This election seems to have been one of the biggest anticlimax’s in history. The nation remains unsure who will govern for the next three years, and the fate lies with the four independents currently being courted by the major political parties. I can’t decide what a hung parliament stands for in terms of the democratic process. On this occasion, I think perhaps it highlights the similarities in approach taken by both the ALP and the Liberal/Nationals during the campaign process. The commentators seem to agree that this was a very scripted campaign, focussed primarily on ‘not screwing up’ rather than taking any bold risks on contentious issues. There was a very high informal vote count, dubbed by The Age as the ‘Latham effect’; for example, in the electorate of Blaxland 14.25% of all votes cast were informal, highlighting a sense of apathy and disdain amongst voters.
I was most surprised by the fairly bi-partisan approach to the issue of asylum seekers, and was disappointed that neither major party could offer a more empathetic approach to the subject. It seems clear that the campaigns were based primarily on fear tactics and smear tactics.
Crikey declared the ABC a ratings winner during the campaign. I think with such a negative campaign, shows like Gruen Nation and Yes we Canberra offered voters a welcome light-heartedness that was necessary to retain people’s interest. Interestingly, the Yes we Canberra ‘warm-up act’ for Lateline saw an increase in Lateline viewers during the election coverage.
I am still looking forward to finding out who will take office, but a week has gone by since the ‘non-result’ and I find that I haven’t really been giving it much thought. I wonder if I will feel more inspired when an outcome is actually reached?
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