Is our 2 party system just a con?

[octave]

4 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

PO mailing box are 37km from my place.

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?

[willedoo]

2 minutes ago, octave said:

When I lived in a rural area, the postie would pick up letters to be posted as well as deliver mail.

octave, picking up letters is long gone. It might happen somewhere but would be fairly rare these days. Contractors in our area put in a low price to get the job and tackle it like a car race. You often find letters lying in the mud in the stormwater drain. I've kept my PO box in town for secure parcel collection because the contractors are so bad. Been that way for years now, every new contractor is as bad as the last. 

[willedoo]

3 hours ago, red750 said:

This house near me just got passed in for the fifth time...

Not their fault, Howard made them build it.

[octave]

7 minutes ago, willedoo said:

octave, picking up letters is long gone. It might happen somewhere but would be fairly rare these days.

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.

 

[randomx]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

I haven't voted for the last four Fed elections, just paid the fines, because the major parties are more internationalist than Australian these days, I can't stomach them.

Yep, same, exactly. To me it hasn't even been worth the time out to go vote haven't for 15yrs now. To me there's been no one even worth voting for so forget it. lf there ever is l'll go vote.

[randomx]

 

Any thoughts on Angus ?

[octave]

4 minutes ago, randomx said:

To me there's been no one even worth voting for so forget it.

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

[randomx]

Yeah but yaknow, a worst choice isn't gonna win or do anything anyway sooo , not even worth the trip down and time to me.

l voted every time when Howard was in , to get the yank bum kissing moron out.  😁

Edited 1 hour ago by randomx

[red750]

Back to big houses, this is the newest house in our street. The owners moved in last week. Landscaping still to be done.

 

[octave]

5 minutes ago, randomx said:

a worst choice isn't gonna win or do anything anyway sooo

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

[willedoo]

Our local federal member is LNP and fairly safe. Last election he got his margin halved to 7%, but should get in ok next time. His only real opposition is Labor, and the way the preferences flow, he should get back in ok. Even if One Nation take a heap of his support, it's an area where the Greens poll 10%, so their preferences will go to Labor and should knock One Nation out of the contest. ON preferences (with Family First and Palmer's) will then flow back to the LNP and top Labor. Demographics are on the side of the LNP here - part rural and one candidate due to the LNP amalgamation, a big small business population, and a big population of Victorian self funded retiree migrants.

[randomx]

1 hour ago, octave said:

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

Yeah right, interesting.