Via my dear friend Twitter I learnt that the Federal Government’s Community Consultation period on Gay Marriage was ending this Friday. But hang on a minute… I haven’t been consulted? So off I go to the website of my Federal Member of Parliament, Labor’s Tanya Plibersek, to have my rant.
I was very pleased to find that Ms Plibersek had a feedback form front and centre on her home page. Two minutes later she knew exactly how I felt. In fact, I connected her with my post on Woogsworld where I first started venting. I bet Woogsworld is now sweeping through Parliament and soon Mrs Woog will be dining at The Lodge.
Thank you for the opportunity to have my say Tanya (and Mrs Woog!). I suggest everyone take her up on the offer.
So then I wanted to see what other pollies from the two major parties were doing? Were they letting their constituents in on this as well? I’ve done a quick whip-around of some of the key decision-makers websites and the results may surprise you, maybe not.
- · ALP – There’s nothing here, not even on the policy page. Go figure!
- Julia Gillard/Lalor/Labor – again, nothing. Sadly I think I already see a pattern developing.
- · Wayne Swan/Lilley/Labor– nothing. Just some bad, air-brushed photography of himself. No mention of Gay Marriage.
- · Simon Crean/Hotham/Labor – my dodgy blog page looks better than his site. But still nothing.
- · I even checked in with Senators Penny Wong and Mark Abib – still no mention anywhere.
- · Liberal Party – I was so disturbed by the offer of “Liberal TV”, yes their own tv content, I could barely continue. But hey, low and behold, NOTHING.
- · Tony Abbott/Warringah/Liberal – it goes without saying, NO. Not even listed in his Constituent Issues Survey.
- · Joe Hockey/North Sydney/Liberal – getting real bored with this now, NO.
- · Malcolm Turnball/Wentworth/Liberal – Eastern suburbs hood you would think may be a little more progressive, NO. Only thing he was offering up was his iPhone App. What the…???
- · Julie Bishop/Curtin/Liberal – YES YES YES. Ms Bishop had a lovely little poll on the main page where you could vote – Strongly Agree down to Strongly Oppose. But the best part of it all – you can see the results! 64% of respondents voted STRONGLY AGREE with Gay Marriage!!! Brilliant!
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| Julie Bishop |
Can I strongly suggest that you all go to Ms Bishop’s site so that at least someone in the Liberal Party understands how we feel...
So my overall report card for our political representatives is depressing and sad. They are obviously disconnected and disinterested in regards to this issue, which appalls me. I can feel the anger boiling up inside. How the hell are they meant to know what their constituents think on the issue if they do not actively engage with them? Isn’t that like Politics 101 for a Federal Member?
I am now too angry to continue…
3 comments:
Heading over to vote. Now.
done xo - PS when I dine at P-House, I am going to go around and kick some nuts in xo
Based on this blog I emailed the member for Shortland - far north Central Coast. to ask why she had nothing on her site and why I had received no survey from her. Long story short - live in Newtown during the week but own a little place in Budgewoi for weekends. It is here we are registered to vote. Here is her sad reply:
Dear Lee
It is an issue I have raised during meetings I hold in the community
and with local groups. On an issue like this the people who would respond to a survey would either be very pro or strong against and I would not receive a true picture of people's feelings unless I could ensure a response of over 50% of people in the electorate.
Any survey I have conducted in the past I have always published the
results and on this issue I believe that it would not necessarily give
a true picture of people's feelings on the matter.
The emails I have received from people living in Shortland (and their
have been a considerable number) would be about 80% opposed to same sex marriages, but be assured I am not using this figure to determine my stance on the issue.
I am happy to meet with you and talk about same sex marriages at
anytime.
Looking forward to hearing from you in the very near future.
Kind regards
Jill Hall
I'm pretty devastated by the 80% figure but I fear that is what we are truly up against. We all need to keep up the fight, but outside the ghetto is where it will need to be won to convince the pollies.
Keep up the good work Steven.
Lee
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