Can You Help?

This website is in imminent danger of being shut down. It has been online since 1995, but the personal circumstances of the owner, Malcolm Farnsworth, are such that economies have to be made. Server costs and suchlike have become prohibitive. At the urging of people online, I have agreed to see if Patreon provides a solution. More information is available at the Patreon website. If you are able to contribute even $1.00/month to keep the site running, please click the Patreon button below.


Become a Patron!


Peta Murphy (ALP-Dunkley) – Maiden Speech

Jul 24, 2019

This is the maiden speech to the House of Representatives by Peta Murphy, the ALP member for Dunkley.

Listen to Murphy (29m):

Watch Murphy (32m):

Hansard transcript of maiden speech by Peta Murphy, ALP member for Dunkley.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the honourable member for Dunkley, I remind the House that this is the honourable member’s first speech. I ask the House to extend to her the usual courtesies.

Ms MURPHY (Dunkley) (11:23): We meet today on the lands of the Ngunawal people. My electorate of Dunkley is on the lands of the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation. We recognise and support local Indigenous culture, history and people at the gathering place by the bay, Nairm Marr Djambana. I pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and to all traditional owners. I stand here today to pledge my support for the recognition of First Nations people in Australia’s Constitution and the establishment of an Indigenous voice to parliament based on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2019 Federal Election, A.L.P., Audio, House of Reps, Maiden Speeches, Video Tagged With: , ,

Chris Crewther (Lib-Dunkley) – Maiden Speech

Sep 12, 2016

This is the maiden speech to the House of Representatives by the new Liberal member for Dunkley, Chris Crewther.

  • Listen to Crewther (29m – transcript below)
  • Watch Crewther (29m)

Hansard transcript of maiden speech by Chris Crewther, Liberal member for Dunkley.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the honourable member for Dunkley, I remind the House that this is the honourable member’s first speech and I ask the House to extend to him the usual courtesies. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Liberal Party, Maiden Speeches, Video Tagged With: , ,

Informal Vote Declines In Federal Election; Sydney Again Records Highest Rates

Jul 10, 2016

The percentage of informal votes in the 2016 House of Representatives elections dropped by 0.86% to 5.05%.

The informal vote is the lowest since 2004, when it was 5.2%. Informals declined in every State and Territory, apart from the Northern Territory, which has recorded the highest rate of 7.35%, an increase of 1.05%.

Other than NSW and the NT, all States and Territories recorded an informal vote of less than 5%. In NSW, the informal percentage was 6.17%.

Whilst the highest informal vote in an individual seat outside NSW is 8.84% in Murray (Vic), NSW has 9 seats with an informal vote above 8%. As in previous elections, these are all Labor-held electorates in Sydney with high proportions of non-English speaking residents.

The highest informal vote in an individual electorate was recorded in Lindsay, where it reached 11.77%. The seat of Blaxland, once held by former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, had 11.55%, the second highest.

The Victorian seat of Kooyong recorded the lowest informal vote of any of the country’s 150 electorates – just 1.99%. Kooyong was once held by former Liberal prime minister Sir Robert Menzies. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Federal Election, A.L.P., Informal Votes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Undecided Seats: Turnbull Edges Towards Narrow Victory

Jul 06, 2016

11.45pm – A path to a narrow victory for the Turnbull government emerged in today’s counting of votes for seats in the House of Representatives.

The five undecided seats in which the Coalition previously led have now been listed as settled: Gilmore, Chisholm, Dunkley, Barker and Grey. In all of these the Liberal Party’s lead grew as postal and other declaration votes were added to the count. In the case of the latter two South Australian electorates, where the Nick Xenophon Team emerged as the main opposition to the Liberals, the counting of two-candidate-preferred has confirmed the seats as retained by the Liberals.

Similarly, I have removed Melbourne Ports from the list of undecided seats. Preference flows mean that the seat is not likely to see the Greens take second place ahead of the ALP.

However, counting today revealed that the Queensland electorate of Flynn has come into play. This seat had been classified as an ALP gain but counting of postal votes saw a large drop in the ALP’s lead, from 1824 to 1065. LNP officials are said to be very confident that a 65% flow of preferences from postal votes makes the seat winnable.

These changes mean that the Coalition now has 73 seats, the ALP 66, and Others 5. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Federal Election, A.L.P., AEC, Greens, Liberal National Party, Liberal Party, The Nationals, Turnbull Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page »