <br /> <br /> <br /> [[image:TasmanianDevil.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A ferocious Tasmanian Devil]]<br /> <br /> ==Wildlife==<br /> Tasmania has been home to two notable animals; the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian Tiger.<br /> <br /> The '''Tasmanian Tiger''' or '''thylacine''' was a large dog-like marsupial with stripes on its back which led to the ''tiger'' appellation. It is believed to have survived on the island owing to the lack of competition from dingos. The last known surviving specimen died in captivity in 1936. Although believed to be extinct there are occasional unconfirmed reports of further sightings.<br /> <br /> The '''Tasmanian Devil''' is another marsupial. Although a carnivore, it is primarily a scavenger. Devils stand up to 30cm tall and have a squat thickset build. They are generally black but often have white markings on their chest and rump. Devil numbers have been depleted due Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a unique contagious cancer, which is spread when the devils fight each other. There has been little success in combatting this disease, which results in death by starvation. Efforts to protect the devils consist mainly of maintaining strict quarantine of cancer-free captive populations with a view to repopulation if the wild devils all die off.<br /> <br /> The average weight varies considerably from 15-44 kgwith males generally being larger than females&lt;ref name=&quot;ABRS&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/fauna-of-australia/pubs/volume1b/16-ind.pdf#search=%22platypus%20pelt%201700%22|title=Fauna of Australia chap.16 vol.1b|author=J.R.Grant|publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)| accessdate = 2006-09-13}}&lt;/ref&gt;. Before the arrival of European settlers Australia's only endemic [[mammal]]s were three species of [[bat]]s and the other marsupials.<br /> <br /> ==Notable Tasmanians==<br /> *Errol Flynn (actor)<br /> *Mary Donaldson (Crown Princess Mary of [[Denmark]])<br /> *Ricky Ponting (current captain of the Australian national [[cricket]] team)<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Australian States and Territories]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Tasmania&diff=806443 2010-08-17T03:58:50Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Tasmania''' is an [[island]] [[state]] of [[Australia]]. Its population is approximately half a million&lt;ref&gt;Australian Bureau of Statistics, [http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0e5fa1cc95cd093c4a2568110007852b/b75088348a68bb6cca256ec2007f5e6e!OpenDocument Population by Age and Sex, Tasmania], 2005.&lt;/ref&gt; and its capital, [[Hobart]], has a population of around 200,000.&lt;ref&gt;Geoscience Australia, [http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/capital/t.htm Hobart, Tasmania] quoting the 1996 census.&lt;/ref&gt;. The metropolitan area has a significantly high seismic activity with a fault line running through the outer regions of Hobart.<br /> ==History==<br /> ==Early==<br /> Prior to contact from [[Europe]], Tasmania was home to a number of Indigenous groups. It is estimated that when Europeans arrived in Tasmania there were between 4000 and 10,000 [[Tasmanian Aborigines]], in 9 tribes.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/f6fa372655dcc15fca256c3200241893?OpenDocument 1384.6 - Statistics - Tasmania, 2005 &gt;&gt; History &gt;&gt; Aboriginal occupation] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Accessed 21 March 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; Most of these were systematically killed by the White colonists in the first 50 years of colonisation.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/0D3893BEE905CA98CA256C3200241894?opendocument 1384.6 - Statistics - Tasmania, 2005 &gt;&gt; History &gt;&gt; 1803-1850s, British outpost] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Accessed 21 March 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===European Colonisation===<br /> Tasmania was first discovered by [[Holland|Dutch]] explorer [[Abel Tasman]]. It wasn't claimed until Captain [[James Cook]] of [[Great Britain]] explored the coast of Australia. It was settled as Australia's second [[penal colony]]. The colony of Tasmania declined further shipments of [[convict]]s after 1853. <br /> <br /> ===Contemporary===<br /> Tasmania joined the Australian [[federation]] at its inception in 1901, a move that was not supported by a significant minority of the voting population. <br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> Tasmania's unemployment rate stood at 9.7 in December 2009, adding 13,000 new jobs that month&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/LookupFiles/Long-Term-Unemployment-in-Tasmania.pdf/$file/Long-Term-Unemployment-in-Tasmania.pdf&lt;/ref&gt;. The average per capita income is $29,874&lt;ref&gt;Johnson, R.T (2005) &quot;Australia Economy Progress&quot;&lt;/ref&gt;. The main ecnomic sectors are in coal mining and horticulture. <br /> <br /> <br /> [[image:TasmanianDevil.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A ferocious Tasmanian Devil]]<br /> <br /> ==Wildlife==<br /> Tasmania has been home to two notable animals; the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian Tiger.<br /> <br /> The '''Tasmanian Tiger''' or '''thylacine''' was a large dog-like marsupial with stripes on its back which led to the ''tiger'' appellation. It is believed to have survived on the island owing to the lack of competition from dingos. The last known surviving specimen died in captivity in 1936. Although believed to be extinct there are occasional unconfirmed reports of further sightings.<br /> <br /> The '''Tasmanian Devil''' is another marsupial. Although a carnivore, it is primarily a scavenger. Devils stand up to 30cm tall and have a squat thickset build. They are generally black but often have white markings on their chest and rump. Devil numbers have been depleted due Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a unique contagious cancer, which is spread when the devils fight each other. There has been little success in combatting this disease, which results in death by starvation. Efforts to protect the devils consist mainly of maintaining strict quarantine of cancer-free captive populations with a view to repopulation if the wild devils all die off.<br /> <br /> The average weight varies considerably from 15-44 kgwith males generally being larger than females&lt;ref name=&quot;ABRS&quot;&gt;{{cite web|url=http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/fauna-of-australia/pubs/volume1b/16-ind.pdf#search=%22platypus%20pelt%201700%22|title=Fauna of Australia chap.16 vol.1b|author=J.R.Grant|publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)| accessdate = 2006-09-13}}&lt;/ref&gt;. Before the arrival of European settlers Australia's only endemic [[mammal]]s were three species of [[bat]]s and the other marsupials.<br /> <br /> ==Notable Tasmanians==<br /> *Errol Flynn (actor)<br /> *Mary Donaldson (Crown Princess Mary of [[Denmark]])<br /> *Ricky Ponting (current captain of the Australian national [[cricket]] team)<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Australian States and Territories]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Wellington&diff=806442 2010-08-17T03:55:56Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Wellington''' is the capital of and second largest city in [[New Zealand]]. It is situated at the southern end of the North Island.<br /> Wellington sits on extremely active fault-lines and [[earthquakes]] are common. In 1855 Wellington was rocked by the largest [[earthquake]] ever recorded in [[New Zealand]] which lifted up large tracts of Wellington harbour.<br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> Wellington began as a service town to the horticulture industry that first came to the region. The introduction of the rail line greatly increased its economy and productivity. The town services a region a population of approximately 280,000 people. The region includes a number of mining and fishing communities, the Joint Defence Space Research Facility and tourist attractions at Ulur-Kata Tjuta National Park.<br /> <br /> [[Category:New Zealand Cities and Towns]]<br /> [[Category:Capital Cities]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Greens&diff=804527 2010-08-12T03:54:43Z

<p>JasoT: add infobox</p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Australian Greens<br /> | party_articletitle = Australian Greens<br /> | party_logo = <br /> | website = [http://greens.org.au/ Website]<br /> | headquarters = <br /> | chairman = Alan Stockdale] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = Bob Brown<br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = Amelia Kingsford<br /> | foundation = 1991<br /> | ideology = green politics, far left, Trotskyism<br /> | fiscalpolicy =<br /> | socialpolicy = <br /> | international = <br /> | colors = Blue<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> The '''Australian Greens''' also simply known as '''The Greens''' are a leftist/[[Progressivism|progressive]] &lt;ref&gt;http://greens.org.au/policies&lt;/ref&gt; green political party operating in [[Australia]]. <br /> <br /> ==History== <br /> There had been an effort to create a Green party in Australia during the 1970s-80's as issues such as the Franklin Dam and other green issues rose in importance. The Greens were formed in the early 90's and elected their first senator who is the current leader Bob Brown in 1996.&lt;ref&gt;http://greens.org.au/history&lt;/ref&gt; As time progressed The Greens electoral performance improved dramatically and in the Australian Senate and the parliaments of various State and territories around Australia they make up a visible minority. <br /> <br /> The swing seat of NSW created by his resignation was filled by Portsmore. Portsmore duly left the party, along with many leading figures of the Victorian branch of the party, and unsuccessfully stood as an Independent candidate when her term expired.<br /> ==Electoral performance== <br /> The Greens initially had very poor electoral performance but eventually improved and in the 2007 federal election received close to 1 million votes in the [[Australian House of Representatives]] representing around 8% of the total primary vote. Despite this, The Greens did not receive any seats (and haven't in the past) as their support is deep but not broad. In the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] they received over 1 million primary votes, but after preferences received close to 1.5 million votes representing close to 12% of the final vote giving them a total of 5 seats out of 76 with the help of proportional representation. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/06/1199554486499.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Support Base==<br /> As Australia uses a system of secret ballot it is hard to estimate correctly who votes for The Greens but through various polls conducted it is thought that the average Green voter is 'a supporter of the old Labor Party left of the '70s', and lives in middle to upper class suburbs around the major cities and possibly old Australian Democrats voters.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/politics/minority-government-accords-have-to-beat-odds-and-history/1704846.aspx?storypage=0&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> ==Preferences distribution== <br /> In nearly every election the Greens give preferences to the Centre-Left [[Australian Labor Party]] by a large margin which is usually over 65% of the preferences &lt;ref&gt;http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/website/HouseStateTppFlow-13745-NAT.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. This can help the ALP in some close seats where the result could come to preferences.<br /> <br /> ==Criticism== <br /> The Greens have been criticized by conservatives in Australia as an extreme left wing party which doesn't just stand for green politics but at the same time being very socially liberal, supporting drug legalization, supporting multiculturalism and opposing war. They have been called a watermelon party by both former reverend now leader of the Christian Democrats Fred Nile and former Nationals leader John Anderson in relation to the accusations of The Greens being communists. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/06/1094322715096.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cdp.org.au/fed/mr/2009/090616f.asp&lt;/ref&gt; They have also being criticized by former Prime Minister John Howard. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1213412.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Politics]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804522 2010-08-12T03:41:50Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Australian Labor Party<br /> | party_articletitle = Australian Labor Party (ALP)<br /> | party_logo = <br /> | website = [http://www.alp.org.au/ Website]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = Alan Stockdale] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Julia Gillard]]<br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = social democracy<br /> | fiscalpolicy = Keynesian<br /> | socialpolicy = social liberalism<br /> | international = <br /> | colors = Blue<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia. After withdrawing from the government, Wouter Bos announced he would leave politics to spend more time with his wife and two daughters. Then mayor Andre Cohen, took his place as leader.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The party's leftist inclinations makes it subject to criticism from Conservative parties on the political spectrum. In particular, the former member for South Australia was frequently recalled by opponents on the left and early green-left parties such as the United Tasmania Group.<br /> <br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Electoral history==<br /> <br /> Following the general election, Labor formed a coalition with the Progressive party, and entered into economic agreements with the centrist Australia First party.<br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> * SA - Mike Rann<br /> * WA - Colin Barnett<br /> * TAS - William Champ<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> *Felicity Nimes<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804521 2010-08-12T03:39:21Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Australian Labor Party<br /> | party_articletitle = Australian Labor Party (ALP)<br /> | party_logo = <br /> | website = [http://www.alp.org.au/ Website]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = Alan Stockdale] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Julia Gillard]]<br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = social democracy<br /> | fiscalpolicy = Keynesian<br /> | socialpolicy = social liberalism<br /> | international = <br /> | colors = Blue<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The party's leftist inclinations makes it subject to criticism from Conservative parties on the political spectrum. In particular, the former member for South Australia was frequently recalled by opponents on the left and early green-left parties such as the United Tasmania Group.<br /> <br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Electoral history==<br /> <br /> Following the general election, Labor formed a coalition with the Progressive party, and entered into economic agreements with the centrist Australia First party.<br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> * SA - Mike Rann<br /> * WA - Colin Barnett<br /> * TAS - William Champ<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> *Felicity Nimes<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804520 2010-08-12T03:38:41Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Australian Labor Party<br /> | party_articletitle = Australian Labor Party (ALP)<br /> | party_logo = <br /> | website = [http://www.alp.org.au/ Website]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = Alan Stockdale] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Julia Gillard]]<br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = social democracy<br /> | fiscalpolicy = Keynesian<br /> | socialpolicy = social liberalism<br /> | international = <br /> | colors = Blue<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The party's leftist inclinations makes it subject to criticism from Conservative parties on the political spectrum. In particular, the former member for South Australia was frequently recalled by opponents on the left and early green-left parties such as the United Tasmania Group.<br /> <br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Electoral history==<br /> <br /> Following the general election, Labor formed a coalition with the Progressive party, and entered into economic agreements with the centrist Australia First parties<br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> * SA - Mike Rann<br /> * WA - Colin Barnett<br /> * TAS - William Champ<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> *Felicity Nimes<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804519 2010-08-12T03:35:20Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Australian Labor Party<br /> | party_articletitle = Australian Labor Party (ALP)<br /> | party_logo = <br /> | website = [http://www.alp.org.au/ Website]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = Alan Stockdale] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Julia Gillard]]<br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = social democracy<br /> | fiscalpolicy = Keynesian<br /> | socialpolicy = social liberalism<br /> | international = <br /> | colors = Blue<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The party's leftist inclinations makes it subject to criticism from Conservative parties on the political spectrum. In particular, the former member for South Australia was frequently recalled by opponents on the left and early green-left parties such as the United Tasmania Group.<br /> <br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> * SA - Mike Rann<br /> * WA - Colin Barnett<br /> * TAS - William Champ<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> *Felicity Nimes<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804518 2010-08-12T03:34:26Z

