Don't forget to vote!

This would have to be one of the most insipid campaigns I have seen. Both parties seem to be more concentrating on sniping at the other than putting forward any believable policies.

Having said that, I think Labor will be returned, in a quite close race. We may not know the result till Monday.

I postal vote so did mine a couple weeks ago. We once were in a position to miss an election - it was just too hard to get in to vote - and we got fined. I thought we had a good excuse but the hoops we needed to jump through just made it easier to pay the fine!

I love election nights. I hate watching the campaign but I love all the facts and figures of the count.

I love watching Anthony Green on the ABC. I know it's his job to know everything about elections but he amazes me by knowing everything about every booth in every electorate. My best mate also loves him.. I thought we were the only ones kooky enough to find that fascinating but I read an article in the SMH written by a journo who also loves watching his mind work.

At 9pm Sydney time it's an interesting election so far! No one I've seen on the TV coverages is willing to place a bet on who's going to win...

I voted early this morning.

I have been channel hopping to see trends.

One TV station said the electorate I am in had returned the sitting Member, another station said it was too close to call.
Very confusing.
Preferences are going to be a big factor in who gets what seat.

Going to be a long night - or even a long week before we get a definite result.

*goes to watch Swans vs Dogs for a while*

I am saddened to think that our sitting member will probably be returned, despite the fact that he makes an idiot of himself every time he opens his mouth.
(Yes, I am in the electorate of O'Connor !)

I find it interesting that the votes are so close...I don't think I know a single Liberal supporter, so I'm really surprised to see them so high.

I've heard at least three people say (jokingly) that they'll leave the country if Abbott gets in...I'm certainly hoping he won't.

Fined for not voting? That's insane! I agree people should, but it shouldn't be forced to do so. What if someone was in the hospital in a coma on election day? Are they going to fine them too?

Dave, I think Oz is the only country with compulsory voting and yes, they will try to fine you if you don't vote. If there is a valid reason then you're excused but you will get a notice asking you to explain why you didn't vote. Actually, voting isn't compulsory but attending the polling station and having your name ticked off is compulsory. In some ways I agree with it but I'd be happy to see it discontinued.

*sigh* That's a discussion for another time. I need to get over this election first. For that matter, we need to find out who won and that might not happen for a few days yet!

I think this could be due to people less likely to admit in public to being Liberal (or whatever the right wing party of a particular country is). In the UK it is a lot easier to find someone admitting that they are a Labour supporter, and Labour always do better than expected in verbal polls for that reason. When it comes to the election itself, when everything is private, people are free to vote for who they want and the right wing voters come out of the woodwork if you will.

Please rescind my previous statement - there is a strong possibility that, after 25 years, we MAY have a new member for our electorate. Still a conservative, but certainly not quite so inclined to open his mouth to see how many feet he can put in it.
And regarding those who wish to leave the country if the Mad Monk (Abbott) gets in - I am investigating the possibility of declaring sovereignty of the farm, and becoming an independant nation.

Tezza, I'm not a huge fan of Wilson Tuckey but to give the devil his due there's one thing he's not guilty of. Spin! The man couldn't spin if Ginger Rogers gave him dancing lessons. Sure he opens his mouth to change feet at times but at least you know it's the real him. I couldn't abide Paul Keating but at least the man was too vain to pretend to be anything other than himself. Wouldn't it be nice to make political spin illegal?

I thought we were talking about Australia, not Georgia, USA...oh, wait...that's the lyrics to a song.

Let's hope whomever you get is better than you hoped for...and better than who I have!

At the moment we do not have anyone. What are you doing for the next four years, Dave? And can you speak Australian?

Both parties are on 72 seats, needing 76 to form a government. There is a lot of frantic lobbying of the successful independents by the Liberals and Labor, and an inordinate amount of finger-pointing by Labor party officials.

If neither party can woo the independents, then we do the whole thing all over again. Yay!

My daughter threatened to move overseas if Tony Abbott gets in. She cannot understand why people would vote out the party that got us safely trough the global economic crisis virtually unscathed. She also wants to know why they would vote for work choices (or whatever Abbott is calling them these days) when people seem to hate the idea.

