Dr Martin Drum is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Notre Dame, and he came to give us his thoughts on the forthcoming Federal Election. A uniform swing of 1% will deprive the present Government of its majority, but a uniform swing of 3.3% is needed if Labor is to form government. Martin listed the vulnerable seats across the nation, and then highlighted those seats in Western Australia that one should watch – Swan, Pearce, Hasluck, Curtin and Cowan. In the seat of Curtin the current Member Celia Hammond is being challenged by Independent Kate Chaney, and because both have a fairly high profile in the community, it will take a significant % of the vote for the challenger to succeed. Interestingly Dr Drum feels that Kate Chaney has some traction though, as evidenced by the fact that Liberal flyers are attacking her credentials as opposed to promoting the virtues of the sitting Member. New South Wales and Queensland will play critical roles in the election, but if the result is close Western Australia’s contribution will become significant. It was noted that all Australian elections that have taken place since the start of the pandemic have maintained the status quo, but in the forthcoming one there is a distinct possibility of a hung parliament. The number of postal votes is likely to be higher than usual, and there is quite likely to be a tussle between Pauline Hanson and Clive Palmer for a seat in the Senate. All will become clear in the next eight weeks or so! We were pleased to welcome many Matilda Bay Club Members and PDG Jerry Pilcher.