14 September. The day in 752 BC that Romulus killed Remus. The day in 81 AD that Domitian became Emperor after the death of his brother Titus. The day in 1741 when Handel completed his Messiah. The day in 1752 that the British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar thus skipping eleven days. The day in 1791 that the Papal States lost Avignon. The day in 1812 that Napoleon’s army enter Moscow. The day in 1901 that US President William McKinley died after being shot on 6 September. The day in 1959 that the Soviet probe Luna 2 crashed into the moon – the first man-made object to reach the moon. The date in 1960 that OPEC was formed. The date in 1984 that Joe Kittinger (who assisted Felix Baumgartner in last year’s record balloon flight and who set the record in 1960) became the first person to cross the Atlantic solo in a balloon. The date in 2007 when Northern Rock experienced a bank run.
And now, 14 September 2013 - the date the Prime Minister has announced for the next Australian Federal election.
But don’t bet your house quite yet. After all, this is yet one more promise to break.
Perhaps the Prime Minister expects someone like Peter Slipper or Craig Thompson to be forced to leave Parliament and then she can exert pressure to continue as Prime Minister ‘in the interests of certainty’ given the announced election date.
Perhaps she will catch everyone by surprise by exploiting an earlier opportunity.
Perhaps 12 August will come around and she will forget to visit the Governor General.
Until she formally advises the Governor General, and the latter accepts the advice and signs an instrument dissolving the House of Representatives, this is yet another promise to be broken.
One way or another she will change her mind, and don’t anyone dare criticise, you misogynists.
Amfortas
30 Jan 13 at 6:20 pm
14th September 1993.
Essendon come from 42 points down at half time against Adelaide to win the preliminary final.
So sweet to beat the bodies-in-barrels, pie floater munching, gay bashing child abductors!!!
Leigh Lowe
30 Jan 13 at 6:28 pm
I suspect you are right in thinking that Gillard has in mind that her majority might disappear. Is she trying to lock in Bryce?
In addition to Slipper and Thomson being in doubt, maybe someone like Robert McClelland will abstain from a vote of no-confidence?
rafiki
30 Jan 13 at 6:40 pm
Yes Raf. Minority Govt in the national interest. Or something. The whole show deserves some sort of cataclysmic Whitlamesque ending. Involvement by the GG, the HC and all.
Pickles
30 Jan 13 at 6:53 pm
It gives her an opportunity of breaking this promise by going earlier because of some fabricated disgraceful affront to democracy by Abbott. It may just be a vehicle to go early, shore up her position but blame Abbott.
Tiny Dancer
30 Jan 13 at 6:53 pm
Or maybe it was just written on the page and she read it. Damn you track changes!
Pickles
30 Jan 13 at 6:58 pm
It really is most unusual and like most here, I think there’s some kind of political game behind this. It will probably blow up in her face like most of the too clever by half stunts already have. I’ve never known a government to shoot itself in the foot as much as this crowd has.
tbh
30 Jan 13 at 7:08 pm
How’s 30 November 2013 looking now?
I am surprised she’s ‘announced’ an earlier date – expected her to cling on until the last possible day…
Rabz
30 Jan 13 at 7:13 pm
I’m not convinced it’s a cunning stunt.
Steve of Ferny Hills
30 Jan 13 at 7:13 pm
This is retarded. I really don’t know why I’m making a comment but seriously – r e t a r d e d.
willozap
30 Jan 13 at 7:13 pm
Despite their wilful destruction of the Australian economy, I cannot believe that Gillard and Labor will subject us to a further seven months of inertia, deadlock and uncertainty. I don’t think people will wear it.
H B Bear
30 Jan 13 at 7:18 pm
Gillard and the other members of this gov’t will want to hang on to their jobs till the last possible moment
Like Rabz I’m surprised she’s announced an earlier date
But like everything Gillard and other members of this Govt say I don’t take what is said by any of them literally
val majkus
30 Jan 13 at 7:21 pm
It’s another distraction, just like the glasses.
