Anne Tiernan and Duncan McDonnell, political science academics at Griffith University, discuss the part that minor parties will likely play in the federal election result, and why many voters appear to favour them and Independents over the major parties. An edited transcript of their discussion is reproduced at The Conversation (9.6.16):
‘How important will minor parties and independents be in this federal election? And how significant is the latest Newspoll result, showing a record 15% of those surveyed said they’d rather vote for an independent or “other party” than the Coalition, Labor or the Greens?
‘Watch Griffith University’s Anne Tiernan and Duncan McDonnell discuss those issues and more, including:
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The crucial lessons the Nick Xenophon Team learnt from the Palmer United Party – and how that’s shaped that party’s choice of candidates in this election.
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How populists around the world – including Pauline Hanson in Australia, Donald Trump in the US and Marine Le Pen in France – have successfully tapped into some people’s feeling being “under siege”.
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How Australia’s system of compulsory voting is masking people’s dissatisfaction with democracy and the major parties in particular, which mirrors problems across Western Europe and the United States.’