That’s not a bad idea, especially if there are only two candidates, LOL!

But to be fair, they should be allowed to consult their how to vote tickets.

I was once handing out such things when a fellow asked me where to get one for “informal”. Seriously.

I venture to suggest that it could be as much as two people in five who would flunk it. I’m not excluding recent arrivals because it seems to me they are frequently more involved with being Australian than the people who were bore here.

I think the answer to that would be something like: Unless you are below the taxable income threshold, you are given one additional vote for every rounded-upwards percentage point in the result of the equation (tax actually paid / gross income earned).

I think that the questions in an eligibility test should bear a strong relation to the privilege being sought (thus my civics test).
Your grammar question, or similar, would be a good one to apply before allowing anyone to post anything online (imagine the bandwidth reduction — we’d hardly need the NBN)

On the fractional vote issue, I have tried without success to devise a formula that would limit the political influence of notorious tax avoiders like your mortal predecessor

Is the following sentence grammatically correct? If not, why?

If you continue to ignore the speed limit, your likely to get more fine’s.

1. Requiring would-be voters to pass a quiz before being allowed to cast a vote.
Sample questions:
“Is this a Federal or State election ?” “Which electorate do you live in ?”
plus 8 questions from the Citizenship booklet.
Pass mark set at a generous 30%.

2. Overturning the “one person, one vote rule”; with the value of your vote depending upon your net contribution to the public purse; e.g.
(a) One-third of a vote if you obtain more than 80% of your income as a public pension or allowance;
(b) Two-thirds of a vote if employed as a public servant or you obtain more than 20% of your income as a public pension or allowance etc
(c) Full vote otherwise.
For borderline cases, you could earn up to 20% “credit” by doing registered charity work.
(PS. I don’t qualify for a full vote)

3. Not allowed to comment on climate issues unless you can:
(a) quote the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics;
(b) write down the (simplified) chemical equations for photosynthesis and aerobic respiration (e.g. Carbon Dioxide + Water = …… )
(c) quote the dates of the Viking settlements in Greenland (plus/minus 100 years)

This is an outrageous comment when you think about it. Worthy of the Taliban.

Throughout Oz’s short history we have been dominated by little men with a huge belief in religion. Let us reverse the process.

Their demise was also due to too much involvement with religion, as will be our own civilization. For every forward and logical, progressive and advanced idea contributing to our civilization, there are a hundred thousand weak-minded clowns hiding in the shadows, relentlessly reproducing their own failure.

It is enough to look at the mess which is America to see the fatality of religion.
Of course euthanasia must become legal. To condemn countless people to live in pain, agony, terror and vegetable-like state, could only be the product of a man-made God. Not to mention the power which comes from having created Him.

“And my primary concern is the welfare of this country. What other countries think of us is secondary to that.”

I agree wholeheartedly, I am sick of policy appearing to be made on what others will think of us(or how bad the press will be)and not what is best for the citizens of this country. All citizens of this country no matter what race.

If all the religious clod-hoppers had done something sensible such as restraining the amount of children being born, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Secondly, WTF does the opinion of the rest of the world matter? Thirdly WTF has race got to do with chronic over-population?

Finally: The rest of the world is desperate to get here and there is nothing we can do. The world has almost run out of space and we are the bunnies who are meant to allow it all to happen.

But maybe democratic referenda are dangerous and deadly ideas — imagine asking the stupid, uninformed public what’s good for them, when most countries prefer to operate as fascist states — fascist meaning ‘bundle’ in the original sense — of big business in collusion with government calling all the shots. I don’t remember a public referendum on invading Iraq or Afghanistan either. Or a host of other important topics. Power in the wrong hands — i.e. the public’s — in a truly democratic society would be too dangerous a thing to countenance. Just ask Sir Humphrey.

They already do — why do you think they end up being policed so much? Tensions in the regions are running high with towns in lockdown at night, places like Redfern are effectively no-go zones at night and adjacent areas suffer from a lot of muggings and property crime. The traditional rite of passage has actually become a first stint in jail, it proves you are a ‘man’ and just to prove it you meet up with others more experienced males on the inside after the rite is over. Notions of property ownership are completely different from industrialised Western societies, but I think a lot of the ‘crime’ taking place is really having a slap at the white man. Australia is kind of a South Africa writ small, in a constant state of tension and guerilla warfare.

And my primary concern is the welfare of this country. What other countries think of us is secondary to that.

What I would really like is informed debate on policy settings and a thorough airing of the extent of backdoor immigration that is occurring via the student visa system. I recently heard an estimate of some 500,00o such visa holders in this country. How many of those will elect for permanent residency and what does that say about the “official” immigration numbers set each year — that is, the one that the electorate hears about.

I’m not against immigration; sensible immigration is vital to Australia’s future. But I am against immigration by stealth.

I am awaiting a response from Guy when he is next online. Come on Guy. Give those of us who are not left-wing revolutionaries a reason to continue to subscribe to Crikey.