election 2013: who are you voting for? week 3

In the lead-up to the election, Lip has invited its writers and readers to share their voting intentions. Lip will publish these perspectives over the coming weeks. We are interested in hearing from those who feel that their perspective hasn’t been represented, those who don’t care about politics at all, and the die-hard political aficionados. No voting justification is too trivial or too broad. If you can share it in 200 words or less, we want to hear it! Email [email protected]

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“A lot of my friends think that I’m crazy because I’m under the age of twenty-five and I intend to vote for the Liberal Party at this coming election. They may have a point. People of my age are typically more interested in democratic movements that lean more to the Left in the political spectrum. For instance, we see young people becoming increasingly active in issues such as marriage equality, refugee rights, environmental conservation and funding for educational institutions.

Whilst I find some of these issues concerning, my main concerns are the health of the Australian economy, and the support of Australian manufacturing and exports. This doesn’t make me a union-hater or suggest that I supported policies such as WorkChoices. In fact, I believe unions play an essential part in Australian industrial relations and I actually like Labor’s FairWork legislation. I simply believe that is in the interest of all Australians to have a strong economy.

The party which I believe can lead Australia to having the strongest economy is the Liberal Party. I believe this because they have a particularly strong record when it comes to economic management. I also think they are more politically stable than their Labor counterparts. In fact, I believe that the Labor Party has become almost more liberal than the Liberal Party itself – due to recent policy changes and the new personality-based factional tendencies now present in the party. (Personality-based factional tendencies has always been a hallmark of Liberal Party politics.) Having said that, no party on the political landscape perfectly represents all my interests.

In some ways, my vote will actually be a choice between the lesser of multiple evils.” – Tim, 23

 

“I’ve voted Greens for ten years, in every election since I turned eighteen, and will again. I support the Greens because they support investment in healthcare, education, universities, the environment, the arts, and social justice issues like affordable housing, welfare safety nets, marriage equality, and the rights of indigenous people and refugees.

I am disturbed by a contemporary strand of public thinking where people come to be seen as too expensive for the state to care for them, instead of the thing the state exists to protect and nourish. I think the welfare state, the union movement, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were among the greatest achievements of the twentieth century, and under centre-right neoliberalism in the industrialised world they are being reversed and betrayed. Health, education and welfare are investments, not outcomes of investment.” – Jess, 28

 

 

“I have always stated that if Tony Abbott were Prime Minster I would leave the country; naturally you can tell I would never vote for the Liberals. Living in the western suburbs Liberal leadership leads to neglect and avoidance of my electorate. On a policy platform I am a true Green voter, I supper equality, and abortion, as well as strong enviro practises. I do however vote Labor as they get more chance of coming into power. I was convinced of this vote when Rudd supported gay marriage but am now undecided as being the child of immigrants I support a friendlier immigration policy.” – Victoria, 23

 

“It’s about time I had a say.

After almost 20 years of not casting a vote in the Australian elections I have decided it is time again to stand up and have my very small say about the running of this great country that we call home.
You might ask why I didn’t vote for so long when voting is mandatory and a civil right and why did I choose this election to come back to the fray of voters.

My completely honest answer is that I was frightened to be on an electoral role for those years in case my ex husband found where my son and I were living while my son grew up.

I have chosen to vote again now because the fear of having a Liberal government running our country like a misogynistic international property developer rather than a careful and considerate government of the people is enough to make me want to say no and be heard.
Workplace agreements are a disastrous idea that puts the power of working back into the hands of employers who can, at whim, discard hard working employees in order to satisfy their bottom lines.
Some of us have been taken advantage of for many years with very low award wages and the illegal non payment of superannuation while employers drive European cars, American motorcycles and swan off on international holidays each year.
If we give the Liberals the opportunity to bring in workplace agreements it won’t be the workers who have the opportunity to bargain.” – Cas, 53

 

“This is my first election since I moved from Queensland to Victoria a couple of years ago, so to be honest I’m pretty excited to be able to vote for a Greens MP who actually has a hope–and more than a hope really–of winning. It’s somewhat of a novelty to have politicians on my ballot who actually care about people rather than their own business interests. That said, so many of policies of the two major parties are so inhumane and counter-productive that Australia is not going to be the lucky country for much longer no matter what happens.” – Sarah, 34

 

Who are you voting for?

What issues matter most to you?

Will anything sway your vote this late in the game?

Let us know in the comments below!

 

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