Come September (7th)

devascacion were once being bandied about, now it see ms to be a much close r contest.

Come September is a l 96 l romantic comedy film sta rring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida.

Th e lo cal versio n at the momen t is a comic, ho-hum election movie star ring Kevin "selfie" Rudd and Tony "action man" Abbott. There seem to be n o romantic leads and yes, there is no l ove in the air between the two maj o r scars. In fact, spite and vitr io l ofte n sur face between the two. While the critics have awarded the gong of "Best (better?)

Actor" co the Coalition leader Tony Abbott, d1e People's Choice Awa.rd category is still seeing Labor's Kev.in Rudd as the forerunner

With the election campaign officially o n d1e other side of the halfway mark, the Liberal-Natio nal alliance seems t o be al1ead in the polls. The expe r ts at this stage are calling it an election for To n y Abbott to lose. That th.is is the anal ysis shows how well Kevin Rudd has changed me eguation after replacing J ulia Gillard. \X! hi le term s such as annihilation and

An interesting side -s how in cbis elecciou campaign is the open h ostility b et\·veen the News Ltd media and d1e Lab or Pacey While the Labor Party tried to muzzle the pre ss under former communication s minister Ste phen Conroy and failed, it seems d,ac I ews Ltd is enjoying their potshots at the ALP thro ugh rne ir tablo id Dail y Te legraph.

''Throw this mob o ut" screamed d1e headlines as me elections were announced PM Rudd has been open])' critical in his opinion of News Ltd ; it will be interescing to see the kind of reve nge he will seek should he be remrned to power. As Julia Gillard found out, Kevin Rudd ne ither forgets n or forgives!

At the same cime, if ALP loses d1e eleccions, it will be interesci ng to see what happen s co one K. Rudd. If tbe Co a.licioo were to lose, it is clear drnt Ton y Abbott wiJI be d1e fall guy and there will be a sh o o t-out between Malcolm Turnbull a nd Joe Hockey for l eader. U nder me Lab or Party, tbe li nes are not so clear. If Kev in Rudd is forced out, who will replace him? The strong union leader turned policician Bill Shorten at t he helm will further bind d1e party to the union movement, the very image they are trying to d1ange. There are few chai:ismacic leaders i n the Labor camp wid1 a number of them electing to bow out, and so it wiU be an interesting conundrum for me ALP. But cometh d1e hour, cometh the man (or woman) and perh aps a new face leading the party post elections is ju st the tonic required co rebuild.

Having said that, whic11ever mo b comes in nex t will have to sore our d1e financial mess th.at the Wayne Swan -Chris Bo\ven terun leaves behind. It is a bit rich for the ALP to pressure the Coalition to reveal their costings, when even wit h the foll might of the Treasury, they did not gee a single nwnber rig ht in their budgets With the mining tax turning our co be one of d1e worse government deals ever negotiated wid1 the private sector, and total disconnect between ove rall earnings and expendirure, the Labor Party has racked up hu ge amounts o f debt in their six years in government. Someone need s to pay ic back One expects this will be our furure generacions. W/e may have escaped the global financial crisis, but unless the rig ht measures are put in place, one only bas to see the state of so me European economies co under stand the crises which can unfold.

Pawan Luthra is the current Parliament of NSW Multicultural Journalist of the Year.

• General Skilled Migration (onshore & offshore)

• State Sponsored Visas

• Employer Nom inated Visas

• Partner & Family Migration

• Business Migration

• Student Visas

• Advice on various pathways for permanent residency to onshore graduates.

• Adv i ce & Assist ance with Professional Year Program.

• MRT App lication for Review

• Ad vic e & fac ilitate proce du res fo r Student Visas

• Guidance and assistance in selecting appropriate professional cou r ses based on education and background

• Change of Course, University and Education Provider

• Assistance with credit transfers

• Immigration & Visa Advice

• Student Visa and Appea l Matters

• Admission and Visa Assistance for other countries including Canada and New Zealand.

Ou r Assoc iates : Robert (Bob) Fenwick - IVisala w New Zealand

Katerina Kn ize - Law offices of Katerina Kn ize, Montreal Canada