Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Government shutdown, Down Under style….


Yup, the Aussies do more than Foster's and shrimp on the barbie….



For example, in 1975, the Australian government was shut down, a la Boehner and Tea Party and Company, because the elected legislature wouldn't agree on a budget to fund government operations.

But it's not a familiar story….

As WashingtonPost.com tells it, here's how it ended:

Australian Governor-General Sir John Kerr, the queen's official representative, took action that isn't in President Obama's toolkit.

Kerr promptly dismissed the Australian prime minister, then the new P.M. immediately passed a bill to put the government back in business, then three hours later Kerr tossed every member of the legislature out of office, and immediately scheduled full national elections to create a brand-new Senate and a brand-new House of Representatives.




And that, kiddies, was the first and last government shutdown in Australia.

Put another shrimp on the barbie….







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