Australians tell ABC's Your Say how they are planning to vote on election dayBy Cindy WocknerTopic:National Elections4h ago4 hours agoFri 2 May 2025 at 8:11pmBrittany McDermott is voting in the Melbourne seat once held by former prime minster Bob Hawke. (Supplied: Brittany McDermott)abc.net.au/news/australians-tell-abc-your-say-how-they-plan-to-vote/105207032Link copiedShareShare articleBrittany McDermott first saw the woman she will vote for on Saturday on a panel alongside politicians from the two major parties.The 29-year-old said she was impressed.Ms McDermott said while the Victorian state Liberal and Labor politicians on the panel spoke to "memorised talking points", she remembered the woman clutching pages of notes, policy detail and data."[She was] contributing actual thoughts and ideas to the discussion," she said.The woman was Samantha Ratnam, the Victorian Greens' leader and former State MP, who is running in the inner Melbourne electorate of Wills.Loading...The seat, once a Labor heartland and the seat of Bob Hawke, is held by the ALP's Peter Khalil on an 8.6 per cent margin.But the Greens see Wills as winnable and they will at least have Ms McDermott's vote.Election essentials:Federal election live updates: Get the latest news as Australians head to the pollsKey election promises from Labor and the CoalitionFind out where your nearest voting centre is and how to fill out the ballot paperShe believes a minority government, with minor parties holding the balance of power, seems an ideal salve for the problems facing her generation.But it is not just younger voters who are looking for alternatives to the two major parties.Frustration with major partiesFive weeks of campaigning reaches its conclusion on Saturday when the country goes to the polls.Before long we will know if, as the latest polls suggest, Labor and Anthony Albanese get another term.Thousands of Australians have shared their thoughts on the major parties through Your Say. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)Or will it be so close that voters like Ms McDermott get their wish for minor parties to have more say in how the country is run?Tens of thousands of voters have contacted the ABC's Your Say project.Have Your Say: What matters to you this federal election?Photo shows A graphic showing a range of reader comments about potential issues in Australia's 2025 federal election.What do you need to know before you vote in the upcoming federal election? What would you ask the candidates? Have Your Say.They told us of their concerns about the housing crisis, about access to healthcare and their deepest fears about climate change and the future.Many told us of frustration with the major parties. They lamented a lack of big and bold vision from the leaders and bandaid solutions to the problems keeping them awake at night.Ms McDermott, who works for a community services organisation in policy and advocacy, said she is not a rusted-on Greens supporter but this time she agrees more with their policies than those of other candidates."I think modern politics (the major parties specifically) have lost the idea of what it means to be prepared, and communities are crying out for people to treat representing their electorate as a regular job," Ms McDermott said.Independent interest in Liberal heartlandThe Queensland seat of Moncrieff encompasses the heart of the Gold Coast.It is held by the LNP on an 11.2 per cent margin.This is Ian Duckworth's first time voting in the seat. The retiree moved from Canberra to the Gold Coast six months ago.Ian Duckworth is voting for the first time in the Gold Coast seat of Moncrieff. (Supplied: Ian Duckworth)He has pre-polled and voted for the independent, Nicole Arrowsmith, who he said had impressed him."I reached out to her campaign team for a little bit more information about her and her background," Mr Duckworth said.In the traditional LNP stronghold of Groom, centred on the city of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, there are eight candidates on the ticket.Pundits say the independent, Suzie Holt, is the only one in a position to challenge the LNP's sitting member Garth Hamilton.Livestock agent Andrew Meara in the seat of Groom on Queensland's Darling Downs wants to see honesty from politicians. (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Sanders)Local livestock agent Andrew Meara, 55, was born and bred on the Darling Downs and has been a dedicated LNP voter.But not this time. He voted for Ms Holt."I think she's got a bit of spine and backbone … we need honesty, and we haven't got it," Mr Meara said."She's a very community minded person, very approachable, which we haven't got at the moment."Read more about the federal election:A single moment early in this election campaign came to define itDutton finishes campaign with lurch towards Trumpian politicsSee how your views align with the major parties with Vote CompassWant even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 federal election coverageCatch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on ABC iview and ABC Listen'Disillusioned with everything'In South Australia, in another LNP stronghold, in the seat of Barker, retiree Bronwyn Kanahs has already voted."I never felt less like voting than this time around. I was so disillusioned with everything really," Ms Kanahs said.Bronwyn Kanahs in the seat of Barker in South Australia feels disillusioned