Summary
| Website: | http://nationals.org.au/ |
| Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/TheNationalsAus/ |
| Slogans: |
A strong voice for regional Australia Think Local. Vote National. |
| Themes: | Conservative, with an emphasis on regional communities. But not very good at it. Don’t mention water management. Apparently, that’s Labor’s fault. |
| Electorate: |
Upper House: All of them except the ACT Lower House: All the ones that aren’t in cities. |
| Preferences: | The Nationals pretty much share a Senate How To Vote Card with the Liberals, but there are a few exciting exceptions. Like the Liberals are putting the United Australia Palmer second on almost all their Senate How to Vote cards except for those where the Liberals are a separate party – but in Tasmania, they have rebelled from the Liberals’ party line and put Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in third place, after the Liberals but before United Australia. In Western Australia, they have put One Nation in at sixth place, which is a less pointed rebellion, but certainly an indication that the worm is a-turning.
Otherwise, we have a similar tendency to preference the LDP, the Australian Conservatives and the various conservative Christian parties, with the Shooters and Fishers appearing twice, and Katter’s Australia Party, Hinch’s Justice Party and the Small Business Party each appearing once. And HEMP is still ahead of the ALP and the Greens in the NT, which I still find vastly amusing. So it’s a similar portfolio to that of the Liberals – a lot of Clive Palmer, a lot of libertarian and religious conservative parties, but a bit more interest in guns, be they by way of hunting and fishing or just, you know, racism. |
| Previous reviews |
Policies & Commentary
Again, if you are here, you already know what the Nationals are about. Let’s get straight to the sequins, shall we?
Eurovision Theme Song as determined by me, very objectively
Look, the Nationals are kind of circling the drain at the moment. Between family-friendly politicians having affairs, visiting ‘sugar babies’ and allegedly sexually harrassing people, and an increasing feeling among rural Australians that the National Party just isn’t representing them very well, they are leaking votes in every direction.
And then there is the business with the Murray Darling system, the mass fish die-offs, and the apparent mismanagement of water buybacks under Barnaby Joyce during his tenure as water minister.
I don’t know if they are finally facing their Waterloo, but things are not looking good for the Nationals. But at least they are getting represented here by possibly the most famous Eurovision song of all time…
Excellent song choice. Both for the symbolism and the fact that it’s a great song.
I’m glad you approve!