“The (Abbott) government’s narrative is that they haven’t been able to do anything… There’s a negative story attached to the government. They must somehow shift the momentum. The mould will be set if they don’t do something soon and they will have a really, really hard time — and most likely will lose the next election.”
Source: ‘Tony Abbott’s knightmare could be fatal if his government fails to change tack‘
So I was thinking, as I so often do; I thought about Prime Minister Abbott, after my last entry about Prime Ministerial interviews – what will his legacy be?
I (over?) simplified John and Julia’s tenures into a series of bullet points as below:
First entry on the road! Currently on the Eastern Seaboard!
Kevin Rudd resigned from Parliament last night.
“Why should I care, PIK? What does it mean? What will it change?!”
Firstly, there will be a By-election in the seat of Griffith, Queensland. A by-election is an out of term (Parliament is elected every 4 years) election for a single, or multiple electorates. Because we live in a Democracy and the institute of Parliament is a pretty important one, KRudd’s seat can’t be left vacant for 4 years. Just because one seat goes to an election doesn’t mean the whole state or country has to — unless you were the Gillard Government of 2010-2013(!)
By-elections are often non-events, they will happen very quietly and we’ll hear in a few weeks who replaces Kevin. The ALP are confident of holding the seat, which is likely. By-elections occur when an MP dies or retires; if electoral boundaries change, then that change usually affects the next election (informed well in advance), but never mid term.
Check out how the electoral boundaries of Griffith have changed!
I initially started out wanting to do an entry on why Gen Y were so disengaged from this election, then came the furor about Tony Abb-…Prime Minster Abbott’s Cabinet. I sent out a survey to some fellow Gen Y-ers, and got some fascinating responses; I have talked to many other people ofdifferent ages and professions, and every generation had a different experience.
I want to explore Gen –Y’s…
I’ve decided to do a little bit of research for my next entry, and I have been shooting this Questionnaire around, feel free to fill it out, send it to friends etc. The more the merrier!
Email it back to : politicsinflykicks@hotmail.com
I am really really interested in what people have to say, absolutely anything. So feel free also to email me your thoughts as well!
QUICK QUESTIONNAIRE
“Why do you think Gen Y were so disengaged from this election?”
Keep it short and sweet!
Answer the Questions which apply to you J
First Name:
Occupation/ Age:
Any formal/personal political affiliations? [I.e. Member of ALP, Liberal Party, Young Liberals etc]
What was your role in the recent Election? [I.e. Voter/Campaigner/ AEC Work]
Did you observe much media coverage [online, print, radio, TV etc] about the election? Discuss your observations:
In your role at the bygone election, what were some common attitudes you noticed? Specific issues mentioned?
If you worked for an MP/Political Party, did they undertake any specific means to target Gen Y? [18-24 y.os], were they considered a target group at all?
Why do you think Gen Y were disengaged from this election campaign/politics in general?
Describe your social media experience/observations in the lead up and after the election? What are people talking about?
What are your thoughts on this statistic: Only 5% [25 000] of 500 000 18 -24 yo.s registered to vote at this election, the AEC’s Campaign was deemed a failure, what do you think can be done to engage Gen Y better?
People vote for a party leader, not for a local member: TRUE/FALSE
Do you agree or disagree with the possibility of the voting age being raised to 21 again, so young people can make a more informed vote?
If there was a Gen Y-written blog on Politics, International issues and current affairs that you could connect with on Twitter, through Facebook and by email, would you read it and interact with it? [I.e. suggest issues to be written about to the author] and recommend it to your friends? Yes/No
Look forward to getting some responses!
– PIK
Two things have had me thinking lately –
I recently started an internship at an image consultancy firm, and it re-ignited my train of thought. As something of a politically and fashionably aware person – depending on the day, I pride myself on one over the other, these days perhaps more the latter [!]
More than just a leadership change happened yesterday.
“What happened, PIK? I’m overwhelmed! It makes no sense, why should I care?”
1. Julia Gillard called a leadership spill, Kevin Rudd challenged her; Kevin Rudd won – 57 votes to 45. He is now the leader of the ALP, and the [un-elected] Prime Minister of Australia.
I got Facebook message from a buddy of mine this morning, it read:
“SKY NEWS NOW!!!!”
I turned on ABC24, and there it was…
“LIVE BREAKING NEWS”
“LABOR LEADERSHIP”
“KEVIN RUDD”
“JULIA GILLARD”
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