with politics at this election. (Supplied: Bronwyn Kanahs)There are no stand-out responsible leaders, she said of the current leadership of the major parties."I don't really think there has been anybody that has been any good since (former Liberal prime minister) John Howard. We are really lacking bold leaders," she said.Turning 70 this year, Ms Kanahs, who previously worked in social welfare, said none of the parties are addressing the critical issue of housing."This (housing crisis) has been going on for 20 years or more and everybody has known about it expect the people in power," she said.A lifelong Liberal voter, she voted Liberal this time but not with full conviction.Loading...Nationals turned Green voterAnthony Negus is passionate about climate change.The 68-year-old is the son of a farmer and a qualified horticulturalist.He recently sold his semi-rural property in Western Australia's Avon Valley.Anthony Negus is the son of a farmer and says the climate is much more harsh now than when he was growing up in Western Australia. (Supplied: Anthony Negus)The climate now, he said, felt much harsher than when he was growing up in the 60s and 70s."Heatwaves are hotter and more prolonged … bushfires are more frequent and fierce," he said."I want to know what plans and policies politicians have in place to both mitigate and adapt to anthropogenic global heating."He lives in the electorate of Perth, a safe Labor seat.Mr Negus said that a long time ago he was a National Party voter and was even a member of the party."I have been utterly frustrated with the climate denials, particularly from the Liberals and Nationals," he said."I have many decades of being an eyewitness to what's going on with climate change."On Saturday, he said he will vote for the Greens candidate.Desire for diverse representationLiam Dowsett-Clark, 27, is a former Tasmanian who now lives and votes in the Victorian seat of Cooper, in Melbourne's north. The seat is safe Labor.Mr Dowsett-Clark works in renewable energy as a geo-spatial analyst.He said he is a swing voter between Greens and Labor.Victorian voter Liam Dowsett-Clark wants a diversified House of Representatives. (Supplied: Liam Dowsett-Clark)But this time, Mr Dowsett-Clark said he would vote for the Victorian Socialists first, Greens second and Labor third."I did this as I know my vote will go to Labor on the two-party preferred and a first preference vote is really valuable for a small party like the Victorian Socialists who may not have all the answers but have a clear vision for what they want to achieve," Mr Dowsett-Clark said."The biggest thing that is important to me when voting for the parties themselves is a diversified house of representatives."While I don't entirely support the Greens, the more diversified candidates we have the better I think. I would easily vote independent if my electorate had a good candidate."Follow the latest election newsPhoto shows ABC News Radio logo and the ABC Listen logo below it on a light blue background.Hear the latest election news as it happens on the Election Central Playlist. Only on the ABC listen app.For Sophie Love, a farmer in the New South Wales mid north coast and the safe National seat of Lyne, nothing is more important than tackling climate change.She will vote Green.Ms Love, 59, describes herself as "a leftie in a really right-wing area" who has previously supported community independents and voted Labor."We have survived drought, fires, mouse plague, COVID, floods, more drought, more fires and more floods in the past five years and yet government has changed nothing, done nothing, learned no lessons, made no plans from these climate change driven catastrophes."They are putting a band aid on the problem."Sophie Love is most concerned about climate change. (Supplied: Sophie Love)Independent interestsBack in Melbourne's east, in the seat of Menzies, 20-year-old law student Flynn Rose, is voting in his first federal election, in one of the country's most marginal seats.He has voted independent first and the Greens second. The seat is held by the Liberals by a sliver and is now listed as having a notional Labor margin of 0.4 per cent following a boundary redistribution.University student Flynn Rose is voting in his first federal election. (Suipplied: Flynn Rose)"A lack of future thinking from the major parties has resulted in a high amount of stagnation in our parliament," he said."Certainly, I agree with policies from both major parties and disagree with policies of the Greens but in my opinion — this being my first federal election — a bit of agitation in parliament may result in the policies and change which takes effect to be more meaningful," Mr Rose said.Mr Rose said he felt both major parties were "buying votes" with their policies.A minority government would be positive, in his view, regardless of which major party forms government after this weekend."Overall, it's the big picture ideas which I'm missing from the election and that was my main influence."Based on the responses to the ABC's Your Say project, Mr Rose is not alone in this view.The 2025 election explained:Australia has preferential voting — how do you do it?What do Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals and the Greens stand for?Here's where the election could be won or lost for the major partiesLoading...Having trouble seeing this form? 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