For federal elections in the recent past, I have followed the Greens above-the-line ticket. This time, I chose not to, bit the bullet and voted 1 to 84 in the bottom half of the senate ballot. Making sure that I did my research first.

My main reasons for this were that I wasn't too keen on the Greens' flow of preferences (especially their high ranking to the Australian Sex Party), and that I wanted to choose the six people who I wanted to be my six New South Wales senators. (Is that too crazy a thing to ask?)

As long-standing readers of this blog (if indeed, any such beast exists) will know, I'm a strong supporter of The Greens as an alternative political force in this country. They consistently set the agenda in sensible environmental policies, but when they stray into areas where they lack expertise, the results can be embarrassing to watch.

Case in point, this press release from Senator Scott Ludlam (AG-WA):

Greens expose Play School alcohol and pokies link

Kerry Nettle's defeat in the New South Wales senate race is one of the disappointments of this federal election. She was squeezed out by the major parties who between them seem certain to claim all six NSW senate seats. It represents remarkable good luck for Ursula Stephens, who was booted down to number three on the Labor ticket. Her return represents a nett gain of one NSW senator for the ALP at the Greens' expense.