Parties scramble to win over new voters
Parties scramble to win over new voters
Updated
The major parties are doing their utmost to win over voters. (ABC: Brigid Andersen)
Courtesy of the High Court, an estimated 100,000 Australians have now been added to the electoral roll ahead of Saturday’s vote.
In what is shaping as a very tight contest, all the major parties are now doing their utmost to win over the new voters.
Watch the television or listen to the radio, and the blitz of mostly negative political advertising is hard to ignore.
But from midnight Wednesday the traditional blackout comes in and the parties pour their efforts into winning over voters through the internet or in newspapers.
Aside from the advertising, there is doorknocking and direct mail.
Some voters feel they are being targeted because they have suddenly joined the electoral roll.
Greens activist Matt Keyter moved house after the last election and he has now got a last-minute opportunity to vote in his new seat of Melbourne.
“Two days ago I received a letter from the Australian Electoral Commission saying that I’m now enrolled to vote,” he said.
“I received also a letter endorsing [Labor candidate] Cath Bowtell’s campaign today.”
In the seat of Sydney, law student Doug Thompson has also had his name added to the electoral roll.
“At the start of this week I received a letter from [Labor candidate] Tanya Plibersek addressed to my new address providing me with her information on how I should vote in this election and her policies,” he said.
The direct mail is not illegal, but Mr Thompson says he was surprised at the speed with which he was contacted.
He was one of two young Australians who, with the support of advocacy group GetUp!, had taken the matter of enrolment rights all the way to the High Court.
He has no doubt why the parties are suddenly taking an intense interest.
“I think it’s proving to be potentially a much closer race than a lot of people were initially predicting,” he said.