So you didn’t vote in the state election...

ECSA sent out about 80,000 notices following the election to people who failed to vote, and while not voting might not feel like a big deal, our mandatory voting system is that you’ll be fined if you fail to do so. 

The process is pretty straightforward, but the most important thing to know is make sure you respond to the notice – after your first notice the fine amount increases with every further notice. 

Here’s what’ll happen: 

First notice

If you didn’t vote in the State Election then you’ll receive an ‘apparent failure to vote notice’. This notice gives you the opportunity to explain why you didn’t vote. Legally you need to reply to this notice within 21 days and penalties may apply if you fail to do so. 

There are always notices sent to people with valid reasons for not voting, like the 87 dead people who received notices following this election, so if you’ve got one of those or actually did vote you just need to let them know.

If your reason is accepted then that’s it – you don’t need to do anything else.  

Second notice 

If you don’t respond to the first notice or didn’t provide a valid and sufficient reason for not voting then you’ll be sent an expiation notice.  

The expiation amount is $102, made up of a $10 expiation fee for the offence, and $92 Victims of Crime Levy. 

Legally you need to reply to this notice. If you pay this fine or provide a valid reason for not voting then there will be no further action.  

Third notice 

If you don’t respond to those notices a third notice will be sent and $67 will be added to the fine ($169 in total). 

Legally you need to reply to this notice. If you pay this fine or provide a valid reason for not voting then there will be no further action. 

Notice of Order Enforcement 

After the third notice, if you have failed to pay the fine or provide a valid reason for not voting then ECSA will refer the matter to the Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit.  

The Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit issues a notice of order of enforcement, which carries significant financial penalties in addition to the current penalties. 

What is a by-election?

In South Australia, a by-election is held when a seat in the House of Assembly (lower house) becomes free. Unlike a state election, a by-election will only happen in the electorate when there is a vacancy, meaning if you’re not in that electorate you won’t vote in the by-election. It is compulsory to vote in a by-election in your district. Not sure which electorate you’re in? You can check your state electorate here,

But how does a seat become vacant?

A seat may become vacant if an MP retires, resigns or passes away between state elections. This can also happen if a member becomes ineligible to stand in the House of Assembly or if an election is declared void by the Supreme Court.

How is a by-election different to a regular election?

If it’s in your electorate it isn’t really different. The main thing is that you’ll only get one ballot, the green House of Assembly ballot (so no long white Legislative Council ballot to fill out). You’ll fill this ballot out the same way you would normally by numbering every box from your first to last preference.

The only polling places open on by-election day will be in the electorate with the vacancy, but early voting and postal votes are still available if you won’t be able to vote in person on the day.

How is voting in the Federal Election different to a state election?

South Australians return to the polls this week, just two months after voting in the SA State Election, but what’s different about this one?

Broadly, this election is to elect federal representatives who will make decisions on areas that are federal responsibilities. In the state election we voted for state representatives who will make decisions in areas that are a state/territory responsibility. More info on what different levels of government are responsible for here.

We vote in ALMOST the same way in both state and federal elections. We get a lower house (green) and upper house (white) ballot to fill out and number every box on the lower house ballot from your most to least preferred candidate.

The upper house ballot is where we have a key difference. We still choose whether to vote above the line or below the line, but for this election if you’re voting above the line you need to number at least six boxes, rather than one like on the state ballot.

This just means that this time around if you want to vote above the line you need to find six parties or ‘groups’ that you’re willing to vote for – you might not recognise them all on the ballot, so check out this list of all the parties and candidates you can vote for in this election.

If you’re voting below the line it’s the same as the state election, number at least 12 boxes.

We preference candidates so that if your first choice doesn’t get the votes they need to win a seat your vote can transfer to your next choice. Your vote will only every be transferred by the preferences you select.

This election cycle there has been a lot of misinformation circulating on social media about preferences, particularly labelling preferencing minor parties and independents as a ‘wasted vote’.

The idea that voting for someone who may not get enough votes to win a seat isn’t valid is quite simply untrue. If the seat is going to come down to the two major parties then your vote will just transfer to whichever you preferenced higher.

More info on how preferential voting works here.

YACSA's Election Day Guide

Where do you vote? What do you bring? How do you fill in the ballot paper? What's a democracy sausage? We've got the answers.

THE 6 STEP ELECTION DAY GUIDE.

From the moment you arrive, until the moment you leave, here's what to expect and what to do.

