Ah Harry ... I mean Kevin ...
Jan. 12th, 2011 08:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blamebramptonI can't help it, I still love Kevin Rudd. Australia's former prime minister, now foreign minister, was out on the streets of Brisbane today, trousers rolled up to his pasty white knees and tide marks to his thighs, carrying stuff to help evacuate people in his region. He evac-ed the belongings of a bunch of Korean students who are all on holidays and were going to lose everything. Bless him. A group of journos and stickybeaks started paying attention to him, so he roped them into helping.
Meanwhile, in his official capacity, Kevin announced today that offers of international help had been pouring in. Some from Australia's traditional friends, the US and UK (Thanks, Barack and Clameron!), some from European nations that have strong links with this country (most of them -- did you know Australia has the third largest Greek city in the world after Athens and Thessaloniki?).
And there are also significant offers from Indonesia, our giant northern neighbour that is not hugely rich. There were frosty relations between Australia and Indonesia for about thirty years over East Timor and events relating to it, which eased dramatically in the aftermath of the Pacific Tsunami and earthquakes that followed. It's strange that natural disasters can sometimes accelerate diplomacy in a way that nothing else can.
African nations are also offering support, even though many are currently stretched supporting countries in their own region. It's very heartwarming.
The good news is that Australia is comparatively wealthy, and even though these floods will take billions off the GDP for the next two years (agriculture and mining will be slow to recover), we have not had a recession during the GFC and are better positioned to weather the blow, as it were, than most of our G20 colleagues. So while we may require aid in terms of experts, equipment and maybe even manpower depending on how bad things get, from a money perspective, we'll cope as a country.
It is individuals who are going to have problems, with many underinsured or not insured at all. Millions of dollars have been pouring into the government fund, but thousands are affected, and whole homes are being lost. If you have spare funds, there are sites for donation. Many don't, good thoughts are just as valuable, and if you have Queenslanders on your flists, so is taking the time to comment to them and let them talk about what's going on. Having a good yarn, as they say in Oz, is thoroughly therapeutic.
Meanwhile, in his official capacity, Kevin announced today that offers of international help had been pouring in. Some from Australia's traditional friends, the US and UK (Thanks, Barack and Clameron!), some from European nations that have strong links with this country (most of them -- did you know Australia has the third largest Greek city in the world after Athens and Thessaloniki?).
And there are also significant offers from Indonesia, our giant northern neighbour that is not hugely rich. There were frosty relations between Australia and Indonesia for about thirty years over East Timor and events relating to it, which eased dramatically in the aftermath of the Pacific Tsunami and earthquakes that followed. It's strange that natural disasters can sometimes accelerate diplomacy in a way that nothing else can.
African nations are also offering support, even though many are currently stretched supporting countries in their own region. It's very heartwarming.
The good news is that Australia is comparatively wealthy, and even though these floods will take billions off the GDP for the next two years (agriculture and mining will be slow to recover), we have not had a recession during the GFC and are better positioned to weather the blow, as it were, than most of our G20 colleagues. So while we may require aid in terms of experts, equipment and maybe even manpower depending on how bad things get, from a money perspective, we'll cope as a country.
It is individuals who are going to have problems, with many underinsured or not insured at all. Millions of dollars have been pouring into the government fund, but thousands are affected, and whole homes are being lost. If you have spare funds, there are sites for donation. Many don't, good thoughts are just as valuable, and if you have Queenslanders on your flists, so is taking the time to comment to them and let them talk about what's going on. Having a good yarn, as they say in Oz, is thoroughly therapeutic.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 09:55 am (UTC)good ol' kev.
i was distraught hearing of some people in toowoomba who obviously don't have flood cover, because LOL IT WOULD NEVER FLOOD IN TOOWOOMBA they live on a MOUNTAIN, WHAT? D:
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Date: 2011-01-12 11:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 11:34 am (UTC)I've seen it replayed on the ABC a few times, but can't find it on their site yet. Give it a few days and I am sure someone will have it as a KRudd tribute vid ;-)
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Date: 2011-01-12 11:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 12:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 11:11 am (UTC)I totally agree.
Watching K Rudd today made me proud to be an Australian. I live in Brisbane and am currently flooded into my area (Kenmore). Sure it's scary watching the water raising but was is even better is how great it is to see how the community come together.
I really have become friendly not only with my neighbors but the wider community.
It feels like we are all in this together and I can't help but feel like we can get through it because we have each other.
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Date: 2011-01-12 11:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 11:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 01:33 pm (UTC)NSW Nazi MafiaLabour Praty.Typo left in place for the lulz.
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Date: 2011-01-12 02:01 pm (UTC)And Kev was more pragmatic than I would have liked on a few things, but I could see that it was not without reason. Alas, common sense is an undervalued virtue in politics. Still, he is becoming a cult figure, and Australia does have a history of Lazurus-like leaders, who knows?
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Date: 2011-01-12 02:20 pm (UTC)Seriously, sometime when you have 20-odd minutes to kill, look up the Four Corners report on how Nazis took over the NSW Libs. No, actual, honest to Gawd, WWII-era Ukranian Nazis.
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Date: 2011-01-12 04:49 pm (UTC)That right there? Impresses me like no campaign slogan ever would.
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Date: 2011-01-12 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-13 12:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-13 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-13 12:32 pm (UTC)