Many epic questions were submitted for the Federal FacePalm 2013 panel.
Unfortunately we weren’t able to get to all of them. Here are the best questions (and answers from the Vibewire) we received! If you have a different answer for the below questions, let us know in the comments!
1. Why are both parties rushing for economic surplus?
Debt is an ugly sounding word which nobody wants to be associated with. For an ordinary Australian, to be in debt makes it harder to secure further finances.
This is not the case for Federal Governments however due to extensive arrangements and safeguards with banks and other financial institutions. Debt for the Federal Government is not nearly as bad as debt for an ordinary citizen.
However, a rush to achieve economic surplus resonates well with many voters and has become a political slogan, so is it remains a hotly debated issue.
2. In a world where the right is wrong and the left is right, how can voters make sense of tweedle-dee-dumb parties?
Yes, but with great difficulty. The large number of policies are the exact same between the two major parties. However, small differences can make all the difference.
To verify the validity of claims made by politicians, we would recommend users visit sites such as the ABC’s Fact Check or Politifact Australia. Both are non-partisan and independently assess the validity of political claims.
3. Does any of this matter? They’re all as evil as each other.
Hitler and Stalin were both bad, but in different ways. The differences between the two can be compared to the Labor and Liberal parties respective policies. If high speed broadband is high on your agenda, then the ALP’s broadband policy may be preferable to the Coaltion’s.
However, mining companies would be more inclined to lean towards the Coalition’s plan to scrap any such tax.
Identify the issues that are the most important to you, and then from there find out where each major party stands and vote accordingly
4. How far do you think the backlash against Murdoch this election will go?
News Corp have long argued that they are simply delivering the content that their audience desires. Strong sales of The Daily Telegraph seem to justify their viewpoint.
Biased press coverage from Murdoch’s publications are nothing new, and a similar outcry has also happened before. Unless sales drop dramatically, expect little to change from Murdoch’s editorial standards.
5. Resorting to populism has led to the death of political rhetoric in this election. Do you see the future of political rhetoric declining further in the coming years?
Many would argue that the upcoming and previous Federal Elections were driven largely by opinion polls. One of the biggest reasons that both Rudd and Gillard were ejected from the Prime Ministership was because of their ratings in the opinion polls.
In order to influence popular opinions, the dumbing down of political talk is being seen by both parties as an ever-more viable strategy. If the focus on opinion polls continues, so wil the decline in political rhetoric.
6. Does Abbott have a heart?
A prerequisite to become a politician is to sacrifice one’s heart to the Queen of England. The dye for the red coats worn by the Queen’s ceremonial guards must come from somewhere.
6. Can the panel please suggest a suitable refugee policy that does not invade “stopping the boats”?
There is no clear silver bullet for the issue of asylum seekers arriving to Australia via our maritime waters. However, boats have always arrived in Australia even under John Howard’s Prime Minstership.
The only suitable solution must involve the cooperation of Australia and it’s neighbours by which asylum seekers visit in transit on their way to Australia. Such cooperatoin has not been hinted at by either political party.
7. Should the media/journalists declare their own political affiliations/views? (Should this be enforced?)
Australia tends to pride itself on our open discussions about politics. How would such political affiliations be disclosed is another matter.
8. How to liberate the media(press)? #publicmind
Stop buying newspapers from publications which publish un-liberating content!
9. What is your response to Clive Palmers weird rant on Sunrise this morning?
This morning , Clive Palmer accused Murdoch’s wife that she was a Chinese Spy. Clive Palmer also accused The Greens of being funded by the CIA in 2012. He is also building a dinosaur park and is a fan of twerking.
The sanity of this man must be questioned.
10. Should the next gout push for an alteration to the Charter of Budget honesty, so costings are released earlier? Why?
It would have to apply for both parties. During the 2007 Federal Election, Kevin Rudd released his party’s costings the Thursday before the election. This year, the exact opposite has happened.
Releasing the costings earlier would allow greater scrutiny from political analysts, which ultimately could help better inform Australians about their choice for political office.
11. Why are people in this wealthy, stable country so obsessed with “the economy”?
We love to complain about the even the little things: the way our coffee is made, the content on our television and the lack of free wi-fi in metropolitan centres. Human nature dictates that we must complain about something, and the economy is perhaps the biggest, most winge-able thing in the world.
12. Given that first home buyer levels in Australia are the lowest since the 1992 recession, why is it not an election issue? Why is it electoral poison to reduce investor incentives, so first home buyers can have a chance? – I’M OUTRAGED!
Australia has an aging population. In other words, we may eventually hit a point where there will be almost as many retirees as there will be people in the workforce. People who have lived longer naturally have deeper pockets, unlike the majority of struggling uni students.
As a democracy, the demands of the majority outweighs the demands of the minority. In order to make this issue more important, make louder noises and cause a bigger fuss. Make your voice heard!!!!
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Federal FacePalm 2013 was a comedy Q&A co-produced by Vibewire and Left Right Think-Tank. The event was supported by SDP and The Roxy.
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Stay tuned for photos and the video from the night!
The post Questions from Federal FacePalm 2013 appeared first on Vibewire.
