The (two days out) Australian election thread 2016

Yeah, this could have been started earlier. But y'know what it's like. Two days is about how long Aussie PMs last in the job nowadays, so we can have another thread then.

Things seem to be firming for the Coalition, which doesn't mean it hasn't been a tight campaign, but in honesty it's been predictable for a while. The political inertia of the Australian electorate is legendary. No way were undecided voters going to up and give a first term government the arse in this country, no matter how personally hated (Abbott) or disrespected/distrusted (Turnbull) the leaders.

So, predictions? Observations? Spittle-flecked rants? Will we get a hung parliament? Will the Senate remain a clown collegium be as diverse, after voting reform? Which party has the worst logo? If there's a Voluntary Euthanasia Party, is there a Compulsory Euthanasia Party? They've got my vote!

Williebee said:

Voter turnout in Australia

Voting is compulsory.

The idea that legislators might work against the communicated interests of their population, at the same time as requiring the population to cast votes to (basically) rate their performance is really complex.

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Don't ever let anyone tell you that compulsory voting is a panacea against political disengagement and malrepresentation. It ain't.

Helix said:

I voted on Monday, because I was planning to go bush for a few days, but that didn't pan out. There were so many people at the local pre-polling place! Saturday's democracy snags will probably all go to the kookaburras.

The only interesting thing so far has been a twelve page, footnoted manifesto from my local member -- Bob Katter. It was off the scale for barminess.

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Did he threaten to shoot anyone?

I'm in a rooral electorate now, and the competition is between some boring Nats twatwaffle and ... that's it, really. I miss living in Grayndler, where I'd have the opportunity to vote for Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow. Not only does he have a most excellent name, he's apparently

the founder of Biofoundry, Australia's first community lab for citizen scientists; a biohacking space that allows members of the public to perform scientific laboratory experiments.

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Now that's the kind of mad sciento-crat I want to see leading this country into the terrifying future.

Helix said:

Oddly, BobKat didn't threaten to shoot anyone in that manifesto, but he did make references to the cavalry and 'Red Indians', the Parana press (which I believe was supposed to be piranha press), sublinear [sic] messages, citys [sic], Jack McKewn [sic] and Joe [sic] Bjelke Petersen. I can't reproduce it all here, but it really was insane.

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Well, maybe. Or maybe he has an inscrutable beef with the newspapers of Paraná state, Brazil. Would you really put it past him?

_Sian_ said:

I voted in ol' Blighty on Tuesday. I hadn't expected the how to poll cards - clearly I still had me "f*ck you I've already decided" face on, because they didn't try to hard to press them at me.

I'm in Indi, so it's Cathy McGowan all the way here. It was also the first time I've put the Nats above the Libs - the Nat's guy does quite a lot for the area and a vote for them is a vote for the Libs anyway, and I can't stand Sophie Mirebella.

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Were there queues of Brits at Australia House, trying to get asylum? I've never voted overseas. It must be a very different experience.

Helix said:

Apparently 2.2 million people have voted early. That doesn't include postal votes.

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2.2 million people would rather not be reminded that their fellow voters exist. I can empathise. I was initially going to vote early, but in the end realized I can do it early as possible Saturday morning before driving to Sydney. Plenty of time to drink once I'm down there.

My booth has delicious cake!? Okay, democracy, all is forgiven. For now.