Australians sizzle on election day with ‘democracy sausage' and ‘budgy smugglers'
A voter puts ketchup on a so-called "democracy sausage" on the day of the Australian federal election in Sydney, Australia, on May 3. PHOTO: REUTERS
Australians sizzle on election day with 'democracy sausage' and 'budgy smugglers'
SYDNEY - Australians fired up barbecues and wore tight-fit swim trunks called 'budgy smugglers' to voting centres as they welcomed election day on May 3 with some unique and quirky traditions.
Voters across the country grabbed a 'democracy sausage', which is sausages, burgers or other barbecued meat sold by volunteers at polling booths, as they turned out to cast their ballots.
This Australian election day ritual was a talking point on social media as voters posted pictures and videos with their snack in hand under the #democracysausage.
'Voted and did my civic duty of buying a #democracysausage,' one voter said on social media platform X.
Meanwhile, at polling booths near Australia's famed beaches, including Bondi beach in Sydney, some swimmers cast their ballots after a dip wearing brief-style swimming trunks locally called 'budgy smugglers'.
An Australian swim wear brand called Budgy Smuggler ran a campaign offering a free pair to the first 200 people who voted in smugglers.
Voting began on May 3 in Australia's national election that polls show will likely favour Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over conservative challenger Peter Dutton, with voter appetite for change dampened by worries over US tariffs and global economic uncertainty. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Police report 16 bomb, gun attacks across south-west Colombia, three dead
Bystanders looking at destroyed buildings after a car exploded in front of the City Hall in Corinto, Colombia, on June 10. PHOTO: AFP CORINTO, Colombia - South-west Colombia was rocked by a string of explosions and gun attacks that left at least three people dead on June 10, police said, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack designed to sow terror. The attacks hit Cali – the country's third largest city – and several nearby towns, targeting police stations and other municipal buildings, the head of police Carlos Fernando Triana told local radio station La FM. Police told AFP that four car bombs and three other explosive devices had detonated in Cali and in three towns, gutting buildings, wrecking storefronts and scattering debris. Two bombs went off in Cali and separate explosions were reported in the towns of Corinto, El Bordo and Jamundi. In Corinto, an AFP journalist witnessed the tangled wreckage of a car that had exploded next to a scorched and badly damaged municipal building. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but guerillas who broke away from the now once-powerful Farc militia are known to operate in the area. The bombings came just days after the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate in Bogota, a brazen attack that has put the country on edge. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Russia and Ukraine exchange sick and wounded prisoners of war
A Ukrainian prisoner of war looks on as he stands with others after a swop, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location in Ukraine, in this handout picture released June 10, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS KYIV - Russia and Ukraine said they exchanged an unspecified number of sick and wounded prisoners of war on June 10 under an agreement reached at peace talks last week in Turkey. The handover took place after an initial swop of prisoners under the age of 25 was conducted on June 9. "Today marks the first stage of the return of our seriously wounded and injured soldiers from Russian captivity. All of them require immediate medical attention. This is an important humanitarian act," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that exchanges would continue. "We are doing everything to find and bring back everyone who is in captivity," he said. An official Ukrainian video showed smiling prisoners of war leaving a bus at an undisclosed location, wrapped in flags of Ukraine or of their units. Many chanted "glory to Ukraine". Ukrainian prisoners of war hold hands and react after a swop, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location in Ukraine, in this handout picture released June 10, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS In a statement, Ukrainian military intelligence said most of the freed soldiers had serious injuries and illnesses including amputations, infections and trauma. It also said that due to security considerations, the exact number of those released would be announced only after the exchange process was completed. The defence ministry in Moscow said the Russians freed in the latest handover were currently in Belarus, which borders both the warring countries, and would be returned to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation. A Ukrainian prisoner of war reacts after a swop, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location in Ukraine, in this handout picture released June 10, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS Prisoner exchanges have been the only tangible result so far of peace talks between the two sides in Turkey, which resumed last month after a gap of more than three years but have failed to make progress towards a ceasefire. A thousand captives on each side were traded in a swop last month, the biggest of the war so far. At last week's meeting, the two sides also agreed to hand over the bodies of thousands of dead soldiers, but this transfer has yet to take place. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US NIH director hopes administration will settle with universities over suspended grants
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request for the NIH, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura WASHINGTON - National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya told a U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday he was hopeful that President Donald Trump's administration would reach a settlement with universities that have had research grants suspended. "I'm very hopeful that a resolution being made with the universities where those decisions have been made, where those grants have been paused," Bhattacharya said while appearing at a hearing of the Senate Appropriation Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on the NIH's 2026 budget request. Dozens of scientists, researchers and other employees at the NIH issued a rare public rebuke on Monday ahead of the hearing, criticizing the Trump administration for major spending cuts that "harm the health of Americans and people across the globe," politicize research and "waste public resources." The NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants totaling about $9.5 billion and an additional $2.6 billion in contracts since Trump took office Jan. 20, they said in the letter. The contracts often support research, from covering equipment to nursing staff working on clinical trials. The White House wants to reduce U.S. health spending by more than a quarter next year, with the NIH facing the brunt with a cut of $18 billion, or 40%, from this year's budget, leaving it with $27 billion. The Trump administration wants to cut funding altogether for four of the agency's 27 institutes and centers while consolidating others into five new ones. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.