<p>JasoT: add infobox</p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Australian Labor Party<br /> | party_articletitle = Australian Labor Party<br /> | party_logo = <br /> | website = [http://www.alp.org.au/ Website]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = Alan Stockdale] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Julia Gillard]]<br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = <br /> | fiscalpolicy = Keynesian<br /> | socialpolicy = social liberalism<br /> | international = <br /> | colors = Blue<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The party's leftist inclinations makes it subject to criticism from Conservative parties on the political spectrum. In particular, the former member for South Australia was frequently recalled by opponents on the left and early green-left parties such as the United Tasmania Group.<br /> <br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> * SA - Mike Rann<br /> * WA - Colin Barnett<br /> * TAS - William Champ<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> *Felicity Nimes<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804514 2010-08-12T03:30:36Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> The party's leftist inclinations makes it subject to criticism from Conservative parties on the political spectrum. In particular, the former member for South Australia was frequently recalled by opponents on the left and early green-left parties such as the United Tasmania Group.<br /> <br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> * SA - Mike Rann<br /> * WA - Colin Barnett<br /> * TAS - William Champ<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> *Felicity Nimes<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804511 2010-08-12T03:27:53Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> * SA - Mike Rann<br /> * WA - Colin Barnett<br /> * TAS - William Champ<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> *Felicity Nimes<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804508 2010-08-12T03:25:06Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Representatives==<br /> ;State<br /> * NSW - Kristina Keneally<br /> * QLD - Anna Bligh<br /> <br /> ;Minor<br /> *Allison Hedge<br /> *Olivia Bers<br /> *Samuel Livingstone<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804505 2010-08-12T03:23:41Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> ==Representatives==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Australian_Labor_Party&diff=804503 2010-08-12T03:22:36Z

<p>JasoT: headings</p> <hr /> <div>The &lt;b&gt;Australian Labor Party (ALP)&lt;/b&gt; is [[Australia]]'s oldest continuous political party. The ALP was formed in 1891. The ALP has a strong connection to the trade union movement. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> During the 1950s communist scare in Australia, the ALP expelled many anti-communist Catholic members. The anti-communist Catholic members became suspicious of communist influence in the trade union movement and groups were formed to take control of the unions. The '''groupers''' went on to form the anti-communist, Catholic aligned, '''Democratic Labor Party (DLP)'''. The DLP became largely irrelevant after the election of a Federal ALP majority under [[Gough Whitlam]] in 1972.<br /> <br /> Famous ALP prime ministers have included the [[World War Two|war time]] [[John Curtin]], 1970s [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]]. Although it has espoused socialist ideals in the past, the ALP has never introduced [[socialism]] to Australia. In recent decades, the ALP has remodelled itself in terms of its ideological vision to combat political pressure from outside sources.<br /> <br /> ==Platform==<br /> An overwhelming majority of ALP MP's do not support [[same-sex marriage]] at the federal level. In 2004 an act titled The ''''Marriage Amendment Act 2004'''' was introduced into the [[Australian House of Representatives]] which stated that '''marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life''' and that a union solemnised in a foreign country between:<br /> &lt;br&gt;<br /> (a) a man and another man; or &lt;br&gt;<br /> (b) a woman and another woman; &lt;br&gt;<br /> '''must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia'''. [http://legislation.gov.au/comlaw/Legislation/Act1.nsf/0/91DFFD1199DF26D8CA2574170007CE06/$file/1262004.pdf]. It was passed by a majority of MP's in both chambers of parliament and in the [[Australian Senate]] only 6 Senators rejected the Bill compared to 38 who supported it. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/13/1092340471989.html] <br /> <br /> The ALP is currently in power in all Australian states and territories except for Western Australia and won the federal election of 24 November 2007.<br /> <br /> [[Julia Gillard]] is the current leader of the ALP, having taken over from [[Kevin Rudd]] on 24 June 2010 following a leadership coup&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935500.htm&lt;/ref&gt;. Ms Gillard subsequently became the first female Prime Minister of Australia. <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:Labor Unions]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Quentin_Bryce&diff=804502 2010-08-12T03:18:16Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Quentin Bryce''' (b. Dec 23, 1942) is the current [[Governor General]] of [[Australia]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/content.php?id=40&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Background==<br /> During [[World War I]] her family was transferred to Australia.<br /> ==Career==<br /> Bryce was formerly a member of the [[New South Wales]] State parole authority, as well as the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, and of the NSW Government Expert Advisory Group on Drugs and Alcohol. In 1994 Bryce was recruited to the staff of the Department of External Affairs, and served on Australian delegations to numerous international conferences, including the San Francisco Conference. <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Quentin_Bryce&diff=804499 2010-08-12T03:17:29Z

<p>JasoT: expand</p> <hr /> <div>'''Quentin Bryce''' (b. Dec 23, 1942) is the current [[Governor General]] of [[Australia]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/content.php?id=40&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Bryce was formerly a member of the [[New South Wales]] State parole authority, as well as the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, and of the NSW Government Expert Advisory Group on Drugs and Alcohol. In 1994 Bryce was recruited to the staff of the Department of External Affairs, and served on Australian delegations to numerous international conferences, including the San Francisco Conference. During [[World War I]] her family was transferred to Australia.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Quentin_Bryce&diff=804498 2010-08-12T03:14:59Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Quentin Bryce''' (b. Dec 23, 1942) is the current [[Governor General]] of [[Australia]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/content.php?id=40&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Career==<br /> Bryce was formerly a member of the [[New South Wales]] State parole authority, as well as the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, and of the NSW Government Expert Advisory Group on Drugs and Alcohol.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Altruism&diff=804497 2010-08-12T03:13:20Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Altruism.jpg|left]]<br /> '''Altruism''' refers to an act of sacrifice, for the sake of persons other than oneself. It is the selfless concern for the welfare of others; a motivation to help others. In many religious traditions it is an important [[virtue]]. <br /> <br /> The word &quot;altruism&quot; is derived from [[Latin]] ''alter'' &quot;other&quot;. French philosopher [[Auguste Comte]] coined the word altruisme in 1851, meaning the self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. <br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;<br /> ''Getting involved in a cause you believe can help reduce stress, increase happiness, and bring more meaning to life.'' &lt;ref&gt;[http://stress.about.com/od/positiveattitude/qt/helping.htm How Helping Others Can Reduce Stress and Increase Happiness]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> &lt;/blockquote&gt; <br /> <br /> &quot;The feeling you get from giving to those in need is a reward in itself.&quot; <br /> <br /> {{cquote| <br /> <br /> ''&quot;There is a power in love that our world has not discovered yet. Jesus discovered it centuries ago. Mahatma Gandhi of India discovered it a few years ago, but most men and most women never discover it. For they believe in hitting for hitting; they believe in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; they believe in hating for hating; but Jesus comes to us and says, &quot;This isn’t the way.&quot; And this morning, I think of the fact that our world is in transition now. Our whole world is facing a revolution.&quot;'' [[Martin Luther King]], Jr. }}<br /> <br /> == See also ==<br /> <br /> *[[Charity]]<br /> *[[Fruits of the Holy Spirit]]<br /> <br /> == External links ==<br /> <br /> *[http://m-w.com/dictionary/altruism Altruism] Merriam-Webster Dictionary.<br /> *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01369a.htm Altruism] Catholic Encyclopedia. <br /> *[http://stress.about.com/b/a/257911.htm The Hidden Power of Altruism] By Elizabeth Scott, M.S.<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Philosophy]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Sydney&diff=804416 2010-08-12T00:51:32Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Sydney''' is a [[port city]] and the [[capital]] of the state of [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. It is the nation's oldest and largest city, as well as its major business centre. Sydney lies on what has been described as &quot;the finest natural harbour in the world&quot;. Other notable natural features include many beaches (most famously Bondi Beach and Manly), several national parks, including the Royal National Park and Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, and several waterways including the St George's and Hawkesbury Rivers. City [[landmark]]s include the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] and the [[Sydney Opera House]].<br /> <br /> [[Image:Sydney.jpg|thumb|The Sydney Skyline.]]<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> ===Early===<br /> Sydney was founded by [[Arthur Phillip]], commander of [[Britain]]'s [[First Fleet]], on 26th January 1788 when he established the first European settlement on the continent at the site now known as Circular Quay. Prior to this, lieutenant [[James Cook]] had visited Botany Bay (a few kilometres south of Sydney Harbour) in 1770 and later claimed the whole of the east coast of the continent - then known as [[New Holland]] - for the British Crown, coining the name [[New South Wales]]. After the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]], [[Britain]] decided it needed to establish new colonies to which it could send its growing number of convicts. Thus the plan to dispatch a fleet to [[New South Wales]] was drawn up. Arriving at Botany Bay, Phillip soon recognised that the site was unsuitable for a colony due to the lack of fresh water. The fleet moved on to [[Sydney Harbour]], which was more suitable. Phillip named the harbour Port Jackson, which remains the official name. The city was originally a large house and estate within the parish of St. John and before that was a farm house and land within that same parish. In 1851 it was deemed a separate parish, although some sources still refer to the area as being part of Sydney. The Estate was later sold by its last owner, Sir Henry Merewether in 1856. Due to its strategic position, the settlement became a substantial trading post and shipbuilding centre, with many [[merchant]] and [[Royal Navy]] vessels, submarines being constructed in Botany Bay by migrant workers during the early 20th century. <br /> <br /> ===Contemporary ===<br /> <br /> Sydney's metropolitan area has about 4.3 million inhabitants and ranks 67 in the world. Sydney is the 9th largest urban area on [[Earth]] in size (12,100 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;), spreading over 300 different [[suburb]]s. It is about the same size as [[Los Angeles]] in area, but has only about a third its [[population]]. <br /> <br /> The inhabitants of Sydney call themselves &quot;Sydneysiders&quot;. Many Sydney landmarks, such as the [[Sydney Opera House| Opera House]], the [[AMP Tower]], the Queen Victoria Building, Darling Harbour and Hyde Park, are in or close to the Central Business District (CBD). Much of the rest of the metropolitan area falls into three parts: The &quot;North Shore&quot; is an affluent residential area north of the harbour; The &quot;Eastern Suburbs&quot;, east of the CBD, contain famous beach suburbs such as Bondi and Coogee, affluent residential areas such as Paddington and Double Bay, and mostly urban areas such as Darlinghurst and Redfern; and the &quot;Western Suburbs&quot; are a mostly suburban residential area that stretches from the CBD to the [[Blue Mountains]]. The Western Suburbs are known for their communities of recent immigrants, especially from the [[Middle East]]. <br /> <br /> ==Sport and Culture==<br /> <br /> Sydney is a hotbed of [[rugby league]] and other sports, and the city hosted the [[Olympics|Summer Olympic Games]] in 2000. The hard-rock band [[AC/DC]] is from Sydney.<br /> <br /> ==Religion==<br /> The largest religious denominations by number of adherents as a percentage of Sydney's population in 2009 was the Protestantism with 41 percent, followed by Hinduism and Islam with 12 and 17% respectively.<br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Brisbane&diff=804414 2010-08-12T00:47:18Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Brisbane''' is the capital city of the state of [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]. With a population of 1,800,000, it is the third-largest Australian city. The Brisbane River runs through the city, dividing it into the &quot;Northside&quot; and &quot;Southside&quot; in local idiom.<br /> <br /> The city has a relatively dry climate, similar to that of [[Sydney]]. It is specifically a humid climate with hot and rainy summers and mild and dry winters. The average annual temperature is around 23 celcius&lt;ref&gt;Bureau of meterology statistics, 2003&lt;/ref&gt;. As with the rest of the country, the majority of residents are [[Protestant]] however fewer than 20% regularly attend church and almost 36% profess no religious affiliation.&lt;ref&gt;Census data, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> Brisbane is a major finance center, serving as a hub for [[publishing]], and [[broadcasting]] industries. In addition the agricultural sector is of particular prominence, which constitutes approximately 40% of the economy. During the centralized growth of Australia's economy from the 1920s onwards many large firms moved their headquarters from cities such as Darling Downs, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Darwin and the high cost of living there. The region's argicultural industry was established by Dutch, French and English settlers in mid 1800s . Since then, wine-growing is concentrated into two regions: Yeminga and Turnhem. Recently there have been vintages from plantings from Tarow in the southern region. [[White wine]] has typically predominated in Brisbane from chardonnay to Gewürztraminer, as well as and [[Pinot Gris]]. [[Pinot Noir]] has had some success in the province particularly in the north-west region of Penrith. <br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> * ''Queensland &amp; the Great Barrier Reef'' by Alan Murphy (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Queensland-Great-Barrier-Regional-Guide/dp/1741047005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1245292797&amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Brisbane&diff=804411 2010-08-12T00:43:40Z

<p>JasoT: sp</p> <hr /> <div>'''Brisbane''' is the capital city of the state of [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]. With a population of 1,800,000, it is the third-largest Australian city. The Brisbane River runs through the city, dividing it into the &quot;Northside&quot; and &quot;Southside&quot; in local idiom.<br /> <br /> The city has a relatively dry climate, similar to that of [[Sydney]]. It is specifically a humid climate with hot and rainy summers and mild and dry winters. The average annual temperature is around 23 celcius&lt;ref&gt;Bureau of meterology statistics, 2003&lt;/ref&gt;. As with the rest of the country, the majority of residents are [[Protestant]] however fewer than 20% regularly attend church and almost 36% profess no religious affiliation.&lt;ref&gt;Census data, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> Brisbane is a major finance center, serving as a hub for [[publishing]], and [[broadcasting]] industries. In addition the agricultural sector is of particular prominence, which constitutes approximately 40% of the economy. During the centralized growth of Australia's economy from the 1920s onwards many large firms moved their headquarters from cities such as Darling Downs, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Darwin and the high cost of living there.<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> * ''Queensland &amp; the Great Barrier Reef'' by Alan Murphy (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Queensland-Great-Barrier-Regional-Guide/dp/1741047005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1245292797&amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Brisbane&diff=804410 2010-08-12T00:43:02Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Brisbane''' is the capital city of the state of [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]. With a population of 1,800,000, it is the third-largest Australian city. The Brisbane River runs through the city, dividing it into the &quot;Northside&quot; and &quot;Southside&quot; in local idiom.<br /> <br /> The city has a relatively dry climate, similar to that of [[Sydney]]. It is specifically a humid climate with hot and rainy summers and mild and dry winters. The average annual temperature is around 23 celcius&lt;ref&gt;Bureau of meterology statistics, 2003&lt;/ref&gt;. As with the rest of the country, the majority of residents are [[Protestant]] however fewer than 20% regularly attend church and almost 36% profess no religious affiliation.&lt;ref&gt;Census data, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Economy==<br /> Brisbane is a major finance center, serving as a hub for [[publishing]], and [[broadcasting]] industries. In addition the agricultural sector is of particular prominence, which constitues approximately 40% of the economy. During the centralized growth of Australia's economy from the 1920s onwards many large firms moved their headquarters from cities such as Darling Downs, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Darwin and the high cost of living there.<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> * ''Queensland &amp; the Great Barrier Reef'' by Alan Murphy (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Queensland-Great-Barrier-Regional-Guide/dp/1741047005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1245292797&amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Sir_Edmund_Hillary&diff=804405 2010-08-12T00:37:58Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Sir Edmund Hillary''', (1919-2008) is credited with the first successful ascent of [[Mount Everest]]. He reached the summit, along with his climbing partner, Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953. His death in 2008 was due to a [[heart attack]] after months of ill health. He received a State Funeral which is usually reserved for heads of state.<br /> Sir Edmund Hillary was also the only living person, aside from [[Queen Victoria II]], to appear on [[New Zealand]] [[currency]]. He is featured on the [[New Zealand]] $5 bill.