The corporate media have declared that new Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is "the most popular politician in Australia" and has "a chance to unify Australia by leading from the centre".
A look at his voting record shows what is meant by "the centre".
He's voted very strongly for...
1. Decreasing ABC and SBS funding.
2. Decreasing availability of welfare payments.
3. The Intervention in the Northern Territory.
He's voted strongly for...
4. Deregulating undergraduate university fees.
5. Unconventional gas mining.
He's voted moderately for...
6. Charging postgraduate research students fees.
7. Privatising government assets.
He's voted moderately against...
8. Implementing refugee and protection conventions.
9. Increasing Aboriginal land rights.
10. Increasing consumer protections.
11. Increasing the diversity of media ownership.
He's voted strongly against...
12. Increasing funding for university education.
13. Increasing investment in renewable energy.
14. Increasing marine conservation.
He's voted very strongly against...
15. A minerals resource rent tax.
16. Extending government benefits to same-sex couples.
17. Increasing access under Freedom of Information law.
18. Increasing accessibility of government data.
19. Increasing protection of Australia's fresh water.
20. Increasing scrutiny of asylum seeker management.
21. Increasing trade unions' powers in the workplace.
22. Same-sex marriage equality.
23. Tobacco plain packaging.
Bonus: He's also voted very strongly against...
24. Increasing restrictions on gambling.
So when the corporate media say "the centre", they mean somewhere about half way between the right and far-right of politics.
Source: The OpenAustralia Foundation's website They Vote For You.
Read more about They Vote For You here.
