Senate Bingo! The @sarah_capper column

A whole new class of players joined the Upper House this month, and with a record number of cross-benchers – 18, including the Greens – there will be deals-a-plenty and the “spin cycle” on overdrive. Cards will be kept close to chests; cards will be put out on the table; and, as the last week has shown, […]

Ain’t nothing like the real thing: #GriffithVotes candidates’ forum @GriffithElects reports

[clear] Video by Mark Doyle @ffrickenstein Both Bill Glasson and Terri Butler held virtual ‘town-hall’ meetings in recent days, using new technology which enabled them to talk simultaneously with audiences of 10,000 and more. These virtual meetings gave all the control to the candidates and their teams, allowed them to target particular sections of the […]

The ‘climate chaos’ challenge and the courage of candidates’ convictions in #GriffithVotes: @GriffithElects reports

 [clear] According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia had its hottest year ever in 2013 and we have now experienced heatwaves and destructive fires in the first month of 2014. Twitter went viral this week with reports that Prince Charles has said of climate change sceptic that they are like “headless chickens” (of course, we […]

Population, family and more new faces join the #GriffithVotes party @GriffithElects reports

By Jan Bowman  @GriffithElects 1st February 2014 In something of a surprise for the upcoming Griffith by-election, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) is standing a candidate new to Griffith, but not new to the KAP. Ray Sawyer stood for the KAP in the division of Fairfax in 2013, a seat that was won by Clive Palmer, […]

Roo Poo and Who’s Who in the Senate Zoo

[clear] By Sarah Capper 18 October 2013 It was perhaps the moment in which I found myself googling “Ricky Muir” + “poo” that served as the final straw in realising the need for Senate reform. Not that I needed much convincing – the new Senator-elect from Victoria from the Palmer United Palmer Motoring Enthusiasts Party is just one […]

Gellibrand, I’ve had a blast: @Dusty_1 wrap

[clear] By Grant Philpots 7 September, 2013 So it’s come to this. My first foray into citizen journalism done. I’m not expecting any changes here in Gellibrand.  Labor’s Tim Watts will be elected as the new member. He’ll have the job for as long as he wants it. Tim is frontbench material and has the […]

Will the discontent of 2013 give way to new hope in Dunkley?

by Angus Barnes September 6, 2013 The only candidates’ forum held in Dunkley revealed a shared sense of dismay in the community on the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay. I asked the six candidates attending the forum what would be foremost in voters’ minds on election day. The two independents said they were running […]

Greens increasing pressure on Thomson in Wills reports @takvera

By John Englart 4 September 2013 I was recruited by Margo to cover the election in the safe Labor seat of Wills (Seat Profile) in mid July. After writing 21 articles I suspect I have put in far more time and work than some of the candidates. We are at the point in Wills where […]

How safe Gellibrand got its first candidates’ forum, thanks to a citizen journo

  By Grant Philpots September 3, 2013 Gellibrand being the safest ALP seat in Australia, all we voters usually get is some articles in the local paper like this. It’s standard stuff: make a phone call and knock the photos off candidates’ websites. But I had seen a report on nofibs.com.au about a forum in Wentworth, […]

Griffith’s bit players: @janbowqld reports

By No Fibs Griffith reporter Jan Bowman, 31 August, 2013 There are eleven candidates standing for election to the House of Representatives in the Queensland division of Griffith, and the polls are getting tight. Many will be watching Griffith because Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is, of course, the sitting member, with the LNP’s Dr Bill […]