As the dust settles after Saturday's election when the pendulum moved away from the Liberal-National Party coalition to the Australian Labor Party, it seems a good time to look at the benchmarks reached at this election.- John Howard became the second Prime Minister in the history of the nation to be kicked out of his seat by his electorate. (This is not decided yet but Miss E is prepared to go out on a limb as the final result of the roosting chook campaign.)
- The first female Deputy Prime Minister - and when Rudd goes to the Kyoto talks in Bali she will become the first Acting Prime Minister - in Julia Gillard.
- The first time that the Prime Minister and Treasurer came from the same country town and went to the same school in the same period.
- The first time that both the Prime Minister and Treasurer come from Queensland.
- The first time that the team of Prime Minister and Treasurer do not come from Sydney and Melbourne.
- The first Mandarin speaking Prime Minister.
- The first Labor Prime Minister of the century and the millennium.
- The first time in Australian history that there are Labor governments in power across the nation: in every state and at federal level.
- The first time that poker machines and gambling has been singled out for national focus in the Parliament of Australia with the election of anti-pokies campaigner, Nick Xenophon.
- A new record in the Greens vote which has been a major enabling factor in the election of the Australian Labor Party to government.
There you are, dear Reader, that should get you started. Could you please enhance our record-keeping to say what was noteworthy and worth remembering as a benchmark at this election.
