Newly elected Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged to serve a full term after scraping back into power, but her fragile coalition was immediately hit by discord over a new tax yesterday.
Gillard, who cobbled together a one-seat majority helped by three independents and a Greens member of parliament (MP) after inconclusive polls, promised the nation’s first minority government since World War II would be “stable and effective.”
“The government’s aim is to go for its full term and deliver stable and effective government for three years,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“You should expect to see me lead, but in a different style than has been done before, understanding that it’s not a question of dictating, but a question of consulting and inspiring,” she said.
Gillard, who seized power in a June party coup, was handed a flimsy mandate on Tuesday when she won the backing of two independent MPs, finally breaking a 17-day impasse after deadlocked elections.
Less than 24 hours later, however, independent Tony Windsor was disappointed that a new levy on the mining sector — which brought down Gillard’s predecessor Kevin Rudd — would not be discussed at an upcoming tax summit.
Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said the 30 percent tax would not be raised at the summit because legislation was already being prepared, and said he had smoothed over the issue with Windsor.
However, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said the incident raised questions about the unity of the coalition, which will also face difficult negotiations over taking action against climate change.
“We’re not going to have stability for the next three years if this is what happens on day one,” Hockey said. “The happy couple haven’t even left the chapel and they’re arguing about the mining tax already.”
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
RSS