iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

In which I give Kevin my data and he does something I never thought of: What if we just ignored an outlier councillor entirely? The results are fascinating. #lgtas

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 05/10/2026

Ballot packs for the #lgtas elections go out this week, which seems as good a time as any to launch this cycle's edition of the Quick Links. Links to candidate statements and prefilled VotePlans at your fingertips! lgtas.tantusar.au/2026/

A screenshot of the site in question, a grid of the 29 Tasmanian councils, with logos and links to VotePlan and candidate statements.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 02/10/2026

#lgtas candidate statements are out. Once again about 5% of candidates couldn't be bothered, and about a third of those are mayoral or deputy mayoral candidates. Inclusion of web links WAY down after the specific field was removed, and several attempts to include in text garbled.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 29/09/2026

With the (now) conclusion of #lgtas nominations, the time has finally come for the Graph of Futility! Despite everything, there is still a sea of candidates you've never heard of and will never hear of again. A bespoke Robson Rotation matrix is required in Hobart. #politas

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 29/09/2026

Nominations for the unfilled #lgtas positions have been taken and announced. Three candidates exist for the two King Island positions, EIGHT candidates exist for the one Tasman position. Where the hell were you a week ago? #politas

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

In somewhat more frivolous #lgtas matters, here's a look at the changes between council logos used at the 2022 and 2026 elections. Not a lot to see here with most but let's see what we can spot: (a thread)

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

And finally today, West Tamar. Plenty of good news here, the colours are more interesting, the typography is less dated, the A-frame is even pointing the right way now. Unfortunately that A-frame is still on a bridge named after famed asshole John Batman, so... Hmm.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Tasman. I get it. Your old boat logo had too much detail. That sucks for screen AND print. You are now a generic logistics company. Technically better but utterly rancid vibes.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Meander Valley's rebrand takes its cues from the Valley's slightly less recent place branding exercise. I think ultimately this IS a better logo, but I will miss those plateaus.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Latrobe HAS a logo with marginally better typography, (the same weird toothpaste L) but I guess we're stuck with this for now. This is the only completely unchanged logo I'm calling out.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Kingborough ditches the tiny crest that was cluttering up their otherwise passable wordmark.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Kentish have chosen a better colour for Cradle Mountain, softened up the rest of the palette... and then stuck an airgapped border around the thing for... reasons unknown.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Glenorchy had a brand refresh recently and took the opportunity to cleanup the linework significantly... And add a droplet that, now that it's there, one wonders why it ever wasn't.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Dorset is salmon now.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

My home of Clarence had been sticking with its crest for official communications for probably too long by this point, and has had a much simpler, dare I say, friendlier logo for absolute yonks. They're using it here now. Good.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Burnie has decided that the colour version of their logo should have outlines, and I agree with that decision, although the SVG has some unfortunate spurs.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Per TEC comms, #politas #lgtas candidate statements will be published on their website by the end of next week, in HTML form rather than PDFs. (That means just webpages, which is probably the better choice for accessibility anyway!)

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

As the candidate statement booklets have not yet been published by the TEC, I do not currently have any analysis to offer on rates of participation in the program. More later.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

The number of mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates has increased from 232 to 258. The deputy mayoral seat continues to be a more popular target, although there has been an influx of mayoral candidates.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Candidate counts in Burnie City (14 to 18), Derwent Valley (18 to 20), Devonport City (12 to 13), Glamorgan-Spring Bay (24 to 26), Kentish (10 to 11), Kingborough (16 to 22), and most significantly Southern Midlands (8 to 17, +112.5%), have bucked the trend and increased.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

While the total number of candidates has decreased from 510 to 430, the number of candidates per seat has increased from 1.94 to 2.02. This statistic is highest in Hobart City (3.56), Launceston City (3.00), Glenorchy City (2.89), Derwent Valley (2.86) and West Tamar (2.71).

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 22/09/2026

Some quick statistics: The retirement rate at these #lgtas elections is 28.52% compared to 29.28% in 2022. The elections for Break O'Day, Brighton, Burnie City and Central Coast have more renominees than there are now, post-reduction, available seats.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 21/09/2026

that poor overturned skateboard, don't know how they'll recover

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

could be worse, i suppose, don't need to ride a horse anymore

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

In other #auspol #JSCEM news, they're talking to Australia Post on Friday.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

The PDF can be found at www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar... under 235.3, and other than a couple of corrections to Hansard, likely marks the end of my participation in the inquiry. Many thanks to chair @jeromelaxale.com, the rest of the Committee, and the secretariat. 🧵/end

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

...and, with mild apologies to @kevinbonham.bsky.social, who has been beating this drum for much longer than I have, a visual explanation of the differences between three versions of the Gregory count used by many multi-member systems in Australia.

Page 10 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Explanation of the basic concept underpinning the Gregory counting system.

Page 11 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Explanation of three variations of the Gregory count.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

...a summary of savings provisions, legislative discouragement and exclusion zones around the country...

Page 6 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Summary of voting methods, savings provisions, legislative discouragement and exclusion zones federally and in New South Wales.

Page 7 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Summary of voting methods, savings provisions, legislative discouragement and exclusion zones in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.

Page 8 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Summary of voting methods, savings provisions, legislative discouragement and exclusion zones in Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.

