In my honest opinion the Preferential Vote System SHOULD be scrapped and dumped, replaced by a system where ! vote means only ! vote cast for ONLY the person/candidate CHOSEN by the elector.
Another thing, imho, that needs desperately to be eradicated is the idea of Coalitions between 2 or more Political Parties, EACH Party MUST and SHOULD be made to stand on its own merits and stand ALONE.

@Triphid A tick rather than numbers? Except for independents and the many parties that exist?

Bill Shortonballs is bloody useless and we all know it, time he got the boot and let someone with some nous and guts do the job properly imho.

@Triphid Re-nationalizing our power sources is a big part of the BudgetReply.

@DragonDust I agree, National Power Generating Sources SHOULD belong to the Nation and the People NOT private companies and ESPECIALLY NOT overseas consortiums.
Many decades ago, here in Broken Hill, we had our OWN Power Station, never had power failures as big and long as we often get now with the grid from Victoria, etc, we had our OWN Public Hospital, owned, operated ad paid for by the locals and it was widely known as the best in the Southern Hemisphere, our OWN local water Authority, our own rail services to South Australia, our own Bus Services DAILY to and from South Australia, ALL locally owned and operated, everything ran smoothly UNTIL the governments stepped in and now it has ALL gone to shit.

Shorten is hopeless, but the only way to get rid of him is for the coalition to win.

@Coffeo Why do you think he's hopeless. His party has policy and a much better history of governing than the LNP. His worst moment was being sure that Julia Gillard was being a good PM while not being certain what she was saying in 2012 (which just showed confidence and she was a great PM, Kevin Rudd was a hardworking, knowledgeable guy but his ego took him down). There has been some things made up about him that have been proven false. He's way more willing to speak to protesters, he knows how to make policy/legislation and make sure he doesn't fuck with the Australian constitution along the way. Doing the job properly is too boring I suppose.

@DragonDust I put it too strongly. He's not really hopeless, especially when you look at who's on the other side. But I'm not sure he'll make a great PM. I hope he gets the chance to try, though.

@Coffeo Well what people forget is that we are voting for a party. The labor party has many members who know how to do their jobs. Many people would prefer to vote for Penny Wong (good for foreign policy) but she's still in an important position, or Tanya Plibersek (Deputy Leader of the Opposition and future head of education) and many other members of varied popularity. I was quite happy when I went to the Labor Fringe last year. Refugees, war, economics, funding ABC and other news, education, foreign intervention, becoming a republic (one of my faves), necular weapons it's a good party. \I like Bill Shorten because he isn't walked all over (Malcom Turnbull), trying to do it all by himself (ScoMo)or has no idea how to govern and just slinging mud(Abbott/ScoMo).

@DragonDust Good points.

@Coffeo @DragonDust would you not agree that it's not a broad based party, the membership doesn't mean anything, and in reality it's the political apparatus of the powerful union interests, that are not progressive, and that, if it ever was a left of centre party, it hasn't been since Hawke and Keating? After the 2013 election they had party members in a vote for leader. They voted for left wing Albanese, but under the "rules" the caucus voted for Shorten, ignoring members, because that's who they wanted - a right wing NSW unionist silvertail. How can anyone have any faith (wash my mouth) in such an outfit.

@David1955 I don't think faith comes into it.

@David1955 The Labor Party lost the plot not long after the shameful and rigged dismissal of the Great and Nationally Minded and Driven Gough Whitlam.
Unions were once the protectors of the Workers of Australia, here in Broken Hill, where I was born, raised and still live, they did GREAT things, and a very few not so great things as well, BUT the good and great things have far out-weighed the not so good.
Since the Unions have been almost neutered miners here now work 12 hour shifts with 10 days on and 4 days off where once it was 8 hour shifts 5 days per week, the Companies now DICTATE the working conditions, the workers and their immediate families suffer and pay the ultimate price.
Once, a worker could retire at 60 and get on to the Aged Pension, NOW the Government, the Lib-Nat Government btw, wants people to work on until 70 or 80 years of age and, like the slaves of old, they'll most probably drop dead on the job THUS saving the Government of paying them a well overdue and richly deserved Pension.
Is THAT what you want for yourself and future generations of Aussie workers?
If so, then stick to your beloved Lib-Nat ideologies by all means BUT you WILL end up in the graveyard just like everyone else anyway.

@Triphid agree totally with all. My family has Broken Hill connections too. My mother, who passed recently, was born there in 1917, amid the union movement, my grand parents right in the middle of it. And the Wobblies were there too! Great history. What the ALP has become is appalling, and all in the interests of abandoning ideology to win elections and they have been a total failure in doing that! In political science we call it electoralism, and it is the death of progressive politics.

@David1955 Imho, the political 'scene' and system in Australia desperately needs a complete and total utter demolition and renovation.
Beginning with a completely NEW and Comprehensive NON- British system or American related Constitution that ACTUALLY puts the power of Government Decision Making, etc, back where it truly belongs, i.e. the hands of the PEOPLE.

@Triphid Someone is focusing on Piers Ackerman opinion articles over facts and actual history aren't they?

The $75 is only to try and replace the cut they made to the energy supplement a few months back. It’s a blatant effort to buy a few votes. Won’t work.

@DragonDust If, mayhap, you're refer to my stating my OWN thoughts and opinions here, then you ARE barking up the wrong tree.
I've never heard of nor read any of the drivel you've mentioned, I think for myself, research for myself which involves reading a lot of history, etc, etc, including what is loosely termed as the Australian Constitution, then I make my own mind up based up all that and more.