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <br /> * http://www.who2.com/edmundhillary.html<br /> * Book: Sir Edmund Hillary: To Everest and Beyond, Author: Whitney Stewart <br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT: Hillary, Sir Edmund}}<br /> [[Category: Mountain Climbers]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Darwin,_Australia&diff=804402 2010-08-12T00:34:01Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>''The following article is about the city called Darwin in Australia. For the article on Charles Darwin please see:'' [[Charles Darwin]]<br /> <br /> '''Darwin''' is a city and port in northern [[Australia]]. It is the capital of the [[Northern Territory]], and by far the largest city in that territory. It is named after [[Charles Darwin]], who never visited.<br /> <br /> Darwin is the most cyclone-ravaged city in Australia. The city of Darwin was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy on Dec. 25, 1974, killing 66 people, and destroying 80% of the buildings in the city of 46,000 population. Darwin's utilities were knocked out and 35,000 people were evacuated. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> ===Early===<br /> Edward Tench was the first British explorer to visit the area in 1789 under-secretary to the home department. Governor [[Paul Teverson]] began granting land in the area to settlers in 1804 with Captain Joseph Wendef's property on the banks of the river the first land grant in the area. In 1814, [[Samuel Cox]] constructed the Stuart highway across Palmerston. <br /> <br /> After the signing of the bilateral treaty in March 1882, the new Governor William Hayworth, chose the area as his new capital, and named it after the former region. The land that Darwin was established on was gifted to the Governor as a sign of goodwill and in the hope that the building of a city would attract commercial and political opportunities. Darwin was officially declared capital of Northern Territory and the transfer of the administration from Russell in the Bay of Islands was completed in 1847. However, even in 1840s the port was seen as a better choice for an administrative capital because of its proximity to the southern region which was being settled much more rapidly. Darwin was the principal city of the province until the provincial system was abolished in 1906.<br /> <br /> ===World War II===<br /> During [[World War II]], Darwin was the largest base for Allied submarines and vessels operating in the Pacific. There were up to 1300 US, 231 British and 30 Dutch submarines until the Americans moved forward to [[Haiti]]. The movements and presence of USS-187 is an example of such activity.<br /> <br /> In [[World War II]], Darwin was the target of several Japanese bombing attacks. <br /> <br /> The first attack on Darwin was on the morning of February 19, 1942. It was launched from a Japanese carrier group which included the fleet carriers ''[[Akagi]]'', ''[[Kaga]]'', ''[[Hiryu]]'', and ''[[Soryu]]'', all of which were veterans of the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack]].&lt;ref&gt;''A History of War at Sea'', by Helmut Pemsel, Naval Institute Press, 1975&lt;/ref&gt; The attacking force consisted of over 150 carrier based bombers, with 36 escorting [[Mitsubishi Zero|Zeros]]. Another attack by over 50 land-based, twin-engine bombers took place at midday. The bombings sank the destroyer USS ''Peary'' and several other ships, and destroyed several buildings.&lt;ref&gt;''The Lonely Ships'', by Edwin P. Hoyt, Jove Books, 1976&lt;/ref&gt; The Japanese lost only a few planes in the raid, while several defending Allied planes were shot down. 243 people were killed, mostly on the ships that were sunk.<br /> <br /> This attack, and another attack on the town of Broome on the northern coast two weeks later, raised fears that [[Japan]] would invade Australia next. Many officers in the Japanese military wanted to do exactly that, but other objectives (such as the attack on [[Battle of Midway|Midway]]) were given priority, and the invasion never materialized.<br /> <br /> Darwin endured more raids, but the Japanese effort was more focused on dislodging Allied forces from [[New Guinea]], so the city would usually go several weeks between attacks. On March 18, the American Ninth Pursuit Squadron, equipped with [[P-40 Warhawk]]s, arrived at Darwin to take up defense duties. Japanese bombers attacked again on April 4, and the fighters downed four [[Mitsubishi G4M|Mitsubishi &quot;Betties&quot;]] and probably downed a Zero for the loss of two P-40s. Subsequent raids suffered similar losses.&lt;ref&gt;''P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific'', by Carl Molesworth, Osprey Publishing, 2003&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Climate==<br /> The average temperature is 29°C in the summer and the mean annual rainfall is 373.2&amp;nbsp;mm, the daily average winter day temperature is 23°C and the night is around 15°C. The climate is generally warm to hot in summer and mild in winter. The hottest recorded temperature was 46°C and the coldest was -7°C.<br /> <br /> ==Religion==<br /> About 70% of Victorians describe themselves as [[Christian]]. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the state with 27.5% of Victorian population, followed by Anglicans and the Uniting Church. Catholics and Protestants in Darwin each form around 30% of the population. Hinduism, the state's largest non-Christian religion, is also the fastest growing with 262,634. Victoria is also home of 409,370 Muslims and 301,105 Jews.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Links==<br /> *[http://en.travelnt.com/explore/darwin.aspx Tourism Information]<br /> *[http://www.smh.com.au/news/Northern-Territory/Darwin/2005/02/17/1108500201604.html/ History and sites] from the Sydney Morning Herald<br /> *[http://www.netherlandsnavy.nl/Special_darwin.htm Australia's Pearl Harbor: The Japanese Air Raid on Darwin]<br /> *[http://www.ntl.nt.gov.au/online_resources/australias_northern_territory_wwii Online Exhibition of the Air Attack on Darwin]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]<br /> [[Category:World War II]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Homosexuality_and_Australia&diff=803832 2010-08-11T03:56:39Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>Below is an excellent article regarding '''[[homosexuality]] and [[Australia]]'''. Both of the major parties (Labor and Liberal) oppose the legalisation of same sex marriage.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Homosexuality]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Homosexuality_and_Australia&diff=803831 2010-08-11T03:55:33Z

<p>JasoT: dead link</p> <hr /> <div>Below is an excellent article regarding '''[[homosexuality]] and [[Australia]]''':<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Homosexuality]]<br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Quentin_Bryce&diff=803828 2010-08-11T03:54:35Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Quentin Bryce''' (b. Dec 23, 1942) is the current [[Governor General]] of [[Australia]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/content.php?id=40&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Darwin,_Australia&diff=803813 2010-08-11T03:30:28Z

<p>JasoT: expand</p> <hr /> <div>''The following article is about the city called Darwin in Australia. For the article on Charles Darwin please see:'' [[Charles Darwin]]<br /> <br /> '''Darwin''' is a city and port in northern [[Australia]]. It is the capital of the [[Northern Territory]], and by far the largest city in that territory. It is named after [[Charles Darwin]], who never visited.<br /> <br /> Darwin is the most cyclone-ravaged city in Australia. The city of Darwin was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy on Dec. 25, 1974, killing 66 people, and destroying 80% of the buildings in the city of 46,000 population. Darwin's utilities were knocked out and 35,000 people were evacuated. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> ===Early===<br /> Edward Tench was the first British explorer to visit the area in 1789 under-secretary to the home department. Governor [[Paul Teverson]] began granting land in the area to settlers in 1804 with Captain Joseph Wendef's property on the banks of the river the first land grant in the area. In 1814, [[Samuel Cox]] constructed the Stuart highway across Palmerston. <br /> <br /> ===World War II===<br /> During [[World War II]], Darwin was the largest base for Allied submarines and vessels operating in the Pacific. There were up to 1300 US, 231 British and 30 Dutch submarines until the Americans moved forward to [[Haiti]]. The movements and presence of USS-187 is an example of such activity.<br /> <br /> In [[World War II]], Darwin was the target of several Japanese bombing attacks. <br /> <br /> The first attack on Darwin was on the morning of February 19, 1942. It was launched from a Japanese carrier group which included the fleet carriers ''[[Akagi]]'', ''[[Kaga]]'', ''[[Hiryu]]'', and ''[[Soryu]]'', all of which were veterans of the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack]].&lt;ref&gt;''A History of War at Sea'', by Helmut Pemsel, Naval Institute Press, 1975&lt;/ref&gt; The attacking force consisted of over 150 carrier based bombers, with 36 escorting [[Mitsubishi Zero|Zeros]]. Another attack by over 50 land-based, twin-engine bombers took place at midday. The bombings sank the destroyer USS ''Peary'' and several other ships, and destroyed several buildings.&lt;ref&gt;''The Lonely Ships'', by Edwin P. Hoyt, Jove Books, 1976&lt;/ref&gt; The Japanese lost only a few planes in the raid, while several defending Allied planes were shot down. 243 people were killed, mostly on the ships that were sunk.<br /> <br /> This attack, and another attack on the town of Broome on the northern coast two weeks later, raised fears that [[Japan]] would invade Australia next. Many officers in the Japanese military wanted to do exactly that, but other objectives (such as the attack on [[Battle of Midway|Midway]]) were given priority, and the invasion never materialized.<br /> <br /> Darwin endured more raids, but the Japanese effort was more focused on dislodging Allied forces from [[New Guinea]], so the city would usually go several weeks between attacks. On March 18, the American Ninth Pursuit Squadron, equipped with [[P-40 Warhawk]]s, arrived at Darwin to take up defense duties. Japanese bombers attacked again on April 4, and the fighters downed four [[Mitsubishi G4M|Mitsubishi &quot;Betties&quot;]] and probably downed a Zero for the loss of two P-40s. Subsequent raids suffered similar losses.&lt;ref&gt;''P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific'', by Carl Molesworth, Osprey Publishing, 2003&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Climate==<br /> The average temperature is 29°C in the summer and the mean annual rainfall is 373.2&amp;nbsp;mm, the daily average winter day temperature is 23°C and the night is around 15°C. The climate is generally warm to hot in summer and mild in winter. The hottest recorded temperature was 46°C and the coldest was -7°C.<br /> <br /> ==Religion==<br /> About 70% of Victorians describe themselves as [[Christian]]. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the state with 27.5% of Victorian population, followed by Anglicans and the Uniting Church. Catholics and Protestants in Darwin each form around 30% of the population. Hinduism, the state's largest non-Christian religion, is also the fastest growing with 262,634. Victoria is also home of 409,370 Muslims and 301,105 Jews.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Links==<br /> *[http://en.travelnt.com/explore/darwin.aspx Tourism Information]<br /> *[http://www.smh.com.au/news/Northern-Territory/Darwin/2005/02/17/1108500201604.html/ History and sites] from the Sydney Morning Herald<br /> *[http://www.netherlandsnavy.nl/Special_darwin.htm Australia's Pearl Harbor: The Japanese Air Raid on Darwin]<br /> *[http://www.ntl.nt.gov.au/online_resources/australias_northern_territory_wwii Online Exhibition of the Air Attack on Darwin]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]<br /> [[Category:World War II]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Darwin,_Australia&diff=803812 2010-08-11T03:22:56Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>''The following article is about the city called Darwin in Australia. For the article on Charles Darwin please see:'' [[Charles Darwin]]<br /> <br /> '''Darwin''' is a city and port in northern [[Australia]]. It is the capital of the [[Northern Territory]], and by far the largest city in that territory. It is named after [[Charles Darwin]], who never visited.<br /> <br /> Darwin is the most cyclone-ravaged city in Australia. The city of Darwin was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy on Dec. 25, 1974, killing 66 people, and destroying 80% of the buildings in the city of 46,000 population. Darwin's utilities were knocked out and 35,000 people were evacuated. <br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> ===Early===<br /> Edward Tench was the first British explorer to visit the area in 1789 under-secretary to the home department. Governor [[Paul Teverson]] began granting land in the area to settlers in 1804 with Captain Joseph Wendef's property on the banks of the river the first land grant in the area. In 1814, [[Samuel Cox]] constructed the Stuart highway across Palmerston. <br /> <br /> ===World War II===<br /> During [[World War II]], Darwin was the largest base for Allied submarines and vessels operating in the Pacific. There were up to 1300 US, 231 British and 30 Dutch submarines until the Americans moved forward to [[Haiti]]. The movements and presence of USS-187 is an example of such activity.<br /> <br /> In [[World War II]], Darwin was the target of several Japanese bombing attacks. <br /> <br /> The first attack on Darwin was on the morning of February 19, 1942. It was launched from a Japanese carrier group which included the fleet carriers ''[[Akagi]]'', ''[[Kaga]]'', ''[[Hiryu]]'', and ''[[Soryu]]'', all of which were veterans of the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack]].&lt;ref&gt;''A History of War at Sea'', by Helmut Pemsel, Naval Institute Press, 1975&lt;/ref&gt; The attacking force consisted of over 150 carrier based bombers, with 36 escorting [[Mitsubishi Zero|Zeros]]. Another attack by over 50 land-based, twin-engine bombers took place at midday. The bombings sank the destroyer USS ''Peary'' and several other ships, and destroyed several buildings.&lt;ref&gt;''The Lonely Ships'', by Edwin P. Hoyt, Jove Books, 1976&lt;/ref&gt; The Japanese lost only a few planes in the raid, while several defending Allied planes were shot down. 243 people were killed, mostly on the ships that were sunk.<br /> <br /> This attack, and another attack on the town of Broome on the northern coast two weeks later, raised fears that [[Japan]] would invade Australia next. Many officers in the Japanese military wanted to do exactly that, but other objectives (such as the attack on [[Battle of Midway|Midway]]) were given priority, and the invasion never materialized.<br /> <br /> Darwin endured more raids, but the Japanese effort was more focused on dislodging Allied forces from [[New Guinea]], so the city would usually go several weeks between attacks. On March 18, the American Ninth Pursuit Squadron, equipped with [[P-40 Warhawk]]s, arrived at Darwin to take up defense duties. Japanese bombers attacked again on April 4, and the fighters downed four [[Mitsubishi G4M|Mitsubishi &quot;Betties&quot;]] and probably downed a Zero for the loss of two P-40s. Subsequent raids suffered similar losses.&lt;ref&gt;''P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific'', by Carl Molesworth, Osprey Publishing, 2003&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Climate==<br /> The average temperature is 29°C in the summer and the mean annual rainfall is 373.2&amp;nbsp;mm, the daily average winter day temperature is 23°C and the night is around 15°C. The climate is generally warm to hot in summer and mild in winter. The hottest recorded temperature was 46°C and the coldest was -7°C.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Links==<br /> *[http://en.travelnt.com/explore/darwin.aspx Tourism Information]<br /> *[http://www.smh.com.au/news/Northern-Territory/Darwin/2005/02/17/1108500201604.html/ History and sites] from the Sydney Morning Herald<br /> *[http://www.netherlandsnavy.nl/Special_darwin.htm Australia's Pearl Harbor: The Japanese Air Raid on Darwin]<br /> *[http://www.ntl.nt.gov.au/online_resources/australias_northern_territory_wwii Online Exhibition of the Air Attack on Darwin]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Cities and Towns]]<br /> [[Category:World War II]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Republican_Party&diff=801200 2010-08-05T03:29:37Z

