A Big Victory for "Greens" in ACT, Canberra in Australia!.

The outcome of recent election in Canberra, ACT (Australian Capital Territory)
showed a big swing from the ruling ALP (Australian Labor Party) to Greens.
Out of 17 seats, ALP won 7 seats, Liberal Party (LP, a conservative opposition)
won 6 seats, and Greens won 4 seats. Without Greens, either ALP or LP cannot
assemble the ACT government.

Currently Greens are negotiating with both ALP and LP to decide which party they would support to form the government. Thus, Greens are in the position of so-called "King Maker" by choosing the leader of ALP (Jon Stanhope) or LP (Zed Seselja) as the ACT premier (Chief Minister).

Since the "Tampa incident" in 2001 during the federal election when the
opposition ALP failed to speak out for human rights of "boat people" (refugee
over boats), many ALP supporters (in particular left-wing fraction) began
to switching their support to Greens led by Dr. Bob Brown of Tasmania Island,
the only opposition party that spoke out for these poor people. During last
several years about 30% of ALP supporters in total shifted their support
to Greens which focus mainly on environmental conservation and fundamental
human rights, and are firmly against Iraq War.

Unlike Japan and Europe, there is no socialists' or communists' party here
in Australia. The Australian political view is rather moderate, and Greens
represent the voice of the most progressive people in this country.

ACT Greens storm into balance of power (26/10/2008)

The ACT Greens have managed to produce a significant swing of 7 % polling just under 16%. The Greens won eventually 4 seats, holding the balance of power in the Legislative Assembly.

In the electorate of Molonglo The Greens have won two seats, polling
19 % up 7 %, ensuring Shane Rattenbury and Caroline Le Couteur.

In the electorate of Brindabella The Greens have polled 14 % up 7 % giving Amanda Bresnan a seat, and in Ginninderra The Greens polled 15 % up 6% which gives Meredith Hunter a seat.

Australia must embrace UN's "Green New Deal" (23/10/2008)

Top global economists from the United Nations Environment Program and Deutsche
Bank overnight launched a plan for a "Green New Deal", echoing FDR's "New
Deal" to work US out of the Great Depression, to tackle the current economic
and climate crisis together.

"Greens" Senator Christine Milne called on the Aussie Government led by
Kevin Rudd to embrace the plan which would see a massive investment in energy
efficiency, renewable energy, alternative transport and forest protection,
creating high quality, permanent jobs in a thriving, prosperous, green economy.