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Australia has signed up for a conventionally powered variant of the Barracuda class, to equipped with US systems and weapons.  There's not much impact for Australia.

The Supers are scheduled to be retired in the 2020s, either by additional F-35s or possibly by a yet-to-be developed platform that meets requirements.  Additional F-35s would have to be the most likely option.    http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/dwp-2016-the-future-raaf/

The Australian Constitution was drafted over a number of years by a series of constitutional conventions, where selected delegates represented each of the states-to-be.  It was at those conventions that all details were crafted and agreed, often following an assessment of options provided by...

Is actually pretty simple.  Members of the House of Representatives are elected to single member electorates using preferential/instant run-off ballots.  Senators are elected to represent the interests of their state, and so are elected using proportional representation at the state level.  The...

The dark days 1942-43 - Japanese air raids across northern Australia, the battle of the Coral Sea being fought off the coast from Townsville and Cairns, and Japanese submarines in Sydney harbour are all etched into the Australian psyche.  The stance of the major parties just reflects that.

Was previously Minister for Human Services, which is a bigger spending portfolio than defence.

They were probably just interested in what we'd consider your 'background', and hence what your cultural perspectives might be; whether your family had been in Canada for generations, or were more recently from mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, or Singapore.

This type of incident goes some way to explaining why: http://www.news.com.au/national/defence-department-admits-to-starting-state-mine-fire-around-lithgow-and-blue-mountains/story-fncynjr2-1226745502977

I suspect with the LHD, AWD and ANZAC ASMD programs all currently underway, there would be few yards of proven capability with enough spare resources available to build a small ship like this in the required timeframe.

"Compulsory voting" in Australia is a misnomer.  In reality what's compulsory is attendance at a polling station and placement of a ballot paper in the ballot box.  When people choose not to vote for any party they typically vote "informally" - by either not marking the ballot paper, or by...

Interesting. https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/23583014/jump-jets-on-defence-radar/

Nuship Canberra visits home port for the first time... http://news.navy.gov.au/en/Mar2014/Fleet/913/Canberra-arrives-in-Sydney.htm#.U1OUPV5ym1k

I chuckled when I read that: that's how most Aussies view Canada. ;D

Julia Gillard, one of Australia’s most left wing politicians of the post WWII era, welcomed the basing of US marines in the Northern Territory with open arms.  To a degree that was not about how much Australians generally fear an emerging China, but how much Australia values its ties to its...

In terms of power and its role in the political system, the Australian Senate is much more comparable to the US Senate than it is to the UK or Canadian equivalents.  In fact, on balance it has more power than its US equivalent.  The only time an Australian government has been sacked by the...

Yes , they are manual systems.  The ACT trialled the use of electronic systems in Territory elections, but I'm not sure how extensive that was nor the results.  Another significant factor in causing delays is the almost automatic application of recounts when margins are small.

I suspect its simply due to Australia's use of preferential ballots rather than a simple "first past the post" system.  In short, it complicates counting when no candidate obtains more than 50% of the vote on first preferences.  Its also the reason why it takes so long for the outcomes of the...

I agree with your sentiments regarding the Greens. It was an alliance that doomed Labor right form the start.  But the days of the Australian Labor Party being "hard core" are long gone.  When only 13% of the work force are members of a union, you can't sustain a polticlal party on "hard core"...

It's not without some merit though: the NSW government continually pressing for cruise ships to be able to access Garden Island, the cost of significant upgrades needed at GI to accommodate the new LHDs, the whole issue of a having a navel base right in the middle of a major city, and of course...

The mining boom wasn't seen as a "good thing" by all though, not by a long way.  It was the major factor causing a vastly overvalued Australian dollar that hit other sectors like manufacturing, tourism and services pretty hard.  With the AUD now sliding back to more "normal" and sustianable...