Former Labor leader Mark Latham urges Australians to leave their ballot papers blank as a form of protest vote.
In an anti-climactic ‘journalistic’ debut, former Labor leader Mark Latham revealed he will be lodging a protest vote this Saturday — and is urging others to follow suit.
Mr Latham revealed his intention last night to place a ‘‘totally blank’’ ballot in the box as he posed as a journalist for a special report on the federal election for 60 Minutes.
Mr Latham had generated publicity for the program long before it went to air — first ambushing Prime Minister Julia Gillard, then Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, before engaging in a tit for tat spat with veteran Nine reporter Laurie Oakes.
But — compared to his past form — Mr Latham showed considerable restraint in last night's report, which went on for about 20 minutes and did not reveal anything new or surprising.
"Mostly, I've been portrayed as the villain," he told viewers, before describing the election campaign as stage-managed, fake and lacking in substance.
Among those who agreed to an interview was former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who said she would "never forgive or forget" Mr Abbott, who she accused of organising a slush fund "which saw my imprisonment".
As for Ms Gillard, Ms Hanson confided: "I don't like her and I don't trust her."
Greens leader Bob Brown also made an appearance, telling Mr Latham in a civilised exchanged that both parties had lost their way.
Earlier yesterday, Senator Brown told journalists that Mr Latham had been respectful and courteous during the interview.
Mr Latham also lamented the campaign's "empty slogans" and accused both sides of "dumbing down politics".
There were images almost ridiculing Prime Minister Julia Gillard's repeated catch phrase of "moving forward" and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's mantra of "end the waste, pay back the debt".
He described as a "sham" the reunion between Ms Gillard and the man she deposed, Kevin Rudd.
And the media is included in the criticism — at one point accused of sensationalism, at another described as political prisoners manipulated by the parties.
When it first became known that Mr Latham was doing a report for 60 Minutes, executive producer Hamish Thomson gave assurances Mr Latham was approaching the exercise "in a very serious, professional manner".
A statement at the time said: "It's not a square-up or an exercise in character assassination. Mark still has his gall bladder intact but he says it's not about bile."
Mr Latham's report ended with his call for Australians to engage in the ultimate protest vote and not mark their ballot papers, a move reminiscent of the political activist Albert Langer's advocacy of a tactical vote to deny preferences to the bigger parties.
It is not illegal to advocate an informal vote.
with AAP
UPDATE:
An average of 1.31 million Australians tuned in to receive Mark Latham's advice to lodge a blank vote at Saturday's federal election.
The outspoken former Labor leader's guest reporting spot on 60 Minutes last night helped to deliver the program its third highest ratings result of the year.
Viewership peaked at 1.42 million during Latham's opening story on why the voting public was being dudded in the 2010 poll. It rose to 1.64 million later in the program.
In the report, which featured a brief interview with Pauline Hanson and a Gruen Nation-style analysis of campaign advertising, Latham accused the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader of being fake, lacking policy and manipulating the media. He finished the segment revealing he would lodge a blank ballot paper at the weekend, and urged viewers to do the same.
''They say voting is compulsory in Australia but it's not compulsory to fill out the ballot paper, you can put it straight into the ballot box totally blank,'' he said.
Across the Australia's five mainland capitals, 60 Minutes came fourth in the 25 to 54 age group, behind Nine's national news bulletin, Ten's newest drama series Offspring and the Shaun Micallef-hosted panel show Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, which won the night with 1.43 million viewers.
60 Minutes was the most-watched program in Brisbane, and least popular in Melbourne.
The program has managed to top last night's result only twice this year. Its highest ratings figure this season was 1.33 million in May.
Last week, it received an average audience of 1.19 million across Australia, a Nine spokeswoman said.
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