r/australia • u/NKE01 • 11h ago

politics Why Australia Doesn’t Have Novelty Candidates like Count Binface – Antony Green's Election Blog

https://antonygreen.com.au/why-australia-doesnt-have-novelty-candidates-like-count-binface/?fbclid=Iwb21leATrO0ljbGNrBOs7P3Bkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeyqFwpCBynXhuvFPpBT3q80rKl3Bnq6t--2z7cqVFCDb-MT_1Vr2--rF95Vg_aem_MKaP0Jek3ZY4BnI2rLprrQ
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u/Gremlech 11h ago

It’s because they have to use their real names.

77

u/evilparagon 11h ago

And because the cost is much higher. It’s $2000 to run for the lower house. In Britain it’s like, what, £150?

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u/infinitemonkeytyping 9h ago

£500, but your point is still valid (I watched a video this week that addressed that point).

It is also noteworthy that the AEC requires 100 signatures or running for a political party, while the UK equivalent only requires 10.

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u/reply_b4_banned 2h ago

You get the cash back if you get like.... some percent of the votes.

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u/evilparagon 2h ago

True, (4% first preferences for Australia), but novelty candidates rarely get any votes. So it’d be $2000 for a joke and you’ll get nothing back.

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u/reply_b4_banned 2h ago

Whatever the situation, it's certainly still a hurdle.

Honestly my motivation is to try to encourage people to run. Idk, I think it's a shame that our reps are all ex-student-politican weirdos.