Are we over the thought of a hung parliament?

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If the Google Trends graph generated at 5pm Saturday 28 August 2010 is any indication, it seems that Australian Internet users may be well on the way to switching off from the hung parliament negotiations and beginning to get on with the rest of their lives.

By last Thursday football, racing, and a celebrity chanteuse were generating more local searches than two of the terms commonly in use concerning the 21 August federal election result.

Main players get impatient for final tally in 2010 Australian Federal Election

Virtual Tally Room at 6pm on 27 August 2010
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The Denison electorate in Tasmania is one of those polling anomalies where the bulk of first preference votes clearly got to one candidate (in the this case Labor) but following preferences are expected to flow in large numbers to a second candidate (in this case an Independent).

Today the Australian Electoral Commission staff and candidates scruntineers are counting Denison preferences in this electorate according to an 27 August 2010 AEC media release.

It would appear that all the main players in the national hung parliament scenario are becoming a mite impatient and would like Andrew Wilkie's position clarified asap.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) announced today that a preliminary distribution of preferences will occur in the electorate of Denison (Tasmania) this Saturday, 28 August.

State Manager and Australian Electoral Officer for Tasmania, Sandra Riordan said the decision to conduct a provisional scrutiny at this earlier stage in the count was to assist in providing some early certainty of the closely contested result of the 2010 federal election for the Electoral Division of Denison.

The provisional scrutiny on Saturday will be conducted on all available ballot papers that have been fully rechecked for the electorate of Denison, and will include all votes cast at polling places on election day, and all early votes that have been processed to date.

Following completion of the provisional scrutiny a further media release will be issued and available on the AEC website.

A provisional scrutiny involves a full distribution of preferences on the ballot papers, and scrutineers are able to be present during the count. The first distribution reallocates the votes of the candidate with the fewest first preferences to the next available candidate. Following that distribution, the votes of the candidate with the next fewest votes will be reallocated to the remaining available candidates. Finally the votes of the candidate that then has the fewest votes remaining will be reallocated. After that third distribution it is expected that the leading candidate, and consequently the likely result of the election, will become clear.

For more information on the counting of votes in the 2010 federal election, visit the virtual tally room.

Abbott and the height of pollie hypocrisy

Politics makes outright whores of so many, but never have I seen someone take to that role with as much gusto as the Hon. Tony Abbott MP.
From his Australians for Honest Politics Trust (and maybe two other associated 'slush' funds) created to bring down a politically inconvenient former protégée to this apology made years too late and run in the online meeja by the likes of the Boorowa News last Wednesday:
"THE likely key independent MP Andrew Wilkie said Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had apologised for the Howard government's vilification of him over his opposition to the Iraq War.
Mr Wilkie said the apology came as both Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Julia Gillard began to court his support as a key player in the shape of the next parliament.
The former intelligence analyst was pursued by the Howard government in 2003 after his decision to quit its Office of National Assessments and speak out as a whistleblower against the war.
Prime minister John Howard claimed at the time that Mr Wilkie was ''guilty of distortion, exaggeration and misrepresentation'' in his attacks on the government's use of intelligence."

AEC running vote tally now 71 all on morning of 26 August 2010

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From the AEC Virtual Tally Room as of 4am on Thursday 26 August 2010:
Currently 79.78% of the primary vote has been counted.
The two party preferred count is 76.87% complete.
At this stage the Coalition is thought to have 71 seats, Labor 71 seats, Independents 4 seats and 3 seats are still considered doubtful.


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From the ABC Australia Votes 2010 website as of 4.30am 26 August 2010

That's not democracy!

Now let me get this straight. Four independent candidates I never had the remotest opportunity to cast a vote for and who never presented policy or promises to the people in the national federal election campaign (except in their own electorates), now want to dictate who will form government and the way in which the Australian Parliament will operate from now on.
Fark me dead! Someone's having a lend of themselves.
That's not democracy - that's oligarchy.
And that's not on as far as I'm concerned.
Turn those braying asses back into their stalls, reprint the ballot papers and send us all to the polls once again.

Media wrap & latest vote tally on Wednesday morning, 25 August 2010

AEC Virtual Tally Room
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Across Australia 14,088,260 electors enrolled to vote.
Currently 78.76% of the primary vote has been counted representing 11,000,292 electors.
The two party preferred count is 75.85% complete.
A total of 1,935,933 declation votes were issued, including postal, prepoll and absentee ballots.
619,905 informal votes were recorded.

