NationStates Jolt Archive


Is this not the coolest thing ever?!

Rotovia-
06-10-2005, 06:46
Now it's a little know fact that during WWI the State of Queensland and the Commonwealth of Australia were in a min-civil war of soughts.

It all started because Queenslanders being the lazy, sunloving people we are were pissed off about conscription and the federal government had made it illegal to complain about it. (For those wondering if this is against free speech, it's not. Australia has no Bill of Rights and the federal government has a long history of making it illegal to protest against unfair laws. The most recent of which being the ASIO Act. Which I won't call a steaming pile of tyranical crap of Dubya proportions, because that could land me in jail)

Getting back on track, the Premier of Queensland then, in a stroke of genius (arguable a sunstroke of genius) envoked parliamentary privilige. This rule allowd that a Member of Parliament can say anything they want and cannot be prosecuted for it. You could threaten to murder a fellow MP and wear their skin as a suit and there's nothign they could do.

Anyway, he initiated a debate on the subject and then took it one step further. Having the Union Press publish copies of the Hansard. Australia Law allows the free distribution of the Hansard of Parliament (a report of all debates), effectively bypassing the ban on discussion conscription.

Now, understanably upset, the Prime Minister authorised the Censor General to raid the Union Press House with federal troops and halt distribution. The Premier then ordered state troops defend the Union Press and blockade Parliament from the federal troops and a series of ensuing battles saw federal troops outed from Queensland and Prime Minister banned from the state.

After all that, my point is that Queensland is the most kick ass state ever and need to do far more Constitutionally illegal federal arsekicking.
Avarhierrim
06-10-2005, 06:58
your a queenslander? I thought you were half black?
Rotovia-
06-10-2005, 07:13
your a queenslander? I thought you were half black?
LOOOOONG story. We'll sum it up with I hold Australian & South African Citizenship and travel on a US Passport
AllCoolNamesAreTaken
06-10-2005, 07:40
No, it is not the coolest thing ever. The coolest thing ever is the Dennis Leary speech:

"I'm the enemy because I like to think. I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I'm the kind of guy that could sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs or the side order of gravy fries? I want high cholesterol. I would eat bacon and butter and buckets of cheese. Okay? I want to smoke Cuban cigars the size of Cincinnati in the nonsmoking section. I want to run through the streets naked with green Jell-O all over my body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I might suddenly feel the need to. Okay, pal?"
Phylum Chordata
06-10-2005, 09:35
Another little known fact, I believe Queensland had Australia's only communist Member for Parliment.
Tyrell Technologies
06-10-2005, 09:48
While I would have to agree that's pretty damned cool, I'd have to fall short of awarding it "coolest thing ever".

Though, the Dennis Leary speach does come awfully close to winning it, too...
Avarhierrim
08-10-2005, 10:25
ok, i have a British passport (I'm scottish) as well as Australian.
Falhaar2
08-10-2005, 11:20
I love the fact that Western Australia had a referendum to secede from the Federation, which was won by the seccesionists, but the Feds just ignored it and forced us to stay with em!