Tag: election

Barbies and ballots

Voting in federal and state elections is compulsory in Australia. So on Election Day a carrot and stick approach is used to get the Aussies to the polls. The stick is a hefty fine for non participation. The carrot is, being Australia, a barbecue or sausage sizzle at the polling station. Unlike the UK you

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Pedal power

A Saturday Election Day, near closing time, and like good Aussie democrats, we’d been shopping all day. So it was a pedalled panic that brought us finally to the polling station, in time to avoid the fine for abstention (voting is compulsory here). “My bike’s over there,” stated the Green Party canvasser keen to show

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