Australian federal election

[Smee]

I know we have a few Aussies on the board so as our election coverage ramps up I thought I’d start a thread. I’m working for the AEC and have to pretend to be apolitical on any platform with my real name or face, but I’m very anxious that Scummo and friends will get back in. 
Wondering what people think of the so-called “teal independents”? Anyone got someone exciting running in their seat? I’ve only got one independent and the second item on his “reasons to vote for me” is “I support the coal industry” so… Greens for me.

[Ozlsn]

I'm already in the "is it over yet?" frame of mind. I sincerely hope the LNP don't get back in, and I really want a federal ICAC and several investigations into where money has gone. I'm trying not to read too much into polls or media coverage (OK, I'm hiding a lot because it's stressing me out). My seat is pretty boring (fairly safe ALP - last election the Lib candidate made a big deal about having won the primary vote, which whoop-de-doo mate, it's only because people voted Green or ALP (and then preferenced who they didn't vote for), on two party he was not even close) but I'm watching Kooyong (Josh Frydenberg's seat) with interest as he is... unpopular in the broader community right now. I'm really, really hoping for Independents to take some National seats as they have been an utter disaster at actually achieving anything in their seats (or nationally). 

My biggest fear is that Morrison loses his seat, LNP get in and we end up with Dutton as PM. That would be a disaster.

[Myfanwy]

I live in a liberal seat. She's a local gal so she's getting back in no matter what. 

I loathe politics and know nothing about it, but, I reeeeaallly think Scotty {from marketing} is an awful human being. I know, I know, the party not the man. Still, no. Yuck. Go away. Although, the alterative is...blerg. 

I honestly, truly, really have no idea what to do. 🤪 

[Smee]

Scotty is awful but Dutton would be… ew. My hope is for Albo for PM but leading a hung parliament. I feel like the time under Gillard was our most effective government in decades.

[Myfanwy]

Oh, not Dutton nooo. Yuck. My very well researched and completely unbiased option of Mr Dutton is that he is evil  and trying to distract us with a baldy head and a reptilian smile. 
 I find Albo to be so very very personality-less. I know I should be caring about policies and not personalities but I don’t want any of these people standing up and saying the represent me. 

[Ozlsn]

I think Albo is coming across blander than he actually is in an attempt not to scare the horses swing voters. I'll probably vote Green or Independent, no idea yet around Senate parties (I'm catching up on who's actually running). 

I have to say the Aspen medical revelations last night both shocked me... and kind of didn't. Seriously, we're going to need a bigger ICAC at this rate.

[Ozlsn]

Is anyone else looking at pre-polling just to make it go away?

Also new record in my area: UAP posters up, defaced and removed in under 6 hours...

[Ozlsn]

Did anyone watch Barnaby Joyce's NPC appearance yesterday? What on earth was that, it came across like he was well above 0.05, possibly even in the "moderate" range (thank you Roadside Breath Test - reality TV is educational!) 

Also I really love the AEC, and whoever is doing their social media is awesome.

Full exchange in spoiler

Spoiler

Also:

The answer is no, please don't bother with additional drawings, sigh...

[Ozlsn]

Less than a week to go (hallelujah).

A quick list of my favourite wtf moments so far (Victorian bias, sorry):

* you should vote for Josh Frydenberg because he'd make a good Prime Minister. 

I'm sorry, what? He's not been a particular success as Treasurer and frankly I don't care about his personal ambitions. Also screwing over your electorate publicly during a pandemic doesn't exactly endear you to them, just saying.

* all these teal independents (who are predominantly women) are bad because they're blocking male candidates from being successful.

Someone. Actually. Said. That. Out. Loud.

Seriously that would be enough for me to put them first, just to piss off whoever the author of that particular quote was.

 * with me you know what you're getting - oh wait you don't like that? I can change!

Not a direct quote but an accurate representation of Morrison's campaign turnaround in the last week. 

