Many sausages have been eaten. (Liz ate too many and had a gluten reaction, always remember to preference gluten LAST on your ballot.) Many votes have been cast. A slightly smaller number has been counted (so far).

We … don’t seem to have a government yet?

(Has Antony Green called the election yet? Thanks for that, Our ABC!)

It seems likely that one of the major parties will end up forming a minority government with a motley crew of Greens, independents and random assorted crossbenchers — exactly what both parties and the media have been describing as a chaotic worst case scenario since 2010.

Well, suck it up, guys, minority governments are pretty common around the world, and they’re actually … quite good. The need for compromise prevents extremism, but if compromise can be achieved, the results are usually quite effective. See, for example, the Gillard government.

Whether either of the major parties is currently capable of compromise remains to be seen.

Here are some links!

21 Very Different Ways Aussies Filled Out Their Voting Forms – an account of different approaches to informal votes that ends up being infuriating (WHAT A WASTE! THIS ELECTION IS SO CLOSE, ALL OF THOSE VOTES COULD HAVE COUNTED!) rather than funny. (Content warning: penises.)

Pauline Hanson’s back in Parliament, and her agenda is quite terrifying. On the upside, it’s unlikely she’ll achieve anything on her list; the downside is that her special brand of xenophobia, anti-science and — an exciting new addition — men’s rights activism will suck up oxygen and money, and it will encourage every other bigot to speak up.

Meanwhile, Celeste Liddle says, We shouldn’t be surprised by the return of Pauline Hanson:

For years, we have seen racism bubbling away, yet politicians and the media continue to neutralise it. The rise of various nationalist groups such as Reclaim Australia, United Patriots Front and the True Blue Crew, while extreme manifestations of this socially-embedded racism, also do not occur in a vacuum. They have been buoyed by several years of anti-immigration policy; demonisation of minority communities; years of attacks on Indigenous autonomy and social programs.

Okay, now I’m REALLY mad at the informal voters:

https://twitter.com/mariekehardy/status/749767372735586304

YOU HAVE LET DOWN BATMAN, INFORMAL VOTERS

BATMAN

FIRST HIS PARENTS ARE MURDERED IN FRONT OF HIM, AND NOW THIS?

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SOMETHING A BIT LIGHTER

One Thing We Learned On Election Night: Don’t Fuck With Laurie Oakes

The 19 Most WTF Moments From Election Night

I can’t seem to find an update on the recovery of the Greens volunteer who was bitten by a Liberal vollie in a scuffle on Friday night, but I hope the alleged victim is recovering — infections from bites can be nasty. Just ask almost anyone who’s met my cat!