The Wire

It’s been decided: September 7 is Federal Election Day 2013. But at the beginning of Homeless Persons Awareness Week, some wonder whether we’ll be seeing any homeless people heading to the voting booths.

Experts say there’s over 105,000 people in Australia who don’t have a fixed address. Of this group, there’s around 68,000 adults who have the right to vote but probably won’t this September. Some think it won’t make a difference as politicians don’t care about homeless people. Others say that homeless people are too small a group in society to make an impact on election results. The Federal Government has passed legislation to help enshrine the right to vote for the homeless, but would it be enough to make a difference?