Australian election slang
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Caitlin Cassidy, "Spruiking, fake tradies and corflute stoushes: how to understand the Australian election", The Guardian 4/29/2025:
Australians pride themselves on their distinctive federal elections. It’s among a handful of nations that enforces compulsory voting, boasting a turnout rate of more than 90%. The preferential voting system, in theory, means no votes are wasted and choice matters. In recent years, Australians even have an emblem for their civic duty – a democracy sausage – the natural conclusion of voting on a Saturday at schools eager to raise funds.
Also unique is Australian campaign vernacular, which is, year after year, keenly adopted by the media and politicians alike. From donkey voting to corflute stoushes and spruiking, here are some of the weird idioms you need to know to keep abreast of what’s been happening in the lead-up to Saturday’s federal election
Check out the rest of the article to learn about rorts, corflutes, stoush, spruiking, tradies, fake tradies, voting informally, and donkey voting.
No doubt commenters can contribute equally opaque political terminology from other countries.