GREAT CARTOON FROM CATHY WILCOX — SMH 29/04/2025.....

Hairdresser Renee Johnson hears a lot in her Muswellbrook hair and beauty salon. 

But one thing she has not heard, in the two weeks since the federal election campaign kicked off, is anything from either major party that would cement her vote. 

She is still undecided.

As a small business owner in a traditional mining town, her biggest fear, and one that she shares with her customers, is job insecurity. 

"It's fair to say that I haven't heard [anything] from either party to sway me.

"I get scared of the unknown," she said of the future of Muswellbrook in the NSW Hunter Valley, where the coal mine is moving to closure by 2030. 

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Ms Johnson is not alone in her indecision. Nor is she alone in feeling that neither of the major parties has put forward anything that would definitively earn their vote. 

The ABC's Your Say project has heard from thousands of audience members since the start of the campaign. 

Many lament a lack of long-term political vision and express fear for the future. They question where the bold and brave politicians are, who are willing to make hard decisions for the long-term betterment of the nation. 

In Toowoomba, a regional city west of Brisbane, university student Rebecca Webb has questions for both leaders: "Have you tried living like the average Australian?  

The 21-year-old balances her full-time criminology and criminal justice study load with working part-time as an administrative assistant and lives at home with her parents. She can't afford to rent. 

And she has some sage advice for the leaders.

"I am getting frustrated by the politicians bagging each other out. 

Nothing so far has swayed how she would vote. 

She wants to see strong commitments and vision – such as concrete measures to help young people afford their HECS debts rather than turning them into a mortgage they can't pay, and rental support. 

It's a view echoed by many voters who say there has been a vacuum of brave policy so far in the election campaign. 

Nothing so far has swayed how she would vote. 

She wants to see strong commitments and vision – such as concrete measures to help young people afford their HECS debts rather than turning them into a mortgage they can't pay, and rental support. 

It's a view echoed by many voters who say there has been a vacuum of brave policy so far in the election campaign. 

Megha Vashisth has her own business consulting to local government in Melbourne. The 39-year-old mother of two has one question she would like to ask both leaders. 

Political leaders, she said, should act as custodians of people's long-term vision and shape policy that aligns with community values and aspirations, not just focusing on short-term wins in an election campaign. 

"Our policy landscape has become alarmingly inconsistent – from immigration and international student intake to housing, employment and even flexible work arrangements.

"This volatility is undermining our ability to plan for the long term. 

"If our leaders are serious about long-term prosperity, they must not only craft visionary policies but also have the courage to listen, truly listen, to the voices of everyday Australians." 

While both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton argue they are presenting long-term plans for the country, this has not resonated with some voters. 

In Brisbane's south-west, retired high school teacher Shan Haines wishes politicians would focus more on what unifies the community than divisions, like pitting people against each other. 

"Just like Dutton is doing with international students," Ms Haines said, of the Coalition's policy to limit the number of overseas students able to start at public universities each year to 240,000. 

This is 30,000 less than a cap of 270,000 which the ALP tried to impose before it was voted down by the Coalition and Greens. 

And she is not impressed by the Coalition's backflip on its work from home policy for public servants. 

After saying public servants would need to work in the office, the Coalition, in the face of backlash, now says it will not change flexible working arrangements.  

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-13/abc-your-say-federal-election-politicians-with-vision/105164874

I GUESS WE WERE MORE LUCKY THAN THESE UNBEARBLE UNDECIDED PEOPLE... WE LIVED FROM PAY PACKET TO PAY PACKET AND WE SHARED HOUSES (FULL OF MOULD, RATS AND VERMINS, INCLUDING POMMY TENANTS) WITH OTHER TWENTY/THIRTY/FORTYSOMETHINGS BACK THEN IN THE 1970s... OUR ONLY HOPE WAS TO MEET A RICH PARTNER FROM VAUCLUSE AND MOVE UP... JUST KIDDING... AT $50 BUCKS A WEEK, WE MANAGED TO ROAST A CHOOK FROM TIME TO TIME... KIPPERS WERE CHEAP, SURE...

AND NOW, AS OLD RETIREES, PREPARING TO PUSH DAISIES, WE MANAGED TO GET AN ABODE WE COULD CALL OUR OWN (IT WAS OWNED BY THE BANKS TILL YESTERDAY)... UNTIL WE RETIRED AND GOT A SENIORS CARD...

WE STILL KNOW WHO IS THE BEST (NO ONE IS PERFECT) CANDIDATE FOR THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES...

VOTE FOR BLAND ALBO AND DUMP DUTTON... EASY DONE... 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.