NationStates Jolt Archive

If you are not on the electoral roll, get your arse to the post office NOW. Right now. Out the door, in the car, post office, enrol. Right now.

Doesn't matter what you're doing, drop it, and go enrol to vote. The roll closes tomorrow.

Lets get Latham in the Lodge.

If you are not on the electoral roll, get your arse to the post office NOW. Right now. Out the door, in the car, post office, enrol. Right now.

Doesn't matter what you're doing, drop it, and go enrol to vote. The roll closes tomorrow.

Lets get Latham in the Lodge.

Fuck that. John Howard is the man.

Nyet! It's time for John Howard to retire.

Biffo all the way!

Nyet! It's time for John Howard to retire.

Biffo all the way!

We'll see. :)

Kirribilli House's rodent problem notwithstanding, enrol to vote.

It's important to vote, no matter who you do vote for.

A second thing to remember, is to vote for who you want, not for who you think will win. It's not the races, there's no prize for picking the winning team.

John Howard is A man. So is Mark Latham.

John Howard is a fear mongerer(sp?). Mark Latham seems to be honest( as far as politicians are.)

Mr Latham has my vote.

I see this thread as I am coming home from the post office where I sent off my enrollment form.. changed address you see.
Latham has my vote.

I'm in a horrible situation.

I'd rather eat my own testicles than see John Howard re-elected, I've just moved into a very marginal seat (Dobell), and one of my most cherished and deeply held beliefs (and let's not argue on this, please) is that compulsory voting is completely wrong. 'Specially on a Saturday :) So I took myself off the electoral role years ago.

Could somebody else please enrol to vote and cast one for me? I'd be ever so grateful :)

Maff

I'm in a horrible situation.

I'd rather eat my own testicles than see John Howard re-elected, I've just moved into a very marginal seat (Dobell), and one of my most cherished and deeply held beliefs (and let's not argue on this, please) is that compulsory voting is completely wrong. 'Specially on a Saturday :) So I took myself off the electoral role years ago.

Could somebody else please enrol to vote and cast one for me? I'd be ever so grateful :)

Maff

Go enrol to vote, damnit!

Even if you don't in future, the fine is what, 20 dollars? pfft.

Yes, everyone who is eligible enrol to vote and make sure the incompetents under the Labor banner are kept out of the Lodge.

Go enrol to vote, damnit!

Even if you don't in future, the fine is what, 20 dollars? pfft.

When I was enrolled, I tried an increasing number of elaborate explanations for why I hadn't voted, and it really sucked that they didn't work. I thought my "Nobody told me there was an election on!" explanation was particularly reasonable, but they didn't.

The fine is (or was), I think, $25, but the catch is if you appealed the fine like I was doing, it was doubled to $50 if you failed. Which is just rude.

So for a while I started voting - or, well.. I'd drink half a bottle of vodka, at mid-day, 'walk' up to the polling booth, get to the desk where they ask your name and address, and then have to ponder that for a while. Then I'd find my way into a booth, pull out my big black magic marker, and write "NO COMPULSORY VOTING" on the ballot paper. Getting the damn thing through that little slot was always a challenge, though.

I stopped doing that because a) vodka is expensive, b) it wasn't that big a suburb, I kept running into people my parents knew, and c) it was just bloody stupid :)

Anyway, I can honestly say I'm thinking more about enrolling (and actually voting!) for this election than I ever have. I just have to search my soul :)

Maff

Hmmm, and guess what, this is,

My Very First National Election Vote.

Ballot Paper Moments :

Liberal = Bah, sucky public funding for almost everything. Don't get me started on public education funding sucking multiple eggs. I don't even know if it was supplied eggs to suck, even. And the gay marriage ban. And, errr, a wide variety of B.S.

Labor = Mark Latham looks a little screw-loose. Also the gay marriage ban ... and, errr, remember Simon Crean, who the cacus had no confidence in ?

GUESS WHO WOULD RUN THE TREASUREY UNDER LABOR ?

* Or so I was told.

