12 March 2007

Liberals in the mail

| simbo
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Federal Liberal Candidate for Canberra and occasional Riotact poster, Natalie Colbert, has been dropping a bit of unsolicited mail around today. In it, she mentions that she’s a resident of Curtin (hey, same suburb as me!) and telling us what fabulous things the Coalition Government has done for Curtin. Which is odd, because her PO box is in Calwell…

Becuase I’m a cynical old bastard – could I just check that no other suburbs have got similar mail with Natalie claiming to live there?

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In answer to the question “why you self-exclude yourself from mainstream australian values simbo

Well, I dunno, people who use the term “mainstream Australian values” tend to grow them to include stuff that I don’t consider to really count. As far as I’m concerned, mainstream Australian values consist of:

– The greatest meal is always a Backyard BBQ with your mates, followed by a game of backyard cricket. One hand, one bounce, over the fence and out.

– Pain’s temporary, glory lasts a lifetime, chicks (and blokes) dig scars…

– No matter how obscure the sport and how badly we’re being pummelled in it, you still support Australia.

– Men look good in stubbies. No really, they look REALLY good…

All values that every single candidate at the Federal election should be able to sign up to (okay, maybe not the last one).

However, for a lot of people, “mainstream Australian values” seems to mean something more … well, conservative, for lack of a better word. I’ve been told that, for instance, civil partnerships are “outside mainstream Australian values”.

If you’re happy to tell me that, nope, it’s not, then fine, I’ll accept it. But the use of the word “values” makes me suspicious. Suspicious that some kind of distinction is being made – one that’s about people that aren’t me.

Or possibly, I’m just a paranoid loon.

My main point in the initial posting was largely to check that Natalie hadn’t fibbed by pretending to be from multiple suburbs. Which, hey, she hasn’t. So, good for her.

But I find it interesting that so many people get defensive the second I say the term “mainstream Australian values” makes me suspicious….

queen_vic_toria_II1:51 pm 14 Mar 07

Simbo, yes more childcare places and upgrades to local schools may not apply to you at the moment, but fixing the roads and assisting you to buy a house in this over inflated marketplace do. Get off the topic of sexuality (which had no bearing on the conversation until you brought it up) and come up with alternatives.

If you feel so passionately, then why don’t you call Natalie and ask for her to make a stand on issues that pertain to you – but that would require actual action!

Absent Diane11:31 am 14 Mar 07

You can’t really define values as they have this habit of defining themselves.

Bonfire has a point

Poolroom please

i hear violins in the distance – who cares for your sexual preferences, it’s a tiring debate that never seems to be resolved and I doubt very much anyone would be really thinking long and hard about when ‘working in the electorate’ to garner a voting base.

Bonfire has a point and sparks an interesting debate. What are mainstream values Australian?

Respecting family (however ill defined), supporting mates, respecting the rule of law, poking fun at other people without hurting them, a fair go.

Does it matter if a person is straight, gay, lesbian, a transvestite or from Mars so long as they are a good person?

im curious to know why you self-exclude yourself from mainstream australian values simbo.

just because youre a homosexual doesnt seperate you from those many things which make your identity and character uniquely australian.

or does your sexuality dominate every facet of your decision making ?

“id like vegemite sandwiches but dammit on queer as folk they eat peanut butter and jelly! must. eat. peanut. butter. and. jelly…”

BTW, what fab things *have* been done for Curtin by the Coalition Govt?

Well, according to Natalie, they’ve:
– nearly doubled the number of childcare places and have commited to investing a large chunk of money in it. Which is of course a national policy, not a Curtin specific one.

– Allocated large chunks of cash to government and non-government schools, including a grant of $112,946 to Curtin Primary for an ICT upgrade.
– Have overstuffed the housing market with over 16,000 people getting the First Home onwer’s grant.
– Given $27,000 as part of the Black Spot program to improve the safety of the intersection at Melrose Drive and Theodore Street.

So, basically, not much different to what the Federal government’s done for every other suburb in Canberra.

Of course, since I’m a single homosexual, I’m not actually part of Natalie’s desire to build a community around “mainstream Australian Values” (which appears to mean “yay straight white Christians! Have babies now!”). But it’s nice to know other people have someone who’s thinking of them…

Johnboy, correct you are. Not sure any politicans would want to be associated as “sponsoring” the ramblings here.

However, if there were more *advertisers* you wouldn’t be looking for a removalist. Still, you can always sell us off for the $24k. Thought about looking for a private equity buy-out?

neanderthalsis3:15 pm 13 Mar 07

Greentrees, it’s the hat that gave him away.

That’s RiotACT *ADVERTISER*

just let’s all keep that clear shall we?

Boomacat, the good thing about not having a mail box is you don’t get bills.

RiotAct sponsor Pirate Troy Williams (Liberal, Fraser) seems to have post boxes everywhere. Gungahlin, GPO and there was one somewhere out Belco way in the stuff my girlfriend got in her mail. I got some guff at home in Turner. Maybe the election is closer than we thought?

Anybody see the Crikey stuff on McMullan today?

I don’t even have a proper mail box at home because my dodgy flatmate has been too lazy to put the new one up (old one destroyed in mental storms).

i know a bloke who lives in palmerston, works in belconnen and has a po box in campbell.

Yeah Simbo it could have just been a case of there being none available in Curtin itself. I once worked for a QLD MLA whose PO Box was suburbs away from where he lived.

But it always pays to be a bit of a cynical bastard concerning these things.

queen_vic_toria_II8:55 am 13 Mar 07

Maybe she works down there? My PO Box is right near the office…

I live in Holt but don’t have a postbox anywhere. You may all mail me at Holt though.

Though living in Curtin, and having one in Calwell is a little odd.

I live in Tuggeranong and have a GPO Box, but I travel to the city most days, so it is no inconvenience.

Nothing unusual about living in one suburb and having a PO Box in another, simbo.

BTW, what fab things *have* been done for Curtin by the Coalition Govt?

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