Australian Election 2016: Who Won the Week?

Noted libertarian, former veterinary surgeon, and NSW senator for the Liberal Democratic Party David Leyonhjelm did a Reddit AMA last week. His username was, appropriately, reclaimfreedom. The whole thing was a joy to behold.

Leyonhjelm was candid on many issues: he admitted he was a little annoyed about the double dissolution ("I feel a bit cheated that I only got two years of my six year term, but there's nothing I can do about it") and advocating for the right to bear arms ("bottom line—there is no relationship between gun ownership and murder rates.")

But while the senator tried to distract users with these irrelevant policy gambits, Leyonhjelm was ultimately unable to avoid the hard questions. Like Leigh Sales with a computer keyboard, Reddit user huxception went right for the jugular with a query that cuts to the heart of the 2016 election campaign asking, "Do you think Shannon Noll was robbed or was Guy Sebastian the rightful winner of Australian Idol?"

Brace yourself - the answer is a little upsetting.

Can a politician really claim to be representative when they self-admittedly didn't watch a single solitary episode of Australian Idol's beloved, nationhood-forming first series? This is a question NSW voters might do well to ask themselves as they stare down at their Senate voting slips on July 2.

South Australian senator—and the only man brave enough to stand up to the Big Beastiality lobby—Cory Bernardi last week came under fire for tweeting a link to an article decrying social justice warriors, aka SJWs—that dangerous group of people who fight for social justice or something.

The reason for the controversy? The article was by modern-day Oscar Wilde, Daryush Valizadeh, otherwise known as "Roosh V." Roosh V is best known for advocating the legalisation of rape. When Roosh attempted to come to Australia to give a talk, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Roosh's visa would likely be refused, in the event he ever applied for one. That's how far from the pack you've strayed, Cory. You're big-upping someone Dutton thinks is a raving nut job.

When this was pointed out to Bernardi, he of course immediately apologised. Just kidding. He tweeted this: "Dear outraged, the article I linked to is interesting in light of the events of last week. It doesn't mean I endorse the author's other views." And don't forget, Hitler had some great economic policies.

In a week scarred by looming threats of violent revolution and economic warmongering, the real winner had to be communism.

First up, we had comrade Anthony Albanese announcing that "a vote for Malcolm Turnbull is a vote to abolish capitalism" because the Liberals wouldn't rule out preferencing DJ Albo's very Green rival for the NSW seat of Grayndler, Jim Casey.

But never one to miss a good old-fashioned socialist pile-on, former Labor leader and Twitter villain Mark Latham also felt impelled to defend Lady Capitalism last week. In his latest screed for the Daily Telegraph, Latham identified several high-profile Labor politicians—including Bill Shorten—as "poststructuralist Foucauldian neo-Marxists." It's a phrase I, for one, never thought I'd read in the Daily Telegraph.

Somewhere in suburban Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy is surely squirming in his grave with glee at just how far we've come in the past 60 years.

For all the latest in #auspol, check out the VICE Guide to the 2016 Australian Election.