Greens = Ummm, yeah, " Ride your bikes more, eat less meat, them's the laws now, oh, and lets LEGALISE ALL DRUGS ! Cars are bad, trees are good, cars are bad, trees are good, cars are bad ... "

Democrats = " Buh ? "

Independants = Make Me Your King !

... ... ... ... ...

<click> " For the latest ticket prices for Gibraltar, click below and .... "

;)

I'm voting for One Nation

I for one am against Compulsory Voting. I beleive that an essential part of any Democratic Country is the Right To Abstain- As in this year's Elections where I hate all the candidates.

I hate Howard's policies and think he's a wanker, but the other parties don't appeal much either- One Nation has some policies I agree with, but they're too right wing, even for me...

I am for compulsory voting because it gives a true indication of the national opinion.

This is my first time voting as well. This is my thinking on the choices:
Liberal: Had plenty of time to make things how they wanted. Little if any support for tertiary students. "Australia will never ever have a GST."
Labour: Has the support of most tertiary students, due to well-liked education policies.
Democrat: I'm not sure of what their stance is just yet, but if it's the same as last election, it's good.
Green: The main federal 'third party' and is mainly environmental. Many students look out for this.
One Nation: Interesting views, but I don't think I'll vote for them.
Independent: Everything depends on the candidate.
Other: Most other parties are useless and too small to do much.

Here's the way I'll probably vote:
1: Labour
2: Independent
3: Democrat
4: Green
5: One Nation
6: Other
7: Liberal

I am for compulsory voting because it gives a true indication of the national opinion.

Ya and the national opinion is "Bugger this for a laugh, their all a bunch of bloody Galahs mate! Ah strewth(sp?) I'll vote (insert political party of least distaste) and go an get a beer to wash that Bulls**t out of my mouth."

(please note that the Australian slang was thrown in to confuse non-australians)

Ps Vote labour, lets not let the liberals sell of more national assets especially ones like Telstra that are making a profit.

Ya and the national opinion is "Bugger this for a laugh, their all a bunch of bloody Galahs mate! Ah strewth(sp?) I'll vote (insert political party of least distaste) and go an get a beer to wash that Bulls**t out of my mouth."

(please note that the Australian slang was thrown in to confuse non-australians)


That may be your opinion, it isn't mine.

You sad, sad people, who would vote for One Nation. They are far, far too right wing for me, and methinks, for Australia in general. Not that it surprises me; even Labour is moving right. In no way does that excuse some of the outrageous, and even racist policies that One Nation has put foreward. Would you really feel comfortable with a party like One Nation in power?

Myself, if I was allowed to vote, I would be going Liberal...admittedly, though, simply because I go to a private school, and feel threatened by the possibility of losing funds (as selfish as that sounds). In any case, I don't see that Labour at the moment could really provide a viable, free alternative to the Private and Catholic education systems - so a Labour Government at the moment would not really fix those problems anyway.

John Howard may be dangerous, but at least I'd be a bit safer with him in power than with Latham in power.

Oh, one other thing. We could not call ourselves a true democracy if not everybody voted. For a real democracy, the opinions of all Citizens must be taken into account - hence compulsory voting.

Yes, but "I don't Care" is also an opinion, and just as valid as a vote for a political party. In effect, by not voting, you're saying you don't care... hence, by forcing you to vote, it's not Democratic at all...

That may be your opinion, it isn't mine.

Isn't democracy(sp?) Great :headbang:

The Problem with people today - and particularly young people, which i'm MOST annoyed about - is their complete apathy towards politics. They are too mentally lazy to try and understand the issues affecting their lives - and would rather know who won big brother, than what decisions are being made about their future.

The Liberals thrive like this - they like people to feel "comfortable" and too lazy to change. They create an "impression" of security and take advantage of that.

Mark Lathma has actually written about his vision for a active, thinking population, more involved in the government of their country.

I just wish i had the same faith in the general population, to get off the fat arses and pay attention to what affects them!!
:headbang:

And Someone should get rid of that lying scumbag Howard. He rorts money out of the public services, then opens the pursestrings and buys himself back into power.

