Election 2016: Meet volunteers sowing seeds of grassroots democracy

Updated

They're the people many voters try to avoid eye contact with at entrances to polling stations, but why do they enlist as foot soldiers for political parties?

My father was mentally fine until the end but he asked every day, every week 'let me go, I'm happy to go'. Sally Curlewis, Voluntary Euthanasia Party, Canberra

"If someone came to your property or your house and saw your dog in that state you would be taken to court.

"I volunteered at the last election to hand out how-to-vote cards and I spent most of the day in Goulburn with not one person being negative.

"I've got a little sticker on my car [and] every time I stop at a set of traffic lights someone behind me is reading it, they have to see it.

"So you're sowing seeds, and may the seeds grow."

I was fortunate enough to meet Fiona Patten, the leader, through a mutual friend and I was just so impressed by her integrity, and who she was as a person. David Peake, Australian Sex Party, Melbourne

"Because we are a small party with not a whole lot of resources, we have to put boots on the ground and get out to train stations during morning peak and hand people flyers.

"I think that the Sex Party are doing such good work, we've seen that in the Victorian Parliament with Fiona Patten working collaboratively with the Government to get some really good, progressive policies.

"This is a rare opportunity for me to carve out my own place in the world and make a job that I would really love to go to every day."

I became a volunteer because I rang Parliament House to complain and vent about what bastards put these [poker machines] on every corner. Anezoula Julia Karpathakis: Nick Xenophon Team, Adelaide

"Somehow they had taken over my whole life; somehow they became the priority of everything.

"With Nick's support, making me feel important, showing me that he cared, I was pulled out of the gutter.

"I started helping with phone-ins and slowly my confidence grew and my self-worth grew and I've done very election campaign since 2000.

"It feels good, it feels right and it feels honest, and for me that is really important."

For a democracy, people have got to get involved and if you're sitting at home doing nothing, you can't whinge about things. Stephen Meates: Liberal Party of Australia, Sydney

"You shouldn't be allowed to whinge about things if you're not prepared to get out there and fight for what you believe in.

"I've been a volunteer since John Howard lost the election ... everyone likes joining a winning team but it's harder to throw in resources on the back of a loss so I said, 'well this is the time to join, this is the time to get involved'.

"You know, if you sit on your arse not doing anything then you get what you get.

"I love speaking to people and you meet so many different people as you get around the suburbs and you get their opinions — the true opinions of people."

At the end of the day it's the satisfaction of joining a group who are on the same page as myself and working for the same end result, which is to win government. Helen Bray, Australia Labor Party, Brisbane

"Generally Labor people come from a working class background with a dedicated approach to the job in hand and it's quite inspiring when we all work together.

"Coming from a working class family in Scotland, whose parents were working in the fishing industry, unionism played a big part for workers to improve wages and conditions.

"There's a genuine friendship within our team of volunteers and appreciation of what each other is doing.

"We're not selfish people and are all very generous sharing out time, assistance and knowledge."

I rang up the local Australia Party candidate and stood all day at the polling booth handing out how-to-vote cards, getting sunburnt. Greg James, Science Party Australia, Hobart

"It was December 2, 1972 when Gough Whitlam was elected [the first time he volunteered] and I had just hitchhiked around Australia doing Highway One and I had arrived on the Gold Coast.

"I urge people to participate in the electoral system, either with how-to-vote cards or as scrutineers and as observers of the count.

"I get a future for my children and my grandchildren and I really believe as an Australian ... that thinking about your candidates and getting to know them is an important part of the whole process.

"To participate in the political system is to understand it and we would then have far better politicians."

I suppose, at the end of the day, when everything goes horribly wrong with global warming and everything that is going to bring, deep down I will know that I tried. Isabella Robinson: Australian Greens, Perth

"I find the lack of care that our Government puts into the environment almost heartbreaking.

"I think the way we treat refugees is abysmal and for me the Greens was the only party that gave a voice to many of the views that I hold. I wanted to make a difference, so I joined the Greens.

"There have been people who have told me that they hate the Greens or to just go away, but it's not scary. The worst you hear is, 'no, I'm not interested', and that's not that bad.

"I go door-knocking as well. If you have a good door-knock, where you have 10 meaningful conversations where people are really nice and really supportive, it can be amazing."

All the muscles have been developed now from waving. It doesn't hurt anymore. Penny La Sette: Country Liberal Party, Darwin

"We're regular wavers. People are very good. They wave back at us. They toot us. We get a few who obviously don't appreciate us standing on the side of the road waving, but you get that.

"You have to believe in the fella or the lady.

"I really like the people that I'm working with. I guess that's what it comes down to. I'm an old girl now. They're all kids. That's where the passion is.

"Every year I say I'm never going to do it again. Then I weaken and everybody laughs at me and says, 'here she is back again'."

Reporting by Jessica Hinchliffe, Amanda Hoh, Simon Leo Brown, Carol Rääbus, Brett Williamson, Emilia Terzon, Kim Lester and Emma Wynne.

Topics: federal-elections, political-parties, volunteers, elections, government-and-politics, community-and-society, alp, greens, liberals, minor-parties, nationals, brisbane-4000, darwin-0800, sydney-2000, melbourne-3000, adelaide-5000, hobart-7000, perth-6000, canberra-2600

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