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In Australia, we have a situation similar to that of the US. We have 2 major parties one of which is a coalition, but that is irrelevant. Both parties are right of centre and have a secular façade. Both parties have the same contributors, the same policies (albeit a difference in approach), just different 'friends'. The incumbent has few friends in the media and has been raked over the coals continuously for most the term, ever since they attempted to tax the rich. The opposition does not really advertise their policies and simply plays 'the no game' - and they play it well.

The mainstream media in Australia supports the two-party system of voting and government, thus Australians are led to believe that an independent vote or minor party vote is a wasted vote. The media create such a brouhaha involving these major parties that people vote AGAINST the major party they don't want elected instead of considering all parties policies or their leaders reputations. This is the system that keeps these parties in power.

My vote will be wasted in the sense that the party I vote for will not be elected. My vote will not be wasted in the sense that I will be on record as preferring another parties policies. Come next election, there is a chance that the major party that is down in the polls MAY adopt some of the policies from these minor parties in order to secure votes. The outcome being that the people I wanted in are not, their policies are.

Voting is mandatory in Australia and as such is viewed as a chore or a burden. A lot of people don't take it seriously. It doesn't help that it is very difficult to get information on each of the candidates policies. The only real campaigning is tacky flyers with 'Vote #1' in beg red type and a spiel about why the other guy is so horrid.

To highlight my point compare the opposition to a minor party that most people are unaware of. The oppositions website uses the entire banner and the right half of every page attacking the incumbent. Policies are split across dozens of PDFs across several pages. The minor party makes their policies very clear with a headline, summary and major point of each area of issue on a single page.

Now in answer to you questions,

Any idea when the next elections are in Australia?

By Nov 30, 2013. Possibility of an early election but the incumbent won't call it because they are around 30% in the polls and the opposition won't challenge because they have a chickenshit leader.

What are the chances that Australians will vote for the same party that is doing this to them?

Very small - but not because of this issue. The other party would and will do exactly the same thing

They can't be that stupid, can't they?

Unfortunately, yes

Harden the F up, Australia!!

We are following in the footsteps of the US, except out citizens don't have the right to bear arms. Everyone wants change but votes the fucking same.

There is also the LDP and Russell Wattie of the UMC who is running as an independent for Senate. Both are against internet censorship. The ABCC and the anti-association laws (so called anti-biker laws) are very important to oppose.

Russell Wattie (Camel) is running for a place in the Senate. He is a spokesman for the United Motorcycle Council of Queensland. He is against the anti-freedom of association laws (aka anti-biker laws), the ABCC and for a bill of rights.

There is also the LDP http://ldp.org.au/ who might prove worthwhile and if they can get it registered, for future elections the Pirate Party Australia http://www.pirateparty.org.au/

Not being an australian I haven't seen much of the LDP before. What was their stance on the filtering etc. etc?

They oppose any non-voluntary internet filtering or censorship.

http://ldp.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1032:not-evil-just-wrong&catid=108:admin&Itemid=29

Oops, should have checked the link: http://ldp.org.au/ is their site. Their policy on censorship.

The Liberal Democratic Party supports free speech and is opposed to government censorship of books, videos, games and the internet. We:

  Oppose any non-voluntary internet filtering or censorship.
  Believe no film, book or game should ever be banned outright except in cases where its making involved the commission of a crime, such as abuse of children.
  Support legalising the sale of X-rated pornography.
  Support the introduction of an R-rating and X-rating for video games, thus legalising games that have previously been banned.
  Support a review of current film and game classification criteria, taking a rational rather than morality driven approach to classification.

Oops, should have checked the link: http://ldp.org.au/ is their site. Their policy on censorship.

The Liberal Democratic Party supports free speech and is opposed to government censorship of books, videos, games and the internet. We:

  Oppose any non-voluntary internet filtering or censorship.
  Believe no film, book or game should ever be banned outright except in cases where its making involved the commission of a crime, such as abuse of children.
  Support legalising the sale of X-rated pornography.
  Support the introduction of an R-rating and X-rating for video games, thus legalising games that have previously been banned.
  Support a review of current film and game classification criteria, taking a rational rather than morality driven approach to classification.

