Musings on the 2019 Federal Election
HERE’S a few of my musings about the federal election:
A large number of people didn’t like either alternative – including the bloke who drew his own box and voted for “I hate the Parramatta Eels” – so while the Coalition won from behind, I don’t think it was because that’s what the people wanted, they were just less scared to go with what they knew.
Truckie owner-drivers believed their businesses would be doomed under the ALP policies, and that industry employs many people and their dependents.
Negative gearing was another big issue, and with so many struggling Australians desperately wanting that third and fourth house, they didn’t want to be denied those unaffordable tax breaks the richer people have been getting for so long, even if they never manage to pay off their first home.
Labor’s stance on franking credits could have backfired – why would you scare a large section of older people?
There’s a few other reasons for the Morrison win-shorten loss, and while I believe many people wanted to vote Labor up until very recently, most people will vote on things that will affect them in their daily lives way before they’ll look at issues such a climate change, or other national or global concerns.
Scare campaigning certainly worked, and the Coalition would’ve been mad not to take advantage of it.
In these past few weeks I’ve never seen so many business people so fearful for their profits, so while Labor voters are shell-shocked and despairing, the flipside is that many people are rejoicing.
From looking at the polls and listening to the various commentary, I thought the ALP really had to win, even being able to form government with a hung parliament, but I was as wrong as everyone else.
If Bill Shorten had just left all those big targets alone and said he’d employ a few thousand extra people in the Australian Tax Office and close the loopholes for multinational corporations to avoid tens of billions in tax, he’d probably have been a shoo-in.
And that’s the bottom line – while the Coalition won with a much-increased majority, many of those seats are on wafer thing margins, so the election itself was far closer than most commentators are claiming.
And Morrison benefitted from the recent elections in both Victoria and NSW where many people had already vented their protests, in various degrees, against the conservatives.
The fact many of the seats were decided in the Coalition’s favour thanks to preferences from parties like One Nation and Clive Palmer is also a variable factor that won’t necessarily work in the Coalition’s favour next time round, so the Coalition needs to do some good stuff that appeals to the electorate sooner rather than later, and Morrison will have to be careful he doesn’t over-reach because he’ll be able to get legislation through the senate far more easily than in the last term.
One major thing in Scott Morrison’s favour is that both Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull are gone, as it’s almost impossible to get any clear air and establish your own authority with a former prime minister on the backbench.
The fact Barnaby Joyce is still in the government will be something that will be a festering sore for the Nationals for the next three years at least.
Both major parties are always only one major stuff-up away from electoral oblivion, but for some reason Bill Shorten put a lot of safeguards in place to make sure of his fate this time round. PRE-POLLING is taking over as a preferred voting option for many Australians. According to the Australian Electoral Commission, in the Parkes electorate:
z 35,232 voters voted early compared to 27,258 in 2016.
z That was an overall increase of 7974 pre-poll voters, up from 25 per cent of enrolled voters last time around to 32 per cent in 2019.
z Dubbo was up from 12,357 to 15,050, an increase of 18 per cent (AEC estimated 13,448).
z In Dubbo, the last day alone saw 2408 voters pre-poll.
z Biggest per centage increase was in Narrabri with a 36 per cent increase. HOW quiet were so many of the booths on election day?
I walked straight in to the Christian School without a second’s delay.
One lady told me she took an elderly relative to prepoll and had to park down past the Amaroo Hotel and spent 20 minutes or so to walk to the pre-poll booth, such a nightmare that she left her with some people she knew on the booth while she got her car and double-parked to pick her relo up. IS it wrong to deface an electoral advertising corflute that shouldn’t be there in the first place?
It’s sure and for certain though that the toothless Electoral Commission (both state and federal) couldn’t give two hoots about anything THE newly re-badged Oz-fish Inland Waterways River Repair Bus is up to even bigger and better things, branching out towards Narromine to help in the cleanup of the Macquarie River and its surrounding floodplains, not that it looks like flooding anytime soon.
Narromine Shire council and Kennards Hire were keen to get in on the act and support the crew doing the cleaning up. defaming or dismantling our alleged national democracy.
So, I’m not holding my breath that (a) the National’s will be in any strife whatsoever for nailing or tech-screwing corflutes to trees, or (b) that the person or persons unknown who stuck a protest bumper sticker over Mark Coulton’s mouth will suffer any consequences for that act. WITH the evenings getting (marginally) cooler, it’s a great time to look at Ballimore’s 8th annual Camp Oven Cook Off on Saturday, June 1.
Staged at the Hair of the Dog Inn, there’ll be plenty of great prizes over a range of categories as well as raffles, a jumping castle for the youngsters and live music from 2pm.
The cooking starts from midday and categories include dampers/ scones, mains (roasts, stews, curries) and desserts.
There’s free camping and firewood is provided – talk about old-fashioned country hospitality.
Entry is just $15 and that enables you to enter as many camp ovens as you’d like.
Registrations needed by May 27, so call 6886 5131 to book, or for any other information. BEFORE last weekend’s federal election, Member for Parkes Mark Coulton was thrilled with the Coalition’s continued support for Clontarf, which was a pledge to invest more than $50 million in the Clontarf Foundation for its academies across Australia.
Now he’s been re-elected and the Coalition returned, Mr Coulton believes the extra funding will help more young Indigenous boys in his electorate realise their full potential.
“I am a keen advocate for the work of Clontarf academies, having spoken about the not-for-profit organisation in Parliament on a number of occasions. I have also fought hard to secure necessary funding for Clontarf to continue and grow its important work,” Mr Coulton said.
“In the Parkes electorate we have Clontarf academies in Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Coonamble, Dubbo, Moree, Narrabri and Narromine.
“I have witnessed Clontarf’s success firsthand – it has been a great privilege to get to know some of the young men who have progressed through the academies, to see their self-esteem grow and to witness their great potential evolve,” he said.
Mr Coulton says getting children to attend school and complete their education is a priority for the Liberal and Nationals Government, and it is programs such as Clontarf that achieve these outcomes.
z Send your news tips to john.ryan@panscott.com.au or 0429 452 245 txt is best
z Additional reporting by
News staff. Note: John Ryan is also a councillor on Dubbo Regional Council, and is also employed part-time by Landcare. He writes here in his capacity as a journalist.