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Honest Government Ad | Minority Government
🕑 Added 2025-03-17 01:35:53 +0000 UTCDear Patrons
Here is the latest Honest Government Ad you've helped us to produce!
Honest Government Ad | Minority Government
This was a challenging one coz let's face it, “minority government” is not the sexiest topic for a YouTube video. Thankfully here at the Juice Media we’ve developed a knack for explaining seemingly “boring” (but actually really interesting) political concepts to a lay audience. But even so I had to call in some reinforcements for this one: fire-breathing dragons, giant apes and cars falling from the sky. My kids are now thoroughly confused as to what I do for a living.
(Actually, they already were: Luca has been telling friends at school that his dad works for the Australian Government.)
Anyway, back to minority governments.
If you've been keeping an eye on things, you'll already know that Australia will probably get a minority government at the coming election. The primary vote of both major parties is at a historic low, Labor barely won with a 1 seat majority in 2022, and it's not nearly as strong in 2025 (and who can blame it: Morrison is gone). So the question isn't so much, will we have a minority government, but who will lead it: Albo or Dutton?
And that is why I wanted to make an HGA that helps people understand what Minority Governments are.
Because once the election is formally announced, you can expect to see an avalanche of pearl-clutching and fear-mongering from SkyNews / Advance about minority governments. (Which must seem odd to folks in places like Norway and Denmark which haven't had a single-party government for over a century; but hey, welcome to Australia).
These fear campaigns are targeted primarily at Liberal Party voters; the same voters who were crucial in helping to defeat the Coalition at the 2022 election by electing Community Independents in a half a dozen former Liberal seats; thereby forcing the Libs to spend millions to defend their "safe seats" instead of using that money to fight Labor in marginal seats that Labor only barely won.
And if Sky News convinces enough voters that the sky will fall under a Labor minority government, we could see some of those Independent seats returning to the Liberal Party, thus making the prospect of a Dutton-led minority government much more likely.
And that is why we're not only helping to explain what minority governments are; but also supporting some of the Not-Shit Community Independents running in approximately 30 liberal/conseervative-leaning seats; seats where Labor/Greens have little-to-no chance of winning, and where they are thus the best line of defence against keeping Dutton out of the Lodge.
A minority government isn’t a silver bullet: if Labor and the Coalition agree on something (and they agree on more than most people realise), they will still be able to pass legislation on their own. Which is why claims that Minor Parties and Independents will be able to take governments "hostage" and "block bills" are another form of fear-mongering: since it's only when Labor and the Coalition disagree, that the Crossbench gets the deciding vote. And when that happens, a Crossbench filled with Not-Shit Community Independents and Minor Parties who vote better than Liberal/Nat MPs (who would otherwise be in those seats), can only be a good thing for Australia and Australians.
Anyway, that's why we made this HGA. I hope you enjoy it and if so, please give it a share - especially your Liberal-leaning rellies and friends - if you have any ;)
Honest Government Ad | Minority Government
As you can see, we are putting out episodes quicker than usual. We'll continue to do this between now and the election, which will now definitely take place in the first half of May. Our goal is to help keep voters informed about how our Parliament and voting system works as we approach election day.
And I am heartened to see many others contributing to this work of educating voters, from CheekMedia and Build-a-Ballot, to Punters Politics and OG Independent Tony Windsor (here in conversation with David Pocock), Michael West Media and others. Even Friendlyjordies, with whom we might not agree on everything, are working hard to highlight Labor’s achievements, which are undoubtedly better than the previous Coalition government's (not that that’s a very high bar)
We might not agree on everything, but we are all part of a bigger movement towards a more participatory form of democracy emerging in Australian society, a movement whose foundations are literally being built on the increased political literacy and engagement of Australian voters. Which is why I hope Australia will set an example for the world at the 2025 election, at a time when trust in democracy is in decline.
If the Juice Media has contributed to this movement in a meaningful way, it’s entirely thanks to the support you give us each month here on Patreon. So, thank you for making that possible.
Ok, that’s all for now! Sorry for the slight delay in sharing this HGA with you all - I normally do it straight away, but by the time we published the video last night, I was too fried to write the kind of post I wanted to. So thanks for your patience!