Page 9 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Summary of voting methods, savings provisions, legislative discouragement and exclusion zones in the Northern Territory, and a further summary of all jurisdictions.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

...a case study of informality at the 2024 and 2025 #politas elections...

Page 4 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. The first half of a discussion of informality at the 2024 and 2025 Tasmanian state elections.

Page 5 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. The second half of a discussion of informality at the 2024 and 2025 Tasmanian state elections.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

The submission includes a brief discussion of what the ACT is thinking about electoral matter definitions...

Page 2 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Contains the definitions of electoral matter used in the ACT and federally.

Page 3 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Contains a discussion of the ACT's feelings on their definition of electoral matter.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 16/09/2026

My final supplemental submission to the #JSCEM 2025 #auspol election inquiry was published today.

Page 1 of the author's final supplementary submission to the JSCEM for the 2025 federal election. Contains a table of contents, a short introduction, and abbreviated terms used in the submission.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 03/09/2026

Schedule 1 of the Local Government Electoral Bill appears to be the existing Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act with some small drafting adjustments, so it does at least follow from existing practice, but come on, it's 2026, we have computers, we can do better than this.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 03/09/2026

The NEXT set of #lgtas electoral reforms have been tabled in #politas parliament in the form of a dedicated electoral bill and a bill with consequential and other amendments. ...And we're still using original flavour last parcel Gregory for the count. Boooooooo.

Page 165 of the Local Government Electoral Bill 2026, with a portion of Schedule 1, section 11(4)(a) highlit, describing that when a candidate is elected after having votes transferred, only the votes most recently transferred are used to fill the surplus.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 26/08/2026

The #lgtas councillor reductions passed Parliament on the 11th and were granted Royal Assent on the 21st, but because they come into effect on a day to be proclaimed, today, 12 days from the opening of nominations, they still are not in place. #politas

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 10/08/2026

Well, I'm having a rough day, but at least I own this stupid #auspol shirt now. Shame it couldn't turn up in time for the hearing.

I think you'll find...
I Number All Of The Boxea
Becausr ticking the boxes would not result in a formal House of Representatives vote under sections 240 and 268 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, and I always vote formally in federal elections.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 05/08/2026

well that was exhausting. don't recall getting any questions on notice but still some stuff to clean up over the next couple of weeks *long exhale*

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 04/08/2026

Former Senator Catryna Bilyk is added to tomorrow's #auspol #JSCEM schedule. Parliament remains misspelt.

Schedule for the Federal Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters hearing at Parliament House, Hobart on Wednesday 5 August 2026

11:15 am: Senator Peter Whish-Wilson and Senator Michelle Ananda-Rajah
12:00 pm: Mr Thomas Chick
12:45 pm: Break
1:30pm: Dr Kevin Bonham
2:15pm: Dr Robert Hortle, Dr Lachlan Johnson and Mr Doug Chipman
3:00pm: Mrs Catryna Bilyk
3:45pm: Close

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 02/08/2026

"...As I understand it, they were chair and deputy chair of that Senate inquiry." That being the Senate Select Committee on Information Integrity on Climate Change and Energy, which produced The Integrity Gap as its Final Report: www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

aph.gov.au

The Integrity Gap: Restoring Trust in the Climate and Energy Debate

Report

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 02/08/2026

#auspol #JSCEM chair Laxale replied the next day, on Twitter: "To give our committee a briefing about their recent inquiry on misinformation in the climate space They suggest lots of crossover on use of AI, truth in advertising and other issues that they would like to share with our committee..."

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 02/08/2026

writing down my opening statement for wednesday's #JSCEM hearing has not, in fact, improved my nerves about the whole thing it has, however, told me that my opening statement will easily fit within the three minutes allotted for it, so that's nice

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 31/07/2026

at least i'm aware i'm an idiot, there are some properly silly submissions in the pile anyway, they called me so i must be doing something interesting

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 31/07/2026

#auspol #JSCEM hearing schedule for Hobart on Wed released. Two senators, [insert self-deprecating remark], three members of UTAS' Tasmanian Policy Exchange including a former Clarence mayor, and @kevinbonham.bsky.social. Just ignore the guy in slot 2, not important at all.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 27/07/2026

oh, no, i was just wondering why the grand total in the regs didn't line up with the grand total here. turns out to be the totally unexciting "a scheduled thing didn't happen and too many people left". someone else who WAS tracking line by line pointed me the right way.

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 27/07/2026

ah, got it, it's being down two riders from the expected 160 (so it could also have exceeded the listed prize budget)

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 27/07/2026

lost the first climb from stage 21 but that still leaves the total 2000€ short, you know what's missing?

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 18/07/2026

candidate statement requirements for the #lgtas elections have been published. they've killed the weblink field so now if you want a weblink, it comes out of your 600 characters. and that's assuming you remember you can. this will SURELY help the "who's this dingus" problem.

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Reposted by Tantusar

Kevin Bonham @kevinbonham.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

#JSCEM interim report on 2025 election mainly dealing with polling place conduct - not a full coverage of JSCEM issues. Recommendations include enforced code of conduct for booth campaigners and zones and personnel limits around booths. parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/dow...

parlinfo.aph.gov.au

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Tantusar @tantusar.au · 30/06/2026

(unless a day at the beach is unpleasant in which case Other Pleasant Experiences Are Available)

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