Changing Voting Patterns !

It is obvious that the Upper Hunter by-election loss is a continuation of the  misery affecting the Australian Labor party in recent times, and the next Federal election could possibly be held later this year. Labor seems to have lost the voter affinity which once saw it regularly hold state and Federal office.

In Upper Hunter the Labor vote retreated 2.8% from the last election and this did not result in a gain in the vote for the sitting government party.  In fact, the Conservative vote dropped by a corresponding 2.6%and the winners were a mix of independents and the lesser special interest parties. The New South Wales Liberal government was vulnerable because it is fast becoming a  minority as scandal and innuendo strip it of a numbers majority.

Upper Hunter was sent to the polls because a Labor politician accused the sitting National seat-holder of a sex crime which still has to face its day in court. Enough of the voting public thought their member to be vindicated to vote into office another National candidate

 Clearly, the big loser is the labor leader in New South Wales who has held office for ten years.  Jodi McKay has failed to make headway against the Liberal/National coalition and will face a slate of candidates eager to replace her as leader.

It is the government that holds the purse strings and being in opposition is a long, hard grind to sell an alternative policy. The ideal of good government is to have an opposition snapping at the heels of the party in office and at all times being ready to govern when the opportunity offered.

The problem is that political parties comprise factions and it is rare to combine those factions to present a rock solid agenda to the voters.   In many cases a faction will oppose a part of their party dogma with more ferocity than they show to the party in power, resulting in many voters choosing the cross bench parties in preference to the traditional two party divide.

That drift away from traditional politics is not confined to Australia and in some other parts of the world it contributes short lived governments which pass little legislation.  A mass of squabbling minor parties hold the balance of power and this makes consensus impossible.

We are fast moving into confrontation with China and our interests will be best served by a spirit of cooperation between the states and Federal governments.  We will have to develop new markets and that would be hindered by petty jealousies and state rivalry.  Cooperation reduces costs and allows Australia to present a united front overseas.

Let us hope that the replacement for Jodi McKay is a moderate who will put Australia's interest first and before party politics.    It could eventually be a matter of survival.