Australian federal election - Saturday 24.Nov.2007

I was quite shocked the other day to talk to an aussie who had no idea that an election would even take place this year!!!

I´m sure those who take an active interest in what is going on back home maybe already aware of this info but thought i would share anyway!!

embassy website has not yet been updated with info but i am sure it will soon come!

also the electoral commission is full of info on if and how you can vote while living overseas!! you can also check via the website if you are still enrolled or not under the enrolling to vote option!!

will be an interresting race!!
may the best man win

For all the Aussies out there election day is fast approaching, Saturday 24th November. For anyone interested (I hope you are all voting) here is a list of information on your voting options here in Germany. There are two options:
1) Voting in person at an overseas polling place.
2) Postal Vote.

1) According to the Australian Electoral Commission website there are only two polling places in Germany. These being:

Frankfurt

Australian Consulate General
Main Tower,28th Floor
Neue Mainzer Strasse 52-58
Frankfurt 60311

Ph: +49 69 9055 80
Fax: +49 69 9055 8119
Web:

Berlin

Australian Embassy
Wallstrasse 76-79
Berlin 10179
Ph: +49 30 880 088-0
Fax: +49 30 880 088-238
Web:

I believe that both these locations are providing voting on election day but they may also be set up as early voting centers meaning you will be abel to vote there in person before election day. I am not sure of this though so you would have to contact them.

2) The other option is to cast a Postal Vote which is what I am doing.
You can do so by downloading a Postal Vote Application form here.

Completed postal vote applications may be sent by post, fax or email to the the state office of which you are enrolled. If you choose to use email you must print the form, sign it and than scan it. Although they say that email is an option there are no email address listed with the contact details for the state offices. I have emailed the AEC today asking if they can please supply me with all the email address so when I receive them I will post them up here.

The deadline for receipt of completed Postal vote application forms, be they faxed, emailed, or posted is 6:00 pm on the Thursday (22 Nov) before polling day.

If your Postal vote application form is received after the deadline the
AEC will make reasonable efforts to contact you to advise you of this,
and to provide advice on alternate means of voting.

Your application form has to be signed by a witness, qualified witnesses being:

•an elector whose name appears on a Commonwealth of Australia
electoral roll
•an officer of the defence forces of Australia or of a Commonwealth
country
•a person in the Public Service of Australia (or a Territory, or a
Commonwealth country)
•a Justice of the Peace for a State or Territory or a Commonwealth
country
•a minister of religion or a medical practitioner resident in a State or
Territory or a Commonwealth country, or
•an Australian citizen.
Spouses may witness each other’s signature provided both are
qualified witnesses.

If you can’t find a suitable witness (which is my case) than you may submit your application together with the following:
•your signed statement setting out why your application could not be
witnessed, and
•a photocopy of your passport which you have *certified to be a true
copy and which shows:
–the country and date of issue
–the passport number
–your date of birth, signature and photograph.

*As it is unclear how or who can certify a copy of your passport I got someone in Australia to ring the AEC and they said that in the event that you cant find a suitable witness and must have someone certify a copy of your passport. Any Professional can certify your passport eg: teacher, doctor , nurse etc and any Australian citizen can regardless of weather they are on the electoral roll or not. I found this pretty strange as I dont no how that can be good enough but that is what they said.

I hope this information helps any who are intending to vote.
Out of interest who will you be voting for?
I won't be voting for the little man, thats for sure.

Also this topic was started by another but as an add to see if anyone wants a lift to Berlin from Hamburg on voting day. If your interested Trip to Berlin to vote in the Australian election it is.

Or may the man with the cleanest ears win? If you missed this bit of the pre-election run-up, you might want to check out
Kevin Rudd 8 years ago

Rove has an amusing segment about this incident on Episode 29 on http://www.rovedaily.com.au/video.htm

Pitiful when politics sinks to this, but have to admit that it did give me a bit of a laugh!

As voting is compulsory in Australia and maybe 95% of electors vote, it's not so critical for expats to vote as it is say in the US where vastly less people participate.

Thanks heaps for all the info, just printed of Postal Vote Application Form...have a mate from Oz staying for the week so go bypass the phaff of getting my passport certified !

Actually, you only have to print the form out and then send it to the Germany embassy in Berlin, not to your individual state...but thanks for all the info anyway. I swear they try to make that AEC site as confusing as possible

I was going to do this, but if you do it you have to tell them your address here in Germany.. I don't think they're looking for me for any reason, but if they are, I don't want them having my address!

for anyone who is interested http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-electio...5753279860.html

it doesn't look too good for Kevin07…

TripleJ election coverage will be a must-hear: it's Indecision 2007 with Roy & HG plus the guys from The Chaser. So it combines several things that I like in one handy package (Roy, HG, the Chaser plus elections per se, my deam job would be working the BBC Swingometer).

Looks like the Labour party is going to win this one.

Best of all, predictions are that Howard will lose his seat. Fucking ripper!!!

But as Roy Slaven just said, it's still too close and you expect our elder citizens who use postal votes to lean towards liberal and may scrape johny back over the line. Saving the orangutan doesn't seem to have worked for him though

The elderly vote will be countered by the expat vote who will probably lean more heavily towards Labour

It would be perfect if Bennelong was the seat that gave Labour the election...

I don't think labour are going to need them. I think Roy's 5 seat prediction looks about right.

I can't listen to any broadcasts. I stupidly agreed to do overtime today, so am relying on the ABC website to give me updates...

so you don't get to hear Roy discussing communist rubbish then or the merits of channel 7's "the tower of power" against the ABC's " horizontal shuffle" presentation methods.

The ABC election website is excellent though. It's these types of things where the power of the internet shines.

No...unforrtunately

Looks like Labour have gained an additional 16 seats (14 Lib and 2 Nat). That's enough for victory isn't it? As long as they don't lose any of course...WA are still voting, aren't they?

Well the live results page has labour with 80 seats won. They don't need WA. They're already well home. Expect a victory claim in about 1 hour-

Edit : I forgot the ALP prefer the "labor" spelling. Johny should have tried wedging on the american spelling issue...

The ABC Website lists Bennelong as a Gain for the ALP

Howard doesn't even get to resign from parliament!!!

... but Maxine was a communist ABC newsreader! They're bound to call it to her early

Labour won

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! I can't believe it. For the first time since I became old enough to vote, my vote actually went to the winning party in a federal election. I'm glad I went to the trouble of organising a postal vote now.

http://www.smh.com.au/

bye bye Johnny!

As Jack Gibson once said when Parramatta finally won the rugby league grand final,

"ding dong the witch is dead"

Advance Australaia Fair!

If you ehaven't already seedn it, check otu:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptccZze7VxQ...9DB&index=0

...it's very cutee..

Sorry anout the typos. am very drunk celibrating the win... at last at last at last

very cuteee, Bilby

…here is one appropriate farewell song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_zulGddP6o

tee hee hee hee... great farewell song.. love it.

more time for celebrations... see also clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjKBf1N2Wls

next time round we should vote in the crazy warehouse guy... hehheehehehehehehe