• Step 1: Preparation

Firstly - have you enrolled to vote? Click here to make sure you're enrolled to vote.

WHERE CAN I VOTE?

• You can vote at any 'polling booth'.

• The easiest and quickest way to vote is to go to a polling booth within the electorate you are voting in.

If you are not going to be in your electorate, in South Australia, or even if you’re going to be overseas for the election, or if you won't be able to get to a polling booth, click here to find out about postal voting.

WHAT DO I BRING?

All you need to bring is yourself!

• Step 2: 'How to Vote' forms

The moment you arrive, there will be a bunch of people handing you 'how to vote cards'.

These are recommendations from the parties on how they would like you to vote.

They are NOT mandatory.

Feel free to refuse to take them.

Feel free to use them.

Feel free to recycle them.

Feel free to fold them into unique pieces of origami.

But you don't HAVE to do anything with them. 

Bonus YACSA tip:

'How to vote' cards make fantastic paper aeroplanes.

• Step 3: Queuing

You will enter a queue.

The queue might be very long.

Brace yourself.

Bonus YACSA tip:

We recommend sharing Smashed Avocado stories with people around you to pass the time.

• Step 4: Ticking your name off

You will walk up to the official person at the desk.

They will find you on the electoral roll and cross off your name, give you your ballot papers, and send you on your way to a small, cardboard voting booth.

Bonus YACSA tip:

There's thousands of people in their book. It might take them a while to find your name. They've had a long day. Be nice to the election officials.

• Step 5: Actually voting

For now, here are the basics:

For the GREEN ballot paper:

• Put a '1' in the box next to your favourite candidate.

• Put a '2' next to your second choice.

• Keep going down until EVERY BOX IS NUMBERED.

• Note: you can also go reverse, and put the lowest number possible for your least favourite candidate and work your way up.

You can find a practice green ballot here.

For the WHITE ballot paper:

• Same as above, in that you put a '1' next to your favourite candidate, a '2' for your second favourite, and so on.

• If you vote 'below the line', you need to mark at least 12 boxes.

• If you vote 'above the line', you need to number at least six boxes from 1 to 6.

• However, with both, you are free to mark as many more as you like.

You can find a practice white ballot here.

If you make a mistake, you can always ask the official for a new sheet.

When you're done, take your ballot papers and put them in the fancy looking box.

Bonus YACSA tip:

Skip the graffiti on your ballot papers, while you’re allowed to it ultimately just makes the election officials job harder when they’re counting votes. There are waaaaaay better ways to express your political views or frustrations - like becoming a YACSA young member! (click here to sign up!)

• Step 6: Reward yourself

Well done! You have just democracy-ed. (Yes, we made that word up).

It's time to celebrate. 

We recommend grabbing a democracy sausage before you leave (or a gluten free/vegan alternative).

The democracy sausage is a time honoured tradition unique to Australian democracy, where the local sausage sizzle is a vital part of the voting experience - and it helps raise money for the local school/community group.

Polls: What do they mean and can we trust them?

Polls are a staple of election season, whether they’re asking who your preferred party or leader is, a lot of election coverage will include polls to gauge public opinion. 

What’s a poll? Sometimes also called an ‘opinion poll’ it’s essentially a survey of a group of people to find out what they think about election-related issues. This could be to find out what local issues are important to them, how they view the government, opposition or parties or which candidates they’re likely to vote for. 

Of course we’ve only just had a state election in SA, so we’ve seen a lot of Liberal vs Labor and Marshall vs Malinauskas polls in the last few months. But now that the federal election has been called and we have well and truly shifted our focus to it, polling numbers have been making more headlines over the past few weeks. Most memorably the below graphic from The Australian was widely circulated, not for the results, but the representation of them. 

It’s not shocking that this made waves, one of the largest media outlets in the country somehow cleared this to be published. Twitter and other social media platforms blew up, confused by how 41% could possibly be so much smaller than 43%. 

But unequal pie charts aside, should we give polls any real weight?  

The answer is yes and no. 

Polls can be a good way to get a picture of public opinion, particularly because media attention doesn’t always reflect the views of the public.  

But it’s important to remember they will always have a margin of error, which is generally around 3%. All that means is that if 52% of people polled responded to one option the real figure is anywhere from 49 – 55%.  

It’s a consideration we have to make for whoever is polling lower too. 48% with a 3% margin of error means the real figure could be anywhere from 51-45%, and while that’s still a lower range than their hypothetical opponent, there’s a lot of overlap and it isn’t really enough to make a concrete call on an election. 

