Today's serving has 6 priorities, 5 pillars, no boats and no substance.

Finally, I've received a copy of the Liberal party's "six key priorities", one of which is a "5-Pillar economy".  Still nothing from Labor or the Greens in my letterbox.

I'm trying to be objective as I read it.  It looks good.  It looks expensive.  There are no claims about it being printed on recycled paper or being environmentally friendly. I've never voted Liberal in my life, so objectivity is tricky.

The claim to build a "more diverse" 5-Pillar economy by building on the stuff we already do seems thin.

The pledge to save me money - "Carbon Tax gone" - seems crazy.  Has everyone forgotten the steadily increasing electricity bills that were coming in long before the carbon tax was introduce?.  What's even more interesting is the absence of any mention of their Direct Action plan to combat climate change.  Clearly this is of no consequence to the Liberals.  (How are all the farmers going to run viable farms if climate change isn't addressed, I wonder?)  It's also worth remembering that we have a price on carbon as part of a carbon trading scheme.  This is different from a carbon tax.

Point 3 is about ending the waste and debt.  This is hilarious in light of the enormously over the top Paid Parental Leave scheme.  And the loss of income from the abolition of the carbon tax.

Point 4 is about better roads and services and is accompanied by a logo of a train track!  Tony Abbott is on record saying that he won't fund urban rail, instead preferring to fund more roads.   There is not a single mention of public transport in the entire document - another clue about their attitude to climate change.


"Stop the boats" waits until point 5 with the new tag line "stronger borders".  In the following pages of the leaflet there are statements of costs under Labor but no mention of the boat buy back scheme announced last month.  What was that about ending waste?

My preferred policy position on refugees and asylum seekers is "drain the moats".

Finally the sixth priority is they'll create two million new jobs. There is absolutely no information about how this will done.

Apart from the absence of climate change and public transport, the other glaring omission is industrial relations.  I do not trust that elements of the dreadful, punitive, mean and unfair Work Choices legislation will not be introduced by an Abbott government.

It's fair enough to like or not to like the leaders of the parties, but I think it's really important to remember that they are just one person in the context of a whole party that forms government. As we've seen in recent times, there's no guarantee that the leader you vote for is the leader you get for the duration.  My hope is that people take an interest, read information and dig deeper to think about the claims being made by anyone seeking election.

A friend of mine suggested to me that we should remove personality from politics and vote purely on policy.  I don't think that's realistic.  Politics is about people as much as it's about policy and personality does matter; but it's not the only thing.

Since yesterday's post, I've been directed to a couple of handy sites to assist with the arduous task of voting in the Senate.  Below the Line provides a breakdown of how the preferences flow when you vote above the line.  (Thanks Mousicles.)

If you're not happy, Cluey Voter helps you create your very own how to vote card based on your views of the squillion parties and candidates standing.  Even if you don't decide to vote below the line, the process of thinking about each party is worthwhile.  (Thanks to Lynne for that tip.)

And if you're curious to see the propaganda being distributed in your electorate visit the Election Leaflets site.  You can upload the stuff you've collected.  They also have a "this is not an election leaflet" leaflet.

Are you still paying attention to the election?  Are you undecided?  If you're overseas, is the Australian election even on your radar?

What your letterbox reveals about politics.

My letterbox at home is not where I receive my mail.  For that I have a post office box.  I do have a "no junk mail" sticker on there, but was unsurprised to open the letterbox this afternoon and find various pieces of political propaganda, election related information, an ad for some local cleaners and an invitation to join a gym.

Of the political propaganda one comes from Family First (a how to vote card with no policy information), one from Palmer United Party (a one page 7 point policy statement) and one from the Liberal party.  This one is interesting because it does not mention the Liberal party at all.  It's a slag off against Labor.  The only way I know it's from the Liberal party is that it is authorised by "D. Mantach".  I had to google that to discover that he's Liberal party director.  Sneaky.

So based on the information I've received, PUP is by far, the most helpful.  But I won't be voting for a big kid who has lots of money and makes no sense.  And the negativity of the Liberal campaign is very unappealing.  Maybe that's why they didn't overtly put their name to it.

Family First's how to vote instruction is scant on detail.  I've gone hunting to find how they are preferencing in the Senate election.  This is really hard to do.  For any party.  People who receive postal votes have told me that the Senate's ballot paper is as long as the kitchen table.  I don't like voting above the line without understanding the way the parties have organised their preferences, but the thought of voting below the line fills me with trepidation.

The real information is from the Australian Electoral Commission giving information about voting requirements.  It's easy to identify the real stuff from the guff because the real stuff is wrapped in plastic.  They explain how to complete the ballot paper.  You can even practise voting on their website.

A quick visit to the AEC website reveals the list of registered political parties.  Well that's an eye opener.  There's a party for everything it seems.  How about the Stop CSG Party, the Pirate Party, the Smoker's Rights Party (their website is all about asking for money...maybe they could donate the price of a pack of ciggies)?  The best name must go to the Coke in the Bubblers party.  They have a nice looking website, some appealing headline positions, but no substance.  According to their website, they're still looking for candidates!  Um, someone should tell them the election is on Saturday.

It must be tricky if you're undecided, but I think undecided voters are generally also the politically disengaged.  I've completed the Vote Compass and received the same result as last time.  It's an interesting exercise in thinking about the various policy issues and how you stack up when compared to the various policies of the major parties.  Why not head over and see what you discover?

There's a referendum on with this election too.  It's about whether local government should be recognised in the constitution.  I've received nothing about this and don't really know why it's a good or a bad idea.  If I can't find out something easily before Saturday, I'll be conservative and stick with the status quo.

