Campaign-comatosed already? Test your knowledge with Quizmaster Alan Austin's second pre-election quiz for IA's political tragics. We hope a focus on facts will be a welcome change of diet from the tired old slogans and spin.
1. According to Australia’s Constitution, political parties:
(a) must have 500 members before they can be registered with the Australian Electoral Commission
(b) may form coalitions in the event that no single party has a majority of seats in the House of Representatives
(c) were first recognised in an amendment in 1967
(d) do not exist
2. In Australian political discourse, where or when are these items located?
i. the devil (a) on the table
ii. the jury (b) in the room
iii. the light (c) in the toolbox
iv. the only poll that counts (d) in the detail
v. the elephant (e) shoulder to shoulder
vi. economy (f) never
vii. all options (g) on election day
viii. living (h) on the hill
ix. every tool (i) at his party
x. Don (j) still out
xi. a more exciting time to be Australian (k) within our means
xii. fighting with the U.S. against terrorism (l) in transition
3. Australia’s constitution requires bills passed by Parliament to receive “the Queen’s assent”. This is actually given by the governor general, not the Queen. This assent is specified in the constitution as:
(a) according to his discretion
(b) according to his interpretation of the constitution
(c) according to his understanding of the Queen’s pleasure
(d) according to his understanding of the wishes of the people
(e) according to his understanding of the wishes of the parliament
4. In the last seven years, tobacco giant Phillip Morris has donated $634,000 to Australian political parties. How was this distributed?
(a) $599,000 to the Liberal/National Coalition, the rest to the Liberal Democrats
(b) divided strictly equally between the Greens, Labor, the Liberals and the Nationals
(c) $100,000 to Labor, $220,000 to the Liberals, $245,000 to the Nationals, and the rest divided among selected minor parties
(d) $110,000 each to the Liberals, the Nationals, One Nation, the Shooters Party and the Smokers Rights Party and the rest to independents and minor parties
(e) All to the Liberal/National Coalition
5. Over the last 36 months, since May 2013, 24 state or federal parliamentarians have been forced to resign from the executive (Government or Parliamentary) or the Opposition front bench or their party following allegations of misconduct. How many were Labor Party MPs?
(a) All 24
(b) Eleven, fewer than half
(c) Only six
(d) Three
6. How many political parties are already registered to contest the next federal election in Australia?
(a) 17
(b) 27
(c) 37
(d) 57
7. One of these political parties is NOT registered for the forthcoming election with the Electoral Commission. Which one?
(a) #Sustainable Australia
(b) 21st Century Australia
(c) Australian Antipaedophile Party
(d) Australian Libertarian Party
(e) Bullet Train For Australia
(f) Online Direct Democracy – (Empowering the People!)
(g) Pirate Party Australia
(h) The Australian Mental Health Party
(i) VOTEFLUX.ORG | Upgrade Democracy!
8. There are 21 single-issue parties registered already. Wow! Two of these political parties are NOT registered for the forthcoming election with the Electoral Commission. Which two?
(a) Animal Justice Party
(b) Australian Cyclists Party
(c) Australian Rollerbladers Party
(d) Australian Defence Veterans Party
(e) Australian Equality Party (Marriage)
(f) Citizens Referendum Party
(g) Drug Law Reform Australia
(h) Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party
(i) Seniors United Party of Australia
(j) Science Party
(k) Smokers Rights Party
(l) The Arts Party
(m) Voluntary Euthanasia Party
9. A record nine registered political parties – so far – use the name of the party's founder. Which two of these are NOT registered parties?
(a) Palmer United
(b) Glenn Lazarus Team
(c) Jacquie Lambie Network
(d) Ricky Muir’s Motoring Enthusiasts
(e) John Madigan's Manufacturing and Farming Party
(f) Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party
(g) Pauline Hanson’s One Nation
(h) Katter's Australian Party
(i) Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)
(j) Nick Xenophon Team
(k) Tony Abbott Wrecking, Undermining and Sniping Group
10. Which of these important concepts/people are not mentioned anywhere in Australia’s Constitution:
(a) the original inhabitants
(b) local government
(c) the prime minister
(d) the leader of the opposition
(e) the speaker of the House of Representatives
(f) ministerial salaries
11. Imagine an electorate for the House of Representatives with five candidates. Each receives the following percentage of the votes with preferences distributed as shown. (Cascaded preferences are distributed the same as first preferences.) Which party wins the seat?
(a) Liberals 30%. Preferences all distributed to the Nationals
(b) Labor 22%. Preferences split two thirds to The Sex Party and one third to the Liberals
(c) Nationals 20%. Preferences split half to the Liberals and half to The Sex Party
(d) The Sex Party 18%. Preferences half to the Greens, half to Labor
(e) Greens 10%. Preferences split half Labor and half to The Sex Party
12. Large media organisations in Australia tend to support the conservative side of politics. But in 2016, one is unashamedly and enthusiastically promoting the Coalition Government’s treasurer Scott Morrison, as shown by these glowing headlines:
'Treasurer Scott Morrison shouldering a heavy burden ahead of 2016 Budget'
'Guru Morrison and the budget that's totally a plan'
'Scott Morrison says he's found funding in the budget for homelessness'
'Budget 2016 a national economic plan for jobs and growth'
'Business backs 'positive' budget initiatives on jobs, tax'
'Scott Morrison says no one is disputing that there is a Labor spending 'black hole'
Which media group?
(a) Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited
(b) Fairfax Media Limited
(c) The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(d) Channel Nine Network
Find the answers here!
[Editor's note: Pictured from the top down: Ben Chifley, Queen Elizabeth II, William Morris "Billy" Hughes, Bullet Train for Australia logo, James Jansson, Ricky Muir, Malcolm Turnbull, Arthur William Fadden and Scott Morrison.]
Disputes with the Quizmaster are welcome and correspondence will enthusiastically be entered into. Feel free to Tweet Alan Austin @AlanTheAmazing.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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