Can the Australian Democrats make a comeback in the next election?

Question

I normally vote for the Australian Democrats and still feel they can be more constructive and contribute more than the Greens. While they did bomb out with the GST and the internal bickering around 2001, I am not convinced just voting Labor or Liberal is going to give us a better government.

Answer 1

Obviously, you can make your first choice for the party that you think best represents you. Based on your philosophy, I hope that your second preference goes to the Greens and your third preference goes to the ALP and your last preference to the Lib/Nats (with whomever else you choose in between).

While it will depend upon which state you vote in, my hunch says that it is more likely that the Greens will get Senators than the Democrats but the beauty of the preference system is that you get to vote for your first choice while using your preference to keep your least favorites out of power. I wish we had that option sometimes here in the U.S.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, the Democrats have never been the same since Cheryl Kernot left them and joined the ALP. There just hasn't been anything going for them after that - which is a shame as it was a good party under Don Chipp.