Phillip Frazer, ‘Above the line or below….’ Echo March 2, correctly observes that Jacqui Lambie, Ricky Muir – along with established independents – would be more highly regarded as ‘doing a goodish job’ well ahead of all members of the big parties. This surely implies that a random selection from the citizenry would give us a better set of representatives than the present system does!
Senate voting options are being changed because of gaming by the micro parties of the voting system; but this is superficial compared with the entrenched gaming – via the party pre-selection process – of the major parties for both houses.
In the honored manner of the court jester, Charlie Pickering, in his show of March 9, gives a brilliant expose of how the pre-selection process works; how voter interest’s come about fourth in priority after factional interests, lobbyist’s concerns and branch stacking.
Check it out on ABC TV iView, starts 7 minutes in – it is hugely educational and would be hilarious if not so true.
Colin Cook, Bangalow
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