For our next HGAs:
I'm considering an HGA that explains just how bad things would be under Prime Minister Dutton. If you like the idea, please share your suggestions for the top 3 shit things we can expect from a Coalition (aka Liberal/National Minority!) Government
We are also looking into a quick HGA about Canada’s upcoming election (if you thought Australia had a crucial election coming up, take a look at our poor Canadian friends!)
We'll continue making videos to help keep voters informed ahead of the coming election: if you have any suggestions for other topics you’d like to see us cover, let us know in the comments.
I’ll catch you soon with our next HGA.
Until then, take care!
Giordano & team
Comments
thejuicemedia
😂 we actually filmed this HGA before FJ's video came out!
Ben Harris
So this is how you respond to FriendlyJordies? 😂
thejuicemedia
Thanks Richard - I have been in touch with Scott about this :)
thejuicemedia
Attorney General George Brandis was right afterall, some people *could* genuinely be confused that we are making actual government ads. He just didn't mention they would probably be 7 year olds lol. Classic
thejuicemedia
he did! haha
Gargamel
Also, George Brandis tried to save you from Luca's little mix up! If only you'd listened! 😂
Tor Valenza
But, but, but Australia makes you vote. All it takes is bribing people with a hot dog, as I understand it. But I agree there does need to be electoral reform, the Trump shit show is making people mistrust the government and voting system more than ever--thanks to Trump suggesting in 2016, 2020, and 2025 that elections are rigged--unless he wins. Maybe start with the problem premise and suggest the movement and how to creat it. Easy-peasy. ;)
Richard Barnes
Scott Ludlam is still actively working to help us make better political choices. You might be interested in work he and others (eg Jeremy Walker, Anthony Klan) are doing to expose the hard right third party groups trying to influence Australia's electoral outcomes: Advance in particular, with its links to key Australian "junk-tanks" such as CIS and IPA, and their links to the shadowy "mother-of-junk-tanks", the US-based Atlas Network. (Would be a great topic for a HGA)
thejuicemedia
Thanks Moz!
thejuicemedia
We miss him too!
thejuicemedia
Ahh thanks for that feedback Jason, I usually get the volume mix rights, but I'll be more mindful of that next time!
thejuicemedia
Noted, thanks Alan!
thejuicemedia
You are quite right about that Bec, i just wanted to keep the point about the Coalition being a power-sharing government as simple as possible :)
thejuicemedia
Thanks Tor. We'll turn our attention back to the US shitshow once our election is over. But the first thing that comes to mind reading your comment is that it's impossible to force people to become engaged in politics; the only way is to engage people in a movement that they are excited to be part of, and sadly this is very difficult when you have a voting system that forces people to vote for red or blue. There needs to be a movement for electoral reform in the US (and Canada and the UK too)
thejuicemedia
Thanks for the suggestions Opportunistic Pigeon!
thejuicemedia
Cheers theo xo
thejuicemedia
Noted!
thejuicemedia
thanks Ruth!
thejuicemedia
aw thanks Amanda xo
Amanda Hunt
Love you guys
Martin Linger
We in Germany don't have a minority government but a coalition government.
Ruth Keogh
Love it….well done (yet again)
Alan Marel
Thanks Jason
Anthony Hortin
+1 for a video about how bad Mr. Potato Head will be.
Jason Orcamoon
Alan - I’ve never done that;-) There should be three dots . . . below your post. Click on those dots and you should find an edit option!
Jason Orcamoon
Tor - great idea! The Times of London had a great piece about this: https://www.thetimes.com/article/b3bbc99e-e2dc-480e-92fc-bbd7c7c3abc0 Here’s a key point: “Our society has been peaceful and healthy for so long that for many people serious disaster has become inconceivable,” Marriott writes. “Americans who parade around in amateur militia groups and brandish Nazi symbols do so partly because they are unable to conceive of what life would actually be like in a fascist state.” Those who attack modern medicine cannot really comprehend a society without it. And, Marriott adds, those who are cheering the rise of autocracy in the United States “have no serious understanding of what it means to live under an autocratic government.”
