Josh Frydenberg can’t rely on donkey in this race
A Climate 200 independent candidate seeking to oust Josh Frydenberg has drawn the top spot on the ballot paper.
A Climate 200 independent candidate seeking to oust Josh Frydenberg in his inner-city Melbourne seat of Kooyong has drawn the top spot on the ballot paper in a blow for the Treasurer.
Monique Ryan, a prominent neurologist, took out the top spot on the ballot paper while Mr Frydenberg was placed last at No. 7, giving her the advantage of scooping up donkey voters that back the first candidate on the ticket.
Psephologists say that donkey voting can boost the vote for the top-listed candidate by up to 1 per cent, with ABC election analyst Antony Green saying it would be a factor in Kooyong only if the battle between Dr Ryan and Mr Frydenberg was tight.
“The significance is about a 1 per cent factor and it will only have an impact if the margin is 1 per cent,” he said.
“Josh was high up on the ballot paper last time. So it is a significant factor because it is reversed this time.
“If you are a candidate on the top of the paper it makes it easier to do a how-to-vote card, which is significant in seats such as Lingiari (in the Northern Territory) where there is a higher percentage of people who are not literate in English.”
In the eastern Sydney electorate of Wentworth, incumbent Liberal MP Dave Sharma also drew No. 7 on the ballot, the last number on the paper. His rival, the Climate 200-backed independent Allegra Spender, the daughter of late fashion designer Carla Zampatti, drew No.5.
The Australian Electoral Commission formally declared all nominations for the May 21 poll at midday on Friday, holding 151 draws across the country to determine the order of candidates.
During public events across the country, candidates’ positions on the ballot papers were determined through a bingo-like process with hundreds of balls placed into a barrel. Each candidate is randomly assigned a number, and the balls are drawn in a sequence, with the person choosing the numbers dressed in a blindfold to ensure fairness.
The most preferable spot for a candidate to receive is No. 1, as it is the first number that voters see in the polling booth.
In Warringah, controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves took out the No. 5 spot, which means she will be placed lower than incumbent independent Zali Steggall, who will sit at the No. 2 spot.
On Friday, the AEC also revealed that former West Australian senator Rod Culleton was declared as a candidate for the election.
Mr Culleton was formerly a member of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party following the 2016 election, but resigned from the party to sit as an independent until he was officially removed from parliament after a Federal Court ruling found him to be bankrupt.
The AEC revealed on Friday that Mr Culleton is listed as an undischarged bankrupt, meaning he may have made a false declaration of his nomination process.
The matter has since been referred to the Australian Federal Police.
This year, there will be 75 Senate candidates in NSW, which is a markedly lower number than 105 in 2019.
The AEC has now begun the enormous process of printing the ballot papers, with some to be sent out for postal votes or dispatched to be ready for voting day.
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