Ask Steph

Oh my , it's tomorrow ! Following on from my previous 2 posts as I attempted to get some info on the smaller parties in my area : Candidate for the AJP , Summary of Twitter Kerfuffle This is my final pre-election post, chock full of last minute important info you will need to know. And a brief overview of the Science Party ( who really seem to have caught my eye )  As you go in to vote tomorrow remember the following  - Preferences do matter, especially if you're not swayed by the scaremongering campaigns.  -Voting for minor parties will not cause instability ( because of the beautiful aforementioned preference voting system) - Please for the love of God, DON'T Donkey vote ( seriously ...don't be a lazy eejot) - You must number ALL the candidates on the green ballot  - you must EITHER pick 6 parties (above the line) , or 12 candidates (below the line) on the white ballot   - You can get a fresh ballot if you make a mistake - just ask...

Righty oh . So I eventually tracked down some candidates from the lists that are available : there are 6 candidates standing for Goldtstein (the electorate where I live.) I've reached out via email to the people that get no airtime from the media, probably because they don't have the same budget as the big parties . Which is weird, because I could have sworn I lived in a democratic country with an independent media ... But never mind.  Below is the responses of Naren , from the  Animal Justice Party.  Naren's profile on the ABC's  website : http://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2016/guide/gold/ What are your parties policies in supporting small local businesses to expand interstate, and internationally.  I am a small business owner myself Stephanie. My office is in Elsternwick and I employ three people. I'm in support of policies to help small businesses grow. What is your personal stance on tax incentives to promote local employme...

I've been here 6 years ... I've chosen to become an Australian citizen, and now in a couple of weeks time  I will vote for the first time in federal and state elections. I've done the local elections couple of years ago. Honestly was not impressed with who won, so I moved. That was a joke, we didn't move because a labor thug won our ward, there were a lot more pressing and urgent reasons why we sold the house and moved. But yes, as you can tell, I don't have much time for the labor party.  Here's what I've learned in these 6 years ( for my fellow dual nationals ) :  1) There are many more choices than liberal or labor, the media however goes to great lengths to ensure you don't hear about them.  2) Liberals and labor stand for very little beyond points scoring and keeping power. There are very few debates of substance , and if you want to know what they stand for you're going to have to do a lot of your own leg work.  3) Labor is ...