This morning's reports on the scramble for a minority government, with Tony Abbott using the media to push his cause:

Independents set for long haul Sydney Morning Herald‎
'If they were good for the bush, I'm a Martian astronaut.'... Bob Katter said that during their 12 years in power the Coalition had done little for rural voters. Photo: Nicolas Walker THE three independents holding the key to who will govern the nation...
Greens will control ALP, says Abbott The Australian ‎
Independents Bob Katter, left, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott meet in Parliament House. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: The Australian TONY Abbott has warned that the Australian Greens would virtually control a minority Labor government...
Abbott's plea to independent MPs The Age ‎
With three seats still in doubt nationally, all eyes are on Hasluck for a result that may decide which party can form government. TONY Abbott, a renowned parliamentary head kicker, has promised a ''kinder, gentler polity'' if he becomes prime minister...
Abbott to drive gentle bargain to kingmakers ABC News
An Abbott government would be prepared to introduce a new, backbench-only Question Time and expose more of its ministers - even Tony Abbott himself - to the rough-and-tumble of the budget estimates process, the Coalition will tell crossbench MPs this week...
Rural MPs may finally meet leaders News.com.au
THREE rural independents who could decide Australia's next prime minister are formulating a roadmap to power which they'll present to both Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott...
Gillard has the real call, not Bryce‎ The Australian
Power to incumbent if count tied: Fraser The Australian
Oakeshott pushes unity government vision The Australian ‎

Provisional voters reminded to provide their evidence of identity to AEC by Friday 27 August 2010 to make their vote count

From Australian Electoral Commission media release 24 August 2010:

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is reminding all voters who cast a provisional vote on election day Saturday 21 August and didn't provide evidence of identity on the day, that they have until Friday 27 August to fulfil this requirement.

Electoral Commissioner, Ed Killesteyn said that voters may have cast a provisional vote on election day because their name or address could not be found on the list of voters or it appeared their name had already been marked off.

"The AEC must receive evidence of identity from provisional voters by 5pm on Friday 27 August 2010 or their vote cannot be counted," said Mr Killesteyn.

On election day a 'voter advice document' was provided to each voter who cast a provisional vote without providing an accepted form of identity. The document informed them of their obligation to provide evidence of their identity by this Friday.

These voters can visit an AEC office to show an accepted evidence of identity document or they can mail a photocopy of the document, provided it has been sighted and signed by an authorised person, to an AEC office.

Please note this requirement only applies to voters who cast a provisional vote on election day and did not provide evidence of identity on the day – and does not apply to any other voter.

Provisional votes are only counted after a careful check of enrolment records are made to confirm the provisional voter's eligibility.

For the addresses of AEC divisional offices, visit the Contact the AEC page or call the AEC on 13 23 26.

It's begun. Liberals attempt to smear Australian Governor-General in hope that state governor will have to decide next federal government

Media Statement 23 August 2010

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Saturday's federal election vote count was not even finished for the night when the first whispered attempts to discredit Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce began in an effort to have her stand aside, presumably in favour of NSW Governor Marie Bashir (current holder of dormant commission as Administrator of the Commonwealth), in the event of a hung parliament being confirmed by the Australian Electoral Commission.

Though why the Coalition appears to believe that Governor Bashir would be more amenable to inviting Abbott to form a government is unclear at this point. Perhaps the ease with which she was spooked by tabloid newspaper The Daily Telegraph earlier this year has fostered some hope in Liberal breasts that she might cave under pressure.

While Tony Abbott is keeping his head below the parapet for now, yesterday the art of the sly smear was being practiced by Liberal Party donor and mining magnate Clive Palmer:

MINING magnate and government critic Clive Palmer has questioned the role of Governor-General Quentin Bryce in determining whether Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott is allowed to form a government.
Ms Bryce's daughter Chloe Bryce is married to ALP powerbroker Bill Shorten, who was instrumental in Ms Gillard toppling Kevin Rudd for the prime ministership.
''We need to make sure that the Governor-General is totally impartial,'' Mr Palmer told The Age. ''If the Governor-General finds she can't be impartial, she should stand down and they should get someone else to fulfil that role.''