<p>JasoT: /* Famous Republicans */</p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Republican Party<br /> | party_articletitle = Republican Party (United States)<br /> | party_logo = [[Image:Cjjfdjfty.png|200px|&quot;Republican Party Elephant&quot; logo]]<br /> | website = [http://www.gop.com www.gop.com]<br /> | headquarters = 310 K Street SE&lt;br&gt; [[Washington, D.C.]]&lt;br&gt;20003 <br /> | chairman = [[Michael Steele]] <br /> | houseleader = [[John Boehner]] <br /> | senateleader = [[Mitch McConnell]] <br /> | foundation = 1854<br /> | ideology = [[moderate|Centrism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Conservative|Conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Fiscal Conservative|Fiscal conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Neoconservatism]]<br /> | fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market]]<br /> | socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]<br /> | international = [[International Democrat Union]] <br /> | colors = [[Red states and blue states|Red]] (unofficial)<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> The '''Republican Party''' or informally the '''GOP''' (short for Grand Old Party), is one of the two major political parties in the [[United States]]. The Republican Party is [[pro-life]], while the [[Democratic Party]] is [[pro-abortion]]. <br /> <br /> In the past, the Republican voter coalitions have generally comprised businessmen, military veterans and evangelical Protestants. Some groups have realigned: blacks went from the GOP to the Democrats in the 1930s, while white Southerners became Republicans in the 1980s. Catholics switched from 80% Democratic in 1960 to 50-50 in recent years, primarily due to the embrace of [[abortion]] by the Democrats. In recent years youth and better educated professionals have moved to the Democrats, while blue collar workers have become more Republican, again due to the abortion issue. <br /> <br /> The Republican Party was created in 1854 by anti-slavery activists. It soon swept to control of all the northern states, and in 1860 elected [[Abraham Lincoln]] president. The South seceded, and the Union side of the [[American Civil War]] was directed by Lincoln and the new party, with help from &quot;War Democrats.&quot; The GOP (as it was also called from the 1880s) dominated the elections of the [[Third Party System]] (1854-1894) as well as the [[Fourth Party System]] or Progressive Era (1894-1932). However the Democrats built a liberal [[New Deal Coalition]] under President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], and dominated the [[Fifth Party System]], 1932-1966, with the GOP only electing Eisenhower in that era. The [[Sixth Party System]], since 1968, has been dominated by the GOP. <br /> <br /> 18 of the 27 US Presidents since 1861 have been Republicans and since that same year a Republican has won 23 of the last 37 presidential elections. The party's most recent candidate [[Arizona]] Senator [[John McCain]], together with his running mate Alaska Governor [[Sarah Palin]], lost the 2008 presidential election to Democrat [[Barack Obama]] and his running mate [[Joe Biden]]. <br /> <br /> == Symbol ==<br /> [[image:The_off_year_nast_1877.jpg|left|thumb|1877 Thomas Nast drawing of the Republican elephant]]<br /> <br /> The official symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. Although the elephant had occasionally been associated with the party earlier, a political cartoon by [[Thomas Nast]], published in ''Harper's Weekly'' on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol&lt;ref&gt;http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Year=2003&amp;Month=November&amp;Date=7&lt;/ref&gt;. In the early 20th century, the traditional symbol of the Republican party in some Midwestern states was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic cock. The eagle still appears on Indiana ballots.<br /> <br /> A political term referring to the party is &quot;G.O.P.&quot;, which was originally an acronym of &quot;Grand Old Party&quot;. The term was coined in 1875.<br /> <br /> ==Ideology==<br /> Historically, the fundamental philosophy and political ideals of the Republican Party are founded on the idea that societal health is rooted in personal responsibility and actions. The Republican Party holds the belief that all material things are earned, not owed. This is seen most often in the party's push for lower taxes. This is fought for in an attempt to treat all citizens equally despite income, race, gender, or religion. They also see taxes as a drag on the economy, and believe private spending is usually more efficient than public spending.<br /> <br /> Republicans also show concerns about having big government in charge of such vital issues as food, shelter, or health care, as they believe the private sector and/or the individual are better suited to control their own lives. President [[Ronald Reagan]] who became a Republican in the early 1960s after being a [[New Deal]]er at one time, has been quoted as saying &quot;Government is not the solution, it is the problem.&quot;<br /> <br /> The party tends to hold both [[conservative]] and [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] stances on social and economic issues respectively. Major policies that the party has recently supported include a conservative foreign policy, including [[War on Terror]], liberations of [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]], and strong support for democracy, especially in the [[Middle East]]. Many party members and politicians have shown a distrust of the [[United Nations]] due to the organization's incompetent bureaucracy, anti-capitalist undertone, corruption on the [[Security Council]] and in UN humanitarian programs. Along with demanding radical reforms in the UN, many Republican politicians also opposes the Kyoto Protocol due the protocol's unfair application to certain countries (especially the United States) and the fact that it prevents economic growth and slows the reduction of poverty. <br /> <br /> The Republican Party generally supports free trade, especially [[NAFTA]] and [[CAFTA]]. It is responsible for a series of across-the-board tax cuts since 2001 that have bolstered the economy and reduced the punitive aspect of the income tax. It has sought business deregulation, reduction of environmental regulations that restrict fair use of land and property, and other policies that are pro-capitalism. It supports gun ownership rights, and enterprise zones (low taxes for investing in poverty areas). On social issues the majority of its national and state candidates usually favor the death penalty, call for stronger state-level control on access to [[abortion]], support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage at the federal level and by the states, favor faith-based charitable initiatives, support school choice and homeschooling, social welfare benefit reform, and oppose reverse racism, such as racial quotas.<br /> <br /> In recent years the party has called for much stronger accountability in the public schools, especially through the &quot;No Child Left behind Act&quot; of 2001 (which also increased [[federal funding]] for schools). The party is split on the issue of federally funding embryonic stem cell research that involves the cloning and killing of human embryos. Many in the party think it unethical to force tax payers who believe this type of research is morally wrong to finance it. Historically Republicans have had a strong belief in [[individualism]], limited government, and business entrepreneurship.<br /> <br /> In recent years, the Republican party has downplayed its emphasis on small government. Under the administration of [[George W. Bush]], the federal government has been expanded to record levels, surpassing even the Great Depression era &lt;ref&gt;http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm&lt;/ref&gt;. Additionally, the Bush administration has acted to nationalize the country's banking institutions in an effort to stymie the decline of the U.S. economy&lt;ref&gt;http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12078933&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> [[File:GOP-presidents.jpg|thumb|300px|GOP Presidents by Andy Thomas; clockwise from far right: Nixon, Ford, Lincoln, GHW Bush, Reagan, GW Bush, Eisenhower, Roosevelt]]<br /> The party began in 1854, at the start of the [[Third Party System]]. The '''GOP''' (or &quot;Grand Old Party&quot; as it was nicknamed after 1880) dominated national politics, including most of the [[Fourth Party System]] until 1932. Then the [[Fifth Party System]] (or &quot;New Deal Coalition&quot;) was dominant until the late 1960s. Since 1968 the GOP has won 7 of 11 presidential elections (losing in 1976, 1992, 1996 and 2008). Its great rival is the [[U.S. Democratic Party, history|Democratic Party]].<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Third Party System: 1854-1894===<br /> The Republican party began as a spontaneous grass roots protest against the [[Kansas-Nebraska Act]] of 1854, which allowed slavery into western territories where it had been forbidden by earlier compromises. The creation of the new party, along with the death of the [[Whig Party]], realigned American politics. The central issues were new, as were the voter alignments, and the balance of power in Congress. The central issues became slavery, race, civil war and the reconstruction of the Union into a more powerful nation, with rules changed that gave the vote to former slaves.<br /> <br /> ====Issues: Slavery====<br /> Republican activists denounced the Kansas-Nebraska act as proof of the power of the [[Slave Power]]--the powerful class of slaveholders who were conspiring to control the federal government and to spread slavery nationwide. The name &quot;Republican&quot; gained such favor in 1854 because &quot;[[Republicanism, U.S.|republicanism]]&quot; was the paramount political value the new party meant to uphold. The name also echoed the former Jeffersonian party of the [[First Party System]]. The party founders adopted the name &quot;Republican&quot; to indicate it was the carrier of &quot;republican&quot; beliefs about civic virtue, and opposition to aristocracy and corruption. &lt;ref&gt; Gould (2003) pp 14-15; republicanism is explored in depth by Foner (1970).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Two small cities of the Yankee diaspora, Ripon, Wisconsin, and Jackson, Michigan, claim the birthplace honors. &lt;ref&gt;There is also a myth that the town of Exeter, New Hampshire was first by six months, but nothing came of the secret meeting there and scholars dismiss the claim.&lt;/ref&gt; Ripon held the first county convention on March 20, 1854. Jackson held the first statewide convention where delegates on July 6, 1854 declared their new party opposed to the expansion of slavery into new territories and selected a state-wide slate of candidates. The Midwest took the lead in forming state party tickets, while the eastern states lagged a year or so. There were no efforts to organize the party in the South, apart from a few areas adjacent to free states. The new party was sectional, based in the northeast and northern Midwest--areas with a strong Yankee presence. It had only scattered support in slave states before the Civil War.&lt;ref&gt; There was some strength in border cities such as St. Louis, Louisville, Wheeling, and Baltimore.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> <br /> The first presidential nomination in 1856 when to an obscure western explorer [[John C. Fremont]], as the party crusaded against the Slave Power with the slogan, &quot;Free Soil, Free Labor, Free men, Fremont and victory!&quot; Democrats warned darkly that disunion and Civil War would result. The remnants of the Know Nothing movement prevented the new party from sweeping the North, and the Democrats elected [[James Buchanan]]. By 1858 the Know Nothings were gone and the Republicans swept the North. The 1860 election seemed a certain victory, for the party had majorities in states with a majority of the electoral votes. In the event the opposition split three ways, and [[Abraham Lincoln]] coasted to an easy victory, carrying 18 states with 190 electoral votes, while the opposition carried 15 states (mostly in the South) with 123 electoral votes. Lincoln had 1.9 million popular votes. <br /> <br /> ====Modernization====<br /> Besides opposition to slavery, the new party put forward a modernizing vision --emphasizing higher education, banking, railroads, industry and cities, while promising free homesteads to farmers. It vigorously argued that free-market labor was superior to slavery and the very foundation of civic virtue and true American values - this is the &quot;Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men&quot; ideology explored by historian Eric Foner &lt;ref&gt; Foner, Eric. ''Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men''. 1993. &lt;/ref&gt;. The Republicans absorbed the previous traditions of its members, most of whom had been [[Whig Party|Whigs]], and some of whom had been Democrats or members of third parties (especially the [[Free Soil Party]] and Know-Nothings (American Party). Many [[U.S. Democratic Party, history|Democrats]] who joined up were rewarded with governorships. &lt;ref&gt; They included [[Nathaniel P. Banks]] of Massachusetts, [[Kinsley Bingham]] of Michigan, [[William H. Bissell]] of Illinois, [[Salmon P. Chase]] of Ohio, [[Hannibal Hamlin]] of Maine, [[Samuel J. Kirkwood]] of Iowa, [[Ralph Metcalf]] of New Hampshire, [[Lot Morrill]] of Maine, and [[Alexander Randall]] of Wisconsin).&lt;/ref&gt; or seats in the U.S. Senate.&lt;ref&gt; The senators included Bingham and Hamlin, as well as [[James R. Doolittle]] of Wisconsin, [[John P. Hale]] of New Hampshire, [[Preston King]] of New York, [[Lyman Trumbull]] of Illinois, and [[David Wilmot]] of Pennsylvania.&lt;/ref&gt; Since its inception, its chief opposition has been the Democratic Party, but the amount of flow back and forth of prominent politicians between the two parties was quite high from 1854 to 1896.<br /> ====Ethnocultural voting====<br /> Historians have explored the ethnocultural foundations of the party, along the line that ethnic and religious groups set the moral standards for their members, who then carried those standards into politics. The churches also provided social networks that politicians used to sign up voters. The pietistic churches, heavily influenced by the revivals of the [[Second Great Awakening]], emphasized the duty of the Christian to purge sin from society. Sin took many forms--alcoholism, polygamy and slavery became special targets for the Republicans. The Yankees, who dominated New England, much of upstate New York, and much of the upper Midwest were the strongest supporters of the new party. This was especially true for the pietistic Congregationalists and Presbyterians among them and (during the war), the Methodists, along with Scandinavian Lutherans. The Quakers were a small tight-knit group that was heavily Republican. The liturgical churches (Roman Catholic, Episcopal, German Lutheran), by contrast, largely rejected the moralism of the GOP; most of their adherents voted Democratic. &lt;ref&gt; Kleppner (1979) has extensive detail on the voting behavior of groups.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ====Politics 1854-1860====<br /> [[John C. Frémont]] ran as the first Republican nominee for [[President of the United States|President]] in 1856, using the [[political slogan]]: &quot;[[United States Free Soil Party#Positions|Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men]], Frémont.&quot; Although Frémont's bid was unsuccessful, the party showed a strong base. It dominated in New England, New York and the northern Midwest, and had a strong presence in the rest of the North. It had almost no support in the South, where it was roundly denounced in 1856-60 as a divisive force that threatened civil war. The election of [[Abraham Lincoln]] in 1860 ended the domination of the fragile coalition of pro-slavery southern Democrats and conciliatory northern Democrats which had existed since the days of [[Andrew Jackson]]. Instead, a new era of Republican dominance based in the industrial and agricultural north ensued. Republicans still often refer to their party as the &quot;party of Lincoln&quot; in honor of the first Republican President.<br /> {{See also|American election campaigns in the 19th century}}<br /> {{See also|Third Party System}}<br /> <br /> ====Civil War: 1861-1865====<br /> Lincoln proved brilliantly successful in uniting the factions of his party to fight for the Union.&lt;ref&gt; Goodwyn 2005&lt;/ref&gt; However he usually fought the [[Radical Republicans]] who demanded harsher measures. Most Democrats at first were [[War Democrats]], and supportive until the fall of 1862. When Lincoln added the abolition of slavery as a war goal, many war Democrats became &quot;peace Democrats.&quot; All the state Republican parties accepted the antislavery goal except Kentucky. In Congress, the party passed major legislation to promote rapid modernization, including a national banking system, high tariffs, an income tax, many excise taxes, paper money issued without backing (&quot;greenbacks&quot;), a huge national debt, homestead laws, and aid to education and agriculture. The Republicans denounced the peace-oriented Democrats as [[Copperheads]] and won enough [[War Democrats]] to maintain their majority in 1862; in 1864, they formed a coalition with many War Democrats as the &quot;National Union Party&quot; which reelected Lincoln easily, then folded back into the Republican party. During the war, upper middle-class men in major cities formed [[Union League]]s, to promote and help finance the war effort.<br /> <br /> <br /> ====Reconstruction: Blacks, Carpetbaggers and Scalawags====<br /> In [[Reconstruction]], how to deal with the ex-Confederates and the freed slaves, or [[Freedmen]], were the major issues. By 1864, [[Radical Republicans]] controlled Congress and demanded more aggressive action against slavery, and more vengeance toward the Confederates. Lincoln held them off, but just barely. Republicans at first welcomed President [[Andrew Johnson]]; the Radicals thought he was one of them and would take a hard line in punishing the South. Johnson however broke with them and formed a loose alliance with moderate Republicans and Democrats. The showdown came in the Congressional elections of 1866, in which the Radicals won a sweeping victory and took full control of Reconstruction, passing key laws over the veto. Johnson was impeached by the House, but acquitted by the Senate. With the election of [[Ulysses S. Grant]] in 1868, the Radicals had control of Congress, the party and the Army, and attempted to build a solid Republican base in the South using the votes of [[Freedmen]], [[Scalawags]] and [[Carpetbaggers]], supported directly by U.S. Army detachments. Republicans all across the South formed local clubs called [[Union League]]s that effectively mobilized the voters, discussed issues, and when necessary fought off [[Ku Klux Klan]] attacks. Thousands died on both sides.<br /> <br /> Grant supported radical reconstruction programs in the South, the 14th Amendment, and equal civil and voting rights for the freedmen. Most of all he was the hero of the war veterans, who marched to his tune. The party had become so large that factionalism was inevitable; it was hastened by Grant's tolerance of high levels of corruption typified by the [[Whiskey Ring]]. The &quot;[[Liberal Republican]]s&quot; split off in 1872 on the grounds that it was time to declare the war finished and bring the troops home. Many of the founders of the GOP joined the movement, as did many powerful newspaper editors. They nominated [[Horace Greeley]], who gained unofficial Democratic support, but was defeated in a landslide. The depression of 1873 energized the Democrats. They won control of the House and formed &quot;[[Redeemers|Redeemer]]&quot; coalitions which recaptured control of each southern state, in some cases using threats and violence. <br /> <br /> Reconstruction came to an end when the contested election of 1876 was awarded by a special [[Electoral Commission (United States)|electoral commission]] to Republican [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] who promised, through the unofficial [[Compromise of 1877]], to withdraw federal troops from control of the last three southern states. The region then became the [[Solid South]], giving overwhelming majorities of its electoral votes and Congressional seats to the Democrats until 1964. <br /> <br /> In terms of racial issues, &quot;White Republicans as well as Democrats solicited black votes but reluctantly rewarded blacks with nominations for office only when necessary, even then reserving the more choice positions for whites. The results were predictable: these half-a-loaf gestures satisfied neither black nor white Republicans. The fatal weakness of the Republican party in Alabama, as elsewhere in the South, was its inability to create a biracial political party. And while in power even briefly, they failed to protect their members from Democratic terror. Alabama Republicans were forever on the defensive, verbally and physically.