95bFM A guide to the Australian federal election
21 May, 2022
Interview by Emilia Sullivan, adapted by Jack Horsnell
Jennifer Curtin, a professor in politics and international relations at the University of Auckland, says that current Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lost popularity after his response to COVID-19 and the Australian bushfires. Photo: Unsplash.
Australians are heading to the polls today to have their say on who should be their prime minister for the next three years.
Jennifer Curtin, a professor in politics and international relations at the University of Auckland, joined Emilia Sullivan on 95bFM's The Wire to discuss what's happening in politics across the ditch.
Compulsory Voting
Since 1924, Australian citizens over 18 have been required to vote in federal elections, by-elections, and referendums.
However, it was only in 1984 that voting became compulsory for Indigenous Australians.
Failure to vote can result in a fine or a court date.
Preferential System
The Australian Electoral system is quite different to New Zealand's. When Australians go to the polling booth, they don't just vote for one candidate but indicate an order of preference for a list of candidates on the ballot paper.
Australians choose members of parliament to represent their views and interests in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Candidates
The two big players this election are the Liberal-National Coalition with Scott Morrison at the helm and Anthony Albanese with the Australian Labor Party.
Professor Curtin highlighted that Morrison, commonly called ScoMo, was quite popular prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But according to Curtin, ScoMo lost popularity from being overseas during the bushfires, the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and Rapid antigen tests (RATs), and "playing the state governments off against each other".
"There's a range of incidences he hasn't handled particularly well. The Liberal-National Coalition has been in power for quite a long time, and many people want to see a change."
Albanese is set on raising the minimum wage by up to 5%, while ScoMo is focused on tax cuts to address the cost of living crisis.
"People are concerned that tax cuts alone are not enough to cope with the cost of living crisis and rising fuel, rental, and housing prices."
Curtin said Labour wants to go greener and be seen as more progressive on the environment than the Liberals. But they know they need to win back blue-collar workers, particularly in Queensland, to form a government.
"If they win, they might be able to more progressive things they haven't talked about during the campaign."
Young Voters
Curtin says young voters are concerned about coal, the climate, and the short-term focus of many major candidates' promises.
"They are not looking intergenerationally into the future."
She expected that the Australian Green's vote share could increase this election, with policies on wiping student debt, climate action, and affordable housing.
"Maybe only by one house seat, but they could increase their share of seats in the Senate, which has the capacity to block legislation and budget bills but also raise their own bills."
What are "Teal Independents"?
Curtin said most independent parties are standing in centre-right, conservative electorates that traditionally go to the liberal party.
Many independent candidates are women, funded and supported by upper echelons of the liberal party who want to see a change in gender politics in Australia.
Teal independents are also largely campaigning for stronger action on climate change.
"We've seen a lot of toxic issues happening in parliament in the last term, with very little responsiveness coming from the government."
What is Pork Barreling?
Curtin said there are about 25-30 "marginal seats" that could go to either major party.
Leading up to the campaign period, she said governments will pour a lot of money into infrastructure or targeted projects to secure votes.
"The government can do this before the election gets called, so it's not considered corrupt necessarily. But the idea of pork barreling is that they're trying to sure up certain seats that they need to win through their control of the government's coffers."
Public interest journalism funded by NZ On Air