In response to this and other speculation in the media Government House released this brief statement:

The Governor-General is seeking advice on concerns raised about her personal position in the current political circumstances.

It's almost a given that sometime in the next three weeks Abbott will be at the Court of Disputed Returns and the Federal Court trying to claw back as many seats as he can in order to form government in his own right; but what is also highly probable is that should either Bryce or Bashir issue that all important invitation to Julia Gillard instead of to him, Abbott will go straight to the High Court asking that the decision be overturned and then a constitutional crisis really will be upon us all.

It wouldn't surprise me if Abbott is rather relying on a national cringe at the thought of a prolonged Coalition dummy spit of this kind (argumented by motions of no confidence and 2008-style disruptive antics in the House once Parliament begins another term) when he argues that the return of a Gillard Government would destabilize the political landscape.

Hogan no hero in Page

The Northern Star 23 August 2010:

KEVIN HOGAN'S eyes were red-rimmed and his movements terse as he watched results pour in from across the Page electorate.

The people had spoken and it took Mr Hogan and his Page Nationals colleagues less than two hours to work out what they had said: "We want Janelle Saffin."

After nearly 10 months of hard campaigning by Mr Hogan, his wife Karen, and even their children, it was a difficult message to hear, but he said he would do it all again in a flash.

Speaking after his 8pm call conceding defeat to his Labor opponent, Mr Hogan said running in the campaign had been a 'great personal experience'.

The Greens - winning and grinning in 2010

Whatever the outcome of the peculiar and slightly distasteful political ménage à quatre - formed by Labor, Libs, Greens and Independents - presently trying to resolve itself into a workable federal government, it seems the Australian Greens prove the saying that winners are grinners.

Taken from a Greens email sent by Ebony Bennett to supporters on 23rd August:

• We won a Senate seat in every State, including our first ever Greens Senators in Queensland and Victoria. This gives us the power to shape the agenda of the new Government and achieve real outcomes on issues like climate change, a fair go for asylum seekers, same sex marriage, and improving public schools and hospitals;
• Our first ever lower house Greens Member of Parliament has been elected in a general election - congratulations to Adam Bandt who won the seat of Melbourne with a massive 13% swing to the Greens on primaries!
• More than 4,500 of you signed up online to volunteer over the course of the campaign - knocking on doors, handing out how to votes, holding Greens stalls and events, and much more;
• Together, we raised more than $300,000 from small online donations to run our fantastic, positive campaign advertising on TV, on billboards in capital cities, in major newspapers, and to build the biggest online advertising presence we've ever had; (with special thanks to the talented creative team at Make Believe for all their work on this campaign)
• More than 20,000 people became Facebook fans of the Greens- and dozens of State and local Facebook groups sprung up to spread the Greens' message online

For me, as Campaign Manager, the last few months have been both exhilarating and exhausting. What's kept me going is the knowledge that you - the people out there reading these emails - have been working tirelessly in your own communities.

You've shared the Greens' positive vision for Australia with your neighbours, your colleagues and your families, and that's what's led to these stunning results.

You are the heart and soul of the Greens.

Having the balance of power in the Senate from July 2011 isn't a magic wand, but it does mean we'll be in a powerful position to make legislation better, introduce new ideas to the Parliament and push both sides of politics to deliver smarter, more constructive and progressive outcomes for our nation. The results of this election won't be clear for another few days - or even weeks - and the Senators and I will be in touch with the latest developments.

Official tally as third day of 2010 Australian Federal Election vote count begins

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After a Sunday spent recounting those ballot papers originally counted on election night, the Australian Electoral Commission's Virtual Tally Room records:

Currently 78.13% of the primary vote has been counted.
The two party preferred count is 74.90% complete.

House of Representaives seats confirmed won to date - Coalition 72 and Labor 70

As Tony 'People Person' Abbott tries to be first in forming minority government.....

