By Jenny Bates @jenoutwest 3 September, 2013 The journey is almost over, and my mission to better understand Lalor candidates has proven to be mission impossible. I naively believed the candidates would be keen to answer questions from any local. My first plan of attack was to ask our retiring MP, former prime minister Julia Gillard […]
Beattie Surprise: @stephaniedale22 reports
September 3, 2013
By Stephanie Dale 3 September 2013 We are in the dying days of the 2013 election campaign, a campaign that has boasted a handful of idiot policy announcements but in five weeks just one true surprise – Peter Beattie. It was a laugh out loud moment for the nation when the former Queensland Premier (1998-2007) appeared […]
Greens Indi candidate @JennyJenocon on #Indivotes
September 1, 2013
By Jenny O’Connor, Greens Candidate for Indi September 1, 2013 This is my tenth year of campaigning for the Greens in Indi – and by far the most interesting. Usually there is no contest: Labor runs a well-meaning but no-chance candidate; I try to increase the Green vote – it’s risen from less than three percent […]
The Greens candidate in Forde, Sally Spain: @stephaniedale22 reports
August 30, 2013
By Stephanie Dale 30 August 2013 Saturday September 7 is World Endangered Species Day – beautifully timed for an election in which ‘the environment’ (euphemism for the world that is our home) has barely rated a mention. “Where,” I ask Greens candidate for the seat of Forde, Sally Spain, “is the environment in the 2013 election?” […]
Latte-sipping city slicker @VanBadham gives thanks for rural independents and sees a new dawn for values in politics
August 27, 2013
By Van Badham August 27, 2013 The tactical employment of demeaning stereotypes has always been popular in the Australian political discourse. Just lump together some universally loathed behaviours – like vanity, self-indulgence or entitlement – dress them as communities you’re trying to discredit, and parade them like carnival villains. “Union thugs”, anybody? “Feminazis”? “People smugglers”? “Asylum […]
So who is that Corangamite bloke who reckons ‘Tony is a tool’? @PrimMich investigates
August 27, 2013
By Michelle Primmer August 27, 2013 Last weekend I saw an online photograph of a man standing at the Belmont office of Corangamite Liberal Party candidate Sarah Henderson. He was holding a sign that said ‘Tony Abbott is a tool’. It gave me a laugh, as did seeing the image on Twitter, so when a […]
The New Front Page: @YaThinkN reviews @timdunlop book
August 26, 2013
By Noely Neate 25 July 2013 Source: Yathink.com.au As a punter, books written on media – particularly ones based on the relationship between traditional media institutions and the internet – fascinate me. I don’t want to be a journalist as I am quite happy in my small business, but I am an avid devourer of […]
Howard’s Bush barbecue memories to prepare for Abbott government
August 24, 2013
By Margo Kingston, 24 August, 2013 Wondering who will be in the Abbott Government’s club? It took a while, but back in 2003 Webdiarists and I worked out who Howard invited to his barbecue with George Bush. Believe it or not the guest list was a secret, and there’ll be many more of those, folks. Paul Ramsey of […]
Virgin voter @marozzi_m is here to help other first-timers
August 15, 2013
By Matilda Marozzi @marozzi_m 15 August 2013 Young people: politically disengaged, apathetic and un-enrolled. This seems to be the portrayal of Gen Y as the 2013 election approaches. As a 20-year-old election virgin I know this is not always the case. Future Politicians is a website and radio show I run with fellow reporter and election first-timer […]
Mindful ethics for election bloggers and citizen journalists
August 10, 2013
By Mark Pearson, Professor of Journalism and Social Media, Griffith University, Australia 10 August 2013 Bloggers and citizen journalists come from an array of backgrounds and thus bring varied cultural and ethical values to their blogging. No Fibs asks its citizen journalists to follow the MEAA Code of Ethics, and the journalists’ union has recently […]
