Shane,
If polls are any indication, it's increasingly likely that Tony Abbott will be Prime Minister this time next week.
But that's only one election. The other is for the Senate -- through which Tony Abbott would have to pass every single law to enact his vision for Australia: his vision for refugees, his proposals to weaken environmental protections, and to cut renewable energy.
The current polls are clear: the Coalition could gain control of the Senate too, giving one party a rubber stamp Senate. We can't let that happen. Our democracy is strongest when there are lots of voices in the Senate who can ensure debate and scrutiny.
This empowering ad, with your help, will help voters understand that. Our research is clear: this is the best message we have to prevent a scenario where one party has absolute control.
www.getup.org.au/vote-twice
The equation is simple: if any Prime Minister has a majority in the Senate too, it will rubber stamp every law she or he writes immediately. If there is a range of voices, legislation is scrutinised, negotiated, rejected and amended.
The last time a PM had a Senate majority was during the final years of John Howard. That gave us WorkChoices, the NT intervention, and the sell-off of Telstra -- with scarcely enough time for the Senate to read the bills, let alone scrutinise them. What will Tony Abbott do, given a blank cheque?
It doesn't matter which party you support. One party control is bad for democracy.
Some Senate seats, including Western Australia, ACT, South Australia and NSW will come down to literally a few thousand votes. That could be the difference between the Greens and/or Independent Senator Nick Xenophon holding Tony Abbott accountable, or a conservative rubber stamp.
So it's incredibly important, for every single issue we care about, that voters see this ad.
www.getup.org.au/vote-twice
Here's what we know:
We made a few different ads, all informing voters about the Senate, and the power of their vote. We asked professional researchers to test them across the country. This ad was by far the most effective. Voters from across the political spectrum said it was empowering, positive, and mind-changing.
Western Australia and South Australia are the closest Senate races around at the moment.
Those states are also smaller media markets that together, we can really saturate. With your help, this ad can be played more than many of the parties' commercials in these crucial final two weeks - for instance in Perth with your support could ensure 70% of voters see our message over 3 times. If we raise enough money, we can take it into other states and territories too.
It's a positive, informative, empowering message. We tested it, and we know it works. We only have 4 days left to advertise on air, so it's cr ucial that we all chip in now. What do you think?
www.getup.org.au/vote-twice
Without absolute control of the Senate, Tony Abbott won't be able to abolish climate policies and renewable energy funding, slash and burn jobs in the public service, or cut penalty rates and overtime without the agreement of the other parties.
But most Australians don't know about the importance of their vote in the Senate. This ad could change all that, which is why we've engaged research firms to test it so thoroughly in the areas where Senate races will come down to the wire. We needed to be sure the message would be understood, empowering and move people. It does.
Now, all that's standing between those voters and this message, that could stop Tony Abbott's rubber stamp for his vision, is your help getting it on the TV.
Click here to chip in to get it shown -- because we all remember from John Howard's day just how important a balanced Senate is.
Thanks for standing up for the Senate once again,
The GetUp team
PS -- GetUp was launched the very day John Howard took control of the Senate -- a day that gave him a rubber stamp for every law he wanted to pass. Now GetUp members are needed to prevent that from happening under Tony Abbott. Click here to get this ad on air.