The economy/interest rates, you say? Well, Interest rates are INDEPENDENTLY regulated - nothing to do with the government - its set by the RBA. And, we all talk about this "economy" running well - but what good is a strong economy if the benefits are not equitably spread around the community? One of the purposes of government is to allocate resources for everyone.


And are people in the LIBERAL party who believe he's dragged them too far right!!! Fair enough, considering this man and his croney's have the gall to paint boatpeople as sub humans in "throwing children overboard" when it never happened, they KNEW it never happened, and yet they won't apologise for demonising these people. If you're not white, you are a second class citizen in howards eyes.

I just HOPE either he loses, or someone deals with him:
:sniper:

Yes, but "I don't Care" is also an opinion, and just as valid as a vote for a political party. In effect, by not voting, you're saying you don't care... hence, by forcing you to vote, it's not Democratic at all...

Then vote informal. Ultimately, compulsory voting "motivates" people to go out and vote. Some vote informal, I guess that is the "I don't care" vote. But by not voting and not caring they then forfeit their right to complain as they "don't care".

Isn't democracy(sp?) Great :headbang:

Yes, national opinion is made up of an average of many differing opinions. Thats democracy for you, and yes, I think its great.

The Problem with people today - and particularly young people, which i'm MOST annoyed about - is their complete apathy towards politics. They are too mentally lazy to try and understand the issues affecting their lives - and would rather know who won big brother, than what decisions are being made about their future.

The Liberals thrive like this - they like people to feel "comfortable" and too lazy to change. They create an "impression" of security and take advantage of that.

Mark Lathma has actually written about his vision for a active, thinking population, more involved in the government of their country.

I just wish i had the same faith in the general population, to get off the fat arses and pay attention to what affects them!!
:headbang:

And Someone should get rid of that lying scumbag Howard. He rorts money out of the public services, then opens the pursestrings and buys himself back into power.

The economy/interest rates, you say? Well, Interest rates are INDEPENDENTLY regulated - nothing to do with the government - its set by the RBA. And, we all talk about this "economy" running well - but what good is a strong economy if the benefits are not equitably spread around the community? One of the purposes of government is to allocate resources for everyone.


And are people in the LIBERAL party who believe he's dragged them too far right!!! Fair enough, considering this man and his croney's have the gall to paint boatpeople as sub humans in "throwing children overboard" when it never happened, they KNEW it never happened, and yet they won't apologise for demonising these people. If you're not white, you are a second class citizen in howards eyes.

I just HOPE either he loses, or someone deals with him:
:sniper:


I would say most of the young people you refer to would actually vote Labor rather than Liberal. Read this thread and others on the topic and you will see this holds true.

If you are not on the electoral roll, get your arse to the post office NOW. Right now. Out the door, in the car, post office, enrol. Right now.

Doesn't matter what you're doing, drop it, and go enrol to vote. The roll closes tomorrow.

Lets get Latham in the Lodge.


Oh, a random guy on the Internet has shown me the correct path. I guess I won't bother deciding for myself now.

Thankyou very much who ever you are.

please do not pidgeon-hole me, as a young, secondary school-aged guy, as a complete ignorant idiot who doesn't think at all about politics, because that is simply not me. True, many young Australians may not think all that much about politics, but seeing as they are not allowed to vote, can you really expect them to? I can tell you though, there is certainly no shortage of politcally-orientated discussion where I go to school.

Then vote informal. Ultimately, compulsory voting "motivates" people to go out and vote. Some vote informal, I guess that is the "I don't care" vote. But by not voting and not caring they then forfeit their right to complain as they "don't care".

Exactly!

Oh, a random guy on the Internet has shown me the correct path. I guess I won't bother deciding for myself now.

Thankyou very much who ever you are.

You're welcome. Go vote. :P

Liberal.
I heard theres a good Christian party coming out of South Australia. Ill give them my preference vote if so.

The Problem with people today - and particularly young people, which i'm MOST annoyed about - is their complete apathy towards politics. They are too mentally lazy to try and understand the issues affecting their lives - and would rather know who won big brother, than what decisions are being made about their future.

