Preference is to put major parties last
Campaigner wages poll crusade
A DISILLUSIONED “hardcore green” activist has become Leichhardt’s unofficial preference whisperer as minor parties trade political horseflesh to topple the majors.
Rod Davis is a man of contradictions.
The passionate environmentalist used to chain himself to trees in the Daintree but now finds himself promoting right-wing candidates in the federal election.
He is prone to colourful language, speaks with the hyperactive zeal of a provocateur, and has established himself as a conduit between many of the minors in Far North Queensland.
The likes of One Nation (ONP), Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) and United Australia Party (UAP) are not his usual cup of tea, but they share a common trait.
Like the Informed Medical Options Party (IMOP), they are militant in their opposition to vaccine mandates, an issue that has thrown a curve ball to the nation’s biggest political race.
“I’m old left green – hardcore left green,” Mr Davis explained.
“I mean, I was (former Douglas shire mayor) Mike Berwick’s right-hand man in the Daintree s--tfight.
“What the hell am I doing with a right-wing party?”
Mr Davis, who also runs luxury tours aboard the Bigkanu liveaboard charter trimaran in the idyllic Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua, has found himself fraternising with the enemy.
He has been buzzing between ONP, KAP, UAP and IMOP candidates and any others willing to make putting the majors last an overt hallmark of their campaign.
The United Australia Party is unquestionably on the right side of politics, but Mr Davis argued its stance against mandates made it more left than modern Labor, at least on that issue.
“We would never allow our unions to chuck out 10-15 per cent of employees (who were not vaccinated),” he said.
“We would not create a segregated society where people can’t go to a bar or a barbecue.
“Those are the actions of
complete fascists.”
Experts have been torn on whether the mandates were effective, although state governments have insisted they were implemented based on the best health advice.
Right or wrong, the decisions have alienated a lot of voters.
Even LNP incumbent Warren Entsch slammed the measures at a debate this week.
Mr Davis believes the Greens could have boosted their primary vote by as much as 20 per cent if they had opposed mandates.
As it stands, he thinks the Greens vote will be throttled into inconsequence.
Anti-mandate candidates are now in cahoots to put the majors and pro-mandate Greens last, and to back each other at the top of the ballot.
Mr Davis acknowledged the plan could favour Labor if none of the minors managed to take out a top-two spot.
He thought the prospect unpalatable, since state Labor governments were the most aggressively pro-mandate, but worth the risk.
“The ALP will still get preferences from the Greens and (Socialist Alliance candidate) Pat O’Shane,” he said.
“They’re not going to have their preference lines strangled, whereas Warren is.”
Voters are under no obligation to follow how-to-vote recommendations, and parties and candidates themselves have no direct say in how preferences are placed.
Surveys of elections in South Australia and Victoria in 2010 found fewer than half of voters followed how-tovotes down to a tee.
However, that still means a lot of votes going exactly where parties want them.
Candidates from KAP, ONP, UAP and IMOP – and potentially others – will hold a conjoined rally on the Cairns Esplanade on May 14 to plug their wares.
Previous anti-mandate rallies have attracted thousands of people.
“They will have their tents set up to share in an argument that puts forward their point of view,” Mr Davis said.
“Hopefully people will go and listen, make up their mind and head straight down to prepolling to cast their vote.”
Minor parties are ramping up their efforts in Leichhardt with Pauline Hanson in town this weekend and UAP’s Craig Kelly due on Monday.