According to official figures from the Australian Electoral Commission, the recent Federal Election was forecast to cost over $100 million. Hypothetically, how else could that money have been spent?
It could have been spent on a 25,000kW solar power station capable of producing upwards of 100,000kWh of electricity - enough to meet the power needs of 5,000 homes.
Or it could have been used to create an online voting system so that voters didn't have to drive to a polling booth and fill in a paper ballot sheet while standing in a booth constructed of cardboard. While all the paper and cardboard products used were likely recycled, the energy consumed in printing these items is significant.
Some of it could have been used to buy green power for the National Tally Room, which uses up to 650 amps of electricity. The list goes on. Click here to read some other interesting facts and figures from the election.
