Democracy sausage: Huge question ahead of Election Day
As Australians prepare to cast their ballots and sausage sizzles fire up nationwide, a bigger debate could overshadow the election – do onions go over or under the democracy sausage?
Surprisingly, one in three Aussies have voted in favour of a new sausage sizzle policy: onions first, sausage second, according to new research from Australian Onions.
Before voters head to the polling booth, those lucky Melburnians among us will be given a chance to vote with their tastebuds first at a free sausage sizzle hosted at a location that is to be announced.
In the meantime – some democracy sausage experts have weighed in on where the delicious flavour and the sweet aroma of caramelised onions fits in – layered on top or soaking into the bread beneath.
Alex Dawson, from DemocracySausage.org, helps to run Australia's go-to site for tracking down local sausage sizzles on election day.
As an official snag expert, Mr Dawson has revealed where he stands in the debate.
'Australia's democracy is powered by barbecues and the great onions debate transcends party lines,' he told NewsWire.
'Everyone has their own views, but I have to admit, I'm partial to onions underneath – they build a flavourful foundation and leave room for more sauce.
'Let's see how it sits with the millions of Aussies who will cast their vote on election day'.
Mr Dawson said the democracy sausage is 'practically part of the constitution!'
'People associate ideas and memories with sights and sounds, and there's no better sight than seeing Aussie voters helping community groups while smelling delicious sausages and onions on a BBQ,' he said.
The Democracysausage.org website had more than 2 million visitors in the 2022 election, and are already showing similar numbers this pre-election as voters flock to booths which have a sizzle nearby.
Whether over, or under, Mr Dawson said onions are a major part of the equation to a good sausage sizzle.
'A sausage sizzle without onions would be un-Australian – the smell of the onions cooking and caramelising adds to the atmosphere and the taste in a way that just adding sauces can't.'
TV Presenter, Recipe Developer, and Food Writer Jane de Graff agreed that onions are 'one hundred per cent' needed.
'Onions have a transformative power that really creates layers of flavour,' she told NewsWire.
'You might think of the sausage first, or even argue over the type of bread … But a BBQ isn't a BBQ until those onions hit the grill and that fragrance gets your mouth watering.
'If you could bottle that smell, it would be marketed as 'eau de barbecue' and we'd all love it.'
Ms de Graff said that although food can be controversial, she is all about being 'no Judgement' when it comes to how other people enjoy their meals.
'There's no right or wrong,' she began.
'Food is how we express our individuality, our tastes, and how we connect with others. The great Democracy Sausage debate – onions over or under – has its pros and cons on both sides, but that's what makes it so much fun.
'At the end of the day, it's all about what makes your bite more delicious!
Despite the debate, Ms de Graff said 'there is no question that it's (the democracy sausage) an iconic part of Aussie culture.'
'I've tried to explain it to friends from overseas, but they're mostly a bit puzzled about it,' she said.
'It's pretty interesting to have such a specific food ritual tied to voting like we do.
'But the democracy sausage is more than just a snack – it's a tradition that brings people together and it perfectly captures the Aussie spirit: community, connection, and a great feed while having your say.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
18 minutes ago
- West Australian
Mark Riley: Jim Chalmers declares economic turnaround after months of government silence
The Albanese Government is now telling Australians something it studiously avoided telling them in the run-up to the election. They are better off than they were three years ago. 'Living standards are getting better,' Treasurer Jim Chalmers declared this week after the release of the March quarter national accounts. He had data to prove it. The standard of living measure had grown in the first three months of the year by 1.7 per cent. That was the same rate by which the measure had fallen in the same quarter immediately preceding the 2022 election. It is quite a turnaround. Inflation is back in the Reserve Bank's target range at 2.4 per cent, less than a third of its peak in late 2021. Interest rates are lower and likely to fall even further over the coming months. People's pay is increasing above inflation. That is, workers are finally enjoying real wage growth. The Fair Work Commission's decision this week to lift the minimum wage by another 3.5 per cent — 1.1 per cent above inflation — will ensure the country's 3 million lowest-paid award workers will feel the immediate benefit of that. And unemployment is steady, challenging the theory that falling inflation causes job losses. All this adds up to one undeniable conclusion — the cost-of-living crisis is easing. The data has been saying that for the better part of the past year. Yet the Government wouldn't admit it during the campaign when Peter Dutton was asking voters 'whether you are better off now than you were three years ago'. I put that to Anthony Albanese at the National Press Club in the final week of the campaign. He wouldn't allow himself to admit that Australians really were better off. Instead, he turned the question on its head by saying Australians would have been a lot worse of if Dutton had been prime minister because he had opposed most of the Government's cost-of-living relief measures. Why did Albanese dodge the question? Because the election playbook says it's dangerous to tell voters they are better off. It can sound like hubris, leaving the Government open to claims that it is out of touch with the real pressures on average Australians. Recoveries are always patchy. Some people do well, some do really well, and some don't get much benefit at all in the short term. There is a psychological, if not always practical, disconnect between the data and people's lived experience. It is something Chalmers always acknowledges and did this week as a caveat to his declaration that things were indeed getting better. 'Now, we acknowledge, as I have probably 30 or 40 or 50 times in your presence, that sometimes or often, how people feel and fare in the economy doesn't match the aggregate national numbers that we see in the national accounts,' he said. Those aggregate numbers were positive, if only just so. They showed the economy growing at an anaemic 0.2 per cent in the March quarter. That is half the market expectations. There are reasons for that. Some are natural: floods, drought and an ex-tropical cyclone. The biggest, though, is human: Donald Trump. Trump's tariffs have cast a cloud of uncertainty over international trade that is affecting global investment and confidence. Equity markets are zooming to new record highs on what the Financial Times has dubbed the 'TACO principle', which dictates that Trump Always Chickens Out. Anthony Albanese is likely to meet the President on the sidelines of the G7 in Canada in about 10 days, asking him politely to chicken out of his tariffs on Australian exports. At the same time, Trade Minister Don Farrell is trying to land an agreement on a potentially rich free trade deal with Europe. If the Government can pull both those things off, it might just be able to go to the next election telling voters they really are better off.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