The Liberals thrive like this - they like people to feel "comfortable" and too lazy to change. They create an "impression" of security and take advantage of that.

Mark Lathma has actually written about his vision for a active, thinking population, more involved in the government of their country.

I just wish i had the same faith in the general population, to get off the fat arses and pay attention to what affects them!!
:headbang:

And Someone should get rid of that lying scumbag Howard. He rorts money out of the public services, then opens the pursestrings and buys himself back into power.

The economy/interest rates, you say? Well, Interest rates are INDEPENDENTLY regulated - nothing to do with the government - its set by the RBA. And, we all talk about this "economy" running well - but what good is a strong economy if the benefits are not equitably spread around the community? One of the purposes of government is to allocate resources for everyone.

And are people in the LIBERAL party who believe he's dragged them too far right!!! Fair enough, considering this man and his croney's have the gall to paint boatpeople as sub humans in "throwing children overboard" when it never happened, they KNEW it never happened, and yet they won't apologise for demonising these people. If you're not white, you are a second class citizen in howards eyes.

I just HOPE either he loses, or someone deals with him:
:sniper:

Well said sir!

IMO, Complacency and apathy are the greatest enemies of democracy. I, being a 'small "L" liberal', consider compulsory voting as wrong (how is it again that you force freedom on people!??. However, this country has shown that basically most people can forget why it is we even vote.

Unfortunately my Bday is on the 29/12, so I'll be missing this one. Hypothetically though, I would vote for the Democrats, without a doubt.

I actually hate Labour more than I hate the Liberals. Why? Because they are sell-outs. They are realistically (economically speaking) only slightly to the right of the Libs, but are beset by incompetent economic principles. Democracy should be a balance between right and left, not right and a little less right, our system is almost as bad as that of the US.

My dream is to see a Democrat/Green coalition replace those idiots in the ALP to offset the crap that the Libs and Nats spew forth: (NB: Especially in social issues: the Liberal Party is the greatest misnomer in Australian history)- it really seems that over the last few years, the ALP has been the most token opposition we've had yet. They didn't even question that farce of an argument that the Liberals made for the Gay Marriage issue (kudos to Andrew Bartlett, that guy got some serious respect from me over that one). And please, the opposition to the Iraq war (btw, Howard has the worst. foreign. policy. ever.) should have been louder (you know, a war in which lots of civvies die is actually somewhat important).

Still, my pragmatism compells me to accept that this is unlikely to occur, so I'll take the lesser of two evils at this period of history and hope the Libs lose by a narrow margin, but the Dems and Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate.

I'm probably voting Democraps. Unless theres another small party in my area.

BTW, I support compulsory voting, because I think only about 30% (if lucky) of people would turn up if we didn't have it...

well im either gonna vote ....
with my eyes closed
by drawing a picture or
completly random

na ill vote for little John, seems the better choice even though my HECS debt is already huge, us students are gonna have to take it for the country

well im either gonna vote ....
with my eyes closed
by drawing a picture or
completly random

na ill vote for little John, seems the better choice even though my HECS debt is already huge, us students are gonna have to take it for the country

That's pure sadomasochism.

Liberal.
I heard theres a good Christian party coming out of South Australia. Ill give them my preference vote if so.

I would advise against voting for a religious party. Imagine if we had a religious government in power? They would put their own belief system ahead of the needs of the country (much like the countries that seem so strongly opposed by America and Australia - I assume you agree with this as a liberal voter).
Religion has no place in politics. I think our society is advanced enough to use its own values and not cling to the outdated ideals of Christianity. I would be sickened if I heard a politician slinging religious power words around like Bush does.

As for the Greens and Democrats, the greens' policies are insane, and the democrats are possibly the most spineless party about. Looks like the Greens are going to get balance of power in the senate, though.

Even if you agree with one or two Greens policies, the rest are just awful...

