Endings

This week we have experienced the "end" of a few things in our lives. Winter has certainly come to an end with the bloom of trees in our neighborhood accompanied by blue skies.

The footy season has come to an end, as our club made it to the Grand Final again this year, unfortunately coming out as the #2 team in the league for the second year in a row.

Trophy and medal presentation for the winning team

The biggest news this week in Australia is that of a new Prime Minister. The reign of the Labor Party has ended and the Liberal Party will be taking over. I do not pretend to know much about government in Oz, but I do know that the election runs quite differently than in the States. Unlike in America, there is no "set" election date, though I'm not exactly sure how the date is determined. Votes are still cast on paper, not electronically like most of the US of A. Voting is compulsory (mandatory) if you are an Australian citizen and if you do not vote, you will be fined. The political parties have different names, but from what I gather, the Labor Party resembles the Democratic Party in American while the Liberal Party is more like the Republican side of government in the States. I have heard a few Australians compare the new prime minister, Tony Abbott, to George W. Bush. Apparently he has had quite a few interesting speeches, though I'm not sure they rival some of these beauties by GW! At any rate, it will be interesting to see how the change in leadership affects life in our current "home" country.

Screen shot of Australia's Google page on Election Day.