theo wright
Love it.... here in WA fremantle has shafted the government over Kimberley Fracking ... its a woodside push to expand the browse basin and keep the supply of liquid gas to anyones intrest but ours .... thanks again your awesome👍 👌
Opportunistic Pigeon
A topic I'd love to see an HGA about: Somehow tackling the issue of the gradual creep to the right. LNP get in power and power-slide to the right as fast as they can. ALP get in power (maybe for a single term!) and fix some of the issues, but largely institutionalise and standardise some of the shitfuckery (AUKUS). Leaving the pitch prime for LNP to push harder right. We never see a slide left. Ever. Secondly (relatedly?), LNP is in power for ten years. They establish dozens of institutional problems that fester over ten years. ALP is in power for one term - three years. Yet somehow every long term problem is their fault? And the solution is more LNP? Somehow pointing out the fallacy with that position would be great!
Tor Valenza
Tor here from the U.S. Thanks for all the insights wrapped in satire. Regarding that, I'd like to suggest a video on U.S. voter apathy and how the apathetic vote is winning--that is, losing--elections. Trump received approximately 77.3 million votes (49.8%), while Kamala Harris garnered about 75 million votes (48.3%). But the real winner (losers?) were the nearly 90 million eligible voters did not participate in the election, which is more than the number of people who voted for either Trump or Harris. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/13/why-eligible-voters-did-not-vote
Mark
Except that, if Albanese is still Labor leader in a minority government after this election, he'll first try to make some deal with the Coalition (which would last weeks at most until someone got betrayed) in preference to dealing with actual progressives. If Dutton wins, then Albo will be the same loyal Leader of the Opposition (sic) that he was for Morrison, i.e. a "bipartisan" enabler.
Bec Smith
*Please* do an HGA about Peter "The Dud Spud" Dutton and why he'd be a terrible PM! I'd also really love a quick breakdown on the policies of the major parties, to show how much they overlap - I think a lot of people are pretty unaware of that. Also just a note - the Coalition is actually even more of a Minority Government (when it's in power) than mentioned - Queensland has a combined LNP, and the NT has the CLP, both of which are part of the Coalition at the federal level. They don't get mentioned much by the NSW/VIC/ACT power wielders and major media organisations, but they do still exist.
Alan Marel
Damn, I pushed “return” 😂. Three things that would be worse under a Plutonium Pete led government: climate (nothing unusual about 39 degree days in the middle of March is there?), and the Nats will never admit that climate change exists); energy - as the coal fired power stations break down and are shut down, they’ll still be quibbling over gas or new coal powered plants after they spend years figuring out that nuclear won’t work here; and workers rights- as they force people to go back to their offices, denying many women the right to look after their children or work remotely. Just Work Choices under another name. And there’s plenty more things that will be more shit.
Alan Marel
Another ripper Giordano. Love your work! As far as 3 things that would be even more shit under a Plutonium Pete led government:
Colette Burnell
Look forward to these everytime and always love them. I'm off all social media now except for Blue sky, but do share it on that. Nor sure it has a wide viewership but cannot support those sychphantic oligarchs anymore.
Terry Delacruz
Fantastic as usual
Jason Orcamoon
Giordano, Just listened on YouTube and I found the background music a tad distracting; maybe a bit too loud. Here's hoping that Australia sees polling for the Coalition going down because of the incredibly negative reaction the world is having to the Mandarin Mussolini; it's happening in Canada!
Gargamel
I wouldn't mind a HGA on all the terrible legislation that passed over the years, a lot of it "emergency" powers for enforcement agencies, or technology/internet related, that either/both of the major parties promised to review later/when in power. I've never heard of any of it being reviewed (although that could be because the media don't report on it). Scott Ludlam is sadly missed in Parliament.
Moz in Oz
Nah, you work for the Australien Government. Or the Honest Government. Totally different thing (but probably beyond a five year old either way). Dutton would likely find some way to make AUKUS even more expensive without affecting its pointlessness, and probably piss off Trump or Musk while he did it. There'll be a campaign to explain why we need to further cut taxes on the rich, especially miners. And a whole lot of quiet "it's not corrupt, we made it legal" stuff.