Banana Republic by deed, Banana Mouskouri by appearance.
blogstrop
30 Jan 13 at 7:35 pm
Just saw Shorten being interviewed on TV. I wonder if he agreed with her announcement.
Lloyd
30 Jan 13 at 7:45 pm
Surely this is just a tactic to ensure she remains leader until the election……
Tuttle
30 Jan 13 at 8:07 pm
Or it is simply a distraction to get Tim off the front pages……
Tuttle
30 Jan 13 at 8:07 pm
Until sunset, Saturday 14th September this year corresponds to 10 Tishri in the luni-solar Hebrew Calendar. That’s Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement- wherein it said that the fate of each person is sealed for the proceeding year.
How appropriate.
Leo G
30 Jan 13 at 8:09 pm
Could Kev throw a spanner in the works be departing the backbench now/soon? Would I be correct in thinking that if he did so prior to the writs being issued a bi-election would still be required?
Tracey
30 Jan 13 at 8:11 pm
Tracey – yes any member who resigns prior to the dissolution of the House will cause a by-election to be held.
Samuel J
30 Jan 13 at 8:18 pm
So there could be a bile-election prior to the bye-election.
Leo G
30 Jan 13 at 8:24 pm
Is this a way to avoid by-elections …?
Source: House of Representatives Practice 5th Edition, p90.
dismissive
30 Jan 13 at 8:59 pm
This announcement has taken the heat off sexist, misogynistic Tim!
Chez
30 Jan 13 at 9:00 pm
How is she getting away with this twaddle? Prior to the introduction of fixed terms in some States, every election in Australia was marked by a level on uncertainty about when the Leader would call it. There was no more uncertainty about when the Liar would call it than in any other State or Federal election. What a crock!
If anything it has added uncertainty because her word cannot be trusted. She is just as likely to break this promise as every other major promise she has made to the Australian people.
Johno
30 Jan 13 at 9:25 pm
Yep, Chez. No-one is talking about Ring-Fingerer Tim ‘Hopoate’ the Freckle Fondler now, that’s for sure.
Mk50 of Brisbane
30 Jan 13 at 9:35 pm
That wasnt Tim Hopoate – it was John Hopoate.
Aliice
30 Jan 13 at 9:39 pm
Why isn’t there a law against shutting the hell up until the gov. General is informed?
Frankly she is probably doing this so all the departments can tune their contracts to be renewed just before caretaker.
Mundi
30 Jan 13 at 9:46 pm
Alice. Back on the bong? Can you read?
Tiny Dancer
30 Jan 13 at 9:53 pm
There is no way the ALP rank & file are happy about this. Even less now it appears they weren’t consulted about the date first. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they roll Gillard as quickly as possible and change the date to something more reasonable.
south
30 Jan 13 at 10:32 pm
Herald-Sun is reporting that Victorian Plod is preparing a bluey for Craig le Brothel Creeper as we speak.
Distraction anyone?
Leigh Lowe
30 Jan 13 at 11:37 pm
Just a thought – how does this date compare with the planned date for the AFL Grand Final? Distraction City, anyone?
perturbed
30 Jan 13 at 11:47 pm
What about slipper? Isn’t he a shoe in for an early exit?
brc
30 Jan 13 at 11:49 pm
This is how the left get away with it every time
What f**king business besides the rent-seeking crowd thinks the ability to pass legislation equals political stability, particularly after all the added sovereign risk of the past few years. I am pretty sure this dickhead doesn’t represent the live trade, fishing or mining industries
Read the full depressing article here.
Adam Diver
31 Jan 13 at 6:45 am
Sorry forgot to tie my rant back to the thread. My point being this is why this election still has a remote chance for the ALP, how many not-interested individuals are going to know the true extent of the economic mismanagement when business representatives are quoted saying such drivel.
I move that at least one Australian state as a test adopts proper libertarian ideals for 30 years, and then we compare and contrast the results with Tasmania after the same time.
Adam Diver
31 Jan 13 at 6:48 am
Does anyone know if the ALP has locked in it’s election advertising slots etc yet?
