IT'S an political cliche, but the 2022 poll is a truly important election.
It's important because democracy is important, and in a time where "strongman" autocracies are still a feature of the global outlook - even if Donald Trump is no longer encouraging them from the White House - Australia's orderly political apparatus stands as a testament to the wisdom of those who brought our national system of parliamentary checks and balances into being at federation.
It's another cliche, but the world has changed dramatically since the arrival of COVID, and the intervening 29 months will live long in people's minds, and in written history.
Even after the vaccination drive, the virus is still taking too many lives, and whoever is in power after the votes are counted will have to do something to address this.
The incoming government will also have to work to reduce the public debt - set to peak at $1.2 trillion, gross, or $980 billion, net.
Even though borrowed, largely, to provide the income support that stopped this country sliding into anything worse than a brief technical recession during the pandemic, the interest repayments will only increase as interest rates rise.
In this region, Paterson has been a swinging seat over the years, but the Hunter more broadly has been a strong Labor heartland.
The Coalition has shown more interest in the region this time, believing, perhaps, that population growth fuelled largely by migration from Sydney might change old voting patterns.
It has not been a particularly prominent subject in the past few years - the pandemic having blotted out many other political topics - but the perception remains that Labor's voting stronghold has led to lower levels of federal spending in Newcastle, especially, than has been the case in seats where seats are in play.
Ultimately, however, federal elections should be about more than who can throw the most money at individual seats, although with housing assistance and climate change the only real areas in dispute during the campaign, both sides are sticking very much to the safe middle ground.
This is despite substantial drifts to Independent and minor party alternatives.
Ultimately, however, one side or other will form government.
Our individual choices, summed together, will decide that outcome.
ISSUE: 39,876
