Thanks for your kind advice Ludwig, Pelican and TBC.

I had already suggested in another post that we should write "none of the above" on our ballot papers.
And the compulsory/preferential voting system is fraught with pitfalls, your right Ludwig.

Having said that, "is there any better way to make your vote felt by our politicians"?.

If I may recall a true story, in 1975. i corresponded with the Electoral people, saying
that I was refusing to vote in the upcoming election because of the absence of democracy.
The Dismissal etc.

I was then visited by two suited fellows with short haircuts,
who wanted know more about my refusal to vote.
I never really did find out where they were from, but their demeanour
was intimidatory for a young disaffected voter, at home alone.

By writing "none of the above" on your ballot paper we would be telling all politicians that their propositions for our future
are unsuitable. It would telling them to go back to the drawing board, this time lets leave the vested interests out of the room
and consider what is best for our children's future. This would only be truly affective if 50% of us or more did it.
Such are the limitations of democracy.

Of course now days we have more democracy, but the democracy we have is a crock.
Can anybody out there think of a better way to make democracy work, for once?.

My suggested political solutions above are somewhat tongue in cheek
but with looming crises hanging over Australia's future, is also problematic and serious.

With all the really important issues off the table and the red herring stuff on it (although population policy is important),
the choices are inadequate. Neither party is representative of it's constituents and democracy, once again,
deludes it's people into thinking their in control.

thinker 2 says:

"By writing "none of the above" on your ballot
paper we would be telling all politicians that
their propositions for our future are unsuitable.
It would telling them to go back to the drawing
board, this time lets leave the vested interests
out of the room and consider what is best for
our children's future."

thinker 2 then asks:

"Can anybody out there think of a better way
to make democracy work, for once?"

Here's my suggestion, thinker 2:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=3820#93876 , and scroll to my following post.

That's how you cut all the puppet-strings and old loyalties/perceived obligations. If it's true that upwards of 50% of voters are as jaded and disillusioned as you suggest, and vote accordingly, then the people may return a non-party Parliament, from which a government could be formed.

Perhaps more importantly, was there to be any significant extent of fraudulent voting, such a move in circumstances of widespread community dissatisfaction with the major parties would almost surely bring any such fraud completely undone, for it would never have been planned to benefit such a maverick lot over whom those perpetrating it had no hold.

Of course at this point it might require some resetting of the electoral clock to achieve, but that is perhaps within the Governor-General's power to do, if circumstances warranted it. Circumstances may.

It might work, just once.

It is, I think, an offence in terms of the Electoral Act to encourage a person to vote informally at any election. Interestingly, it is not an offence, according to the AEC, to encourage a person to vote informally at a referendum. Ponder that one if you will.

Thank you ForrestGumpp, I read your link with great interest.

Ironically I discussed the matter of the "none of the above" vote with an accountant friend of mine today,
and he suggested that it should be an option on the ballot paper.

If your going to make voting compulsory and preferential and you consider this the correct way to conduct a democracy,
then it stands to reason that there should be a mechanism that provides the voters opportunity
to voice their discontent. If a majority of people do this, then the people have spoken.

If your going to force people to vote then you should be forced to accept their judgement.

This is of course more of a problem for the incumbents than an opposition because is represents a rejection
of the Govt's performance. If the "none of the above option" was ticked by most voters
an opposition would also quickly realise that it's own act is not up to scratch either.

I cant see any option for the major parties but to adopt a bi-partisan approach,
put the issues back on the table and find out/decide what it is we really want.
Instead of the the unrepresentative stuff they are serving up.

Realistically FG it will never happen, shame isn't it