The history of Australia’s democracy sausage tradition

Australians reject fanciness. This is just what we’ve been known for. From our “she’ll be right” lackadaisical nature to our tall poppy syndrome, our utter lack of ceremony is part of our country’s national identity.

However, possibly what we’re best known for is the barbecue. We are the international barbecue country, our love of a grill and open flame all but cemented with the all-too-well-known “throw another shrimp on the barbie” tourism ad of the mid- ‘80s to early ‘90s.

So, if you’re not an Australian, it’s possible that the idea of hosting a sausage sizzle during a day of national importance may present as a bit of anathema, but it’s true. Every time there’s an election of any kind, voting booths are accompanied by a few people in a miniature gazebo, manning a barbecue laden with sausages you can generally buy for $2.50.

Even these barbecues are low-key affairs. No-one is expected to buy droewors, or other fancy sausages. Just cheap plain, BBQ snags from the local butcher are good enough for the so-called “democracy sausage”.

But where did this tradition come from?

The origins of the democracy sausage

It can sound weird to have a whole barbecue for a state, or even national election.

However, in Australia, it is a time-honoured tradition. People even get disappointed or feel shortchanged if they go to an event and there is no barbecue present. However, it’s not so far removed from another tradition that has long had culinary commerce applications – fundraising.

Since the 1920s, fundraising has long been associated with food sales. Political and non-political fundraisers have long been the locus for events where the sale of food is present, including baked goods such as cakes and pies, sweets like chocolate, and, of course, hot food like sausages.

However, it appears that the democracy sausage truly gained traction after 1924 when the country imposed compulsory voting.

How compulsory voting enabled the democracy sausage

When Australia’s decision to make political voting a compulsory affair, not only did it mean that politics were important for everyone to be involved in and have an opinion on, but it also meant that for a day or two in the year, there would be a definite and plentiful number of people at a certain location all day.

That means business.

When queuing up to cast your vote can take hours, hunger, thirst, and boredom are likely to be common occurrences. People recognised that the present masses of people created a highly targetable demographic for a small-scale fundraising opportunity. Therefore, the fundraising food sales that Australia had a long history of using were extended to election time, and the democracy sausage was born.

Now, people waiting in long queues to get their chance to cast their ballot in the political stage no longer had to do so without sustenance. A sausage and a can of drink were readily and cheaply available, and the stop at the barbecue was a welcome distraction from the drudgery of waiting in line.

Strange things in a strange land

Australia has one of the most unique biospheres in the world. We also have some of the most beautiful beaches, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, and a rich arts culture.

Yet our global image seems to be the locus of strange things.

The world knows us as the nation with giant spiders, where pretty much every living thing wants to kill you, and where we have a weird preoccupation with making odd things really big for some reason.

So, while it may seem strange that we have sausage sizzles at major political events, for Australia, it might just be par for the course. Especially considering how weird our politics can be.

After all, we’re the nation whose Prime Minister bit into a raw onion on television. We’re the country that named a pool after a Prime Minister who went missing at sea. We have a gift for strange things happening in and around our politics, so the democracy sausage really doesn’t seem all that odd.

After all, who could argue with a refreshment after hours of standing in line to do your civic duty?

The current state of the sausage

Australia is a strange but proud country. Our landscape is unique, our animals want to kill you, and we cover the entire climatic spectrum from the tropical to the tundra. Our people are multicultural and arts-loving, and our politics have always been just plain old weird.

However, even given all that, it feels unlikely that the politicians in 1924 could have foreseen that the move to compulsory voting would start a tradition of politically aligned barbecuing being so ingrained into our culture that the lack of a democracy sausage stand is treated as something of an affront to the voter.

One-hundred years on from making voting in elections mandatory for all Australians, and the democracy sausage is still going strong. We may be a small nation, out of the way of the rest of the world, but never let it be said that we don’t love our small traditions. We’ll make a day off out of anything, and we’ll find any excuse to get a barbecue going.

Honestly, though, when a good portion of the day is given to standing around in various stages of weather (depending on the election type and when it’s being held), there’s nothing quite as good to make the day feel good as a hot snack and a cold drink.
Let’s just hope the tradition doesn’t end with the emergence of postal voting.