I would advise against voting for a religious party. Imagine if we had a religious government in power? They would put their own belief system ahead of the needs of the country (much like the countries that seem so strongly opposed by America and Australia - I assume you agree with this as a liberal voter).
Religion has no place in politics. I think our society is advanced enough to use its own values and not cling to the outdated ideals of Christianity. I would be sickened if I heard a politician slinging religious power words around like Bush does.

You must love Tony Abbott.

That's pure sadomasochism.


heh it was only really ment in jest, I just dont believe Latham is a good enough leader for me to place my country in his hands. Labor are closer then they have been for some time but they arent there yet

Liberal.
I heard theres a good Christian party coming out of South Australia. Ill give them my preference vote if so.

The last thing this country meeds is more shit screwing up the separation of state and church. Lets see, we have a choice of a lieing, American ass-licking, asshat and a guy who wouldn't even know how to operate the country and run us into the ground. Either way we vote, we can't win.

The clear choice is Democrat, the only party who hasn't pretended to have an actual policy.

So Whos Giving the most to I.T. this year cuz I can never be f**ked actually figuring out the polices ;)

P.S. Thisa is my first vote too w00t!

As a young (22 year old) person, eligible to vote in this year's elections (I missed the last ones because I wasn't an Australian Citizen at the time), I have to say it's not apathy or ignorance that causes me not the take an interest in politics, it's the fact that none of the Political Parties actually give two shits what anyone at all thinks.

I've been to see my local (State Parliament) MP twice about important issues (including employment difficulties for people over 18, and the fact that Youth Allowance really isn't enough to live on, and it's nigh impossible to work full time and study full time at the same time). On both times his response was basically "Tough shit- there's nothing you can do about it, so get over it."

That immediately lost him my vote, but that didn't stop him getting re-elected at the State Elections earlier this year.

Overall moral of the story: It doesn't matter who you vote for, they have no interest in serving their constituents, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it, short of armed rebellion. Or declaring your property a seperate country like Prince Leto did. ;)

Unless you live in the electorate of Werriwa, you won't be voting for Mark Latham.
Unless you live in the electorate of Bennelong, you won't be voting for John Howard.

Something that makes me cry is people who will vote for a fricking political party and then wonder why they get useless politicians. Why would a party bother putting up useful people if the election is just a popularity poll for the leaders?
Also, *Ignore* the parties, they're all carbon copies anyway. Be a revolutionary and have a look at the candidates! What have they done with their lives? What has the sitting member done during his term?

Then, instead of voting for a party approved yes-man, you might actually vote for someone who has done something useful!

And remember, 3-4 elections from now, the candidate you vote in might be head of his party, and the next PM. So even if you're obsessed with which loser is on the top of the heap, this still makes sense.

Myself, if I was allowed to vote, I would be going Liberal...admittedly, though, simply because I go to a private school, and feel threatened by the possibility of losing funds (as selfish as that sounds). In any case, I don't see that Labour at the moment could really provide a viable, free alternative to the Private and Catholic education systems - so a Labour Government at the moment would not really fix those problems anyway.


But you should loose funds! You get funded more than the public schools, and that's just fucking stupid.

You guys pay so much money for your education because your rich parents can afford it, so why on earth do you need public funds?

I can accept you getting the same funding as a public school - but more!?!


anyway, I shall vote for the socialist alliance wherever possible (the senate) - and against howard wherever it is not.

Unless you live in the electorate of Werriwa, you won't be voting for Mark Latham.
Unless you live in the electorate of Bennelong, you won't be voting for John Howard.

Something that makes me cry is people who will vote for a fricking political party and then wonder why they get useless politicians. Why would a party bother putting up useful people if the election is just a popularity poll for the leaders?
Also, *Ignore* the parties, they're all carbon copies anyway. Be a revolutionary and have a look at the candidates! What have they done with their lives? What has the sitting member done during his term?

Then, instead of voting for a party approved yes-man, you might actually vote for someone who has done something useful!

And remember, 3-4 elections from now, the candidate you vote in might be head of his party, and the next PM. So even if you're obsessed with which loser is on the top of the heap, this still makes sense.

where do I find this information?

