some thoughts on recent australian politics

Australia has a Federal election occurring in just over a week. The two major parties, Labour and Liberal, have, in reality, very little to distinguish them. Neither has any great policy direction, save that "we are better than the other guy." This has resulted in a phenomenal number of attack ads. Whilst some of them are funny (such as this one), it does as a whole lower the tone of the election. And it's not just in the ads they are running, but leaflets, interviews, and policy launches all seem to focus less on leadership and more on deriding the opposition. Instead of actual political debate we get two children in the schoolyard calling each other names. It very much inspires a feeling that the ;east-worst candidate will win. Whilst it is almost assured that one of the two major parties will win, it is likely that the actual balance of power will be held by the minor parties and independents. The two largest of these minor parties are The Greens, which has effectively moved from a one-issue environmental protection party to a more socially-aware democratic rights party, and Family First, which is the born-again pro-Christian values Moral Minority party. But you don't hear to much about them. After all, they are considered minor parties by the media, and it's more fun to watch the children hurl insults at each other. And they don't have much in the way of a budget for making ads, usually relying on grass-roots organisation from their core constituencies. Which was why it was good to see this ad. Watch on YouTube The only problem is, it is not a real ad. It was done for the ABC show The Gruen Nation, which is the special election version of The Gruen Transfer, a show which analyses the world and motivations of advertising, usually from a very professional viewpoint. As a part of the show, they have The Pitch, which is where they challenge two advertising agencies to "sell the unsellable," usually to quite good effect. Some excellent ads have come from this, such as Invade New Zealand, Don't Visit Australia, and Climate Change Is Good. Anyway, it was quite refreshing to see an ad that had a very positive light and a good message, even if it is not "real." You can see the difference when you consider the other side of The Pitch was to produce an anti-Greens advert. You can see really see the difference a positive message makes. And that's what's been lacking in this campaign so far. Children on a schoolground. Or monkeys in a cage at the zoo flinging feces at each other...