Australia goes to polls on May 18th 2019. A lot of the language used by journalists and politicians in news stories about Australian politics might sound like technical gibberish to the average person.
The language seems like a very different kind of English, but we’re here to help you break through the jargon.
Some of the most distinctly Australian political terms include the ‘pub test’, used to describe whether something will be believed by everyday Australians, or ‘dog-whistle politics’, which describes messages that mean one thing to most of the population but something else to a smaller subgroup.
Here’s a quick look at the ten most mind-boggling election terms:
- Bellwether seat: A term used to describe an electoral district whose voters have historically chosen a candidate from the election-winning party in a series of elections. Pollsters and academics look to Bellwether seats to discern trends and predict the outcome of an election.
- Blue ribbon seat: An electorate that has consistently voted for the same member or party over a long period of time, thus making it a 'safe' seat.
- Dog-whistle politics: Political messaging that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different meaning for a targeted subgroup. It is often used to criticise the policy, seeming to be reasonable at face value, but actually intended to appeal to a more radical set of voters. In Australian politics’ it has traditionally been used to describe the motivations and rhetoric toward immigration and asylum seeker policy.
- Gerrymander: Deliberately dividing a constituency in a way that gives an advantage to one political party or to particular voters.
- Hustings: Public meetings in the run-up to an election where candidates outline their policies as part of their election campaign.
- Nanny state: Often used to criticise policy or idea that would lead to a government that is over-protective or interferes too greatly with individual freedoms and choice.
- Pork-barrelling: A frequently used term in Australian politics, a government or candidate accused of ‘pork-barrelling’ is one that promises more funding to marginal seats than safe seats or to seats where there are negotiations with key independents.
- Preference deals: Australian political parties seek to influence voter preferences at elections by handing out ‘How to vote’ cards at voting stations, which suggest a sequence of preferences for voters. Parties may sometimes work out deals with each other in how they direct voter preferences. These preference deals can be based on agreements to gain an advantage in local seats, or nation-wide. Preference deals are often a key discussion during the election campaign because of their importance in determining election results, particularly in marginal electorates and for smaller parties.
- Pub test: A term used to describe the general opinion of ‘everyday Australians’ about current events, politicians or policies. For example, when something does not ‘pass the pub test’, it is said to be something that people would not believe or agree with.
- Tactical voting: When a voter doesn’t vote for their favoured candidate but instead votes for another hoping to prevent the strongest candidate from winning.
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