The circumstances and shenanigans leading up to last weekend's Federal election were more in keeping with the goings on of a corrupt African state, says Bob Ellis.
MORE AND MORE it seems like a police state election.
Ballots, unguarded. Ethnic Liberal candidates dragged off, and hidden away. Treasury officials threatened, until they intervened. A candidate, Slipper, framed with a crime of which he is guiltless. Another, Thomson, deprived of his vote. A duly appointed official, Bracks, removed by a shadow minister, legally powerless to do this. A ballot box with a thousand unwelcome votes, missing. Policies on child care and slashed environmental action, concealed until after the advertising ban. A spy, disguised as a tell-all makeup girl.
Good polls for the government, unreported. All interviews based on the bad polls. Many of these polls, in particular seats, fabricated. Thirty-four days of hostile headlines and vituperative commentary in seventy per cent of the newspapers. An Opposition grandee let off drunk driving charges. A threat to the tenure of the Governor-General.
‘Zimbabwean Tendencies’ one might call this if it were merely funny. But it is, of course, a democracy gone wrong, a polity hijacked. There is criminality here that the Senate, for ten months yet Labor-Green dominated, could assemble next week and investigate with public hearings. With what, Mr Parkinson, did Mr Hockey threaten you?
It is an extraordinary record of sub-criminal, and probably unconstitutional, electoral behaviour.
It should be tested in the High Court.
With Clive paying the lawyers.
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