IF you have been a candidate or ‘handed-out’ on election day you know what a roller-coaster ride it can be. Setting up starts before dawn. A-frames are strategically positioned and corflutes (the portrait posters) are cable-tied to fences. It ends with complimentary drinks at a local watering-hole, or for the die-hards, in the wee-hours watching your leader concede defeat or claim victory at hotel-central.
The queue grows at 7:50 am. Coloured volunteers abound; blue Liberals, Labor reds, green Greens, teal Teals, and that orange tone that tends to default to the most independent of the independents. Once you have politely acknowledged your rivals, established working relationships with the electoral officials, jostled for the high ground and covered all the entry points, it is game on. Then follows a long day of handing out the 2,000 or so how-to-votes to the throng of the engaged and disengaged. There is the odd old-timer who wants to spark an argument and cause a scene. You field complaints about the wasted paper, with even the well-meaning Greens copping it, despite their planet-saving paper stock. If you suggest an alternate source of information (scanning your QR code), the same folk say that is just far too much trouble!
Despite all the distractions, it is a privilege to see our robust democracy up close. Youngsters with their first vote, and some slowly making what may be their last. Many are in and out as quick as can be, but a few spend half an hour numbering every box on the table cloth sized ballot papers. And don’t forget to remove your political garb, step inside the booth and cast your own vote.
At 6pm you can re-enter to scrutineer the count on behalf of your candidate. The boxes pour out their papers and you can usually eyeball the winning stack from a distance. A surprisingly large pile of informal votes grows, some with nasty messages, some even with a phallic sketch. I’m never sure to whom the latter is directed. Is it a calling card, or about the process, or the incumbent member?
While they didn’t brandish the so-called baseball bats, the men and women of NSW were up for a change by the time election day came around on 25 March. Labor’s predicted majority is looking less likely as the days go by. Locally around Ku-ring-gai the ‘safe’ Liberal seats experienced a swing against them but were never in doubt. Teal independents had their sole success in the leafy Southern Highlands electorate of Wollondilly. In Wakehurst Liberal Toby Williams failed to replace the retiring Brad Hazzard, with Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan winning the race.
Former Treasurer Matt Kean suffered an 8.2% swing in Hornsby. He was a likely candidate in the current Liberal leadership contest, but dealt himself out citing the ‘spend more time with my family’ explanation. Who knows, perhaps there is a local pathway to federal politics for Mr Kean. Meanwhile Wahroonga’s Alister Henskens may turn out to be the new leader of the opposition in NSW. Whoever gets the job, their success will require finding new Liberal relevance to women and men middle-aged and younger.
Greg Cook is a member of the Liberal Party of Australia and was a candidate for Gordon Ward in the 2021 Ku-ring-gai Council elections.
