Election '07 - "Get your hand off it Darryl"

Lets face it. We all look forward to campaign-time about as much as contracting the ebola virus but this election is pretty important. For the first time in our short human history, we're waking up to the fact that we Westerners have been the annoying party guest on the planet for the last 50 years or so - you know, the one whose car blocks the driveway, scoffs all the free food and drink, doesn't chip in for the present and passes out in the front hedge at 5am.

We mess up everything so that we can have much more than our share of the 'good times', [albeit while running up our personal debt and stress levels, not to mention accelerating climate change, in the race to sustain this 'progress']. And most of our political parties just want to ... well, keep partying actually, like nothing's going to change.

So to every pollie who's not making climate change and peak oil issues the top priorities at the moment, (and to each one of them who hasn't done anything about it in their own lives, see below) I offer that great line from The Castle, "Get your hand off it Darryl". Our world is changing, and you need to too.

I'm voting for a local MP who I hope will tackle the things that I think really matter in the future: decentralised infrastructure (ie: tanks not dams), solar and wind power, urban food farms in every neighbourhood, a world-class public transport system so people can actually move around SEQ without a car...

Now call me hard-to-please, but I don't particularly want bigger roads when the Barina becomes too expensive to run in coming years, and what I really need is regular public transport in the middle of the day (I work from a home office a lot to decrease my car use but it's a necessary evil other times) To me, spending billions on car-focused infrastructure at this point in time is like going out and spending your savings on beta video tapes, or buying tango lessons for Pauline Hanson - it's just throwing money away.

Then there's the Senate vote and making sure it becomes a place of debate and accountability, not just a rubber-stamp for whatever the current govt wants, as it has been of recent years. My partner was talking about Senate preferences today (yes, we have wonderfully stimulating conversations when he's not alphabetising his music collection) ... and I confess I had no idea who was buddying up with who, so I did a bit of investigating and put some links here in the hope it saves other people some time. I've added some basic info for first-time voters, or people who are just over the whole thing, and are considering turning up on Saturday and going with the voting slip that 'their guy' hands them outside the polling booth.

GO HERE FOR GET UP'S FANTASTIC 3 MINUTE 'HOW SHOULD I VOTE' TOOL! ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO YOU AND RECEIVE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED VOTING CARD THAT SHOWS YOU WHO TO VOTE FOR IN YOUR AREA

For more information: The Big Switch has a good general overview about how your vote works in Australia (and from Get Up - why it’s so important to vote in a bit of balance to the senate and their surprising summary of who's giving their preferences to who) The Democrats Senate Watch report highlights what's happened to the Senate in recent years. Get Up also have a good list of common Q&A about Saturdays election (in non-political speak)

Find your candidates:
Enter your postcode at this site for the websites of most of the House of Reps candidates in your electorate (your local MP hopefuls)
Or see this full list for both House of Reps and the Senate

…then you have to like what they say and stand for, and the guy who will be at the top, if that party wins. Recent You Tube videos for: Bob Brown Lyn Allison Kevin Rudd John Howard

How they score on climate change etc:
The Big Switch also asked all would-be pollies to answer questions on climate change and the things that are going to have big impacts on our future and scored the parties here

How individual candidates scored in Fairfax Wide Bay Fisher Brisbane
(or search your electorate candidates scores here)

How to fill out ballot papers:
….and if you want your [ahem] "kids" to have a practise vote check out this interactive thingie.

Oh, and my parting thought on a particular ad that's bugging me...there are strong indications the global economy is in for a major shock very shortly, so it won't matter who's running Australia at the time - things are going to change, regardless. What will matter is having a balanced Senate to "keep the bastards honest" as Don Chipp said, and that our 'leaders' have the heart and lateral thinking to tackle new challenges with new, humanistic enlightened thinking. Well, that's the dream anyway. Happy voting on Saturday.