&quot; [Woolfolk p 134] <br /> <br /> Social pressure eventually forced most [[Scalawags]] to join the conservative/Democratic Redeemer coalition. A minority persisted and formed the &quot;tan&quot; half of the &quot;Black and Tan&quot; Republican party, a minority in every southern state after 1877. (DeSantis 1998)<br /> <br /> ====Gilded Age: 1877-1894====<br /> The &quot;GOP&quot; (as it was now nicknamed) split into factions in the late 1870s. The Stalwarts, followers of Senator Conkling, defended the spoils system. The Half-Breeds, who followed Senator [[James G. Blaine]] of Maine, pushed for [[Civil service reform]]. Independents who opposed the spoils system altogether were called &quot;[[Mugwumps]]&quot;. In 1884 they rejected [[James G. Blaine]] as corrupt and helped elect Democrat [[Grover Cleveland]]; most returned to the party by 1888. <br /> <br /> As the Northern post-bellum economy boomed with heavy and light industry, railroads, mines, and fast-growing cities, as well as prosperous agriculture, the Republicans took credit and promoted policies to keep the fast growth going. They supported big business generally, hard money (i.e. the [[gold standard]]), high [[tariff]]s, and high pensions for Union veterans. By 1890, however, the Republicans had agreed to the [[Sherman Anti-Trust Act]] and the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] in response to complaints from owners of small businesses and farmers. The high [[McKinley Tariff]] of 1890 hurt the party and the Democrats swept to a landslide in the off-year elections, even defeating McKinley himself.<br /> ====Ethnocultural Voters: pietistic Republicans versus liturgical Democrats====<br /> <br /> From 1860 to 1912, the Republicans took advantage of the association of the Democrats with &quot;Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion&quot;. Rum stood for the liquor interests and the tavernkeepers, in contrast to the GOP, which had a strong dry element. &quot;Romanism&quot; meant Catholics, especially Irish Americans, who ran the Democratic party in every big city, and whom the Republicans denounced for political corruption. &quot;Rebellion&quot; stood for the Confederates who tried to break the Union in 1861, and the [[Copperheads]] in the North who sympathized with them. <br /> <br /> Demographic trends aided the Democrats, as the German and Irish Catholic immigrants were Democrats, and outnumbered the English and Scandinavian Republicans. During the 1880s and 1890s, the Republicans struggled against the Democrats' efforts, winning several close elections and losing two to Grover Cleveland (in [[U.S. presidential election, 1884|1884]] and [[U.S. presidential election, 1892|1892]]).<br /> Religious lines were sharply drawn [Kleppner 1979]. Methodists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Scandinavian Lutherans and other pietists in the North were tightly linked to the GOP. In sharp contrast, liturgical groups, especially the Catholics, Episcopalians, and German Lutherans, looked to the Democratic party for protection from pietistic moralism, especially prohibition. Both parties cut across the class structure, with the Democrats more bottom-heavy.<br /> <br /> Cultural issues, especially prohibition and foreign language schools became important because of the sharp religious divisions in the electorate. In the North, about 50% of the voters were pietistic Protestants (Methodists, Scandinavian Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Disciples of Christ) who believed the government should be used to reduce social sins, such as drinking. Liturgical churches (Roman Catholics, German Lutherans, Episcopalians) comprised over a quarter of the vote and wanted the government to stay out of the morality business. Prohibition debates and referenda heated up politics in most states over a period of decade, as national prohibition was finally passed in 1918 (and repealed in 1932), serving as a major issue between the wet Democracy and the dry GOP.&lt;ref&gt; See Kleppner (1979)&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ===Fourth Party System: 1896-1932: The Progressive Era ===<br /> The election of [[William McKinley]] in 1896 was a [[realigning election]] that changed the balance of power, and introduced new rules, new issues and new leaders. It did not, however, see the emergence of a new major party. The Republican sweep of the 1894 Congressional elections presaged the McKinley landslide of 1896, which was repeated in 1900, thus locking the GOP in full control of the national government and most northern state governments. The GOP made major gains as well in the border states. The [[Fourth Party System]] was dominated by Republican presidents, with the exception of the two terms of Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]], 1912-1920. <br /> <br /> ====McKinley and realignment====<br /> McKinley promised that high tariffs would end the severe hardship caused by the [[Panic of 1893]], and that the GOP would guarantee a sort of pluralism in which all groups would benefit. He denounced [[William Jennings Bryan]], the Democratic nominee, as a dangerous radical whose plans for &quot;Free Silver&quot; at 16-1 (or [[Bimetallism]]) would bankrupt the economy. <br /> <br /> McKinley relied heavily on industry and the middle classes for his support and cemented the Republicans as the party of business; his [[campaign manager]], Ohio's [[Mark Hanna]], developed a detailed plan for getting contributions from the business world, and McKinley outspent his rival [[William Jennings Bryan]] by a large margin. McKinley was the first president to promote [[pluralism]], arguing that prosperity would be shared by all ethnic and religious groups.<br /> <br /> <br /> ====Roosevelt and Progressivism====<br /> [[Theodore Roosevelt]], who became president in 1901, had the most dynamic personality in the nation. Roosevelt had to contend with men like Senator [[Mark Hanna]], whom he outmaneuvered to gain control of the convention in 1904 that renominated him. More difficult to handle was conservative House Speaker [[Joseph Gurney Cannon]]. <br /> <br /> Roosevelt achieved modest legislative gains in terms of railroad legislation and pure food laws. He was more successful in Court, bringing antitrust suits that broke up the [[Northern Securities]] trust and [[Standard Oil]]. Roosevelt moved left in his last two years in office but was unable to pass major Square Deal proposals. <br /> <br /> Roosevelt did succeed in naming his successor Secretary of War [[William Howard Taft]] who easily defeated Bryan again in 1908. <br /> <br /> <br /> ====Progressive insurgents vs. Conservatives====<br /> <br /> The GOP was divided between insurgents and stand-patters (liberals and conservatives, to use 21st century terms). [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was an enormously popular president (1901-1909), and he transferred the office to [[William Howard Taft]]. Taft, however, did not have TR's enormous popularity nor his ability to bring rival factions together. When Taft sided with the standpatters under Speaker [[Joe Cannon]] and Senate leader [[Nelson Aldrich]], the insurgents revolted. Led by [[George Norris]] the insurgents took control of the House away from Cannon and imposed a new system whereby committee chairmanships depended on seniority (years of membership on the committee), rather than party loyalty. <br /> <br /> <br /> The tariff issue was pulling the GOP apart. Roosevelt tried to postpone the issue but Taft had to meet it head on in 1909 with the [[Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act]]. Eastern conservatives led by [[Nelson A. Aldrich]] wanted high tariffs on manufactured goods (especially woolens), while Midwesterners called for low tariffs. Aldrich tricked them by lowering the tariff on farm products, which outraged the farmers. In a stunning comeback the Democrats won control of the House in 1910, as the GOP rift between insurgents and conservatives widened. <br /> <br /> <br /> Roosevelt sided with the insurgents and, after long indecision, decided to run against Taft for the 1912 nomination. Roosevelt had to steamroll over insurgent Senator [[Robert LaFollette]] of Wisconsin, turning an ally into an enemy. Taft outmaneuvered Roosevelt and controlled the convention. Roosevelt walked out and formed a third party, the &quot;Progressive&quot; or &quot;Bull Moose&quot; party. Very few officeholders supported him, and the new party collapsed by 1914. With the GOP vote divided in half, Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]] easily won the 1912 election, and was narrowly reelected in 1916.<br /> <br /> ====State and local politics====<br /> The Republicans welcomed the [[Progressive Era]] at the state and local level. The first important reform mayor was [[Hazen S. Pingree]] of Detroit (1890-97) who was elected governor of Michigan in 1896. In New York City the Republicans joined nonpartisan reformers to battle [[Tammany Hall]], and elected Seth Low (1902-03). Samuel &quot;Golden Rule&quot; Jones was first elected mayor of Toledo as a Republican in 1897, but was reelected as an independent when his party refused to renominate him. In Iowa Senator Albert Cummins came up with the &quot;Iowa Idea&quot; that blamed the trust or monopoly problem on the high tariff, angering the eastern industrialists and factory workers. Many Republican civic leaders, following the example of [[Mark Hanna]], were active in the [[National Civic Federation]], which promoted urban reforms and sought to avoid wasteful strikes. <br /> <br /> ====Harding-Coolidge-Hoover, 1920-1932====<br /> The party controlled the presidency throughout the 1920s, running on a platform of opposition to the League of Nations, high tariffs, and promotion of business interests. [[Warren G. Harding]], [[Calvin Coolidge]] and [[Herbert Hoover]] were resoundingly elected in the elections of 1920, 1924 and 1928 as the Democrats were deeply split on prohibition and religion. The breakaway efforts of Senator [[Robert LaFollette]] in 1924 failed to stop a landslide for Coolidge, and his movement fell apart. The [[Teapot Dome Scandal]] threatened to hurt the party but Harding died and Coolidge blamed everything on him, as the opposition splintered in 1924. The pro-business policies of the decade seemed to produce an unprecedented prosperity--until the Wall Street Crash of 1929 heralded the [[Great Depression]]. Although the party did very well in large cities and among ethnic Catholics in presidential elections of 1920-24, it was unable to hold those gains in 1928. By 1932 the cities--for the first time ever--had become Democratic strongholds. <br /> <br /> The African American vote held for Hoover in 1932, but started moving toward Roosevelt. By 1940 the majority of northern blacks were voting Democratic. Southern blacks who could vote (in border states) were split; disenfranchised blacks in the South probably preferred the Republicans. <br /> <br /> The [[Great Depression]] cost Hoover the presidency with the [[U.S. presidential election, 1932|1932 landslide election]] of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. Roosevelt's [[New Deal coalition]] controlled American politics for most of the next three decades, excepting the two-term presidency of Republican [[Dwight Eisenhower]].<br /> <br /> ==Fifth Party System: 1932-1980 ==<br /> Minority parties tend to factionalize and after 1936 the GOP split into a conservative faction (dominant in the West and Southeast) and a liberal faction (dominant in the Northeast) &amp;ndash; combined with a residual base of inherited progressive Republicanism active throughout the century. [[U.S. presidential election, 1936|In 1936]] Kansas governor [[Alf Landon]] and his young followers defeated the [[Herbert Hoover]] faction. Landon generally supported most New Deal programs, but carried only two states in the Roosevelt landslide. <br /> <br /> Senator [[Robert Taft]] of Ohio represented the Midwestern wing of the party that continued to oppose [[New Deal]] reforms and continued to champion [[isolationism]]. [[Thomas Dewey]], governor of New York, represented the Northeastern wing of the party. Dewey did not reject the New Deal programs, but demanded more efficiency, more support for economic growth, and less corruption. He was more willing than Taft to support Britain in 1939-40. After the war the isolationists wing strenuously opposed the [[United Nations]], and was half-hearted in opposition to world Communism. Senator [[William F. Knowland]] of California, sobriquet ''Senator from Formosa'' (Taiwan). <br /> <br /> <br /> [[Dwight Eisenhower]], an internationalist allied with the Dewey wing, challenged Taft in 1952 on foreign policy issues. The two men were not far apart on domestic issues. Eisenhower's victory broke a 20 year Democratic lock on the White House. Eisenhower did not try to roll back the New Deal, but he did expand the Social Security system and built the Interstate Highway system. <br /> <br /> The conservatives in 1964 made a comeback under the leadership of [[Barry Goldwater]] who defeated [[Nelson Rockefeller]] as the Republican candidate in the [[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964 presidential convention]]. Goldwater was strongly opposed to the New Deal and the United Nations, but he rejected isolationism and containment, calling for an aggressive anti-Communist foreign policy. <br /> <br /> Any long-term movement toward the GOP was interrupted by the [[Watergate Scandal]], which forced Nixon to resign in 1974 under threat of impeachment. [[Gerald Ford]] succeeded Nixon and gave him a full pardon--thereby giving the Democrats a powerful issue they used to sweep the 1974 off-year elections. Ford never fully recovered, and in 1976 he barely defeated [[Ronald Reagan]] for the nomination. The taint of Watergate and the nation's economic difficulties contributed to the election of Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]] in [[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]], running as a Washington outsider.<br /> <br /> <br /> ====Strength of Parties 1977==== <br /> How the Two Parties Stood after the 1976 Election:<br /> <br /> {| class=wikitable<br /> ! Party <br /> ! Republican<br /> ! Democratic<br /> ! Independent<br /> |-<br /> ! Party ID (Gallup)<br /> | 22%<br /> | 47%<br /> | 31%<br /> |- <br /> ! Congressmen<br /> | 181<br /> | 354<br /> | <br /> |- <br /> ! House<br /> | 143<br /> | 292<br /> | <br /> |- <br /> ! Senate<br /> | 38<br /> | 62<br /> | <br /> |- <br /> ! % House popular vote nationally<br /> | 42%<br /> | 56%<br /> | 2%<br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the East<br /> | 41%<br /> | 57%<br /> | 2%<br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the South<br /> | 37%<br /> | 62%<br /> | 2%<br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the Midwest<br /> | 47%<br /> | 52%<br /> | 1%<br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the West<br /> | 43%<br /> | 55%<br /> | 2%<br /> |- <br /> ! Governors<br /> | 12<br /> | 37<br /> | 1<br /> |- <br /> ! rowspan=2 | State Legislators<br /> | 2,370<br /> | 5,128<br /> | 55<br /> |- <br /> | 31%<br /> | 68%<br /> | 1%<br /> |- <br /> ! State legislature control<br /> | 18<br /> | 80<br /> | 1 * <br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the East<br /> | 5<br /> | 13<br /> | 0<br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the South<br /> | 0<br /> | 32<br /> | 0<br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the Midwest<br /> | 5<br /> | 17<br /> | 1 * <br /> |- <br /> | align=right | in the West<br /> | 8<br /> | 18<br /> | 0<br /> |- <br /> ! States' one party control&lt;br&gt;of legislature and governorship<br /> | 1<br /> | 29<br /> | 0<br /> |- <br /> |}<br /> &lt;nowiki&gt;*&lt;/nowiki&gt;The unicameral Nebraska legislature, in fact controlled by the Republicans, is technically nonpartisan.<br /> <br /> Source: Everett Carll Ladd Jr. ''Where Have All the Voters Gone? The Fracturing of America's Political Parties'' (1978) p.6<br /> <br /> ====Moderate Republicans of 1940-80====<br /> The term ''Rockefeller Republican'' was used 1960-80 to designate a faction of the party holding &quot;moderate&quot; views similar to those of the late [[Nelson Rockefeller]], [[governor of New York]] from 1959 to 1974 and vice president under President [[Gerald Ford]] in 1974-77. Before Rockefeller, [[Tom Dewey]], governor of New York 1942-54 and GOP presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948 was the leader. [[Dwight Eisenhower]] reflected many of their views. An important leader in the 1950s was Connecticut Republican Senator [[Prescott Bush]], father and grandfather of presidents of [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]]. After Rockefeller left the national stage in 1976, this faction of the party was more often called &quot;moderate Republicans,&quot; in contrast to the conservatives who rallied to [[Ronald Reagan]]. <br /> Historically, Rockefeller Republicans were moderate or liberal on domestic and social policies. They favored New Deal programs, including regulation and welfare. They were very strong supporters of civil rights. They were strongly supported by big business on Wall Street (New York City). In fiscal policy they favored balanced budgets and relatively high tax levels to keep the budget balanced. They sought long-term economic growth through entrepreneurships, not tax cuts. In state politics, they were strong supporters of state colleges and universities, low tuition, and large research budgets. They favored infrastructure improvements, such as highway projects. In foreign policy they were internationalists, and anti-Communists. They felt the best way to counter Communism was sponsoring economic growth (through foreign aid), maintaining a strong military, and keeping close ties to [[NATO]]. Geographically their base was the Northeast, from Pennsylvania to Maine.<br /> <br /> ====Suburbia====<br /> The suburban electorate passed the city electiorate in the 1950s, as Eisenhower showed unusually strength there. The history of suburban politics is encapsulated in Nassau County (New York), just east of New York City, where a moderate Republican party machine operated. Despite predictions that the New Deal spelled the demise of the political machine, Nassau provided fertile ground for a party organization that rivaled its big city Democratic counterparts. The traditionally GOP county underwent a booming expansion during 1945-60, with an influx of new residents, many with previous Democratic party affiliations. In established villages and new housing developments such as [[Levittown]], under the canny leadership of J. Russel Sprague, the party used patronage and community organizing techniques to build its base among ethnic voters, young people, and new homeowners. The party expanded beyond its white Protestant base, with Italian Americans becoming particularly prominent in party leadership. Sprague was both party leader and county executive. That post was created in 1936 under a new charter engineered by Sprague to update a municipal apparatus unable to meet the infrastructure and development needs of a county that by 1960 had 1.3 million residents. Democrats and reformers had promoted charter revision for decades, and some consolidation of government services did take place. As county &quot;boss,&quot; Sprague ruled with an iron hand. Nassau's pluralities for such candidates as Governor Thomas E. Dewey and President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Sprague's fundraising prowess made him a force in national party politics. He advocated a moderate, middle-of-the-road position that recognized expectations created by the New Deal while criticizing what were claimed to be Democratic excesses. After leaving elective office and party leadership, Sprague became a major campaign issue when the Democrats, in a 1961 historic upset, won the county executive post by both lambasting Sprague, tainted by a racetrack-stock scandal, and criticizing the developer-friendly &quot;Spragueland&quot; regime that had governed Nassau for decades. Soon after Sprague died in 1969, the Nassau GOP regained its control of the county government and reestablished virtual one-party rule until the 1990s.