Day 30 cont ️

“A separatist #ChristianSect which tells its members to hate the world and which objects to voting is campaigning for the #Liberal and #Nationals parties ahead of Saturday’s federal election. The #PlymouthBrethrenChristianChurch, formerly known as the #ExclusiveBrethren, has dispatched hundreds of its members to pre-polling booths in #MarginalSeats while instructing them to keep secret that they are members of the controversial #religion.

Workers in five marginal seats in Victoria and NSW told this masthead they had encountered 20 or more Brethren members wearing #Liberal or #National campaign T-shirts handing out how-to-vote cards, some of whom identified themselves as members of the sect. The seats – #Kooyong, #Gorton, #Hawke, #Gilmore and #Calare – are held by #Labor or #independents.

The accounts were backed by #LaborParty campaign sources, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to speak publicly, who claimed the Brethren members were active in seats in #NSW, #Victoria, #Queensland and #Tasmania, including #Bennelong, #Parramatta, #Whitlam, #Macquarie, #Paterson, #Lyons, #Reid and #Blair.”

#AusPol / #extremism / #RightWing / #LNP / #Coalition / #voting <https://archive.md/osEeV> / <https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/exclusive-brethren-don-t-vote-but-are-secretly-campaigning-for-the-coalition-20250428-p5luny.html> (paywall).

Day 29

“Prime Minister #AnthonyAlbanese has had a colourful visit to a polling booth in the southern #Sydney seat of #Banks, held by the #Liberals.

There was representation from across the political spectrum as volunteers handed out flyers to punters arriving to cast early votes — there was an on-the-ground presence from the Liberals, #Labor, #Greens, #MuslimVotesMatter, #independents, Fatima Payman’s Australia’s #VoiceParty and the #Libertarians.

Australia’s Voice senate candidate #EmanieDarwiche heckling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Unsurprisingly, then, the reception that Albanese received was mixed. He was loudly heckled by Payman’s NSW Senate candidate, Emanie Darwiche, who cried: “Anthony Albanese, you are committing genocide.”

Another man in a van driving past yelled out: “You’re the reason we’re broke, bro.” The third heckler was in higher spirits. “Hey Albo,” they shouted from their car window, before using an expletive to give the prime minister a very #Australian compliment.”

#AusPol / #Coalition / #Nationals <https://archive.md/o1wRx> / <https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-election-2025-live-updates-anthony-albanese-v-peter-dutton-leaders-debate-reaction-20250427-p5lul8.html?post=p58kgp#p58kgp> (paywall)

Day 29

“It’s the election billed as the battle between #Boomers and #Zoomers. By most estimates, it’s the first time #GenZ s and #Millennials outnumber their parents and grandparents as a voting bloc.

The parties have attempted to tailor their #SocialMedia pitches accordingly on issues that disproportionately affect #YoungPeople: the cost of living, HECS debts and housing. A tide of social media #memes, AI ads and several diss tracks have been met with varying levels of enthusiasm from their target audience.”

#AusPol / #Policies / #LNP / #Liberal / #Labor / #Greens / #Coalition / #Independents <https://archive.md/kx6gL> / <https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/not-so-pitch-perfect-young-voice-concerns-and-it-s-not-just-the-cost-of-living-20250421-p5lt4n.html> (paywall)

Day 26 cont ️

“Nationals leader #DavidLittleproud says one of his “proudest” moments of his #leadership has been to oppose #TheVoice to # parliament.

Speaking to the #NationalPressClub, Littleproud says it wasn’t a decision that was made quickly by his party room.

Within our party room, in a #respectful way we undertook a #committee within our party room to listen [to the] yes and no case, to understand what the machinery would look like, what it would mean for us who represent some of the most #disadvantaged #Indigenous #Australians in remote areas.
Littleproud says the voice would have repeated “mistakes of the past” and was not the way to empower local communities.”

A reminder Littleproud has no tertiary #education, a rarity in leadership teams in #Labor, #LNP, #Greens and #Independents.

#AusPol / #racism <https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/apr/24/australia-election-2025-live-labor-coalition-teal-anthony-albanese-peter-dutton-policy-cost-of-living-voting-spender-pamphletntwnfb?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with%3Ablock-6809ab7d8f08e65b05d1de6e#block-6809ab7d8f08e65b05d1de6e>

Day 26 cont

“The top reasons #voters are hesitant on #Albanese or #Dutton – and it’s worse in #MarginalSeats: An exclusive survey for this masthead, conducted by research firm #ResolveStrategic, reveals the top concerns voters have when considering either of the #MajorParties on May 3.”

#AusPol / #Labor / #LNP / #Liberals / #National / #greens / #Independents <https://archive.md/rNBDk> / <https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-top-reasons-voters-are-hesitant-on-albanese-or-dutton-and-it-s-worse-in-marginal-seats-20250418-p5lst0.html> (paywall)

Day 22 cont

“#CostOfLiving is the most important issue for Vote Compass respondents regardless of age, education, birth, sex, and voting intention, but particularly among those under 40”

“Keeping day-to-day living #costs down was the most important issue for electors identified by respondents of a Roy Morgan survey of 14,713 voters in the September quarter of 2024 who were asked to identify their top three issues”

“The second-most important issue for respondents differs by voting intention, with Liberal-Coalition voters concerned with #immigration and the #economy and Labor voters concerned with #ClimateChange.”

#AusPol / #LNP / #Liberal / #Nationals / #Greens / #Labor / #independents <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-20/federal-election-2025-most-important-issue-vote-compass/105178788>

Day 22 cont

“Traditionally, #Queensland candidates, whether federal or state, promise to take the fight to #Canberra. They project themselves as defiantly parochial, unashamedly maroon, with a vested interest in the north. More recently, however, #power has shifted from the #regions to the #urban south-east, which is more likely to welcome new #arrivals from other states than Queensland country towns. Amid all this growth, the lines of #responsibility have blurred between federal, state and even local government. Rather than fighting Canberra, the parties – including the Greens, who thrive on street-level combat – have taken to #fighting each other.

At the last election, the #Greens picked up three seats in Greater #Brisbane, riding the winds of change. The #TealMovement was unsuccessful in its first federal foray into Queensland, in the seat of Groom, although Suzie Holt enjoyed a healthy flow of preferences and is running again.

For now, the closest thing Queensland has to #independents are Bob Katter and Gerard Rennick, but the south-east is becoming used to newcomers.”

#AusPol / #Liberal / #LNP / #Nationals / #planning / #GrowthCorridor / #facilities / #transport / #basics <https://archive.md/7GbkF> / <https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/nowhere-is-growing-like-this-corner-of-queensland-it-s-changing-the-political-game-20250415-p5lrzn.html> (paywall)

@luciedigitalni @brainsmatter
On my suburban walk yesterday there many more Jessie Price (Independent) corflutes than anyone else's - by a factor of 5 (at least). I've never seen that happen before in Bean.
#Independents #Bean #Canberra #Australia #Corflutes #Election

@thejuicemedia This isn’t just a bad bill; it’s a betrayal of Australian voters. These changes were rushed through Parliament without proper scrutiny, debate, or transparency. The biggest changes to electoral laws in 40 years deserved a multi-party inquiry, not backroom deals.
It’s clear: the major parties are more interested in protecting their duopoly than serving the people. This is why we need strong, independent voices in Parliament, voices that aren’t beholden to corporate donors or party machines.
#DemocracyForSale #AusPol #Independents