GetUp! in Election 2016
Ariadne Vromen · ANU Press eBooks · 2018
GetUp! is a unique political organisation in Australian politics.Since their formation in mid-2005, they have accrued over 1 million members and fundraise about $8 million annually in donations from mostly small donors.From the 2010 Australian election onwards, their high level of declared third-party political expenditure to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has placed them among an influential group of traditional Australian interest group organisations of business and unions (see Vromen and Coleman 2011).In 2016, they had their most successful election campaign so far, both in terms of member mobilisation and political impact.Yet, they do not construct themselves as just another insideroriented interest group, but as a mass movement intent on progressive mass mobilisation.Their networked approach to online campaigning uses distinctive rapid response, repertoire switching.Members can pick and choose which campaigns they are active on, and some campaigns have been much more successful than others, ranging from issues such as electoral enrolment reform, abortion law reform, mental health policy, refugee rights, marriage equality, climate change, carbon tax, renewable energy, coal seam gas, higher education fees, Medicare charges and so on.They have also run dedicated national election campaigns in 2007, 2010, 2013, as well as several State election campaigns including the most recent elections in Victoria (VIC) and Queensland (QLD).However, the strategic approach GetUp! took in the 2016 election was a departure from This text is taken from Double Disillusion: The 2016