Despite the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) repeatedly stating it gave the Army plenty of warning and the resources for Townsville soldiers taking part in a military exercise in South Australia to vote , political reporters still raise the possibility that ADF members may have been denied a vote in the election .
One of the many scrutineers for the ALP in the long count, 29 days , before Cathy O'Toole ( ALP) was declared the winner by 37 votes, a former Army man , said that even when he was on patrol in the jungles of Malaya , he made sure he voted . The implication being that if a Townsville based soldier taking part in an exercise in SA did not get to vote , it was that person's fault, not that of the AEC.
The media , and the Liberal National Party , also goes on about certain hospital patients missing out on the right to vote .The word is that a number of the patients in this hospital had personal dealings with Cathy O'Toole through her work and would probably have voted for her .
So, on the two main grounds cited by the LNP , it seems dubious justification for a case to place before the Court of Disputed Returns . However, because the Turnbull government has a mere one seat majority , the pressure is on to try and snatch back Herbert . According to information received by this blog, on the night of the election , a former Herbert seat warmer , Peter Lindsay , was heard say the ALP could win .
It now remains to be seen if the Coalition is so desperate and opportunistic it will mount a court challenge likely to fail ; if , however, a by-election were ordered the electorate might vent its anger on the LNP . As the Chinese might say, we are living in exceedingly interesting take away times .
Meanwhile, the defeated Ewen Jones has gone on some R and R--rest and resuscitation.
