As this is my first State election living in the seat of Brunswick I set out to learn a little more about the lower house candidates I will have to choose from on Saturday. My primary and preference votes are all but decided but I was curious to see if any of the candidates added (or subtracted) any value from the Party they represent.
ALP: Carlo Carli MP
His campaign mailout arrived in my letterbox this morning betraying his fear of a Greens win by emphasising (in a seemingly random use of bold and underline) the danger of “protest votes.” Apparently the Greens can only “carp around the edges” because they’re not in government, while the Liberals will cut jobs in hospitals, schools and police stations to pay for their “extravagant campaign promises.” Amusingly, the letter says “Labor has action plans* on sustainable planning, transport, energy and water.” Presumably the asterisk is supposed to lead the reader to said action plans but there’s not a single corresponding asterisk to be found anywhere on the letter.
Carlo has a half-decent blog with an amateur-hour YouTube broadcast to attract the yoof vote. He has some respectable tertiary qualifications to back up his policies about transport and planning.
The Greens: Cyndi Dawes
Cyndi’s official web page tells us that she has a background in education and the union movement and that these areas remain her passion. I heard Cyndi on ABC774 with Jon Faine a couple of weeks back talking about a gambling venue rort she had uncovered where money earmarked for community needs was sneakily pumped back into pokie venues by their operators. She came across well.
It would be interesting to meet her at a campaign stall and have a chat to learn more about her ideas.
Liberal: Vince Arborea
Vince works as a building inspector and surveyor and has worked for local councils and the private sector. He lectures on these subjects along with drafting and construction. There is little other information about Vince on his official web page apart from a declaration of his support for the Liberal plan to build more technical colleges and information about his membership of the Veneto club.
People Power: Christian Astourian
Christian maintains an extensive website with an amazing amount of detail about his values, ideas and vision. With a focus on health and education, both generally and for the disabled, he goes into a reasonable amount of detail about the reform he intends to fight for. The site suggests passion, intellect and drive. I feel that I have a better insight into Christian’s personality than any of the other candidates.
Family First: James McDonald
With only five days until the poll, I will let a screen grab of James’ web page tell the story.
James is blue, large and dresses in Times New Roman suits.
I can’t help but notice the similarity in the level of detail provided by Family First about their candidates, their policy, and their church affiliation.
Socialist Alliance: ?
Couldn’t even find the candidate’s name.
The verdict
The only change in my voting intentions after putting on my Google Detective hat this afternoon is that I will now preference People Power much higher than planned. The Party’s policy platform and grab-bag of principles has failed to move me so far but Christian Astourian strikes me as a worthy candidate.
The only real conundrum I now face is who do I preference last: Family First or the Socialist Alliance?
UPDATE 21/11: Vanessa Hearman from the Socialist Alliance has left a comment with details about the Brunswick candidate — her!
The Public Transport Users Association has released a report card that grades Parties’ public transport promises ahead of Saturday’s election.