Because of this, changes or ‘swings’ of a few per cent probably don’t measure up to any real change in public opinion. The 2019 federal election is a perfect example of this. Polls were reporting 52-48 and 51-49 in favour of Labor calling it an election they couldn’t lose and, as it turns out, that wasn’t the case.  

The media will report on almost any change now that we’re really in election mode, so we’re left to look past the headlines. Is every reported ‘shocking’ poll result going to be as surprising or as important as it claims? It’s unlikely, so our attention is better directed toward the actual numbers, rather than the sensationalised headlines.  

While polling isn’t an exact science, data collected over months and years can illustrate trends in public opinion. Rather than just looking at the most recent results or disregarding them all together, direct your attention to any trends they may highlight. 

One set of polling numbers on their own really don’t tell us much, but we can look at where they sit in comparison to past polls. Is one party’s number going up over time? Are the polls coming back around the same each time? The more data we can look at and the more media news we can cut through the better.

Pre-election issue explainers: Cost of living

Despite Australia being a wealthy country where each previous generation has enjoyed a better standard of living than the one before, young people today face a growing gap in generational equality and will likely be the first generation to have a poorer standard of living then their parents. Incomes continued to increase after 2008 and the global financial crisis for those over 34 but young people’s incomes have gone backwards. This was primarily caused by slow growth in hourly wages and fewer hours of work being available, which disproportionately impacted young people who are overrepresented in casual and contract employment.

Since 2008, the number of people wanting work has increased faster than the number of jobs available and so young people, especially those looking to enter the workforce, have suffered most. The Australian Productivity Commission’s 2020 report on wages detailed that young people entered the pandemic with significantly lower wages and limited savings, are moving up from low-paid positions slower than previous generations, and typically occupy industries hardest hit during the pandemic. While wage growth and job security for young people has been non-existent, the cost of living in Australia has risen by at least 23.4 per cent overall over the last ten years with the cost of electricity rising by 100.9 per cent, gas and other fuel prices rising by 75.6 per cent, water and sewerage charges rising by 66.8 per cent and property rates and charges rising by 63.6 per cent from 2009 to 2019. Lower wages and higher living costs see young people struggle to afford essentials and forced to make decisions about what essentials they will miss out on.

Young people in Australia are half as likely to be financially secure compared to other age groups with at least a quarter of young people having experienced financial difficulties in the last two years. Young people are as financially vulnerable as the overall population, but they are more vulnerable to sudden drops in their income and are not as financially secure as other age groups. Financial insecurity experienced by young people impacts other opportunities like housing and employment while also directly impacting the ability to afford essentials.

Almost half of young people report saving part of their income very often and most young people are strategic in their money management but not all have the same opportunities to save or invest. Housing remains a key issue for the cost of living with a shortage of affordable rental properties and rising rental costs impacting young people as private rentals are the most common tenure type for those under 25-years-old. Households of young people (where the breadwinner is 15-24 years old) spent 25.4 per cent of their income on housing with the pandemic further exacerbating housing issues. During COVID-19, 44 per cent of young renters failed to pay their rent on time, 21 per cent attempted to negotiate a reduction or deferral of rent payments with only 53.3 per cent of those successfully renegotiating their rental agreement compared to 82.5% of 25-34-years-olds.

With living costs rising and wages stagnating, it is vital that decision makers attempting to tackle the economy, wage growth, and costs of living prioritise young people and actively involve them in the decision-making process. Targeted solutions co-designed with young people for structural problems within the labour market and significant gaps in support and services are needed to ensure young people have an adequate standard of living that is secure and affordable.

Pre-election explainers: Health

Health is a priority issue for South Australian young people in the upcoming state and federal elections.  Many health issues and health altering behaviours begin in youth and can affect the rest of a young person’s life. Therefore, it is important that young people are supported to develop good health, positive body image, and build constructive approaches to future health.

The benefits of ensuring young people are supported to build and maintain good health are broad, helping not just young people but the entire community. Good health supports young people to achieve educational goals, find full employment, and allows them to actively engage in their community. There are several social determinants that impact young people’s health including employment, urban design, and socioeconomic status and it is important these factors are considered when making policy decisions. Socioeconomic disadvantage can affect long-term health with those most disadvantaged in South Australia being twice as likely to have a long-term health condition.

