Aftermath of Election.

Now that the last election is over, we now have to face the reckoning.

Rex Patrick of the "West Report" is quite rightly summarising how much it is costing us taxpayers for the last election. All elections are expensive, but made more so, by the fact that our benighted nation is stuck with the party -political system that benefits hugely,- when elections are called.

Mr. Patrick is referring in particular, to the fact that all candidates who campaign to stand (or sit) in parliament, Reps. or Senate, and attain 4% or more of votes cast in each electorate, are rewarded the sum of $3.39 per vote, from the AEC supposedly, to offset the cost of their election campaign.

It needs to be remembered that all candidates, under our current system, are entitled to invite donations from interested supporters and, in particular, the major parties, from institutes with vested interests. They, of course, are allowed to accrue substantially more and larger donations under the current parliamentary rules. Whilst reportable, the rules apparently differ between those independent candidates and the major parties. In fact, the whole system is set up by the so-called two- party system. Set up since the Second World War, to benefit the major parties. They are supposed to be in opposition, but when convenient, somehow, the parliamentary terms of payment and allowances have always benefited them.

Rex Patrick's West Report, ,clearly demonstrates how the reimbursments by the AEC, for the requisite campaign costs of election participants, are rorted. First example is "Pauline Hanson"s " "One Nation" party who, quite legally, will receive $2.98 million despite not winning a single seat in the Rep's. "She ran 147 candidates for the House, and for her efforts, she'll scoop up $2.98 M"

Then as Rex points out, the Greens who ran candidates in every house seat, knowing they had very limited prospects in a few seats, will still collect $6.43 M. in house funds to help pay for their Senate campaign. Other minor parties will share $1.1m for their unsuccessful efforts. Then we come to the independents and Teals. Probably the most entitled, they will receive a combined $3.489m.

Inevitably, we come to the Major's who apparently will recover between them $69.4 million. Rex Patrick maintains that an estimate of $94 m. of taxpayer's money will have been paid out, just for this part of electioneering, in coming months.

A further quote from Rex Patrick is :

"The Increasing spend"

"With the electoral Law changes that were passed in the parliament in the lead up to the election, thanks to a Labor-Lnp deal, to take effect at the next election. The amount of money paid by we, the taxpayers, per vote, will increase to $5." That's a 47.5% increase. So much for a cost-of -living crisis?

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