Reuse it or lose it

The power of preferences lies
in the pencil of the people.

The whole election process is an interesting affair. I've been able to learn a whole lot more about what State governments do...and don't do. I've had the chance to meet lots of interesting people who I wouldn't normally bump into, let alone get to hear their perspectives on life and I’ve had the chance to try and put across The Greens policies through the mass media.

What has become glaringly obvious is that it is really hard to get the message out what Greens policies are. Thank goodness for the internet I say, as more people are taking personal responsibility to look at the policies for themselves they can see that often what is reported can be so far from the truth you wonder how it can be called ‘journalism’.

Towards the final stages of this election it is also becoming apparent how the process of electing representatives also gets sidelined.

Everyone wants to know who are you preferencing? What is not made clear to the voting people is that it is their choice, their preference not any party ‘ticket’. In the State election there is no registered preference ticket. The How to Vote cards are a recommendation only.

What ever someone marks on their voting slip, that’s what is counted. If you only mark one box, your vote stops after that vote is counted. If you mark 2 or 3 or more boxes then your vote keeps on getting counted over and over again until it stops at the person with the most, or second most votes, it is the most powerful reuse strategy about.

In Lake Macquarie numbering the squares is the best way to make sure you get the government you want.

After much consideration about the merits of the other candidates The Greens are recommending on their How to votes that Greg Piper, a progressive independent be preferenced and then the Labor Party. Following this strategy sends a clear message to the Labor Party that this electorate does not want to be taken for granted anymore but it also is saying that if it came down to Labor or a Liberal coalition, we’d be better off under a Labor government.

The Potential of the Preference- Media Release

The Greens will be recommending voter preferences be directed towards Greg Piper and then Jeff Hunter in the Lake Macquarie electorate on Saturday 24th March.

“The Greens have historically always preferenced progressive independents and although we may not agree on everything, after discussions with Greg Piper we have concluded that he has progressive views on several key issues,” Lake Macquarie Greens candidate Suzanne Pritchard said.

The Greens support a ban on developer donations and Greg Piper stated he would support legislation to level the playing field on political donations by developers.

The Greens oppose the development of any new coal mines and Greg Piper also supported this stance and the need to ‘close the loophole’ in the LEP to ensure the prohibition of new open cut mines.

The Greens are committed to protecting workers from the socially destructive WorkChoices legislation; Greg Piper has stated he would not support the Federal Government’s Industrial relations package.

“At the end of the day every individual will have the choice to preference as they choose, we have identified an order on our ‘how to vote’ cards that rates the views of the candidate’s in relation to the Greens policy,” Suzanne said.

In many seats across the State Labor will be preferencing the Greens in the NSW Upper House on their how to vote cards, but not in Lake Macquarie.

“The agreement that was entered into by the Greens and the Labor Party identified key seats where Labor wanted the Greens primary preference. Lake Macquarie was one of those seats. After much discussion a decision was made by the local group that we preferred a progressive independent to a constrained Labor candidate.”

The recommended preferences put Labor ahead of the Coalition. The Greens acknowledge that Labor is better on issues like workers' rights, protecting national parks and a little better on climate change.

Greens MP and Lead Upper House candidate Lee Rhiannon said: "The Labor government has been very disappointing, but a Debnam Coalition government would be a living nightmare."This gives NSW a good chance of avoiding a Coalition government while maintaining a strong Upper House that will hold the government to account."We have also agreed with Labor to establish a preferencing framework for the Federal election in NSW to both defeat the Howard government and rescue the Senate from Coalition control."We will work towards Greens recommending preferences to Labor in key federal marginal seats and Labor directing preferences to the Greens in the Senate.”