At 10:30 this morning, PM Julia Gillard flew to Canberra to ask the Governor General to dissolve parliament and call a general federal election for August 21. I think it’s going to be an exciting one. Julia Gillard vs Tony Abbott. Labor vs Coalition. Woman vs man. Atheiest vs Catholic.
But as political journos and politicians kiss their children, their partners and their pets, water their plants and prepare to hit the road for the next 5 weeks of Federal Election 2010, we’re going to cover it here from the comfort of our computers. We have lots to discuss, and with two interesting characters in Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, Election 2010 is shaping up to be a bloody corker.
Before we do, there are a bunch of questions I asked Mamamia’s spin-free political editor to answer. These are the kinds of things they never explain in the newspaper and can be embarrassing to ask because you assume everyone else already knows them and will think you’re a dork for NOT knowing them.
It’s just a few weeks until the election. How does it all work? What are preferences?? Why is the voting paper so damn hard to fold??? This cheat sheet aims to bring you some answers. You’re just minutes away from gabbing to your friends about proportional representation and preferential voting.
Q: DO WE ELECT OUR PRIME MINISTER ?
Technically, no. The political party that holds the majority of seats in the House of Representatives (HOR) is the party that governs Australia. As we saw last week, that party selects its own leader, who becomes our Prime Minister. Our PM is not directly elected by us, but indirectly elected. However, Australians place great emphasis on who the leader of each political party is, making Australia one of the most “presidential” style of parliamentary systems in the world.
Q: WHAT IS THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ?
The House of Representatives (HOR) is also known as the lower house of parliament
There are 150 members of parliament (MPs) in the HOR that represent 150 federal seats or electorates
The members in the HOR are elected by the people in each electorate
The geographical size of each electorate varies, e.g., the seat of Kalgoorlie covers 2,295,000 square kilometres and the seat of Wentworth covers 26 square kilometres, but each has roughly the same population
The ALP currently holds 83 seats. The Coalition holds 64 seats (9 Nationals and 55 Liberals). The remaining three seats are held by independents
Preferential Voting in the HOR
We vote members into the HOR using preferential voting. On Federal Election Day you’ll receive a very large piece of paper, and a small piece of paper. The small piece of paper is the ballot for the HOR. There are a number of boxes with names of candidates and their parties. You write number 1 next to your first preference. Then list all the remaining candidates in order of your preferences. It’s compulsory to rank all the candidates on the HOR ballot paper or your vote won’t be counted.
Q: How do they calculate preferences?
When the votes are first counted, five piles of first preference votes, one for each candidate, are formed. If no single candidate has a majority, the preferences of the other parties need to be redistributed. The first candidate to be eliminated is the one with the least votes. That candidate’s votes are then allocated to the second preferences of the voters who had voted for that party. Confused? See if this table helps:
Candidates
First preference vote
1st round elimination
2nd round elimination
3rd round elimination
Final result
Black Party
8%
8%
eliminated
eliminated
eliminated
Red Party
3%
eliminated
eliminated
eliminated
eliminated
Purple Party
39%
40%
42%
51%
Winner
Blue Party
42%
42%
48%
49%
Yellow Party
8%
10%
10%
eliminated
eliminated
*Table adapted from Powerscape: Contemporary Australian Politics by Vromen & Gelber”.
Primary votes and Two-party Preferred
A primary vote is a first preference vote. The winner of the primary vote from the table above is the Blue Party who received 42% of the first preference vote
A two-party- preferred vote is the total number of votes received for the major parties (ALP and the Coalition) including preferences. The winner of the two-party-preferred vote above is the Purple Party because, after preferences, they received 51% and the Blue Party received 49%
Marginal, fairly safe and safe seats
Marginal seats receive less than 56% of the two-party-preferred vote
Fairly safe seats receive 56-59% of the two-party-preferred vote
Safe seats receive more than 60% of the two-party-preferred vote
Q: WHAT IS THE SENATE?
The Senate is also known as the upper house of parliament
There are 76 Senators: 12 Senators elected from each of the six states, and two elected from each territory (ACT and NT)
State Senators have six year terms, and territory Senators have three year terms
We only elect six of the 12 State Senators every three years making every election actually a “half-Senate” election
Voting our Senators through proportional representation
Senate ballot paper
As mentioned, the HOR has one member per electorate. The Senate, however, has multiple members per electorate (the electorate being the State or Territory). That’s why we vote for Senators using proportional representation. Stay with me.
OK, in order for a candidate to be elected, he or she has to receive a certain number of votes. That quota is 14.3% of all votes that are cast. If candidates receive over 14.3%, they are elected. The ones who don’t receive the quota may achieve the quota through preferences. The important difference between the HOR and the Senate is that when voting for the HOR, it is compulsory to list your preferences, whereas in the Senate, listing your preferences is optional. You choose to vote above or below the line
Q: What is above-the-line voting
95% of Australians vote above the line. It’s so much easier. All you have to do is vote for the single party of your choice. But! If you do this, your preferences go where your chosen political party wants them to go. You relinquish your choice of preferences to someone else. For example, in 2004, Family First Party only received 1.88% of the votes in Victoria and because of pre-arranged deals, Stephen Fielding ended up being elected to the Senate.