Religion has no place in politics. I think our society is advanced enough to use its own values and not cling to the outdated ideals of Christianity.

I think every Australian should be taught about Lord Melbourne - given that the Victorian capital is named after him. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear his most famous quote: "Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade public life."

However, advanced? Lord Melbourne would insist that public policy has been completely corrupted by religious superstitions: you see, he was a prominent slave trader and was complaining about the religious opposition to slavery.

So think twice before abusing religious interference in politics. And remember that political freedom includes the freedom to consider all of your beliefs when voting, secular or religious.

So think twice before abusing religious interference in politics. And remember that political freedom includes the freedom to consider all of your beliefs when voting, secular or religious.

Be that as it may, I would rather vote for a party who's policies I concurred with - rather then one that happens to follow the same divinity.

And I hate the idea of a religeous group being in complete control of the government, cause I don't wanna be told what to beleive.

But you should loose funds! You get funded more than the public schools, and that's just fucking stupid.

You guys pay so much money for your education because your rich parents can afford it, so why on earth do you need public funds?

I can accept you getting the same funding as a public school - but more!?!


anyway, I shall vote for the socialist alliance wherever possible (the senate) - and against howard wherever it is not.


But, see, that's the thing. we don't get equal funds to public schools. My school (which i wont name, seeing as this is a public forum on the internet), receives approximately $3000 per student from both governments (state and federal). The public school down the road receives approximately $7500 per student, from both governments. How is this fair? End then Labour would want to cut even more moeny from students like myself? Really, its terrible that the Labour party would deem me so worthless that I don't deserve any funds from the government to further my education.

In my opinion, the money should follow the student. Every student should receive a set amount of money from the government for their' education. If they then want to use personal funds to increase the quality of that education, then fine, that's their choice. But just because they wish to do that doesn't mean that the government should class them as not worthy of receiving support.

Johnny has past his expiry date, it's time for some new blood in the Seat.
Latham all the Way.

Be that as it may, I would rather vote for a party who's policies I concurred with - rather then one that happens to follow the same divinity.
If you don't concur on policy at least broadly, then you aren't following the same divinity, are you? And although you've made a good point - one which should be made more often - *please* consider whether the candidates are any good, and don't help vote party machine clones into power!

And I hate the idea of a religeous group being in complete control of the government, cause I don't wanna be told what to believe.
And non-religious parties don't try to tell you what to believe?

The only way to stop those losers swaggering and trying to tell us what's good for us is to make it quite clear that we'll vote the bastards out if they don't represent their electorates to the best of their ability!

I agree totally with EvilGnomes..."public education, its time to give it more" :p
Nah, in all honesty the private school up the road from my school receives so much more money than my school ( a selective public high school) that they are considering installing an elevator to make it easier to get to their SECOND library. Meanwhile...approx. 400 metres away...my school's hall is sinking into the ground and the small amount of a grant the government gives to our school is spent EVERY year on paint jobs for the doors and windows.
I don't know if you are aware of that, but unless you spend that certain amount of allocated money each year from the government ( in public education at least) you no longer receive ANY money. Whats more is the money can not be saved and used the next year, making it impossible for any decent improvements to the school anyway.
The whole liberal system is ridiculous...if i could vote (i don't turn 18 til next year) i would vote labour...purely because i believe John Howard is spineless(following George Bush everywhere), and wants the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.
Anyway, thats just my opinion.

Now, see, here's the thing. How many people go to your school? and how many people go to the private school up the road? I always get annoyed when people compare two schools that just cant be compared...a newspaper article, for instance, compared my school (of 2000 students) to a school of around 300 students...and complained that my school received more money. Of course it does, it has nearly 8 times the amount of students!! but, on a per capita basis, my private school still received less money, per student.

Please also tell me why you need to complain that if a school doesn't use all of the goverment-allocated money, then it simply does not receive funds? Really, if your schools are in such poor conditions (which i agree, many are) then there is no excuse for them to not be spending all the money they receive.

I'm not from Australia, can someone fill me in on the candidates and their political views please? I'd like to know.

