Australasian Dirt Bike — September 2017

32 | SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.au

BELOW THE LINE

ADB reader Justin Luke sent us

this letter about voting and why

it’s important to think about who

you’re voting for because it can

have a huge impact on where we

can ride.

R

iders in every state and

territory in Australia face

increasing threats from

locked gates, tighter

legislation and more

restrictions on our lifestyle

and recreation – especially

around access to public land.

Lobby groups are hard at

work but there is a key way

that all public land users

can help push back against

this discrimination: vote

smart, below the line.

Most people vote above

the line, not realising that

theirvoteisthenusedin

preference deals. For

instance, in the last WA

election, a seat went to the

Greens instead of Shooters,

Fishers and Farmers Party

(SFFP) by less than 300

votes. Those votes went to

the Greens via preference

deals with other parties that

didn’t get elected, but

received their votes above

the line. Now, who do you

think is going to increase

lockouts and restrictions on

public land, the Greens, or

the Shooters party?

By shifting a seat from

pro-freedom to pro-

restrictions, the WA

parliament has lost an MP

who could have stopped

more-restrictive legislation.

It is very important to

understand how your vote

can be stolen by preference

deals, and educate yourself

to secure your vote.

Voting below the line

SOIL SAMPLE LETTERS

PIE DRAMA

Why is the writing so damn small in the magazine? I

am only 43, my vision is perfect... This pie tastes a bit

off. Damn baker, he’s gunna cop it too.

Redmond

takes an extra minute, it’s

true. But voting for pro-

freedom parties is a key way

to help keep our land access.

Now, access aside, you

might vote for one of the

majors for other reasons, but

they get so many votes

anyway, why not give a

pro-freedom party your

preference, then put your

major party in third or

fourth place? There will still

be a coalition in power, but

a strong minority of pro-

freedom parties can go a

long way in stopping bad

legislation. If none of the

minor parties get up, you’ll

still get your major party in,

but just this time, please,

help push back against more

restrictive laws.

Nobody is going to tell you

whotovotefor,buthereare

a group of parties with a

track record of fighting

against nanny-state

restrictions that threaten

our sports and hobbies.

In no particular order:

Liberal Democrats, Katter’s

Australia Party, SFFP and

the Outdoor Recreation

Party. Please consider

selecting from these parties

as your top few preferences,

below the line.

After that, you can choose

from major parties or

independents, numbering

each box until the end.

If you can, please volunteer

to help minor parties in your

local electorate, before and

on election day. But most of

all, please learn about

preference voting and secure

your vote. Don’t let it be

stolen from above the line,

by preference deals you have

no control over!

Justin Luke

MOST PEOPLE VOTE ABOVE THE LINE,

NOT REALISING THAT THEIR VOTE IS

THEN USED IN PREFERENCE DEALS

OUR BOY LEE

Adam Shears in response to a

letter we ran in the previous

issue from a reader who

suggested Lee Hogan gets too

many covers.

That bloke bellyaching

about our boy Lee [Hogan]

being on too many covers

should have his cock tied

to the south end of a north

bound camel. Im a fan of

Hoges, always have been.

Leads me to my next

question. Could Lee

conduct a test on my

behalf on a 450F, called

The Knightrider roll off?

Drive a ute slowly

forward while the rider

rolls of the ute while

pointing foward like

Knightrider?