Opinion
Democracy sausages point to snags in the system
Vivienne Pearson
WriterIf you enjoyed a “democracy sausage” on Saturday, did you realise that it was cooked by volunteer parents trying to make up for inadequate school funding?
The humble snag has become so linked with elections that popular Twitter hashtags, #auspol and #ausvotes end with a picture of a sausage in bread, breakfast TV hosts earnestly discuss “natural sausage skins” with butchers and a whole “crowd-sauced” website exists to find your nearest BBQ.
Anthony Albanese grabs a sausage sandwich during a campaign visit to Perth last month.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Most of the discourse around democracy snags is light-hearted and fun. Grabbing a sausage adds a spot of sizzle to the task of voting. The BBQs (and cake stalls) are usually portrayed as a community affair and a great fundraising opportunity.
The real story behind election day sausage sizzles is much more serious. Public schools – the main “sauce” of your democracy snag – rely on funds raised by election day BBQs to purchase items that should, by any stretch of the imagination, be funded by government. You know, things such as classroom supplies, readers, whiteboards, sports equipment, STEM resources, shade-sails and even basic furniture.
How much is our public education system propped up by fundraising? We simply don’t know. There’s no routine recording, it hasn’t been researched by academics, and state-based education departments do not seem to care. Available figures point to an average of tens of thousands of dollars per school per year.
I hope that, by the next election, public school funding has increased so parents don’t feel they need to spend election day turning sausages.
That money is raised by parents, a demographic who are already furiously juggling paid work and family responsibilities. Sometimes they’re supported by teachers, who shouldn’t have to volunteer their time to ensure they have adequate resources to do their job.
School fundraising via democracy sausages overlaps with two key issues that have driven this election campaign and outcome — governing for people of all genders and all socio-economic levels.
You can bet that most parents and teachers who turn up to turn a snag are women. And it’s not hard to guess whether it’s easier for public schools in wealthy or poorer areas to raise funds.
I hope that, by the time the next election rolls around, public school funding has increased so that parents don’t feel they need to spend their election day (and preceding days and weeks) turning sausages to buy essential resources.
Sure, there might be fewer feel-good media articles or segments about whether onion should be under or on-top of the sausage. Sure, you might miss your Saturday morning snag, be it a basic one or a creative offering like “Biscotti from Marketing” or the “Josh Fried’n’Burg”.
I’d happily forgo these pleasures in order to vote 1 for full school funding.
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