national tally room

You've sat through months of annoying advertisements for promises that are going to be broken.

You've heard a constant stream of malicious rumors thrown against the opposition.

You spent your Saturday going to your local Primary School, grabbing a sausage from the sausage sizzle, only to put some random arrangement of numbers in boxes.

And now it's Saturday night, you've gathered your mates around to play drinking games, watching Lori Oakes pull faces, and find out who is supposedly going to be the next Prime Minister.

Of all elections, this upcoming Federal Election NEEDS a televised National Tally Room. There was a bloody change of Prime Ministers to allow Labor to have a chance and now you're taking away our fun?! 

The AEC claims that no television network was interested in hosting the night, and at a cost of $1.2m AUD was too expensive to keep up just for the sake of historical reasons. Electorial Commissioner Ed Killesteyn states that the National Tally Room was "essentially a backdrop for the media" and "plays no role in the actual delivery of election results". Pfft. 

Sure, I'm Gen Y - I have facebook and twitter and a blog and can find out the results through many means, but it's not the same! A televised National Tally Room is an Australian Election INSTITUTION! In regards to the use of social media/internet to find out the results - no, that's not cool. You use twitter/facebook/instagram/whatever-other-app-is-hip to rant and/or rave about the results. You use the hashtag to communicate with others about the results, to join together on it. It's not the same sitting around a computer screen refreshing it every few moments - there is no excitement. 

Ever since I was a kid I remember watching the count on the TV. 

I've watched every Tally Room for every State and Federal election that was applicable to me. Even when I was overseas I streamed in. Earlier this year I watched the Western Australian count whilst on course-block in Canberra. I can attest to the fact that there were several WA people who were interstate at the time and were relieved to find it nationally televised. 

To not have the National Tally Room on TV is like not airing the Logies. Sure, we could just find out the results through social media, but then we wouldn't see the dresses or hear the stupid speeches. Just not as fun. 

So I've started a change.org petition, where you can add to this small angry voice. Join me in bringing back a national institution - the National Tally Room. 

My petition: https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/australian-electoral-commission-aec-televise-the-national-tally-room-for-the-2013-federal-election