Civic Duties !

We are one of the few countries that require every citizen from the age of eighteen to register on the electoral roll and at least front up and record their presence on election days.   This applies to Federal elections, choosing state governments and even whenever there is a poll for the local council.

Citizens are entitled to put their ballot in the box blank or even write a rude message instead of placing a number, but to avoid a fine they need to have their name crossed off the roll on voting day. Way back at the time of Federation it was decided that selecting the form of  government to run the country was a civic duty and this would not be optional.

We are seeing the wisdom of that decision in countries where voting is optional.   This coming presidential election in America looks like a contest between two very unpopular front runners and the decision may rest in the hands of the smallest number of voters ever to record a vote - or it may send a record number to the polls to simply stop the most unpopular person getting the job.

When the votes are tallied up at the close of the election here we will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that the result is the forced decision made by a majority of voters.  We - the people - made a choice - and so we get the government that we deserve !

There is one other civic duty that most citizens dread - getting called up for jury duty.  From time to time the Sheriffs office in each locality draws a list of citizens of both genders and it is from this that people receive a summons to appear at a court at a given time and hour.   Few exemptions are granted.

It is the luck of the draw as to which particular trial will apply.  Selection may be life changing.   Those with the misfortune to be selected for contentious cases may face sittings that run for months and if there is even a suggestion of jury tampering they may be " sequestered " -  prevented from contact with family and friends and housed in a hotel for security.

The death penalty no longer applies in Australia, but making a decision that locks an accused away for life can be harrowing for many people.  Serving on a jury is not without risk.  When the person on trial has gang connections or the charge is terrorism colleagues may try and sway the decision by threats against a juror's family - or threaten later harm to that juror if the decision goes a way they do not like.

Jurors receive compensation for each day they serve but often this amounts to an income loss for those who run a small business.  If a juror is a pensioner, this benefit must be declared and may result in a temporary pension reduction.  It has become the custom in contentious cases to empanel a reserve number of jurors so that if illness forces a juror to withdraw that gap can be filled without the necessity of a mistrial and starting the proceedings again from scratch.

Being called for jury selection does not automatically mean that person will serve.  Both the prosecution and the defence have the right to " challenge " and reject individuals.  Often this is on the basis of hoping for the type of individual that will suit their tactics and rejecting those of an age or background likely to have an opposite opinion.

It seems that the only escape from that dreaded jury duty - is for those who have a criminal record.  Such people are expunged from the selection listing when this is being drawn up by the Sheriff.