It was a warm autumn day when Sydneysiders awoke on the morning of May 18, 2019, and prepared to head to the polls to vote in the federal election. The city was in the grip of an unusual dry, warm spell and there was a hint of smoke in the air – the Rural Fire Service was working on a hazard reduction burn in the Blue Mountains that would come to blanket the city in a dangerous haze later that week.
Voters didn’t know it as they lined up to cast their ballots but the smell of smoke would linger in their nostrils for weeks over the coming spring and summer, as the state burned and the city choked.
Voters cast their ballots in Sydney at the last federal election on May 18, 2019. Credit:David Gray/Bloomberg
They had no idea either that a new virus would cause havoc in Wuhan, China, about the same time as those fires and that the newly elected government would close the nation’s border in response, hand out billions of dollars in support to keep the economy afloat and oversee a dramatic shift in the way Australians lived.
With Prime Minister Scott Morrison poised to call the next election at any moment, possibly today, it is imperative Australians use the next few weeks to inform themselves about the candidates on their ballot papers, and the policies they will be supporting, because who knows what decisions the next federal government will be asked to make on our behalf. The past three exhausting years have brought home to us all the true power of a vote.
Australian National University political scientist Ian McAllister says that these days, there is very little difference in the policies of the two major parties, which means the election will largely come down to which leader Australians trust to best deliver on those policies – who they trust to run the economy, address cost-of-living pressures, encourage wage growth and deliver services like health and education.
On this point, the election is shaping up to be similar to 2004, when John Howard called on voters to determine who they most trusted “to keep the economy strong and protect family living standards” – the Coalition under his leadership or Labor under Mark Latham.
Firefighters defend Bilpin in December 2019.Credit:Nick Moir
McAllister says voters in Australia are more altruistic than politicians give them credit for; while policies are often sold to voters on how they will affect the hip pocket, most people care more about how policies will affect the nation’s economy as a whole, rather than their own personal circumstances.
But the fact Australians have to vote so often – about once every 18 months – makes it very hard for voters to stay informed at every election. McAllister says this means they often tend to vote along party lines, or for the leader they trust the most.
Exhausting three years have brought home to us all the power of a vote
Source: Philippines Alive
