| Abstract: | This article focuses on the question of the salience of the issue of abortion in Australian elections; that is, whether it is an issue on which electors cast their vote, and whether it plays a role in changes in voting patterns. The issue of public attitudes to such primary women's rights and feminist issues as abortion has been important in Australia for many years, but there is no body of research literature here on the electoral salience of those attitudes to abortion. In contrast, a body of US literature indicates that attitudes to abortion there are of significance in predicting voters' choices at state and federal levels and that this significance has increased over time. My argument is that there are no significant patterns of voting or even of party identification that are dependent on parliamentary candidates' views on abortion in Australia, and that this has been the case for at least 30 years. My argument is made through exploring opinion polls and academic surveys; examining three anecdotal claims of electoral retribution; and looking in detail at the case of the defeat of Barry Simon in the 1980 federal election. My finding as to the non-salience of the issue of abortion among Australian voters has significance in terms of accurately identifying obstacles to feminist proposals for reform of abortion laws in Australia. One of the aims of the article is to dispel the myth that politicians who are pro-choice or who vote for abortion reform are likely to face electoral retribution on that score. That is, the feminist project of abortion reform is not a vote loser. |