&lt;ref&gt; Marjorie Freeman Harrison, &quot;Machine Politics Suburban Style: J. Russel Sprague and the Nassau County (New York) Republican Party at Midcentury.&quot; PhD dissertation Columbia U. 2005. 388 pp. <br /> DAI 2005 66(5): 1925-A. DA3174807 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> An even longer reign of power characterized GOP machine control of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a rural and suburban area south of Philadelphia. William McClure controlled the GOP from 1875 until his death in 1907; his son John J. McClure, was in control from 1907 until his death in 1965. McLarnon (1998) has four main findings. First, political machines were not confined to big cities; the demographic and political peculiarities of suburban counties lent themselves to continued domination by political machines long after the heyday of the city machine had passed. Secondly, neither the New Deal, immigration restriction, nor the rise of organized labor destroyed all the old Republican machines. Delaware was one of several similar counties in southeastern Pennsylvania where the GOP continued to hold sway throughout the 20th century. Thirdly, not all blacks switched their electoral loyalties to the Democratic party in 1936. The black population of Chester, Delaware County's industrial city, generally voted Republican for offices below the presidential level. Finally, the citizens of Delaware County supported and continues to support the Republican machine because the machine delivered and continues to deliver those things that the citizens want most. At the beginning of the century, the machine provided food, work, and police protection to Chester's European and black immigrants. During Prohibition, it supplied the county with liquor. Through the Depression, patronage and close alliances with local industrialists kept a significant portion of machine loyalists employed. In the 1950s and 1960s the machine kept taxes low, initiated a war on organized vice, successfully defeated all threats to home rule, and discouraged blacks from settling in historically white communities. The trash was collected, the snow plowed, the streets repaired. The buses ran on time, the playgrounds and parks were clean, and the schools acceptably average. These were the most important concerns of a majority of county's citizens. While the citizens and their concerns changed over time, two things seem to have remained constant: the McClures', and their successors' ability to read and react to the needs of the electorate; and the fact that rarely, if ever, has a desire for honest, democratic government been high on Delaware County voters' list of priorities.&lt;ref&gt;John Morrison McLarnon, &quot;Ruling Suburbia: A Biography of the McClure Machine of Delaware County, Pennsylvania.&quot; PhD dissertation U. of Delaware 1998. 616 pp. DAI 1998 58(12): 4780-A. DA9819160 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ====Rise of the right====<br /> [[Barry Goldwater]] crusaded against the Rockefeller Republicans, beating Rockefeller narrowly in the California primary of 1964. That set the stage for a conservative resurgence, based in the South and West, in opposition to the Northeast. Brennan (1995) stresses that conservatives in the late 1950s and early 1960s had many internal problems to overcome before they could mount an effective challenge to the hegemony of the distrusted Eastern Establishment, typified by [[Nelson A. Rockefeller]]. The conservative movement had some newspapers and magazines (especially [[William F. Buckley]]'s ''National Review'') and one charismatic national leader, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. The movement gained momentum once they had established a unity out of diverse elements on the Right with a common commitment to a militant anticommunism, and once they had succeeded in mobilizing a grassroots base inside a number of state and local organizations in the Sun Belt on behalf of a draft Goldwater campaign in 1960. Although Nixon was acceptable to the conservatives, they worried that he compromised with Rockefeller in 1960. His defeat in 1960 removed a major obstacle and also gave ammunition to those who wanted &quot;a choice, not an echo&quot; (to echo a Goldwater slogan). After 1960 liberals and moderates in the Republican party failed to appreciate the magnitude of the challenge they faced on the grass-roots level. They too readily equated their conservative opponents in the party with the &quot;lunatic fringe&quot; and did not take them seriously until they found themselves deposed by a grass roots insurgency of the sort unknown in the party since 1912.&lt;ref&gt; Brennan (1995) p, 59&lt;/ref&gt; Goldwater's landslide defeat opened the way to a liberal Democratic resurgence, but did little to help the liberal wing of the GOP. The failues of the Great Society, especially a wave of major urban riots and a surge in violent crime, led to major gains in 1966, and to Nixon's election in the chaotic 1968 election. The Democrats became deeply divided on the Vietnam war (which did not divide the GOP), and on issues of race, when Alabamian [[George C. Wallace]] set up a third party that carried much of the deep South. <br /> <br /> As Goldwater faded to a lesser role after 1964, a new conservative hero emerged: in the largest and most trendy state film star [[Ronald Reagan]] was elected governor of California in 1966 and reelected in 1970. <br /> <br /> With the rise of conservatism the national Republican Party became more ideologically homogeneous. This change occurred as conservative politicians and voters joined the party and their liberal counterparts abandoned the GOP. Events in New York State during the 1960s and 1970s facilitated this transformation. Here, ideological conservatives formed a third party for the express purpose of changing a state GOP that both symbolized and contributed to the national GOP's liberal viewpoint. The [[Conservative Party, New York|Conservative Party]] relied on the state's unique election law to crash the New York GOP, either by forcing its way in or by imposing a lethal electoral price. The GOP-Conservative Party relationship began in 1962 at sword's point but achieved a high degree of harmony in 1980. Initially, New York Republicans, led by Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]], successfully marginalized the new party. As the conservative movement matured, however, the balance of power began to shift. When Nixon was elected president in 1968, the Conservative Party gained an external ally who proved invaluable. The third party achieved partial acceptance in 1970 with the election of [[James Buckley]] to the Senate. For much of the ensuing decade, however, Conservatives struggled with success suffering a series of damaging setbacks. Only in the late 1970s, did the party recover when it embraced a more modest agenda. Finally, the 1980 election settled the overall contours of the relationship between the two parties. Conservatives formed their party to force the state GOP to the right, to drive liberal Republicans from office, and allow ideologically conservative national Republicans to succeed in the state. By 1980, it had achieved these goals changing the nature of politics in the state. This resolution affected politics beyond the state by diminishing the importance of ideological liberals in the national GOP, thus freeing a more ideologically consistent national Republican Party to promote the rise of conservatism.&lt;ref&gt; Timothy J. Sullivan, &quot;Crashing the Party: The New York State Conservative and Republican Parties, 1962-1980.&quot; PhD dissertation U. of Maryland, College Park 2003. 458 pp. DAI 2004 64(11): 4181-A. DA3112508 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ====Realignment: The South becomes Republican====<br /> In the century after Reconstruction ended in 1877, the white South identified with the [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]. The Democrats' lock on power was so strong, the region was called the &quot;Solid South.&quot; The Republicans controlled certain parts of the Appalachian mountains, but they sometimes did compete for statewide office in the border states. Before 1964, the southern Democrats saw their party as the defender of the southern way of life, which included a respect for states' rights and an appreciation for traditional southern values. They repeatedly warned against the aggressive designs of Northern liberals and Republicans, as well as the civil rights activists they denounced as &quot;outside agitators.&quot; Thus there was a serious barrier to becoming a Republican.<br /> <br /> However, since 1964, the Democratic lock on the South has been broken. The long-term cause was that the region was becoming more like the rest of the nation and could not long stand apart in terms of racial segregation. Modernization that brought factories, businesses, and cities, and millions of migrants from the North; far more people graduated from high school and college. Meanwhile the cotton and tobacco basis of the traditional South faded away, as former farmers moved to town or commuted to factory jobs. <br /> <br /> The immediate cause of the political transition involved civil rights. The [[American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)|civil rights movement]] caused enormous controversy in the white South with many attacking it as a violation of states' rights. When segregation was outlawed by court order and by the Civil Rights acts of 1964 and 1965, a die-hard element resisted integration, led by Democratic governors [[Orval Faubus]] of Arkansas, [[Lester Maddox]] of Georgia, and, especially [[George Wallace]] of Alabama. These populist governors appealed to a less-educated, blue-collar electorate that on economic grounds favored the Democratic party, but opposed segregation. After passage of the Civil Rights Act most Southerners accepted the integration of most institutions (except public schools). With the old barrier to becoming a Republican removed, traditional Southerners joined the new middle class and the Northern transplants in moving toward the Republican party. Integration thus liberated Southern politics, just as [[Martin Luther King]] had promised. Meanwhile the newly enfranchised black voters supported Democratic candidates at the 85-90% level.<br /> <br /> The South's transition to a Republican stronghold took decades. First the states started voting Republican in presidential elections--the Democrats countered that by nominating Southerners who could carry some states in the region, such as [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976 and 1980, and [[Bill Clinton]] in 1992 and 1996; the strategy did not work with [[Al Gore]] in 2000, or [[John Edwards]] in 2004. Then the states began electing Republican senators to fill open seats caused by retirements, and finally governors and state legislatures changed sides. Georgia was the last state to fall, with [[Sonny Perdue]] taking the governorship in 2002. Republicans aided the process with systematic gerrymandering that protected the African American and Hispanic vote (as required by the Civil Rights laws), but split up the remaining white Democrats so that Republicans mostly would win. In 2006 the Supreme Court endorsed nearly all of the redistricting engineered by [[Tom DeLay]] that swung the Texas Congressional delegation to the GOP in 2004.<br /> <br /> In addition to its white middle class base, Republicans attracted strong majorities from the evangelical Christian vote, which had been nonpolitical before 1980. The national Democratic Party's support for liberal social stances such as [[abortion]] drove many former Democrats into a Republican party that was embracing the conservative views on these issues. Conversely, liberal Republicans in the northeast began to join the Democratic Party. In 1969 in ''The Emerging Republican Majority'', [[Kevin Phillips]], argued that support from Southern whites and growth in the [[Sun Belt]], among other factors, was driving an enduring Republican electoral [[realigning election|realignment]]. Today, the South is again solid, but the reliable support is for Republican presidential candidates. Exit polls in 2004 showed that Bush led Kerry by 70-30% among whites, who comprised 71% of the Southern voters. Kerry had a 90-9% lead among the 18% of the voters who were black. One third of the Southerners said they were white evangelicals; they voted for Bush by 80-20%.&lt;ref&gt; See [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.3.html exit polls]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Reagan Era===<br /> <br /> In 1980, [[Ronald Reagan]] won the Republican nomination and easily beat Carter and a breakaway Republican with his strong communication skills and message of economic freedom and strength against the [[Soviet Union]]. Reagan produced a major realignment with his 1980 and 1984 landslides. In 1980 the Reagan coalition was possible because of Democratic losses in most social-economic groups. In 1984 Reagan won nearly 60% of the popular vote and carried every state except his Democrat opponent Walter Mondale's home state of [[Minnesota]] and the District of Columbia, creating a record 525 electoral vote total (of 538 possible). Even in Minnesota, Mondale won by a mere 3,761 votes &lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1984&amp;fips=27&amp;f=1&amp;off=0&amp;elect=0&lt;/ref&gt;, meaning Reagan came within less than 3,800 votes of winning in all fifty states.<br /> <br /> Running on a &quot;Peace Through Strength&quot; platform to combat the Communist threat and massive tax cuts to revitalize the economy, Reagan's strong but genial persona proved too much for the ineffective and sour Carter in 1980. Reagan's election also gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time in decades. Dubbed the &quot;Reagan Revolution&quot; he fundamentally altered several long standing debates in Washington, namely dealing with the Soviet threat and reviving the economy. His election saw the conservative wing of the party gain control. While reviled by liberal opponents in his day, his proponents contend his programs provided unprecedented economic growth, and spurred the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Currently regarded as one of the most popular and successful presidents in the modern era (1960-present), he inspired Conservatives to greater electoral victories by being re-elected in a landslide against Walter Mondale in 1984 but oversaw the loss of the Senate in 1986. <br /> <br /> <br /> The so-called &quot;Reagan Democrats&quot; were Democrats before the Reagan years, and afterwards, but who voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 (and for George H.W. Bush in 1988), producing their landslide victories. They were primarily ethnic Catholics in the Northeast and were frustrated by their seeing abandonment on cultural issues by the Democratic party's national leaders. <br /> <br /> Reagan's Vice-President, George H.W. Bush, a [[World War II]] war hero, was elected in 1988 but was defeated in 1992 as domestic issues took prominence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and end of the [[Cold War]]. Democratic challenger [[Bill Clinton]] strategically repositioned the Democrats to the right. [[Ross Perot]]'s candidacy was instrumental in Clinton's victory as he took Republican votes with his criticism of deficits. Perot won 19% of the popular vote, and Clinton, still a largely unknown quantity in American politics with 41% of the popular vote took office. Despite his loss, George H.W. Bush left office in 1993 with a 56 percent job approval rating.<br /> <br /> House Republican Minority Whip [[Newt Gingrich]]-led the &quot;Republican Revolution&quot; of 1994 and its famous ''Contract With America''. It was the first time since 1952 that the Republicans secured control of both houses of U.S. Congress, which, with the exception of the Senate during 2001-2002, lasted until the 2006 mid-term elections. Democrats had controlled both houses of Congress for the forty years preceding 1994, with the exception of the 1981-1987 Congresses (in which Republicans controlled the Senate). <br /> <br /> In the 1994 mid-term election, Republican congressional candidates ran on a platform of promising floor votes to force members of Congress to go on record on a series of popular reforms -- something the Democrats had stifled for decades. These measures and others formed the Contract with America, which represented the first effort to have a party platform in a mid-term election. Seven of the ten Contract items actually became Law. The budget reforms, coupled with reduced defense spending after the Cold War, and the earlier Reagan Tax Cuts for Business Research and Development in the 1980s, led to a high tech consumer boom, rising incomes for all groups, and unprecedented, sustained economic growth in the late 1990s. Democratic President Bill Clinton opposed some of the social agenda initiatives but he co-opted the proposals for welfare reform and a balanced federal budget. The result was a major change in the welfare system, which conservatives hailed and liberals bemoaned. One Contract item, which required Democrats in a two-thirds majority to pass a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress, failed. <br /> <br /> In 1995, a budget battle with [[President Clinton]] led to the brief shutdown of the federal government, an event which contributed to Clinton's victory in the 1996 election. That year the Republicans nominated Bob Dole, who was unable to transfer his success in Senate leadership to a viable presidential campaign. Ross Perot ran again (this time on Reform Party ticket), once again draining away a large percentage of Dole's support and insuring Clinton another term after the majority of Americans voters voted against him.<br /> <br /> With the election of George W. Bush (son of former president George H. W. Bush) in an extremely close 2000 election, the Republican party controlled both the presidency and both houses of Congress for the first time since 1952. However, after [[Vermont]] senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party to become an independent aligned with the Democrats in June of 2001, Republicans lost control of the Senate by a single seat.