Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has condemned the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.
Listen to Rudd’s Press Conference:
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The Queen has delivered her 2007 Christmas message to the Commonwealth.
For the first time in its history, the message was made available on YouTube and as a podcast.
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The Liberal Party’s Federal Director, Brian Loughnane, has addressed the National Press Club on the coalition’s election defeat.
Loughnane said it was clear the coalition’s defeat was attributable to longer term strategic issues than short term tactical issues of recent months.
He said: “The swing away from the Government was particularly strong in some outer suburban seats in Sydney and key regional seats, and I believe these concerns with the cost of living and interest rates was an important factor.”
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Text of Brian Loughnane’s Address to the National Press Club.
Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I thank the National Press Club for the opportunity of today’s address as it allows me to discuss our defeat and some of the key issues for the Party over the next three years.
I just wish it were different circumstances which brought me here. But on 24th November, the people of Australia voted clearly to change Government. [Read more...]
The AEC has declared the Senate result in Tasmania. The ALP has won 3 places, the Liberals 2 and the Greens 1.
AEC State Manager for Tasmania, Marie Neilson, said that the Senate count had involved the keying of votes into a computerised system, and today an automated process was used to distribute preferences and determine the six elected candidates. “As with all aspects of the count, the final process undertaken today was able to be observed by scrutineers representing candidates.”
The successful candidates for the 6 Tasmanian Senate vacancies, in order of their election are:
Australia now stands ready to assume its responsibility in responding to the challenge of climate change, according to the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.
Addressing the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Bali, Rudd said his first act as Prime Minister had been to sign the formal instrument for Australia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. This was because “we believe that climate change represents one of the greatest moral, economic and environmental challenges of our age”.
Rudd reiterated his government’s decision to await the Garnaut Review in mid-2008 before deciding on short and medium term targets for reducing greenhouse emissions.
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This is the full text of Kevin Rudd’s Address to the Conference on Climate Change, in Bali.
His Excellency, the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, His Excellency, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, fellow national Leaders, Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, and all people of goodwill committed to the future of our planet.
I join with the Secretary-General and with the President of the Indonesian Republic in expressing our combined condemnation of this obscene terrorist attack in Algiers. An attack on innocent civilians, an attack on the agents of peace, those working for the United Nations, and therefore, an attack on us all. And I join with them in extending our thoughts and our prayers to those directly affected by this obscene attack. [Read more...]