* the outgoing (and retiring) Minister for Health Greg Hunt releasing medical grant results complete with political sledging on his personal MP website and social media before the results have been unembargoed by the NHMRC. Multiple times in the last 5 weeks. Technically it's not illegal but it's pretty poor form, and distasteful.

* I'm a Bulldozer!

Peter Doherty's response to that cracked me up the most.

Spoiler

 

* UAP's completely batshit mortgage "policy". 

Look, I am not a financial expert or even particularly good with working out that stuff and I read their policy and went "like how? That's... not how it works."

* Barnaby Joyce mispronouncing Albanese's name in the NPC address, closely followed by "there are too many ethnic names this election" (that wasn't Joyce, that was yet another person saying the quiet part out loud in a total wtelf moment). 

FFS here people the major post-war migration boom was over 50 years ago, you should be accustomed to names from languages other than English/Gaelic by now. Also when you've been in Parliament together for the best part of the last ten years you've had ample time to learn someone's name.

Also I'm still not convinced Joyce didn't have a liquid lunch before that address.

* the leaders debate. All the debates actually. Just put them on the ABC please, at least that way most of the country has ready access, it's supposed to be an apolitical platform and the feedback part might work properly (looking at you channel 9).

That debate made me want to vote Greens. Act like adults, and leaders.

* the ongoing quest for gotcha moments and the focus on them all bloody election and before. Seriously media could you do better please?  It's not a horse race or a footy match, try actually reporting on the policies not the "gaffes". Eyeroll.

* speaking of pre-election, Morrison's trying out various TAFE careers photo ops. Do his PR team hate him? I'm still on the... don't let the creepy guy wash people's hair train here.

I'll probably post again between now and democracy sausage time, but it'd be nice if we could have a calm final week.

Edited to add:

* the Guide Dogs CEO appearing in an election billboard for Frydenberg in that capacity. This govt has put in a lot of legislation to try and force charities to not make political comment by denying them government funding if they comment outside their scope of advocacy. I was on a charity committee and we spent a lot of time crafting a statement which was in fact criticising government policy to make sure that it focused on our advocacy scope and couldn't be cause for us being targeted (despite not having any govt funding). For anyone at the top level of any charity to appear in that capacity favouring one candidate in their billboards is utterly gobsmacking to me. I have no idea WTF she was thinking but it certainly appalled the Guide Dogs board as much as it did me, so she's gone 

Edited May 15, 2022 by Ozlsn
Forgot one

[Ozlsn]

I was wrong about the quiet, sigh. The LNP apparently "launched" their election campaign on Sunday, which begs the question of the they've been doing for the past four months exactly. All those billboards, interviews, photo ops... just business as usual? 

Anyway. They also launched a new policy, of allowing people to take money out of their super to buy a house. I am... dubious that this policy will deliver the outcome they claim they want. The whole point of super is that it's compulsory saving towards retirement. While it might allow some people to buy a house in the short term, it may also mean that the prices move even higher - it does nothing to address the actual stock shortage, nothing to address affordability to both buy and rent and pushes the issue of living in retirement (or being able to afford to retire) to one side. The example I saw being used was a woman in her 50s who wanted to buy so she would have secure housing - I am with her on this being a good thing but really don't think this is a good policy to achieve that.

For what it's worth I don't think the first home buyers plan from the ALP will do much either - negative gearing removal would have a bigger impact on the market.

Positive side, we're talking policies at least. 

I finally went and looked up who is running in my (safe, Labor) seat and besides the usual three we have three batshit crazy (yes Clive, I am including you), one marginally less crazy and an independent. I suspect we'll swing towards Green but the ALP will retain the seat.

[Smee]

Barnaby is 100% an alcoholic so it doesn’t surprise me he’s giving speeches pissed.

The superannuation mortgage policy thing is so dumb. Given house prices in Sydney & coastal NSW, you’re looking at at least $100K deposit. I’m 33, guess how much is in my super? Hint: it’s less than half that.