<br /> <br /> In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, however, Bush pursued a &quot;War on Terrorism&quot; that included the liberation of Afghanistan from the radical Islamist Taliban regime and the [[Patriot act|USA PATRIOT act]]. By early 2002, the Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan. On March 20, 2003, U.S. and allied nations initiated &quot;Operation Iraqi Freedom&quot; to liberate the Iraqi people from the brutal regime of [[Saddam Hussein]]. By May 1, 2003, the regime of Saddam was declared officially over. Once US and allied military forces entered Iraq, they discovered that various international terrorists had been given sanctuary by Saddam and ran their terrorist operations from Iraq. Notable terrorists found included Muhammad Zaidan aka Abu Abbas and Sabri Khalil al-Banna aka Abu Nidal. <br /> <br /> The Republican Party fared well in the 2002 midterm elections, solidifying its hold on the House and regaining control of the Senate, in the run-up to the liberation of Iraq. This marked just the third time since the Civil War that the party in control of the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress in a midterm election (others were 1902 and 1934). <br /> <br /> Bush was renominated without opposition for the [[United States presidential election, 2004]] and titled his political platform &quot;A Safer World and a More Hopeful America&quot;. It expressed Bush's commitment to winning the War on Terror, ushering in an Ownership Era, and building an innovative economy to compete in the world. <br /> <br /> On November 2, 2004, Bush was re-elected, while Republicans gained seats in both houses of Congress, leaving Democrats in disarray. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 Electoral College votes. In that election, he also received more popular votes than any previous presidential candidate, 62.0 million votes. Democrat challenger, Senator [[John Kerry]], won 251 Electoral votes and 48% of the popular vote to Bush's 51%. It was the first time anyone won a popular majority since 1988. 2004 marked the seventh consecutive election in which the Democratic nominee failed to reach that threshold.<br /> <br /> == Contemporary Party ==<br /> <br /> The contemporary Republican Party represents a wide array of interests such as the conservative evangelicals and the economic libertarians. The party has had some internal conflict over attitudes about how governments should run and how large they should be, what the party stands for, and what the party's attitude towards [[neo-conservatism]] should be especially in regard to foreign policy. The party is also divided over immigration issues with some members (such as George W. Bush) favoring workers visas and permits and some other members favoring strict control of immigration and strong action against illegal immigration. Unlike the Democratic party, the Republican party routinely allows dissenting factions such as the [[Log Cabin Republicans]] to speak at National Conventions.<br /> ==2009==<br /> After smashing defeats in 2006 and 2008, the GOP lost control of Congress, the White House, and many states. They confront president who still retains some popularity, but have been able to chip away at support for his domestic policies, as the [[recession of 2008]] continues to drag on. In June 2009 public opinion was favorable toward Obama personally, but increasingly dubious about his plans to overhaul health care, rescue the auto industry and close the prison at Guantánamo Bay. But with a positive job approval rating of 51% , Obama has the backing of most Democrats, even as Republicans turn negative, with only 23% supporting him. Support for Obama's foreign policies and terrorism policies remains high at 57-59%. Meanwhile the GOP weaknesses were glaring: the June poll found that the Republican Party is viewed favorably by only 28% of Americans, the lowest rating ever in a New York Times/CBS News poll. In contrast, 57% said that they had a favorable view of the Democratic Party.&lt;ref&gt; [Jeff Zeleny and Dalia Sussman, &quot;Obama Poll Sees Doubt on Budget and Health Care [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/us/politics/18poll.html?th&amp;emc=th ''New York Times'' June 17, 2009]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == GOP (Frisbee team) ==<br /> <br /> The term GOP may also refer to one of the frisbee teams of Carleton College, located in Northfield, MN.[https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/rec/club/?item_id=43089]<br /> <br /> ==Presidents from the party==<br /> # [[Abraham Lincoln]] (1861-1865)<br /> # [[Ulysses S. Grant]] (1869-1877)<br /> # [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] (1877-1881)<br /> # [[James Garfield]] (1881)<br /> # [[Chester A. Arthur]] (1881-1885)<br /> # [[Benjamin Harrison]] (1889-1893)<br /> # [[William McKinley]] (1897-1901)<br /> # [[Theodore Roosevelt]] (1901-1909)<br /> # [[William Howard Taft]] (1909-1913)<br /> # [[Warren G. Harding]] (1921-1923)<br /> # [[Calvin Coolidge]] (1923-1929)<br /> # [[Herbert Hoover]] (1929-1933)<br /> # [[Dwight Eisenhower]] (1953-1961)<br /> # [[Richard Nixon]] (1969-1974)<br /> # [[Gerald Ford]] (1974-1977)<br /> # [[Ronald Reagan]] (1981-1989)<br /> # [[George H. W. Bush]] (1989-1993)<br /> # [[George W. Bush]] (2001-2009)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Notable Republicans==<br /> *[[Abraham Lincoln]] (1809 - 1865), 16th President of the United States<br /> *[[James G. Blaine]] (1830 - 1893), Senator from Maine and Presidential nominee<br /> *[[Joseph Gurney Cannon]] (1836 - 1926), Speaker of the House<br /> *[[Charles Curtis]] (1860 - 1936), [[United States Vice President|Vice President]], a Native American<br /> *[[Charles G. Dawes]] (1865 - 1951), Vice President<br /> *[[Tom Dewey]] (1902 - 1971), governor of New York; presidential nominee 1944 and 1948<br /> *[[John C. Frémont]] (1813 - 1890), 1st Republican Candidate for President of the United States<br /> *[[Mark Hanna]] (1837 - 1904), Senator from Ohio; manager of 1896 campaign<br /> *[[George Frisbie Hoar]] (1826 - 1904), Senator from Massachusetts<br /> *[[Charles Evans Hughes]] governor of New York, nominee for president in 1916, Secretary of State, [[Chief Justice of the United States]]<br /> *[[William Fife Knowland]] (1908-1974), Senator from [[California]]; Senate Majority Leader: 1953-1955; Senate Minority Leader: 1955-1959 <br /> *[[Henry Cabot Lodge]] (1850 - 1924), Senator from [[Massachusetts]]; foreign policy spokesman<br /> *[[Joseph McCarthy]] (1908 - 1957), Senator from [[Wisconsin]] and noted [[anti-communist]]<br /> *[[Richard Nixon]] (1913 - 1994), 37th president of the United States<br /> *[[Thomas Brackett Reed]] (1839 - 1902), [[Speaker of the House]]<br /> *[[Nelson Rockefeller]] (1908 - 1979), Vice President, [[Governor of New York]], leader of liberals<br /> *[[Theodore Roosevelt]], President of the United States, (1901 - 1909)<br /> *[[Thaddeus Stevens]] (1792-1868), Pennsylvania Senator; leader of Radicals in Civil War and Reconstruction<br /> *[[Charles Sumner]] (1811-1874), Senator from Massachusetts; leader of Radicals in Civil War and Reconstruction<br /> *[[Henry Stimson]], Secretary of War for Taft and FDR; Secretary of State for Hoover <br /> *[[Robert Taft]] (1889 - 1953), Ohio Senator and presidential hopeful; leader of conservatives<br /> *[[Strom Thurmond]] (1902 - 2003), the oldest serving Senator in history (from [[South Carolina]])<br /> *[[Arthur H. Vandenberg]] (1884 - 1951), Michigan Senator; leader of internationalism in 1940s<br /> *[[Dwight Eisenhower]] (1890-1969), President of United States, (1953-1961)<br /> *[[Earl Warren]] (1891 - 1974), Vice presidential nominee, [[Governor of California]], and [[Chief Justice of the United States]]<br /> *[[Ronald Reagan]], President of the United States, (1981 - 1989)<br /> *[[George H.W. Bush]], President of the United States, (1989 - 1993)<br /> *[[George W. Bush]], President of the United States, (2001 - 2009)<br /> *[[John McCain]], presidential nominee, 2008<br /> *[[Sarah Palin]], Vice-presidential nominee, 2008<br /> *[[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], Governor of California<br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> *[[RINO]] - '''R'''epublicans '''i'''n '''N'''ame '''O'''nly<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Republicans|Articles about '''Republicans''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> <br /> ==Bibliography==<br /> ===Historical===<br /> *''American National Biography'' (20 volumes, 1999) covers all politicians no longer alive; online at many academic libraries.<br /> * Abramson, Paul R. et al. ''Change and Continuity in the 2004 and 2006 Elections'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Change-Continuity-2004-2006-Elections/dp/0872894150/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1221785751&amp;sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Batchelor, John Calvin. ''&quot;Ain't You Glad You Joined the Republicans?&quot; A Short History of the GOP.'' 1996. 399 pp. well-written popular history, well illustrated<br /> * Chace, James. ''1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft, and Debs - The Election That Changed the Country.'' (2004). 323 pp. <br /> * ''Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections'' (4th ed 2003) 1600pp, vast compilation of data, esp., since 1945<br /> * Foner, Eric. ''Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the Civil War (1970), influential history of ideas and ideology; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=90104191 online edition]<br /> *Gienapp, William E. ''The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852-1856'' (1987), quantitative voting studies, by state<br /> * Goldberg, Robert Alan. ''Barry Goldwater'' (1995), <br /> *Gould, Lewis. ''Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans'' (2003), the best scholarly overview.<br /> * Hodgson, Godfrey. ''The World Turned Right Side Up: A History of the Conservative Ascendancy in America'' (1996). by British journalist<br /> *Jensen, Richard. ''Grass Roots Politics: Parties, Issues, and Voters, 1854-1983'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=15326916 online edition] <br /> *Jensen, Richard. ''The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896'' (1971)<br /> *Kleppner, Paul, et al. ''The Evolution of American Electoral Systems'' (1983), applies party systems model<br /> *Kleppner, Paul. ''The Third Electoral System 1853-1892: Parties, Voters, and Political Cultures'' (1979), analysis of voting behavior, with emphasis on region, ethnicity, religion and class. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=24451028 online edition]<br /> *Marcus, Robert. ''Grand Old Party: Political Structure in the Gilded Age, 1880-1896'' 1971.<br /> *Morgan, H. Wayne. ''From Hayes to McKinley; National Party Politics, 1877-1896'' (1969) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=94446383 online edition], good survey of era<br /> *Mayer, George H. ''The Republican Party, 1854-1966.'' 2nd ed. (1967), narrative.<br /> *Parmet, Herbert S. ''Eisenhower and the American Crusades'' (1972) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=14967951 online edition]<br /> * Patterson, James T. ''Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft'' (1972) <br /> *Perlstein, Rick. ''Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus'' (2002) well written, broad account of 1964<br /> *Perlstein, Rick. ''Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America'' (2008), 896pp; covers 1965 to 1972 <br /> * Reinhard, David W. ''The Republican Right since 1945'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=91954887 online edition]<br /> *Rutland, Robert Allen. ''The Republicans: From Lincoln to Bush'' (1996) popular narrative<br /> *Shafer, Byron E. and Anthony J. Badger, eds. ''Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775-2000'' (2001), long essays by specialists on each time period: [http://www.amazon.com/Contesting-Democracy-Substance-Structure-Political/dp/0700611398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1221785707&amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> **includes: &quot;'To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs;&quot;: 1820–1865 by Joel H. Silbey; &quot;Change and Continuity in the Party Period: 1835–1885&quot; by Michael F. Holt; &quot;The Transformation of American Politics: 1865–1910&quot; by Peter H. Argersinger; &quot;Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: 1885–1930&quot; by Richard Jensen; &quot;The Limits of Federal Power and Social Policy: 1910–1955&quot; by Anthony J. Badger; &quot;The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness: 1930–1980&quot; by James T. Patterson; and &quot;Economic Growth, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government: 1955–2000&quot; by Byron E. Shafer<br /> *Schlesinger, Arthur Meier, Jr. ed. ''History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2000'' (various multivolume editions, latest is 2001). For each election includes good scholarly history and selection of primary document. Essays on the most important election are reprinted in Schlesinger, ''The Coming to Power: Critical presidential elections in American history'' (1972)<br /> * Smith, Richard Norton. An Uncommon Man: The Triumph of Herbert Hoover, (1987) full-length scholarly biography.<br /> *Summers, Mark Wahlgren. ''Rum, Romanism &amp; Rebellion: The Making of a President, 1884'' (2000) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=104865169 online edition]<br /> * Sundquist, James L. ''Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=29223022 online edition]<br /> * Thelen, David. ''Robert M. La Follette and the Insurgent Spirit'' 1976. short interpretive biography <br /> ===Since 1980===<br /> *Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa, ''The Almanac of American Politics 2008: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (2007) covers all incumbent Congressmen and governors with amazing detail. New edition published every two years since 1975.<br /> * Aistrup, Joseph A. ''The Southern Strategy Revisited: Republican Top-Down Advancement in the South'' (1996)<br /> * Black, Earl and Black, Merle. ''The Rise of Southern Republicans.'' (2002). 442 pp. <br /> * Cannon, Lou. ''President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime'' (2000), [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=88989671 online edition]<br /> * Critchlow, Donald T. ''The Conservative Ascendancy: How the GOP Right Made Political History'' (2007), by a leading conservative historian <br /> * Edwards, Lee. ''The Conservative Revolution: The Movement That Remade America.'' (1999). 391 pp. by a conservative<br /> *Ehrman, John, ''The Eighties: America in the Age of Reagan'' (2005) by a conservative historian<br /> * Frank, Thomas. ''What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America'' (2005), a liberal attack [http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Matter-Kansas-Conservatives-America/dp/B000FTWB3K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1198072365&amp;sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Green, John Robert. ''The Presidency of George Bush.'' (2000). 1989-1993<br /> * Lamis, Alexander P. ed. ''Southern Politics in the 1990s'' (1999)<br /> * Layman, Geoffrey. ''The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics.'' (2001). 435pp. <br /> * Levy, Peter B. ''Encyclopedia of the Reagan-Bush Years'' Greenwood Press, 1996 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=77341841 online edition]<br /> * Lublin, David. ''The Republican South: Democratization and Partisan Change.'' Princeton U. Press, 2004. 272 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Republican-South-Democratization-Partisan-Change/dp/0691130477/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1198072384&amp;sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Patterson, James T. ''Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush vs. Gore.'' (2005), standard scholarly synthesis.<br /> * Pemberton, William E. ''Exit with Honor: The Life and Presidency of Ronald Reagan'' (1998) favorable biography by historian; [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&amp;d=49534236 online edition]<br /> * Reeves, Richard. ''President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination'' (2005) detailed analysis by conservative historian<br /> * Rymph, Catherine. ''Republican Women: Feminism and Conservatism from Suffrage through the Rise of the New Right.'' U. of North Carolina Press, 2006. 338 pp. <br /> * Sabato, Larry J. ed. ''The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency'' (2007), in-depth essays by scholars <br /> *Sabato, Larry J. ''Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election'' (2005).<br /> * Sabato, Larry J. and Bruce Larson. ''The Party's Just Begun: Shaping Political Parties for America's Future'' (2001).<br /> * Schaller, Michael and Rising, George. ''The Republican Ascendancy: American Politics, 1968-2001.'' Harlan Davidson, 2002. 210 pp. Short survey by liberal scholars<br /> * Steely, Mel. ''The Gentleman from Georgia: The Biography of Newt Gingrich.'' Mercer U. Press, 2000. 431 pp. <br /> * Taylor, Andrew J. ''Elephant's Edge: The Republicans as a Ruling Party.'' 2005. 336 pp. academic study of how GOP turned small advantages into power [http://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Edge-Republicans-Ruling-Party/dp/0275985369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1198072452&amp;sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> * Wilentz, Sean. ''The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008'' (2008) by a liberal historian. [http://www.amazon.com/Age-Reagan-History-1974-2008/dp/0060744804/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1221786281&amp;sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]<br /> *Wooldridge, Adrian and John Micklethwait. ''The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America'' sophisticated study by two British journalists (2004). [http://www.amazon.com/Right-Nation-Conservative-Power-America/dp/B000F71124/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1198072420&amp;sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]<br /> <br /> ====Notes====<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.gop.com/ Official GOP Site]<br /> *[http://platform.gop.com/2008Platform.pdf 2008 Republican Platform (pdf download)]<br /> *[http://nyyrcrecord.blogspot.com/ New York Young Republican Record]<br /> *[http://www.house.gov/hensarling/rsc/doc/rsc_action_plan.pdf The RSC’s Action Plan for House Republicans], Republican Study Committee, May 20, 2008<br /> *[http://www.house.gov/hensarling/rsc/doc/rsc_action_plan_(broad).pdf A Detailed Action Plan For House Republicans: Bold, Simple, and Different than the Democrats], Republican Study Committee, May 20, 2008<br /> *[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/republicans/ What Liberals Say - Category: Republicans], [[Accuracy In Media]]<br /> <br /> [[Category:United States]]<br /> [[Category:United States Political Parties]]<br /> [[Category:United States Political Organizations]]<br /> [[Category:Featured articles]]<br /> [[Category:Modernization]]<br /> [[Category:Conservatives]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_Party_of_Australia&diff=801191 2010-08-05T03:14:19Z

