Call of the card – Gellibrand

A candidate tweeted to me that the ballot draw was to take place on Friday 16 August at midday.  I didn't know where, so handily, I was told that also.

Spending the night on the other side of Melbourne and checking my Twitter feed, I saw that a candidate was to be there at 1130.  It was 1100, so I got my daughter in the car, and off we went.  It was a very windy day, and I don't know if we had a tail wind, but that's my excuse Officer!

Arriving at the shopping centre, I had no idea where the AEC shop was.  There are a couple of retail spaces that were once occupied but weren't anymore, so I assumed it would be in one of those.  I was correct.  It was in what was once a Spotlight. 

It was a huge, empty space, with about 12 chairs set up, with two desks.  Bleak.  My daughter had a great time running around for a while, and then decided that my iPad was the better option.  Choosing the nursery rhymes app wasn’t, but the volume button helped that.

Democracy needs a big space

The candidates started to arrive.  Rod Swift (Greens) turned up with two helpers, one amiable, the other quiet.  David McConnell (Liberal) wasn't told the event was on, but when he heard decided to attend.  Allan Cashion (Australian Sex Party) came as well, dressed casually, as is his wont.  Soon Tim Watts (ALP) arrived, with two attendees.  One spent most of his time on his phone, I can only hope he reached new heights on Angry Birds, as he was very focused on it.  The other took a place in the front row to observe the draw.

Candidates, Citizen Journalist and others listen to the Returning Officer explain the process for the draw

The Returning Officer read from a sheet about what was going to happen.  A double blind requirement to see who would get what place on the ballot paper.  A bingo wheel was also on the table, which looked suspiciously similar to those you can pick up in a $2 shop.  The seven balls were placed in, span and then drawn out.  This was to assign each candidate a number.  Once this was done, that number was then used in another spin of the wheel to determine what place on the ballot they received. 

The draw underway!

I honestly thought a bit of show wouldn't have gone astray here.  Maybe different coloured balls would have helped, I made a quip about it being like a Lotto draw with the Government representatives, that people of a certain age would get.  There was no 'Number one – the loneliest number', or 'Number five – this place isn't a dive!'.  Clearly the AEC have a serious role to play in democracy.

Once the process was done, an AEC official used Blutack (the renters friend) to put the candidate names next to the pre Blutacked number one, two, three and so on.

Blutacked names and numbers on the wall, hope it comes off easily otherwise they might not get their bond back.

We did find out where the candidates lived (and if they had middle names) and the Australian Christian Party candidate lives in 'Supressed'.  Interestingly, most of the candidates come from the lower parts of the electorate.

That done, it was photo time.  And in the best Citizen Journalist way, my photos were either with candidates looking in different directions, or blurred.  An independent candidate had been on social media indicating that he was going to stand for Gellibrand, but was not mentioned by the AEC, so we can only assume that he decided against standing, didn't make the deadline to enter, or forgot to do so.  I have sent him an email introducing myself, but as of writing he hasn't got back to me.  Regardless of political affiliation, it is a bit sad that he didn't stand, as the more who take part increases the democracy pie for us all.

Gellibrand candidates R-L Rod Swift, Australian Greens, Allan Cashion, Australian Sex Party, Tim Watts, ALP, David McConnell, Liberal Party.

Gellibrand candidates wishing each other well for the election

Here is the way the candidates will show on the ballot paper:

Number on ballot	Candidate	Party
1	Kerry Arch	Family First
2	David McConnell	Liberal Party
3	Anthony O’Neill	Australian Christian Party
4	Tim Watts	ALP
5	Dwayne Singleton	Palmer United Party
6	Rod Swift	Australian Greens
7	Allan Cashion	Australian Sex Party

The interesting part begins now where preference deals are made, we already know that the Liberal Party has done a deal to block out the Greens, and there will be others.  When I get some idea of the preferences, I will attempt to detail what they will be in a further piece.

There were no mainstream media in attendance at this event.  One of the local papers did tweet the details of the ballot, and they do work on very slim resources, so the only report you will see out of this event is from me.

Having only communicated with the candidates through email and Twitter, it was good to meet them and have an informal chat.  The informal chats are the most interesting, but with Chatham House Rules in place, nothing can be reported back.

With the draw over and the candidates gone, my daughter decided that some noodles would then be the best way to celebrate seeing democracy in action. 

Or at least that's what I thought she said.

Candidate's forum

I also decided early last week, when I saw a report on nofibs about the forum in Wentworth, that I'd see about organising one here in Gellibrand.  There have been other events here on specific areas, for example public transport, but I am unaware of a dedicated candidates forum where the community can see and ask questions of those wanting their vote.

I made a couple of calls, including one to Hobson's Bay Council where I left a message for the facilities officer to call me back (still waiting five business days later), and have managed to secure an excellent venue for the event at no cost. 

I will be attempting to get those in attendance to make a donation to a local charity, and as it is a community event and I believe that we should be giving back to the community.

So far, I have confirmation from the ALP, Greens, Australian Sex Party, and Palmer United Party candidates.  The Liberal candidate will most likely attend, and the Family First candidate has put in an apology.  The Australian Christian Party candidate is to be contacted now that I have details.  

Here is the info on the forum:

27 August, at The Rocks (Williamstown Football Club), 7 PM.  I will do a report on this as well.