Remember a few days ago when I warned that the ALP might not give you a week to fix up your enrolment? That despite the fact that it would help the conservatives by blocking many Labor voters from fixing their enrolments, the ALP might prefer to wear the damage if it means hurting the Greens (even Greens voters who preference the ALP) even more?
Well, that’s what they’ve done.
If you’re not on the roll for some reason (including if mail’s been sent to your address and gotten waylaid so the AEC thinks you’re no longer there), the rolls close on Monday at 8pm. If you are on the roll but your details are wrong, you’ve got three more days – till Thursday – to fix them. And that’s it.
Although the electoral law change that enables the quick closing of the rolls was a Coalition scheme that Labor has not yet been able to reverse in parliament, there was nothing stopping Gillard announcing the election date and then waiting a week to issue the writs and start the roll-closing clock.
Except, it would seem, absolute contempt for tens of thousands of Australian voters.
Strike… what is it now, five?
AND: Check out the “issues” the big parties declare will decide the election:
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition leader Tony Abbott have signalled the economy, border protection and climate change
Three policies on which they’re almost identical. They both want to cave to the big three miners (although Tony wants to give them everything); they both want to treat asylum seekers with utter contempt (although only Tony wants to drag the boats out to sea so they sink); and they both want to look like they’re kind of doing something about climate change but without actually doing anything about climate change.
These are the issues on which they think Australian public is going to choose between the two big parties? Good luck, fellow citizens. Hope you’ve brought your magnifying glasses!
Nah, just kidding. Anyone who is making a choice on those three issues, or others, knows who the real alternative is.
Moved On 
And yet on election day, are you going to do anything but vote 1 Greens, 2 ALP?
I suspect the ALP will be a few spots below #2… but what’s your point?
Realistically, you can get as annoyed as you want about the ALP, but when it comes down to it you’ll take Julia Gillard over Tony Abbott, even if as you suggest there’s not a lot of clear air between them.
That’s a stupid way of looking at it. There will be several parties I put ahead of other parties, but the one that gets my first preference is my choice.
If everyone else insists on it being between Gillard and Abbott then I’ll issue my slim preference on that issue, but it’s not the main game for me. And everyone who votes for one of those old parties can stop whinging about the quality of political debate in this country – it’s your fault.
ALP are fucked, the Liberals will be higher on my vote card then them.
On what policies are the Libs less f*cked than the ALP?
They’re not the same on economics. At least the ALP are mostly Keyensians rather than innumerate deficit hawks.
Jeremy : for one they have said the internet filter will not work.
ALP and Libs are both crap however ALP have crapped it up at State and Federal level for years now. Won’t either as number one, but Liberals will be ahead of the ALP.
Joe Hockey has confirmed no internet filter under the Libs. Still want to put ALP above Libs Jeremy?
http://noaustraliannetfiltering.blogspot.com/2010/07/joe-hockey-in-cairns.html
“Joe Hockey has confirmed no internet filter under the Libs. Still want to put ALP above Libs Jeremy?”
That does make the decision harder. Of course, the Libs are now pretending that they don’t believe in WorkChoices, so it’s clear that they’re just saying whatever they think people want to hear. I wouldn’t put money on them not giving us a filter if they win government.
And then there’s the dragging boats out to sea stuff, and flogging off our once-only resources to the big 3 miners even more cheaply than Labor, and the contempt for public services… it’s difficult to put their less than believable sudden “no filter” promise above those.
But we’ll see. It’s not like Labor’s doing anything to win my vote, and at least Abbott’s putting some money into mental health.
Both majors have unpalatable policies for me the internet filter is the difference
@anthony:
good news! vote [1] greens and you’ll (hopefully) give them the balance of power, meaning that (if the liberals are genuine about no internet filter) then labor won’t be able to implement an internet filter anyway! and then you don’t have to vote for a party with “unpalatable policies”!
As l2ts says, if you vote for the Greens they and the Coalition will control the Senate and block the internet filter once it comes through it’s ‘review’, and been shunted through a ‘committee’, and been delayed, and hey presto it’s time for the next election before the legislation has even come before the Senate again.
Sometimes indefinite delaying does lead to good policy outcomes.
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