Nikos Psaltopoulos – pharmaceutical sales manager
A few years ago Nikos was the black sheep of the Psaltopoulos clan – a Liberal supporter in a staunch Labor household.
But all that changed during a great big Greek family dinner in the run up to the 2010 election.
“We talked about politics – and the more we talked, the more we felt the old parties looked more and more alike,” says Nikos, “and the more related we became to what the Greens’ vision was all about.”
By the time the horta had been cleared, the Psaltopoulos mob were Greens through and through.
“I’ll absolutely be voting the same way at this election,” says Nikos.
“People have a hang up about a hung parliament. They see that as a negative but I view it as a positive. The Greens kept the government accountable.
“The prospect of having a Coalition government – which I liken to something of a potential dictatorship – I’m feeling uncomfortable about, so in this election a vote for the Greens is even more critical.”
Living in Richmond – part of Adam Bandt’s Melbourne electorate and the Greens’ only seat in the Lower House – Nikos sees Bandt’s return to Canberra as vital for the country as a whole.
“If you look at the last three years, has there been a positive impact because of the Greens? There has been because Adam was elected.”
Movement on marriage equality, asylum seekers, the environment, along with pushing social issues and health care, says Nikos, best reflects what most Australians want for the country.
“People can’t afford proper dental care and because of the Greens, millions of kids will have access to dental care through Medicare,” he says.
“The Labor Party used to be known to stand up for the worker and that’s no longer the case. They’ve become no different to the Liberal Party.”
Does Nikos have a message for any voters still undecided?
“People need to understand the power of their vote, and not make a decision on a whim – make an informed decision as to the impact your vote will have.
“The Greens and what they represent is currency. There is another way.”


Yianni Kouts –
student
Yianni Kouts is voting Liberal. He’s also voting for the first time.
A student of Arts at La Trobe University, Yianni, who speaks four languages, is adamant it’s time for change.
“The Liberals have had more consistency and we’ve been more truthful – there’s been no bickering or fighting. You’ve seen the Labor Party just dispose of their leaders,” he says.
For the past five weeks he has been working as a volunteer for Liberal candidate Kevin Ekandahl in the Melbourne Ports electorate – a seat held firmly by Labor’s Michael Danby.
Yianni says the word on the street suggests overthrowing such a safe Labor seat shouldn’t be ruled out.
“We’ve had a lot of people come into the campaign office saying they voted Labor their entire life, but they can’t vote for them this time. The Liberals are better at managing Australia,” he says. “The debt the country has accumulated under Labor is something we just can’t afford.
“There are too many struggling families, unemployment has begun to rise. We just need a fresh start.”
Yianni believes it’s the Coalition’s vision for the economy that matters most.
“People are looking for which party has a better economic policy. No one wants to vote for more wasteful spending – that’s what we have to manage first.”
The engaged 19-year-old puts his passionate political affiliations down to the values inherited from his family – and reading up on the issues.
He bucks the trend of so many voters of his age who couldn’t care less. Statistics from the Australian Electorate Commission show that 400,000 people aged 18-24 are not enrolled to vote today – 25 per cent of all young voters.
“A lot of my friends aren’t politically motivated,” he says.
“There’s a lot of peer pressure out there, but it’s up to young people to read the facts – to research the parties’ policies and see whether or not they agree with them.
“Young people often see politics as this really dull, boring job that only old cranky men and women get into, but politics affects every single one of us.”
Maria Strintzos –
overseas aid worker
For 18 years as an aid worker in Ethiopia, Maria Strintzos witnessed poverty and injustice in one of the world’s most beleaguered societies and fought both.
“That’s my background – fighting for people’s rights,” she says, in an understated way, before explaining why she believes the ALP remains the country’s best hope.
“It’s not about left and right anymore, it’s far more nuanced than that, but deep down I still believe in the fundamental principles, values and vision of the Labor Party.”
“I don’t subscribe to every single policy and viewpoint, but I believe Labor is the party that governs for all – and has a special focus on those who are more vulnerable.”
Maria’s commitment to Labor began in her teens – partly, she says, as a result of Gough Whitlam waving to her at a 1975 rally in Melbourne during ‘the dismissal’.
Experiencing racism in South Melbourne’s Greek community as a child was another factor – pushing her towards the party that first embraced Australian multiculturalism.
“We’re all the groundbreaking policies,” says Maria. “These are the core policies and viewpoints of the Labor Party which the Liberals do not subscribe to, or they downplay.”
Given the polling in recent weeks, Maria’s not optimistic about the chances of a Labor victory today.
If the Coalition is returned the challenge will be to prevent it turning back vital reforms she says .
“We have the potential to lose many investments in people and rights. We want to protect gains in the education system. Just because you happen to have been born in a particular postcode doesn’t mean you should be left out. We need opportunity for everybody. We want economic growth but we want it with equity.”
However the party she’s supported since childhood has behaved internally in recent years, for Maria there’s still no better alternative now and in the future.
“The ALP is a far more human institution for me, that even when they get things wrong, the essence of what they are trying to achieve is fairness and justice. Take away those elements in human nature and what are you left with?”

John and Mary Kakavelis – cafe owners Melbourne CBD
John and Mary have been running the Aix cafe, a European-style creperie at Centre Place, for ten years.
For them, this election is all about how the next government will stimulate the job market and retail.
“It’s tough at the moment,” says Mary, who has two grown-up children.
“We’re forced to work seven days a week to make ends meet.”
Mary is leaving the decision on who to vote for to the last minute. Like many other people she feels unengaged.
“We’ll vote and nobody will listen to us anyway. They’ll just do what they want to do,” she says.
Despite her scepticism she does believe that the next government should play a bigger role in helping retail by increasing consumers’ ability and focusing on job creation.
“We’re hoping a new government will bring in more business. People are waiting for the election to be over to start spending money again,” she says.
“I know there are a lot of kids who are finding it hard to find jobs when they finish uni.
“We need a government that can help young people find real jobs, not working in cafes.”
Husband John is equally pessimistic about the extent to which the next government of either political persuasion can affect their lives.
“They’re all the same. I’m going to vote for the Sex Party, why not?” says John with a grin.
“The last government was no good. All talk no action. We’ve been here ten years and business has been getting worse and worse. All the CBD is very quiet.
“We need a government to bring more jobs. If people don’t have a job they can’t spend money.”