The Greens and the Australia Labor Party are absent from my letterbox.   I live in a safe Labor seat, but that's no reason to ignore me.  Or maybe they are the only parties to respect my request for "no junk mail".

I'm off to fall asleep in front of a political interview now.

Ten questions for today.

1) Is advertising on hand dryers in public toilets effective?

2) Who ever uses a full bottle of nail polish?

3) Why does it rain whenever I have my hair blow waved?

4) Why can't people follow the instructions for recycling?

5) What is unclear about a sign that says "No Junk Mail"?

6) Why do people insist that you "need some sugar" when you tell them you don't eat sugar?

7) Why do businesses refuse to deliver to post office boxes?

8) Where do those text messages telling you you've won "a million pounds" come from?

9) Why, in the digital age, does it still take 3 business days for a cheque to clear?

10) What do visitors to Melbourne think when they can't top up their myki and they discover there are no toilets available at the station?

Answers to these questions are welcome.
What questions are you asking today?

Throw away papers - anyone reading?

I'm currently on hold.  The hold muzak is falsely upbeat, but slightly static, like a radio station tuned in the cracks between the stations. Every 30 seconds or so, the muzak is interrupted with the news that my call is important, they're grateful for my patience and they'll be with me real soon.

I'm calling the local give away newspaper after another lot was dumped in a pile at the foot of the 28 letter boxes which serve my apartment block.  Often I chase the pages down the street before dumping them in the recycling bins.  Other times I'm picking up wet paper slurry after the pile of papers has been rained on for a few days and dumping it in the recycling bins.  "Throw away" would be a more apt name.

It's hard to imagine that the people who produce the paper and the people who pay to advertise in it would be happy that this is how their product ends up.

It hasn't rained today, so the newspaper soup is not evident.
(c) divacultura 2012

Today I decided to pick one up and see what's in it.  There were two free local papers.  One of them had some stories of local interest, the other was really a vehicle for real estate advertising.  Inside the two papers there were 19 junk mail catalogues.  Nineteen!  It's end of financial year so there's a big pitch for people to spend money in the hope that they will gain a tax benefit.  If you're stuck for ideas, look no further than the junk mail.

After almost five minutes on hold Andrew answers my call.  I describe the fate of his publication and he agrees that the delivery process renders the whole exercise pointless.  My "complaint" will go through to the people who do the deliveries.

I mention my "no junk mail" label that I have on my letter box.  His hackles go up.  His newspaper is NOT junk mail.  It's unaddressed mail.  Apparently I need to apply a more comprehensive sticker.  I'm beginning to understand why my crazy neighbour has sealed his letter box shut by attaching a metal plate.  So that pile of paper slurry at the entrance to my building is unaddressed mail, NOT junk mail. Must remember that.

I've written before about my relationship with junk mail.  Looking after the world I live in is something I am passionate about.  I don't like litter.  I don't like waste.  It could be argued that the very existence of these throw aways is an exercise in both, regardless of how they are delivered.  I don't even read the newspapers offered for sale.  Dumping them in a pile sends the message that the producers think the same way.  I'm sure the advertisers probably suspect this.  This problem could be solved with some creative streamlining: advertisers can transfer money to a bank acccount somewhere.  No need for paper, ink, time or recycling collection.  Same result, less litter.

I'll be interested to see whether the distribution method changes in coming weeks.

Do you read the throw away papers?  How about the catalogues? What do you do with them?

No unauthorised mail please.

The "no junk mail" sticker on my letterbox went missing a couple of months ago.  I had wondered whether it would really make a difference, as the endless catalogues and advertising flyers are usually dumped in a pile on top of the letterboxes for my apartment block, rather than distributed to individual letterboxes.  Sometimes a rubber band keeps them in the bundle so they can dissolve in a soggy mass while remaining in a manageable pile.  Usually there is no rubber band and the slightest breeze leafs through and blows the pages all over the neighbourhood.

Occasionally smaller leaflets would make their way past the no junk mail sticker into my letterbox.  The usual culprits were real estate agents begging me to list my (rented) apartment with them; local restaurants trying to entice with a copy of their takeaway menu; carpet cleaning offers; business "opportunities" and glossy newsletters from local politicians.  I don't understand why businesses would think you would be likely to use their services when they've ignored your request about junk mail.  On occasion I've also found advertising from Scientology and shocking anti abortion propaganda - you can read about that here.

Without the sticker as a deterrent, the junk mail being delivered to me is now out of control.  Every time I remove the contents of my letterbox, I make a mental note that I must get another sticker.  I didn't know where to get one.  I think the last one was found, ironically, on a table of promotional material for an environmental organisation at an event I attended.  "No junk mail" sticker never made it onto the shopping list, so I just didn't think about it.

Today I was at the post office and on the counter where I was being served was a display of stickers.  I had a choice between the traditional "no junk mail" or "no unauthorised mail".  They were $2 each and a useful impulse buy.  The woman who served me told me that they had been selling like hotcakes today.  Is it the pre Christmas advertising rush that has people buried in a pile of cheap colour printing or the fact that suddenly the stickers are easily available and in a place that jogs the memory?

I lashed out and bought the traditional sticker and will apply it tomorrow, or whenever it stops raining. I thought that the request for no unauthorised mail left too much room for doubt.  I wasn't even totally sure what it meant.

I'd love there to be a penalty for advertisers who ignore the sticker, but it would probably just mean that the distributors would dump their excess elsewhere to become litter.