Decision Day !

In every city, town and village, today will bring a steady stream of people to claim their right to choose the next government of Australia for a three year term.

We expect this event to pass peacefully.   There may be a few heated words exchanged between supporters of various parties, but it is unlikely that anyone will die.    We do not expect disruptions from car bombs or mass ballot stuffing from corrupt election officials.   Judging by past elections, most citizens will be happy to wait - and watch the results go on the board in the national tally room tonight.

A peaceful national election is not the experience of many parts of the world.  Even having an election at all would be a novelty in some countries.  Even claiming the right to be on the electoral roll can be seen as a death sentence in some countries, and many such elections are a total sham - with the result determined long before the first vote is counted.

There will obviously be a winner - and a loser.    Many people will be elated at the way the election swings - and probably nearly as many dejected because their side lost.   That is the way of politics - and what keeps hope alive is the certainty that three years from now we will again be making a choice.

Whoever wins will have the job of convincing the people that they are making the right choices.  Not everyone will agree.   Politics is divisive, but at the end of each three year term, it is the people who make a judgement.

We live in a dangerous world.  We need to earn a living on the world stage by selling Australian products to create a national income and getting the market mix right is a tricky business.    We forge alliances with other countries and find that some others are hostile to our interests because they see us as rivals - or they disagree with out outlook on world affairs.

We used to be safely tucked away " down under " , but today the world focus is on Asia - and that puts us right in the spotlight.

Good luck to whoever wins the big prize when the votes are counted tonight - and may wisdom allow them to chart a safe course for this great country during the coming  parliamentary term !