What governs our decision regarding which party to support? What are the key issues we identify, the economy, social services, social engineering, or any other issue that polarises your party from the opposition? Economic management is identified with the entrenched community sense that Liberals make the best economic stewards. Below are the stats on the quarterly real GDP growth rate by governments.

Liberal....Abbott/Turnbull...0.63%
Labor....Rudd/ Gillard....0.61%
Liberal....Howard....0.89%
Labor....Hawke/Keating....0.90%
Liberal....Fraser....0.61%
Labor....0.72%

These numbers suggest that regardless of which party is in power the market dictates the growth, a market over which our politicians have little or no control. So accordingly we are voting them in on domestic issues.......and the management of our debt. There is no doubt that Rudd/Gillard squandered what we had almost immediately for no ongoing return. Labor had to borrow from their first year in government to fund their ongoing failure prone policies and I believe we would be in for the same if Labor regains government.

But the Turnbull government has just given “corporations” a $48 billion tax cut......that is a $48 billion tax hike for us. We have no friends of the masses in either camp. The Liberals will sell us into tax slavery and Labor will continuously squander anything we can borrow on minority issues that cost the majority of funds.

When combined, Liberal and Labor only represent corporate interests or those of a social sub set of crusaders seeking a moral identity or just to run along with the chosen mob. I have had a look at the candidates for the two houses and I have found an independent and a minority party that purport to have the values I want in a representative, we will see.

What issues are most important to you, does the knowledge that our governments have limited control of the economy change a priority.

Son, there are many issues that need addressing, from immigration, bring tens of thousands in, many of which are illiterate in their own language, to welfare waste, where billions is able to be wasted simply due to the fact welfare is paid in cash, the list goes on, so part of me feels that perhaps we need the recession we have to have again, so we can at least start afresh. Let's face it, if we hit the wall, we would be in a far better position to say no.

I doubt I will be voting for either of the majors, but labor will be my last choice, well second last counting the greens simply because they are to close to job destructing unions and wont come clean on IR issues.

The other issue is labor is once again writing cheques they cant cash. Nothing new there.

Sonofgloin, I still haven't made up my mind. I wouldn't waste my vote on a minor party though.
I have no doubt though, since that crazy ex-priest left the room, that many on this forum will vote for any of the major parties.
They will go with one of the Christian parties, or the equally mad 'Shooter, fishers etc' party....

Suseonline,

One of the beauties of the preferential voting system is that you can't waste your vote, even if you put minor parties and independents as your top preferences. The comic strip at the following website explains why:

http://www.chickennation.com/2013/08/18/you-cant-waste-your-vote

Butch, I agree, immigration and the lifelong cost to the taxpayers is now and was a substantial issue when the electorate gave Abbott a clear mandate to stop illegal immigration. Although the electorate made no call to cut bona fide immigration numbers, the economic and social practicalities of accepting illiterate non English speaking factory fodder into an economy that has just said goodbye to the last mass produced complex product it manufactured, the car, is economically septic.

Personally I do not trust Labor on boarder security, I know it was part of the Green alliance days, but the left are still all “hands across the water” no matter if we sink doing it, and on borrowed money.

Suse, you viewed what AJ put up, it seems any vote away from the big two is a fruitless exercise if the big two are in your selection. But the outcome was never to be wholesale electoral slaughter of the big two; it’s about getting a message that we want re focus along with economic and social reform that will place the interests of Australia first.

What we receive are economic imperatives as directed by the corporation lobby or the impractical dreams of the Marxists who never factor “human nature” into their egalitarian global dreams.

//One of the beauties of the preferential voting system is that you can't waste your vote, even if you put minor parties and independents as your top preferences.//

Just make sure you know where your preferences are going. Straightforward enough in the lower house, but if you vote above the line in the senate then whichever party you vote for decides where your preferences go. And they're often not what you'd think - a lot of minor parties will preference minor parties ahead of the major parties regardless of policies. So a vote above the line for the 'I Love Jesus Party' is likely to have preferences going to the 'Atheist Alliance' ahead of a more obvious choice like the Liberals because the 'Atheist Alliance' are another minor party, even though their platform is diametrically opposed to the 'I Love Jesus Party'.

The simple way to get around this is to vote below the line. Most people don't, but I enjoy exercising my democratic rights. I do feel sorry for the counters though.