There are other political parties out there that will fix the issues: Try the LDP:
http://www.ldp.org.au/federal/policies/index.html

I'm sure I can get a policy statement from them if I try hard enough...

What makes you say it's better here than the US?
Good question. Our laws are there fundamentally to protect people. We have gov and semi-gov services that protect people. Our gov looks after us. That's not the case in the US. It's a dog -eat-dog world for them.
I'm not talking socialism here. It's a remnant of our history and early constitutional debate. Federation took decades before all states adopted it in 1901 because they were happy with their individual state laws. Some of these were based on Colonialism and some (like SA) weren't. If you didn't like the laws in NSW, you could move to QLD and take your chances there. Federation stuffed that particular freedom up.
What the problem appears to be in Australia is creeping over-regulation. We have regulations for this or that and we can't fart without paying for a license followed by an inspection.

Australian Libertarianism would be quite different to the USA. Libertarianism can exist here whether you are left or right wing. The politics don't matter as much as the rights of citizens to do what they want in their own paddock. I'll happily set off a firecracker in my backyard if it wasn't illegal, or shoot a myna bird with a slug gun - or have more than 3 chickens in my back yard or building what I want. That's the sort of 'rights' that needs changing - at least at first. That should be easy enough to do. Same thing with the judicial system. Any libertarian change in the background of our lives will eventually permeate through to the masses.
The other problem as you mention is education. People here have absolutely no idea what it is to be 'free'. They don't understand what liberty actually means. They have no idea of what 'personal responsibility' is either. All they see as liberty is what they see on US TV and that is all bad, with bad consequences. Liberty in that sense is frightening for them.
So the philosophy of Libertarianism should somehow be divorced from the USA model as I don't think that USA libertarianism will work over here.
Parties like the LDP, citizens rights groups, and other groups that fight for rights must be supported. The LDP (no, I'm not a member) is still very young and have a lot of work to do and baggage to drop before they'll get noticed. But they are getting there. Check this out http://www.ldp.org.au/news/Aug08newsletter.html where Ben Buckley got over 4% of the vote. Read the comments! They are enlightening.
I personally think that if the philosophy of libertarianism as opposed to the politics of libertarianism starts taking hold, then the rest will follow. Becoming a republic is the first step though.

Just vote LDP http://www.ldp.org.au/ and stuff them both up!
LDP is about the closest you'll get to a non-interfering government with minimal regulations and no bullshit. Back to the free country and even getting a Bill of Rights too!!!!

Mind you, I really appreciate having a Prime Minister (ermmm Kevin Rudd), that can tell the Chinese "WTF are you doing in Tibet?" in Mandarin! :)

Well, if we have the presumption that we are not crims, then why did we have to give up our guns? A nation of people who were presumed innocent until proven guilty would not be required to give up their firearms. Really though, that just stems from a greater problem, which is that Australians generally have never given a moments thought as to what liberty is, despite having the concept in our national anthem. You might be surprised how often I have spoken to people about liberty and it is the first time they've ever heard anything like it.

Vote LDP http://www.ldp.org.au/

now Parliament is feeling upward pressure from the other power-hungry pricks who've grown accustomed to the ability to breach our Constitution whenever they please.

So is this party http://www.ldp.org.au/

• Free markets and freedom of choice
• Individual liberty and personal responsibility under the rule of law
• Civil liberties and individual freedom
• Devolution of power including decentralised government and competitive federalism
• Free trade in ideas and culture
• Freedom and human rights

• Free markets and freedom of choice
• Individual liberty and personal responsibility under the rule of law
• Civil liberties and individual freedom
• Devolution of power including decentralised government and competitive federalism
• Free trade in ideas and culture
• Freedom and human rights