octave

I am actually in Vic, just used a quick example of a pollie that I would put last. Yes in the House of Reps. In the Senate, you can vote above the line (for grouped candidates) or number every candidate

Just another thing that makes me feel better is in the case of this guy The South Australian Liberal party is standing by an election candidate who said same-sex marriage is not real, homosexuality can open up “demonic realms” and gender transitioning is an “illusion”. I don't want to merely punish (if I lived in his electorate) with 0 vote, I want to vote strategically against him. I always vote strategically and number every square. For many years, I lived in Eden-Monaro, a so-called bellwether seat. This meant the winner of the seat was always (mostly) from the party that won the government. This seat was sometimes pivotal, so it did really matter.

So you don't vote? Have you ever voted? Who did you vote for? (Maybe that question is too personal) I am not trying to tell people how to live their lives. If not voting enhances your well-being, then go for it. For me, action, even if it is ineffective, just feels better than inaction. Complaining without action to me is just whinging. I recently found myself in a situation of spending a whole day with my mother 93 (who lives in an aged care home) in a hospital emergency waiting (9 hours plus). I can see why this happened, and I can see the problems of the system. For a couple of days, I was seething, angry and anxious. I then did what I always do (being a man of action). I wrote several letters to several different people/bodies. I am fully aware that none of my well-researched, intellectually rigorous arguments will make the slightest bit of difference. It did, however, help me get over and return to my happy state. I really hate whingers, and to me the definition of a whinger is someone who believes that constantly restating their beef but doing nothing is somehow noble. If 90% of the population stopped voting, would politicians change, or would they just campaign to the 10% and save money. Our present government, of course, is far from perfect. If you are waiting for perfection, you will never vote. If I waited for the perfect woman to marry, I would still be single. I don't give a toss whether an individual votes or not, but pretending it is some noble gesture that will be a kick in the nuts is BS. As per my previous post, votes not cast mean very little to a political party; they are too vague. Writing on your ballot "stop logging" or "out with migrants" or whatever does get back to parties via scrutineers (I know this for a fact) rather than "I am not voting and I am not telling you why

I think the problem is that the electorate is infantile. Promises are for kids sitting on Santa's knee. We think of pollies as being bad because they don't do exactly what we personally want. So I agree that pollies make promises they can't keep, but why? Perhaps it is because we crave simple answers. I am sure most of us here would think that large corporations should pay more (or any in some cases) tax. Why don't stupid polies realise that and do this super popular thing? I guess they are probably aware that if they did some of these corporations would shut up shop and then move elsewhere. I think a solution for this needs to be found, but it is not as simple as many believe

I think the problem is that the electorate is infantile. Promises are for kids sitting on Santa's knee. We think of pollies as being bad because they don't do exactly what we personally want. So I agree that pollies make promises they can't keep, but why? Perhaps it is because we crave simple answers. I am sure most of us here would think that large corporations should pay more (or any in some cases) tax. Why don't stupid pollies realise that and do this super popular thing? I guess they are probably aware that if they did, some of these corporations would shut up shop and then move elsewhere. Then the gov would be criticised for chasing large employers offshore. It is naive to believe that it is easy or that there is one simple answer that will please everyone.

The thing is GON, that a non-vote is not much of a signal, but parties are very sensitive to trends in the vote count, i.e., are they gaining or losing votes. They also take notice of informal votes with slogans written on the ballot paper. You could write "deport immigrants" on your paper if that is what you think, and if enough people do that, scrutineers report this back to the party leadership. Your brilliant plan of "doing nothing" is not the powerful weapon you think it is. Doing something, even if unsuccessful, is better than doing nothing and thinking you are doing something useful. The other thing is that it is better for personal happiness to take positive action rather than do nothing. There is a saying that certainly helps me maitain a happy life. : "Action absorbs anxiety."

Why? You get to be in government because the majority votes for you, and it does not matter whether it's 20 million or just a handful of voters. It might be worth reading this: in australia where voting is mandatory, does it send any kind of useful messages to the political parties. Do they even care how many people fail to vote? Short answer: not very much. In Australia’s compulsory voting system, the number of people who fail to vote is generally too small to send a strong political signal, and parties tend to pay far more attention to other indicators. Here’s how it works in practice. 1. Non-voting rates are very low Turnout in Australian federal elections is typically around 90–92% of enrolled voters. The election is administered by the Australian Electoral Commission. Rough breakdown in many elections: ~90% vote formally or informally ~3–5% fail to vote some are excused after explaining to the AEC Because the non-voting group is small and scattered, it’s hard to interpret it politically. 2. Political parties mostly ignore “failure to vote” Parties like the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia, and others generally don’t treat non-voting as a meaningful message because: The people who miss voting are not a coherent group. Many simply forget, are travelling, or are ill. They don’t know the political views of those people. So parties can’t tell if non-voters were protesting, apathetic, or just busy. 3. Informal voting sends a clearer signal If people want to show dissatisfaction, informal ballots are a better indicator. An informal vote is when the ballot is filled out incorrectly or left blank. These are counted and reported. In some electorates analysts look closely at: high informal rates large numbers of blank ballots These can hint at protest or confusion with the ballot. 4. The signals parties actually care about Political parties pay far more attention to: 1. Primary vote shifts Changes in each party’s first-preference vote. 2. Preference flows How minor-party voters allocate preferences. 3. Booth-level swings Detailed results from each polling place. 4. Demographic patterns How suburbs or demographic groups move between elections. These data points are far more useful than the small number of people who simply didn’t vote. 5. Compulsory voting changes the meaning of turnout In voluntary systems (like the US), turnout can signal: enthusiasm disengagement mobilisation success But in Australia, turnout is largely “forced”, so it tells parties very little about political sentiment. ✅ In effect: Failing to vote in Australia rarely sends a meaningful political message, because it’s too uncommon and too ambiguous.

