[csaa-forum] Cunningham

[Errol Vieth]

Interestingly, the Greens national vote for the lower house was 6.9%, for
which they won zero seats. Yet the national vote for the Nationals was less,
at 5.9%, for which they won 12 seats.

definitely an argument for proportional representation in the lower house,
as practiced in other advanced industrial countries such as germany.

EV


> From: Helen  Wilson <heleniwilson at bigpond.com>
> Reply-To: CSAA discussion list <csaa-forum at lists.cdu.edu.au>
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 15:49:37 +1300
> To: CSAA discussion list <csaa-forum at lists.cdu.edu.au>
> Subject: [csaa-forum] Cunningham
> 
> Thanks for this interesting post Rob. I see the SMH is saying Anthony is
> about to concede due to the seachangers in Byron giving Green preferences to
> Labor. We seachangers may be a new force in Australian politics, who knows?
> 
> Before this discussion finishes I'd like to report my situation as a new
> resident of Cunningham (Wollongong) where we are mourning the loss of a
> Green lower house member and a return to what appears to be management by
> the ALP machine that as in Page doesn't care about this regional,
> postindustrial and coastal electorate. Michael Organ was elected in fluke
> circumstances in a by election in 2002 where people were fed up with the ALP
> over imposing a candidate and the Libs didn't stand. However this time they
> did and got more primary votes than the Greens.
> 
> Probably few Australians will experience having a Green local member so here
> are some of the elements of the nostalgia in Cunningham:
> *a sense of power that local struggles (specifically over coastal
> development and Aboriginal heritage at Sandon Pt) can lead to bigger things
> *our MP being without personal ambition but identifying as part of the
> Illawarra Greens community, a large and inclusive network with much
> experience and expertise
> *the MP as part of a local community, often seen riding his bike, doing
> bushcare and attending the P&C to listen to teachers and parents rather than
> handing out prizes
> *absolutely no need to lobby him over reconciliation, the war, refugee
> policy, free trade, etc
> *meeting a pensioner out letterboxing for the Greens saying it was the least
> he could do when Michael had done so much to sort out his pension problems
> 
> We're left to puzzle why despite an enthusiastic and well run campaign with
> lots of local media coverage, Michael Organ couldn't increase his vote
> beyond 20% this time. Besides security and interest rates, could it be due
> to the Christian backlash on drugs, same sex marriage etc? And what sort of
> organisation can the Greens be with little parliamentary presence? What
> place can they feasibly have in our electoral system? Is a clean environment
> part of a selfish aspirational mindset?
> 
> Helen
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rob Garbutt" <rgarbutt at scu.edu.au>
> To: <csaa-forum at darlin.cdu.edu.au>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 4:49 PM
> Subject: [csaa-forum] Re: Marginal
> 
> 
>> Brett,
>> 
>> Yes, I guess I was responding to my sense that the significance of
>> categories like "aspirational" can take on a priority that lasts just
>> for a moment and in that moment appear to mean something.
>> 
>> As to what "the mood of the people" is in Lismore (Page) I could not
>> say definitively other than that Ian Causley (National) increased his
>> majority and the Socialist Alliance vote has dropped. Possible
>> reasons(?):
>> * an atavistic longing for security and stability that the Coalition
>> does so well,
>> * a fear of rising interest rates within a traditionally conservative
>> region. Here housing prices have doubled in the last 3 years as
>> people come inland because they can no longer afford to live on the
>> coast (see below), and
>> * and a feeling that Federal Labor has not at all been helped by the
>> Carr government which is really on the nose - a rotting carcass my
>> friend Perry would say - he a rusted on Socialist Alliance voter. Bob
>> the Builder has closed the Casino-Murwillumbah rail line while
>> increasing funding of CityRail (nothing like a city-bush inequity to
>> get the rural blood boiling), moved a number of government services
>> south to Newcastle (ditto) and failed to fund key pieces of road
>> infrastructure despite repeated promises (ditto).
>> 
>> In neighbouring Richmond we are still watching with interest as
>> Justine Elliot and Larry Anthony pick over the postal and prepoll
>> votes. Labor is still in the lead (though if you read the Sydney
>> Morning Herald it is the other way round) but only just at last look
>> - Larry's not done yet. This possible change in fortune for the
>> Anthony dynasty has much to do with demographic changes that have
>> seen the coastal strip from Ballina through Byron Bay to Tweed Heads
>> go bonkers with an influx from who knows where but they have a lot of
>> money and by and large vote Green. What can explain that?
>> 
>> Regards,
>> Rob.
>> 
>>> Thanks Rob,
>>> 
>>> I think you make a fair comment. But I guess I was trying to refocus from
>>> the emphasis on consumption. ...  But, given the
>>> way discussion was flowing, I thought it might be productive to restate
> in
>>> a way that might carry some weight.
>>> 
>>> Maybe you have something more to say about
>>> how things played out in your neck of the woods?
>>> 
>>> Brett
>> 
>> --
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