Election in the Media - what the?

Is any one else totally confused by the TV ads about the election? They are spending so much of our tax-payers money on tv ads, but I don't understand what they're going on about - they slander the "other" party, but what I really want to know is "What do they have to offer themselves?" not why I shouldn't vote for the other party. There's so much rubbish out there it is hard for me to make a decision based on some reality and truth. Where can I go to find out what each party has to offer and do a quick catch up before next week's election!!!!

Public Comments

1. it is more election by the media
2. on each parties website under policy. I'd also look into the past judgements parties have made. EG Family First is baisiacally a seat for the liberals as they pass everything the liberals put forward and reject all of labor's
3. It's all spin dear. If you want to know what they stand for, perhaps the best thing to do is look at their websites, but that won't give a clear picture either. You could always give the major parties a miss this election, but you'll still have to give a preference to one over the other. However a vote for a minor party is a good message to the majors that we're not happy with their crap!
4. Don't watch the ads , watch the news about how Howard & Co have been lying to the Australian public all along. Ad's don't offer very much except that they cost a lot of money and its the tax payers money at that. Abbott made a gaffe on addmitting that work choices are bad for Australians If you wish to have a better working future, I would not go for the Liberal Party & Co, They are out of touch and are only spending huge amounts of money to buy their way back in again. with no thought of what the RBA is warning them about higher interest rates , high inflation, and it looks like another rate rise next month is on the cards from the RBA is saying. So if in doubt vote Labour as Kevin Rudd is listening to the RBA and Howard & CO liberal Party are not listening at all to the warnings.
5. Election ads are not taxpayer funded. They are funded by donation to the party. I would not call it "our tax-payers money" unless of course you give donations to the parties with your after tax dollars, regardless of their content.
6. In relation to the cost to taxpayer, I believe once the election is called then media costs/advertising is from party funds not taxpayer. That is why the IR adverts put out by the govt were stopped when the election was called...they were taxpayer funded. Now advertising is party paid. As with what parties are providing go to their web sites maybe that may help you make a more informed decision. It is your vote...do what you feel is best....Don't be a sheep.
7. Good for you for treating all the advertising with a grain of salt and wanting to find out the real stories for yourself. You just need to take the time to do some reading at the parties' websites. Check out your local candidates first. You would've gotten some pamphlets in your letterbox. And you can read the policies here, for example: http://www.alp.org.au/policy/index.php http://greens.org.au/election/policy.php (call me biased, but I just don't bother with Liberal since I don't believe a word they say) For a fascinating insight into Wayne Swan's perspectives (he's the Labor treasurer), check out this review of the book he recently released: http://eherald.alp.org.au/articles/0905/magbook30-01.php quote: "In a climate of apparent affluence and increasing apathy over the economic destiny of people who are unable to play the money-making game, Swan warns of a nation splintering to almost Dickensian levels, with riots signalling the consequences of social exclusion... The book is remarkable for its restraint: it criticises without berating, and it avoids the self-righteous indignation of the tabloids in dealing with injustice and need. For those who need information about the distribution of wealth in Australia, this is a good reference book. It also provides something of a map of Labor's policy trajectory in a ten point plan that is well thought through."
8. www.theage.com.au try getting some education from a decent unbiased media outlet like the fairfax newspaper websites. you need to look carefully at the content of the pollies statements and decide over a long period of time who is representing your views, I assume you have waited until about now to decide you want to get an ida of who to vote for, well let me tell you it too late, all you get during an election campaign is spin and bullsh!t from all sides. You need to spend a good six to 12 months prior election following the policy and substance of the major and minor parties to get a goo understanding of who is best to represent you. On the other had if you are like me and not a swining voter, you dont need to worry too much because i already know the crap that suits me and the crap that doesnt without doing too much research. go kevin07 .
9. So Big Raymond if your not a swinging voter your not a real voter are you, because your just voting the same party every electon whether you are going to benefit or not ,why do you even bother to vote at all ? ( you probably don't, you probably just get your name marked off and go ) shame shame shame on you