As the cost of living rises, especially in relation to housing, we can expect poorer health outcomes as people disadvantaged in housing, education, and employment are more likely to have poor health outcomes due to the interconnected nature of these factors. Stress, decreased wellbeing, and anxiety are also damaging to health which is concerning as at least 46 percent of South Australian young people report feeling stress most to all of the time.

In recent years, South Australia’s health system has had a lot of attention. Ramping, which is when an ambulance is off the road and paramedics stay with a patient until they are admitted to hospital, has increasingly dominated headlines since 2017 when the ambulance union reported 18 ambulances ramped at the Royal Adelaide Hospital at one time. At the time in 2017, all metropolitan hospitals were under a ‘code white’. This code is called when services and patient safety could be compromised as no hospital beds are available. High demand on hospitals has continued throughout the pandemic and into the state election with another ‘code white’ called just 4 days before election day. This continued excessive demand on hospital services limits accessibility. Affordability is also a significant barrier for young people accessing healthcare. This includes the direct cost of services as well as indirect costs like transport to services which is especially applicable for young people living regionally and rurally. For young people living with existing intersectional disadvantage, like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, young people living with a disability and LGBTQIA+ young people, experiences of judgement, stigma, or discrimination can be a barrier to seeking healthcare. Facilitating supportive and welcome environments and training staff to provide services with a non-judgemental and understanding approach can better support vulnerable young people and their engagement with healthcare services.

These circumstances need to be addressed but also, young people need greater control over their health and options for healthcare and must be supported to be informed and involved in decision-making that affects them. Young people need to be supported to actively participate in policy decision-making processes that impact their health and healthcare throughout all levels of the healthcare system to ensure appropriate targeted responses and services are accessible.

Pre-election issue explainers: The environment

The environment and the climate crisis have remained important issues for young people for years. Here at YACSA, it topped the list of priority issues for the upcoming state and federal elections in our pre-election survey.  

So, what makes this issue the most important one for young South Australians?  

We’ve known for decades that scientific evidence clearly shows the Earth is heating up at a rapid pace and that only a small shift in our climate will have devastating consequences. Australia is already witnessing these consequences through extreme weather events, increasingly intense and longer-lasting heatwaves, increased risk and severity of bushfires and rising sea levels.  

Okay, we’ve heard it from the experts and seen it with our own eyes, so what do decision-makers need to do? 

While some commentary claims that Australia is responsible for only 1.3% of global emissions there are other significant factors to consider. Most notably, Australia leads the world in exporting fossil fuels and has higher per capita emissions than other developed countries. Australia has made an international commitment to reduce our emissions through the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In 2016, Australia signed the Paris Agreement which aims to stop temperatures rising by more than two degrees C on average from pre-industrial levels. At the time of signing, Australia set a target of a 26-28 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030. Compared to the United States that set the target of a 41 per cent reduction by 2030 and the UK who planned to cut to emissions by 48 per cent, Australia’s initial goal was underwhelming.  

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison has regularly claimed Australia will “meet and beat” targeted reductions, projections from the Department of Environment estimate a reduction in emissions of 16 per cent by 2030 – 10 per cent short of an already low target. Further, in 2021 Australia failed to increase our target at COP26 like other countries and so the original target of a 26-28 per cent reductions to emissions by 2030 remains. The Labor Party’s announced their election climate policy in late 2021 with a reduction in emission target set at 43 per cent by 2030. However, this target would also need to be increased considerably to avoid catastrophic climate impacts according to Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie. The Climate Council recommends cutting emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 with an aim of reaching net zero by 2035 in order to avoid climate change effects.  

Climate change has already cost Australia through the extinction of vulnerable species, irreversible coral bleaching, increase illnesses risk, financial and emotional impacts caused by drought, floods, and fires, lost habitats, decreased tourism, and the loss of lives with the 2019-2020 south-eastern bushfires killing 33 people and leading to another 429 deaths due to cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. The Climate Change Performance Index 2022 rates country’s performance on renewable energy, energy use, climate policy and greenhouse gas emissions. Australia’s performance in every CCPI category is rated as “very low” which places Australia 58 out of 64 countries on overall climate change performance (down from 54 in 2021). Australia’s current climate policy earns us last place - 64th out of 64 countries. Currently, Australia’s federal climate policy centres on a $2 billion Climate Solutions Fund that allows the government to pay businesses and landlords for actions they take to reduce emissions and thankfully Australia’s renewables sector is also booming with wind and solar power becoming commercially competitive. However, Australia must do more.