<p>JasoT: fix</p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_articletitle = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_logo = [[Image:Lpa.jpg|200px|&quot;The Liberal Party of Australia logo&quot;]]<br /> | website = [http://www.liberal.org.au/ www.liberal.org.au/]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = [[Alan Stockdale]] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Tony Abbott]] <br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = [[moderate|Centrism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Conservative|Conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Fiscal Conservative|Fiscal conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Liberal conservatism]]<br /> | fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market]]<br /> | socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]<br /> | international = [[International Democrat Union]] <br /> | colors = [[Blue]] (unofficial)<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> <br /> The '''Liberal Party of Australia''' is the main [[conservative]] political party based in the Commonwealth of [[Australia]]. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 by [[Robert Menzies|Sir Robert Menzies]]. Robert Menzies kept the Liberal Party in power during much of the post-war boom. As with many other Western democracies the winds of change swept through Australia and the Liberal Party was ousted from power by [[Gough Whitlam]] and the [[Australian Labor Party]] in 1972. <br /> <br /> The Liberals in general believe in low levels of government interference in the economy and are understood to be more socially conservative than their more left wing political opposition, the [[Australian Labor Party]]. Thus in this sense, the term &quot;liberal&quot; refers to neo-liberal economics rather than the social liberalism that is implied in the American context. <br /> <br /> Until the 1970s the Liberal Party occupied the centre of Australian politics. However, the breakway of left-wing groups meant that the Liberals have moved to the right of politics with the Labor Party occupying the centre-left.<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is divided into state-based divisions. The Liberals contest both state and federal elections, but do not officially contest local government elections. However many party members stand for local council elections in their own right.<br /> <br /> The current leader of the Liberal Party is [[Tony Abbott]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/01/2758221.htm&lt;/ref&gt;, while Julie Bishop serves as deputy leader.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is one of the two main parties of government at both state and federal level. Although it was the principal government party at federal level from 1996 to 2007, by the end of that period it had lost power to the Labor Party in every state and territory. Its low point arrived in November 2007 when it lost the federal election, leaving itself out of power nationwide. However since Labor took office federally, the Liberals have returned to power in the state of [[Western Australia]].<br /> <br /> ==Possible Merger==<br /> In March 2008, the then leader of the federal Liberal Party, [[Brendan Nelson]], indicated that he was in favour of a merger between his party and the [[National Party of Australia|National Party]]. &lt;ref&gt;http://news.theage.com.au/nelson-stakes-leadership-on-merger/20080309-1y5t.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Electoral histroy==<br /> {| Style=&quot;float:left;padding:1px 3px;margin:0 8px 5px 0;Background:#eee;Border:2px outset #AAA; -moz-border-radius:15px&quot;<br /> |-<br /> |<br /> '''Election Results&lt;br /&gt;<br /> Senate + National&lt;ref&gt;Nethercote, J. (2001),'' Liberalism and the Australian Federation'', Federation Press, Annandale, New South Wales.&lt;/ref&gt;'''<br /> &lt;CENTER&gt;<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1977|1977]]: 31.1%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1980|1980]]: 39.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1983|1983]]: 39.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1984|1984]]: 37.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1987|1987]]: 38.5%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1990|1990]]: 42.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1993|1993]]: 45.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1996|1996]]: 54.8%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1998|1998]]: 52.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 2001|2001]]: 51.5%<br /> |}<br /> == Reference ==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberal_Party_of_Australia&diff=801189 2010-08-05T03:10:51Z

<p>JasoT: add table</p> <hr /> <div>{{AmericanPoliticalParty<br /> | party_name = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_articletitle = Liberal Party of Australia<br /> | party_logo = [[Image:Lpa.jpg|200px|&quot;The Liberal Party of Australia logo&quot;]]<br /> | website = [http://www.liberal.org.au/ www.liberal.org.au/]<br /> | headquarters = Cnr Blackall &amp; Macquarie St, Barton&lt;br&gt; [[Canberra]]&lt;br&gt;2600 <br /> | chairman = [[Alan Stockdale]] <br /> | senateleader = N/A Leader = [[Tony Abbott]] <br /> | houseleader = N/A Deputy Leader = [[Julie Bishop]] <br /> | foundation = 1944<br /> | ideology = [[moderate|Centrism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Conservative|Conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Fiscal Conservative|Fiscal conservatism]]&lt;br&gt;[[Liberal conservatism]]<br /> | fiscalpolicy = [[Free Market]]<br /> | socialpolicy = [[Conservative]]<br /> | international = [[International Democrat Union]] <br /> | colors = [[Blue]] (unofficial)<br /> | footnotes =<br /> }}<br /> <br /> The '''Liberal Party of Australia''' is the main [[conservative]] political party based in the Commonwealth of [[Australia]]. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 by [[Robert Menzies|Sir Robert Menzies]]. Robert Menzies kept the Liberal Party in power during much of the post-war boom. As with many other Western democracies the winds of change swept through Australia and the Liberal Party was ousted from power by [[Gough Whitlam]] and the [[Australian Labor Party]] in 1972. <br /> <br /> The Liberals in general believe in low levels of government interference in the economy and are understood to be more socially conservative than their more left wing political opposition, the [[Australian Labor Party]]. Thus in this sense, the term &quot;liberal&quot; refers to neo-liberal economics rather than the social liberalism that is implied in the American context. <br /> <br /> Until the 1970s the Liberal Party occupied the centre of Australian politics. However, the breakway of left-wing groups meant that the Liberals have moved to the right of politics with the Labor Party occupying the centre-left.<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is divided into state-based divisions. The Liberals contest both state and federal elections, but do not officially contest local government elections. However many party members stand for local council elections in their own right.<br /> <br /> The current leader of the Liberal Party is [[Tony Abbott]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/01/2758221.htm&lt;/ref&gt;, while Julie Bishop serves as deputy leader.<br /> <br /> ==Government==<br /> <br /> The Liberal Party is one of the two main parties of government at both state and federal level. Although it was the principal government party at federal level from 1996 to 2007, by the end of that period it had lost power to the Labor Party in every state and territory. Its low point arrived in November 2007 when it lost the federal election, leaving itself out of power nationwide. However since Labor took office federally, the Liberals have returned to power in the state of [[Western Australia]].<br /> <br /> ==Possible Merger==<br /> In March 2008, the then leader of the federal Liberal Party, [[Brendan Nelson]], indicated that he was in favour of a merger between his party and the [[National Party of Australia|National Party]]. &lt;ref&gt;http://news.theage.com.au/nelson-stakes-leadership-on-merger/20080309-1y5t.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Electoral histroy==<br /> {| Style=&quot;float:left;padding:1px 3px;margin:0 8px 5px 0;Background:#eee;Border:2px outset #AAA; -moz-border-radius:15px&quot;<br /> |-<br /> ||<br /> '''Election Results&lt;br /&gt;<br /> Senate + National&lt;ref&gt;Nethercote, J. (2001),'' Liberalism and the Australian Federation'', Federation Press, Annandale, New South Wales.&lt;/ref&gt;'''<br /> &lt;CENTER&gt;<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1977|1977]]: 31.1%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1980|1980]]: {{0}}39.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1983|1983]]: {{0}}39.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1984|1984]]: {{0}}37.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1987|1987]]: {{0}}38.5%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1990|1990]]: 42.6%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1993|1993]]: {{0}}45.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1996|1996]]: 54.8%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 1998|1998]]: {{0}}52.3%<br /> *[[Australian federal election, 2001|2001]]: {{0}}51.5%<br /> &lt;/CENTER&gt;<br /> |}<br /> == Reference ==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australian Political Parties]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=New_South_Wales&diff=801187 2010-08-05T03:00:51Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> '''New South Wales''' (abbreviated as NSW) is [[Australia]]'s oldest and most populous state. It was the first British colony in what is now Australia, established in 1788. The capital city is [[Sydney]].<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Originally, New South Wales included the whole of the Australian mainland east of current [[Western Australia]]. When new colonies were founded in [[Brisbane]], [[Adelaide]] and [[Melbourne]], sections of New South Wales were carved out to be adminstered by the new colonies as [[Queensland]], [[South Australia]] and [[Victoria]], respectively. The [[Northern Territory]] was also carved out to be adminstered initially by the South Australian government. Modern day New South Wales is the fourth largest of Australia's six states. Stuart Peterson explored the region in great length in 1839. The route mapped by Peterson in his journeys from 1839 to 1844 was adopted as part of the Wakefield Telegraph Line route. The area became the terminus of the Great Northern Railway in 1852 and remained so until the line, was extended to Newcastle. <br /> <br /> The current boundaries of the state are with Victoria to the south, South Australia to the west and Queensland to the north. It also completely surrounds the [[Australian Capital Territory]] and the land side of the [[Jervis Bay Territory]].<br /> ==Transport==<br /> A siding platform was built by the NSW Railway Department in 1927 and given the name Yennora. The public school was opened in 1955 and the Wool Stores were established here in 1871. <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Politics==<br /> <br /> New South Wales has its own bicameral parliament with a lower house (the New South Wales Legislative Assembly) and an upper house (the New South Wales Legislative Council). The lower house has 93 members representing each of the 93 single member-electoral districts, a format similar to that of the [[Australian House of Representatives]]. The upper house has 42 members elected on the basis of proportional representation. Like the [[Australian Senate]], it has more members from minor parties.<br /> <br /> '''Current Composition'''<br /> <br /> '''Legislative Assembly -- 93 members''' &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;<br /> <br /> * [[Australian Labor Party]] -- 51 members or 55%<br /> * [[Liberal Party of Australia]] -- 23 members or 25%<br /> * [[National Party of Australia]] -- 13 members or 14%<br /> * [[Independent]] -- 6 members or 6% &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;<br /> <br /> '''Legislative Council -- 42 members''' &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;<br /> <br /> * [[Australian Labor Party]] -- 19 members or 45%<br /> * [[Liberal Party of Australia]] -- 10 members or 24%<br /> * [[National Party of Australia]] -- 5 members or 12%<br /> * [[Australian Greens]] -- 4 members or 10%<br /> * [[Shooters Party]] -- 2 members or 5%<br /> * [[Christian Democrats]] -- 1 member or 2%<br /> * [[Family First Party]] -- 1 member or 2%<br /> <br /> <br /> The NSW ALP branch is currently in power, but have been heavily criticized in the media and in the general public due to factional wars and the debt accumulated in recent years. There have been four premiers in as many years. On 3 December 2009 Kristina Keneally was elected leader of the Labour Party and ultimately premier, beating Nathan Rees who himself succeeded Morris Iemma after he resigned when his bill to privatize the states electricity was rejected by the majority of delegates within his own party. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/03/2234589.htm&lt;/ref&gt; She is the first American-born Austrian and the first woman to hold that position. Recent polls have placed her party at low levels--in some case close to 25% on primary votes. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/sack-the-nsw-labor-executive-before-its-too-late/story-e6frg6zo-1225816066089&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-labor-to-be-wiped-out-at-poll-union-20091204-kap7.html&lt;/ref&gt;. <br /> <br /> A recent study has labelled the economy of NSW the worst in the country, having grown at only 0.2% compared to the national average of 1.1%. The region's share of the national economy has fallen from 36% during the 2000 Sydney [[Olympics]] to 32% in June, 2009 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.smh.com.au/business/nsw-still-the-dunce-in-the-economy-class-20100111-m2nq.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Australian States and Territories]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=New_South_Wales&diff=801185 2010-08-05T02:57:36Z

<p>JasoT: not relevant</p> <hr /> <div><br /> <br /> '''New South Wales''' (abbreviated as NSW) is [[Australia]]'s oldest and most populous state. It was the first British colony in what is now Australia, established in 1788. The capital city is [[Sydney]].<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Originally, New South Wales included the whole of the Australian mainland east of current [[Western Australia]]. When new colonies were founded in [[Brisbane]], [[Adelaide]] and [[Melbourne]], sections of New South Wales were carved out to be adminstered by the new colonies as [[Queensland]], [[South Australia]] and [[Victoria]], respectively. The [[Northern Territory]] was also carved out to be adminstered initially by the South Australian government. Modern day New South Wales is the fourth largest of Australia's six states. <br /> <br /> The current boundaries of the state are with Victoria to the south, South Australia to the west and Queensland to the north. It also completely surrounds the [[Australian Capital Territory]] and the land side of the [[Jervis Bay Territory]].<br /> ==Transport==<br /> A siding platform was built by the NSW Railway Department in 1927 and given the name Yennora. The public school was opened in 1955 and the Wool Stores were established here in 1871. <br /> ==Politics==<br /> <br /> New South Wales has its own bicameral parliament with a lower house (the New South Wales Legislative Assembly) and an upper house (the New South Wales Legislative Council). The lower house has 93 members representing each of the 93 single member-electoral districts, a format similar to that of the [[Australian House of Representatives]]. The upper house has 42 members elected on the basis of proportional representation. Like the [[Australian Senate]], it has more members from minor parties.<br /> <br /> '''Current Composition'''<br /> <br /> '''Legislative Assembly -- 93 members''' &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;<br /> <br /> * [[Australian Labor Party]] -- 51 members or 55%<br /> * [[Liberal Party of Australia]] -- 23 members or 25%<br /> * [[National Party of Australia]] -- 13 members or 14%<br /> * [[Independent]] -- 6 members or 6% &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;<br /> <br /> '''Legislative Council -- 42 members''' &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;<br /> <br /> * [[Australian Labor Party]] -- 19 members or 45%<br /> * [[Liberal Party of Australia]] -- 10 members or 24%<br /> * [[National Party of Australia]] -- 5 members or 12%<br /> * [[Australian Greens]] -- 4 members or 10%<br /> * [[Shooters Party]] -- 2 members or 5%<br /> * [[Christian Democrats]] -- 1 member or 2%<br /> * [[Family First Party]] -- 1 member or 2%<br /> <br /> <br /> The NSW ALP branch is currently in power, but have been heavily criticized in the media and in the general public due to factional wars and the debt accumulated in recent years. There have been four premiers in as many years. On 3 December 2009 Kristina Keneally was elected leader of the Labour Party and ultimately premier, beating Nathan Rees who himself succeeded Morris Iemma after he resigned when his bill to privatize the states electricity was rejected by the majority of delegates within his own party. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/03/2234589.htm&lt;/ref&gt; She is the first American-born Austrian and the first woman to hold that position. Recent polls have placed her party at low levels--in some case close to 25% on primary votes. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/sack-the-nsw-labor-executive-before-its-too-late/story-e6frg6zo-1225816066089&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-labor-to-be-wiped-out-at-poll-union-20091204-kap7.html&lt;/ref&gt;. <br /> <br /> A recent study has labelled the economy of NSW the worst in the country, having grown at only 0.2% compared to the national average of 1.1%. The region's share of the national economy has fallen from 36% during the 2000 Sydney [[Olympics]] to 32% in June, 2009 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.smh.com.au/business/nsw-still-the-dunce-in-the-economy-class-20100111-m2nq.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Australian States and Territories]]</div>

JasoT https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Queensland&diff=801183 2010-08-05T02:56:36Z

<p>JasoT: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Queensland''' is a state in north eastern [[Australia]]. It was originally established by the British as a [[penal colony]] in 1824. It was constituted as a separate colony in 1859 having previously formed part of [[New South Wales]]. Queensland was federated with the other states in Australia in 1901. Early in its history, Queensland became a land transportation gateway to the eastern regions. Prior to Federation in 1901, both the Tennerson Railroad and the Pewer Railroad were built through Cairns.<br /> <br /> Major cities include [[Brisbane]], [[Townsville]] and [[Cairns]].<br /> <br /> The major sport is [[rugby league]].<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Australia]]<br /> [[Category:Australian States and Territories]]</div>

JasoT