The Tea Party Goes Global

As the tea party continues to make waves in political races across America, the movement's lower taxes/smaller government message is going global.  According to reports out of Australia, an Aussie tea party has set up shop down under.

The Australian T.E.A. Party -- utilizing the "Taxed Enough Already" acronym many Americans have embraced over the last year -- considers itself an arm of "a worldwide movement, united for free markets, fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited small governments and individual freedom."

The group boasts links to "our friends" in the United States, celebrating tea party-backed Christine O'Donnell's recent victory in the Delaware GOP Senate primary.  Spokesman David Goodridge says the Australian grassroots group has no plans to register as an official political party and refuses to accept career politicians as members.  "We've been around for a little while, but we made a conscious decision not to involve ourselves in the last election -- we're not a political party, we are a political movement," he says.  "We influence parties that already exist."

While there is no official link to their American brethren, Goodridge says the Australian movement hopes to "update and adapt" U.S. grassroots training tools for its own purposes.

The group's website hails the historical Boston Tea Party as "a part of American history," but notes a sentiment that is "universal."

"What should be the role of the government in the economy, what should be the role of government in people’s lives and do you believe that you can spend your money better than government?"

For tea party patriots down under, one of the big issues drawing people to the tea party movement is local government's proposals to require paid permits for the keeping of all animals, including farm livestock.  Residents are circulating petitions and staging protests to let elected officials know how they feel.

As for the future of newborn movement, Goodridge says their goal is to make an impact on the country's politics at all levels.

"We will look to involve ourselves in pre-selections when they come around …we will target local, state and federal pre-selections."