In 1995, Australians went to the polls, not to elect a new government, but to choose which phone company they wanted to use. The candidates in a national ballot were Telecom Australia (or Telstra as it is now known) and the upstart challenger Optus, formed three years earlier.

Millions of dollars were spent by both companies in a marketing blitz, and between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of the country ultimately voted to have their landlines moved to Optus.