Few Australians cast their ballot during election

Abu Dhabi: The voting in Australian general elections at the Australian Embassy in Abu Dhabi during the past two weeks witnessed a low turnout due to summer vacation, a senior diplomat told Gulf News.

Kerin Ayyalaraju, Deputy Head of the Mission at the embassy, said many Australians are back home on summer vacation, especially due to the school vacation, so the turnout in the voting has been very low.

She said about 1,500 expatriates in Abu Dhabi and Dubai had exercised their voting right by 2pm yesterday when the voting was closed.

Out of the estimated 15,000 Australians in the UAE, approximately 5,000 to 7,000 live in Abu Dhabi, according to Ayyalaraju

The general elections in Australia were held Saturday. But Australians living abroad have been voting at their diplomatic missions during the past two weeks.

The expatriates in the northern emirates voted at the Australian Consulate General in Dubai.

Counting

The ballot boxes will be sent to Australia for counting, the diplomat said .

Although voting is mandatory for Australians and a fine is imposed on violators, the embassy is not involved in collecting fines from expatriates who do not vote, Ayyalaraju said. That responsibility goes to the federal government.

The expatriates who spoke to Gulf News said they hope the elections will bring positive changes in the country.

"I hope the new government spends more funds for education and health," said Leisa Dubson, 46, a teacher.

There should be a long- term vision for the country as in the case of the UAE, she said. "I think Australia can learn from the UAE with respect to the longterm planning," Dubson said.

She is happy about the fact that Australia had its first female prime minister.

"But I am not concerned about the gender but want to evaluate her on the basis of the performance," Dubson explained.

Neil Avory, 47, an auditor, said he wants the federal government to allocate more funds for the state governments, so that they can build more infrastructural facilities, he said.

Instead of depending on the country's rich coal resources (for energy) which cause pollution, Australia should try renewable energy like solar power, Avory said.

Do you know someone who is Australian but did not vote? What could be done to encourage greater turnout at the ballot boxes in the future?