a bit of shoosh - minta supaya jangan ribut
wouldn't work in an iron lung - sangat malas
done like a dinner - kalah total 

Postcards from Australia

It is a very comfortable trip. The trip is not expensive, the train is air-conditioned, it's a very comfortable train, a modern, high-speed train. You get to see a wonderful assortment of Australian sclassic Aussie idioms!

The first idiom is a bit of shoosh. Australians say a bit of shoosh when they want some quiet. When they want people to stop talking, or when they want people to pay attention. I remember one of my teachers at school always used to say it.

'Hey, I'd like a bit of shoosh please. I can't  hear 
  the speaker.'

The second idiom is wouldn't work in an iron lung. We say wouldn't work in an iron lung when describing someone who is very lazy, when talking about someone who will not work. It is a very strong criticism of someone.

'Don't ask her to help, the job will never get done! She wouldn't work in an iron lung.'

The third idiom this week is done like a dinner. We say done like a dinner when we are completely, and easily, beaten, or when we lose some money because of a trick.

'My team lost the football match 10-0. Done like a dinner!

a bit of shoosh - minta supaya jangan ribut
wouldn't work in an iron lung - sangat malas
done like a dinner - kalah total 

Postcards from Australia

I recencenery, you go through some very interesting towns. On board the train they have such wonderful things as the Australian meat pie. Railways in Australia are famous for the Railways Meat Pie that they sell. On the train people have opportunity to sit and meet with other tourists and other Australians, so it's a good opportunity to talk and to find out more about Australia.

Oz-Indo Connection Indonesia had an important general election in 1999. What about elections  in Australia?

Australia has been holding democratic, general elections since 1901. Generally, there is an election for the national government every two and a half years. No Australian government is allowed to be in power for more than three years without facing an election.

Voting in an Australian general election is compulsory. All Australian citizens and permanent residents above the age of 18 must vote. This policy is very successful, more than 90% of people do vote in each election. If someone fails to vote, they must pay a 50 dollar fine. That is about 300,000 rupiah.

The last election was in October 1998. 148 members were elected to seats in Parliament. That election was won by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. They won more than 50% of the seats. The leader of the Liberal Party, Mr. John Howard, will be the Prime Minister of Australia until 2001.

Australia's Parliament has two houses, with a total of 222 politicians. The House of Representatives is like the DPR, and has 148 members. The other house is The Senate, similar to the MPR, and has 74 members.

In Australia there are four main political parties. They are the Liberal Party, the Labor Party, the National Party and the Australian Democrats. As well, there are some very small political parties and independent candidates.

Independents are people who do not belong to any political party. Since World War II the Australian government has always been either a Liberal/National coalition or a Labor Party government.

Generally, middle and upper class Australians support the Liberal Party, working and middle class Australians support the Labor Party, and rural people support the National Party. There is also a tendency for Protestants to support Liberal and National parties and for Catholic people to support Labor. However, religion has almost no influence in Australian politics.

On election day the polling booths are open for twelve hours, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. The first step is for voters to check their name on a register. Then they receive a ballot paper. Voters take the paper to a booth, where they make their vote secretly. No-one else can see how they are voting. To make a vote they place a number next to the name of the candidate: the number 1 for their first choice, number 2 for their second choice, etc. The next step is for voters to put their vote, or ballot paper, in the ballot box.

After the polling booth closes, the counting of votes begins. All of the votes are counted at the polling booth on the same night as the election. The results are sent via computer to a national counting centre. Often, the election result is announced on the same night, or the day after the election.

Return to Past Issues of KGRE Radio English tly went from Sydney to Melbourne by train. The train trip is long, it's 9 to 10 hours, but we had a few delays because of the heat in the outback of the NSW areas. Because it was January, it was very hot and very dry, so the rolling plains of outback New South Wales and Victoria were a little brown. I saw lots of gum trees, but the grass was fairly brown, there were lots of sheep wandering over the hills. I even saw some kangaroos. One of the places that the train goes through is Glenrowan. Glenrowan was the site of the Ned Kelly incident back in 1880. Ned Kelly is perhaps Australia's most famous historical figure: a bushranger, a robber, a common thief, but turned into a hero by the Australian public. As the train went through Glenrowan, you can actually see the Ned Kelly museum. It is a very famous museum and there are a lot of visitors who drive between Melbourne and Sydney, who stop to check out the Ned Kelly Museum.

It is a very comfortable trip. The trip is not expensive, the train is air-conditioned, it's a very comfortable train, a modern, high-speed train. You get to see a wonderful assortment of Australian scenery, you go through some very interesting towns. On board the train they have such wonderful things as the Australian meat pie. Railways in Australia are famous for the Railways Meat Pie that they sell. On the train people have opportunity to sit and meet with other tourists and other Australians, so it's a good opportunity to talk and to find out more about Australia.

Oz-Indo Connection Indonesia had an important general election in 1999. What about elections  in Australia?

Australia has been holding democratic, general elections since 1901. Generally, there is an election for the national government every two and a half years. No Australian government is allowed to be in power for more than three years without facing an election.

Voting in an Australian general election is compulsory. All Australian citizens and permanent residents above the age of 18 must vote. This policy is very successful, more than 90% of people do vote in each election. If someone fails to vote, they must pay a 50 dollar fine. That is about 300,000 rupiah.

The last election was in October 1998. 148 members were elected to seats in Parliament. That election was won by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. They won more than 50% of the seats. The leader of the Liberal Party, Mr. John Howard, will be the Prime Minister of Australia until 2001.

Australia's Parliament has two houses, with a total of 222 politicians. The House of Representatives is like the DPR, and has 148 members. The other house is The Senate, similar to the MPR, and has 74 members.

In Australia there are four main political parties. They are the Liberal Party, the Labor Party, the National Party and the Australian Democrats. As well, there are some very small political parties and independent candidates.

Independents are people who do not belong to any political party. Since World War II the Australian government has always been either a Liberal/National coalition or a Labor Party government.

Generally, middle and upper class Australians support the Liberal Party, working and middle class Australians support the Labor Party, and rural people support the National Party. There is also a tendency for Protestants to support Liberal and National parties and for Catholic people to support Labor. However, religion has almost no influence in Australian politics.

On election day the polling booths are open for twelve hours, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. The first step is for voters to check their name on a register. Then they receive a ballot paper. Voters take the paper to a booth, where they make their vote secretly. No-one else can see how they are voting. To make a vote they place a number next to the name of the candidate: the number 1 for their first choice, number 2 for their second choice, etc. The next step is for voters to put their vote, or ballot paper, in the ballot box.

After the polling booth closes, the counting of votes begins. All of the votes are counted at the polling booth on the same night as the election. The results are sent via computer to a national counting centre. Often, the election result is announced on the same night, or the day after the election.