Because in life, you are often faced with choices, and there is no perfect solution. If I book a domestic flight, every airline available has had its share of fvckups. What am I to do, not book any of them, or do I rationally evaluate the choices available and choose the best (or least worst one? The thing is that as individuals, we all have things we want and don't want. No party can ever represent every single thing I want so what am I to do? Should I not vote for anyone or should I vote for the government that most closely aligns with my beliefs? If I took your statement literally, then I would never vote. Would that be a good thing if no one voted?

In the US, Trump knows that suppressing voters is the only way he will get re-elected.

There surely must always be a "least worst" choice?

Well, in that case, surely GON would have a good case to have the fines waived. It is hard to believe that during the weeks you can postal vote GON does not go into town to buy food, petrol or anything else. Where I used to live, neighbours would always ring and say they were going into town, and did we need anything? We would also do this for others. Perhaps people in the country are no longer kind and helpful to each other. As I say, I have failed to vote twice, and on both occasions the fine was waived. In any case, my point is that GON chooses to pay a fine, but there are alternatives. In Australia, voting in federal elections is compulsory. If you’re enrolled but don’t vote in an election run by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), you may receive a “Failure to Vote” notice asking you to explain why. You won’t be fined if the AEC accepts that you had a “valid and sufficient reason.” The law doesn’t give a strict list, but these are commonly accepted examples: 1. Illness or medical emergency Being seriously ill on election day Being in hospital or caring for someone with a medical emergency 2. Being outside Australia If you were overseas and unable to access overseas voting or postal voting in time. 3. Religious beliefs If voting conflicts with genuine religious beliefs. 4. Natural disaster or major disruption Floods, bushfires, severe storms, or other events preventing travel to a polling place. 5. Unexpected work commitments If work made it genuinely impossible to attend a polling place or vote early/postally. 6. Travel or remoteness Being in a remote location where voting options were not reasonably available. 7. Accident or unforeseen events Car breakdown, transport failure, or similar unexpected problems preventing you from voting. 8. Administrative issues You were not properly enrolled or believed you were not required to vote. Reasons usually not accepted Examples that normally won’t be considered valid: “I forgot” “I was busy” “I don’t like the candidates” “I don’t believe in voting” What happens if the reason isn’t accepted The AEC usually issues a small fine (about $20). If unpaid, it can escalate through the court system and become larger. ✅ Important: In Australia you don’t actually have to vote for a candidate — you only have to attend a polling place or submit a ballot. You can cast a blank or informal vote if you choose.

How do you get mail delivered? When I lived in a rural area, the postie would pick up letters to be posted as well as deliver mail. Apart from that, on two occasions I did not vote (accidentally), I got a notice, and I just said I was sick that day, so no fine for me. By the way, it is not illegal to fail to register to vote, but once on the electoral roll, you are required to vote. The fine from memory is ridiculously small, however, if you hate the government, then why give them your money?

You know, there is probably a smarter way to do this. If you want to send a message and avoid a fine, you could either go to the poll and get checked off and still not vote, or, if it is inconvenient, get a mail ballot and, instead of a valid vote, write a short message across your ballot. I know for a fact that each party's scrutineers do note such things. Why are you so keen to punish yourself with a fine?

Are you saying that someone who is not third-generation is not truly Australian? I can't quite discern your meaning.

A strength of our system is the fact that the PM can be ditched by the party. There are many examples in recent history where PMs have been ditched (Gorton, Hawke, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull). Whilst people may find this annoying, it is much better than the US system. Republicans know that Trump is a disaster and will cost them at the midterms, but there is nothing they can do about it.

I am not sure what you mean by this. Care to expand on it?

I well remember Abbott saying this: "Abbott claimed that the vast majority of Australians did not need, nor want to pay for, the high-speed fibre network proposed by Labor, suggesting it was simply a tool to allow people to watch movies." In 2020 during Covid fast internet was the saviour of the economy and many, many workers, including me. Today, many people work either full or partially from home, freeing up roads and public transportation and improving people's working lives.

I also use both Flight Radar 24 and Flight Aware when my wife has been away on a solo trip. This happens about 4 times a year. We have the pickup down to a fine art. I park at a large service station a couple of KMs from the airport (free). I can then find her flight on either of these apps. and see exactly where it is. This means I can get to the pickup zone at just the right time. Another purpose I use it for is following other people's flights. Recently, my son and partner spent 3 weeks in China. I tracked all of their flights, not out of concern but out of interest.

Here you go OT. Flight Radar 24 historic flights. Untitled 552.mp4

I am not sure if you can do that or not on the free versions of FR24 or Flight Aware but there is a site run by Air Services Australia called WebTrak. II think its main purpose is for reporting aircraft noise. You can go back 3 months, I think, only for capital cities, though https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/community/environment/aircraft-noise/webtrak/

You can also type an aircraft's registration on FlightAware for example VH-*** for historic data.

This was my last flight from Adelaide to Melbourne Untitled 551.mp4

FlightAware allows you to search for past flights for free

If you close the ad I think it takes you to the subscription page. I suspect this is what is happening. The free version is sponsored by an ad. Here is how I use this app Untitled 549.mp4

I am not sure why you are trying to register. It is free to use and does not require registration unless you want the paid version.