As we enter the last week of the election, the most important question you need to answer on May 3 will be… where can I get a democracy sausage?
The democracy sausage is a proud Australian tradition – wielding one pre, or post vote, is almost like a voter’s badge of honour. A declaration that you came, you saw, you voted and now you’ve bought a snag to support your local community group.
If you’re a community group who’s running a bake stall or a sausage sizzle at your local polling booth from Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Warialda, or Guyra (or anywhere in between), make sure you let us, and the Democracy Sausage website know! Let us know too and we’ll add
For the more southern end of the New England electorate and into Parkes you can get yourself a sausage on bread, or perhaps a little sweet treat at a cake stall at the following polling locations:
Armidale
- Armidale City Public School, 142-152 Faulkner Street, Armidale: Sausage sizzle and cake stall
- Ben Venue Public School: 83-103 Erskine Street, Armidale: Sausage sizzle
- Drummond Memorial Public School, 250 Rusden St, Armidale: Sausage sizzle
- Newling Public School: 80 Chapel Street, Armidale: Sausage sizzle
Boggabri Public School
- Boggabri Public School, 100 Merton Street, Boggabri: Sausage sizzle
Gunnedah
- Gunnedah South Public School, 1-15 Winder Place, Gunnedah: Cake stall
Gravesend
- Gravesend Hall, 57 Railway Pde, Gravesend: Sausage Sizzle
Nemingha
Nemingha Public School, 145 Nundle Rd, Nemingha: Sausage sizzle
Pilliga
- Pilliga Public School, 55-59 Dangar St, Pilliga: Sausage Sizzle and Cake Stall
Quirindi
- Quirindi High School, 113 Hill Street, Quirindi: Sausage sizzle
Spring Ridge
- Spring Ridge Hall: Cake stall
Tamworth
- Tamworth High School, Willis Street, South Tamworth: Sausage sizzle
Timbumburi
- Timbumburi Public School, 542 Kia Ora La, Timbumburi: Sausage sizzle
Werris Creek
- Werris Creek Public School, 68 Dewhurst Road, Werris Creek: Sausage sizzle
Willow Tree
- Willow Tree Community Hall, 56 New England Hwy, Willow Tree: Sausage sizzle and cake stall
If your township hasn’t got a mention, it might be worthwhile checking in with local community groups to see if they are firing up the barbeque on May 3 – access to a sausage on election day does almost feel like a democratic right.
In case you were wondering where the proud history of the democracy sausage came from – well, it’s largely enshrined in the fact that voting is compulsory.
According to the Museum of Australian Democracy, “Since compulsory voting was introduced in 1924, voter turnout at polling places has been very high. Polling places are typically primary schools and community halls, and polling days are on Saturday, lending a family-friendly almost festive atmosphere to polling day as the community comes together to vote.”
So, unlike our most other countries, who usually vote on a work day, Australia decided to be uniquely Australian and turn the idea of voting into an almost festive occasion.
If you haven’t voted via post or an early voting station, make sure you Vote 1 for the democracy sausage or cake stall and keep a proud Aussie tradition alive!
The Food Safety Information Council have released food safety tips for your democracy sausage or cake fundraiser.
Council Chair, Dr Scott Crerar, said that Election Day fundraisers are a great way to raise money for your school or other community organisation, but at the same time you need to make sure that it doesn’t become a food poisoning risk
- Appoint an event supervisor to make sure your volunteers are trained in and following food safety rules. Also try to have a separate person taking the orders and money so your cooks can concentrate on handling and preparing the food safely, and avoid cross-contamination.
- Wash hands. ensure hand washing facilities with soap are available. Always wash your hands with soap and running water and dry thoroughly on a single use paper towel before handling food and especially after handling raw meat or poultry, going to the toilet, touching your face or hair, blowing your nose, leaving the food stall or shaking hands. If there aren’t handwashing facilities, make sure an alcohol-based hand sanitiser is available and used.
- Wear clean clothing and a clean apron and change them if they become badly soiled. Food preparers shouldn’t wipe their hands on their aprons as this can become a source of cross-contamination – use single-use paper towels to dry hands. Wash/sanitise hands frequently.
- Never handle food for others if you are feeling unwell.
- Keep it cool when transporting food, try to minimise the time/distance between refrigerated storage, and make sure the food is covered and in a cool place in your vehicle, such as in the airconditioned vehicle rather than the boot or, ideally, in a container with ice or cooler bricks. The aim is to keep perishable foods (items that need cooking before eating, or fresh salad vegetables that will be eaten without further cooking) under 5°C until you are ready to cook or serve it. Keep uncooked meat and salad vegetables separate, or in enclosed, separate containers.
- Use a probe meat thermometer to check that the meats, such as sausages, hamburger patties, or poultry, are cooked to at least 75°C in the thickest part of the meat. Cook these foods as close as possible to the time of sale. Steak can be cooked to taste. Clean your thermometer between uses with a sanitiser wipe.
- Separate. Don’t put cooked meat or poultry back into the same container used for raw meat or poultry, and don’t use the same utensils, such as tongs, for raw and cooked foods.Prepare and serve ready-to-eat products, such as bread, salad items and cakes on a clean surface (that has not been in contact with raw meat or poultry) and separate from raw meat to avoid cross-contamination.
- Keep it clean.Wash any equipment such as chopping boards and knives in hot soapy water and dry thoroughly before using again. Ideally, use separate boards for raw and risky foods, and ready-to-eat foods (such as bread, or salad vegetables). When drying, tea towels can get contaminated quickly so you might use paper towel.
Follow all the New England Times coverage of the federal election here or have your say on Engage
See more about the race in New England here
See more about the race in Parkes here