Bandt also said that the choice was between a government that "deserves top be turfed out" and one "without a vision for the future".

Hewson also said that the current government is only in it for what they and their mates can get out of it which sounds pretty accurate to me.

The ALP may indeed no longer be the party it used to be (but neither are the Liberal/National coalition) but at least they leave things behind.

Their previous idolised LNP predecessor only left four long-term things behind - a GST, a structural deficit, a dud railway up the middle of Australia and a divided country riddled with xenophobia. This one has left even less and did not pass a single piece of legislation that materially advanced the nation's long term interests.
They are inept, totally self-absorbed and inward-looking and only interested in image-making and making the same grandious announcements many times. Employment growth is in line with population growth and just as he promised 450 GL of water to SA but delivered just 2 GL, or a billion trees and grew only 2 million, or 12 submarines and commissioned none for $5.5 billion.

All the talk of previous Labor waste and mismanagement pales into insignificance when it comes to rorts, economic mismanagement, dodgey handouts and contracts and scandals and there are likely more to come.

No matter who you give your preferences to to ensure a valid vote, put the Greens last; they are dangerous lunatics, and they have never had a more dangerous lunatic leading them than they do now. If they get the balance of power, we won't need to worry about China - the Greens will do us in first.

The party....
We need to know:
What are the real differences in the political parties and groups?
Will the policies of one suit us more than another?
Can we trust the party we favour?
Will it do as it says it will?
What is its track record?
How has its local member responded to us when we approach him with a genuine concern?

The voter....
I think many voters will vote for the same party every time, regardless of what is said.
It is the remaining (swinging) voters who shift the balance and bring about change.
It is facts which sway these other voters. Facts which change the way they vote.
I think many of us don't have access to the truth we need to allow real assessment of candidates.
Instead, we allow ourselves to be influenced by all the 'hype' at election time?
In effect, we allow someone to tell us how to vote?
The bottom line is: whether good or bad, we get the government which WE vote in to office.
It is our decision to make, and we make it.

Hi Foxy,

The Greens is the only party in the Federal Parliment, with a strong social justice platform. The conservatives never did have one, and Labor have lost most of theirs. Sure, the economy is important, and it has to be managed correctly, but its not the be all and end all of our existence. To quote the Elephant Man; "I am not an animal, I am a human being", sometimes we lose sight of that fact, and people like Morrison want to label us as "economic entities" and nothing more, and if we accept it, then it's a sad day for us all.

At the core of Conservatism is fear, fear of others not like us, be they gay people, homeless people, the Chinese people, whoever. The fear is these undeserving lot will take away from us what is rightfully ours. Fear leads to greed, and greed leads to hate. Its through fear that some politician's stay in power. The Coalition has been very successful at manipulating peoples fears, and Labor is trying the same tatic.

When some crusty Old Fart says The Greens are dangerous, mad, evil, crazy, put them last, I'm reassured that in fact The Greens are on the right track.

ps There are a couple of Independents in the Parliment that also have a social justic conscience as well, and worth boring for.

Pauliar,

The greens are the party of virtue signalling and wild hyperbole. For example:

"Greens Leader Adam (Bum) Bandit says Prime Minister Scott Morrison is putting lives at risk, by agreeing with the Liberal candidate for Warringah, who lobbied to stop transgender women from competing in women's sport."

Which why these fringe parties such as one nation and the pedogreens will never govern in their own right.

that should read "voting for"

A simple question to determine your vote;

What do you want most of all, a shiny new car, or the love of your family and friends, you can't have both?

If the answer is the former then you should look for some ultra conservative party, if its the latter then a radical progressive party should be the party of choice. I would like to think there is a middle ground, a moderate position that can deliver some material gain, whilst at the same time lifting people out of poverty and giving us a fairer society.

I note a new Liberal Party, called the TNL, from their advertising they could be an independent party with liberal principles, then on the other hand they could be a stooge party, like Palmer, wanting to white ant the Green vote and like Palmer direct it to the conservative side. This TNL party makes liberal use of the colour green. I will have to ask Bernard.

I see Fat George is standing as third Qld One Nation candidate for the Senate. As George is a 1,000 to 1 of winning, a cynic might say Fat George is only in it for the $105k bonus he will receive as a defeated parliamentary member at an election. A cynic might ask; Fat George why don't you run in the seat of Dawson for ON (George is the sitting member) where you could possibly win?