It’s election time
Election time is on. According to the Australian Constitution the House of Representatives elections must be held at least every three years. The Prime Minister decides the date for an election. The 2019 federal election in Australia will be held on Saturday 18 May 2019.
Soon the sixth prime minister in 6 years?
The current prime minister is Scott Morrison, but this can change any time. Between 2013 and today Australia had had 5 different prime ministers.
John Howard was the last prime minister to serve out a full government term in the office. He won the 2004 election and led his party to the 2007 election, but lost. Since then, the five subsequent prime ministers have been either voted out of the office mid-term by the caucuses of their own parties, assumed the office mid-term under such circumstances, or both.
The electoral system of Australia is not easy to understand. I haven’t met anyone, who could explain how the voting works, what exactly the difference is between the Senate and the House of Representatives and what the parties specifically stand for.
As a matter of fact the voting system is so complex, that even the head of the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)doesn’t even seem to know how it works.
Since the electoral system privileges the larger parties, the government will be formed either by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) or the Liberal National Party (LNP – a Coalition of the Liberal Party of Australia and the junior partner the National Party of Australia).
Women in parliament
When you read about Australia (e.g. in tourist brochures etc.), you will almost always come across the statement, that Australia was among the very first countries that granted suffrage at national level. Nevertheless
it took 40 earth years before a woman was elected to the Federal Parliament. And still, specifically in the conservative LNP, women are highly underrepresented. About a fifth of the Liberal MPs and 1/7 of the National MPs are women. Labor almost meets 50% and the Greens do:
Composition of the 45th Parliament by party and gender
(Source: Parliament of Australia)
What to do to win the election
Although after already having been far behind in the voters favour after years of governing and internal party feuds, the ruling LNP has narrowed the gap to Labor in the latest news poll, which gives the opposition a 51%-49% lead. To now get ahead of the opposing party, the front-runners do what they always do:
- Pretend to understand the problems of workers – be a ‘man of the people’
- Act normal – drink lots of beer and eat sausages
- Be a family man
- Promise that everything gets better when in power
- Attack the opposition whenever and however possible
- Copy other successful campaigns
1. Pretend to understand the problems of workers – be a ‘man of the people’
As a party leader who wants to become prime minister (or at least minister) you have to act as if you are one of your clientele (even if you are not). So visit a factory site or a rural area, wear a high visibility vest, hard-hat or similar workers outfit, handle any machine like a forklift etc. and talk about the struggles of the people you just met or Bruce, the man standing next to you.
2. Act normal – drink lots of beer and eat sausages
Another act in the play “be a ‘man of the people'”. As Australia still being mainly a patriarchy, as a man-candidate you have to act like normal Australian men do – drink beer, eat sausages or beef and do some sport (or at least – again – pretend)
3. Be a family man
As a family man and a ‘man of the people’ you have to love your family, love pets (and in Australia especially dogs), love other people (specifically kids) and love sport. Show that as often as possible when the media are present.
4. Promise that everything gets better when in power
Before elections, you always have to promise more money, more jobs, less tax and general better living conditions, when you win the election. Furthermore, should announce grand new projects for the good of the country.
Shorten pledges billions for seniors’ dental bills, childcare and educators’ wage rise
Coalition announces $63m veterans’ spend before Anzac Day election hiatus
Extra $100 million for upgrades to one of NSW’s worst roads promised by Labor
Coalition to announce $100m equity fund to invest in small businesses
Labor pledges stricter rules for skilled worker visas
LNP: $5 Million for Australian Innovation to Reduce Dementia Pain
High-income earners would receive $77bn in tax cuts under Liberal plan
Labor pledges $107m to battle Indigenous disadvantage in justice system
LNP pledges more fishing opportunities for all Australians
Labor targets family violence
A re-elected Morrison Government will invest up to $1 billion to increase defence capabilities
LNP: More Drought Support for our Farmers and Regions
Labor pledges $200m to boost bulk billing as Coalition digs in on tax
LNP: New $8 Million Health and Hospital Expansion in Victor Harbor
ALP: Build better TAFE – invest $100 million in TAFE upgrades
The Morrison Government is investing $1.65 million over three years from 2019–20 in an exciting program to help improve the lives of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
ALP: Give workers a tax break – of up to $1,063 each year,
LNP: More than $400 000 for Community Sporting Facilities in Hasluck
The preservation of Australia’s historically significant sites and landmarks will be strengthened through a $6 million investment from the Morrison Government
… and many many more
However, you wonder what the ruling party has done in the past term.
5. Attack the opposition whenever and however possible
LNP: Over $3 Billion Costing Black Hole as Bill Shorten Can’t Set Out Detail of Costings of Dental Policy
Morrison attacks Labor’s electric vehicle policy: “Bill Shorten wants to end the weekend when it comes to his policy on electric vehicles where you’ve got Australians who love being out there in their four-wheel drives.”
LNP: Bill Shorten Needs to Come clean on his Endangered List of Vehicles
“That’s what the Labor Party stands for,” the Prime Minister said, “Lies and taxes!”
LNP: Labor should apologise for flu scare campaign
Josh Frydenberg says Labor plans $387bn in new taxes
‘You will get up with fleas’: Bill Shorten attacks Liberals’ deal with Clive Palmer
It seems that the Morrison government launches far more partly ill-founded and/or exaggerated attacks on Labor than reverse. And the Liberal Party has already plastered their “Scare” campaign all over social media. Furthermore, the Liberal government gets heavily supported by Rupert Murdochs News Corp Australia, which has nearly three-quarters of daily metropolitan newspaper circulation and so maintains great influence on the public opinion in Australia.
6. Copy other successful campaigns
And finally, add some kind of US-American election campaign with people behind you, that represent the whole spectrum of the voters:
