‘My wife can do a better job,’ as my Aussie friend often scribbles – besides drawing a Mickey - on the ballot paper for each local, state and federal election.

Why, I wonder, would someone relinquish the right to elect his representative in the local council and parliament? ‘It’s my protest vote,’ he quipped. ‘They’re all the same. Corrupt liars, incompetent and can’t be trusted.’ Sounds to me a bit like politics back home.