Johnny has past his expiry date, it's time for some new blood in the Seat.
Latham all the Way.

I've been a Labor voter since I could vote and this is the first election I've experienced where I would vote against them because of their leader. Labor did itself and Australia a real disservice when it didn't vote Beazely back into the leadership position. I just don't trust Latham (even more than I distrust Howard).

The Liberals haven't done enough to satisfy my social beliefs, the Australian Democrats have no idea what they're doing anymore, the Greens are useless and nobody else is worth mentioning.

I'm going to vote the way everybody SHOULD vote in their own electorates... For the local member I think will do the best for my neighbourhood, whether or not they're a member of a party or if they're independent.

Oh yeah, I skipped a council election earlier this year and it cost me $55. I used to be a fan of compulsory voting but I'm dead set against it now. Actually, I believe I had a good excuse not to vote... It was Saturday, I was out on Friday night and didn't wake up until well after the polls closed.... somehow I doubt they'll accept that though

Bah, any bean counter who does not take " Awww, I was pissed as a newt last night, mate ! " as an excuse just is not Australain, ;)

Actually, I agree with you, I would possibly in other circumstances consider labor if it was Beaze, but Latham I think has put quite a few people off.

* Still hate both Lib+Lab for the out-right gay marriage ban a few short weeks from the election.

I'm not from Australia, can someone fill me in on the candidates and their political views please? I'd like to know.

I would, except i'd be totally unable to inform you and remain unbiased :p

I'm not from Australia, can someone fill me in on the candidates and their political views please? I'd like to know.

It would be a waste of time and space, as they're all wankers, and more importantly, any policies they have will change the second they're in charge.

Oh, if you get yourself on the electoral roll you are then eligible to do jury duty too. You get called up once every few years in the NT.

Oh, if you get yourself on the electoral roll you are then eligible to do jury duty too. You get called up once every few years in the NT.

I could live with that as long as it wasn't one of those trials that went for years.

I could live with that as long as it wasn't one of those trials that went for years.

I was due to do Jury duty in July when the Peter Falconio case was around to be held but got out with a stat dec ...

I was due to do Jury duty in July when the Peter Falconio case was around to be held but got out with a stat dec ...

Ehhh.

But imagine doing the Snotown murders...or even the "dingo ate my baby" woman...what was her name? I forget. Eh. Doesn't matter.

Monarchy forever!!

Australia shall never be let go by the cousin nation of Denmark, Great Britain!!

YaYa!!


Thank you.

HRH Freddie Glucksborg :fluffle:

Hmmm, and guess what, this is,

My Very First National Election Vote.

Ballot Paper Moments :

Liberal = Bah, sucky public funding for almost everything. Don't get me started on public education funding sucking multiple eggs. I don't even know if it was supplied eggs to suck, even. And the gay marriage ban. And, errr, a wide variety of B.S.

Labor = Mark Latham looks a little screw-loose. Also the gay marriage ban ... and, errr, remember Simon Crean, who the cacus had no confidence in ?

GUESS WHO WOULD RUN THE TREASUREY UNDER LABOR ?

* Or so I was told.

Greens = Ummm, yeah, " Ride your bikes more, eat less meat, them's the laws now, oh, and lets LEGALISE ALL DRUGS ! Cars are bad, trees are good, cars are bad, trees are good, cars are bad ... "

Democrats = " Buh ? "

Independants = Make Me Your King !

... ... ... ... ...

<click> " For the latest ticket prices for Gibraltar, click below and .... "

;)


I totally agree. When people ask me why I won't for Howard, they go on about 'do you think Latham is better?'

He is better, only based on the fact that he isn't Howard.

Monarchy forever!!

Australia shall never be let go by the cousin nation of Denmark, Great Britain!!

YaYa!!


Thank you.

HRH Freddie Glucksborg :fluffle:

It's nice we have a real royal, Princess Mary :)
Better than Fuhrer Bush.

Yes she is hawt!! :fluffle:

HRH Freddie

I totally agree. When people ask me why I won't for Howard, they go on about 'do you think Latham is better?'

