Across the political spectrum

Most Australians will go to the polls in the Federal Election on Saturday, but voting is compulsory here and, from today, early-voting centres were open for people who will be away from home at the weekend - or those who simply want to avoid the queues. We will be in Sydney, and so turned out rather than face a day in court and a fine or even worse. And, as the Electoral Commission had hired a former fitness centre in which to set up its booths, I was able to skip into a gymn for the first time since my school days in Edinburgh.

We have all had how-to-vote cards mailed to us by the three main political parties, and I was surprised to see so many party faithful fussing around so early in the week in the hope of seducing the occasional swinging voter. To the Left of the doorway were the Labor Party volunteers and, farther to the Left, members of the Greens. Over on the Right were not only the Liberal Party volunteers but (under a hat, canvassing a woman whose vote might get him across the line) the very House of Representatives candidate himself, Peter Hendy.

Our division of Eden-Monaro is regarded as the bellwether seat in the election - it has been won by the incoming government in every election since 1972. That may not happen this year. The Labor Government is very much on the nose nationally, and the Liberal-National conservative coalition is certain to win power; however, the sitting Labor MP, Mike Kelly (a former Australian Army lawyer and at present Minister for Defence Materiel), is a popular man in the electorate.

I will not tell you how I voted, except to say that on the Senate paper I did not give the nod to the Bullet Train for Australia Party, the Pirate Party nor (after some hesitation) the Sex Party.