Me, I put my one little vote in before going cruising and at least didn't have all the political ads shoved down my throat for the last week. Same idea as one former controversial political leader who was on the same cruise.

The midterm elections are only 2 1/2 months away...we'll see what happens then.

As for speaking Australian, I can learn! Texans love food on the barbie!

Dave, as long as you don't call the prawns on the barbie "shrimps" you'll be fine. If you want a hint of what's going to happen in your elections have a squizz at this article from the Sydney Morning Herald a few weeks ago. It demonstrates how you guys follow our lead. This could mean though that you'll be in political limbo for a while though with no one knowing what's going on. Good luck!

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/a...0802-113ac.html

I'd better put my hand up and say I voted Liberal. I don't always vote Liberal mind you. It didn't help as my electorate went for Labor but that's life in a democracy. What disturbs me is spinning from either party. The notion that Labor saved us from the GFC is a gross exaggeration. What saved us was the banking reforms instituted by the previous Liberal AND Labor governments. Paul Keating, for all his faults, did start something with banking reforms and that baton was carried over the line by the Libs in the next government. The tide had turned in Oz before the outrageous spending of billions of dollars started on the BER. Look at it this way.. if all the stimulus packages solved the problem for us, why didn't it work in the UK and the USA? All the BER did was give many builders a cosy ride into retirement with big yachts and fancy cars. That was MY money and YOURS given away for old rope. Never mind, our taxes will all go up to pay the debt back and then people will be screaming blue murder. Thing is, the world has gone through depressions, recessions, energy crises and wars before and we all get through it. We'll get through this current schamozzle and live to fight another day

Aren't those the same? I might still call them shrimp, but I'd definitely eat it off the barbie! I don't know many Texans that don't like food cooked on a barbie.

I have NEVER barbecued a prawn/shrimp; I tend to like steaks and snags, with a lump of coleslaw, and a generous squirt of BBQ sauce. I guess I am old-fashioned, because I also prefer a barbie with wood as fuel, not gas or even electricity. Some of the outdoor BBQ systems you see today are better equipped than my whole kitchen!

And we still do not have a Prime Minister. The sucking-up to the Independents continues, and I imagine there will be quite a few recounts of marginal seats. You never know, but the country might operate better without politicians!

So what are all the NSW people here thinking of doing in our state election next year? The Labor party in NSW has proven themselves incapable of starting a fire in a match factory but the Libs have done nothing to inspire any confidence in me. I've been thinking about this for a while and I still have no idea who I'm going to vote for! The Libs can't be worse than Labor in NSW but can they do any better?

Honestly teh coalition in NSW are shooting themselves in teh foot .. the time is ripe for them to woo us all but they just aren't getting out there and telling us how wonderful they are. It's almost like they're waiting on Labor to implode!

Labor is imploding but I am so unimpressed with the Libs. I can't bear all the whining that goes on.. you know.. "did you see what Labor did? Mum! They're being naughty and I'm dobbing!" *sigh* It's so unproductive. I want to know what they would do given the chance. I don't want to hear all the whinging. Give me something concrete that I believe may be possible. Next thing you know Labor will be giving us another transport plan we won't believe and re-releasing the same plans for trains etc. They might as well promise us flying saucers by 2017.. it's just as believable as their plans for trains, planes and automobiles in NSW

The Parramatta-Epping rail link has been promised a couple of times before, and then shoved into the too-hard basket. We now have a Premier promising that it will be started in 2017- there are TWO elections between now and then, and I don't think Labor have a snowball's chance of winning either. The Coalition will win, only because someone has to.

One day these clowns might realise that the electorate is not stupid, but I do not think that that day is close at hand.

Why not? Sounds good to me! Yum, yum!



Even after lunch, that sounds good...



No lie there! Sounds like it doesn't matter where you live.

The whinging coalition is the major reason why I don't support them. Labor's got their policies out, and I know where they stand. All I know of the coalition is that Labor's apparently doing it wrong, and they can do better.

It's finished in a dead-heat, 72 apiece. The balance of power is with six independents: the Three Amigos, the National from WA who unseated Iron Bar (he said he will sit on the cross-benches), the bloke from Tasmania and one Green.

http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/
http://vtr.aec.gov.au/