He is better, only based on the fact that he isn't Howard.

This is true and has become a factor in most countries in the "Anglosphere" (Former colonies, and britain itself) However. It could start a dangerous chain reaction, whereas one candiate happens not to be the guy everyone hates, so they vote for him. But he, or she, turns out to be an idiot as well, so the cycle goes on and on and we keep electing worse and worse leaders who know how to take admantage of voters.

https://oevf.aec.gov.au/

Be a revolutionary and have a look at the candidates! What have they done with their lives? What has the sitting member done during his term?
where do I find this information?

A good places to start is the local Electoral Office, which will be able to give you a list of candidates (once that's established, of course) and the local political party offices.
You won't get the dirt, but given how easy it is to throw accusations and how hard it is to disprove them, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

There are usually public meetings where the candidates do a Q&A with the public - these are worth attending (once or twice) as they're the only place to get any real info on the independents.

It's a lot harder to get info in the large cities than it is in the country or in small cities. If one of the local papers or radio stations covers your electorate, but not others, then it will focus more on the local candidates; in Sydney or Melbourne though it gets harder. Sitting members will normally show up on Google, as they are always trying to get publicity, and most now have websites. And don't forget the party websites!

Hope this helps. Can't help you much on Senators, I'm afraid. In the ACT & NT Senators are treated much the same as MPs, because we have so few of them; elsewhere they tend to be harder to find. Of course, those who are actually at the bottom of the ticket are usually chosen because they have some vote pulling characteristics, so if you fill out your entire Senate ticket, it's often worth just running across the bottom line and then working upwards - that way you know you're putting the machine men last.
Good hunting!

Please also tell me why you need to complain that if a school doesn't use all of the goverment-allocated money, then it simply does not receive funds? Really, if your schools are in such poor conditions (which i agree, many are) then there is no excuse for them to not be spending all the money they receive.
Forrowan has actually put his finger on a serious problem with govt accounting. You see, any organisation needs to put funds aside for unexpected problems and opportunities; broken equipment is the obvious school example. However, if there is any money in the till at the end of the financial year - any at all - the following year's budget is cut by that amount. This means that govt organisations spend most of the year scrimping and saving for fear of a budget blow out later in the year, and then have a small surplus during May, which they then need to spend in a hurry, leaving them without funds - so an unexpected expense during the last few weeks of the financial year is a major crisis.
Also, this means that these organisations cannot plan. Frex, suppose Forrowan's school wants to buy new gym equipment. Expensive stuff, which needs to be paid for over several years. Ideally, they'd save money one year, and then buy the equipment the next, averaging the cost out over the two years. Because they can't do that, they either have to buy it piece by piece (much more expensive) or buy on credit and pay interest - and a school short on funds can't afford either option.
No, if we fixed this accounting nightmare it would make life a lot easier and save a huge amount of money!

I for one am against Compulsory Voting. I beleive that an essential part of any Democratic Country is the Right To Abstain- As in this year's Elections where I hate all the candidates.

I hate Howard's policies and think he's a wanker, but the other parties don't appeal much either- One Nation has some policies I agree with, but they're too right wing, even for me...

Voting isn't compulsory. Turning up at the polling booth is. No one said you had to make a vote. Abstain all you want. Just get your name ticked off on the day.

Voting though, is a RESPONSIBILITY, as much as a right. If you don't care who governs you, I'd almost call you irrisponsible. We get the governments we deserve.

Thanks Holy Palatinate. Absolutely correct...cept I'm a girl :D ;)
Thats exactly what i was trying to get across...in my terribly round-a-bout fashion.
The allocated money cycle is ridiculous...and i guess people who go to private schools, or those that aren't so aware of this stupid situation don't understand the complications that arise.
Random Sadistic Freaks...for your information...my school has more people in it :p ...its the state of all the public schools in our region though. More people attend them, but less money is given to them.
Ptf...vote for someone other than John Howard people...his promises are all halfarsed.

I think this sums up the Australian elections best ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/_BM2_/DSCN1676.jpg