Not sure whether to laugh or cry at this one:

Some interesting signs that the Greens might take a seat or two in Qld. Their candidate for Brisbane, Stephen Bates, was advertising on Grindr with slogans like “the best parliament is a hung parliament” so it seems they are aggressively targeting the youth vote!

The plus side of spending election night counting votes is I won’t be able to sit at home watching ABC and crying into my drink every time the libs get another seat. 

[Ozlsn]

1 hour ago, Smee said:

Some interesting signs that the Greens might take a seat or two in Qld. Their candidate for Brisbane, Stephen Bates, was advertising on Grindr with slogans like “the best parliament is a hung parliament” so it seems they are aggressively targeting the youth vote!

Interesting - I haven't followed much of the commentary outside of about five seats (unfortunately I have to work...) but that would be a big shift. It would be nice if they took LNP seats... probably too much to hope for.

Also that is a great slogan, heh.

I keep getting ads for a Nats candidate in Mallee... I have never heard of her before and aren't in Mallee, so not sure what's up with that other than poor targeting.

Why are two major papers doing a puff piece on Jenny Morrison? I don't care how nice she is, she's not running in the election, even if she was it probably wouldn't be in my electorate, and I wouldn't vote for her anyway. If she does run though I sincerely hope Scott becomes a full time stay at home homemaker and carer...

Plenty of nice women are married to incompetent dicks, this isn't news.

Edited May 18, 2022 by Ozlsn
Too many uses of also

[Ozlsn]

We are finally in the Blackout period (except online) and I can stop muting the TV and radio.

I am unreasonably amused that austpol twitter has a sausage in bread emoji.

I have no idea how this is going to go.

[Smee]

I am terrified as it gets close. I don’t want to let myself hope for a liberal loss and be devastated. I don’t trust polls after the past ~ 8 years. I don’t know if the left has won any new people or the existing ones just got louder. I don’t know anyone who voted for LNP last time and are changing their votes this time. 
The only thing I feel confident of is more first preferences other than the 2 majors. But that means UAP and PHON, as well as independents and greens.

[Smee]

Oh FFS. We had two years to plan this. Now people who tested covid positive Sat-Tues are unable to vote in person (because isolation), unlikely to get postal votes in time (if they were even well enough to think to arrange one), and apparently unable to vote over the phone (because that’s only for positive tests after 6pm Tuesday for who knows what reason). Also if you have covid positive kids in isolation who you can’t leave at home alone, but aren’t covid positive yourself, you….? Don’t phone vote, apparently.

[Ozlsn]

On the positive side they've changed it so people who tested positive since the 13th May can phone vote if they hadn't registered for postal or pre-polled. I'm more concerned about some of the overseas postal votes, which haven't arrived - this pisses me off as we have diplomatic bags ffs, surely they can be sent through them to embassies and high commissions and distributed from there?? I'm also annoyed that the number of overseas polling booths have been severely cut, particularly in areas where a large number of Australians live and work. Not sure of the reasons behind that.

My Facebook feed is full of people cooking/buying/eating democracy sausages (a few democracy bacon and egg rolls in there). We are a very weird mob at times.

I will probably end up in hiding tonight until it's done - I don't know if the polls are right, whether the anger will translate, how the UAP will affect things. I know what I would like to happen, but who knows. I'll just go out and cast my vote shortly, numbering all the boxes on both ballots (in reverse order for the Senate probably because dear Lord there are some horrible parties running and I still don't know who I am going to put dead last but I'd rather number all of them so as not to accidentally end up with any of them getting preferences from my vote, unlikely as that is.)

I am also really missing my friend who died unexpectedly in February today, because she would have been enthusiastically handing out how to vote cards for the Greens, scrutineering later tonight, and basically channelling all her energy into trying to encourage people to vote the bastards out. I hope we can.

[Ozlsn]

So on day of the freaking election we have text's allegedly from the LNP claiming refugee boat's were intercepted. After how many years of "operational security" suddenly we're tweeting about it. If this is legit I am absolutely disgusted. And also amused by the tweet below:

Seriously though can we stop this offshore processing and permanent TPV bullshit and save money by actually processing in third countries so the boats become redundant?

