The astonishing election numbers Aussies don't see: 'This is a problem'
Across 7,000 polling places, the Australian Electoral Commission used 250,000 pencils, 240,000 branded vests, 80,000 ballot boxes and 5,000 rolls of tamper-proof tape. So you might be wondering what happens to all those materials now.
As most of us were watching the vote counting unfold on television, staffers were busily emptying out schools, community halls, and churches. And it might bring you some joy to read that most of the items will either be reused or recycled.
The AEC told Yahoo News the voting booths, tamper tape, vests and pencils are stored away for reuse in future elections, and voting booths are either recycled or donated to schools and charities.
But environmental experts believe Australia could be doing better when it comes to elections. Particularly major political parties like Labor, Liberal and the Greens, who all use polypropylene corflutes and soft plastic advertising signage.
RMIT Professor of Information Sciences, Lisa Given, has published a detailed plan in The Conversation about reforming Australian elections. Speaking with Yahoo News, she noted several other countries are doing a better job at running them more sustainably.
'We're lagging behind India… Its election commission has directed parties not to use single-use plastics,' she said in relation to a 2019 direction that did away with corflutes.
The AEC has shifted away from using white-coloured ballot boxes to brown cardboard which is more easily recyclable. Given believes political parties should consider following its lead with their own advertising.
Incredible reason bridge to Aussie holiday island is going dark
Five huge climate opportunities await the next parliament
Sad mystery as another huge shark washes up on beach
When it comes to the materials used by the AEC, the problem isn't as simple as doing away with paper ballots and cardboard voting booths and going digital. Most people know that ChatGPT and Bitcoin use massive amounts of power, and running computers to count and tally votes would also be energy-intensive.
Given would like to see the AEC introduce an energy and waste reduction strategy for elections. But she believes the problem will only be truly combatted by pressure from average Australians who want to see change.
'I haven't seen a lot of change in the types of materials used between elections. I think government needs to bring in mandates, but that will likely only occur if the population says, hey, this is a problem, we need to tackle it,' she said.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
'Roadblock': Paramount Stock (NASDAQ:PARA) Surges as the Trump Settlement Sputters
As it turns out, entertainment giant Paramount (PARA) was actually fairly close to a deal with President Trump over the 60 Minutes lawsuit. But, when the deal was fairly close, a 'roadblock' emerged and put a halt to the whole matter, at least for now. Investors reacted with surprising strength, and perhaps even more surprising positivity. Paramount shares gained nearly 2.5% in the closing minutes of Friday's trading. Confident Investing Starts Here: The settlement had reached $35 million, reports noted, when Paramount suddenly found itself paralyzed by indecision. That delay caused Trump lawyers to pivot and pull back to their original demand, calling for a $50 million settlement. The biggest problem seems to be that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is also involved in this, and needs to sign off on the merger with Skydance as well. Reports suggested that Paramount brass believes that the FCC's sign-off on the deal needs to be contingent on settling the case, but by like token, the idea that requiring FCC approval as part of the settlement looks a lot like a bribe. Trump's legal team, reports note, has already been clear that the Trump suit and the FCC case are two separate matters. But with outside organizations looking to launch their own lawsuits should the settlement go through, looks may count for more here than anyone expected. South Park Losses Mount Meanwhile, as Paramount faces the prospect of losing South Park exclusivity, it quietly pulled another old episode from the field. The pull this time showed up in the Canadian and Australian markets, reports noted, and this time, featured Butters' Very Own Episode pulled from Paramount+. Why, however, is a bit of a mystery. Several South Park episodes are apparently a bit too spicy for streaming, in retrospect, with around a dozen classic episodes set to be pulled from the catalog and relegated to a 'ban list', reports noted. The reports got stranger as an Australian viewer noted that the Paramount+ listing had been pulled, but the episode could still be watched by watching through Paramount+ on Amazon (AMZN) Prime Video. Is Paramount Stock a Good Buy Right Now? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on PARA stock based on two Buys, eight Holds and five Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 18.62% rally in its share price over the past year, the average PARA price target of $12.08 per share implies 2.23% downside risk.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Barron Trump made millions from family's lucrative crypto firm: report
Barron Trump, the youngest son of the 47th President, may have raked in millions of dollars from the sale of crypto tokens linked to the family's lucrative venture into digital tokens, according to report. The 19-year-old New York University student could have picked up a cool $40 million — $25 million after taxes — from the sale of digital assets by World Liberty Financial Group, the Trump family firm launched nine months ago after Barron persuaded his dad about the benefits of crypto, Forbes reported. 'Barron knows so much about this,' commander-in-chief said during an interview in September after the launch. 'Barron's a young guy, but he knows it — he talks about his wallet. He's got four wallets or something, and I'm saying, 'What is a wallet?'' Barron Trump, seen here at his father's second inauguration, is listed as a 'co-founder' on World Liberty Financial's website. AFP via Getty Images World Liberty has been a financial bonanza for the family. In March, World Liberty announced that it had sold $550 million worth of tokens. An Office of Government Ethics filing released by President Trump last week declared he had made $57 million from token sales. It also said that the real estate mogul held a 75% stake in his umbrella company, DT Marks Defi LLC, with unnamed 'third parties' holding the other 25%. Barron Trump is listed as a 'co-founder' of World Liberty Financial alongside the president, as well as Eric and Donald Trump Jr, the president's two eldest sons. Forbes, which provided no direct evidence for its claims of Barron Trump's massive digital windfall, suggested that he owned a 7.5% stake in Delaware-based World Liberty. The stake would mirror what the NYU freshman holds in the Trump Organization's Washington, DC hotel, Forbes said. The Post has approached a Trump Organization spokesperson for comment. Trump once derided digital assets such as Bitcoin as 'a scam' but he has since U-turned and embraced cryptocurrencies. REUTERS Barron Trump's name does not appear in the company's solitary SEC filing from October 30 last year. Also listed as business partners in the venture are Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son, Zachary. An analysis by Bloomberg, the financial news outlet, estimates the president's net worth has doubled since the start of his 2024 campaign, standing at just over $5.4 billion
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump to Miss Albanese Meeting at G-7
A planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G-7 summit in Canada has been scrapped, following Trump's abrupt exit due to the escalating crisis in the Middle East. The American Chamber of Commerce in Australia says there are still positive signs for the relationship between the two countries, and sees a chance for the two leaders to meet at the next Quad gathering in India. AmCham Australia CEO April Palmerlee shares her outlook on Australia-US relations on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
