Vote because you can
Every Australian citizen over the age of 18 has the
opportunity to vote in free and fair elections – this is a privilege not shared
by enough people in the world. If for no
other reason, vote because you can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp9istiHXYc (Gruen Nation 47 second
video)
Vote below the line in the Senate
Democracy is precious – don’t waste it. Allocate your preferences where you want them
to go, not where backroom deal-makers have decided they’ll send your
vote. Sure it will take you 10 minutes to vote instead of 30 seconds, but
we only have an election every four years, so don’t waste the opportunity. I know I won’t be.
Who will your $2 something go to?
Did you know your vote means cash to the party you vote for?
http://chickennation.com/website_stuff/cant-waste-vote/web-700-cant-waste-vote-SINGLE-IMAGE.png (Preferential voting
explained in a simple cartoon)
Remember that you are electing a party and not the prime
minister. You don’t get to choose the leader of a political party. So vote based on policy, not personality.
Where do you stand on marriage equality, asylum seekers, the
NBN, foreign aid, coal seam gas exploration, live animal exports etc?
See which party you are most closely aligned to
http://www.abc.net.au/votecompass/ (source: ABC)
A minority government (hung parliament) is not as bad as the
major parties would have you believe
The much maligned ‘hung parliament’ passed 580 bills, 87% of
them with opposition support, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme
and the Gonski reforms. Surprising isn’t
it?
Our current economic situation is also not as bad as some people
would have you believe
Australia has had 21 unbroken years of economic growth, has been
praised by the IMF and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz as having had the best
policy response to the Global Financial Crisis, with lower unemployment than
most OECD countries, with low interest rates, a AAA credit rating from all
three major agencies, enjoyed by very few national economies, a low level of
international debt, high levels of foreign investment, ranking next to Norway
on the Human Development Index (HDI), and one of the lowest taxation rates in
the OECD, ahead of the US, but well behind the UK, Germany, France, Sweden,
Finland, Norway, Canada, New Zealand, and a little behind Japan. It’s
true – do your own research.
See how your vote could affect arts and entertainment
http://m.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/how-your-vote-could-affect-arts-and-entertainment-20130906-2t9ek.html (source: The Age)
So I’m not telling you who to vote for, just wanting to
encourage you to not waste your vote, and ensure you know how your vote will
work. And I hope you haven’t been sucked
into thinking every election is simply a choice of the lesser of two evils. Every vote counts, so put it where you REALLY
want it to go. Oh, and thanks for caring
enough about your country to read to the end of my note.