Too early to know how it's going - polls now closed everywhere except WA, and way too early in the count. Trying not to look anyway.

[SpaceJunk]

@Ozlsn Ridiculously it’s true, coming from Dutton 🤦🏻‍♀️
I know it’s too early to call, but I’m enjoying the current trend in Dickson, if it holds up Dutton could lose his seat!

[Ozlsn]

I am so hoping he does!!!

[Smee]

Thank goodness. ScoMo called Albanese to concede.

biggest sigh of relief

[adidas]

I am so happy 😁 

[Katzchen24]

On 5/21/2022 at 8:04 PM, SpaceJunk said:

@Ozlsn Ridiculously it’s true, coming from Dutton 🤦🏻‍♀️
I know it’s too early to call, but I’m enjoying the current trend in Dickson, if it holds up Dutton could lose his seat!

Looks like we don't get everything we want. Even if the Evil Potato (I saw this somewhere, stole it and I'm sorry but I can't remember who it was to attribute it properly) doesn't get rolled, he deserves to for this kind of rubbish. I'm sort of concerned about the Liberal party doing the dumb thing and shifting further right, rather than trying to regain the moderates they lost to teal candidates. Maybe Dutton as party leader in a knee jerk reaction, then Birmingham a bit further down the track as a more moderate leader? Meanwhile, my dream is one day for Penny Wong to lead Labor and become PM.

I am in a very marginal SA seat and am so happy with the results. Both my State and Federal electorates are newly Labor, and long may it continue.

 

[Ozlsn]

10 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

I'm sort of concerned about the Liberal party doing the dumb thing and shifting further right, rather than trying to regain the moderates they lost to teal candidates

Based on Matt Carnavan's reaction... yes. None of them seem to be able to realise that if they're losing votes to the Teals, Greens, ALP etc. the problem is not that they're "too far left". (As for Rita Panani and Peta Crellin they both are freaking delusional.)

10 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

Maybe Dutton as party leader in a knee jerk reaction, then Birmingham a bit further down the track as a more moderate leader?

Part of their problems stem from the dry faction systematically eviscerating the wet faction, combined with them being utterly unable to accept anyone who isn't a white male as leader. I loathe Julie Bishop's politics but she would have made a far better leader than Morrison, Abbott or Dutton. It leaves them with a micron thick depth of talent.

10 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

Looks like we don't get everything we want.

Dammit. How incompetent, mediocre and corrupt do they have to show themselves to be? Still, I reckon Morrison will resign some time in the next year.. it's no fun when you're a backbencher.

[Katzchen24]

One commentator questioned what the Liberal bloodbath would do to the Coalition relationship. I think the Nats did relatively better than the Libs did (and a pox on them for cursing us with another 3 years of Barnaby Joyce although he'll be a lot less relevant for the next few years) so they might use that to leverage a stronger position in the partnership. 

59 minutes ago, Ozlsn said:

Dammit. How incompetent, mediocre and corrupt do they have to show themselves to be? Still, I reckon Morrison will resign some time in the next year.. it's no fun when you're a backbencher.

I agree with your comments re Bishop. All I'm left with now is trying to picture Cash gazing as adoringly at Dutton as she did at Morrison.... *shudders*

[Smee]

I think the “teal” independents have really just shown the LNP that a course correction is in order and a continued move to the right is costing them a generation of people who would otherwise traditionally be in support of their party. Most of the new independents are the kinds of people who could/should have had a place in the Liberal party a couple of decades ago - except they lack Y chromosomes. The LNP are very foolish if they don’t heed that lesson, Dutton leading them to the next election all but guarantees another loss in 3 years time as Gen Z reach voting age and millennials outnumber boomers. 

It’s the Greens result I find more encouraging as it does the same for Labor - indicates that they’re losing a chunk of their base and the kids of labor voters aren’t voting labor, they want something more progressive. 

After following the US election on here, I am endlessly thankful for preferential voting.