Steve of Glasshouse
31 Jan 13 at 7:59 am
It is spelt “by-election” Tracey.
Unless we are talking about Slippery Pete’s seat – then “bi-election” might be the appropriate spelling.
Leigh Lowe
31 Jan 13 at 8:21 am
Learn from the lessons of history (i.e. NSW Kenneally, QLD Blight, VIC Kirner, Bracks & Brumby, etc).
This will give all the Labor ministers a fixed time line to wrap up all the contracts with Labor cronies to ensure the Coalition is hamstrung financially by punative get out clauses.
Labor will be able to ensure the Coalition does not deliver a surplus in their 1st term. Watch.
Token
31 Jan 13 at 8:27 am
Why should the coalition have to deliver a surplus in their first term? To satisfy the screeching monkeys in the national peanut gallery?
You’re talking about the budgetary aftermath of the most incompetent, profligate imbeciles in this country’s political history.
There is simply no way of knowing just how bad the budget bottom line is until laybore are inevitably punted anyway.
Abbott needs to get tough and state very clearly that the coalition will not be honouring any deals done with punitive get out clauses, etc that have been entered into after the announcement of the election. If there’s evidence they’ve been post dated, etc, then go after the bastards with criminal charges.
Enough.
Rabz
31 Jan 13 at 9:02 am
100 per cent correct my friend!
Econocrat
31 Jan 13 at 10:04 am
As to Adams point – have the advertising slots been locked in – perhaps TLS is trying to do get the Libs to do a financial loss by then changing the date of the election.
Money will be the one thing that Labor has an advantage in due to the plundering of the Treasury.
Why not make the problem for the Libs worse?
Winston SMITH
31 Jan 13 at 10:32 am
Winston ,any such action should be severely punished,surely we can find one “judge ” who is not a commo?
Borisgodunov
31 Jan 13 at 11:28 am
I agree with all you say, but that involves communicating to the electorate through or past the lefty information gate keepers at ALPBC, FauxFacts, Channels 7,9 & 10 and of course Newscorp where the majority of reporters are ardent Labor supporters.
See what M0nty posts? Labor will be banging on about (& the love media will regurgitate) the type of economic illiterate idiocy that M0nty believes in.
Token
31 Jan 13 at 11:33 am
Julia Gillard: hillbilly dictator…
C.L.
31 Jan 13 at 11:36 am
She’s her own woman and she’s welcome to herself.
Infidel Tiger
31 Jan 13 at 11:37 am
Julia Gillard plays down speculation of an eight-month election campaign.
Labor set to announce World Heritage deal for Tasmania forests.
C.L.
31 Jan 13 at 11:40 am
It still upsets her that people like kevni much more than her.
candy
31 Jan 13 at 11:41 am
The Bob Carr effect. More bushfires.
Token
31 Jan 13 at 11:59 am
Caucus would have rolled Gillard months ago if there was anyone other than KRuddy they thought could get them over the line.
H B Bear
31 Jan 13 at 12:04 pm
I really don’t care when the date is but who wins and what they might do after that. In the coalitions plan 3 sections represent US failures being NDIS , Health and Education. It is pretty well proven (based on US and Aus observations to date) that the more the Federal government gets involved in these areas the lower the outcome or at best the same outcome for much higher costs.
kelly liddle
31 Jan 13 at 2:27 pm
[...] Following my blog from yesterday on the Prime Minister’s announcement of an election on 14 September we find that Craig Thompson MP has been arrested and now bailed for 150 fraud offences. While Thompson is entitled to a presumption of innocence (and is claiming innocence), I can’t imagine the Police arresting a Federal MP without overwhelming evidence. [...]
14 September and Craig Thompson at Catallaxy Files
31 Jan 13 at 5:46 pm
So the allegedly serial bonker will “vigorously defend” the charges.
Good.
My experience has been that the more they “vigorously defend” the charges the harder they fall.
HRT
31 Jan 13 at 8:39 pm