Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

That was a strategy in WW2 (called the Brisbane Line) that if the Japanese invaded the Australians would only defend from Brisbane in the east and the equivalent in the west(Broome?). Don't think they still subscribe to it nowadays.

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Australia did NOT invade Indonesia. It went into East Timor under the sanction of the UN until such time as UN peacekeepers would take over. Also Australian Federal Police were there also. This was to ensure the election process for a new independent government went smoothly. You may recall that there were skirmishes with the Indonesiantroops and their sympathisers around the border near the west of the island. And from the footage available, those indonesian troops didn't look too damn happy handing over to the Ausssies. It was a very tense situation.

As for getting the oil proceeds from East timor, Australia should be farking ashamed of itself! People struggle there just to live in ways you and I don't have probably never experienced or ever will.

And get real, how many Australian troops do we have compared to Indonesia?
If Indonesia ever tried to invade us, we would be screwed without the back up of the Americans

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Where was mighty bloody Australia, when East timor was being invaded by the Indonesians in the 70's? And where was Australian when those Australian journalists were murdered by Indonesian troops? Too friggin' scared to get off their asses and do anything about it ! Shame Australia! shame! shame! shame!

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

One Aussie trooper is worth 100 Indonesians, just like one aussie cricket player is worth 100 Pom cricket players.
Anyway its military technology not the number of troops you have that wins wars these days.
If Indonesia tried to invade OZ, we have a superior airforce and with air superiority we could blow their boats out of the water before they could land their troops, without the Yanks help.

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Military technology is of course of vital significance but so to is size and training of armed forces and ability to deploy them. It's a lot different fighting in another country when you are a part of a major unilateral military effort.

Indonesia is not iraq and infact indonesian troops are well trained, they have even had training from australia. They also have spent oodles on their military machine over the years, including spending aid from australia on new technology.

To underrate them or any other potentially hostile nation would be foolish. It's this "she'll be right, we're the farking best" attitude that would make any potential enemy grin from ear to ear and rub their hands for glee.

And once again, Where was Australia and Portugal when Indonesia invaded Timor in the first place?

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Uhhu...did somebody hit a nerv there ;)

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

If you knew anything about Aussie history the reason we could'nt send troops in then because OZ was going through the dismissal crisis, because your Queen sacked OZ's Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

I may be missing something here but what has any of this got to do with the original thread (and I`m just as guilty as the rest of you for going off subject!!)

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Actually it was the governor general and you can blame that whole incident on the underhanded and unethical manipulation of malcom Fraser to force a double dissolution just so he could have a crack at getting into power.

Incidentally it has never been and still isnt, acceptable practice to block a governments appropriations bill.

Anyway fraser showed himself the iconic aussie PM when he got caught in that hotel lobby with his pants down ;)

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Think so ;)

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Touchy Touchy. Don't like the truth when it doesn't cut your way do you?

Nothing to be ashamed of...hmmm

Taking aboriginal kids from their families
Treating them as non-human (part of the flora and fauna) in the days of colonisation
Not recognising them as citizens with a right to vote until a public referendum on the matter in 1967

How about the fact that Australia's handling of the aboriginal population was one of the main lessons taken on board and developed further, bythe South African government over many decades, forming the basis of the apartheit policy there?
I know, how about stealing East Timors livelihood through its oil fields?

Do we go on or have we had enough now?

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Who was it that decided to colonise OZ and take their land for a penal colony. It was Britain. Between 1788-1901 almost all of the massacres of Aboriginies took place and the worst mistreatment. During this time OZ was a BRITISH colony ruled directly from BRITAIN, all the decisions that were made that hurt the Aboriginies were made by BRITISH people. It was only after OZ became an independant country in 1901 that the massares of aboriginies stopped and the treatment of Aborigines improved.

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Any improvement in treatment of aboriginals has been extremely slow. They lived with virtually no rights for decades, and definitely not the same rights white people had.

Don't really want to go into a history lesson or a lesson on australian politics here. We have already taken shots in that domain. I agree with the respondent that the thread really should get back to it's topic for the benefit of others

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

The biggest, threat to Australia,is the internal disintergration of Indonesia, being made up of hundreds of islands and different ethnic groups, we would see a hundred refugee boats a day once civil unrest became intolerable.......... :beer: mm

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Well possibly a more pressing area of concern in the near future is the Taiwan issue. Now china has passed a law authorising the use of military force if Taiwan declares independence. The US has an agreement to come to Taiwan's aid if it is militarily attacked. This would put Australia in a very difficult position.

Under ANZUS Australia could be requested to become involved on the side of the US. If Australia declined, then could it expect the US to really help out if the chips were down? And what of China as an important trading partner for Australia? Woudl the US suddenly become an Australian exporters dream? i don't think so.

This is one of the reasons why I advocate Australia develop it's own independent nuclear deterrent force.

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

It was the British who did that, lets face it the real Australians are the Aborgines. Think what the Brits did in the Boar war also in South Africa. Lets face the Brits like others have done some shitty things in History. The white man has done some disgusting things in the name of Religion and thinking he was worth more than any other race. It was the British who invented the concentration camps. I say Man also as women didn't have the vote until the last 100 years :D

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

Cant you lot stop bitching and get back to the original thread.

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

I have done some studies in social policy (international&Australian), Australian political studies, and Political Ideology, among other things. I believe in social justice for all, but I also believe in law & order and personal accountability.

Now maybe we can get back to the topic of the thread lol :p

Re: Thoughts about Perth and Returning to UK
 

By the way, I doubt many "politically correct do-gooding leftie's" would advocate Australia having its own independent nuclear strike force capability as I do.