Newly elected? He's kind of cute... or was?

Both!

It's terrifying - he's nine years younger than I am.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Albanese

But he's several years younger than me too.

I am glad he was elected and I hope we can flip our Congress like you guys flipped your government!

Congrats!

It's a good sign.

In the sovereign territory of the Aussie group.

Our politics are not nearly as polarised or vicious as yours in the US. Because of compulsory voting, there's no need for any of the parties to cheat, supress votes, disencourage voting and so on. I bring this up in GD every few years to the deafening response of, 'But we don't want everyone to vote because some are idiots'.

I say, don't knock it until you've tried it.

I have been an advocate for compulsory voting because I expect it to do away with problems you seem to not have in your compulsory voting country.

But we have a religion problem here, everything is turned into that which is protected in order to allegedly beat the system. Currently religion had been weaponized to promote the opposite of what religion proposes to be and uses money for rewards on earth while you wait to go to heaven, I guess. The almighty dollar is where the power lies so anything unrelated to ill gotten gains is squashed rather quickly. It will be the death of us.

A chicken and egg situation. To my eyes, your media, even the friendly variety like MSNBC are just so generally over the top nearly all of the time. Murdoch is a different animal; I believe he spread to the US because of a) Immense greed b) A receptive market for right wing ideas and c) the old Daily Mail maxim of 'telling the people everything has gone to hell and to stir them up'.

Media makes money out of conflict. There's no money in saying it's a nice day and everyone was nice to each other. So whether they will admit it or not, most media is agitating for conflict because it makes them money. I despair.

Rupert's father, Keith, started his rise to fame/fortune as a war correspondent at Gallipoli where he wrote dispatches which were not entirely truthful about the unfolding disaster.

Later in the war, on the Western Front, he took it upon himself to try to influence the selection of the general who would command the Australian Corps. He was opposed to the army's choice-perhaps because their (successful) choice was Jewish?

After his return home he became the editor of the Melbourne Herald and began remaking the paper to focus on political controversies, celebrities and sensationalism. He also took ownership of the paper, and began acquiring other papers throughout the country

Rupert has continued the tradition which has richly rewarded the Murdoch family, and which has impoverished news reporting throughout the world.

I can see where it would get rid of some problems over here.

You enrol to vote and turn up to cast your ballot when there is an election.

A summary of differences between Au. and USA:
1. We don't have set dates or years for elections. Both State and Federal elections have their own cyles; Federal is three years, give or take and State is four years. We often have early elections, but never (I think) a late one.

2. Elections are always on a Saturday, although early and postal voting take place.

3. Technically, we know roughly when an election is due, but not until the date has been called are we sure. Campaigns tend to be three or four weeks, a long campaign is six weeks. I've joked in the past about the US being in a constant state of election but tfg's announcement kinda proves it.

4. I guess the main difference is in culture and attitude; we turn out to vote because that's the way we do things. Technically, you are required to turn up to the polling place, have your name crossed off and be issued with a ballot paper. However, you could stuff it in your shoe, eat it or throw it away. No one forces you to actually mark the paper/s. I don't think many people are prosecuted for failing to vote and if they are it's a few dollars fine $20 or $30 that I don't think they make a big deal out of collecting.

5. We have six states and two territories compared to your fifty states. Elections are run by the Federal Australian Electoral Commission and the mechanics, equipment, staffing, rules etc are consistent throughout the Commonwealth, States and Territories. We are still issued with a lead pencil and paper ballots. I early voted for the Victorian state election yesterday; nothing much has changed since I first registered to vote 50 years ago. It's real time warp stuff but sort of comforting and eternal too.

6. I would imagine that the logistics of running an election are easier when you can accurately estimate the numbers who will turn up. Yesterday, being the second day of early voting, I had to wait for - five or six minutes in a queue.

7. When you turn up at the table in the voting place, you are asked your name and your address. That's it. No signature, no proving identity - nothing else. They ask if you've voted anywhere else this day, cross your name off and issue your ballot/s.

That's about all I can think off. Sorry this is a bit fragmented and wandering. Feel free to follow up with any specifics that interest you. Almost forgot to mention, there's an Aussie tradition on election Saturdays. There's alway's a sausage sizzle or two at the polling places and the smell of fried onions perfumes the air!