Q: What is below-the-line voting
5% of diligent citizens rank the dozens and dozens of candidates according to their own preferences. This means that if you don’t want the Fishing Party to represent your state, then rank them last. This takes longer, but you maintain control.
Q: How does the balance of power work?
Finally, it is essential to discuss the balance of power. For a bill to pass into law, it must pass the Senate. Between 2004 and 2007, the Coalition enjoyed a majority in both houses, so their bills passed without the scrutiny that would have occurred had there been a diverse Senate. Currently, there are 32 ALP Senators, 37 Opposition Coalition Senators, 5 Green Senators, one independent (Nick Xenophon) and one Family First Party Senator (Stephen Fielding). The ALP has to reach agreement with the Greens, Xenophon and Fielding for their bills to pass into law. This means that the Greens, Xenophon and Fielding hold thebalance of power, showing how important your Senate vote is.
What’s important to you?
Before you vote, make sure you know the issues and policies held by local members, senators and their respective parties. What’s important to you in this election? Who best represents your interests? Oh, and make sure you check your registration!
Thanks Julie. I’m going to be pretty involved in following this election and commenting on it so I’m expecting you to join me. Remember, there’s no such thing as a silly question.
Top Comments
Quest which state government really care for community development concern?
It really should surprised to all communities very much when there was no one state government responds to such greatest health/economic development from previous two letters sent through to all MPs in nation wide.
Please take a look the following replied letter:
I appreciated your final decision in success to complete the filing of a LGAG application in the Federal government preventive health of “Healthy Active Life” program.
This important step could be seen of a foundation work that in the possible exploration of opportunities in innovative health/economic convergence development for the mining depleted and aging Broken Hill, and Bourke, Brewarrina, Cobra, Ivanhoe and Wentworth surrounding communities to catch.
This step of health/economic convergence development opportunities are by far the largest in national, and international significance if we have our innovative knowledge, elements, resource and supported by this land, people and government; Again, providing that China is not yet step in such health/economic convergence development opportunities to start the “Health Olympic Spring China”.
“A healthy Las Vegas economy model” with capacity to by pass the 100 years old economical pattern of Las Vergas US, when the city of Las Vegas is incorporated in the year 1911with population 8,422 during 1940 (only 70 years). Because it’s the only first of this kind in the world, that is an economic model going to contain health improvement elements and resource mixed with entertainment and enjoyment in one convergences economy in the central Australia.
If we all patient enough to view, and understood the “World Health Report 2012: No Health without research”-A safer future: global public health security in the 21st century marks a turning point in the history of public health, and signals what could be one of the biggest advances in health security in half a century.
The achievement of universal and equitable access to healthcare, of health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and of other health goals is more likely to be realized through research and the use of research in informing health policies. Unfortunately, the reality is that research on critical topics is lacking, and health policies are often not well-informed by research evidence. Poorly-informed decision making, coupled with a lack of trust in research, are some of the reasons why services sometimes fail to reach those most in need, why health indicators may be off-track and why many countries are unlikely to meet the health MDGs. The World Health Report 2012 will justify that research helps, and that research is essential to improve health outcomes.
If we think seriously about the ABC business editor Peter Ryan report on February 28, 2011 the impact warning from Reserve Bank board member Professor Warwick McKibbin has warned of a potentially devastating bubble in global commodity prices and property prices in Asia. Professor McKibbin, who is also director of the research school of economics at the Australian National University, says if there is a big downturn in Asia Australia could be hit harder because of Australia's reliance on resource revenue.
If politicians are nervously to think of this month Broken hill city by election and the New South Wale state election.
If political parties calm enough not to worry if they have done their great efforts in supported community development in where? What use of people’s land for? What communities wanted from this land? What opportunities they need? And what benefits they should, or will gain.
Again, what are innovative ideas of politicians, political parties, and governments have been in efficient, effective, and economical governance in their best efforts to enable communities to reach these goals?
You are very welcome to break the news to all Broken hill city voters to assure them a “Time for Action” that will enable them soon to have such great opportunity to assist them to get a change for a better health. We are together to grasp, and to develop this LGAG program into action that in lay down the “Healthy Active Life” program foundation for a brighter prosperity and health future.
Masealake
purplehealthy@gmail.com
What democratic societies should learn lessen from Australia election 2010:
1.What productive action Gillard Labor government 5 billions to UN buys ousted PM Kevin Rudd’s face?
Voter’s pains did not link to high income Politicians and Bureaucracy.
The Australia historical hung parliament demonstrated the big gap of inequality society between the small educated elite groups who get highest pay by talk feast used mouth work controlling live essential resources of the country in every social platforms against the biggest less educated groups who get lowest pay by hands work squeezed by discriminative policies that sucking live blood from individual poor/less wealth off?
Voters’ voices do not hear?
Voters’ pains do not ease?
Voters’ cries do not care?
1.Poverty will not be phase out if no fairer resources to share;
2.Illness will not be reducing if no preventive measurement in real action;
3.Agriculture will not be revitalize if urbanization continuing its path;
4.Housing affordability will not be reach for young generation if government continues cashing from young generation debt by eating out the whole cake of education export revenue without plough back;
5.Manufacture industry will shrink smaller and smaller if no new elements there to power up to survive;
6.Employability will not in the sustainable mode for so long as manufacture and agriculture not going to boost.
Ma kee wai
(Member of Inventor Association Queensland since 1993)