He is one Australian politician who is definitely eliciting passion out there in cyberspace:

anniepapas‎: if Tony Abbott wins this election, I will be first in line to assassinate him. #ausvotes Twitter

The Audreys Don't fret friends, @boy_named_Joe is going to assassinate Tony Abbott. We'll visit you in jail :) via Twitter for iPhone

Boy_named_Joe Anyone have a preference as to method of assassination? I'm currently leaning toward ninja death squad and/or acid bath. Or mauled by bears. via Twitter for iPhone

asphodel_4: @lcpdragonslayer jokes, maybe I would come see you. That way I could assassinate Abbott... via web

seanjhross: i'd offer to assassinate Abbott, but that'd make Bishop PM #ausvotes via web

OFFICIAL_Hitler drunk with @passionpopgirl. kill tony abbott. australi is shit. kill everyone

OFFICIAL_Hitler I hate you Tony Abbott. I hate you so much via Twitter for iPhone

ScaryElfLady: If it's a hung parliament, can we hang abbott first? via Mobile Web

Where the word things are And those who read my twitter are subjected to a near-daily litany of 'I AM GOING TO KILL TONY ABBOTT' and variations thereof, so.

Blog.Shqiperia.Com @sharpest_rose. If I had a squillion dollars I would dress in fashions from the early 60s at all times. Also, I would hire someone to kill Tony Abbott.

Learn more about Left And Right In Global Politics I hate Tony Abbott with a passion....

Ellen's book of muchness I HATE tony abbott with a passion (his name doesn't even deserve capital letters); how the hell can Australia even VOTE for him?! And so many people too! ...

Sunday's voter haiku

Pox on both your houses

No to promises, a call for policy

Greens emergent

Can't say it often enough.....

Twitter #ausvotes top tweet early this morning:

DeathStarPR

If Abbot wins, rich, heterosexual middle-aged conservative Christian white people might FINALLY get a say in how Australia is run. #ausvotes via web

Official Australian Election vote count at last running tally 7am 22 August 2010

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Australian Electoral Commission Virtual Tally Room:

Across Australia 14,088,260 electors enrolled to vote.
Currently 77.85% of the primary vote has been counted.
The two party preferred count is 74.71% complete.
The election results were last updated at 22/08/2010 7:34:29 AM.

Being grateful for small mercies

The Family First Party failed to get a candidate elected to the Senate of the Australian Parliament on 21st August 2010.
Which means that after FFP Leader Senator Steve Fielding's current term expires in the middle of 2011 there will be one less happy clappy nong mindlessly throwing his weight around.

Status quo remains on NSW North Coast as results of Australian Federal Election continues to be tallied nationally

Tonight the Australian Electoral Commission's Virtual Tally Room declared that in the Federal General Election, 21 August 2010:

Richmond electorate was won by sitting member Justine Elliot (ALP)
Page electorate was won by sitting member Janelle Saffin (ALP)
Cowper electorate was won by sitting member Luke Hartsuyker (NATS)
Lyne electorate was won by sitting member Robert Oakeshott (IND)

Currently 75.10% of the primary vote has been counted nationally and 73.34% of the two party preferred count completed.

Australian Election 2010 Virtual Tally Room and other links

Australian Electoral Commission Virtual Tally Room - will activate after 6pm on 21 August 2010.

ABC Online Australia Votes live cover - also on ABC1 and ABC News 24 at 4pm in Western Australia, 5.30pm in the Northern Territory and South Australia and 6pm in the eastern states

ABC Antony Green's Guide

ABC NewsRadio website streaming coverage at abc.net.au/newsradio
Radio election coverage will also be streamed on ABC Local Radio websites

SBS Online Vote 2010 with Live Election Map (updated every 3 mins) from 6.30pm

Bigpond Online Federal Election 2010 - live from 5pm

Sky News Australia Online Election 2010 Live Stream - initial reporting begins around 3.30pm.

Also Sky Channel 601 features Sky political editor David Speers in Sydney and Channel 602 will be hosted by Peter Van Onselen from the Canberra tally room

Twitter #ausvotes

Time to look skywards and pray for wise & perceptive vote casting across Australia tomorrow?

Sometimes the only comfort is remembering how small we are in the universal scheme of things.........

IRAS 05437+2502, a small, faint nebula
that spans only 1/18th of a full moon
toward the constellation of the Taurus

Abbott wants a national indentity database - all the better to punish us with

"A COALITION government would revive the controversial Howard-era plan for a national access card to identify every individual receiving government benefits, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey has revealed.....
But instead of everyone having a card, this time the identifier could be in electronic form."
Electronic form? Everyone has to give a fingerprint swipe to access government services like Medicare and pension payments? Now that would be some database - all Oz fingerprints gathered together in one place despite the fact that the vast majority would belong to people who have no criminal record.
Just the thing to make breaching our human rights easier for any Abbott Government.