What it costs to save Aussie steel industry
The troubled Whyalla steelworks, law and order and a bold bid to bring the mammoth COP31 climate conference to Adelaide are the big winners from South Australia's pre-election budget. Treasurer Stephen Mullighan has promised $650m over six years for the steel plant as part of a $2.4bn 'sovereign steel package' backed by the federal government. In his speech to the state parliament on Thursday afternoon, Mr Mullighan outlined where the money would go and said the allocation would preserve the state's industrial capacity. 'Our unprecedented intervention to place the Whyalla steelworks into administration has protected thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses and ensured Australia remains a country that manufactures critical steel products,' he said. 'Under this government, South Australians will not be taken for fools by fast-talking businessmen that continually break their promises to our state … the ($650m) funding is for administration costs, investment in the plant to support the sale and for a comprehensive rescue package that safeguards the Whyalla community.' South Australian Treasurer Stephen Mullighan handed down the 2025-26 budget on Thursday. NewsWire / Dean Martin Credit: News Corp Australia Anthony Albanese and Peter Malinauskas addressed workers at Whyalla Steelworks after the takeover. NewsWire / Tim Joy Credit: NewsWire The state government took control of Whyalla from British steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta in February and administrators KordaMentha are working to secure a buyer for the integrated plant. Before the shock takeover, the steelworks suffered losses for months and the government grew increasingly sceptical Mr Gupta's GFG Alliance would meet its debt obligations. The steelworks is a core economic engine for Whyalla, a town of 22,000 people, and the state more broadly. It is Australia's only fully integrated steelmaking enterprise, producing slabs, billets, hot rolled structural steel and rail products. Thursday's budget comes about nine months before the Labor government, led by Premier Peter Malinauskas, will return to the polls in March next year. In a pre-election pitch, Mr Mullighan said the budget preserved the state's industrial capacity, supported farmers battling through punishing drought conditions and demonstrated the government's 'sound financial management'. 'We are the lowest taxing state on the mainland,' Mr Mullighan said. 'And we have kept our promise not to introduce new taxes or increase existing ones. 'We've done all this while returning the budget to surplus and improving the state's credit rating outlook.' The budget delivers a surplus of $179m for 2025-26 and forecasts a $369m surplus for 2026-27 and $458m for 2027-28. Those figures are predicated on gross state product growth rates of 1.75 per cent for 2025-26, and then 2 per cent for both 2026-7 and 2027-28. The budget delivered substantial allocations to the Whyalla steelworks and to the South Australian Police. NewsWire / Dean Martin Credit: News Corp Australia Net debt is expected to expand from $35.5bn in 2025-26 to $48.5bn in 2028-29. Law and order is also a big winner, with the budget delivering $172m over six years to accommodate additional sworn officers. The state aspires to have a total sworn force of 5000 officers by 2030-31. 'While crime rates have fallen over the course of this government, we continue to toughen laws, expand our prisons and equip our police and criminal justice system with the resources needed to combat crime,' he said. 'This budget provides the largest boost to police funding in the state's history.' A bid to lure the COP31 climate conference to Adelaide is also a standout allocation, receiving $8.3m. A $118m cost-of-living package includes a stark boost for students. The price of student metro card 28-day passes, which are used across Adelaide's bus, rail and tram network, will tumble from $28.60 to just $10. Mr Mullighan (left) and Premier Peter Malinauskas will return to the polls in March next year. NewsWire / Dean Martin Credit: News Corp Australia The change means a student catching public transportation will pay the equivalent of 25 cents a trip. The Liberal Party, led by Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia, said the budget demonstrated Labor was 'out of money and out of ideas'. Mr Tarzia said the state was now confronting a 'debt iceberg', citing the $48.5bn figure as the largest in the state's history. 'The debt iceberg will sink the dreams of future South Australians' he said. 'What's abundantly clear is that Labor is completely out of touch with the needs of South Australians and instead, is frivolously whittling away taxpayer dollars on vanity projects that don't deliver any relief from sky-high energy prices, water bills and the housing crisis. 'A budget like this leaves South Australia vulnerable to economic shocks, which could come from any direction in the current economic climate. '
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Things have to be changed': Economists urge Labor to reconsider unrealised tax scheme
Wilson Asset Management Chairman Geoff Wilson says Labor's tax on unrealised capital gains will have a 'negative economic impact' as its purpose is to try and get superannuation back to its primary purpose of retirement funds. 'It is very beneficial for people who've got large sums in superannuation, they get a disproportionate benefit than the average Australians,' Mr Wilson told Sky News Australia. 'The trillions of dollars that's in superannuation, that's meant to be long-term investments … that won't happen anymore. 'This isn't the way to do it.'
